Microwaves and What I Do For Fun!

Microwaves are not the miracle machines they were made out to be and with recent evidence that they are downright dangerous. I bought my first one many years ago and through the years have used it less and less and less. Now, I'm microwave free and lovin' it. I defrost in the kitchen sink and it is as easy and convenient. With so much of our food being raw recently, I simply have no need of it most of the time.

But I've had a hard time getting my kids off the convenience. When your kids are little you do everything for them but when they are man size with man sized appetites keeping them from using the microwave when your back is turned is next to impossible. They love to melt cheese on toast or make themselves mini pizzas late at night. Explaining to them that what happens when food is microwaved seems to willingly go over their heads. (They are actually very intelligent but sometimes have selective reasoning when it comes to food) My oldest son's recent bout with cancer last year walloped all of us to smarten up and take control of our own health and that included unplugging the microwave. (I cannot remove it. It is a built in model)

I love to garage sale (no this is not a change of subject) I have found not only the most unique items but virtually do all my shopping, clothing, household goods and even Christmas and birthday shopping at yard and garage sales. Not only do we save a whole lot of money but we also make money buying and reselling used books and other media that I find at sales. (Another post another day)

My most recent great find is a Flavorwave Convection oven. It uses infrared (an intense spotlight) and acts very similar to a toaster oven but I can do roasts, hamburgers and if I can find round muffin trays, I may even be able to do baking as well. Our first try was pizza and it did a great job. I originally bought it for an upcoming Church Family camping trip but quickly realized that it works very well as a regular oven and I can ditch my microwave for good. Furthermore I have been reading how much gas stoves emit formaldehyde,(Gasp) I am glad to minimize the use of that appliance as well.

So how much did I drop for this baby? guess... I'll give you a hint...originally it was 89.00 plus tax and shipping. The original receipt was included in the instruction booklet and they only used it twice.
Any guesses? Okay, you cannot guess (I play this game all the time when I come home from my Saturday morning shopping sprees) $20.00. Normally I offer about 30% less than the asking price and it is often readily accepted but this time they said it was so new that they would like to keep it at 20.00 but would throw in several cookbooks for the same $20.00. I accepted, I then promptly listed the cookbooks on Amazon for $5.00 and $13.50. If they sell at those prices then I will have virtually gotten my new toy for 2.00! Now that is what I call fun.

Now it's your turn. Has any one else gotten a really good garage sale buy recently? Any garage sailing tips?

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Natural Beauty Products Part 2

Ha, I found it. A natural deodorant that works, is inexpensive and easy to make. Yep, you can make it yourself. It's a little too easy and you may not believe me that it works but I have been testing it for over a week and under several circumstances and it has come out with shinning colors. It is..... drum roll please.... baking soda and coconut oil! That's it.

I cannot even remember what amount of each. I just took a Tablespoon or two of coconut oil and poured and worked in enough baking soda to make a thick paste and then I crammed it into a small film canister so it would be small and available for use. I just press off enough to make a small paste and smooth it on and it seems to soak in and disappear.

I have used lavender essential oil sprayed right from a refillable perfume bottle for some time in the past but for some reason it seemed to stop working after several months.

I also heard somewhere that you can put a drop or two of tee tree oil in the coconut/baking soda mixture to help with antibacterial effects. So far I haven't found this necessary but will try it if the effect wears off over time. (I really do not expect it to)

Everyone's body chemistry is different and I'd be interested if anyone else has had similar success (with this recipe or any other particular one.

I'm sure you have baking soda on hand and if you do not have coconut oil you can usually pick it up at any health food store nowadays or even a grocery store that has a Health Food section. You will need only a small amount to try it so be sure to use the rest of the coconut oil in cooking. It is wonderfully fragrant and has many, many health benefits.

Below is an excerpt from an article by Dr Mercola talking about the dangers of using common drug store deodorants.

".... I need to explain that one of the simplest, least expensive and non
toxic alternatives to deodorants is simply plain soap. Antiperspirants are far
more dangerous than deodorants, but I haven’t used either for over two decades.

An additional benefit of stopping these CHEMICALS is that you will stop
producing the yellow stains in the armpits of your shirts. Those stains are NOT
due to your sweat but rather caused by the chemicals you are putting on and in
your body."

Putting chemicals on your skin is actually far worse than ingesting them, because when you eat something the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help break it down and flush it out of your body.

When you put these chemicals on your skin, however, they are absorbed straight into your blood stream without filtering of any kind, so there's no protection against the toxins. Instead, they are in large part going directly to your delicate organs."

Using natural deodorant is such a benefit as there are loads of lympth glands under the skin in the armpit area. It is downright dangerous to put chemicals on the skin in that area that STOP perspiration. The intent with natural deodorants are that you do not stop perspiration, just stop any bacterial growth that cause odor. We do that by creating unfavorable conditions that are not harmful to the skin nor the underlying lymph nodes, and allowing proper drainage as it should be. On another note, the less toxic you are internally, the less troublesome body odor will be. Perhaps that is another post, internal cleansing!

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Natural beauty products Part 3

On to skin and hair care again as I have found some really great additional tips and tricks.

The best things to use on your face as a scrub is steel cut oats, Epsom salts warm water, and an egg yolk.

A good natural moisturizer has always been unrefined sesame oil or coconut oil as I have already tried and love using coconut oil.

A good mask for dry skin is mashed avocado! Nothing beats plain old diluted cider vinegar as a toner. ...and last but certainly not least....drink water and practice good sleep hygiene! Nothing beats a good night sleep....zzzzzzzzzz

And for the occasional break out use an all natural acne fighter- Rubbing just a drop of oregano oil on a breakout can speed up the healing and prevent unsightly scarring without resorting to harsh commercial acne medication (remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards).

For the hair, I have tried this and IT WORKS! Add a Tablespoon of baking soda to a cup of water and keep in a squirt bottle in the shower. Instead of using shampoo, just soak your hair with the soda mixture and your hair will come out soft and clean without shampooing! This will save your hair from being stripped everyday or, in my case, every other day and gives it time to rebuild it's natural luster. I have been skipping the conditioner as well as it seems it was simply a film that attracted dirt and making frequent shampooing more necessary. I have used in the past, with good success, a diluted solution of apple cider vinegar to make the hair nice and shiny. (1 T or so to a couple of cups of water)

That same vinegar solution is also good as a skin toner and apparently so is Witch hazel. I haven't tried this yet so if you do try it let me know what you think.

Another thing I found in my research, (but have not tried) is the use of peelu vegetable fiber toothpastes. (don't have a clue where to get these)

Apparently, you can also use the same deodorant mixture-coconut oil and baking soda as a natural toothpaste. (sounds weird doesn't it?) I think I will try this next.

I have also been told that coconut oil massaged into the scalp before bed stimulates hair growth and makes the hair stronger.

And yet another use for Baking soda. I substituted baking soda for regular dish washing powder and it worked! I have been looking for a natural replacement for several months (maybe years) I have tried borax and it seemed to work for a while but so I hear that it may not be a good choice anyway. I plan on using baking soda for a week or so and access the outcome. If I feel it does not do a good job of disinfecting I may add a little Hydrogen peroxide. Anyway, I will let all who are interested know how it comes out, ...er... in the wash... (Sorry couldn't resist.)

My next post, Part 4 will be on natural hair colors. Until then, have a non toxic clean day.

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Rancid Onion and Garlic Powder!

One of my faithful readers submitted a question in response to my awesome ranch dressing recipe post and I thought it such a good question/comment that I would write a whole post in reply. Here is both her question and my answer.

I know you have said in the past that the number one thing you try to avoid is
rancid oils. Dehydrated &/or powdered onion and garlic are full of rancid
oils. It is what makes the garlic so extra offensive once eaten, as compared to
eating the fresh. In fact we can tell by smell if a recipe has used fresh garlic
or the powdered, the powdered garlic has a 'brass doorknob' smell and taste.
Have you made this with fresh ingredients and if so, how was the flavor, and
what adjustments might be needed??Blessings,Mrs. Evelyn Mae R

Excellent question Evelyn Mae. I have not used fresh garlic or onions in this recipe yet but it might be a good idea to try them and see how it works. Perhaps I'll try it in my next batch and let you know.

However, if your onion and garlic powders are raw (naturally dehydrated properly under 115 degrees) and not cooked (irradiated) and are fresh, (grown, dehydrated and packaged recently) they should not be rancid.

I'll bet that most grocery store brands of herbs and spices are not fresh at all, perhaps months or years old, nor truly raw (as in not heated over 115 Degrees) Once the product is cooked or as in most cases irradiated, they are susceptible to turning rancid.

On the other hand, while I do avoid most heated oils, if at all possible, the amount that you use in most dressings is so small compared to the amount that many consume everyday in deep fried foods at home and in restaurants. The biggest culprits need to be addressed first and then work on down to the smaller problem foods. (unless you are already there, of course! Then keep working on the little things)

If you have been able to hone that skill of determining the "brass doorknob" smell or what I call the "sharp oil smell" then you are far better off by being able to discern dangerous foods before you eat them. Many cannot or do not even suspect rancid oils as one of the most damaging disease causes in our modern world.

I get my herbs and spices mostly from Azure Standard where not only the turn over is high but they carry mostly organic, non irradiated, and sealed for freshness herbs and spices from reputable companies.

I might add that the bulk food section of my grocery store is one section that I will NOT buy almost anything as I suspect that new product is poured into half empty bins and who knows how long the old stuff ends up being there? Not to mention that all the foods are constantly being exposed to the air oxidizing most seeds like sesame and sunflower. I do not buy these foods at all from anywhere that does not refrigerate their whole bulk section. I think that bulk foods offered in open bins might be the biggest ridiculous invention that has hit the stores in the last 20- 30 years. I would far rather buy something in sealed in plastic than open in a bin. Besides, who knows who has sneezed in it anyway? (No, I'm not generally paranoid of germs but that is just plain gross!)

Does anyone else have any concerns over the bulk food system of purchasing food stuffs? OR about the rancidity of spices in particular?



Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Character first- but how?

We all know that character is first and most important in raising your children, not academics, not accomplishments, not creativity.... but character. We all set out to accomplish this daunting task and soon run into the absolute impossibility of this idealistic approach. It is not as easy as it sounds and most often we run into both the sin nature of our children and the battle for our own obvious lack of character. The two worlds collide as we realize that our own character training may not have been as thorough as we may have thought.

Furthermore, the thing that I have most objected to over the years in the homeschooling arena is everyone seems to say that character is supposed to be first in their children's training but no one seems to say how to do that. We really do not know what that means in the application of everyday life.

After raising two great kids and two more almost ready for the world, I can now say that raising children with the principles of honesty, integrity, perseverance, determination, thoroughness, respect, etc, is not easy, but it is simple.

In one word, it is relationship. We are all made for relationship (with God himself and also with each other) but our sin nature pushes us to hide from relationship and especially accountability in those very relationships that we treasure the most. Nevertheless, as you are raising our children jealously guard those important relationships. Let nothing come in between you and your child.

(Warning-peer and age segregated activities may be the number one threat.) (more on this later, in another post)

When you blow it, loose your temper, or selfishly push them away, etc, apologize and get this slate cleaned quickly. Make sure you do not repeatedly offend or they will not believe your apologies. If you can retain that precious respect you child has for you then you will be able to speak into your child's life much easier as your child gets older. In fact, the ability to which your child accepts difficult instructions or corrections from you is the degree to which you hold his heart.

Keep in mind always that your child wants - no - needs a relationship with you, even if he does not show it. Some personalities are very appreciative and expressive and the need for relationship is obvious. Others are less demonstrative but need you nonetheless. This principle has held me on track many a time when I felt so overwhelmed with the hopelessness of one of my children getting the lesson I am trying to have him master. Overtime it will be the strength of the relationship that will cause the weight and pressure your child will need to reach out and grasp perseverance or obedience or whatever you may be working on, when you expect it of him.

Let us not become weary in well doing, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore as we have opportunity (while our children are still under our roof), let us do good, to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (our children)

Galatians 6;9

How about any one's experience? How have you been able to teach character and still maintain relationship with your children?

Key Lime Pudding

I have discovered raw puddings! Wow!This is reminiscent of lemon chiffon pie, with a strong citrus flavor (my favorite) instead of that artificially fake taste.

I have taken this from a web site somewhere, (I cannot remember where right now) and adapted it to a smaller amount so you can use just one avocado for a meal or dessert for two.

This is really, really yummy if you have a perfectly ripe avocado, no brown spots and you can use lemon juice and zest instead if you do not have lime on hand. In fact, I have only tried it with lemon so far but I call it key lime pudding because it is green and STILL no one knows that I use frog as an ingredient, (so I have a to have reason it is green!!!)

1 whole large Haas avocado
1/4 c fresh squeezed lime juice
1 T lime powder (or fresh zest taken from the lime)
1/4 t Celtic salt
1/4 c agave nectar (or more)

Whip all ingredients in a blender and serve with kiwi, bananas and raspberries. Enjoy!
Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Raw and Probiotic Ranch Dressing

In keeping with my determination of cleaning out my kitchen (and menu) of all natural flavors which is one of the many guise words for MSG, I have discovered and developed a raw ranch dressing and one that is a probiotic feast as well. "Discovered and developed" simply means that I found the recipe in a book and then adapted it to make it truly raw, and added probiotic benefits, and in this particular case adjusted the seasonings to make it just right, AND it passed the Mikey test!

Awesome Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup purchased mayonnaise* (unless you have time to make your own) recipe given at bottom of post)
1/4 c or less raw milk (pasteurized only if you have to) , used to thin out the dressing so don't add too much
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t dried marjoram leaves
1/2 t celery salt (optional because I didnt have any and it was good without)
1/2 t dried savory leaves (optional because I didn't have any and it was great without)
1/2 t or more dried parsley
1-2 t liquid whey.

Blend till smooth and leave out on the counter for 4-6 hours to develop the probiotic benefits and then refrigerate or serve. Will keep for 1 week or more - if it lasts that long.

IF you do not have whey, that's OK. It will not affect the flavor much with or without but will help to promote healthy intestinal flora and aid in digestibility of itself and anything that you eat with that meal if you add it. However, if you use only raw milk there will still be some probiotic benefit.

To make your own whey from raw milk (very easy) see my new post, called "Curds and Whey") ..oops... to be published in a few days.

* Follow your Heart mayonnaise or vegennaise is raw and is found in the refrigerated section of your health food store. Any mayonnaise not found in the cooler is not to be trusted, and is certainly not raw, nor healthy at all!

Oh, and here is the raw mayonnaise recipe as well. This is great.

Raw Mayonnaise, taken almost directly from Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

1 whole egg
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 t dijon mustard
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1 t whey (optional)
3/4 - 1 c expeller pressed sunflower oil, or grape seed oil or other natural but mild oil
generous pinch of Celtic or Himalayan salt.

In your food processor, place the egg, yolk, mustard, salt and lemon juice and optional whey. Process till well blended, about 30 seconds. Using the attachment that allows you to add liquids drop by drop, add oil while motor is running. Taste and check seasonings. You may want to add more salt and seasonings. If you have added whey, let the mayonnaise sit at room temperature, well covered, for 7 hours before refrigerating. With whey added, mayonnaise will keep several months and will be firmer with time. Without whey, mayonnaise will keep 2 weeks.

Living a Lifestyle of Learning Daily