Month: July 2010

Categories
Health

Homemade Deodorant

OK, so this post is all about battling B.O.  Not only that, but battling it in a safe and reliable way with aluminum-free ingredients. Finally, you can feel good about what you and your family put on your pits. :O)

Why aluminum-free? Well, store-bought deodorants contain aluminum or aluminum compounds, which are said by the “experts” to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s and certain kinds of cancer. I don’t know about you, but my children are approaching the age of deodorant usage…and for them to have zero-exposure to toxic metals sounds good to me!

I love being able to pronounce the ingredients of the things I put in and on my body, don’t you? That’s just one more *plus* to this deodorant recipe.

Homemade Aluminum-free Deodorantfingertip spray bottle

  • Bob’s Red Mill Aluminum-free Baking soda (most baking soda brands are processed w/aluminum, so go with Bob’s!)
  • Witch Hazel (available at your local supermarket…same section as alcohol and hydrogen peroxide)
  • fingertip-spray bottle (for witch hazel)
  • plastic storage bottle w/a flip top lid (for baking soda storage)
  • essential oil of choice (coconut or rosemary…)

Fill the mini-spray bottle with witch hazel, and if desired, add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil. Likewise, fill the other flip-top container with baking soda. To use, simply spray the witch hazel on  your armpit, then dump a bit of baking soda in your hand and cup it to your pit…patting it around. It’s not as messy as it sounds, and I’m so happy to report that it’s the BEST protection I’ve ever had from B.O.  My friend who got me started w/this recipe told me that prior to trying this recipe, she also had searched for a good coverage deodorant but always ended up smelling like B.O. and whatever scent the deodorant happened to be.

I’ve been using this recipe with totally happy results for several days now!

One last tip  for sensitive skin, try one part witch hazel, one part aloe vera gel, and one part water.

While we’re on the topic of homemade deodorants, I want to point you to another recipe that sounds good…this one we haven’t tried yet, but came highly recommended by another friend of mine. She says it’s totally replaced store-bought deodorant for her family…teenage son and all! This one is more of a roll-on, and calls for coconut oil, arrowroot powder and baking soda.

At any rate, should we somehow experience a world-wide shortage of hygiene products, you now have a recipe or two to save the day!

Categories
Cooking and Food

Brownies and other Ooey-Gooey Delights

Hard to be overly health conscious when these treats are in the house! My oldest first baked these brownies on May 17, 2009, to assuage the trauma caused me by the “vicious possum attack of ’09″…remember my sad tale,“Hard Life Knocks on the Farm”?

Anyhow…this brownie recipe has been asked for by three friends now, so I better get on the ball and post it here. Am also sharing my oldest’s recipe for “Ooey-Gooeys”…a no bake treat she first made with her Aunt Kimmy. Special memories!

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Brownies

  • 1 cup butter (okay, you can use margarine but it will turn to plastic in your liver…I’m just sayin’…)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (chocolate chips work)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350*F. Grease 13×9 inch pan. In medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add sugar, vanilla and eggs; blend well. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt; mix well. Add chocolate and pecans. Pour into greased pan.

Bake at 350*F for 30-40 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Cut into bars

Yield: 36 bars

Ooey-Gooeys (we always double this recipe!)

  • 12 TB crushed graham crackers
  • 4 TB honey
  • 8 TB peanut butter (we use sunbutter)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Shape into golf-ball sized lumps. You should be able to make a dozen. Spoon onto baking pan lined with waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Goes great with a glass of milk!

Categories
Cooking and Food

Orange Smoothies

Have to share this cold, frothy recipe here…it is delicious, especially on a hot summer afternoon. And we’ve had a lot of those lately. In the past week we’ve picked buckets and buckets of blackberries and apricots, wheelbarrows of onions and cabbages, weeded the gardens, carried gallons and gallons of water to the newest garden that has no hydrant…here’s hoping we can coax our melons and sweet potatoes to hang in there…

Orange Refresher (serves 4)

  • 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used vanilla yogurt)
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate, unsweetened
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 8-10 ice cubes

Blend in a blender until smooth! Did you know that the citric acid in orange juice enhances calcium absorption from the yogurt or from milk? Mm-hm.

You could also add in various ingredients for extra nutrients, like raw egg, 1-2 TB protein powder, 1/4-3 TB brewer’s yeast (B vitamins), 1 tsp.-1 TB flaxseed oil or olive oil (to assist in absorption of vits. A, D, E, K).

This recipe is from Sue Gregg’s Breakfasts cookbook.

Lastly, if you’ve had access to blackberries lately…you’ve got to try this scrumptious recipe for Blackberry Pie Bars from Joy the Baker’s site. Let me just say…the lemon zest rubbed sugar crust was incredible! This recipe is for my blackberry friend, TR!