Sausage, Apple, and Cabbage Hash

I love one pot meals! 

When I first changed my diet, I was not a cabbage eater!  

This recipe is what changed that. 

Before changing my diet I always stuck to the same veggies - white potatoes, carrots, corn (which is a grain, not vegetable!).  Oh, what I was missing! And not to mention the poor veggies I was eating, thinking they were doing me good - not so much! 

As usually I turn to Wellness Mama - 

Sausage, Apple and Cabbage Hash [Fast and Easy]

1 pound ground sausage (breakfast sausage will work- nitrate free if possible)
1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1 head of thinly sliced cabbage (red cabbage works great, or a mix!)

1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of butter
sea salt and pepper to taste
A small dash of sage and nutmeg (don’t overdo it!)

What to do:

1. In large skillet or wok , brown the sausage until cooked and remove from pan.
   
2. Make sure cabbage, onion and apple are all thinly sliced.
   
3. Heat the butter in the pan until melted and add onion and apple.
   
4. Cook for 3-5 minutes until starting to soften.
   
5. Add cabbage and continue cooking until cabbage is soft (may need to add
   a couple tablespoons of water and cover for a couple minutes to speed the softening, especially with red cabbage)
   
6. Spice to taste and add sausage back to pan.
   
7. Serve immediately. 

Make it for supper tonight & let me know what you think!!! 

http://meals.wellnessmama.com/wp-content/uploads/Meal-Plan-July-Week-1.pdf

DIY Makeup

First, let me admit, I started this out of pure laziness (and being cheap).

I love Bare Minerals makeup, and that's what I use for everything except my foundation powder. Bare Minerals is much easier to find now than when I first started wearing it. I usually had to make a special trip just for Bare Minerals (this is not something I'm all about - I don't "run to town" for one thing. I make sure I make the trip worth my while.)

What's a girl to do when you run out of foundation? Google it, of course. DIY! I came across this Mommypotamus recipe. I had already used several of her recipes, so I was familiar with her & eager to try it.

I've been so happy with this powder that I just can't bring myself to buy any foundation. I make the recipe and add bentonite clay which is very healing. Since making my own foundation, I have had very few breakouts (which I contribute to a variety of reasons, including the makeup. (I do use Bare Minerals concealer and concealer brush for hard to hide spots.) ''



Homemade Foundation Powder

Base Ingredients:
◦1 – 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (where to buy arrowroot powder)
◦1 – 2 tablespoon cocoa powder (where to buy cocoa powder)

Optional Additions
◦Cinnamon, finely ground for warm skin tones*
◦Bentonite clay for cool skin tones
◦French green clay or a blend that minimizes redness
* Mixed with honey, cinnamon has a long history of topical use for acne. However, large amount may irritate skin, which is why I recommend it as a subtle addition to this recipe rather than the main source of color.

Instructions:

Blend 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and one tablespoon arrowroot, then check color intensity against your skin. I usually test on the inside of my wrist. Add additional arrowroot if a lighter color is desired, additional cocoa if a darker color is desired.

To add warm tones to your powder foundation: Mix in 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Add additional cinnamon in 1/4 teaspoon increments until the desired hue is reached. One thing to keep in mind is that the amount of cinnamon used should be small in comparison with the other ingredient, because large amounts may irritate skin.

To add cool tones to your powder foundation: Mix in 1 teaspoon bentonite clay. Add additional clay in 1/2 teaspoon increments until the desired hue is reached.

To reduce reddish undertones: Mix in 1 teaspoon French green clay. Add additional clay in 1/4 teaspoon increments, testing as you go. To test this formula, I recommend applying a little to the face and allowing it to sit for a few minutes. It may look a bit greenish initially, but as it absorbs a bit that will disappear.

To Apply:

Apply with a soft makeup brush.

http://www.mommypotamus.com/homemade-foundation-powder/

Homemade Body Butter

I'm not a huge fan of using lotion. I always put it on the kids after bath time, but I usually neglect myself. 

I do love this body butter to dilute and rub on essential oils. It's an awesome fatty carrier with nothing but nourishing ingredients. 

If you hang around my blog very long, you're soon to find out how much I love Wellness Mama's recipes!  This one is fabulous!  It's easy and you only need 4 ingredients!

One thing I have learned by trial and error is that I do not like bees wax in most recipes. Lots of lotion recipes call for bees wax. Maybe that's the difference in lotion and body butter? Another note: this is an easy cleanup (using bees wax is not!). 

Cocoa, mango, and shea butters can be found on Amazon (or at a health food store). A pound will make several batches. 

I use whatever coconut and olive oil I have in the kitchen. (Today I am making a batch with avocado oil. We'll see how it turns out 😉) 

And for essential oils, I suggest Young Living. You can get them here: https://beta.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/start?isoCountryCode=US&sponsorid=2391092&enrollerid=2391092&type=member&isoLanguageCode=EN

Whipped Body Butter Recipe

 

An easy DIY recipe for homemade cloud-like body butter that is excellent for any skin type and completely natural.

Author: Katie Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Beauty

Ingredients

• ½ cup Shea Butter
• ½ cup Cocoa Butter or Mango Butter
• ½ cup Coconut Oil
• ½ cup light oil like almond, olive or jajoba
• Optional: Essential Oil for scent- I like using 10-30 drops depending on the essential oils used. Peppermint and Citrus/Lavender and favorites at our house.

Instructions

1. In a double boiler or glass bowl, combine all ingredients except essential oils.
2. Bring to medium heat and stir constantly until all ingredients are melted.
3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Move to fridge and let cool another 1 hour or until starting to harden but still somewhat soft.
5. Use a hand mixer to whip for 10 minutes until fluffy.
6. Return to fridge for 10-15 minutes to set.
7. Store in a glass jar with a lid and use as you would regular lotion or body butter. If your home stays above 75 degrees, it may soften and need to be kept at the fridge, but it will stay whipped at a temperature lower than that.
8. Enjoy!

http://wellnessmama.com/6544/whipped-body-butter/

Join Our Whole30

Update 6/24/15 -

We have one week down!  How's everyone doing?!  Can we say detox?  

Need some snack ideas?  Here's a few of my favorites:

- Dried apples

- Almond butter

- Banana & Almond butter

- Fresh cucumber :)

- Chocolate pudding (hallelujah!!)

     2 avocados

     2 bananas (during Whole30 I use       bananas rather than honey to sweeten)

        Cocoa powder

        Vanilla

Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy!  

Update 6/15/15 -

Two cookbooks I have and use often are Practical Paleo & Everyday Paleo. I love Practical Paleo because the first half is great reading material on the "why" of it all :) 

Starting Monday, June 15, a group of friends, family, & I are starting a Whole30.  Join us!  I highly suggest reading "It Starts With Food."  But to jump right in, read this: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

I will use this one blog post to update throughout the month. I'll add snack ideas, recipes, etc. 

You Are What You Eat

According to my husband, I've been on every "diet" known to man. Although this is not true, I have tried many different - I'll call them "ways" of eating. I've done no red meat, no meat, lots of grain, no grain, vegetarian, and so on. And I'm telling you this because I want you to know I'm speaking from experience.

What works best for me and my family is a [mostly] paleo lifestyle. 

I do not call it a diet. That's not what it is. It's not a fad or 90 day program (there is the Whole30; I'll get to that later). It's our lifestyle. The way we do things.  We don't focus our world around it (it has become second nature to plan ahead when I know food options will be limited or difficult).  We don't count calories.  We live like everyone else; we just choose to leave out some foods that are marketed as "healthy" but don't make us feel that way.  My general rule of thumb: if you don't know what all the ingredients listed on the label are, don't eat it. Best practice would be to buy nothing in a package, but this is so hard in our society and lifestyle. I do the best I can. 

Let me give you the basics:

What we eat - meat, veggies, eggs, fruit, nuts, seeds

What we don't eat &/or limit - grains, dairy, legumes, sugar

Are we perfect at this? - not even close!

But the closer we follow these guidelines, the better we feel.

We live in a world of convenience.  Every food you can imagine is already prepared, seasoned, cooked, & loaded with chemical preservatives!  This is such a new thing in our world. Could you imagine your great grandmother buying box of cookies? 

This is a passion of mine [or soapbox :)] - our world is so loaded with chemicals that are PROVEN & KNOWN carcinogens BANNED IN OTHER COUNTRIES!  Why on earth do we put them in our bodies?!  Because it's more convenient?  Because the FDA approves them, so we think they're safe?!  I want to do everything I can to help my family live the healthiest lifestyle - this includes foods, cleaners, and anything that come in our home. [rant over]

I say "we" because even though Paul Michael called me crazy for going through all my crazy recipes in the first years of our marriage, he knows & experiences that this paleo lifestyle works best for his body.  I know this is the best for Luke's body - he is very sensitive to corn (a grain, not vegetable) & dairy.  

How I found paleo - 

July 2012 I was 5 months postpartum. I could not lose the last 10-15 pounds of baby weight. I had also been reading and hearing "paleo" diet, but I didn't really know what it was. My best friend (who had a baby 3 weeks before me) said she had been eating this paleo way & dropped the last of her baby weight. That got my attention. I read The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. I soon thereafter started a Whole30 - http://whole30.com/new/ .  This was one of the hardest but best things I have done for myself. The weight fell off (and stayed off)!!! I learned what foods make my body work and feel great. And what foods make me feel awful!  I didn't know I was even feeling so yucky until I felt better!!!!  

Why Essential Oils? And Why Young Living?

When I started my adventure to natural health and household I came across recipes that called for essential oils.  Whichever oils the recipe called for I picked up at the health food store or ordered online. I didn't know any different. 

Once again, the more I read and researched I learned, like everything, not all essential oils are the same. I learned how important it is to get 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils.  So began my search for the best essential oils I could find. 

I talked to numerous oil users and read about different companies. I decided Young Living has what I want. They only produce the purest oils grown on their own farms and have third party chemical constituent testing performed after the steam distillation process. You can learn all about that here --> http://www.seedtoseal.com/en

And this is how my essential oils addiction began. I started using these oils and love them!  I want to share them with everyone.  This is how I got into the business side of Young Living. I had no intentions of "selling" oils when I signed up to be a Young Living member. But soon thereafter, I realized just by sharing my love of oils I could get them paid for!!!  You really can't beat that - oils that I'm going to buy anyway, by sharing Young Living I get a paycheck that pays for these oils (plus some)!  

If you have any questions about essential oils, Young Living, or an oily business, please contact me. I am by no means an expert! But I do have some pretty great resources, and I'm glad to point you in the right direction. 

Please note: Essential oils are awesome. They can do amazing things. BUT they are not a cure all quick fix.  Essential oils support your body's natural functions. They do help boost the immune system and a thousand other things. But if you are loading your body with harmful toxins everyday, oils are not going to be a cure all. Yes, they can help detox. But what good is detox if you are loading with toxins faster than you are getting rid of them???  Essential oils are PART of a natural lifestyle. 

How I Got Started...

Welcome to my new blog!  I want to share with you how I started this journey on natural health, wellness, and everyday living. 

 

I was a sophomore in college (2007) and between classes I started reading any book, article, and blog I could get my hands on about natural "green" living. I sat in the Student Union Building between classes, sipping a cup of coffee, & diving into this new world of information.  The more I read, the more I wanted to know.  This changed the way I look at EVERYTHING I come in contact with - from food to toothpaste to toilet scrub.  I became an avid label reader. As I read, I made a running list of chemicals (ingredients) I wanted out of my house!  I had a list for food and a list for household products. I took a these lists with me to the store and if the ingredients listed one of these harmful ingredients, I wouldn't buy it. I found alternatives to almost everything I was using!  I discovered a whole new & awesome market.  (Remember: this was before kids - I had all the time in he world!) 

 

 

Through all my reading and research here is my philosophy in life and living natural living:  God made us. He knows what we need and don't need.  God made our bodies to do amazing things (that often includes healing itself if properly nourished and balanced)!  I want to support my body to function at its best. 

 

In the last hundred years there have been obvious great advancements in the industrial world.  I'm not saying I wish I lived before electricity and indoor plumbing, but I do think people then had much healthier lifestyles than people today. 

 

There is the argument that people died young. Yes, I believe there is a place for modern medicine, especially acute or emergency care. But with that said, history and research also shows that our kids are projected to have a shorter lifespan and their parents (us). How sad is that?!  There are so many chronic conditions (diabetes, obesity, the list could go on forever...) that are because of our lifestyle habits and chemicals (both in food and household) with which we come in contact. 

 

I truly believe you must take your health care in your own hands. Yes, there are great doctors (both conventional and natural), and there are medications that are necessary. But you have to educate yourself. Don't take someone else's word for it.  I feel very strongly our government really lets us down here. There are hundreds of medications that are approved by the FDA only to be recalled later. How many people did those medications harm before being pulled?!  Everything that's recalled was approved at some point.

 

Our country has hundreds of synthetic chemicals allowed in medications, beauty products, foods, and household cleaners that are banned in many other countries because they are PROVEN to cause harm to the body. Why do we have these in our house?!  It doesn't even make sense!!! 

 

I am very passionate about sharing my joy of natural living, living the way God made me to function. He made my body to heal itself.  I want my body to be able to do that.  

 

This blog is a place for me to share ideas, recipes, & just how I do things.