DIY Goldfish crackers are a hit!

We are a non GMO home. I’ve been pretty vigilant in getting them out of our diets, and doing the research to understand why. (The “why” is a much bigger post.. someday) but.. as for me and my house, we are non GMO.

It’s getting harder to know what foods have them hidden inside. It’s usually safest to buy organic, but there is debate on whether anything is really organic anymore, because of wind moving pollen from GMO crops. But that’s another post.. I’ve recently learned that there is a push to hide the fact that a product is GMO in the codes.. or a deceptive happy sunshine label is another possibility. Whichever it will be, most people aren’t educated enough on GMOs. The public will continue to be the test subjects of corporations putting them in everything.

Phew… rant over…😤

My kids love goldfish crackers. I felt good buying the whole wheat crackers for a years. Then I learned they were made with GMOs a year ago. We went a whole year buying organic or safer brands. My autistic son really gets that GMOs are bad, so he uncharacteristically was ok with the change.

Enter DIY Goldfish! I ordered a little goldfish cutter on Amazon and found a recipe I liked.

They turned out awesome! Kid approved! Autism kid approved, in fact! I didn’t try them, because I’m vegan.. but definitely were a hit. Kids are asking me to make more. I think I’ll make a bigger batch next time, double it. The only time consuming thing is cutting them. I might just use a knife and cut squares😋.

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DIY Goldfish Crackers

• 1 cup – flour, whole wheat
• ¹/₂ teaspoon – salt
• 4 tablespoon – butter, unsalted
• 1 cup – cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 tablespoon – water

1. I used my Bosch. Mix flour, salt and chopped up cold butter, until it’s like sand.

2. Add shredded cheese, mix.

3. Add water a T. at a time until forms a dough.

4. Roll out between parchment paper farely thin. Thinner will be crisper, thicker more like a cookie.

5. Cut with a cutter or just use a knife to cut into squares and put in the freezer while your oven heats up.

350° for 12 to 18 minutes. Watch and take out at desired firmness.

I didn’t have any left to store, they were gobbled up. I have heard you can store them in a tin to last longer. Or reheat them if they get soft.

Serious money saver!

Best DIY Lavender Body Butter

Body butter. Sounds kind of weird, kind of like a cannibal condiment (ew).. but feels amazing on your skin. I have never used it until about 6 months ago. I had the opportunity to do henna at a pop up event, and the host gave out rad party gift bags. Body butter was one of the fun things inside. It was a mix of many types of butters. I tried it and was hooked!

If you’re new to body butter, it is made from plant based butters; Cocoa butter, Shea butter, mango butter. It is thicker than lotion and extra moisturizing. Body butters don’t quickly absorb into the skin like lotions. They are very good at treating skin conditions like eczema.

So I decided to make my own. I ordered some different butters off Amazon and starting playing with a body butter recipe to find the consistency I liked. Body butters can feel greasy if too much liquid oil is used. Here’s what I came up with and really like the outcome.

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What you’ll need:

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1/2 cup Shea butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

Lavender essential oil (or your oil of choice) amount varies. I used about 20 drops.

Double boiler or a pot and smaller glass bowl.

Electric Mixer

1. Mix and melt butters and coconut oil in glass bowl or double boiler.

2. Take off heat and let sit a few minutes, then place in refrigerator for an hour or until set. You don’t want it to completely solidify, because you’re going to whip it up.

3. Whip till you have a fluffy consistency . Add your essential oils and whip in. Place in jars or containers of your choice. Usually whipped body butters are fluffy, but to avoid the greasiness, I used less oil. So this is a bit more firm when finished, than fluffy.

If you want more fluff, add more oil. I personally like this less greasy feel. So try it out and tell me what you think! Enjoy the luxury!

Namaste🌿