'Sneaky' Dark Chocolate Cake

I love this 'sneaky' little chocolate cake (which is more like a brownie).

Why is it so sneaky?

Beans!

Black beans! They replace the flour and even though Gui was a bit skeptical about beans in his cake...the picture is evidence of its deliciousness!

Not only delicious, it is also:

* high in fiber
* high in protein
* gluten free ( NO FLOUR is used)
* pretty low in sugar
* SUPER moist and chocolatey
* you would never know there were beans it it (great way to trick the kids into eating healthy)

Ingredients

500 ml black beans (or 1 can)
5 large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter or olive oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
* addition: dark chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9″ cake pan and dust with cocoa.

3. Place the beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt into blender or food processor. Process or blend on high until beans are completely liquified.

4. In a small bowl, Mix together cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder.

5. In a larger bowl, beat butter/coconut oil until light and fluffy. Add the remaining two eggs, beating well after each one. Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in cocoa powder mixture and water and beat the batter on high for one minute until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.

6. Bake for 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done when the top is rounded and firm to the touch.

Recipe take from 'A Hippie with a Minivan Blog"

Babka Hair Care

A month ago a stellar friend of mine told me that she was going shampoo and conditioner free.

You have probably heard that old wives tale that if you stop using shampoo, the hair and scalp can breathe and create their own natural oils that would keep the hair shiny and healthy?

With this in the back of my mind, I felt that maybe the old wives were right, and it was worth it to me to find out for myself. That, and I work from home, which makes greasy hair way easier to manage than if I had to daily be in the judging eyes of strangers wondering how long it had been since I washed my hair.

My mission:

Has been to find both a skin and hair care regime that is chemical and hormone disruptor free. This is not an easy thing to do at the stores. In fact, I think in the past 4 or 5 years, if I added up the hours I have spent reading product labels on the shelves, and in the end not buying anything out of sheer frustration and increasing anger at the brand advertisers.. (even the ones labeled organic are generally full of stuff I don't want), it would amount to the double digits at least.

Anyways...the rationale is simple:

1. What you put on your skin...is no different than eating it. The skin is our biggest organ and absorbs what is on it directly into the bloodstream. At least when we eat food, our liver takes a crack at clearing out some of crap. So I ask you..would you eat a spoonful of your shampoo?

2. The other aspect of this mission is pure vanity. I have never really liked my hair. Yes, its 'sooo thick'...which some people want...but to me, it has always been equivalent to a horses hair plain and simple. Thick, course and dry.

So my second goal is to learn about how to take better care of it, and then maybe be rewarded with the silky mane of a blond stallion.

The Results:

It has been one full month now since I gave up shampoo and conditioner. Honstly, I am loving my hair more than ever and I think the longer I go, the nicer it will get. My hair care products are cheaper than before, and I feel more connected to how my own hair functions and what it needs, versus randomly trusting the 'For Dry Hair' label on shelves. It doesn't take any longer than 'store-bought products.

So after a lot of reading and direct TESTING on the subject I narrowed things down to the following products that work for my hair. If this calls to you..you will have to do your own experimenting to find your perfect combination. But, this might give you some direction.

My Haircare Regime:

Scalp Treatment (1-2x/week)

Mix together in a squeezey bottle and apply to scalp (let sit 2 hours).

* Pure Organic Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar (kills bacteria that cause dandruff)
* Tea Tree Oil (great for dandruff, dry scalp and feels very invigorating on the scalp)

Washing (2-3x/week)

* Val's Vegetable Oil Soap (initially, I thought I would not have to use any soap....but this resulted in 3 greasy weeks with no hope of recovery on its own. My friend Jessica (who also chooses natural hair care), recommended this soap which I already had in the shower....and I find that this soap provides enough emulsification to degrease the roots, without any of the chemicals, plus it doesn't dry it out like I thought it would.)

Post-Wash

* Wide tooth comb (since conditioner is not an option..this is a MUST for detangling without breaking the ends)

* Wooden peg brush (like they use for horses haha. ONLY use this when the hair is completely dry. About 10 minutes of brushing will make my hair silky and smooth and I can even style it by brushing in certain directions...its like magic I tell you!)

Other Treatments:

Hair Spritz

Mix together and spray on middle and ends of hair. It helps with de-frizzing, it smells delicious and you can choose your own scents!

*Caution: The oils will add a tiny bit of an oil to your hair ..so do not use too much. Also avoid the scalp so your hair doesn't look greasy. Go for the ends instead.

* Filtered water (spring or rainwater if possible)
* 2-3 drops Chamomile Essential Oil (I use this to help lighten blond hair..the results are still unsure...so far I like the smell...but do not know if its lightening it)
* 2-3 drops Rosemary Essential Oil (revitalizes and add shine to dull winter hair)

Hair Conditioner

Every so often I also like to add a very small amount of almond oil to the ends of my hair (which dry out faster than the rest of my hair)

* Almond oil (just use a bit on your fingertips and rub into the ends).

So there you go! If you are at all interested in removing chemicals from your beauty products, I encourage it wholeheartedly, and have found it to be a huge success for me.


Coming soon: Natural hair care pricing! (so you know how much all this costs.)...and some ideas for natural skincare.

:) Love Heidi

How To Cook a Whole Frozen Chicken

We were both so surprised (and skeptical at first) to learn that you could just grab a whole frozen chicken and cook it in the oven in under 2 hours. I would have never tried it if Terry from Ambrosio Deli had not guaranteed us that it would work just fine.

This is great for organic meat, because often times grocery stores won't sell fresh organic meat(because they cannot sell it fast enough)...but will stock it frozen. I would sometimes ignore it because I wanted something that I could cook that night, and didn't want to wait for the defrost time.

Well, know I know that you do not have to!! So here are the basic steps to cooking a whole frozen chicken:

Steps:

1. Cook chicken at 500F for the first 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes turn it down to 400F.
3. Keep checking every 30 minutes until it is done.



Music: The Charleston Chasers