Chocolate Icecream Shell

   Ever had some of that squirt-on chocolate that turns hard when you drizzle it over your icecream? Yummy! "But wait," you might say. "That stuff is full of JUNK!! I'm not going to eat that!" Well good for you because you shouldn't!

   Here is a recipe I came across recently. It was the topping of a frozen desert pie recipe I found somewhere online, but I changed every ingredient in this topping. Go figure. But hey, the proportions were handy!
 

1 1/2 cup & 1 tbsp raw coconut oil
1 cup & 1 tbsp cocoa powder (or carob powder)

1/4 cup raw honey

   Place all ingredients in bowl and place bowl in hot water bath. (This is to melt the coconut oil without heating on the stove so it isn't raw anymore.) Stir together. Pour over icecream!!!! Let it sit for about a minute and let it harden good. Then EAT! When you save it for another day, just warm it in a hot water bath again and pour it on.

   There you have it. Healthy, yet yummy. Enjoy!!!

Scraping off the Symptoms {Did You Know Tuesday}

   Sometimes when plants are getting chomped on by a horde of bugs, what do we do? We spray them. But when we do this we are simply masking the real problem. It's like scraping off the bumps when a person gets chicken pox and saying they're all better! Yes, if you are overrun by bugs it's not just because the bugs were hungry, it's because something's not right in the garden.

   Keep this in mind next time you've got some garden troubles and dig a little bit deeper into the issue. Look up information or ask someone who may know. Learn to ask "why" the bugs are munching your plants. Insects and disease aren't the problem - they are the symptoms.

What's The Big Deal About GMOs? {Did You Know Tuesday}

   'Tis well into the season for planning gardens and drooling over seed catalogs. I would like to point something out to you in case you didn't already know. While you're seed-shopping, you may want to keep your eyes open for something called the "Safe Seed Pledge". It is a pledge that some seed companies take to let you know that they do not support, nor sell GMO seeds. This stands for "genetically modified organisms". And that is what they are: seeds with organisms that have been genetically modified or added in by scientists. Some people think this is great, and that they produce stronger and more productive plants with the ability to feed more people per acre. Some people are quite adamant against GMOs - in more reasons than one.

Reasons include (but aren't limited to):

- Lack of testing GMOs' safety before release

- Self-destructing seeds (the seed grows one plant, but any seeds you save are sterile and will never produce)

- Potential health hazards

- Monsanto (a mega creator of GMO seeds) sues any farms who save non-GMO seeds when Monsanto's GMO seeds cross-pollinate with the farmers' non-GMO seeds

- Cross-pollination ruining heirloom (and open-pollinated) crops owned by seed-savers

- Lower nutrient levels in GMO crops

- Recent rumor that GMO produce alters DNA in the body (because DNA is altered/added in GMO products)
- Common use of toxic chemicals to control weeds and other pests for GMO seeds

   These are some common reasons why people like to avoid GMOs. I won't hide my opinion. Personally these reasons are plenty enough for me to run the other way. God gave me this body and I intend to try to honor it and take good care of it. How can I know these things and then look the other way, knowing that I'm hurting this vessel that God created for His glory? And besides this reason, it's also obvious that I would like to take care of my body so I can feel healthy and not droggy.

   So all this aside, it is now your turn to make your own decision. If you want to know more about GMOs, do a search for it online, or watch "Food Inc" or "The Future of Food". They are both interesting and great documentaries - not at all boring in my opinion. Note that they are both anti-GMO documentaries.

   If you so choose and need a point in the right direction, my favorite seed company for GMO-free, chemical-free seeds is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. From what I can recall they haven't "signed" the safe seed pledge, but they still sell great seed without having to sign a pledge to prove it. I LOVE their stuff! A second favorite is Seed Savers Exchange. I'm sure there are others out there too, but these are my go-to companies that I really like.

   It's time to do your research and make your choice! What do you think about GMO seeds?

This post has been linked to all these great blogs:

Tomato Plants From Seed

Ready to be transplanted to a bigger pot, these where started in the bottom of an egg carton.

   Today I want to encourage you to really look in to growing your own tomato plants if you don't already. By growing your own tomato plants you know how they were raised, and you can also grow the plants from seeds you have saved in a previous year. Plus you get a little something to stifle any cabin-fever that may be tapping on your door this time of year!

   Growing your own tomato plants from seed is actually pretty easy. There are lots of complicated and expensive gadgets that you can buy, but if you're just starting out, I'd suggest to just follow a couple basic steps. Here you go:

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1. Put soil in pots.

2. Put 1-2 seeds on top the soil and sprinkle very thinly.

3. Set pots right next to a south-facing window (or put a light above them that is always on during the day, and off at night).

4. Water and fertilize as desired.

5. Transplant to bigger pots if and when necessary.

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   Now isn't that just super easy? I think so. You should give it a try! It's also SO much cheaper than buying pre-started plants from the store. Click here for a GREAT place to shop for seeds. Baker Creek Seeds is my top pick and favorite seed place to shop. (I'm in no way affiliated with them - just love their products and service.)

   So what are you waiting for? Get some seeds, grab some pots, and start planting before it's too late!

New Stuff at "Fret Knot Jewelry"

My latest favorite bracelet :)

   Have you been keeping up to date with some of the new things at Fret Knot Jewelry? Don't worry - I can barely keep up with them myself!

   For those of you who may have not heard, Fret Knot Jewelry is a little jewelry business I've been working on getting going for a while now. I make jewelry out of recycled guitar strings and sell them. Many stringed-instrument players I know are pleased to think that their old strings, that would have otherwise gone in a landfill, are given to me and turned into works of art to be used again.

This one actually isn't super new, but I thought you ladies might like looking at this one too :)

   I've been posting alot of new items lately, but I also love the adventure of custom orders.

   I invite you to come check out my page here and "like" it on Facebook. After we reach our first 50 likes, there'll be a giveaway! Yup! I said it! GIVEAWAY!! One of those favorite blogging words :)

For those who do
the "ear cuff" thing.

Triangles, triangles...

More Than Peeling Off The Skin {Did You Know Tuesdays}

   A lot of people purchase produce that is organic only when it has thin skin that we eat (like apples and tomatoes) so they aren't eating chemicals that would have been sprayed on the skin. In addition, many people buy "regular", non-organic produce that has thicker skin or is a root crop (like oranges, coconuts, beets, radishes, etc.), because they figure the chemicals are on the outside of the skin (or on the soil surface as in the case of root crops) and won't be ingested when the produce is eaten. They also do this because non-organic is cheaper in the grocery store.

   Makes sense doesn't it? Well I regret to tell you that, with further observation, it doesn't seem quite true. Tests and experiments have been taken to find the affects of chemicals on produce. One such test included spraying a coconut with red dye in the same increments as they would chemicals so they could visibly see the affects of the chemicals. The tester was shocked to discover that, when they cut open the coconut, the dye had absorbed through the hard shell and actually looked like there were red veins throughout the coconut meat. Gross!!! She was said to also have similarly tested a carrot. When she sliced it in half it had a red ring all the way down the carrot. Yuck!!! I also saw an experiment once on a health show on TV where they applied some glow-in-the-dark powder to a melon as if it was a chemical. Then they sliced it in half and turned off the light. The "chemicals" had stuck to the knife and smeared right into the fruit as the knife cut through. Disgusting!!! Perhaps these experiments had more chemicals in them than the stuff we buy at the store, but it still gives us an idea of what we might be eating.

   What is my point in telling all this? I don't really know. Just passing it along I suppose :P Hope you at least find it interesting not look into what you're purchasing in the fruit and veggy section of the grocery store.

Words To Ponder...

   Like the title says:...words to ponder....