Green Goodness!!

How many of you have resolved to become more healthy this year?? How many of you have determined to lose weight, especially those stubborn last 10lbs? Well, what if I told you that I have the perfect breakfast smoothie for you?!?

Many of you might read this and think to yourself "there is no way that this can taste good", but please don't knock it until you've tried it! My hubby and I have become quite fond of this green concoction and actually find ourselves craving it each morning! We feel pretty good about ourselves too because it's as if we're having a salad for breakfast! ;-)


What you'll need - a blender!

-Orange juice
-Handful of salad greens ( I buy the huge tub of organic greens from Sam's for $2.98!)
-1-2 Bananas (I like to freeze mine for added thickness)
-Frozen fruit of your choice
-Honey to taste

I eyeball everything, so keep that in mind as you might like to tweak it according to your taste.

I pour approx 1 cup of orange juice into my blender, then pile the organic greens into it (1-2 generous handfuls) next (the more, the healthier obviously, but if you wanna start out slow, I understand). Make sure they have combined well, then add your bananas one at a time and allow them to combine. Once smooth, Add 1/2-1cup of frozen fruit. After all has incorporated, I add honey to taste. I simply squeeze it into the mixture for about 5 seconds while it's blending. :-)

Once done, you will have a delightfully GREEN smoothie that is not only delicious, but quite nutritious! The recipe above makes enough for both my husband and I.

Go ahead, be brave - try it! I guarantee it'll be MUCH better than you think, and you probably will find yourself truly enjoying it.

Here's to a healthy 2012!

~Lauren

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Proverbs 31:17 "She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."

I NEVER, EVER, EVER thought that I would be making my own laundry detergent. However, I happened to watch a documentary on all the chemicals found in store bought detergents, etc. I was horrified! Chemical laden products are SO bad for us!! Can you say, TOXIC??!? That is another post altogether!

Anyway, thanks to my amazing, brilliant, wonderful, and ingenius friend, Page, I now make my own laundry detergent and LOVE it!!
It works, smells great, is economical, consists of only 3 ingredients, and I am never going back!

Now that you want to know the recipe, it is as follows: :-D

-1/2 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (found at Ace hardware, some grocery stores)
-1/2 cup Borax (found at Wal-mart)
-1 bar of Fels Naptha bar soap, (must be grated, do it yourself or buy it that way) (found at Ace Hardware)

These are the only ingredients. Pretty easy huh? Now, if you want to make a double batch (which I highly recommend) then you'd simply double the recipe to-

1c Washing soda
1c Borax
2 bars Fels Naptha, grated
Triple, quadruple, this recipe if you so desire.

Now I did not happen to buy the Fels Naptha grated, so I must do it myself. If you have a food processor, then use it to grind the soap. If not, than you must succumb to an amazing arm workout by grating it yourself (or use it as punishment and have your kids do it! -muahahaha)

It really isn't that bad, and quite worth the effort! Grate, or chop and place into food processor. Whatever you do, you MUST grate the soap!

Now that we're clear on this. :-) Here is what it might look like....but hopefully yours is finer ground. Mine actually turned out a bit bigger than I wanted, due to the fact that I do NOT own a food processor.....yet. ;-)

The good news is that my beautiful HE washer has NO problem breaking these little pills down, thankfully! Whew!

** Yes, this homemade laundry detergent IS safe for HE washers - *Fels Naptha* is a low suds soap.**

Add your borax and washing soda to the Fels Naptha and mix. Voila! So easy, even a cave woman could do it! (sorry, that was quite lame)

Store in your favorite, pink, air tight container. ha! Use 1-2 tablespoons per load, we prefer 2tbls.

My husband and I were both a bit skeptical on how well we'd like this homemade detergent. I have to say that we LOVE it! Our clothes smell very fresh and clean every time!! Give it a try! You'll be so glad you did!! You'll feel extra proud of yourself, knowing that YOU did this, while saving your family money!

Oh and it's also nice to know EXACTLY what is in your laundry detergent.

I'm off to do some laundry! Yay!

~Lauren

Homemade Deodorant... That Works!!

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

"Lord, by this time he stinketh" John 11:39

Bwa ha ha ha ha!! That has to be one of my most favorite verses in the Bible! "But Lord, he stinks!" : ) The story is truly amazing. Our Lord, Almighty, raising a man from dead! Wow!! But even as amazing as it was--I'm sure no one was running to give Lazarus a hug when he came walking out!! No one appreciates a rotten, yucky stench... Hence, the following (ha ha!!):

Ok, I know that most of you were raising an eyebrow from the second you saw the title. "Homemade Deo??" Yes! Just keep reading! It will be worth your while... : )

A few details: I have been searching for an all natural deodorant for a while now. As with anything else, get on the internet for 2 seconds and you can find all sorts of conflicting research about the topic . But as for me, I personally think the less chemical junk we use in our homes and on ourselves, the better.

I have purchased a few all natural deos in the past, and THEY NEVER WORK! So frustrating! I think a lot of natural products get the rep of not working... I'm sure a lot of you have seen or tried some "all natural miracle" products, and been extremely disappointed. (I HAVE!!!) But, I still know that there are products out there that are really great, all natural, and most of the time work better for less $$$$. So, I kept searching...

And... I found it!

Thank you, Lord, for meeting this want for me! : )

After much searching, I came across a blog that had a recipe for this homemade wonder product.

This stuff works great! Trust me... It has been used for general use, work outs, and even a trip to Dollywood on the hottest day of the summer to date!! And since I refuse to "stinketh", this was perfect for the job! : )

So, here's the ingredients (for my modified version):

So, of course, I would leave the sea salt out of the picture... But you get the idea. : )

1/4 c. baking soda

1/4 c. of arrowroot powder*

4 Tbs. of coconut oil

10-15 drops of the essential oil of your choice**

a pinch or two of fine sea salt***

*As you can read from the original recipe , cornstarch can also be used in place of the arrowroot powder (found in most health food, gluten free, or organic based stores), but this can lead to yeast infections. It is worth your while to purchase the arrowroot powder.

**For the essential oils, I used 10 drops of tea tree oil and 5 drops of lavender. Both of these oils have antibacterial properties (bacteria being the cause of the sweat odor). But there are many other oils and combinations of oils that you can use to suit yourself! That is another great thing about this product!! : )

***I added the bit of sea salt after reading somewhere that salt makes an unfriendly home for the offending bacteria. Some natural deos are nothing but a block of salt!

Just take these ingredients and mix them well in a container with an air tight lid. Store at room temperature.

To apply, just scoop out a tiny dollop on your finger and rub it in.

The consistency is just like a store bought deodorant at room temp. And this costs the same or less (depending on what brands you use) as many other deos!

And that's it!

I really love this stuff and intend to stick with it. It's just what I was looking for: all natural, good for me, and does the job well!! God calls us to take care of our bodies, and this is just a small thing I can do to fulfill this calling.

Try it out and let me know what you think!!

~Page

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."