Betcha Never Done THIS with Your ‘Bucha!

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Good things come in small packages!

I cannot believe I’m putting this face on the internet for you readers. Please do not Pin this, for heaven’s sake. That’s what the picture of the KB jar is for!

Do not be afraid! This is only a kombucha blog post! I have not turned into a zombie from Walking Dead!

For those who may have been living in Woodbury lately (that’s a WD reference for those who are fans of the hit TV show, and it implies living isolated from the rest of the world!), let me first introduce you to what kombucha is, before I tell you something you can do with it (besides drink its heavenly goodness!). Kombucha (endearingly referred to as ‘buch by some) is fermented tea. It’s been around “forever”, often seen in traditional cultures the way many fermented foods are. It has skyrocketed in popularity in modern times because of its health benefits (probiotics & lots of other goodies are in fermented foods supposedly, but I’m no fermentation expert) and because it tastes great (of which I AM an expert)! There are a zillion different brands, each one different, and many more home brews. So you can’t (seriously, don’t!) try one kombucha and say, “I don’t like kombucha”, based on the tasting of one. That’s dumb. That would be like trying one eel roll, and saying “I don’t like sushi”. There are only about one million other kinds of sushi you would need to try before you could say you didn’t like it (and who in their right mind would ever say that anyway?!). Yeah, that’s exactly what it’s like, so don’t do that! Try many before you make a decision, and one you should try is KB, Kombucha Brooklyn. I love them for using organic teas, and for also supporting the home-brewers out there, of whom I hope to be a part someday! KB even has a home-brewing kit for those who may be interested in starting their own, and want it to be as simple as possible to start! That definitely looks like the easiest way to get started with doing this at home. But, back to the zombie face…

KB sent me a Kombucha Beauty Clay, after our meeting at Expo East in Baltimore, MD. I can’t believe I’m going to share these pictures with you guys, but here goes. You add Kombucha to a little bit of this KB bentonite clay to create a mask!!! It furthered my belief that anything that goes ON, should be able to go IN, because it’s all going IN you either way! It was amazing! I loved it, and I have to forego my vanity and share the experience in all of its “beauty” with you guys! The label calls for 2 TBS of clay, but unless you have a ginormous face, I think 1 TBS should do just fine. Mix it together and rub it on your face, and leave it until it dries, if you can take it that long. It can get intense when you feel it sucking the yuck outta your face. For real. I was surprised at how awesome it felt! Then I washed it off with warm water. I’m going to show you the picture of my “red skin” after the mask was washed off, because I want to warn those who may have particularly sensitive skin. This is a wonderful process, but it’s not for lightweights. It’s some serious beauty regime. I LOVED it, but I wanted to warn those who may have super sensitive skin. I would also recommend NOT using the kombucha with the chia seeds in it as your elixir for this beauty mask! (don’t ask)

It starts out pretty light. It gets darker in color and tighter in skin sucking tightness, the longer you let it dry.

Oh, the things I do for a good post!

I could barely move my face at this point, and it was only about half dry.

See, pretty red, but it didn’t last for long.

So, now you have something brand new to do with all that lovely kombucha you’re making and buying across America these days! If you haven’t tried it yet, go get some! I’m going to add links below so you can read lots more about the health benefits of kombucha. And if you order the mask and try it, please let me know!

What other unusual things have you used kombucha for??? Anyone want to admit to being a WD fan? It has a great story line, really!!

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

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“How to turn any Recipe into a Real Food recipe” from Homemade Mommy

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This post from homemademommy.net was SO helpful, I just had to share it with you real-food-fans here at OE! I would also add “organic” to all applicable items on the list, if your budget can swing it!:) There is also a chart near the end, that’s perfect for printing and referring to later. Enjoy!

How to turn any Recipe into a Real Food recipe | Homemade Mommy.

 

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

Pharm Country on Vimeo

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In an effort to be known for what I am FOR, I am sharing a 6 minute video preview because I am FOR educating yourself on what you’re eating. Find out what most Americans are ingesting on a daily basis, and most people have no idea. Please spread the social media word on this, as often as possible.

Pharm Country on Vimeo on Vimeo

via Pharm Country on Vimeo.

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

Thursday Thoughts: Social Media

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I have a friend, a “blend” (as Lindsay calls them), a blogger friend, across the country whom I have never met, and most likely will never meet. We are both fortysomething & enjoy healthy living social media, but only know each other via blogs and Instagram and Twitter. This week she lost her beloved dog, and I cried for her. I have prayed intently for her and her husband as they go through their mourning. I am not even a huge pet fan (we have none), so the tears were not shed over my sadness for a wonderful pet. My tears were shed because I feel the pain of her loss from across the country, and I care about what she is going through, even though I have only experienced this loss through seeing an Instagram photo and caption. Someone I don’t even “know”, and I’m crying for her and praying for her. That’s astounding to me. (the Lindsays list link above also has a story about the craziness of caring for people you’ve never met, you should read it). Social Media is affecting people in both good and bad ways. I want to use it positively, to make a difference in people’s lives. I want to encourage and bless. As my pastor has encouraged me to do, I want my blog to be a blessing, not a “success”! There is already plenty of negative and hateful “noise” out there, pulling us down and apart and away from love and compassion. I want to contribute to the positive. I want God to use my life and my blog to help and encourage, and I’m figuring out what that looks like as I go…. and that’s all He wants me to do: give Him my everything, which is essentially “nothing” but a willing spirit (most days:), taking that next step and trusting Him as I do it. For me, it’s the way I must do everything in order to be a true success. So, I’m thankful for blends, and social media, and blogs. I’m thankful for the encouragement, inspiration, motivation, and joy I find there (because I am careful about who I “follow”).  Five years ago I couldn’t even have imagined it. So, I will pray for a friend I have never met, and strive to always make this OE social media thing an encouragement to everyone who may ever come across it. And those are my thoughts on Thursday, but I’m barely making the cut-off before Friday gets here:) Have a great weekend everybody!!

I would love to hear your thoughts on how social media has impacted your life, and your WHY behind your own social media accounts and/or blog!

Encouraging Health,

Dana (aka Organic Eater)

PS: incase you missed it, TinaB was the grand prize Zevia winner, but EVERYONE who left a comment is getting a coupon from Zevia! They rock!! So if you left a comment on the Zevia post on this blog by 10-22-12, then email me ASAP at organiceater@me.com with your address, so Zevia can mail a coupon to you! Thank you all for sharing your life-change stories with us. You guys are amazing!!

Sugarfree Zevia Protein Muffins, with beets! (and other options)

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As promised, here is a fun Zevia muffin or bread recipe from www.zevia.com! The original recipe on their website used Cola, but since I prefer Dr. Zevia, that’s what I used.  Adding the cola to the ingredients makes a fizzy “concoction” in your mixing bowl, that my 8 year old son thought was WONDERFUL! The recipe suggests opening the soda early, so it’s not so fizzy, but all that fizzy action was the fun part for us!:) We had a great time making this. Go to the link above for the ingredients and directions, and here are my suggestions and what I used:

I prefer to make grain-free recipes if possible, so I used almond meal that I buy at Trader Joes. Almond flour or another gluten free flour may have given it a slightly better texture, but they were still good with almond meal.

I did not have enough protein powder at the time, and they still turned out fine. I used a stevia-sweetened vanilla whey powder.

We made both bread and muffins, and I think the muffins turned out slightly better. Only, don’t use cheap paper baking cups like I did, because they stuck to the bread, which ashamedly, did NOT prevent us from eating every bite (yes, we scraped the paper to get every last bite, I admit it.)

BEST PART: I had an organic beet I wanted to use up, and since the recipe offered that as an ingredient option, I said “heck yeah, we’re usin that beet!”

Well, that’s what makes this the perfect Halloween baking experiment for all of you mad scientists out there! It turned the ingredients a beautiful dark red, (like blood, Halloween, get it?) and when we added the fizzy soda, it was a bubbling cauldron of bloody red goo (insert evil laugh here)! Look at all that awesomeness below!

Now, that bloody red color changes as it bakes (unfortunately), but it was fun while it lasted! So, here’s my full confession: while the beet made it super fun and a really cool color, it wasn’t sweet enough, so I would suggest using the applesauce or banana OR you could add frosting like I did in the picture below! (it was stevia sweetened cream cheese frosting). If you don’t have ingredients (or time) for frosting, you could always add honey on top instead. I especially love www.cloisturehoney.com ‘s whipped cinnamon honey! O MY Amazing!

My last bit of advice would be to make sure you chop/process your beets small enough, if that’s what you use for this. I left a few chunks, and it wasn’t my most favorite bite when I found them:) If you are a huge beet lover, then by all means, leave the beets chunky!

I loved the way this recipe offered so many options, so it has the potential to taste many different ways, depending on what you use. Chocolate chips and pecans would be a nice addition, if that works for your family. If you try this, I hope you have as much fun as we did making it! And please let me know how it turns out, since there are so many varieties possible! Happy Halloween! Enjoy!

Please go to this post  to enter the GiveAway for FREE Zevia! They generously offered TWO free 6packs to the winner, so you can drink some and cook with some! Check out the Zevia website for all kinds of recipes for no sugar foods and drinks.

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater