Do you think you'd enjoy an extra special chocolate milk recipe? I have to admit I hadn't indulged in chocolate milk in a long time - but who says adults can't enjoy a good chocolate milk now and then? And for that matter who says chocolate milk has to be completely unhealthy? Granted throwing overly sugared chocolate milk power into a glass of milk and giving it to my kids isn't high on my list of naturally healthy snacks, but with this chocolate milk recipe you are about to discover (are you full of anticipation yet?) you can feel a lot better about an ice cold glass of creamy milk chocolate for yourself or any "kids" (yes husbands and boyfriends can count as kids) you may have in your life.

How to Make Buttermilk to Enhance Your Chocolate Milk Recipe

Before revealing my secret chocolate milk recipe let me preface by saying I recently received the Nourishing Traditions cookbook as a gift so I have been learning all about how to make buttermilk - one of the secret ingredients in this chocolate milk recipe. Buttermilk is super easy to make, just put a 1 to 3 mixture of buttermilk (store bought is fine) and whole milk in a covered container and let it sit on your counter for 24 hours and you have yourself some buttermilk. If you need more buttermilk just put a cup of your existing buttermilk in a new container throw in 3 cups of whole milk and away you go all over again.

That's normally how you make buttermilk, but I like to experiment and we were leaving for a week vacation and had some cream we needed to use up so I thought hey I wonder how that would be in buttermilk… so I added about a quarter cup of cream to my already finished batch of buttermilk in the fridge and away we went.

Upon our return I discovered... It Was Heavenly!

I had been making a chocolate milk recipe using our homemade buttermilk a few times but with this new super creamy buttermilk it was oh so much better, so I figured I had to share.

Super Deluxe Extra Creamy Chocolate Milk Recipe

Here is what you'll need, and forgive me for not knowing exact measurements but as I said before I like to experiment so I never really follow a precise guide. I'll do my best to guess at about how much I use. You can use the ingredients to taste.

• 1/4 cup extra creamy "cream buttermilk"
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2-3 Teaspoons chocolate milk powder or syrup (organic is best of course but I won't tell)
• 1 Tablespoon The Greek Gods strawberry and honey Greek yogurt

Note: the strawberry Greek yogurt really ads an extra layer of indulgence to this chocolate milk recipe. I plan to try my hand at making yogurt one of these days and I'll give it a try with some homemade yogurt and let you know how it is.

The super healthy probiotics in the buttermilk and yogurt really make this delightful chocolate milk recipe about as healthy as you can make chocolate milk. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. I'd love to hear about your favorite chocolate milk recipe in a comment below!

This post on a super yummy chocolate milk recipe shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday.

Super Creamy Buttermilk Chocolate Milk Recipe is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Every once in awhile you make a meal that just works, it is easy to make and everyone loves it. (if you have kids or a picky spouse that instance can be quite rare and always treasured). That was the case with this potatoes and scrambled eggs recipe.

Just this past Christmas Santa's little elves came up with a winner and granted my wish with the book Nourishing Traditions. If you haven't heard about this natural health resource / cookbook check it out at the library or grab yourself a copy on Amazon it really is an eye opening book.

As a new Nourishing Traditions owner it is easy to become overwhelmed with all the prep that can go into a simple recipe if you want to make it in the most, well nourishing traditional way. This morning I was perusing the book for ideas and something must have sunk in because I was inspired to try something new.

I have to admit I rarely cook from recipes - usually I use cookbooks for ideas and I let the kitchen creative bug take over… a dash of this, a sprinkle of that and somehow it comes out tasting just fine (or maybe not given the instances of 'I don't like that' from the kids, but picky kids will be picky kids). So this morning I came up with a new scrambled eggs recipe based on a Nourishing Traditions inspiration.

I often get mixed responses from the kids as far as scrambled eggs goes sometimes they like it other times I get the automatic response mentioned above. Well with this red potato and scrambled eggs recipe I "creative kitchen created" it was an overwhelming winner….

Ok fine, enough back story what is the scrambled eggs recipe already?

What you'll need: (since this is a natural health blog I try to use the best ingredients I can get my hands on which would be eggs from pasture fed hens, organic potatoes, cultured butter from pastured cows etc.. but you can use what you have on hand I won't tell)

• Red Potatoes
• Eggs
• Garlic
• Sea Salt
• Butter
• Cheese
• Sweet Onion
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Fresh Basil

The quantities will vary depending on how many you are serving so use your best judgement.

Potatoes and Scrambled Eggs Recipe Prep

Slice the red potatoes into 1/8 inch slices
Sliver a garlic clove
Dice some sweet onion
Chop up a few leaves of fresh Basil

Cook the slices of red potato in a generous amount of butter, seasoning with sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. I also put a few slivers of garlic in while the potato is sautéing.

When the potatoes are soft in the middle yet have a nice golden brown outer appearance remove them from the pan.

Add an additional pat of butter and the rest of the garlic to the pan until the garlic is a nice toasty brown. Add your scrambled eggs to the pan as well as the fresh basil. When the eggs are nearly done put in a handful of grated cheese, sweet onion and any other seasoning you like. I have a homemade seasoning blend in a grinder with dried basil, rosemary, garlic, sea salt, pepper corns and toasted sesame seeds that is just wonderful.

Serve it up and hopefully count the smiles, thank you's and 'I love it's' and save them for a rainy day.

If you think you might try this Potatoes and Scrambled Eggs Recipe, or have a favorite of your own please leave a comment below.

This post on an NT style red potato and scrambled eggs recipe shared on The Weekend Gourmet and Real Food Wednesday.

Good Old Fashioned Potatoes with Scrambled Eggs Recipe is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Making yogurt at home is an amazingly simple, inexpensive, and fun thing to do on a hot summer night. Some people use thermometers, special double boiler pots or fancy yogurt heaters, but not me. Who says there aren’t advantages to living in the desert? I used just two ingredients: 1 quart of whole milk (for a creamier yogurt), and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt from the store. It really is easy-just make sure the yogurt from the store contains live cultures and you’ll be good to go…well, I guess living in the desert helps too!

How to make yogurt... in the Desert

I was going to use Dannon, which probably would have worked fine, but then I found Nancy’s nonfat yogurt in the health food section of my local Bashas grocery store for the same price of $2.99 for 32 ounces, and decided to go the more natural route and get the kind without rBGH artificial growth hormones.

I found The Secret in How to Make Yogurt from Wild Fermentation

I learned how to make yogurt and many other awesome fermented recipes from a book called, Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. I cannot recommend this book more highly for taking the mystery and fear out of fermenting foods. Bacteria is not a dirty word, in fact, bacteria is very pro-life in general-like training wheels for the immune system---I am much more wary of anti-bacterial soap and antibiotics now. The beneficial bacteria in yogurt, Lactobacillus, are even said to have cancer preventing properties.

How to Make Yogurt the Easy Way: In the Desert!

So, if you’re ready to find out how to make yogurt, here’s what I did. Using medium heat, I warmed about a quart of whole milk on the stove, stirring occasionally until it was hot, but not boiling. Heating the milk will result in a thicker yogurt, and stirring it helps prevent it from burning. Let it cool for a while until it is still warm, but not hot to the touch. Next add 1 tablespoon of yogurt. Wild Fermentation explains why using more than 1 tablespoon is actually not better-the bacteria like their room. It is going to consume the lactose turning it into lactic acid and giving it a sour taste. Stir the yogurt into the warm milk, tighten the lid, and put it somewhere warm. I finished this process at 2 A.M. and put it outside where it was around 80 degrees, knowing that as the sun rose, it would soon warm up to the more optimal temperature of 100-110 degrees for yogurt making. When I checked on it at 3 P.M. it looked like real yogurt-because it is!
Homemade yogurt is similar to what I would find at the store, but has a richer flavor because I used whole milk instead of lowfat. I sampled a spoonful and put the rest in the fridge. I plan to eat it with blueberries and maybe some blackberry jam for sweetness. This was really easy though, and considering this was my first time making yogurt boy am I relieved! I can’t believe people actually pay $3 or more for a tub of this stuff at the store when yogurt is so easy to make at home.

Ok, I just did a little wandering around the internet to see how other people make yogurt-I suppose if you don’t happen to live in a warm climate like the desert, it might actually be helpful to get one of those thermometers and some of the fancy gizmos might be helpful too. (although Wild Fermentation will show you how to make yogurt with just an insulated cooler so you can make yogurt at home year round anywhere you live.)

I consider this an adventure in learning to trust my taste buds. People were making yogurt at home long before it was ever mass produced. Some of our ancestors used to do adventurous things like store milk inside dead cow’s stomachs. If they had the courage to do that, I’m pretty sure a few us “adventuresome types” can manage making yogurt at home!

How do you make yogurt? If you've tried making yogurt at home I'd love to hear your comments.

And if you don't happen to live in the desert or don't want to try making yogurt with an insulated cooler there are yogurt makers that will do all the hard work for you. I haven't tried a yogurt maker myself yet but below are some of the most popular yogurt makers for sale from Amazon. Have fun making your own yogurt and don't forget to let us know how to make yogurt your way!

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Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker. List Price: $29.95 Sale Price: $26.99 You save: $2.96 (10%)   Eligible for free shipping!

Yogourmet Multi Electric Yogurt Maker with Yogurt and CBA Starter List Price: $75.85 Sale Price: $54.74 You save: $21.11 (28%)   Eligible for free shipping!

This post on how to make yogurt was shared on Real Food Wednesday, Fat Tuesday and Fight Back Friday.

How to Make Yogurt in the Desert is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Love pesto but looking for a change of pace - or maybe a substitute for olive oil in pesto? Have you heard of chia oil? Yes it really is made from the same seeds as those found in late night infomercials and children's cartoon networks. While I don't know if I'd delve into the head of my Chia Pet for a late night snack the use of gluten free chia seeds and chia oil is becoming the latest health craze and makes a pretty darn good pesto.

Chia seeds and chia oil is packed with beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seed (in fact chia seeds are the richest plant source of Omega-3, and you'll even hear blatherings about it having more omega-3's than salmon if you eat 100 grams or like almost a half cup - personally I don't go around downing half cup sized handfuls of chia seeds - but the point is they are good for you)

Now back to our regularly scheduled program
- Chia Oil Pesto.

Pesto comes in many shapes and sizes - or textures and consistencies. Different ingredients can be used with subtly different tastes, but the basics are basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and an oil - usually olive oil, and of course if you like a pesto that bites you back (and anyone within 10 feet of you) garlic. Yum. Chia oil has a light buttery taste that is scrumptious with toasted pine nuts and roasted garlic.

Most people associate pesto with a thick or creamy paste - but I like to make a lighter fluffier pesto that goes absolutely sublimely perfectly on top of a nice juicy turkey burger. (oh great I just awakened the beast and my taste buds are working overtime to get me off the computer and placate them with a snack) Basically what I'm saying is that if you like a traditional pesto consistency just modify the ingredients (add more chia oil) until you get what you are looking for.

So enough dilly dallying already here's what you'll need for a Chia Oil Pesto

I'm sure you can figure this one out, but for those not used to making pesto I'll give you the list...

1. A good handful of fresh basil leaves
2. 1-2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts (or cashews, sunflower seeds or almonds will work if you can't get your hands on pine nuts. I've even used crackers in a pinch, shhh don't tell)
3. One clove garlic (or more if you don't have a date in the next day or so) but one should be plenty.
4. A couple tablespoons Parmesan cheese (yes I know could I be more vague? What can I say I don't like to follow rules)
5. 1-2 tablespoons chia oil

Pulse that up in a food processor until everything is blended into a light fluffy mixture, but before it turns to a paste. whalah! or however you spell whalah. Serve and enjoy, or take your picture with your chia oil pesto and post it on Facebook if that's more your thing - but really it's meant to be eaten.

Your Turn to Share: What Have You Made With Chia Oil?

I'd love to hear what you think - what do you use Chia oil for?

This Post on Chia Oil Pesto Shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Seasonal Sunday and Fat Tuesday - Check 'em Out!

Chia Oil Pesto – Yum – Pass the Chia Pet Please is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

I went to a local fermentation meetup group about a year ago, eager to learn more about how to make kombucha tea at home, and in the process I stumbled across a "new" (at least to me) type of fermented drink called water kefir. Water kefir has actually been around for thousands of years and goes by many different names including Japanese water crystals. The girl who had brewed this tasty lightly carbonated concoction had flavored it with fresh blueberries after it had been fermented. I was immediately impressed by the versatility of this probiotic wonder drink-which is purported to contain trillions of naturally healthy bacteria to aid digestion and the immune system.

Unlike milk kefir, water kefir is perfect for those who are lactose intolerant. This summer I decided to try brewing my own water kefir and found that it’s actually quite easy to prepare-and easier and more fool-proof than kombucha.

Here is a basic water kefir recipe that helped me get started:

1) Fill a quart sized jar with room temperature mineral water* leaving about 2 inches of space at the top
*(or spring or tap water with most of the chlorine filtered out. Reverse osmosis water isn’t recommended, although I have tried it without ill effect. The main thing to remember is that minerals are beneficial to the functioning of water kefir grains, so if they’re not getting minerals from the water, some mineral rich fruit should be added)
2) Add approximately 1/4 cup sugar and stir
3) Add 1/4 cup Water Kefir Grains
4) If available add 1/4 cup starter water kefir, otherwise you can add half a peeled lemon to the brew for your first 2 or 3 batches.
5) Then wrap a small handful of dried un-sulfured fruit into an unbleached coffee filter or a reusable fabric pouch (So far I have tried: dates, dried mango slices, raisins, figs, and apricots or a combination thereof)

I’ve also tried dried candied ginger in my primary ferment. Maybe it was just me, but that batch seemed a little flat. I might eventually give ginger another try in a secondary ferment though, after it has established some zing.

Water Kefir Recipe Fermentation Stages and Tips:

I then cover the jar with a coffee filter or other breathable material, secured with a rubber band (if you are using metal try to make sure the rim is completely dry before securing so the metal won’t rub off and contaminate your grains). I leave the brew alone at room temperature for 2, sometimes 3 days. The longer it brews the stronger the flavor starts to get and the more carbonation it will acquire. If you like a sweeter more soda pop taste, one day might be sufficient. You can sample the brew or give it a stir now and then with a plastic spoon or straw.

After the primary ferment, sometimes I’ll do a secondary ferment. This involves straining out the water kefir grains for the next batch, discarding the fruit, and then bottling the water kefir (minus 1/4th cup for your starter) in a sealed container and then letting it sit on the counter for a day to add even more carbonation. You should leave about an inch of head space and crack the lid open every few hours for just a quick burp to let some of the gases escape (this helps prevent the bottle from bursting).

Before putting the finished water kefir into the fridge I also like to tape on a label with all pertinent info that I’ll soon forget-like what ingredients I used, when the primary ferment began and ended, if and how long the secondary ferment lasted, and my impression-like “wow, super fizzy.” One word of caution, I’ve heard that the more carbonated it is, the higher the alcohol content. I believe the alcohol % in water kefir is a fairly trivial amount like less than 0.8% but it bears mentioning. Part of what sparked my renewed interest in water kefir is that the kombucha I usually buy at the store was recalled because they were having trouble keeping the alcohol content below 0.5% and it ran into regulatory issues.

I actually made a batch last week that reminded me of the Kombucha Botanica Elderflower I used to buy and love. I used one dried fig and some raisins in a full 3 day primary ferment. I noted that it was really potent-maybe too potent and decided to skip the secondary ferment and put it in the fridge for 5 days—and when I took a cautious sample, it was irresistibly delicious. I’m still new at this little hobby and am eager to learn more about fermented foods and water kefir health benefits. I’ve purchased a book that came highly recommended called Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods that has a bunch of water kefir recipes to try - I look forward to continuing this experiment!

If you have a favorite water kefir recipe please share in a comment below.

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Water Kefir Grains Sale Price: $2.50   Eligible for free shipping!

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This post on my first water kefir recipe shared on Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday

My Water Kefir Recipe: a Fermentation Experiment is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

I love a good cup of chai tea on a cold winter morning. Black tea has antioxidants that help the body to eliminate free radicals from the body, thus fighting colds and flu, heart disease, and possibly even cancer, but when you have some delicious organic chai to sample when the weather heats up it's a bit of a dilemma. Thank goodness for the noggin' using person who thought of iced chai tea!

As with any gourmet drink or dish there is an art to making the best iced chai tea, and it starts of course with the chai tea itself. I had the opportunity to try out a new to me organic chai tea from LeafSpa makers of premium organic loose leaf teas.

The LeafSpa decaf chai is a spiced Darjeeling black tea infused with organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic cardamon, organic pink peppercorn, and additional organic cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger flavor. That's a lot of organic goodness that combines to make a delicious nicely spiced warm and soothing chai tea. But again, unless you are in the middle of a thunderstorm and need the warm reassurance of a good cup of chai you'll want another use for your tea during the hot summer months.

Along comes iced chai the summer savior for tea drinkers. But here is a healthy indulgent iced tea recipe with a twist: a chai tea smoothie a-la-natural health goodies...

Our Chai Tea Smoothie Recipe

(or if you like fancy names it could be the Natural Health Goodies Secret Ingredient Goody Goody Gum Drop Chai Tea Smoothie without the Gum Drops - but that takes longer to say than it takes to make so maybe not)

First make up a batch of chai tea:

• Use 1 tsp loose leaf chai tea per 6oz cup of water
• Heat cold water to a rolling boil and let sit until the temperature is between 180-200 Degrees F
• Steep tea for 2-3 minutes or to desired strength

Allow your chai tea mixture to cool (it can be left in the fridge over night if you like) and then pour into a blender along with enough vanilla frozen yogurt so its nice and creamy.....

Last but not least is the super secret natural health ingredient.. drum roll please... bda bda buda bda (how do you type a drum roll anyway?)

Vanilla Kefir!

Kefir, if you haven't heard is a probiotic yogurt-like cultured milk that has tons of good for you digestion and immune boosting benefits and makes a nice addition to smoothies or in this case chai smoothies.

Blend all ingredients until frothy and rich pour and enjoy. And then try to say "Natural Health Goodies Secret Ingredient Goody Goody Gum Drop Chai Tea Smoothie without the Gum Drops" five times real fast.

I have several more LeafSpa teas to try so please subscribe and stop by again for more LeafSpa Organic Tea reviews and recipes.

This Chai Tea Smoothie Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Enjoy a Healthy Summer Treat: Our Chai Tea Smoothie Recipe is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

If you've read my green smoothie inspiration you'll know our recent adventure into the world of green smoothies has begun with a splash. And true to our kitchen creative nature we had to do some tinkering with the basic green smoothie recipe from the video.

We've discovered the fun and versatility of making green smoothies, and to my surprise we now have kids who can't wait to eat their green leafy vegetables - who would have thunk.

So here it is folks, drum roll please... our first green smoothie recipe dubbed by our 4 year old... The smoothie you can chew.

Green Smoothie Recipe #1: The Smoothie You Can Chew

1 Mango (minus what you sample while cutting - so probably a half mango)
1 Banana
3 Strawberries
3 Broccoli florets
Handful of fresh Spinach leaves
2-3 Green Kale leaves
1-2 basil leaves
1 Tbsp Flax seed
Splash of Pomegranate Kefir
10-12 ounces of water or to desired thickness

Blend that baby up and enjoy some vibrant green goodness - Don't worry you don't really need to chew it. (unless of course you have a dull blender...)

This post on our first green smoothie recipe shared on Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday

The Smoothie You Can Chew: Our First Green Smoothie Recipe is a post from: Natural Health Goodies