My addiction with baby thai coconuts

Well here you go....I had a couple of inquires of why I love them so much, so I'm giving you two recipes that I use the coconuts for.

*******Pink Smoothie******

The water from one (BT) coconut

frozen strawberries

one carrot

a splash of vanilla

1/2 of a beet...or a whole I use a whole because I love beets. (Boil and peel first if you don't have a juicer...I first juice my carrot and beet (raw) then add to blender with coconut water and frozen strawberries, vanilla.)

dates

Then blend everything together and enjoy...yum!


Another recipe I do with BT Coconuts is a raw chocolate pudding.

**********Raw chocolate pudding************


Fill blender with...

Meat from BT coconut

agave necter...5 tablespoons

real maple syrup just a drop or two

a cup of raw kale

organic cocoa powder, or raw powder chocolate

a dash of sea salt

1 cup of water

a handful of dates

and some raw nuts if you wish

Blend together till smooth and enjoy.

The kids and I like it and way better for you then the other stuff out there.


Another way to enjoy the Baby Thai coconut is split open and eat meat....my favorite.

Jazz up that butter baby

Orange-Honey Butter - Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of honey and 2 tsp. of orange zest to a stick of softened butter.


Vanilla Butter - Stir in 1-2 tsp. of vanilla and 1 Tbsp. of powdered sugar to softened butter.


Berry Butter - Mix a few berries with 2-3 Tbsp. of powdered sugar into butter.


Cinnamon Butter - Add 2-3 Tbsp. sugar, 1-2 tsp. cinnamon and a small dash of vanilla to 2 sticks of softened butter. Use on bagels, pancakes, bread or even on baked sweet potatoes topped with some extra brown sugar.

I like using organic butter, and Olivina spread....great treat on toast, and I sometimes use the berry or cinnamon to soft cream cheese for an extra yummy treat.

Sunny Start Smoothie

Need a boost in the morning try this...YUM

1 cup of fresh orange juice

2 bananas- cut

2 tablespoons of honey

1 orange- peeled and cut

1/4 cup of granola

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend til smooth

Have a Peachy Day smoothie

Have a Peachy Day!


2 cups spinach
1 cup fresh Cantaloupe, cut in chunks
1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1-2 oranges juiced
Water

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. This smoothie has a very fresh, tropical taste. Perfect for breakfast or a special treat in the middle of your day! The color of this smoothie is a Technicolor green that kids love too and besides it's so yummy!

Obedience or Independence?

If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15

If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God. As soon as I obey Him, I fullfill my spiritual destiny.
Obedience is a daily choice not something we are to feel. It is the choice to forgive when hurt , to love instead of hate, to stop judgeing when it's not our place , to use kind words instead of a dagger tongue, to give instead of take, to reach out when you want to walk away. Obedience is a choice you make with your free will. Is your Independence so important that you refuse yourself peace and freedom.

More tips

De-puff
Mix together ¼ cucumber (puree) and 1 ounce of aloe vera gel---incredible de-puffer –it will keep In the fridge for a few days.
This won’t cost you a cent to look more rested (helps to de-puff under eye area)…before you rise out of bed, place a pillow under your head (elevated) for 15 min ( during that time go over your schedule, meditate or relax).

To tighten skin, apply whipped egg whites to your face with a fan brush, leave on for 20 minutes to see results.

Exfoliate your skin with 1 T applesauce and 1 T of wheatgerm add together and make a paste—apply and leave on for 10-15 min.

Lighten up those dark patches with ½ cup mint (fresh) water (brewed and strained) to ½ cup of lemon (squeezed) apply to dark areas like elbows or knees and let dry, repeat 3-5 times.

Clear up Skin with 1 T yogurt and 1 T honey, mix-apply and leave on for 15 min.

Stimulate your hair and scalp with a rosemary water, take a few stems of loaded rosemary and add to 4 cups of spring water, boil for 2-4 minutes then strain, reserve the cooled liquid for your container and use as a final rinse for your hair routine---The results will be shinier more youthful hair.

Itchy scalp? Resolve it by keeping apple cider vinegar (organic) in a squirt bottle—in your shower, after you rinsed your hair with rosemary water—squirt some vinegar on your scalp.

Beautiful hands and feet—quick and easy soft skin made simple by applying un-petroleum jelly to rough dry hands and feet before bed (cover with gloves and socks) then wake up to soft supple skin! Another one to try is simply using organic coconut oil.

DIY Highlights
1 T of Chamomile tea into 1 C of purified water strain and cool
2 lemons (squeezed)
Pour into spray bottle—leave on hair and sit in the sun for 15 min (sunscreen on your face) but even without any sun—you will still see a difference.


Hair Mask
¼ c coconut oil
3-4 drops of Rosemary essential oil
Leave on for 20 min. then rinse.

Alternative to Botox
Frownies—price is anywhere from 14.95 (drugstore.com) or 19.95 at WholeFoods—the results are amazing—they retrain the muscles around the eye, forehead and mouth area.

If Frownies is not in your budget, you can use scotch tape, the kind that you would wrap a present in—use on the wrinkles, let it stay for four hours—

Another use for tape is…wrap a piece of tape around your finger, sticky side up—pat on dry flakes of skin around the chin, nose or forehead—it is a quick way to eliminate them when your in a pinch.

On a serious note...I know these tips will help the mirror reflection,however you need to remember that you are beautiful inside and out.
God wants us to accept ourselves just as we are. He loves us and our imperfections. He wants us to be beautiful without the vanity.
You are highly valued, needed and made on purpose for a purpose!

All of these tips are from an awesome friend Shelly Ballestero which you cn find at
http://www.beautybygod.blogspot.com/

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

I came cross this article on a friend facebook and loved and tried myself ....so yummy.
Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients -

•1/2 cup of cocoa
•1 cup of water
•2 cups of sugar
•1/8 tsp salt
•1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Whisk cocoa into the water until dissolved. Start heating on high and add the sugar. Stir well while the syrup starts to boil. Once boiling I turn it down so that it won't boil over, but I keep it high enough that it is still slightly boiling. Boil for 3 minutes. Then add the salt and vanilla and stir well. Cool and then store in the fridge for several weeks. I keep mine in an old store bought chocolate syrup container for easy pouring. You can also store in a regular tupperware container and spoon out as needed. Quick, easy and yummy! You can't beat it.


Also some great recipes I came across on www.LivingOnADime.com .

*Calico Stuffed Squash

3 small acorn squash
6 Tbsp. margarine or butter
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen mixed veggies in butter sauce*
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup walnut halves

Cut squash in halves, scoop out pulp (the stringy gooey stuff around the seeds) and seeds. Place in a shallow baking pan, cut side down. Fill baking pan with 1/2-1 inch of water. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Carefully turn over, dot each squash with 1 Tbsp. margarine and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20 minutes more. While the squash are baking, cook veggies according to package directions. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and walnuts. Fill centers of squash and serve. Makes 6 servings.

*Note: to make this recipe easier, you can use some canned mixed veggies with melted butter. You only really need to warm the veggies rather than worrying about cooking them when you do this.



*Speedy Breadsticks

1 (8 oz.) can of refrigerator biscuits
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Coarse salt

Heat oven to 400°. Grease a cookie sheet. Separate dough into 10 biscuits and cut each one in half. Roll into a pencil shape about 4-6 inches long. Place on cookie sheet, brush with egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden.



*Easy Pumpkin Bars

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 yellow cake mix
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*
1 can vanilla frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
Nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 15x10 jelly roll pan. Combine sugar, oil, pumpkin, and eggs on high for 1 minute. Add cake mix and spice. Mix 2 minutes on high speed. Fold in nuts, pour into pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes clean.

Combine frosting and cream cheese until smooth. Frost cooled bars. Store in fridge.



*Here's the pumpkin pie spice recipe from our Dining on a Dime cookbook. You'll need to triple it if you want to use it in the above recipe. You can also make a large batch and store so that it's ready for all those holiday recipes you want to try!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cloves

Mix well. Makes 1 teaspoon


Also some great tips there.....We do not celebrate Halloween, but I do take advantage of day after sales on costumes for my kids because the dress up all year and candy for cooking and treats.

Today's Tips:

Don't forget to hit the candy sales after Halloween.


Check out non-candy items, too. One year, the store had a bag of 24 bags of lunch chips for a dollar. This was an even better deal then packaging my own chips.


If you make candy for the holidays and use the melting chocolate wafers to dip it in, buy the orange wafers on clearance and add red food coloring (paste or gel) to use for Christmas.


Don't forget to think about New Year's parties. Black and silver is used a lot for them, so pick up some black plates, napkins etc.