Paleo Thin Mints

I follow a Paleo/Primal lifestyle, but every once in a while you NEED to satisfy your sweet tooth. These treats do it for me in spades, and I'm so thankful to my husband for whipping them up for me. (He's a keeper!)

PALEO "THIN MINTS"

For the cookies:

• 1 cup organic almond butter (raw if possible)
• 2 eggs (pastured, of course)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (homemade!)

For the mint chocolate ganache:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (we used Enjoy Life's gluten & dairy-free chips)
• 1 tbsp coconut milk 
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350*F.

2. Beat all of the cookie ingredients together with an electric mixer. 

3. Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap. Place another piece of wrap on top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out as thinly as you can between the pieces of plastic wrap. Place the rolled out dough on a baking sheet, and stick it in the fridge to chill for about ten minutes.

4. Once chilled, use a cookie cutter or glass (we found that a shot glass was the perfect size) to cut out cookie circles. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and place the cookies there about two inches apart. Bake until set; about 10 minutes.

5. Ganache time! Set up a double boiler, and pour the chocolate chips, coconut milk and peppermint extract into the upper bowl. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Whisk occasionally until the chocolate melts and everything is mixed well. Reduce the heat to low; taste and adjust to your preferred level of mint-ness. 

6. Dip the cooled cookies one at a time into the ganache. (We only did one side of the cookies, and it's more than decadent.) Put your completed "Thin Mints" back into the fridge to harden, and attempt not to snarf up too many immediately.

7. We wrapped these up in sets of two in plastic wrap, and kept them in the freezer. They are the perfect treat after a demanding WOD, during a PMS blitz or for absolutely no reason at all. Mmmmmm...

Sorry there's no photo to go with this post, but I ate all the evidence.

THE BEST DANG PALEO MARINADE, EVER!

Wow... it has definitely been a long time since I've posted anything. (Is it possible that I ran out of things to say?)

Lots of things have changed in my little slice of paradise. I received some not-so-hot blood test results back near the beginning of the year, and found I needed to make some serious lifestyle changes. One of those changes was adopting a strict Paleo diet. Paleo is great - it's entirely based on real food, and there are no quick-fix gimmicks. It's meant a whole lot of kitchen time for me, but I'm slowly adapting to that new reality.

We do eat a lot of good, grass-fed (and organic whenever possible) meats these days, and I'm always on the lookout for new and unusual ways to prepare them. I came across this recipe somewhere online, scribbled it in Sharpie on the back of a newspaper and stuffed it in my cookbook cabinet.  It has now become my most favorite go-to marinade for almost every kind of meat: beef, pork, chicken and even buffalo!

THE BEST MARINADE (PALEO OR OTHERWISE) I'VE EVER FOUND
for 1-2 pounds of meat

1/3 cup coconut aminos*
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp. dried mustard
3 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. pepper

I mush all this up in a baggie, add the meat and let everything get happy, happy. (The longer it sits, the better it gets!) I normally double the recipe as we like to cook up a lot of meat at one time... I'm all about lots of leftovers!

Enjoy!

*Coconut aminos are a terrific replacement for soy sauce. It's available at most health food stores, or you can always order some online.

What's Under My Sink?

Well, not much.

Since we started to "green up" our lives, the chemical occupants that previously lived under the sink were some of the first to be evicted. They have been replaced with a small cadre of safe but impressive products ready to tackle mess and mayhem at a moment's notice... 

VINEGAR. Plain ol' white vinegar. You can use vinegar in so many different ways that I have a huge five gallon bottle underneath the garbage disposal. Stubborn toddler fingerprints on the stainless steel dishwasher? Gone. Scale on the coffeepot? Annihilated. Veggie wash? Yup! In fact, there are so many awesome uses for vinegar, there are entire websites dedicated to its virtues. (Check out www.vinegartips.com for some more great ideas!)

BON AMI: I love this stuff. We have stainless steel Calphalon pots & pans, and you're not supposed to run them through the dishwasher. Bon Ami doesn't scratch, is wickedly inexpensive and works like a charm. (It also works on our Corian countertops; please don't ask how we got Sharpie marker on there, okay?) www.bonami.com

ECOVER DISHWASHER TABLETS: I've tried a lot of the green dishwashing liquids, powders and tablets, and this one is miles above the rest. I use vinegar as my rinse aid, and my glasses, dishes and flatware are sparkling and clean. www.ecover.com

BIOKLEEN BAC-OUT FABRIC REFRESHER: I was addicted to Febreeze in a previous life; I loved that stuff. I can happily say that Bac-Out is even more wonderful! Safe to spray on almost any fabric, this can take the nastiness out of "poop on the playroom chair" all the way to "teenage boy's room". I highly recommend this product! www.biokleenhome.com

SEVENTH GENERATION DISH LIQUID: There are plenty of great options in dish liquids; I just happen to like to Seventh Gen's Free and Clear... www.seventhgeneration.com

BABYGANICS: THE SPARKLE MAKER: Need a Windex alternative, but not ready to start making your own vinegar-based sprays? Here you go! A terrific product that does a really excellent job - what more can you ask for? Oh yeah... it's CHEAP, and widely available at mainstream stores. www.babyganics.com

And that's it! What will you do with all of your extra under-sink space?

And now, let's talk armpits!

I have issues with my armpits.

Specifically, I'm talking about how smelly they are (or aren't). I seem to be an especially prolific sweater, which in turn can cause me to become an especially prolific smeller. I have tried all sorts of commercial deodorants over the years, and had achieved some sort of happy medium with (the not so secret brand) Secret.

As I started ambling down the crunchy path, I kept reading about how nasty most commercial antiperspirants were. (Just do a quick online search if you'd like to know specifics on the dangers of aluminum in antiperspirants; they were enough to scare me into searching for an alum-free alternative!)

There are a lot of good options for you in the natural deodorant realm if you want to go that route, and I've tried many of them. Some worked well, some cost a small fortune and others left my poor pits blistered. Most all of them were pricey, especially when compared to the mass-produced commercial products. I wanted a better alternative that would leave me sweet-smelling and not financially destitute...

Ladies (and gentlemen, if there are any men out there reading this armpit saga), may I please present the most incredible, the most frugal and the most impressive recipe for homemade deodorant? I promise - pinky swear and all - this stuff will blow your socks off. You could even eat it if you really wanted to!

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons of organic coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of aluminum free baking soda
• 1/4 cup of arrowroot powder

That's it. Three ingredients. Even a complete doofus in the kitchen like me can whip up a batch of miraculous deodorant in less than five minutes, so I have full faith in YOU!

Directions:

1. Combine the baking soda and arrowroot powder into a small mixing bowl.
2. Add in the coconut oil, and keep blending, blending, blending.
3. Transfer the finished product into pretty containers (I split mine into two bowls) with wide lids.

That's it. Three steps.

This does not require refrigeration, or any special care. I shower, I shave, I apply, I don't stink. Coconut oil is an amazingly creamy moisturizer with anti-bacterial qualities; I don't think my pits have ever been happier or better moisturized.

Please note:

• This is not an antiperspirant. You will sweat. Sweating is an important bodily process that allows the body to shed toxins, so please let yourself sweat.
• You can add in essential oils if you'd like more of a scent.
• If you get itchy pits (some people have issues with baking soda), try replacing some of the baking soda with a little more arrowroot powder. If you'd like a creamier product, throw in a little extra coconut oil. You're the boss!
• Coconut oil liquefies above 76 degrees. If you're in a HOT climate, you can throw your deodorant in the fridge to keep it in a solid state.

Enjoy! Please let me know how this works for you if you try it...

Balls, balls, balls...

Dryer balls, that is!

As I am on a constant quest to rid my family, my home and my world of unnecessary chemicals and waste, I recently took a hard look at dryer sheets. They seem innocuous, don't they? Let's take a look at the ingredient list for a common, well-known dryer sheet. (No names, please, but it rhymes with louse.)

From their website: "B***** contains biodegradable cationic softeners and perfume, except Free, which contains no perfumes or dyes."

Okay then. What on earth is a "cationic softener"? Basically, this just translates to the more commonly known "fabric softener". People have been using fabric softener for eons, and it has to be safe, right? Right?!?

Ummm, no. The gloom and doom is already scientifically documented, so I won't rehash it now. Read more on fabric softener dangers here.

Fabric softener = bad stuff. I don't want that nastiness co-mingling with my loved ones, do you? Out with the fabric softener. What now?

You do have options, I promise. Many of my friends have embarked on a coupon quest to save money and stretch their dollars; how does never having to purchase dryer sheets, dryer bars or liquid fabric softener ever again sound to you?

OPTION ONE:

You can use white vinegar in your rinse cycle, and then line dry your clothes. This is always the cheapest, most earth-friendly alternative, and the benefits are amazing: no extra electricity to run your dryer, an amazingly natural fresh scent on your clothes plus free solar stain removal from the sun (those of you who have ever washed your own cloth diapers know what I'm talking about). Line drying isn't always possible, and for a wide variety of reasons: CC&Rs, weather, time constraints, etc. What else can you do?

OPTION TWO:

My favorite new solution is the wool dryer ball. I found these quite by accident at my local natural food store, and thought I'd give them a try. They are amazing! Two wool balls cost me $10.00, and will last pretty darn close to forever.

You can find these wool beauties all around you... check out Etsy.com for some fabulous homemade wool balls in every color under the rainbow. For the ultimate in green DIY, make your own!

I currently use two balls in my dryer, but I've read about people using up to four with great success. Experiment away to see how many dryer balls you need for perfect, chemical-free laundry!

**Side note: there are dryer ball products out there that are PVC or plastic or foam - I'd avoid those. I'm talking about 100% natural wool (preferably organic) balls... the kind that won't make any extra noise in your dryer!

And now, I must get back to the laundry.

Well, why not?

Q: I need an outlet; is this a good option?

A: Probably not, but I've never been know for my excellent judgement.

Q: Who will care about what I write, anyway?

A: Probably no one, and that's a good thing.

Q: I love the Pioneer Woman's blog.

A: Me, too.

And thus concludes my first attempt at blogging.