Real Crunchy Step: Bug Spray

All the chemicals in bug spray really freak me out.  DEET at best causes eye and skin irritations.  At worst some studies have linked DEET to neurological issues and even death.  I've tried various ways to not use any bug spray on my children, including making them eat a pickle everyday for the vinegar, but nothing has been successful.  I've purchased really good all natural sprays but they are expensive.  So finally I have made my own.  Unfortunately I haven't tested it out a ton.  We put it on for a little bit this afternoon and had descent results but I'll need to send everyone out in the evening and see what happens.  I will update when I do.

Ingredients:
1 8oz spray bottle $1
4oz of boiled or distilled water $0
4oz witch hazel $1.75
10 drops tea tree oil $.10
15 drops lavendar oil $.25
15 drops peppermint oil $.25
10 drops cedarwood oil $.10
(You could also use Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary,Cajeput, Eucalyptus, or Catnip according to Wellness Mama)


Mix it up.  Spray it on.  Obviously very easy and the total cost was $3.45 ($2.45 if you already have a spray bottle.)  An 8oz bottle of regular (DEET filled) bug spray cost $4-$5 depending on brand.  An all natural bug spray could run you $6 or more for 8oz so the cost is definitely less to make your own

A bonus to this bug spray is that it smells wonderful!  If it doesn't work well I'll have to mess with the oils and maybe make it not as nice smelling but I'm hopeful that this combo will work!

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Real Crunchy Step: Deodorant

A certain little girl, lets call her Wistin, informed me a little bit ago that, "When I get hot my armpits sweat and it smells funny."  Ahh, growing into womanhood is such a beautiful thing isn't it?  I'm sooo glad we've entered this phase (or not!).  After I freaked out a little that she was too young for deodorant a voice of reason said, "You're better off starting her in the habit now before it becomes absolutely necessary."  Good point!  I mean no one wants to be the stinky kid.  I can just picture 11 year old Christin Wistin:  homeschooler, making her own hair accessories out of duck tape, still into barbies, and smelling funky.  She'll be so popular!  I can handle the "creativity" and "naivety,"  in fact I actually like that, but the smellyness, that's gotta be nipped in the bud.  

The dilemma I faced, however, is that, like most things, deodorant may be really bad for you and antiperspirant especially so.  It's almost like we were created to sweat and preventing it from happening could be bad for us!  The jury is still out on whether usibg deodorant/antiperspirant can cause cancer, Alzheimer, hormone problems, and a slew of other issues but frankly I'm not willing to take that chance with my little girl.  So off to the world wide web I went to find another solution. I found many solutions but some you had to put on with your hand like a lotion and I wasn't into that.  Of course I finally checked ww.keeperofthehome.org and found what I was looking for:  An easy to make, all natural, stick deodorant that smells pretty.  So without further ado here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup arrowroot powder (this is a fine white powder/flour often used as a thickening agent.  The natural food store near me sells it for $3.50/lb) $.11
• 1/8 cup baking soda (helps absorb moisture) $.13
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil (has anti-fungal properties and no one wants fungal armpits!) $.70
• 1 heaped Tbsp. beeswax  (I had to buy a gigantic bag of this.  Next time (like in my next life after I use up all this beeswax) I'll order pellets online.) $1
• 8 drops tea tree essential oil (both tea tree and lavender kill yucky things) $.10
• 8 drops lavender essential oil (I like the way this smells so I added a few more drops) $.15
• 2 drops castor oil (makes the deodorant slide in the tube.) $.05

Melt all the ingredients together in a small saucepan on low, stirring often.  

Once it is all melted (it just takes a few minutes) pour the mixture into an old cleaned out deodorant tube and set on counter to cool.  

After a few hours it will be hardened and you can use it!  Super easy and smells nice!  You will still sweat with this but remember you're supposed to sweat!  This will keep you from being stinky and will absorb a little sweat. I used it on myself just around the house and it seemed to work well.  I plan on switching over after I use up all my conventional deodorant.

Cost wise this deodorant cost about $2.25 a stick (that's assuming you have a container) so it doesn't save you a ton of money, especially if you typically buy whatever deodorant is on sale but it is WAY better for you and took just about 10 minutes to make!  

As a side note:  If you are interested in trying any of the Real Crunchy items by me but don't want to buy say a pound of beeswax just send me a message and we'll work something out for a low cost:)

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Real Crunchy Step: Blueberry Butter

Please note Jodi's "totes adorbs" overalls:)  She's really embracing the Garden State
PS.  I  just had to ask a group of teenagers, "how do you spell totes as in totally?"
I'm pretty sure they think I'm a gigantic dork.

It's blueberry season in South Jersey!  South Jersey is known for it's blueberries but I'd never picked them before.  Let me tell you people, blueberries are so easy to pick.  The bushes are right at picking height and the berries were plentiful.  Only one issue exists:  they are so yummy that certain people couldn't keep their fingers out of the buckets.  Warning TMI coming:  I actually changed a diaper that was entirely blueberries and bright purple. 

I had originally decided to make more jam but then I decided I wanted to do something different so I went with blueberry butter.  Now to be entirely truthful I have never, ever purchased any fruit butter so I can't really argue that this one saved me any money and I didn't do a price breakdown (I know I'm just slacking all over the place here.) but hey, it was yummy and that's all that really matters.  Oh and easy and you know how I feel about easy.  Bring it on!

So the first thing after picking the berries was to find a recipe.  I googled "blueberry butter" and came up with this recipe .(Warning:  She will make you want a Vitamix blender and they are wicked expensive.  Dear Vitamix, please send me a blender to review)  Ironically the author also picked her blueberries at Moods Farm Market in South Jersey and as everyone knows where two or more bloggers agree it is so.

So here is the very simple recipe:

Puree 4 heaping cups of blueberries and transfer to crockpot on low. 

Cook in crockpot with lid on low

After about 45 minutes, or so, (it's very precise) stir up and prop the lid (I layed my wooden spoon across the top.

After a few hours (3 or 4) add 1 Cup honey and the juice and zest of half a lemon plus a little cinnamon and nutmeg (I added too much)

Too much cinnamin and nutmeg:(

Cook another hour or so (again the timing is super important)

I wasn't thrilled with the consistency of mine so I threw mine back in the blender for a few minutes

and got the consistency I wanted. 

Original consistency

 Delicious and easy!!!!

This recipe made two jars.

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Real Crunchy Step: Homemade Yogurt

Did you know you could make yogurt?!  I did not.  In fact not only can you make yogurt but it's pretty simple too!  The yogurt and crock pot pretty much do most of the work. Who knew?!?!?  All you need is milk and a little bit of already made yogurt, either your own or store bought.  I used Stoneyfield Organic plain yogurt because that's generally what I buy.  I think by this point we all know that yogurt has live bacteria in it and that the bacteria is good for us. (We know this because it's on TV and if you see it on TV it must be true!!!)  Very simply put when you mix a little bit of yogurt with live cultures in with milk and provide a great environment (warmth followed by a slow cooling) you get more yogurt.

I followed the instructions I found here at Keeper of the Home (in case you haven't noticed this is my current go to blog for healthy recipes and information.)  My yogurt was little runnier than I would have liked but for my first time I was pretty happy with it.

Ingredients:
2 TBS plain yogurt.
4 Cups milk (I used organic whole milk)

Step 1:  Heat up your crockpot on low
Step 2:  Measure out yogurt

Step 3:  Heat milk in saucepan to bubbling and foamy or 185 degrees (I just did bubbling and foamy because it was easier)

     *while the milk is heating move on to step four
Step 4:  Fill the sink full of cold water.  Once the milk is foamy put a lid on the pot and place the whole pot in the water (the water should come up about halfway and not get in the pot.) to cool.  The milk should be very warm to the touch (stick in a clean finger) but not so hot you pull your finger out and not cool.  The recipe I used said this takes about 10 minutes.  Apparently I have very cold water because after 5 I think mine was a little too cool (maybe this contributed to the runnyness)  Again, if you need to do this "right" then you're going to want it to get to between 90 and 110 degrees.

Step 5:  mix one cup of milk with the yogurt starter.  Pour the rest of the milk into the crock pot.  Mix the cup of yogurt and milk and then pour that in as well.

Here's where it gets a little weird.
Step 6:  Wrap your crockpot up in a thick beach towel (I guess it doesn't have to be a beach towel but a bath towel just seems weird.  Maybe a pool towel)  I used two thinner ones.  Unplug the crock pot.
Step 7:  Let it sit and don't mess with it for 6-10 hours.  I did 7 and 1/2.  Next time I will do longer and see how that affects the consistency.

Step 8:  Move the crock into the fridge.  Do not shake, stir, or otherwise disturb your yogurt.  I've read varying reports on how long to leave it from, "until it's cool" to "24 hours"  I left it for 12.

Step 9:  Pour or scoop yogurt into clean glass containers

All in all it was pretty easy.  The kids tried some with blueberries and honey and didn't love it but they aren't huge on eating yogurt straight up anyway.  George and I tried some with blueberry butter (more on that next Friday)  mixed in and that was pretty yummy.  It will definetely be great for smoothies.  I'll be adding this to my list of things to always make from scratch.

He likes it!

Cost wise:
2 Tbs Yogurt Starter $.13 (yogurt can be frozen so I bought a 32oz container of Stoneyfield Organic for $3.99 and used 1 oz.)
4 Cups Whole milk $2 ($3.99 for 1/2 gallon I used 1/4 of a gallon)
Total:  $2.13 for 4 cups of yogurt so just over 1/2 the cost of buying the yogurt in the store!  That's a pretty good savings.  Especially if you eat yogurt a lot or use it for smoothies or other cooking!







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Crunchy Step: Homemade facewash

Post by Storiesfromtheshoe administrator Shannon DeVol:

One of my very first non-food crunchy steps has been to make my own face "wash."  This isn't a sudsy soap kind of wash but an oil cleanse for your skin.  I started using this a couple of months ago and I can't imagine going back for a few reasons:  I love the way it makes my skin feel!  It saves me a TON of money.  It lasts forever.  It's so so simple (and you know I'm all about simple, and by simple I mean, whatever will allow me to be the most lazy:)

Recipe:
1 containter (I used an empty, cleaned out shower gel container)
3/4 container extra virgin olive oil
1/4 container castor oil
a few drops of tea tree oil (this helps with acne but you could substitute in other essential oils like lavender if you use it at night or maybe orange to help wake you up in the morning)

Directions:
Spread a few drops on your face
Run a warm wash cloth under very warm water and cover your face for about a minute.  Consider this your daily 1 minute spa treatment:)  Wipe off excess oil with washcloth and your done!  No lotion needed.  Yup, you read that right!  This cuts out your face-wash and your lotion.  The money this saves is so ridiculous it's amazing.

To make this even more simple I just spread the oil on before I get in the shower and let the shower steam work it's magic!  I use it in the evening and it's amazing at removing makeup too!  Yet another thing you don't have to buy!

Warning:  If you've been using regular face wash and lotion it may take a week or two for your face to adjust to balancing it's own oils again.  After a couple of weeks if you feel your face is too dry add more EVOO.  Too oily? try more castor oil.

For more of the science behind oil cleansing and for some more elaborate recipes look here


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Crunchy Step: Freezer Jam

Strawberry season is wrapping up here in South Jersey.  This year I decided I was going to take advantage of the abundance of fresh jersey strawberries.  I looked up some jam recipes and found out I could make jam in my blender and just stick it in the freezer!  No cooking!  No "real" canning!  Just easy peasy blend and freeze.  It really appealed to my desire to be supermom and yet maintain a certain level of laziness!  Not to mention a money saver!  The only downside was that I had to call the Health store and ask if they had "Pamona's Pectin" a special, better for freezing, no sugar necessary pectin.  I hate making calls and asking questions.  I'm also scared of the health food store.  Why?  I have no idea it just intimidates me.  I imagine as I wonder aimlessly around looking at tiny bottles of essential oils and bins of grains I've never heard of that the clerks are standing behind the counter in their homemade clothes in perfect health and snickering, waiting for me to ask a really stupid question.  I am clearly a wanna-be, and possibly a nutcase.  Happily the lady on the phone put the pectin behind the counter and George picked it up.  I found a great recipe at Passionate Homemaking and got to work!

Here's the method:

Real Crunchy Step: Freshener

It seems my house always smells like something:  dog, dirty diapers, food, salmon that fell behind some blankets by the freezer and couldn't be found for weeks (what?  Doesn't that happen to everyone?).  The whole smelly house thing really bugs me.  I've used my share of chemical products to dissipate the smells in the air and on the couch, curtains, carpets, and canine beds (I love when alliteration just happens like that!).  Those products though are so chemically laden that I had to stop using them.  I could not justify spraying chemicals in the air for the purpose of my family breathing them in.  YUCK!!  Living in a smelly house, however, is also a little yuck.  So when I found this home recipe for a freshener on Keeper of the Home  I decided to give it a try.

Real Crunchy Step: Homemade Lunchmeat

A drink, lunchmeat sandwich, a piece of fruit, two snacks: one that is junk food (such as a tastycake) and the other what I would consider a “medium” snack which is neither healthy nor completely unhealthy (such as a granola bar).  This is the lunch that my Husband, Danny, has packed for himself since he was a boy in school.  My Daughters and I are not big on lunchmeat sandwiches, only eating one on occasion. For the past 10 years since Danny and I have been married, I’ve bought at least a half a pound of ham, turkey, or roast beef lunchmeat almost every week.  This may not come as a surprise to you, but lunchmeat is expensive!  It’s also full of sodium and nitrates, and is not good for you.  For the past few months, every time I went up to the deli counter I would say to myself, “this is the last time you’re buying lunchmeat, next week you will make it yourself.”  This week was that week!

Following directions I found here: 

I coated my eye roast in olive oil, then covered it in black pepper, salt, and garlic powder (if I had onion powder, I would have thrown that on, too).

I lined a pan with foil, and put a wire rack on it. 

I roasted my roast at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, then at 300 for 40 minutes more. 

The directions said to loosely cover your roast for 20 minutes, then slice, however it was still too hot to slice, so I put it in the fridge. When it was cooled, I sliced it (with a very sharp, non-serrated knife) as thin as I could get it.  (Unfortunately, I didn’t get it as thin as I wanted it to be.)

 I then wrapped it tightly in wax paper, and put it in a baggie. If I were to freeze a portion of this (as I normally would), I would have wrapped the wax paper in a paper towel, and then put it in a freezer bag.

Cost comparison: Acme and Shop Rite both had Eye Roast Deli Meat on sale for $7.99lb.  Acme had whole eye roasts on sale for $2.99lb.  My 2.44lbs eye roast cost $7.30.  If I bought 2.44 lbs of the eye roast deli meat, I would have spent $19.50.  I already had the oil and spices on hand, so I didn’t spend anything on them. 

Was this a success?  Almost!  I think I could have sliced it thinner if I waited until it was completely cold.  I also got a tip that if I froze it a little, it would be easier to slice it thinly.  I was happy with the tasty, healthier lunchmeat that was a lot less expensive. Next time, I will try out the deli slicer that my Mother-in-Law owns!

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Denise is the wife of Danny and mommy to three little girls.  She blogs at Better Than My Best about life and homemaking.

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Crunchy Step 1: Loco Taco Seasoning

Who doesn't love tacos?  My family could eat them every night.  We once had a taco song and dance.  No I'm not kidding.  Everytime I made tacos preschool Christin and I would dance around the kitchen singing:  (to the tune of La Cucracha)  "I love the taaaacos!  I love the taaaaaacos!  I love the taco, taco,taco, taaaaaaaaaaacoos!!!"  And spin around in circles dancing and stomping our feet.  Really tacos are a full cultural experience in our home.  Everytime I bought tacos or a taco kit I spent between $.69 and $1 on seasoning.
Cause you know I love me some MSG.  Seriously, the ingredients on the back of a popular taco mix are: Maltodextrin, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, spice, monosodium glutamate, corn starch, yellow corn flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide (anticaking agent), natural flavor, ethoxyquin (preservative)

Real Crunchy Steps

Homemaking.  Are there any other professions that remain the same from generation to generation and yet there is always something new to learn?!?!  It's crazy (and overwhelming!)   Women have been doing this for thousands of years and yet none of us seem to feel like we have it all down!  There's always something new to learn.  Some trick we've been missing.  In my quest to be Supermom and gain that ever elusive Mom of the Year award I've asked myself over and over, "What can I do better."  Then I tell myself, "EVERYTHING" and just go grab a bag of chocolate covered raisins and a book and curl into a little ball of overwhelmedness.  (I'll post about coping skills later though)  Over the past few years I've been trying to be healthier and more frugal (combining the two is the biggest challenge) in what we eat and what we use around the house for cleaning, hygene, etc.  This summer my big goal was to take advantage of summers bounty by trying my hand at canning, freezing, and whatever other methods there are of preserving food  (I currently have glass jars in my fridge of veggie stock.  It's not pretty people.  Both George and I in our immense maturity have giggled about having jars of pee in the fridge.  We're mature adults though).  Then this morning I received a text from a fellow wanna be crunchy mom and awesome friend Denise suggesting we join forces each testing a different crunchy (healthy and natural) remedy for eating, cleaning, etc. and share our bounty.  Thus was born this summer's blogging series: Real Crunchy Steps!

Join Denise and I this summer as we take small steps aka Crunchy Steps toward healthier living .  We'll post our recipes, projects, and outcomes each week.    Look for the first post this Friday!!!  Loco Taco Seasoning (you'll never, ever guess what it's about!)


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