Jessica

No Poo – 6 Weeks in

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So I think that I finally have this thing figured out (read Day 1 and One Month In) . The last couple weeks have been good. I wash may hair with 1 tbsp of baking soda in 1 cup of water. I then rinse it with a 50/50 apple cider vinegar mix. Once my hair is dry its pretty straw like so I have been adding coconut oil in from the bottom up. On day 2 it’s fine, and on day 3 its completely flat, so I give it a rinse with just plain water to bring the curls back for another couple days, then by day 5 or 6 its greasy and needs another wash.

My hair seems to have calmed itself down and settled into this new routine. My scalp on the other hand has been crying. I have cracked and bleeding skin all around my hair line. The itching is worse than I have ever experienced in my life. It is indescribable. It is unbearable.

Since I’m not about to give myself a moisturizing hair mask multiple times a week to counter act this problem I have decided to give this no-poo thing up. I simply just can’t swing it.

I think it’s a great concept and can totally work for someone without my dry skin problems, but it doesn’t work for me. I’m spending this week using Head & Shoulders

, and hair masking it up like a boss in an attempt to repair the damage. My fingers are so crossed that this goes away soon.

As a side note it felt really good to have silky smooth, good smelling hair again. 6 weeks is a long time to go without pretty smelling hair.

btw this is me after a day at work and a regular shampoo and conditioner

In the mean time (and once my scalp has healed) I’m going to try out a few sulfate free vegan alternatives. I’ll let you know how that goes as it happens. Wish meluck!

Have you tried this No-Poo experiment yet? I’m interested in
how it goes for different people.

Any tips for sulfate free vegan shampoos?PS: This counts as both an up and a down right? Since I’m happy and unhappy with the results? I’m counting it, and linking up with Chrystina today.

Crock Pot Apple Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

By Jessica

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Apple season is starting to wind down over here as the frost starts to creep in so I’m trying to get the last of my favorite fair weather recipes out while I can.

Unfortunately I have been super busy lately trying to get all of these big ideas out of my head and into effect, as well as prepare for the impending holidays. I think I’m almost there I’m almost ready to let you guys in on what I have been doing/am going to be doing. You might already have some ideas, however we are moving on now.

What I meant to say there was that this recipe is great for the super busy. It’s one of those prepare it and leave it types, and when it’s done you just need to grab your buns and choose your toppings. I served it with some shredded cabbage, and a side of carrot sticks. Did I mention that I’ve been busy? Carrot sticks come in a lot around here when we lack time, or the energy to cook.

It’s also one of those recipes that is great for football season, since apples are around for pretty much its entirety and you can doubleor triple it easily. It could also be served over rice or pasta pretty easily if
you are looking for something different.

Crock Pot Apple Barbeque Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Crock Pot Apple Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (Serves 6-8)

1 Apple, peeled, cored and sliced

1 large onion, sliced thin

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 cups apple cider

1 cup ketchup

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup apple cider

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp ground mustard

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried onion

Place the first 7 ingredients in a large crock pot and cook
on low for 6-8 hours. Once the chicken is done use two forks to shred the
chicken. In a large saucepan combine the ketchup, vinegar, cider, brown sugar,
mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, paprika and onion, and stir until well
combined. Bring to a boil and then reduced to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 10
to 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir the sauce into the chicken
until well combined. Serve immediately.

25 minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup w/ Rice & Chicken

By Jessica

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Quick, easy, healthy, and delicious. These are the keys to the perfect one pan meal, especially when you are a single person. Let be real here no one wants to spend hours in the kitchen for themselves, though this doesn’t mean they want to eat ramen noodles every night either. We single eaters want real food. The kind we can sink our teeth into, and look back on with fond memories. We want satisfying food that also happens to be fairly easy to prepare. We should probably mention easy clean up, inexpensive, quick, uncomplicated, you know because it’s only for one person, why make it hard?

Yeah we are asking a lot, but I think we deserve it.

I also think that his meal has all of those qualities. It is a super hearty soup that you can whip up easily, and has the added benefit of being cheesy. Everyone likes cheese right? Well everyone without a dairy allergy likes cheese right? Moving on.

Are you ready for this? There are 8 ingredients; even including oil, salt & pepper which are usually considered freebies. Oh and it only requires one pot. If you really want to you could probably skip the bowls and eat right out of the pot. I mean its fewer dishes to wash so technically you are saving the environment.

Woah. We are doing big things with this recipe over here.

25 minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup w/ Rice & Chicken

Author: JC

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

1 small boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size
pieces
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup rice
¾ cup chicken broth
1 cup broccoli cut into bite size pieces
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus more for garnish)

Instructions

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and sauté with oil over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes or until it becomes opaque, and browned.
Add rice, broth and broccoli and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the rice is tender (about 20 minutes).
There should be some liquid left in the pan, but add more if needed.
Stir in cheese and adjust seasoning.
Serve warm.

For more one the health benefits of broccoli check out this post from Well Being Secrets.

A Halloween Themed Dinner Party, for Adults

By Jessica

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A Halloween Themed Dinner Party, for Adults

Just because your over dressing up in a skimpy costume and don’t quite have kids yet to bring the magic back to Halloween doesn’t’ mean that you have to skip it altogether. There are still plenty of ways you can celebrate the holiday in a grow up, some-what classy style, I mean just because we are adults doesn’t mean that we can’t have eyeballs in our salad.

Here is an easy Halloween themed dinner party menu for you.

The Great White Pumpkin Cheese Ball Recipe

WhiteCheese Ball. This delicious concoction makes a perfect appetizer and can be made into any themed shape, such as a ghost and it can be made a day ahead.

Salad w/ Bloody deviled Eggs. Salad is always a safe bet for any dinner party, but the bloody deviled eggs add a certain hint of Halloween delight to this basic staple. For even more Halloween flare try a blood red salad dressing.

Individually Stuffed Pumpkins. People love anything individual, and pumpkins couldn’t be more perfect for this theme. This recipe is great to use for stuffing peppers or squash as well.

ChocolateMolten Cakes. Molten anything is good for any occasion. I suggest serving it
with a spoonful of maraschino cherries, to keep the blood red theme going.

For more dinner party Ideas:

How to Host a Dinner Party without Losing your Mind

10 of the Best Around the Table Dinner Party Games

Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta Recipe

By Jessica

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This is a copy cat recipe for Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta from The
Cheesecake Factory.

I’m not really a huge fan of cheese cake, or really cake for that matter. Weird I know, but it’s the reason I haven’t been to The Cheesecake Factory, like ever. Recently I met a very good friend of mine at the mall for some much needed chatting and she suggested we go there for dinner. The other options not being all that thrilling I said sure and was actually rather surprised to find a varied menu fill of things I actually wouldn’t mind eating.

…

Jessica

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