From the Kitchen: Black Bean Hummus

Summer weather is here, and I find myself in the mood for grilling and picnic food.

This is one of my favorite snack/picnic/party foods. And since I keep black beans on hand most of the time, it’s super easy to whip up in just a few minutes.

{go here for my super-easy, overnight crock pot black bean instructions} 

Ingredients:

2 cups black beans, with a little liquid (if they’re too dry, just add water or olive oil)

1 T minced garlic, or 1 large clove, or 1t garlic powder

1 T chili powder

1 t cumin (or more if you’re like me and can’t get enough cumin)

1 t onion powder

1/2 t salt

handful of fresh cilantro

1/2 c Tahini (optional)

Directions: Put all ingredients into food processor or blender and puree; garnish with sprigs of cilantro if desired. Dip crackers, tortilla chips, bread, or veggies.

Every ingredient can be adjusted “to taste.”

From the Kitchen: The Green Smoothie

You asked for it, you got it!

My Green Smoothie recipe.

I based this off a green juice I had at a local health cafe. I couldn’t remember exactly everything that was in it, and since I don’t have a juicer, mine has all the chunky fiber and pulp included, which I like because I feel fuller longer. Be forewarned, it sounds WEIRD! I was skeptical at first, and it took me a couple tries to really get a taste for it, but now I’m kind of addicted to it and super bummed that I’m out of bananas and won’t be able to have one this morning. It tastes vegetably. So if you’re looking for a fruit smoothie that has veggies hiding it, this is not it.

Here we go:

1 fresh kale leaf

1/2 to 1 celery stalk

2-3 fresh spinach leaves (optional)

1 banana

1 little finger-full bunch of cilantro

1 t grated fresh ginger

liquid of choice (I use kombucha, but you can use water, juice, milk, whatever)

Put everything into the blender, fill with liquid to cover about 2/3 of the solids

Blend. Drink. Be well.

I had one for breakfast at about 6am, and I was not hungry, nor did I even think about food until almost 11am. Pretty good!

From the Kitchen: Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

Ever have a major Pinterest Fail? Well, here’s mine:

What It Was Supposed To Look Like

How It Turned Out

It was supposed to be “Cheesy Cauliflower Bites,” but it turned into cheesy cauliflower mush.

After I snapped that awful pic with my phone, I popped it back into the oven until it browned. It didn’t look much better, but it tasted amazing! So I set out to make it again, but I made it better. I basically combined the ingredients to make a casserole, and adjusted to make it more “real food” friendly.

{Find the original recipe here}

Does anyone else find it weird that the picture in the “pin” is not the same as the picture on the actual recipe website? Things that make you go “hmmmm.”

Ingredients:

2 T melted butter (the real stuff)

2 T heavy cream, whole milk, or sour cream (raw if you have it! yum!)

2 eggs (from the backyard chickens)

1/2 cup your favorite shredded cheese (mozzerella is good)

1 head of cauliflower, chopped (I used purple because it was on manager’s special at Kroger – and it was SO PRETTY!)

salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 t each)

1 c breadcrumbs (I keep homemade breadcrumbs in the freezer)

Directions:

1. Whip melted butter, cream, and eggs in a medium bowl

2. Add chopped cauliflower, shredded cheese, salt and pepper, stir until well combined

3. Pour into greased 9×13 pan

4. Top with breadcrumbs

5. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes (ovens vary)

All Natural Homemade Liquid Hand Soap / Body Wash

I’m excited about this one, people! Anything that is quick, easy, cheap, and natural is a WINNER in my book. And this homemade soap is ALL of the above. BASICALLY, you dissolve a tablespoon of bar soap into boiling water. I give more detailed instructions below, but that’s pretty much the concept.

I have recently discovered the awesomeness of Castile soap.

“Castile soap is a name used in English-speaking countries for olive oil based soap made in a style similar to that originating in the Castile region of Spain.”

“This type of soap is often highly prized because it is made with natural ingredients, appealing to people who want to be environmentally conscious. It is also very gentle, suitable for people with sensitive skin along with delicate surfaces and fabrics ranging from soft stone to silk. Some people like to blend their own castile soap, using soap base and essential oils.”

I bought (in the natural section at Kroger) a bar of Dr. Bronner’s lavender Castile soap, and oh yum! I’m really in love with lavender. You can purchase a scented soap, or scent your own using your favorite essential oil.

This liquid hand soap / body wash recipe is a very slight variation from the liquid dish soap recipe found here. I have been using the dish soap for several weeks, and I LOVE it.

Ok, on to the hand/body soap.

You will need:

~ Castile bar soap (plain or scented)

~ Boiling water

~ Tea Tree Oil (optional – as an anti-bacterial – I like to have it in the bathroom because it’s gross in there, but would probably leave it out of a body wash) and any other scented oils you choose

~ A soap dispenser, reused or homemade, or old shampoo/body wash bottle

Directions:

1. Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil

2. Put 1-2 T of grated bar soap in a glass jar or measuring cup

(1 T if using a foaming pump, 2 T if using a regular pump)

3. Add 1.5 cups of boiling water to the soap, and stir to dissolve

4. Add about 5-10 drops of Tea Tree Oil and any other essential oils you are using.

5. Pour into soap dispenser

It will take several hours to cool and set up. As it cools, stir occasionally.

By the next day if it seems too thick, warm it up again and add a bit more water. If it’s too watery, warm it up and add a bit more soap.

You can reuse a liquid soap pump, or make one from a mason jar like I did.

From the Kitchen: Crock Pot Vegetarian Chili (with a beef alternative)

We are not vegetarians, although a couple years ago I would have had no problem becoming one. Now that I have found sources for clean meat and healthy animal fat, I’m not sure I could give it up as easily anymore.
However, realizing that meat is not the only good source of fat and protein, I try to do one or two vegetarian meals a week. I know it’s April, and Chili season is just about over, but here in the north we will probably still have some chilly (ha! pun!) and/or rainy days, and this is an easy recipe to keep in your back pocket for when that happens. Or pin it and save it for next fall and winter!

Ingredients:
2 quarts veggie stock
1 quart black beans
1 cup uncooked quinoa
3 -5 tomatoes
1/2 an onion, chopped
1/2 a green or red pepper (I keep them chopped in the freezer)
Any other veggies you feel like throwing in – I used 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, and 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
1T chili powder
2t cumin
1t garlic powder
1/2t salt
1/2t pepper
(If you’re not interested in the vegetarian thing, use beef stock instead of veggie, and throw in up to a pound of ground beef)

Directions:
Put all ingredients in the crock pot, cook on low 8 hours, or on high 3-4 hours. That’s it! Easy peasy. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese if desired. I like to put tortilla chips and/or corn bread in my chili too!

School Shootings: A Teachable Moment I Never Wanted to Have

This was hard to write. And heart breaking that it’s even a thing. But here it is, raw and not very well edited.

Last week the local news reported that the police had received an annonymas threat that says something to the effect that somebody is going to kill 20 students in 5 schools in our area on a specified date in the very near future.

In the days since the story broke, I have been bombarded by a wide range of thoughts and emotions. My very first thought was, “well my kids certainly won’t be at school that day.” Yes, it is a generic threat, but this Mama Bear is taking it very personally. If someone is threatening kids in area schools, and MY kids are in area schools, then someone is threatening my kids. And that is not ok. As a Mama Bear I will do anything in my power to protect my cubs from serious danger, and missing a day of school is a pretty simple solution to this dilemma.

But my analytical brain decided to look at the situation from all angles:

How many times has a bomb threat led to an actual bomb? None that I know of. And how many times has something as horrendous as a school shooting been preceeded by admission of the details of when and where? None that I know of. But that’s just it… I don’t know.

And on the flip side, I have no connection to law enforcement of any kind. How many times has tragedy been averted because law enforcement met it head on and stopped it? I have no idea, but I have no doubt that it happens.

Before I became paralyzed by fear and panic, (or maybe after?) my rational voice kicked in and told me that no one would publically proclaim their intent to kill children if they really intended to.

But then again, if the media and the police are making such a big deal about it, maybe we do have something to fear.

I prayed and prayed that night and the next day about what to do – send the kids to school or not? Better safe than sorry is what I kept thinking. And I can’t think of anything I could possibly be more sorry about. 

The kids were coming home from school terrified because they had been told that bad guys were coming to kill them (or that’s how they interpreted it, and I can’t say I blame them).

I woke up a couple days later feeling that the threat was completely ridiculous and with all the extra police patroling the schools, there is no way anything is going to happen. But what if it does?

In the car later that afternoon I had a series of rational thoughts that I felt were God’s leading me in how to talk to the kids about the situation.

Here is what I told them:

A message written on a bathroom wall said that somebody was going to go to SOME schools (we don’t know which ones) and kill people.

When people plan to kill someone, they don’t write messages about it in public bathrooms. Its probably some jerk being stupid.

People die every day from all kinds of things – accidents, illness, etc. We cannot live our lives in fear of death everywhere we go. When we die we will go to heaven with Jesus, and that will be good.

We believe that Jesus is always with us, and that he protects us from all kinds of harm.

At the same time, we cannot be stupid. I cannot jump in front of a fast-moving train and expect Jesus to save me from death.

Police will be patroling the schools more than usual on that particular day, as well as the days before and after. It’s actually probably the safest day of the year for kids to be at school.

But it could happen, my 15yo said. Yes. It could happen. And it could happen any day of the year. Or you could be hit by a car.

All of that said, I gave them each the choice to stay home or go to school. It was probably the scariest choice I have ever let them make, when all I wanted to do was take my little chicks under my wings and shelter them. I felt God was leading me in this teachable moment, but the honest truth is that I didn’t and don’t feel very rational about it.

J6 immediately said she’s staying home. She was certainly the most terrified to hear the news from the beginning. After all she is only 6.

S7 said she’s going, and  A15 said she wasn’t sure.

I was at the same time proud of their faith and good reasoning, and regretful that I let them make that decision. I want them home and safe, whether it’s rational or not.

S7 is now having second thoughts, and I think in the end they will all stay home, even if it is because the lure of a free day off school is too strong to resist.

And I’m ok with that. I think I would probably mandate it in the end. I know we can’t live our lives in fear. And we won’t. But I don’t want to play chicken with a moving train.

Win Free Coconut Oil – A Review and Giveaway from Tropical Traditions

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. If you make your first purchase of anything from Tropical Traditions using the links on this page, you will receive a free book and I will receive a reward coupon.

If you dig into the world of natural health even just a little bit, you will soon discover that coconut oil is all the rage these days. It is used in cooking as well as in hair, skin and body care. I wanted to find out what all the hype was about so I recently started buying small jars at the grocery store. I love being able to make my own body care products like moisturizers, deodorant, and toothpaste. When I learned of a company called Tropical Traditions that is said to produce one of the highest quality coconut oils in the world and also supports small family farms, I decided to try it and see if there is any difference between that and the “store” coconut oil. I bought a 5-gallon-bucket of Green Label Virgin Coconut Oil because, even though it was a pretty big investment, the cost per ounce ($0.36) was less than half what I was spending on the coconut oil at the store ($0.85). So I bit the bullet, and boy am I glad I did!

For the purpose of this review, Tropical Traditions sent me a free sample of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil which is hand made (versus their Green Label, which is machine made). Let me start by saying, there is most definitely a noticeable difference between the “store” coconut oil and what I received from Tropical Traditions, both the Green Label and the Gold Label.

The first thing my husband noticed when we opened the 5-gallon bucket was how much more coconutty it smells. The texture is a bit creamier, and the taste a bit stronger.

We have used it as a food – adding it to smoothies, making chocolate candies out of it, and also putting a tablespoon or so into our coffee in the morning. It can be used for cooking, frying, and baking as well, but I do feel it’s important to diversify my healthy fats, so for now I am sticking to butter and lard for those purposes, although I’m sure coconut oil is wonderful too. We are overall pretty healthy people, so it’s hard to say after only a couple weeks, whether the coconut oil is benefiting our physical health.

I will say, the same week I started “eating” (taking?) about 1-3T per day of Tropical Traditions coconut oil, I lost 3 pounds without changing anything else about my lifestyle at the same time. And the week after that, I lost another 2 pounds. I have been gradually changing to a healthier lifestyle over the past year (with absolutely zero weight loss), so there is no scientific proof that the coconut oil is what is causing the weight loss, but it’s a pretty strong correlation. My husband also started losing weight again around the same. Hmm… I don’t think coconut oil is a weight loss miracle, but combined with proper diet and exercise, perhaps it helps.

Although coconut oil is wonderful as a food, my favorite way to use coconut oil is externally. It is so beautifully moisturizing. I use it straight on my lips and hands when they become chapped. If you read labels, you will find that coconut oil is often one of the main ingredients in natural lip and skin moisturizers. I use it to wash my face (it works!), in place of shaving cream, and to moisturize my face and body after showering. I have also put about a tablespoon into the tub while bathing (I take lots of baths), and my skin feels all soft and smooth afterwards.  I have an African American son, and I have tried so many products on his dry, ashy skin, and nothing has left him as soft, without being greasy, as Tropical Traditions Virgin coconut oil. All my kids love how smooth it makes their skin. Even my teenager is starting to get on board with it, using it on her hands and face, and is impressed with the results! There are so many  uses for coconut oil, I could go on and on, but this post would never end.

I can honestly say that there is a very noticeable difference in how well Tropical Traditions works as a skin care product versus the “store” coconut oil. I have noticed it the most on my hands. I get extremely dry, cracky hands in the winter. I had heard how wonderful coconut oil is for dry skin, so I tried it with the oil from the grocery store, and was not all that impressed. It didn’t seem to make much difference, if any. But I am noticing a difference using Tropical Traditions. My skin is softer, less dry, and no cracks.

Now lets talk about price. Tropical Traditions 5-gallon-bucket is less than half the cost per ounce of grocery store coconut oil. Even the 1-gallon bucket from Tropical Traditions is about 30 cents less per ounce. A pretty significant difference. You do have to factor in shipping. When I got mine, they were having a free-shipping promotion that I took advantage of. I don’t know how often they do those since I am a fairly new customer.

If you are interested in the price breakdown details, here they are:

Organic Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil from Kroger (Spectrum brand):

14 ounce jar for $11.99 = $0.85 per ounce

29 ounce jar for $19.99 = $0.69 per ounce

Gold Label (hand made) Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions:

5 gallon bucket (640 oz) for $250 – $0.39 per ounce

1 gallon (128oz) for $75 – $0.59 per ounce

1 quart (32oz) for $29.50 – $0.92 per ounce

Green Label (machine made) Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions:

5 gallon bucket (640oz) for $229 – $0.36 per ounce

1 gallon bucket (128oz) for $69.50 – $0.54 per ounce

1 quart (32oz) for $27.50 – $0.86 per ounce

As you can see, even for as little as one gallon of coconut oil, you are saving quite a bit of money over the store brand, and in my opinion, Tropical Traditions coconut oil is so much higher in quality. I love knowing where it comes from and how it is made.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the opportunity to try it for yourself, for free. Tropical Traditions is giving away one free quart jar (32oz) of their Gold Label Organic Virgin Coconut Oil to one lucky winner.

There are two mandatory requirements for entering the giveaway. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions’ E-mail newsletter, and like Eubanks Eutopia on Facebook. There are lots of other ways to get extra entries too, just follow the link to the Raffelcopter! This contest is open until midnight on April 3rd, 2013.

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