Day Three Hundred Fifty-Five: Homemade Samoa Cookies

It's hard to choose a favorite flavor of Girl Scout cookies, and, frankly, sometimes it just depends on your mood. But, having said that, I can say that I ALWAYS like the Samoas. I haven't had an actual Girl Scout Samoa in years, but just thinking about them gets my salivary glands all fired up! So when I came across a recipe for healthy Samoas, I knew for sure they would materialize in my kitchen in the near future. They are very easy to make, and they only have four ingredients: dates, coconut, dark chocolate, and coconut oil. I thought they were super yummy. Maybe they can be my gateway back into the sugar-free lifestyle I have sadly abandoned over the summer.

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Three: Almond Butter Date Bars

My kiddos have end-of-year testing tomorrow, and I wanted to have a quick, protein-packed breakfast on hand to help them power through the day. I came across a recipe for almond butter date bars, and decided to give it a try. I have only ever cooked with dates one other time, so that was still a little new for me. They came out a little more crumbly than I had hoped, but they should still work as brain fuel.

Uncut almond butter date bars

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Two: Homemade Bathroom Cleaner

I love experimenting with homemade cleaning products, so today I made bathroom cleaner. It's not a terribly exciting First, but it'll have to do.

Day Two Hundred Sixty: Homemade Taco Seasoning

I wanted to make "avotacos" for dinner, but I didn't have any avocados, so I ran to the store and picked some up. When I got home, I realized I didn't have any taco seasoning either. So, I made homemade taco seasoning, which I had been wanting to try for a while anyway because the store-bought kind usually has sugar added. Then, and only then, I realized/remembered that half the family had another dinner commitment for the evening and one of staying half can't eat foods that need to be chewed at the moment. So I gave up and heated up leftovers. But, I did get a First out of it with the taco seasoning, so it wasn't a total loss. (And we'll have the "avotacos" tomorrow night.)

Day Two Hundred Fifty-Nine: Homemade Multipurpose Wipes

We use a lot of disinfecting wipes around our house because we are dirty, messy people. I have seen many tutorials for homemade wipes, and I finally got around to making my own. To be perfectly honest, I don't like the homemade ones as much as the store-bought ones. They aren't as thick or as big, and the alcohol in them kind of drowns out the scent of the essential oil I used, even though I used more oil than was recommended. They get the job done, and we will use them, but I was hoping for something a little more amazing. Still, I enjoyed making them and was glad to have a legit First for today!

Day Two Hundred Forty-Nine: Homemade Lip Balm

I recently ordered a lip balm making kit for myself, and today I had a chance to use it. It was easy and fun, and I love the peppermint balm I made! I use A LOT of lip balm, so I think this little investment is really going to pay off.

Ruth said it looked like I was a too-happy mad scientist with all the colored tubes

Finished product

Day Two Hundred Forty-Two: Chia Seed Pudding

I have tasted chia seed pudding before, once, but I have never made my own until tonight. I made a chai flavored one, which I think is going to be fantastic. I'm already looking forward to breakfast!

Day Two Hundred Thirty-Nine: Not Banana Bread

It so happens that Jeff and I went grocery shopping on the same day with different lists in hand. Both lists contained bananas, and we each bought enough to feed an army. So, we now have a plethora of overripe bananas in the house. My usual go-to in a situation like this is banana bread, but I wanted to try something different this time. (Plus, I'll no doubt still have enough bananas for the old standby.) So, I spent part of my day making homemade banana chips and banana-based ice cream in two flavors--chocolate and chocolate peanut butter. We were very happy with the results of both experiments and were especially excited that neither of them contained sweetners of any kind.

Day Two Hundred Fifteen: Cheese and Cracker

A while back, Clay bought a cookbook at the library's used book sale. He immediately picked out a couple of recipes he wanted to try and made a grocery list. This list spent several weeks in his room before being moved to a prominent place on the refrigerator where it kept getting overlooked because, frankly, it just looked like another piece of paper. When I announced a trip to the grocery store yesterday, Clay determined he would go with me, list in hand. I had long ago forgotten about his list, but I dutifully bought the items. So, he was all set to make fried mozzarella sticks and butter noodles for dinner tonight. The only problem was we didn't actually buy all the ingredients that were needed for the cheese sticks because mysteriously not all of them were on our list. I am generally a strict recipe follower, especially when I'm trying something new, but I didn't want to disappoint Clay, so I literally made something up on the spot using ingredients we had on hand. And then, not wanting to waste the breading, I decided to make it into a giant cracker. It was a grand experiment! Neither the cheese sticks nor the cracker turned out very pretty, but they tasted pretty good, which I guess is what matters. That, and the fact that I got to spend some quality time with my little guy in the kitchen!

Fried Mozzarella "Sticks"

A giant cracker or something similar

Day One Hundred Ninety-Three: Homemade Cuticle Cream

I was playing around in my beauty lab again tonight and ended up with homemade cuticle cream. My cuticles are always in need of a little extra care, so I was excited to find this recipe.

Day One Hundred Seventy-Three: Second Fermentation

I have been making kombucha for several months, but today was the first time I attempted a "second fermentation." All that really means is that I removed the SCOBY, added some fruit, popped a lid on the bottles, and set them aside to ferment for a few more days. The second fermentation is supposed to be more flavorful and more carbonated. I can't wait to try it!

Day One Hundred Sixty-Eight: Homemade Bone Broth

A year ago, we purchased a quarter of a grass-fed, pastured-raised cow from one of our friends. Once it was processed, one of the things we ended up with was a couple of bags of beef bones. My friend told me they would make excellent bone broth, which was something I had been reading about and wanting to try, so it seemed perfect. Obviously, making homemade bone broth didn't immediately make it to the top of my to-do list, and here I am, a year later, just getting around to it. One of the things that kept me from doing it earlier was that it seemed to be quite a lengthy and, by many accounts, smelly process. Motivated by my knee injury to increase my collagen intake and knowing that bone broth was a good source of collagen, I started looking more seriously at recipes. It turns out, you can make bone broth in the Instant Pot, cutting down on cooking time as well as odor. Win-win. It actually smells fantastic, and we are so excited to give it a try! (We're thinking maybe French onion soup! Ooh, my mouth's watering already!)

Bone broth and all it's goodies still in the Instant Pot

Finished product

Day One Hundred Sixty-Six: Homemade Body Wash

I love playing around with homemade beauty products. They usually work well, smell great, and have only ingredients I can pronounce. Plus, there is a bit of a mad scientist in me that just likes to see what will happen when I mix this with that (but a safe one, because I do generally follow recipes-- at least the first time I make something). I've tried making lots of different things, but this was my first attempt at body wash. It smells amazing, and I can't wait to try it out in my morning shower.

Day One Hundred Fifty-Four: Gigantic Ice Cream Sandwich

I always love to hear what the kids come up with for their perfect birthday cake each year, and I try my best to make their birthday cake dreams into realities. A few days ago I asked Max, whose birthday is tomorrow, what kind of cake he wanted. He thought for a minute and then declared, "I think I want an ice cream cake." A minute later, he changed his mind, "No. I think I want a cookie cake." And, then a light bulb came on and his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "What about an ice cream cookie cake?!" The best of everything. So today, I made my first ever ice cream cookie cake, aka a gigantic ice cream sandwich. I think Max will be pleased.

The biggest ice cream sandwich I've ever seen

When it comes to birthday cakes, size definitely matters!

Day One Hundred Thirty-Two: Chocolate Truffles with Peppermint Essential Oil

I love my essential oils, but I really don't do much cooking or baking with them. I have used the lime oil in guacamole when I didn't have fresh limes (which turned out delicious, by the way), but that's pretty much it. When I saw a recipe for Healthy Chocolate Truffles, I knew I had a good excuse to bring my oils into the kitchen. The truffles are pretty simple (though a bit messy) to make, and they taste like a special occasion.

Homemade Chocolate Truffles

Day One Hundred Thirty: Thumbprint Cookies

I've always heard of thumbprint cookies, but until today, I had never made any. The recipe I found is a healthier version, utilizing almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil, honey, coconut oil, and sugarless fruit spread (I used pear fruit spread because that's what I had on hand. And I threw in some chia seeds just for kicks!) I'm really happy with the way they turned out and will definitely make them again!

Thumbprint Cookies

Day One Hundred Twenty-Nine: Calming Magnesium Body Butter

As previously mentioned, I have been reading about the benefits of magnesium lately, so when I found a recipe for Calming Magnesium Body Butter, I was excited to give it a try. It smells wonderful and feels really great, and I'm hopeful it will live up to its promises to reduce stress, help with sleep, and ease sore muscles.

Calming Magnesium Body Butter

Day One Hundred Twenty-Eight: Grape Penguins

In preparation for tomorrow's Winter Breakfast, I made a whole waddle of grape penguins tonight. These creatures have never made an appearance at Winter breakfast before, so it was a good First for me. And the finished product just made me smile.

Perfect plate of penguins

Day One Hundred Fifteen: New Twists on Old Favorites

I was in a cooking mood today, and, no, that's not my First. 🙂  I actually love to cook when I have the time. Today I whipped up some family favorites, but with a couple of the dishes I strayed from my usual recipes for something a little different.

My family loves Brussels sprouts, and I make them often--always caramelized with lemon juice squeezed on just before serving. But I found a recipe that added avocado, bacon, caramelized onions, and balsamic vinegar, and I knew instantly that my family wouldn't mind veering from the norm. Everyone loved the dish, and it may actually become our new go-to Brussels sprouts dish.

Photo credit: https://heatherchristo.com/2017/10/30/brussels-sprouts-with-bacon-red-onion-and-avocado/

Amped up Brussels Sprouts

I also make homemade hummus from time to time. Jeff and I prefer the homemade version, but the kids like the flavors available in the store-bought versions. So, I attempted a flavored one this time by incorporating caramelized onions in a balsamic reduction. (Can you figure out today's secret ingredients?!) We haven't tried it yet, but everyone seemed happy with the smell produced by the onions while they were cooking, so I suspect it will be a hit.

*Photo credit: https://www.camelliabrand.com/recipes/balsamic-caramelized-onion-hummus/

Caramelized Onion Hummus

Day Seventy-Five: Homemade Ingredients

I was in a pumpkin spice mood today and wanted to try a new recipe called Pumpkin Spice Meltaways. But first, I had to make my own coconut butter. And then, I needed to make my own pumpkin pie spice. It was the first time I had to make so many ingredients from scratch before I could proceed with the recipe! The flavor was definitely more on the coconut side than the pumpkin side, but I was still very happy with how they turned out and will enjoy them while they last.

Cute and Tasty Pumpkin Spice Meltaways