Jennifer.PNW on LTK

Vanilla extract - the very first thing we madefromscratch 🤎 We’ve been making vanilla extract for a couple years and now that we know how easy it is to make, I don’t think we’ll ever go back to buying it at the store. Mostly because it’s so much cheaper and homemade is way more potent so it tastes better + lasts longer. Our favorite beans are from @vanillabeankings. All you need is some cheap vodka and time! (Though bourbon and cinnamon makes a really delicious one too) We usually wait about 8-12 months before harvesting ours and we do them in two batches so we always have some on hand. Resources are on my LTK in the link in my bio if you’re looking to start making your own ☕️🤎 diyvanillaextract cookingfromscratch coffeeislife LTKSaleAlert LTKHome LTKFindsUnder50

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The most comfortable, feminine bedding EVER 🤍

I searched high and low for the most relaxing and luxurious experience our friends and family can have and these are my absolute favorites! Our guest room has a slight European / French vibe going for it. To me the mark of an amazing product is repurchasing power — and I would absolutely purchase all of these again. (Though honestly they’re great quality so you wouldn’t need to for a long time)

#LTKGiftGuide #LTKFamily #LTKHome

We did a little refresh on our master bedroom 💚✨

It took a long time, but I finally found a gorgeous lumbar pillow. My favorite thing to do at the end of a long day of work is to crawl into bed and sink into all of the pillows… honestly I have never found any others that are more cozy than these are… our sage green blanket is the same as the one in our guest room (just a different color) and it’s warm without being heavy.

Need some cozy bedroom ideas? All my recommendations are below!
#falldecor #fallbedroom

#LTKSeasonal #LTKSaleAlert #LTKHome

The garden is in full swing and producing so much!

Some of our favorite garden supplies are linked, but we’ve really loved our grow bags for our tomato plants, our vertical planter for our strawberries, and our herb garden planter.

For those who want to garden in small backyards, we’re definitely seeing that it’s possible!

Backyard inspo 🌱🫶🏻

#LTKHome #LTKdayinmylife #LTKselfcare

I love finding these vintage jars. They’re great for canning, but another great option is for herbs or tea storage! We replaced the rubber seals and labeled each so we can keep our tea organized and fresher than in a paper bag…

Our tea and coffee station is still one of the smartest investments. Other sources are linked in our account!

#LTKHome #LTKfoodie #LTKdayinmylife

Strawberry jam in strawberry jars! 🍓🫶🏻 Though I’m 100% planning to just drink strawberry lemonade out of these too!

Found the cutest jars for canning and immediately knew I needed to make some homemade jam.

Cooking from scratch is quickly becoming one of my self care routines. This is a summertime strawberry favorite, with no pectin, just strawberries and sugar (just don’t think about how much it is).

#LTKHome #LTKfoodie #LTKselfcare

Growing our first strawberries in this vertical planter has been incredible!! The watering system makes it so easy, and our strawberries (and some other companion plants) are so happy.

Definitely will be continuing to use this planter in our garden 🍓🫶🏻

#LTKHome #LTKfoodie #LTKdayinmylife

Never buying laundry detergent again 💚

After cycling through so many clean laundry detergent brands, we never found one that fully cleaned our clothes and didn’t make them smell weird / moldy. (I was also kind of shocked how many called themselves “clean” but weren’t after I checked the label or the Yuka app).

This is our #homemade laundry detergent! (it’s also way, way cheaper).

How to make it:
- 2 cups sodium carbonate
- 2 cups baking soda
- 4 drops of lavender or lemon essential oil

Then put in 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar to keep fabric soft / antimicrobial / antibacterial for each load.

#LTKdayinmylife #LTKselfcare #LTKHome

One of my favorite finds last year was this personalized recipe book 💙📖

With how often we are cooking from scratch and modifying recipes, I realized I wanted to keep a record of all of our favorites in one spot. Yes, our phones would work too, but the idea of writing our homemade recipes down in my own handwriting, having another physical thing I hold and pull out when we’re cooking vs using a screen again (and possibly handing this down to future generations) sounded much more appealing and fun.

I got this one on Etsy, and it’s a softer matte exterior which you can pick from a range of colors and number of pages. I’ve also linked some other really adorable books below!

#LTKHome #LTKfoodie #LTKSaleAlert

The past year has been a year of grief, renewal, learning new skills, pain, and finding moments of joy during periods of struggle.

These books are some of my favorites from the past year and ones I wholeheartedly recommend. Some are reference books that teach you how to cook or preserve food at peak freshness, others are a holistic approach for taking care of your health, and some are autobiographies that changed how I see the world.

Self care is something I’m bringing with me into this next year ❤️

What books changed your life?

#LTKselfcare #LTKfoodie #LTKvlog

A new addition to our #MadeFromScratch list! (Because the prices of “healthy” granola at the store have been making my stomach churn)

We’re making our own homemade granola and then freeze drying it for breakfasts — think a cereal substitute with fruit and almond milk, in our mixed berry smoothies to keep us full longer, or paired with yogurt 😋

I’m OBSESSED with how delicious this is! Recipe is below because we don’t gate keep here ❤️

homemade granola recipe:
- 3 cups of organic oats
- 1-1.5 cups of nuts; we use a combo of walnuts and hazelnuts (in tiny pieces)
- 1/3 cup of coconut oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- generous 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes

#LTKselfcare #LTKdayinmylife #LTKfoodie

Still my favorite nightlight 🎄

Our bedroom Christmas tree has some of our favorite personal ornaments we have gotten on our travels, but also some of the most adorable woodland collections, as well as paper snowflakes, orange slices and pinecones.

#LTKSaleAlert #LTKHome #LTKHoliday

I loved this year’s Christmas tree 🎄

Every year we pick a live tree, make homemade popcorn garland, and then decorate. There’s some great after Christmas sales, which is when we snag a lot of our decor.

This year’s tree had clip on candles, black velvet ribbon, eucalyptus branches, and silver/white/gold and brass ornaments.

#LTKHome #LTKHoliday #LTKSaleAlert

Our advent calendar countdown is one of our favorite Christmas decorations.

We found it from an adorable shop on Etsy, and there’s also an Angel, sheep, and other small wooden figures which would make for an interactive advent for kids, if that’s of interest :)

#LTKHome #LTKHoliday #LTKSeasonal

Leaning into soup season hard this year 🥣

This weekend we made butternut squash (with a dash of pumpkin) soup from scratch! We had freeze dried homemade pumpkin and butternut squash puree we roasted in the oven this fall, so we used that with our trinity mix of carrots, onions and celery, as well as some of our easy veggie stock we had in the freezer. Add some herbs, salt and pepper, garlic, and some cream and it’s a seriously filling and delicious lunch.

My seed mix is a combo of hemp, chia, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds. I like to add a scoop to soups, smoothies, and as a topper for some extra fiber!

#cookingfromscratch #preservingtheharvest #freezedrying #recipe #soupweather

#LTKfoodie #LTKHome #LTKdayinmylife

Coffee with the coziest living room view 🎄

Whether you like a nutcracker Christmas or a Ralph Lauren Christmas, I think mine is slowly becoming a collected and handmade Christmas. Every Thanksgiving we make popcorn garland and then decorate our live tree. This year we included our adorable candles, but we still love to have the entire tree lit up.

Check out some of our favorite Christmas decor below!

#LTKHome #LTKdayinmylife #LTKHoliday

It’s harvest day for our vanilla extract ✨

We harvest our vanilla extract twice per year so they’re in smaller batches (but we let them steep for 12 months). We use a lot of vanilla in our house, but I also like to have them on hand for homemade gifts. (Particularly Christmas gifts)

Making your own is so easy. All you need are quality vanilla beans, cheap vodka (though bourbon is great to use too), and time.

I don’t think I’ll ever buy store bought again… partially because making your own is 100x cheaper, but also because the quality and taste is unmatched IMO 🤎

#LTKfoodie #LTKdayinmylife #LTKHoliday

Making #homemadecranberryjuice for the first time ❤️

I used the “raw pack” method, which made it really easy. I may try it where you cook the juice on the stove at some point, but I really liked how fast and easy this was. Everyone I follow who makes homemade cranberry juice says there’s truly nothing like it, so I had to go get more cranberries from the store since it’ll be a while before they’re in season again….

Recipe:
1.5 cups of cranberries
1/4-1/2 cup of sugar
splash of lemon juice
boiling water

Makes 7 quart size jars

Fill to 1in headspace and process in a water bath canner for 10-15 mins depending on elevation. Wait 3-4 weeks for the juice to be fully concentrated and ready to drink! Mix with cold water, or strain and drink as is :)

#cookingfromscratch #preserving #recipe #preservingtheharvest

#LTKHoliday #LTKdayinmylife #LTKHome

A round up of some of the best holiday decor from Etsy! I love supporting small businesses during the holidays, and there’s some really special things I found and linked below, whether you love a 90s Christmas or vintage Christmas decor, the nutcracker ballet decor, organic and natural Christmas decor, DIY Christmas, or more. There’s paper garlands you can buy or make, ornament candles…

🎄❄️✨

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHoliday #LTKHome

Prepping breakfast egg muffins (or my husband calls them breakfast quiches) for the week 💚

This isn’t a particularly special or different recipe, it just gives us something in the morning that’s quick (we keep them in the freezer and pop them into the microwave when we want one). They’re delicious with a little drizzle of hot sauce too!

#Recipe:
- 1/2 cup of flour (we make fresh, milled flour)
- 12 eggs (works out to about an egg per cup)
- 1/8 cup of almond or oat milk
- assortment of veggies; we used freeze dried spinach, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and green pepper
- grated parmesan cheese
- any herbs you may like; dill or chives are great!
- healthy pinch of salt and pepper

Pour into baking cups in a muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

#cookingfromscratch #freezedrying #itswhatsforbreakfast

#LTKU #LTKFamily #LTKHome

These little jars for my morning smoothies are incredible! I started doing smoothie prep and freezing my morning smoothies in these (recipes below!) 🍏

We store them in the freezer and then pull them out and add homemade almond milk, blitzing everything into a delicious healthy smoothie.

Some of my favorite summer and fall recipes:

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie
- 4-5 large strawberries
- 1 whole banana
- 2 heaping spoonfuls of plain Greek yogurt or kefir (sometimes it’s better to add when blending vs freezing)
- 2 spoonfuls of seed mix (chia, flax, raw sunflower, hemp seed)
- 1 scoop of acacia powder and collagen powder
- drizzle of wildflower honey
- 2-3 large spoonfuls of cinnamon granola
- Freeze, then when you’re ready, blend with 8 oz almond milk

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie
- 1/2 of an apple (I love Granny Smith, but honeycrisp is delicious too!)
- 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of plain Greek yogurt or kefir
- handful of hazelnuts (or pistachio)
- 2 spoonfuls of seed mix (chia, flax, raw sunflower)
- 1 scoop of hemp and/or collagen powders
- small drizzle of maple syrup or wildflower honey
- 2 heaping spoonfuls of granola
- dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
- vanilla extract
- Freeze, then when you’re ready, blend with 8 oz almond milk

Berry Smoothie
- 4-6 strawberries, quartered
- 2-3 handfuls of blueberries
- handful of raspberries
- handful of blackberries
- 2 heaping spoonfuls of plain Greek yogurt or kefir
- 2 spoonfuls of seed mix (chia, flax, sunflower)
- 1 scoop of acacia powder and collagen powder
- drizzle of elderberry honey
- Freeze, then when you’re ready, blend with 8 oz almond milk

#LTKHome #LTKActive

#LTKU #LTKSeasonal #LTKHome

Another afternoon of stocking the pantry ❤️

Our farmers market had a ton of tomatoes, so this time I tried the Ball Canning vodka sauce base. All we need is some homemade pasta or gnocchi and some cream to mix with the sauce base and we’ll be set for an easy, at home meal this winter!

#vodkasauce #madefromscratchwithlove❤️ #preserving #preservingtheharvest

#LTKFamily

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome

The pantry is filling up for winter and I’m so excited — this is my first time having so much fresh and preserved food on hand 🍅🫛🍄‍🟫🥕

We have a mix of freeze dried food (like green beans, cherry tomatoes, chopped spinach, mushrooms, chili, mashed potatoes, and even bone broth) and then other things I’ve preserved through water bath canning (like my jams, homemade ketchup, vodka sauce base, marinara, and plain tomato sauce) to help us make easy homemade meals without needing to go to the grocery store constantly, or breaking the bank…

#freezedriedfood #freezedrying #waterbathcanning #preservingfood #preserving

#LTKHome #LTKSeasonal #LTKFamily

One of my favorite (and most useful) purchases from Etsy lately ❤️

This local foods wheel is personalized to your region and shows everything that’s in season each month. Cooking from scratch, on a budget meal planning, and healthy living have been much easier at our house with this! I hung it up inside our pantry and each month we check to see what’s available at the local farms or markets so we know what to buy in bulk and preserve.

Be sure to check out my other posts for other resources we love ❤️

#eatinginseason #inseason #cookingfromscratch

#LTKFindsUnder50 #LTKHome #LTKSeasonal

In case my last reel made you think “uh that’s a LOT of cherry tomatoes for two people” 😂 This is the continuation of what we did with that recipe…

Cooking from scratch SUCKS sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s rewarding to see what you made from beginning to end (and hopefully it’s delicious). But you usually have more dishes and everything can just take longer when you’re #cookingfromscratch… we’re busy. And I don’t have time to Julia Child this every day.

After we made lunch in the last video, I took the leftover roasted tomatoes and garlic and blended it into a base that we can use for one of my favorite fall recipes - roasted tomato soup! We used our freeze dryer to turn it into powder (but you could just freeze it in an ice cube tray), which also means if we’re cooking chili, bolognese, or anything that calls for tomatoes and we want a deeper flavor, we can add a spoonful 🧡

#freezedrying #foodprepping #roastedtomatoes #freezedried

#LTKHome #LTKSeasonal #LTKActive

One of our favorite dishes of the summer! Roasted tomato bruschetta 🍅

Eating seasonally is something we’re actively transitioning to — where we eat vegetables and fruits in-season and fresh, and then we preserve some for later in the year. Not only does everything taste better, but it’s cheaper and at its peak nutritional value. (And without preservatives because 😩)

Recipe is below! You’ll want to make sure the tomatoes are sitting in a good amount of olive oil, and I filmed some parts quick because we were hungry, but make sure you season well and as you go.

Ingredients:
- Cherry tomatoes (roast for an hour on 400F)
- Good quality olive oil - one of my faves is linked
- 1-2 heads of garlic
- Basil (fresh is best for the end)
- Salt and pepper
- Balsamic vinegar
- French bread

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKParties

If you grow one thing, make it sprouts or microgreens 🌱

I don’t think I realized how easy it was to grow them until I tried, and they’re SO expensive at the store but they’re so good for you! You can get an entire bag of microgreen seeds or sprouting seeds for the cost of one small container of greens at the store…

These are our broccoli and alfalfa sprouts. We add them to the top of our soups, pizza, salad… you can blend them into a green smoothie or into a meal too if you want to go that route.

For microgreens, you just need a shallow container and some dirt. For sprouts, I have some recommendations for the containers on the link in my bio, but there’s a ton of options out there.

#sprouts #inmygardentoday

#LTKHome #LTKSeasonal #LTKActive

My first attempt at homemade jams was a success 🩷💙

Cooking from scratch and preserving food that is organic, clean, and nutritious is an important goal for me, so I’m continuing to move in that direction and making everything from scratch.

Jams and jellies are usually pretty high in sugar since it’s needed to get the jelly-consistency, but I found a citrus-based pectin, which allows the jam to set with calcium water and citrus vs the sugar. This is my first time using it, but I was pretty happy with the consistency!

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKFamily

The summer I began preserving food 🍅

I’m new to canning and freeze drying (we have started doing both in our home) after we became so tired of the crap put into food at the grocery stores. I wasn’t taught how to do canning, so I’m really loving my water bath canner! It has sensors to truly “set it and forget it” and it takes a lot of the scary parts out by automating the process. This is our marinara sauce we made following the Ball recipe ❤️

#LTKFamily #LTKHome #LTKOver40

Would you believe I found this secondhand British garden harvest trug for $10??? 😍

If there’s one thing I’ve found, it’s that it’s almost impossible to find a nice, non-plastic, doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb (or ruin the vibe where I immediately want to put it in a closed cabinet) harvesting container… below are some of the ones I saved for inspiration before I found this beauty! (One is actually almost identical)

#LTKSeasonal #LTKOver40 #LTKHome

These are some of my favorite gardening books and clean eating resources!

I’m OBSESSED with my local foods wheel, which is personalized to the northwest and gives me exactly what’s in season so I’m maximizing the nutritional value of the food I’m purchasing (not to mention cheaper prices). You just turn the wheel to reveal each month’s local, in-season food (it shows about 3 months at a time; and then there’s also listed the things that are always in season).

My Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook is so helpful for any region for what to plant, tips, and an overall timeline to help plan. Then my Complete Garden Planner and Log Book is full of blank (prompted) pages that I’m currently customizing as a garden journal to keep notes on everything I’m growing 🌱

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKActive

Gardening season is in full swing 🌱 These are some of my favorite planters for small gardens or larger backyards. We’re slowly planting more and more in the backyard, with raised beds, herb beds, and an indoor little table for my starters.

Check out some of my favorites 💚✨

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKFamily

Amazon Prime Day 2025 - everyday household recommendations!

(Be sure to check out my other prime day posts for additional tech, beauty, home, etc buys)

These are some staples that I tend to purchase when prime day comes around — primarily to save a little money instead of just buying a bunch of new things… there’s some of the best home cleaning, shower and hair care, and even some bamboo toilet paper!

#LTKSaleAlert #LTKSeasonal #LTKHome

Amazon Prime Day deals round up ✨🎉 be sure to check out my other posts for a full list of our favorite prime day sales and recommendations.

Some of our personal favorite brands and things we use every day (some we got on prime day a few years ago and we still adore) are included in this list!

#LTKHome #LTKSaleAlert #LTKFamily

Amazon Prime Day Deals round up! Be sure to check out my other posts for the best of prime day!

These are some of my favorite lifestyle, home, tech, home improvement, beauty, kids and teen finds. Some of these deals are limited quantities or expire soon, so be sure to snap up anything you want quick :)

#LTKSaleAlert #LTKFamily #LTKHome

Raise your hand if you buy in bulk and want to reduce waste from packaging 🙋🏻‍♀️

I LOVE finding local grocery stores and markets that provide bulk buying options. This is our favorite spot for buying seeds, nuts, grains, protein and dried fruit mixes, and more near Tacoma. We also have an incredible spice shop that we bring our spice containers into the store when we need more of something.

Supporting local brands and encouraging sustainability and less waste is something I’m actively trying to do in my own life, and I really love supporting brands that avoid producing or purchasing more packaging that ultimately ends up being thrown away or recycled 💚 It’s not a perfect process, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Linked I’ve included some bulk pantry storage solutions and what we use at home in our kitchen. (Don’t get me wrong, the aesthetic pantry organization vibes are great, but less waste, packaging, etc. is my main motivation! Plus it’s cheaper to just buy what fits into the container I already own…)

#LTKSeasonal #LTKHome #LTKFindsUnder50