Simple Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have been making my own laundry detergent for a couple months now. I just started making it because... I could. Later, I realized how much money I could save since making your own is so extremely cheap! Also, I figured store bought detergents are probably loaded with all kinds of chemicals that are absorbed through your skin and then stay in your body for a really long time just like most of the other store bought cleaners today. So if I could make safer and cheaper laundry detergent plus have a little fun while making it then why not?


I did a little research and found that  laundry detergent companies are not required to list toxic ingredients on labels. "These chemicals, which may not appear on the label, can interact with your body’s hormones, cause reproductive harm, induce asthma, and cause cancer" (read more here).


 I'm feeling better already about making my own and wanted to share the simple recipe with all of you.


What you will need:


1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap but any bar soap will work I have even used goats milk soap

1. Grate bar soap on a cheese grater until you have two cups of grated soap.

2. Mix the two cups of grated soap with the 1 cup Borax and 1 cup washing soda in a bowl until well incorporated. I found this handy little container at the dollar store for a buck but any recycled container would work just as well. I just screw the lid on tight then shake it until it is all mixed up. It also doubles as my detergent storage container.

That's it! Simple huh? I use two heaping tablespoons for a large load of laundry. It doesn't seem like you are using a lot and you aren't but this stuff is so concentrated compared to the watered down store bought stuff that you don't need to. Believe me I was skeptical at first too. I never used powered laundry detergent in my life before making this, but am glad I gave it a try. You will also notice that it doesn't suds like your average detergent. Sudsing is actually a result of the chemicals in the detergent and has nothing to do with cleaning your clothes. The first load of laundry I did with this stuff was super muddy, dirty, disgusting towels that we wipe the dogs paws off with in the winter. Much to my surprise they came out perfectly clean and I haven't bought laundry detergent since! Sometimes I do add a little Mrs. Meyer's Lavender Fabric Softener to the rinse cycle just for the amazing lavender smell that it stuff has since this detergent is pretty fragrance free depending on the bar soap you use.


Unfortunately, I can't take all the credit for this brilliant recipe. I have Pinterest to thank and One Good Thing by Jillee who's blog I love.


Thanks for reading!
-Shanny

Finally You Can Eat Ice Cream Every Day!

My life recently took an unexpected and dramatic turn... I am no longer supposed to eat dairy, wheat, or sugar! Me... not eat bread, cheese, yogurt, milk, dessert and ICE CREAM? My favorite food of all time?  Tragic, I know. The reasons why are a blog post in its self, but to make a long story short I quickly went hunting for a version of ice cream that I can eat because I simply cannot live without it.


This month's issue of the Whole Living magazine featured a three day cleanse/detox. It is very easy to follow and actually has pretty decent recipes. I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in cleansing your body from all the toxins that build up over time. Anyway, one acceptable snack during the cleanse is banana "ice cream" which essentially is smashed up frozen bananas.  Of course this is the first thing I tried and it was surprisingly pretty darn good. A couple days later I found an even better banana "ice cream" recipe on Pinterest. It is super easy to make and has just a couple ingredients.


What you will need for one serving, but you can double or even quadruple it:
1 banana 
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon coco powder


1. Peel then banana then slice it into little disks. You want a pretty ripe banana like this one.

2. Arrange the banana in one layer on a plate or cookie sheet.

3. Put in the freezer for 1 hour.


4. Put the frozen banana in a Vita-Mix or other inferior blender ;).


5. Blend. The banana will start to stick to the sides so use a tamp or rubber spatula to move the banana back to the middle. In no time you will have beautiful, light, whipped banana! Who knew frozen banana could have this consistency?

6. Add peanut butter, coco powder, and/or any other mix-ins you want. The possibilities are endless!


7. Spoon into a bowl and enjoy.

8. If you are like me you won't be able to resist this healthy little snack and will eat it right away. However, if you have more self control you can freeze it for a firmer and more scoopable consistency.


-Shanny

Homemade Body Wash and Recycled Jar Dispenser

I am a big label reader. I used to be just with food, but now I read labels on everything. My husband complains when we go grocery shopping because I read the label on almost everything I put in the cart which can make for a long shopping experience. When I started looking at what was in shampoo, soap, body wash, etc. I realized that organic products were vegan (meaning it does not contain animal products...who really wants animal products in their soaps?), not tested on animals, paraben free, etc. At first I didn't necessarily know what all of that meant, but when I compared those expensive organic products to the cheap crap I was buying I found that the cheap stuff was loaded with chemicals, contained animal by-products, and said no where on the bottle that they didn't test on animals which means they most likely do.  This was reason enough to spend more money on better quality products. However, I still wanted to do more research on these paraben things. 


I learned that parabens are essentially chemical preservatives put in cosmetics and personal care products to extend the shelf life...imagine that. If it weren't bad enough that stores are cramed packed full of preservatives in the grocery section but the personal care section too? So why does that make parabens so bad? Parabens mimic estrogen and disrupts your body's hormone balance and endocrine system which can cause all kinds of other problems such as weight gain, skin problems, fetus development, fertility and the list goes on and on. Since parabens promote cell growth they have been found in breast tumors as well. Bottom line they're scary. 


Click here to read more about parabens


Several months ago (probably about the time I became addicted to Pinterest) I decided to make as many products I could instead of buying store bought because: 
1. It saves a ton of money 
2. I can control what goes into the products
3. I have always liked the idea of doing things the old fashioned way
4. I get a kick out of making random stuff


So after months of forking over $8 for an 18 oz bottle of quality body wash I started making my own. I found a recipe on Pinterest from One Good Thing by Jillee whose blog I LOVE. It's incredibly easy to make and maybe takes five minutes. The five minutes I used to spend reading those labels deciding on what body wash to buy. 


Here is the recipe:


1.5 bars pure soap (locally made if possible)
3 cups water

 I got this cucumber soap from one of my favorite little health food stores for 1.89 each. Visit them here.

I warmed the 3 cups of water over a medium heat.

In the meantime I put the bars in a bowl then melted them in the microwave for 90 seconds.

Next I added the melted soap to the hot water and mixed until well combined.

I needed a container for my body wash so I hit the recycle container in my basement. I found this glass salsa jar and an old soap pump. It's like going garbage picking in your own trash and finding everything you wanted! This made my day :).

I drilled a hole in the lid for the soap pump to fit through. It wasn't quite big enough so I used needle nosed pliers to make it a little bigger.

I stuck the pump in the lid. Secure it with glue if needed.

I cut the straw part so it barely touches the bottom of the jar when the lid is secured.

Lastly, I poured the body wash into the jar and put the lid on. Let the body wash cool for several hours before using so the consistency can thicken.  

I used to pay $8 for 18 oz. 

Now I pay $3.78 for 28 oz and get the satisfaction of making it on my own and have a really neat little reusable container! Can't beat that!

-Shanny

Vita-Mix featured in Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, a major newspaper in Ohio, had an article on Vita-Mix on the front page today! What a coincidence that my first post yesterday was on Vita-Mix. The article gives even more reasons to love the product and company. Vita-Mix is locally owned and made, yet reputable world wide. "In parts of Asia, nutrition-minded users are hitting the switch several times a day... A Vita-Mix is called a Total Nutritional Center in the health-conscious nation of Taiwan". You would think that I work for this company since I constantly promote it. I promise I don't, but would if I was looking for a job. I wish Vita-Mix could be incorporated into government nutritional assistance programs with access to fruits, vegetables, and nutrition education for needy families, but that's another day's topic.


Read the Plain Dealer article here.

-Shanny

Vitamix Smoothie

When thinking about what my first post should be on several ideas came to mind, but it only seemed fitting that I incorporate my beloved Vitamix into it. The machine that I can't even get through the check out at the grocery store with out talking to someone about. For those of you who don't know what a Vitamix is, allow me to enlighten you! 


In the vacuum world Dysons are at the top of the line (trust the girl who lives with 5 dogs). In the blender world Vitamix is the Dyson. My wonderful husbad surprised me with one for my birthday last year and honestly there aren't many days that go by that I don't use it and there aren't many things that I haven't made in it! Soup, peanut butter, icecream, coconut milk, spaghetti sauce, pesto, hummus, flour, dog treats and the list goes on and on. I even took it with me on a weekend trip with some friends recently because I couldn't stand to part with it for a weekend. 


What's so awesome about the Vitamix is that it has a three horse power motor in it. In 1 minute ice cubes are turned into ice cream and in 3 minutes the blades spin so fast that they generate enough heat to turn raw vegetables into hot steamy soup! Seriously, one of the best inventions EVER! Another reason why the Vitamix is so awesome is because research has found that it has the ability to disrupt the cell wall in whole foods, much more than using any other blender or even chewing! Why is this a big deal? It allows your body to more easily absorb and utilize the nutrients already existing in raw foods. That's right the Vitamix makes raw fruits and vegetables even MORE healthy! Pretty amazing huh? Read more about the research here. Read more about the research here.


One of the main things I use my Vitamix for are smoothies. They are breakfast almost everyday for my husband and I and also make a nice quick lunch. It's as quick and easy as putting a piece of toast in the toaster. Plus if you use raw fruits and veggies these smoothies can also work as a great detox to rid the body of yucky toxins that enter your body from the environment and from eating processed foods.

On to the process of making one of these wonderful smoothies...

These are the ingredients I used today but I typically throw in whatever I have laying around.

1 cup organic baby kale

1/2 cup organic spinach

1 whole carrot

1/4 cup frozen mango

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2-1 banana

1/4 cup homemade yogurt

1/4 cup organic rolled oats (for fiber)

1 tbs organic peanut butter (for protein) 

1/4 cup water

A few notes: 

-You will notice that I didn't add any juice or sweetener. These smoothies are plenty sweet from the fruit.
-The water helps thin the consistency of the smoothie. 
-If you are using fresh strawberries leave the green top on. It add nutrients and is less work.
-If you are using all fresh fruit add a few ice cubes. If using frozen fruit it may be cold enough with out adding ice.

Add all of your ingredients in the Vitamix with softest ingredients on the bottom.

 These guys love when Mom gives them the end of the carrot. Yummmy!

Turn machine on, move the dial to 10 and blend for 30 seconds.

Tada! The healthiest meal of the day prepared in 30 seconds!

I used Spark People's Recipe Calculator that also generates the nutritional info for the ingredients you enter.

This recipe yields approximately two cups. 

Serving size 1 cup 

Calories- 216g

Total Fat- 5.5g This is healthy monounsaturated fat that comes from the peanuts in peanut butter

Potassium- 760mg

Carbs- 44g

Dietary Fiber- 7.5g

Protein- 7.2g

Vitamin A- 269.3%

Vitamin C- 95.4%

Calcium- 14.3%

Iron-13.8%

Feel good about what you put in your body and know where it comes from!

That's all for today!
-Shanny