Homemade Taco Sauce

 Have you ever thought about making your own taco sauce instead of buying from the store?  It's super easy. And way...WAY healthier. Have you checked out the ingredients from a store bought bottle? Let me help you with that....

This is the Taco Bell brand. Let's look at Sodium Benzoate as a preservative. Some may not realize this but it has the ability to deprive the cells of oxygen, break down the immune system and cause cancer. It's found its way into thousands of products, even foods that are labeled as all natural. But don't be fooled. While benzoic acid is found naturally in low levels in many fruits, the sodium benzoate listed on a product's label is synthesized in a lab.

So why is it in our food? Simple. It's the cheapest mold inhibitor on the market and extends shelf life. Learn more at Natural News

Want to make your own? This is what you need:

1 can of Organic Tomato Paste
2 teaspoon Arrowroot (I use this instead of corn starch)
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon  Cayenne (add more if you like really spicy sauce)
4 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Here's what you do:
Dissolve arrowroot in 3 cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins. Allow to cool before pouring into bowl/bottle.
Can keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, shake well before each use.

I didn't have anything to store my sauce in, so I was using a bowl (this recipe makes a lot). And then my kiddo said "Let's use my lemonade bottle." Hello recycling and reusing. Works perfectly!

Enjoy.....

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

Okay....I'll be the first to admit. It doesn't :look: very pretty, but it tastes pretty amazing.

I'm a perfectionist when it comes to putting together a new recipe. I wanted to get the amount of ingredients just right, so this is actually my third batch. My other two batches didn't included peanut butter, it was actually a last minute idea. Glad I included it though!

This pudding includes Chia Seed (as you noticed in the title ;) ). Did you know that to the ancient Aztecs, chia seed was not only a food staple but was also regarded a valuable commodity or currency in the trade or exchange of other goods. Although they couldn’t have known the full nutritional and antioxidant value of the tiny seed, they did observe its effects and gave named the plant chia, which means “strength.”
 
Chia seed is equally valued today as a superfood because it is abundant in protein, essential vitamins and minerals, amino acids and antioxidants, including quercetin and kaempferol. In terms of fiber, a mere one-ounce serving (about 2 tablespoons) provides more than 40% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber.

Ingredients Needed:

1/2 cup of Organic Pumpkin
1/2 cup of Honey Roasted Peanut Butter (I get mine freshly made from Whole Foods)
2/3 cup Almond Milk (I use Vanilla)
1 teaspoon Organic Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Honey
1/4 cup Chia Seed
1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon (add more if you like a stronger cinnamon flavor)
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Let's Get Started:
Mix your pumpkin, peanut butter and milk together first! Then, I add one spice at a time, mix well! Add vanilla extract and honey, mix! Add in your chia seeds and mix!

Pour into whatever bowl/dish you are using to store your pudding in (I use a glass casserole dish that has a lid) and let set in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

And enjoy....

Gluten/Dairy Free Chocolate Gravy

Chocolate Gravy. Enough said.

I can remember having chocolate gravy a few times during my childhood. I remember the first time my Grandma Jo made it and I thought "eww gross" before even tasting it. Ya know...how most kids do with something new. But, she and my Mom convinced me to taste it....and that first taste still sticks with me to this day.

My husband told me he's never had chocolate gravy. :Mouth dropped: Yes, he's from the south and has NEVER had chocolate gravy. He also never had a banana split until we met...yeah, that shocked me too! I told him he would love it because it's like dessert for breakfast and my hubby is a dessert kind of man!

I don't know why, but I have been craving chocolate gravy lately. And since the hubs has never had it, I decided to give it a try. For the most part we are gluten/dairy free because of our son, so that's how I made this batch. Oh my yumminess....so good.

Here's what you need:

5 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter
3 Tbsp Bob's Red Mill - Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 Tbsp Dagoba Organic Chocolate - Cocoa Powder
4 Tbsp Organic Cane Sugar
1 Cup of Almond Milk
1/2 tsp Organic Pure Vanilla Extract

How to make it:

Melt butter is skillet/pot (I used a pot) on low heat. Stir in flour, cocoa powder and sugar. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add milk a little bit at a time, stirring to mix it fully. Once all your milk has been added, cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until thick. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

That's it. You're done. I served our chocolate gravy over Pamela's Products - Biscuit & Scone Mix, which is also gluten/dairy free and so delicious. There is an option to add honey in your biscuit mix and in my opinion (and the hubs), they turn out amazing!! :)

Enjoy your Chocolate Gravy Y'all!! God Bless!!

Paleo Chili Y'all

Who doesn't love a big ole' pot of chili? Especially on a cold snowy day...which is what we've been having here lately in good ole' Arkansas. One day it's spring, the next it's snow. Hey, I'm not complaining though! My husband and I love chili, LOVE. But, we wanted a healthier version...so here we are. This recipe is super easy and super super DELISH.

Here's what you need:

2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil 
2 Yellow Onions (or 1 large)1 bulb of Garlic ( not sure how to peel it? check out this tutorial )
Himalayan Pink Salt (optional - see directions)
1 lb. Bison
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 can of Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 can of Organic Tomato Paste
1 3/4 cup of Chicken Broth

Spices to be added after meat cooks:
1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
2 tablespoons of Organic Chili Powder 
1 1/2 tablespoons of Organic Cocoa Powder
1/2 + 1/4 teaspoons of Organic Cayenne


Now let's cook:
Chop onion and mince garlic. On medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and then add onion and garlic. Cook for about 5-7 mins, stir to prevent sticking. Next add your meat of choice. You can use any meat of your choice, we love Bison, so we always try to include it!

While meat is cooking you're going to mix your spices. Now, for the 1/2 + 1/4 Cayenne...my hubby loves spicy foods. I can do spicy (with a glass of almond milk nearby....lol) but not super spicy. So we made this batch of chili a few times until we found a happy medium on how much Cayenne to use. Obviously you can use more or less.

Once the meat is cooked, stir seasoning mix in. After you've mixed the seasoning, add tomato paste and stir for about 2 mins. Next, add can of fire roasted tomatoes with their juice and chicken broth. Now, some recipes for chili that I've seen that call for broth, call for beef broth. The first time we made this, all I had was chicken broth so that's what we used. Don't worry...it turns out amazing! 

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer.
*most recipes I've seen say to simmer for a couple of hours. However, we've not made it early enough to let it simmer that long. Plus, we're too impatient to wait because it's so yummy!

How do you like your chili? In a bowl? Chili dogs? Chili dogs are my favorite and for the longest was the only way I would eat chili. Here are the toppings we use for our chili dogs (minus the mustard for the hubs) and we use GF/DF buns:

My idea of the PERFECT chili dog! :)

Hope y'all enjoy as much as we do! :)

God Bless!

DIY Toothpaste

I've not always made my own toothpaste. It wasn't until a friend of mine (who works in the dental field) shared this article on Facebook one day that I really started to question why I wasn't just making my own. When I read this article I was in....well shock. Plastic. In your toothpaste. Wow. It's a great article, so definitely check it out!

We've been making our own toothpaste for probably close to a year now. Even my super picky hubby likes it! ;)

It's really easy to make too. 3 ingredients, yep just three.

Here we go:

5 tablespoons of Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon of baking soda (grabbed mine from Whole Foods, forgot to take a picture)
10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil (optional, but we love it)

Mix well and done!

**Consistency will change based on room temperature.


My husband, son and I share this and can make it last for almost a month.

Enjoy! :) 

Vaccines: I've held my tongue long enough.

This is definitely the longest blog entry I've written to date. And if you follow through to the very end, thank you for taking the time to read it. I encourage you to read the links also! Will this bring about a debate? Wouldn't surprise me, at all. I've seen it all over my news feed, much like I'm sure you have. Will I lose friends? Perhaps. I'm sorry my son is more important than any "friend" out there. So if that happens, it happens. 

I've held my tongue long enough. All of this Measles talk and now that there is a report that a child in Arkansas (where we live) is being tested...people are already starting to freak out. Who am I kidding? People have been freaking out since the first mention of this "outbreak". Not sure this would really qualify as an "outbreak". Think about how many people actually live in this world and then the LOW number of people who have the measles. Just my opinion though. Anyway...and :most: of them tend to act so ugly about it. I will give credit when it's due, there are some people who completely disagree with our decision to not continue vaccinating our son and they are SO respectful and polite about it. So no, not everyone acts ugly when it comes to vaccine debates. However, I'm well aware of the way some people view us and I don't care.

And I will say this, I totally understand being worried about your kid/kids. I truly, truly do. I worry about my son too, but in a different way than you. While you're worried about your child being around my son who isn't fully vaccinated, I worry about my son being around your child who just received his/her MMR. A live virus. That they can shed. I've seen argument about this not being possible. Okay. So if it's :not: possible to shed a live virus, why would St. Jude Children's Hospital say it is? Here's a link to go with the screen shot, feel free to check it out! And I actually came across this information in a really great article Don’t Vaccinate to Protect My Cancer Kid, I would highly recommend you read it. It's long (like my entry isn't though?), but definitely worth the read.

Some people are so uneducated about those of us who choose to not vaccinate. Supposedly we make our decision not to, based on Jenny McCarthy? That's laughable. Our child was vaccinated. We ignorantly didn't question anything. Why? Well because we were vaccinated, they said it was safe. We thought we were protecting our child. It wasn't until his last set of vaccinations (which he received his first dose of MMR) that we finally WOKE UP and realized what we were doing. After seeing a dramatic change in our child, YES dramatic, I knew something wasn't right. We watched our healthy, developing "normally" baby boy dramatically change in front of our eyes. I relive those moments often in my mind. They were hard. It still can be hard.

He developed severe sleep issues, behavioral issues, sensory problems, speech problems, dietary problems. It became an extremely emotionally/mentally/physically exhausting road. We had no idea what happened to our son and it's not like he could communicate with us what was going on. You seriously have no idea. I've told bits and pieces on Facebook, but you have no idea exactly hard it has been. We took him to the doctor at least 6 times for his sleep. And every time the doctor wrote us off, "oh that's normal". I'm sorry, but his sleep patterns were FAR from normal. The last time we took him in, (before my husband's first deployment) I was so desperate for help. I was so exhausted, that I'm still unsure how I was even functioning. Thank God, his doctor was out of the office that day and we saw a different doctor (which isn't uncommon when you see doctors on base). He not only genuinely heard our concerns but had his own concerns about Ronnie's behavior. It was then he recommended we have Ronnie evaluated. Which is what got OT (occupational therapy) started and eventually a diagnosis of Autism from a psychologist.

By the time we made it to the step of being evaluated for Autism, we already suspected that's what it was. I had been doing research for quite some time about Autism, which eventually lead me to researching vaccines. There's a huge debate in the medical field and the Autism community whether or not vaccines have anything to do with Autism. Believe it or not, there's a portion of the Autism community that believe vaccines had nothing to do with their child having Autism. Anyway, I dove head first into researching. What vaccines our child had gotten and what ingredients were in those vaccines. I was in shock and angry, at myself mainly.

The one question I have been asked numerous times by other Mom's or new Mom's to be...Do I think vaccines are the cause of Ronnie's Autism? I truly believe it contributed in some way. Whether it was a trigger or the main cause, I don't know. And I do think it's possible that there could be genetic factors that might make some kids more susceptible than others. I think for some children, vaccines could be a trigger. But in all honesty, it's a question that I will never have answered and it's something I have to live with every day. Every single day. Our decision to not move forward with vaccinations had nothing to do with Jenny McCarthy, us being uneducated, selfish, careless, being a hippie, being part of some new movement or anything like that. It came after a very long time spent researching and PRAYER. As it got closer to his 4 year vaccines, something left me so conflicted. You know, that Mother's intuition that most of us have. I prayed and prayed and prayed and ultimately felt like it wasn't in his best interest to move forward. And after we finally reached our decision, there was this huge weight lifted off of me. I felt, at peace. Thankfully his doctor respected our wishes and never tried pushing it on us.

And to every person who has asked me if I believed vaccines caused Ronnie's Autism, I've told them exactly what I stated above. I have no idea, but I feel like it had something to do with it. I highly encourage them to research BOTH sides, research the vaccines and their ingredients and PRAY and then make an informed decision. This is my advice to everyone. Don't just have your kids vaccinated because their doctor says to or because the government says it's safe. At least do your research first. I wish we had done that.
I have nothing against those who choose to vaccinate, not vaccinate or delay schedule, because I honestly believe that no matter what a parent decides in this situation....they are doing what they think is best for their child. I bite my tongue with a lot of things I've seen shared lately, hateful comments I've read. I respect that not everyone has the same opinion about a topic like this, but that respect :should: go both ways. Until you've lived a day in our life, have experienced our own personal journey with Ronnie...just keep the hatefulness to yourself. Please and thank you.

A few questions you may want to ask yourself.

1. If vaccines are :safe: why is there a need for a National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program? That's such a serious question too. I hear so many people preach that vaccines are in fact SAFE. If they are "safe", WHY do we need a compensation program? Here's some information on how many people have been compensated: http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/statisticsreport.pdf
According to the National Vaccine Information Center, "by 2009, nearly $2 billion had been awarded to vaccine victims even though two out of three plaintiffs are denied compensation and there was a nearly $3 billion surplus in the VICP Trust Fund." That's quite a bit of money for something that is so safe, don't you think?

2. Do I want to live in a world where medical decisions are (or could be) being FORCED on my family? You should never lose your right to decide what you want :medically speaking: for your family. If we make the decision to not inject our son with human diploid lung fibroblasts, which is lung tissue taken from a therapeutically aborted fetus of about 3 months gestational age, THAT'S OUR RIGHT. I'm seeing more and more states jumping in proposing bills that would take away the right to file vaccine exemption for personal or religious beliefs. I can't even begin to express how wrong this is.

3. Why does a child need 69 doses of vaccines? "Children today receive 69 doses of vaccines for 16 different viral and bacterial illnesses which more than doubles the government childhood schedule of 34 doses of 11 different vaccines in the year 2000.  A vaccine exemption is filed regardless of whether the exemption is filed for one dose or all doses. 35 doses and 5 more unique vaccines have been added to the schedule in the last 15 years. Those supporting forced vaccination are being dishonest by not acknowledging the exploding vaccine schedule while sounding alarms over small increases in overall non-medical exemptions." Don't you think that's an insane amount of toxins to inject into a child?

Some helpful links that I encourage everyone to check out:

HERD IMMUNITY:

http://www.greatmothersquestioningvaccines.com/herd-immunity.html?m
http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org/2012/02/18/the-deadly-impossibility-of-herd-immunity-through-vaccination-by-dr-russell-blaylock/
http://www.wellwithin1.com/herdimmunity.htm
http://thepeopleschemist.com/chemist-says-media-left-horrifying-facts-measles-shot/

VACCINE PACKAGE INSERTS:
http://www.immunize.org/packageinserts/
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_pi.pdf
http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/package_inserts.htm
http://www.greatmothersquestioningvaccines.com/vaccine-package-inserts.html
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm101580.pdf

VACCINE INGREDIENTS:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf
http://vaxtruth.org/2011/08/vaccine-ingredients/

OTHER:
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/02/02/702199/10118172/en/Studies-Show-that-Vaccinated-Individuals-Spread-Disease.html
http://tenpennyimc.com/2015/02/17/measles-2015-a-tempest-in-a-teapot/
http://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/merck-scientis-claim-merck-forced-them-to-falsify-vaccine-efficacy-test/
https://medium.com/@therebootedbody/bringing-much-needed-sanity-to-the-vaccine-debate-e143f089bfd1


Do you ever ask yourself what is causing the high rates of Autism in children? How about childhood cancer? It seems as if I'm seeing more and more people posting about their children having cancer. And it's so heartbreaking. Could it possibly be the large amount of toxins that are constantly being injected into them? I think so. You can't sit here and say there aren't any possible side effects from having Formaldehyde, Thermerosal, MRC-5, DNA, MRC-5 Cellular Protein, Human Serum Albumin (4 different ingredients), Glutaraldehyde...just to name a few. Not sure what those are? Well I would highly suggest you research those too. Check out the Vaccine Ingredient links I've included. And if your Pro-Life, you should definitely check out ingredients.

The purpose of this entry is NOT to sway anyone from changing their stances on this matter. I'm not speaking for all "anti-vaxxers". I am speaking for our family. Again, no matter what decision you make for your child, I respect you. I may not agree with that decision and I definitely feel bad for your child/children, but I respect you. I believe you're truly doing what you think is best for your kiddo/kiddos, but please keep in mind, I'm doing the EXACT SAME THING for my son.

Thanks Y'all and God Bless!

GF/DF Apple Crisp

I'm addicted to this Apple Crisp y'all!!

I love apples. Apple pie. Apple crisp. Love it all. And I've been on a Apple Crisp kick lately....mainly because I buy so many apples at once! Gotta make something delish with them..right? And this is super easy to make! :)

Apple Filling:

5-6 Small Apples - peeled/sliced. I use organic. (enough to cover the bottom of your pie dish)
Melt 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter and mix with the following spices:
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Cinnamon
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon All Natural Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Organic Nutmeg

Once mixed together pour over your apples in your pie dish and mix together!
*I purchase my butter from Whole Foods, which you should be able to find the spices too. I order my spices along with other things from Lucky Vitamin. The prices are usually cheaper than in store and they have super fast shipping! :)

Topping:

This is before the butter. After the butter is cut in, it will become clumpier.

3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Oats (I have found this at Whole Foods, Kroger and sometimes Walmart).
3/4 cup Organic Coconut Palm Sugar (this is my favorite brand to use)
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Almond Meal (I have found this at Whole Foods and Kroger too)
*Optional 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flaxseed Meal
1 1/2 teaspoon of the all natural pumpkin pie spice.

Mix all the ingredients together in a separate bowl. After mixed together, cut with 6 tablespoons of the Earth Balance butter.
*I'm not big on a lot of cinnamon, which is why I use the pumpkin pie spice. Obviously, you can do away with pumpkin pie spice if you prefer more of a cinnamon flavor, just too strong for my liking ;)

Once you've cut the butter in, sprinkle over your apple mixture. I do this part by hand, just find it easier to cover all the apples. Cook at 375 degrees for 25-30 mins. 

I usually top mine with So Delicious CocoWhip Dairy-Free Whipped Topping...tastes amazing. I had never even heard of it before and ran across it one day at my local Whole Foods. So good y'all.

Hope you enjoy! :)