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!)