Homemade Shampoo

Homemade Coconut Milk Shampoo:

1/4 cup coconut milk (Like I said, you can either make your own, or use store-bought)

1/3 cup liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)

1 tsp vitamin E, olive or almond oil

10 to 20 drops your choice of essential oils (I used lavender. Next time I think I’ll do something citrusy just for fun. :-)

Combine all ingredients in a shampoo bottle or jar and shake well to mix. (I bought the squeeze bottles above at the dollar store.) You can keep it in the shower for up to one month…just shake before use.

Simple Tomato Sauce

http://kitchenmeetsgirl.com/simple-tomato-sauce/

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is warm, add minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Keep a close eye on the garlic; if it becomes brown or scorched it will taste bitter.
2. In a medium bowl, combine garlic oil mixture with the remaining ingredients. Season with salt to taste. Use immediately. May refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

There is something magical about Puffy Paint and it is a must try for any child or toddler to paint and play with. 

It is super easy to make with all the ingredients you need right in your pantry and after your child has finished painting, place it in the microwave for the magic to happen…….It is SO much FUN!!

 

What you will need?

 

You will need self-raising flour, salt, food colourings, paint brushes, paint tray, measuring spoons, water and cut up pieces of cardboard.

There are a number of recipes out there for puffy paint but I had a bit of an idea of what was included and had a play around with the main ingredients until I found the right consistency and quantity for our paint pots.  Here is the recipe that I found to work well.

 

Recipe for Puffy Paint

1 Tablespoon Self Raising Flour

1 Table Spoon Salt

3 Teaspoons Water

Food Colouring

 

Continually mix the ingredients with a paint brush until all ingredients have combined well into a paste.

 

We used thick cardboard that I cut up from an empty nappy box and also cut the cardboard into smaller sizes to fit into the microwave.  My girls’ just painted one picture after the other until all the puffy paint and cardboard was gone!  I would recommend that the paint be painted on thick so when they are cooked they are extra puffy!

 

When the paintings were all finished we placed a microwavable bowl in the centre of the microwave and put 1 painting at a time on top of the bowl.  Different microwaves will require different times; this is something you will have to trial to see how long you need to cook the puffy paint to make it puff.

Our microwave roughly took 25 seconds to puff the paint but I did stop at intervals to check that I was not overcooking the puffy paint.  The puffy paintings should come out warm not hot, so keep an eye on the time to avoid over cooking.

http://www.learning4kids.net/2012/10/16/how-to-make-puffy-paint/

Homemade No-Bake Granola Bars

Not only are these bars delicious and nutritious, they are so easy to make even a caveman could do it. These chewy, store-bought knock-offs are a healthy snack and one I can feel good about feeding my family.

Print

Homemade No-Bake Granola Bars

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, real butter can be substituted (where to buy)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (homemade)
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (where to buy)
• 1/8 cup flax seed, milled or whole (where to buy)
• 1/4 cup good-quality mini chocolate chips (where to buy)
• 1-2 TB fresh ground peanut butter (optional)
• handful dried fruit and/or nuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat your stove top to medium heat.
2. To a saucepan over medium heat, add your coconut oil and honey. Stir to melt and combine.
3. The oil and honey will start to bubble. When you see this, keep watch as it will soon take on a nice amber color, but do not let it get to dark or you will have made candy.
4. Once you get a nice rolling bubble, let it go for about 30 seconds to a minute and then turn off your heat and add your vanilla.
5. Add in the oats, flax seed, and optional peanut butter. Stir together until combined
6. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper (be sure to have some extra hanging off both sides).
7. Pour in the oat mixture. Using the back of a spatula press down about 1/2 inch until mixture is smooth.
8. Sprinkle chocolate chips, nuts, and/or dried fruit over oat mixture. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool.
9. The cutting process: Remove the pan from the fridge. Use the extra parchment hanging off sides as handles to pull your entire granola out of the pan and place on counter. It will be a solid piece. Cut width-wise into one-inch sections. Then one long cut down the center of the pan. This will allow for 12 individual servings all equal size.
10. Note: This recipe can easily be doubled for 24 using a 9x13 pan.
11. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Cold Remedy...The Brew

1 Mason Quart Jar (or similar sized container that has a lid)
¾ C Honey
½ C Apple Cider Vinegar (Preferably “Braggs” brand but whatever you have will do)
¾ C Lemon Juice (From a container or fresh squeezed, either works)
Cayenne
Directions:
In the Quart Jar put the honey and add just enough HOT water to dissolve the honey. Next add the Apple Cider Vinegar and the Lemon Juice and then fill the Quart Jar almost to the top with more hot/warm water. Mix/Shake up well. Then add Cayenne to it ¼ Tsp. at a time. Add and then taste it. You want to be able to taste the zing of the cayenne but still be able to pleasantly drink it. That’s it :)
Drink a Quart Jar in the course of a day for severe congestion, fevers or any ailments. Once you are doing better drink a Quart Jar of it over the course of 2 days.

Refried Beans

Refried Beans Without the Refry

Rated: Submitted By: CHEFCLAUDE Photo By: CookinBug Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 8 Hours Ready In: 8 Hours 15 Minutes Servings: 15

"Flavorful refried beans seasoned with garlic, jalapeno, and cumin are simple to make when cooked in a slow cooker."

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion, peeled and halved 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic

5 teaspoons salt 1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional 9 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2.	Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Energy Bites

1 Cup Dry Oatmeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla