Toothpaste!

Here is another tooth care product that is super easy to make and works really well.

1/2 Cup Real Aloe Gel (be careful to look at the ingredients and avoid products with too many chemicals! Luckily,  Whole Foods sells locally grown real aloe gel here in the San Diego area... Real Aloe Inc.) or if you're super crafty, you can use a real aloe plant, and get the gel out of it. You'll probably want to put it in a blender or something like that to get all the bumpy inconsistencies out... But make small batches, as this would probably only last a week or two. Vitacost.com is an awesome website I use to buy organic and natural beauty products.

1 Tbs Baking Soda

1/2 Tbs Ginger Powder (natural Astringent)

10-20 Drops Peppermint Oil

Mix well (trying to get all the baking soda and ginger powder lumps out) in a container first, then transfer to a squeezable container. I reused a plastic Jojoba oil bottle because it was squeezable and had a living hinge-type cap with a small hole. You'll probably want to use a funnel to help pour in the bottle, and since the mixture will be a bit stiff, use something (a bamboo skewer worked awesome) to help it go through the funnel.

This recipe is great because it polishes your teeth and makes them feel super clean! It also leaves your breath fresh and ready for an up-close day ;) 

I'm going to try another recipe with lemon (a natural whitener), so once I've tried it, and it's successful I'll post the recipe :) I've also read that strawberries (their malice acid) are a good natural whitener! Mix a smashed strawberry with baking soda and scrub over your teeth with a toothbrush.

Enjoy your squeaky clean, chemical-free toofers! :)

Mouthwash Recipe :D

This is a recipe I got from the Gorgeously Green blog... Love it! And of course it works!

1 plastic container (reuse an old mouthwash container, etc...) I reused a brown glass container that something else was in, but glass may not be the best idea for everyone
1/2 Cup Distilled Water (it is important to use distilled water, because tap water has impurities and minerals that can make the mixture go bad.)
1 Cup Aloe Juice (you can pretty much get this anywhere...)
2 Tbs Baking Soda
1Tbs Witch Hazel (a natural astringent)
20 drops of Peppermint Oil (a natural antiseptic, treats bad breath, etc...)

Mix all ingredients in a glass measuring cup. I stir while I pour it in my final container so the baking soda gets well incorporated. A funnel is handy ;)

Enjoy your fresh, chemical free mouth!

Why Pay for Chemicals???

For several years now, I've been focusing on eliminating chemicals from my daily regimens... Ever since being introduced to the book Gorgeously Green I've been constantly aware of the ridiculous amount of really harmful chemicals in products that claim they are safe... I just can not believe these products are deemed safe to use. So, I've learned that making my own skin, hair, lip, and other products is really, really, super duper easy. Using 100% natural ingredients that you can find in most grocery stores, anyone can make their own products that are safe, effective, and ACTUALLY good for you! And it's so fun and rewarding! My boyfriend really likes all the things I make, and says he likes them more than the "organic" products I've purchased in the past! For most of the recipes I'll be posting, I use the internet to look up a basic recipe, and modify it to use oils, etc that I find will be most beneficial for my particular needs. There is a whole host essential oils that are good for skin problems, sicknesses, diseases, etc... the list goes on really. Here is a good website to reference: organic facts.net Let the fun begin!!!

Super Nummy Whole Wheat Ravioli!

ok this takes kind of a crap ton of work, but dang... this is nummies...


what you need for the ravioli pasta:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tbs olive oil
some sea salt

nummies you need for the fillins:
mushrooms
3 slices of bacon and the grease (mmmmhmmmm)
walnuts
parmesan

saucins you need for that awesome sausome!
3/8's cup butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
sage
1/4 cup milk (or cream)

VOLCANO! I make a volcano on the counter with the flour, then pour the eggs, olive oil and sea salt in the middle. I use my finger to swirl in the flour bit by bit... kneed the dough until it is all together, but not sticky... depending on how old your whole wheat flour is, you may need to add some water. Do this tbs. by tbs. I think I ended up adding like 8 tbs or so...

ROLL! you'll want to do this in stages. roll it out a little bit first, then let it rest. If you don't you'll just be fighting an uphill battle, because the gluten will want to spring back. let it rest for about 10 minutes in between rollings... you'll know when to stop rolling for each session.

CUT! find a shape (cup, etc..) to help you make circles or squares that are all the same size... you can roll the left over scraps up in to a ball and roll it out again to minimize waste...

PACK! saute finely chopped mushrooms in some olive oil and the bacon grease until most of the moisture is gone. put in the finely chopped walnuts and bacon. saute for about 2-5 minutes (to get the flavors all mixed) turn off the heat and add the parmesan, mix until well incorporated.

PINCH! Load one of the ravioli cutouts with some fillins. Make a mound, but leave about a 1/4-1/2 inch around the edge. dip your finger in water and coat the edge of the ravioli cutout. place another cutout on top and with a fork, press the edges together. (if you forget to put water around the edge, don't cheat and not do it... your raviolis will come apart in the hot water!!!)

COOK! for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick you made the dough. I brought the water to a boil, then turned the heat down enough so that it wasn't boiling any more. (so the raviolis didn't blast open...)

SAUCE! put the chicken broth in a pan on medium-low. melt the butter into the broth, stirring constantly so the butter doesn't separate. stir in the milk/cream. while you're doing this, have some sage leaves sauteing so that they are crisp. add those leaves to the sauce.

EAT! place the raviolis on a bowl-like dish. cover with sauce. pick out your favorite fork. cut a piece of ravioli. put it in your mouth. like it.


XOXOXOX!

Are You a Victim?!

Everyday, millions of people are a victim of a heinous crime. It affects people differently, and some more than others. The Plastic Perpetrator.

This weekend I helped a friend mulch his front yard. Among the mulch were hundreds maybe even thousands of tiny plastic perpetrators. The mulch came from Oceanside, CA and is created from contractor's and city services' tree trimmings, etc. The plastic bits come from trash being thrown in with the trimmings and being ground up together. Thus resulting in the mini plastic perpetrators.

Beware of where you put your rubbish, it may just end up on your doorstep one day...

The Plastiki Blog

The Plastiki Blog

This is fun to follow... Very honest.

Animals are littering?!

On another run along the beach path, I noticed a giant trash/plastic mess was being formed around an open trash can. The culprits were dozens of seagulls picking through the discarded rubbish. This little dilemma is an example of how many factors there are that all attribute to the plastic conundrum we face. We can look at this problem as an example of how we must think of the entire cycle of trash and how it travels through our society. Perhaps there is a way we can take a step out of the transfer trash cycle... this will decrease the amount of times it leaves a container, thus reducing spillage.

Here is one GREAT idea that has already been implemented in several cities. These self sufficient rubbish receptacles compact trash to reduce the amount of times it needs to be serviced. It has decreased trash pick ups dramatically, in turn saving the city millions.