Best Online Keurig Pod Deals - Save Money on Dark Roast Keurig Pods - Review of San Francisco Bay Coffee Pods Fog Chaser

Ponderings of a Recovering Coffee Snob

I love coffee. I never thought I would be happy with coffee from something called a "Pod." So we stuck with an old fashioned coffee pot much longer than most modern people. We finally upgraded to a Keurig last winter. At first I was using the Ecopods to grind my own coffee and have a better fresher brew. But the coffee wasn't tasting great and the Ecopods were very messy. Of course I took my search for a yummy "Pod" to Amazon. We purchased San Francisco Bay's One Cup "pods" in the Fog Chaser variety. I didn't have the highest hopes since they were so much cheaper than other brands. But... they are AMAZING! I am very impressed.

Best Darn Coffee  On AMAZON!

San Francisco Bay Fog Chaser

Let me do the math for you: The best buy is the 120 pod package. I use the Subscribe and Save program to purchase the pods. The cost is currently $36.97 and I get them delivered for free to my front door every 2 months. That is $18.49 for a months worth of pods if you drink 2 cups a day. That is only 31 cents per pod! This is the best value I have found on Amazon. Even if you don't use the subscription service, the regular price is only $43.49, or 36 cents a pod. Way cheaper than Sam's Club or Aldi's pods. 

If you are concerned about having a Keurig 2.0 and the pods not being compatible, no need to worry. The lovely people at SF Bay send a little contraption that blocks the sensor allowing these to work with the newer Keurigs. The design of the pods and the packaging is also extremely eco friendly! I keep my pods in an air tight container next to my Keurig. 

So I will stop ranting now about how delicious these are, but please people. Think economically! Try these pods!!! There are many other flavors as well. We love the Fog Chaser so I haven't tried the other varieties, but the reviews on Amazon should point you in the right direction.

Let me know what you think in the comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Non Toxic Natural Bug Spray - Bugger Off! An Essential Oil Bug Spray Recipe

Promised Land State Park, PA

We love camping. Especially when I don't end up with hundreds of welts from bug bites. I am not a fan off the commercial sprays with their dangerous chemicals and I have been wanting to make my own spray. I tried out a new recipe for bug spray and it worked like a charm! I call it Bugger Off. 

Here are the details of my concoction. Feel free to adjust to your liking.

First off I started with Citronella essential oil, I bought it in bulk so I would be set for the summer. 

Next I gathered some Lemongrass essential oil, this stuff is amazing and very versatile. Nice to have it in your collection.

Lastly, I made sure I had a couple of amber glass scary bottles available. I think the next time I make this recipe  I will buy a larger glass spray bottle since I tend to go through this spray faster than other varieties that I make.

Bugger Off! 

1 1/3 cups Purified Water

1/2 cup Witch Hazel

20 drops Citronella Essential Oil

30 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil

First add the water to the glass bottle, be sure the bottle is clean. Add the Witch Hazel. Dropper in your 50 drops of essential oils. Swirl around a few times. Store in a dark cool place. Apply every couple of hours as needed. I spray it directly onto my clothing and have never had issues with the oils leaving stains.

Options: There are plenty of other oils that work well as bug repellents. Feel free to vary the oils used, but I would recommend adding a total of 50 drops for this amount of spray. A few options: Rose Geranium, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Tea Tree, and Clove.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and stay welt free this summer! 

Hormone Reset Shake Recipes

Hello friends!

After winter the hubs and I both have our winter weight that we are looking to melt away. I also have some hormonal issues as well as food allergies that make dieting a little tricky. I did read "The Hormone Reset Diet" by Sara Gottfried.

Click here to purchase.

It was a good read. A lot of insight into 7 hormones that can really mess with your energy levels and weight loss. I wanted to try it because of my history with out of whack hormones. The hubs wanted to try it because Dr. Sara states on the cover that you can lose 15 pounds in 21 days. 

The book takes you through the 7 stages of reset for each hormone, and a big part of the diet are protein shakes. But you cannot have whey or grains on the diet so my search for an acceptable, yummy, and less expensive option was on. Dr. Sara sells a shake mix on her website, but its almost $70 for 30 servings. Of course I wanted to find a more frugal deal! 

After much research the best item I could find was cheapest on Amazon: Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Raw Vegan Protein. It comes in Natural, Vanilla, or Chocolate. It is sweetened with Stevia and is very high in protein and low carb. I love that it is so easy to make and to add other items to. Tastes yummy too! It currently costs $41.61 for a carton that has about 40 servings. It's the frugal choice!

Purchase here!

Ingredients list

The following are a few of our favorite recipes. Please note that on the later stages of the diet you cannot have fruit until you add it back in at a later time. The mix still tastes yummy mixed blended with some nut milk and some ice. 

PB Banana

Serves 2

2 scoops Warrior Blend Vanilla

2 T. natural peanut butter (no sugar)

20 ounces almond or cashew milk (see my post on how to make homemade nut milks)

1 frozen banana (peeled of course)

1 T. chia seeds (optional)

Blend until smooth, in a Vitamix about 30 seconds. 

Strawberry Flax

Serves 2

2 Scoops Warrior Blend Vanilla

1/2 c. frozen strawberries

20 ounces almond or cashew milk

1 frozen banana

1 T. golden flax seeds

Blend until smooth, in a Vitamix about 30 seconds.

Make Your Own Essential Oil Roller Bottles - Save Some Moolah!

I love to make my own essential oil combinations, so much so my hubby calls me the Alchemist. My favorite method to apply these concoctions is to use glass roller bottles. Buying the roller bottle blends through the major essential oil companies cost over $20 a pop. I couldn't justify spending that much, so I came up with a very simple way to make them yourself for next to nothing at all!

My Preferred Glass Roller Bottles

My three favorite blends to apply via roller are the Four Thieves, Muscle Relief, and PMS Ease blends. If you read my post on My Preferred Essential Oils - Edens Garden you can find out why I prefer Edens Garden products.

 

Four Thieves

After you decide which purchased or homemade blend you will be using, you need to decide which carrier oil to use. I like to use Grapeseed oil. I order it on Amazon* since I live in an area where we unfortunately do not have lovely stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  

Next you need to collect the glass roller bottles themselves. These I also order on Amazon. It's hard to beat less than $10 for 18 bottles! After unscrewing the cap the little plastic ball top pops right off with a little finger nail action. When you receive them wash them with soapy water and air dry. 

PMS Ease

Add 12-15 drops of the essential oil into the bottle. Then using a funnel or a steady hand pour the Grapeseed oil to the top. Pop the plastic roller lid back onto the top, screw on the cap and viola! You have made your very own essential oil roller bottles. I keep my favorite blends in a waterproof zipper pouch in my purse for use on the go.

Muscle Relief

If you make a Four Thieves roller it is great to apply to the bottoms of your feet to boost immunity. I use the Muscle Relief roller at work. Being at a desk all day typing, my shoulders, lower back, and neck get tight and sore. I roll on some Muscle Relief and it helps to soothe my achy bones. The PMS Ease roller is handy for that lovely time of the month. Since I started using this blend my cramps and bloating have lessened to the point that I rarely need to take any kind of pain medicine anymore. This has pleased me greatly. I will forever use this blend, well at least until Menopause kicks in!

Please feel free to share your favorite roller bottle blends in the comments! I would love to hear from you and steal your ideas.

*I love to use Amazon's Subscribe and Save program to save even more on items that I use regularly. If you order 5 items in one month on Subscribe and Save you save an extra 15% off the total order. 

My Preferred Essential Oils - Edens Garden

My research helped me to realize that the most popular and well known essential oils out there have  major marketing schemes behind them. I don't fault them for this, they are smart. What I am not willing to accept is that they have the only decent oils on the market. I have done a lot of research on the differences between oils and most of the price difference comes from the marketing and brand behind them, not the quality of the oil. I do like the blends that a lot of the more expensive brands offer, but I am just not willing to sell a kidney on Craig's List to afford them.

After much research and reading of Amazon reviews of people that want quality at the best price I found the Edens Garden brand. They are high quality oils at fantastic price points. They sell a multitude of single oils for blends but they also sell what they call Synergy Blends that I absolutely love. They are not a Pyramid scheme, and they don't have affiliates to sell on their behalf. They have kept their marketing simple, a Facebook page, a website, and they list their oils on Amazon. If you purchase from their site and spend $50 you get free shipping. If you want to buy just a few oils you can get them on Amazon, or I would recommend buying one of their Create Your Own sets on their site for the best deal.

Here are a few of my favorites that I now feel I cannot live without:

Edens Garden Four Thieves Blend 

Four Thieves Synergy Blend

This is my absolute favorite blended oil. It has so many uses and smells extra yummy. This is hands down the best price for a high quality non-diluted Thieves oil.

Edens Garden Good Night Blend

Good Night Synergy Blend

This is another of my cannot go a night without oils. We diffuse this oil every night. My hubby used to get up to use the bathroom 5-6 times a night and have a hard time falling back asleep. Since we have used this oil he only gets up once a night and falls back to sleep like a baby. 

All of the single oils and blends that I have purchased from Edens Garden have been A+ quality. Please post your comments if you have used Edens Garden brand oils and which ones are your favorites! 

Cashew Coffee Creamer - That's Nuts!

If you're intestines are like mine, they cannot handle the spicy milk. I seem to be able to eat cheeses and yogurt, but for some reason milk and cream give me some major gastrointestinal issues. I will leave it at that since this is the intro to a recipe. I have survived without cream in my coffee for almost a year. I tried coconut oil, coconut milk, and organic half and half (this was a long shot but I was hoping it might work.) The coconut products didn't give me any gut issues, but there is a sour flavor in coconut that just doesn't seem to work with coffee. And the half and half was a major fail. Then I started reading up on nut milks. I tried putting store bought almond milk in my coffee and it gave the coffee a strange taste and was very watery. Next I turned to the Pinterest. What I found, tested, and thoroughly enjoyed is my very simple recipe for Cashew Coffee Creamer.

Cashew Coffee Creamer

1 Cup Cashews

3 Cups Filtered Water

1 Tablespoon Honey (optional)

Start by putting the cashews in your blender jar, add the 3 cups of water and put the lid on. Set your kitchen timer for 4 hours. After the cashews have soaked for the allotted time, blend on high for about a minute. Add the honey and blend for another 30 seconds or until the mixture is creamy. At this point you can strain the liquid through a cheesecloth into a mason jar, cover and keep in the fridge for up to one week. I personally don't strain mine, I use a Vitamix and it ends up being like a cream. 

Optional Options: You can leave the honey out, or add any sweetener of your choice. Cashews are naturally sweet so I don't find that I need to add the honey. I have made the same creamer with Almonds, but I didn't find that they were as creamy and sweet. Almonds also have a pesky shell that forces you to strain the milk. If you can get raw cashews they work best, but in a pinch I have used roasted cashews and they have worked just fine. I like to put my creamer in this Bormioli Glass Jug with an airtight lid.

Hubby's thoughts: My hubby loves cream and sugar in his coffee, and he has never been willing to give up dairy for his morning cup of joe even though he is definitely lactose intolerant. When I made this creamer, he thought he would give it a try like he does most of my concoctions. He usually tells me it tastes ok, but that he will stick with his usual since he doesn't need to eat like me. He has now switched from dairy creamer to this every morning. He loves it! He has even made it a few times since it is so easy to prepare. 

I am not an Egyptian - An Introduction

I grew up listening to the Bangles, and yes, I did try to walk like an Egyptian. But when it comes to my health and well-being I am not a huge fan of the Pyramid schemes. Vitamins, essential oils, shakes, and many other items are marketed in such a way that quite frankly disgust me. They use scare tactics that force people who are looking for healthier options into breaking the bank to try and lead a healthy life. I am all for health and well-being, and I am no expert by any means. I thought it might be nice to share my thoughts, findings, and recipes in a blog format that do not link to overpriced health items or discounts if you sign up to sell under me. Personally, I think with a little research and a good dose of common sense you can find better options that are financially less of a burden.

A little background, I am 35 years old, I am married and we have two very spoiled wiener dogs. I have battled with some frustrating health issues. I am of the mindset that I would much rather heal things naturally if possible, but I am not against the Medical Profession. I try my hardest to avoid having to use their talents for the most part. We are not wealthy, and work hard to make ends meet. Coming from a large family my Mother raised me to have a frugal eye. I have always searched for the best prices and enjoy sharing my finds with others. My goal with this site is to help other frugal minded individuals in their search for healthy items and share my research.