Liquid Laundry Detergent

The link to my friend's site no longer works, so I'm reposting her laundry detergent recipe here. I have a HE front load washer and have been using this detergent for about a year now with no problems whatsoever...

So fresh and so clean, clean...

The only thing I hate worse than doing laundry is paying for laundry detergent. Thank goodness for this recipe. When I made this recipe, I cut the amounts in half, making one gallon. That amount filled my old, empty laundry detergent container and cost about $1. The original detergent (ALL free and clear) cost about $10... that's a significant savings for a few minutes of work.

Ingredients (makes approx 1 gallon of liquid laundry detergent):

1/3 bar grated laundry soap (Zote, Fels-Naptha, Dr Bronners)

1/3 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda)

1/4 cup Borax

1 gallon of water, divided in half

Directions:

Place a large stock pot on the stove. Add 2 quarts (8 cups) water and the grated soap.

    ** I've found it easiest to "shave" the soap with a sharp knife kind of like making chocolate shavings. 

        It makes less mess and has easier cleanup than a cheese grater and works just as quickly

Heat the mixture over medium heat just to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring until the soap is completely dissolved. A wire whisk works pretty well for this

Once the bar soap is dissolved, add the Washing Soda and the Borax. Continue to stir until they are both dissolved. This will take another minute or two.

Remove from heat and add the other 2 quarts. Stir to combine.

Cover and let sit for 24 hours. The mixture will separate with a thick congealed layer on top. Just give it another good whisk or use an electric mixer to reincorporate. Last time I made it, I put it in my blender and it came out really smooth and pourable. Use a funnel and ladle to pour the mixture into an old detergent container or other container of your choice.

     **The mixture will have a tendency to continue separate a little even after it has cooled. 

         Just give it a good shake before using.

Use just like brand name laundry detergent!!

Here's an easy reference chart to show how I came up with the $1 per gallon price

Personally, I prefer not to have extra fragrance in my laundry detergent, so this recipe is perfect for me. To soften my clothes and add a light fragrance, I fill a downy ball 1/3 full with white vinegar (yes, more vinegar...you'll see that a lot on this page) and add about 10 drops of lavender essential oil.

And, instead of using fabric softener sheets, you can made your own economical and eco-friendly dryer balls using only wool yarn. Add a little essential oils before throwing them in the dryer with your clothes, and you end up with a nice light laundry scent with no waste!!

Salsa Verde

This is probably not the most traditional Salsa Verde recipe. I made it up on the fly, but I really love the fresh flavor and bright green color. It's delicious eaten with tortilla chips, or you pour it over pork roast or chicken.

If you're not familiar with tomatillos, they look like little green tomatoes but they're actually a member of the gooseberry family. Because of this, they grow covered in a papery outer covering

Homemade Weed Spray (Non-toxic)

I can't take credit for this recipe. However, I've seen it posted on so many different sites that I don't feel bad about stealing and reposting.

(Sorry... I know the hose in the picture is annoying and distracting, but I had to set up a temporary sprinkler for some freshly planted bulbs. I could have moved it for the picture, but I'm not a fan of doing work just so I can re-do it when I'm done)

All natural, home-made toothpaste (Fluoride free!!)

There has been a lot of talk about the neurotoxic effects of fluoride. As I mentioned in my home-made deodorant post, I'm not totally convinced yet that this is true, but why not try an alternative if it works as well or better?

Introducing:

 An easy, fluoride free, home-made, customizable toothpaste that may even remineralize your teeth...

 and costs pennies to make!

Grain Free Focaccia-Style Bread

This bread recipe is super easy, and can be made in about 20 minutes (give or take oven pre-heat time). It's grain free, dairy free and it has a great texture and flavor. It's high in protein and fiber and low in carbohydrates.

You can make it as a single loaf (like focaccia) or divide it up as pictured for sandwiches...

My take on an classic Indian dish (Aloo Gobi)

Sometimes inspiration hits at the strangest times. Case in point, I was watching "An Idiot Abroad", the Ricky Gervais series (you MUST watch it!!). I made it to the second episode where Karl visits India. Suddenly, I couldn't stop thinking about how badly I wanted Indian food for dinner. I did a quick google search and compared the recipes to my pantry items. After a few ingredient adjustments, I settled on this version of Aloo Gobi. It was exactly what I was looking for: healthy, hearty, and easy to prepare. Plus, it's vegetarian/vegan and grain free (if you're interested)

(Confession: This photo was from a google search because my cooking skills are MUCH better than my photography skills. However, this photo looks just like my dish did... minus the fancy garnish)

GUEST POST: Homemade Laundry Detergent

So fresh and so clean, clean...

The only thing I hate worse than doing laundry is paying for laundry detergent. Thank goodness for this recipe. When I made this recipe, I cut the amounts in half, making one gallon. That amount filled my old, empty laundry detergent container and cost about $1. The original detergent (ALL free and clear) cost about $10... that's a significant savings for a few minutes of work.

Recipe: Side Dishes part deux

If you've been following along with my ramblings, you now have some leftover crock-pot chicken, homemade chicken broth, Spanish rice and some Latin style black beans. Sounds like the makings of a delicious soup to me!!

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Homemade All Natural Wood Polish

Just like in my Laminate Floor Polish post (1/17/14), I used [Brand X] products for furniture dusting and polishing for a really long time. I was happy with the results and I loved the way it smelled. On the positive side, [Brand X] furniture polish doesn't have to be periodically stripped and reapplied. On the negative side, it still contains a laundry list of chemicals and the MSDS states:

"Hygiene measures : Use only with adequate ventilation. Wash thoroughly after handling."

Plain and simple, I just don't want to use chemicals if I can avoid them; especially on surfaces where I might put food that I plan on ingesting... my dining room table, for instance.

So, now I make my own...

GUEST POST: Miracle Laundry Whitener and Stain Remover

I may BE a dirty hippie, but I don't want to LOOK like a dirty hippie.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE white shirts. I love button-ups, t-shirts, beaters (yes, I called them beaters), but they never seem to STAY white. God forbid, if the underarm area gets yellow, I'm not wearing it. In the past, these shirts would sit in pile on my closet floor, or get turned into rags, but then my friend Jasmine shared her recipe for a MIRACLE WHITENER AND STAIN REMOVER. It seriously removed sweat stains in old workout shirts. This recipe is amazing, and it fits my requirements for EASY, INEXPENSIVE and EFFECTIVE

Homemade Beef Stock

I just posted a similar entry on last Friday about making chicken stock. Beef stock is even easier. Plus, there are a lot of benefits you get from homemade stocks and broths that you won't get from store bought...

"When you ingest bone broth, it feeds the body with collagen, which is the building block of cells to bones, ligaments, cartilage and the brain.  Gelatin, a form of collagen used in food, is used (among other benefits) to help digestion because the liquid gets absorbed into the body quickly and without much effort. Making bone broth excellent for people with food sensitivities and gastrointestinal disorders because it is usually very safe and tolerable for the body." (http://doctorauer.com/benefits-of-bone-broth/)

Button Soup (AKA: Stone Soup)

One of my favorite stories growing up was "Button Soup" ( sometimes called Stone Soup... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Soup). In a nutshell, it's about a community coming together to make a meal for everyone when they all thought they had nothing... probably thinly veiled Communist propaganda, but I digress. The story is really sweet, and I think of it whenever I make this soup. The basic recipe is the same each time, but the outcome varies depending on what I have on hand.

Homemade All Natural Deodorant

I'll be honest. I'm not totally convinced that commercial deodorants and antiperspirants cause Alzheimer's or cancer. But, (1) I'm not convinced they don't have negative side effects, and (2) I hate the way they feel. They leave a weird film on my skin that I don't care for, and they clog up my razors (yes, I shave my armpits. I'm a hippie, not a heathen).

I found a super easy recipe for homemade, natural deodorant last summer, and it kept me stink free even after walking my dog at the park in the heat. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe, but try it out and see what you think.

Why I make my own Chicken stock...

I make a lot of homemade soups. I mean, like, A LOT. Soups are easy. They're filling. They're inexpensive. And, they're a good way to use up leftovers. Plus, they freeze well, so it's a great way to make meals in advance. Because I make a lot of soup, I use a lot of broth.

Don't misunderstand. Store bought broth is quick, easy, and inexpensive. There are even a bunch of brands now that are are "all-natural" and "organic". But, as I've mentioned before, I am a super cheapskate and I hate buying things just to throw them away. Hypothetically, if I were to buy some all-natural chicken broth, it would be a healthy option, but I'm spending about $5 for a quart (or about $10 just for the broth in my homemade soup), and I now have 2 containers I need to dispose of.

On the other hand, an entire chicken is also about $5. This one little chicken will give you enough meat for more than a few different recipes, as well as a few GALLONS of all natural broth. Plus, you can control the amount of fat and sodium... Plus, it couldn't be simpler.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies (Grain Free)

This may be the simplest recipe for Peanut Butter cookies ever devised. I wish I could take credit for it. However, I did steal it fair and square. Not one to leave well enough alone, I added a creamy, honey flavored filling and upgraded it to sandwich status.

(I really need to step up my photography game. This picture does not do these cookies justice)

Creamsicle Bath Fizz

These bath bombs are just as soothing to the skin as the Lavender Vanilla ones I posted last week, but the bright Orange-Vanilla scent will perk you up, even during these gloomy winter months.

Kitchen Surface Cleaner

This All-Natural Kitchen Cleaner is by far one of the cheapest and easiest DIY products you can make.

All you need:
White Vinegar
Tap water
Citrus Peels
Storage Container (like an empty mason jar)
Time

After eating or juicing citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, etc), just put the leftover peels in a jar and pour in enough vinegar to cover.

Vinyl and Laminate Floor Polish

Up until recently, I had always used a brand name cleaner on the laminate flooring in my kitchen. I LOVED it. It was easy to use, inexpensive and made my kitchen smell like delicious oranges. Then I read the directions:

[Brand X] floor finish with future shine should be removed from your floor every 6 To 8 applications or annually with a solution Of 1 cup ammonia and 1/4 cup [Brand X] floor cleaner in 1/2 gallon cool water. Then rinse floor with clean water. 

OK, let me get this straight... the product I'm using to CLEAN my floors has to be CHEMICALLY REMOVED? And, as if having to use ammonia wasn't bad enough, I'm also expected to spend more money on another [Brand X] product to get the job done. 

Genius marketing ploy? You betcha. 

Reason for me to find a better homemade product? Precisely.

So, I turned to the all-knowing internet and found some recipes for laminate cleaners and polishes. They all did a great job of getting the floor clean. But they all lacked a very important feature in a floor polish... SHINE. Since my laminate doesn't already have a high gloss finish, the recipes that were out there were leaving me a little frustrated. I tinkered with the formula for a while and finally found a winning combination.

I present to you:

The Totally Natural, Practically Edible, All-in-One Laminate Floor Cleaner and Polish!

(Or, just "Floor Polish" for short)

Lavender Vanilla Bath Fizz

These bath bombs are like a mini trip to the spa. They are soothing to the skin and calming to the senses. Unlike a spa visit, these bad boys won't kill your bank account. (They cost roughly $0.80 per bath)

Antioxidant Exfoliating Scrub

After playing around with the original recipe for this COFFEE SCRUB, I found a few variations that I really loved (link to original recipe at end of post). Since switching to this from a store-brand product, my skin has become smoother and softer. I have fewer breakouts. And, my fine lines seem to be going away... not too shabby for a product that costs pennies to make.

CUSTOMIZABLE ANTIOXIDANT EXFOLIATING SCRUB