Cloth Diaper Wipe Spray

I was a late bloomer in the cloth diaper game....we used disposables for our first child and up until 2 years old with our second child.  I had intentions of starting sooner with him but we had a long year of transitioning and moving so I wanted to wait until we were settled.

Once I splurged on cloth diapers I figured it only made sense for me to use cloth wipes as well.  I decided to use the spray bottle method.  I stack the wipes (or accordion fold them in an old Huggies wipes container when I'm motivated) and then spray them individually as I use them. The spray is super easy to make!


Cloth Wipe Spray Solution
1 Tablespoon Organic Olive Oil (almond, jojoba, fractionated coconut oil, etc will also work)

1 Tablespoon Dr Bronner's Baby Mild Liquid Castile Soap
2 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
2 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
8-12 Ounces Filtered Water

Pour all ingredients in a spray bottle then turn upside down to mix before use. Spray on wipes as needed.  

Note: This recipe is very forgiving.  I don't measure it anymore, just pour in a little oil,a little soap, couple drops of each essential oil, then fill to the top with water.  Enjoy! 

Disclaimer - The product link on this web page is an Amazon affiliate link.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

We love muffins around here.  My children would live off of my homemade bread and muffins if I let them.  And these muffins, they're one of our favorite!  They have definitely been a staple around lately.  Sometimes I double the recipe to make extra for the freezer....except they never make it there.  

Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Coconut Palm Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon Cloves
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil, melted
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin pan with liners or grease with coconut oil.
2.  In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves (you can also substitute 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for these 4 spices), baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3.  In another bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin puree, honey, applesauce, and coconut oil.
4.  Pour wet mixture in to dry and gently stir just until moistened then fold in pecans.
5. Fill muffin cups almost full. (I like to use a stainless steel scoop like this one)
6.  Bake for 22 minutes or until muffin is set and cooked through.

Disclaimer - The product link on this web page is an Amazon affiliate link.

Homemade Crackers

I tried out a new cracker recipe tonight and my kids love them (no surprise there though!).  I love that the recipe uses basic ingredients that I keep on hand and they're fairly easy to make.  They're not too sweet, a great basic cracker.  You could also have some fun with these...top with a little coconut sugar & cinnamon, add sunflower seeds, or add a little maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter cracker.

I made the recipe exactly as listed so visit MyWholeFoodLife to view the recipe.  Don't mind that they're titled 'toddler' crackers.....I will gladly devour this dish full!  Tip - bake just until golden.  They will crisp up a little more after cooling.  Enjoy!

Breakfast Sandwiches (with biscuit recipe!)

I woke up this morning feeling a little daring and decided to whip up some breakfast sandwiches.  Oftentimes we'll opt for an egg and cheese sandwich on whole grain sprouted bread but today I decided to take it up a notch......with homemade biscuits!  I've never made biscuits before but I picked up a new rolling pin last week and was excited to use it again.

Homemade Biscuits
Yield: 9 biscuits (depending on thickness) 

Adapted from this recipe

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Cup Bread Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Tablespoon Vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place butter in freezer.
3. Add vinegar to milk and put aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk whole wheat flour, bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Use vegetable peeler to slice pieces of butter in to flour mixture.  Alternately, you can slice the butter and use a food processor to pulse the flour mixture or cut in with a pastry cutter.  Do not over-mix as you want to keep the bits of butter in tact.  
6. Pour in milk and fold to combine.  Do not overwork.  
7. Turn dough on to a floured surface.  Pat in to a rectangle and fold in to thirds.  Turn a 1/4 turn and repeat until you've completed 3 turns.  
8. On a floured surface, roll dough out to a 1/2" thick and use a biscuit cutter to cut rounds (I used these egg rings or you can use a glass if you don't have a biscuit cutter). 
9. Place biscuit rounds on baking sheet or stone. 
10. Brush tops with melted butter and bake for 15-18. 

While the biscuits were cooking I prepared the bacon and used egg rings to cook the eggs then topped with cheese.  Once the biscuits were done cooking it was sandwich making time.  They turned out yummy!  My 4 year old already asked if I'd make them again tomorrow.

Disclaimer - The product link on this web page is an Amazon affiliate link.

Open Face Egg Sandwich

Today I was in need of a quick lunch.  I started to reach for a piece of bread to make toast and then remembered how quick, easy, and filling an open face egg sandwich can be!  We've had a great supply of lettuce in pots on our deck so it's nice to find uses for it other than salads too.

Side note, if I can grow lettuce in Alaska then surely you can grow it where you are!  We had good luck with Black Seeded Simpson, Cut & Come Again leaves, & Spinach.  Try it, it's fun :)

Ingredients:
1 slice of whole grain sprouted bread
1/2 tablespoon organic butter
1 organic egg
1 slice of organic cheese
1  leaf of lettuce
salsa or slice of tomato

Directions:

1. Toast bread in toaster
2. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat
3. Crack egg in to skillet, break yolk, season with salt and pepper
4. Cook until mostly set then flip to finish cooking on other side
5. I sliced off a little organic cheese and placed on top to melt
6. Place lettuce on toast, add egg, top with salsa or slice of tomato

Voila!  A quick and healthy snack or meal. 

Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef Jackpot

A couple of months ago, after watching some enlightening documentaries, we decided to cut meat out of our diet.  Not totally, we're definitely not vegetarians, and my carnivore-hunting husband could never commit to such a thing.  However, I quit buying commercially processed meat during my weekly shopping trips and I no longer build our meals around a meat source.

We still enjoy meat every once in a while which is how I stumbled upon this deal.  I added bison chili to our weekly meal plan and headed to the meat department.  I was immediately drawn to the sale tag in front of the organic grass fed ground beef.  At first I thought maybe it was a mistake so I asked the store employee walking by.  He confirmed the price and I started throwing pound after pound of meat in my cart.  I hit the Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef Jackpot!  Who cares that I haven't been cooking with meat much.  I couldn't pass up a good sale!  It was either $1.99/lb for beef or $9.99/lb for bison.  Yep, no question! 

So, now we have 25 pounds of beef in the freezer for our future enjoyment.  Score!