Humidifier & Essential Oil Bundle Giveaway

 

Essential Oils are a powerful tool in any home.

You can use them all over the house for safe and natural cleaning. Apply them to cuts, bruises, scrapes, and burns to help soothe pain and speed healing. Message them onto your feet and muscles to help facilitate sleep, relaxation, and help soothe aches and pains. Or diffuse them using a humidifier to help purify the air of particles and toxins, kill odor, and make your house smell awesome! Positively Real Media Network (for like-minded “natural” Christian bloggers) is giving away a Blue Rose Ultrasonic Humidifier and a bundle of essential oils to use with it {worth over $380} to one lucky reader!

Woohoo!

Blue Rose Humidifier

This humidifier is a perfect addition to any home and is different than most humidifiers. Instead of using hot water with huge particles that can settle around your room, the blue rose humidifier uses cool mists to distribute a finer water particle which is safe to use in all rooms, even in those with electronics.

The humidifier features a mood light {which works as a terrific night light for kids}, uses low amounts of power, and is very quiet to run. But the best part is that you can add essential oils to this humidifier and it disperses the oils throughout the room! It has a fragrance bottle receptacle that you can put essential oils directly into.

This powerful machine is essential to use in every home's medicinal routine.Read more about the Blue Rose humidifier from Kitchen Kneads. And if you don't win the giveaway, you can always purchase your own humidifier while it's on sale for only $59.99! Watch this video to see the humidifier in action:

Essential Oil Bundle

In addition to the humidifier, we are also including a bundle of essential oils in the giveaway so you can start using it right away! 13 bloggers have come together to giveaway these oils in addition to the humidifier to one lucky reader!

Included in the bundle is:
Introduction to Essential Oils Pack {includes: 5 ml of lemon, lavender, and peppermint}: Includes the basics for cleaning, relaxation, and helping soothe aches and pains. Intro pack from Jill of The Prairie Homestead, find out where to buy HERE. 

Lavender Essential Oil {15ml}: Lavender is used for it's calming and relaxing properties. Lavender oil from Krissa of More Than Mundane, find out where to buy HERE. 

DiGize Essential Oil {15ml}: Di-Gize™ is a dietary supplement that provides valuable aid for digestive concerns and helps support a healthy digestive system. DiGize oil from Clarinda of A Jewel in the Making, find out where to buy HERE. 

Rare Quality Tea Tree Oil {.2oz}: Treats minor cuts, scrapes, bug bites, and burns, gently soothes “ouches,” naturally fights bacteria, naturally penetrates and cleans, and jump-starts the healing process. Melaleuca oil from Kristy of Little Natural Cottage, contact her to find out where to buy. 

Idaho Blue Spuce Essential Oil {5ml}: This oil contains high percentages of alpha-pinene and limonene, with a pleasing evergreen aroma that relaxes both mind and body. Idaho Blue Spruce oil from Jennifer of Royal Little Lambs, find out where to buy HERE. 

Orange Essential Oil {15ml}: has a rich, fruity scent that lifts the spirit while providing a calming influence on the body. Orange oil from Sara of A Mama's Story, find out where to buy HERE. 

Tangerine Essential Oil {15ml}: Tangerine is a calming essential oil with a sweet, tangy aroma. It helps with occasional nervous irritability. Tangerine oil from Mary of The Encouraging Home, find out where to buy HERE. 

Thieves Essential Oil {15ml}: This proprietary essential oil blend was university tested for its cleansing abilities. It is highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health. Thieves oil from Anne of Authentic Simplicity, find out where to buy HERE. 

Frankincense Essential Oil {5ml}: A truly unique essential oil, with a rich, aromatic scent that is calming to your senses, your emotional state and overall sense of well-being. Frankincense oil from Stacy of A Delightful Home, contact her to find out where to buy.

Clove Essential Oil {15ml}: A favorite among both health care professionals and health conscious individuals for its many useful and healing properties. It is also a powerful antioxidant. Clove oil from Sara of Your Thriving Family, find out where to buy HERE. 

Ylang Ylang Extra Essential Oil {.5oz}: Has an intense floral aroma that is prized in perfumes. The powerful scent nourishes and encourages the spirit. Ylang Ylang oil from Danielle from More Than Four Walls, contact her to find out where to buy. 

Peppermint Beadlets: Each tiny beadlet delivers a refreshing burst of peppermint as it quickly dissolves in your mouth, while invigorating your senses as you breathe in the cooling aroma of pure peppermint essential oil. Peppermint Beadlets from Audra of Naturally Well, find out where to buy HERE. 

Purification Essential Oil {5ml}: Purification® can be used directly on the skin to cleanse and soothe insect bites, cuts, and scrapes. When diffused, it helps to purify and cleanse the air from environmental impurities including cigarette smoke and other disagreeable odors. Purification oil from Whitney of Beauty in the Mess, find out where to buy HERE.

Enter to Win!

Enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter below. The mandatory entry is super simple – just hit Enter! Then you can earn additional entries for following your favorite blogs via Facebook and email. Increase your chances by liking them all! This giveaway is only available in the United States and Canada.


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Cafe con Leche Ice Cream Pie (gluten-free crust & dairy-free option)

Before I get started on this amazing pie... let me remind you of the big giveaway! Don't miss your chance to win a brand new Smart Scoop from Breville. Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win this baby!

UPDATE: The giveaway is now running through Friday and will end at 12 pm!! I messed up on the original date/time and decided to pay for an upgrade to allow you all more time to enter for a chance to win this amazing machine! 

Cafe con Leche... rich and creamy with just enough sweetness to gentle the bitterness of the coffee, but not too overwhelming sweet that you can't taste the richness of the coffee. Everything about this ice cream pie reminds me of my days as a barista at Zanzibar's Coffee Adventure on Ingersoll in Des Moines, IA.

I sure have fond memories of those days. 

Creamy and cafe-licious... this pie was truly a winner. Especially topped with some chopped coffee beans and chocolate magic shell. 

I used my cold-brewed coffee to make this, but you can just brew up some strong coffee and use that.

But I have to say that make cold-brewed coffee, also called toddy, makes a huge difference in flavor, seriously. Hot coffee tends to be bitter and harsh while toddy is sweeter and smooth. Its amazing and delicious!

I learned to make cold-brewed coffee while working as a barista and some of my favorite drinks called for toddy... especially the Polar Bear Smoothie. If you are ever in the Des Moines area, make sure you stop by Zanzibar's and order a Polar Bear Smoothie.

It is truly amazing... so good that I made an ice cream version of it in my Just Making Ice Cream ebook. 

Hmmm.......... okay, enough daydreaming. Back to this ice cream pie.

There are two ways to make this ice cream... fast and easy or slow and easy.

The fast and easy way is to simply whip up the ingredients and pour into your ice cream maker, but the end results will be more icy than creamy because of the water added in from the coffee. It tasted great, but if you are looking for more of a creamy texture... then the slow and easy way is what you want.

The ten minutes or so spend on cooking the custard was truly worth the time and effort. I rarely make custard-based ice creams as I am more of a "whip it up and throw it in" kinda gal, but I made an exception with this ice cream.

It really doesn't matter if you use 100% cream, its the yolks that will help make this ice cream creamy.

For the crust, you also have two options.

The first option is to make a meringue crust. It is completely grain-free, but the texture is not crunchy... more like chewy. I love the crust because you can throw in most anything like coconut flakes, chopped nuts or chocolate chips for flavor.

But if you are wanting more of a crunchy crust. This gluten-free graham crust is the second option.

You can get the gluten-free graham pie crust over at the Grain Mill Wagon where I posted it today. I've made other ice cream pies using this crust and it has been good so far!

Now, let's head into the kitchen and make one a Cafe con Leche Ice Cream Pie... or you can just enjoy the ice cream and skip the crust!

Cafe con Leche Ice Cream Pie

2 cups whole milk (or 1 cup whole milk & 1 cup cream) or coconut milk

1 cup toddy or strong coffee

1/2 cup rapadura, sucanat or coconut sugar

pinch of sea salt

3 - 5 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

Fast option: Simply whip everything except the yolks (or add the yolks for nutritional benefits). Pour into your ice cream machine and follow the maker's directions.

Slow option: Pour 1 cup milk, coffee, sugar and sea salt into a sauce pan over medium low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Lightly whisk the egg yolks and slowly pour them into the coffee mixture, whisking constantly.

Keep stirring constantly while warming the mixture over medium low heat. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon, this should take about 8-10 minutes. Don't let the mixture come to a boil!

Combine the rest of the milk and vanilla in a medium size glass bowl and pour the warm mixture into the cream. Stir well and put the mixture in the fridge.

Let it chill for at least 6 hours or overnight before freezing according to your ice cream maker's directions. Once done, you (again) have two options...

Serve right away as it is or scoop it in to your choice of pie crust (graham or meringue) and freeze it for a few hours to firm up. When ready, serve it with some chocolate magic shell and chopped coffee beans!

Enjoy!!

Think you will make some Cafe con Leche Ice Cream? I hope so!!

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Coconut Blackberry Lime Ice Cream

I really love coconut lime ice cream... the combination is a great balance of nutty, sweet and tangy. I've always made this sorbet version of coconut lime, but decided to change it up a little bit now that I don't make coconut kefir much anymore.

I also have a ton of blackberries sitting in my freezer, grown from my own bushes. I knew throwing in some would create some beautiful colors and take the tanginess up a notch.

To be honest, I am more of a throw-it-together and pour into the ice cream machine kinda gal. Don't get me wrong, I love making the custards... but there are days where I just rather be spontaneous!

Naturally, I am a very spontaneous person... ask my hubby. It used to drive him crazy, but now he loves it because it is in my moments of spontaneous-ness that I make the best meals and desserts.

Especially ice cream  :)

And because of my spontaneous personality... having the Smart Scoop has been very handy with no need to pre-freeze the container. All I gotta do it push that 'power' button, hit the pre-cool  while mixing together the ingredients and I am good to go!

I am sure you are wondering if I actually used that coconut (in the picture above) to make ice cream. For this one, no... but I have in the past and it is SO worth the extra work!!

In fact, I think I will do that today!! Pound out a couple coconuts and make some pina colada... how does that sound?!

Coconut Blackberry Lime Ice Cream

2 cups coconut milk

1 cup regular milk (or coconut milk)

2-4 Tbsp lime juice (depends on how tangy you want it)

1/2-3/4 cup honey

zest of 1 lime

pinch of sea salt

1 cup chopped blackberries (fresh or frozen)

Mix together everything except the blackberries. Whip it until the honey dissolves completely. Pour into ice cream machine and follow the instructions that come with the machine.

When ice cream is done, you can either throw in the blackberries and give it a few whirls in the machine OR scoop out the ice cream into a container and fold in the blackberries.

Serve right away or let it firm up in the freezer. If you have a Smart Scoop, you know you won't have to firm it up if you set it on 'ice cream' setting. It will scoop right out of the machine! Amazing!

Speaking of the Smart Scoop... have you entered for a chance to win this baby???

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4 Reasons Why I LOVE the Breville® Smart Scoop™ Compressor Ice Cream Maker {plus, $399 value GIVEAWAY!}

UPDATE: The giveaway is now running through Friday and will end at 12 pm!! I messed up on the original date/time and decided to pay for an upgrade to allow you all more time to enter for a chance to win this amazing machine! 

To say that I'm super excited about my new ice cream maker and to be able to giveaway one doesn't even come close to expressing the level of excitement I'm sharing with you today.

About 3 months ago, the fabulous people at Breville send me (via to my parents' house) a brand new Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Compressor Ice Cream Maker!

About 1 1/2 months ago, my parents brought the machine to my house in Honduras and just finally seeing the package on my kitchen floor was enough to make me squeal with delight. 

Yes, I have awesome parents who are willing to bring anything possible onto the airplane to bring down to us... even a heavy ice cream machine! Thanks guys!

I would have shared with you all about this ice cream maker sooner if I had the time. I had originally planned to share this about mid-July, but the month has come and gone!

We've been very busy the last several weeks with large mission teams and now wrapping up our year before heading to the states for our 2 month stay. Whew!

But I always like to say... better late than never.

So, if you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I have clearly established my obsession love for homemade ice cream (even wrote an ice cream book!) and owning an ice cream compressor has been on my wish list for a loooong time.

To be honest, I had never heard of Breville until I was put in touch with the company on the possibility of reviewing their updated version of the Smart Scoop. Even when I was doing  research on the different ice cream makers in the market for my ice cream ebook... the Breville Smart Scoop never popped up on my google radar!

But now this beautiful machine is sitting in my kitchen and I am so in love with it! This is truly the ultimate ice cream maker and after playing around with it for a few weeks, it has earned a place of honor on my kitchen counter.

Since this baby arrived, I've made several batches of ice cream. Even made 3 different flavors of ice cream in one day!

Did I say that I love this machine?!

When I first researched ice cream compressors, I really expected to be impressed if I ever got my hands on one. After testing the Smart Scoop with different kinds of ice cream, gelato and sorbet, I can honestly tell you that this machine is awesome and is easy to use!

The 4 reasons why I really LOVE this Smart Scoop:

One.
This machine is truly a smart one. You can choose from 12 settings... from super soft serve ice cream to extra firm. At the highest level, the ice cream is totally scoopable straight out of the machine!

I'm in ice cream heaven.

Instead of making ice cream and then putting it in the freezer and waiting hours to let it firm up enough to scoop, you can serve it straight from the machine! In less than an hour, the ice cream maker produces ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato and sorbet in the consistency of your choosing.

Here's a bonus, you can churn ice cream firm enough to make ice cream sandwiches straight out of the machine!

Two.
This baby automatically senses the hardness of the mixture and keeps it ready until serving time. It will keep churning the ice cream just enough to maintain the perfect consistency for up to 3 hours after it has finished. Sweet!

You want soft gelato? You got it. Want firm ice cream? Coming right up!

Three.
There is no bowl to freeze. No ice or rock salt required. Everything you need is contained in the machine itself.

When you are ready to make ice cream, you just pour the prepared mixture into the container, set your desired hardness and press start! No planning in advance. No 24 hour chill time for the bowl.

It is now extremely, dangerously easy to make ice cream at home.

Four.
In case you haven't already figured out my final reason... because there is no need to freeze and re-freeze the bowl, you can make batch after batch after batch and so on.

Think about it, you can make enough ice cream to feed a crowd in just a few hours!

I really am in ice cream heaven!

The Giveaway!
When I was first put in touch with Breville, I told them I wanted to giveaway one of these machines to one of my readers if the machine met my expectations and won my approval.

Breville immediately agreed.

This awesome machine has surpasses my expectations and now there will be a lucky winner receiving a Breville Smart Scoop shortly after the giveaway closes... thanks to Breville!! (This a prize worth $399.99!)

To win this baby, go through the boxes in the Rafflecoper for entries in order to be entered to win and increase your chances of winning!

PLEASE don't try to cheat. If you get caught... ALL your entries will be removed.

Please use these following banners on your facebook and pinterest to promote the giveaway:

UPDATE: Because of the change of date and time... here are the new banners!!

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IMPORTANT: I will announce the winner on Facebook! Make sure you check the Just Making Noise Facebook page regularly to claim the machine if you are the winner. If the first winner doesn't claim the machine within 48 hours, then I will choose a second winner and so on.

Disclosure: I did not receive a compensation for this review and giveaway. Both my machine and the machine given away were provided by Breville. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

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Nourished Living Network eBook Bundle - 5 Real Food eBooks for $13.95 (Just Making Ice Cream included!!)

Welcome to the monthly eBooks Bundle featuring eBooks authored by members of the Nourished Living Network. Each month, we feature a themed bundle of informative eBooks at a reduced price.

For July we have a Real Food Bundle and Just Making Ice Cream is included! If you choose to purchase this bundle, you will be getting my ice cream ebook (retails at $12.00) along with 4 other real food ebooks. 

The total value of these 5 ebooks is $63.82, which is selling this week only for only $13.95! It would be like buying my ice cream ebook and getting 4 other ebooks for free!

 

Here's a simple rundown of each ebook... 

  

Nourished Cooking cookbook by Sarah Smith is a comprehensive cookbook that contains over 60 nutrient-dense, gluten-free recipes. This cookbook is perfect for those who eat traditional, real foods, as well as people on grain-free diets such as Primal, GAPS, and SCD. The recipes in this book are sure to please the whole family, and even people who don't follow a traditional foods diet will rave over these foods. This cookbook includes recipes for:

• 8 Breakfasts, such as Lemon Coconut Muffins and Mushroom & Cheddar Crustless Quiche,
• 20 Main Courses, such as Italian Wedding Soup and Double Cheese Burgers,
• 10 Side Dishes, such as grain-free Cheesy Bread and Zucchini Spaghetti Noodles,
• 18 Desserts, such as grain-free Strawberry Chocolate Layer Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookies, as well as
• 7 Condiments/Sauces/Fermented Foods, such as Quick & Easy Pizza Sauce and Tartar Sauce.

121 pages / Retail Value: $11.95

Beyond Grain and Dairy by Starlene Stewartcontains 113 delicious recipes to tantalize your taste buds, made with no grains, gluten, dairy, gums, corn, soy or processed sugar. And even if you don't need to avoid any of these items, the recipes are still delicious! Move beyond grain and dairy and you may find that you feel better than you have for years or maybe in your entire life! Photos included for every recipe, a clickable Table of Contents plus an Ingredients Index so you can easily find recipes by ingredient.

166 pages / Retail Value:$16.97
Follow Starlene Stewart on Facebook.

In Adventures with Kids! In the Kitchen author Chara Shopp encourages and teaches you when, how and why to bring your kids into the kitchen. You will learn:

• Why you want your kids in the kitchen with you (more reasons than you might suspect), there are big benefits!
• When to train your children
• The step by step process for teaching culinary skills to your children
• How to pass on the skills used in a real food kitchen- soaking, sprouting, culturing, and more! (Don’t worry, she’ll teach you first!)
• Age appropriate ideas for things kids can do in your kitchen (printable)
• A printable list of over 140 kitchen skills to learn and practice!
• And more…

Chara uses her sense of humor and practical experience as a teacher and mother of 3 to help you and your family succeed with real food cooking. Whether you are a gourmet cook or just learning, you will find practical ideas and suggestions for how to get your kids cooking, culturing, cleaning and celebrating their time in the kitchen!

79 pages / Retail Value: $14.95
Follow Chara Shopp on Facebook.

Picking recipes to please a crowd can be difficult and time consuming. In Real Food Party Menus by KerryAnn Foster, we have created three gluten-free and dairy-optional party menus, ranging from casual to more formal meals, that are only made with ingredients that non-foodies would recognize while staying on a real food diet. It’s the best of both worlds- they don’t complain about the food and you don’t have to go off of your eating style or be exposed to allergens.

22 pages/Retail Value: $7.95
Follow KerryAnn Foster on Facebook. 

Just Making Ice Cream by Marillyn Beard is more than just a recipe book! In this ebook, Marillyn offers practical ice cream-making tips such as choosing an ice cream maker, how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker and the basic principles of delicious homemade ice cream. You'll also find more than 30 ice cream & gelato recipes, 9 cultured milk recipes, 10 sherbet recipes and 10 sorbet recipes along with natural sweetener & milk alternatives that will keep you busy taste-testing all summer long! 

113 pages / Retail Value: $12.00
Follow Marillyn Beard on Facebook.

5 eBooks, retail value of $63.82, for only $13.95!

Remember - this sale is for ONE WEEK ONLY!

It disappears forever on July 22nd at 11:59pm PST! 

 

Have some questions about the technical aspects of the bundle? Visit our Customer FAQ page.Interested in becoming an affiliate for this sale and future sales? Learn more here!

Note: I am an affiliate and will earn a small commission for every sale made through this post (no extra charge to you!). Thank you for supporting my family this way!

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Agua de Sandia {a refreshing watermelon drink}

With the 4th of July just around the corner and a hot summer ahead, this is great timing to share my yummy watermelon drink.

Agua de sandia is an 'agua fresca' made in Latin America, but with LOTS of sugar. If you have visited Mexico or any Latin American country or walked into any taqueria, you will find many options for "aguas frescas" (refreshing drinks)... Agua de horchata, agua de jamaica, agua de pepino con limon, agua de tamarindo and the list goes on.

Here I am going to share with you how to enjoy agua de sandia using only honey to sweetened it, but if your watermelon is super ripe and sweet... you might not need to do that!

It is super easy to make and a fabulous way to use up all those juicy watermelons in season right now. Plus, it is perfect for making popsicles or you can freeze them in ice cube trays to use in smoothies later!

Speaking of popsicles, I shared one at The Nourishing Gourmet today. Using leftover agua de sandia, I made Paleta de Sandia y Frutas {fruit salad on a stick}. Please check it out! It is soooo good and great to share at a party!

This drink is so good that even my "watermelon-hater" husband loves it.

Yes, you read that right.

My hubby hates watermelon and cucumbers.... gags when he smells either one in my breath, but he LOVES agua de sandia.

Weird, right? He says its because of the honey, which he thinks makes the watermelon taste better and I have to agree that it does make it taste good... but I love watermelon, so I think having a fresh slice is just as good as having a drink of it!

Now, I hope everyone will have a wonderful 4th of July celebration! To be honest, we haven't been able to have a real 4th of July celebration since moving to Honduras about 4 years ago.

Sometimes I miss the gatherings, fellowship, good food and the fireworks. My oldest girl even asked me if we will ever see some real fireworks (she was only 2 the last time we saw fireworks, which was in Costa Rica).

One day, hopefully... I told her.

Once in a while we have fireworks popping around for wedding celebrations or holidays in the community we live in, but they are truly pathetic and mostly for noise then for show. Plus, they often set them off in broad daylight! Huh?

It would be so fun for my kids to see some serious fireworks exploding in the dark sky. One day, hopefully!

Now, go whip up some Agua de Sandia (or make some Paletas de Sandia y Frutas) and enjoy the fireworks!

Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Drink)

1/2 medium watermelon, diced

1 cup water

1/8 - 1/3 cup honey

5-10 drops of stevia, optional

pinch of sea salt

Put diced watermelon and water in blender. Blend on high for several seconds.

Add honey (start with 1/8 cup) and blend. Taste and add more honey, if desired, and sea salt. Add stevia if desired. Blend for a few seconds.

Pour the watermelon drink through a fine sieve and put in the fridge to chill.

Before serving, shake it well and enjoy as it is or over ice.

What are some of your favorite 4th of July traditions??

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