RECIPES Archives • Page 30 of 68 • New Nostalgia

RECIPES/ Sweets

Streusel Topped Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

My girls come home from their Grandma’s raving about Grandma’s blueberry muffins and begging me to make them. Grandma’s muffins are from a mix, so I’ve had it in the back of my brain to find a hearty, healthy blueberry muffin that my kids will love just as much as they love Grandma’s blueberry muffins.

Well, guess what?

I found one!

We had 2 snow days last week, and having my girls home from school with snow falling outside always puts me in the mood to bake. I scoured the web and my bread/muffins pinterest board for a healthy, hearty blueberry muffin recipe and found this one from Heavenly Homemakers.

I kept the recipe pretty close to the original, but I used oatmeal instead of nuts for the streusel topping. My youngest girl does not like nuts.

These muffins were really delicious. They are moist and filling. They do not have too much sugar, and the streusel topping gives it just enough sweetness. I doubled the recipe and they were still gone within 2 days!

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Blueberry Streusel Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar, or sucanat, or honey)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg (or chia egg substitute)
1/4 cup melted butter (I used coconut oil)
3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Mix dry ingredients together well. Add egg, butter and milk, stirring until all ingredients are mixed. Gently stir in blueberries. Scoop batter into 12 paper lined muffin tins. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping and bake in a 400° for 20 minutes.

Streusel Topping:

3 T. brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar, or sucanat, or honey)
1 T. butter, softened (or coconut oil)
2 T. oats (or chopped nuts)

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To learn more about coconut oil, click here.
To learn more about coconut palm sugar, click here.
To learn more about sucanat click here.

How-Tos/ RECIPES

What Is Gluten?

We are thrilled to be welcoming Meghan as our Health & Gluten Free Contributor here at New Nostalgia. Meghan will be here once a month on Saturday sharing her knowledge of all things gluten free, from tips to recipes. She has much to share in the area of health, and I know you will enjoy her warmth and knowledge as much as I do.

Meghan Newsom

Health & Gluten Free Contributor

Meghan’s site: eat.live. make.

You can follow her here:
{Facebook}{Twitter}{Pinterest}{Instagram}

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I am so honored and excited to be a part of New Nostalgia, and the New Nostalgia contributing team! Amy is such a blessing to me, as I know she is to all of you wonderful readers who stop by. I wanted to take a little minute to introduce myself, so you can know a little bit about me and why I am so passionate about eating a plant based, whole foods, gluten free diet.

My name is Meghan, and I write over at eat.live.make. After battling with sickness for many many years (and still am!) it was discovered that I have Celiac Disease. The only “cure” for this disease is by following a strict gluten-free diet. I also am allergic to casein, so our diet quickly changed from vegetarian to gluten free and vegan! Due to my health issues, I have also learned how to live a more natural and holistic lifestyle. I do not believe that everyone needs to/ or SHOULD adapt a gluten-free lifestyle, BUT I DO believe that everyone can benefit from a plant based and whole foods diet!! If you want to learn a bit more about me, you can do so here.

You have heard the word “gluten” more and more lately, and are most likely wondering what it is! By definition, gluten is “is the generic name for certain types of proteins contained in the common cereal grains wheat, barley, rye and their derivatives. The good news is that all fresh fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, fish, lamb, pork and dairy products are naturally gluten-free.” Source.

If you do not suffer from gluten allergies/intolerances or Celiac Disease, you most likely know someone in your life that does. If you suspect you may have an intolerance to gluten, you can find a great list of symptoms here.

The word “gluten” is being heard more recently because doctors are becoming more aware of its effect on people’s health, thus they are able to diagnose gluten intolerances and Celiac Disease now more than ever! Simply adhering to a gluten-free diet can eliminate almost all, if not ALL of the symptoms related to the disease. Pretty cool, huh?

It is not my mission to convert you all to eating a gluten free diet! By no means! Most people digest the protein found in gluten quite well, and should not take it out of their diets. In fact, gluten-free products have much more sugar and fats in them vs. their glutenous counterparts, so if you are looking for a weight loss diet this is not for you.

I do, however, think it is so important that all of us become more aware of a gluten-free diet, and the HUGE issue of cross contamination while cooking gluten free, because many of you may have friends and/or family members who must adhere to this diet! Meals are such an important part of community and our culture, and when people are not able to partake in corporate meals it limits their ability to take part in something beautiful. It is my hope to equip you with enough simple knowledge so that you will be able to cook and host those friends and family members who cannot have gluten in their diets- and you will be confident in doing so!!

The recipes I am going to be sharing with you are all gluten free and mostly vegan. The cool thing is that most of them can be made with gluten (if you do not need to adhere to the diet) and are all whole foods and plant based! I am not a baker, so you will not be finding beautifully baked gluten free products on here from me. I am actually a horrible gluten free baker and try to stick with as many boxed mixes as I can:).

Until next month, let me know if you have any questions (you can feel free to email me!) and I will try my best to answer them. I’ll be back next month with a tasty gluten free recipe.

GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Raw Raspberry Bliss Bars

My local health food co-op just recently started a YouTube channel/site called Starting Out Raw. I have been enjoying the different recipes they post and I REALLY enjoy that I can get all ingredients just down the road at Open Harvest.

I have been intrigued by the whole ‘raw food’ movement. It makes sense to me that many foods are MOST nutritious when consumed whole and raw. Heat can destroy many of the nutrients found in food. I also love the idea of having some recipes in my box that do not take any cooking or baking! I have been really surprised at how easy and delicious raw recipes can be.

This recipe for Raw Raspberry Bliss Bars is REALLY really good. I was not sure if my family would eat them because my girls do not like coconut, walnuts or dates. But when you throw these ingredients together into a food processor…MAGIC HAPPENS! You know when I keep capitalizing my letters that I’m a bit EXCITED about this recipe. I have made it twice in a week, due to my kids begging for more.

These bars are high in Omega’s thanks to the chia and walnuts. The raspberries have great antioxidants and the dates add a beautiful sweetness that makes one completely in awe that these bars are sugar-free. They are a decadent treat, one that I love eating with a cup of coffee, but they are full of ingredients that are very good for you, and can even be eaten as part of breakfast guilt-free!

TRY THESE. You will love them. Even if you are not a coconut fan, or a date fan or a walnut fan…I think you will still love them!

Start by defrosting your raspberries, so they will be ready to go when you are.

Throw coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, & salt into the food processor. Process for about a minute. I did two…my littles like the coconut chopped so small that it is unrecognizable.

Take the lid off and inhale the amazing aroma…smells so good!

Add walnuts and process. Process extra if you are trying to disguise the nuts like I was. I let Lil’ One fall in love with these bars before telling her they had nuts AND coconut in them.

Add 8 pitted dates. Don’t forget the PITTED part! The first time I ever used dates in a recipe I forgot to pit them and I about broke my food processor.

After my Lil’ One fell in love with these bars, she wanted to help me make more. When we got to this part she said “Ew. Those dates look like bugs”. She’s got a point….

There are the lovely pits. Also a bit bug-like.

After processing with the dates, this is what the mixture will look like. Perfect consistency to press into a lined pan.

Your raspberries should be defrosted by now. The recipe says to drain them, but I never do. They are such a beautiful color, aren’t they?

Process raspberries with 4 dates.

Add chia seeds and set aside. The chia will make the raspberries gel up into a beautiful & healthy raspberry jam. Set aside for 15 minutes to gel.

Meanwhile, make the crumble topping. Grab the coconut and measure 1/3 cup. Throw in the processor with 1/3 cup of walnuts. Add a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of cinnamon.

Pulse ingredients together until a crumble is formed.

Gather your crust and your raspberry/chia mixture.

Plop the gelled raspberries onto the crust.

Spread out nice and evenly.

Top with crumble mixture. Refrigerate until firm & enjoy!

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Raw Raspberry Bliss Bars

Base Layer:
1 cup dried coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 cup walnuts
8 Medjool dates pitted

Blend coconut, vanilla, cinnamon & sea salt together in a food processor for 30-60 seconds.
Add walnuts. Blend. Then add in 8 pitted Medjool dates. Blend well.

Press mixture in a wax paper/parchment paper lined 8×8 square pan. Set in fridge to firm up.

Raspberry Layer:
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed, drained
4 Medjool dates, pitted
1 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds

Blend only raspberries and dates until dates are well combined. Pour into a bowl, and stir in chia seeds. Let set for 15 minutes. It will thicken into a nice raspberry “jam”. Spread over the base layer.

Topping:
1/3 cup dried coconut
1/3 cup walnuts
pinch cinnamon
pinch sea salt

Pulse topping ingredients together until a nice crumble is formed. Sprinkle over raspberry layer. Set in fridge to firm up.

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Meals/ RECIPES

Spaghetti Sauce Sweetened With Carrots–Your Kids Will Never Know!

This is a version of a recipe introduced to me by my dear friend Debbie. When I was going through cancer treatment, she made and brought spaghetti to our home quite a few times. Not only did she bring her food to nourish our bodies, but her presence in my home was such a light in those dimmed times. Her sauce was some of the BEST I’ve ever tasted, and I had to know her recipe. She was sweet enough to share it with me.

This recipe has 2 super cool things about it. They are so super cool that I am only introducing one of those things in this post, and will be writing another post about the other very soon. The first cool thing is that it has NO SUGAR in it. It is nearly impossible to find a jarred, store-bought sauce with no sugar, or the evil high fructose corn syrup. I also had yet to find a spaghetti sauce recipe that I love that didn’t add sugar. Until this one of course. Carrots give the perfect sweetness to this sauce, and add some healthiness to it, too!

The second cool thing is that this recipe is just about 1/5 the amount of the original recipe. In the original recipe, you make a huge batch, then freeze the leftover sauce in muffin tins, which then gives you a whole big Ziploc full of spaghetti sauce freezer pucks. These are so great to have on hand! I will be giving you the instructions and all the ways we use them at our house in an upcoming post.

Here are some of the wholesome ingredients used in this recipe. This photo is pretty special to me…wanna know why?

This one is too…

…and this one.

Here’s why. My little 9- year old took them! She has been watching me and now has an interest in photography. Discussions on natural lighting, using the whiteboard as a light reflector, composition and NOT getting the dirty dishes in the shot have all resulted in some great shots from Lil’ One. I’m a proud Mama.

Back to our recipe…here is a not so great shot taken by my phone of some carrots roasting for this recipe. The rest of the photos in this post are all taken by my iPhone, so little one’s pics above are definitely gonna shine in comparison. I think that is fitting.

Ingredients in this recipe include: Roasted carrots, onion, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley, chili flakes, black pepper, salt & water.

Start by roasting your carrots. You only need 3 for this recipe, but I roast a whole bag of carrots when I make it because I LOVE roasted carrots. I line a pan with foil, lay peeled carrots on, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. You will hear them sizzle and are looking for the carrots to caramelize on the bottoms a bit. Mmmm….roasted wholesome sweetness! You can reheat the carrots later and serve with your spaghetti dinner, or you could just save 2 out for the recipe and eat the whole pan for lunch like I did today! For more on roasted vegetables, click here to read 5 reasons why I love roasted vegetables and 19 roasted vegetable recipes!

Break three roasted carrots up into a bowl.

A quick mash with a fork is all you need. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add your onions and garlic. Let cook for a few minutes until softened and transparent. Add spices, salt and pepper. Take a whiff–this smells so good!

Add mashed carrot & stir.

Add tomato paste and…

….stir.

Add crushed tomatoes, or if you have chopped, you can crush them yourself. I like to chop my canned Italian tomatoes up with my Cuisinart hand blender before adding. My family does not like big chunks of tomatoes in our sauce. I use my Cuisinart in this way all the time, it makes it so easy!

Add tomatoes. Stir.

Simmer the sauce for 2-4 hours. Could also put into a crock pot on low for the day.

This recipe made about 5 cups of sauce. The recipe I will share with you soon is this same recipe, but it makes 28-30 cups! I will for sure be making a big batch next time. I love recipes that give you a BIG payoff for little amount of work.

This recipe was enough for 2 meals for our family. I froze 1/2 in a mason jar and will be using it tonight for our dinner with some roasted eggplant and pasta.

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Spaghetti Sauce Sweetened With Carrots

3 long cooked carrots – roasted, steamed or boiled

2 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

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2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp marjoram (I left out didn’t have)

pinch of red chili flakes (optional)

11/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 14.5 oz cans chopped or crushed tomatoes (I used Italian herb type)

1 6oz can tomato paste

11/2 cups water (start with 1, add to desired consistency & taste)

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Roast peeled carrots per instructions above, 450 degrees, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. 20 minutes or until soft and brown/caramelized at the bottom. Mash with a fork. Set aside

Heat olive oil in a pan. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add your onions and garlic. Let cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and transparent. Add all spices, salt and pepper. Stir. Add carrots & tomato paste. Stir. Add crushed tomatoes, stir. Add water, a little at a time, until desired consistency. Simmer for 2-4 hours, or put into a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

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Stay tuned for how to make this recipe in bulk and freeze into pucks! You will LOVE having portion size spaghetti sauce ready to use at all times. I use about 5 frozen pucks when making spaghetti for the family. It is

sooo yummy and I’m convinced this recipe gets even better after freezing!

HEALTH/ How-Tos/ Natural Products/ RECIPES

Homemade & Healthy Lavender Lime Body Spray

We are thrilled to be welcoming Kendra as our new Natural & Homemade Contributor here at New Nostalgia. Kendra will be here one Saturday a month sharing her knowledge of all things natural.

Kendra blogs at Our Homemade Happiness and writes about all things homemade, especially cleaners, skincare & healthy eating.

Kendra Drake

Natural & Homemade Contributor

Kendra started her blog after her husband suffered from mono symptoms for over two years and his blood results showed some liver disease. Since the liver is responsible for filtering out chemicals and toxins from the bloodstream, she started to realize how many chemicals are in everything we buy, from processed food to household cleaners, lotion, and even air freshener. She has become inspired to rid her home of as many chemicals as she can, one product at a time, and write about it along the way.

You will love Kendra & all the great things she has to share!

You can follow Our Homemade Happiness here: {Facebook}{Twitter}{Google+}{Pinterest}

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I LOVE essential oils. They are all-natural, they have medicinal and therapeutic benefits, there are so many ways to use them, they don’t go rancid, their little bottles are so cute . . .ahem, I digress. Even though they might seem expensive, they are super concentrated and a little goes a very long way.

So today I’m going to show you how to make a super simple body spray with essential oils. You’ll save money by making your own, but that isn’t even the best part. The best part is you will smell good without all the nasty chemicals in commercial body spray. You will know exactly what’s being absorbed into your skin and inhaled into your lungs.

what you need
spray bottle
2 Tbsp vodka or water
3 drops lavender essential oil
8 drops lime essential oil

directions
Add vodka or water to the spray bottle. If you use water, you’ll need to shake really well before each use because essential oils do not dissolve in water. I bought my 2 oz. glass spray bottle at Sprouts, a health food store, for about $3. Add essential oils. I don’t really like the smell of lavender by itself, but when it is mixed with lime it becomes light and fresh and smells oh so good.

Avoid direct use on skin that will be exposed to sunlight within 12 hours. Lime essential oil is photosensitive, meaning when it is left on skin and exposed to sunlight, it can cause the sun’s effect to be greatly magnified. So I only use this body spray on my clothing or on parts of my body that aren’t going to be exposed to the sun.

cost savings

$2.00/oz Bath & Body Works Fragrance Mist [$6/3 oz]

$1.10/oz Homemade Lavender Lime Body Spray

$0.46 dōTERRA Lime Essential Oil [$17.33/15 ml] $0.28 dōTERRA Lavender Essential Oil [$28/15 ml] $0.36 vodka [$9/750 mL] or $0 for water

You can find quality essential oils at dōTERRA.

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Other Posts Kendra has contributed to New Nostalgia:

New Nostalgia: The Oil Cleansing Method-100% Natural …

New Nostalgia: Oven Roasted Veggies On Pasta

New Nostalgia: How to Clean A White Sink Without Bleach-a guest …

New Nostalgia: Easiest Homemade Whole Wheat Bread–A Guest Post

Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES/ Sides

5 Reasons Why I Love To Roast Vegetables + 19 Roasted Vegetable Recipes

Why do I love roasting vegetables?

1. It makes the house smell awesome.

2. It brings out the best flavor of the vegetable-complicated and caramelized deliciousness!

3. It is a great way to use up produce that would otherwise go to waste.

4. My kids like the flavor of roasted vegetables and eat them up.

5. It is easy!

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4 things you need for perfect roasted vegetables:

1. High heat. I find the best roasting temperature of most vegetables is 425 degrees.

2. Surface space – do not pile the veggies on. Spread them out evenly onto the pan giving each piece enough surface space to get all nice and brown and caramelized.

3. Vegetables cut in similar sizes. This helps them all cook at the same rate.

3. Oil, salt & pepper. Simple ingredients let the veggies themselves shine!

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Oils I use:

1. Unrefined Coconut Oil ~ Refined has more health benefits, but unrefined is still plenty good for you and does not have the coconut flavor.

2. Olive Oil ~ This is a commonly used oil for roasted vegetables.

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What you are looking & listening for:

Cooking times are going to vary with each vegetable. You are listening for a sizzle as the natural moisture is released from the veggies. You are looking for a nice browning effect on the bottom of the vegetables. Most vegetables are done when fork tender.

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Here are some awesome sounding roasted vegetable recipes from my Vegetables Pinterest Board.

Keep in mind, simple salt, pepper and oil let the veggies shine, but for a little extra special something, try these recipes!

Source: skinnytaste.com via New on Pinterest

Roasted Parmeasean Green Beans

Source: fortheloveofcooking.net via New on Pinterest

Butter & Brown Sugar Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Source: robynsonlineworld.com via New on Pinterest

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Source: budgetbytes.blogspot.com via New on Pinterest

Honey Balsamic Carrots

Source: foodiecrush.com via New on Pinterest

Easy Roasted Tomatoes

Source: wholeliving.com via New on Pinterest

Roasted Fall Vegetables with Lentils

Source: shewearsmanyhats.com via New on Pinterest

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Asparagus

Source: fromthelittleyellowkitchen.com via New on Pinterest

Parmesan Roasted Brussels, Butternut Squash & Kale

Source: amateurgourmet.com via New on Pinterest

Roasted Broccoli-Pinner says “Best Broccoli of Your Life”

Source: voraciousvander.com via New on Pinterest

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Asparagus: Leave whole; peel if necessary.

Bell peppers: If not roasting over an open flame, cut these into 1-inch chunks.

Broccoli: Cut into 1- to 1½-inch diameter individual florets, the tips of which get charred beautifully crisp. Peel, then halve or quarter thick stems (which are delicious!).

Brussels sprouts: Halve them.

Cauliflower: Treat like broccoli.

Corn: Cut into kernels; will cook very quickly and you may only want to brown one side.

Carrots: Cut a 1-inch chunk off the top end at a 45-degree angle. Roll the carrot a quarter turn and repeat. This weird oblique shape gives you lots of surface area to caramelize its abundant sugars. ½-inch coins or half-moons also work well.

Eggplant: Cut into 1½-inch chunks.

Fennel: Cut into 1-inch pieces.

Green / string beans: Really! They’re great. Just make sure they’re tender; old, tough ones get tougher in the oven. Leave whole, stems removed.

Onions: Cut into 1½-inch wedges, and break apart into individual layers.

Parsnips: Treat like carrots.

Radishes: Leave whole if small, about 1 inch in diameter; otherwise cut in 1-inch pieces.

Sweet potatoes: Cut into 1-inch pieces.

Tomatoes: Cut 1-inch-wide wedges or ½-inch slices. They won’t really brown well but can have a nice concentrated flavor.

Turnips: Cut into 1-inch chunks.

Zucchini / summer squash: Cut into 1-inch chunks, or oblique-cut like carrots.

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Here’s more roasted goodness from past New Nostalgia Posts:

New Nostalgia: Roasted Strawberries

New Nostalgia: Oven Roasted Veggies On Pasta

New Nostalgia: Roasted Sweet Potato Coins

New Nostalgia: Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas!!

New Nostalgia: Roasted Eggplant And Cannellini Bean Dip-And a …

New Nostalgia: How To Roast/Steam Corn On The Cob In The Oven …

New Nostalgia: Oven Roasted Veggies On Pasta

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What about YOU?

Do you have any roasted vegetable tips to share?

What is your favorite vegetable

to roast?

HEALTH/ Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

The Amazing Benefits Of Coconut Oil + Ways To Use It Topically & In Recipes

I am a HUGE fan of coconut oil, for many reasons. I LOVE IT!

The main way I started using coconut oil was topically. This was because I read about how so many body lotions contain parabens and chemicals, and with my cancer history, I am being very purposeful about getting rid of as many toxins in this house and on my body as possible!

Its been all over the news that they are finding parabens in the breast cancer survivors breast tissue. My ears perked up with this because I have been in the beauty business for years as a cosmetologist, and parabans seem to be in EVERY beauty product. I have also met way too many young hairstylists that also battled breast cancer, and it has made us all say “hmm.”

From The Breast Cancer Fund

Parabens are a group of compounds widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, including underarm deodorants. Parabens are absorbed through intact skin and from the gastrointestinal tract and blood.

Measurable concentrations of six different parabens have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors (Darbre, 2004). The particular parabens were found in relative concentrations that closely parallel their use in the synthesis of cosmetic products (Rastogi, 1995). Parabens have also been found in almost all urine samples examined from a demographically diverse sample of U.S. adults (Ye, 2006a).

Parabens are estrogen mimickers, with the potency of the agonistic response being related to the chemical structure (Darbre, 2008). They can bind to the cellular estrogen receptor (Routledge, 1998). They also increase the expression of many genes that are usually regulated by estradiol and cause human breast tumor cells (MCF-7 cells) to grow and proliferate in vitro (Byford, 2002; Pugazhendhi, 2007). Nevertheless, parabens as a class do not fully mimic estradiol in the changes in cellular gene expression nor are the effects of all parabens identical (Sadler, 2009).

“Parabens are estrogen mimickers.” This really made me pause, as my cancer and the majority of breast cancers are fed by hormones. I had symptoms of estrogen dominance for years and I often wonder if this contributed to my diagnosis.

As I have been trying to avoid parabens, I have been on a kick of making my own beauty products. There are some wonderful healthy organic body products out there, but they usually end up costing “an arm and a leg,” so have been quite motivated to make my own or to figure out a simple, inexpensive & healthy alternative.

Coconut Oil as a Moisturizer + 6 More Ways To Use It

My Favorite Pre-Shave & Post-Shave For The Softest Legs

Homemade Natural Lip Balm

Homemade Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub

I’ve also used coconut oil as my main cooking and baking oil for a couple of years now. The below recipe has been viewed over 632,238 times! It is one of the most popular recipes here at New Nostalgia, and for good reason. It is delicious. Funny how my most popular recipe was created by a mess up!

The Best Recipe I’ve Ever Messed Up

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread

The above Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread is a great recipe to have on hand. It takes just minutes to throw together and it is good for you. I often make it when we are having pasta and I need a quick bread to dip in the sauce.

–I buy a large container on Amazon, I love the Nutiva brand. It is organic and wonderful. Trader Joes also started carrying coconut oil. Yay!

–Coconut oil is very unique. It is a solid up to I think 76 degrees, then becomes a liquid. So depending on the temperature of your house, you will either be scooping the oil if solid, or pouring it if liquid.

— For beauty purposes, I scoop some out and store in a small 8 oz mason jar. I love the Elite series glass jars. They have a nice wide mouth and are a cute shape. I also keep coconut oil in a small 4oz jar to throw into my gym bag.