Never eat microwave popcorn again.

Hey friends - xtina here. You can tell because I use copious amounts of dashes when I write - like this.

Have you entered our giveaway yet?? It's YOUR chance to win what is seriously the best coffee/tea mug ever. No joke - the new game in my office is "steal xtina's mug while she's away from her desk." It's also our chance to feel like our blog doesn't suck for once. We might not have eight million followers on twitter or own fancy DSLR cameras, but we can do a give-away!

Anyway, go here and leave us some pancake love.


Why do I look so happy in the picture above? I'm popping popcorn! It's so fun - and healthy, and cheap, and quick - to pop your own, that I'm here today to tell you: Never eat microwave popcorn again.

First, the recipe. Then I'll break it down for you, infomercial-style.

1/2 cup popcorn
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Place the popcorn, coconut oil and sea salt in a big pot with a tight-fitting lid. Hint: our 2 qt pot was not big enough. Heat on high until the corn starts popping, and shake often until popping stops. Dump in a bowl...


and nosh away! This recipe makes 11 cups of popped corn.


So, why is this popcorn recipe better than the microwaved stuff?

1. It's healthier. Have you ever looked at the ingredients list for microwaved popcorn? Artificial flavors, trans-fats and awful-tasting vegetable oil are usually included. Yuck. This recipe boasts healthy helpings of whole grains - and coconut oil isn't the bad guy it used to be. In fact, coconut oil is not only fabulous to use in the kitchen, but also as a hair conditioner, lotion, moisturizer, and other things we can't mention on a blog our families read!

2. It's just as fast. Start to finish, this recipe clocked out at 2 minutes, 30 seconds - five seconds under my parents' microwave's popcorn button.

3. It's cheaper. I used the finest ingredients money can buy for this one. US-grown popcorn distributed by a Michigan company, and pure coconut oil - both certified organic. Sounds pricey. But its not. I did the math - and it comes out to $0.60 cents per serving! That's incredible.

4. It's fun. Trust me. You will start giggling like a small child as soon as the kernels start to pop.

You really have no excuse - never eat microwave popcorn ever again.