DIY Homemade Body Butter

Back in January I ran out of my body butter, and being in mid winter season- that was a bad thing to have happen. For me, winter dry skin is a definite challenge. Being compared to an alligator is not my idea of sexy- LOL. I need serious help, and I found an answer that's easy and natural. Love it.

DIY Homemade Body Butter
4 oz. Coconut oil
2 oz. Sweet Almond oil
2 oz. Grape seed oil
8 oz. Shea butter
10-20 drops essential oil

In a double boiler, melt shea butter, coconut oil and almond oil  and grape seed oil together. Shea butter takes the longest to melt, stir to help it along. Remove from heat and pour into a medium sized mixing bowl. place in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours until it chills and hardens. Once it's hard white, whip on med. speed in a mixer for at least 5-7 minutes. At first this is tough, because the mixture is cold, but it breaks up quick and begins to whip. The trick is to mix for a minimum of 5 minutes, any shorter time length and the mixture will not emulsify and combine properly (causing it to separate later). After about 5 minutes you will start to see peaks form and it takes on a whipped cream kind of look. Add essential oils and whip some more until incorporated. (For first batch I added lavender essential oil. But if you love the smell of shea butter you can just leave it be- for a tropical coconut shea smell that's already there.)
 You're done!
 Place into a jar you can lid, and set on shelf. It will harden more in the jar.I recycled my old jar of coconut oil for it- worked perfect!
To use, the golden rule is to realize a little bit goes a long way! Use Too much and it can be interpreted as a greasy mess. Start with just a dime sized portion and spread as far as you can before grabbing more. I have found it is wonderful to keep legs smooth!  This body butter soaks in to the skin in just a matter of a minute and is wonderful! It leaves a light scent, and the alligator dry is gone. I use it right after the shower and since I have started I do not have to re apply lotion later in the day.
This is all natural, and will last on the shelf (if kept in a cool room) for a few months. If you are uncertain about the amount- mix a half batch and give it a try. Contains none of the chemicals of store bought brands, moisturizes and hydrates your skin naturally.

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Real Food! Questions I had, and the answers I found.

Real Food!   Real Food!    Eat REAL FOOD!


Questions I asked when I first heard about Real Food; and the answers I have learned:


Well, isn't all food real? 

In a simple sense, No!. Not in today's world of fast, prepackaged, convenience food. Many – if not all- of the fast foods you can buy that are ready to heat and eat, or microwavable, or boxed are processed for long term shelf life are NOT wholesome real food. In order to sell conveniently packaged food, factories over-process, and  many of the nutrients and flavor is lost in the process! This causes manufacturers to replace what should have been naturally been there with artificial, chemical, or synthetic alternates for flavor, texture, and appearance.  To then top these all off with preservatives, added sweeteners, and more chemicals: ie. Fake food.

How can you tell if all that has been put in? 

Read the label. Use a Simple rule of thumb is: if you cannot recognize the ingredient, your body cannot either. If you cannot pronounce the ingredient, your body cannot process it. Simple ingredients do not require help to understand. 

Then what's Real Food?

Real Food is bought Fresh. Raw. Whole. Uncooked. Local.
Real Food actually nourishes your body; fuels the body and maintains the body.  
Real food comes from nature: it’s grown or raised from some plant or animal that was alive.  All vegies, all fruits, all nuts & seeds, beans, whole grains, eggs, meat (not factory processed- but whole cuts from pastured animals like pastured chickens or range beef or wild fish.) Organic is best, the more natural you can purchase it the better. Milk and dairy are fine (as long as they have not been factory over processed like Velveeta.) The list goes on and on. No boxes. Less convenience foods. More REAL food.

Why bother? 

This is your decision; a choice. A change in awareness, a motivation to care, and a step in the right direction. For many it comes down to A simple choice of eating more healthy now; or paying for costly health care later -because you chose convenient quick over nutritious. Every real food choice is a small step in the right direction. It can be done in small baby steps, doesn’t have to be all at once. 

I am never able to finish a diet, why should I try this?

It’s a choice… It’s not a diet!  It is not a fad! It's not a program to break, or a resolution to forget. It's just learning to make better choices. In small steps.

Choosing Real Food is truly is not hard, or overly difficult. It is a choice to make when at the store- a healthier option.  It’s simply a way – a lifestyle - to become aware of more healthy options for yourself and your family. 

The more aware you are of fake foods, and the amount of chemicals put into convenience foods, the more you will WANT to make better choices for yourself. 

Make better choices. Choose real. Real Food!

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Six Weeks to Real Food

Going Nuts! for Coconut Oil!

Coconut Oil for cooking

oh wow- do I love coconut oil!!! Such an awesome wonderful surprise! I cannot sing it's praises enough!

 As a child and teen learning how to cook in the 80's, the new surge of bad, fake and over processed oils was dominating the market. Suddenly media went nuts over highly refined vegetable and Canola oils and margarine -all the products that made the big name businesses lots of money and never were really good for us anyway. 
I wish I had known then...what I know now! How many times have you said that?

I am still learning the benefits of coconut oil. It's crazy good for so many things, it's astounding! 
For cooking alone, it enhances flavor of foods! It doesn't chemically breakdown in the heat of the skillet as fast as other oils (heat stable), it doesn't hurt your body with bad fats, and it's super healthy.  Organic, unrefined cold-pressed coconut oil is higher in antioxidants than any other oil. It is known to boost metabolism, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss. It is known and proven to boost the body's immune system!

Coconut oil benefits include the fact that it's anti-bacterial, anti fungal, anti-microbial (which means it helps to fight infections)! It's anti inflammatory! It improves thyroid function! It helps with absorption of vitamins so your body takes in more of what it needs, particularly calcium and magnesium-- that means it's awesome for bone support! And new studies indicate it can help Alzheimer's stop symptoms! ( I loved learning this!!) 

There is so much more! You can cook with it just like you did all the other vegetable oils, and get all the added benefits you never got with them! And it tastes soooo awesome! You really do not get a heavy taste of coconut, at first there is a hint- but as it cooks with the food it seems to just enhance flavor of what you are cooking, not dominate it. You can fry, add to baked items, any recipe that calls for vegetable oil- you can use coconut oil!

I personally use either Coconut oil or Extra Virgin olive oil now for all my cooking. Olive oil for light cooking, coconut oil for rich flavors or to add flavor to more bland foods.  I will not buy anymore over processed vegetable oil, or canola oil ever again. It's a choice I feel very good about- a healthier choice for my family. The benefits are listed in the hundreds! At this time, I cannot begin to list them all, and I have not even touched on what it can do for your skin and beauty routine!  Do not be afraid to research the benefits! It is well worth it!

You can find Coconut oil sometimes at the grocery store in the organic section, at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Health Food stores. You can purchase it online at  Amazon, and Tropical Traditions




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Bar Soap in the Bathroom

Bar Soap in the Bathroom

Going green isn't always easy.
In changing our household to a greener and less toxic environment, I'm using small baby steps. It has been a wonderful challenge for me.

I know the reasons I want to make a change- I've been doing the initial research and I have read the amount of chemicals used in commercial body products. So for me alone, the change is simple. To change the whole family can be a different issue.

Some steps have been met with resistance from my family members who adore certain favorite products. In particular, convincing my hubby to try new items is not always easy. He has used certain items, like say Lever bar soap, for so long he was convinced that's the only one he'd like. Coming home from work, that's what he wanted waiting in the shower. Period. Done.

Until one day, I just missed the fact he was out. Actually, I didn't do it on purpose. I'd already made a switch to Castile soaps for myself, but I missed restocking his. He had to try mine.

Now, changing bar soaps is NOT one of the problems. Yay! Kirk's Original Castile Soap won him over. It rinsed off easily, he felt squeaky clean, and it worked on it's own accord to convince him. I did nothing, except forget an item on the list. Yay!!

One fantastic change to improve everyone’s health and move to greener household is as simple as switching from Name brand bar soaps to Castile soaps. There are a huge variety of fabulous smelling natural soap bars out there that do the same work on your skin as the Name Brands, without exposing your skin to synthetic toxic chemicals and unnecessary animal fats. A few examples are: Kirks Castile Soaps, or Dr. Bronner's, or Dr. Wood's Castile Soaps. Plus there are many others not containing the extra chemicals, dyes, and fake fragrances.

Castile soaps obey the golden rule for your skin: If you do not recognize an ingredient, your body cannot recognize it either. They are made of 100% vegetable oils, and are vegan approved. You can even find Baby soaps in fragrance free varieties, perfect for the little ones in your life! Mild, gentle, and no toxins!

Castile soaps… Try this simple switch. Your skin will thank you; your body will thank you; and your family will be happier and healthier!





Our favorites are Kirk's Original Castile, and Dr. Bronner's Citrus Bar!

Static! Eliminate Dryer Sheets!

Static! UGH!!!!

  Do you hate static from the dryer? I certainly do! I seem to always live in areas prone to static! UGH! Haha! :)
I have an aversion to dryer sheets. The smell alone from the chemical scents of commercial dryer sheets drives my allergies batty! The chemicals alone are what I am trying to avoid anyway, as I learn more about green cleaning. There are a few easy easy remedies that do not cost much at all! (Yay! Green and Frugal! Double bonus!)

1.  First, and foremost, to address the static alone- use aluminum foil. I take a square of my kitchen foil, loosely ball it in my hand and throw it in to the dryer with my wet clothes. When the load is finished, (I have never had anything from it come off on the clothes) and it removes the static build up. The balls are always in a tightly compacted ball when they come out- but it works! No noxious smell, no chemical residue, no STATIC!!!!!!! Win win! Easy, simple, frugal, and green. Yay!

 2. The second remedy is Vinegar. To add 1/2 cup white vinegar to your rinse cycle. It acts like a fabric softener. The best part is: it does it naturally, and the smell of vinegar evaporates off. Wonderful!  Your clothes come out softer, and you have done it naturally! Safer for environment - no toxic waste water, and better for your family and budget! Yay!