Where I get my coconut oil

Yikes, whose blog is this?

Oh. yeah, it’s mine. Phew, that would be embarrassing to blog my innermost thoughts on someone else’s blog.

Yeah, The Man and I have been redesigning the blog. It’s a nice thing to do when you’re on bedrest. I had not yet ventured into blogger’s new template designer. I was scared. I don’t know of what – it’s great and it doesn’t bite. You can really give your blog a unique, designer look. I was afraid it would just be a couple dozen templates and if I chose one I might have a blog that looked like 3,412 other people’s. Yeah, that’s what scared me. If you see anyone else’s blog that looks like mine, please tell me and I’ll change it. Thanks.

Changing my blog template is just one step in a complete overhaul and redesign vision I have here at the blog. I’m always looking for ways to make this spot more lively and a fun place to be. I want to have fresh, unique posts frequently! I want to give you laughter, beauty, recipes, and creative ideas to find and make beauty in your day that you won’t see anywhere else! I want the content here to be well organized and easy to access!  I want to give away cool stuff to my awesome readers who brighten my with comments and feedback!

That’s a pretty lofty set of goals. I decided to pick just one. (Even though they were all jumping up and down yelling “Pick me! Pick me!“) After all, I just had a baby, people. I need to be realistic about the time I can commit to this lovely spot. So, I picked the one goal I though would be the most fun for you…giveaways!!!

I love giveaways. I haven’t won one once…but I’ve had a few here on the blog and that was almost as much fun! Problem – they cost time and money. Even when I make something myself, I still have to pay postage to send it to you. So, I thought, “It would be cool if I made a little money with my blog – then I could use it to make my blog even more fun with some giveaways.” Yes, you read that right. I’ve decided to try to make a little revenue here, and then turn around and use it to make your day. Do you feel the love?

So, with that enormous preamble, I introduce you to my first affiliate. Or sponsor. Or advertiser. Hmm – I don’t even know what to call it yet (someone please educate me). I’ve added a special link to Mountain Rose Herbs in my sidebar. If you use that link to reach their site, and make a purchase, I get a small percentage of the profit. It’s that simple.

I’m gonna be really picky about who I let advertise on my blog – I think I will make it a rule that it be a company that I personally have purchased from and can recommend first hand. Mountain Rose Herbs is definitely that.

This is where I get my coconut oil. And not just any coconut oil – Certified Organic, Cold Pressed, Unrefined absolutely delicious coconut oil. I can buy coconut oil locally, but it’s not all those things – it’s over refined, losing many of it’s healthy benefits, and sometimes barely smells like coconut (which is not a good sign).  When I looked around for where to get it online, a lot of people I trust were getting it here.

Shipping costs were a concern next. Although their price per gallon of coconut oil was the best I saw around, there would still be the cost of shipping. Solution? I got three other friends to order with me, we split the shipping, and the price per gallon ended up being less than my friend’s co-op’s sale price. Score!

My first purchase of Coconut Oil arrived about a week later in nice, sturdy one gallon pails.(It’s worth it for the buckets alone, people! LOL Berry picking! Food storage! And the tidiest, most well-behaved compost bucket you’ve ever met – almost empties itself!

Oh, and the coconut oil is yummy, too. 🙂

I am still learning about all its benefits and uses. I use it in my morning smoothie, in baking, in sauteing veggies, in granola, in our favorite coconut-baked chicken recipe from Eat Fat Lose Fat, and anywhere else I feel like experimenting. Soon I hope to share with you the most killer-yummy double chocolate chip cookie recipe in which the coconut oil enhances the flavor of the chocolate and makes you absolutely swoon.

I think the neatest thing about coconut oil, however, is, since I started adding it and other healthy fats to my diet, I no longer have to deal with those awful cravings – for sugar and carbs and chocolate that I was constantly dealing with as I tried to eat healthier. Those cravings were just my body crying for the nutrients and benefits of good fats.

Sound too good to be true? Try it yourself. Find a couple friends and put in an order to Mountain Rose Herbs. I order at least 3 gallons at a time to get the shipping down so that I’m paying just over $40 per gallon. (I know that sounds like a lot, but this is a good price, peoples!) When it comes, the easiest way to divide it up (if you have friends that just want a half gallon or even just a quart to try it out) is to set the bucket in some warm water in your sink tub until the oil is liquid (coconut oil is solid at room temp, but melts at the surprisingly low temp of 72 degrees), then pour it into other containers. Then you are ready to start experimenting with this delicious ingredient in all your favorite dishes!

Back to affiliates. Or sponsors. Or whatever you call them (please educate me). I also have a few more ways for you to support this blog that I just want to highlight here, and then I’ll be through. Whenever I post a link to an item on Amazon, like I did to “Eat Fat, Lose Fat” further back, I can earn revenue with that link if you use it to purchase that product. I also get paid per click if you ever visit any of the sites advertised in my little ad widget. These are just little ways I am trying to make my computer time as profitable as possible – for you and me.

If you know more than me about sponsors and affiliates and monetizing with your blog, or know of an informational link on the subject, please share. And remember my commitment to share the fun with you, if and when I make a little dough here…

With apologies for being verbose,
Trina