Depending where you live, food can be costly. But there are a few simple ways to make your grocery shopping effective and efficient. After all,
All foods either help us heal or make us sick.
I personally want to do the former instead of the latter. :)
How to Eat Well on a Budget
1) Go out to eat less (or not at all!) -- eating out costs a LOT. You're paying to be waited on plus the actual food plus the labor of making it! And it's usually not healthy anyway. Save that money you would've spent eating out and budget it for healthier food at the grocery store instead.
2) Meal plan -- plan out what you're going to eat when, especially if you are busy in the evenings. (Stay tuned for an awesome meal planning freebie coming soon!)
3) Make double portions -- and either freeze the rest or eat leftovers a few nights in one week! Making food healthy doesn't mean you need to cook or bake every night of the week.
4) Ditch the microwave -- I did a training about this in Abundant Life Community if you'd like to know more about why this is important! Your food is your body's fuel.
5) Cancel any subscriptions you don't use and put that extra money each month towards your food budget. Every dollar counts!
There you have it! Feel like you've got these down but need more direction on clean eating? I've got a Clean Eating Ingredients Freebie you can check out to push the needle even further on your goals. You got this!
Homemade Kombucha tastes SO GOOD.
Never heard of it? It's a fizzy beverage produced by fermenting sweet tea with a culture of yeast and bacteria. Many people I know replace soda with kombucha because it satisfies that craving for carbonated goodness, but is actually good for you!
The awesome part? When you homebrew it, you can customize the amount of fizzy carbonation, caffeine, flavor, and sweetness.
The 5 main benefits of drinking Kombucha: 💚
1. Cleansing and detoxing for the body.
2. Immune system support -- gut health leads to immune system health!
3. Improved digestion -- probiotics. :)
4. Increased energy -- happy gut, more energy!
5. Increased metabolism -- happy gut, better processing of food.
1. Cleansing and detoxing for the body.
2. Immune system support -- gut health leads to immune system health!
3. Improved digestion -- probiotics. :)
4. Increased energy -- happy gut, more energy!
5. Increased metabolism -- happy gut, better processing of food.
Drink kombucha but curious how to make your own?
I make my own and have put together a video course called Homebrewing Kombucha Made Easy -- you can learn how to make your own too, for a fraction of what it costs to buy in the store. I walk you through each step from buying the ingredients & materials to how to decide which flavors to make!
Homemade Kombucha tastes SO GOOD.
Never heard of it? It's a fizzy beverage produced by fermenting sweet tea with a culture of yeast and bacteria.
The awesome part? When you homebrew it, you can customize the amount of fizzy carbonation, caffeine, flavor, and sweetness. It's not difficult to do once you learn what NOT to do (mistakes are easy, haha), and it's so much cheaper and fun! Win-win all around.
Stay tuned for 5 Reasons to Drink Kombucha coming soon. Add yourself to my blog updates so you don't miss it!
I mean, look at that beauty. Yummmmmmmm...
So why don't you jump in and try it?!
Here's how you can get in on my Homebrewing Kombucha Made Easy course.
It's filled with practical how-tos for both fermentation cycles (or F3 if you want to really have some fun!), my favorite recipes for flavor, information about add-ins, how to do non-caffeine versions, which teas are okay (and not okay) to use for kombucha, and more.
You also get access to my support through the class and trouble-shooting questions for free. :) So if you've tried kombucha before and struggled, get some one-on-one help this go-around and find where your trouble spots are!
To be one of the first to get notified when the course is done and for a discount, contact me below and include "Kombucha Course Discount" in your message to get on my list when the course goes live.
This amazing dairy-free pumpkin bread is naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, and made with whole wheat flour or Einkorn flour. It’s so moist and fluffy! You can easily make this pumpkin bread vegan and/or gluten free. Recipe yields 1 loaf.
INGREDIENTS
â…“ cup melted coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin purée (a small pie pumpkin usually yields around 4 cups -- how to cook a pumpkin)
¼ cup milk of choice or water
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves) OR 2drops cinnamon bark, 1 drop nutmeg, 1 drop ginger, and 1 drop clove essential oils (make sure you're using a pure, food-safe one -- ask me about what I use!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour or Einkorn flour
Optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit…
Pinch of ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
INGREDIENTS
â…“ cup melted coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin purée (a small pie pumpkin usually yields around 4 cups -- how to cook a pumpkin)
¼ cup milk of choice or water
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves) OR 2drops cinnamon bark, 1 drop nutmeg, 1 drop ginger, and 1 drop clove essential oils (make sure you're using a pure, food-safe one -- ask me about what I use!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour or Einkorn flour
Optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit…
Pinch of ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove or in the preheating oven.)
3. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove or in the preheating oven.)
3. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
SOOOO yummy!!
AfterHomemade Arugula/Basil PestoI just made it up with what I had using approximate ratios (like my dad always does), so I don't have an exact recipe. 😂
One to freeze and one to use this week.But I've been asked multiple times! So here's the ingredients at least:
Organic baby arugula
Organic basil
Pine nuts (you can also use walnuts, but I like being fancy 😉)
Hard-neck Garlic (9ish cloves)
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
2 drops black pepper vitality essential oil
3 drops lime vitality essential oil
Organic baby arugula
Organic basil
Pine nuts (you can also use walnuts, but I like being fancy 😉)
Hard-neck Garlic (9ish cloves)
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
2 drops black pepper vitality essential oil
3 drops lime vitality essential oil
1. Put the leafy ingredients (arugula & basil) in a food processor with 3)4c ish of pine nuts. Pour in some olive oil. Puree or pulse to chop.
2. Add rest of ingredients and more oil until texture is fine.
3. Enjoy!
beforeIt is very important to know that not all essential oils are created equal...
You can’t just go out to a big box store (or anywhere online) and trust that you’re getting the good stuff. Lucky for you, I’ve got a source I trust. Contact me to learn more.
You know those creepy crawlies that are found in the garden, around the home...? The ants and potato beetles, or worse... ticks?
We use a natural plant-based and non-toxic DIY Bugs-B-Gone spray in our home (read to the end for the recipe!) because we know how unpleasant some of those insect friends are.
We initially were concerned about finding natural alternatives because 1) we know ticks in particular but also mosquitoes are a problem, but also 2) we know the dangers of yard sprays and deet in particular. You can read more about the dangers of that here. My family is especially concerned about the environmental impact of sprays on bees, fish, and other wildlife aside from our children and pets.
My mom started using our DIY spray recipe on the family dog because he's always getting ticks. She started using it a few weeks ago. The week before, she'd found 3 on him! Since using the spray, she hasn't found one yet. Pretty good!
We also know that some people are not just irritated by mosquitoes, but actually allergic! That is especially important to be aware of. Finding safe alternatives for people with skin sensitivities is also really important. I (Andrea) have many sensitivities, skin and respiratory being two of them, and the ingredients in our spray and roller recipes pass the tests with flying colors.
Get our free DIY Bugs-B-Gone spray recipes for home and garden here!
DIY Insect Repellent Roller Recipe
10 drops citronella essential oil (this one was free in June for ER orders!)
10 drops lemongrass essential oil
5 drops rosemary essential oil
Add essential oils above to a 10 ml roller bottle (you can find some here) and fill with a carrier oil of choice (our favorite one is here).
*It is very important to know that not all essential oils are created equal...
You can’t just go out to a big box store (or anywhere online) and trust that you’re getting the good stuff. Lucky for you, I’ve got a source I trust. Contact me for more information.
And learn how to use essential oils safely here!
*Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. All things I love and use, of course!
Today I want to share with you a little bit about einkorn, since I made some chocolate chip banana bread with it.
How many of you are eating einkorn? Do you like it? It is definitely a bit different to bake with einkorn than with regular, modern wheat.
It is the oldest grain in the world. We don’t even know how far einkorn dates back yet, because every time another discovery is made, we find out that our previous discovery was wrong! Five years ago they said einkorn was about 3,500 years old. Three years ago they said it was 5,000 years. Then last year they discovered a new finding in Turkey that dated back 10,000 years!
Here’s something I want you to think about. Everything has DNA. Every substance has a blueprint. The blueprint of einkorn is perhaps the oldest blueprint in our food chain that exists today. When you’re eating einkorn, you’re eating the oldest ingested food, blueprinted for support to the physical body. Therefore it was designed to give you the nutritional support that your body needs in all ways, from protein to vitamins, to fiber, to amino acids, to enzymes. No other grain today has all that nutritional content, just einkorn.
Here’s something I want you to think about. Everything has DNA. Every substance has a blueprint. The blueprint of einkorn is perhaps the oldest blueprint in our food chain that exists today. When you’re eating einkorn, you’re eating the oldest ingested food, blueprinted for support to the physical body. Therefore it was designed to give you the nutritional support that your body needs in all ways, from protein to vitamins, to fiber, to amino acids, to enzymes. No other grain today has all that nutritional content, just einkorn.
Einkorn has only 14 chromosomes; other wheats/grains have 28 to 42 chromosomes. The extra chromosomes create new proteins that man was never actually meant to consume. These foreign proteins cause confusion in the digestive system and increase small intestine permeability, which starts autoimmunity and inflammation throughout the body.
The wheat species is called Triticum. You will see einkorn referred to in some publications as “einkorn wheat” (Triticum monococcum). That would be the same as saying “spelt wheat” (Triticum spelta) or “kamut wheat” (Triticum turanicum). You could lump them all together if you want. It has its own identity, though. I wouldn’t want you to confuse einkorn with today’s hybridized Triticum aestivum wheat, so we refer to it as einkorn or einkorn grain.
So if you have a compromise to your digestive system with gluten sensitivity or intolerance from the hybridized grains that are grown today, and you start eating einkorn, you might need to go a little slow introducing it, take a little time, because your body has to adapt to the new blueprint. Does that make sense? You have to reprogram your body back to the way that it was created to function and find its homeostasis, and you will find great satisfaction in your nutritional needs once that homeostasis is found.
Gary Young found einkorn the first time in the Karimabad Valley in Hunza Land [in Pakistan] in 1996. It took four years before he was able to get the word translated from their language to discover it was einkorn. He looked all over the world and finally found some seed in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River across from Israel.
They took the seed to France, where Jean-Noël was investigating einkorn. They started planting and it started to grow, and it is flourishing there still today!
So if you have a compromise to your digestive system with gluten sensitivity or intolerance from the hybridized grains that are grown today, and you start eating einkorn, you might need to go a little slow introducing it, take a little time, because your body has to adapt to the new blueprint. Does that make sense? You have to reprogram your body back to the way that it was created to function and find its homeostasis, and you will find great satisfaction in your nutritional needs once that homeostasis is found.
Gary Young found einkorn the first time in the Karimabad Valley in Hunza Land [in Pakistan] in 1996. It took four years before he was able to get the word translated from their language to discover it was einkorn. He looked all over the world and finally found some seed in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River across from Israel.
They took the seed to France, where Jean-Noël was investigating einkorn. They started planting and it started to grow, and it is flourishing there still today!
Einkorn berries before 
einkorn berries during
einkorn berries after -- rough flour! I could have made this more fine but chose not to.
I LOVE banana bread -- homemade is even better! It's the best when it's warm, fresh out of the oven. Yummmmm....
Ingredients:
1/2 c. melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c. honey or maple syrup or agave syrup
2 eggs (preferably local and fresh)
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas) -- I freeze my almost mushy bananas
and just thaw it before throwing it in the recipe. Works great!
1/4 c. milk of choice or water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon himalayan sea salt
1-2 drops cinnamon bark essential oil (only pure ones, especially for cooking!)
1 & 3/4 c. unbleached, unenriched whole wheat flour or Einkorn (an ancient grain I wrote about here)
Optional: 1/2 c. mix-ins like chopped nuts, chocolate chips (my favorites),
chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices, etc...
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease 9x5 inch loaf pan
In a large bowl, beat the oil & honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk.
Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in flour, just until combined. Some lumps are okay! Gently fold in mix-ins as desired now.
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan (I grease with this spray cooking coconut oil).
Bake for 55-60 minutes (less without mix-ins, more with mix-ins is my experience). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Then enjoy! Yummm. :)
It is super important to know that not all essential oils are created equal.
You can’t just go out to a big box store (or anywhere online) and trust that you’re getting the good stuff, especially when cooking. Lucky for you, I’ve got a source I trust – want to know more?
I'd be happy to point you in the right direction.
Sometimes, we just want a treat, am I right?
But for us, we NEED it to be healthy. And when I say healthy, I mean low- or anti-inflammatory. We have issues we're working through and keeping managed in the Orem household! So here is my modified, healthier dessert hummus I created from a recipe I Googled earlier. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed (even better if you soak your own from dried!)
- 1/3 cup organic stevia
- 1/2 cup natural organic crunchy peanut butter
- 1/4 teaspoon fine pink Himalayan sea salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tablespoons organic tahini
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Lilly's dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients except for chocolate chips to a food processor.
- Process on puree for about 1 minute, stopping halfway to scrape the edges, until hummus is nice and smooth. If you want a thinner hummus, add a splash of milk and process again.
- Transfer hummus to an airtight container, fold in the chocolate chips, and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours (overnight works best).
- Serve with crackers or as desired, preferably with a spoon! :)
*Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. All things I love and use, of course!
Does your kiddo struggle with math? They (and you!) are not alone. Sometimes addressing non-math issues can really help the issue at hand, speaking from a teacher lens. Here are a few non-math ways to help your child experience success in math. Read on to the end to get a free recipe for my concentration roller blend.
1. Encourage a Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset is not a new concept, but it is especially important when tackling difficult tasks or subjects. Studies show that if people believe they can do something, even if it is difficult and they may not get it right away, they learn it better, retain it longer, and stick with the hard task longer if they have a growth mindset.
Encourage your child to use phrases such as "Mistakes help me grow." or "My intelligence can be developed." or "I keep trying and never give up!" instead of "I'm not good at it." or "I give up easily.'
2. Get Good Sleep
“Daytime thinking is a building process, whereas nighttime thinking is a sorting process.”
― Caroline Leaf, Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health
Did you know that children with sleep issues are often misdiagnosed with attention or learning issues? This is because our brains make sense of and sort our experiences at nighttime from during the daytime. When we don't get enough good sleep at night, our brain isn't able to "download" and synthesize what we took in from the previous day. So maybe your child did a lot of great learning of math and made progress the day before, but if he/she didn't sleep well or long enough, that learning may be lost. There are so many other reasons sleep is vital to health and wellness and learning! Read a scholarly example here.
Set a bedtime routine and stick to it! If you need ideas, I shared 11 tried and true ways to get better sleep here that can be adapted very well for kids.
3. Strengthen Left- and Right-Brain Connections
Does your child enjoy some activities that are completely unrelated to math? Of course they do! There are many studies that show certain activities (like music) strength the pathways in the brain between the two hemispheres. What does this have to do with math? Well, math often requires that these pathways be strong. When practicing using these pathways, it's like exercising a muscle and will get stronger with use. The stronger you build a muscle, the stronger you feel when something heavy comes along that you have to pick up. By building strong pathways with something more "fun" -- like music -- your child can come to math work feeling stronger, like the math work is a bit less heavy than last time.
Example: Actively listening to a variety of music (different genres, from different decades and centuries, different instrumentation, and different modes -- major, minor, etc) can activate different parts of the brain. Active listening means paying attention to the different parts of the song, possibly how it is structured, and noticing details like the dynamics (volume), which instruments are being used, how motives (short themes) are used throughout the piece. Even moving purposefully to the music (possibly to show the form -- ex: ABAB) can activate and strengthen multiple areas of the brain at once in a way that can strengthen skills needed for processing math.
In the middle of math work (or perhaps even right before it!), have your child do this active listening + movement piece to activate those multiple areas of the brain.
In the middle of math work (or perhaps even right before it!), have your child do this active listening + movement piece to activate those multiple areas of the brain.
"I Can Do This!" Focus Roller Blend for Kids
5 drops Peppermint essential oil
5 drops Frankincense essential oil
8 drops Lemon essential oil
8 drops Stress Away essential oil
Add these essential oils to a 10 ml roller bottle and fill with carrier oil.
Roll on wrists, collar bone, bottom of feet, or the back of neck before tackling a difficult task.
It is very important to know that not all essential oils are created equal...
You can’t just go out to a big box store (or anywhere online) and trust that you’re getting the good stuff. Lucky for you, I’ve got a source I trust – want to know more? Click the button in the top corner to contact me.
*Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. All things I love and use, of course!
I know we are in this quarantine life right now together, and
our feelings and emotions can get the best of us sometimes.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to get myself back to
feeling “normal” and happy. Read on to the end to get a free
recipe for my "uncertain times" mood boosting roller bottle
and your free guide to grounding, calming, and uplifting!
I made some more this afternoon and, you guys,
it smells HEAVENLY.
1. Speak Truth To Yourself
The way we talk to ourselves has a HUGE impact on our mindset and mood.
Try starting off with a positive affirmation to set the tone for your day.
Here are a few affirmations I like:
I am grounded, stable, and balanced.
I am full of joy.
I am God's daughter.
2. Move Your Body
This doesn't have to be hard! It can be as easy as having a dance party
with your kids, stretching, yoga, going for a walk, or cardio. You choose
what works for you!
Get that blood flowing and your endorphins pumping… this will help
boost your mood, too!
3. Stay Hydrated
This one may seem obvious, but are you drinking enough water every day?
We should aim to drink half our body weight in ounces each day. So, for a
100 lb person, the goal would be to drink 50 ounces of water each day.
If you have a hard time remembering to get enough water, try setting
reminders on your phone to drink a set amount of water at specific times
throughout the day.
We like this glass water bottle because we can add essential oils to it.
Get your free "uncertain times" roller blend recipe and free guide to grounding, calming, and uplifting here!
It is super important to know that not all essential oils are created equal...
You can’t just go out to a big box store (or anywhere online) and trust that you’re getting the good stuff. Lucky for you, I’ve got a source I trust – want to know more? Contact me, and I'd be happy to point you in the right direction.
*Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. All things I love and use, of course!
