Hooked on No 'poo

Back in college (2001) I volunteered at a natural foods store and read a sign in the back of the store stating sodium laureth sulfate in shampoo is bad for us.  Click here to read about SLES  It is a really random memory but that is when my thought of finding a shampoo alternative began.  Sooo..........9 years later I made my first batch of no'poo.
I became inspired to make my own no'poo because a few of my friends have made theirs with good results.
Click here for the full scoop: http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=935

RECIPE for SHAMPOO:
1 part baking soda to 3 parts water
Apply on dry scalp (not hair) for 3-4 minutes and rinse.  If you apply baking soda to hair it may dry it out.

I made it into a paste and put it on the roots of my dry hair.  I then added extra water to the left over amount and poured it on my hair.  I have really long hair so I first washed the roots and then the long part.  Applying the mixture is not fun for me.  I do not like the texture on my scalp.  But when I rinse it off my hair instantly feels so fresh and soft.  I absolutely LOVE the end results!!  My friend boils her mixture so the baking soda dissolves.  I have not found that technique helpful but want to try and try again.......

RECIPE for CONDITIONER:
1 part apple cider vinegar to 4 parts water
1/2 t vanilla
1 cinnamon stick
Apply to hair (not scalp) for 30 seconds then rinse.  If you apply vinegar to scalp it may cause it to get greasy.

The biggest question I get: "Does your hair smell like vinegar afterwards?"  The answer, "No."  I am sensitive to vinegar so I won't be using the conditioner anymore.  But I do like what it does to my hair.  I also applied regular conditioner to my hair because I have so many tangles.

Here is another link with recipes for more no 'poo.
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/beauty/hair/shampoo/rs_herbalshampoo.html

What I'm hoping to try in the future:
*Conditioner options: lemon juice, olive oil, avocado oil
*Turn shower water COLD before getting out to reduce tangles
*Use less baking soda or vinegar and more water per solution mixture.
( ex: 1 part baking soda to 8 parts water)

I love my no 'poo and will never go back to regular shampoo.  It is SOOO much cheaper and safer to make your own.  HAVE FUN! Let me know how it turns out.

2 Recipes for Pumpkin/Squash

I bought a big pumpkin squash type thing at the El Presidio Farmers Market.  A local high school grew it and I bought it for $7.  We have got about 50 cups of goodness from it plus the seeds.  AMAZING!  That is a huge savings of money and it tastes soooo good.  I'll stop talking about all of its goodness since you aren't here for me to share it with.

RECIPE ONE:

We have made umpteen pumpkin pie ice cream smoothies with it.  Here's how that goes:

In Vitamix, put 2 cups frozen pureed pumpkin. Sprinkle in nutmeg, cinnamon, and pecan meal.  Add milk or your dairy alternative.  We use soy or almond milk.  Depending upon how much dairy you add will determine if it is the consistency of ice cream or a smoothie.  Blend on high and drink up!!!

No guilt here because we don't add sugar.  Learning to appreciate the real flavor of food instead of dumping sugar or salt on foods is a great way to be healthy.  And by calling it Ice Cream I trick my brain into thinking I am eating dessert.  Works every time.  We love letting the 3 year old eat "ice cream" for breakfast.

RECIPE TWO:

For dinner I made a pumpkin sausage dish.

* 2-3 cups pureed pumpkin or squash

*onion chopped

* eggplant in cubes

*jalapenos 

*1 cup chicken broth

*1 cup sausage

I sauteed the onions and sausage until onions were soft.  Then I added everything else until it was soft and hot.  You can serve it over rice, quinoa or your favorite grain.  I did not serve it over anything because I follow the Food Combining Principle from the bodyecologydietcom.  Food Combining Principle states:  Thou shalt not combine protein with a carbohydrate/starch because your body will have difficulty digesting it. 

Ok, I worded the principle but you get the idea.  Our body uses different enzymes to digest watermelon and steak.  Also, the amount of time our body takes to digest these foods is different.  If you combine protein and carbs your body will not digest them fully which means you will miss out on all the nutrition.  Read a better description about it here.

http://www.bodyecology.com/archive/principle-food-combining-meat-without-bread.php

Time for me to go make another pumpkin smoothie.........

Black Bean Soup

Tonight I made black bean soup.  It was a hit, although a bit too spicy for me.  My mouth was on fire as I was stuffing crackers in it to calm down the pain.  I love all the colors this dish brings to the meal: red, black, white, green....  So beautiful!!

Here is what I did:
1 lb black beans
1 onion
a bunch of garlic
3 cups cooked quinoa (is that 1.5 cups raw quinoa? not sure)
2 jalapeno peppers
3 cans organic diced tomatoes
1 container vegetable broth


Soak beans for 6-8 hours. (I know, I struggle with planning ahead for this step also.)  Boil on high for 2 hours.  Cook quinoa.  (I had some leftover from the night before.) In pot, put tomatoes, garlic (Mince if you like. I never do. I just toss them in whole), 2 jalapenos (Again, I toss them in whole and cut them up once they are cooked. It's my lazy way of doing things.), an onion (Ok, I cut the onion in tiny pieces first.), veggie broth, and water.  Boil.

I added the cooked quinoa once the onions were soft.  Put the beans in the pot once they are soft.
Enjoy!  I added crackers cuz it was so damn spicy.  I am not a fan of spicy.  But for winter, it was nice to clean out the sinuses.

Variations:
I don't worry about accurate measuring or ingredients when I cook.  Keeps the fun in it.
~Instead of quinoa, use rice, barley, or whatever grain you have on hand.
~Most people prefer less garlic, I like lots of garlic.
~Substitute chicken broth if you don't have veggie broth.  Or just throw in some bouillon cubes.
~Use green peppers if jalapenos are not your thing.


Beans and quinoa are really cheap forms of protein.  I am always trying to incorporate as much protein into my diet.

Hope you have fun with this one!  Let me know how you like it and any variations you try!!

Carrot Almond Porridge

My husband has begun a 30 day cleanse by going RAW.  The RAW movement is huge and he has been reading about it for months.  So he is giving it a try.  One of the best parts of it is the family benefits greatly.  We are eating in new healthy ways I had never thought of before.  Experimentation in our kitchen is in high gear with great results.  Have fun experimenting in your kitchen!

Carrot Almond Porridge
First make Carrot Apple Ginger Juice:
*6 carrots
*2 medium green apples
*1 inch ginger root, unpeeled
*6 cups of water

Put all the ingredients in the VitaMix and blend until smooth.  Strain the pulp out using a strainer or cheese cloth.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons agave nectar to the pulp.

Next, make almond milk:
*2 cups almonds, soaked in water for 10 hours.
*6 dates
*6 cups water
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract

After soaking the almonds, rinse and drain them.  Add all ingredients in the VitaMix and blend until smooth.  Strain the pulp out.

Finally mix the pulp from both recipes together until well blended.  Add some almond milk back into it until the texture satisfies you.  I also added some raisins and whole almonds for crunch.
ENJOY!!  When juicing, reusing the pulp means extra nutrition for you.  A win-win situation.

Vitamix Giveaway

This is my 6th post for this blog and I can't help but notice 2 of them have been about my VitaMix.  This morning I found out that there is a VitaMix Giveaway on Elana's Pantry, a gluten free blog I follow.  I didn't want any of my readers to miss out on this news.  I have only used a VitaMix for the past 2-3 weeks but can't say enough positive things about it.  It makes eating healthy that much easier because in seconds you can make your own almond milk, smoothies, soups, and grind flour for bread.  You can even blend compost scraps for your garden or worm bin.  The list goes on and on.....  Last night I came home and K and X had made me vegan peach-triple berry icecream. Now that I can get used to!
Here is what I've said about the VitaMix in earlier posts: Click here!  And here!

I suggest you head on over to http://www.elanaspantry.com/ and enter to win.  Plus check out all the great recipes she has.  She is quite an inspiration.

GOOD LUCK!!

Summer Garden Ratatouille- Improv

This morning I went out to the garden to see what was growing which would determine what I would cook tonight.  I had eggplants, chiles, green peppers, basil, rosemary, marjoram, and radishes among other things.  I consulted my Simply In Season Cookbook and found this:  Summer Garden Ratatouille (p. 125)  I absolutely LOVE the layout of this book.  Not only is every recipe amazing beyond belief but it is laid out in seasons.  This layout makes sense to me since I know it is healthier and better for my body (and less expensive) if I eat what is in season.  I took what I saw from the recipe and revised it:

The original recipe calls for summer squash and says to serve it over pasta.  Keep the squash and pasta in the recipe if you like those things.  We don't eat much pasta because I don't feel my best after doing so.  We added ground turkey and radishes. I rarely ever follow a recipe exactly because I never have all the ingredients.

Here is what I made:
1 large onion (chopped)
5 garlic cloves (minced)  (I personally hate mincing so I just throw them in whole.  So far, no one has                                    complained.)
1 medium eggplant (chopped)
handful of fresh basil
handful of fresh rosemary
handful of fresh marjoram
2 green, yellow, red peppers (cut in strips)
2 cups tomotoes
5 radishes (chopped)
1 lb. ground turkey

Saute the onions and turkey til onions are soft and turkey is cooked.  Pour everything else in the pan and stir fry.

In tonight's meal, of these 9 ingredients (minus the turkey), six I grew.  Only 1 was from a can.  And it tasted amazingly FRESH.

Here was Kevin's exact remark: "This is a keeper.  Share it with others on your blog.  If you keep cooking like this or if you teach me how to cook like this, eating healthy will be easy."
Umm....so I guess he liked it!