Hello... Again

Good morning everyone! 

Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted anything new here. Like years. Yeah... Well, to be fair to myself we have been pretty busy: moving from Nashville, TN back up north to Wisconsin, surviving three months of living with my mom in her tiny, TINY home until the renters were out of our house, remodeling our old house and making it ours again, dealing with a major loss in the family, getting the kids settled in a new school, starting new jobs, etc. etc... But now that the dust has settled and I finally seem to have time to breathe again, I figure now is as good a time as any to get this little blog back up and running. 

And boy have I got plenty in store!

The bright side of my little hiatus is the massive stockpile of crafts, projects, recipes, and opinions I've been saving up just for you. Not that I'm bragging (or maybe I am, just a little) but I've managed to accomplish a lot since the last time we were here. From painting our kitchen cabinets, to refinishing the dining table, to discovering a new love of decoupage, I've got tons of before and afters to share. I've even kicked my "made from scratch" recipes up a notch or two and the results have been (mostly!) delicious. ;)

So climb aboard, or saddle up, or grab hold of your big girl pants, or whatever, and stay tuned for my next installment. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other real soon. (btw that sounded a lot less creepy in my head.)

Until next time!

Homemade Oatmeal Bath

Do you have a friend, child, or family member with sensitive, easily irritated skin who would benefit from a soothing, inflammation reducing oatmeal bath?

Have you ever had to purchase a box of those ridiculously expensive colloidal oatmeal bath pouches made by Aveeno and a few other brands from a pharmacy or grocery store?

Well, in case you answered yes to either of those question, here's a super easy (and I do mean obnoxiously easy), super cheap alternative to buying those budget busting boxes filled with mostly paper and very little of the actual good stuff.

Here's what you'll need:

Homemade Oatmeal Bath

1 cup quick oats or slow-cooking oats (1/3 cup for a baby) uncooked and unflavored

A blender, food processor, or coffee grinder

(Seriously! That's it!)

Blend or process oats on the highest setting until you have a very fine, consistent powder.  To test the colloid property of the oatmeal, stir 1 tablespoon of the ground oats into a glass of warm water. If the oats readily absorb the water and give it a milky look and a silky feel, you've blended long enough.

(If you'd like to make a large batch ahead of time, use a jar with a tight fitting lid and be sure to label. Store in a bathroom cabinet to keep handy!)

Giving the bath:

Sprinkle the oatmeal into a tub of running water and stir the water with your hand several times to ensure even distribution. Feel along the bottom of the tub for clumps and break up any you find.If using for a child, take care assisting them into the tub as the oatmeal will make the tub even more slippery than usual. Allow your child to soak in the tub for 15-20 minutes and pat dry with a soft towel rather than rubbing.

You can use this bath once or twice a day or more frequently as your doctor advises.

Enjoy!

Semi-Homemade Body Wash

"You make your own body wash? Seriously?"

This is a question I get asked a lot lately, usually in a sarcastic way, and usually by people who would much rather buy something easy and pre-made without knowing or caring what's in it, than actually taking the time to consider what's being lathered onto-- and often times soaking into-- our family's skin. Making your own body wash doesn't have to be complicated or even all that time consuming. In fact it can be pretty easy. It can also save you a ton of money on expensive name brand organic or specialty soups, when someone in your household has sensitive skin or suffers from allergies and eczema.

The recipe I'll be sharing today is a simple, semi-homemade version, which I found over on Andy Bethy's Living, Laughing, Loving, Learning blog, and so far I've made body wash for my kids and daughter with severe skin allergies, my husband, and even myself.

Here's what you need to get started:

Semi-Homemade Body Wash 


8 cups distilled water

1 bar grated soap. (I use Tom's Natural Soap-- which is made from organic vegetable oils rather than animal fat like most others. I like to use the "Sensitive" chamomile for my daughter and the other kids, "Deodorant" sage scented for my husband, and "Moisturizing" for myself. )

2 tablespoon vegetable glycerin (found at most pharmacies and health food stores)

*Optional--
1 to 2 tablespoon jojoba oil (found at most health food stores and online)

1 to 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

10 to 12 drops of essential oil (I add tea tree oil to my husbands for the nice scent and antiseptic properties, and lavender or orange and lemon oil to my own)

5 recycled plastic containers, mason jars, or plastic freezer jars. (I used a recycled ketchup bottle to dispense the kids' soap and these cool plastic freezer jars made by Ball to store the rest, but you can use whatever works best for you.)

Labels and permanent marker (I found nice colorful blue and green label pads with pretty designs on them, made by Scotch at Walmart)

Directions:

Add distilled water to a large pot and begin warming on medium to medium-low heat. Add the grated soup and stir with a wooden spoon until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add the vegetable glycerine, as well as the jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, and essential oils if using. Stir well to combine. Next allow the mixture to cool just long enough to handle without burning yourself, then poor the mixture into your containers, leaving an inch or two space at the top if possible. Allow the containers to cool for 1 hour with the tops off. After an hour, replace the caps and shake each bottle vigorously. Set the bottles aside in an easily accessible place and go about your business, stoping to shake the bottles again every twenty minutes or so. The mixture will thicken dramatically as time goes on. Once the bottle are completely cooled, label and store just as you would any store bought body wash.

Give it a try!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

The following recipe is a favorite here in our household, born out of my own desire to eat chocolate for breakfast and not have to feel quite so guilty about it. lol. The original version is borrowed from Cheryl Bohn's recipe at Allrecipes.com, which I love because it uses applesauce as a much healthier alternative to canola oil. The second version is actually my own, concocted just this morning when I realized I was out of applesauce halfway through the recipe (Oops!), which uses plain or vanilla flavored yogurt and only a little oil to make up for the lost moisture. The results of both versions are delicious!

Here's the recipe:


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Version #1

1/2 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg


1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup applesauce

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Version #2

Basically the same as Version #1 except instead of applesause, add:

1/2 cup vanilla flavored yogurt (or 1/2 cup plain yogurt + 1 teaspoon vanilla)

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with applesauce (or yogurt and oil) to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins a little over 3/4 full (I like to use an ice cream scoop). Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. (Just an FYI, these muffins won't rise much so don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong. They're still plenty tasty though!) Cool  at least slightly before eating. (The chocolate might burn little tongues!)

Pic of Selena eating the finished product.

Pic of the finished product. (Or what's left of it!)

Enjoy!

Rainy Day Chicken Noodle Immunity Soup (or Chicken-less for all my Veg-friends!)

Everyone knows how comforting a nice warm bowl of chicken noodle soup can be on a cold, rainy or snowy day. But there aren’t too many of us who realize just how much health and immunity boosting power one homemade bowl-full can truly hold! Fresh carrots, celery, potatoes, and spinach are loaded with essentials vitamins and antioxidants.  And many scientists believe the components in onions and garlic, called allyl sulfides and bioflavonoids, can actually work to lower incidence of cancer and heart disease in people who consume large amounts of garlic and onions, compared with those who eat less. Onion extracts are recognized by the World Health Organization for providing relief in the treatment of coughs, colds, asthma, and bronchitis. They also help decrease bronchial spasms, and have been found to decrease allergy-induced bronchial constriction in asthma patients. Garlic is a good source of vitamins A, B and C, as well as minerals such as selenium, iron and calcium. Garlic was long used as an antibiotic before the advent of penicillin, and is also an antibacterial infection fighter. It may even help prevent colds as well!

Here’s a few links to learn more: Leo Galland M.D. via HuffPost, Vegetarianism and Vegetarian Nutrition, Live Strong: Health Benefits of Potatoes, Onions, and Garlic  

Hungry yet?

Me too!

You’ll find my favorite recipe below.

 Rainy Day Chicken Noodle Immunity Soup (or Chicken-less for all my Veg-friends!)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup diced celery

1 ½ cups sliced carrots

1 medium sized onion, diced

3 cloves diced garlic (use more or less according to taste)

1 to 1 ½ medium sized potatoes, diced

1 handful fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and chopped

About 6 ounces or half a bag of wide egg noodles

12 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or 12 cups water with 9 teaspoons chicken flavor bouillon granules or cubes added)

1 heaping tablespoon poultry seasoning (equivalent to one teaspoon each of Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, Rosemary, and a pinch of Black Pepper, and Nutmeg) (You may also choose to use less seasoning, like 1 or 2 teaspoons, according to taste. I prefer a lot since it adds the illusion of a real roast chicken flavor to the vegetarian version. My kids never notice the difference!)  

2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with a little water to dissolve

Parsley and Black Pepper to taste

*For the meat eaters: add 3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken

*For the vegetarians: add 1 can of great northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot at medium-high heat, then add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Pour in broth or water with bouillon. *Add chicken now if using. Now add seasoning and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, cover with lid, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add noodles, spinach, *beans, and cornstarch mixture to the pot, stirring well to combine.  Add parsley for color. Replace lid and simmer for another 10 minutes or until noodles are soft. Add ground black pepper to taste.

Let cool for a few minutes uncovered, then ladle hot soup into serving bowls.

Tastes delicious with warm crusty bread or crackers.

Enjoy!    

(FYI: Leftovers store well in the fridge or freezer!)

Simple, Tasty Blueberry Muffins!

Okay, so here's a new recipe I just had to share, found recently over at Food.com. My kids aren't usually fans of anything blueberry, but these muffins seem to be the exception to the rule. The first time I made these mildly sweet, cupcake-like muffins, they lasted for a total of about... oh, 20 minutes before they all disappeared, courtesy of some seriously hungry kiddos!

Here's the recipe:

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter or ½ cup margarine, at room temp
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup milk
• 2 ½ cups fresh blueberries or 2 ½ cups frozen blueberries

For Topping

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, mixed with
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°.
2. Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins).
3. In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
5. Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.
6. With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat.
7. Fold in blueberries.
8. Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle topping onto each muffin.
9. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.
   
   Enjoy!

Natural Wood Cleaner and Dusting Spray

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't posted any new tips in a while. Things have just been so busy around here, I haven't had time to breath, much less come up with something helpful and witty to say! Luckily, I just finished a little cleaning around the house, and remembered to share this awesome new recipe I've been using for an all-natural wood cleaner/dusting spray.

This spray works just well as Pledge or any other name brand wood cleaner on the market-- at least in my humble opinion, and will leave your wood tables and furniture shining beautifully. And the best part about it... No harsh chemicals or mystery ingredients! Just a few cheap, everyday products you probably already have around the house anyway, plus a few drops of essential oil for a nice lemony scent (or whatever other scent you prefer, like orange for example!).

Sounds great that it's all natural, but does it WORK, you ask? Why yes, it does!


Here's what you'll need:

1 clean plastic spray bottle (Preferably new, to avoid any unwanted chemicals getting in the mix. Found mine at Walmart for like $1.99)

1 3/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup vinegar (Such an awesome all-purpose cleaner!)

2 tsp olive oil (For conditioning, trust me!)

1/2 tsp lemon essential oil (About 10 to 12 drops work for me, but feel free to add more or less, whatever tickles your fancy! Found mine at Kroger in the organic section. Also available at Publix, most health food stores, and many online retailers like Amazon, and Mountain Rose Herbs.)

Here's what you'll need to do:


First, add all your oils directly to the bottle, replace top and shake just enough to blend. Next, add vinegar and water, replace top again, and shake well. Spray directly on wood surface or on a clean dry cloth, wiping just as you would with any other dusting spray or wood cleaner. (microfiber works best!) Because the oils and water will separate naturally, be sure to shake well before each use, and a little extra in between sprays just to keep it mixed evenly.

And that's it! Pretty simple, right? Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Seriously. Your gonna love it!