Just DIY it :)

Long time no see everyone, I've been absent from the blogging world for quite some time now, as you know I'm in school and don't have much time to focus on my blog these days! However, it is spring break and I thought I could share some DIY recipes with you this weekend. I haven't been cooking as much anymore either which totally bums me out!! I also miss all my bloggy friends that I visit. Sorry for the lack of visitation on my part.
I've decided to start making my own deodorant, toothpaste and lotion. I've decided to do this not only because it's frugal-but also because it cuts down on the chemicals I put into/on my body. So if you're looking to do the same I'm about to share some great recipes! I'm all about making your own beauty/cleaning products.

All Purpose Cleaner:
1 old all purpose cleaning bottle-or spray bottle of your choice (make sure you wash this out with hot water and soap as much as possible to rid the chemicals)
3 Cups hot water
4 Tblsp vinegar
1 tsp washing soda-can be found in most stores in the dishwasher/laundry detergent aisle.
1 tsp liquid castile soap
5 drops Tea tree oil
5 drops Young Living Thieves oil-if you don't have any young living oils you can omit this. I just received my oils and wanted to add Thieves into the mix for its antibacterial properties. You can play around with which oils you'd like to add!

Add all these ingredients to your bottle, shake up and it's ready for use! I've been using this stuff for awhile and it always works great.

Deodorant: This recipe is from a friend and I used this method: Homemade Deodorant
4 Tblsp baking soda
4 Tbslp corn starch
1/2 C coconut oil
2 Tblsp beeswax
10 drops essential oils of your choice
OR
1/4 C coconut oil
2 1/2 Tblsp beeswax
1oz shea butter
1/4 C baking soda
1/4 C arrowroot powder
20-40 drops essential oils ( I used lavender, peace and calming and tea tree)

Melt coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter (if using)  over medium heat, once melted, turn of heat and add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Add in the essential oils of your choice and let cool. Once it gets to a pudding-like consistency you can scrape it into an old deodorant container. Refrigerate until cool and hardened, after this you can leave it on the counter at room temperature.

I started making my own deodorant because it's cheaper, and to avoid the harsh chemicals they add.
Aluminum is a heavy metal and has been linked to Alzheimer's..no thank you! You'll also see propylene glycol on many deodorants which is a toxin. (I've also read a link between propylene glycol and antifreeze)

Toothpaste: Revised from :Nourishing Joy and Delicious Obsessions
4 Tblsp coconut oil
4 Tblsp bentonite clay
2 Tblsp baking soda
3/4 tsp stevia powder
1/2 tsp ground sea salt
30-40 drops peppermint oil
water as needed

Mix dry ingredients in a glass container. Add in coconut oil and mix with a fork until combined, add the peppermint oil and mix, if your mix is still clumpy/dry feel free to add as much water as needed. Add the water slowly. You can then transfer to a container of your choice. I used a shallow mason jar. I   immediately had to test this out, it might take a few brushings for me to get used to, but my teeth feel clean! It is a little weird to spit out brown-green toothpaste but I think I can get used to it. I was also worried as I have a strong disliking for coconut oil, but you can't even taste it which is even better! You do have to rinse your mouth out a little more, but it's worth it for me. Feel free to play around with different flavors and different oils.

The coconut oil will give your mouth a nice satin feel..also have any of you ever tried oil pulling? It's great for getting rid of toxins in your mouth/teeth. I tried this with coconut oil and about gagged! However, you can do it with olive oil instead. In this recipe you can't taste the coconut oil so it works out perfectly.
I like using fluoride-free toothpaste as I've read many negative blogs on fluoride. Global Healing Center
Folks, please do your own research, as I have done my own. I choose to believe what I want and what I put into my own body.

The bentonite clay is also a great toxin remover. If you'd like to learn more you can here: Health and Beauty benefits of clay. You can use this for several things and it can be ordered on Amazon.

Baking Soda is seen in many toothpastes and sometimes people use this alone to brush their teeth. This is used to clean and whiten your teeth!

Stevia powder is just added as a little bit of a sweetener and is optional, I've also seen recipes using xylitol.

Oils are used for flavor and their antibacterial purposes

Salt is for the abrasive and neutralizing the acid in your mouth.

**As always I use unrefined/organic where I can. I'm always looking for the best of ingredients. I bought all my ingredients on Amazon. Some of these ingredients can be found in stores as well.**

I'm all for being frugal and making my own chemical/toxin free products.

I will be adding the lotion recipe when I run out of my current Burt's Bee's lotion!

Caprese Roll Ups

You know what I can never turn down? Caprese. It's fresh, simple and delicious. I had some caprese with a friend recently and was craving more so I decided to incorporate it into lasagna roll ups that I have made before. These are super easy to make as well :)

slightly adapted from: Cooking Classy
Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups
8 lasagna noodles
14 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese
3/4 c ricotta
1 egg white
4 roma tomatoes
1/4 c shredded parmesean
salt and pepper
basil
oil

Marinara Sauce
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2 tblsp oil
1/4 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper

Cook lasagna noodles until al dente or according to package. Mine only took 4 minutes! :) While the noodles are cooking mix ricotta, egg white and salt and pepper. Slice the mozzarella cheese into thin pieces. I think the next time I make this recipe I will use fresher mozzarella. (I didn't this time because it wasn't recommended, but I think I can make it work!) Once the noodles are cooked drain and set on parchment paper. Once cooled, spread ricotta/egg mixture on noodles. Then line noodles with sliced mozzarella and tomatoes (like caprese!) Add some sliced basil, oil, salt and pepper and roll them up! After you've done this you can set them aside while making the marinara. Just combine all ingredients and voila! Layer casserole dish with marinara sauce and add lasagna roll ups. Cover the lasagna rolls with some more sauce and add some shredded parmesean and top with more basil! Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

When I took this out of the oven my house was filled with an amazing garlic smell! I absolutely love garlic. This dish tastes light and fresh! I will be making this again. I hope you enjoy!

 Cheese, Freshly sliced tomatoes, Fresh cracked pepper, Chiffonade basil

Gotta love fresh tomatoes and cheese!

So I decided to use Picasa to edit my photos this time. I like it more than my old editing system, but seriously a huge pain. I've been trying to edit and save the photos forever and then they either don't save or I can't find them. I should maybe find something else to use! Or maybe I should just figure out how to use it! ;)

Linking up to:Sunday Show Off
Sundae Scoop Link Party
Not baaad Sundays 

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years everyone! Did you do anything fun? Zac and I didn't. We decided to stay in this year just because I never seem to have fun, and honestly I think it's over rated. We didn't even stay up for the countdown. I was so tired I passed out but the neighbors lit fireworks so technically I was up at midnight. :) This morning I ran with my mom and her running group for 1:01:13, you know for New Years!
Some of my New Years resolutions are:
1) Eat healthier
2) Eat less sugar
3) Keep up with running and working out
4) Practice yoga and meditation
5) Stay positive/calm/free/and at peace

I know kind of a lot right? Most of these things I already do I just want to do them BETTER. I have changed a lot this past year and I'm really liking the changes I've made and now I just need to make them stronger. :)
Do you have any New Years resolutions? I think this year has a lot of positive amazing things in store for me!

Hello again!

I don't have a recipe to share, just giving an update from the last time we spoke. I just finished up my first semester of school and I'm so excited! I did well, not as good as I wanted but I'll get that 4.0GPA sooner than later. I'm looking forward to having some relax time. No worries about class, no worries about homework or studying. I can enjoy my holidays and time to cook and blog. I will hopefully have some yummy looking recipes and sweets coming up soon. Let's face it, once the holidays come around I'm eating like a pig. I need to cut down on the sweets I consume once Christmas is over. Here are some pictures to hold you over in the mean time.

 these humans got me these silly antlers (Louie we're sorry they were free and we had to try them out)

 My most recent half marathon. The first one I wanted to die, this one went well and I really enjoy running with my Mom over at Town and Country Living. Have you seen her recent posts? All about Christmas and her house looks amazing.

 This is my new winter coat that I don't enjoy but it's cold and I should wear it :) Not to mention how cute I look in it!

One of my favorite ornaments of all times :) I have a very specific way I like to decorate my tree. My inspiration comes from my Mom. I've always loved her tree, the ornaments the bows the beads, all of it. I have grown up with a certain decorated tree so that's what I'm used to! I'll have to take more photos of my tree and update later! Thanks for coming around! Excited to get back into blogging for a few weeks until school starts up again! Merry Christmas everyone!

Warm Rice Salad with Green Sauce

Doesn't sound too appetizing does it? Oh, but it is!!! I haven't had a lot of time to cook lately with school and homework and all, but I need to get back into eating healthy again. I need my veggies daily! So I browsed through my Pinterest board again for something tasty. I figured I'd give this recipe a go. I didn't have all the ingredients so I revised it myself. Now you have my version and the original version. While I was making this I thought to myself, "There's no way this is going to be good." My mind changed after that first bite hit my tongue. "Wow! This was good." I said to myself. I should've made Zac try it. I feel like I have to start getting him to eat better and taking care of his body better. Anyways, go get off your couch and make this. It's truly delicious and packed with flavor! I would have loved to use quinoa, accept I couldn't find mine, so I used my rice instead.

Adapted from: Oh She Glows
Warm Rice Salad with Green Sauce

Salad:
1/2C  brown rice
1tsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2C cherry tomatoes halved
1/4C to 1/2C frozen corn
1/4C frozen edamame
1tsp ground cumin
1tstp chili pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Green Sauce:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 C basil
1/4 C cilantro
1/4 C yellow tomato
3 tblsp evoo
2 limes juiced
2tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste


For the Salad:
Cook rice according to package or directions. Heat saute pan and olive oil over medium heat. Once heated add, frozen corn and edamame. Once the frozen items have cooked for a couple minutes add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Season to taste.

For the Green Sauce:
Mince garlic in blender or food processor. Add basil and process again. Add the liquids and continue to process. Drizzle in the oil. Add the lime juice and seasonings to taste. You will have to scrape the sides several times. You want to have a liquid sauce so if you need to add more oil or lime juice go ahead. Honestly I just threw mine all together in no particular order! I was happy to find I had a yellow tomato from my garden that I could use. Oh She Glows recommends the yellow tomato because it adds liquid with out adding a ton of oil. She also says it keeps the sauce green! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did!

 Does that not look delicious and fresh? Soooo good!!!

Linking up to: The Girl Creative
Made by you Monday
What's in the Gunny Sack?
Keeping it Simple
Healthy 2Day Wednesdays 

Monday Ramblings

This weekend was a really good one. I did a lot, but I also relaxed, which was much needed! I had my first day of clinicals as a CNA student. :) I went to breakfast with the hubby, although it wasn't very good and also not good for my 8 mile run that day. The run was amazing though even though I wasn't feeling the greatest and my legs were just very tired. My Mom and I always do our long runs on Sunday. We meet at a trail, the trail was so pretty yesterday, even though it was cold, rainy and windy. The trees were full of fall leaves. Yellow, green, red, and orange. I can't even describe it. Their were leaves all over the trail, and on the way back it was windy enough that it was snowing leaves. I love fall, and this was such a cool thing to see/experience. Next week we'll be running ten miles! :) My favorite thing to do after a long run is drink my chocolate soy milk and take a nice relaxing bubble bath. Zac and I hung our Halloween lights, now that we are renting a house we can be more festive. We spent some time at Home Depot, we didn't buy anything too fun..but it's nice to run errands on the weekend. I don't know what it is about it, but I enjoy it. Now it's a new start to the week, full of school and homework, and of course work. I'm looking forward to the holidays. I hope you all had a good weekend too!

 Yes this pic is super blurry, but my Mom was taking photos of the awesome trail..this picture doesn't do it justice

Louie watching Mom and Dad put up the lights, do you love his new sweater?

New Feelings

I just recently read a post on my Mom's blog The Early Face of Fall, which led me to want to talk about it too. I'm talking about my grandma. She is suffering from Alzheimer's, which is a memory disease. She has good days and bad, but last week was different. Grandma wasn't her usual sweet little self. She was very confused, and even angry. I remember getting in the car with my sister and just crying because I didn't know how it got like that so fast. I was sad for her and my Grandpa. I have many memories of her, and she is such an important person to me. So many of my child hood memories come from her. My mom was a single mother and worked full time, so I remember many days hanging out with Grandma. Especially when I was sick. I'd lay on her couch, watch cartoons all day and she would make me my favorite chicken noodle soup. I remember playing outside in her big backyard with my brother, fielding through pine cones and crunchy fall leaves. I remember the best bubble baths, and so much more. Every time I make toast with cinnamon sugar it always reminds me of her. I am so thankful for all the memories we created and that I can remember forever. Even if she isn't the same grandma I used to remember, she is still hanging around. She is a tough little lady.  Not many people are as lucky as I am to have their grandparents in their lives still, so I have to remember to be thankful for all the amazing memories I have of her. Seeing her joy erases any bad day or pain anyone could have. Even if she isn't so joyous anymore, I have to love her for who she has become. I will always love you Grandma, and you will always have a special place in my heart. I will always remember her being at my wedding, even if she doesn't remember it.

Love you Grandma and Grandpa

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Zac and I's one year anniversary. It's crazy how fast the first year went. We've almost been together six years, but the first year of marriage flew by! I feel like yesterday I just got engaged. I miss my wedding, and all the fun we had with our friends and family. I miss getting ready, walking down the aisle, my brother's amazing ceremony skills, dancing the night away and so much more. I miss driving off in my Mom's tiny red yaris to the hotel room. I miss having Zac hold my dress so I could go pee for the first time that night! No joke :) I miss going to bed with him and waking up and going to Arby's. Yea, that's weird but I miss it and I'll always remember that. I even miss cleaning the barn the next day..something about seeing how it had just been celebrated and dirtied the night before. Thanks to Mom for all the help with cleaning up and everything else she did. My wedding was so amazing thanks to her. Thanks to everyone else who came and celebrated our special day with us. Thanks to all our friends who helped us out! My friend Brittany, made our cake. A friend from school catered our wedding, and another friend did my flowers for me. My Mom decorated and created so much amazing decorations for us. She really brought everything together and helped me so much. Another friend photographed our wedding. We had so much inside help and everything was so personal, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Everyone that's been married knows planning a wedding isn't always the funnest, and it can be pretty stressful.  We all just have to remember to take a breath and realize why we are getting married. Two years ago we got engaged a week before Christmas Eve. I remember just getting off work and Zac kept asking when I was going to be home. Not so unusual sometimes he asks, but this seemed a little persistent. I figured he was just missing me. I got home and he was acting kind of weird. Hugging me a lot and kissing me more than usual..I knew something was up. (We had talked about getting engaged for awhile now). He brought me over to the Christmas tree, and told me he had bought a new ornament...I'm searching and searching. Finally, I see the new ornament. It's of a guy proposing. The next thing I do is turn around and smile, and he's already on one knee asking me to marry him. Obviously I said yes. I was very happy. So that's our engagement story...I'm so happy I met him almost six years ago. We have gone through a lot and I know there are a lot of more tough times and struggles to come. I can't wait to start a family and buy our first home together. We have so much to look forward to. I love you Zac, and I love that you support me and help me as much as you can.

 I love this pic, you can see all the pretty details on my dress

 We had sunflowers and rafia as decorations

 We lined the aisle with sunflowers and rafia as well

 My Mom created all of this

 My adorable niece was the "flower girl" she couldn't walk yet so big brother walked her down the aisle in a red rustic wagon.

 I LOVE this pic of my Mom...speechless

 Me n Dad walking down the aisle

 I love my hair! This is my brother, he was our officiant. It was such a cool experience having him do this for us. It was personal, and very good and funny!

 We wrote our own vows

 More decorations. I got our wine glasses and forks off Etsy.

 My amazing wedding cake my friend made.

 Our first dance. We danced to Brad Paisley's "Then"

 Again my Mom made all our burlap signs :)

 This is my favorite picture from our wedding!

One of my Mom's friends (who happens to be the sweetest lady i think I've ever met in my life, and she's awesome!) with the flower girl, my niece...isn't she the cutest!?

You can see more photos from our barn wedding here:Our Wedding
More wedding pics

Another Pinterest Recipe for the books

Lately, the way I get my meals is through Pinterest of course. Hey, it has tons and tons of healthy, and not so healthy meals. From quick to not so quick. Not to mention most of them are reliable and delicious. I finally had a night off school and thought I'd make dinner for Zac and I. As I'm about to throw the pasta in the heavily, heavily salted water pot he asks if I'm ready to walk the dog. So I turn the pot off and save it for later. Louie, our new pup has been afraid or not so keen on taking walks all of a sudden. Not sure why...anyways towards the end of the walk he was just fine..which is the usual case. As I got back home I returned to my dinner. The whole kitchen smelled of garlic. :) This dish was pretty simple, quick and delicious. Sometimes simple and quick is just what you need. The original source for this recipe can be found here: Goddess Of Scrumptiousness

Adapted from: Goddess of Scrumptiousness
Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Cherry Tomatoes

8oz or half box/bag of spaghetti noodles
For the Garlic Gravy (Garlic Gravy?! How delicious does that sound?)
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 tblsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tblsp AP flour
1 1/4 c vegetable stock
1 tblsp fresh basil (unfortunately I only had dry)
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 c parsley
1/4 grated parmesean cheese
1 c whole or halved cherry tomatoes


Boil a pot with heavily salted water. (With all my pasta, I've learned to salt the water so much it literally tastes like salt water) Just a little tip I learned from the pro's over at Bon Apetit. You can use this water later to add a little more flavor to your pasta dish. Once, your water has boiled cook noodles until al dente. While noodles are cooking heat large saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil and butter, once the butter is melted add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add in flour and cook for one minute. Add vegetable stock and boil until thickened. This is when I added all my spices. I never measure my spices I just season to taste. I added about 1/8 cup of salted pasta water. Drain pasta and add to saute pan. Cook an extra two minutes and let the pasta absorb the garlic gravy. Top with cheese and tomatoes, and voila you have one tasty pasta dish. Zac raved about this, he really enjoyed it. I hope you do too! It's a perfect cold weather meal.

Of course my pictures look nothing like the original! I was too excited and in a rush to take pictures, not to mention it was dark out when we got back from our walk! 

 Just looking at it makes me wish I had some right now

Linking up to: Lady Behind the Curtain

Vegetarian Taco Salad

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe, therefore posted anything at all. I miss blogging, but it takes up a lot of my time. Time that I don't currently have anymore. School is now taking over my life. I've decided to go back to school to become a midwife. I have to get my Master's degree for that. Which equals a lot of hard work, studying, and a lot of school. I'm currently getting my CNA, where I'll move on to my RN. I'll have to transfer to get my master's and be certified as a midwife. So, that's why I haven't been blogging so much! I've also lost a lot of followers due to me switching my blog name over, and since I transitioned to eating healthier. I just need to find the right crowd again! It's hard to join linky parties, because I'm usually studying. I miss the blogging community though. My Mom started blogging after me and has more time and has reached the right crowd. She has almost 700 followers!!!! Visit her blog here: Town and Country Living, it's all about DIY and the country life. I still have a couple followers that have followed me from the very beginning and they are awesome for continuing to show me support. Of course I threw this together as fast as I could, and realized I didn't have my camera. So, it's with my cell phone..but it was too yummy not to share! Anyways, I've been missing out on cooking a lot too, because of school. So I've been trying to find faster recipes! This one is quick and delicious.

Vegetarian Taco Salad
Handful or two of mixed baby greens (or lettuce of your choice)
1 tsp evoo
1/4 C corn
1/4 C black beans
1/2 C cooked rice
1 jalepeno
1/4 C grape or cherry tomatoes
1 tsp chipotle pepper powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
tortilla chips of your choice
cheese of your choice
salsa of your choice
cilantro

Heat olive oil over medium high heat, add corn/rice/beans/tomatoes/jalepeno pepper. Add seasonings to taste. Cook until heated through. Arrange salad greens on a plate, top with crushed tortilla chips and rice and bean mixture. Grate cheese of your choice over the top and garnish with cilantro and salsa! This is another one of my versatile recipes. You can really add or take anything away that you'd like. It was super fast and super delicious!

Yum! Enjoy! Now I'm craving something sweet (no surprise there!)