Monster Muffins : Grain/Nut Free

Oh those moments. Convenient accident or purposed treat? 

Who cares it's scary good.

Found this grain free, nut free cupcake recipe and decided to make it for breakfast treats to go.

Great decision.

Because I decided to make these at 9 o'clock, post meridiem, I did not peel the zucchini. 

So sue me.

In my brain I was thinking "why peel it? you lose a ton of health benefits.." 

So I didn't and boo(m), Monster Muffins! The peels turned the batter 

green which in turn cooked up awesome. 

What I Used: 

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp aluminum free baking soda

1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1/2 cup chopped zucchini with skins (I used 3 small ones from our CSA)

2 tbsp local honey or 3 :) 

1 tbsp of vanilla extract

4 large eggs

kiss of coconut oil

What I did:

read the whole recipe.

whipped it up in a blender.

poured in the green gold of goodness.

cook in oven at 350 for 20 minutes!

used the leftover batter to make me and mr. monster muffin a mini monster cake with cacao nibs

Known HEALth benefits of Zucchini: 

• awesome source of magnesium and vitamin C
• vitamin A, potassium, phosphorus, copper, and high in folate which is great for everyone
• summer squash has been shown to have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, niacin, and PROTEIN :) 
• vitamin B1, vitamin B62, vitamin B6, and calcium
• has been shown to be extremely effective in treating BPH in men
• fiber rich
• studies have shown that plant based fiber rich diets flush the toxins and abnormal cells from the colon keeping it safe and protected
• folate, vit C, and beta-carotene found in the skins of the zucchini help protect cells from toxins and have proven anti-inflammatory properties 
• high in manganese trace mineral which protect mitochondria from oxidative stress 
• the potassium and magnesium are scientifically shown to lower blood pressure 
• all around a great choice with soluble and insoluble fats, sodium, trace minerals, amino acids, carbohydrates, sodium, and 96% water!

Now....Go squash some healthy grain free muffins in your face!!! 

searched healthy benefits of zucchini

Halloween Colorings, Packs, Printables and Masks!

Since graduating with a BA of Special Education and a MA in Bing/Google and becoming a gypsy Navy wife/mother I've come to utilize any freeness at it's well best-est! *I never claimed to always follow the rules either* We are huge fans of in home learning and in home seasonal coloring :) Any printable is always fun and now that both girls are freely expressing themselves with color and texture and demands to do it all by themselves... I love a continuous source of ...awesome. Here is a quick list of our favorite places to find new friends to color! We print on recycled paper and print on both sides, or definitely use both! If buying recycled paper is too much then cutting up bags from the store or left over scrap paper is always fun too! This is neat to let the natives pick out their own pictures and make themselves a coloring book for a road trip or another move! These are all places I have used for free since my teacher aid days.

Enjoy all the play and learning with the littles you share this with!
Even if it's just little you! *you'll see, spoonful has Disney!*

• Geo's Jack-o-lantern Shape Pack  : this is our  most recent craft time fun! Avery cut out all the shapes after the colored them and the decorated pumpkins are on the front door for all to see! She loves telling her sister about the shapes.
• Sprout! coloring pages : I am not ashamed of how much I love sprout printables! 
• Nick Jr Printables and Packs
• PBS Kids Printables and Masks : THIS. I love the option to print and make our own costumes some days! Perfect rainy day play! From Arthur to Sesame Street and Wild Kratts the girls can be any one for one afternoon! 
• PBS Kids Activities 
• Spoonful  : awesome online resources in general! Check out their Halloween teacher's corner!
• Raising Our Kids Halloween 
• Funschool 
• Kinderart Halloween

Enzyme Cleaner! Naturally Non-Toxic Love...

Typically the beautiful smell of lemons and oranges means your mouth gets all watery for that juicy 1st bite, but this mama's already wondering how many more days of fruits can she eat before she'll have enough for more cleaning solution!

Every time I get citrus, don't get me wrong, I LOVE IT; Fresh juices, easy fast foods, whole nutrition, etc... but until I started cleaning with vinegar I never realized how special the discards could be! From dried potpourri, vinegar infusions, powdered citrus peels for baths, to a newish thing for me, enzyme cleaning! Talk about non toxic bliss! I follow a now dear instaFriend, yes, on instagram, that posted a cleaning recipe using orange peels! Since I was all into the vinegar I was intrigued at this fermentation process. I try to use as natural cleaning products as possible but when you purchase as a consumer the number one thing they want is your money. The number two thing to consider is the more natural it is, more more expensive it will be. Between unfair taxation and high cost, low demand and unwillingness to educate beyond consumer protocol commercials people end up paying for your moral grounds, always. Further research lead me to find that maybe my tougher stains *bodily soils, soap scum build up, etc...* would become easier with another kind of cleaner besides my citrus vinegar! ASAP I assembled said equipment and though my gal listed her steps on IG, I also found this with a snappy online search and later she blogged!

You will need: 

2 Liter plastic bottle*

1 Liter of water*

4 cups +/- some of any citrus scraps

100 grams of organic brown sugar*

all natural kick butt about to ferment

What you will do*: 

Place peels in jar, water, then sugar. Tighten lid and shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake. Shake that Enzyme. Yea, shaaaake that Enzyme! I like to party. Now remember those *'s up there in the what you will need? Every one I know uses a plastic bottle because the glass CAN break under the extreme pressure of fermentation. So I knew I would have to "burp" this dude daily. Please enter this DIY decision with severe caution and awareness of what you put this in. Also, if you do not have scale to weigh out 100 grams here is a handy conversion website! I have not found any where it matters what kind of water you use, I happen to use the same water we drink because we have a filtered source. After mixture is made set in a safe place with a date written on it. Let hang out for three months. If burping is needed to help with expansion then it's ok! Just not too much too often. 

After allotted fermenting time strain mixture and use as a concentrate! I add this directly to tough stains or in the wash. I put some in a spray bottle with water or add a cap full to ANY cleaning situation I can! As a weird tip, in concentrate, it is an AWESOME fruit fly trap. 

about  mid way through the three month wait

TADA! July 2013

Now patience is a must! Waiting is key so do not rush this. I use this stuff daily and for fun add my own EO blends to compliment the delish citrus scent it leaves behind! Have fun watching this process and enjoy it daily knowing you are doing a greater good than just a simple DIY cleaner!