Edamame Pate

Edamame Pate'(courtesy of Vegetarian Times*)

1 1/4 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed (You can buy frozen, shelled edamame at any grocery store).
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup mint leaves (packed)
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. water

Puree the first 5 ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped.

Add lemon juice and water then process until smooth.

I used pecans instead of walnuts, because I had them on hand and it was still so tasty. This makes a great dip for veggies or pita chips. Very light and refreshing. You can also spread on a whole wheat tortilla and stuff with fresh vegetable goodness.

Easy facial

I first saw this idea here. I blended up some oats when I made soap recently, had leftovers and decided to use them this way.

Step one: blend 1 C oats in a food processor or blender. Store in a glass jar or tuperware -like container.

Step two: Cover a small towel in hot water, wring out, then place on your face to open the pores.

Step three: Put a small amount of the ground oats in a small bowl. Add just enough plain yogurt to make a paste, then spread on your face.

Step four: Wait. 10 minutes should do it. Not longer than 15, or you can damage the skin.

Step five: wash off with warm water over the sink.

Step six: apply a toner. Mine is just a few drops of lavender essential oil in water.

Step seven: apply moisturizer. Mine is aloe vera gel (100%) mixed with a tiny bit of glycerine (which can be left out all together if your skin feels too sticky)

Ahhhhhh. It's very relaxing, yet not very time consuming, and my skin looks and feels great afterwards.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I got this recipe from my neighbor. I'm not sure how toxic Fels-naptha laundry soap is, so I don't know it this counts as less-toxic. It is cheap, and made with stuff I generally have on hand these days. And it satisfies the part of me that loves doing things myself.

Here's the recipe:

Put four cups very hot tap-water into a large saucepan. Grate 1 bar fels-naptha soap into the water and heat on medium heat until the soap is fully dissolved.

Fill a 5-gal bucket approx. 1/2 full with very hot tap-water. Add 1/2 C borax and 1 C washing soda. Stir to mix.

Pour melted soap mixture into the bucket, stir until combined. Fill the bucket almost to the top with more very hot tap-water. Stir again, cover with a lid, and let sit overnight.

Fill a container (like an old liquid laundry soap container, or a water container with a spigot) 1/2 full with water. Fill the rest of the way with the detergent concentrate from the bucket.

For top loaders, use 5/8 C per load (I use 1/2 C for simplicity. Close enough, right?)

For front loaders, use 1/4 C per load. I imagine that less should be used with soft water, no matter the type of machine you have.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Shelly had the idea to try to make vanilla extract, and since she found a great deal on a big shipment of vanilla beans, she invited me to try it out with her. I used a blend of Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla beans. We bought the cheapest vodka we could find at the liquor store, and it worked just fine. I used this recipe, Shelly tried a different variation.

The results: smell test--this extract smells better than the store bought real vanilla extract (more like vanilla, less like alcohol). It contains about the same quantity of alcohol (35%), but it smells much better.

Taste test--I made cookies using homemade vanilla extract and they tasted great. I should probably try out something where the vanilla has a more prominent flavor, but haven't had the need yet.

Homemade Lotion

First, a warning. Homemade lotion has a much different feel than store bought stuff. When I first started making my own lotion, I was not 100% impressed, but I wanted to give it a good shot before I gave up completely. It seemed really greasy... I discovered is that I need a lot less lotion compared with commercial products. A small dab of homemade stuff is about equivalent to a full pump of commercial stuff. And when I started using less, it was magically less greasy. Anyway, now I am thoroughly addicted to homemade lotion. It just feels so much more natural. It is very softening, and you can customize it to fit your skin type. While Aaron was in the hospital, I ran out of my homemade lotion, and didn't have time to whip up a batch (not that it takes long). I still had a bottle of Curel around, so I just used that for a few days until I had time to make some lotion. I don't think I'll ever run out of homemade lotion again, because I HATED using the Curel. Please keep in mind that I have been using Curel lotion for like 15 years. I loved the stuff before I tried something better. Homemade is better. So you should try it. One batch lasts me about a month, but for other people it may last longer (I'm a bit of a lotion-aholic).

This recipe is a hybrid of a couple of recipes in Better Basics for the Home.

Basic Lotion

2 1/2 ounces almond oil
1 1/2 ounces coconut oil *
1/3 beeswax, grated (if you want really thick lotion, add a little more)
2 ounces aloe vera
2 ounces water
1 Tbsp glycerin
1/3 tsp grapefruit seed extract (GSE)
10 to 25 drops essential oil, if desired (I don't personally desire)

*I like to use deodorized coconut oil for lotion, but only because I love the light beeswax smell. Regular coconut oil covers the beeswax smell up. If you like the coconut scent, or if you are planning to add essential oils for fragrance, it probably won't matter either way.

Melt the oils and beeswax. I don't have a double boiler, so I usually just put my glass measuring cup in a pan of water on the stove. Or I use the microwave. If you use the microwave, do it in 20 second intervals and stir in between. It doesn't take very long.

In another bowl, combine the water, aloe, glycerine, GSE, and essential oils, if using. At this point, I like to let the oils cool a bit before combining. I just find the lotion emulsifies better if the oils aren't piping hot. You can't cool it completely though, or it will solidify. Then you just beat them together with an electric mixer until the mixture is nice and creamy. I doesn't take long, but do make sure it is fully emulsified before you stop beating. If you stop prematurely, your lotion will sweat (i.e. the waters and oils don't stay combined in the jar, and the lotion sort of oozes the waters out). I use jars that hold 1/2 cup, and this recipe fills two jars. Then I do the lotion equivalent of licking out the bowl, which is slathering the leftovers all over my legs. Isn't that a lovely visual in your mind. I bet you wish you had a picture of that...

It took me a couple of tries before I was proficient at this. But don't let me scare you, this is nothing like making cheese, or soap. My first batch or two really sweat a lot. Don't worry if that happens, you can still use it and it is just as effective. It just isn't the perfect consistency. No worries.

In case you are wondering, the GSE is a preservative. You can store this at room temperature. This lotion should have a shelf life of at least four months, but like I say, I go through one batch in about a month. If you think you won't use it that quickly, you can store in the refrigerator to prolong the life.

There are a million variations you can make to customize this, but I think this is a great place to start. I've tried a few different oils, and I really prefer the almond oil for lotion.

Make sure you don't judge homemade lotions prematurely. Get used to it for a while, then I dare you to switch back to store bought stuff. You will hate it!

p.s. What does "manually gifted" mean?

I'm sold!

I used my Moon Cup this past cycle and am a convert, complete with desires to share the find with the world. I was really easy to use, and very comfortable. I actually noticed it less than a tampon (I did have to trim the stem a little). And, best of all, it worked great! I also loved that it didn't dry me out or bug my skin.

I highly recommend it. It's especially easy if you've ever used applicator-free tampons before.

Okay, I'm done.

Love of the loving love

It's cool, it's refreshing, it's purple...I give you the Island smothie.

This is another Runner's World recipe from the March 2010 RW. You know, the one with Kara Goucher on the front...she's the one who took 3rd in the Boston Marathon last year, but only lost by mere 20 seconds to that Kenyan woman...of course you do. She may be a little something of a hero of mine. Just saying.

You will need...

1 cup low-fat peach kefir (not pictured. I used yogurt. Both ingredients work well)

1/4 cup low-fat milk (or soy)

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple

2 TBS dried coconut

about 1/4-1/2 cup instand oatmeal

3/4 cup frozed raspbarries (I used mixed berries because I had them)

Really you just toss all this together, and I realize I don't need to take pictures of this process because we all no how to combine and blend, but I like to take pictures so you're stuck with me.

Channelling some Pioneer Woman here...

Doesn't that look just lovely? Did you ever think to put oatmeal in your smoothie? I hadn't. You won't even know it's there. And neither will your kids.

OK, here is everything all together (pay no attention to the water spots on my blender.)

But then I thought of one last thing in my fridge that I thought would be nice. Ground Flax. Flax is perfect for smoothies because it generally needs to be ground up to release the omega3 and other nutritional benefits, and your blender does that quite well, so throw some in. This is already ground, but it can't hurt to grind that baby up some more.

Blend away. And if you want to channel your inner Kara Goucher while doing so, well, that's just find by me.

YUMMY! I've made a lot of smooties in my life, but this is by far the most delicious and nutritious. I'd never thought of adding oatmeal or canned pineapple, but it is truely delicious. I'm salivating all over myself just thinking about it. Here's what RW says about this little beauty...

Several studies have linked kefir, a yogutlike drink, with reduced reaction to allergens. And a 2008 Australian study reported that long-distance runners who take a strain of the probiotic lactobacillus (often found in Kefir) every day sufer less severe bouts of respiratory illness. Oats can help cut your risk of heart disease and type II diabetes, while raspberries are rich in the antioxidant quercetin. A small recent study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and xercise Metabolism, concluded that daily quercetin suppliments may help increase exercise endurance.

And I'm willing to bet it helps us weekend warriors a tap little extra energy as well. Enjoy!

Next up...A Pasta Pumpking Surprize...and the surprize is that my husband ATE IT!