Hot Fudge Sauce made with Coconut Sugar and Honey!

Here's a quick and easy (Refined Sugar-Free) recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce!

1/2c Butter
3T Cocoa Powder
3/4c Coconut Milk
1c Coconut Sugar
1/3c Honey

Combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat - simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from stove then add 1/2t vanilla and blend for 1 minute in your blender - Yield 2 cups of Hot Fudge Sauce!

NOTE: be careful not to fill your blender over 1/2 way when blending hot stuff - the steam can make the lid pop off and make a painful mess - I have a vitamix with a steam releasing lid so I don't have to worry.

Salted Carmel Sauce made with Coconut Sugar!

Yes, I get the occasional craving for a sweet treat too! But just because I want something soothing and sweet, doesn't mean that I abandon my convictions regarding food choices!

We planted several tiny apple trees nearly 10 years ago when we bought our house and they are finally producing beautiful apples!! And who doesn't love Carmel and Apples?!?! I know I have always loved carmel apples - I remember my grandmother buying me those 3 packs of carmel apples in the grocery store.... But the challenge is we don't eat "sugar" or "corn syrup" - that makes it tough to make a carmel....

Coconut Sugar - Have you ever had it? I encourage you to seek some out and I'm sure it will become a staple of your pantry. But I must caution, just because it's better than refined sugar options, it's still a sweetener and you still must use self-control! Coconut sugar has similar properties to sugarcane sugar, but lower Glycemic Index and a more complex flavor similar to brown sugar.

I treat myself with having coconut sugar in my coffee on Friday, Saturday and Sundays (Mon-Thur I have stevia) and along with coconut milk - I think it's the most heavenly coffee ever!

Tonight was my 2nd time making Coconut Sugar Salted Carmel Sauce and it's not going to be the last time!! Here's my recipe:

1c Organic Coconut Sugar
2T water

Combine in small pot and bring to a simmer over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Once it starts to boil/simmer DO NOT STIR! You can lightly swirl the pan or using water on a pastry brush- wipe the sides of the pot to wash any melted carmel down.  I keep a candy thermometer in mine, but have not be focusing on a specific temperature as a stopping point but just the 5 minutes - which seems to be around 250 degrees.

Remove your pot from the stove and wisk in - in small amounts since it will bubble up:

1t Ghee or Butter
1/2c Organic Coconut Milk
1/4t Vanilla
1/4t Sea Salt

Makes about 1-1/4 c carmel sauce, will be runny at first but refrigerate to thicken.

I started using Ghee (clarified butter) as opposed to just butter to eliminate the dairy milk solids - to make it a pure fat. I've been reducing my dairy intake as Ghee is a great way to keep the taste without "diary" - for those following Paleo or dairy-free diets some consume Ghee but not butter.

Sauerkraut - Part 1

Sauerkraut is so simple to make and when you make fermented sauerkraut at home it's SO GOOD FOR YOU! There's lots of media attention regarding the benefits of incorporating probiotics into your diet - don't just rely on pills, use real food to boost your friendly-gut-bacterias!

Today we started 2 gallons of Kraut.. this post is how to get started, look for more posts as I track it's progress...

Here's a step by step of how we're making ours, required supplies are pretty basic and the process is really simple. Shred cabbage, sprinkle salt, pound to release liquid, cover and let sit...

Today we bought 6 medium heads of cabbage at the farmers market and gathered our supplies. We got our antique kraut shredder from Ray's parents and our 2 gallon crock from my grandmother. (you can use a food processor with a slicing blade or just hand-cut your cabbage too! and you don't need a crock any non-plastic or non-metal vessel will work!)

We cut each head of cabbage in half and removed the core....

Ray shredded each half....

 Then we'd put about 2 inches of shredded cabbage in the bottom of the crock and sprinkled liberally with Celtic sea salt...

 Then pound your salted cabbage, you are trying to get the cabbage to release it's liquid. We use the wooden plunger for our kitchen-aid mixer's meat grinder attachment along with our fists in a punching motion...

 Keep  pounding the cabbage until the liquid released will cover the shredded cabbage when you press it down..

Keep adding additional cabbage/salt in 1-2 inch layers, and keep pounding.

 Our 2 gallon crock held 6 heads of shredded cabbage.. In order for the cabbage to ferment into sauerkraut you need to allow it to sit with the cabbage fully submerged underwater. Use a plate or other flat item that fills up the crock but can be pressed down (I used the lid from my rice cooker, it fit in the crock perfectly! If the weight of the item you are using as a submerged lid isn't heavy enough to keep the liquid above the cabbage, apply weight like a gallon jug of water or a brick.

Cover the entire top of your crock with cheese cloth and allow it to sit at room temperature and out of direct sunlight... every couple days check it out to make sure everything is submerged and to skim any foamy stuff that may collect on top...

DIY Dry Shampoo for Brunettes

I've always wished I was one of those lucky ladies that could just wake up in the morning and have my hair look clean! However I'm not. My dark brown (and gray) hair that's been washed in the morning starts getting oily and flat looking by dinner, let alone the mess it becomes after I slept on it.

I've tried many brands of dry shampoos with less than ideal outcomes. Most are white powders that make me look (grayer) than I do already or like I have a wig on. And if the color wasn't bad enough it stripped all the shine from my hair and still just laid there doing nothing. So I came up with my own amazing recipe for Dry Shampoo for Brunettes you can make at home for just a few dollars!

Here's my recipe:

1/4c organic corn starch
1/4c cocoa powder

Mix them up, I store mine in a old spice jar with a small hole shaker lid, shake a little powder into the lid and using an old make up brush - apply to the roots of my hair. I leave it sit for about 30 minutes then I brush my hair with a natural (boar) bristle brush to spread it through my hair and remove excess.

Now, it's not like fresh-washed-clean hair but looks perfectly fine pulled back in a ponytail or head band! It's awesome to skip a day from washing my very long thick hair!!!

Enjoy!

DIY Toothpaste

Super easy toothpaste with all natural stuff you (should) have at home! My teeth feel so clean and smooth. Just be prepared it's not sweet and bubbly like the store bought tube of toothpaste. This will get firm and you just rub your toothbrush through it!

This recipe fits nicely in a 1/4 pint canning jar:
3T Aluminum-Free Baking Soda
3T Organic Coconut Oil

Optional Additions to your taste:
Essential Oil (Peppermint, Cinnamon, Wintergreen or Spearmint are all good)
Liquid Stevia

Mix everything well. It was warm in our house tonight so our coconut oil was nearly liquid, if yours is solid just warm up on your oven on the lowest temp setting and only until it's soft enough to use.

Enjoy!!!

Canned Meadow (Button) Mushrooms

If you consult any present day canning recipe book or do a search on the internet - you'll read all the warnings about attempting to can wild mushrooms at home - poisonous mushrooms are dangerous as is canning, put the two together and people get really freaked out.. that being said let's move on... I have been canning mushrooms for over 10 years, both meadow mushrooms and maitake turn out wonderful!!

We pick meadow mushrooms in our yard every year (we are 100% sure they are edible) They taste like the white button mushrooms from the store but have a stronger flavor - so much better. I throughly cleaned the mushrooms and separated only the best mushrooms for canning. Be aware mushrooms shrink to about 1/2 their fresh volume once cooked... it takes a lot of mushrooms to fill big jars so I always stick to 1/4 pint jelly jars, which is the perfect serving size for us.

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil (as large as needed based on the quantity of mushrooms you have to can) Once water is boiling, add cleaned mushrooms, time for 5 minutes then drain.

In a separate pot or 220 degree oven, sterilize canning jars and warm flat lids in a small pot of water on medium/low. Also prepare another pot or tea kettle of clean boiling water.

Pack drained/boiled mushrooms into sterilized jars, adding a scant 1/8t salt per 1/4 pint, then top each to 1/2 inch head space with boiling water. Wipe rims and fit with 2 part lids. Pressure Can for 40 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. After depressurized, remove lid, pick out jars and allow to cool for 12 hours - discard any that did not seal...

I cannot guarantee that my directions are deemed safe by our government and I can't take responsibility for the mushrooms you gather.. but for me this works perfectly!!!

DIY: Tub and Soap Scum Remover!!

Ok I have a little bit of a "dirty" secret... I have a big garden tub in our master bathroom that rarely gets used and even more rarely gets cleaned. It's WAS a disaster, until this morning. In literally 10 minutes total time, it's sparkling clean with very little effort.

Here's my recipe for the best Tub Ring and Soap Scum Remover:

• Mix equal parts of White Distilled Vinegar and Dishwashing Soap in a spray bottle. (I found that a recycled spray cleaning bottle worked better than the $1 store spray bottles for a finer mist spray)
• Spray Vinegar/Soap mixture liberally on your tub/shower and let sit 30+ minutes (I forgot about mine for at least an hour!!) Then I just wiped away the scumminess and rinsed with water. 

I was completely shocked at how well it worked!! and the best part is,  since everything in the spray I make is non-toxic, I'm not afraid of getting it on my skin, no need to worry about toxic fumes or wearing those awful rubber gloves!!!

NOTE: It also works on other scummy areas of your home, like inside your oven or on your cook top!

DIY Dishwasher Detergent $.01/load

How awesome?! I just added, yet another, homemade and really cheap household product to my existing recipe book and it really really works! I run my very cheap dishwasher a lot and I abuse it..  I hate rinsing dishes and this works better than finish or cascade that I've used for years!!

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe ($13.94 total cost)

1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda ($3.24/box)
1 Box Borax ($3.38/box)
2 Bottles of Lemi Shine $3.66/each x 2 = 7.32)

Combine the Washing Soda, Borax and Lemi Shine - Mix up really really well! Store in an air tight container (or several containers this recipe made enough to fill 2 - half gallon ball canning jars and 1 quart jar) Use about 1.5t per load - I sprinkle a little in my prewash compartment then 1t in for the regular wash. The recipe will make about 20 cups of Dishwasher Detergent, using 1.5t per load, will wash 960 loads of dishes at $ .01 a load - - - R U KIDDING??  I just triple checked my math - $13.94 total cost /960 loads = $0.01452083 per load!!

Dishwasher Rinse Aid Recipe

Use Distilled White Vinegar as you would any other rinse aid. If you would buy one bottle of jet dry or other rinse aid each month for $5 - one gallon vinegar is only $2 and would last you a whole year - saving you  $58/year!

DIY Powered Laundry Soap $ .03/load

I love knowing our Laundry Detergent for the next year is only costs about $10! and I won't run out or have to buy any.. it's all stored neatly in 2 jars in my cabinet above the washer! I hate spending our hard earned money on household supplies, and knowing that they are so damaging to our environment! So, for few years I've been making my own Laundry Detergent and I think it's pretty amazing! There are lots of recipes on the internet and I've tired many of them.. previously I was using a liquid form but it's a lot of extra work that isn't necessary. I came up with a recipe for a powder that is quick and cheap. I use this in my top loading washer, but you can also use it in a front load washer (since there are virtually no suds) only use 1/2 the amount per load... which means its even cheaper!!!!


Powered Laundry Detergent (Beginners Single Batch Recipe)
1c Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2c Borax
1 bar Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Grate the bar Fels-Naptha on regular cheese grater and combine with washing soda and borax, mix well. Use 1T per load, recipe yields about 3 cups of detergent which will do 48 loads of laundry for just $1.69

When I make my laundry detergent I like to make a bunch at once - I try to make enough to last us at least a full year! Here's my Large Batch Recipe and modified instructions:

Powered Laundry Detergent  (Large Batch Recipe)
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 55 oz
3c Borax
6 bars Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Same instructions as above or to eliminate hand grating the bar of soap..
In food processor or blender: 1/2c of washing soda, 1/4c Borax, and 1/2 bar of soap, coarsely chopped... on low-medium process into a find powered. This grinds the soap and mixes it up all in one step - Repeat for each 1/2 bar of soap.

I found that putting the soda/borax in the bottom of my Vitamix blender and the soap on top, grinds it up more efficiently (if you are using a large capacity food processor you may be about to put in a full bar of chopped soap/1c soda/1/2c borax all at once - experiment to see what works best with your equipment!)

This large batch recipe will make enough laundry detergent to do 288 loads of laundry, using 1T for each large load - for us this will last us a year (we do 5 to 6 loads of laundry per week on average) 

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Fabric Softener!

DIY Fabric Softener

I've been doing without Fabric Softener for over a year, but last week when I was changing from the winter-fleece to spring organic cotton sheets on our bed, I wanted to make sure they were soft and smelled pleasant! So, I looked around for some ideas for homemade fabric softener.... the most common is a mix of conditioner (for your hair) and vinegar. That didn't sound appealing to me for many reasons..... SO I determined that the vinegar is what makes the clothing soft and the conditioner is used for scent, so I figured I'd just use white distilled vinegar and some essential oil!

Oh - and don't worry your laundry won't smell like vinegar - the vinegar smell dissipates. Just ask Ray, I frequently smell like salad right after my shower (between using it as a facial toner and a hair rinse) but once I dry the vinegar smell is completely gone!

Lavender Essential oil is great for relaxation, so that's the scent I felt would be best for the sheets in our bedroom, why not get the added bonus when using a scent and help with a restful night's sleep?? Here's my Recipe:

1 Gallon White Distilled Vinegar ($1.99 at my local shop and save!)
Lavender Essential Oil or other essential oil for scent as desired

Simply add the essential oil to the gallon of vinegar then use Use 1/4 to 1 cup per load -depending on size of load - added to the rinse cycle (if your organized enough to remember to add it - I am not :) Thank goodness for my fabric softener dispenser that came with my washing machine and Thank Goodness Ray didn't let me throw it away when I stopped using fabric softener!!)

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Laundry Detergent!

DIY Deodorant

I guess I finally crossed the line this time, I decided there has to be a better option than the natural deodorants for sale.. and I came up with my own! It's so super easy and I think it works so much better than any natural brand I've tried.... You can buy empty new deodorant containers or you can just recycle used ones you've cleaned out.

My recipe made enough to fill 2 deodorant containers, I made one for me and one for Ray - only changing the essential oil scents. Here's my recipe:

Over medium heat, melt together in a small pot - I have a old pot and spoon that I only use for beauty concoctions :)
1/8 cup Cocoa Butter
2T Melted Bees Wax (I keep it melted in a recycled can and heat it in a pot of hot water)
3T Coconut Oil

Remove heat, Then add:
1/8 cup Baking Soda (aluminum free)
3T Arrowroot Powder (heaping tablespoons)
2T Kolian Clay

Once the dry stuff is mixed into the melted stuff, fill your deodorant containers.
Since I make 2 different scents - I just add in my essential oils into the liquid in the deodorant containers then stir with a wooden stick...

Hayley's Deodorant - 10 drops grapefruit essential oil
Ray's Deodorant - 5 drops teakwood and 3 drops cedar wood essential oils

Allow to cool in the fridge until solid!

DIY Hair Styling Wax

My poor husband has been asking me for hair gel for such a long time and I keep ignoring him. Finally, I made a solution.. instead of toxic chemical laden hair gel, I made him a all natural Hair Styling Wax!!! It works pretty good, I've used some on my hair too! Here's my recipe:

Melt together over medium heat,
3T Coconut Oil
1T Sunflower Oil (or Jojoba)
8T Melted Bees Wax
Remove from heat and stir in
2T arrowroot powder
5+ drops of essential oil for scent, if desired.

Will make about 5 ounces..  pour in a small glass jar and allow to cool in the fridge. Scrape a pea sized amount and rub between your fingers and apply to your hair - if it's too hard remelt and add more coconut oil, if it's too soft remelt and add more coconut oil :)

DIY Easy Cleaning Spray

I've been making my own Cleaning Spray for a couple years, it's so super simple and dirt cheap!

I just fill a spray bottle with water (recycled from a store bought cleaner or buy an empty bottle) 

the add about 1T Dr Bronners Sal Suds and a few drops of essential oil (Lemon or Lavender are my favorites!) Screw on the spray top and give it a gentle shake - and you have a bottle of spray cleaner to use just about anywhere in your home.. kitchen, bath, etc!

If you're not familiar with Dr Bronner's Magic Sal Suds - Check it out, http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/SAL.htm It's a great all purpose cleaner to keep around the house. I buy it by the gallon for $35.99 from Vitacost, http://www.vitacost.com/dr-bronners-sal-suds-liquid

That works out to be just about $ .14/spray bottle for the cleaner - the essential oil is optional for scent only, I made it for years before I added the essential oil when I finally got some for bath and body projects!

DIY Vanilla Syrup - Just Like Starbucks!

I love a vanilla latte but I hate spending $5 on a single cup of coffee at Starbucks or Panera Bread. My last trip to the Salvation Army Thrift store I found a Mr Coffee Espresso Machine for just $9.99, then I came up with a method for making a pretty good Vanilla Latte at home using Organic Free Trade Espresso Roast Coffee, Family Cow Organic Raw Milk and (unfortunately) Starbucks Vanilla Syrup. Once I finished up the bottle of vanilla syrup, it was time for me to make my own recipe for Vanilla Syrup.... Here's my recipe:

In a pot combine 4 cups organic sugar, 2 vanilla beans and 4 cups heat and stir to dissolve sugar, allow to cool. I filled up my Vanilla Syrup Container with a Pump - since it's so easy to just pump in the syrup in the morning!

And it's so much cheaper than the $10 for the bottle from Starbucks and has no junk in it.. just sugar, water, vanilla! But remember - sugar isn't healthy - it needs to be avoided when ever possible!

DIY Lemon-Thyme Hand Soap

I'm always looking for easy ways to save a few bucks on household supplies and I enjoy making things myself!! This is my first attempt at making liquid soap from bar soap and it turned out great. You can experiment with other scent/herb combinations but this was easy since I always have lemons and fresh thyme on hand.

2 Bars of Kirk's Natural Castile Soap, grated
1T Vegetable Glycerine
10 c water
Zest of 1 Lemon (use peeler to remove zest in large strips)
Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

Combine the grated soap, 1T vegetable glycerin, 10 cups of water and lemon zest in a large pot - and heat over medium until all melted/combined. Allow to cool then fill containers - adding springs of thyme.

Cost, $.02 per Ounce of soap, Total cost $1.60 for 80 oz liquid soap!
$1.34 - Kirk's Natural Castile Soap, at Vitacost.com and Now Foods Vegetable Gylcerine, $8.54/16oz at Amazon.com

You can grate the bar of soap on a traditional cheese grater, but I coarsely chopped up the bar of soap then tossed it in my dry cup of the Vitamix - it ground it into a fine powder, which saved a lot of time compared to hand grating.