The Natural Blog

Put Down that Bottle of Soy Sauce!

2012-07-23T20:43:00.000-05:00

I caught you! Did you know most soybeans are genetically modified and your soy sauce is most likely made from those beans? Also, the soy sauce you're using might also contain a preservative called Sodium Benzoate which is suspected to have skin or sense organ toxicity hazards.

As a FANTASTIC alternative, use Bragg's Liquid Aminos!

Here is some info from their site:

Bragg Liquid Aminos is a Certified NON-GMO liquid protein concentrate, derived from healthy soybeans, that contains the following Essential and Non-essential Amino Acids in naturally occurring amounts:

16 Amino Acids

Alanine

Arginine

Aspartic Acid

Glutamic Acid

Glycine

Histidine

Isoleucine

Leucine

Methionine

Phenylalanine

Proline

Serine

Threonine

Tyrosine

Valine

Lysine

Great on Salads & Dressings, Soups, Veggies, Rice & Beans, Tofu, Wok & Stir-frys, Tempeh, Casseroles, Potatoes, Meats, Poultry, Fish, Jerky, Popcorn, Gravies & Sauces, Macrobiotics.

Ingredients: Our Bragg Liquid Aminos are made from health-giving, NON-GMO soybeans and purified water. They are an excellent, healthy, gourmet replacement for Tamari and Soy Sauce. Not fermented or heated and Gluten-Free.

Bragg's has a small amount of naturally occurring sodium. No table salt is added. If less sodium is desired use a 6 oz. Bragg's spray bottle and dilute with 1/3 distilled water or to taste and then either add in or spray on food.

Health Benefits:

A source of delicious, nutritious, life-renewing protein.

Taste you'll love - Nutrition you need.

Great on salads, veggies, dressings, soups, rice, beans, Wok foods, tofu, gravies, jerky, poultry, fish, popcorn, meats, casseroles, potatoes, etc

Contains important healthy amino acids

Bragg Liquid Aminos contains:

no chemicals

no artificial coloring

no alcohol

no preservatives

no Gluten

Certified NON-GMO

Find Me on Etsy!

2012-07-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

Guess what?! I make homemade baby ring slings and you can find me on Etsy!

Click Here to Visit the Smiling Seamstress on Etsy

Here are three examples of slings I have made:

You will find a sling to be extremely useful! I put mine on each time I take the baby to the grocery store. It's quick and easy and I don't have to carry in her infant seat. It's also great in public; strangers are less likely to want to touch your baby because she is snuggled up to you. Finally, it creates less bulk. You won't always need your stroller because you can just put your baby in the sling. It folds nicely to fit in the diaper bag so it's always handy. I even use mine around the house when my baby is fussy and just wants to be close!

Look me up on Etsy and ask me about custom orders! I would be happy to sew one for you in your favorite colors.

Homemade Baby Wipes

2012-07-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

I don't think I have blogged about this before so I thought I would let you in on a secret. Store bought baby wipes are for the birds! :) There is a cheaper and HEALTHIER way.

Here goes:
Use a quality paper towel like Brawny (I have also found that Walmart's Great Value brand is fantastic). Cut the roll in half so you have 2 short rolls.
You will need a container with a lid that one of the rolls will fit into.
Simply put 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol in the bottom of the container. Now, place one of the cut rolls in the container. Let it soak for 30 mins then pull the cardboard out of the center. Remove the wipes starting from the center of the roll.

Why so much trouble? Why not just buy baby wipes?

Here are the ingredients of a certain name brand wipes:
water
Paraffinum Liquidum
Propylene Glycol
Oleyl Erucata
Phenoxyethanol
Glyceryl Oleate
PEG-40
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Cetearth-20
Methylparaben
PEG-75 Lanolin
Cetylpyridinium Chloride
Butylparaben
Perfume

Do you know what all that is? I didn't think so. I'll break it down for you according to my research.
Paraffinum Liquidum- mineral oil
Propylene Glycol- Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=705315#
Oleyl Erucata
Phenoxyethanol- According to a warning by the FDA of 2008 "Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medications. It also can depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in infants".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenoxyethanol
Glyceryl Oleate
PEG-40- http://www.thesmartmama.com/understanding-labels-peg-40-hydrogenated-castor-oil-greenwashing/
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Cetearth-20- Ceteareth-20 is the polyethylene glycol ether of cetearyl alcohol; may contain potentially toxic impurities such as 1,4-dioxane. Violation of industry recommendations - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Not safe for use on injured or damaged skin
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=701225
Methylparaben- Methylparaben is in the paraben family of preservatives used by the food, pharmaceutical, and personal care product industries. Parabens mimic estrogen and can act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=703937#
PEG-75 Lanolin- This ingredient is a chemically-modified form of lanolin, a fat-like sebaceous secretion of sheep. (Limited information available)
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/721898/PEG-75_LANOLIN/
Cetylpyridinium Chloride- It is an antiseptic that kills bacteria and other microorganisms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetylpyridinium_chloride
Butylparaben- Butylparaben is in the paraben family of preservatives used by the food, pharmaceutical, and personal care product industries. Parabens mimic estrogen and can act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors.

Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidence

Human skin toxicant - strong evidence

One or more animal studies show effects at very low doses

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=700868#
Perfume

Long story short....homemade baby wipes are cheaper AND healthier! It's not hard. So, get a roll of paper towels and a knife and get started!

Hot Temps and a Cooooold Freezer

2012-07-12T16:31:00.000-05:00

It's super hot here. We're doing all we can to keep our plants alive....and our chickens alive. However, this heat is good for something! Defrosting your freezer! If you've read the "In the Kitchen"tab, you know that we have a tiny frig/freezer combo. It's not an auto defroster so the little freezer section froze to a solid ice block. Since it's tiny, we just wheeled it to the front yard and let it sit in the heat with the door open. Several hours and a few hammer poundings later...we had a defrosted freezer.
Now, here's the purpose of this post... We had lots of ice hunks on the sidewalk and we thought, "What could we do with these that would be purposeful and not let them go to waste?" So we put ice hunks in our flower pots and around trees & bushes.

No matter what you are doing, try to think of ways you can re purpose things...even ice!

Our Garden Tomatoes

2012-07-04T06:36:00.000-05:00

Amazingly, in this heat and drought, we have be able to get a few tomatoes out of our garden.

We planted heirloom varieties so they won't get as big as some of the hybrids but they sure are tasty. You can't buy anything like this from the grocery store! They are deep red and juicy inside.

Mr. Right is faithful to water them about every other day. Otherwise, they probably would have scorched by now.

If you don't normally plant a garden, I would encourage you to plant just a few tomato plants next year. Homegrown produce is priceless!

Using the Sun instead of Bleach

2012-07-02T11:29:00.002-05:00

As you can imagine, cloth diapers get stained really fast. Mr. Right saw my basket of clean cloth diapers one day and thought they looked terrible because they were so stained. They were clean, they just didn't look like it. He told me I should bleach them....well, I had bleached them. Then I remembered being told (and reading) that the sun would bleach them and disinfect as well. So that day, I hung a load of cloth diapers out to dry. Within hours, they were dry and bright white! It was like magic!

I couldn't believe it. I never thought the sun would do such a good job. From now on, if I need to whiten my whites I will hang them outside. Plus, as a bonus, anything hung outside gets that nice outdoor smell!

Keep this in mind...the more bleach you use in your washing, the more bleach that gets put in our water system. The sun is free and non toxic so take advantage!

Baby Update!

2012-06-27T17:05:00.001-05:00

She's here! Georgiana arrived April 18th at 6:00 p.m. She was 8lbs and 20 inches long.
Labor was a loooong process but worth every minute!

6 weeks old

We learned that it's very hard to eat natural while staying in a hospital. We had to be there longer than expected due to a few minor complications so we were destined to eat hospital food. Well, we certainly were picky about what we ate off the trays. After eating/living the way we have for so long, it's amazing to see how the rest of society eats. I would look at things on the tray and think, "People eat this?! Don't they know it contains...."

Sometimes I think maybe it would be better not to know all we do about food ingredients but then again...we are better off. Now, we can live a healthy life and raise our baby girl with the knowledge we have.

P.S. It's good to be back! I missed you all while I was away on maternity leave. :)

Gardening and Growing Onions

2012-04-17T13:34:00.000-05:00

So far this year, we have been doing well with the vegetables we've already planted. I usually don't feel very successful (and may still not if our tomato plants dry up with summer) but for now...things are looking up! However, why is it that I am so good at growing onions under my sink and not so good at growing other vegetables outside in the sunshine???

Baby Due Soon!

2012-04-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

I'm 39 weeks pregnant! When is baby Georgiana going to get here?! We are sooo excited. Good thing we already got the garden planted because she's due right in the middle of planting season. :)

I have been working hard around here to get things ready. I've been washing baby clothes, organizing the cloth diapers (and trying to figure out how to fold them), etc. I have our hospital bag packed already and the snacks are in the car!

I think I can hear my belly ticking.... :)

Will this guy be jealous of his new baby sister???

Pretty Eggs

2012-04-12T01:31:00.000-05:00

I really like how pretty brown eggs are and sometimes the girls make them extra special. Like this one...

Our laying hens like to keep life interesting!

Growing Lettuce

2012-04-09T06:45:00.000-05:00

I tried to grow lettuce last year but it didn't work out all that well. This year, I started from seed just to see what would happen. Check it out!

We have already harvested our first crop. It tastes yummy! A few nights ago, we had burgers with homegrown meat, homemade hamburger buns and our very own lettuce. You just can't beat that!

Growing Beets

2012-04-06T13:25:00.000-05:00

I planted some beet seeds in a pot several weeks ago. I really don't like beets but I'm willing to tough it out because they're good for me. They have actually grown really well! I've had to protect them from a hard rain once because I knew they would get beat down but, other than that, they have been a pretty easy vegetable to grow.

I have never grown beets before. I can't wait until they get big enough to pull up!

Blueberry Bushes

2012-03-28T06:31:00.000-05:00

We have had so much rain lately. Our backyard looks more like a mud hole than a yard but that's ok. It will eventually dry up and we'll be praying for rain in the summer. Although I have to put on water boots if I want to hang clothes out to dry, some members of the backyard are reallllly enjoying the wet weather. Like, the blueberry bushes, for example.

We have 3 bushes all in pots. (We plan on moving and having land someday and we're taking these guys with us!) They have grown sooo many leaves so fast because of this rain. Before you know it, we'll be getting fresh blueberries!

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is get fresh blueberries right off the bush in the mornings when I take care of the chickens. Ah...not too much longer!

Grain Mill

2012-03-26T06:26:00.001-05:00

I was talking with a friend of ours one day and mentioned that I wanted to get a manual grain mill. Unfortunately, they are a couple hundred dollars new and I just wasn't willing to pay that. Well...she called me the next day and found one in the Good Will store in her town for $10!!! Can you believe that?! The Lord is good!

So, we're going to start grinding our own grains. Here is our first effort today...

Yes sir! That's stone ground whole wheat flour!

Egg Production is UP!

2012-03-24T06:21:00.001-05:00

This is a beautiful sight...

We are getting tons of eggs now! I think the chicken mower has been really good for the girls.

Breakfast anyone?

Homemade "Clif" Bars

2012-03-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

Mr. Right and I bought some Clif Bars the other day. We were away from home and needed an emergency snack. Well, those things aren't cheap! So, I decided to come up with a homemade version. Here it is:
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup peanuts
3/4 cup peanut butter
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup flax seeds

Process in food processor then press firmly into baking dish. Refrigerate then cut into squares.

Yummy!

These are super good! As you can tell, we started eating them before I could even get them cut into squares!

35 Weeks

2012-03-19T06:14:00.001-05:00

Unbelievable. I am now 35 weeks pregnant. That means we'll be meeting our little girl soon! We are so excited. I can't believe my due date is just around the corner. Here's something I've learned...it sure is harder to rake dirt into rows in the garden when you have a big belly! :)

Soon, this picture frame I made....

will have a photo of her sweet face instead of an ultrasound photo.

P.S. Pay no attention to the candy cane table cloth. It's not Christmas...I just thought it was too cute to put away so soon!

Chicken Mower

2012-03-17T06:02:00.001-05:00

We like to be as resourceful as possible and when the grass/weeds/clover started getting tall in the backyard, we started brainstorming ways to use it to our advantage.

As a result, Mr. Right came up with this...

He used PVC pipe, chicken wire and zip ties to create a chicken mower! Most afternoons, he loads the girls up in the mower then drags it to a new spot in the yard that needs mowing. They have done a great job at keeping our yard looking good!

This also means that they eat less chicken feed which makes keeping them even cheaper. Whoo!

The mower has a laying box mounted in the corner in case someone forgot to lay their egg that morning. We also give them shade by clothes pinning a towel on top when they are in the sun.

I don't know if this is a result of the mower and all the grass the girls are eating but we did get 6 eggs today. That means everyone laid one!

Collecting Rain Water

2012-03-15T23:02:00.000-05:00

We went for our usual walk and happened upon this barrel on the side of the road. It's a 55 gallon barrel that has been cut in half. We asked the lady whose house it was in front of if we could have it and she said yes. So, Mr. Right carried the thing about half a mile back to our house.

A container this big would normally cost a lot of money so we were happy to get it for free!

We decided to use it to collect rain water. We collected a whole barrel full in one day! We look forward to learning more about collecting rain water and hopefully watering our garden this way as much as possible.

We haven't watered anything with it yet because the ground is still so wet from the rain. However, Ranger loves it and thinks it's so much better than the tap water we fill his bowl with. Smart dog!

Bolting

2012-03-09T06:18:00.001-06:00

It's always nice to learn something new and if it's about gardening...I really like to learn something new! I have wondered for a year why I can't grow cilantro. First, I learned that I planted it at the wrong time. Second, I learned that when the weather warms up above 80 degrees for several days, mature plants like greens and such think their growing time is over so they grow a seed stalk.

That's exactly what my cilantro does. It's a cool season crop so it hasn't done well when I plant it in the summer. It grows a little then sends up that seed stalk. That's called bolting.

So, just a reminder to do a little research before you start putting seeds in the ground!

80 degrees is your enemy with cool season plants!

Hanging Clothes out to Dry

2012-03-07T06:04:00.001-06:00

I have decided that one of my favorite things to do is hang clothes out to dry. Since the weather has been so nice, I decided it was time to string up the clothesline again.

This is a great, natural, money saver. Maybe my dryer has something wrong with it but when I timed it the other day, it took an hour for a load to dry. An hour?! What does that cost?

I haven't used my dryer in days. I wash clothes as soon as I get up then go hang them outside. Usually by lunch, they are dry. Of course, the more wind the better because it basically beats the wrinkles out of everything. On calm days, the clothes just hang there and become stiff. We don't mind though. I just do a quick iron over our clothes and everything else stays stiff. We call towels that were hung dry "exfoliating." It sounds nicer than "stiff." :)

I would encourage you to do this too. Save money...save the planet. Plus, it's extremely fulfilling to hang your clothes out!

Lasagna Gardening

2012-03-05T21:04:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of Lasagna Gardening?

Gardening in layers is like making lasagna!

This is a neat method of gardening that Mr. Right and I heard about a year ago but we didn't look too far into it. Well, since I have been reading Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, I have learned more about it. We are going to give it a try this year. Here's what it is...it's a no-till method of gardening. Which means that you save money by not having to buy/borrow a tiller and gas for it PLUS it makes you "greener" because you aren't burning fossil fuels just to till. Here is what the book says about it...

"It's like making lasagna. The season before planting, lay down a 3-4 sheet thick layer of black and white newspaper over the garden area. Water the paper to keep it in place. Cover the newspaper with a 6-inch-thick layer of hay or straw. Top that with a 1- to 2-inch-thick layer of compost. By the next planting season, the layers will have killed the grass and most of the annual and perennial weeds in your garden." from Vegetable Gardening for Dummies

Pretty neat, huh? We decided to try it this year because we just paid about $30 in manure for the garden today. That's heartbreaking for frugal people like us. With lasagna gardening, you enrich the soil by compost...not purchased manure. I don't ever want to purchase manure again!

We're going to divide our garden plot up into four beds. That way, we can lasagna garden the beds and not the whole garden. There is no need for our pathways to have expensive manure spread on them.

I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

New York Times Veggie Burgers

2012-03-01T06:41:00.001-06:00

15 oz of black or navy beans, drained

(soak dry ones yourself to use)

1 can tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup parsley or cilantro

2 cups quick rolled oats

8 homemade wheat hamburger buns

Fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Process the first seven ingredients using a food processor.

Remove contents into a large bowl, and stir in oats.

Form into patties, place on sprayed baking sheet.

uncooked

Bake for 8 minutes. Turn oven up to broil and cook for 2 more minutes, until the tops are nicely browned.

cooked

Toast the buns and pile on favorite toppings.

Variation: Saute the burgers on medium heat in a sprayed cast iron or stainless steel skillet for 5 minutes on each side, until both sides are browned.

*Recipe from Vibrant Life magazine.

They are a nice variation from a regular beef burger. Give them a try!

Green Pea Guacamole

2012-02-28T06:35:00.003-06:00

I was a little skeptical about this new recipe because I’m just not that crazy about green peas. However, it turned out really good!

Here it is…

2 cups frozen green peas

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon powdered garlic

¼ cup minced sweet onion

½ cup minced tomato

Cilantro to taste

Put peas under warm water until softened but still cold. Drain well.

Place peas, lemon juice, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor and process until very smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Stir in onion and tomato. Let stand for 10 minutes.

*The recipe says to serve within an hour or two to retain the color but mine looked just as good after being in the frig overnight and actually tasted better!

Serve with crackers, vegetables or chips. It can also be used as a sandwich spread.

*Recipe from Vibrant Life magazine

Health Magazine

2012-02-26T06:30:00.002-06:00

When we ordered our latest bulk food order, we were given a copy of a magazine the company puts out. I have read quite a bit of it and it’s very interesting. Did you know the top two killers in the U.S. are heart disease and cancer? Could this be due to the American diet? I don’t see why not. Most Americans eat a diet high in fat, preservatives, additives, hydrogenated oils, etc. How much processed food is in your cabinet? Heart disease and cancer are not diseases you get just because of age. I believe, for the most part, they are diseases you get because of poor lifestyle choices. You cannot expect your body to remain healthy when it is fed junk and never exercised.

According to Dr. Esselstyn (a doctor and researcher featured in the film Forks Over Knives),

“Cardiovasuclar disease is a benign, food-related illness that can be halted. Cardiovascular disease is almost non-existent in China, Papua New Guinea, central Africa, and the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico. These are largely plant-based cultures.”

Now, I don’t believe your diet has to be completely plant based, however, most Americans don’t eat very many plants at all. The sauce on your pizza should not be your only vegetable!

“Eighty-five percent of common, chronic, killing diseases in Western civilization are diet-related,” Dr. Esselstyn says. “The single most important thing is what goes through your lips. That determines whether your disease progresses or regresses. If everyone started eating to save their heart, we’d really empty out the hospitals. This same approach doesn’t apply only to the heart. It applies to other organs as well.”

This is my kind of magazine! I am amazed at what people eat and consider it to be healthy. Most of the time, they just don’t consider it at all. They don’t think it’s a big deal to eat all that junk. Changing your diet and lifestyle happens one step at the time. You can’t do it all over night but you should try as hard as you can. Make significant changes. Follow the baby steps I have outlined to get you started.

I’ll be honest. The hardest part about it is the outside world. People will look at you funny or even give you a hard time because you won’t eat everything at the potluck. They may criticize you or call you weird. We have been through it all…sadly. Most of it came from people we are closest to. Why is it that when you make a better choice for your life, like eating right, people get so worked up about it? They are actually the “weird” ones because they choose to fuel their bodies with chemicals and nothingness then expect a doctor to fix it all later.

No matter what, take the leap. Do what is right and you will feel much better. Your body will feel great and you will get tougher over time as your loved ones question you. Stand strong and do it.

By the way, just because a food is healthy doesn’t mean it’s nasty. We don’t eat lettuce and tree bark for supper. (Just check out some of the recipes on this blog.) In fact, we think our food is much tastier than traditional American food! Maybe that’s because our taste buds are awake and not coated with additives and chemicals?!

Clean food is fulfilling

16 Amino Acids
Alanine Arginine Aspartic Acid Glutamic Acid Glycine Histidine Isoleucine Leucine	Methionine Phenylalanine Proline Serine Threonine Tyrosine Valine Lysine

Great on Salads & Dressings, Soups, Veggies, Rice & Beans, Tofu, Wok & Stir-frys, Tempeh, Casseroles, Potatoes, Meats, Poultry, Fish, Jerky, Popcorn, Gravies & Sauces, Macrobiotics. Ingredients: Our Bragg Liquid Aminos are made from health-giving, NON-GMO soybeans and purified water. They are an excellent, healthy, gourmet replacement for Tamari and Soy Sauce. Not fermented or heated and Gluten-Free. Bragg's has a small amount of naturally occurring sodium. No table salt is added. If less sodium is desired use a 6 oz. Bragg's spray bottle and dilute with 1/3 distilled water or to taste and then either add in or spray on food.
Health Benefits: A source of delicious, nutritious, life-renewing protein. Taste you'll love - Nutrition you need. Great on salads, veggies, dressings, soups, rice, beans, Wok foods, tofu, gravies, jerky, poultry, fish, popcorn, meats, casseroles, potatoes, etc Contains important healthy amino acids		Bragg Liquid Aminos contains: no chemicals no artificial coloring no alcohol no preservatives no Gluten Certified NON-GMO