Do it yourself - Bug Repellant Spray and Sunburn Relief Spray

    Many times we have been at outdoor events and gotten the over spray from people using bug repellant.  I find that so inconsiderate!  You would think they would do it before they came, but no, time after time people are spraying their obnoxious sprays all over everyone.  Commercial sprays smell nasty and are not healthy to inhale, much less have soaking into your skin.

    It is easy to make your own Deet free - chemical free bug repellant. There are two things you need to make a great bug repellant. 
   

Bug Repellant

    4 oz. Vodka
    1 teaspoon Garden Essence Essential Oils Pest-Away with Catnip (5 ml.)

Put Vodka and Pest Away with Catnip in 4 oz. spray bottle and shake.  Spray on exposed skin and in hair several times a day to keep the bugs away. 

Sunburn Relief Spray

    2 oz. Aloe Vera Gel
    2 oz. Distilled Water
    15 drops Garden Essence Lavender Essential Oil
    15 drops Garden Essence Tea Tree Essential Oil
    10 drops Garden Essence Peppermint Essential Oil
   
Mix all ingredients in a 4 oz. glass spray bottle.  Spray liberally as often as desired on sunburned skin.  Keep the left over solution in the refrigerator.

    Herbs First now has 1 oz and 4 oz glass spray bottles  to use with your own herbal and essential oil formulations.

    As a natural sunscreen I like to use Coconut Oil, I put it on several times throughout the day.  Sometimes I slightly burn, so I just put more coconut oil on and by morning it has turned into a tan.  Complete Tissue and Bone Ointment is a great sunburn oil, if you don't mind being oily! I would use it if I had a really bad burn.  Order it here.

    Enjoy your summer!

Raw Chocolates made with Coconut Oil and Essential Oils

    I heard about people making raw chocolate and being a chocolate lover myself I had to learn how to make it.  There are many studies about the health benefits of chocolate, so for the best health eat raw chocolate!  There have been studies done on the health benefits of coconut oil which you can learn about on the Coconut Research Center website. There are so coconut oil

here at Herbs First for five years - shipping is only $10.00 for up to 4 gallons of oil!

  





 1 cup cold pressed virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon raw cacao butter
12 tablespoons raw cacao powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons agave or 2 teaspoons stevia

Put a cup of coconut oil in a 4 cup glass measuring cup.  Add the tablespoon of raw cacao butter on top of the coconut oil, I have found that it melts much quicker when it is grated. You can make it without the cacao butter, but I find that it gives it a richer taste with it.  Get a large bowl of hot water and put the glass measuring cup into the hot water - be sure not to get any water into the oil.  I let it sit on the counter for about half an hour to melt. 

    When the oils are melted add the other ingredients, I like to use stevia, but the agave syrup would make more chocolate!  Stir completely with a whisk and then pour into your molds and add your add-ins to them.  Place them in the freezer for 30 minutes and then pop them out of the mold.  Keep them either frozen or refrigerated because coconut oil has a low melting point.    Pictured I show almonds, I love nuts!  Dried tart cherries, yum, chocolate covered cherries!  And my favorite coconut.  I now pour some of the liquid chocolate into a bowl and add the coconut to a very thick consistency.  I then spoon it onto a wax paper covered pan and freeze it. A coconut lover’s delight!  The first photo at the top shows a coconut chocolate done as this way.    

  Another favorite is mint and orange flavored chocolate.  Be careful not to add too much peppermint essential oil or it is too strong.  I’ll pour out 1/2 cup of liquid chocolate and add 3 to 4 drops of peppermint essential oil to the mixture.  Same thing with the orange essential oil, start with 3 to 4 drops taste and add more if it needs more flavor.  Which essential oils would you use to flavor chocolates?  I love these flavored chocolates, very tasty!

   My husband does not like dark chocolate, so I decided to experiment making milk chocolate with coconut milk.  I use the full fat organic Thai coconut milk - I add a good 2 - 3 tablespoons to the chocolate mixture and it makes a mellower chocolate that he enjoys.  The photo of the three chocolates at the top are the milk chocolate, with coconut, peppermint and almonds.  We are loving these healthy treats at our house! 

   We went to a wedding reception a few weeks ago where they had muffin tin sized servings of MnM’s. They didn’t interest me, but my husband grabbed them. He popped a few in his mouth and turned to me and said, “yuck, your chocolates taste much better”! Yay, I have a raw chocolate convert in the house!

You can order coconut oil and essentail oils online or call in your order at 801-228-1901 

Eat Coconut Oil, it is the Heatlhy Oil!

The gallon sized coconut oil finally came back in stock in mid December. Coconut Oil got a bad rap for a while since it is a saturated fat, but it is actually one of the healthiest oils you can eat. Your body doesn’t store this oil, it uses it for energy, so it is a great one for people wanting to lose weight.  It has greatly helped my dry eye problems that often turned into eye infections.  I used to have a lot of brain fog and that has cleared up as well.  I eat a tablespoon twice a day on top of using it in my cooking, baking and on my veggies.

Research and clinical observation have shown that medium-chain fatty acids, like those found in coconut oil, may help prevent and treat a wide range of diseases.  Use at least three tablespoons a day in place of other oils.  The following list is a shortened list of some of the health benefits of coconut oil:

Supports the development of strong bones and teeth.

Protects against osteoporosis.

Promotes loss of excess weight

Kills viruses that cause mono, influenza, hepatitis C, measles, herpes, AIDS, and other illnesses.

Reduces severity of problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.

Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.

Reduces chronic inflammation.

Relieves symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Kills bacteria that cause pneumonia, earache, throat infections, dental cavities, food poisoning, urinary tract infections, meningitis, gonorrhea, and dozen of other diseases.

Kills fungi and yeast that cause candida, jock itch, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.

Relieves dryness and flaking.Prevent damaging effects of UV radiation from the sun such as wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots.

Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.

Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.

Is completely non-toxic to humans.

Learn more about the benefits of coconut oil at the Coconut Research Center.

Coconut oil stores for up to five years,  I can go easily use four gallons in a year.  This is the oil that you want in your pantry and in your long term storage. Shipping in the Continental United States is only $10.00 for up to 4 gallons of oil, get $10.00 off shipping when you buy 4 gallons of coconut oil  - put in the coupon code Save10  - this offer is valid only for orders shipping in the Continental United States.

Order online or call to order 801-228-1901.

Coconut Oil, the Healthy Oil

It is interesting when two people get married that were raised in different families discover the kind of diet they will eat in their home. When my husband and I got married I mentioned that I eat wheat bread and he said he was ok with wheat bread. He won on on mayonnaise vs. Miracle Whip issue when after a year or so of buying both I gave in to mayo. We now use Grapeseed Oil Veganaise which is certainly abetter choice and we both feel the cost is worth it.

Over the years there has been a lot of talk about the fats that are good to use. Fast food restaurants were forced by the FDA to quit using animal fat to fry their foods and to use fats that were deemed to be the good fats. We now know that those supposedly good fats change when heated, making all foods fried in them very unhealthy. Coconut oil has been known as a healthy oil for many years, but a controversy was created making coconut oil look like one of the bad oils. The truth won out and now most people know that coconut oil is good for you.

I bought a gallon of coconut oil two years ago and have become a total coconut oil addict. I use it for everything, making breads, cookies, cakes and other baked foods. For making oven fries, stir fries, and on vegetables where I would normally use butter. Coconut oil does not form harmful byproducts when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do. Coconut oil doesn’t turn into fat in the body, the body burns it as fuel as it is taken in. And the biggest thing I like about coconut oil is that it just makes everything you eat taste so good. I go through about 4 gallons a year for my small family, I know a few large families that use a gallon a month!

When people taste the things I cook they often want the recipe. I am just using my normal recipes and using coconut oil in place of what ever oil is listed. It is great to know that we are using a fat that is healthy and won’t make us fat when we eat it. Read more at Herbs First about the many health benefits of using coconut oil. We have great pricing, only $55.00 per gallon with special shipping of only $10.00 for up to ten gallons shipped to the same address in the continental United States. Order some today!

You can purchase these and other great healing products at Herbs First.

Coconut Oil to the rescue

I woke up in the early hours this morning with my eye hurting and realized that I was getting an ulcer on my cornea which is different from an eye infection. I have dealt with this problem for many years and the last time I had this problem was in January & February which lasted over a three week period. This type of infection is not to be taken lightly, it is a stabbing pain in the eye along with incredible sensitivity to light. Being an ulcer it is wears holes in the cornea and if it is in the line of vision will result in distorted and even loss of vision. I spent close to $300.00 in doctor bills and eyedrops last winter and wasn’t getting anywhere until I decided to try the coconut oil cure.

Coconut oil kills virus & bacteria and I found then as now that taking it internally will help the problem quite quickly. When I first realized that I was getting an ulcer I drank a glass of coconut milk since it is high in coonut oil. Later when I got up it was still hurting so I popped my oil bottle into hot water to melt the coconut oil and started taking a tablespoon of oil about every half hour. After about three doses my eye finally stopped hurting. I have continued to eat a tablespoon of oil every few hours throughout the day and will continue to take it for a few days to make sure the problem is taken care of. Wow, knowing this works has saved me a lot of money and better yet, saved me the pain I have gone through in years past when these infections hit me.

There has been a lot of research on using Coconut Oil for many health issues including diabetes, AIDS, stomach ulcers and more. You can learn more in the book Coconut Cures. I enjoy cooking with coconut oil and it makes the food taste better. I love to dribble coconut oil on my steamed vegies, cook my food in the oil and use it in my baking. Coconut oil is great for the skin and we have gone through quite a bit of the oil using it externally. We made homemade scones a few weeks ago and usually I can’t handle the smell of fried foods in my house. The scones were very delicious and did not leave that awful smell in my house. Coconut oil doesn’t change when heated and is a very safe oil to eat.

We have great pricing on our coconut oil with a low shipping cost of $10.00 for up to 4 gallons of oil.

You can purchase Coconut Oil at Herbs First.

Zucchini Bread Recipe

We went to a family reunion over the weekend, I usually sign up to bring a dessert so that there is a treat I feel good about eating. After eating lunch I was walking over to talk to two of my cousins who were discussing a piece of cake that they eaten. As I walked up they asked me if that was my Zucchini cake that they had eaten. I said yes, and they said we knew it was yours, it looked so healthy and tasted so good, and they knew because it had coconut in it. They had both gone over to get another piece but it was all gone. It is a bread recipe that I had baked it in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan and took a bottle of whipped cream to use for the topping. I hope you enjoy it too.

Zucchini Bread

Mix together:

3 eggs

1 cup butter, I use 1/2 c butter 1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cups raw honey or 2 cups organic sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini, a little extra is ok, I just use what I have up to 3 cups

1 cup organic coconut

In a separate bowl whisk together:

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use sprouted whole wheat flour)

1 tsp. Real Salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Rumford baking powder

1 tbsp cinnamon, or a little more if you really like it

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix until just blended. Pour into pans. Bake at 350 degrees. Mini pans about 40 min. Regular loaf pan 45 - 50 min. 9x13 pan about 45 min.

I modified this recipe from a great cookbook I recently got called At Tiffany's Table. All the recipe's use honey as a sweetner, whole grains, wholesome recipes. I love this cookbook!

Make your own Granola for a fraction of the cost.

There are so many pre-made foods at the store that the easy way is to buy a box of this or a bag or that. I want the best for my family and the biggest reason I like to make my own food is so that I am in control of what goes into it. The best part about making it yourself is you can add things you like and omit things that you don't. I've been wanting to make granola for quite some time and finally got around to doing it. For a while I was buying a natural brand of granola which is very tasty and expensive. I made 96 oz. which is six pounds of granola for a fraction of the cost. It didn't take very long to mix it up, but took a while to dry it out, since I use a low heat method to retain the nutrients. Here is the recipe I used which I modified from the Coconut Lover's Cookbook.

Granola

6 cups organic old fashioned oats

5 cups organic shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup almonds, slivered almonds are easy

1 cup pecans, cut in pieces

1 cup virgin coconut oil, melted

1 cup honey

1 T cinnamon
1 T Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt coconut oil on the stove with the honey.  When warmed add vanilla and cinnamon, stir until combined.  Add some stevia to it if you want it a little sweeter.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Dry in oven at 250 degrees for an hour, stirring it every 15 minutes so it doesn't burn. For a raw version put in the dehydrator at 120 degrees until dried, about 24 hours. It makes a great topping for cobbler!

Say NO to Swine Flu and the Vaccine

I grew up on wholesome food and like most kids when they leave home I got off that path for awhile. We raised our kids on a mixture of wholesome foods with refined foods, which is likely better than the majority of the people today. At this point in my life we are back to eating wholesome homemade foods and are healthier for it.
We are hearing in the news more about the swine flu, what are the schools going to do about it, and how fast can the government get the swine flu shot to everyone? My husband's employer was giving free flu shots one year so he got the vaccine, and he along with everyone else got the flu. The next year they were giving the flu shots again and he didn't get the shot, but everyone in his department got the shot and again got the flu. The following year after that nobody wanted to get it again, they figured it out. If you get the flu shot you get the flu.
If you know anything about the flu or any other sickness, it is your immune system that protects you. How do you maintain a good immune system? Pure and simple it is eating a wholesome diet along with whole food vitamins and minerals that keep your immune system strong. People with good immune systems rarely get sick. I am not worried about health care, we rarely visit a doctor going years between visits. Instead of spending so much money on health insurance we get a high deductible insurance plan which leaves us the bulk of the money to invest in ourselves by eating high quality foods and herbs.
Hormone free meats, eggs and dairy products are getting easier to find and worth the extra money because many people are getting sick from the overload of hormones in these foods. Buy organic produce when you can and eat 75% fresh fruits and vegetables with the remainder being cooked foods and grains. Use healthy oils such as olive oil and coconut oil. If you haven’t used coconut oil you are in for a very pleasant surprise because it makes everything taste so good and it is great for your skin too. We have amazingly low pricing on coconut oil with a flat rate shipping of $10.00 for up to 4 gallons of oil shipped in the continental US.
At Herbs First we have the best whole food/plant based supplements and our best buy is Western Botanicals Earth’s Nutrition in a 5 pound (80 oz) mylar bag. This naturally balanced blend of organically grown whole foods is specifically formulated to supply you with natural foods sources of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and essential trace nutrients. All of the ingredients are from the finest organic sources available. Use Earth’s Nutrition to increase energy, vitality, lose weight or build better health. This product is recommended to be taken as a powder mixed with juice, however capsules are also available. Compares to Dr. Schulze's SuperFood Plus at a more affordable price! Also available in 14 oz. container.
Western Botanicals Bountiful Blend is a distinct blend of 61 Fruits, Vegetables, Vitamin-Rich Greens, Sea Vegetables, Healthy Berries, Natural Food Concentrates, Medicinal Herbs and Spices all in one great tasting, vitamin rich, nutritional drink.
Dr Christopher’s Jurassic Green: flash dried Alfalfa juice, Barley Juice and Kamut Juice, packed full of phyto-nutrients, whole food vitamins, trace minerals, active enzymes, chlorophyll, balanced amino acids and other important nutrients needed by the body. My body reminds me after a few days if I haven’t taken Jurassic Green because I end up with sore joints to remind me. Available in capsules and powder.
Dr Christopher’s Vitalherbs, vitamin and mineral formula, ingredients: Jurassic Green Powder (Certified Organic flash-dried juice powder from Alfalfa, Barley & Kamut), Dandelion, Kelp, Purple Dulse, Spirulina, Irish Moss, Rose Hips, Beet Root, Nutritional Yeast, Cayenne Pepper, Blue Violet, Oatstraw, Carrot & Ginger Root. Both Jurassic Green and Vitalerbs help to promote alkalinity of the body. Available in capsules and bulk powder.
We also have plant based calcium in Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Calcium and Western Botanicals Herbal Calcium. And plant based iron supplement in Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Iron. Our bodies are able to use the plant based vitamins and minerals vs. other brands that just end up in the toilet.
You can purchase these herbs and others at Herbs First.

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