It doesn’t take much to convince me that making something yourself is always better than store bought… this is also true for butter. After making it once in my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, I couldn’t believe my taste buds! It was so creamy and full of flavor!  Plus, the byproduct when making butter is buttermilk… perfect for [...]

If you didn’t know it already, I live on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific ocean (along with about 50 thousand other people), and although the weather is great all year ’round, there are no ‘great‘ Mexican food restaurants.  Sure there a a couple of ‘ok‘ ones, but nothing authentic that screams [...]

Sure it comes conveniently packaged in bags at Costco, or all ready to go in the bulk bin at your local supermarket… But let’s be honest, most of us don’t like at least one of the ingredients in the pre-made trail mix! Oh come now, you know you’ve eaten all the M&M’s out of the bag, and [...]

Most people are familiar with the two most famous ‘Nut’ Butters: Peanut Butter & Almond Butter… but have you ever tried Coconut Butter? A few years ago, I dug deep into my pocketbook a bought a jar of the stuff  - it was expensive & unfortunately, divinely delicious!  I knew I couldn’t afford to keep [...]

I always feel a little sorry for my kids when they get invited to a birthday party.  Because of their allergies, they almost never can eat anything that is served… including the best part – dessert!  So like always, I pack our own food, and a bring a special treat that I save for such [...]

Store bought Brown Rice Flour & White Rice Flour is relatively expensive when compared to buying Whole Grain Rice.  Plus, there’s nothing fresher and more nutrient rich than grinding grains yourself.  With the VitaMix, you can make Fresh Organic Brown Rice Flour in less than 60 seconds from Whole Brown, White or Multi Grain Rice [...]

One of my major pet peeves is licking your fingers… but I may have to make an exception for this recipe!  It’s a Raw Chocolate Frosting Recipe that is Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free & sooooo creamy it might convince you never to use the store-bought stuff again!  Plus it only uses 5 easy [...]

For a limited time each year, McDonalds comes out with their signature Shamrock Shake… a artificial green concoction with so many unhealthy ingredients I wouldn’t feed it to my (hypothetical) pet pig.  However, it must contain some mind-altering drug, because everyone and their mother seems to be walking around drinking one. Not wanting to be [...]

So I looked up the word ‘Germaphobe‘ on the Urban Dictionary online… and I found my name there!  Here’s what it said: Germaphobe: “Any person (namely Erika) who is obsessed with cleanliness and defeating bacteria. These individuals will turn on faucets with their elbows and hand sanitize on an hourly basis.” Ok, so I don’t [...]

Howdy Partners!  If you’ve got a hankering for a healthy, quick & easy chili… then this is for you!  With just 5 inexpensive ingredients (4 if you leave out the meat), you’ll have yourself some delicious food with plenty left over for another day! This recipe is wheat & gluten free and can easily be [...]