2.26.2014

Homemade Granite Cleaner

I've been on the hunt lately for a good granite cleaner for our new house. I wanted to be sure it was something that wouldn't damage the granite or make it cloudy, but also that it would clean it well. So needless to say, I found a cheap and natural alternative to the store bought stuff. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup alcohol
Drop or 2 of dish soap
Water
Essential oil (optional)

Mix alcohol, dish soap and water in spray bottle.  Shake before each use. Easy enough right?? Check out the before and after....

Dirty. Eww!

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak. Squeaky clean!


2.10.2014

Moving Forward on Our Natural Journey....

Our journey towards a more natural lifestyle has been going on for a couple of years now.  Throughout the past couple of years, we’ve slowly taken steps to be live a more natural life.   It all started with household cleaners.  When I first started reading about all the harmful ingredients in cleaning products and what they can cause (asthma, cancer, pre-mature puberty etc), and how CHEAP they are to make at home, I decided I had to try making our own cleaners.

Change out the cleaning products, check.  That was easy.  No major habit’s really had to change.  We just used old bottles, and filled them with a vinegar/water mixture and added baking soda when something needed extra cleaning power. 

After that, we decided to stop wasting as much as possible.  My lunches are packed in re-usable containers whenever possible, rather than baggies.  We try to use towels and rags at home, rather than paper towels and sponges.  Every little bit helps save money, our health, and the environment.

Once we had the cleaning and lunch containers down, we decided to tackle our health.  By this, I mean we decided to try to cut the crap.  We drastically cut out the processed CRAP and typically try to only shop the outside grocery aisles.  Do we still buy some canned stuff?  Yes.  Do we still eat cereal?  Yes.  But we’ve cut out at least 95% of the crap we used to eat.   Now the cereals I eat are whole grain and not sugary sweet.

So where are we now?  At this point, we’re trying to switch over as much as possible to organic foods.  We’ve slowly been transitioning to it, but it’s very costly, and I’m trying to research the best options and prices where I’m able to.

And if we’re concerned about what we put IN our bodies and around our bodies (cleaners), why shouldn’t we be concerned with what we put ON our bodies?  I’d love to start buying/making natural deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, soap.  Honestly, not sure where to begin, and I’m so fearful of being perceived as a hippie.  I don’t want to smell or have rough skin or hair.  Does anyone already use these items in their daily life?  If so, what brands do you like/dislike and what tips do you have?  Not really sure where to go from here.

Thanks for your help, ya’ll!

2.07.2014

Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters



Tonight for dinner the hubby and I were trying to figure out something a little different. So after a bit of Pinteresting and some online recipe inspiration, I decided we should make zucchini fritters. I basically just made the recipe up after looking through a couple other options online.

We enjoyed our zucchini fritters with a nice slab of pork chop. YUM!!

Here's what we did...

Ingredients
2 small zucchini, grated
1/4 small white onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder (I would have used fresh, but we were out)
1 egg
1/4 cup oatmeal flour (or wheat flour but we do oatmeal since it's gluten free)
1 tsp olive oil

Directions 
-Grate zucchini into medium bowl. 
-Squeeze the water out of the zucchini. This helps the zucchini to stick together and not be mushy. 
-Mix squeezed zucchini with onion, egg, flour, and garlic in bowl
-Cook in skillet over medium heat with light olive oil drizzled in the pan. The olive oil helps the outside get a bit crispy. Mmmm!

Enjoy!!!