Making liquid soap from bar soap....

While shopping with my Mom this week, I found a really good quality (all natural, made is USA, chemical free) bar soap at a local discount store.  One of the scents I loved was Lemongrass, because (if you read my prior post on mosquitoes) the bugs HATE it.  I grabbed it for 3.99 and knew it would be perfect for our outside shower at the camp!  Then I remembered, it's a "bar" soap.  Any and all bar soaps at the camp end up one place....the drain.  The outside elements just wreak havoc on it.  It does get a bit "pricey" to keep purchasing the all natural soaps only to have them "melt" away so quickly.  So I thought:  "Maybe I can melt it down into a liquid pump type shower soap?"......

After looking online at many, many recipes (I was surprised that so many others thought about doing this too!!)-- I found quite a variety of ways to make this happen.  Decided to try one and see how it goes.  This way, I can get the same benefits of the Lemongrass scent, but not have it melt away in a day due to the outdoor environment!

This is what you will need:  

4 ou. bar of your favorite all natural soap

2 Tablespoons vegetable glycerin

3/4 gallon-ish of distilled water

cheese grater
recycled container (I used an old gallon vinegar container)
whisk or electric mixer

The process I followed went like this:

 This photo is obviously not the lemongrass soap ---- I already shredded it before I thought about  photos for the blog, but you get the idea.  It's the same exact soap, just a different scent.  This soap is 4 ounces.

Next, grab your cheese grater (or pick up a cheepie at the dollar store) ...OR...if you're lucky to have a Kitchen Aid mixer with the shredder attachment, then use that and save yourself a ton of elbow grease!  LOL--shred the entire bar until it looks exactly like cheese (except smells much, much, better!)

Next, grab a gallon of distilled water.  Now, most of the recipes I read varied on the amounts of water to use.  Some folks used 8 ounce bars of soap, some used 5 ounces, to 1 gallon of water.   So, I used this much water (about 3/4) for my 4 ounce soap.  I do not mind a thinner pump soap, it still works well with a mesh body scrubber!  Pour the water into a large pot and bring to a boil.

Add 2 Tbl. of vegetable glycerin.  I purchased this bottle online a while back, but I'm sure you can purchase it at any natural food store.

Add the shredded soap to the water and glycerin.  Remove from heat and mix until all the shreds are melted.  It basically looks like soapy water at this point.
Add the shredded soap to the water and glycerin.  Remove from heat and mix until all the shreds are melted.  It basically looks like soapy water at this point.  Let the mixture sit OVERNIGHT.  Trust me, I kept going back to check it, and was pretty disappointed to keep finding it a complete liquid, so I just left it on the dining room table for the evening....when I awoke, viola!  it was looking more like this:

Yes, I know...it looks just like snot!  LOL!!  But that is the consistency you are basically looking for!  I took my handy whisk and mixed it up a bit more, grabbed a funnel and a well rinsed old vinegar bottle (you can use any well rinsed container to hold your mixture, then add it to your pump soap dispensers, etc..)

And this is what the final product looked like.  One 4 oz. bar soap made me a little more than a half gallon of liquid soap!  Not bad!  I feel that I probably could have added even more water and thinned it out even more, and may just do that on my next batch!!  This was a pretty easy DIY project and will save you tons of $$ on purchasing chemical free soap for your home!  Enjoy!!!

Bug Off!! Home made insect repellant.

Spring has sprung, and while we come out of our home hibernation from the winter, so have the bugs!

If you are like me, and really do not like to use chemically laden products on your body, then these months are tough.   I have a pretty good essential oil spray recipe for mosquito control that I will share today.  

Mosquitoes are the biggest nuisance of the warmer months.  I still do not understand why God created these pesky little creatures!  There are a few things we can do to make ourselves a little "less appetizing" to them.  First, switch to an unscented detergent and fabric softener during the summer months.  Any floral/sweet smelling fragrance just attracts them more.  This also goes for your perfumes, shampoo, etc. etc. the more unscented products you use, the better.

I make a home made bug spray for mosquitoes using witch hazel and apple cider vinegar.  I do not mind smelling a little like salad dressing.  Compared to the smell of OFF! and the other DEET sprays, it really isn't much worse!  Here is the recipe I tend to use (granted, I mix up the combination of EO's depending on what I have on hand at the moment....)   


 Into a spray bottle, mix together:

• 1/2 cup witch hazel, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 30-50 drops of essential oils. Choose any combination of citronella, clove, lemongrass, rosemary, tea tree, eucalyptus, cedar, catnip, lavender, or mint.
• Shake ingredients together and spray over uncovered portions of your body.  Reapply as needed.

Enjoy these warmer months ahead! 

Vegetarian/Vegan Buffalo Chili Recipe!! (No wings needed!!)

Yesterday I was craving buffalo wings in a major way!  I guess it partially had to do with the fact that I was preparing my family's favorite dinner (Rachel Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili).  I just love wing sauce, so spicy....so out of my league on a vegetarian diet!!

So, as I was preparing their chili, I asked myself:  "What if I could make a vegetarian/vegan version of this"?  And, you know what?  I did!!

It actually came out amazingly well!  It is a thick, hearty stew-like chili that has TONS of possibilities!  I topped mine with with organic nacho chips, but I thought about serving it over some polenta or seasoned millet!

Heres the recipe:

Vegetarian/Vegan Buffalo Chili recipe

I used all organic ingredients for this recipe with the exception of the buffalo wing sauce (couldn’t find an organic version anywhere!!)

2 Tbl. Oil of choice for sautéing (I used sesame)

2 small (or 1 large) summer squash cut into cubes

2 small (or 1 large) zucchini squash cut into cubes

3 cloves garlic

1 small onion

3 carrots finely chopped

4 ribs celery finely chopped

1 Tbl. Paprika

1 bay leaf

1 can diced tomatoes with juice--next time I'm using fire roasted tomatoes!

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.

1 can white or red beans, rinsed and drained.

½ cup water or veggie stock

½ cup buffalo wing sauce

2 Tbl. Chia seeds (optional)--they help to "thicken" the sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, sauté squashes, onion, carrots, garlic, celery for approx. 7-8 minutes.  Add water, spices, bay leaf, chia seeds, tomatoes, beans and buffalo wing sauce.  Bring to boil and let simmer for at least 10 minutes to bring flavor together. 

(I let it simmer on low for quite a while and got a really nice flavor--).

Top with your favorite organic nacho chips, organic bleu cheese (for non-vegans) or avocado…be creative!! Enjoy!

Cholesterol results & Apple Pectin Powder........

For anyone that is following my journey to lower cholesterol:

I made it through the six weeks of vegan/vegetarian eating and had my numbers checked last week.  And, after eating every type of birdseed under the sun (along with supplements of apple pectin powder, which has been raved about all over the internet for it's cholesterol lowering ability), apple cider vinegar, and many other supplements....the results are:  My cholesterol went UP. :-(

Needless to say, I'm pretty disappointed in the results, although not at all surprised.  On the flip side, I lost a good 8 pounds or so, and feel really great.  But, unfortunately, my blood doesn't really care what I do.......  

Here is the comparison to where I was:

Jan. 13 Total:  264, Tri 72, HDL 74, LDL 176 (on meds)
Feb. 24 Total:  267, Tri 75, HDL 64, LDL 188 (no meds)

So, as you can see, I really got nowhere eating healthy, exercising regularly, and supplementing with the pectin powder.  Obviously, my numbers put the doctor into a panic and she instantly told me to begin my Lipitor once again.  The fact that my LDL went up didn't please her at all and she was/is considering upping my dosage.  I declined and told her I would take the minimum dose until May and see where my numbers are.

It's really deflating to think that the only way to manage my lipids is through medication, but I'm really getting discouraged!!

I would love to hear from others who have this type of condition (genetically high lipids, not dietary type) and how they manage.  As for the apple pectin powder:  I am proof that is DOES NOT help people like me (genetically high lipids), but cannot speak for those with dietary type.  I will be tossing the rest of the supplement away, the pills were HUGE and hard to swallow anyways ;-)

On a good note:  I got to spend a wonderful day with my mom yesterday for her 64th birthday!  We went to a foot spa/tea house and had a wonderful foot & leg massage with some great organic tea!  It was a much needed boost for the soul!  Spring is right around the corner!  Cannot wait to see the daffodils peeking up in my (still) snow covered beds!!

Have a great weekend!!

LICE!!.....not so very nice!

Any blogger moms out there will probably agree that they dread the school nurse calling to say "Come pick up your child, they have lice".  Just thinking about it makes my head itch!  

Every year around this time, word gets out around school that the dreaded lice epidemic is spreading around classrooms faster than the flu.  Now, the thought of this throws me into a sheer panic.  Not because lice is a b!itch to eradicate without using harmful/toxic chemicals; worse, my daughter has hair down to her waist!!  It's hard enough to comb it with a wide-toothed detangling comb, never mind a nit comb!!

Since my daughter has had long hair since birth; I have been using a homemade spray to help detangle her long locks and keep away these nasty little buggers.  So far, I have had great success with it and wanted to share.

Lice-Away Spray:

Purchase a small spray bottle at the dollar store, add some unscented or mildly scented hair conditioner (filled to about 1/4 full) try to use the unscented if you can--artificial scents will only hinder the "job" of the essential oils,  Add the following essential oils:

10-15 drops tea tree 
10 drops lavender
10 drops lemon
10 drops geranium
10 drops thyme
10 drops rosemary
10 drops pine

Don't be worried if you do not have all of these oils on hand.  I ran out of the pine essential oil when I mixed my last batch and just used the others.  I would say that the tea tree is the one "must have" of the bunch though, they really hate that stuff!  

Add water and fill to (almost) the top, give it a really good shake and spray away!  If you find that there is too much conditioner for your liking, then add less next time.  The conditioner is being used mostly as an "emulsifier" for the essential oils (to  keep them blended in the water)--without it, they will just float at the top and not be effective at all.  

A wise hairdresser once told me that lice absolutely loathe any "product" in the hair.  They prefer nice, soft, clean hair to build a house in.  This may explain why the elderly rarely suffer from infestations (not to suggest they are dirty people, but older/wiser hair is very textured, not at all soft and sleek).  If you find the smell of essential oils offensive or off-putting, then try applying some gel, pomade, textured mousse to your child's head daily and this may be enough to keep them away also...Just a suggestion.

A quick note:  I know that essential oils can be on the "pricey" side, but they are really worth purchasing and having on hand.  All of these listed oils have many, many uses for beauty and in the home.  You can also blend this recipe into some coconut oil and use it as a mosquito repellent/black fly repellant in the warmer months.  

Eating healthy while eating out...

One of the biggest challenges I've had to face while on a strictly healthy (vegetarian) diet is the dreaded "eating out".  I absolutely love trying new restaurants (especially if they serve local, craft beer!)--but eating at a restaurant is usually a pretty stressful event.  I cringe at having to "special order" my meal with a less than enthusiastic waitress or having to play I-Spy with the menu for the one healthy item on it.

Lately, the name of the game for me is "being prepared".  If I know I'm going out, I grab my little squishy portable salad dressing holder , which looks like this one, ( I scored mine at TJ Maxx on clearance!), and fill it with my favorite, healthy dressing, grab a handful of sliced almonds in a ziploc, and keep them both in my purse.   Then, I will go for the best salad they offer.  It's normally NEVER the regular salad (believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes, cukes and iceberg lettuce--BORING!).  I love salads that offer nuts, olives, apple, anything that deviates from a normal, plain-Jane salad!  Then, I will ask them to add a veggie burger on top of it (if they offer one, which most places do).  I order some extra salsa and guac. or avocado and viola!  an instant, tasty meal.  I love adding my own dressing to this, but for most, the salsa/avocado may be all you need.  Most of the dressings that restaurants offer are laden with sugar, HFCS, terrible oil, etc...so avoid them and go for the salsa, or even ask for plain oil and vinegar.  A quick note:  Be sure to tell your server that you do not wish to have your veggie burger grilled with butter.  Also, some home made veggie burgers are surprisingly made with butter!  Please ask if you have any doubts about dairy/fat content.

Coconut Oil....taking it out of the kitchen in into your beauty regime.

If you are into natural products, I'm sure you've heard all the hoopla regarding coconut oil as of late.  If not, than you are most certainly missing out!  Let me fill you in.....

After removing all of my potentially toxic beauty products, I was in dire need of an all natural moisturizer that I could use post-shower.  Now, if you browse the beauty aisle at any natural food store, you will see plenty of all natural body creams and moisturizers.  All of which are chemical-free, healthy, and pricey.(you get what you pay for!)--My problem is this:  I have a vitamin E allergy.  Unfortunately, most all natural body products are loaded with it because of it's amazing antioxidant properties (it helps the shelf life and keeps them from going rancid).  So.......I needed to find an alternative.

After doing some research online, I found organic coconut oil and figured I'd give it a try.  That was a few months ago. Lately, with the harsh, cold Maine winter we've been having, coconut oil has been a miracle for my dry hands and hair.

So far, I have successfully used the oil for:

• Removing my makeup (careful not to get it into your eye while removing mascara, it does make things blurry, although it didn't sting).
• Deep conditioner for my hair.  I focus on the dry ends.  Apply and leave it for an hour (or overnight), then shampoo it out well.
• Daily after shower as an all over moisturizer.  Note, the extra virgin has a strong coconut smell, which some find harsh.  I am one of them.  I prefer the regular coconut which is less fragrant and can be purchased here.  I do use the extra virgin for my hair/makeup etc. that I am not wearing all day.
• As a facial moisturizer before bed.  I apply it over my vitamin C treatment, then let it absorb as I sleep.  I wake up with the softest skin ever!

Some people have posted that it helps clear acne.  Can't really say I've been blemish free for months.  Also, some say it makes a great alternative to shaving cream.  My only concern is that you regularly clean your drains with a vinegar/baking soda solution, because coconut oil does return to a solid at room temperature and WILL clog your drains if it's not cleaned correctly.  FYI

Have you used coconut oil?  How has it worked for you?