Home - Reclaiming Vitality

Naturally Banish Hot Flashes for Good!

by chelsea | Apr 6, 2022 | Alternative Ways to Heal, cornerstone, Featured, Health and Wellness, Herbal Apothecary, Homeopathy

You are just about to present your latest project to your colleagues and you feel it coming--the dreaded hot flash! Why is this happening right now?! This is exactly the wrong time for this! You feel so frustrated because it seems like it's out of your control and...

Why You Should Learn to Love Your Symptoms

by chelsea | Mar 30, 2022 | cornerstone, Featured, Health and Wellness, Homeopathy

What?! I should love my symptoms? Are you reading this because the title sounds crazy? Are you wondering if I have lost my mind? Or maybe this is a post about being grateful for what you have. Although it is always beneficial to be grateful for what you have, no! I...

Homeopathy: What It Is and How it Changed my Life

by chelsea | Mar 23, 2022 | Alternative Ways to Heal, cornerstone, Featured, Health and Wellness, Homeopathy

Although many people have grabbed a tube of homeopathic remedies from their local vitamin store, Sprouts, or Whole Foods, often, they don't really know what they are taking, nor why it works. My first experience with homeopathy was in high school with the little...

BBQ Rub Spice Blend

by chelsea | Jun 6, 2018 | Featured, Herb and Spice Blends, Recipes

Making your own BBQ rub spice blend takes just a few minutes! If you've read my post about the harmful spices in your cabinet, you probably know why making your own is such a good idea. (If not, see below). I use this rub for my Instant Pot BBQ Ribs, but it is also...

Homemade Steak Seasoning and Homemade Celery Salt

by chelsea | Feb 1, 2018 | Herb and Spice Blends, Recipes

If you have read my post on the dangers lurking in your spice cupboard, you are probably ready to start mixing up your own spice blends. The primary use for this steak seasoning is, well, steak. However, it goes well on pork chops, chicken, ground beef, and even...

DIY Flower Oils for Healing Salves and Creams

by chelsea | Apr 11, 2018 | Healthy Beauty

Spring is finally in the air. Just around the corner, flowers will be popping up in my garden. One of my favorite uses for flowers like calendula, chamomile, and rose, is to make flower oils. Flower oils are a way to add amazing healing properties to the oils you use...

Homemade Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Pads

by chelsea | Feb 25, 2018 | Healthy Beauty

Eye makeup remover has been a tough one for me. My eyes are very sensitive! Actually, I think most people have sensitive eyes. My struggle has been to find an eye makeup remover that isn't too oily, but also isn't too soapy and drying. Over the years, I have purchased...

DIY Rose and Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum

by chelsea | Jan 13, 2018 | Featured, Healthy Beauty

This DIY Rose and Hyaluronic Face Serum is my new favorite, favorite thing! My skin loves this serum. It makes me wonder why I haven't made a hyaluronic acid face serum before. Actually, I know why. The first time I tried a hyaluronic face serum, I didn't like it!...

Homemade Nourishing Face Cream

by chelsea | Jan 5, 2018 | Featured, Healthy Beauty

Post updated 10/31/19 with natural preservative information! Making your own homemade nourishing face cream is much easier than you think! If you have ever made homemade mayonnaise, you can make face cream. It is well worth the small amount of effort in both cases. In...

Marshmallow Rose Face Mask: Soothing and Hydrating

by chelsea | Dec 12, 2017 | Featured, Healthy Beauty

I am using this Marshmallow Rose Face Mask twice a day right now! We are having a dry spell here in the Seattle area. While it is lovely to see the sun in a season other than summer, my skin has not been happy about it. Enter this face mask. It is so hydrating,...

Sourdough Starter: Obtaining, Maintaining, and Enjoying

Why Sourdough? Using a sourdough starter allows you to bake without using commercial yeast. Most commercial yeasts are genetically modified. If that isn't enough to make you want to avoid them, many people unknowingly react to commercial yeasts. (Bioreal has a...

How to Make and Maintain a Buckwheat Sourdough Starter (Gluten-free)

This Buckwheat Sourdough starter is a gluten-free sourdough starter that tastes just as great as its wheat-containing brethren! Using a buckwheat sourdough starter gives you a nutritious as well as tasty way to make gluten-free breads, pancakes, crepes, cornbread,...

Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes/Waffles

These sourdough waffles/pancakes have been a favorite in our house for the past few years. They mix up almost as fast as one of those pancake mixes in a box do, taste way better, and are so much better for you! They have healthy fats from the butter and egg yolks, as...

Buckwheat Sourdough Sugar Cookies (Gluten-free, Additive-free)

If you are looking for a gluten-free version of a cutout cookie that is a dead ringer for the wheat version yet has no questionable fillers or additives, this recipe for Buckwheat Sourdough Sugar Cookies is for you! ***Recipe updated 11/25/19***** I reformulated the...

Sourdough Skillet Cornbread

This delicious sourdough skillet cornbread is so easy to make and it goes great with a hearty soup, stew, or chili, or your favorite summer barbecue dish! I like to top it with cultured honey butter. If you don't have a sourdough starter yet, see my post on obtaining...

Buckwheat Sourdough Pancakes and Waffles (gluten-free, grain-free)

This buckwheat sourdough pancakes and waffles recipe is the closest to the "real deal" gluten-free, grain-free pancake/waffle recipe that I have ever tasted! I love to use Acadian Buckwheat by Bouchard Family Farms. It has a much lighter texture than other...

Buckwheat Sourdough Ebelskivers (aka Pancake Balls)

Ebelskivers harken back to my Norwegian roots. They are not a passed-down family recipe, however. I had to discover them on my own. I created this Buckwheat Sourdough recipe is for all those who are gluten-free or want an alternative to wheat. Making them sourdough...

Buckwheat Sourdough Crepes

These Buckwheat Sourdough Crepes are a breakfast staple in our house! Despite what you may think, crepes are just as easy to make as pancakes. These crepes are gluten-free, loaded with healthy fats and protein. A much better way to start your day than the toxic cereal...

Buckwheat Sourdough Pumpkin Bread (Gluten-free)

This Buckwheat Sourdough Pumpkin Bread is delicious, gluten-free, and nutritious. It takes only 10 minutes to prepare (as long as you have your easy-to-make buckwheat sourdough starter ready and active.) It has a light airy texture straight out of the oven, but will...

Fermented Radishes

by chelsea | April 14, 2017 | Featured, Ferments, Recipes, Spring Fermented vegetables, Summer Fermented vegetables | 3 Comments

Fermented Radishes are a tasty way to get your probiotics! Enjoy them in a salad, on a crudités plate, or solo as a snack. They have a delightful peppery pickle-like flavor. Radishes are packed with nutritional benefits as well. They live up to the "food as medicine"...

Fermented Peppers: My favorite ferment!

by chelsea | August 15, 2018 | Featured, Ferments, Recipes, Summer Fermented vegetables | 3 Comments

These fermented peppers are right up with fermented herbs as one of my favorite ferments! With the herbs, I am finding a tasty way to preserve the fresh taste of the overflowing bounty that comes out of my garden, not so with the peppers. Sadly, I have never had luck...

Fermented Jicama sticks with Grapefruit: Feed your Microbiome with Deliciousness

by chelsea | March 18, 2017 | Featured, Ferments, Recipes, Spring Fermented vegetables, Summer Fermented vegetables | 16 Comments

Let me tell you about my kids favorite ferment--Fermented Jicama Sticks with Grapefruit. First and foremost they are delicious! Second, jicama itself is packed with prebiotics. Prebiotics feed the good bacteria in your gut. They are just as important, if not more,...

Fermented Herbs: Preserve summer!

by chelsea | August 9, 2018 | Featured, Ferments, Recipes, Summer Fermented vegetables, Traditional Food Basics | 3 Comments

Fermented herbs are my favorite way to preserve the overflow of herbs that come out of the garden at this time of the year! Of course I like to dry some as well, but you can't beat the fresh flavor plus the probiotic punch of fermented herbs. Once fermented, I like to...

Is Your Breakfast Helping Or Hurting You? (Plus My Superfood-Filled Breakfast Smoothie Recipe)

by chelsea | February 12, 2018 | Beverages, Breakfast, Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Recipes | 9 Comments

I always believed that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now I know that this is only true in certain instances. The popular belief that I subscribed to was that eating breakfast gets your metabolism started for the day. In his article "Does Skipping...

Lemon Balm: Calms Anxiety, Encourages Restful Sleep, Fights Viruses and More!

by chelsea | June 23, 2017 | Beverages, Featured, Garden, Health and Wellness, Herbal Apothecary | 12 Comments

Meet the lovely lemon balm! This relative to mint is so easy to grow; you can basically put it in the ground and forget about it. If you don't have garden space, you can easily grow it in a container. This amazing herb is a miracle worker for us humans and a favorite...

Lower Stress Hormones and Boost Energy with Holy Basil (aka Tulsi)

by chelsea | July 13, 2017 | Beverages, Featured, Garden, Health and Wellness, Herbal Apothecary | 10 Comments

Holy Basil tea has been a part of my evening ritual again for the past few weeks. I discovered it last summer and drank a lot of it, but then I couldn't find it in loose leaf form for about 6 months and so I got out of the habit of drinking it. Finally, I found it...

Kombucha: Health Benefits and Doing a Continuous Brew

by chelsea | February 15, 2017 | Beverages, Featured, Fermented Beverages, Ferments, Recipes | 0 Comments

What is Kombucha? Kombucha is a fermented tea. The scoby (or mother) and starter tea ferment fresh tea and sugar. As the bacteria and yeast "eat" the sugar, they produce some amazing nutrients. The Benefits of Drinking Kombucha: Detoxification Helps with...

Mojito Natural Soda: A Refreshing Way to Get Probiotics!

by chelsea | July 10, 2018 | Beverages, Featured, Fermented Beverages, Ferments, Recipes | 8 Comments

This Mojito Natural Soda is a refreshing blend of mint and lime, as you may have already guessed. There is no alcohol in it, but if you add rum, you have a tasty mojito-like drink with probiotics and no sugar! See my post on How to Brew Water Kefir (plus the benefits...

Kombucha-Champagne Cocktail: Imbibe while avoiding a hangover

by chelsea | December 30, 2017 | Beverages, Featured, Fermented Beverages, Recipes | 8 Comments

I love to bring in the new year with a glass or two of bubbly. This year is no exception, but my champagne glass this year will also contain Kombucha in the form of this Kombucha-Champagne Cocktail. Not only is kombucha delicious, but it serves two important purposes....

Lemonade Water Kefir: A Delicious Fermented Beverage

by chelsea | February 23, 2017 | Beverages, Featured, Fermented Beverages, Ferments, Recipes | 0 Comments

Lemonade Water Kefir is one of my kids' favorites! It's a delicious lemonade made with water kefir that is filled with nutrients. Go here for a tutorial on brewing water kefir if you don't know how. This lemonade Water Kefir contains: Probiotics (beneficial bacteria)...

Three Easy Ways to Add Fermented Foods to Your Daily Diet

by chelsea | April 28, 2017 | Fall Fermented Vegetables, Ferments, Microbiome, Nutrition, Recipes, Spring Fermented vegetables | 0 Comments

You have probably heard that fermented foods like kraut (sauerkraut) are full of probiotics and that probiotics feed the good bacteria in your gut or microbiome. Now the question is how to get them into your daily routine so that they become a habit. You are much...

Blueberry-Raspberry Shrub (aka drinking vinegar)

by chelsea | April 4, 2018 | Beverages, Featured, Fermented Beverages, Ferments, Recipes | 5 Comments

I'm sure you have seen all the posts about the 101 uses for raw apple cider vinegar (ACV). Maybe those articles have even convinced you to try adding ACV to your routine. After a few mornings of choking down some vinegar and water before your breakfast, maybe you gave...

Homemade Hemp Milk (with flavor variations)

by chelsea | March 28, 2018 | Beverages, Breakfast, Featured, Recipes, Sweet Treats | 11 Comments

Homemade hemp milk has just three ingredients and because hemp seeds don't need to be soaked, it takes only two minutes to make! Use your tasty homemade hemp milk in smoothies, baking, or anywhere else you would use milk or a milk replacement. Try one of the three...

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