DIY Natural Beauty Gift Basket

This is a simple little gift basket that I put together using dome diy beauty products and some chocolate, plus a homemade gift tag that I made at a party. Don't Forget to watch the video to see how I put it together!
if you would rather watch the video on youtube follow the link HERE.

Basic lip balm recipe;
In a double boiler, Melt 1 Tbsp beeswax, 2 Tbsp cocoa butter, 1 Tbsp almond oil, a few drops of tangerine and vanilla oil. pour into containers.

DIY ginger snap body scrub

Pink Peppermint Lip balm I used a different one but I haven't posted that recipe yet.

The goats milk soap is a basic melt and poor soap from etsy.

Berry basket from target

Alter eco chocolate bars

Honey patties

Other things you could add are things like a mini loofah, tea, bath salts, clay mask, bubble bath, nail polish, lotion, anything that you like that is shelf stable.


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I'm not sponsored by anyone, I just really like these chocolates and they were on sale, so extra bonus!

Gingersnap Body Scrub DIY

HEY! I did another video! This week I made a gingersnap body scrub. Gingersnaps are my favorite cookies to make and to eat this time of year and I love to make sugar cookie body scrubs so I thought why not use molasses and make gingersnap body scrubs! I also figured the spices would be a bit warming this time of year too. You can use essential oils instead of the spices, but I felt like keeping it simple and making a recipe that pretty much anyone can make without buying anything special. I used sugar for this scrub (duh, cookies! am I right?) and I used coconut oil and almond oil for the moisturizer. I wanted to use coconut oil because I wanted that rich fattiness to kind of mimic butter without, you know, using butter. Anyway this is such a fun recipe because I felt like I was making cookies but unlike cookies this will last longer. Wouldn't this make such a cute gift pared with some homemade gingersnap cookies? If you would rather watch the video on youtube you can easily click the link HERE.

Ingreadiants: 
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (or 1 cup white with 2 Tbsp molasses)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup liquid oil (such as almond)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp ginger, ground
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice)
  *optional body wash/liquid body soap, 1 tsp to 1 tbsp

Directions: 
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
This also works well as a lip scrub just make sure you don't put any soap in it if you use it for that. You can  use just coconut oil and use a little extra to make tubes of lip scrub also. Maybe I should make a video on that.

I've been posting lots of videos and I have a whole bunch more in the works so if you want to keep updated subscribe via email on the side -> or you can also subscribe to my youtube channel, that button is on the side to or just use THIS LINK.

Wonderful Wintergreen Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are really fun use but they can be a bit of a pain to make. My preferred way of making them is without the water and just putting it in a container to sprinkle it in. For gifts you can put it in a sachet with enough for a single use. Like bath packets that you would buy at the store. I like to mix up bath bombs with ingredients that  I want mixed into my bath that can clump up, such as goats milk powder, oat flour, etc. The reaction helps mix in ingredients when you have a cooler bath also. When you use a powdered color it is helpful to be able to mix it in with the reaction as well. If you don't want to bother with the citric acid, you can use cream of tartar, or even baking powder in place of the baking soda/citric acid combo will work. But if you want to go really crazy you could skip the acid in the bomb and just use the baking soda then when you go to put it in the bath add in apple cider vinegar to create the reaction. That would make it really easy to make the bath bomb but you would need to add them both at the beginning of the bath for it to incorporate all the way.  Don't forget to watch the video below or you can go to it on youtube HERE.
I have tried to make Bath bombs with melted coconut oil before, and it does help them to stay together but it also doesn't mix into the bath quite as well but if your water is really warm/hot then you could probably get away with it just make sure your area that your mixing everything together is nice and warm otherwise the coconut oil will harden before you get everything mixed in.

Ingredients 
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup citric acid
3 1/2 Tbsp Epsom salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp mineral pigment
2 Tbsp Almond oil
5 Drops wintergreen oil
5 drops of vanilla
Spray bottle of water (optional)

Mix together the dry ingredients with a whisk you could sift the baking soda beforehand to get out all the clumps. Add in the oils. Spread out the mixture and mist with water, mix, repeat until it comes together when squeezed. Press firmly into a mold and turn it out.

Or skip the water and place mixture in a clean container and sprinkle a couple of tablespoons into a bath.

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Glossy Pink Peppermint Lip Balm DIY

This diy was inspired by my favorite holiday ice-cream, Pink Peppermint. Mountain Rose Herbs has a great diy for tinted lip gloss that I had been wanting to try out. Since I was going for more of a balm instead of a gloss I added a little extra beeswax and I'm not really into geranium so I changed the essential oils that I used to suit my needs. I also have been really loving almond oil lately so I used that instead of macadamia nut oil.

This recipe is easier than it seams and is so great for the winter. It has a glossy finish with a rosy hue. You need to make the alkanet root infusion first but that is so simple. 

Its just 5 Tbsp of liquid oil (I use almond) and 1 Tbsp of alkanet root gently heated together in a double boiler until the oil takes on the color of the root. The longer you let it sit the more color will be extracted. strain out the root and you've got your infused oil to use in the lip balm recipe. Watch the video to see how it's done and you can use the directions below to make it easier. 

Pink Peppermint Lip Balm

1 Tbsp plus  1or 2 teaspoons of beeswax 

1 Tbsp of coco butter 

3 Tbsp of your almond oil alkanet infusion

5 drops of peppermint oil

10 drops of vanilla oleoresin 

In a double boiler, melt the beeswax, then the coco butter, then add in your oil and stir till its all combined. Once its all melted add in the essential oils. Poor into lib balm tubes or tins. let sit until hardened. 

This recipe can be changed up depending on what you prefer in a lip balm. If you don't want it to be as glossy and you want it to shield your lips from the winter, add an extra couple teaspoons of beeswax. if you want it to be more buttery add a half Tbsp more of coco butter. if you want it to be more of a straight up gloss play around with using a higher oil to wax/butter ratio. You could even exchange the coco butter for coconut oil and that will make it more of a gloss just definitely put that in a tin instead of a tube. And if you don't quite like how it turns out, melt it down and add a little more of something. I like to test mine out by putting a little bit in a tin and cooling it down in the fridge until it sets. This can be a bit deceiving so let it warm up slightly if you've let it sit in the fridge to long. 

I hope this inspires you to try something new this week. DIY's are so fun for holiday gifts and the extra thought goes a long way to make people feel special. 

Have A great week everyone!

Natural Bath Essentials

Baths are marvelous! It might be rare that I am able to take one these days, especially one uninterrupted by my toddler, but when I can I like to have a variety of products to use. Bath time for me, equals spa time, and I like to have everything I need in one place so that my spa time doesn't get interrupted. 

I like to mix things up as I see fit, depending on what kind of a bath I want to have, weather it's for detoxing, moisturizing, nourishing my skin, or a combination. Since I buy a lot of products in bulk, it really helps to put them in smaller containers so that they don't take up so much room and it is easier to find exactly what I want. I so look forward to the day that I can keep everything out on a little table next to my bathtub, but untill then I am keeping everything in an old Epsom salt bucket with a lid. Having everything in smaller containers really helps to make it so that they all fit inside it too. This way my toddler can't mess with everything and everything stays dry and out of the light; helping to keep things fresh and to not go rancid. 

Things I keep for my bath

Raw Honey (I mostly let it sit on my face while I take my bath)

Powdered goats milk (gets rid of dead skin, and softens skin. I also use as face wash)

Esential oils

Real salt brands bath salts

Epsome salt

Dead Sea salt

MSM flakes (type of sulfur, keeps skin healthy)

Herbs, rose petals, calendula, chamomile, lavender, etc

Cloth baggies to put the herbs in so that I don't have a huge mess to clean out of my bath

Bubble bath

Alo Vera (usually just for masks for my face but I do add it to my bath sometimes)

Floral hydrosals

Dragons blood (makes pores smaller, I only use it on my face)

Tamanu and seabuckthorn oils (so healing and full of vitamins)

Cocoa butter (usually just for my face or sometimes my hair)

Cuticle oil

Bath oil

Bentonite clay (for the bath and masks)

What I really like about the things I use in my bath, it that I can mix things not just for my bath, but also for body scrubs and face masks. So I can mix together my bath oil with some salt and I have a body scrub, or I can wash my face with oil, do a clay mask, them moisturize with a honey goat milk mask, and then let some dragons blood set on it before I rinse that off too and finish off my skincare by spraying some hydrosal on it for toner and then applying my tamanu seabuckthorn oil. 

If I had more room in my Epsom salt thingy then I'd put other oils, clays, salts, herbs, and probably turmeric, probiotics, apple cider vinegar, oat flour, and... I don't know, but I'd probably come up with something! 

Some extra things I like to have that I don't keep with my bath stuff but probably should, is a bowl and spoon/whisk/whatever mixing thing to mix concoctions up for my face, and washcloths. 

Other bath stuff that just doesn't leave my shower is things like, soap, and shampoo, and I'm guessing you can guess the rest. 

I think that's all I wanted to do for this post, I hope you found it helpful. The easiest way to find out about new posts is over on the side bar in the subscription box for you to put your email in and new posts will go directly to your email. 

8 reasons why I love coconut oil

Life has definitely changed for me in the last month since having Thomas, but it sure has been a joy! I just have time for a short post today, so here is a list of 8 of my favorite uses for coconut oil.

1. Under eye treatment. It works wonders on dark under eye circles.

2. With cocoa butter for an all over body butter. Melt them together and whip if you like, then keep in a pretty jar.

3. Oil pulling, for detoxing and making my teeth white. Read more about this HERE.

4. It makes excellent toothpaste, find out how HERE.

5. It tastes so good, woks great for high heat (try making orange chicken with it) and is one of the best fats for your body! (Read more about healthy fats HERE.)

6. It makes a nice healing salve. Being antibacterial, and microbial and very healing in general it woks nicely to help wounds heal.

7. Works great for my babies skin. It helped heal his dried skin, the cuts on his feet from the jaundice tests, and his belly button (the cord came off before it healed properly. I didn't want to put anything on it that would make it burn, so I tried coconut oil, it worked so good!)

8. As a light sunscreen. Coconut oil is a natural 5spf which is fine for me since I don't go out in the sun between about 10 and 4 when its to hot for me.


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Easy Asian ground meat with veggies

This is an incredibly easy meal to make, that serves several people on a budget. 

Prep time: 0-5 min Cook time: 20-30 min Serves: 4 or more

Ingreedients:

1/2 cup of rice per person

1 pound of veggies of choice (I love green beans or broccoli)

1 pound of ground meet of choice

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1/4 cup of soy or tamari sauce

2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar (red wine vinegar works nicely also)

1 tbsp of honey

2-4 cloves of minced garlic

1/4 to 1 inch of fresh ginger minced or grated. (you can use powdered) 

Asian hot sauce to taste 

Directions:

Cook the rice however you like, I do 1 cup of rice with 2 and 1/4 to 1/3 cups of water boiled then simmered until it is done. I just kind of guess basically, you may want to follow more specific directions though. 

In a pan or wok cook any onions and hard veggies first. Add in the ground meet and let it start cooking, then add in all the flavors (everything but any other veggies). Once the meat is cooked add in any other veggies you want cooked. I usually add in the frozen veggies now on top and put a lid on. Any water that comes off of the veggies helps to make a sauce. You can always defrost any veggies before, I just always forget and this works fine. add your meat and veggies to some rice and eat up. I never said it was classy, just delicious ;)

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The easiest sauerkraut recipe

This sauerkraut recipe is so simple and takes very little time. You can make this recipe with just cabbage, or with other vegetables and greens or even fruit. Also, you can make it with or without salt. The salt does give it an extra bit of crispiness. No water, culture, or whey is needed. 

Fermenting your vegetables makes them more nutritious, unlocking nutrients and culturing beneficial bacteria to help your body thrive!

For one batch

Prep time: 10 min Fermentation time: 5-10 days

Equipment:

Make sure all equipment is sterile, you do not want to introduce bad bacteria. 

1 bowl

1 mason jar

a knife

a cutting board

something to press your kraut into the jar with (optional, if your hand fits in the jar you can just use your fist/knuckles)

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage

1 tsp of sea salt (optional)

I like to make mine with cabbage, carrots, beats, and swiss chard, you can also add in apples, dried berries, spices such as caraway, ginger, garlic, celery zucchini, basically whatever you feel like. 

Adding more veggies, herbs such as parsley, and garlic and ginger make for an awesome immune booster. Not only are their going to be more nutrients from the food by fermenting them, the beneficial bacteria are going to make you have a better immune system also. The probiotics, or beneficial bacteria, in our guts protect us from parasites, harmful bacteria,  and toxic substances including mercury! 

Directions:

• Wash your cabbage. 
• Take of the first 1 to 2 layers of leaves off your cabbage and discard.
•  Take off another layer and save it for later.
•  Take out the core of your cabbage and shred it by slicing it thinly with a knife (I do for one batch) or with some sort of cheese grater. If you are adding any thing else you will want to shred it as well, except for greens like swiss chard just chop those finely. 
• Place all ingredients in a bowl with the salt if you are using it.
• Using your hand, squish and kneed the mixture until the juices are getting released. 
• Press the mixture into some sort of jar with a lid that will seal, such as a mason jar. You want this to be packed tight!
• Using your reserved leaves, cover the top to take up any extra space.
• Cover and keep in a pantry or some place similar. You want the area to have little to no light, be dry, and not to warm or cold. 
• Let it sit from 5-10 days. A week usually works perfect for me but if it is unusually warm or cold it may take less or more time. You may want to keep a tray underneath because it has a tendency to bubble and leak. 

Easy Diy Perfume

I love to use essential oils and hydrosols for perfume instead of that toxic nastiness that you get on your fingers when turning the page in a magazine for a perfume add. Instead of messing up your endocrine system, giving you headaches, and causing cancer in your body, you can actually help your body out with perfume made from essential oils and hydrosols. 

You can make perfume 3 ways, one as a roll on with a carrier oil, 2 as a solid perfume (find my tutorial for that HERE) and 3 as a spray using hydrosols for the carrier instead of alcohol. 

I like to keep things simple with rose hydrosol and chamomile oil in a spray bottle, but you can get as complex as you would like. Bellow I have oils in groups to give you ideas.

For a roll on take a bottle with a roll top and drop in your essential oils first. you will want the oils to go probably about 1/8th to 1/3 of the way up. Experiment with just a little first so that you can test out combinations without wasting any oils. Then fill the bottle up the rest of the way with a carrier oil such as almond.

For a spray perfume choose your mixture of oils and add them to a spray bottle with a hydrosol of your choosing. Hydrosols are the water left over from making essential oils, so they still have the smell and small particles of the essential oils suspended in the liquid. You will want to play around with the ratio of oil to hydrosol because every oil has a different strength to it. 

You can even use floral waters, like orange blossom and rose water that you can get at the grocery store with extracts like vanilla and almond. 
 
Blend ideas for women:
 *Neroli, chamomile, and bergamont are refreshing and relaxing.
*Jasmine, ylang ylang, vanila, cardamom, orange create a romantic scent
*Lavender and vanilla is simple and sweet.

Oil ideas for men: Sandalwood (calms and soothes but also increases testosterone and balances hormones) Frankincense, spruce, fir, cedarwood, vetiver, sage, vanilla, hints of cardamom are nice, basically anything manly. You can go woodsy, or more spicy. 

My favorite is sandalwood with frankincense and cedar with a bit of orange and vanilla. 

You can put oils in a roll on and use them for various problems that you might be having to rub directly on where you need the oils. 

Sore muscles/back pain: Peppermint and clove work marvelously together. You can also add other warming oils like wintergreen, cypress, basil, marjoram, and elemi can be added as well as calming oils like lavender and chamomile.

Endocrine system rosemary, cinnamon, Black pepper, dill, geranium, and frankincense.
  
Fatigue:  Ginger, Peppermint, White Fir, melissa

Help you think: Rosemary, basil, sage/Clary sage, peppermint.
  
Hot Flashes: Peppermint, Geranium, citrus oils, and Clary Sage.  
  
Low Blood Sugar: Cinnamon, clove, thyme,

 Mood: Bergamot, Clary sage, fennel, geranium, lavender, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood, blue spruce, ylang ylang, melissa

 PMS: bergamot, Clary sage, fennel, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, Roman chamomile, melissa,

Have fun being creative and smelling fabulous!

 I usually post recipes, beauty DIY's and health tips once or twice a week so if you want more then subscribe over on the side bar. :)

The Truth About Fat.

I'm starting a series on food. Specifically posts that will focus on a food group, but I'll probably decide to  post about some diets and whatever else informational that comes to mind. Today though I am going to focus on fat. This is probably one of the most difficult concepts for people to grasp now days, but FAT IS GOOD! Yes it makes food taste good, but it is also so good for us! Isn't that exciting? Also, not to blow your minds or anything, but fat can help you LOOSE weight! YES! I am totally serious and this is based from science people, SCIENCE! 

When you eat fat with sugar it makes it so that you don't have a crazy sugar spike that raises your insulin levels and makes you gain weight. Saturated fat plays an important roll in the communication of your metabolism and for your body to know how much insulin to produce. (If your not getting enough saturated fat, then your metabolism gets all whacked out) Also, when you eat fat, especially fat with longer chain lengths (molecularly speaking) they take longer for your body to use, giving your body longer to use the calories in the fat and the other food you eat with it as well as keeping you full longer. Don't focus on the chain lengths, it's pointless and if you do get it all figured out your body is going to get unbalanced from you trying to eat just one type of fat. If you eat healthy fats from  meats, dairy, and healthy nut oils you will get a good variety of short to long chained fatty acids. 

The shorter chained fatty acids absorb quickly into the body, giving you an initial boost of energy. They also have anti-microbial properties to them which kills viruses, yeast, and harmful bacteria, protecting your body from whatever you put into it from the start. Medium chained fatty acids also have anti-microbial properties. 

You must have fat for brain health. The brain can consist of as much as 60% fat. The calories in mothers milk is 50% from fat, most of that is saturated fat. Children need good fats and cholesterol for proper development, especially for the brain. If your brain isn't healthy then the rest of you isn't going to be ether. Fat is important for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. If  you have a vitamin deficiency may be you might just need more fat to be able to absorb that vitamin.

Lets talk a bit about saturated fat. I know what you'r thinking, "Run away! It's evil! It's going to give you heart disease!" Well, no, it's not. Before the 1920's heart disease was extremely rare in America. How can this be when it is now the main cause of death? Heart disease has bean the main cause of death since the mid-1950's even.  From 1910 to 1970 the proportion of animal fat in the American diet went down from 83% to 62%. American used to eat 18 pounds of butter per person a year, and now it is only 4. The cholesterol intake has only increased by 1% so it can't be that, but vegetable and refined oil consumption raised 400%! The consumption of sugar and processed foods increased by 60%. I doubt that this is the only reason for heart disease, but all of the studies of people groups that I have seen show that the groups that eat only healthy fats mostly from animals and some from nut and olive and none from processed vegetable oil such as from corn, soy etc show that the people who eat a lot of saturated fats and good cholesterol had less heart problems, were a healthier weight, happier and generally healthier in every way. I know that this seems really weird to you, but their is very little proof that diets low in saturated fat or cholesterol lowers heart disease. 

Here are some nifty facts that I pulled out of Nourishing Traditions:

• Cell membranes consist of at least 50% saturated fatty acids giving them integrity. 
• For calcium to be effectively incorporated into your bones, at least 50% of your fat intake needs to be saturated
• Saturated fats lower LP, a substance in the blood that indicates a proneness to heart disease
• Saturated fats protect the liver from Alcohol and toxins
• Saturated Fats enhance the immune system
• Saturated fats are needed for your body to be able to use other fatty acids properly
• Saturated fats surround the heart for it to use in times of stress. Yes, your heart loves saturated fat, it is its the best food for it.
• Short and medium chain saturated fatty acids protect us from harmful microorganisms in the digestive tracts.
• People who live in the tropics that use coconut and palm oil have less intestinal and bacterial problems than people in the tropics that use processed vegetable oils because coconut and palm oil kill harmful bacteria and fungus.
• Cholesterol actually protects from free radical damage
• Like certain oils, cholesterol can become damaged by high heat such as high temperature frying, which can cause damage to arterial cells and plaque buildup in the arteries. 
• Bile salts are made from cholesterol, which is vital to digestion.
• Dietary cholesterol is important for maintaining the health of the intestinal wall. 

The countries where people live the longest (Japan, Switzerland, Greece, and Austria) eat healthy fat, and little processed foods. Japan has increased in longevity since World War II along with an increase of fat and animal protein in their diet. The Swiss eat one of the fattiest diets in the world, but are second in longevity. I seriously think that we really used to have a good thing going for us, and as evidence shows, people in Japan, Switzerland and other countries can be healthy eating the way our forefathers ate, why cant we? Their is all this nonsense about diets and what is best and what isn't. and so much confusion when we just need to get back to our roots. Being healthy, and eating healthy isn't difficult. It isn't bland, and tasteless. It's full of fatty goodness, rich spices, and beautiful herbs that give our bodies so much nutrition and vibrant health. 

The good fats:

(I am not including shellfish, pork, or other unclean meets simply because... well, parasites are nasty.)

Fats from grass fed beef, goats, mutton/lamb, etc.

Fats from grass fed dairy products (better if raw)

Flax seed oil (high in omega 3's)

Macadamia nut oil (balances your omega 3's and 6's)

Olive oil (has a long fatty acid chain so it can make you put on more fat than butter or coconut oil. Odd isn't it?)

Peanut oil (in small amounts because of its high omega 6 content)

Sessame oil (in small amounts because of its high omega 6 content)

Palm Oil (very good for you, can be used at high heat, and is high in lauric acid which is anti microbial.) 

Coconut oil (also extremely good for you, can be used at high heat, and is high in lauric acid)

Oils to not ingest:

Safflower, Corn, Sunflower, Soybean, Cottonseed, and Canola oils. These oils go rancid easily. They can not be heated, or they go rancid, creating free radicals that damage your cells. Canola can cause a deficiency in vitamin E which is necessary for a healthy heart, and can also cause heart lesions from its erucic acid content. 

I hope you found this beneficial. You can subscribe over on the side bar with either email, blogger, or google. 

further reading

On coconut oil. Highly recommend you read this!  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx

http://wellnessmama.com/1265/why-you-need-saturated-fat/

Acid/Alkaline

Unfortunately I wasn't able to do the stretch mark cream diy that I had planned for this week, but it will be up by the end of next week, so keep an eye out for it. In the mean time I am posting a video by Markus Rothkranz that explains the alkaline diet myth. Which, the alkaline diet not working makes SO much sense! Especially if you payed attention in science class, but then again I am a bit of a nerd that way; haha! I found it very interesting that your saliva adjusts to the ph of food, even if you'r just thinking about it! So crazy! Thank's mom for showing this to me, xo!

Restful tea recipe and how to brew and store tea

I have been making this blend to help my husband sleep. This tea is flavorful and nicely calming. For my husbands tea I use chamomile as a base, but since I have read quite a bit that pregnant women shouldn't use chamomile, I use Red Bush tea for my base. (consult with your Midwife or Dr. before trying any herbal teas.) Red bush tea has many health benefits to it and is so sweet and delicious on its own. Read about red tea HERE.I buy all of my herbs in bulk because I like to make my own tea blends and also make herbal infusions to put in my beauty products. If you have a store that sells herbs in bulk you will likely be able to purchase only the amount you need rather than huge quantities.

2 Tbsp of chamomile flowers
1 1/2 Tbsp of passion flower
1 tsp of lavender flowers
1 Tbsp of rose flowers (optional)
1 Tbsp of Red Bush tea (optional)

This will be enough to make a 4-6 cup pot of tea. Bring your water to a roaring boil, the hotter the water the more nutrients are extracted. Steep for at least 5 minutes, serve and enjoy.

When brewing tea I go by teavana's brewing times. White tea will be 3 to 5 minutes depending on the quality; green tea will take less than 1 minute to 3 minutes, and black tea will take 2 to 5 minutes. White, green, and black teas will become bitter if you use to hot of water or steep the tea for to long.
If you want a stronger flavor use more tea. Do not extend the brewing time.
You always want to follow the times recommended on bagged teas because they are often times in cardboard boxes instead of tins and are from scraps or "tea dust". However, not all boxed teas are inferior. There are plenty that are supper yummy, you will just need to use them up much sooner or transfer the bags to a tin.
To properly store your tea keep it in a sealed airtight container in a cool place. If it is in a glass container make sure it is from amber glass or stored in a dark spot. Tins work marvelously at preserving tea. I have a couple of teas that I keep in the refrigerator because they are very high quality and refrigeration helps to keep them better preserved. If you do put any dried teas in the refrigerator make sure that is is air tight so that no moisture gets in. You don't want moldy tea.

Happy brewing, and don't forget to subscribe via email, google, or blogger over on the side if you want more diy's, recipes, healthy living tips and whatever else I decide to post.

The easiest moisturizing body spray

Today I am going to share with you a recipe from my mom. This is the easiest moisturizing body spray ever!
All you do is mix equal parts rosewater and vegetable glycerin (make sure it is from a natural source) stir it until the glycerin has fully dissolved into the rosewater, and put it in a spray bottle.

Each batch will make two bottles. I mixed them up in a pitcher and pored half into the rosewater bottle to use the sprayer on it, and half in the glycerin bottle. Once you've used up the spray bottle fill it up with the glycerin bottle. The next time you make it keep your old spray bottle so that you have two to use. Then the next months bottle you can use for an easy diy gift. 

It smells wonderful and it is made from food grade products so your skin isn't absorbing any yucky chemicals. The rosewater helps sooth irritated skin, reduce inflammation, moisturize and repair skin. The glycerin locks in moisture. You can keep it in the refrigerator for in the summer as a refreshing mist. 

Oil cleansing your face

Do you find that cleansers, masks, scrubs and other products promoted to cleans your skin, and rid it of oils and bacteria causing blemishes make your skin irritated, dry, or even more oily and have more breakouts than before? You are most certainly not alone. I have always, like most women, struggled to find the right cleanser. for me the things that would work the best but never fully were food based products and soaps that contained oils.
Most skin care products designed to wash your face and rid it of acne cause dry uncomfortable tight skin which makes your skin produce even more oils to compensate what you took away. Our skin needs these oils to stay healthy, and when we constantly try to change our skin like this we cause breakouts, redness, and various forms of skin irritation. If you use antibacterial soap it takes away all of the good bacteria that keeps your skin healthy and fungus, blemishes, and other skin problems away. We allow that .1% that is inevitably still their in our "supper bug" age to bread and grow without the good bacteria to keep them in check. The way that acne medications work, is to kill the acne causing bacteria. They are antibiotics, which like the antibacterial soap that many use, kill the good guys too. This is why yogurt that contains probiotics (the good bacteria)  is recommended for people taking acne medications.
Bacteria is not the only cause of skin problems, but also the buildup of oil, dirt, dead skin cells and hormones (or rather an imbalance of hormones) can cause blemishes. This is of coarse is why it is important for us to cleanse our face every day for our skin to stay healthy.
The best method that I have tried is the oil cleansing method. I know it seams a bit backwards to clean the oil, dirt, bacteria etc off of your face with more oil, but it really works well. Since your face needs the oil to stay healthy and balanced the oil in combination with a hot washcloth pressed against your face for a few seconds pulls out blackheads, bacteria, etc, while following up with gentle circular motions of a washcloth that gently scrubs away the dead cells. And believe it or not, depending on what oil you use and how well you wash it off you may need a moisturizer afterwards! The reason why oil cleansing works is because the oil you use dissolves the oil that has hardened with impurities and gotten stuck inside your pores, and takes it away. The hot washcloth will open up your pores making it easier to cleans them. If your face feels a bit dry afterwards just use a bit of the oil that you used to cleans your face with as a moisturizer.
I suggest you try out what type of oil works best for you.

Start with your base oil, I prefer , Macadamia nut or Jojoba, oil for their similarities to sebum, or the skins natural oils. Macadamia nut is much cheaper that jojoba though. Chia seed oil however is probably going to work best for most everyone especially people with acne,dry, or aging skin. If you do have normal to dry skin you could try some other oils such as Camelina, Coconut or Olive.

You can leave it at that or you can make a blend of oils. you could add some castor oil for its healing benefits, but don't use too much because it can be drying, other than that many people find it works very well. I like to add Tamanu oil for its amazing healing properties. it has bean know to heal your skin of things from leprosy to eczema. though it is more expensive than castor oil, it works better for me and its production is more ethical and definitely safer to the people who make the oil. I love using Sea buckthorn oil oil in my blend. This goes a long way so you really don't need to use much.
You can chose to add any essential oils now. I like adding healing oils and since I don't put the oils around my eyes, eye irritation isn't a problem. I prefer Elemi oil, it is in the same family as Frankincense and mirth but it is much cheaper. I have had high success with using frankincense to rid my sin of any scars, and where elemi doesn't work nearly as fast it definitely help to rid my skin of blemishes and keep my skin from getting scars. Rose is also very nice, especially for aging skin.
For my moisturizer I use my oil blend, but I add a couple drops of lavender oil. When I have finished washing my face I rinse it with cold water to close my pores to keep debris and bacteria out, and then moisturize. the lavender helps to close the pores further and to kill any harmful bacteria left on the skin. Also it is very soothing and nice for before bed. don't put lavender oil on your face if you are going to be going out into the sun. Lavender oil is photosensitising. this means it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun and can cause red blotches and similar breakouts.

My blend:
Fill a small pump bottle with 2/3 of macadamia nut oil or chia seed oil. To that add just under 1/3 of tamanu oil and fill that the rest of the way with a few drops of sea buckthorn oil and elemi oil.

How to cleanse your face with oil:
Wet your face, and remove your makeup (if you have a lot on) with the cleansing oil. Once your face is moist massage the oil into your face. Taking a hot wrung out washcloth (I use the hottest water from my faucet) place it on your face and let it sit until it becomes cool. You can repeat as many times as you want. Taking a side of the cloth, wipe off the oil (you want to take as much as you can so that all of the dirt will come off and your pores wont be re-clogged). Then splash your face with cold water to seal up your pores and apply some more oil as a moisturizer if desired.

Have fun pampering yourself!

A previous post on beauty alternatives, The toxin free home: Beauty care

Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/blossomsandbundles to visit my YouTube channel. 

Oil Pulling

Another video for my health and beauty series. This video is on a really nifty thing called oil pulling. Oil pulling pulls bacteria puss, and toxins from your body, helping your body to repair itself and heal from infections, disease, and any other illness including tumors and diabetes. It also improves your oral health and whitens your teeth, plus it's cheep!  It is really easy to do. First thing in the morning before you drink or eat anything put a tablespoon of olive, coconut, sunflower or sesame oil, in your mouth. (I prefer coconut oil for its added benefits. No mater what oil you choose make sure it is ether cold pressed, extra virgin or organic or a combination.)

Swish for 20 minutes, if you find that your jaw starts to hurt then don't swish so much, the goal is to simply get the oil to move around in your mouth. I recommend starting off at about 5 minutes and then working up to 20. It may seem like a long time at first but you will get used to it quickly.
Rinse with something such as salt water which is very helpful as an antimicrobial and to soothe any inflammation and proven to be effective in rinsing out any toxins which may be left in the mouth, then brush your teeth. That is it! So simple, and so effective.
Easy toothpaste recipe


Link to My Youtube channel 

Easy toothpaste DIY

If you remember a while back I did a post on an oil blend that I use to brush my teeth. Click HERE to check that out. I made a video that is part of my DIY Health and Beauty series on toothpaste made from baking soda, coconut oil, and the oils that I recommend using in my healthy teeth oil. This toothpaste is great for cleaning  your teeth, making them white without using any whiteners, as well as keeping them strong, healthy, and clean. Most toothpastes in the store (including health food stores) contain toxic ingredients such as titanium dioxide, FD&C Blue Dye # 1 & 2, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic types of glycerin and sodium fluoride. Click HERE for an interesting video from Mamma Natural.
Coconut oil is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal  Studies have shown that coconut oil destroys the bacteria that can cause tooth decay. Baking soda is a very mild abrasive which aids in cleaning and whitening teeth, and restoring pH balance. to read about the benefits of the essential oils click HERE.

Mix equal parts baking soda and coconut oil, I use about 2 Tbsp of each, with 2 drops of clove oil, 10 drops of birch oil, and 5 drops of orange oil. Adjust to your liking. You can always try other citrus oils, and other oils like cinnamon, wintergreen etc but make sure to not make it to hot! Also xylitol can be added to sweeten it, and a clay (such as bentonite) can be added along with the baking soda, and/or a powdered magnesium but I just like to keep it simple.

The "No Poo" Method

I decided to do a series of videos on Health and DIY beauty. The first one is on Washing your hair without shampoo, thus the "No Poo" method. Instead by using Baking Soda your hair isn't stripped of it's natural oils.   Conventional shampoos strip the hair of it's natural oils causing your scalp to overproduce oils to compensate  leaving you with oily hair the next day. With the "No Poo" method the baking soda gets rid of all of the build up, but leaves the natural oils to keep your hair healthy, but not oily. Apple Cider Vinegar is sprayed on the ends of the hair as a conditioner, and it works very, very well! I know is seams odd and foreign  but It works really well for all hair types, and it is so much cheaper than shampoo.

Beans, are they healthy?

Yes! In fact they are highly nutritious.
Beans are high in fiber, protein, iron, potassium, magnesium  B vitamins, zinc, magnesium (which is low in many diets) and copper! Like, WOW! Have you ever heard of a book called The Blue Zones? It is a book about the certain people groups around the world who live the longest. These groups of people live in a city or area in either Japan, California, Italy, Costa Rica, and Greece. One of the things in their diets that they all have in common are beans! They also eat fruits and veggies, don't really smoke, are fairly active, and are family and community oriented. But Beans! Who would have thought that such a cheap, readily available food could be, dare I say it? Considered a supper food? Eating beans regularly could decrease your risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and diabetes. How exciting is that?! So maybe I shouldn't hop right on to the "beans are a supper food" band wagon, but they are just so awesome that I don't know if I can help myself!

Want to know a great way to cook your beans so that you don't get that gas that usually comes with it? It is so easy. When you cook your beans, add in some seaweed! Not only dose it add some nutrients and flavor (from the minerals and salt) but is also for some reason makes it so that you don't have awful gas afterwards. If you want to, you can leave the seaweed in when they are done cooking, or take it out. It all depends on what you like. I know what you might be thinking, but No, the seaweed wont make you beans taste fishy.  

Ancestral diet Recipes

I promised you recipes from what I have bean eating this week during my cleanse thingy. I'm still not sure what to call it... But I have bean forced to be a bit more creative. For a while all I was really eating was fried kale. Which is yummy, but it got boring. So here are a few really easy recipes that I came up with this week. When I say easy, I mean like really incredibly easy. Most of these take 5 min or less of your time. 

My mom and I had this for dinner the other night. Lightly toss some greens such as a spring mix with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Place artichokes that have bean preserved in water onto that and cooked salmon onto that. Mix up some goat cheese with sour cream or kefer, dill, parsley, pepper, and olive oil. Top the salmon with it and some capers. So good!

Blend up a bunch of parsley with the juice of 1 lemon, 1/3 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper, and 4 garlic cloves. Pore that over chicken breast. Blend up 4 tomatoes and pore them over the chicken. Top with one minced red onion. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let some cheese of choice melt over the top if you so desire. So, so, so Good! Top with olives if you so desire and serve with green beans or other vegetables of choice. This would also be good with some pasta. slice the chicken and place on linguine pasta. The extra sauce in the pan will be marvelous as a sauce for the pasta.

My new favorite smoothie. Kefer, strawberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and maca powder as a sweetener  Maca is a fruit from South America. It has a sweet maple flavor and is a supper food. 

I have bean heating frozen blueberries in my toaster oven, and mixing them with kefer. It is also yummy to have with ricotta or cottage cheese. Yummy spices to add would be, cardamom, cinnamon, orange or lemon zest, floral extracts like rose, or adding a bit of vanilla are all lovely. This is my version of yogurt with fruit on the bottom since I can't have sugar and all the ones at the store have cane sugar in them. 

I have actually bean doing really well. I didn't think that I would go all sugar crazy, but I thought that I would a little bit more than I have. The only things that I have bean wanting are dried fruit and nuts. Which suck because I cant have vary many kinds of nuts until Thursday  but I have bean eating freeze dried berries. They are sooooooo yummy! 

Happy Cooking! 

Fabulous Feminine Tea blend

This tea blend is what I drink every morning. It helps with so many of the problems that women get. It doesn't cost much, and it really works. I have noticed a decrease in skin blemishes and my "cycle" has become lighter and shorter with less mood problems. This tea blend is beneficial to women of all ages, however not all of the herbs are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding I suggest consulting with a midwife or Dr. that is educated on herbal medicine.  

• Rosemary- High in  vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K. It helps to prevent Alzheimer's and Dementia and improves memory. Good for fighting infections and  using against rheumatism. It also a good herb to use in promoting  menstrual flow, but because of this you should not take rosemary tea if you are pregnant. 
• Raspberry Leaf - High in Vitamin C and also has vitamin E, A, and B complex, Manganese, Magnesium, phosphorous and potassium  It is beneficial for treating the flu, gum disease, rubella, upset stomach, hangover, diarrhea, fevers, vomiting, menstrual problems and inflammation. It also increases fertility in both men and women.
• Oat straw- Rich in calcium and other minerals it is used to improve bones, fend off depression, strengthens capillaries, nourish and strengthen the central nervous system, help treat liver infections and arthritis, as well as preventing osteoporosis. Also increases hormone levels that stimulate cell growth. Good to use if you suffer from anxiety also.
  
• Corn silk - Contains vitamin C, and K. Helps the body to prevent and rid itself of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and bladder inflammation. It also helps the body to flush out toxins. 
• Rose buds - Mostly I have this for flavor, but it dose have antioxidants and vitamin C.
• Hibiscus - contains antioxidants, helps with heart problems, and also promotes healthy digestion. However you should not use hibiscus if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Chamomile - use for PMS, Migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, and stomach cramps. 
• Lavender - Helps in cases of Anxiety, stomach problems, colic, insomnia, arthritis, backache, headache, and mood swings. 
• Stinging nettles- rich in iron, calcium, potassium, and Vitamins A and C. Used to treat skin disorders, digestive problems, urinary tract infections, coughs, and colds.
• Red clover flowers -Effective against menopausal side effects, inflamed lungs, inflammatory bowel disorders, kidney problems, liver disease, skin disorders and weakened immune system. Acts as an antibiotic, appetite suppressant  and blood purifier.  It also increases fertility. 

My blend consists of 4 parts each of rosemary, nettles, read clover flowers, and raspberry leaf. 2 parts each of oat straw, corn silk, and chamomile. 1 part each of lavender, hibiscus, and rose buds. I will add other things too depending on my mood, such as peppermint, ginger, passion flower, dandelion leaves, and calendula flowers. When adding lavender, make sure not to do to much or you might have tea that tastes like soap. 

If I don't want all of the teas then I will sometimes to just one herb, or combine a couple. I really like the flavor of Red clover and rosemary.