Classic recipe....gone organic.

We all have those family recipes we love so dearly. So when my son craved cake (which seems like every other day). I knew just the cake I wanted to make. Only one issue, when my MaMa wrote this recipe she didn't have to worry about genetic modification or the slew of pesticides and chemicals are foods are now bathed in. 

So what do I do...? Naturally I do what I always do when I cook... It's my motto, I "Winged It".  I knew what the cake was, I knew her recipe inside and out, I knew what it looked, and tasted like. So off I went to make her delicious cake into an organic recipe I can now pass down as "MaMa's banana coconut cream cake" version 2.0. 

Ingredients:

1cup coconut oil

1cup sugar

6 large eggs

1/2 vanilla bean

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour 

3 1/2 tsp baking powder 

3/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup coconut milk

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt 7 times.  In separate bowl cream sugar, vanilla bean caviar, and coconut oil. Add 4 egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting) and 2 whole large eggs one at a time until fully incorporated into the sugar mixture. 

Once all eggs are in add the flour and coconut milk in 3 equal parts alternating back and forth until batter is smooth. 

We like to use a 12 X 17 cake pan, so we can split the cake into thirds since this is a layer cake it works out perfectly. So bake cake in your oiled and floured pan of choice on 325 until done and a tooth pick comes out clean. 

When done place cake on cooling rack. While cake is cooking prepare the frosting. 

For the frosting add 4 egg whites and 3/4 cup of sugar to mixing bowl with other half of vanilla bean caviar and mix until it forms stiff peaks. 

While I'm making the frosting I like to have a helping hand cut about 4 or 5 large bananas thin for layering. 

Once the cake is cool, cut it into equal portions and lay on piece into a baking sheet. Layer on some of the frosting then pile on at least 2 layers of bananas. We in this house love bananas so I end up doing about 3 or 4. Take another piece of cake and frost the underside and place on top of the first. Level it with your hands, repeat step one until all the bananas are gone then use the last piece for the top.

Take remaining frosting and coat the entire cake. Coat the sides and top with coconut and pop it in the oven until coconut is slightly toasted and frosting is firm. 

- Enjoy

Shiny Lips

I am a lip gloss lover. Lip gloss, chap stick, lip balm, caramex, or anything similar to that to put on my lips except.....lipstick (tinted lip balm is fine). I have been hooked ever since my first tube of the sweet smelling and even better tasting cherry chap stick, way back when. At one point in time I had a whole makeup bag full of these wonderful creations. While all these products do their job, some better than others they are all loaded with chemicals. As we strive to become 100% organic we've learned what was hiding in those little tubes. We've decided to find an organic and more natural version and did we not only find one I fell in love with one! I was introduced to EOS and loved the flavors and how they were organic.... Well 95% or so organic. I currently have mint, strawberry sorbet, lemon drop, and summer fruit hidden here and there around the house. I say hidden bcause my toddler is just like her Mommy and loves lip balm and well she has figures out how to open them, while i have no issue with her using them I do have an issue when I see her entire face all glossy. I noticed EOS now have blueberry acai and I planned to collect them all it the only problem is it's only 95% organic and we are trying to go 100%. 

                                                                           
Eos Review: I love EOS even though it is not 100% organic. It makes your lips feel so silky and smooth. It lasts a long time and comes in amazing flavors. Check them out here EvolutionOfSmooth.com. I give eos a 4 out of 5 stars only because it's not 100% organic but I still love and use it from time to time when I really need a lip balm and do not have my Mongo Kiss in front of me.

If you're going to go completely organic then you should have everything that you put on and in your body be organic or as close as you can get. There's no sense only being semi-organic though. As my husband says "Go big or go home" it rings true for so much in life. Lol
 

My husband being the avid researcher he is found a lip balm that is 100% Natural, Certified Organic (granted the law states to have the usda lable the product has to be at least 95% organic). Mongo Kiss Vanilla Honey (made by Eco Lips) is the newest member of our organic personal care family. Not only does it last for a long time, smells wonderful, works better than anything we have ever used, GMO free, cruelty free, and the company offsets their manufacturing 100% with renewable energy. Eco Lips makes quite a few lip balms that we excited to try, if they are half as great as the Mongo Kiss line we will be hooked! We found Mongo Kiss as we were checking out at Wholefoods and for a $1.99 each you can't beat it. The only problem we are having now is trying to find it at Wholefoods again, we saw it a month or so ago and then it disappeared. We are now running low so next time we see it we will be sure to stock up on all their flavors. That or we will be placing a nice sized order on EcoLips.com. So if you're looking for a great option to that tube o' chemicals you're rubbing on your dry lips please check out the organic options and we guarantee you will find they work better than the one you're use to.

Mongo Kiss Review: I love how Ecolips is 100% natural and cetrified organic. I give Mongo Kiss a 5 out of 5 stars. It last forever before reapplying, comes in the same size as EOS but easier to carry in your pocket. The smell and taste are amazing, this tube has lasted us forever! Plus the parent company has a product to cater to everyone but they also have cause balms that help a non-profit organization. Mongo Kiss / Ecolips lasts much longer which is a plus in my book, as when chasing a toddler you dont have all the time in the world to keep reapplying something. So in our house we will continue to use the EcoLips line of products.

My quick breakdown between the two;

Eos up to 95% organic vs Ecolips up to 100% organic Eos has about 8 flavors and Mongo Kiss has 4 flavors but Ecolips has a variety of different types of lip balms and large variety of flavors.

Eos doesn't seem to last as long as Ecolips. They both leave your lips silky smooth but I always have to reapply my Eos it seems every 30 min to an hour vs Mongo Kiss I put it on in the morning and I don't need to reapply until after lunch time.

Ecolips has cause balms which help non-profit organizations gain awareness and funding for a brighter future. Every time you purchase a cause balm Ecolips will donate $1 to the corresponding organization. I didn't see on Eos site that they did something like that.

Ecolips also makes a vegan lip balm that can come with SPF 15 UVB/UVA as well. Eos sorry but they do not and they still are not 100% organic, but they do have a couple balms that have SPF 15.

Just by doing this compare and contrast I would have to say Ecolips is the way to go. They both have amazing flavors but you can't just base a lip balm off the flavors. You have to look at the whole aspect of the balm. Ecolips is just healthier and they help non-profits which is always a major plus as well as cater their balm to suit everyone. Plus Ecolips is a lot cheaper than Eos most of the time.

So my money will continue to go to Ecolips. 

I suggest you check them both out, I know there are quite a few different brands of organic lip balm and if/when I try them I will add to the review.

Whats your favorite brand?

Liquid Gold

Walks to front of room, steps behind podium…”My name is Elizabeth and I LOVE coffee.” 

I have always drank normal hot brewed coffee and hated when it would get cold. I would always have to reheat my coffee if I didn't finish it, friends of mine always said iced coffee was really good and that I should give it a try. I was stuck in my ways, the first time I tried cold coffee was at a 7 eleven and it was a coffee slush type of drink and it was good but really sweet. I tried to hot brew then make my own iced coffee and I could just never get it right. Either too watery, too bitter, or it could never hold up to my expectations. One day (many moons ago) my husband and I went to Starbucks to try the new “fad” and I decided to get an iced coffee and it was amazing. Delicious brewed coffee poured over top some ice with a couple pumps of vanilla and finished off with none other than half and half. Creamy, sweet, perfect blend of coffee and the right temperature for a summers day. I fell in love with iced coffee and never really went back to hot coffee unless it was at work early in the morning or a cold cold day. 

We loved Starbucks and went there just about every day, we’ve order everything on the menu and some off menu items (benefits of knowing a barista). My husband became a “Gold Card” member and we even started buying their syrups and espresso at home in our espresso machine. We LOVED Starbucks and couldn’t get enough of this amazing caffeine infused deliciousness.  Then the day came where we were reading up on our favorite things and what was really in them. That day we found out what was actually in their products. Knowing all that really slowed down our consumption and inevitably stopped our desire for the green siren laden cups.  In turn pushing me to keep trying to make my own iced coffee, I was watching the food network channel (one of my all-time favorite channels) and The Pioneer Woman was on yes the one with Ree Drummond. She had a segment about cold brewing coffee, something I didn't know you could actually do. I always thought you had to hot brew it first. Wow news to me. So I was following what she said and decided to give it a try. We went to Wholefoods and bought some organic Allegro coffee and I went for it. I did everything she suggested and let it sit. I was so excited to try the iced coffee the next morning; I was feeling all giddy inside. I filtered my black gold as I call it and it was delicious. I never went back to hot brew coffee again. The only issue was she used a cheese cloth and well I always wound up with grinds in my cup and it was messy to say the least.

My wonderful husband found this company called  Coffeesock and he was telling me about it and it was really amazing; all made in the USA from organic cotton and reusable for up to a year or more. I told him I would think about getting one but the way I was doing cold brew now was fine..... I mean we had plenty of cheese cloth and plenty of Rubbermaid storage containers. Then he did more reading and he found out some information about plastic even bpa free plastic that I didn't like the sound of. So not only did we upgrade to all glass mason jars for  drinking with the cuppow and ecojarz (blog coming soon on those products) but all glass storage bowls. We also tossed all our plastic in the house. I found it a little harder to cold brew my coffee now. One day my husband surprised me with a cold brew coffeesock as a part of an anniversary gift. Yes they make cold brew and hot brew socks for your own preference. 

I not only was excited but wanted to try it immediately, if you cant tell I have a small addiction to coffee. So after boiling the Coffeesock like it stated to do I got one of our big 8 cup mason jars and started to cold brew with my new coffeesock. I bloomed my coffee and filled the jar up and in the fridge it went for anywhere from 20-24 hrs. The longer the better for the most part, after 24 hr was up I couldn't wait to try the new method. It was so much easier to do vs The Pioneer Woman's method and the clean up was less messy. All you have to do is unscrew the jar, let the coffeesock drain one done you just turn the coffeesock inside out and discard the grinds(compost anyone??), rinse with filtered water, and hang dry. Never use any detergent on the coffeesock, it will mess with the oils in the filter and ruin your next brew. I usually add a little extra water to my liquid gold just so 1. It goes a little further and 2. It's not extremely bold and acidic. It by far is the best coffee I have ever had. I have to give huge thanks to my wonderful and amazing husband for buying the coffeesock as well as the mastermind behind making this amazing creation. Check them out at CoffeeSock.com 

My Liquid Gold Recipe:

2 ounces ground coffee

56 ounces filtered water

Take your 8 c mason jar and place on the scale. Put your coffeesock into the mason jar and drape over the mouth of the jar. Add 2 ounces of your favorite coffee and pour a little water over ground coffee to wet thoroughly, then let sit for 1 min to bloom. Once bloomed close coffeesock and put into the jar. Fill jar with 56 ounces of water or just fill to the line like I do. Put into fridge for up to 24 hours. 

24 hours later:

Take coffeesock out if jar and let sit on mouth to drain. Once drained I usually add more water. It's completely up to you if you want to add more water depending on the taste you want. 

Simple Syrup:

Regular and vanilla 

1 c sugar

1.5 c filtered water 

1 vanilla bean split (optional)

Put sugar and water into a pot on med to med-high heat and mix until all sugar has dissolved. Add vanilla bean and let steep. You can even put the caviar into the syrup as well. Once cooled pour into a glass jar and put in fridge. 

Enjoy!!

A post from the past, but worth a repeat.

This was posted on my blog (http://gregstwiceasgood.blogspot.com/) during August of last year. Trust me thought it is worth a repeat. If we still ate dairy this would be made tonight. Unfortunately we don't so I'm on the lookout for a dairy free recipe or when I'm feeling experimentive I will try my hand at my own.  So please enjoy the blog and following recipe for the best bread pudding ever!!

 I have been craving bread pudding among other unhealthy desserts for months now. I remember getting it hot off the smorgasbord when I was a child or as we walked through the lunch line at our local delicatessen with my grandmother(MaMa). I have had some really great interpretation of this dessert and some you could patch a block wall with. 

So I decided I want that sweet sweet treat again. Small problem with that; we pretty much eat strictly organic. Sometimes we will step off the organic train and that is all the reminder we need as to why we got on in the first place. Plus the ingredients in bread pudding are some of the most GMO you could find. So what do I do? I make my own, a quick trip to the grocery store and I have the haul. Organic Valley half & half, unsalted organic cream butter, organic madagascar bourbon vanilla beans, organic golden raisins, Florida Crystals organic & vegan demerara sugar, free range organic eggs, organic cinnamon & nutmeg. Plus the main ingredient Rudis organic whole wheat bread with a touch of honey. 

Only thing that wasn't organic was the Jameson Irish whiskey for the sauce, didn't think to look for organic whiskey. Plus I had just enough Jameson left for the recipe and we don't toss anything away just because its not organic, we just use it up and never buy it again. We have been on the organic path for almost 2 years now and I can say from our soaps, lotions, toothpaste and other hygiene items we are about 70% organic but our food is 99%. 

Enough of the babbling there will be plenty more of that later on....On to the real reason your here; THE RECIPE!!

Organic Bread Pudding w/ Whiskey Sauce. 

8 or 9 cups of bread cubed into 1 inch pieces. Left out to stale over night (or longer)

1/3 tbls butter

3 1/2 cups half & half

3 large eggs

1 1/3 cup Demerara sugar (sub brown sugar)

1/4 cup raisins

1 vanilla bean

3/4 tsp cinnamon 

3/4 tsp nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

Start with your bread; cube it up and let it stale over night in a bowl or oven. I left mine for 3 days in a bowl, I'm a dad to a toddler and well my plans never seem to go as planned. Hers on the other hand seem to be timed just right for that. 

Use some of the butter to grease a 9 by13 inch casserole dish. 

Take 1/2 cup of your half & half, remaining butter and put it in a small sauce pan. Next cut your vanilla bean in half then split it to remove the seeds. Place the seeds, leftover bean and raisins in the sauce pan with your half & half then heat on medium. As soon as steam starts to form pull from heat and cover and let steep for 15 minutes (if mixture simmers remove from heat immediately). 

While vanilla mixture is steeping mix eggs, sugar, salt & spices in a bowl. As the 15 minutes rounds out remove the vanilla bean pods from the pan.Take the remaining half & half adding a little at a time to the hot mixture to bring the temp down. Once the vanilla mixture is cool pour it in with the eggs and spices. 

When everything is mixed well pour over bread and let soak for 30 minutes mixing it at the 15 minute mark. Preheat over to 350. Pour bread mixture into greased casserole dish and place in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Bread pudding will be done when middle is firm.

Whiskey Sauce:

1 cup half & half

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 tablespoons cornstarch (maybe more)

3/8 cup irish whiskey

Pinch salt

1 tbls unsalted butter

In a saucepan turn to medium heat, add the half & half and sugar. Place the cornstarch and 1/8 cup of the whiskey in a small bowl and mix to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 5 minutes until thick. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter and the remaining whiskey. Serve warm over bread pudding.

If you don't eat organic like my family feel free to use whatever products you'd like to make this. Take this recipe and make it your own. I'd love to see your creations in the comments below, but whatever you do... Enjoy!

Oil Pulling 101

So we have read about oil pulling for a while now and we decided to give it a try...

I lasted a day and swallowed some of the oil and became sick to my stomach and haven’t been able to "stomach" it since. The husband is well into week 4 of oil pulling and he does it pretty much every morning. More on that later, lets knock the facts out

Well before we get in to the laundry list, let's talk about where it came about..... Oil pulling is an ancient Indian folk remedy. It was first mentioned in the early Ayurvedic text, the Charaka Samhita, which was believed to have been written approximately 1500 years ago.

It was described to not only help with improving oral health but it helps with migraines, headaches, diabetes, and asthma. 

Oil pulling's are beneficial to oral health by the following:

•        Chronic bad breath. Oil pulling is proven to be as effective as the chemical Chlorhexidine and without all the side effects. 

•        It results in whiter teeth and pinker gums as well as helps people with gingivitis. 

•        Reduces plaque

•        Detoxifies the mouth and body

•        Pulls bacteria, viruses, fungus, and other harmful agents out of the mouth and throat.

 

Oil pulling not only helps with your oral health but it can help with your overall body. How you say?? Well if you have a root canal, root canals lead to the secretion of endotoxins directly into the blood. Now oil pulling will not fix the underlying issue but it may reduce bacteria and that in turn can help from having an infected tooth. 

Good news is that oil pulling is a very easy to perform intervention, safe, and only requires about 15 min of your time in the morning. Hey you can be like my husband and do it in the shower while you’re getting your day started. You can use olive oil, sunfower oil, sesame oil or coconut oil. We use organic cold pressed cocnut oil we always have the stuff on hand so we figured why not. We use it for so many things why not this too? Since he has started we've noticed whiter teeth, less plaque, he states his teeth are smoother, and no more bleeding gums. So why not give this a try? I plan to start again as soon as I can stomach the thought. 

All you need to do is swish with 1/2 to 1 tbls of cold pressed oil (like coconut oil) for 15-20 min then spit it out. Heres what we do;

· Put about 1 tbls of oil in our mouth and start to swish the oil to get it melted, continue this for the next 15 to 20 minutes. We don't recommend any longer since the bacteria/toxins can start to reabsorb.

· Spit the oil out whether in the trash or down the sink or shower drain it’s up to you. Be sure to rinse the drain with HOT water afterwards. DO NOT SWALLOW OIL.

· Rinse mouth out with warm water to help clear the mouth of any remaining oil.

· Brush well; we currently use Earth Paste brand toothpaste. It is a Redmond’s clay based toothpaste.

So next time you’re about to get into the shower or start your day remember to take 15 min while getting ready and oil pull so you can maintain that beautiful smile and fresh breath. 

Have you ever tried oil pulling, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You can also check some facts and studies at these links below;

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18408265

http://www.walkbythewayjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Anand-et-al.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131773/

Pigs of a different color

It never occurred to me just how bad things can be for your body. After we made the decision to switch to organic it started to occur to me I needed to read labels for not only what we put in our bodies but what we put on it too! I love painting my nails and got so excited about getting to paint my daughters nails, the only thing is nail polish no matter what brand is horrible for your nails. Not only does it not let your nails breath but it has chemicals upon chemicals in it. Plus everyone with kids knows; what is on or in their hand will undoubtably end up in their mouth. I was so upset that I wasn't able to paint mine or my daughters nails.

My wonderful husband said he read about some polish called "Piggy Paint". I got so excited after checking out their site because it's a water-based polish that is specially formulated of natural ingredients.  It is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate, and acetone. Plus it is made in the USA!

So we placed the order for 2 of her favorite colors "Drama"(a super cute bright orange) & "Jazz it up"(a shimmery pink), plus a base-coat, and topcoat. I was more excited than she was.

I give the piggy paint a 5 out of 5 for the simple fact that it's water-based, natural, almost odorless, super easy to clean up, and made in the USA. It lasts a lot longer on my nails than regular polish use to and about 3-4 days on a very active toddler that likes to walk on her tippy toes. Not only does this polish not require coat after coat to get the vibrant color but it dries in minutes (that's a huge plus when you have an active child). I definitely recommend this brand to anyone looking for a safer more eco friendly alternative to your normal polish.

Here is where you can find out more or pick up some for the little piggies in your home… http://www.piggypaint.com

My daughter wanted to paint my nails. She did a wonderful job. You can barely see her painted piggies.

Laissez les bons temps rouler

We recently celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. It happen to fall right after Mardi Gras so that set the theme. We tend to celebrate things for more than the day so we ate for a full week some of the best homemade organic New Orleans cuisine I could cook up. Hence the title of this post "Laissez les bons temps rouler" (Let the good times roll).  The food we ate would have made the oldest Cajun chef proud. 

I have promised this recipe to quite a few people and I think I have made them wait long enough. So here is my Red Beans and Rice recipe. Please check back for more New Orleans inspired recipes from our anniversary week (Jambalaya, Beignets, King Cakes, just to name a few). 

I used 100% organic ingredients and that's what I recommend. If you need the brands or where to source them please leave a comment or email us. Now for the recipe!!! 

Red Beans & Rice Recipe.

 

 

Needed for recipe:

1 lb dried red beans

2 cups brown rice

1 large yellow onion

1 large bell pepper

2 large carrot 

2 stalks celery

10 cloves of garlic

1 to 3 Chicken livers

Tom paste

Pack of your favorite sausage links

Butter & EVOO

Vegetable Stock

Spices;

Paprika

Thyme

Parsley

Oregano

Bay leaves

Celery seed

Chili powder

Himalayan salt

Fresh ground pepper

Optional Cayenne Pepper

Red Bean Recipe:

1lb dry red beans soaked, then boiled for 20 min then placed in a crockpot for 4 hours on high with 1tbls oregano, 1tbls parsley, 2 bay leaves, and a dash of celery seed. 

Dice:

Half bell pepper

Half lrg yellow onion

Stalk of celery

5 cloves of garlic

And shred a large carrot

In a large pot drizzle EVOO add onions, celery, pepper, carrot, garlic, and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent.

Add:

  1 1/2 tbls paprika

 1tbls Tom paste

 1 1/2 tbls thyme

 1 1/2 tbls oregano

  Dash of salt

10 grinds of pepper

Dash chili powder

 2 bay leaves

**

 

 Mix well, then transfer red beans and enough bean water to almost cover beans from the crockpot into the above mixture. Place lid on pot and cook on medium until rice is is prepared. 

 

 

Dirty Rice Recipe:

2 cups brown rice cooked in rice cooker

Dice:

Half bell pepper

Half large yellow onion

Stalk of celery

Shred a large carrot

5 cloves of garlic 

Chicken liver (dice to almost like ground meat)

Butter

Put all veggies in 3 quart sautée pan with EVOO and mix occasionally until peppers are soft.

Add spices below and mix well. 

2 tbls paprika 

1 1/2 tbls thyme

3 tbls parsley

1 3/4 tbls oregano

Ts Salt 

20 grinds pepper

1/2 tbls chili powder

1 tbls basil

1/2 tbls Optional Cayenne Pepper

 **

Separate to half of the pan. 

Add butter to the pan side without veggies. After butter melts add the minced liver, when liver has slightly cooked and browns a bit add garlic and stir. When garlic and liver are both cooked through add rice to the liver mixture and stir. Slowly mix in veggies once liver is incorporated. Place lid on pan and let everything cook for about 10 additional minutes.

 Add up to 1/2c of ckn stock if the rice starts to stick, let it cook until the stock is soaked in/evaporated if added.

 

Sausage for rice. 

Cut 3 links of sausage, I cut each link differently rounds, halved rounds, and quarters. I used Bilinski Organic Chicken Mild Italian. I really like this sausage and finding an organic non beef or pork andouille is almost impossible. 

Place sausage in a pan and start to brown. I Add 1 1/2 tbls of butter to the pan of browned sausage to deglaze a bit. Add butter & sausage to rice and mix. 

I guarantee this will smell and taste better than any box mix or frozen dinner you could ever find. Not only that you will know what's in it and what's not. That alone is something to be proud of. 

Plate rice with beans on top and ENJOY!!!!

-Greg

**=Keep in mind spices are an estimate. I do not measure but you will know its spiced right when it smells like NOLA. Next time I make this I will edit this post if need be.