WHIP IT!

Hi everyone! Today I have two fun treats. They are belong in two very different categories - one is a kitchen treat, and one is for bath time - but they are both decadent, delicious, and whipped to perfection!

Let's get started:

The first recipe I have to share with you is a delicious treat, perfect for when you are craving something sweet. If you haven't been enlightened on the perfection that is the "Forgotten Cookie," today will be a game-changer. Forgotten cookies are light and airy meringue cookies. They are lower in fat and calories, making them a perfect candidate to sneak into the "health and wellness" section of my blog. ;) They are a great alternative to a regular, heftier cookie, and (BONUS!) they're sooo so easy to make! 

I remember my mom (Becky homecky, as we call her) making these when I was a little girl; they have always been a favorite of mine. They are the perfect thing to make for a party or shower, and they are always a hit! 

Now, for the recipe!

Forgotten Cookies

2 egg whites 
1/8 t. cream of tartar
1/8 t. salt
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like the minis)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper OR lightly grease.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a small bowl until soft peaks form. (for new bakers: aka- when you pull the whisk out, the peaks fall.) Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form (when the peaks hold their own shape and do not fall.) Gently fold in the vanilla and the chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoons on cookie sheet. 

Place cookie sheet in preheated oven; immediately turn off oven, and allow the cookies to remain in oven at least 6 hours, or overnight, without opening the oven door. After at least 6 hours, remove cookies and VOILA!

I told you….SO EASY! And SO delicious!
This recipe yields about 30 cookies. 
Store in an airtight container.
Another bonus: they are also gluten-free!
…and perfect.
I feel like I've already mentioned that. ^

ENJOY! Let me know what you think of them after you make them!
Bonus points to anyone who pipes them into cool shapes and sends a pic. 
I'm thinking of doing my next batch as ghosts.
:)


The next recipe I have is, although it is technically food-grade, not meant to be eaten. It is whipped coconut oil! Weird, right? I stumbled across this recipe, and had to try it out. I have heard and heard about the miraculous health benefits of coconut oil for some time now, and have been meaning to experiment with its many uses. But….call me a diva….(no really, call me a diva. i'll embrace it.)….but I have a hard time using it on my body in its natural state. It feels wrong…like rubbing butter on myself as lotion. This recipe, however, it a little bit more glamorous. 

I have been waiting to post this recipe, as I wanted to try it out consistently for at least a week and see how it affected me. 

This is what I found:
 After about two days, my skin was FREAKISHLY soft. I never felt like I had dry or ashy skin on my legs, until I started using this stuff. Seriously, it made the most dramatic difference in the softness of my skin, right away.

I have pretty bad Fibromyalgia, and many nights my legs and body ache so bad that I can't sleep or even get comfortable in my own bed. I found that when I apply this after my bath right before I go to bed, the pain is significantly less significant. I'm not exactly sure how this works, but it does.

That being said, the first 1 or 2 nights that I used this as a lotion, it had detoxing-like effects, similar to the effects I had when I tried the coconut oil pulling technique (link to that here.) It actually made the symptoms of my Fibromyalgia worse for the first couple of days; I would even go so far as to say it made me feel "flu-like." BUT that, like I said, went away quickly. If it is similar to the oil pulling, then it probably was actually producing detox effects. 

I have woken up almost every single morning with mosquito bites. (?) Now, I honestly don't know if the bites have anything to do with the sweet, sweet smell of coconut oil. ha. But I will say that I didn't have any all summer, and then all of a sudden had a million, coincidently after I started using the whipped coconut oil as a body lotion. (…interesting…)


The recipe itself is very easy:

Whipped Coconut Oil

1 c. coconut oil
1 t. vitamin E oil (optional)
a few drops of your essential oil of choice

Put all of the ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Make sure the coconut oil is in a solid state, as it will not whip properly if it is liquified. 

Mix on high speed until it is a light, airy consistency. (This can usually take anywhere from 4-6 minutes.)

Spoon gently into a pretty jar with an airtight lid, and store at room temperature, or in the refrigerator, if you prefer. 

The best part about this recipe is its versatility. Really, all you need is the virgin coconut oil; the rest of the ingredients are not mandatory. You can alter then recipe to benefit different areas such as: Hair - add whip the coconut oil with a little argan oil for a luxurious deep conditioner. Face - coconut oil's antibacterial and antimicrobial properties make it an excellent choice for even the sensitive skin of your face, but amp up the clarifying properties by adding a few drops of tea tree oil. Shaving cream - whip up the oil with a little vitamin E oil and a scent that you love for a soft shaving cream. 

The possibilities are endless!

I personally just whipped the coconut oil with the vitamin E oil, mostly because I didn't have an essential oil on hand. I would love to add peppermint essential oil next time, though. 

Here are a couple of pics of the test batch I whipped up (literally.) I could have mixed it a little longer, but other than that, it has worked beautifully for me. I hope it works for you, too! Let me know! 

Please pamper yourself this week. 
You deserve it.
-becca