DIY Baby Food

Our sweet & feisty Buttercup is almost 7 months old and has been chowing down on solids for the past 6 weeks.

You see, this is how our evenings were looking, thus why we started introducing solids at 5 months!  Anything to help our growing girl sleep...so that we could too!

Of course buying baby food is expensive and an added burden to the grocery budget...so I've been making my own...

 ...enter the Sweet Potato!

I simply washed & pierced the spud and popped it in the toaster oven for 45mins-1 hr at 350 degrees.

 

Once the spud cooled I scooped out the soft flesh...

...popped it in the blender with some boiled water (cooled)...

...and ta da!  Homemade, all natural baby food!

I used an ice tray (each cube is roughly 1 oz), froze the portions and then placed the cubes in a container.

We then prepared Buttercup for her 1st sweet potato tasting...

...and after a few spoonfuls...

...this was her consensus!  Yummy!

After the sweet potato success, I tried prunes- just popped them from the bag into the blender with plenty of cool, boiled water.  Buttercup loves these too!

I haven't run the numbers but I've guestimated huge savings by making these 2 baby food items at home.

What else is Rosebud eating?

Avocado- just mash & it's ready!

Banana- again, mash & it's ready!

Apples- I pureed applesauce & a drop of water to make it super smooth.

Pears- peel, puree with water & it's ready!

Peaches- simmer frozen peaches, use the cooking water & puree.

Yo Baby Yogurt- Buttercup likes the banana but LOVES the mango yogurt:)

So far so good & we've tried some combinations of the above foods.

  Next on the agenda: trying butternut squash & making homemade yogurt!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Peppermint Foot Soak

Now that I shared our homemade canine treats & toys, here's one of the people gifts:

Peppermint Foot Soak

This is a great all natural beginner project using essential oils.

Ingredients:

1 cup epsom salt

1 cup Himalayan pink sea salt

10-15 drops peppermint essential oil (therapeutic grade)

Add the essential oil to the epsom salt in a glass bowl and mix well.  Layer the epsom salt and then Himalayan salt in jars to create a candy cane effect:) 

I chose to follow this recipe, gathered my supplies...

I found the jars at the $ Store & they held approx 1 1/2 cups.

...and layered in jars:)

I found the Himalayan pink salt at Sprouts in the bulk section.

 

With Baby M's arrival, (more to come!) I ran out of time to make uber cute tags, thus my cheesy print outs pasted to a random sheet of red card stock...sigh...just thankful they got finished!!!

I heart the peppermint sticks & white sweater trim:)

Up next, homemade hot chocolate sticks & marshmallows!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Gingerbread Cookies

During one or our weekly jaunts to Sprouts I stumbled upon some clearance in the refrigerated section...

...included were these all natural cookies from Immaculate Baking Co.  I've been wanting to try an Immaculate product (Cinnamon Rolls, Pie Crusts, Cookie Dough etc...) so this was the perfect opportunity!

Now, I should preface this by saying that I hardly ever buy pre made dessert since I love to bake and I believe homemade is best...but every now & then it's nice to pop some cookie dough in the oven in just a few seconds...and it's a great chance to get my little Ms involved with very little trouble mess:)

Cute little dough rounds, smelling of ginger and ready to be baked...

...but first, instructions specify to roll the cookies in the included pack of sugar- sweet & pretty!

Baked & cooled I opted to sandwich them with some leftover cream cheese frosting I had on hand, turning these little spicy gems into something quite decadent & semi- homemade:)

And best of all, I had no regrets about the ingredient list!  Quick & easy AND all natural- thumbs up for Immaculate Baking Co.!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Homemade Vapo Rub

I did it.  Yes, I made homemade vapo rub but I also assumed I would never need to make this:(  After a fabulous family vacation last week, it would appear that my little Ms picked up a cold/virus en route home.

Well, it's actually a toss up between the health hazards of traveling and a visit to Chick-fil-A that occurred within the next 24 hrs.  Since I'm still doing laundry from yesterday as a result of Jonah emptying his stomach twice after hacking his little lungs to pieces, and I'm rather sleep deprived from multiple nights of being up every hour and emotionally drained from seeing my little champion suffer, I would like to digress for just a moment to make a very heartfelt appeal:

Please don't take your sick child out!!!  And if you absolutely have to, don't take them to a Chick-fil-A play area!!!

I work hard to keep my little Ms home while ill, avoiding other germs as well as endeavoring to keep others from an unwanted transferal...so when I go out with them, I've foolishly been expecting other parents to be just as responsible/conscientious.  Obviously, to no avail.

On the flight home, I heard a toddler hacking directly behind us- I understand things happen while away, so ok.  However, while in Chick-fil-A the next day, I heard a 2 y/o girl hacking horribly and then her Dad brought her into the play area!  I had one of those "Mom" moments where you want to run in & save your kid but I opted to be polite and allowed Livy to play with the little girl for a few measly minutes, then whisked her out and swabbed her hands with sanitizer...  The sick child's father informed me that they had just been to swim class!  Really?  Come on, people!  I understand that living in South Texas is the allergy capital of the U.S. but having some experience as a Respiratory Therapist, I could tell this kiddo was sick.  Ergo, stay home!

So, ALL of that (thanks for letting me vent for a moment...or two) to say that I made homemade vapo rub...and love it!  I originally saw the recipe here and took her advice to be conservative in the addition of essential oils- I then went back and added a bit more.

Homemade Vapo Rub Recipe:
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
3-5 drops Tea Tree Oil
6-10 drops Rosemary oil

Result:  Livy slept better, coughing less and the rub seemed to act as an expectorant for Jonah, resulting in a vast improvement in his cough.  I placed the rub on Jonah's feet with socks too.  And the kids didn't mind having this warm liquid slathered on their chests/feet= bonus!





So, while I pray you don't need to make this, if you do, this is way better & way cheaper than the commercial stuff!  Now back to cuddling my little Ms and sorting more laundry:)

Tiffany

Squeaky Clean Dishes- Part 2

 So, here at the "Ricardo's" we've been using my homemade dishwasher detergent for the past 2 months and love it, with just one minor gripe- the silverware isn't sparkly.  When using Cascade & Finish, the silverware was looking mottled & gray so I figured, big deal when they weren't shiny with my homemade stuff. 

 

However, I sat down and did a little research about how to remedy this.  The answer- more acid.  It would appear that silverware need more acid (in our case, citric acid) to produce more shine.

I was making up a new batch this past week and decided to up the original amount of citric acid at 3 tbsp to 5 tbsp (what I had on hand) & see what happened...the first few washes seemed marginally better but after a week, I've noticed the cutlery looking consistently better so I'm sold!

I might try 6 tbsp in the next batch so it's a simple 'doubling' of the original amount...

TIPS:

• With more acid in your detergent, it clumps more easily.  Try leaving it out (open) for a day or so and stir a few times- much of the extra moisture is evaporated this way.
• Avoid spilling powdered detergent directly on the cutlery before running the dishwasher- evidently a reaction takes place to dull the silverware.  This was news to me....

And last but not least, I discovered that the distilled vinegar is not compatible with the rinse port- the plastic parts within can wear out more quickly.  Solution?  Place some vinegar in a small container on the top rack and let it do it's job, uninhibited:)  I've been doing this all week and I feel my glasses are looking even better!

Hope these tips help you maintain squeaky clean dishes, while going green!

Tiffany

The Buzz About Costco Honey!

  

 I recently came across an article in the Costco Connection that laid out some exciting news about honey that I wanted to share, in case you missed it!

First, let me say that I saw some of the Kirkland brand honey when I was last shopping in Costco and immediately thought, "It's probably not the best quality so I'll skip it...".  This article changed my mind and will likely change yours too!

Kirkland Honey is traced back to the hive, meaning they're part of 'True Source' helping to sustain family beekeepers (huge plus for me!) and attain a net-zero impact on the environment- it's also 100% U.S.grade A!

"True Source has pledged to protect its customers & consumers, as well as the global reputation of honey products, by ensuring to its utmost ability that honey is ethically sourced in a transparent and traceable manner from known beekeepers; that honey moves through the supply chain in full accordance with U.S. law; that it carries truthful labeling as to its source, has been tested to ensure quality has been handled in a safe and secure manner from hive to table," says Shauna (Costco).  "Members will find the True Source label on all Kirkland Signature honey."

Honey Facts:

"A honeybee makes one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her entire lifetime.  It takes 60,000 bees collectively visiting more than 12 million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just one pound of honey."  I was stunned!

 

"The color, thickness, flavor and even aroma of honey depend on which flower the honeybees visit.  Color varies from nearly colorless to dark brown, consistency from runny to thick or partly to entirely crystallized.  Flavor & aroma range from mild to bold.  (Lighter colored honey is usually but not always milder in flavor.)  Varietal honeys, such as clover or lavender, like varietal wines, are affected by temperature and rainfall.  A hot or cold summer can alter flavor.  This is why the same type of flower may produce slightly different nectar and therefore slightly different honey year after year.  Clover is the most common nectar-producing honey plant.  Clover honey varies in color from water white to extra-light amber and is among the most delicately flavored honeys, making it ideal for use on the table or in a cake."

Kirkland Signature honey is clover & "great care is taken to ensure that the flavor profile remains consistent from one productions run to the next."

 The Importance of Bees

"According to the USDA, honeybees pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops, which constitute one-third of everything we eat.  May plants are entirely dependent on particular kinds of bees for their reproduction.  In recent years commercial honeybee hives have suffered from colony collapse disorder, which, for unknown reasons, has left as many as 30 percent of bee boxes empty of bees.  If honeybees disappear, say experts, they could take most of our insect-pollinated plants with them, potentially reducing mankind's diet to little or no fruits & vegetables.  With that in mind, Costco, along with many growers across the country, is contributing to research into the reasons behind colony collapse disorder and to help reverse it.

Want to add more honey into your daily routines?  Check out the National Honey Board (www.honey.com) for recipe ideas on food, beverages, beauty treatments & more.  And here are a few ways we love to use honey: "boo boos", granola bars, as well as drizzled in smoothies, on cereal, rice pudding, savory pan sauces etc...

Would love to hear how you like to use honey:)

Tiffany

Natural All Purpose Cleaner

A while back I posted about some natural cleaning options to transforming a chemical laden pantry of cleaners into safe, natural & cheap alternatives.  Well, I've been trying to finish out my 'fumey' cleaners so I could try out a natural version- while I totally support using green cleaners, I couldn't justify dumping what I had paid down the drain, hence why I've been trying to use them up!  So, I took a little of this & a little of that from other recipes on all purpose cleaners and finally made up my own version today!

 I used a 1:1 ratio of distilled white vinegar to water + 30 drops of essential oils (15 eucalyptus & 15 tea tree) and housed in a large spray bottle.  Easy!  *Note: I chose the vinegar + water base since it can be used for windows, hardwood floors, bathtubs, sinks, counters and everything!

Variations:
1.  You can use straight vinegar (with or without essential oils) vs vinegar + water as an all purpose cleaner. We're blessed to have reverse osmosis water on tap which I used...if you don't, I would suggest using a purified water.

2. Essential oils for cleaning: lemon, orange, rosemary, pink grapefruit, peppermint & lavender as well as eucalyptus & tea tree.  I would not suggest using more than 3 oils in any one batch of solution and no more than 50 drops total.

So, do you make your own all purpose cleaner and if so, what is your recipe?

I've already tried this out on the rubbish bin, counters, glass on the back door and on the kitchen floor to spot clean- thumbs up!  There is a vinegar odor with a subtle scent from the essential oils when being applied and once the surface dries completely, no scent at all!

 My newly made batch of homemade all purpose cleaner cost just pennies to make (even with the essential oils added) and is non toxic making it safe for the kids- lovin' it!  Bye bye Comet.  Bye bye 409.  Hello Squeaky Clean & Green:)

Tiffany

No 'Poo Update

So for those interested in my no 'Poo journey, I've put some notes together:


I originally began my no 'Poo regimen every other day as that's what I had been doing with my conventional shampoo- I'm now up to every 3rd day & sometimes 4th (I usually avoid going out in public at this point!).  I've been doing no 'Poo for approx 2 months and love it.  I'm also glad that I checked into some trouble shooting advice as each person's hair & oil glands are different.

The original recipe is: 1 tbsp baking soda/8oz water (shampoo), leave on for 1 minute and rinse thoroughly, then 1/4 cup vinegar/8oz water (conditioner) and leave on for 1 minute, rinse thoroughly & done!

My 1st tweak: 1 heaping tbsp baking soda (shampoo) & little less than 1/4 cup vinegar (conditioner)

My 2nd tweak: same as above for the 'shampoo' & 8oz of chamomile tea vs vinegar solution...it's SO divine!

I made the chamomile tea tweak for 2 reasons:

• I found when I sweat that a vinegary odor would release from my hair if I had just no "Poo'd...not so pleasant:(
• I had some loose chamomile tea (I used Might Leaf) that needed to be used:)
• The tea heightens natural highlights, giving a boost to blond tresses!

I'm so in love with the simplicity & purity of this beauty regimen & gladly neglect this aisle in the grocery store now, saving me more $$$...all natural, economical, win-win!

 

Let me know if you have any questions:)  BTW, my favorite chamomile tea to drink is Mighty Leaf Chamomile Citrus....mmm...

Tiffany