Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cherries

Nothing is better than dark chocolate, except maybe dark chocolate with nuts and fruit. Chocolate bark is one of the easiest no-bake treats to make. Except for the cooling time in the refrigerator, these only take about 10-15 minutes to whip up. Enjoy!

You will need:

• 1 12-Ounce Bag Dark Chocolate Baking Chips
• 3/4 cup shelled Pistachios {Roasted & Salted}
• 3/4 cup Dried Cherries

Instructions

Place chocolate chips into a Silicone Mixing Bowlor any microwavable bowl. Words of wisdom: invest in kitchen tools that will make your life easier!!!! I prefer my Pampered Chef silicone mixing bowl {because I'm a Pampered Chef snob - there I said it!}, but any Silicone Mixing Bowl like this Silicone Mixing Bowl will do. Silicone mixing bowls are microwaveable, easy to handle and you can touch them while hot without using gloves. Microwave your chocolate on high for one minute.

Stir the chocolate with your silicone spoon. Again, keep it simple and easy! I like my Pampered Chef mix and scrape, but this Silicone Spoon would do just as well. Put back into the microwave for 10-20 seconds then stir again. Do this until the chocolate is all the way melted.

At some point when my chocolate starts to stick to the spoon, I just keep it in the bowl and microwave it just like that. Just make sure you are using a silicone spoon that is microwave safe! Not all are since the handles are sometimes made of plastic or something else.

To chop up the pistachio nuts, I place mine on a cutting board and give them 3-5 "chops" with a Hand Chopper .

When the chocolate is completely melted, stir in about 2/3 of your pistachios and 2/3 of your dried cherries.

Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silicone Baking Mat {again, make your life easier} or parchment paper. Don't worry about making it even around the edges since you are going to break it up anyway.

Spread the rest of your pistachios and dried cherries on top. Carefully push down into the chocolate.

Place in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes to cool.

Here comes the fun part. Break the bark into desired size pieces. It can't get any easier than that!

This easy no bake treat can be made with a million different combinations of chocolates (I prefer dark, my husband prefers white) and toppings. Feel free to add any kind of spices to the melted chocolate mix as well for a unique taste.

Using the affiliate links in this blog to make purchases helps support my site. Thank you in advance!

Homemade DIY Laundry Detergent - Borax Free

In the quest to free my home of unwanted chemicals and toxins, I now make my own laundry detergent. Not only is this borax free laundry detergent cheaper to make than the Tide Free I used to use, it works just as well or better! In just a few easy steps you can make your own non-toxic laundry detergent as well.

You will need:

• 1 bar Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap - Unscented/ Baby Mild - You can used scented if preferred.
• 1 cup Washing Soda
• 1/2 cup Baking Soda
• 1/2 cup Citric Acid
• 1/4 cup Coarse Sea Salt
• Essential oil {optional}

Instructions

First you'll need to finely grate your bar of soap. I put my bar of soap through the grate plate on the top of my food processor which shreds it.

The I use the food processor to get it to a fine powder. You can you a cheese grater or whatever you'd like, just make sure to grate it finely.

Mix the finely grated soap, washing soda, baking soda, citric acid and salt together. Stir well.

*VERY IMPORTANT* You’ll also want to add a desiccant to your mix to keep the soap from clumping up. They are super easy to make. Just put a teaspoon or two of silica gel in a clean fabric bag or baby sock, and tie up the opening as tight as possible so no gel escapes. The desiccant will absorb moisture in the laundry detergent from the soap bar. The silica is reusable, see instructions on the box for details.

Put your laundry detergent and desiccant in a large bowl where you can have room to stir it around. For the first few days, stir your mix several times a day. After that, the mixture will be nice and dry and there will be no need to continue to stir. You don't have to wait until it dries to use the detergent though.

If you would like to scent your laundry detergent, you can add the desired amount of essential oils to the whole mix, or each individual scoop. Contact me if you'd like to purchase or more information on Young Living essential oils.

Add 1 tablespoon of your homemade detergent per load. For really large or heavy soiled loads, I use just a tad more, but not much.

Order your custom personalized waterproof stickers (or personalized digital downloads for you to print) from Davet Designs to personalize your laundry detergent container.

DIY All Natural Safe Thieves Weed Killer

Safe, all natural, effective and super cheap weed killer!!! Have I lost my mind??? When I came across this recipe from a friend, I showed it to my husband. He said, "No way! I spend hundreds a year on weed killer, this won't work!" Of course I had to prove him wrong. I mixed up the following recipe and went on a killing spree! I took before and after pics, taken the same time of day 24 hours apart. Just to be sure it was the actual Young Living Thieves essential oil {contact me for ordering details} that was working, I also tested just vinegar and a vinegar/soap mix, both without the Thieves. Neither of them did anything to the weeds, except maybe clean them. At wholesale cost (feel free to contact me about wholesale pricing) for the Thieves Essential Oil, it cost 13.5 cents per drop. Vinegar is $2.38 at Walmart for a gallon. Total cost of weed killer per gallon is $3.70. You can't beat that price!

Not only can this awesome mixture kill weeds, but can also be used as a safe, kid friendly household cleaner! Kill the weeds, clean the house - all in one bottle! Kid and pet safe.

You will need:

 

• 1 teaspoon soap (I use Dr. Bronners Liquid Castile Soap - feel free to use any liquid soap you have handy
• 5 drops Young Living Thieves essential oil
• Vinegar

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I may earn a commission from purchases made through these links. 

 

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large spray bottle. Or double the recipe to make one gallon.

Shake and spray on any weed or vegetation you'd like to kill. How simple can you get! This weed killer is totally safe for the kids, pets and the environment. It kills all vegetation, so only spray what you want gone!

Free Printable Downloads:

Copyright for free downloads and printables is owned by Davet Designs and is for personal, non-commercial use only.

Feel free to link to the download on your site, but please link to the original post for the download (DO NOT use the original files on your site).

Homemade DIY Ultra Moisturizing Body Wash

Being highly allergic to fragrance leaves few options for body washes. After years of trying different brands and paying a fortune for fragrance free body washes, I decided to make my own. I tried a few recipes and this is what I came up with. It cost me about $5.04 per 8oz bottle to make. It is super quick and easy to make. The body wash is rather thin, but when applied with a pouffy, it lathers right up!

You will need:

• 1/2 cup Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap {affiliate link}
• 1/4 cup raw honey {affiliate link}
• 3 Tbsp Sweet Almond Oil {affiliate link}
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Glycerine {affiliate link}
• 1 tsp Vitamin E oil {affiliate link}
• 25 drops Young Living peppermint essential oil (or scent of choice)
• 8 oz Bottle {affiliate link } or these tall ones: {affiliate link}

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

 

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup. I like to use a measuring cup since it will be easy to pour straight into the bottle. You can adjust the essential oil ratio to your liking. Peppermint is stronger than most, so I only use about half the amount I would for other oils. For example, if using lavender, I'd use about 50 drops. Feel free to experiment and try different combination of scents.

Pour into bottle. Shake before each use. How simple can you get!

Decorate the bottles however you'd like. Feel free to use the free printable below or order your custom personalized waterproof stickers (or personalized digital downloads for you to print) from Davet Designs.

Free Printable Downloads:

Copyright for free downloads and printables is owned by Davet Designs and is for personal, non-commercial use only.

Feel free to link to the download on your site, but please link to the original post for the download (DO NOT use the original files on your site).