Category: Recipes

Get some great 30 minute recipes and organic food recipes to feed your family on a budget and in a jiff. Karie shares some of her classics and easy recipes for your family.

Posted on

52 Weeks to Toxin Free DIY Laundry Brightener

DIY laundry brightener, recipe, laundry detergent recipe, laundry with essential oils

When you have kids, laundry becomes a chore of insanity. We complete and hope for different results each time, that the dirty clothes would stop piling up! Alas, only in a fairy tale or when the kids grow up and move out do the never ending piles of children’s clothing end. In the meantime, how do we keep brighter, fresher clothes without all the chemicals, toxins and perfumes. For me, I love fresh laundry and bright colored clothing; what I do not love are dingy clothes that still have hard to remove stains, like whites for instance. Even colored clothing can have hard to remove stains, so here is a great DIY laundry brightener that is cheaper than oxy clean and safer for your colored clothing than bleach. Continue reading “52 Weeks to Toxin Free DIY Laundry Brightener”

Posted on

52 Weeks to Toxin Free Homemade Stainless Steel Cleaner

Homemade stainless steel cleaner, homemade toxin free cleaners,Essential oils for DIY all purpose cleaner

When I remodeled my kitchen some ten plus years ago I did not think about the struggles and troubles of owning stainless steel appliances. Granted I only had my oldest son at the time and I figured we would be a one child family, not even considering the possibility of when we had our twins. Now we have 20 hands and 50 fingers all over my gleaming appliances…well once gleaming. I really do not mind the smudges and fingerprints most days, they are a beautiful reminder of the blessings God has granted me with these awesome people in my life. Other days when my inner dragon lady takes hold and we have company headed over, I curse and rue the day I ever bought stainless steel appliances no matter how gorgeous they may look in my kitchen. Those times I want my appliances to shine like new I sought after the best stainless steel cleaner, of which I came up short, a lot! I have tried every commercial cleaner known to man and even tried vinegar and those stainless steel rat bastards got the better of me. Until I opted for a toxin free option for a stainless steel cleaner and with items right from my pantry. Continue reading “52 Weeks to Toxin Free Homemade Stainless Steel Cleaner”

Posted on

52 Weeks to Toxin Free Homemade Wood Furniture Cleaner

cleansing power of lemon,Homemade wood furniture cleaner, DIY wood furniture cleaner

Funny thing when I was perusing Facebook the other day, I follow a page called Grow Food Not Lawns and one of the memes they posted was that we want natural ingredients in our cleaners but our foods we are okay with artificial or chemical ingredients. The meme said something to the effect of a wood furniture cleaner made with real lemons, but our foods are flavored with artificial lemon. We have become of backwards society in that we look more to convenience and ease than what is really good for us. Yes, the argument is that the items are cheap and inexpensive, but what about the overall cost to our health? Is the immediate savings really worth the long term price? With all the being said here we are for another week in our 52 Weeks to Toxin Free, where I am pleased to share the easiest and most lovely homemade wood furniture cleaner. Continue reading “52 Weeks to Toxin Free Homemade Wood Furniture Cleaner”

Posted on

52 Weeks to Toxin Free Glass Surface Cleaner

many uses of tea, tea cleaning,DIY all purpose spray and cleaner using Young Living essential oils

Growing up I remember my mother using vinegar for everything in our home. Bug bite? Apple cider vinegar. Ants and weeds in the yard? White vinegar. Vinegar seemed to be a staple in our home. Recalling when my mom put my childhood home on the market for us to move, my grandmother (her mother) came over to help power clean the house and paint. The smell seemed very pungent for me as a child, but looking back I realize this was more about the paint and not the chemicals they were using to clean the house. You see, these two ladies went to town scrubbing the entire house in vinegar. Not ammonia. Not bleach. So I am going to break down an awesome toxin free glass surface cleaner for you to use in your home that is cheaper, safer, healthier and smells better than any other glass and surface cleaner in your home. Continue reading “52 Weeks to Toxin Free Glass Surface Cleaner”

Posted on

52 Weeks to Toxin Free DIY All Purpose Cleaner & Spray

Keeping a clean house is literally a full time job, hence why services exist to clean our homes. Cleaning is a dirty job. Yes, such an oxymoron. All the elbow grease and oomph you put into keeping a clean home. From the laundry to the dishes, vacuuming to the dusting, scrubbing and mopping. I do my best in our house to keep each room clean as we go about each day, while this is idealistic with three kids, we give it the old college try. As I mentioned in my DIY Softscrub and Ajax post, my kitchen is the most beloved room in my house. Nirvana, a sense of zen and peace wash over me while in my kitchen, so I go to great lengths to keep it clean. Bathrooms, however, are at the top of my least favorite room in the house, yet the second most important to keep clean. So I needed a DIY all purpose cleaner and spray that could cut through grease and shit…pardon the pun. Continue reading “52 Weeks to Toxin Free DIY All Purpose Cleaner & Spray”

Posted on

National Shortbread Day Walkers Shortbread

national shortbread day January 6, Walkers shortbread, scottish shortbread

Today, for instance, January 6th is National Shortbread Day, celebrate today with Walkers Shortbread. The holidays may be over but we still celebrate the little nuance holidays. While I had no idea today was National Shortbread day until I visited the Walkers Shortbread site, I could not help but share this adequately timed holiday to the receipt of my package of Walkers Shortbread cookies. Stories that a magical castle the bakers at Walkers created in honor of the show Outlander on Starz had graced my email as well, so this is how I stumbled upon this wonderful little nuance holiday. If you are a fan of Outlander (and shortbread) like myself you know how cool this castle was to build. Outlander returns to Starz this Sunday January 10th with new episodes. Continue reading “National Shortbread Day Walkers Shortbread”

Posted on

52 Weeks to Toxin Free DIY Softscrub or Ajax

DIY kitchen cleaner, DIY cleaner with borax, DIY cleaner essential oils, DIY soft scrub essential oils, non-toxic household cleaner

My kitchen is the most coveted room in the house next to my bedroom. Cleaning with a toxin free cleaner was challenging, so I wanted to share my DIY Softscrub AJjax type cleaner recipe. Have you ever watched chefs and the staff clean a five star restaurant? Yes that is what happens in my kitchen; every surface is scrubbed down, every corner covered by scrubbing and cleaning and the use of hot water and a proper disinfecting cleanser. Literally you could eat off the counters and floors since I am so meticulous about crumbs, dirt, and grime in my kitchen. However I struggled with the use of commercial and toxic cleansers like bleach, softscrub, 409, you name it I used these products in my kitchen and even my bathrooms. The fumes soon became overwhelming after introducing essential oils into my home. So I thought about how my grandmothers would clean their kitchen, their homes. As part of our 52 weeks to toxin free, here is week one and how I began researching a DIY Softscrub or Ajax type of cleanser that was heavy duty but without the toxicity. Continue reading “52 Weeks to Toxin Free DIY Softscrub or Ajax”

Posted on

Cheeseball Recipe

midwest cheeseball, cheeseball, hors d’oeuvres

Holidays and entertaining are always a stressful time. Keeping visitors and guests at bay for the chef, or cook, of the house is the goal until the meal is ready to be served. Feeding them plenty of hors d’oeuvres and snacks helps divert traffic from your kitchen and allows for wonderful entertaining and mingling. One of my cheesiest and favorite snack items for Thanksgiving and Christmas is a proper cheeseball. Continue reading “Cheeseball Recipe”

Posted on

Easy Applesauce Ornaments

DIY christmas ornaments, cinnamon applesauce ornaments, christmas ornaments

Holidays are always a fun time of year for decorating, crafting and baking. So many ideas for homemade and DIY gifts, crafts, baked goods and more. About six years ago when I had more time than patience, I spent an entire holiday season baking, crafting and flexing my creative prowess to her max. One of my all time favorite and easiest holiday crafts to make were applesauce ornaments. My kids absolutely loved them; to this day they still love them because of the fun involved in making them and the smell. This is my recipe for an easy Christmas ornaments project  you can enjoy with your kids each year and for years to come, plus these make wonderful additions to gift wrapping. Continue reading “Easy Applesauce Ornaments”

Posted on

Cooking with Oil & Vinegar

oil & vinegar, chandler fashion square, arizona oil & vinegar, spices

Food is my passion. Cooking and food fall in line somewhere behind my love of God, my kids, my husband…you know it is somewhere behind them. So I am always trying new spices, new flavors, new ways to cook and share my love of all things food and culinary with my family. I am also never afraid to experiment with flavors and foods, my family gives tons of grace in that respect. In addition to all of these things, I love to find products that are unique, responsibly sourced and fun. Continue reading “Cooking with Oil & Vinegar”