With Easter right around the corner I thought it would be a good idea to offer up some all natural dye recipes. This is a great way to still have the same amount of Easter fun with your kiddies or loved ones, but without the toxic food colorings that have been linked to many modern illnesses.

     I found these recipes through the Better Homes & Gardens website, where they suggested leaving the eggs to soak overnight in the refrigerator for the best results.

Bluish-Gray

Mix 1 cup frozen blueberries with 1 cup water, bring to room temperature, and remove blueberries.

Blue

Cut 1/4 head of red cabbage into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Let cool to room temperature and remove cabbage with a slotted spoon.

Jade Green

Peel the skin from 6 red onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.

Faint Green-Yellow

Peel the skin from 6 yellow apples. Simmer in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Simmer 4 oz. chopped fennel tops in 1-1/2 cups of water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Orange

Take the skin of 6 yellow onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.

Faint Red-Orange

Stir 2 Tbsp. paprika into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Yellow

Rich yellow: Simmer 4 oz. chopped carrot tops in 1-1/2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Mustard-yellow: Stir 2 Tbsp. turmeric into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Various shades: Steep 4 bags of chamomile or green tea in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes.

Pale yellow: Chop 4 oz. goldenrod and simmer in 2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Faint yellow: Simmer the peels of 6 oranges in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. vinegar.

Brown-Gold

Simmer 2 Tbsp. dill seed in 1 cup water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Brown

Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup strong coffee.

Pink

Faint pink: Chop 4 oz. amaranth flowers and simmer in 2 cups water; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Simmer the skins from 6 avocados in 1-1/2 cup water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Mix 1 cup pickled beet juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Dark pink: Cut 1 medium beet into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 Tbsp. vinegar and let cool to room temperature; remove beets.

Lavender

Mix 1 cup grape juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.

“Hop” you have an “egg”xcellent Easter! (too much?) :]

From Pureiosity.com

      What can I say? I’m “Coo-Coo” for CocoNUTS! Coconuts are an amazingly wonderful fruit! They are kind enough to give us healthy fatty meat and butter, high-electrolyte water, safe and tasty milk, and oh-so-useful oil!

• Their meat is tasty and can be eaten fresh or dried (and left unsweetened) to be added to healthy desserts, cereal, or trail mix.

• I like to use coconut butter to mix into a morning smoothie to add some healthy fat and a tropical flavor, or I pair it with a tropical fruit, like mango, for a more satisfying healthy snack!

• This lovely fruits water is very high in electrolytes, and when derived purely, straight from the fruit, it can provide many benefits. Just keep an eye out for packaged brands that add sugar, flavor, preservatives, and additives. Directly from a coconut is always best!

• Coconut milk is a great and yummy alternative to dairy, and another option for people who may be allergic to nuts as well (and can’t drink nut milks!). I use it’s milk substitute version for cereals, and the thicker, more dense and creamy milks for cooking! 

• One of my favorite products from this little not-so-nutty nut is it’s oil. Coconut oil has been around for a long time and is well known as being safe for cooking and body care. It has a smoke point of around 350°F and can be used to cook at higher heats, without the worry of creating rancid oil and free radicals. However, my favorite use for coconut oil is on my body! Using an oil instead of a water-based lotion will last long and go deeper into the skin; it will stay with you rather than drying up! Just like everything else, the less processed the oil, the better. That means that when choosing a coconut oil, it’s always better to go for the extra virgin coconut oil over the others.  

• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil can be used as an overall body lotion by just scooping some out of the jar, warming in your hands, and rubbing into your skin.  

• If you need a deeper moisturizer on those particularly dry spots, like your heels, you can really lather up—leaving a extra layer on top of the skin. Then just cover it up overnight. For example, if it is your heels, pull socks over; if it’s your hands, socks or gloves; if it’s anywhere else, try an ace bandage. It seems silly, but you will wake up with such moist skin it will be well worth it!

• You can also use it on your lips in lieu of lip balm!

 

 So c’mon, let’s get nutty! :]

Hello everyone! So the last month or so I have been building and working on my new and improved total health blog! It is focused on living a pure life on the inside, outside, & beyond :] all of my loyal readers here will recognize many of the posts during that time as they are highly integrated, & I will eventually be switching over solely to my new site. I feel like it is ready for its introduction! Ladies & gentlemen, I present to you…

pureiosity

pureiosity.blogspot.com Enjoy! :]

    So the other day a cute little girl scout came to the door with boxes of cookies in hand…apparently my mom couldn’t say no to her cute little face & thought it would be a good idea to torture me with them! So the little girl dropped off the pre-paid cookies (thanks mom…really) and went on her merry way.

     OH MAN. It is very easy for me to pass by cookies at the store, I just don’t buy them. I’m usually never temped because I don’t put myself in situations faced with the classic tastes of childhood cookies. However, I was now staring these little guys in the face: Thin Mints, Trefoils, Samoas, and, what is this? Savannah Smiles? how intriguing… I already knew what the others tasted like, but not these little smiles…I had to…just try one…one…little…cookie…

     The lemon-y sweetness melted in my mouth, and I’m not one for great self control. One cookie turned into, well, a lot more. They were so good and I savored every bite!

     The next day I payed for it. I felt so sick, my stomach was bloated from the gluten and days later my face was breaking out from the processed sugar that my body wasn’t used to. They were good, but not worth it! Not worth it at all!

    Never the less I had started a cycle of cravings that were painful. I had to have that lemon-y sweetness again. The only option was to make my own! I looked up different lemon cookie recipes and suggestions and it came out deliciously!

Ingredients:

■ 1/3 cup xylitol

■ 1/3 cup coconut sugar

■ 1 stick of organic butter at room temperature

■ 1 organic free-range egg

■ 3-4 meyer lemons (depending on size), juiced with zest and all

■ 3/4 cup almond flour

■ 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp cup coconut flour

■ 1/2 tsp baking soda

■ 1/4 tsp Real Salt

Directions:

     Preheat the oven to 350°F. Juice the lemons in a juicer with just the ends cut off, leaving most of the zest, and set aside-it’s important to keep the zest on for the very strong flavor. Put the sugars and butter into a large bowl and whip together with a hand mixer until smooth.

       Next add in 2.5 tablespoons of the lemon juice ( you can use more or less depending on how much lemon flavor you want) and the egg. Mix it all in!

      Then sprinkle in the baking soda & salt, and stir it up!

      Ideally you could place unbleached parchment paper on a cookie sheet, but I had unknowingly run out before baking these cookies, so I just buttered a cookie sheet for the next step. I read a tip online that suggested making very small cookies when baking gluten free, because the larger cookies tend to fall apart—GREAT tip! So you are going to roll them into almond/walnut sized little balls and placed them evenly on the cookie sheet.

    Bake them for 8-10 minutes, just until the bottoms turn a golden brown.

   You can leave them as is-which is incredible-or make a lemon zest sugar by combing lemon zest and xylitol in a food processor until a powdered sugar is formed. Mine turned into more of a rock sugar because the zest was wet!

   I actually preferred them without the sugar topping!

     I got a new incredibly wonderful job that I am SO excited about…the ONLY down side is the extremely early mornings! My body is still not used to the schedule, and I am simply exhausted by the time I get off. Therefore, I haven’t been cooking as much as usual. The other day I was determined to make my hubby a delicious and healthy homemade meal—-so I walked into Trader Joe’s & just began pulling things off the shelf. I ended up with lamb chops and a lot of different spices, as well as little recollection of how I decided on these things.

   Anyhow, I attempted and prevailed! I ended up with a pretty simple and delicious dish that I will definitely have again :]

Ingredients:

■ 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

■ 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

■ 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

■ Real Salt and pepper to taste

■ 4 properly raised hormone & antibiotic-free lamb chops

■ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

■ 1/4 cup minced shallots

■ 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar

■ 3/4 cup free range organic chicken broth

■ 1 tablespoon organic butter

Directions:

         In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, & thyme. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides, then sprinkle with the desired amount of salt and pepper. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.

      Heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 4 1/2 minutes per side for medium, or continue to cook to your desired done-ness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.

      Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth.

    Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

YUM.

     I am VERY excited about this, everyone! My Fit FOODS, a Texas-based company, has opened it’s first two stores in southern California. Luckily, they happen to both be within 30 minutes of home for me! They are an incredible company dedicated to helping their customers create and/or maintain a healthy lifestyle. 90% of their menu is gluten free, most of it is also sugar, soy, and dairy free! On top of all of that, the food tastes incredible and is incredible! I was able to take a tour of the kitchen and saw the amazing quality of ingredients that they use to make their fresh, per-proportioned, never-preserved meals! I am so happy to have a place to eat that I can feel confident about! Check it out! (click the pic!)

     The other day both my hubby & I were exhausted from long days of work and had no dinner plans whatsoever. We didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to go through the process of planning, buying, and cooking a meal, and so I played “Chopped” at home & opened the fridge full of mystery ingredients to come up with dinner.

Ingredients:

■ Leftover chicken (marinated with salsa, artichoke, spinach, and black beans)

■ Organic sweet potatoes

■ Organic free-range chicken stock

■ Organic Pinto Beans

■ Green chilies

■ Organic asparagus

What I did:

    I shredded the cooked chicken into large chunks and put it into a pan with a can of green chilies, pinto beans, and some chicken stock. While that was cooking together I made a batch of sweet potato fries and grilled asparagus. Here is a picture of our “simple chicken chili”

    It wasn’t my favorite meal, but it was a meal, and it was a lot healthier and quicker than going out to eat! This post is meant to be a reminder that when your stuck in rut for dinner there is always something that can be made!

    So lately my honey has been on this chocolate milk/hot cocoa kick…and he’s been shut down my his lame healhy-foodie wife (me) because I couldn’t bare handing him a glass of pasteurized dairy & sugar. It wasn’t hard to convince him since he is also a healthy-foodie, but I felt bad & finally decided to do something about it! I love challenges like these—how do I make something healthier and taste as good as it’s evil food twin? Well here is how you do it with hot cocoa/chocolate milk!

Ingredients:

■ 2 tbsp. organic pure cocoa (I found and used AH!LASKA Brand Bakers Cocoa)

■ 1.5 cups of Cashew Milk

■ 8 drops of vanilla liquid stevia

■ 1 tsp. xylitol

Directions:

     If you are making hot cocoa, heat the cashew milk in a small pot over medium heat until lightly boiling (if just making chocolate milk, skip that step). Put the pure cocoa and xylitol in the bottom of a mug and add the milk. Plop in 8 drops of vanilla liquid stevia and stir it all together!

serve and/or sip until empty :]

thesensualstarfish asked: Hi! I will try your juice combo. Did you see the movie "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" it is a great pro-juicing movie. I have been a devoted follower of the "Green Monster". I actually look forward to it, and although i was just going to make it a before work drink, i find that even on the weekends I am making it. There's tons of Green Monster info on google. Thanks for you blog!!!!

     Hey there! Thank you for the post & for reading the blog :] I have heard & know about the movie, but haven’t actually had a chance to watch it! However, it’s streaming on Netflix right now, so I should be seeing it soon!

   I have never heard of the “green monster” but just took a look and have tried variations of her “classic go-to recipe” by chance in the past (I actually think I have post’s about it) it looks like a great site! Thank you for sharing!

    So I just got a new juicer and have been playing with different combinations. I really try to go heavy on the veggies, and low on the fruits because I want high-nutrient, low-sugar drinks. I think I’m actually going to try some all vegetable varieties eventually! Also, I really would like to add some fat (like coconut butter or avocado) into the drink, so I’m considering juicing, then pouring it into the blender to blend in the fat. I’ll post results if I do that!

        I wanted to share one one combo from yesterday. I have a picture of all of the ingredients, but unfortunately I drank it up before taking a picture of the end result…I was really excited…

Ingredients: (ALL ORGANIC)

■ Four stalks of  asparagus

■ One orange, peeled, with white lining left

■ 2-4 kale leaves

■ 1 carrot

■ 1 stalk of celery

■ A chunk of zucchini

■ A slice of apple

■ Half a lemon ( I would do less next time)

■ A handful of broccoli

Directions:

    Put all ingredients into juicer as pictured. Drink up!