Thrive Market Free Jar of Nutiva Coconut Oil!

From now until my birthday, September 9th, Thrive Market is giving all new registrants a FREE 15-oz jar of Nutiva Coconut Oil, 15% off of their purchase, and a free 30 day trial membership all for only $1.95 shipping!! This a GREAT deal!  I doubt you would be able to find a full size jar of  organic coconut oil for under $2 anywhere else!  So, as you can see, getting the first 30 days and a 15 ounce jar of coconut oil for $1.95 can't really be beat! I encourage you to checkout and compare their prices on items your normally buy or are interested in buying.  I have done a couple of orders with Thrive Market so far and have not been disappointed.

Have you heard of Thrive Market yet?  "Thrive Market is a membership-based online shopping club on a mission to make healthy living easy and affordable for everyone. For less than $5 a month (only $59.95 annually), Thrive Market members can buy the best-selling healthy foods and wholesome products in everyday sizes, always 25-50% below retail prices. And for every paid membership, Thrive Market donates a free membership to a family in need."

Have you heard about the many uses of coconut oil? Do you use it already? Or have you been considering it, but unsure about taking the leap?  Now is the time to jump!  Get your FREE jar now!

Here are just a few of the miraculous ways you can use this oh-so-versatile oil in your beauty routine:

• In oil pulling
• As a moisturizer
• As a leave-in conditioner
• As lip balm
• To soothe itchy skin or bug bites
• As a natural treatment for lice
• To relieve the pain of a sore throat
• In a DIY body butter
• As a makeup remover
  
  

So, as you can see, getting the first 30 days and a 15 ounce jar of coconut oil for $1.95 can't really be beat! I encourage you to checkout and compare their prices on items your normally buy or are interested in buying.  I have done a couple of orders with Thrive Market so far and have not been disappointed.  Don't miss out, click on the link to get yours now before they are all gone!


I am an affiliate for Thrive Market and may receive compensation for any posts, but all thoughts and options are my own.

Fractionated Coconut Carrier Oil & Massage Oil Review

Fractionated Coconut Carrier Oil - 100% PURE & NATURAL Coconut Oil - Premium Therapeutic Grade 

Coconut Oil has lots of benefits!

The fractionated coconut carrier and massage oil by GoPure creates a barrier on your skin, but does not clog your pores. Provides a light-weight and non-greasy finish. It is 100% natural Carrier Oil or pure base.  

I have divided my product into two different bottles and added to essential oils to them.  One is lavender which I use after showering, it keeps my skin moisturized all day without feeling oily.  The second is mixed with peppermint oil which I use to massage sore muscles.  I really enjoy using it!

 The Fractionated Coconut Oil by GoPure is an all-natural type of carrier oil that is able to easily absorb into your skin, which makes it a go-to option for all types of topical therapies. It offers a feather-light emollient, providing a soothing barrier, without the risk of clogging your pores, and is ideal for dry or otherwise troubled skin.  It works great on the dry patches I have on my arms! 

It provides the skin with a non-greasy, silky smooth feel, unlike the other vegetable carrier oils currently available. It is completely soluble with all types of essential oils and is odorless and colorless, which means it will not stain any fabric it comes in contact with. It also has a prolonged shelf life, which means it will not go rancid and is designed for topical use only.  

I received this item in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Making Healthier Sweets From Scratch-Cake and Frosting

I'm trying to get more healthy with the sweets we eat by making them myself with healthier ingredients.  I have made brownies from scratch a couple of times before, my family loved them.  So, I thought I would branch out to cake and frosting.  

My oldest daughter's 16th birthday was in January.  I wanted to make her a special cake; since she is obsessed with Dr. Who, I made her a Tardis cake.  I used a boxed cake and my husband made his specialty (cream cheese frosting,) he prefers that to any of the pre-made frostings.  But, he has said that he can't get any other frostings to come out right.  Then I put fondant on it.

  This is the result of about three hours of work, after it was baked.

You might be wondering what the cake above has to do with anything.  Well, after seeing this cake; my 5 year old daughter decided to tell me what type of cake she wants for her birthday-in May.  Not really unusual for her since she starts talking about her next birthday as soon as her current birthday is over.  Anyway, this is what she wants- a six layer chocolate cake, with the bottom layer being red velvet for her big sister.  Then she wants purple frosting with decorations (this detail keeps changing to match whichever theme she is loving at the moment.)  This prompted my desire to make a few frostings and see which one my youngest likes the best.  More difficult than you might think because she is super picky and only recently started liking cake-last year her birthday "cake" was brownies.  

Since I was making frosting from scratch I decided to make cake from scratch as well.  The cake recipe I got from a google search.  It was just a basic butter cake recipe, I added cocoa powder to it but it only has a very slight chocolate flavor.  The frosting recipe I got from one of my friends-it's called Egg Yolk Frosting, I made a few changes though.  Here is the original recipe:

Egg Yolk Frosting
4 Tbs soft shortening (I use half butter) 
1.5 tsp vanilla, 
1 large egg yolk, beat till smooth.. 
Add 1.5 Tablespoons milk and 
About 2 cups powered sugar beat until smooth..

(add extra powered sugar till I get the consistency you like)

Instead of the shortening and butter I used a product called Melt, which I just learned about last week and a tiny bit of coconut oil and I also used a pasteurized egg yolk because I'm worried about consuming raw eggs and getting sick.

Something to keep in mind is to mix everything very well.  The more you mix it the better the texture will be.

The Melt Spread that I used is the Rich and Creamy and it's organic, contains great healthy fats, and GMO free!  A much healthier alternative to butter or shortening.  After my husband tasted the frosting he said it needed a little more fat, that is why I added a tiny bit of coconut oil, probably 1/4 teaspoon.  That did the trick to make the frosting have the "right amount of body" as my husband said.

The recipe above was only enough to frost the 9x13 cake (still in the pan) so when I make it again I will double it.  Why would I need more than just the right amount of frosting?  A couple of reasons.  First my 5 year old loved the frosting, much more than the cake and after eating the top of her piece she wanted me to give her more frosting to eat the rest of her cake.  And two I used foil to cover the cake when I put it in the fridge and some of the frosting stuck to the foil.  Bummed about that.  So, my advice is to have extra.    

I poured the frosting on while the cake was still warm and poked holes in the cake so the frosting would go into them.

This is the finished product.

The family liked it a lot and even though my youngest really liked this frosting I am going to try a couple more.  Just to be sure I use the right one on her 6th birthday cake.

Melt Spread comes in three different flavors, the Rich and Creamy, Honey Melt, and Chocolate Melt. I could only find the Rich and Creamy at my local Whole Foods; but am hopeful that I will be able to find them soon!