Lexie's Kitchen | Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Egg-Free

DIY Essential Oil Rack

2013-05-23T16:44:17Z

Hi, my name is Lexie and I am a lover of essential oils.

There, I said it.

In January I thought I'd delve into the world of the concentrated distilled plant essences. Thought I'd buy just a bottle or two ... and well, I got a little carried away, but in a good way. Five months later a sizeable collection of oils has taken up residence in our house—demanding their own little spot.

I know that some of you have your own collections of essential oils so thought I'd share this little DIY essential oil rack idea. Hung on the wall where I can see them and easily access them, I am more apt to use them.

"And what do you use them for?" you ask.

Well, it was in this issue of Autism Science Digest that I first read about essential oils and how they've helped kiddos on the spectrum. Two articles in the magazine suggested that essential oils can help detoxify as well has help with focus and hyperactivity. Being a mom who will try most anything to heal her boy, I thought I would give them a try. We are still experimenting and I don't have a definitive answer on how they are working for him, but I've been having a great time making my own household cleaners, lotions, and potions. I've even been using some of this brand's cilantro, lime, and lemon oil in my cooking—divine!

So if you are into essential oils or want to learn more, stay tuned because I will be sharing some fun EO recipes (food and otherwise) with you in the coming months.

An added bonus with this little rack is that though the rack only has three shelves, the dowels add three more—like stadium seating for your growing oil collection.

If you are interested in exploring the world of essential oils or would like to order Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® oils, contact me here and/or visit my DoTerra site.

DIY Distressed Essential Oil Rack How-To

You will need:

Spice Rack
Wood (square) dowels
Liquid Nails
Paint (sample size will do)
Sheet Fine Sand Paper
Paint Brush

The How-Tos:

Pick up an old spice rack—I got mine at Goodwill for $1.
Head to Home Depot and buy a 1x1-inch square wood dowel(s) (is a dowel a dowel if it's square? Not sure what to call these)—enough length to fit the width of each shelf. Tip: The guys (or gals) at Home Depot are always happy to cut wood to the length you need. So if you don't have a saw, give them the exact measurements you need and ask them to do it for you.
Give the spice rack a good sanding with fine sand paper. Give the dowels a gentle sanding.
Grab the bottle of liquid nails and apply just enough to cover bottoms of cut dowels. Adhere flush to the back of the spice rack shelves. Let dry.
Slap on some paint.
When paint is almost dry, take your sand paper and scuff up the paint a bit for a distressed effect.
Voila! Done.

This rack fits most standard-size essential oil bottles (DoTerra, Young Living, etc). Before selecting your dowel size, however, I suggest measuring your spice rack shelf and then choosing a dowel width that would leave enough room for the width of the bottles.

Veggie Jim Recipe

2013-05-14T09:00:36Z

Hi! This is Jill, Lexie's sister from Hawaii. I've been visiting Lexie for the last week, helping out with the boys, and of course testing and eating some fabulous food.

One of our experiments this week was a dehydrated snack we're calling Veggie Jims. These nori power wraps are available at many natural food stores and sell for $1-2 each—we thought we could make them for a lot less! They are a tasty seed paste wrapped up in a convenient nori sheet for easy transport on the go.

After doing some research I found out that these power wraps are one of the "oldest" vegan snack foods around. Being an aspiring vegan, I was surprised that I'd never heard of them. I found them while picking up some airplane snacks at my health food store on Maui. Lex and I both thought that they were super tasty and satisfying and wanted to try making them ourselves. Flavorings for these are endless, we went for the classic Slim Jim flavor demonstrated by Matt and Angela here in this video. The cayenne gives these in awesome kick!

Veggie Jims

Makes About 36 Veggie Jims

Ingredients:

About 12 NORI SHEETS, cut into 1/3's length wise
12 ounces raw SUNFLOWER SEEDS
8 ounces raw PUMPKIN SEEDS
1 cup WATER (more as needed)
1 BELL PEPPER (any color)
1 tablespoon raw grated BEET*
4 minced GARLIC CLOVES
6 tablepsoons fresh LEMON JUICE
1 teaspoon SALT
2 teaspoons ONION POWDER
1/4-1/2 teaspoon CAYENNE PEPPER (or to taste)

*Optional. We added the beet for color. It did make the filling a lovely spam color which you will see in the photos. After being dehydrated though it went back to a brown color.

Directions:

Whirl seeds in a high-powered blender or food processor to a fine meal. Remove and set aside.
Add remaining ingredients (except for nori sheets) and blend/process until smooth.
Add the seed mixture back in and blend/process to a smooth, spreadable, paste-like consistency (add a tablespoon of water at a time as needed to aid in blending/processing).
Avoid over salting so they don't end up too salty after being dehydrated.
Transfer to a large zip top bag, squish paste down into one corner, and snip off the corner to pipe out a 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness.
Lay a strip of nori (shiny side down) onto a sheet of parchment. This was the only tricky, slightly time consuming part. Lightly spritz (we used a spray bottle) the nori sheet with water. Then pipe the filling down the center of the nori sheet. Take your time and try to ensure an even filling.
Roll nori around filling and seal edges with another spritz of water if needed.
Arrange Veggie Jims on dehydrator trays and dehydrate over night or until firm and dried out—about like a Slim Jim meat stick. They are super yummy warm out of the dehydrator!
Store in an airtight container.

In the photo below the paste looks pretty gross (that's the pink from the beet). We promise, no pink slime or spam was involved in the making of these vegan snacks. Oh and we got over-ambitious in the "piping it on" shot. Just aim for 1/4-1/2 inch strip of paste.

Feel free to experiment with flavorings. Ones I have seen are Italian (sundried tomatoes, oregano, marjoram and sage) and Japanese (ginger, miso, wasabi). You can also wrap different shapes with the nori, like triangles.

Enjoy and let us know what you think! We'd love to know.

Shrimp and Curry Rice Salad

2013-05-08T10:00:30Z

One of the most talented chefs in our family is my Tutu Flo. As the wife of a naval officer, she travelled the world and enjoyed the flavors of many lands. This recipe was given to her by the wife of my grandfather's Commanding Officer at Barber's Point. A tasty side dish for your next potluck.

DIY Vanilla Extract

2013-05-02T19:48:08Z

Ever wondered how to make your own vanilla extract?

Here's the way I do it.

The extract I am pouring in this picture was a wee bit "young." Unfortunately I didn't have a couple of months to let it sit prior to the photo shoot :). The final product will be much darker than what you see here.

Easy and Tasty Chia Fresca Recipe

2013-04-28T21:00:58Z

Some of you may remember this recipe. It's a goodie and my own version of Mamma Chia—one of the tastiest Chia Fresca beverages on the market.

It's not often that I repost a recipe but I feel this week warrants it.

Let's Talk Poo

2013-04-22T18:28:46Z

Not everyone likes to talk about or think about poo, but my friend Robin and I sure do! We've been through it, we've seen it all. When your kid suffers for two years with "toddler's diarrhea" or cries and strains to produce a movement, all inhibition and "hush-hushiness" about the subject goes out the window. We're poop moms. Wanna talk poop? We're all ears!

Robin is the mom of two boys, an acupuncturist, and a realistic renegade. She blogs at Kids Love Acupuncture. Today she's talking Loose Stools: What's Your Kid's Poo is Telling You. If your child suffers from constipation, be sure to check out this post over on her blog. Many helpful tips to be found there. If you're kid suffers from the opposite—aka the loose stuff—continue reading ...

Lower-Sugar Dairy-Free Mango Ice Cream

2013-04-18T01:55:36Z

It's been a long, cold, windy six months and we are pining for warmer weather. For the last two days we've been snowed in. School was cancelled and roads were a mess, so we hunkered down and plotted.

"How can we speed old Mr. Jack Frost on his way?" I asked the kids.

"Let's make ICE CREAM!" they cheered.

Getting Kids to Eat Veggies

2013-04-12T09:00:14Z

Joining me today is the lovely Missy Chase Lapine! Many of you may know Missy as "The Sneaky Chef." I discovered Missy when she published her New York Times best-selling cookbook The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals. Her brilliant trick for sneaking veggies into picky eaters' diets is one I use to this day.

The basis of The Sneaky Chef cookbook is to cook, puree, and freeze different combinations of fruits and veggies. Then, as needed, they are pulled out of the freezer and mixed into the recipes Missy provides in her book. And though Missy's cookbook is not gluten-free, dairy-free or egg-free, I feel the concepts she uses can be applied to a diet that is.

Following wild success with her cookbook, Missy has branched out to create some tasty products for purchase. This week we tried two of them and loved 'em both—especially The Sneaky Chef Pasta Smooth Red Pasta Sauce and all its hidden veggie goodness. I don't know about your kids, but mine like theirs chunk-free, and this red sauce fits the bill!

Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Veggies

Missy has two children of her own so she knows how trying to get kids to eat healthy and nutritious meals can be an uphill battle. If dinner is a struggle for you and your family, here are four of Missy's tips for getting kids to eat veggies so you can all enjoy the time around the table.

TIP #1 Don't plead, beg, threaten or bribe kids to eat anything.
This will only result in a power struggle. The less you show them that you care about what they are eating, the more likely they will try the healthy foods you secretly want them to eat!

TIP #2 Shh, don't tell them it's healthy!
For reasons I cannot begin to understand, when children know something is good for them, they think it can't possibly taste good, even if it really does!

TIP #3 "Hide" healthy foods in kids' favorite meals.
Yes, this is the exact premise of The Sneaky Chef method, books and food line because it's a successful win/win approach for both parents and kids. Just make sure your sneaky additions are fairly bland-tasting and similar in color to the food it's hiding in, so your kids don't notice. For example, puree cauliflower and zucchini and mix it into a cheese sauce for mac 'n cheese. Or use The Sneaky Chef Smooth Red Pasta Sauce for pizzas, pasta, lasagna and more—it contains eight completely hidden veggies and a taste everyone will love!

TIP #4 Sneak + Teach!
Now that your family is eating Veggies Tonight, Without a Fight™, be sure to use this opportunity to teach proper nutrition. Serve those beautiful green veggies in their natural state, alongside the sneaky dishes. Now that the pressure is off and you have peace at the family dinner table, your kids will be more receptive to learning and trying new, nutritious foods!

This Giveaway is Now Closed

Congratulations Karibeth ... you are the winner!

If you'd like to win a copy of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals cookbook (not completely gluten-free, dairy-free or egg-free):

Leave a comment below.
For an additional entry, "like" The Sneaky Chef Facebook page and leave an additional comment here saying that you did. If you are not on Facebook, share it on your favorite social media and say you did.

Giveaway closes April 19, 2013 @ 5:00 pm PST.

This post is sponsored by The Sneaky Chef® but the opinions are my own!

Steal My Food, Take Back Your Health

2013-04-11T22:44:47Z

[Heads up: this video contains a few expletive words]

A fellow blogger just shared this on Facebook.

Take 10 minutes to watch it.

I promise you will walk away inspired to get gangsta with your shovel!

So Delicious® Dairy-Free Recipe Contest

2013-04-06T03:44:51Z

The So Delicious Dairy-Free 2013 Recipe Contest has kicked off over at Go Dairy Free and the big prize up for grabs—a $500 Wllliams-Sonoma gift card!

Go Dairy Free and So Delicious have teamed up and are looking for the tastiest recipes made using any one or more So Delicious nondairy products.

This contest is open to everyone. Enter here.

To view entries that have been submitted and to vote for your favorites, visit (and follow) the So Delicious Dairy-Free 2013 Recipe Contest Board over on Pinterest.

I use So Delicious products in some of my favorite sweet treats. I've rounded them up for you here. Enjoy ... and they'll never know that these goodies are dairy-free!

Dairy-Free Peach and Cherry Yogurt Pops

Click here for the recipe.

Dairy-Free Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Click here for the recipe.

5-Minute Mug Brownie

Click here for the recipe.

Passion Fruit (Lilikoi) Cheesecake Parfaits

Click here for the recipe.