My Most Favorite Secret Ingredient…
November 11, 2010 by Missy
Before I let you in on this top secret ingredient, you must know it has taken me a WHOLE YEAR to let this secret out. Shelley has been bugging reminding me to post this for 1 whole year! I finally broke. Here is my little secret:
Coconut Oil!
There are many people out there that claim that this is some sort of miracle food. They talk about how it is a good fat instead of a bad fat, it has healing properties, it helps your metabolism…all sorts of claims. There are even whole books written about it. Just google coconut oil…you will be surprised at what you find, at least I was.
I am not a nutritionist and don’t claim anything except that I am in love with the stuff. I’m telling you it is up there with oreos, this is big time!
I never would have guessed all the things I would use this versatile oil for! Let me share a few of my favorites (in no particular order), but first I have to say, don’t diss it till you try it. Some of the things may sound weird, but “try it and you may, try it and you may I say.”
#1 Lotion
I use coconut oil instead of lotion. It hydrates perfectly and it has a slight coconut scent.
#2 Hair Fly Aways be gone
Just a very small amount tames the wild flyers.
#3 Make-up remover
Doesn’t sting your eyes and is all natural.
#4 Diaper Rash
Spread a little on, it helps for minor diaper rash.
#5 Eating
The slight coconut flavor makes ANYTHING you use it in taste better, in my opinion. My husband does not agree, he doesn’t like it in his eggs, but most everything – I even liked it in eggs.:) I substitute coconut oil for oil and butter in so many recipes with WONDERFUL results. My favorite?
Rice Krispie Treats.
If you don’t try it for any other suggestion, please, just try it in rice krispies. Substitute it straight across for the butter. You will thank me. When I bring these somewhere and others try them, people are amazed and can’t figure out why they are the best rice krispies they have ever had. Alison, back me up here.
Another favorite is on toast. Toast your bread and while it is still hot, spread a little coconut oil on so it melts while you are spreading, then sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture…YUM. Even better, get those tortillas from CostCo – the ones that are pre-made but you cook – cook one and then put a little coconut oil on, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar, and broil - tastes like a churro. Such a yummy and easy treat.
Where to get coconut oil?
I tried buying it at all of my local supermarkets and they have it, but they charge an arm and a leg for it. My favorite brand I have tried is Nutiva. You can actually try some FREE right now through vitacost. {They are having a $10 promo to use on any item on their site}. The best price I have found is here on Amazon. I throw this in my cart whenever I need something extra to hit the $25.00 for free shipping because I go through it like crazy! You can get an even better deal if you sign up for subscribe and save. While we are on the Amazon subject, can I just tell you how much I LOVE Amazon! I did most of my Christmas shopping on it last year and I have almost finished Christmas gifts for this year. I didn’t have to fight any crowds, drag kids around, it comes right to my door - and they usually beat any price I can get in town anyway…it rocks – try it out, again you will thank me. Now I feel I must tell you that yes, we (howdoesshe) get a little kickback when you use our link to get to Amazon and then buy something, anything. BUT that is NOT why I LOVE it, I was an Amazon fan long before HowDoesShe and if I knew of a better deal on coconut oil to refer you to, I would. Just had to get that out there.
*update: I just saw nutiva coconut oil at my CostCo..didn’t check the price so not sure if it is a better price than Amazon, but thought I would share!
I will leave you with this amazing recipe using coconut oil to get you started. My mom adapted it from Paula Deen’s recipe here.
Ingredients
- 1 (18-ounce) package white cake mix
- 1 (4 serving) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup vanilla yogurt
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped mixed nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 10-inch tube pan. Combine cake mix, instant pudding, sour cream, eggs, and coconut oil and beat together well. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Pour half of batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with sugar mixture, reserving a little to sprinkle on top. Pour the rest of batter into pan and sprinkle with the rest of sugar mixture. Bake 1 hour. Let cool and remove from pan.
- Then my mom drizzled a yummy sugar drizzle on top that gave some extra yumminess. Just make a really thin frosting and drizzle away!
Delicious!
updates and free printables delivered straight to your inbox!
Thank you for this tip! We use Coconut Oil instead of butter and as a cooking oil/suppliment. I am actually losing weight on my diet with a tablespoon added per day. We cook with it, use it anywhere we’d use butter, Yum up smoothies, melt it with cocoa powder to make candy. If we did not consume it so fast, I might use it on my body and hair. I have an inferior one I use on my skin and might be able to afford to switch. We use Spectrum’s cold pressed coconut oil, and have tried Tropical Traditions which is too sweet and coconutty for savory meals for us, but we use that one for sweet things-smoothies, candy etc. I prefer coconut oil in a glass jar, but this looks like something to try.
I completely agree and have been touting it for years! Coconut oil with Peanut Butter on toast – DELISH! Great for dry skin, acne prone skin, damaged hair…Put a dollop in your smoothies too – yumm!
I LOOOVe Coconut oil and have been touting it’s benefits for years! coconut oil with Peanut butter on toast is delish! Re: the saturated fats – do a little research on your own too. I have found a lot of information that states its benefits as it relates to cholesterol, heart disease, etc. You will find that there is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.
What happened??? I tried to make rice crispy treats and it was so hard you cannot even bight into them!!!! Help me!!!
I have had that problem before, even with butter and finally figured out I cooked the marshmallows too long. Try melting them ver slowly on low heat and just before the last mallow melts, turn the heat off and stir in the mallows. That worked for me, anyway.
If anyone is still interested in finding coconut oil, Mountain Rose Herbs (google it) sells organic virgin coconut oil in 1 gallon containers. It’s a lot of money all at once, but way cheaper than by the jar.
One if my favorite ways to use coconut oil is in piecrust in place of the shortening. It makes a light crispy delicious crust. I usually don’t eat all my crust with other pies, but with this, I wil eat the crumbs out if the pan.
I just had to get on the bandwagon with the coconut oil. I LOVE this stuff and have used it for years as a L&D nurse to help stretch that certain area (wink, wink)and currently in an OB office which I tell everyone to use in the “hu ha” area
for dryness & irritation. WORKS EVERY TIME!
This might be TMI, but my friend says she uses coconut oil as a personal lubricant, as water based ones don’t work as well for her. She said it’s helped keep infections at bay. She suggested it for other sexual activities. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s more because I never remember to bring my jar of oil into the bedroom….
I have used this for adult activities, I’m very prone to UTI’s and this is a good, organic way to keep the friction down. Keep in mind IT IS AN OIL which means it WILL degrade condoms. If that’s not a concern, then I highly recommend it. I’ve loved it. PERSONAL PREFERENCE: I keep two separate jars, one for cooking and one of the more refined cosmetic-grade jars for personal use.
I have this in my cupboard and I have hardly touched it because it’s cost was like gold- so thank you for the Amazon tip…I didn’t even realize all the amazing recipes I could be using it for!! What am I waiting for…Can’t wait to try the recipe!
Oh my goodness….this sounds marvelous!! I had to come here from your other post about homemade playdough….comparable to oreos….OH DEAR!!!! It MUST be fantastic!! Thanks for sharing your “secret”
Hugs,
Michelle
I use EVCO when I get burns in the kitchen. I rub it on and the results are no blister, pain and no scarring. I read about taking a spoonful every morning and swishing it in your mouth as soon as you wake up. It removes toxins from your body, DON’T swallow the swished EVCO, it is full of toxins that have accumulated through the night in your body. Spit it out after swishing. It removes tooth decay, tightens your teeth from the swishing action and turns your teeth white. I love this stuff!!
I love this stuff . I just recently discovered it in the past year,
.we use coconut oil baking soda and a cornstarch mix for deoderant and it works better than any deoderant ive ever used.
Just ordered me up some coconut oil! Thanks for the hook up!
We love coconut oil as well – you’ve given me some good ideas. If you would like to use coconut oil that doesn’t taste like coconut (like to saute veggies for soup or something) go to tropicaltraditions.com and get their expeller pressed coconut oil. tropicaltraditions.com/expeller-pressed_coconut_oil.htm I buy it by the gallon container and keep a jar of it by the stove. You can cook eggs without the flavor
. Another thing they have which is delicious is the coconut cream…so delicious and coconut peanut butter (when they get it back in stock)! Have fun!
So, I’ve just ordered my jar of coconut oil and I’m REALLY looking forward to using it! But here’s my question: what about the affects on your “bad” cholesterol levels?? The saturated fat content is much higher than that of olive oil, canola oil, even butter!
What are your thoughts on this?? Just trying to get a good “feel” for the stuff
Thanks for the tip on the brand to get for my first try. I would like to try the recipe you shared. The ingredients list says 1 cup vanilla yogurt but the instructions says sour cream. Just wanted to check which one it was. Thanks!
sorry about the confusion – either one would work – I think the original recipe called for sour cream but I only had vanilla yogurt in my fridge so that is what I used.
Hey! I am a Nutrition and Dietetics major, and I just want to say to be careful about consuming coconut oil. While it does have some great qualities, it is extremely high in saturated fat. So just be careful not to over-consume. The best oil out there is olive oil – there is a lot of monounsaturated fatty acids that contribute to heart health and other health benefits. Saturated fat is bad for cholesterol, waistline and more. Sorry if this sounds snobby, but I felt it was worth mentioning!
Coconut oil has medium chain fatty acids that are metabolized differently than other fats, they are transported to the liver for energy and not stored like other saturated fats. It has benefits as it relates to cholesterol, heart disease, etc it all depends more with the prescription with these illnesses. Coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis
It is also great for your teeth. You can gargle just a finger tip and it helps pull the junk out from between your teeth and naturally strengthens them and whitens them!
Another good thing i have tried with my 18 month old daughter is not only using it as diaper rash cream and eczema but also yeast infection, my daughter has had a few, but using coconut oil the last 2 times has cleared it up each time.
I would love to try these idea out and signed up for the $10 discount which allowed me to get the oil for free, but I am wondering if there is a code for free shipping maybe? I am kind of skeptical about paying $5 shipping for something I don’t NEED but might like. TIA!
Vicki
I mix it with baking soda to wash and moisturizer my face. I have also been using it as a mouthwash called oil pulling you swish it in your mouth for 30 minutes and then spit it in the toilet and it is supposed to cleanse and detox.
When using it as a lotion or diaper cream or any other cosmetic application, how do you apply it? I had a hard time controlling it after I melted it by sticking the jar in a sink full of hot water.
I just keep it a solid, dig some out and warm it in my hands then rub it on.
Trader Joes has awesome, cheap coconut oil for under $6 bucks. I love it and use it for everything from eating to lotion. It’s like duct tape–fixes anything.
Costco now sells this in a HUGE Container at a real bargain.
You can also get coconut oil from Trader Joe’s!
The Nutiva Coconut oil is much cheaper at Costco! I used to have mine auto-shipped thru Amazon (I LOVE Amazon too!) and the very lowest price I could get (auto-ship, no shipping fee) was still almost 20% more ounce for ounce than Costco.
Love your site!
thanx so much!!! I’m going there today!!! 8)
in warmer areas can coconut oil beneficial for skin?
I live in Texas and I have loved using it as a face wash/moisturizer.
The Nutiva 78 oz jar (2 qt 14 fl oz)is $21.99 at my local Utah Costco,which is 28 cents per ounce. I only have to pay local sales tax – no shipping. I love this stuff!! Thanks for sharing more ways to use this!
hi there – I am just trying to order the coconut oil with the $10 off using the link here. It just sends me to Vitacost site, but I don’t see a promo code or any other place to get it. Can u help me??
thanx…wendy
This may be a dumb question but if you are using the coconut oil as a substitute for butter or oil, do you use the same amount of the coconut oil as you would the butter or oil?
Yes – I use the same amount of coconut that it calls for butter or oil
I’m also a huge fan of coconut oil, and I’m always looking for more ways to use it so I love your posts about it. I haven’t tried the brand you recommend, but I have tried Trader Joe’s virgin organic coconut oil, and at $5 or $6/ a 16oz jar (I forget what they charge) and no cost for shipping, its such a steal! I love the taste, and it is cold-pressed without using any chemicals! If you have a TJ’s nearby, get it! I always feel the need to spread the word when I read about some of the crazy prices some people pay.
You are killing me! I love Trader Joe’s – it is a must stop any time I travel close to one. Rumor has it that it is coming to Boise, but I will have to see it to believe it.
Thanks for the tip – I will have to try their coconut oil next time I am close to one!
Curious – the calories in coconut oil seem very high – no mention made of that fact – what about that?