Sugar Scrub

This one I have tried, and I really, really like it.  I use it about once a week in the shower and my skin feels amazing when I get out. I love it.

1 cup -  Pure Cane Sugar
1 cup - light olive oil
5 or 6 drops - of cinnamon essential oil (if you have it, great. It works fine without, though)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 16oz. - glass container with lid

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Using a spatula, transfer mix into the container and secure lid. Contents will settle, mix before using. Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin.

Homemade what?

Okay. Don't freak out. Seriously.  Are you ready for this one?

Homemade Deodorant
(I have tried it. It totally works.)

5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder. Then slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon until it maintains the substance you desire. It should be about the same texture as the store bought kind, solid but able to be applied easily. You can either scoop this into your old dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. After applying the product, you can just rub the remains into your hands as a lotion! This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.

Homemade Baby Wipes

I tried making baby wipes when Eden was a baby, but I did exactly what Ann Marie at White House, Black Shutters says not to: I bought generic paper towels and used a serrated knife to cut them.  No wonder it didn't work!  I will be trying this one out in the next few weeks. 

2 containers (round with an airtight  lid)

1 roll of select-a-size paper towels (Bounty works best)

4 cups water

squirt or two of organic baby wash of your choice (we use Shakleebaby Gentle Wash)

generous spoonful of coconut oil (found in a health foods or vitamin store)

Make sure your kitchen or other working area is clean before you start, you don’t want crumbs in your wipes! Get your paper towel roll ready.

Take a clean, large, sharp, non-serrated knife and cut your paper towel roll in half. If you use a serrated knife, you’ll end up with little fuzzies in your wipes . Brush off any little pieces of fuzz that are left on or loose.

Set aside while you make your wipes solution.

-For your solution, you’ll need 2 cups of water per container, or 4 cups total. I like to use the biggest measuring cup I have (8 cups) so it allows for some room and splashing while I stir.
Add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil. Coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees, meaning that it is solid and white at anything less than that (looks like shortening). To warm it up, take the amount you’re using, put it in a saucepan with a bit of your water and heat it just warm enough to melt (76 degrees, so it won’t take long). Once melted, pour the mixture into your water and stir.
Add in about a squirt or two of organic baby wash. If you’re using coconut oil, you can choose to skip this step (I do). It may not seem like enough, but keep in mind you are not rinsing them like after a bath and you may have a bit of soapy residue left if you use more. Stir gently.
Pour your mixture evenly into the containers, about 2 cups per container.
Place the paper towel rolls cut/fuzzy side down into the container and solution. Your containers might be bigger than mine, but if not, don’t freak out if they look like the containers are too small. I promise you – they’re not. ;)
Smoosh your paper towel down with the lid and make sure it seals shut. See – I told you they’re not too small! Turn your containers upside down, stack them if you like, and walk away for no less than 5 minutes.
ome back, open up (see, they stayed smooshed!), and take out the inside paper towel roll. Don’t try to do this earlier on while it’s dry (I did) it doesn’t work and just makes a big mess…
Take out the start of the roll in the center, pop it up for easy grabbing, and close the lid. You’re done!

-Don’t make them way ahead of time and keep out of direct sunlight. I’ve heard other people online complain of issues of mold on the bottom after a while. We haven’t had this problem, but I only make two at a time.

-Once you buy the oil and containers, you use so little that you’re only spending $1.50 for two containers! Store bought wipes are anywhere from $1.50 to $5 each and the wipes are larger so you go through them faster.

-Experiment with a mixture that works for you… adding essential oils, omitting baby wash, using just water. We’ve switched it up but one thing stayed the same – 4 cups of water is best.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1½ cups of chicken stock (broth)*
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp ground pepper
dash paprika
1½ cups milk
¾ cups plain flour

* I like to use homemade chicken stock, made from leftover roasted chicken carcasses, which I freeze for storage.  Homemade stock will be really flavorful, however you can, of course, use bouillon cubes or powder.

Method:

Add ½ cup of the milk to the chicken broth in a medium saucepan. And then add the herbs and spices.You’ll need to heat the mix until boiling, and continue to boil for 1 or 2 minutes whilst whisking the mixture.

In the meantime, add the plain flour to the remaining 1 cup of milk. And whisk together until you have a nice smooth batter. Then pour this into the mixture in the saucepan, And continue to heat whilst whisking, until the mixture is nicely thickened, about 1-2 minutes. This recipe makes the equivalent of two cans of condensed soup; I divide mine into two and freeze in labeled portions until needed, when I thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. The recipe can also be easily doubled, tripled etc.

Homemade Chicken Stock

About once a month I roast a chicken. Either that, or throw it in the crock pot. After we have eaten and I have picked most of the meat off the bones, I save the carcass to make this.  I put it in tupperware and freeze it. I haven't had to buy stock or broth in MONTHS.  It's awesome.

In a LARGE pot place the chicken carcass and about 6 cups of water. I save the drippings and add those as well.  Add 3 carrots, cut up, 3 celery stalks cut up, 3 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 tsp. salt, pepper to taste and any other seasonings you feel the need to add.  I will put in dill, rosemary, thyme and/or sage. It's kind of fun to play around and figure out which one you like best.

Bring to a boil over medium.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for an hour.  Strain the broth and store in tupperware or jars. I dole it out in 2 cup servings so I know how much I have to work with when I pull it out of the freezer.

Since this chicken broth won't have all the salt necessary for preserving, you will want to add a little salt to the recipe when you use it.

Homemade Playdough

Cheaper and more fun than getting it from the store! This recipe is from Lemon Tree Kids. 


Homemade Playdough

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups of water
1 tablespoons cooking oil
food coloring (if desired)

Mix all ingredients in a pot. Cook and stir until dough forms.  Allow to cool, then knead.

Store in an airtight container or zip bag.  Keeps forever (almost)!!

Homemade Brown Sugar

This one is just as easy as the powdered sugar, and it is also from the New Old School.

1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. molasses.

Mix. Use a wire whisk or a mixer.  It should eventually all turn a pleasant shade of brown. And that's it.

I know.

So easy.

Homemade Powdered Sugar

Have you ever gone to make frosting, only to realize you don't have any powdered sugar?  Well, problem solved. A super easy solution from the New Old School.  (which is a great site. Check it out.)

1 c. sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch (optional)

Put it all in the blender and blend until powdered.  If you are going to use it immediately, you don't really need the cornstarch. If, however, you plan on storing it the cornstarch  will keep it from sticking together. 

Maple Syrup

I plan on trying this one out as soon as we have depleted our maple syrup stash. This recipe is from my neighbor's blog, Jomade.  Check it out for lots of great recipes.  



Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp maple extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter

Directions

1.While I am making my pancakes I put the first four ingredients into a sauce pan and tun on the heat to high. Stir to mix all ingredients.
2. When it starts to boil turn heat to med-med low. making sure it does not boil over, (it smells bad on your burner and is a pain to clean up).
3. When my pancakes are done I take off the heat and add the vanilla and butter. (about 10 minutes)
4. Stir and serve warm.

Jo's tip's: Store extra syrup in the fridge. If you let it sit too long in the fridge it will form sugar crystals, but hot water cleans those up nicely.

Laundry soap

I have recently decided to try something new.  I'm trying to be a little bit more self reliant.  I have been collecting recipes for the last few months and I thought I would share them with you.  I haven't tried all of them, but the ones that I have, I will let you know how they go.

This is a recipe for homemade laundry detergent.  The nice thing about this one is that you can easily keep the ingredients in your food storage and then just make up a batch whenever you need it.   It is a pretty simple recipe. I made up 3 batches in about 30 minutes.  One tip: use a food processor. Not a blender. Because you blender might just overheat and then you will think that it's broken and take it to have it fixed, when all you really needed to do was push the reset button.  Not that that actually happened or anything. . .

1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax powder
1/3 bar of zote soap


In a large bowl grate 1/3 bar zote soap with a cheese grater. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir it all together. Put the mixture into a food processor to grind the zote soap and mix it all together. Put it in a storage container and you are done!
Add one Tablespoon of laundry soap to the wash!


You can find the zote soap and the washing soda at Reams.  


This recipe is from Jomade.