Substance of Living

Skinny & Co. Coconut Oil in Sold and Melted Forms After my first conversation with Michael at Skinny & Co., I was super excited to try their coconut oil.  I didn't have to wait but a couple days and my coconut oil arrived in the mail. My initial thought was, "Which recipe do I try or should I create something new?"  That thought was blown out of the water when I began reading about the benefits of using coconut oil raw. Did you know that you can use coconut oil as a makeup remover, as a lotion for skin rash or reducing wrinkles?  I didn't.  In fact, I wouldn't have thought to use coconut oil in any other capacity except cooking.  I do use raw coconut oil to make my vegan butter.  I thought it would be too expensive to "waste" using it any other way than ingesting. I have since changed my mind. I now use a teaspoon in my morning coffee, use it to make vegan butter, lotion for my dry hands and feet, moisturizer on my face, and have be...

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil When I was asked to sample and review Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, I knew a special recipe had to be created.  Something everyone would enjoy, something for the holiday season, something new and something easy. These cookies hold their shape, slightly crunchy on the outside with a moist and crumbly interior that melts in your mouth.  Mini muffins were tried and they held up to the test of the cookies as well as the baking time.   Ingredients: 2 cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt 1 cup Brown Sugar 1/3 cup Sugar 3/4 cup Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil (room temperature or slightly melted) 2 teaspoons Vanilla 1 cup Pumpkin Puree (not pie mix) 1 cup Chocolate Chips  Directions: Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Combine wet...

Homemade Hot Cocoa See all the dark chocolate swimming around in that rich and creamy cup of steamy hot cocoa?  If we hadn't drank all of it last night, I'd be sitting here with a cup right now.  Then again, there might be some chocolate left in the pantry.  As soon as I'm done here, I'm going to go see.   There are all kinds of cocoa. There are instant, homemade, kid friendly and of course adult versions. So let's start with your favorite version of cocoa or hot chocolate mix, whether that is from a package or a secret family recipe passed down through the generations.  If you don’t have a favorite, here is one I think you might enjoy. Ingredients: 4 cups Non-Dairy Milk 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter 8 ounces Chocolate (candy bars, baking chocolate) 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract Directions:   Chop the chocolate very finely.  If you’re using dark chocolate you might need to sweeten your drink a bit.  However, i...

Homemade Vegan Butter - It Melts! Are you tired of spending more than your fair share at the grocery store because you purchase vegan products?  If you're like us, we try to purchase vegan as much as possible plus we have to purchase gluten-free products.  So you can imagine our grocery bill. One of my Foodie Bucket List items was to figure out how to make vegan butter that tastes, melts, and does everything else that real butter does but without all the added chemicals or those really difficult-to-pronounce ingredients. DH and I have been using Earth Balance for our creamy butter spread.  The ingredients are all pronounceable and it has a nice flavor.  It also acts just like margarine - creamy, spreadable, makes great grilled cheese sandwiches, and works in baked goods.  The price at our local grocery store is $4.49 for a 15 ounce tub. Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread Although we found a great produ...

Personal Size Gluten-Free Berry Brownie in a Bowl You've probably heard of cakes in a cup or seen some photos flying around the internet or have received a recipe in your email.  In fact, it took until the other night that I actually made one of these chocolatey delights. Couldn't find the email with the recipe so I went in search of a recipe that was quick, easy, and hopefully yummy.  Well, there were so many!  Where was I to begin?  OK, one thing was that I didn't want to make an entire cake so anything that required the usual cake staples had to be eliminated or modified. On hand were some mixed berries and Neufchatel cheese that I wanted to try and incorporate. Here is what I came up with after looking at so many different recipes out there.  I don't even remember all that I looked at; but here are a few Jessicakes , Clay Designs by Glee , and Squirrel Momma . Personal Size GF Berry Brownie in a Bowl with a glass of wine Ingredient...