The Oily Life with Kristine McGuire

I've gotten into a bread baking kick. Why, you may ask? Well, it's cost effective and a great stress reliever (kneading bread dough is serious work) and it offers a sense of accomplishment. Plus baking bread is fun and the results (hopefully) taste good. For my first loaf, I found a recipe for 100% whole wheat bread . No white flour whatsoever. You'd be surprised how many wheat bread recipes have more white than whole wheat flour in them. The bread baked perfectly and tasted wonderful. Mission accomplished.  Encouraged, I decided to try baking a loaf of classic white bread (because the family loves it no matter how many whole grains I introduce to them) and the result turned out to be satisfactory. My husband and oldest girl-child decided this particular effort was best suited for sopping up "italian butter" (olive oil and spices).  My own thought's for the classic white bread (what was leftover after those two nibbled) veered more to

As a child, I remember watching my mother cut grapefruit in half, sprinkle it with sugar, and then eat the juicy pulp section by section as she scooped the fruit from the rind with a spoon. One day I asked my mother if I could eat some grapefruit for breakfast too. She seemed to like eating grapefruit so I figured--why not? My mother must have agreed because she carefully prepared a portion for me as a light Saturday morning meal. Unfortunately, the sharp taste of that citrus fruit did not appeal to me as much as the sugar I could put on top of the pulp. Mom and I decided cereal might be better as a quick "go to for breakfast" choice for me until my tastes matured. Even as an adult, I'm not one to slice open a grapefruit for breakfast. However,  I do  love the fresh citrus taste (sans sweetener) which a couple of drops of  YL Grapefruit Vitality provides to my ice water. My favorite time to use grapefruit oil is on a hot day when I feel dehydrated from bei

For the past few years, I've been learning more about 3, 5, and 8 Free nail lacquers (such as Butter London ). What this means is that the polish doesn't have substances considered to be toxic/carcinegenic (even though used in standard cosmetics for years): Formaldehyde Formaldehyde Resin DBP Toluene Camphor Ethyl Tosylamide Xylene TPHP Butter London started the trend in 2005 for nail polish but other cosmetics companies are joining in to add their own products. This includes cottage industry companies such as the one from which I now buy my nail polishes-- Dragonsworn Cosmetics.   The colors are gorgeous, the lacquers free from harmful chemicals, and I get to support an artisan (something I really enjoy doing). So, if you care about the type of cosmetics you use on your face, nails, hair then check out some of the great products you can find (such as Dragonsworn  or do some research and make your own (you can check out the video on my blog on how to make your own

In July, my sister and I took a trip to visit our father who is recovering from cancer. As we traveled and were waiting around the airport, we discussed our individual journey's with weight gain/loss. My sister is a life-time member of Weight Watchers. This means she lost the weight she desired (and it can be any amount) and maintains that loss through healthy eating and exercise as well as going to the meetings at least once a month. I have been on the program off and on since the 1980's (when they still required you to eat liver every week--blech!) A few years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes and have struggled with losing weight which could help my glucose numbers and overall health. My sister invited me to go to the weekly meeting she now attends. I've been attending the meetings and living the (new) program for a month. I've got to say this is probably the easiest WW program they have created, very user friendly and all about healthy choices. I've also

I've heard a lot of good things about DIY makeup remover but wanted to check this out for myself. The results are AMAZING! I will never return to using conventional products to remove makeup. Check this out.