Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Oh my goodness! I absolutely LOVE this salad!! It's got everything going for it ~ broccoli, cauliflower, cheese, bacon, a little onion, some ranch dressing and cheese! Mmmm ...

I found my sister Theresa's old recipe and revised it slightly. So very good!! I made a big bowlful hoping to take leftovers to work and guess what? There were no leftovers. Drat!

Cook your bacon anyway you like. I like to bake mine layered on a piece of foil in a cake pan for easy clean up.

While the bacon is baking, I clean the broccoli and cauliflower and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Then I add the cheese.

Prepare the dressing and set aside. Chop an onion in a food processor ...

And add one to two tablespoons to the prepared dressing.

When the bacon is fully cooked, blot them with paper towels to remove the excess grease.

If you have a kitchen scissor, cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces. Otherwise, just break them up with your fingers.

Add the dressing and thoroughly mix everything together until it is well coated. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

• 1 bunch of broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 12 to 16 oz. pkg. bacon, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 8 oz. shredded cheese
• 1 to 2 T. diced onion
• 1/2 c. ranch salad dressing
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 T. vinegar

Mix ranch salad dressing, mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together. Add diced onion and mix again. Prepare vegetables and bacon and place in large bowl. Add shredded cheese and salad dressing and mix until everything is well coated. Refrigerate.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Best. Taco. Meat. Ever!

I love walking tacos and had a craving for them; however we were lacking several topping ingredients. I came up with the following meat recipe and it was a definite hit! I've made this recipe three times in the last couple of weeks hoping to have some leftovers for work, but it never lasts that long.

We all love this meat and seem to have our own opinion on how it should be eaten. I like mine in hardshell tacos with the works (or whatever is available).

Peter likes his topped with cheese.

Keisha likes her's wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.

And Roger usually likes his in a bun. Sorry, no picture, it was gone too fast!

Best. Taco. Meat. Ever!

• 2 lb. ground beef
• 2/3 c. ketchup
• 1 t. oregano
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1/2 t. paprika
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Brown the ground beef with a little water in a skillet over medium heat, stirring regularly to break up the meat. Drain the grease from the browned meat and add the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and serve with toppings of your choice.

Optional Toppings

• Diced tomatoes
• Diced onion
• Shredded cheese
• Shredded lettuce
• Black olives
• Sour cream
• Taco chips
• Taco sauce

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Homemade Deodorant

Have you ever thought about all the chemicals you apply to your body in the form of shampoos, conditioners, lotions, creams and deodorants/antiperspirants? I've been trying to go more natural over the past few years, replacing various products with more homemade ones.

For instance, I have been using coconut oil as a face cream for a few years now. When I thought about it, I wondered why I wasn't also using it as a lotion on the rest of my body? So I've been doing that, too.

I've started to go by the phrase, "If you wouldn't put it in your mouth, why would you put it on your body?" And in regards to that, I was heating a mixture of honey, guacamole and coconut oil to condition my hair one Saturday morning. Since I wasn't able to use it all up on my hair, and I didn't want to throw it out, I'll admit that it seemed a little found it's way into my mouth. Don't judge me ~ it was actually good!!

Last month I read how bad deodorant/antiperspirants are for you. I read how when they are applied after shaving, they go directly into your lymph glands. (To read more, go here.) This really concerned me since my daughter and I have both been using Secret deodorant and antiperspirant for years. Ever wonder why breast cancer is so high?

That was the last day I applied Secret to my underarms. I decided to use the coconut oil until I was able to make my own deodorant. My daughter was not as willing to use her fingers to put her deodorant on. After stressing how concerned I was about it, she agreed that if I made a homemade deodorant stick, she would use it.

So began my quest for the perfect recipe. I decided to try the recipe from Thank Your Body. I liked that it was for sensitive skin. I already had the coconut oil and baking soda on hand; however, the other items were ordered from Amazon, including beeswax pellets, shea butter, arrowroot powder and five empty deodorant containers. (Notice: By clicking on the links, I do not make any royalties from your Amazon orders. I wish!)

The package finally arrived the following week. As usual, I was pretty excited to put this to good use! This afternoon we made the recipe. It was actually pretty easy.

Since we had the five containers and the recipe was for two deodorant sticks, we decided to double the batch. We measured the beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil and put them in a small saucepan over low heat.

We kept stirring the mixture as it melted.

Soon the coconut oil and shea butter were completely melted and the beeswax pellets were softening considerably.

When the mixture was completely clear, we turned the burner off and added the dry ingredients. We also added ten drops of lavender essential oil.

We kept stirring, trying to dissolve any clumps of arrowroot and/or baking soda.

Now the fun part! We used a small funnel and poured the liquid into the empty containers. Since we had five containers and only enough mixture for four containers, we only filled them to the top of the plastic stick in the center of the containers.

Now they just need to cool and solidify. 

Aren't they pretty?

Is it just me or do they even look like a healthier and safer product to be applying under your armpits?

Such a pretty golden yellow color. Can't wait to start using them!

Homemade Deodorant Stick

• 2/3 c. coconut oil
• 6 T. beeswax pellets
• 4 T. shea butter
• 2/3 c. arrowroot powder
• 2 T. baking soda
• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 4 or 5 empty deodorant containers

Melt coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir continuously until melted. Remove from heat and stir in arrowroot powder and baking soda. Add essential oil and mix thoroughly. Pour into empty deodorant containers with a funnel. Let sit until completely set. Cover with lid.

Note: I invested quite a sum of money to start with on this daring venture (the Amazon order alone was close to $48.00); however, we will be able to make this recipe several more times and I feel our health is worth it. I will definitely keep making this one.

Another note: Since the weather is cooler today, the sticks had no problem setting up. When the weather gets warm, I question if they will stay solid or not since coconut oil seems to melt in the heat. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.


Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Raw Chia Walnut Energy Bars

These bars have everything going for them. Not only are they delicious, they're gluten free and healthy, too. Plus, they're easy to make. I pretty much halved the recipe from Happy Healthy Long Life and added a little rolled oats.

First, make sure all the dates have the pits removed. Then measure out and place the dates in a food processor and puree until a thick paste forms. The dates I used were very dry so I added a bit of water.

Add cacao, chia seeds, oats and vanilla. Pulse until all ingredients are combined. Add walnuts and pulse until nuts are finely chopped and well distributed.

Spread onto a sheet of wax paper and press into 1/4" thick.

 Slice in 1"x2" pieces, wrap in waxed paper and store in refrigerator.

Raw Chia Walnut Energy Bars

• 3/4 c. pitted dates
• 2-1/2 T. cacao powder
• 3/4 t. vanilla
• 1/3 c. chia seeds
• 2 T. GF rolled oats
• 1/2 c. walnuts

Place dates in food processor and puree until thick paste forms. If the dates are on the dry side, you may need to add a small amount of water to moisten them. Add cacao, chia seeds, oats and vanilla. Pulse until all ingredients are combined. Add walnuts and pulse until nuts are finely chopped and well distributed. Spread onto a sheet of wax paper and press into a square form that's 1/4" thick. Slice in 1"x2" pieces. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!