Homemade Deodorant

Homemade Natural Deodorant

Good morning! I am procrastinating this morning and doing everything except for what I probably should be. So it's a normal day. I shared recently that my hubby has converted to homemade deodorant. It's so awesome that he supports me and is willing to try all my crazy stuff. Plus, I know he will be totally honest with me so he's a great guinea pig, 

I switched over to natural deodorant almost two years ago. I began by using some stuff I bought at the Farmer's Market. You had to use your fingers to spread it  on, which wasn't my favorite, and it was a bit wet for my tastes. So I began to research how to make it myself. It took quite a bit of trial and error to combine different recipes and figure out how to get it to smell nice, hold up well, and not irritate my skin (I have very sensitive skin). But I finally have a winning combination! 

I use different use Essential Oils for men or women (or change it up to fit your own preference for smells). Now, if you switch to this deodorant, it may take you a few days for your body to get used to it. This means you may stink badly for a bit. That is ok! It means that your body is getting rid of all the junk that has built up in your armpit pores. I always got really, really stinky. And, let me tell you, smelling worse than your hubby after a workout is not a good thing. Since using this deodorant, I never get as smelly! Yes, sometimes I still smell and need to reapply. But I was using clinical strength deodorant and reapplying multiple times a day. I really think just allowing my pores to breathe has made a huge difference. 

You may notice one of these deodorants is black. You can add a little activated charcoal to help pull out any toxins and keep you fresh. Totally optional though. Buying all the ingredients may seem like a bit of an investment at first but it's enough to make enough deodorant for two for a year or more (obviously depends on how much you use). For me, it's totally worth it. Oh, one more thing: don't leave it out in the sun. It will melt and make a mess. #experience

This recipe uses beeswax to hold the deodorant together (buy it here  http://a.co/fPhPEs0), shea butter for smoothing your skin (I like this one best http://a.co/gLXGS8L), along with a variety of essential oils (food grade is best, but even aromatherapy oils will work). This makes a bit batch, about 5-6 containers. Speaking of which, you can clean out old containers or buy these: http://a.co/hFKRF8M  Keep the extra containers in the fridge otherwise they can spoil. One lasts me about 3 months.  Hope it works for you too!

Homemade Natural Deodorant

1/2 cup extra-virgin coconut oil

1/3 cup arrowroot powder (Bob's Red Mill makes a great one)

*cornstarch works too if you have less sensitive skin

5 Tbs beeswax pellets

1/2 cup shea butter

1 tsp activated charcoal powder (optional)

10 drops tea tree oil (don't leave this out-it kills bacteria)

for men: 10 drops each ginger oil, clove oil, orange oil, and spearmint oil

for women: 10 drops each lavender oil, orange oil, and spearmint oil (or any variation/scent-vanilla and rose are also great. Just make sure you end up with about 30 drops for a whole batch)

Have your containers ready and all ingredients measured out and ready to go. This hardens quickly. If it hardens too much before you pour it, put it back over the heat or microwave for 15-30 seconds.

In a double boiler on the stove top over med-low heat, stir together the beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil until melted. Alternately, melt them together in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. (*note* I would use a glass bowl. Plastic can be difficult to clean since these ingredients like to cling to it)

Once melted, add all the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth and fully combined. Immediately pour into containers. Put lids on. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour or until firm. Leave one out for use, and put the rest into the fridge until ready to use. 

Mascarpone Orange Stuffed Dates

We are going over to a good friend's house tomorrow along with a few other families tomorrow to enjoy some fellowship and food. We all are big fans of food and love an excuse to eat together. I'm bringing a copycat version of a favorite restaurant treat, Deconstructed German Chocolate cake, which is really a flourless chocolate cake topped with coconut mousse and drizzled with caramel and coconut flakes. Really, really good. I will post about it soon because it's too good not to share.

I'm also bringing bacon wrapped, goat cheese stuffed sweet peppers (a less-spicy alternative to jalapeno poppers) and these delicious and unbelievably simple Mascarpone Orange stuffed dates.
To make them, you'll need dates (thanks Costco!), orange marmalade (homemade is the best, but a good quality store bought will work too), and mascarpone cheese (I can find it just about anywhere now-even Walmart. Check by the specialty cheeses.). That's all! Three ingredients. Give 'em a try at your next foodie get together!

Mascarpone Orange Stuffed Dates

Ingredients:
About 20 dates
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
4 Tbsp orange marmalade

Split the dates down the middle lengthwise and remove and discard the pit. Fill with a small amount of mascarpone-only enough to just fill in the date's center. Put a light dollop of marmalade on top. Ta-da! Easy peasy. Enjoy!

Coconut Rice Pudding

For absolutely no logical reason, I've been craving rice pudding. I haven't had it/made it in about 5 years (how is that even possible?!). My kiddos actually aren't huge fans of plain white rice (* I have strange veggie loving kiddos) so I rarely have it just ready to make.

However, this past week I was prepared. I made these Asian-glazed chicken thighs and coconut rice JUST SO I COULD MAKE RICE PUDDING. Then my almost 10-year old son comes and asks if we could bake a cake together. There go my dessert plans. #cantsaynotocake

Fast forward to tonight. Yes, there is still a double-chocolate orange cake sitting on the counter. But that's for the kiddos, right? And rice pudding is for adults only, correct? *wink wink*

So here it is. Coconut rice pudding. So creamy and smooth and coconutty. And, for bonus points, it's totally gluten and dairy free (win!). And you can easily substitute coconut sugar or even honey (insert sweetener of choice). You may have to slightly adjust the cooking time to get ther texture you want, so just keep that in the back of your mind while cooking.

Coconut Rice Pudding
1 cup cooked rice (preferable cooked with 1/2 coconut milk, 1/2 water)
4 cups coconut milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients into a pot and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat. It takes anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour.

For extra goodness, put toasted coconut on top. To take this over the top, add chopped mangoes or passion fruit
. Enjoy!

Awesome Beef Noodle Soup

You guys, this was so yummy! Perfect and hearty for a cold, rainy day like today. The tarragon really puts it over the edge. Hope you try it and enjoy!

Awesome Beef Noodle Soup

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jar marinara sauce
4-6 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you want the soup)
1/2 lb macaroni noodles
Fresh tarragon and basil (about 4 Tbsps chopped of each)
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Cook the ground beef until browned. Pour off any excess fat. Add in garlic, carrots, and onions with salt and to and sautee for a couple minutes. Pour in the sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add in the noodles and most of the fresh herbs (save some to sprinkle on top). Cook for about 10 minutes or until noodles are al dente. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve in bowls topped with parmesan cheese, fresh herbs and a nice fresh slice of bread.

Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

When my hubby and I were newly married and short on funds, our TV watching consisted of PBS and FOX since they were the only channels that our antenna could pull in. For a couple years I was very into NASCAR and Friends. 

Having to watch PBS, however, ended up being the best possible thing for a young woman just discovering how much flavor food can actually have. Julia Child and Jacques Pepin, America's Test Kitchen, Lidia Bastianich, and Rick Bayless were my teachers. I credit them with most everything I know and still watch to learn more and more. 

Have you watched or read Rick Bayless? When I think "flavor" I think of his cooking. Yes, it is Mexican food, but not in the way you think of Mexican food. His cookbook, "Mexican Everyday", is one of the best cookbooks I own. Everything is delicious and full of flavor. 

The recipe I'm sharing today is inspired by a somewhat similar salad in his book. It's something I swoon over and the others who have tried it have loved and asked for the recipe. Tender, sugary sweet potatoes paired with creamy avocados and the sharp tang of the dressing makes for a wonderful side salad dish. Warm and comforting for winter, but also perfect for a backyard barbecue!  Hope you try and enjoy!

Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:

For the salad:
2 large sweet potatoes, diced
1/2 of a sweet onion or red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, still in the papery skin
3 diced Roma tomatoes
1 diced avocado
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Head of chopped Romaine lettuce

Olive oil for drizzling

Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium dried guajillo chili (use two if you want more spice)

Roasted garlic (see above)

2 Tbs cup white wine vingear

1 Tbs honey

2 Tbs lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put sweet potatoes, onion, and garlic onto a sheet tray.  Roast for 15-20 minutes until soft and delicious. 

Put roasted potatoes and onions into a medium bowl. Add tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Stir to mix.

Make the dressing. Put everything together in a blender with the peeled roasted garlic. Blend until smooth.

Poor dressing over veggies and mix. Chill for at least and hour.

When ready to eat, serve over a bed of chopped lettuce.

Enjoy!

Goat Cheese and Kale Tortellini...With Bacon!

Tonight the hubby had to work late. Thankfully, that isn't a normal occurrence for our family and this one comes on the end of a week off. Typically when hubby is out, I don't bother making a big dinner. Despite the fact that only one person is gone and 5 of us remain, dinners when he's gone usually are of the chicken nugget variety.

So tonight I pulled out good old Costco tortellini. I love that stuff. Comes in a handy two pack and freezes really well. I also pulled out a jar of marinara sauce I had in the fridge (also from Costco, just saying). That jar ended up going back into the fridge, unused.

You see, Mommy here wanted some "grown up goodies" on my pasta so I pulled out goat cheese and kale and then found some good mushrooms and red peppers in the fridge. So my kids are a little strange and as soon as I pulled out the kale all swarmed around eating it. And I'm the weird mom saying "quit eating all my kale!" Haha.

I totally planned on making one batch for me with all the veggie goodies and a simple version for the kids, but as it cooked they all gathered around commenting on how good it smelled (even my slightly more picky 9 year old son). 

To be fair, I added bacon and these kiddos can't say no to bacon.

I decided to skip the marinara and give the kids the good stuff. And they scarfed it up and all actually completed me on it (nothing like hearing, "Mommy, this is so yummy! Thank you!" to make you feel good about yourself). Then when Hubby got home late, he went to the fridge and swooned over his reheated leftovers. It's one of those moments you just want to soak in and remember. Everyone loved dinner! Yay!!

So here is the recipe! Did I mention this came together in less than 30 minutes? I can't guarantee that your kids will be excited about goat cheese and kale, but you never know. There is bacon....

Goat Cheese and Kale Tortellini

Ingredients
1 package cheese tortellini
5 slices bacon, chopped up
1 cup kale, torn into pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup starchy water from cooking the pasta
Basil, cut in strips
Salt and pepper to taste
*Red pepper flakes if you like it spicy

Cook pasta according to package directions. Retain 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta.

In a large skillet, saute bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon bits to a paper towel to drain but leave the grease in the pan.

Add in the mushrooms, kale, garlic, and red pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sautee for a couple of minutes until soft. Add in goat cheese and water and stir until all melted together on med-low heat.

Toss in the tortellini. Garnish with bacon and basil. Eat up and enjoy!

Marbled Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling

Guys, my hubby and I agree that this may be the best cake we have ever had. I am super critical of everything I make but I'm telling the truth. It's soooo good. I made it on a whim the other day. Some of my kids prefer chocolate and some vanilla, so I made it a marbled cake. I had some rhubarb given to me by a friend and strawberries that had seen better days. Then my youngest son asked for whipped cream frosting. All this together=amazing cake-ness stuff. The cake is rich and moist. The tang from the rhubarb cuts the sweetness of the cake. And the frosting is light and compliments wonderfully.

So here is the recipe! Hope you love it.

Marbled Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling

For the chocolate cake:*

• 1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
• 3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
• 
  

• Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour a 12 inch springform pan.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave, stirring to melt. Check on it every 30 seconds or so. 
  3. In a medium sized bowl, toss the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together until thoroughly combined. 
  4.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the butter/chocolate and whisk until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk. Repeat. Try not to overmix. Batter is quite thick.
  5. Set aside while preparing the vanilla cake batter.

  
  
• For Vanilla cake batter:*

• Ingredients:

  • 1 and 3/4 cups (200g)  flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk at room temperature

  Directions:

  1. Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  2. Mix the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until creamed together. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean. Beat until combined, then beat in the sour cream. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the milk until combined.  The batter will be slightly thick.
  3. Into the prepared pan, take large spoonfuls of each batter and alternate scooping in chocolate, vanilla, etc, until all the batter in used. I used a large ice cream scoop. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

  
  
• For the Strawberry-Rhubarb filling:
• 1. Chop rhubarb and strawberries into smallish pieces.  You will need about 5 cups chopped fruit. Throw them into a heavy-bottomed pan along with 1 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Cook over medium-low heat until it boils and rhubarb is soft. Quickly stir in 1/2 cup of cornstarch, making sure not to let it clump. Boil for 2-4 minutes until very thick. Set aside and let cool.

For the Whipped Cream Frosting:

In a small bowl, dissolve half a packet of unflavored gelatin with 2 Tablespoons water. Set aside. Whip 2 cups heavy whipping cream with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form. Take the gelatin and microwave for 5 seconds. It should turn into liquid. Slowly, while still beating the cream, pour in the gelatin mixture. 

Assemble the cake:

After the cake has cooled, slice in half lengthwise. Pour the strawberry-rhubarb mixture over the bottom of the cake. Top with the other half of the cake. Frost with the whipped frosting. Refrigerate until ready to use and refrigerate any leftovers. 

Enjoy!

-Christa



*cake recipes based on Sally's Baking Addiction. 
PS, Sally's Baking Addiction is amazing. Everything on there is freaking fantastic.