The Great Brownie/Oil Experiment

The brownie recipe I have used many times in the past, calls for:

1/2 cup Margarine melted

1 cup Sugar

2 large Eggs

1 teaspoon Almond or Vanilla extract

1/3 cup Cocoa powder

1/2 cup Flour

plus whatever Nuts or Chocolate chips you want

Bake at 325F in an 8x8 pan for 25-30 minutes.

At my apartment, we are currently out of margarine but have a whole dozen eggs to eat before the expiration date tomorrow! And so the great brownie-oil experiment begins... 

Note that the only thing changing in the recipes is the type of oil being used as a substitute for margarine in the original recipe. 

Basic Ingredients: 

Oils being tested:

Coconut oil, Olive oil and Smart Balance Vegetable oil (blend of soybean, canola and olive)

For the first batch:

1/2 cup Coconut oil

1 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Almond extract

1/3 cup Cocoa powder

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

After baking for 35 minutes at 325F:

Results: 

Tasted great, no distinct coconut flavor but 

a definite added sweetness. They were a little dry and quickly hardened.

For the second batch:

1/2 cup Olive oil 

1 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Almond extract

1/3 cup Cocoa powder

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

After baking for 35 minutes at 325F

 

Results: These brownies came out a grey-almost-green color. 

They were very moist and chewy, tasted great. 

I would maybe use a frosting in the future 

to cover the color. 

For the third batch:

1/2 cup Smart Balance Vegetable Oil

1 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Almond extract

1/3 cup Cocoa powder

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

After baking in the oven for 35 minutes at 325F

Results: I thought these brownies looked the most like a brownie should. 

They were the right color but a little too moist, kept falling apart.

Nutrient wise when we look at the three oils:

Nutrient Info per ½ cup oil (per batch)	Coconut Oil	Olive Oil	Smart Balance Vegetable Oil
Calories	940 cal	955 cal	2080 cal
Total Fat	109g	108g	224g
Saturated Fat	95g	15g	24g
Monounsaturated Fat	7g	79g	80g
Trans Fat	0g	0g	0g

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat. About 75% of the fat in olive oil comes from omega-9-fatty acid (oleic acid). Olive oil provides a variety of health benifits, from antioxidants protecting our blood vessels to monounsaturated fat decreasing LDL cholesterol levels, olive oil can be a healthy choice. Extra Virgin and Cold Pressed are highest in antioxidants.

The brownies made with olive oil were the healthiest and best texture, but not quite the right color.

The brownies made with coconut tasted the best to me but were a bit dry and got hard quickly.

The brownies made with vegetable oil looked the best but were the least healthy and almost too moist.

In the future I would probably use olive oil or just make vegan brownies.

4 Ingredient Home Made Deodorant (Coconut Scent)

I originally tried natural deodorant when I got one in a monthly subscription box from VeganCuts. I had not put much thought into my deodorant choices in the past, I'd been using men's Old Spice for years. I was hesitant to try this new five-ingredient deodorant. I wasn't sure if it would actually work and the consistency was different than traditional deodorant. I have been using the natural deodorant for about six months now. It last longer than old spice ever did for me. The scent is more subtle but it truly does the job. My first natural deodorant was from North Coast Organics. I have since discovered a similar 6 ingredient deodorant from The Fanciful Fox.

 

I really liked this deodorant. As it started to near the end of the tube, I read the ingredient list and realized I could easily make this. I went online to compare recipes and ended up with this based on what I had in my apartment. Other recipes use different types of waxes or oils. I like coconut oil for the tropical smell. Coconut oil has a pretty low melting point (76F) which makes it easy to work with and it wont be hard to apply because it wont get too solid. I live in New York. If you live in a warmer climate I would definitely suggest using a more solid base for your deodorant. My first batch with just 4 basic ingredients came out looking like this:

Recipe for DIY Coconut Deodorant:

4 Tablespoons Virgin Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon Shea Butter

3 Tablespoons Baking Soda

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

*optional 5-10 drops oil for scent

- Makes 100mL

- Store at above 77F to keep it solid

DIY Lip Scrub

I first saw this at LUSH. They had testers so I tried it. Its a little messy but you can literally eat it after and from what I hear, most people do just lick it off. The scrub exfoliates your lips which is something I know my lips don't normally get. It leaves them really soft. Usually these lip scrubs are sugar based but there's a wide range of recipes out there now. I saw recipes that used coffee beans, salt, or brown sugar instead of sugar.
With the cold weather we've been having in New York this year, my lips have gotten really chapped. I thought a lip scrub would probably help. I found recipes that used honey, olive oil, pumpkin, peppermint, vanilla or ginger. I used what I already had in my apartment, some regular white sugar, some blue sugar candy I ground up, a tiny bit of coconut oil and a few drops of grapefruit oil. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

For more recipe ideas:
Checkout this article with step-by-step pictures

DIY Body Scrubs

I like to use a mix of fine and coarse ground sea salt in my body scrubs. Finer salt is more gentle so better for people with sensitive skin. Coarser salt is able to exfoliate more and help your skin get clean.You can find these at any grocery store,should only cost a few dollars. Then I add oil. Different oils have different benefits and treat different skin issues. For example, grape seed oil strengthens and tightens skin while moisturizing to fight aging. Grape seed oil has anti-inflammatory properties that make it good for people with sensitive skin. Coconut oil has a nice smell and contains vitamin E to help repair damaged skin. In my own experience, coconut oil really makes my skin smooth. I got my oils at the Queens Health Emporium my local health food store. I'm sure they could also be ordered online.

The essential oils and extracts are mainly used for scent since salt and oils don’t have much of a smell. Fresh fruit juices or shavings of peel can also be used. Citrus fruits are great because the smell really comes through, especially if it’s fresh. I have used fresh lime and grapefruit in the past and I highly suggest it, I loved the smell. I found these other essential oils at the health food store and on amazon. (just regular lime juice from the grocery store)

One example of a scrub I made contained sea salt, apricot oil, coconut oil, orange extract, and lime juice. 

The ratio and ingredients are up to you depending how you want the finished product to be. I like mine the constancy of wet send. I usually start out by filling a container halfway with salt. I add oils until it is saturated, mix it and then add more salt and fragrances. It’s so easy and inexpensive compared to similar products on the market now. One 200 mL jar sized batch usually lasts me 2-3 weeks. My skin feels great and I feel good about what I'm using to clean my body. Many commercial body care products contain a long ingredient list of chemicals. I prefer something with a few simple ingredients that I know and understand. There are some of natural products on the market now, but I find many of them are cost prohibitive. The oils and extracts will last a while. I haven't run out of any of mine and I've made seven or eight batches. I've had to buy more salt but it's pretty inexpensive.