Cereal Bars

So I made my own cereal bars this weekend and they turned out awesome so I thought I'd share the recipe. They are just 2 weight watchers points (for those that are counting) the way the recipe is written but I could think of some yummy things I'd add if I didnt care so much about the points (i.e. chocolate chips, different dried fruits, coconut, etc).

Dry Ingredients:
1 c Rolled Oats
3 1/2 c Kashi Go Lean Cereal
1/2 c cream of wheat
1/2 c oat bran
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs Splenda Brown

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 ripe bananas mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c honey

Add-In Ingredients:
1/3 c raisins
1/3 c slivered almonds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Combine Dry Ingredients and then add Wet Ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Add "Add-In" ingredients. Press mixture into a 9x13 pan greased with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Cut into 15 bars. ENJOY!!

Homemade Furniture Polish

What you need:

• 24 oz spray bottle

• 3/4 cup white distilled vinegar

• 1-1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil

• 3/8 cup lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in spray bottle and shake well before each use.

This mixture make me think of salad dressing, but it really does work well.

Homemade Hardwood Floor Cleaner

What you need:

• 32 oz spray bottle

• 3-1/2 cups boiling water

• 4 tea bags

• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Let tea bags steep for at least 5 minutes in the boiling water or until they are brewed very strong. Allow tea to cool to room temperature (or place in fridge to speed process). Place in spray bottle along with remaining ingredients, shake, and use.

This is a great cleaner for hardwood floors and helps to release the grain of wood and add shine to the finish.

Homemade Glass Cleaner

What you need:

• 32 oz spray bottle
  

• 1-3/4 cup rubbing alcohol

• 1-3/4 cup water

• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 20 drops essential oil (scent of choice)

Combine all ingredients in spray bottle. Shake and use.

I found this glass cleaner to work alarmingly well (I wasn't expecting much) and may say it works better then Windex.

Homemade All-Purpose Disinfecting Cleaner

What you need:

• Spray Bottle (I used 32 oz)

• 1 tsp Castile Soap (I used Dr Bronner's with no scent. You can buy it at Target.)

• 2 cups Water

• 2 cups Distilled White Vinegar (get a gallon as you will use it quickly)

• 60 drops of Essential Oils (You can get this at your local natural food market. I used Tea Tree and Lavendar **30 drops of each** but use whatever scents you like. Note that Tea Tree is considered to be a natural disinfectant)

Just combine all ingredients in your spray bottle. I found this to be a little streaky so I would not use on surfaces with a shine (use the glass cleaner for those).

Organic Baby Bath Products

So when my son TJ was first born, I used all Johnson and Johnson products. They smelled great but I found that they were not very moisturizing to his skin (even the lotion) and I think a lot of this is due to its heavy fragrance. After doing some research, I came across a website called Skin Deep which reviews the safety of cosmetics. It lists the toxicity level in different cosmetic products (adult and baby alike) and I would highly recommend that you do a search for the products you use. You will be surprised (and maybe a little horrified) at the level of toxins in most of the products we use.

Now let look at Webster's definition of toxin and toxic:

tox·in: a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation

tox·ic: containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation

So why the heck do we put these toxins on our body which absorb into our skin and move freely through our blood stream?! What I want to know, is why the products with high levels are allowed to be put on shelves making us believe it is safe for us to use.

Anyway, I found that Johnson and Johnson products, although not extremely high in toxins, definitly have more that some other options out there. My purpose is to expose my son to as few of these toxins as I possibly can because, if anything, it can only benefit him. I trully believe that knowledge is power and we need to take advantage of educating ourselves as parents.

So I decided, after hearing many great reviews, to buy some California Baby products. Let me tell you that I LOVE this product line. They smell great and they are so much more hydrating than what I was using. I love the diaper cream as it has cleared TJs diaper rash so much more quickly then the Desitin I was using. The Calendula cream is also really nice. I bought the sunscreen but have yet to try it (I am excited to use it myself because my skin is so sensitive and I've yet to find a lotion that does not burn). I want to try the handsoap but have not done so yet. Oh yeah, and their bath bubbles are great and even come with a bubble wand so you can blow bubbles (FUN!). As an added bonus, these products are great for us adults with sensitive skin!

Happy Easter: How to Dye Eggs Naturally

I saw this on marthastewart.com and just had to share because these eggs look so much more beautiful than those made with your typical egg-dying kit. (for original article go HERE)

The tradition of dyeing eggs goes back to medieval times when people made pace eggs to celebrate spring and Pasch, the original name given to Easter or Passover.
Your kitchen is full of natural dyes. Common food items such as red cabbage, onion skins, and coffee can be used to transform plain white eggs into colorful Easter gems. Kids will especially love discovering all the different colors they can create -- let them experiment using hard-boiled eggs and bowls of cold dyes.
Tools and Materials
Natural dyeing agents (red cabbage, turmeric, onion skins, beets, and coffee)
3-quart pot (or larger)
White vinegar
Strainer
Small bowls
Eggs
Large metal spoon
Paper towels
Drying rack
Dye Recipes
Select a dyeing agent, and place it in the pot using the amount listed below. Add 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar to pot; if more water is necessary to cover ingredients, proportionally increase the amount of vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain dye into a bowl.

Red-cabbage dye: 4 cups chopped cabbage
Turmeric dye: 3 tablespoons turmeric
Onion-skin dye: 4 cups onion skins (skins of about 12 onions)
Beet dye: 4 cups chopped beets
Coffee dye: 1 quart strong black coffee (instead of water) Cold-Dipping Method

Cold-Dipping Method
With this method, the eggs and the ingredients for the dye are boiled separately. Using a metal spoon, lower cooled hard-boiled eggs into a bowl of cooled dye, and let them soak for as little as 5 seconds or as long as overnight, depending on the depth of color you desire. Remove eggs with spoon, pat dry with paper towels, and let dry on a wire rack. The cold-dipping method produces subtle, translucent shades, but can result in uneven coloring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly while in the dye. For hollow eggs that will last indefinitely, cold-dip raw eggs, then blow them out after they are dyed.
Boiled Method
This method involves boiling the eggs with the dye; the heat allows the dye to saturate the shells, resulting in intense, more uniform color. Set raw eggs in a pot of strained dye; bring to a boil for the amount of time specified in our color glossary. Remove and dry eggs as with the cold-dipping method.
Finish (optional)
Natural dyes tend to fade over time, so finish any eggs you plan to keep with a matte or gloss acrylic spray varnish. To create an egg-spraying stand, stick a 6-inch length of wire into a block of Styrofoam; prop a hollow egg onto the wire through one of its holes. Spray egg with a coat of varnish in a well-ventilated area, and let dry.
Color Glossary
Natural dyes can sometimes produce unexpected results, so don't be surprised if, for example, your red-cabbage dye yields blue eggs. Use the following guide to help you achieve the colors you desire.

Deep Gold: Boil eggs in turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Sienna: Boil eggs in onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Dark, Rich Brown: Boil eggs in black coffee, 30 minutes.
Pale Yellow: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Orange: Soak eggs in room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Light Brown: Soak eggs in room-temperature black coffee, 30 minutes.
Light Pink: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes.
Light Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 minutes.
Royal Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution overnight.
Lavender: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 seconds.
Chartreuse: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 5 seconds.
Salmon: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Do You Know?
The tradition of dyeing eggs goes back to medieval times when people made "pace" eggs to celebrate spring and Pasch, the original name given to Easter or Passover.

First Published: April 1998

So here is the deal....

I have always been aware of recycling and such but since I had my son last October I have really become so much more aware of all the harmful things out there that I really want to try to protect him from. I truly believe the reason there is so much cancer and health problems out there is because we are poisoning our bodies with toxins in products that we use every day. My goal is to slowly evolve the lifestyle of me and my family so that we are living in a healthier environment. I am not planning on making any drastic changes right off the bat because this is a process and as I am ready for that next step I will go there.

Things I already do:

• recycle paper, plastics, and metals
• turn off lights that are not necessity
• thermostat controlled by timer
• energy efficient light bulbs
• eat organic when possible/affordable
• shop local farmers markets in season
• have a vegetable garden
• use filtered tap water and reusable bottles
• breastfeeding
  

Things I am currently trying to implement:

• using non/low-toxic bath/body products on my son and myself
• make my own non-toxic house cleaning supplies
• reusable shopping bags
• make my son's baby food from fresh organic products