Nutiva Coconut Oil Review

I was thrilled to be able to review Nutiva's Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I love cooking with coconut oil because it is so healthy and has a high heat point. Unlike olive oil (which is great for cold dishes), coconut oil has a high heat point, and so it can be used for cooking/baking, without creating free radicals in one's body. Free radicals harm cells and can cause illnesses and even cancer. Coconut Oil is one of the healthiest foods on earth; it is anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-microbial. It contains lauric-acid, which is a very healthy fat, also found in breast milk.

I have enjoyed using Nutiva's Coconut Oil in my recipes, this past month. I have tried several different types of coconut oil, in the past, and I must say that Nutiva's Coconut Oil is one of the best I have ever tried. I love how it has a delicious flavor, yet it isn't overpowering. I used it to coat my pan before cooking omelettes, and there was no over-powering coconut smell to my eggs! I made a pizza with Nutiva's Coconut Oil and it was divine. I am so glad that I got to try Nutiva's Coconut Oil, and I will definitely be ordering more!

I received a jar of Nutiva's Coconut Oil in exchange for an honest blog review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review; the thoughts contained herein are my own opinion.

Getting Real Food on the Table, Simplified

My goal is to prepare a nourishing meal for my family, every night. I try to keep it pretty simple, to ensure that I will be able to get a meal on the table, as well as completing my other tasks, such as homeschooling, cleaning, etc.. With the arrival of the fall season, I love making soups and a few other dishes which normally take longer to prepare. I noticed that some afternoons, it was taking an hour or more for me to prepare dinner. I came up with a plan that would help me to do the bulk of my kitchen prep work, one day a week. I usually grocery shop on Fridays or Saturdays, so I decided to assemble a list of kitchen prep tasks for one day a week, usually Saturday night.


Here is my first Saturday Night Prep. Tasks:  Chop Veggies for the week, make zucchini fritters, soak beans for soup, hardboil 9 eggs, make no-bake energy bites.

I chopped all the veggies for all the recipes I was using that week, and put them in labelled baggies. This made it so easy to prepare meals every day. Hardboiling eggs in advance makes it easy to whip up egg salad. I cooked zucchini fritters in advance, so that on breakfast night (usually Tuesday nights here), I could just reheat them in the oven.

This tip has revolutionized my time in the kitchen. I will gladly spend an hour or two in the kitchen on the weekend, to ensure that a healthy meal makes it on the table. (without having to work in the kitchen for hours each afternoon)

Do you have any kitchen preparation tips to share? I would love to hear them!

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Homestead Revival,  WFMW, and WLW.

The Winner of the Larabar Giveaway is.....

The winner of the four pack of Larabars is.... Liz .

Healthy Snack Giveaway

As much as possible, I try to eat fruits and veggies as snacks throughout the day. When I run errands, it is very helpful to have a healthy snack, which is already prepared. Unfortunately, too many processed foods are full of preservatives and are so unhealthy. I was so elated to happen upon Larabar products , which contain 100% real food. Each bar contains no more than 9 ingredients, and they come in a variety of flavors. I was elated to be able to sample a four pack of Larabars. They currently offer 19 choices of scrumptious bars. I chose to sample Apple Pie, Carrot Cake, Key Lime Pie, and Chocolate Chip Brownie. I was so impressed at how delicious and fresh the Larabars tasted! My favorite flavors that I sampled were Apple Pie and Carrot Cake. My hubby tried the Key Lime Pie Larabar, which he loved! The Apple Pie Larabar contains only six ingredients: dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon. These bars generally cost more than your average granola/energy bar, but that is because of the stellar ingredients they contain. These are great labor or nursing snacks. It would be a great idea to tuck a few of these in a gift basket for an expectant mother.


Win a 4-Pack of Larabars!

Larabar is graciously giving away a four pack (of any flavors of your choice) to one of my blog readers.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit the Larabar website, and let me know which flavor(s) you would choose if you win.

Additional Optional Entries:

1. Become a fan of Lily of the Valley.



2. Follow Lily of the Valley on Google Friend Connect. (or leave me a comment saying that you already do)

3. Blog, tweet, or share on facebook about this giveaway. (leave a comment each time you do this; you can do this once a day.)


4. Become a facebook fan of Larabar on Facebook. Tell them that Lily of the Valley sent you.

This contest will end September 23, 2011 at 12 noon. EST, and is open to US residents only.

Disclaimer:  I received food samples and the giveaway pack from Small Planet Foods in exchange for an honest review.

Our History Resources for 2011-2012

One of my favorite aspects of homeschooling is being able to learn alongside my children. I enjoy combining all of my children for read alouds, Bible time, science, and history lessons. This year, we are using The Mystery of History  as our spine for history lessons.We are planning on going through the entire series of the Mystery of History books, using one per year. This year, we are starting with book one, which covers history from Creation to the Resurrection. I love that The Mystery of History is chronological, Christian, and  can be adapted for various age ranges. We complete three lessons per week, which seems substantial enough, yet not overwhelming.

Veritas Press History Cards

The Veritas Press cards can be used to make an easy timeline!

This is our first year using the Veritas Press History cards, and they are so impressive! They each contain a famous work of art depicting the historic event. On the back of each card, there is a brief synopsis of the event and resources to further one's study about the event. The Mystery of History isn't very colorful , yet it is meaty, and I find these two resources to complement each other very well. The Veritas Press cards provide much color and visual stimulation for my children as I read aloud to them. One of our favorite games is for me to show them the Veritas Press cards,one at a time, and see who can tell me about each event. Whoever described the most events is the winner.

Hold that Thought 

Hold that Thought's Tower of Babel page

The 10 Commandments page

My third grader and first grader each have a history binder, which we are beginning this year. Each binder is divided into four sections, one for each year of history we will be studying in chronological order. We using a combination of blank notebooking pages, as well as some sheets from Hold That Thought. Hold that Thought sells simply amazing notebooking sheets, which cover a plethora of topics. They sent me a couple cds to review, and the one we are using most of all this year is the Advanced Old Testament cd. These pages are stunning, and correspond beautifully with the rest of the history materials I am using this year. I was so surprised by how many printable sheets are on one cd! They also sell cds of timeline figures, which are of great quality!

Here is a screenshot of the event sheet topics for the Advanced Old Testament cd:

I am hoping that the history notebooks we are creating will be treasured by my children, as they grow. Hold that Thought sells so many amazing notebooking sheet cds. I would love to try this for my kindergarteners, one day!

Books, Books, Books

We go to the library once a week or bimonthly, to pick up the books I have reserved via inter-library loan. Rather than searching for various books with my four children in the library (aka....known as chaos) , I generally reserve the books online. We are enjoying reading a variety of books correlating to our history and science studies.

Between using The Mystery of History, Veritas Press History cards, Hold that Thought notebooking pages, and reading a ton of books, we are having a great time learning history, this year.




I would love to hear how you enjoy learning with your little ones!


Disclaimer: I received Veritas Press History cards and Hold that Thought cds for free, in exchange for an honest review.