Pie.

Pies are comforting. Especially pies made with love and local fruits. I made this pie a few months ago, when a friend came to visit. Whenever foodie friends come to stay, I always make a point of creating food together, because friendships forged with food can last lifetimes. It’s funny, looking back on some of the friends I have these days and where we met. A lot of them started via social media or something related to being in the world of social media. Because most of my social media relates to food or fitness, when people come to visit, I either make them sweat it out in our gym or in the kitchen. Either way, the choice is theirs and it makes for interesting moments.

This Blackberry Apple Pie is not perfect, the crust is a bit crumbly, but it tastes amazing and with a dollop of whipped cream or coconut cream, it can easily fit in a holiday spread. It’s gluten egg, and dairy free and very simple to make. The apples act as a thickener with their natural pectin and along with some juicy berries, make for a fine combination.

One year ago: Let’s Start Over
Two years ago: Healthified Banana Bread
Three years ago: How to Make Butter
Four years ago: Fully Loaded Quiche

There is something else that is quite comforting, albeit in a different manner. Laundry. Whaaaat?! Well, there’s nothing quite like the smell of laundry, especially if you have gone natural/unscented for a long time. We’ve been going the dye free, scent free, phosphate free, detergent free route for a while, but it never did much for my clothes. The stains don’t come out quite as well and the smell of towels that sat at the bottom of the laundry basket for a day or two too many was, well….less than stellar.

So for my last post in the Arm & Hammer partnership, I got to try out a new laundry detergent. I was given a container of both Arm and Hammer Ultra Power 4X Liquid Laundry Detergent and Baking Soda. I have been using the SmartKlean Laundry Ball since the spring but have found it has pretty poor stain fighting power and does not remove the mildew smell from towels and kitchen rags. I started using the Arm and Hammer detergent last month by first using it as a stain fighter on some particularly stain absorbing shirts of mine (grease related stains of course…the worst kind!). I don’t usually use detergent as a stain remover, but this time I thought “why not?”.
I followed thew directions on the bottle, which said to apply the detergent, rub it in and immediately launder the clothes. It worked the very first time and the whole load (I have one of the biggest washers on the market, top load with no agitator) took only about 2 tbsp of detergent. I also added about a 1/4 cup of the baking soda for each load. I have had no problems with stains or smells since I began using the detergent. It’s been fantastic. My only issue is the addition of scent. I do LOVE the smell of laundry, but I always worry about scented products hurting my young kids or making us have allergy issues. Nothing has come up since we began though, and everyone seems to love diving into the warm dryer after each load to stick their faces into the hot towels. Who knew the smell of laundry had such an overpowering hold over us? I would definitely recommend both the detergent and the baking soda to anyone who has issues with stains, as they work extremely well.

As part of my partnership with Arm & Hammer, I am also doing another giveaway! So let’s see what the prize is:

The winner will receive both an Arm & Hammer Seasonal Savings Gift Pack (which includes 2-3 products featured above AND a $100 VISA gift card. Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway