Five Favorites: Crunchy Edition

1. 

Homemade, Gluten-Free and Kinda Healthy Chocolate

Mine's not this pretty

Y'all, this is so easy. Mix equal parts coconut oil and a liquid sweetener (honey tastes the best, duh). Then start adding unsweetened cocoa powder by the spoonfuls until desired taste/ consistency. I recommend about 2 parts cocoa. Then start adding goodies. I like the plain dark chocolate with a 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and chopped walnuts. Other delicious additives: raisins, craisins, almonds, peppermint extract (yum!), grated coconut, chopped dates, you name it. To make it prettier , you can cover the balls in powdered sugar like the picture. Roll into balls (or pat into bars), arrange on a cookie sheet and stick in the freezer so it can "congeal." And speaking of chocolate....

2. 

Cocoa That Puts Swiss Miss to Shame

No artificial sweeteners, but plenty of dye

Or any other over-priced packets you can buy (including Godiva). Just make the above-chocolate (plain!) and melt in a pan with a little extra oil. When it's hot (not too hot - don't burn the chocolate) add milk until it's silky smooth and creamy. Don't boil the milk! It will look speckled at first; this is normal. Pour into a mug and top with whipped cream and grated nutmeg or cinnamon. Life-changing.

3.

Pore-Clearing Mustard

Just rub it on your face. If you want to be fancy, use the organic course-ground stuff for a better punch. It will sting, and it will work. Mustard has natural salicylic acid, so don't waste your money on scrubs. This works better. Rinse well though!

4. 

Coconut oil for massage and "other things" wink wink  

My husband doesn't "do" lotion; he said it makes him feel sticky. I'm allergic to those heavily-scented chemical-laden massage oils. But coconut oil works like a dream, and everyone is happy. And... yeah, it works for that too. A little goes a long way. 

5. 

 Corn starch for dry shampoo

I wish my hair would turn colors like a real oil slick

Anyone who's ever visited a real crunchy website knows this, but it was news to me. Did you know that dry shampoo works wonders for those of us with limp, pathetic hair that gets greasier than a car engine? Did you know that corn starch works just as well as the over-priced commercial variety? Now you do.

Thanks for hosting Hallie!