I'm so excited to bring back gift guides! These are so fun to put together with a little input from the girls and things the ask for along with a few things we love and a few magical & festive additions. This list is geared more towards girls because #momofgirls, but I have more links & ideas for boys here too! 

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight

We try to stick with something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. It makes life & the holidays so much easier and keeps toys to a minimum. 

This year Emi asked for a camera and Aria asked for a robot. They also love anything arts & crafts - we get a fresh new art kit for them each year - I love this studio art set too. Boots are always a must along with cozy winter pajamas! 

They love pretty dolls - I feel like they will be so cute poking out of their stockings on Christmas morning. Each of the girls will get a new Polly Pocket + cute hair clips in their stockings too.

Reading and coloring books are a favorite around here - Aria gets excited learning about all the states and love how beautiful this 50 States book is.  I flipped through the Apple Cake book, it focuses on gratitude and step-by-step what goes into making an apple pie from the farmer to the table and also has a recipe at the end I can't wait to make with the girls.

A few more things - magnet tiles are hands-down the most played with toys in our house - they are always out and I'm always willing to add to their collection (this car set is so fun!) - they also make the best gift for nieces & nephews too.  Fuse & Perler beads are a big hit around here as well - we are well stocked on beads + templates but if you're looking for a great gift for ages 4+, we highly recommend these!

I also have created this list of kids favorites from Amazon with more books and a few things geared more towards boys and things we are buying for a nephews!

Hope this has given you a few fun ideas for shopping this year! If you are interested in more gift guides for men, your friends or things to treat yourself with, let me know, I'd be happy to put them together! 

We just made our first batch of Elderberry Syrup for the season.. with kids headed back to school, fall germs and dare I say flu season around the corner, I'm staying ahead of the curve as much as I can. There is a time & place for modern medicine, but there's not much that they can do for the common cold or even a mild form of the flu - and if you've ever had the flu, you know just how terrible it can be, especially if it's your little ones.

As a child, I remember we'd always go out a pick bucket loads of berries - but my parents always sought out elderberries. We made jams and syrups and used them all winter long.

Elderberries have been used as a traditional remedy for hundreds of years - from colds, flu, fever, burns & cuts, bladder & urinary tract issues and even stomachaches. Rich in flavonoids, particularly anthocyanins which are a powerful antioxidant that keeps the immune systems strong. This high antioxidant activity stimulates the immune response while bioflavonoids and other proteins in the juice of the berry deactivate the cold or flu virus enzymes that can infect our cells. On top of that, they are rich in vitamins A, B & C. In short, the immune-boosting compounds in Elderberries have been specifically shown to help beat the cold and flu more quickly by inhibiting duplication of the virus.


During the cold winter months, most stores are wiped out of their over-priced syrups - they are usually for around $15-$23 or more for 4-8 ounces. This recipe makes 16oz for under $10.

We take 1 tsp every few hours when we are feeling under the weather and every day or two to keep our immune systems humming along - especially in the winter months when I hear of all the things going around.

We also add immune-boosting essential oils to ours - this recipe is versatile, so feel free to adjust the spices or essential oils as you'd like!


Suggested additions:

Thieves Vitality - we use this blend of Clove, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary & Cinnamon Bark all year for overall wellness & immune support. Named for the legend of the 4 thieves who during the 15th century would rob the graves of the dead and dying during the plague, but never got sick. When they got caught, they traded their recipe for a lesser sentence. There's many amazing medical studies around this blend.

Clove Vitality - and extra boost of antioxidants! Antioxidants are known for their ability to fight free radicals.

Frankincense Vitality - this powerful oil supports cell health & function - you should google the benefits of this one - you will be blown away!

Nutmeg Vitality - Circulation boost that also supports the nervous & endocrine systems!

Ginger Vitality- Over 70% of our immune system resides in our gut, so keeping digestion optimal is important.

Cinnamon Bark Vitality - and extra boost of strong immune support with this oil. Plus the warm, spicy flavor is perfect.

Orange Vitality - We love the boost of fruity flavor, but Orange has many benefits including the fact that it's cleansing, uplifting, aids digestion & is high in d-limonene!

If you want to learn more about essential oils? Come follow along over here!
This the base recipe we used & love.. we also double it and keep a jar in the freezer.

ELDERBERRY SYRUP 

2/3 cup dried organic black elderberries
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup raw local honey
YL Vitality Essential oils: Thieves, Clove, Frankincense, Cinnamon Bark, Nutmeg, Ginger & Orange)

1. Add water & elderberries to a large pot and bring to a full boil.

2. Cover and reduce heat to a low simmer for (a minimum) 45 minutes to an hour, until the liquid reduces by almost half.

3. Remove from heat and let cool until it is cool enough to be handled.

4. Pour 75% of the juice through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl. Return any berries to the pan and mash the berries carefully using a spoon or other flat utensil. Pour this remaining portion through the strainer as well. Discard the elderberries and let the liquid cool to lukewarm.


5. When it is no longer hot, add the honey and Vitality oils:
1 drop Thieves
1 drop Clove
1 drop Nutmeg
1 drop Ginger
1 drop Cinnamon Bark
3 drops Frankincense
5 drops Orange
Stir well.


6. Pour into a mason jar (or any glass jar with a well fitting lid) and store in the fridge. Add to your daily (or every other day) routine for an immune boost!

When the honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a  mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle of some kind.

DOSING: Standard doses are 1/2-1 teaspoon for kids and 1/2 - 1 tablespoon for adults. If a cold or flu does strike, take the standard dose every 2-4 hours until symptoms subside.

Have you tried Elderberry syrup before? Have you made your own? I'll probably make a batch into homemade gummies soon too!

xoxo, McKenzie

Long overdue for a recipe over here.. This week the pile of fresh tomatoes on our kitchen counter + cool fall-like weather + three piles of orange & brown leaves in our backyard had me feeling like soup should be on the menu.

We have definitely been blessed by a fruitful garden this year and I can't get over it. We added 3 more raised beds this year and planted things I most commonly buy at the store and it's been more than worth it.

If you have ever had more than one tomato plant, you know what I mean when I say you can't eat them all - meaning salads, snacks etc.. You have to use them in recipes!

We have 8 tomato plants - 4 grape tomato & 4 big slicer tomato plants. Homegrown, truly vine-ripened tomatoes taste amazing - unlike anything you can get at the store. Am I right?

Okay - back to the soup recipe. I've made tomato soup before with canned tomatoes, but never fresh. A quick browse on Pinterest will show you lots of recommendations to roast your ingredients, blend it up and simmer everything for a bit, so that's what I did. SUPER EASY.  After we enjoyed a couple bowls of soup with grilled cheese sandwiches (because, best combo ever!) I thought about ways to streamline this even more.. so I added notes on that below too!


The recipe for the simplest, most delicious tomato soup with fresh tomatoes, coming at ya!

HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP

3-4lbs fresh tomatoes, cored & sliced in half side to side, seed removed
6 cloves peeled garlic
2 sweet onions (1-2 cups rough chopped)
Olive oil to drizzle (about 1/2 cup)
1 quart chicken or bone broth
Basil - 1/4 cup fresh chopped or 1 tsp dried or 1 drop Basil Vitality
Oregano - 1/8 cup fresh chopped or 1/2 tsp dried or 1 drop Oregano Vitality
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line 1-2 baking sheets with foil.



I had a mix of tomatoes to start with so I just removed the stems of the grape tomatoes. I cored & sliced the big tomatoes in half side to side and removed the seeds. This part takes the longest.
I had several small onions from the garden, so I sliced them all up into even chunks and had just shy of 2 cups of chopped onions total.


Place the onion, garlic & sliced tomatoes cut side up on the lined baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil + sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the onions started to char.

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly then scrape all the oven roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil into a blender or food processor and puree until it's your preferred chucky or smooth consistency. Do this in batches if needed. I used the Vitamix at moderate speed for 60-90 seconds.


Transfer your tomato/onion puree to a large stock pot and add a quart of broth and the basil + oregano. I opted for the Vitality oils - these are pure, made for recipes & cooking (more concentrated than extracts and without any fillers). The flavor is very potent and you only need one drop! You may also add more salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer 30-45 minutes. The soup will thicken and the flavors will meld.


You could also lower the heat at the end and add cream if you prefer.
Garnish away! We kept this round simple with Parmesan cheese & basil, but you could add any of the following:  sour cream, garlic croutons, goldfish crackers, crackers, roasted salsa or corn, or chopped, crispy bacon!


COOKING OPTIONS:

Roast everything the night before, puree & transfer/store overnight in the refrigerator to cool. The next morning, pour the puree + broth into your preference of:

a) Instant Pot:
+  Use your Instant Pot like a slower cooker with this option. Just add food as you normally would to a slow cooker, close the lid (or use a slow cooker lid) and then press the “Slow Cook” button.
+  Use the “Soup” button, low pressure for 20 minutes.

b) Slow Cooker: low heat for 8 hours.

Could alternately place roasted tomato/onion mixture in Instant Pot or Slow Cooker with broth and use an immersion blender before serving.

Make this?! I've love to see! Tag me at @mckenzie_wheeler on Instagram!

the view from the top of Wasson Peak was stunning!

You know where you kinda stick to the same things every week for simplicity sake? I've seemed to have finally escaped that food rut and have some easy & delicious recipes coming your way! One of which is this super simple yogurt.

This venture into yogurt-making started with Emi being sensitive to dairy.. she has developed some serious eczema that goes away when we reduce or eliminate dairy.


Back in my Pinterest boards I had saved a cold-start method that involved an Instant Pot - but my Instant Pot doesn't have that setting. Many of the other recipes require heating and cooling the milk to certain temperatures and that seemed too involved.. I don't have time to babysit yogurt when I have a fearless toddler to keep an eye on..

I needed it to be as simple as possible.

Back to the drawing board with the cold start yogurt method. Over on Amazon I found a highly rated and inexpensive yogurt maker - a machine that keeps jars of yogurt within the correct temperature range for the probiotics to happily multiply. So if your instant pot has a yogurt setting, feel free to use that! If not, get yourself a yogurt maker!


Other things you'll need:

Ultra-Pasturized Milk  - we love the Fairlife brand - it's lactose free, lower sugar and higher protein.  It was also the first one I tried.  It worked. Why fix something that isn’t broken?  I’m sticking with Fairlife, but you can use Organic Valley or Horizon, just check the labels.

A Starter/Live Cultures - Similar to how sourdough bread needs a starter, so does your yogurt. You can purchase freeze-dried starter, but the best (and most cost-effective) way in my opinion would be with yogurt. We used Fage, plain yogurt - but you can also use Chobani, Siggi, Dannon & Yoplait.

Once you’ve made your first batch of yogurt you can use your homemade yogurt as your starter.  Freeze some yogurt in an ice cube tray, and then use a couple thawed cubes in your next batch.

Cold Start Yogurt

Ingredients
1 gallon ultra pasteurized milk like Fairlife brand - let come to room temperature.
2 tbsp plain yogurt with live cultures like Fage brand

Instructions
1.  In a large metal or glass mixing bowl (or Instant Pot/IP) combine yogurt ingredients. Whisk until well combined. Evenly distribute into glass yogurt jars - if using Yogurt Maker.

2.  If using an Instant Pot, use the glass lid or make sure vent is open so pressure doesn't build. Press the yogurt setting, incubate for 8-10 hours.

If using a Yogurt maker, replace cover and set timer. The amount of fat content in your milk can affect the time as well as how soft or set you'd like your yogurt. Using the longer time frame for "greek-style" yogurt.

Whole Milk: 8-9 hours
2% milk: 10-11 hours
Skim Milk: 12-13 hours

3.  When done, without stirring, transfer yogurt jars with lids (or inner pot of IP with lid) to a refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours (IP: 8 hours)


4.  Serve your cold start yogurt plain or with desired toppings - We like to add in a little vanilla extract, raw honey, jams/jellies or fresh fruit.

This will keep in refrigerator for 7 days.
This yogurt is thick, creamy and delicious and a FRACTION of the calories and sugar store bought yogurt has. We've been making a batch weekly and love it!

I plan to play around with making a coconut milk yogurt, however I'm not sure I can do that cold-start. Soon as I have that down, I'll share that too!

When you make this, I'd love to hear how it turns out! Come back and share below!