Granola Update

I know a lot of you like my granola bar recipe, so I had to share what I did this morning.
I got a little frisky when I was making the raisin granola bars, and I made some changes. If you thought they were good before, omgosh they are way better now!

Simple changes, all I did was add about a half cup more whole oats, a touch more oil (seriously just so that it hit half way between a half cup and 2/3 cup on my pyrex measure), some nutmeg, and some cloves. Just add the spices to taste; it really pulled the whole recipe together for me.
Next time, I'm going to attempt some apple pie bars =D Stay tuned!

Urine + Upholstery - Steam Cleaner = Trouble

So, we still don't have a steam cleaner and for our family that is a big issue. I've been very fortunate to have friends who are generous and have let us borrow theirs in the past; but for right now we are wholly without. Hopefully we will remedy that after we get our tax refund, but thats for another post, probably in another blog.
Anyway, we have a micro-fiber "pseudo-suede" living room set. A couch, love seat, and over stuffed chair. We also have a dog, a cat, a toddler boy, and an infant girl. Thats a dangerous combination as any parent can attest to.
Our toddler boy is also potty training, which adds another layer of frustration. Apparently my over stuffed pseudo-suede chair is great for marking his territory! Now, these are your average "Craigslist special" pieces of furniture. I sure did not spend thousands of dollars on them. But as a mom, wife, heck average human; I do not appreciate the smell of urine in any form. I have to get that smell out before it drives me any more crazy than I already am!
According to a Google search that I did this morning, removal is simple! (insert loud cheer here!) Blot up the urine with paper towels (if its dry, spray it with water and then blot). While still damp, sprinkle baking soda on the area, use a brush to restore the nap of the fabric if necessary, and then vacuum once its dry. The baking soda is supposed to trap the smell and the salt left behind by the urine, which then disappears once you vacuum.
I've done the re-wetting, the blotting, and the spreading of the baking soda. I will let you know once its dry and I put my vacuum to work. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

La Cucaracha

And no, I don't mean the old Mexican folk song. I'm talking about the creepy crawly, nasty critters that can survive a nuclear holocaust. I'm sure you all know that there are many species of cockroaches, ranging from small and flighty to giant, hissing, and ferocious looking. Personally, I'm more familiar with the small Asian variety; the ones that are prevalent when your home is less than sanitary. No matter what, I always assume that my house is disgustingly dirty when ever a roach crosses my path. Regardless of the species, I detest them all, and still have a phobia of squishing them. Last night, Liam was kind enough to crush one to death with his toy hammer, lol.

Now, most of you who know me well, know that I'm not a fan of pesticides. I refuse to use them in my garden (bugs are part of nature, like it or not), and I don't want them in my home around my kids and pets. We have an all natural bug spray for ants and roaches that is plant based, but I admit that it has a funky smell. Its not chemical-y like Raid or similiar; more like walking into an herbalist's shop where all of the scents fuse together.
 I use that to spray all of our  heating vents (they are open to the crawl space where I have no doubt that a roach kingdom resides) and also the space between the lower kitchen cabinets and the sub floor (there's a huge gap). That should keep new roaches from invading my space, but what to do about the ones that are already here? Simple really. Baking soda and sugar. Mix a bit together in a shallow container (I use peanut butter jar lids) and place in a dark corner near where you see roaches the most. They'll be attracted to the sugar, and will eat it mixed with the baking soda. They'll eventually drink water which will activate the baking soda, creates a lethal (to them) gas, and they implode =D
Here's an article to show you that I'm not the only crazy person who thinks this works rather well. Link

BHG's "Hearty Whole Wheat Bread" recipe

3.5 cups all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1.75 cups water
.33 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp butter/margerine
1.25 tsp salt
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ

Combine 2 cups of flour with yeast in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat and stir water, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan until just warm (and butter starts melting).
Add water mixture to flour mixture, beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides constantly.
Then beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in wheat flour, wheat germ, and as much of the remaining white flour as you can.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes).
Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface.
Cover, let rise in a warm place (I preheat my oven to 400* for 1 minute, then turn the oven off and place covered bowl on lower rack) until double in size (about 90 minutes).
Punch dough down, turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
Grease 2 loaf pans, place shaped dough halves in prepared pans. Cover and let rise until nearly double in size (about 40 minutes).
Bake for 35-40 minutes @ 375 or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.



***Note***
I use my KitchenAide with the dough hook, and its incredibly easy. The first 30 seconds of mixing is done on level 1, the 3 minutes is done on level 2. Once all of the flour has been added, I let the machine do the kneading and it comes out perfectly every time. Usually in about 8-10 minutes after all the ingredients have been added. Makes a lot less of a mess too.

Homemade yumminess - Quaker's got nothing on these!

I might be a tad bit biased though : /

Some of you may have seen this recipe on my personal blog, but I wanted to make sure that I posted it on here too.

Here's the scoop (originally posted Nov2010):

Homemade Granola Bars 

I made 3 different types, some with raisins, some with peanut butter and chocolate chips, and some with slivered almonds. Here's the basic recipe for all three:

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

Liquids:

1/2 cup honey

1 egg (beaten)

1/2 veggie oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350* and generously grease a 9 x 13 pan

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Create a well in the  middle, and add the wet ingredients. Mix well with hands and then pat evenly into the greased pan.

Options:

I made 3 types of bars all in the same pan at one time. I used 1/2 cup chocolate and peanut butter chips for 1/3 of the pan, 1/2 cup raisins for the second 1/3 of the pan, and just under a 1/2 cup slivered almonds for the last 1/3. I spread them on top of the bar mixture, and so far it looks pretty good!

If you want all one flavor (and mixed in) simply use 3/4 cup of raisins/chips/almonds and mix in before spreading into pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bars begin to turn golden brown on the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut while still warm. DO NOT wait until fully cooled, or they will be too hard to cut.

Makes 24 bars =)

Calories for how I made them:

Chocolate and peanut butter chip bars = 142 c each

Raisin bars = 128 c each

almond bars = 137 c each

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Ok, I'll be 100% honest, I have not tried this yet (making or using), but I was just given an entire gallon of homemade detergent by a close friend and it smells DE-lightful. She used peppermint extract, so if you have a candy cane addiction... beware!

You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax. 

The Soap:  The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha.  It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle.  The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote.  If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar.

Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda.  They are not the same thing.  Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate).  It is a white powder.  Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders.   The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.  I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store.   Many people have a hard time finding this locally.  I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com.  I would also suggest asking your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you.

Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate.  It is a white powder.  It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team.  It comes in a 76 oz. box.  You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle.  Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.

The Recipe

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder 

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use ½ cup per load.

**A few things to note about the soap** 

~The finished soap will not be a solid gel.  It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.

~The soap is a low sudsing soap.  So if you don’t see suds, that is ok.  Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.

Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice.  

Another cheap/quick/easy household cleaner

I'm a tad bit ashamed to admit this, but for all of my nitpickyness (yes thats now a word) over my house being clean, my bathrooms are both sub-par. With a husband and son who regularly enjoy being dirty and greasy, its no surprise that my bathtub had that lovely black ring inside of it. What is surprising is that I let it be for this long.

We've had a stressful few days in our family (ok its been a stressful year so far, all 12 days of it), and I needed to burn off some stress and aggression so I decided to tackle the hall bathroom. We have one of those all in one bathtub and shower surrounds that scratches if you use the wrong bodywash or heaven forbid a scrub brush, so I googled a homemade bathtub cleaner. Wouldn't you know, the first website that comes up is one that I frequent quite often: The Family Homestead. They have a "recipe" for a homemade cleaner that uses baking soda and Dawn dishsoap. I realize that Dawn is no where near chemical free, but I think its a fair assumption that its relatively gentle considering its popular use on sea animals during oil spill clean ups, and its also recommended as a gentle flea shampoo for your household pets.

I mixed an unmeasured amount of baking soda and Dawn, just enough to make a decently thick paste. I applied it with an old work out towel turned rag, and the next thing you know that ring began its decent into nothingness. I am going to repeat the process in a day or two (I still have bread to bake, the next month's menu to plan, and a grocery list to write among other things), but it was a remarkable difference with relatively little effort. If you're interested here's the link to their site. They have lots of fabulous tips and tricks for living a healthy lifestyle on a budget, so its definitely worth some of your spare time.

First things first

Before I get too far into this blog project, I just want to take a moment and reiterate that this lifestyle change is a choice, and by no means is it the only-best-"right" choice for everyone. It IS the right choice for our family. If you use disposable diapers, formula, and eat processed junk food; I might be a little worried for you developing Type II Diabetes, but aside from that your kid is fed and has a diaper on their rear, you're not starving, so I really don't care. I'd hate to think that anyone feels I am pushing my views and lifestyle on them, when quite frankly its the opposite.
Anyway, I'll step off my soap box and get back to planning my grocery list. My pantry is in need of a serious overhaul. Oh, if you get the chance check out the book "Suicide by Sugar" by Nancy Appleton (link will take you to Amazon). Its next on my wishlist of new reading material, right next to Food Inc. You might be surprised at what our sweet friend is doing to your body.

A Natural "Draino"

This might be old news to some, but it was new to me! I came across TipNut while doing a Google search for a homemade drain cleaner/unclogger. TipNut had a "recipe" for one that was pretty darn easy:

Drain Flush: Tried and true method: Remove as much water as you can. Toss 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, then pour a cup of household vinegar down the drain, plug the drain with the sink stopper then let sit for half an hour. After about 30 minutes, unplug the sink and pour a kettle full of hot water on top. See Naturally Unclog A Drain With Vinegar, Baking Soda And Water and Tip: Unclogging the Drain for more details. This is the method I’ve grown up with and it works even if there’s still water backed up in the sink (although it works faster without water). Just double the baking soda & vinegar amount, give it about an hour and if the water in the sink has fully drained, flush with fresh batches of boiling water 2 or 3 times to completely clear out the gunk.

My tub is now running smoothly, my sink is still pretty angry but I think a few more flushes (and possibly clearing the trap) will solve that pretty quickly. I'll keep you posted!

ETA: 10 minutes later and my sink drain is now clear :) Just needed a little more vinegar and hot water. Woot! for all natural cleansers!

"Gone Rogue"

This blog is inspired by a post I made on my personal page, entitled "Gone Rogue". We're jumping ship and slowly but surely going all natural, all the time. We've made little changes so far; my daughter is breast fed and cloth diapered. My son (age 2) is also in cloth diapers at night while we focus on potty training during the day. I no longer use harsh cleansers in our home. A friend of mine gave me a recipe for an all purpose cleaner that uses only water, vinegar, a pump of antibacterial soap, and tea tree oil. I use it on every surface from counter top to carpets. My house may not be laboratory sanitary, but it looks, feels, and smells clean to me and thats what matters.
We've cleaned out our pantry, and there are no more boxed meals loaded with preservatives and all other things that no one but Webster can pronounce. We make our own bread, we're growing our own vegetables this year (last year's garden was more of an expensive experiment), and I will be learning how to make my own pasta.
My goal by the end of 2011 is to be *almost* self sufficient. I say almost because I don't think I'm quite ready to grind my own flour, but that also may change by years end. I also have the idea that the more that I can produce here at home, the less I'll spend at the grocery stores, and the more money I'll have to use on truly organic products (meats, cheeses, and produce that I don't have the patience or room to grow successfully here).
This isn't a passing fad, this is a lifestyle change. Here goes nothing!