Monday, January 20, 2014

Homemade Shampoo & Conditioner Part 2...

So for an entire week I decided to wash my hair with my homemade shampoo and conditioner... I have to say it was a great success and my hair is soft and does not stink like vinegar!!

I started using the homemade shampoo and condtioner because I figured if I am going to fill my body with whole, natural foods then I should wash my body with whole, natural products.  I knew it would work but I did not know I would like it so much! I had to buy largers containers so I could make 7-10 days worth of it. The 4 ounce bottles last 4 days.  I used it on my daughters hair also and that really makes her hair softer.  On a side note I use all natural bar soap for my kids and they use it in their hair too but my daughter needed some extra conditioner and the vinegar conditioner works well. She is only 3 years old and she was worried her hair would stink because she could smell the vinegar. Kids are pretty smart!

So I am very excited to have all natural products for our bodies! Now to work on finding and using a laundry detergent that will be like Tide and a dish soap that will be like dawn. I will work on that over the next month and see what I can find!

Thanks for reading!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Homemade Shampoo & Conditoner Part 1...

So I have always wanted to make my own shampoo, conditioner and other body care products.  Over Christmas I went to one of my favorite stores up in Michigan, Country Life Natural Food Store, and really enjoyed looking at all of the natural soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, etc... I picked up a tea tree oil bar soap by Clearly Natural and thought to myself, 'I should try this and it is only $1.85!'  What a great idea!  I started using it right away and have been using it over three weeks now and my skin feels amazing!  I also started using natural, raw shea butter (I ordered it from www.amazon.com) as my new lotion and skin moisturizer.  I have to say that in the winter my skin is usually very dry and my hands and feet will crack very badly so I use a truck load full of moisturizing lotions and creams.  But after using these two new things I feel so different. So since I am using these two new things I decided it is time to try some natural shampoo and conditioner.  My Mom told me that she used vinegar and water when she was a little girl and her Grandma would wash her hair with rain water and baking soda.  Another great idea!
 
So I decided to make it!  I am going to start small so I can try it for the next week and I will let everyone know what I think of it next Monday. For the shampoo, I took a four ounce bottle and added 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda and filled it with filtered water and shook it up.  I will just squirt it on my head and wash it and we will see how I like it.
 
 

Then for the conditioner I took another four ounce bottle and added 1 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar and filled it to the top with filtered water.  I will again just squirt it into my hair and then rinse it.  My Mom told me today that she did not like the smell of the vinegar but I am going to try it this way and if I do not like it I will add some good smelling essential oil to the bottle.  I will let everyone know in one week.   
 
 
I have a good feeling about the natural, homemade shampoo and conditioner!  My family and I eat healthy and we live a healthy lifestyle so it is time to start washing and moisturizing ourselves with natural and healthy products also.  I am excited to try these new products!  In the next two weeks I will be making natural kids body wash and shampoo and I will be making natural spray gel for my crazy curly, frizzy hair.  If I am going to go all out with natural... I am going to go all out with natural!
 
Until next week...  

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Our New Year's Day Meal... Black Eyed Peas & Collard Green Stew!

 For supper on New Year's Day I decided to make a typical Southern dish of black eyed peas and greens and I came up with a recipe that is high in micronutrients.  I love creating recipes so this was fun! My kids will eat just about anything but I do make it appealing to them and in turn the average person should like it too!  I made this dish in my 6 quart pressure cooker but the recipe would work well in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.  The nice thing is black eyed peas do not need to be soaked and cook up fast.  So this could be a quick meal in the pressure cooker or something to put in the slow cooker in the morning.
 
First, I started with a pound of dried black eyed peas and placed those first in the bottom of the pressure cooker.  Then I added 2 TBS chicken like seasoning, 2 tsp dried basil, 2 tsp dried oregano, 1 TBS parsley, 1 tsp sea salt on top of the black eyed peas.
 
Add 1 TBS fresh garlic (about 3-4 cloves minced), 1 large onion chopped, 2 sweet potatoes chopped, 3 carrots chopped and 3 stalks of celery diced and add to the top of the black eyed peas and seasonings.
 
 
Then I took 2 pounds of fresh collard greens and ripped the leaves from the stalks and ripped the leaved into medium size pieces and put on top of the chopped vegetables.  I decided after I ripped the leaves in pieces that it would have been easier to just take my large butcher knife and chop it up that way but live and learn.  I love cooking but it is nice when it is healthy, quick and easy! Then I added water just below the greens in the pressure cooker.  Bring the pressure cooker up to pressure and cook for 8 minutes at pressure.  Turn off heat after timer goes off and allow pressure cooker to drop pressure before opening. 
 
**If using a slow cooker add water to just above the greens.  And cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low or until greens and black eyed peas are to desired tenderness.
 
 
It made the whole place smell amazing!
 
 
I decided after trying it that is needed to be sprinkled with dried cayenne pepper and I added nutritional yeast to all of ours too.  It was very tasty!  And very easy and very cheap to make which is a win, win!
 
Black Eyed Peas & Collard Green Stew
 
1 lb black eyed peas
2 TBS chicken like seasoning
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 TBS parsley
1 tsp sea salt
1 TBS fresh garlic, minced (about 3-4 cloves)
1 large onion, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
2 lbs fresh collard greens, stalks removed and chopped
 
  1. Wash and sort black eyed peas and place in the bottom of the pressure cooker (or slow cooker if using).
  2. Add the seasonings on top of the black eyed peas.
  3. Add the cut up vegetables on top of the seasonings.
  4. Add the chopped up collard greens to the very top.
  5. Add enough water to just below the greens (if using a slow cooker add water to just above the greens.
  6. Bring the pressure cooker to pressure and cook for 8 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow the pressure to drop before removing the top. (If using a slow cooker cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low or until peas and greens are to desired tenderness).
 
 

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy 2014! And welcome to my blog!

Happy New Year!! And welcome to my blog!! I cannot believe it is already 2014 and what a beautiful day it has been here in Tennessee!
 

First, we enjoyed the morning by making our typical winter green smoothie with my kitchen essential, my Blendtec! And then we enjoyed a family walk/bike ride at our local greenway.  What a great start to the New Year!

 So I decided to start a blog for various reasons.  I enjoy sharing health topics and information with my family and others.  I love my Blendtec and all the wonderful things I can do with it for me, my family and those around me.  And if I can make it myself I will and I do and it’s fun to share my findings, hence this blog because it is an easy way to share it with everyone around me and make my work accessible to others.
I’m excited to start my journey as a blogger and writer… I never thought I would be a writer but it is exciting for sure and cannot wait to share my wealth of knowledge with my readers.  I give a lot of credit to my husband (Paul Roy) for motivating me and guiding me and I am so thankful he was brought into my life almost 14 years ago.  And credit to my Mama, Dad, sister (Alissa) and brother (Jay) who always strive to be the best so it makes me want to do my best too.  It is good to have a little bit of competition!  And of course I give credit to my kids because I want to live a healthy life for them and they have already learned how important health is and they love the Blendtec as much as me!
Please enjoy my blog with me and embark on the journey with me!  To whole food, whole health and whole living!