Underarm Mclovin

Make your own deodorant! Why subject yourself to harsh chemicals that cause illness in products only intended to force you to come back for more because they only mask the problem with junk. (longest run-on sentence award, thank you! thank you!) Most deodorants are loaded guns of toxic metals and other ingredients no bueno for you or your any one. Love all of ourselves, even our underarms! Even if you are buying aluminum free, or organic, you can still be making it with items found in your pantry! 

I have been doing this on and off for almost three years now; for my personal use and for a few out there that have come to me for help in their own journey! I am in the process of selling more and more as people are becoming aware of the toxins allowed in our every day products. I could go on FOREVER in the toxin department, but if I did, then how would you know to go read on your own :)? I completely encourage continuous education. With food, health, living, world news; read it all, or read about what you want..but read. Research. Experiment. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL. Because three years later you could be sending personalized samples to folks all over the country and attempting to write a decent d.i.y. post.

First I will start with this. I make my own calendula and chamomile oil. You do not have to.  It can be purchased or you can read up on Crunchy Betty's tutorial.  Or even without the soothing properties of these flowers this power-punched-pit-lovin cream is full of goodies. Back to CB, I had been making my own deodorant with coconut or jojoba oil for awhile but as Betty mentions; her (and my) 1st time (or 1st few for me!) were almost disasters but through trial and error and tweaking I have perfected my sexy pit cream! So much truth! Arm pits get no love!!! By reading TONS of posts, researching common allergies, detoxing off chemicals as much as possible, and friends like Lexie kept me encouraged through some pretty rough patches on my journey to today and I encourage you to not give up either! Whether you just want to be money savvy, are looking for safe natural products free from chemicals, or are just interested in starting some where;

start today!

Calendula Chamomile Infused Oil

infusion time: 2weeks

2 1/2 tbsp organic chamomile flowers

2 1/2 tbsp organic calendula flowers

6-8 oz of coconut/jojoba/avocado/

sweet almond/sweet 

apricot/mixture to cover flowers

store in cool place. shake often.

Essential oils give you the freedom of playing! 

The number one thing I can say is use arrowroot powder not cornstarch if you have sensitive skin. It has been through trial and error (or what I had on hand) that I've come to find my skin does not like cornstarch; it likes the arrowroot but se la vie, see what works best for you! I first used the cornstarch then switched to arrowroot. It is less irritating and after sharing Hippie KarMama:Raise UP with several folks from the East to West, Arrowroot seems the favorite amongst them all! Some folks like CB and Lexie:Naturals use baking soda and some times I do. I personally have not had any in awhile since the last batch I did was so big I had to look up my recipe to write this. So I've used only Arrowroot but have made it with baking soda and have had no complaints! :) 

 Every one I know who infuses has a trick or hack for straining. Some use cheese cloth. Some use coffee filters. I use a cheesecloth or these lemon savers that fit AWESOME on glass jars! Should get about 4 total oz of oil. Mix in 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup depending on if you want to mix in baking soda. If so make it equal 1/4 cup measurements and don't be scared to sprinkle some more to saturate the oil. Add  15-20 drops of whatever essential oils you desire and store in a sterile container. Clean your container after every use, please!

I love mine in these little spice jars!

Recap:

4 oz of coconut oil (or infused oil or healthy oil of choice)

1/4 cup arrowroot

1/4 cup baking soda

essential oils (tend to use lavender and tea tree oil)

OR

4 oz of coconut oil (or infused oil or healthy oil of choice)

1/2 cup arrowroot

essential oils (tend to use lavender and tea tree oil)

chocolate ice cream for breakfast

The days of youth are constantly at our fingertips. Wind blowing through your arms that make you want to fly like a bird, sounds of the ocean always bringing magic to your heart, a smell of vanilla in the summer to remind you of sweets that only long gone elders knew how to make; All of the small wonders make a soul so simple and childlike. The sheer giddiness of childlike behavior should be reason enough to enjoy chocolate ice cream for breakfast :) It IS a Mama D version of chocolate ice cream but it's soft serve yumminess will have you melting faster than itself if you don't hurry up and enjoy!

They key to almost all of the smoothies I make is a little trick called FROZEN BANANAS aka Vegan Ice Cream aka Smoothie aka Milkshake Heaven. I am telling you.

 No I am YELLING AT YOU, THIS ISH IS BANANAS- B A N A N A S :) 

 I buy bananas in bulk and usually use most of them but towards the end I will slice up some, freeze them on a single layer and store them in the freezer until I need some creamy satisfaction. I usually use coconut water or water as my thinner but feel free to use milk or juice of choice (once I juiced some spinach for spinach water). Use about 1 cup of bananas per adult serving. For me and the two toddlers I used 3 cups. Pile up bananas, start with 1 tablespoon of cacao, a drizzle of honey and blend. Watch it and go with your instincts/preferences! It will be THICK so work a little bit of your fluid into it slowly (or it'll get kind of watery like in my pictures). Taste it. If you need more cacao or coconut water or honey keep going. This is a VERY sweet treat if you are not careful with your desire to be flooded with pure ice-cream-for-breakfast nirvana!!! I am working on knowing my body better and kind of refuse to give exact measurements. . just start with a basic measurement ( 1 tsp - 1 tbsp )  and taste your way from there. It's bananas and honey and chocolate. YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG!!! As I am mixing these simple ingredients together I drizzle in some melted coconut oil. I keep the coconut oil on top of the fridge so on most days some of it's liquid or you can heat it up as you see fit. Microwave, Stove, Double Boiler. I have a little Turkish tea pot I melt mine with over the gas stove.

Perfection is what this breakfast is. Oh and the kids will adore it too. We were going to add strawberries and blueberries but we ate those while watching this magic happen. 

Let the kids help or if it's for company that is hesitant to "try new things" secretly serve this bad boy and set up a "healthy sundae" bar without folks even knowing *yes I have been known to sneak tons of healthy alternatives into Casa Cantu gatherings but only after I ask for allergies.. I myself can not eat mushrooms so why ruin someone's night/life just because I want to prove vegan ice cream/smoothies are literally a culinarist-guru-in-training's dream!* 

I first was inspired by Dr. Ben Kim's chocolate vanilla smoothie while we were in Rhode Island. It was an instant summer hit. I am now very confident in my testing abilities and use this first experience as a guide to what I have on hand or am planning. This was a quick version Avery happened to ask for one morning so I was like OH YEA! Some times I add the vanilla especially in the smoothie, and most times I sprinkle some crushed walnuts on top. Depends on what I am craving. For the healthy sundae bar you can have a spread of fresh and dried fruit, healthy whip cream, raw nuts, dried coconut flakes, chia seeds and cranberries give a fun sprinkle-ish feel to this but if you're down with sprinkle town then do it! Eating a healthier ice cream is a HUGE first step in a healthier lifestyle or if this is for a dairy free soiree then you know your guidelines, I'm just here for the ICE CREAM :)

I encourage you to try this fun treat any time with some one you love, especially YOURSELF!!!  

CSA Chamomile Tea

Good Day to y'all!! You would think that the way I run my mouth it would be easier for me to blog but it is not. Unless Dragon dictation develops the from brain thought to word *yes i use word for macs* I don't think it'll ever be easy to sit here and type for 20 mins then erase it all just to give up and not post for months. . pretty much my blog cycle. Either way... quickies seem to be the best. Little blurbs to get me and you until the next in depth sit down! This sweet little number is a tea I made with the fresh chamomile that came in our CSA box earlier this month.

I love our CSA by the way.

pretty little things

Got the inspiration from a wonderful place I took an Herb class
called Self Heal School of Herbs and Healing 

We literally took "weeds" and made a delish tea from room tempered water that took about 3 hours to brew after a good muddling!
I on the other hand did not want to wait hours so I left this baby in the sun for about an hour.
Then mixed in a simple syrup of coconut sugar and water and enjoyed some fresh Chamomile Tea from our beautiful CSA! I encourage you to try some simple tea with your favorite edible flowers!!

Throwback Tune-cycle

We had these toys aka distractions for the car seats and with moving they've been lost before. This last move I purged a lot of their toys but kept these for music time :) hope you find things to make music with!

It doesn't have to be hard.

Though this picture might look intimidating and maybe not even appetizing if this sort of stuff doesn't float your boat but simplicity is the base. Being simple in our mind and choices, especially with food. A bowl of blueberries, strawberries, and walnuts would keep you going longer than you think; try it for 3 days and you'd be surprised at your energy!
Changing out small items for healthier ones (chocolate for raw cacao, Greek yogurt for sour cream, avocado for mayo are examples) can propel you into nutritional nirvana!! Makes you WANT to keep finding delicious foods that are nourishing & instant mood lifters :)
Pack snacks! This helps :) I'll be forcing myself to blog on snacks soon!

Banana w/ almond butter, chia seeds, decadent blend of coconut, cacao, flax, and chia, and honey. I sprinkle maca on mine but not the kids :)

Thai Tuesday

Thai quesadilla comes from my love of Mexican and coincides with my goal to clean out the pantry before we move! Sorry I did not take pictures! My toddler needed to be entertained so I could finally eat lunch 3 hours after starting it!

Thai Quesadilla:
Season chicken (while cooking) w/ green onion, cilantro, lime, & tumeric w/ some coconut milk too if you would like... Sauté some greens with curry & coconut milk.. Plop in some peanut butter & soy sauce to meld into a sauce-ish green topping for your chicken.
Cook/heat up corn torts in coconut oil seasoned w/ curry! Assemble Quesadilla w/ Monterey cheese, creamy greens, & chicken! Voila. Scarf!!!

Use tofu or veggies in place of chicken for vegetarian & replace w/ soy cheese for vegan!

Update on DIY detergent earth!

I wanted to say I made my own dryer sheet in Sept & it's still going strong!! I used a cloth diaper (a really thick burp cloth) & soaked it in an organic plant based liquid softener w/ lavender essential oil until completely saturated but not dripping. It took 4 days to dry 100%. It was supposed to last 40 dries but I'm not really sure where I'm at. All I know is between the vinegar in my laundry detergent & the dryer sheet, my clothes are not static-y nor do they smell like I make my own stuff. I am loving it all!!

Because the burp cloth is white & easily lost I wrote on it but it's so ugly I didn't want to share photos. It looks like tie dye done rancid. I suggest cutting out something & sewing it to the cloth to help it stand out!

Do not be afraid! It's not ginger!

Native to North America, sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes (although not from Jerusalem and not artichokes), were first cultivated by the Native Americans who called them sun roots. Sunchokes are a tuber, an underground stem, of a bright yellow flower that is related to the sunflower.

Sunchokes look like small, knobby potatoes, but they have a very unique flavor—sweet and nutty, reminiscent of an artichoke heart. An interesting nutritional fact about sunchokes is that 75 to 80 percent of their carbohydrate content is in the form of inulin (not insulin!) rather than starch. This mean that the sugars break down into sucrose, not glucose, which might be of interest to those with concerns about sugar levels. Inulin is also a prebiotic, which can improve digestion and enhance immunity.

care2.com

Easiest Chicken Ever

Looking for a new bite into chicken? I have been searching high and low for some toddler/diabetic friendly meals with chicken and found this bad boy. Moroccan Chicken! SUPER YUM! If you are feeding more than 3-4 people I would double the recipe because leftovers are even better!! 

For your masterpiece: 

1 small onion sliced up as you wish

1 lb of chicken diced as you wish (or but into strips 

but chunks are easy on toddler fingers!)

1 15oz can of no salt tomatoes (or your choice of canned tomatoes)

1 can of drained and rinsed gorbanzo beans (chickpeas) 

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Slice onion and add to oiled pan (I like small and big chunks!)

When tender add these beautiful spices and mix in well! This smell is going to rock your world!! YUM!

Once mixed add can of tomatoes w/ it's juice, when bubbling add chicken and drained gorbanzo beans. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 mins, stirring randomly. Serve over whole wheat couscous of some form of healthy whole grain! THIS IS AMAZING!  

See. Easier that Ever :) Dinner in under 30 mins!! 

Pumpkin Cornbread!

This is definitely not scary but still has the full effect of fall! Personally, I eat this year round but once this is in your recipe arsenal you can decide if you want it to be a fall favorite exclusive or a random treat!

What you'll need:

1 cup of pumpkin purée

1 cup of low fat milk

2 tbsp of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 tbsp of mild honey (clover honey)

2 eggs 

1 1/2 cups of stone ground yeller (said in southern accent) cornmeal

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1 tbsp of baking powder

1/2 TEASPOON of baking soda

1/2 tsp of salt

optional: I add 4 tbsp of ground flax, some cinnamon, and nutmeg!

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and place cast iron skillet in to heat up or a 2 qt baking dish. I made muffins for easy portion control but they tend to be browner and for those who like light cornbread I would suggest using the skillet or baking dish.
2. Whisk together the pumpkin purée, milk, evoo, honey, and eggs
3. Place cornmeal in a large bowl and sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

4. Stir in dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix together being careful not to overwork!

5. Remove baking dish of choice from heat, or get muffin tins ready and spray with Pam or use evoo on cloth to lightly oil the area down.
6. Bake for 30-40 mins until a fork or toothpick comes out clean! Allow to cool before eating and don't be shy! Add some loving! I made some regular pumpkin cornbread and in another pan added sliced almonds and topped with cinnamon with a drizzle of honey!

Eat and Enjoy!