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Cooking with my daughter Julia is one of my favorite things to do.
She loves helping! I have been slacking on my meal planning lately, but when I am on top of it, she is right there by my side eager to help.
Cooking when it’s easy and tasty is something I always strive to do. This Beef Stew is the best because you just dump the ingredients into the crockpot and later you have a delicious dinner… AND the best part? No huge mess to clean up! 
**I wish I had a photo of the cooked stew but after basketball practice we ate it up so quickly. 
- About 20-25 baby carrots, diced
- 2-3 potatoes, chopped (can use sweet potatoes)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 32 ounces organic beef broth + 10 ounces of more broth or water
- 1-2 pounds of grass-fed stew beef
- 1 C corn
- 2 T ketchup
- 1 t paprika
- 1 T parsley
- 1 t onion powder
- 2-3 cloves of garic, minced
- 1 t apple cider vinegar
- 1 t sea salt
- ¼+ t pepper
- ¼ C *flour (I used arrowroot) for the roux
- 2 T butter- use some in roux & before serving
- optional: 1 C frozen peas (not shown)
- Gather ingredients
- Chop and dice all vegetables
- Turn your crockpot on high heat and add the beef
- Pour in chopped veggies then cover with beef stock
- Scoop in the herbs & seasonings, stir and cover
- Let cook for several hours
- After about 4+ hours, make a roux with some of the butter, mix in with stew
- Before serving add remainder of the butter, stir
- Serve in glass bowls, repeat
What is your favorite soup or stew in the crockpot?
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Written by Kelly @ Eyes On The Source, Contributing Writer
Is it feeling Fall-ish at all for any of you yet? Maybe with the kids going back to school and possibly cooler temperatures. But here in Florida it is still a hot, humid 95 degrees most days. So either way, a warm and cozy meal that doesn’t heat up the house works for us all!
How to make Crockpot Stuffed Peppers:
- 6 multi-colored peppers
- 4 Cups cooked Brown Rice/Quinoa
- 1 Cup black beans (or more if you omit meat)
- 2 Cups of cooked bite size meat of your choice (optional)
- 2 Cups Vegetable broth
- Seasonings to taste (cumin, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes etc.)
- Cut off the tops of the peppers and scrape or wash out the seeds. Save the tops!
- Pour the 2 cups of broth into the bottom of the crockpot.
- Add a little less than half of the rice/quinoa. You need just enough to help keep the peppers from tipping over.
- Make a mixture of the rest of the rice/quinoa, black beans and meat.
- Add your preferred seasonings. (Honestly, I am not very good at exact measurements of seasonings. I usually just throw in a pinch of this or that until it tastes good to me!)
- Place the bottom half of the peppers in the crockpot and then fill with rice/meat mixture. Place the tops back on the peppers to keep the mixture from drying out.
- Cover and cook in the crockpot for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Less if you want them the peppers to be more firm.
What is your favorite warm and cozy meal for Fall?
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Written by Kelly, Contributing Writer
Hi, Everyone! I am so very excited to be visiting with you at Day2Day Joys today! Thank you, Rachel!!
My name is Kelly and I blog over at Eyes on the Source.
Today, I wanted to share with you something relatively new to our family, but I am sure many of you have heard of or tried this product, already. We started using Shea Butter
I had heard of its super moisturizing qualities, but was uncertain of how it would react to his skin as he has a slight nut allergy. Shea butter is made from Shea (or Karite) tree nuts and I usually shy away from anything in the nut family for that reason.
Shea Butter is rich in vitamins A and E and fatty acids which helps the skin to retain elasticity, it also has antibacterial properties to speed healing. It encourages circulation and cellular restoration; it is rich in moisturizing nutrients the list goes on and on… So, hesitantly, we tried Shea Butter and it has worked wonders on my son’s skin!
And it turns out that Shea Butter has innumerable uses! Shea Butter has quickly become my family’s “go-to” remedy!
Here is a quick list of uses:
- Calm and heal eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis break outs
- Speed healing of sunburn and prevent peeling
- Stops itching from insect bites (also, antibacterial to protect from infection)
- Soften dry, cracked skin on heels and elbows
- Soothe and speed healing of cuts, scrapes and burns
- Soften cuticles
- Prevent and provide relief from diaper rash
- Fade stretch marks, skin blemishes and wrinkles
- Protects from windburn, razor burn and chapped skin
- Reduces joint pain and swelling
- Deep conditioning hair treatment and prevents dandruff when used on the scalp
- Natural sun protection of 4-5 SPF (from Vitamins E and F)
When I discovered the natural sun protection of Shea Butter, I couldn’t resist the idea of making my own sunscreen. My son’s skin is very irritated by regular over-the-counter sunscreen products and if you have done any research on sunscreen, you know that the chemicals on your skin are just as bad, if not worse, than getting sunburned. (check out the chemicals in any skin product here)
So, here is a simple recipe for Shea Butter Sunscreen!
The only difficult part of this recipe might be finding the ingredients! I had to order the Zinc Oxide online, but the rest of the ingredients I found at Walmart and the local health food store.
Shea Butter Sunscreen!
What you need:
- 1 C 100% pure Shea Butter
- 1/2 C Coconut Oil
- 4 ounces Beeswax (less if you want thinner lotion, but this if for water resistance)
- 1/2 C Olive Oil
- 2 t or more Liquid Vitamin E
- 3 T Zinc Oxide
Powder
What to do:
Combine all ingredients except the Zinc Oxide in crockpot. I highly recommend a crockpot liner for easy clean-up! Heat on high until all ingredients are completely melted. Will be a clear golden color. Then slowly, whisk in the three tablespoons of Zinc Oxide. Carefully, pour into Mason Jars or other heat safe containers and let sit uncovered until cooled. The SPF on this recipe is about 30, but adding more Zinc Oxide will make it higher.
**If you want to make a liquid sunscreen, try this natural homemade sunscreen oil recipe.
I am blessed to be with you all today! I’d love for you to connect with me on Facebook! Until next time~ Kelly@Eyes on the Source
What kind of sunscreen do you use? Have you ever made your own?
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