Homemaker Gone Natural

…live life naturally!

Tag Archives: natural


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Blackberry-Sage Antioxidant Water

I have seen all these really cool drink ideas and I was like…. I … want….to …..go…. to…. there….!!!!  Sorry, television program reference.  Anyway, this is my take on making these drinks; since they are super healthy and I want them to be available to my kids whenever they are thirsty for ‘more than water’ I bought a 3 gallon drink dispenser to sit on the counter.  This way they can have one of these super healthy ‘waters’ whenever they want and it’s super convenient for them.   I put the jug in the fridge at night and out on the counter during the day.  There is a nifty little core in the middle that you keep filled with ice to keep your drink cold.  Our first one:

     Blackberry-Sage Antioxidant Water

  • 10 cups water
  • 1 cup blackberries, lightly crushed
  • 3-4 sage leaves

Combine ingredients.  Sit in fridge over night, can keep adding water as it gets low and drink out of it for the next 48 hours.  Then discard fruit and leaves and start over.  I made this recipe x3 for my family.

PS-That handsome fellow in the background is my youngest cutting up our zucchini for dinner.


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Breakfast Cake Muffins

I hade been making this recipe for Breakfast Cake quite some time now, so I was very excited to try this recipe for Breakfast Cake Muffins when she came out with it. I usually use the ENTIRE bag of chocolate chips though not the 1/2 cup she calls for 🙂

Breakfast Cake Muffins

  • 2 c whole wheat flour (I milled hard white)
  • 2 c whole rolled oats
  • 1 t sea salt
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 c butter, melted
  • 3/4 c milk or buttermilk (me: almond milk)
  • 3/4 c honey (me: raw, local)
  • 2 eggs (me: free range)
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 bag of Chocolate Chips (I usually use enjoy life)

Stir together flour, oats, salt and baking soda. Add butter, milk, honey, eggs and vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into 12 buttered muffin tins. Bake at 350 in the oven for 20-25 min.


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Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork w/ Homemade BBQ Sauce

  • Pork Shoulder or Large Roast (whichever your prefer)
  • My Homemade BBQ Sauce x3
  • Seasonings to your taste preference: Onion powder, Garlic powder, Chili powder, Black Pepper, Salt, Turmeric, Cumin
  • 1 1/2 c water

 

Cook your pork in a crock pot with the seasonings.  Add water and cook on high for 2 hours and low for 3, or until pork is tender and falls apart easy.  Remove pork and sit aside, dump out the juices from cooking the pork.  Pull the pork apart and return to crock pot.  Add Homemade BBQ Recipe x3.  Stir and cook on low in crock pot for 30 min.


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Honey Sugar Scrub

Honey Sugar Scrub

  • 2 c sugar (I use raw cane)
  • 20-30 drops essential oil (don’t use photosensitive oil if going in the sun after using)
  • 1.5-2 T vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1 t  Vitamin E Oil
  • 1/2 c honey
  • 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (I use organic)

Combine all ingredients, store in a lidded container in bathroom, or better yet right in the shower where you can reach lol.

 

Purchase pre-made HERE


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Lavender Vanilla Body Scrub

Sometimes you just want that scrubbed clean, soothing feeling of a good ‘ole body scrub.  Well have no fear, I will tell you how to make your own.

     Lavender Vanilla Body Scrub

  • 1 c sugar (I used Raw Cane Sugar)
  • 1/2 c coconut oil
  • 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 t Vitamin E oil
  • 15 drops Lavender essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Stores for 2+ months right on your countertop.  Mmmm Mmmm smelling it now is making me want to go jump in the tub!

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After using my mixture, I decided I really wanted to change the consistency.  I added 3T of baking soda, and am liking it much better :


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Calzones (Whole Wheat)

Homemade calzones?  of course! why not?  Laura’s looked good.

    Calzones

Crust:

Filling:

  • Spaghetti Sauce (Organic Pasta Sauce)
  • Cheddar cheese (raw naturally)
  • whatever filling you like (we used pepperoni, Parmesan, banana and bell peppers)

Put all ingredients for crust in bread machine on the dough setting in this order: water, salt, flour, yeast.  (or mix by hand) After dough cycle is complete (or all ingredients are mixed), take it out, knead and let rest for 10 min.

Then divide into 16 balls and roll each one out.

 

Put in your spaghetti sauce, cheese and favorite calzone filling, fold over, press shut and bake at 375º for 25 min or until crust is golden brown.

 

 


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Broccoli Slaw

     Broccoli Slaw

  • 4-5 c shredded broccoli, red cabbage and carrots (or bag of organic already shredded)
  • 3/4 c mayonnaise (add more or less for desired liquid ratio)
  • 1/4 c honey (I use raw local honey)
  • 2 T sugar (I use Turbinado raw cane sugar, but you can use honey granules, succanat, etc)
  • 2 T white vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir, to reduce graininess of sugar, allow to sit in fridge for 30 min prior to serving.


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Sirloin Steak w/ BBQ

I told you I was a huge BBQ junky, I meant it really.  Yes, I did serve my sirloin steak with BBQ sauce (hubby being a meat love ate his without the BBQ, so feel free to do the same).

Sirloin Steak w/ BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 375º.  Place steak on cookie sheet.  Pour Worcestershire and garlic powder over steak and bake in oven for about 50 min or until desired done-ness flipping about every 10 min after the first 20.  Remove from oven, cut into serving sized pieces for your family, pour bbq sauce over top of steak.

 

I served mine with broccoli slaw and mashed potatoes.


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Homemade BBQ Sauce

Homemade BBQ Sauce

  • 1 1/2 c ketchup (I now make my own)
  • 1/2  c honey
  • 1 T minced onion
  • 2 t garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 t liquid smoke
  • 1/2 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t black pepper
  • 1/4 t turmeric

Mix ingredients together in a sauce pan and simmer on low heat for a few minutes to incorporate flavors.  Enjoy.

 

Purchase pre-made HERE


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Beef BBQ

Okay, I’ll admit it, I am a bbq junky! I love bbq anything! I have recently taken to making up my own bbq sauces when I’m cooking because we don’t care for the store bought organic varieties much.  Hope you enjoy this one, I know I did.

Beef BBQ

  • 2 lbs stewing beef (I use grass fed pastured beef)
  • 3-4 c chicken broth (I use organic free-range)
  • seasonings for cooking beef: garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, dry mustard, chili powder
  • seasonings for bbq sauce: garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, turmeric, chili powder
  • ketchup
  • honey
  • liquid smoke

Slow cook beef in chicken broth and seasonings for cooking beef on low for 4-6 hours or until fully cooked but tender and juicy.  Drain meat and pull apart into shreds.  For the sauce, I mixed ketchup honey and seasonings for bbq sauce with a few drops of liquid  smoke, I am sorry I don’t have more accurate measurements, I have a bad habit of dash it, mix it, taste kind of cooking.