Here are a few things I’ve found lately that have inspired me, and I wanted to share them with you, too! (And just so we’re all on the same page, I am not paid to endorse any of the following, I just want to high-five these people and things.)
Who’s tired of buying shampoo? ME, that’s who. Check out Liz’s post over at Cave Girl Eats on how to use simple pantry ingredients to cleanse and condition your hair. Check out her other posts while you’re there – lots of info on how to nourish yourself, and lots of wit, too. You’ll come away laughing and better informed. Thanks, Liz!
Last month I attended the Take Back Your Health Conference, and was introduced to Bausc body care products. As their brochure states, there are no laws that require cosmetics or personal care companies to test ingredients or products for safety before they are sold. Lucky for us, Bausc has some great products that have straightforward ingredients (even GMO-free!) and are clean, clean, clean. Check them out here.
I am probably the absolute last person on the planet to discover Anne Marie and her blog Cheeseslave…but in case there is another person out there who has not yet stumbled upon her incredibly informative and encouraging site on how you can heal yourself with good food, well, now you know!
Nut butters. Been givin’ them a spin in my new Cuisinart that a group of friends got me for my birthday (thanks again, guys!), and they are ridiculously easy and fun to make. Here’s a video from Gluten Free Girl and the Chef to show you how. Give me a shout in the comments if anybody has good ideas for combinations and how to spice them up.
Homemade corn tortillas. Not only are the easy-peasy, they taste so darn much better than store-bought and don’t have all the unpronounceable ingredients at the end. You will never regret buying a tortilla press! (Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for getting me started!)
My predecessor – last year’s farm cook – just sent me the book From Asparagus to Zucchini. Please, do yourself a favor and get it too. Inspiring, simple, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that recipes for your home-grown or farmer’s market produce.
Another blog that reminds us that special diets do not have to be limiting or lacking in beauty. For a little reading that’s like taking in a breath of fresh air, check out the Roost blog.
Are there any resources or a-ha! moments you’ve come across lately that you think would be helpful and inspiring to our community here on the blog? Please share them with us all in the comments!
Ah, thanks for that link. I’d given up on looking for a tortilla press, but maybe we’ll try again now that I know a bit more about them.
As for resources? Excited, enthusiastic kids are the greatest!
Thanks for all the great links. I am looking forward to learning more about the products and people you’ve written about! Starting to juice (again) today. I’m excited to get more healthy veggies this summer. I love your post.
For some reason the Bausc link did not work! But if others are interested in finding their products, I found a listing here: http://www.worldwellnessstore.com/supplement-brands/bausc.html
I am anxious to try making some nut butters now. You can also make nut milks (YUM!) which are so refreshing and delicious. http://dotalanecdotes.blogspot.com/2011/01/rich-and-aromatic-almond-milk-yes-made.html
And thank you for sharing the Cheeseslave blog; the people that lived in darkness have seen a great light! I, too, apparently lived a meager existence in ignorance, for I had never seen her blog either! Today my plans were to learn how to make kefir, and lo and behold … what do I find featured on her blog
THANKS! 
I just fixed the Bausc link – thanks for letting me know!
Yay! I just checked out their website and I love it. Thanks for sharing all this good stuff
I can’t wait to look into all of these! Always love to have fresh insights. Terribly empowering. Grazie!
Hmm… Love nut butters. I bought a copy of “Food in jars” that arrived yesterday and has lots of good nut butter recipes.
http://www.foodinjars.com/the-cookbook/
Clear Jel was my other discovery this week as I was putting up pie filling. Amazon seems to have the best deals because of the free shipping ( nobody local sells this wonderful stuff)
No Sugar, No Pectin Jam Discovery. Recipe says it works with any fruit, I used Blueberries and it worked like a charm, set perfectly.
4-6 cups fruit (I used 6 cups of blueberries)
2 1/2 cups local honey
1 tbs lemon juice
Combine fruit and honey and let rest 2 hours then add lemon and cook for aprox 30 minutes until thickens and sheets from spoon. Fill hot jars then water bath for 20 minutes. My batch made 9 half pints.
FREECYCLE great site for local sharing of stuff
Craigslist great site for just about anything you want to buy or sell. I live on the farm and garden page much to my husbands dismay. Among other finds I connected with a heritage chicken breed breeder and purchase her “culls.. aka this ones colors are not quite what she is looking for” at six weeks old for $1 a piece, for us this is cheap chicken dinners halfway grown out.
As resources go, the internet has become my go to for so many questions be it recipes, gardening advice, etc.
I am excited to hear you got the Food in Jars book!! I am dying of curiosity to see how it is, as I LOVE the blog!!!!
It has lots of terrific recipes and stories. The only shortcoming is that it only touches on pressure canning, the bulk of the book is water bathed recipes.
Hi Brie- and all the hen house ladies! I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award
http://highheelsinthebarnyard.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/versatile-blogger-award/
Thanks Alicia!
Brie, thank you SO MUCH for the shout-out! I’ve been so happy with my ‘poo-less hair – I’ll never go back. And your kind words mean much to me! I hope all is well at Polyface.