Somewhere along the line, we started putting a high value on nice-smelling homes.
I get it. I like my house to smell nice as much as the next person does, and I'll freely admit that I'm a recovering scentaholic.
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Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the modern treatments and the natural remedies? Do you think of them as complete opposites and, therefore, feel like only one can work?
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Do you have headaches often? Or does your brain feel sluggish and "fuzzy"? Do these issues every interfere with your work or life?
Ten years ago, I averaged three headaches a week. And brain fog was so normal that I didn't even realize I had it until it went away.
The ingredients in the everyday products we use have a significant impact on our health. What we breathe in, consume, and put on our skin all makes its way into our bloodstream and is dispersed throughout our bodies. There are many ingredients linked to headaches, but I’m going to tell you about three that are easy to identify on the ingredient labels, making it simple for you to avoid them
Have you heard of ancient grains? They seem to be becoming more common, so if you've delved very deep into wheat alternatives, you've probably run across them.
Einkorn is the first ancient grain I used, and it's still the one I'm most familiar with. It's an ancient form of wheat that's been cultivated for thousands of years, and it's different from modern wheat in a couple significant ways that can impact your health – namely its chromosomes and nutrients.
In 2012, I embarked on a mission to make one new food from scratch each month. It was quite an adventure, and ever since, I have loved trying my hand at making new foods from time to time.
Not gonna lie. Sometimes, it’s really difficult – like puff pastry! Yikes!
But more often, it’s far easier than I would imagine.
Like when I had a hankering for nachos. Usually, I would just spread some chips on a baking sheet, shred cheese over the top, and pop it in the oven to melt.
But sometimes, I really crave that creamy dipping type of cheese.
Now, the nacho cheese available in jars at the store isn’t something I want in my body. One brand has more partially hydrogenated soybean oil and modified food starch than it had actual cheese! Yellow 5 & 6 and MSG are just a few more ingredients to avoid.
So instead, I did a quick internet search for a from-scratch recipe and found “5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce” at budgetbytes.com. I especially love the tips for success and options for switching up the recipe!
I made some minor modifications and came up with this, which is about right for a single serving:
– 1 Tbs. butter
– 1 Tbs. flour
– 1/2 c. milk (I used 2%)
– 3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (it’s what I had)
– pinch of black pepper infused pink himalayan sea salt
– sprinkle of chili powder
You start with a roux – melt the butter and stir in the flour for a minute or so until it's cooked. Add the milk and whisk until the mixture has thickened. I've found that I need to cook on a bit higher heat to get this done. It will take forever on low to medium heat.
Last, stir in the cheese until melted and season. See? Simple!
Scoop it up with some minimal ingredients chips (I get these from Azure Standard) or go all out and top it with all the things.
I'm not going to claim it's healthy, but it's not terrible either, and at least it's avoiding the artificial crap found in the jarred cheese.
Most importantly, it absolutely satisfies my nacho cheese cravings and tastes so much better than my memories of the store bought version! Just another item I will be making myself from now on!
Is cooking from scratch difficult for you? I shared my favorite 5 Tools to Make Cooking from Scratch Easier. Check them out and see if they'd help you!
