HOMEMADE ORGANIC DEODORANT BAR

This is a really simple and easy make and gives you that feel good feeling of natural living and loving your body and mother earth, not contributing to land fill and the best bit is no chemicals on or in your body.

This homemade deodorant bar that has for my family and friends worked better than any store brought deodorant and other natural options I have ever used, and believe me I think I have tried them all with little success, until I suddenly started to think outside of the box and back to time with my Nan and Grandad and days gone by where people, family relied upon themselves and local producers for what they needed and I found this recipe on Wellness Mama and have never looked back.

Prep Time 10 minutes / Ready to use in 3 hours

Equipment: 1 mason ball glass jar for this job only

The Wrap: 30 x 30cm cotton / 50g solid bees wax / buttons / twine

It was not a hard decision to go organic in fact it has been liberating and the further my family travels this path the more clearer the obvious becomes, when I am asked why go organic my simple answer is WHY NOT?  When you realise that all the man made chemicals are harmful long term and that mass produced products are about profit for the manufacturers and nothing to do with your personal well being or with any respect or regard to the environment it is a simple easy answer. 

If we all had to use our gardens as our own personal rubbish dumps/tips it would not be too long before people started to want to reduce that pile and to stop adding to the pile that would eventually take over their garden, so with this thought in mind we pre-cycle, up-cycle and re-cycle.

Ingredients

(makes 1 bar)

3 tbsp organic coconut oil

2 tbsp organic shea butter

2 tbsp baking powder (3 for a stronger protection)

(I found 3 tbsp irritated me, 2 perfect protection and no irritation)

2 tbsp organic arrowroot

40 drops organic essential oil tea tree or chamomile

Bring a tall pan 1/4 filled with water to a gentle simmer, in a ball mason or glass jar add the coconut oil and shea butter, place the glass jar in to the saucepan, in effect a bain marie, when the mix has virtually melted remove for the pan and add the baking powder and arrowroot, stir well until all dissolved, add the essential oil and stir in and that is it done!

I use a small single portion cake tin to set my bar in, pour in the liquid and place in the fridge until set around 3hrs.  If you want to make a wax proof cover the instructions are below, It is just a nice touch to finish off your deodorant and great if you are giving them as gifts to friends and loved ones.

Bee's Wax Cover

Ingredients

1 organic bees wax bar

1 sheet of cotton 30cm x 30cm

2 buttons

30cm natural twine

Pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees C, 290 F, line a baking tray with baking paper and place the cotton on the paper, grate the bees wax and sprinkle over the cotton sheet, pop in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the bees wax has melted, using a pastry brush that will now only be used for this job brush the melted wax evenly all over the cotton sheet.  I now pick up the cotton sheet by the corners and just hold it in the air for about 3 minutes, this just allows the wax to cool and set, you can peg the cotton sheet to a string washing line if you were making multitudes, this I have done too!

Now for the folding, as you can see in the photos above fold the sheet in to three equal sections, like a menu, you can work this out by just gently bringing over the left and right side of the fabric loosely without making any creases in the stiff fabric until you feel you have a equal measurement.

Next measure the length of your bar and fold the bottom of the wax cloth up to just short of equal of that measurement, now I sow on the two buttons, these buttons for me are so personal as my nan collected all buttons from any garment that was past its day over her life and I have all of these in my care, in fact I know I can name some of the garments they were removed from, such memories, such up cycling, it really is not a  new thing, it really is a lost gift to the slow western greener world.

Place your set bar in your cloth and wrap up as you folded the cloth, left to right then bottom up, tie the natural twine around in a figure of eight the buttons to secure the pouch, as you use the deodorant just move the bottom fabric up, scoouch the deodorant bar up the fabric holder and re tie the twine.

BIG GIRLS DIET QUESO FUNDIDO CON CHORIZO

Gooey ooey warm melted cheese topped with seared peppers and onions and pan fried chorizo, finished off with fresh avocado, coriander and chillies, this is a fabulous dish that I don't eat to often as dairy is something I only have a couple of times a year, but when I do treat myself for a off grid paleo meal this is one of them.  I still eat this with my lettuce wraps.

Prep time 10 minutes / Cooking time 7 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 2)

50g chorizo thinly sliced

1/2 red pepper sliced

1/2 green pepper sliced

1 onion sliced

2 handful of mozzarella grated

1 avocado sliced

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

2 red chillies sliced

1 handful spinach

2 large lettuce wraps

A one pan cook, quick and easy.

Heat a skillet medium hot, add the chorizo and pan fry for around one minute on each side, add the peppers and onions and pan fry for a couple more minutes then add the cheese and at this point do not stir anymore, turn the heat down low and let the cheese melt, it will soak up all the chorizo paprika oils that will add a fabulous extra level of flavour.  Take off the heat once the cheese has melted and top with the avocado, coriander and chilli, take to the table and serve with your lettuce wraps.

BIG GIRLS DIET CRISPY MONGOLIAN LAMB

How can food that tastes this good and makes you feel like you are being really naughty be diet food?  That's because it's NOT, its LIFESTYLE food, food that will see you loose weight without being on a diet, it is really that simple, diets do not work long term, I am proof of that, as a emotional eater I finally got to 315lbs and turned 40yrs old and that was my cut off point!  So far I have lost 126lb in 22 months by just removing a few processed foods from my life, I now eat more than I ever have and have a much wider selection of meals that I ever thought I could eat without getting bigger. 

If you do try the Paleo Lifestyle you will quickly see a huge difference in how your body loves Paleo and rewards you with good steady weight loss while you get to eat gorgeous beautiful food that you never thought you could if you were on a diet!  For more on this type Paleo in my search engine at the top of my blog to see all my recipes and a complete guide to Paleo weight loss for life.  Also my inspiration has been from PALEO LEAP, PALEO NOM NOM, PALEO GRUBS & CAVEMAN DIET.

Prep Time 15 minutes / Cooking Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4-6)

2 large breasts of lamb

2 tsp five spice

70ml soy sauce

150ml shaoxing wine

50ml water

1 tsp sea salt

To Serve With

8-12 large lettuce leaves for wraps

1 carrot julienned

200g spinach leaves

10 spring onions julienned

2 red chillies finely sliced

Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce

50ml organic soy sauce

100ml sake

1 tbsp honey

Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees C, 428 degrees F, season the underside of the breasts of lamb with the five spice and sea salt.  In a wide shallow roasting tin place the soy, shaoxing and water and then lay the breasts skin side up in the pan, season the skin with more sea salt, pop in the oven for 45 minutes by then you will have juicy succulent lamb with a gorgeous crispy crackling skin.  Leave to rest for five minutes and then finely slice or chop up and place on your serving plate.

While the lamb it cooking line each of your serving plates with a few of the lettuce wraps some of the julienned carrots, spinach leaves, spring onions and red chilli and place on the table.

To make the sweet soy dipping sauce place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, remove from the heat and place in a small bowl with a teaspoon and place on your table.

Take over the rested lamb and your ready to go, everyone can stuff and roll their own warps to their own liking, family style where great food creates great family memories.

FALAFAL SWEET POTATO

You so gotta try this!  This is a lip smacking not so pretty to watch eat, but when it tastes this good who cares!  If you have never had fresh falafel then you are in for a treat and I promise you will never ever be able to go back to a dried packet mix again.  Gorgeous crispy sweet potato balls seasoned with cumin, coriander and cayenne, then dressed with homemade olive oil mayonnaise, Asian sweet and sour carrots, pickled red cabbage and sweet green tomatoes.  Each mouthful delivers a burst of sweet, sour aromatic flavours.

I like to make everything myself and the recipes are below for the olive oil mayonnaise, flat breads, pickled carrots, cabbage and tomatoes, but if you want to use store bought that's great too.  I am a bit of a prepper and I like to fill my fridge and dry store with ingredients that I can just grab and use for other meals so the toppings for this flat bread are from my canning store so no prep for me but I have given you a quick options for the sweet and sour toppings, the full recipes are on my blog for these toppings and for canning and preserving these vegetables for long term use.

Prep Time 10 minutes / Cooking Time 5 minutes / Un attended baking time 40 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4)

The Falafel

3 sweet potatoes baked

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

2 cloves garlic grated

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1 hot red chilli diced (optional)

2 cups gram flour (chic pea)

30ml olive oil

1ltr ground nut oil for frying (optional)

The Wraps

500g 00 flour (caputo)

50g olive oil

10g sea salt

15g dried yeast (optional)

320g water 

To make the dough for the flat breads, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and combine to a dough ball then knead by hand or with a dough hook for seven minutes until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch.  Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm draught free place for a minimum of one hour.  You can make the dough the day before and leave to prove in the fridge for 24 hrs, bring out and up to room temperature one hour before you need it.  Just tear off a small tennis ball size of dough and roll out to the size of your biggest non stick frying pan, heat that pan hot and place your rolled out flat bread dough in the pan and cook for around one minute each side, the flat bread may puff up don't worry that is a good thing, cook all the breads and wrap in a warm tea towel until needed.

The Mayo

1 egg yolk

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

200-300ml olive oil

sea salt and white pepper

This takes two minutes to make and really is worth the effort for the flavour is second to none.  Place the egg yolk and white wine vinegar in a bowl and add a drizzle in a tsp worth of olive oil, start whisking and do not stop until you have incorporated all the olive oil or you have a lovely thick mayo, you need to drizzle the oil really slowly for the first 50ml, then you can add a a much faster pace once all the oil is incorporated season with the mustard, salt and pepper, that's it.

The Toppings

2 carrots julienned 

1/2 red cabbage finely sliced

4 green tomatoes quartered

Quick Asian Sweet & Sour Pickling Vinegar

1 cup of white wine are apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup of sugar

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

To make the pickling vinegar, bring the vinegar to a simmer and add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for two minutes, remove from the heat and leave to cool, add the carrot, cabbage and green tomatoes and leave to infuse while you make the falafel.

To Make The Falafel

If you have not already then bake the sweet potatoes in pre heated oven 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes then do so, once baked peel the skins off and place the sweet potato in a large bowl, heat a non stick pan medium hot and gently toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a couple of minutes, remove and place in a grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a powder, you can use already powdered spices but I urge you to try the seeds a few more minutes work but the flavours are outstanding, add to the sweet potato along with the rest of the ingredients and mix well, as you don't want any of the gram flour left un-incorporated as this will result in a pocket of dry dust!  Form your sweet potato mix in to golf ball size balls.

Heat your pan of oil or fryer to 180 degrees, you can also bake these falafel balls in the oven at 180 degrees for around 30 minutes until soft of crispy for a healthier option, but when you fry them they have a extra depth of flavour, with a nutty crispy crunch on the outside and a soft creamy sweet aromatic centre and it just works so much better, even if it is naughty, therefore I limit when I eat this so that I can eat them in their best presentation.  If frying just drop the balls in and cook for approx 4 minutes, I turn them only once after two minutes, then remove from the oil and drain on a kitchen cloth or paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Now you are ready to go, load your family table with plates and bowls of the falafel, flat breads, mayonnaise, pickled sweet and sour carrots, cabbage and green tomatoes and let every one dive in and make their own falafel wraps.  This is the very best of family eating, enjoy, great food and great conversation that you never know how far it goes :-) 

PALEO AVOCADO SPICY CHICKEN BURRITO

Fantastic wrap full of fabulous goodness, the wrap itself is made with eggs and flaxseed so a great start there and then I love to stuff mine with lots of spinach and watercress along with avocado, peppers, raw chilli tomato salsa and in this case spicy chicken, a pleasure to eat.  I make a couple at a time and have my paleo fridge all loaded with lots of ready to go ingredients, so this is a really quick and speedy meal to make or take when you need to eat on the go.

Paleo Fridge

Two or three times a week I will fill some glass tubs of sliced peppers, onions, spring onions, chillies, avocado guacamole, cooked chicken, sliced beef, cooked asparagus or any left over cooked vegetables and I have growing in the garden kale, spinach, land cress, beetroots, carrots etc.  This I find allows me to make speedy suppers when needed and these wraps are great for stuffing.

Prep time 5 minutes if you have a Paleo Fridge

Ingredients

(makes 2)

Filling

1 avocado diced

1/2 lime juiced

1 red pepper 1/2 sliced 1/2 diced

1 red chilli diced

2 handfuls spinach

2 handfuls watercress

200g cooked chicken fajitas

1 lrg tomato diced

2 spring onions diced

2 tbsp coriander torn

1/2 tsp fresh grated turmeric

Flaxseed Wraps

2 eggs

2 egg whites

4 tbsp flaxseed

1/2 cup water

To make the wraps, pre heat a non stick frying pan to a medium hot, spray with coconut oil, place all the wrap ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Pour half the mix into you pan and gently swirl to cover the base equally, leave to cook, don't touch!, when you see air bubbles and the wrap is not runny liquid anymore pop under the grill to finish cooking for approx 30 - 60 seconds, leave to rest in the pan for a couple of minutes and then loosen off and place on a plate while you repeat this again with the remainder of the batter.

Tomato Salsa

In a bowl mix the diced tomato and half the diced peppers, one of the spring onions, the coriander and half the lime juice, season with salt and pepper.

Avocado

Mash the avocado and mix with the remaining half of the red pepper, the spring onion, the lime juice, chilli and turmeric, season with salt and pepper.

Now just load your wraps as you like with the chicken, watercress, spinach, peppers, tomato salsa and avocado guacamole, wrap up and enjoy.

RICE CUSTARD PUDDING

This is soooo rich and decedent that it really is unfair to all traditional old fashioned school rice pudding lovers to call this a rice pudding, if I do you will not be happy, firstly this is much richer and more of a creme englaise custard rice pudding, in its own right a gorgeous pudding but the main reason is that the skin is missing, and I know for some of you traditionalist this is a big part of your rice pudding, this I will work on, yuk! from my husbands point of view it is the best bit and essential.  But with all that said, my family gobbled it all down with delight.

Ingredients

(serves 2)

90g pudding rice

90g sugar

250ml double cream

250ml full fat milk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

5 egg yolks

Wash the rice several times and place in a pan with the cream and milk, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for approx 20 minutes until the rice is cooked, meanwhile place the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla paste in a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy.

Take two ladles of the rice milk from the cooker and add to the egg yolks mixture, whisk quickly to incorporate, add the rest of the rice milk and mix well, add everything back to the saucepan and cook gently for a further 2 minutes and then serve.  If you want a hint of skin place the rice pudding under the grill for a couple of minutes, this will not give you that traditional thick baked skin but might be a compromise.