Healthy snacks to munch on!

Snacks are probably the only thing humans can agree are the best thing in the world. What is even better are healthy snacks. Yeah, that's right. Snacks that don't come out of a vending machine, but healthy stuff. 

Junky snacks to healthy snacks can be a difficult conversion, especially in this day and age where we are in a constant rush and shove anything in our mouth for that immediate gratification. I am very guilty of this and I'm sure you can relate to this predicament. However, there are alternatives to our junky snack problem...

-Fruit 
Yes. Yes. YES. Fruit will keep you stuffed and prevent you from aimlessly shoving food into your mouth. 

-Nuts
Almonds and other nuts are a "naturally high source of vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, and potassium and are rich in protein and fiber." Source Basically, it is good for your health. 

-String cheese
It is always fun and distracting to play with your food. 

And more...
-Baby Carrots with hummus 
-Egg whites on wheat toast 
-Dark chocolate
-Yogurt with granola
-Quesadillas (my favorite)
-Smoothies
-Raisins, dried cranberries

Pick Me Up Monday!

Good morning. Back at the work office and I'm sure you're loving every minute of it. Or maybe not. But here's a cute bundle of joy to cheer you up and hopefully get you through this week!

Throwback Thursday ~ Coconut oil liquid soap

I bet most of you don't remember Lulu Blossom made coconut oil liquid soap.For today's Throwback Thursday we are offering a DIY recipe that you can make at home.

To start off you will need:

• 4oz coconut oil 
• 10.7oz Potassium Hydroxide for lye/water solution
• 32.2oz distilled water
• 4tbs 5% Borax solution per 8oz of soap paste (neutralizes)
• 4-5oz distilled water per 8oz soap paste for dillution
• Stainless steel pot or crock pot
• Rubber gloves
• Protective eye wear
• Ball jar or glass container 
• Utensils (spoons, spatulas) only to be used for mixing lye. Lye is poisonous and should be mixed outside or in an area with plenty ventilation. Never cook with utensils or pots that have come in contact with lye. 

Directions:

1. Measure and melt coconut oil.
2. Mix lye and water for solution.
3. Mix oil and lye together.
4. Bring to trace (which is when it starts to thicken.)
5. Cook the paste either in crock pot or stove top- usually about 4 hours.
6. Add 4tbs of 5% borax to 4-5oz distilled water and mix per 8oz of paste.
7. Once the solution is mixed and neutralized, pour into glass container and cap lids until the solution starts to become viscous and cloudy. It will go from clear to the color in the picture above. Once this has happened feel free to add any fragrance or essential oil for a scent. However, we find that unscented is pleasant as well. 

***When mixing water lye solution, make sure to wear protective eye wear like goggles or glasses and mix lye slowly as it becomes very hot quickly.***

10 Coconut Oil Uses

The coconut, also referred to as the Tree of Life is rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers. It is cheap and can be found at your local grocery store. 

1. Running late and suffering from summer beachy flyways? Dab a bit of coconut oil to tame frizzy hair. 

2. Remove eye makeup by applying coconut oil on cotton with a dab of water, and remove those panda eyes.

3. Ever have tummy troubles? Well, coconut oil improves digestion. A spoonful a day can help improve thyroid function and boost your immune system.

4. Having summer hair mishaps?  There's a way you can prevent from further damage. According to this article, coconut oil reduces the protein loss for damaged/undamaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product.

5. If you made plans to slim down this summer you can use coconut oil as a a replacement for butter and oil, when cooking or baking to achieve your beach body. 

6. Reduce your dogs halitosis(bad breath), by pouring coconut oil into their food. 

7. Feel self-conscious about razor burns or clogged pores? It's summer and you shouldn't have to feel insecure about showing off your body. Use coconut oil as an aftershave to avoid this while also achieving healthier, attractive skin. 

8. Keratosis pilaris is a skin condition that causes acne-like bumps. You can help fade it by using coconut oil. 

9. Use as hair conditioner by rubbing coconut oil in hair and leave for 30 mins. 

10. Recent studies have shown that fluoride in toothpaste and water are detrimental to your health. With that being said, there is a lot of buzz about the new phenomenon known as oil pulling. Coconut oil pulling is used to cleanse the mouth, remove plaque, and whiten teeth. Use coconut oil pulling to improve oral health.  

Grill Season Is upon Us!

 
                                                     Grill Season Is Upon Us!!

Summer is back! There will be pool parties, barbecues, and 4th of July engagements galore. All of which include food so what's a vegan or vegetarian to do? Bring these black bean burgers, of course!
Try this hearty yet flavorful vegan recipe that can be either grilled right away or kept frozen until needed.

                                                                  Ingredients:
                                                      2 cups of cooked black beans
                                                      1/4 of a green pepper diced
                                                      1/4 onion diced
                                                      1 serrano, jalapeno or fresno pepper diced
                                                      3 sprigs of fresh oregano or 1 1/2 tsp of dry
                                                      1/2 tsp cumin
                                                      1/4 cup corn
                                                      1 tsp of chili powder
                                                      1/4 cup of ground oats
                                                      2 tbsp corn meal
                                                      1 tbsp of flax mixed with a 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place a pan of water on the lowest rack to keep the burgers from drying out.

Prepare the mixture of flax and water first as this mixture will need to sit for 10 minutes until it becomes  viscous. This is your egg substitute and will act as the binding agent to keep the patties together.

Add rinsed beans, onions and peppers together and mash. Then adding the flax/water mixture, ground oats, corn meal and spices and mix/mash thoroughly. Mix corn in last to keep kernels whole. Oil baking sheet and form patties to make 3 large  4 small ones. You can also double up this recipe if you are cooking for more people. Throw them on the cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes on each side. They are then ready to put on the grill immediately or you can freeze them for a later date. They are best served on a pretzel bun with avocado, mixed greens and tomato.