It’s that time again! Our monthly tradition of linking up to all the good stuff I’ve read and recipes I’ve found. There’s so many awesome real-food and health-related blogs out there that I can’t wait to share. Here’s a shout out to some of the best things I read this month from them.

Links I Loved

• From homemade household cleaners to homemade bath and body stuff, I think we’ve all heard of DIYing just about everything. But did you ever think you could make your own natural homemade mascara? Crazy enough, this DIY tutorial actually looks fairly easy, too! And much better for your eyes than those allergenic and chemical-filled store-bought brands.
• Want to try your hand at sourdough bread, but don’t have a starter? You can make your own sourdough starter with just three things: flour, water, and time. Sounds easy!
• Being the dedicated real-foodie that you are, you wouldn’t let your kids eat junk this Halloween, would you? Well, you may want to reconsider restricting them from this holiday’s sugar-filled festivities after reading this post. Life is all about balance!
• Cholesterol sure gets a bad rap from the mainstream medical community these days. You might know better than to artificially reduce it with pharmaceuticals, but did you know that cholesterol is an antioxidant? Yeah, this would be why that whole “correlation does not equal causation” thing ought to be considered when you blame cholesterol for heart disease. It’s just trying to come in and clean things up!
• Contrary to the many myths being spread, most GMO crops aren’t engineered to increase nutrients or yield. They are modified to withstand extreme amounts of Monsanto’s non-selective (meaning it kills everything) herbicide, RoundUp. So, not only are GMO crops are spliced with genes from another species, they are completely doused with huge amounts of a toxic chemical. One more reason to avoid them. Learn all about the dangers of RoundUp in this informative post.
• Have you ever gone hunting for… mushrooms? I don’t even really like the little fungi, but I think I’d have a blast going foraging for mushrooms like this blogger did. Free food in the forest! What a fun adventure.
• Most of us can’t find everything we want to eat at our local farmer’s market, but is there anything real-food-worthy at a big discount warehouse store? You might not assume so, but buying quality fish at Costco is definitely a possibility. Read this post to find out why you won’t want to skip their frozen seafood section!
• It’s cold season. Have you had to resort to Vick’s vapor rub to get little noses breathing at night in your house? Try this homemade vapor rub instead, with no nasty chemical ingredients.
• The fluoride debate is in full force in my neck of the woods. Once again, they’re trying to fluoridate the public water supply here in Portland, Oregon. I’m very concerned. Learn about fluoride dangers and what you can do to avoid this toxic waste product in this post.
• Want more answers to your questions about Prop 37? Head on over to this blog to get the scoop on the truth about the proposed GMO-labeling initiative in California. (And why you should vote YES!)
• Confused about the all the controversy surrounding immunizations? Here’s a great guide to vaccines that includes helpful printouts to evaluate your family’s needs.
• GMOs are said to be found in over 80% of packaged foods. But they’re not always as obvious as you might think. I was surprised by more than one of these 10 places you’ll find GM ingredients in this video post about how to avoid GMOs.
• Lately I’ve been studying up on the research of Dr. Ray Peat. I don’t agree with everything he says, but one of his tips I think you can’t really go wrong with — eating raw carrots to detox excess estrogen in the body. But what I hadn’t considered was that this could be a great remedy for PMS. Learn more and find a great raw carrot salad recipe in this post.

Recipes I Pinned

I’m crazy about the Pinterest, you guys. Are you on there? I’d love to follow you, too. Here’s a sampling of the tasty looking recipes that went straight onto my pinboards this month.

• Homemade Chicken Nuggets. Chicken McWho? You won’t miss the drive thru after making these grain-free nuggets.
• Healthy Fruit Snacks: I bought the ingredients to make this recipe last weekend. Can’t wait!
• Chocolate Macaroons: A raw coconutty, chocolatey treat.
• Cider Tea Fusion. A zesty, cozy blend of two favorites.
• Winter Squash Pie. Pumpkin is so over. Try squash pie instead!
• Stuffed Quail Masala: Fancy! Yet easy. And extra points for using banana leaves in lieu of tin foil.
• Crockpot Butternut Squash. I have a giant yellow butternut that is now destined for my crock pot. So easy.
• Honey Glazed Chicken. A simple and lightly-sweet dinner time favorite.
• Halloween Orange Spritzer. A nourishing and not-too-sweet drink for parched trick-or-treaters.
• Bacon Cauliflower Frittata. An easy way to sneak in more of broccoli’s white cousin.
• Plumb Butter. Know anyone with a plumb tree or two? Here’s what to do with all the bags of pre-prunes you’ve been gifted.
• Sourdough Chevre Burgers. Out of burger buns? Use a nice thick slice of sourdough bread to make these gourmet burgers with.
• Raw Milk Eggnog. Fresh, raw cream and milk, nutritious pastured yolks, and yummy spices and maple sweetener? This recipe is the real deal.
• Pumpkin Fudge. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin… fudge? Sure!
• Savory Sweet Potato Casserole. It has sweet potatoes. And bacon. I’m making it.
• Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies. And you can’t even taste the healthiness.
• Spiced Cranberry Apple Cider. A tangy twist on the fall favorite.