Up until about a year ago, I was pretty darn frustrated by the host of weird and in most cases toxic ingredients in commercial deodorants. And though I’ve tried just about every natural deodorant I could lay my hands on, none of them were very effective or practical. Most of the natural choices sport such
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Buffalo Chicken Wings and Blue Cheese Dip
Back when I was in high school on the swim team, we used to travel to Buffalo, NY for a big swim meet each summer. Part of the tradition was to pig out on the famous local cuisine – Buffalo wings – at the end of the weekend. We would sit at a long table
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Nachos Get a Real Food Makeover
One of the things I love the most about our real food lifestyle is that I can magically transform nearly every junk food favorite into a version that not only tastes just as good (or much, much better), but is also surprisingly healthy. Take nachos for example. There’s really no arguing that there are NO health
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Rosemary Fig Jam Recipe
Figs are one of those darkly erotic foods that are at once intimidating and irresistible. Cut one open and its insides are surprisingly intimate. Truth be told, while I adore their beauty, I’ve never really cared for eating figs until I discovered this rosemary fig jam. My weekly farm box quietly demands that my family
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Garden Tomato Soup Recipe
Growing up, I mostly despised tomatoes with two exceptions: tomatoes fresh from the vine still warm from the hot sun and Campbell’s tomato soup. So imagine my joy as an adult when I discovered the existence of real, homemade garden tomato soup. Heaven. Our garden is kicking out a beautiful crop of summer tomatoes and
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Cuban Pulled Pork With Chipotle Mayo & Jicama Slaw
I have probably tested hundreds of dishes for Real Plans. Some are delicious and some are not even worth mentioning. This slow cooked Cuban pulled pork falls into the category of AH-MAZ-ING. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… There’s nothing quite like throwing a few simple ingredients into a slow cooker and
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Cultured Chipotle Salsa Recipe
I love salsa. Here in California, this condiment is an essential for our Latin-inspired cuisine. The problem is that store-bought versions are pretty rubbish, so I’ve been experimenting to create the perfect fresh, restaurant-style chipotle salsa recipe. I wanted something not too saucy, not too spicy, but fresh and flavorful. You guys – this is
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The Great American Potato Salad Revival
Maybe I’m alone here but I’ve always been terrified of picnic food. In particular, I’m talking about the bland American potato salad and frightening macaroni salad (sometimes combined into one dish) that often adorned the summertime tables of my youth. Yuck. You see, my real aversion was to mayonnaise. I never really understood why anyone
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The Easiest Homemade Yogurt Recipe Ever (And My First Video!)
My quest for the easiest homemade yogurt is finally over. For a time, my favorite was this hybrid: half raw, half pasteurized yogurt made with milk and cream in a yogurt maker that yielded a consistently thicker yogurt than straight raw yogurt. But then along came Viili, a mesophillic starter culture that simplified my yogurt
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Healthy Homemade Spanish Rice
Meet my new favorite side dish: Spanish rice. You many be thinking… It’s just rice, right? But cooked up with bone broth, smothered in butter or coconut oil, seasoned with savory flavors, and finished with fermented fish sauce – my picky kids devour this stuff, while I sit by, thrilled they are eating my secret
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Pina Colada Ice Cream
I don’t mind admitting we sometimes have ice cream for breakfast at my house and feel not a drop of guilt. Just look at these ingredients (sans the optional rum, y’all!). Pina Colada ice cream is a wonderful, nutrient-dense treat. I love the cool, smooth cream coupled with the chewy, golden chunks of pineapple. It
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Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Crust
Shepherd’s pie is the ultimate home-cooked comfort food – savory lamb or beef and veggies in a rich gravy, topped with buttery mash. I like to make mine with cauliflower crust, simply because I prefer it to potatoes, but you could easily swap it out for classic mashed potatoes or get all-kinds-of-crazy with parsnips, yams
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