A few years ago I took a cheesemaking class and loved it, not only did I learn how to make cheese but a few other treats! Kefir is a cultured dairy drink with a sour and creamy taste, and it contains a range of beneficial bacteria. Kefir grains can also be used to make many other things like cheese, butter, and crème fraiche!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon kefir grains
1 pint fresh cream
Instructions
Use 1 pint mason jar, add cream and kefir grains cover.
Allow to ferment for 24 hours or until it thickens.
Remove kefir grains with a wooden spoon strain out..
Store in an air tight container for 1 week in the refrigerator.
Combine the milk, chocolate, cocoa powder, agave and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan and set over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the chocolate melts and the cocoa dissolves, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the chia seeds and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Add coconut oil in to a glass jar (I use my glass pyrex measuring cup). Add water to a small pot that will come up to about half of the measuring cup. Use a small pot over a low heat, and stir the coconut oil and tea for 1 hour. Don’t let water get too low add more luke warm water as the level goes down. After let the oil cool down for a few mins and using a fine mesh strainer pour out oil into jar to remove all the tea matter. Let the oil cool until it becomes solid again. You are now ready to whip with a hand mixer for about 5- 7 mins. Use daily and if your home is warm you can store in the fridge!
Sub for coconut oil: Cocoa butter or shea butter
Here are a few other recipes I found that I will be trying they sound amazing:
Place the coconut oil and cocoa butter in a saucepan. Over low heat, warm until just melted.
Remove from the heat. Add the vitamin E oil and essential oil.
Cool until the mixture solidifies, (a few hours at room temperature). Stir the body butter vigorously with a spatula, and then transfer to a clean container with a lid.
To speed up the cooling process, you can place the body butter over an ice bath and stir vigorously until it goes from melted to firm and fluffy.
Place the beeswax and coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. Heat just until just melted with no remaining flecks of beeswax. Try to keep the temperature as low as possible to preserve the benefits the of coconut oil.
Remove the oil mixture from the heat, and hand whisk in the room temperature aloe vera gel and peppermint essential oil until it’s thoroughly combined.
Let the lotion cool to room temperature, about 2-4 hours. Whisk again, or place in the blender and blend at a medium speed for about 30 seconds for a fluffier version.
Note:This lotion will naturally become thicker and more solid over time, as some of the aloe vera slowly evaporates.
2 Tbs Infused Coconut Oil with Chamomile and Lavender (see below)
2 Tbs White Sugar
Small glass jar or tin
Add coconut oil in to a glass jar (I use my glass pyrex measuring cup). (I like to infuse about 1 cup of coconut oil with 4 Tbs of Chamomile and Lavender, so I can use for other projects at the same time!) Add water to a small pot that will come up to about half of the measuring cup. Use a small pot over a low heat, and stir the coconut oil regularly for 1 hour. Don’t let water get too low add more luke warm water as the level goes down. After let the oil cool down for a few mins and using a fine mesh strainer pour out oil into jar to remove all the herb leaves. Now oil is infused and ready to use mix 2 Tbs with 2 Tbs of sugar until both are blended well! Use the scrub once a week for 3-5 mins on your lips and wash off. Apply a lip balm after.
Coffee grounds and Coconut oil Face Scrub
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of freshly brewed coffee grounds
1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
Mix the two together into a paste, than you can either apply as a face scrub direct or make a small scrub bar like pictured. If you want to keep as a paste after mixing, add to a glass jar. If you want to make small scrub bars which I find last longer, use a silicone mold add the paste and freeze. You can apply once a week either paste or bar. Don’t leave on for more than a few mins 3-5 as it can sting (always test on skin first). The acids in coffee grounds is what not only removes dead skin but lightens skin tone. It’s also great for minimizing pores, bonus the coconut oil is a great moisturizer for your skin!
If you don’t have time to make it to the yoga studio and you decide to sign up for The Yoga Collective the online studio on (groupon.com). Set up your own yoga studio at home check out these goodies. Every year Target brings out in the bulleye’s section at the entrance of the store, fitness goodies at a great prices! See below all items are between $3 – $10:
Weighted Jump rope yes the handles are hand weights
5 LB Kettle ball
Bluetooth Speaker with clip on handle
Drink Shaker
Foam Yoga Block
Foam Yoga Roller
Yoga Mat
Waist Pouch (not pictured)
8 LB Toning Ball (not pictured)
Stretch Bands (not pictured)
I got my gear don’t wait too long to get yours this stuff sells fast! Namaste
Who doesn’t love keeping their pups happy and I am very guilty, my two Gizmo and Scar well they are spoiled! Today they got two special treats a treat for the tummy and a treat for their paws! Depending on the time of the year and how much walking your dog does they put in some wear and tear on their paws and elbows! My little guy Gizmo not so much but Scar she really loves a paw rub. Here is a recipe I found that seems to work well I did leave out the essential oil only because my dogs are licking their paws constantly:
The ingredients: shea butter, beeswax, and either coconut or olive oil. Look for natural and organic versions if possible, and make sure that everything you use is human-grade. And small glass jars.
Instructions
To melt the ingredients, you can use a double-boiler—or, since the beeswax may be hard to clean, you can mimic the double-boiling effect by placing a glass mason jar in a saucepan of water over very low heat. Combine 6 teaspoons of beeswax, 3 tablespoons shea butter, 3 tablespoons of oil (either coconut or olive), and any essential oils or Vitamin E. Stir the ingredients until the beeswax melts, then remove from heat. If you used a double-boiler, pour the melted mixture into individual tins and wait for it to set; if you used a jar, just want for it to cool, then screw on the lid. Viola!
How to Use the Balm
To use, massage into chapped paws whenever necessary. Most pets won’t lick off this mixture, but the beauty of a homemade balm is that it’s nontoxic and won’t be harmful if your dog ingests a small amount. If licking becomes a problem, try experimenting with adding a drop or two of different essential oils, or removing them altogether.
Pro tips: beeswax is a solid, and it can be difficult to cut/measure. To cut it at home, try heating a butcher’s knife under hot water, then slicing it into small chunks. If you can’t beeswax locally, look for it online—some stores sell it in beads, pre-measured blocks, or shavings, which are much easier to handle. If you’re interested in giving paw balm as a gift, try doubling or tripling the recipe. This balm can also be used if your dog’s nose gets dry and cracked in the winter, too.
Now this second recipe I found was very similar to the baked dog treats I posted before. The plus here is it’s a no bake and because they are frozen will be great come summer time as a cool treat!
Add your bananas to a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to mix unti broken down, but still some texture remains. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a food processor, hand mixer, or just mash by hand.
Add in the peanut butter and coconut oil and mix to combine. Texture should be pretty smooth, but with some small chucks of banana in them.
Add 1 heaping tablespoons to bone shaped silicone molds, making about 10-12 treats. Place in the freezer for 2-3 hours to firm up. Store in the freezer and let your pup enjoy!
If you drink coffee everyday you should know that coffee grounds are not only for brewing. Coffee grounds can be used for many things from the garden to beauty products. Check out the article below to find out what you might want to use coffee grounds on:
As you can see I love to shop at Trader Joe’s! They have good deals and they carry lots of natural none grocery items I use on a daily. I stop buying dryer sheets a while ago and started using both the wool balls and the lavender bags. Wool dryer balls absorb moisture and help get rid of static cling, but best of all they reduce drying time! Throw in a lavender bag for a smell of the provence plus they can be used up to 5 times in the dryer, than you can use as a sachet in your drawer. Because they are reusable and eco=friendly they make a better deal than using dryer sheets and are less expensive too!
As we start a new year we need to set our 20/20 vision on the goals for 2020! We are looking at what we eat, how we work on ourselves, and how we will start saving with smarter spending. Here are a few other apps to help save money this new year:
I use this app because who doesn’t buy groceries and you can use receipts from any store that sells groceries. Target, Costco, CVS, Costplus etc. It’s a quick way to get some money back for things you buy on the daily.
Check out Fetch Rewards. It’s a free app that turns grocery receipts into rewards. Just scan any grocery receipt, and earn points towards awesome rewards. You’ll earn at least 1% on all listed brands and products, and gain access to exclusive offers that earn you even more points. No more entering codes, completing tasks or jumping through any hoops! Just scan your grocery receipt, and get rewarded.
Use my referral code, 76P5H, during signup and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points just for starting.
The Stash app is another one I use where you can invest any amount of money you want on a weekly or monthly basis. You can start out small like just $5 and pick stocks you know like spotify, apple, or netflix. You can also use the Stash Spend Debit to invest where you shop like starbuck, amazon, or Verizon and get stock back rewards. You can watch your investment grow overtime on the app and as you get more comfortable see if you can invest more!
ACORNS.COM this is the third app I use to also invest with just round ups on my daily spending. Acorns also offers Acorn Spend Debit Card which lets you see stores in your area that have “found money”, which means when you shop you get a percentage of your purchase invested into stock! Check it out one of these apps or all 3 might be for you:
The Project For The Day 