Are you nutty for coconut oil?

If this isn't a staple in your house then I'm sorry to tell you that you are missing out! My love affair with coconut oil, like most things, began when we had our first kiddo. I've always had sensitive skin and babies of course do. Around that same time the world was finding out (with horror) that Johnson & Johnson was owning up to some not so safe chemicals in their products .. like formaldehyde in their "no more tears" shampoo. You can read more about that and the effort to change thanks to consumer pressure here. 

So - in looking for alternatives that were non-toxic I stumbled across many articles, posts, and references to coconut oil. For a long time I assumed it was good to keep around for a healthier stir-fry and had no idea of all the ways I could use it. 

Currently, I use it to wash my face, as a facial moisturizer, eye cream, as lotion for my kids (age 2 and 2 months), and at every diaper change in place of other creams. I also use it as a carrier oil. Remember my previous post this month on Thieves oil? (If you don't well shame on you! Go read it!) I digress though, I mix a drop or two of thieves in with a tablespoon of coconut oil and use as a chest rub for the kids and even myself. Since moms don't ever get sick this rarely is needed on me though ;)

So, go ahead and pick up a jar next time you go grocery shopping. A little goes a long way and you can really use it for a LOT of things. I'm just touching on the few things I always use mine for but there are so many many more! 

For instance, here are 21 Recipes for Skin Care Products using coconut oil. 

And from Wellness Mama .. Here are 101 Ways to Use Coconut Oil

Go nuts!

How much arsenic do YOU eat?

They look good don't they? Who doesn't love rice as a side dish? Think about it - for most of us it was probably the first food we were introduced to. Well, buckle up loyal readers because I've got to be the bearer of bad news. It has been confirmed in lab tests on hundreds of foods, including hot cereals and rice pasta, that there is a disturbing amount of inorganic arsenic in the rice we are eating. Maybe it goes without saying but eating arsenic probably isn't the healthiest thing you should be doing seeing as arsenic shares a lovely link with several types of cancer. 

Find more about the study recently done by Consumer Reports HERE.

Scary stuff but fear not! All is not lost and there are some alternatives that can leave you not missing the rice in your life quite as much. 

I had actually come across this information when the monster, I mean my perfectly angelic son, was an infant. We hadn't yet gotten to the cereal stage yet but when I read this I was at a loss. I was reading reports stating not to feed your children more than 1/4 cup a MONTH. If you have kids you probably already know that rice cereal is a major staple multiple times each day ... in a month!!!

(It's okay, Elliette! We know what to do!)

With our first child, Caleb, we made sure to buy organic cereal as our first step. But, just to be safe we went ahead and skipped rice cereal all together and waited until Caleb was 6 months old to introduce cereal. When we did - we started with oatmeal cereal or ground up and cooked quinoa with some of Caleb's milk and fruit. 

Now, if you don't have kids and you eat rice quinoa could also be a good option to take the place of arsenic rice. The cooking process is similar and quinoa is also a grain BUT it is also extremely healthy. You can read about some of the many health benefits HERE. There are plenty of recipes floating around the world wide web for quinoa and once you get the hang of cooking it and the smaller, grainier texture I think there is a good chance you won't even miss the rice!

Another option is couscous. This is a mediterranean food and cooks up incredibly fast! I'm not going to lie - I buy the already seasoned in a box variety sometimes because - let's face it - easy wins some days. You can also buy couscous in bulk. It literally takes 5 minutes to cook and you can season with whatever suits your fancy. I sometimes throw in beans or sautéed veggies. There are a lot of recipes out there for couscous as well but for me it is a fun side dish item to experiment with. And it is fast ... without arsenic!

The Legend of Thieves

THIEVES! No not that kind .. well, not anymore! Thieves is another essential oil that you may want to consider adding to your medicine cabinet. As you know, I'm not HUGE into using oils (yet!) but I have a few that I've had handy for a few years now and Thieves is one of them. 

Thieves is a blend of lemon, rosemary, cloves, eucalyptus, and cinnamon. The legend goes that during the time in history when the feared Black Plague (Bubonic Plague) was decimating populations in Europe there was a merry band of four thieves who managed to plunder the riches of the dead and dying without ever getting sick. Upon their capture in France they were offered a lighter sentence in exchange for the secret in avoiding illness. The recipe for thieves is based on historical accounts and records of the story. So .. being plagued by illness in our house this past week it was time to break out my bottle and put it to use. 

Like most essential oils, Thieves is antimicrobial, anti fungal, antiviral, and anti parasitic. When illness darkens our door I have three ways that I use it.

1. Drop 10-15 drops into a diffuser or vaporizer in the unhealthy family member's room. This is usually my son but my husband seems to get sick every time he comes in contact with a germ. Luckily, having our room smell spicy and remind me of holidays and Christmas trees isn't such a bad thing!
2. Mix a few drops into coconut oil and use as a chest rub.
3. 1 drop in with a tablespoon of water, gargle, and swallow to attack a sore throat.

If it worked for the BLACK PLAGUE it has to be worth a try, right! I've found it to work well in the ways I use it but not surprisingly a little research pulled up even more ways to use this versatile oil around the house, in the air, and topically. 

You can find some here: https://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/50-ways-to-use-thieves-essential-oil/

And to give you some ideas on the types of use: 

Time to Dust Off Ye Ole' Crockpot

The cupboards are bare and it is long past time we head to the grocery store this weekend. One thing I've been diligently searching around for are crock pot recipes since once the prep work is done you plug in, turn on, and walk away until later when your food is all done. Honestly, whoever came up with the idea of a crock pot was a genius ... and probably lived a busy life!

That said - it is also fall and what could be better than throwing together some homemade applesauce?? My son loves it and making it at home has the added benefit of making more for less without the high fructose corn syrup. Plus it is EASY which is a must for basically everything I do cooking wise.

You will need: 

• A crockpot (obviously)
• 8-10 medium size apples (pick your favorite! I recommend Honeycrisp!)
• A splash of apple cider (or water or apple juice ... )
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Cloves, nutmeg, apple pie spice, vanilla .... (all optional based on taste!)

Now, to put it all together you will need to peel, core, and chunk up your apples. Once done, place all of the apple in your crockpot. It isn't necessary but if you are concerned about sticking you can spray the inside of the crockpot before adding the apples. 

Next, splash in your apple cider or water. I generally start with about a 1/4 cup of either cider or water and add more if it seems needed once things are cooking away. Add in 1/2 cup of brown sugar followed by your seasoning of choice. Usually I just sprinkle in some cinnamon. As with the cider (or water) you can add more to get the taste you want later on. I've also experimented with vanilla extract and cinnamon ... apple pie spice ... cloves. Set the crockpot to low and cook for about 6 hours. Your house will smell amazing and your refrigerator will be well stocked with a delicious treat. It's also pretty tasty on vanilla ice cream when it is still warm from cooking. Just throwing that last part out there for you!

Applesauce is incredibly easy to make and you can season to suit your taste. It's also one snack / treat I don't mind my son eating and he loves it as well!

Cleaning Green with Oils

I've spent a week overwhelming myself with essential oil information. There are so many types of oils and so many ways to use each one that I decided to take a step back and a page out of one of my friend's book. Oils are something I intend to start using as we continue moving toward a toxin free lifestyle so I'm going to start where my friend started ... cleaning!

As I started researching I have to admit being pretty shocked to learn that there are no federal regulations for the chemicals used in household products. The theory behind this is that exposure is limited but when you start thinking about all the various cleaning products stocking your shelves it is pretty scary to think that you are exposed all the time and to potentially harmful combinations of chemicals. Some of the most common chemicals found in cleaning products are known skin irritants, neurotoxins, endocrine blockers, and can have the amazing side effect of actually encouraging the growth of drug resistant strains of bacteria. AHH!! 

So .. who is ready to consider some alternatives? I know I am and essential oils added to cleaning product recipes you can quickly and easily make at home are a great place to start! Essential oils tend to be high in antibacterial, anti fungal, and antiviral properties so they not only leave the house smelling nice in a natural, aromatherapy kind of way but they also enhance the cleaning power of a recipe and get rid of all the nasty stuff in your house. 

Commonly used oils for cleaning that you might want to consider starting out with include lime, sweet orange, rosemary, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, thyme, lemon, peppermint, lavender, and grapefruit. Guess it's no wonder many products lining the store shelves boast citrus power, eh? 

It's not hard to start making these recipes and replacing anything you can buy at the store with something you made at home for less. Searching around the internet will unearth plenty of recipes and if you are on Pinterest you are likely to strike gold with the pins you'll find! Think pins like this one ... 

Here is a good place to go to start dipping your toes into the natural cleaning water: 

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/all-natural-cleaning-solutions/essential-oils

And here is a good place if you are more interested in diving into the deep end (don't worry - the recipes are still easy to pull off for those of us with a crazy life like mine!): 

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2013/06/homemade-all-natural-cleaning-recipes.html

Essential Oils .. Knowledge is Power

I'm no stranger to natural medicine and homeopathy thanks to an aunt who has long sought out remedies over traditional medicine. While at times it seemed weird to me when I was a child it now has become a more appealing option to try before going to the doctor with ever ailment. With that said, it is really no surprise that a few years ago I started hearing about essential oils and people using them for medicinal purposes primarily through diffusion (think aromatherapy) and topically.

Color me INTRIGUED! 

This week I put the question out to land of social media on Facebook asking people where a good starting point was for a "newbie". Even though I've started dabbling I don't know enough to jump in and as I've learned - it really isn't something to dabble in unless you know what you are doing. For myself, I've used oils in a diffuser to help alleviate congestion, lavender oil on bee stings and to relieve fever, and peppermint to combat a persistent headache. A common oil that many I know many to use is lavender oil. Uses range from calming, sleep aid, bee stings and insect bites, minor burns, cuts, eczema, nausea, nosebleeds, dry skin, hay fever, fever, and cold sores. Still intrigued .. and it sounds good to me!

I was curious about where to start and one follower provided a link to a helpful article outlining what essential oils are:

Derived from botanical substances such as bark, flower, leaves, etc., essential oils often contain a natural chemical constitution known to have antibacterial, antiviral, antibiotic, and antiseptic properties. 

Sounds great so far, right? 

True, except that if you continue reading you'll find out that most respected sources recommend not ingesting oils unless you are doing so under the supervision of someone trained in using essential oils. Here is a link to the article and if you are still interested you should definitely read it before continuing on this mission to learn more about using essential oils with me. 

http://www.nourishingherbalist.com/ingesting-essential-oils-safe-or-not-so-much/

Clearly, I need to know more but this response from a follower has me hungry for more information!

Do it for your mini germ factories!

Ah kids ... they touch EVERYTHING. 

They will eat food off the floor or better yet - the sidewalk. 

They will not hesitate to throw themselves bodily down in the middle of an aisle and roll around while you're just trying to pick up the milk and eggs and get the heck home. 

Let's face it - we love them but the concept of washing hands and sanitizing to avoid germs is lost on them during cold and flu season. 

The good news is that thanks to the world of social media I not only stumbled across recipes for Elderberry Syrup to ward off cold and flu but a genius way of protecting my not so germ conscious child. So, brought to you by the wellness mama (I really would like to meet this lady!) ... 

Here is her recipe for gummy bears. See my earlier post for Elderberry Syrup recipes that you'll need. This is just another step beyond the syrup and if your kids are like mine - fruit snacks are rarely turned away. Might as well make them healthy!

Flu Busting Gummy Bears

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Flu busting homemade gummy bears combine the immune boost from elderberry syrup with the gut benefits of gelatin.

Author: Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Natural Remedy

Serves: 6+

Ingredients

• 1 cup elderberry syrup (here is the recipe)
• ½ cup hot water (not boiling)
• ¼ cup Gelatin powder (I use this one)
• 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil for greasing pan
• Glass container or silicon molds (My kids like the dinosaur molds and gingerbread molds the best)

Instructions

1. Grease molds or glass pan with coconut oil to prevent sticking.
2. Place ¼ cup of cooled elderberry syrup in a 2 cup measuring cup and add gelatin powder.
3. Quickly whisk together to temper the gelatin powder.
4. Add the ½ cup of hot (not boiling) water and stir quickly until smooth.
5. Add the rest of the elderberry syrup and stir or whisk until completely smooth.
6. Pour in to molds and put in fridge for 2 hours or until completely firm.
7. Pop out of molds and store in air tight container with parchment paper between layers.
8. Take daily as needed to avoid flu or take every few hours to help beat the flu faster.
9. Will last up to a week in the fridge in an air tight container.

http://wellnessmama.com/4599/flu-busting-gummy-bears/

Flu Fighter!

It's that time of year again! No, no .. not quite the deck the halls and fa la la la la time of year but, my friends, flu season is upon us. Everywhere you look you'll see the signs advertising that the flu shot is available and people everywhere are lining up. Except some .. like myself.

Perhaps slightly controversial but I don't get a flu shot nor do I have the kiddos get one. My biggest reason for this is that there just isn't enough guarantee that the flu shot will protect us from getting sick. Some swear by it and that is okay but let's face it - it is designed to protect against the maybe 10 most common types of flu for that year and there are literally thousands of strains. So, I'm always looking at natural ways to strengthen our immunity and help fight the germs without standing in line down at the nearby CVS and getting a shot of stuff I might not really want.

If you feel the same way (and it's ok if you don't) I'd like to introduce you to the Elderberry:

You can find Elderberry syrup at natural food stores or online but it is fairly pricey. If you have the extra money and not the extra time I'd recommend purchasing some as it has been proven to reduce the duration of the flu and has immunity boosting superpowers when taken at the first sign of symptoms or daily as a preventative measure.  Elderberries have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties, contain a key antioxidant for immunity, and are high in vitamins A and C.

As it turns out, with a little research, a handful of ingredients, and one hour of your time you can make your own Elderberry Syrup for significantly less than what you'd spend buying it in the store. I found two variations on Elderberry Syrup recipes. The first contains Elderberries, cinnamon, raw honey, cloves, water, and ginger root. Prep time is only 5 minutes and cooking time is an hour. Not too bad in the grand scheme of your health.

Check out the details on how to make the syrup and more info on Elderberries in general here:

http://realfoodrn.com/homemade-elderberry-syrup/

The other variation is similar with the addition of echinacea. Personally, this is the recipe I'll use since a little extra boost for immunity from the echinacea certainly isn't a bad thing. This recipe also takes about the same amount of time as the other one so you can't lose either way!

http://www.crunchybetty.com/your-natural-medicine-cabinet-elderberry-echinacea-syrup-recipe

Happy germ fighting!

Video Test

Sorry folks .. testing options to bring you video in the near and dear future

I'll take my breakfast without the sand!

Sunday morning growing up meant family breakfast. I never thought much of it as a kid but we always made pancakes, waffles, muffins, and coffee cake from scratch. I was always partial to the coffee cake and for the longest time I thought OUR coffee cake was how everyone made coffee cake.

Not so much!

After being spoiled with the real, sugary goodness growing up I never like the coffee cake (or crumb cakes) that come out of a box and are just add water and an egg. Now that I'm at a point where I try to avoid processed food and still have a treat once in awhile I thought it would be interesting to check out the ingredients on a boxed coffee cake mix that doesn't compare anyways.

I looked at Krusteaz (See the ingredients here) and found some lovely additions like partially hydrogenated soybean & cottonseed oil, modified food starch, dextrose, emulsifiers, artificial flavors, and silicon dioxide. The oil is of the genetically engineered variety and carries the bad fats, modified food starch is most often made of GMO food, dextrose is an added sugar in processed food, the emulsifiers are a chemical to up the shelf life, and silicon dioxide is sand. Yes - sand. You'd be surprised how much sand you've probably eaten away from the beach all in the name of no clumps in the boxed mix.

So, since the boxed version pales in comparison to my family recipe you'll be happy to never buy it again.  Below is a nice weekend treat ... not exactly sugar free but it's okay to have a treat every once in awhile!

Coffee Cake

1 1/2 Cup of Flour (I use whole wheat, unbleached which makes me feel a tiny bit healthy!)
1 heaping tsp. of Baking Powder
3/4 Cup of Sugar
1/4 Cup of Vegetable Oil
1 Egg (organic free-range naturally)
1 Cup of Milk

Gooey Cinnamon Topping . . .

1 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
Enough water to make a syrup (about 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cake ingredients in one bowl and pour into 8x8 baking pan. Mix cinnamon topping and pour the resulting syrup over the cake mix.

I usually do a zig zag pattern when I pour on the cinnamon syrup. What stays on top crisps but mainly it just sinks to the bottom as the cake bakes so when you pull it out of the oven 30-45 minutes later and cut you'll want to flip over onto the plate when serving so the gooey stuff is on top.

Here's to not so good for you but at least you made it at home weekend breakfasts!

Eating Organic and Staying Sane

It's all about the money and eating organic is no exception. I think this is especially true if you have a family and there are multiple mouths to feed every day while the cost of food continues to climb.

Prowling through Facebook this past week I came across the "Dirty Dozen" list with a blog post from the ever vigilant FoodBabe, blogger and healthy lifestyle expert, offering 75 tips for eating organic on a budget.

I read through the post and while a lot of the suggestions were good ones I couldn't take it all in at once. It's possible that having a two year old ramming his Tonka truck into me and practically knocking me over was part of the problem but only POSSIBLE. Anyway, I digress, the post made me think about the tips and I went back over it once the kiddo was down and out for the night making some notes and marking off the things I already do as well as the ones that were more of the wishful thinking variety. Here is the link to the blog I read: http://foodbabe.com/2013/05/20/how-to-eat-organic-on-a-budget/  Definitely worth a read because she provides a lot of helpful links for some of the items that might help you on your way.

Changing habits takes time so before I even get into the suggestions about how to eat more organic let me first suggest that you start with one or two a week. Slowly start to change your shopping, eating, and lifestyle habits over time instead of all at once.

And so, without further adieu, I'll commence with my thoughts:

1. Coupons, Coupons, Coupons: It seems pretty obvious but if you want to save money coupons can be a great way to invest you time. Personally, my day starts at 5:45am and revolves around getting myself and everyone else up and out the door on time, flying into work at 8am (barely), working my 8 or 9 hours, going to the sitter, driving home, dinner, bath time, reading Curious George for the eight thousandth time, laundry, packing for the next day, picking up, and finally sitting down at 10 or 11pm hoping I can stay awake long enough to fit in some homework. Couponing is just not in the cards for me BUT, if you have the time to put into it, scouring the internet and printing off the latest deals and steals for organic food brands might be a good first step. If you already coupon you're ahead of the game and just need to add a few more stops on your coupon hunt. To those of you in that category - Keep on couponing on!
2. Plan out meals according to organic foods on sale or that you have a coupon for : Had to chop this one down to the bare bones. If you are like me and don't have time to cut coupons you sure as heck don't have to time to then design a weekly menu based on the coupons.  I make an effort to at least think through my meals for the week. A lot of time we stick to basics that keeps us away from boxed and processed food anyways. For busy families, crock pots are the best thing since sliced bread, tacos are always fast and easy, pasta, and the standard meat/veggie/starch route. We try out new recipes on the weekends when there is more time to prep food and more hands to prevent daring toddlers from vaulting off the top stair.                         
3. Do for yourself: Smoothies and juices .. trail mix .. granola bars. It all sounds good in theory but time may not always be on your side. Saving up, or putting on a Christmas wish list, for things like juicers, bread makers, and a dehydrator might be good ideas. As you add that into your kitchen you can start trying your hand at trail mix (which you don't really need a recipe for), portioning out and freezing smoothie ingredients ahead of time so you can put in the blender and go and so on. Granola bars are something I would make myself ... BUT I've yet to find a simple, quick, easy recipe that also tastes good. My last attempt had 5 ingredients but received poor marks from my husband and son despite the five star review on the internet :(
4. Portion and prioritize meat and dairy: Maybe FoodBabe isn't feeding a meat and milk loving husband and son but this one seems hard to me. It is important to buy meat and dairy products organic simply because they are most likely to be polluted with pesticide, antibiotics, and growth hormones but it's difficult in our house. We make a few of our meals vegetarian which helps but milk goes fast! This is where looking to a local source might be helpful. We found that at the herb and homeopathic store downtown you could sign up for milk delivery from the local dairy. The milk is delivered every Thursday in glass bottles, is slightly cheaper than the organic store option, and supports local business. My husband likes to fish so our freezer is pretty stocked with fresh water fish like trout so that helps us as well. 
5. Speaking of the freezer: Buying a deep freezer was a key purchase in our house. We're able to stock up on organic meat and wild caught fish when it is on sale (or biting) instead of buying it on a weekly basis. We also buy butter, frozen fruit, and vegetables when they are on sale and keep them frozen until we need them. FoodBabe recommended doubling recipes and freezing. We actually already do this but it is usually extra soup or from doubling up a recipe on a day when we cook a slightly more time consuming dinner - like lasagna.  I like freezing things in portions that I'll actually need so soup we put into containers so they can be grab and go lunches or dinner
6. http://onceamonthmeals.com I'm still stuck on the freezer but this is a good resource to get some ideas. There are several different menus (whole foods, vegetarian, paleo) that you can browse a sampling of each month. The concept with the site is that with a membership you can plan out your entire month of meals and prepare everything on one massive cooking day. Being a member you can also generate a shopping list. This could be an option if you have the money for the membership and the bigger component -- TIME to cook one time each month and probably a friend or two to help you out with that effort. I usually skim through and pull off recipes to try out for the month like breakfast muffins, soups, or dinner ideas. 
7. Ain't nothing wrong with the store brand: Store brands that are labeled organic have to follow the same rules as the brand name competition but with a lower price tag. This is kind of a no brainer for me since I never have time to cut coupons for the name brands!
8. BUY LOCAL: I have the benefit of living in Amish country so there are random fruit and veggie stands all summer but ... there are also 2 farmers markets with one running on Thursdays and the other on Saturday. These are great stops for deals on produce. FoodBabe suggests going toward the end of the market as vendors are more likely to drop prices more which I had never thought of. We also have a small, best kept secret type store, that is a local greenhouse. Produce can be bought year round and is usually much fresher and half the cost of produce at grocery store. 

Well, there you have the highlights and the changes that can be made fairly quickly and easily. For me, I keep in mind that dirty dozen list from before, and we focus on filling our fridge fruit and vegetables, taking advantage of sales, sticking to meals that are easier during the week (but we do love our seasoning for flavor), and avoiding pre-packaged food. When I'm feeling feisty I'll give a granola bar recipe or something a chance but I don't always have time so like usual - I choose my battles and give myself a mental pat on the back for keeping the kitchen stocked with real food. We must be on the right track because even though our 2 year old has had (and loves) candy he was also the one who walked past all the junk food and threw a fit in the store because he wanted an apple. And later he had a peach .. a plum .. strawberries .. and leftover soup from one of those "easy" meal nights. 

Radiantly Local In Review

My first choice is to buy local and support local businesses as much as possible. There are a number of reasons for this but the biggest is that it helps the local economy and I like knowing where my money is going. It makes the decision to go local even easier when the local business in question has interests in line with my own. In this case, I recently was introduced to Radiantly You. This local company uses raw, natural, unrefined, and organic ingredients to create beauty products, hand soaps, cleaning products, and other items. Now I know there are those out there who like to make their own everything like true pioneers but I don't have any interest in filling the free time I do manage to find in my day with hunting down ingredients and turning my kitchen into a science lab all in the name of face cream.

Over the past week I've been able to try two of the products that can be purchased from Radiantly You: the Dead Sea Whipped Face Wash and the Antioxidant Face Cream.

It only took three days and I'm hooked. I have probably tried every single type of face wash that you'll see lining the shelves at stores and likewise when it comes to a face lotion. Radiantly you doesn't offer a huge selection but based on these two products I'd say that they've been devoting their time to finding just the right mix of ingredients for each product.

The face wash costs $11.50 and I'd estimate it will last for about a month, if not longer. If you break that down over 4 weeks the cost is minimal and compared to other options available in stores it is slightly more expensive but only by a few dollars. Everyone would be a little different but I've already discovered that I could stretch the 3 day sample package to 5 days and only need to use it once a day. The face lotion is an even better deal. It's competitively priced at $17.50 which is what you'll spend on a decent face lotion in all honesty. Go ahead and check Aveeno or Olay if you think it seems high. I've dropped the same amount of money on a name brand and had to buy more lotion after a month. This is especially true in the winter but with Radiantly You a little truly does go a long way. I've noticed in just a few days that my skin is holding moisture better than normal as well so I only need a very small amount.

I'm sold and excited to try more of the products. I do think that some of them are pricey and that there are other options out there. For instance, they have a tub scrub that sells for $8.50. I've no doubt it works beautifully but so does a little kitchen (or bathroom chemistry) when you use baking soda to scour/scrub and then pour white vinegar over that. On the other hand, they have items like an herbal decongestant using ingredients I can fully pronounce.

Radiantly You is a double bonus for me - Local AND chemical free but we aren't greedy in this area. Anyone can order and try for themselves through their online site.

---------> http://www.radiantlyyou.com

Fall Equals All Things Pumpkin

Stumbled across this recipe and thought it worth sharing. I'll be trying it out once we have a pumpkin handy from carving next month so check back for my review!

Back in the day, ice cream was a lot better for you and still delicious.  Fast forward to today and it is difficult to find an ice cream in the freezer section that doesn't contain artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and other fun stuff like that.  There is an entire list that I could provide but all you really need to do is check out the ingredients on your carton of butter pecan or cookies-n-cream to start seeing things like Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Mono and Di-Glycerides, and so on.  Putting it simply - if you have trouble pronouncing it and no idea what it is it isn't the best stuff to eat but . . . it just TASTES SO GOOD!

So give this recipe a try.  Only four ingredients which you can easily pronounce and only one step when it comes to directions. Even I can handle that during the monster's, I mean my son's, nap time on a Saturday.

Get the recipe here: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-pumpkin-ice-cream/

My Friend Dawn

If you aren't friends with Dawn yet and want to downsize your selection of chemical ridden cleaning products you need to let her into your life! Of course I'm not referring to a mythical person who will show up at your house while you sleep and you'll wake up to spotless counters and clean floors.  Can't help you on that one but I can open your eyes to the beauty that is Original Blue Dawn dish soap.  Don't be scared to read on ... I like tips and tricks that work, are easy to fit into a busy life, and don't require me to break into the vacation fund. 

How we began . . .  It all started with a stain on my kid's cute, little monster covered outfit. I had been so overwhelmed trying to research and find a way to go natural and not jump on board the crazy train that I hadn't quite figured things out. I went to my old stand-by - the OxyClean Stain Stick - which worked as usual but with a sad, side effect. The next time the munchkin wore the outfit his skin got irritated and bright red right where I had used the stain remover. I lost the mom of the year award right then and there but it sent me on a quest for something equally as effective but without the sting. 

I hit up Pinterest and scoured my sister's boards. I figured if anyone had something it was probably her and lo and behold I struck gold. And so, allow me to present the most miraculous stain remover that will run you less than anything else on the shelves and takes less than 5 minutes to mix up. Can you say "win-win?"

All you need is blue Dawn, peroxide, and baking soda.  Three things that most people probably have around anyways. Mix 1 part Dawn to 2 parts peroxide and add in some baking soda to make a sort of paste. I usually do 1/2 cup of the Dawn and then 1 cup of peroxide. You can actually remove most stains with just the Dawn and peroxide and then reserve the creation of a paste for the REALLY brutal stains.  Even the set in ones like the gross looking yellow stain you'll get on your white shirts. Admit it . . . you know you have some of those. Try the paste and they'll be a distant memory! 

But that's not all! Don't worry as I'm not really planning to break into a sales pitch here but blue Dawn will work for more than just the dishes.  Here's a pretty good list of different uses and several will help you knock a few household cleaning products off your list. 

1. Saving wildlife: After an oil spill because grease goes away and the skin isn't harmed or irritated. Also, BONUS ... no phosphates and biodegradable!
2. BUBBLES: (for the kids) 1/2 cup of Dawn, 1/2 gallon of warm water, and a table spoon of glycerin which you can find at Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens .. you get the idea.
3. Greasy hair help: Like when your little monster, I mean angel, finds the Vaseline or baby lotion and gets a little crazy. Wash their hair with Dawn as you would shampoo. 
4. For the ladies with a penchant for hair product: Washing your hair once a month with Dawn in place of shampoo will remove all that buildup.
5. Bugs-Be-Gone: 1 drop of Dawn in a spray bottle of water and you can use on the leaves of your houseplants to keep the bugs away.
6. No More Windex: 3 drops of dawn in 1 gallon of water and pour into a spray bottle to give you that streak free shine on a windows and glass. 
7. FLEAS: Bathe your dogs or cats (if you dare mixing cats and water) in Dawn to kill fleas. 
8. Got Pain?: Fill a ziplock bag partially full with Dawn, freeze, and use as an ice pack. It thaws out more slowly than a standard ice pack and IF it does leak you aren't going to wonder what the heck just spilled out all over you or your furniture. 
9. Shower Power: Make a shower spray cleaner by filling a spray bottle halfway with white vinegar, heat in microwave, and fill the remainder of the way with Dawn. Shake it up, spray down the shower, WALK AWAY, and when you think about it later on ... Just rinse away. 
10. ANTS: A long time nemesis . . . spray down counters with Dawn and water solution and wipe off with a clean, dry cloth. Dawn is your friend and your pet's friend, and your kid's friend .. but not a friend of the ant. 
11. Liquid Plumber: Unclog toilets with 1 cup of Dawn allowed to sit for 15 minutes and chase with a bucket of hot water.
12. Multi-Purpose Cleaner: You might have already put 2 and 2 together by now but you can mix a few drops of Dawn with water in a spray bottle and use as your counter spray, for linoleum floors, baseboards, hard surfaces, etc. 
13. De-Icer: Friends coming over for New Years or Christmas? Or maybe you would prefer to not fall and break your neck coming in the house via the sidewalk? Whichever it is, 1 teaspoon of Dawn, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon of hot water dumped on icy terrain and VOILA! 

Convinced that you need a new friend yet? Or maybe you just need to build on the relationship you have with the bottle of blue Dawn you might already have in the kitchen? Either way, what started with dishes grew to stains and suddenly I was intrigued.  I don't have a lot of time to mix up new cleaning products so the more versatile the product the more I love it and in this case, the $2-$3 I spend on a bottle goes a long way!  I usually buy the value pack so a bit pricer but I don't buy stain remover, glass cleaner, insect repellent, expensive hair repair products, bathroom cleaner, or multi-purpose sprays so I think what that means is .... I WIN!

Choosing Battles

I remember the moment when everything changed and my fairly straightforward way of thinking became so much more complicated.  I had moved from Savannah, GA, home to azalea lined streets and massive oaks dripping in Spanish moss, back to the northeast where I had grown up to be with my husband.  I'd been back up above the Mason-Dixon line for about 6 months when we found ourselves expecting our first child.  Naturally, we were excited and once the first trimester had passed it felt safe to start amassing baby "stuff" a little at a time.  That moment I mentioned?  It happened in the baby section of Target.  We casually turned down an aisle and were surrounded by far too many choices.  It didn't seem possible that such a tiny person who would weigh in at a whopping 6 pounds could actually need so much just to survive each day in our care.  We slowly backed away from the baby section and being the logical people we are, made the decision to do some research first.  Little did we know how much more complicated things could get with just a tiny bit of research! Vaccinations, GMO, processed food, cloth or disposable, cleaning products, plastic toys, and so on until eternity.

Fast forwarding a bit (since I don't want to bore you to death by going into minute detail on every little decision) we realized that, like most parents, we wanted to start changing our lifestyle a bit and working toward being more natural, healthy, and holistic.  Easier said than done.  We both work full time.  In my case, I juggle full time work with an online graduate school program and the beginnings of a freelance career while still being on call 24/7 as MOM.  Our toddler is busy, our life gets crazy, and things get messy.  Navigating the last two years has become a minefield of doing some research, evaluating the options, and ultimately, deciding what worked for us.

We can't live in an impermeable bubble that will block out each and every thing that has the ability to cause cancer or hyperactivity or this or that.  Let's face it - once you start reading you'll find that few things are truly safe.  Burt's Bees is owned by Clorox and a tobacco company (Philip Morris) owns that smiling Kraft Macaroni & Cheese which falls under the whole processed foods category with toxic cheese powder slowly poisoning our kids who also happen to L-O-V-E it!  And have you heard the latest on Fall's favorite flavor?  Yes - even the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks is a ticking time bomb to your health! See what I mean?  It's tough.  I've been learning as I go, making smaller, more palatable changes, and choosing my battles in trying to be as natural as possible.  I am all for natural living but for me, it is in a way that doesn't break the bank or keep me up into the wee hours of the morning mixing up a 5 gallon bucket of laundry detergent or better yet, off at the grocery store on a beautiful day reading every single label and cross referencing an ever expanding Mr. Yuck list for 6 hours when I could of flown through there in 2 hours and been home to hunt for bugs and frogs with the kiddo.