washing reusable bags

Reusable bags. We all use them or at least most of us use them/have them. But do you ever wash them? There have been loads of studies and research about the bacteria and grossness that is living on reusable bags. Think about it. They house raw meat, they’re thrown in a dirty grocery cart, then in your car, then maybe the floor of your kitchen. Lots of strangers touch them such as cashiers and grocery baggers. I mean it’s clear that they would be filthy.

So, your PSA today from EO is to wash your reusable bags! I just washed mine over the weekend, I try to every few months, which in all honesty I should do so more often than that. You can google around and you’ll find loads of info on washing reusable bags. I think it’s bull. They’re bags, you don’t need to waste your time washing all the different types separately or hand washing them. Throw them in the wash with a tiny bit of detergent, wash on delicate cycle, remove and hang to dry.  Even better if you have the outdoor space to do so, hang them out in the sun. The sun is a natural disinfectant.

Other steps I take to prevent food spillage: I always put meat in a small paper bag before putting it in one of my bags. Too many instances of leaked meat, so this helps. I never put raw meats in the same bag as fresh produce. And while we’re on the topic of bagging things, I keep all cold items together in one bag, that way they keep each other cold. Do you guys wash your bags or have any specific way of loading groceries?

homemade deodorant recipe

Yes that’s right, homemade deodorant. I can only imagine the look on my mother and sisters’ faces right now. I did, I set out to find how I can make my own deodorant, if it would be effective and if it would be worth my time. It was actually so much easier than I had ever anticipated and I’m excited to share my findings with you.

I started by using this recipe. It had four simple ingredients, three in my case:

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil
• essential oils (optional, I didn’t use any)

After I had completed my currently in use deodorant I saved the container. I carefully took the entire thing apart and soaked it in soap and water. I then scrubbed it really well and let it air dry completely.

It’s a simple process of mixing the baking soda and cornstarch in a bowl. Add the coconut oil and continue to mix. If you chose, you can add essential oils. I didn’t because I didn’t have any on hand except tea tree oil and I didn’t want my pits smelling like that. Coconut oil’s melting point is 76 degrees so I had to warm ours on the stove before adding to the mixture; more effective than the microwave.

Don’t be confused, our house is hot as hell but for some reason I accidentally put the oil in the fridge so it was solid. I allowed the mixture to cool so not to melt the container. Once cooled I carefully poured it into the deodorant container.

Here’s where my experiment takes a sad turn. First, it was the best product I’ve ever used as a deodorant. On really hot days I would still sweat a tad but nothing major. People weren’t running from me due to bad smells. It’s hot, your body is going to sweat. Here’s the thing. As mentioned above, our apartment is SO hot. As in I put a thermometer in the living room last week and it said 88 degrees. We have crank windows so a simple window unit won’t cut it.

Because of this the deodorant was melting due to the 76 degree melting point of the oil. However, if I put it in the fridge it was too cold and I couldn’t twist it up and it really wouldn’t stick to my skin. If I woke up, took it out of the fridge, let it warm and then put it on it was still too liquidy and not effective.

So in the end I had to come to terms with the fact that in my personal living environment it wasn’t going to work. And we really couldn’t justify a $400 stand alone air conditioner just so I could have my homemade deodorant. Defeats the whole purpose of being frugal, ya know?

However, I know that I won’t live in this 88 degree apartment forever and I fully plan on making another batch come fall/winter. Though, the sad party about the oven of a home that we live in is that even in the winter it was probably 70-75 degrees in the place. No exaggeration. We can’t control the heat and apparently we live in a building full of newborns or 90 year olds. It’s insane.

So in the end, I will most definitely be making this again and I foresee it being my go to forever as soon as I can get the temperature in control. Also, it cost me $0 to make because I had everything on hand. Even if I didn’t have everything on hand it would have cost me about $10-12 for ingredients that would probably make 10 or so deodorants. Not half bad at all.

How about you guys, would you try this? Would you do it for the money savings or the lack of conventional ingredients or both?!

better than a box: e-book recommendation

I had something different to post today, but instead I wanted to share this with you. I purchased this e-book yesterday and it’s at a discounted price of $1.99 until early Friday morning!

This woman’s blog, Kitchen Stewardship, has changed the way I cook and have looked at food in the past few years. I’ve taken a lot of tips and advice from her and have learned a ton. It’s been especially helpful to me because I’m able to easily see where I need to make substitutions in my cooking so that it fits my dietary needs as well as Al’s.

source

I’ve always considered myself a healthy, organic, whole foods type of cook. But there’s some recipes that I still turn to cans or boxes or store-bought dressings and she takes all of those foods and products and makes them right in the kitchen. A lot of store-bought products, even if organic, still have so much junk in them, which isn’t healthy for a normal person, but really can mess with me internally and the gastro issues I already have.

I’m psyched to get started with this book and learn more and start cooking and making even more things homemade. It’s making me excited to cook again (I really don’t cook that much any more, Al does most of it!) and explore new things.

If you love homemade cooking I recommend you grab this e-book. You can purchase it as a PDF and download to your computer or to your Kindle or Nook.

I’m an affiliate for KS and get a small portion of the proceeds if you buy the e-book. I only recommend things that I truly believe in here on the blog. And I highly recommend this one!

sidelined again, seriously?

It’s been a while my dear readers! I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and long weekend. I had a few great posts for Thanksgiving in my head but never got around to getting them written and posted. Oh well, moving on, right?

Remember back in May when I told you about how I was sidelined due to a foot injury? Well, unfortunately, it’s worse. When we got out here to Colorado I made an appointment immediately to get it checked again. I’ve been in consistent pain since May, despite 3 doctors visits, 1 doctors phone call, 2 rounds of x-rays, a boot on my foot and a week off of work.

This doctor ordered another set of x-rays. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the image came up on the screen. Before he said anything I gasped and blurted out “holy crap it’s in three pieces.” The image was clear as day. A small bone, the sesamoid, in the ball of my foot was in three pieces; broken in two places.

After getting over the initial shock I got really, really pissed! HOW did this go unseen? I’ve been my own advocate for SEVEN months, I pushed and pushed for more answers, more x-rays and no one saw it until now. I nearly hugged the doctor.

His theory is that it was a hairline fracture to begin with that wasn’t clear on the  x-rays until now. Which means, I’ve made it worse by going about my life, which in turn caused it to break and put me where I am now.

I’m so, so, so happy to finally know what it is. The pain has been brutal and I consider myself to have a high pain tolerance, so knowing what it is and treating it is making me happy. Plan of action is to stay off my foot, increased vitamin D and calcium and 30 minutes a day on this bone stimulator machine. The darn thing cost us a bloody fortune but at this point WE will do anything to heal this foot.

So, while I’m totally angry, annoyed, bummed out and pissed off, I know that if I want to get better I have to be smart about recovery. It pains me that I can’t go out and walk or hike or anything in this gorgeous state of Colorado but I know I’ll get there.

Good thing about having to sit on my butt all the time is that I have tons of time to Pin things and think about awesome holiday crafts, gifts and decor. So stay tuned because I have lots coming up.

I also have lots to share with you all on our new place, our new bed and couch and lots of great thrift store finds. The thrift stores around here are amazing

healthy, delicious, real frozen yogurt recipe

This is our new favorite dessert. I won’t lie. We love ice cream. Okay I really won’t lie, I LOVE ICE CREAM and have convinced my dear Al that no life should ever be without it. So he loves it now too. I mean he liked it before but after he married me he basically married ice cream too.

I recently discovered this recipe (originally found in Self Magazine) and we’ve already made it twice this week because it’s so easy and so delicious. I promise I’ll start using my real camera again. These pictures don’t do this recipe justice. Just trust me it’s SO GOOD!

Banana, Peanut Butter, Frozen Yogurt : serves 4

• 12 ounces nonfat or 1% plain or vanilla Greek yogurt (I used plain 1%) frozen in an ice-cube tray
• 2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces and frozen
• 4 teaspoons peanut butter
• 4 teaspoons mini chocolate chips (or more if you’re like me)

In a blender or food processor (food processor worked best, I tried both) mix frozen bananas and frozen yogurt cubes and mix well. You’ll have to keep scraping down the sides of the container to push the mixture towards the blades. At first it’s very thick.

You’ll notice that I just blobbed my yogurt on to wax paper. I found it much easier than the ice-cube tray method. Both the yogurt and bananas peeled right off the wax paper.

Add the peanut butter and continue mixing until all is a soft serve ice cream consistency. Pour the entire mixture into a bowl or container and stir in the chocolate chips.

Depending on the consistency you prefer you can either eat it or freeze it for a little longer. I like it frozen longer, Al doesn’t so we meet in the middle and freeze it for 10-15 minutes. Usually the bottom, top and sides are a harder ice cream and the middle is soft serve like.

Notes: how cute is that mini food processor my sister has? If the mixture is really thick and getting stuck in the blades add milk in small amounts until it loosens up a bit.

It’s amazing. You know you want to go make it right now. I’ll probably make another batch tonight. Banana, peanut butter, frozen yogurt addict much?

Enjoy!

color running

This past weekend Hayley, Seth, Al and I took part in New England’s Color Run. It’s a fun 5K (3.1 miles) where you get this colored cornstarch substance thrown on you at every kilometer. Each stop was a different color so by the end you’re a giant rainbow. Not everyone’s idea of a good time but we had a blast!

The Color Run is taking place all over the country and each one supports a different local charity. The New England run supported Homes for Our Troops. At the end was a big party with a whole lot of colorful people. There was music, food, drinks, beer and color.

I knew one day I’d turn them three into runners!

Before…

After!

indoor house plants

In the past few years I’ve been asked quite a few times about the plants we have in our house. I think I’ve never talked about them because I don’t really know a whole lot about them except for 1. they look pretty and I love the natural greenery indoors and 2. many of them are air purifying plants, meaning they improve the air quality in the house.

We have them scattered around in all the rooms including a few other flowering plants.

And every so often I have a bouquet of flowers in the house. I usually split up the bouquet into a few vases and put them in different rooms. This particular bouquet my dear Alton bought me last week because of what I’ve been going through with my foot.

Since I can’t move around very well I never got around to splitting it so it’s looking pretty nice and full in the kitchen…in a tall beer glass!

Many of the plants we adopted from my father-in-laws house and we grabbed a few at Home Depot.

Al definitely has way more of a green thumb than I do.

Any plants in the house that are dying are because of me, the thriving ones are because of him. This one for instance was my doing, we’re still trying to save it…

I love having plants around. They add such a nice green touch and they’re working hard on the air quality when you didn’t even know it. Do you guys have any particular plants in your homes? For more info on air purifying plants go here. They have no clue who I am, just have good info about the plants!

save money, work out at home

We like to workout. It’s nothing new, we’re both very active and have been our whole lives. We got engaged hiking a mountain, we’ve ridden a few 150 mile bike rides together, I ran a marathon and we have push up contests in the living room. I won the last one in case you’re wondering.

When we moved to the city we were paying a combined $140 a month for our gym memberships. Totally absurd. When we moved outside of the city we were paying about $40 a month for memberships. Much more reasonable. Until that one day I showed up at the gym and it was gone. Completely shut down.

After much consideration of other gyms in the area and costs we decided it was just ridiculous to pay for it when we could easily be working out at home with the equipment we had. Over the years we’ve collected things here and there to work out with. Free weights, kettle bells, yoga mat. We both have sneakers and we have bikes, basketballs, soccer balls, tennis rackets and more.

So we decided to give it a shot. This was the first time since I was 18 that I didn’t belong to a gym. I was a little anxious, but in reality I was only actually using the gym about 2-3 days a week, which just wasn’t worth the extra cost. We set up shop in our guest bedroom/office/workout room.

We’ve been working out at home for three months now and I’ve worked out more weekly than I ever did going to the gym. There’s no excuses, the gym is always there now!

We have a wall where we hang up different workouts and we alternate through them all. I’ve found great workouts on Pinterest and we tear them out of magazines. I’ve found great yoga workouts on Comcast On Demand (our cable provider), I’m sure you could find the same if your cable provider offers it.

Last fall we stumbled upon a 40-year-old indoor Spin bike at a yard sale. We paid a bank breaker of $5 for the thing. It looks ridiculous, but is perfectly functional.

Even though you might put some money up front to buy equipment, it might save you money in the long run. And it’s so convenient, we can work out any time of day, whenever we want to. There’s not a ton of people crowding my space and I don’t have to get annoyed when someone doesn’t wash down their machine. Wash your darn machines people!!!

We’ve bought equipment inexpensively at Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Ocean State Job Lot and Target. The last kettle bell we bought at Marshall’s was $12.99 and it even came with a free online subscription to Women’s Health magazine. What a nice perk!

So, what do you think? Are you a faithful gym-goer? Would you rather workout at home? Are you jealous of that 40-year-old bike?

my marathon shadow box

Nearly a year later, (this year’s Boston Marathon is on Monday April 16th!) I’ve finally completed my marathon running shadow box. It took me forever because I wanted to make sure to get it perfect.

I had tried a few other shadow boxes, but they were just too small and things were too crowded. So I went big. I picked up this almost 16″ x 20″ one on super sale and with a coupon. It’s original price was $44.99, I paid something like $16 or $17.

I knew when I bought it I’d be painting it white, but it was much cheaper to buy the wood colored one than the white finished one. I used a can of glossy white Krylon spray paint. I put newspaper on the glass and taped it down with painters tape. Would have been helpful if I took a photo of that step…

I had collected all the things I wanted in the shadow box a long while ago. Now it was just a matter of laying them out and putting it together. I included my bib number, photo of me crossing the finish line, my medal, my official race time certificate and my official race splits card.

You’ll also see a hair elastic. Or maybe you can’t see it, but it’s that black circle in the certificate. That was an extra hair tie I had on my wrist just in case. A few miles into the race I started playing with it as I ran. I was holding it, stretching it, rolling it around with my pointer finger and thumb.

Turns out I did that for almost 22 miles. So by the time I finished I felt like I had to keep it. It was almost like a distraction to me while running. If I focused on that I wouldn’t focus on the miles to come, the pain or anything else.

You probably can’t see it in these photos, but in the official finish line photo you can see the hair tie on my fingers.

Anyway, I love how it turned out. And it fits perfectly on a narrow wall in our living room.

Some day I’d love to have it hung in an office or workout room. But for now while it’s still fresh, front in center in the living room is where it’ll be!

flip-flops, heels and ballet flats

I read this article in Prevention magazine that was so intriguing to me I wanted to share it. Of course I’m extreme and went ahead and scanned every page of the article so I could show you the real thing.

You can also read it on their website, but I like the layout in the print version better and I don’t like the title of it on their website. Anyway, I knew flip-flops, heels and ballet flats aren’t the best shoes in the world for bones, joints, muscles and so on.

This article fascinated me the way it went so much deeper into why they’re bad, how they hurt you and what you can do to help your body. Like toe exercises! Maybe you’ll learn something, especially as we approach spring with cute sandals and flats…

Prevention magazine has no clue who I am, I just really liked the article…!