Homemade Scrubby Bathroom Cleaner

This recipe for bathroom cleaner requires only 4 ingredients, and is much more pleasant to use than those toxic cleaners from the store.  It is incredibly easy to make! This cleaner works very well for scrubbing out bathtubs, sinks, and even toilets!  I use it as an all-purpose cleaner for the bathroom.

Homemade Scrubby Bathroom Cleaner

• 1/2 cup Kosher Salt (I buy this at the supermarket)
• 1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda* (the cheapest place I have found this is Alice.com, where it is less than $4/box)
• 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax (I buy this at Target in the detergent aisle)
• 1 cup Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds
• 2 cups water

1. In a large bowl, combine the salt, washing soda, and borax.  Whisk to break up any lumps.
2. Add the Sal Suds and water.  Whisk to combine.
3. Using a funnel, pour into the container of your choice.  I store mine in an old half-gallon milk container, which makes it easy to pour and stores easily under the bathroom sink.
4. To use the cleaner, simply pour out a little bit and then scrub with a brush or rag.  A little bit of cleaner goes a long way! Rinse clean with plenty of water. 

*I haven't tried it, but I bet you could substitute plain old baking soda for the super washing soda.  I already keep the super washing soda on-hand for making homemade laundry detergent.  Let me know if you try it with baking soda, and how it turns out!

This post is part of Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways!

Lemon Lime Custard Cake (grain-free : primal)

Lemon and lime give this custard cake a wonderful, fresh flavor.  It is rich, and especially tasty with some whipped cream, sour cream, or vanilla ice cream on top.  We enjoyed this for breakfast as well as dessert.

Lemon Lime Custard Cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tb honey
• 8 oz softened cream cheese
• 1 Tb vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
• 4 eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• one small lime
• one large lemon
• 3 Tb coconut flour
• Garnish: whipped cream, sour cream, or vanilla ice cream

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Turn off heat, stir in the honey, and allow to cool a bit.
2. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla extract, eggs, and salt.
3. Use a microplane rasp or other fine grater to zest the lime and the lemon.  Then use a reamer to juice both the lime and the lemon.  My small lime yielded about 1 Tb plus 2 tsp of lime juice, and my large lemon yielded about 4 Tb of lemon juice.  
4. Pour the lemon juice, lime juice, and both zests into the butter/honey.  Stir a bit.
5. Beat the butter/honey mixture into the cream cheese.
6. Measure out the coconut flour into a small bowl and whisk to break up any clumps.  Then beat the coconut flour into the cream cheese mixture.
7. Butter a glass pan.  I used an 8X8 square glass dish.
8. Pour the batter into the buttered pan.
9. Bake in a 300 degree F oven for about 45-50 minutes, until the edges have browned a little and the middle is bubbling nicely.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover the dish. Then transfer to the fridge and chill for several hours.
11. Top the custard cake with some whipped cream, sour cream, or vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Raisin Muffins (grain-free : GAPS : primal : paleo : gluten-free)

As we head into summer, sometimes it is hard to find fresh fruit in season.  Why not try some raisin muffins?  My daughter especially loves these muffins since she loves raisins.  They are cinnamon-y and delicious!

Raisin Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

• 1/2 cup butter or unrefined coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 tsp celtic sea salt 
• 6 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (optional)*
• 3/4 cup coconut flour 
• 1/2 cup organic raisins

1. Melt butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly. 
2. Meanwhile, combine the eggs, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and baking soda in a large bowl.  If using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to combine. Otherwise, mix to combine with a whisk or mixer.
3. Add the honey to the butter (or coconut oil) and stir slightly.  Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and blend well with immersion blender or mixer.
4. Measure out the coconut flour.  Since coconut flour clumps, it will need to be sifted if you are not using an immersion blender.*
5. Pour the coconut flour into the bowl with the wet ingredients.  Use an immersion blender or mixer to thoroughly combine all ingredients, making sure there are no lumps.  (Since coconut flour does not contain gluten, there is no worry of over-mixing it).
6. Fold in the raisins.
7. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.  Scoop the muffin batter into the paper cups.  I like to use a 3-Tb scoop for this, but you could just use a large spoon.
8. Bake muffins in 325 degree oven for about 35-45 minutes, until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  If you are in a time-crunch, you could bake them at 350 degrees initially, but you'll need to reduce the heat after a bit so they won't burn before being set in the middle.
9. Remove from oven and cool.  Delicious with a pat of butter and a big glass of raw milk or milk kefir!  Pair these muffins with bacon or eggs for a hearty meal.

Time-saving tips:
*Pure baking soda is GAPS-legal, however it is a strong alkalizer so it can reduce stomach acid (and GAPS people typically already have low stomach acid).  My family avoided using baking soda for the first few months on GAPS just in case.
**If you use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients, you can skip the step of sifting the coconut flour.  This also gives you less dirty dishes!
***While you are at it, why not make a double batch of muffins and throw one dozen into the freezer?  It doesn't take much more time, and they will make a very easy breakfast for some other week.

Another Diet and Health Update

A couple months ago, I posted my results after two months on the Matt Stone's Diet Recovery program. Since people keep asking how things are going, I thought a detailed blog post was in order.  It has been two months since the last update.
  
Month 3
During the 3rd month I wanted to really slow down the weight gain, so I cut back the ice cream a bit.  Previously, I was eating it twice a day (which REALLY helped me to maintain steady energy levels), so I dropped this back to only eating it once a day at breakfast.  I had a bit more exercise this month and observed that it can really have a detrimental effect on my body temps.  I continued to manage my mild joint pain by eating a mostly GAPS-legal diet (probably about 95%), with the exceptions being potatoes once or thrice a week and homemade popcorn occasionally.

Not-so-good progress

• Waking body temperatures are a good indicator of the state of the body's metabolism, so I've been tracking my temps to see how I am progressing on restoring metabolism (which is one of the main premises of the Diet Recovery program). Back in February, my waking body temperatures plummeted after a high-intensity burpee workout. In the first half of the March, my temps stayed low, and then fell even further after I spent a week working hard physically to build a chicken coop (but it sure was a fun week for me and the kids).  
• Unlike the previous two months when I had normal menstrual cycles, my menstrual cycle in March dropped to only 23 days with very little bleeding.  This is a sign that my hormones are out of whack (and this should be helped by restoring my metabolism).
• My energy levels were more variable once again, with some very low energy (lethargy) spells.  This is a problem I've been struggling with for over a year.  Overall, my energy levels in March were still much better than before I started the Diet Recovery program, but they were worse than the previous month.
  

Good progress

• Weight gain was only a few pounds.  This brought the total gain since January to around 10-12 pounds. 
• Protandim (an herbal supplement) was recommended to me by someone from our local WAP group, who had very good results with using it to help his adrenal/thyroid problems (it even got him off his thyroid meds).  I don't normally take any supplements; just my fermented cod liver oil and dessicated liver pills. But I figured I may as well try the Protandim to see.  I was surprised to note that my constipation and heartburn improved (better than they've been in years, and even better than when I saw good improvements from RRARFing on lots of potatoes/starches).  I also noticed that my hands and feet seem even toastier (and sometimes REALLY warm) since I started taking it.  
• Once I started taking Protandim, my waking body temps started creeping up, even though I had decreased my ice cream consumption (high-fat ice cream is a huge metabolism booster). 

Month 4
During the 4th month, I wanted to stop the weight gain as I was not comfortable with gaining weight month after month (and my jeans were now too tight).  I continued eating a mostly GAPS-legal diet, although I increased my consumption of non-GAPS foods a bit during this month (still at least 90-95% GAPS, though). I continued to take a nap every day.  I started to do more yoga and walking. I continued to take Protandim.

I also changed my eating habits a bit after reading Geneen Roth's "Women Food and God".  I started paying more attention to my body's fullness cues, rather than just eating meals mindlessly. I was amazed to see that I get full much earlier than I've ever noticed, and have started to reduce the amount of food I put on my plate to correspond to how much my body actually wants to eat. I also started trying to really listen to what my body was telling me about what it wanted to eat, rather than what I thought I should eat. (This is something Matt Stone and Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride advocate as well.)  Rather than making myself eat some "healthy" scrambled eggs with breakfast, I've been listening to my body's cues, which have led to eating lots of grain-free cookies, and much less ice cream. I've noticed that first thing in the day, my body wants sweet carb foods, like cookies, and then later around mid-morning my body wants a savory meal.  My body also wants to eat more frequently, with smaller meals. 

I stopped checking my weight so frequently in April (which is another thing Matt Stone recommends), and vowed to only check it after the month was over. I've noticed previously that I tend to gain weight when I keep checking it frequently, but I am usually more stable or will even lose weight if I don't check it so frequently. 

Not-so-good progress

• I avoided vigorous exercise for a few weeks, during which time my body temperatures started to come up into the normal range. I then did a slow-motion strength training regime (only about 20 minutes long).  Once again, my temperatures plummeted from working out.
• Still having some energy problems, although my energy levels were better this month than in March.

Good progress

• My temperatures recovered about a week after my strength training workout, and have continued to stay in the normal range for the last couple weeks!  This is a huge step for me, as it indicates that my metabolism is recovering.  
• My moods have been much more stable when my temperatures are in the normal range.
• I am able to do moderate yoga workouts and walk a mile or two without having any negative effect on my temperatures. 
• My menstrual cycle in April was only 25 days long with very little bleeding.  I was glad to see the number of days increased slightly this month. 
• I did not gain any weight, and actually lost a pound or two!! 

Looking Ahead
I feel like I have turned a corner in restoring my metabolism!  I am hopeful that this will help with my chronic heartburn and energy problems. I'm going to avoid doing any strength or interval workouts for the next few weeks and then see if I can slowly reintroduce these workouts without having a detrimental effect on my temperatures and metabolism.  In the mean time, I will keep up with yoga and walking.  I'll also keep taking Protandim, as that seems to really help my body progress in healing.

It has been very a interesting process of learning to trust my body instead of my mind in determining what I will eat.  I've been enjoying having more freedom with food, and will continue to listen to my body's cues on what to eat and how much to eat.  I will also only allow myself to check my weight once a month, rather than obsessing over what number appears every few days. 

Have you made any changes to your diet?  What were the results?

Slow-Cooked Cajun-Spiced Beef Roast (GAPS-legal : primal : paleo : gluten-free)

This cajun-spiced beef roast recipe cooks all day, resulting in tender, flavorful meat. This recipe can be thrown together in just a few minutes in the morning, and the delicious aroma will pervade the house all day. The flavor of the herbs and spices pairs wonderfully with the rich flavor of the beef. 

Cajun-Spiced Beef Roast
Serves 8 generously

• 4-5 pound beef roast, such as rump roast, pike's peak roast, or arm roast
• 3 Tb cold butter, divided in half and chopped roughly (or more if your roast is lean)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 5 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tb packed minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 Tb packed fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 Tb ground paprika
• 3 bay leaves
• dash of cayenne pepper (or more if you like spicy foods)
• 1 Tb plus 1 tsp chunky celtic sea salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Spread the onion over the bottom of a large slow cooker or oven-safe pot.  Strew the bay leaves over the onion.  Sprinkle about half the butter over the top.
2. If your beef roast is not quite thawed all the way, make a criss-cross on the top with a sharp knife.  You can also cut the roast in half, if you like, so more will be down in the yummy juices while cooking.
3. Combine the remaining spices, herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herbs over the beef roast.
4. Place the roast on top of the onion in the pot. Sprinkle the remaining butter over the top of the roast.
5. Turn the slow-cooker on LOW, or place the pot in a 225 degree F oven, for 8-10 hours.
6. About 30-60 minutes before meal time, pull the roast out onto a cutting board. Slice the meat thinly across the grain.
7. Return the meat to the pot and nestle it down into the juices. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. Turn the heat to "WARM" (or return to the oven, and just turn it off) and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes.  This step allows the meat to soak up the juices and get super moist.
8. Serve with your choice of side dishes, such as a green salad, roasted potatoes, or simple buttered veggies.  Leftovers freeze well for an easy weeknight meal!

Grain-free Sandwich Bread (GAPS : primal : gluten-free)

(I've moved! You can see this recipe at my new website here!)

After many tries, I have finally perfected my recipe for grain-free sandwich bread.  This bread stays together well, and works great for packing lunches to go. Since it is made with almond flour and coconut flour, this bread is quite filling.  

My family has been very happy to get to eat sandwiches once again with this bread. It works great for both savory sandwiches (like meat and cheese) and sweet sandwiches (like nut butter and jelly). It is also good with hamburgers (although I've gotten so used to eating them bunless that I prefer only one piece of bread with my burgers now).   This bread can be made into toast by using a toaster oven on 250 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (make sure the bread is not directly over the heating element, or it will burn). 

Grain-Free Sandwich Bread
Makes 1 loaf

• 2/3 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup crispy almond flour
• 1/2 cup (one stick) plus 2 Tb butter
• 8 eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• 1 Tb mild-flavored honey
• 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 tsp celtic sea salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Turn off heat and allow to cool a bit.  Then stir in the honey and vinegar.
2. Break the eggs into a medium bowl.  Add the salt, baking soda, almond flour, and butter mixture.  Mix together with an immersion blender or hand mixer. 
3. Measure out the coconut flour.  It will need to be sifted if you are not using an immersion blender.
4. Using an immersion blender or handheld mixer, mix the coconut flour into the other ingredients very well.  There is no worry of over-mixing this recipe since there is no gluten in it.
5. Pour the batter into a well-buttered loaf pan.  I used a 9X5 glass pan.
6. Bake at 300 degrees for about 50-60 minutes.  It will be done when it is set in the middle (you can lightly touch it, or check to see if a toothpick comes out clean).
7. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes, and then use a spatula or knife to go around the edges.  Invert the pan and move the bread to a cooling rack.  Cool completely.
8. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge or freezer. I like to slice it fairly thinly with a Rada bread knife, place parchment paper between the slices, and store it in the freezer.

This post is part of Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Monday Mania and Pennywise Platter!

Meatball and Mushroom Soup (GAPS : primal : gluten-free : grain-free)

Meatballs and mushrooms make a great new twist on soup.  The broth is spiced with dill, making a delicate flavor that is sure to please.  Both kids and both adults in my house raved over this recipe.

Meatball and Mushroom Soup
Serves 4-6

• Meatballs:
• one pound ground beef, preferably grassfed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tb minced green onion (green part only)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tb sour cream
• 1/4 tsp dried dill or 3/4 tsp fresh dill
  
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
• 2 cups filtered water (or use more chicken stock if using storebought, which tends to be more watered down than homemade broth)
• 3 Tb butter
• 2 tsp dried dill, or 2 Tb fresh dill, minced
• celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Combine the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix it all together with your hands, and then form the mixture into small meatballs.  These should be bite-sized.  
2. Melt 2 Tb butter in a 4 quart pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt. Saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. 
3. Add the carrots, celery, and a bit more salt. Saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch more salt.  Sprinkle freshly ground pepper over the veggies. Saute for about 5-10 minutes, until the mushrooms release their liquid and start to cook down.
5. Push all the veggies to the side of the pot.  Melt the last 1 Tb butter, and brown some of the meatballs (as many as you can fit in the pot with the veggies). The meatballs don't need to be fully cooked at this point, but just give them a few minutes to get a bit of color on them.  Turn the meatballs after about 1-2 minutes to get some color on the other side.
6. Add the chicken broth and water, lightly stir everything together, and carefully drop the remaining meatballs into the broth.  
7. Bring the broth to a simmer and skim the foam.  Reduce the heat and season the broth with salt, pepper, and the dill.  
8. Let the pot simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
9. Ladle into bowls, allow to cool a bit, and serve!  A side salad makes a nice accompaniment.

Changes to Your Emails from Me

Those of you who are e-mail subscribers will probably notice a change: instead of receiving the full text of my blog posts, you will now be receiving only a portion in your e-mails.  The reason for the change is that my content is being stolen and used on other sites, and it harder for the thieves to steal my content if the e-mails contain only a portion of the content.  I apologize for the change, as I really liked giving the full content in the e-mails.

Lemon Coconut Muffins (grain-free : GAPS : primal : gluten-free)

Fresh lemon zest imparts a wonderful lemony flavor that pairs well with the coconut flour.  These lemon muffins are the newest variation on my old standby recipe for coconut flour muffins.  Add a side of bacon or sausage, and breakfast is served!

Lemon Coconut Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

• 1/2 cup butter or unrefined coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 tsp celtic sea salt 
• 6 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• zest from 2 fresh lemons (a microplane rasp works well for zesting lemons)
• 3/4 cup coconut flour 

1. Melt butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly. 
2. Meanwhile, combine the eggs, salt, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.  If using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to combine. Otherwise, mix to combine with a whisk or mixer.
3. Add the honey to the butter (or coconut oil) and stir slightly.  Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and blend well with immersion blender or mixer.
4. Measure out the coconut flour.  Since coconut flour clumps, it will need to be sifted if you are not using an immersion blender.*
5. Pour the coconut flour into the bowl with the wet ingredients.  Use an immersion blender or mixer to thoroughly combine all ingredients, making sure there are no lumps.  (Since coconut flour does not contain gluten, there is no worry of over-mixing it).
6. Add the lemon zest, and stir or mix further with the immersion blender.
7. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.  Scoop the muffin batter into the paper cups.  I like to use a 3-Tb scoop for this, but you could just use a large spoon.
8. Bake muffins in 325 degree oven for about 35-45 minutes, until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  If you are in a time-crunch, you could bake them at 350 degrees initially, but you'll need to reduce the heat after a bit so they won't burn before being set in the middle.
9. Remove from oven and cool.  Delicious with a pat of butter and a big glass of raw milk or milk kefir!  Pair these muffins with bacon or eggs for a hearty meal.

Time-saving tips:
*If you use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients, you can skip the step of sifting the coconut flour.  This also gives you less dirty dishes!
**While you are at it, why not make a double batch of muffins and throw one dozen into the freezer?  It doesn't take much more time, and they will make a very easy breakfast for some other week.

Breakfast Salad and 3 Spoon Dressing (GAPS : grain-free : gluten-free : primal : paleo)

We're coming to the end of local lettuce season here, and enjoying lettuce from my mom's garden.  Crispy bacon and sliced boiled eggs pair nicely, especially when drizzled with my family's favorite salad dressing: 3 Spoon Dressing!  This salad makes a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Breakfast Salad
Serves 2

• 6 slices cooked bacon*
• 4 eggs, preferably from pastured hens (older eggs will peel more easily)
• romaine lettuce
• celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 Spoon Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Boil the eggs.  My method to make sure the egg yolks are cooked perfectly (and not pasty-dry) is to place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with water.  Place the pot over med-high heat.  As soon as the water starts to boil, turn off the heat, put a lid on the pot, and set a timer for 8 minutes.  As soon as the timer goes off, dump the hot water, then cover the eggs with cool water and lots of ice. The yolks will be cooked through, but still nice and moist.
2. Meanwhile, wash the lettuce and tear it into bite-sized pieces.  My method for quick-and-easy lettuce preparation is to rip the lettuce straight into the basket of a salad spinner.  Fill the salad spinner with water and slosh the lettuce around to wash it.  Then pull the basket out and let the water drain.  Repeat the washing once more with fresh water.  Then drain the basket and use the salad spinner to dry the lettuce.
3. Peel and slice the eggs. I like to use an egg slicer, but you could just slice them with a knife.
4. Arrange the lettuce on plates.  Crumble the cooked bacon over the top.
5. Add the sliced eggs, and sprinkle each piece of egg with a little salt.  
6. Grind some pepper over the top of the salad.
7. Top the salad with 3 Spoon Dressing. Enjoy!

3 Spoon Dressing

• Dijon mustard (Natural Value brand gives the best flavor for this recipe)
• Mild-flavored raw honey
• Melted bacon grease 
• Mayonnaise, preferably homemade

1. Mix equal parts of dijon mustard and honey.
2. Drizzle the honey mustard over the salads.
3. Drizzle about 1-2 Tb of melted bacon grease over each salad.
4. Drizzle about 1 Tb mayonnaise over each salad. If you are using storebought mayo (which is much thicker than homemade mayo), you may want to mix it in with the honey mustard so it will be pourable.

*Bacon is listed as not allowed on the GAPS food list.  The GAPS diet is based on the SCD diet. According to the SCD-legal and illegal list, "Smoked bacon that has been fried very crisply is allowed once per week. There are sugar-free bacons available and if you are able to find a source of sugar-free bacon, you do not have to limit your consumption to once per week. Usually the low sodium varieties do not contain sugar but check the labels carefully."  My family has had bacon about once/week ever since the first few months of the GAPS diet were completed.