Homemade deodorant (Updated 8-21-17)

Okay, I told you I would post this here, so here it is!! My homemade deodorant. First off I would like to point out that there is a big difference between deodorant and antiperspirants. Deodorant kills bacteria when you sweat, so you don't smell. Antiperspirants stop you from sweating with aluminum. Aluminum is only one of the many hazardous ingredients inside of store bought antiperspirants and deodorants, most of which can heavily impact or hormones.
Secondly a lot of homemade deodorants use significantly more baking soda then you need to keep dry, in return you may end up with chemical burns this is what many people will tell you is the "transitional period". There is no reason that you body needs to endure pain to go healthy. Please if you have a painful reaction to something please find the source ingredient and limit use are stop altogether. Baking soda may cause chemical burns in higher concentrations, but  in smaller amounts should be perfectly safe to use. 

Recipe:

• 2/3 cups coconut oil
• 1/2 1/4 an ounce of beeswax (I prefer a softer deodorant so I decreased the amount of beeswax)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda(With the addition of shea butter I found I could increase the baking soda to teaspoon without irritation)
• 1 capsule of vitamin E oil (this time I used a bottle so I tried my best to eyeball it)
• 2 deodorant empty deodorant containers
• 20- 40 drops of essential oils I prefer at least 10 drops to be tee tree 

Some of the oil blends I like are

• 5 drops of thieves EOs, and 15 drops of lavender EOs
• 5 drops of sweet orange EOs, 5 drops of bergamot EOs, 5 drops lavender EOs, and 5 drops of Jasmine EOs

Mix all the ingredients except the essential oils in a small pot over low heat, until coconut oil and beeswax are melted. Take off heat and add essential oils. pour into your containers and set aside in the fridge for 2 hours or until solid.

This deodorant doesn't need to be left in the fridge. So feel free to put in your bathroom cabinet without fear of it melting. it goes on really smooth and my highly sensitive skin hasn't had a breakout since I made the switch. If you think you would prefer a more dense deodorant add more beeswax.

Golden "Tummeric" milk

The colder months are upon us, and with those months we find ourselves trying to avoid the flu and common cold, usually with out success. So let me introduce you to my new best friend Turmeric milk. 

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It is obvious why we have been using turmeric to avoid falling ill for 100's of years With the help of turmeric plus some other great health-boosting spices you can make yourself a delicious cup of turmeric milk. I think it is time to put away the hot chocolate, and enjoy a delicious cup of "Golden Milk"

Ingredients (makes 2 cups)

• 2 cups of low fat milk (alternative milks are great options too)
• 1 Tablespoon of Turmeric
• 1 Tablespoon of raw honey
• 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• A pinch of salt (I prefer pink Himalayan  salt)

Warm the milk and all the spices on the stove-top slowly ( I usually do it at medium low) while continually stirring. Once the milk is warm (almost hot) and frothy pull of the heat and strain out the spices.

How to make yogurt

Yogurt is easy to make, and costs significantly less then store bought. So why did it take me to so long to start making my own?  Learning to trust the fermentation process has always been hard for me and even scarier when it comes to dairy, but we have been fermenting foods for 1,000's of years.

Now that I feel I have mastered yogurt I want to share with you the 2 worse things you could do when making yogurt: 1) curdle the milk 2) don't let milk cool enough before adding starter. In both of these situations you will still make yogurt, so take a breath and jump in.

This is the method I use to make yogurt

What you need

• 1/2 Gallon of high fat dairy milk
• 1/2 cup of starter yogurt leftover plain yogurt from you last  batch or any store bought plain yogurt that says it has live cultures will work
• Cooking thermometer
• Large pot
• Crockpot
• 2 large towels

First you need a 1/2 gallon of milk (preferably a high fat content dairy milk), pour the milk into a pot and slowly heat up the milk

I usually keep the stove at medium low while bringing up the milk temperature to 180 F - 190 F. This is to sterilize the milk

Pour the milk into your crockpot and wait till the milk cools below 120 F before adding in your 1/2 cup of starter. Make sure you mix the yogurt in well.

Wrap you crockpot in the two large towels to keep it slightly warm while it ferments. Leave it alone for 12 to 18 hours

Your yogurt should come out thick and creamy, you can get a yogurt strainer if you would prefer more a of a Greek yogurt thickness.

I usually add honey to half of my yogurt for breakfast, and keep the other half plain for curry and a sour cream substitute.

ENJOY!

Guacamole stuffed chicken

My husband loves all things spicy, and being a Thin man who has the genetic disposition of having high cholesterol, he has taken quite the liking to guacamole and the wonderful benefit of avocados. My kids are not a keen to spicy foods as he but this is one meal we all agree on. It is delicious.

Guacamole 

2 large avocados

1/2 a tomato diced

1 shallot diced

1 clove of garlic diced 

Splash of lime juice 

1 Tablespoon sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)

1 Serrano chili minced (remove seeds for a more mild flavor

Mix in stand mixer

Take 4 thawed or fresh raw chicken breast and tenderize until thin.

Add 2-4 tablespoons (depends on size of chicken breast) of guacamole to the center of each breast.

Roll up sides of chicken breast to the top and pierce with 3 toothpicks to hold it shut.

Dip chicken in an egg bath then in bread crumbs. Put chicken on a broiler pan

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked)

Usually I shred some Parmesan on top after pulling it out of the oven. I forgot to do that tonight this night.

Incoming recipe

I haven't been writing blogs, or posting recipes, or diy house cleaner lately and I am sorry for being so quiet. I am working on a recipe though. My husband and I have been working on a Chicken Makhani  recipe for almost a year now, and its almost finished. This is probably the most work I have ever done on one recipe but the end result is delicious. Keep following me to get the recipe. You can also follow me on Facebook

Health(ish) Rice Krispy Treats

Looking for away to satisfy your sweet tooth?? Usually I just eat a lot of fruit when a sweet tooth moment hits. Sometimes that's not enough, there are tons of recipes that can transform your favorite dessert to something more healthy.
My rice krispy treats is based off of Alton Browns recipe.
-Dry ingredients
•3 cups puffed brown rice toasted in the oven for 15 minutes stirred every 5 minutes
•1/3 cup dried cherries
•1/3 cup dried cranberries
•1/3 cup golden raisins
•1/3 cup whole flax seeds
•1/2 cup pecans
-Marshmallow mixture (melt together )
• 4 cups of marshmallows
• 3 Tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon raw honey
Mix marshmallow mixture with the dry ingredients. Press down into a pan and let cool.

Update

I still have house cleaners, home remedies, more food recipes, and a couple other random things to move over here from the Tumblr page, but it is getting done, I am really happy that I have been adding new content here lately as well. Feel free to comment below what you think my next post should be about.

Lasagna

Here is my lasagna recipe and you don't have to precook the noodles!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 walla walla onion
• 1/2 a green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 a red bell pepper (chopped)
• 2 cups of chopped cauliflower
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 pound beef
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 beef bullion cubes
• 12 oz can of tomato past
• 1 1/2 -2 cups of water
• 8-10 lasagna noodles
• Ricotta cheese
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese
• Seasonings (I used Oregano, Thyme, chili powder, turmeric, black peeper, salt, and fresh basil)

In large skillet saute onions, garlic, and bell peppers in olive oil until onions are transparent. 

Add beef and cook till browned. Then add wine, and cauliflower. simmer to reduce the wine.

Add water, bullion cubes, tomato paste and seasonings.

In 2 medium bake-ware dishes (or 1 large) lay down in layers sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese, then repeat these layers and top off with the cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350F for 90 minutes

Tada!

Homemade sourdough tortillias

My family loves Mexican food whether it be burritos, nachos, enchiladas, or quesadillas. So naturally we go through a lot of tortillas, and I like to make as many things from scratch as I can. Well there is this jar of sourdough in my fridge that my husband tends to only use for waffles and the occasional loaves of bread. So I scoured the internet and for ideas and put together my own recipe for sourdough tortillas this weekend. I hope you enjoy. :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
• 5 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons of Himalayan pink salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2/3 cups melted bacon grease
• 2/3 cups melted coconut oil
• 1 cup hot water

Add all you liquids to the starter first, then mix in the salt and baking powder. Slowly mix in 1 cup of flour at a time. Ounce all the flour is mixed in separate into 18 balls, and cover with a towel. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Roll out the balls into a 12 inch circle and fry them on a dry frying pan for 45-60 seconds on each side.

If you are planning on storing these you will need to rewarm them in a microwave for 2 minutes on medium power wrapped in a moist towel.

When he wants to sleep with mommy.

At two and a half he is not as little as he once was, but sometimes it still happens. Sometimes as I walk with him to his bed his big eyes look up at me. "Mommy? I don't wanna 'leep in baby bed." he cries out."I know buddy, but it's nap time and you're tired. I promise you will feel better after your nap". I try to explain"No, Baby 'leep, mommy 'leep, mommy bed. Oh-tay?" he corrects me.This doesn't happen often, usually he just tries to avoid going to sleep at all costs like most toddlers would. Usually he likes his bed, it has his pillow with his special pile of 4 or more blankets, a sleep sheep that hangs above his head (he loves to listen to the rain), and his doll but sometimes... Sometimes all he wants is me.I pick him up and cradle him in my arms, he doesn't fit like he use to, but he loves it still. He smiles at me as I carry him into my room. I drop him and myself soundly onto the the bed and he lets out an excited squeal. In a rush he crawls around in circles like a dog trying to find a comfortable place to lay down. I pull the blankets over his tender body and slide in next to him. At first he is so excited for this time he wants to talk to me about everything. How daddy is at work and sister is at school, how he was riding his bike today, and that mommy took a shower. That the dogs came into the room and there is a light on the ceiling. While enjoying his free spirit I remind him to calm down. He rolls away from me and pulls the blanket over his head "Baby hide" he tells me, I can hear him taking deep breaths, and he hugs my heavy arm closer to him. As we lay there my mind drifts, I start thinking about what workout routine I'm going to to do, how much water I drank so far today, Should I go for a bike ride later? I hate how my body looks.Then he pulls the blanket down and turns to me. "thank you mommy""Thank you for what?" I say bewildered"Thank you mommy bed, mommy 'leep" he responds. He closes his eyes tight and pillows his head against my swollen breast. His breathing begins to match mine as his head raises and lowers with my breath. He strokes my round face, says he loves me and gives me the tightest squeeze his little arm can give. This is important to him, and important to me as well. As he begins to drift to Slumberland, his hand caresses my soft belly, I am reminded that choosing to be a mom changes what perfection looks like. My body is perfect for times like this. The times when he wants to sleep with mommy.