Update

With all the business of life I hadn't realized that I didn't ever do an update on a few items. So here's the update after months of trial and error.

OCM- I use 3 TBL of olive oil and 1TBL of castor oil. I really like it. My skin is the clearest it's been in a long time. I haven't had an acne outbreak (a bad one anyway) for several months. It gets my make up off and it's relaxing and inexpensive. My skin is feeling a bit dry this winter so I will need to investigate some natural moisturizers. I tried using just a small bit of oil rubbed into my skin and it caused a breakout so, I won't be doing that again! But the OCM and I are very good friends now!

Poo free- I am using 1/2 TBL of baking soda dissolved in 1/2 Cup of hot water. I rinse with 3 TBL of apple cider vinegar mixed into 1 Cup of hot water with a few drops of teatree essential oil mixed in. I love it. I feel like my head has finally detoxed all the chemicals and is starting to make it's own oils again. My hair is clean and it doesn't smell like vinegar or teatree oil after I rinse will. I only wash my hair every other day due to the dry weather here in Colorado and my hair's natural dryness. I admit, I do still use over the counter mousse for styling so an assignment for the new year will be to find a way to make or buy a more natural version without breaking the bank!

Household cleaner- I threw that out! It just didn't work up to my standards however, a friend recently told me about a new recipe to try so that is on the list for the coming year as well.

Laundry Soap- Love it! I use Fels Naptha, Borax and water (see recipe in the links section). Truthfully, it may not work as well as good ol' "Tide" but it works well. I have not added essential oils since our family has sensitive skin. This has become a regular household item in our house.

Lip Balm- Love it! I think it's time to make another batch. I think I will invest in purchasing a bulk amount of lip balm containers since I gave all mine away last time I made the lip balm. :) This time I think I will also experiment with some essential oils. I put this lip balm on right before bed and it really does keep my lips from chapping in this very dry climate!

Bread- Still going strong on the bread making front! We'll never go back to store bought. It's too easy and too inexpensive to make our own and the taste is unsurpassed by anything we could buy off the shelf!

This year- My goals for this year are to try a new recipe for household cleaner, find a more natural hair styling product and also try making bathtime salt scrubs. I will also hopefully be trying a few more natural remedies for common sicknesses in our family. I will try to keep you updated on any experiments and how they turn out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Whole Wheat Bread

I have been grinding my own wheat and baking bread for over a year now. I love it and will never quit! This is that story. One day I went to a friend's house and she said, "I'm nearly out of bread so I need to make some. Wanna join me in the kitchen?" So, off we went. I watched as she ground the wheat and made the bread and then about an hour later we tasted the best bread I had ever eaten! I couldn't believe it was whole wheat! I couldn't believe it was so easy! I couldn't believe my children were asking for seconds. I asked how she got started and she told me of a local woman who teaches cooking classes in her home. In the meantime, due to our expressed interest, we were given a Nutrimill grinder for Christmas. I looked at it. I loved it. But I didn't really know what to do with it. So, off we went to the cooking class. There we learned how to make bread, focaccia and even cinnamon rolls with our whole wheat flour. We scrimped and saved and scoured the furniture for all the cash we could find and purchased on of my most favorite machines in the house! The Bosch Universal mixer! Whoo hoo! Now I had all the machines, I just had to bite the bullet and do it. So, we bought some bread pans, yeast, and wheat and began our experiment.

Really all it took was doing it! Truly, I grind the wheat in the grinder, put all the ingredients in the mixer and mix it up for about 5 minutes. I separate it into about 5 loaves (a little over 1 lb each) and let it rise for about 20 minutes. No punching, kneading, etc. Once it rises I put it in the oven for about 20 minutes and we have the best tasting, super nutritious bread for less than you pay at the store for something comparable. You can get creative. You can add other grains such as millet, spelt, etc. We are sort of "plain jane" around here so we don't do any add ins. We do, however, make cinnamon rolls and pizza out of our whole wheat dough. I also make whole wheat pancakes and waffles. I have made numerous breads and desserts with the whole wheat flour.

I said before I will never go back. I was afraid that if we spent all that money I would try it and get tired of it and go back to buying the white nastiness off the shelf at the store. But, because this is truly so easy, I will never give it up! I make several loaves at a time and put them in the freezer for later. I've even sold a few to friends. the only thing I regret is not finding out about it sooner.