I wasn't planning to do recipes on this blog but I changed my mind. There are a few recipes I do want to share. The first was a lava cake recipe but I am having a hard time finding where in the heck I put it...hopefully I will find it later. For now I'd like to post a white chicken chili recipe. I love this stuff. It's amazing and SOO easy to make!
Ingredients:
8 oz cooked and shredded chicken(or more if you like it really meaty)
2 -14 oz cans chicken broth
3 -15 oz cans Great Northern Beans, drained
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped(optional)
1 1/2 cups chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves(1 tsp from the jar stuff)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
Directions:
Mix everything together in crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
SIMPLE!!! However if you are not a fan of bell pepper then you probably won't like this. I personally LOVE bell pepper so this is perfect for a sick day! I don't add the jalapeno but if you want it to be spicy then don't forget to add it. This is my favorite crock pot recipe, enjoy!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Laundry Detergent
This is a very simple recipe and it is very effective. I have done two loads of laundry since I made it this morning. It seems to work as good if not better than the commercial brand! I also did happen to find a post by a girl who did a science project testing this homemade "green" cleaner recipe against Tide. She poored beat juice on two seperate items and the homemade actually did better than the Tide! But who knows how accurate this was since it was posted by a kid. I'm considering trying out testing it for myself as it's caught my curiosity!
Ingredients:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap (you can also use Ivory or Zote brand)
1/2 cup washing soda(not to be mistaken for baking soda!! Totally different things)
1/2 cup borax powder
2 gallon bucket
Grate soap and put in saucepan with 6 cups water. Heat until soap melts(I heated on medium and let it sit and slowly melt...not sure if this affected my results). After it's melted add borax and washing soda and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into bucket then add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let soap sit for 24 hours and it will gel(mine starting gelling once it started cooling off). This makes 2 gallons. Use 1/2 cup per load. 64 loads per batch.
Total cost of one batch of this came out to $1.53
So basically I am paying only 15% of average cost.
Ingredients:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap (you can also use Ivory or Zote brand)
1/2 cup washing soda(not to be mistaken for baking soda!! Totally different things)
1/2 cup borax powder
2 gallon bucket
Grate soap and put in saucepan with 6 cups water. Heat until soap melts(I heated on medium and let it sit and slowly melt...not sure if this affected my results). After it's melted add borax and washing soda and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into bucket then add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let soap sit for 24 hours and it will gel(mine starting gelling once it started cooling off). This makes 2 gallons. Use 1/2 cup per load. 64 loads per batch.
Total cost of one batch of this came out to $1.53
So basically I am paying only 15% of average cost.
ETA: This laundry detergent is awesome! The more I use it the more I love it!
Deoderant
It costs 50 cents to make this homemade deoderant(without the essential oils) I am not sure how much it costs to add the essential oils, but they aren't needed for the product to work.
Antiperspirant deoderants contain aluminum which basically blocks offthe pores in your armpits and prevents them from excreting sweat. Does anyone think this could be harmful? I personally do. While I can find no conclusive evidence that aluminum based deoderants cause breast cancer and alzheimer's, I think it's worth it in the end not to use it. Alzheimer's is my biggest fear as far as old age goes, since my Granny has it and it has deteriorated her horribly. I try to limit my exposure to aluminum. But one thing I hadn't even thought of until recently was how damaging my deoderant could possibly be! So, I set out in search for homemade deoderant. This deoderant uses all ingredients that you can probably find in your cupboards already. I just made this today so I'm not quite sure yet how well it works. I read in one article where someone had tried it that it took their body 6-8 weeks to adjust before they stopped sweating as much. Which makes me think even more about the aluminum based deoderants causing issues. Similar to the issue of, is there a need for shampoo? Some people have tested this and after a while of using only water they never had to use shampoo again because the oils in there scalp and hair balanced out.
Think back in biblical times. Did they wash their hair every day with soap? No! I never understood how that was possible since the longer I go without washing my hair the more my head itches. But after reading multiple reviews of going without I realize that maybe none of these things are really truly needed as desperately as the world has brought us up to believe. I probably won't be one to test the no shampoo thing, which is why I posted a homemade shampoo recipe yesterday. I just have too many scalp problems to go without, but for guys I think this is a great idea! They have short hair anyways, they get it cut every month or every two weeks. Now my husband could never try this because where he works he gets covered in grease(mechanic) so he of course needs something to wash it out. But for those that work at a computer desk all day or work inside somewhere in a clean environment, I believe this could be worth a try! It would definitely save you some money!
Okay, I guess I am getting off topic. Back to deoderant. Why stuff aluminum up your pores when you can make deoderant for practically nothing out of ingredients in your own home?
Here's the recipe:
2-6 T coconut oil (I used around 3-4)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch(I couldn't find any arrowroot so I just used cornstarch)
Combine dry ingredients then slowly mix in the coconut oil until it maintains the substance desired.
You can stuff this into an old deoderant container. If you wish you can also add some tea tree essential oil but it's not needed.
This will not STOP you from sweating, but will preventing you from smelling. The longer you use it though, the less you should be sweating. Especially if you were using an aluminum based deoderant beforehand. I will update this after I have been using it for a few weeks to let everyone know how its worked so far for me.
Note: You need to be lighter of hand when putting this on or you will over apply and it will get on your clothes. Coconut oil gets harder when cold so if you find the substance is too soft try keeping it in the fridge(if you don't mind the cold on your armpits)!
Also if you do not feel like dealing with the ingredients you can always just take and old makeup brush and brush baking soda on your armpits after a shower just after you towel dry. The moisture still in your skin will make the baking soda stick. You have to do this right after the shower though or else bacteria will have a chance to grow before getting it on, which will leave it useless.
Antiperspirant deoderants contain aluminum which basically blocks offthe pores in your armpits and prevents them from excreting sweat. Does anyone think this could be harmful? I personally do. While I can find no conclusive evidence that aluminum based deoderants cause breast cancer and alzheimer's, I think it's worth it in the end not to use it. Alzheimer's is my biggest fear as far as old age goes, since my Granny has it and it has deteriorated her horribly. I try to limit my exposure to aluminum. But one thing I hadn't even thought of until recently was how damaging my deoderant could possibly be! So, I set out in search for homemade deoderant. This deoderant uses all ingredients that you can probably find in your cupboards already. I just made this today so I'm not quite sure yet how well it works. I read in one article where someone had tried it that it took their body 6-8 weeks to adjust before they stopped sweating as much. Which makes me think even more about the aluminum based deoderants causing issues. Similar to the issue of, is there a need for shampoo? Some people have tested this and after a while of using only water they never had to use shampoo again because the oils in there scalp and hair balanced out.
Think back in biblical times. Did they wash their hair every day with soap? No! I never understood how that was possible since the longer I go without washing my hair the more my head itches. But after reading multiple reviews of going without I realize that maybe none of these things are really truly needed as desperately as the world has brought us up to believe. I probably won't be one to test the no shampoo thing, which is why I posted a homemade shampoo recipe yesterday. I just have too many scalp problems to go without, but for guys I think this is a great idea! They have short hair anyways, they get it cut every month or every two weeks. Now my husband could never try this because where he works he gets covered in grease(mechanic) so he of course needs something to wash it out. But for those that work at a computer desk all day or work inside somewhere in a clean environment, I believe this could be worth a try! It would definitely save you some money!
Okay, I guess I am getting off topic. Back to deoderant. Why stuff aluminum up your pores when you can make deoderant for practically nothing out of ingredients in your own home?
Here's the recipe:
2-6 T coconut oil (I used around 3-4)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch(I couldn't find any arrowroot so I just used cornstarch)
Combine dry ingredients then slowly mix in the coconut oil until it maintains the substance desired.
You can stuff this into an old deoderant container. If you wish you can also add some tea tree essential oil but it's not needed.
This will not STOP you from sweating, but will preventing you from smelling. The longer you use it though, the less you should be sweating. Especially if you were using an aluminum based deoderant beforehand. I will update this after I have been using it for a few weeks to let everyone know how its worked so far for me.
Note: You need to be lighter of hand when putting this on or you will over apply and it will get on your clothes. Coconut oil gets harder when cold so if you find the substance is too soft try keeping it in the fridge(if you don't mind the cold on your armpits)!
Also if you do not feel like dealing with the ingredients you can always just take and old makeup brush and brush baking soda on your armpits after a shower just after you towel dry. The moisture still in your skin will make the baking soda stick. You have to do this right after the shower though or else bacteria will have a chance to grow before getting it on, which will leave it useless.
ETA:After a few months using this, I actually gave up on it because my armpits started getting itchy. This reaction could have been due to other helath problems that I was having at the time so I will be retrying it shortly. I also was not using a quality coconut oil which may have affected the outcome.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Lemon Cleaner
Today I tried out a recipe for lemon cleaner, meant to be used pretty much everywhere. Though I'm sure will streak glass. It didn't seem to leave any streaking behind on my counters and left them sparkling clean. I am planning to try this on my mother in laws marble to see if there is any streaking there and I will update this with the results.
Ingredients:
1 tsp borax
1/2 tsp washing soda
2 T lemon juice
Combine ingredients in spray bottle. Add one cup of very hot water and shake well to mix and dissolve dry ingredients. Spray on surface and wipe off with sponge or rag.
This can be stored indefinitely. It costs me $0.52 per batch.
Very simple, cheap and effective! I bought the borax for around $3 the washing soda for about the same and they are large boxes. These ingredients would probably be enough for the next 3 years at least, probably longer! I believe both boxes were around 3-5 lbs.
The next thing I am planning to try is lemon wood cleaner. I ran out of olive oil though so I'm unable to make it right now.
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Very simple, sounds effective and is definitely cheaper and better for your wood furniture than most wood polishes you find at the grocery store.
Ingredients:
1 tsp borax
1/2 tsp washing soda
2 T lemon juice
Combine ingredients in spray bottle. Add one cup of very hot water and shake well to mix and dissolve dry ingredients. Spray on surface and wipe off with sponge or rag.
This can be stored indefinitely. It costs me $0.52 per batch.
Very simple, cheap and effective! I bought the borax for around $3 the washing soda for about the same and they are large boxes. These ingredients would probably be enough for the next 3 years at least, probably longer! I believe both boxes were around 3-5 lbs.
The next thing I am planning to try is lemon wood cleaner. I ran out of olive oil though so I'm unable to make it right now.
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Very simple, sounds effective and is definitely cheaper and better for your wood furniture than most wood polishes you find at the grocery store.
Castile Soap Shampoo
I'm amazed at how many things castile soap can be used for! I decided today I would try out a homemade shampoo recipe I found on the web. I have to say it is the best shampoo I have ever used, and left my hair feeling absolutely squeeky clean. Comparable to the most expensive brands in my opinion.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup liquid castile soap(I used Dr. Bronners which can be found at super supplements, I've also found it at Fredmeyer)
1/4 cup distilled water
2 tsp jojoba oil(I didn't have any so I just used a light vegetable oil)
1/8 tsp each of pepperment and tea tree essential oils
Put ingredients in a thoroughly cleaned old shampoo or soap container and shake well to mix ingredients. If you would like you can steep herbs in the water used to add more fragrance. You can also forget about the essential oils if you have none, they are only used for scent.
This shampoo like I said before was amazing! I will never go back to the bottled crud at the store again! Plus this did save me some money! The ingredients bought for it are enough to last me and my husband at least a couple months worth of shampoo. Probably more. And I go through 2 bottles of shampoo from the store per month. This needs much lesst to work, and works much better.
The only con of this is that it doesnt suds up like store bought shampoos, but it really doesn't need to as thats not what cleans your hair. It is also farely runny. I am thinking about later doing a test run using some xanthum gum to thicken up the mixture and see if it helps any, but for now i will have to be pour directly on the head for use.
I also used the liquid castile soap as body wash and it worked very well. Very gentle and my skin feels softer than ever. You also need much less of it compared to regular body wash.
This shampoo altogether cost me about $1.55 and a small amount goes a long way. Much longer than cheap shampoos at the store. It may be more if actually using jojoba or olive oil, since both are more expensive oils than a cheap vegetable oil, but I doubt it would bring the price higher than $2.
Note: The scents can be anything you want. Using two different essential oils is ideal in my opinion because using only one will sometimes give you too strong of a scent. The variety makes it a more pleasing scent.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup liquid castile soap(I used Dr. Bronners which can be found at super supplements, I've also found it at Fredmeyer)
1/4 cup distilled water
2 tsp jojoba oil(I didn't have any so I just used a light vegetable oil)
1/8 tsp each of pepperment and tea tree essential oils
Put ingredients in a thoroughly cleaned old shampoo or soap container and shake well to mix ingredients. If you would like you can steep herbs in the water used to add more fragrance. You can also forget about the essential oils if you have none, they are only used for scent.
This shampoo like I said before was amazing! I will never go back to the bottled crud at the store again! Plus this did save me some money! The ingredients bought for it are enough to last me and my husband at least a couple months worth of shampoo. Probably more. And I go through 2 bottles of shampoo from the store per month. This needs much lesst to work, and works much better.
The only con of this is that it doesnt suds up like store bought shampoos, but it really doesn't need to as thats not what cleans your hair. It is also farely runny. I am thinking about later doing a test run using some xanthum gum to thicken up the mixture and see if it helps any, but for now i will have to be pour directly on the head for use.
I also used the liquid castile soap as body wash and it worked very well. Very gentle and my skin feels softer than ever. You also need much less of it compared to regular body wash.
This shampoo altogether cost me about $1.55 and a small amount goes a long way. Much longer than cheap shampoos at the store. It may be more if actually using jojoba or olive oil, since both are more expensive oils than a cheap vegetable oil, but I doubt it would bring the price higher than $2.
Note: The scents can be anything you want. Using two different essential oils is ideal in my opinion because using only one will sometimes give you too strong of a scent. The variety makes it a more pleasing scent.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Quick and Easy Air Freshener
You're having people over soon but your house smells like wet dog. Reach for your clove and cinnamon powder!
To make our house smell amazing after the animals have stunk it up with that undeniable pet smell(especially after Maya our dog has been out in the rain) I take a small pot and put some water in it. I sprinkle on cinnamon powder and clove powder(amounts depend on how much your house smells) and heat the water to boiling. I then let it sit and steep in the hot water and the house ends up smelling like Christmas! It's amazing and a nice alternative to chemical filled air fresheners!
Some people don't like the smell of cloves so you could just ditch that part. You could probably do slices of orange or apple with the cinnamon, though if you are using fresh fruit you may want to boil for a bit longer.
I saw both cinnamon and clove powder for sale at the dollar tree the other day, so this is a very cheap trick.
Note: you can also use steeped herbs to make your dog smell better as well. I use a rosemary rinse now weekly as it repels fleas as well as making your dog smell a bit better :) I will update later with a list of herbs safe to use on your dog or cat.
To make our house smell amazing after the animals have stunk it up with that undeniable pet smell(especially after Maya our dog has been out in the rain) I take a small pot and put some water in it. I sprinkle on cinnamon powder and clove powder(amounts depend on how much your house smells) and heat the water to boiling. I then let it sit and steep in the hot water and the house ends up smelling like Christmas! It's amazing and a nice alternative to chemical filled air fresheners!
Some people don't like the smell of cloves so you could just ditch that part. You could probably do slices of orange or apple with the cinnamon, though if you are using fresh fruit you may want to boil for a bit longer.
I saw both cinnamon and clove powder for sale at the dollar tree the other day, so this is a very cheap trick.
Note: you can also use steeped herbs to make your dog smell better as well. I use a rosemary rinse now weekly as it repels fleas as well as making your dog smell a bit better :) I will update later with a list of herbs safe to use on your dog or cat.
Dandruff away!
To rid myself of bad dandruff I heat up some olive oil to warm and use a cotton ball to dap it directly on my scalp. I leave it in for 30 minutes to an hour then wash out with my normal shampoo. It does wonders! I do this weekly and rarely see a flake! I also just read that you can use this warm oil treatment for your hair as well(safe for dyed hair).
It says to apply to hair then wrap in towel and let sit for 30 minutes before washing out. I will be trying this out soon!
It says to apply to hair then wrap in towel and let sit for 30 minutes before washing out. I will be trying this out soon!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Nightly Hand Scrub
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I found it online somewhere though I'm not sure where exactly. If I find the site again I will post it.
The only ingredients you will need are sugar, olive oil, and one whole lemon.
The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/3 salt, but I personally omit the salt for more sugar since salt can dry the skin and I have very sensitive skin. If you have more oily skin you will want to use salt. You will also need 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
Pour the sugar(and salt) into a medium sized bowl. Add olive oil and stir until oil is evenly distributed. Then grate the zest of a large lemon and mix in. For extra lemon scent you can add 1/4 tsp of lemon extract or a few drops of essential oil of your choice. Stir in well and store in a jar or glass bottle. I store mine in an old glass olive oil container and it works great.
Basically rub it in circular motions into your skin to wash off dead skin cells and leave your hands feeling very smooth. When you first rinse you will feel the oil on your hands but don't worry! After wiping with a towel your hands will feel amazing. I absolutely love this recipe and will continue to make it in the years to come!
ETA: I have found for a product that you can store for longer you can use essential oils in place of the lemon zest. Just put however many drops you want depending on how strong you want it to smell. I love to just scent mine with peppermint and tea tree oil.
The only ingredients you will need are sugar, olive oil, and one whole lemon.
The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/3 salt, but I personally omit the salt for more sugar since salt can dry the skin and I have very sensitive skin. If you have more oily skin you will want to use salt. You will also need 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
Pour the sugar(and salt) into a medium sized bowl. Add olive oil and stir until oil is evenly distributed. Then grate the zest of a large lemon and mix in. For extra lemon scent you can add 1/4 tsp of lemon extract or a few drops of essential oil of your choice. Stir in well and store in a jar or glass bottle. I store mine in an old glass olive oil container and it works great.
Basically rub it in circular motions into your skin to wash off dead skin cells and leave your hands feeling very smooth. When you first rinse you will feel the oil on your hands but don't worry! After wiping with a towel your hands will feel amazing. I absolutely love this recipe and will continue to make it in the years to come!
ETA: I have found for a product that you can store for longer you can use essential oils in place of the lemon zest. Just put however many drops you want depending on how strong you want it to smell. I love to just scent mine with peppermint and tea tree oil.
All Natural Hand Sanitizer
According to multiple sources I've read in the last few days hand sanitizer containing alcohol may work to kill germs but is not the best thing for us to be rubbing on our skin daily. After reading this I went on a search for a good homemade recipe. This is the best one I found and it sounds great. When I try it myself I will update with my opinion on the product.
All Natural Hand Sanitizer:
Fill a small bottle halfway with distilled water. Add 1 tsp aloe vera gel, 1-2 drops cinnamon oil, 1 drop eucalyptus oil, 1 drop rosemary oil, 1 drop clove bud oil, and 5 drops lemon oil(for scent). Top it off with more distilled water. Make sure you are using essential oils as fragrance oils will not have the antibacterial effects that the essential oils have.
If you don't want to go out and buy all the different essential oils for this recipe you can do this:
Instead of using 5 different essential oils you can use 5 drops of the "theives"blend from Young Living Essential Oils (youngliving.com)
About cinnamon oil and its benefits:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/health/08real.html
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/278873
This was my favorite article about the benefits, cinnamon seems to be a miracle cure!
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-cinnamon-oil.html
Source for sanitizer:
http://willardgreen.ning.com/group/greeningthecleaning
All Natural Hand Sanitizer:
Fill a small bottle halfway with distilled water. Add 1 tsp aloe vera gel, 1-2 drops cinnamon oil, 1 drop eucalyptus oil, 1 drop rosemary oil, 1 drop clove bud oil, and 5 drops lemon oil(for scent). Top it off with more distilled water. Make sure you are using essential oils as fragrance oils will not have the antibacterial effects that the essential oils have.
If you don't want to go out and buy all the different essential oils for this recipe you can do this:
Instead of using 5 different essential oils you can use 5 drops of the "theives"blend from Young Living Essential Oils (youngliving.com)
About cinnamon oil and its benefits:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/health/08real.html
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/278873
This was my favorite article about the benefits, cinnamon seems to be a miracle cure!
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-cinnamon-oil.html
Source for sanitizer:
http://willardgreen.ning.com/group/greeningthecleaning
Friday, October 9, 2009
Scrub that sink!
A simple effective and cheap way to clean your sink:
Supplies:
-One half lemon
-about a Tablespoon of baking soda
Take one lemon and cut in half. Sprinkle the cut top with baking soda. Make sure it is well covered. Squeeze the lemon to get the juices out a bit and scrub away. Works really well to get your sink sparkling clean as well as deoderizing. Once you are done scrubbing rinse the sink out then throw the used lemon into the disposal run hot water over it while grinding it up. Your sink will smell amazing!
This I'm sure could also be used to clean your showers and would give your bathroom a nice fresh scent. And the lemon juice fights hard water stains.
Note: When scrubbing sink make sure to squeeze the lemon when you hit those tough spots. The lemon juice helps to remove the stain.
Supplies:
-One half lemon
-about a Tablespoon of baking soda
Take one lemon and cut in half. Sprinkle the cut top with baking soda. Make sure it is well covered. Squeeze the lemon to get the juices out a bit and scrub away. Works really well to get your sink sparkling clean as well as deoderizing. Once you are done scrubbing rinse the sink out then throw the used lemon into the disposal run hot water over it while grinding it up. Your sink will smell amazing!
This I'm sure could also be used to clean your showers and would give your bathroom a nice fresh scent. And the lemon juice fights hard water stains.
Note: When scrubbing sink make sure to squeeze the lemon when you hit those tough spots. The lemon juice helps to remove the stain.
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