Category: Cooking

Don’t worry I’m not going to start this article talking about how important it is to eat breakfast in the morning. You already know that!

However, if you are like me you often end up eating the same thing every morning because of its convenience. And while fruit is a fantastic and healthy option, sometimes you just need a treat.

Here are five delicious treats that are better than fruit for breakfast.

1. Oats

Did you know oats have been proven to reduce your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer? These super foods are incredibly rich in healthy compounds and great at eliminating the not-so-healthy ones.

Not all oats are created equal though.

If you want to maximize the good ingredient, avoid eating packaged and processed oats. Oftentimes these are filled with too much sugar and preservatives.

2. Eggs

The second food to keep your eye on for breakfast is eggs.

Not only are they packed with protein and essential vitamins, but they’re incredibly versatile as well. One day you could have a poached egg, and the next you could have them scrambled.

I love to make omelets. This allows me to get in some of those other essential vitamins and minerals through added vegetables.

This is a plate that you can get creative with and one that will be a healthy alternative to your classic fruit dish.

3. Waffles

Next is waffles, and yes I do mean it! Waffles and pancakes can be a delicious and healthy treat for breakfast, especially when made with whole grain.

One of the benefits of waffles is the variety of toppings you can add to it. Whether you’re craving something sweet or salty.

Another benefit is that they are so easy to make! Just pull out your bella waffle maker and whip them up with simple, everyday ingredients.

Within 5 minutes you’ll have a delicious and filling breakfast snack.

4. Crepes

Like waffles and pancakes, crepes are another delicious alternative with lots of topping options.

Entire businesses have been devoted to making great crepe recipes that are both sweet and savory. However, regardless of your taste palette, you can be sure that the crepes won’t add much sodium or cholesterol to your diet.

Bonus tip: Add peanut butter to get a little extra protein in your day.

5. Smoothies

If you are still craving fruit for breakfast, but you want to have a change in your routine, smoothies are a great alternative.

You can never go wrong with strawberry and banana blends. Add spinach or kale to get an extra dose of fiber and keep you fueled for the rest of the day.

Plus they are great for when you have to eat on the go!

Enjoy More than Just Fruit for Breakfast

Each of these options provides delicious and healthy alternatives that will keep you fueled until lunch.

As an added bonus, they’ll also leave more room for yummy desserts at the end of the day like my favorite triple-layer cracker toffee bars. Yum!

Speaking of which, I think I might have some cooking to do.

Do you have any special breakfast treats? Share them below in the comments!

Want more awesome tips? Check out our website!

It’s an unfortunate reality that many commercial soaps contain harsh dyes, fragrances, foaming agents, and other artificial chemicals that are harmful to our skin.

This is even true of soaps that are marketed as “natural.” Believe it or not, there is no regulation or quality standard for the use of that word. Beware of the marketing manipulation. The only way to truly know what goes into your soap is by making it at home.

Plus, making soap can be a fun and relaxing process. You can make soap for at home use, gifts, or even a business. All it takes is a little practice and some great natural soap recipes.

Read on to find our favorite natural soap recipes free of harmful chemicals that you can easily make at home.

4 Chemical-Free Natural Soap Recipes for Healthy Skin

Soap helps us wash away germs, bacteria, dirt, and all the products we put on our skin. Why would we want to use anything unnatural to achieve a clean slate?

Use these natural soap recipes to achieve healthy skin with soap that you can feel good about using.

1. Milk and Honey Soap

This moisturizing soap is great for your skin and smells delicious. You’ll need:

• 1 pound goat’s milk soap base
• 3 tablespoons organic raw honey
• (optional) a few drops of yellow soap color

Just melt the soap base, add the remaining ingredients, pour into a mold and allow to cool until firm.

2. Kratom Soap

Kratom is a tropical tree that grows in Southeast Asia. Its leaves have been recognized for their healing properties, providing relief from chronic pain, muscle aches, anxiety, and stress.

In this soap, its healing properties are absorbed by the skin as well as through aromatherapy as it mixes with steam.

To make kratom soap, you’ll need to source the leaves in the form of a powder from a reputable kratom strains supplier. After that, just follow the instructions below:

• 3 cups glycerin soap base
• 1/4 cup lemongrass leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil (or essential oil of your choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon seaweed oil
• 1 teaspoon kratom powder

Infuse the kratom powder and lemongrass leaves in water and simmer for 15 minutes.

Melt the glycerin soap base in a double boiler and add the infused lemongrass kratom mixture and the remaining ingredients.

Mix well, pour into silicone molds, and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

3. Lavender Oatmeal Soap

To make this soothing aromatic soap that gently exfoliates the skin, you’ll need:

• 1 pound goat’s milk soap base
• 2 tablespoons dried lavender
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 teaspoon lavender essential oil

Melt the soap base, add the dried lavender flowers, oats, and essential oil and mix well. Pour into molds and allow to cool.

4. Salt & Grapefruit Soap

This energizing soap is excellent for your skin with gentle exfoliation from both the grapefruit acid and the salt crystals. Here’s how to make it:

• 1 pound goat’s milk soap base
• 1/4 cut pink Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon grapefruit essential oil

Melt the soap base, stir in the remaining ingredients, pour into molds and allow to cool.

Easy Peasy!

These soap recipes are fun, easy, and safe. Try making soaps for a fun activity with kids! All of these recipes are free of harsh chemicals, lye, or difficult to find ingredients.

Do you have a favorite soap recipe that we missed? Comment below!

Love this article? Check out our other great posts like this one on healthy eating!

Coffee drinkers love their brew and most have a typical routine. When they need coffee, they need coffee – so much so that the average coffee drinker has almost three cups per day.

Are you part of the coffee lover club? Maybe you’re shopping for a close friend who is obsessed with the brew?

Either way, perhaps it’s time to consider changing things up a little!

In this article, we’re getting down with some of the tastiest coffee flavors to help jumpstart your morning.

Ready for a deeper dive?

Great! Let’s take a closer look.

The Tastiest Coffee Flavors to Conquer Your Morning

Channel the Campfire and Drink it Too

Sweet, dessert-inspired coffee is a great option for your morning pick me up. And, the options are almost endless, ranging from basic French vanilla to coffee flavors like banana foster.

A popular trend of late is the S’mores flavored coffee. With this one, you get chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker goodness all with your daily caffeine jolt.

Positive vibes and nostalgic feelings about childhood anyone? Yes, please!

Other popular options here include caramel flavors, coconuts, and even delicious cookie dough.

Donut Inspired Coffee

Many brands offer donut inspired coffee flavors. Check these out if you want to feel like you’ve had a donut for breakfast, without the guilt!

Glazed donut flavor does exist, but if you want something a little less sweet, you can find blueberry flavored coffee too.

Chocolate Lover’s Dream

If you love coffee and chocolate (who doesn’t?), there are multiple options for you.

If you’re using a simple coffee with no flavors added, consider adding some cocoa powder to achieve a chocolatey deliciousness.

Looking for something a little more exciting?

Try experimenting with different flavors. Here, if you want to be right on trend, coffee flavors like German Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Hazelnut, or Mocha Chip are all the rage.

Kick Up Your Go-To Flavor

Your morning coffee has lots of health benefits, and if you’re a creature of habit, the idea of adding coffee flavors might scare you.

Shudder the thought!

If this is the case, don’t worry! Changing up how you prepare your coffee instead, can bring some excitement to your daily mug.

Maybe you can change to iced coffee for a day?

Pro tip alert! Use yesterday’s leftover cover to freeze into ice cubes. Then brew your coffee over these cubes. That way, you’re sure your coffee won’t get watered down.

This will also be helpful on those hot summer days where you still need your caffeine. You can even include cream and sugar before freezing the cubes.

Of course, another summer favorite treat is ice cream. Try a coffee flavored sugar-free ice cream recipe to change up your routine.

Upgrade Your Appliance

Typically use a traditional coffee pot for your early morning brew?

Consider testing out new methods like a French Press. For this, take a look at the best coffee grinder for French Press to make sure you have the best experience.

Adding Extra Spark to Your Morning

So, there you have it.

These are some of our favorite, sweet coffee flavors. Not only do they get us up and running in the mornings, they add a pep to our step as well.

Did we miss out on your favorite flavor? Got any ideas for our early morning coffee brew? Be sure to let us know!

Although frozen desserts have existed since the second century, the road to modern ice cream was a rocky one (pun intended). Ice cream was first tasted by the public in 1660. Before then, it’d been a specialty on royal and noble tables alike.

The popularity of this cold treat exploded and remains popular to this day. But store-bought ice cream has two problems. Not only is it high in sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, but it’s expensive.

The solution? Make your own ice cream from home with sugar free ice cream recipes. Keep reading to learn how.

Sugar Free Ice Cream Recipes

Whether a chocolate fiend, a vanilla fan, looking for something fruity, minty, or a coffee aficionado, there’s a low carb ice cream recipe here to suit all of these preferences. They’re also great for those who love save money on groceries since many ingredients are household staples.

Sugar Free Vanilla

For this basic and delicious flavor without all the sugar, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Whole milk (1 cup)
• Sugar substitute such as Splenda or natural stevia sweetener (3/4 cup)
• Kosher salt (just a pinch)
• Heavy cream (2 cups)
• Vanilla extract (1 to 2 teaspoons)

Once you have all of your ingredients, combine the milk, salt, and sugar substitute. You can use a whisk or a hand mixer. Keep mixing until the sugar substitute is dissolved.

Next, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and stir. Cover the bowl and stick it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. You can keep it in there as long as overnight.

The next day, use your ice cream maker to thicken the mixture. This will take about a half hour or so.

Dairy-Free Mint Chocolate Chip

If you love mint chocolate chip ice cream, but dairy doesn’t love you, don’t despair. Make this recipe instead. You’ll need these ingredients:

• Full-fat coconut milk (15 ounces)–Chill it first.
• Non-dairy milk (1/2 cup)
• Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
• Peppermint extract (1/4 teaspoon)
• Honey (3 tablespoons)
• Fresh spinach (1 cup)
• Unsweetened chocolate (2 tablespoons)–Chop it.

Blend everything but the chocolate chip for about a minute, until the mixture is smooth. Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker for about 15 minutes. Toss in the chocolate and churn for another five.

Chocolate

Does it get any better than low-carb chocolate ice cream? If not, make sure you have these ingredients:

• Heavy cream (2 cups)
• Unsweetened cashew, almond, or coconut milk (1 1/2 cups)–Divide it.
• Cocoa powder (1/2 cup)
• Sugar substitute (1/2 cup)
• Egg yolks (4)
• Unsweetened chocolate (3 ounces)–Chop it.
• Vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
• Liquid stevia extract (1/4 teaspoon)

Start out by making an ice bath. Let that sit while you combine the cream, 1 cup of the milk alternative, cocoa powder, and sugar substitute. Use medium heat while you whisk them together.

Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl, adding 1 cup of the hot cream mixture. Keep whisking as you do this in order to keep the yolks from scrambling. Add them back into the saucepan–keep whisking!

Keep cooking until the mixture can coat a spoon.

Add the chocolate and let it sit for five minutes before whisking until the mixture is smooth. Then, set the mixture over the ice bath for ten minutes before refrigerating it, covered, for no less than three hours.

Whisk in the rest of the milk substitute, vanilla, and stevia. Pour the whole mixture into your ice cream maker and churn.

Lemon Curd

Another one of our low-carb sugar free ice cream recipes is perfect for citrus lovers. If you like lemon, you’ll love this recipe. Here’s what you need for the lemon curd:

• Large eggs (3)
• Large egg yolks (3)
• Sugar substitute (1/3 cup)
• Lemon juice (1/4 cup)–Squeeze it fresh if you can.
• Lemon zest (1 tablespoon)
• Butter (6 tablespoons)–Cut it up into pieces.

For the ice cream, you’ll need:

• Heavy whipping cream (1 3/4 cups)
• Powered sugar substitute (1/4 cup)

To make the curd, begin by whisking the eggs, yolks, and sugar substitute. Add the lemon juice and zest. Hold the mixture over a pan of simmering water, but don’t let water touch the bowl.

Keep whisking for up to ten minutes or until the mixture thickens. Take it off the heat and add the butter. Let it stand a moment and then whisk the mixture again until it’s smooth.

Cover and chill, for at least three hours.

Meanwhile, make the ice cream by whisking the whipping cream, sugar substitute, and lemon curd. Churn this mixture and you can begin to enjoy your ice cream!

Coffee

If you love the flavor of coffee, you’ll love this no-churn recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Heavy cream (2 1/2 cups, divided)
• Unsweetened almond milk (1 cup)
• Powdered sugar substitute (1/2 cup)
• Butter (1 tablespoon)
• Xanthan gum (1/4 teaspoon)
• Instant coffee (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• Vanila extract (1/4 teaspoon)
• Liquid stevia extract (1/4 teaspoon)

Mix together 1 cup of cream and almond milk over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often. Keep at it for one hour to 90 minutes, until the mixture is reduced by half.

Take the mixture off the heat and add the powdered sweetener and butter, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Add in the xanthan gum, instant coffee, vanilla and stevia extracts. Keep stirring until the coffee grounds dissolve.

Cool the mixture. With the remaining cream, whip it until it forms peaks. Fold in the milk mixture and keep whisking until everything is combined.

Freeze the mixture for five to six hours.

Serve It Up

Scoop these flavors into a bowl or mix them together for a cool treat to beat the heat.

Which flavor is your favorite? How do you satisfy your sweet tooth in a low-carb way? Share your choice in the comments section below.

Good nutrition is an essential part of living a healthier life.

But eating nutritiously isn’t just a matter of eating fruits and vegetables. You’ve got to eat a balanced diet that works for your unique lifestyle. It’s also important to control your appetite and avoid overeating.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average American diet exceeds the recommended intake levels of the following categories, “calories from solid fats and added sugars; refined grains; sodium; and saturated fat.”

Are you just starting to consider a nutritious diet?

Read on for our beginner’s guide to good nutrition!

Avoid Processed Foods

Walk around your local grocery store and you are bound to find hundreds of processed food options.

Foods like potato chips, certain meats and cheeses are just some of the processed foods you should avoid. Processed foods are often high in calories and provide a limited amount of nutritious value.

In order to limit your fat intake, you should cut these out of your diet. If you can’t bring yourself to give up these foods completely, eat them sparingly from time to time.

Eat Smaller Portions More Often

When you overeat, you put more food in your body than it can process. This can be what contributes to fat being stored and limiting your ability to lose weight.

Instead of eating the three ‘traditional’ meals of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, try decreasing portion size and eating more often.

This is a good alternative to using diet pills and supplements to help you control your weight.

Try eating six smaller portions throughout the day. In order to curb hunger, include foods like chicken, which is high in protein and low in fat. Also try to include natural yogurt for digestion, and fresh fruits and vegetables for energy.

Eating smaller portions will take some adjusting at first, but doing this will allow your body to make the most of the nutrients in each meal.

Drink Lots of Water

Your nutritious diet doesn’t end with what you eat. You should also drink lots of water.

Your body is made up of 60% water and water helps regulate your digestion, hydration, and circulation, among others. But the benefits of drinking water don’t stop there.

When you drink a glass of water before a meal, you will find that you eat less. This helps your portion control and prevents overeating.

Choosing to drink water more often helps you limit your intake of sodas and other sugary drinks. Those should be eliminated from your diet as much as possible, as they can help contribute to fat retention.

Good Nutrition Works

When you make changes to your lifestyle, it takes discipline and a willingness to adapt.

But taking the time to pay attention to what you are eating and drinking (and how much of it at a time) will be an important part of living healthier.

Being nutritious is also just one way to be healthy. You should also try to be physically active to maximize the benefits of your new way of life!