Choosing Real

Simplifying the process of providing homemade meals for your family

How to Make Your Own Lip Balm

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 Make your own lip balm with just 5 natural ingredients! This nourishing lip balm will soften your lips without melting in your purse on hot days.

Make your own lip balm with just 5 natural ingredients!

I am excited to tell you after lots of testing and playing with formulas, I have created a natural lip balm that I am proud of.

This nourishing lip balm blends soothing oils without using artificial ingredients or preservatives. It will soften your lips and leave them feeling moisturized.

The formula is firm so you don’t have to worry about it melting in your purse on hot days. The lip balm leaves a very thin, non-greasy barrier on your lips to keep moisture in while keeping elements out so you don’t have to keep re-applying.

[Read more…] about How to Make Your Own Lip Balm

Surround Yourself with Real Foods

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If you have more real food in your home, you will eat more real food. Sometimes you just need a boost to get some momentum going in your real food journey.

Surround yourself with real foods

It makes sense if you have more real food in your home, you will eat more real food. Over the past couple of years I have made long strides in buying more ingredients and fewer pre-packaged foods.

I have mentioned several times that I stink at meal planning. Despite that, I do prepare most of our dinners from scratch. What helps me is I have a comprehensive list of all the food and non-food groceries we use regularly in our house.

I use that list for determining what groceries I need to buy each week. For each item on my list, I also include where I normally buy the item and how much it costs there. This information helps me when I am price comparing at other stores. Plus, it helps me to make sure I am only buying ingredients that I will actually use to make the homemade meals my family loves to eat. [Read more…] about Surround Yourself with Real Foods

Homemade Cheesy Garlic Biscuits From Scratch

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You can make your own homemade cheesy garlic biscuits and they are healthier than the baking mix variety.  I had been a long time user of pre-made biscuit mix due to the convenience.  Because of that, it took me several attempts to get this made-from-scratch biscuit recipe just how I wanted it.

You can make your own homemade cheesy garlic biscuits and they are healthier than the baking mix variety.

Who needs baking mix?

These biscuits end up being a light brown color because of the whole wheat flour.  I love adding whole grains to my family’s diet while reducing processed foods whenever possible.

Biscuits make a fun addition to a meat and veggie dinner.  The kids love them.  They are also great with sausage gravy on a cool day. [Read more…] about Homemade Cheesy Garlic Biscuits From Scratch

Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Without Cream

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I didn’t plan this post at all. In fact, I had to use our leftovers for the pictures because I didn’t take pictures while cooking. I wasn’t expecting this to end up being a post-worthy recipe at all.

As I was making dinner last night I had an “I-wonder-if-this-will-work” moment. It worked great and I plan to make this easy homemade alfredo sauce without cream again and again.

As I was making dinner I had an "I-wonder-if-this-will-work" moment. It worked great & I plan to make this easy homemade alfredo sauce without cream again.

I have experimented with making homemade alfredo sauce in the past. It always felt like such a hassle because I don’t normally buy cream.

It’s not convenient to buy cream when I only need part of the container and the rest needs to be used up quickly after opening. I don’t have a stock pile of recipes using cream because…well I don’t buy cream. [Read more…] about Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Without Cream

How to Quickly Relieve Cold Symptoms in Children

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My kids (ages 8 and almost 3) were both home with me all summer. Then they returned to school and daycare in mid-August. Just one week after my youngest returned to daycare, she was sick with a cold. Needless to say, I wanted to relieve her cold symptoms quickly and keep the rest of our family from getting sick.

Next time your kids come home from school or daycare with a cold, try these tips to naturally and quickly relieve cold symptoms in children.

I quickly started feeling the initial signs of a cold too — not surprising since my daughter is always in my face, on my lap, and in my arms. This started on a Friday evening and we had the long Labor Day weekend to snuggle and get better. [Read more…] about How to Quickly Relieve Cold Symptoms in Children