Feisty 'n Free Strawberry Kiwi Vitamin Water

I've been longing to make my own healthy, homemade vitamin water so I finally took a few minutes to experiment. This is the real stuff.  No artificial additives or sweeteners.  

I used a combination of Stevia and raw honey.  Feel free to substitute your favorite *natural* sweetener.  One quarter teaspoon of Stevia powder extract is equivalent to 1/8 cup of sugar.

Feisty 'n Free Strawberry Kiwi Vitamin Water

INGREDIENTS

¼ teaspoon of Stevia powder extract

½ Tablespoon unfiltered, raw honey

1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 ½ cups of filtered, room temperature water

1 whole kiwi  (peeled and cut into large chunks)

4-6 strawberries, depending on size  (fresh or frozen and defrosted)

EQUIPMENT

blender or small food processor

(2) one-quart size mason jars

strainer or nut milk bag

DIRECTIONS

Put the Stevia, honey, and lemon juice into the mason jar. 

Add water into mason jar, and stir well to dissolve and mix. 

It’s important that the water is not cold so the Stevia and honey can easily dissolve.

Puree the fruit in a blender or food processor, or manually cut it up into small pieces.

Add the fruit to the liquid in the mason jar.

Close lid tightly and shake to mix well.

Refrigerate for 24-48 hours in order to allow the flavors of the fruit to infuse with the water.

Remove from refrigerator. 

Strain the liquid using a handheld strainer or a nut milk bag.  Strain it into another quart mason jar or any other container of your choice.

Enjoy your vitamin water!

© 2014 MaryAnn Broussard

Feisty 'n Free Natural Deodorant for Sensitive Skin

I initially posted this recipe on another one of my sites, Essential Oils for Health and Healing.  In the next few months, I will more than likely merge all the essential oil information from that site into this one. 

I've been searching for years to find the most natural, aluminum free deodorant that really works.    I have tried countless natural deodorants and wasted a lot of money doing so.  I finally came across a Tom's of Maine deodorant that somewhat worked, but it wasn't that great and quite pricey.  Using it, I was still having a problem with odor unless I remembered to reapply it multiple times a day.  A few weeks ago, I came across some homemade deodorant recipes.  One claimed to really, really work, but it had ingredients that I didn't have on hand and would have to order online.  That was too costly, and I wanted to use what I had on hand.  The recipes inspired me to work on my own formula that would work perfectly for me and my sensitive skin.

It took me about three or four tries, and I finally created this recipe that is simply amazing and works excellently!  I apply it once a day and no matter the heat or the sweat, I do not have any problems with odor whatsoever.  In fact, my daughter finally gave it a try and today she exclaimed, "Mom!  You're deodorant is amazing!!  I put it on once and there isn't any odor all day!  Plus, it does not stain my shirts."  Keep in mind that this is a deodorant, which means it prevents odor.  It is not an anti-perspirant.  Using this deodorant will not keep a person from sweating.  That’s not such a bad thing since sweating is used to release toxins from your body.

This recipe uses arrowroot starch and baking soda.  I discovered that only using baking soda makes the deodorant too harsh for sensitive skin and causes abrasion and painful, itchy redness.  Using too little baking soda will affect the deodorant's ability to prevent odor.  The combination I came up with of arrowroot and baking soda is perfect!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  This recipe makes approximately 8 ounces of deodorant.  I split the portion into two different containers; one for me and one for my daughter.  Four ounces for each of us lasts for many weeks.

INGREDIENTS

68 grams (about 1/3 cup) of organic, virgin coconut oil

32 grams (about 2 TBSP + 2 tsp) organic unrefined shea butter

77 grams (about ½ Cup + 2 TBSP) of arrowroot powder/starch

50 grams (about 3 TBSP + 1 tsp) of baking soda

8 drops of essential oils of choice

(2) 4-ounce or (1) 8-ounce glass jelly jar or other small glass jar

DIRECTIONS

Feisty 'n Free Sauerkraut Recipe 1 - Carrots & Ginger

Since the year 2004, I have battled, off and on, with some serious digestive problems.  I share my story on some of those experiences, and what I have discovered from them, on another site called The Acid Truth.  This past September, my stomach began to have renewed problems with proper digestion, and this time I decided I must really incorporate fermented foods into my diet.  Sauerkraut always sounded so gross to me, but that's because I didn't know about high quality sauerkraut or about making my own. 

I will be forever grateful that I attended a free seminar at my local Natural Grocers where Kristin Urdiales talked to a packed room or people about her latest book Autoimmune: The Cause and the The Cure.  It was at this seminar where I also had the opportunity to meet a lady who was selling handmade ceramic crocks, and I was able to purchase mine from her.  I came home that day armed with crock and cabbages.

Feisty 'n Free Fried (Rice) Quinoa

Oh my goodness, this Fried (Rice) Quinoa is out of this world!  I never thought to make such a thing except I came across a recipe from another site.  As usual, I did not stick to the original recipe, but used it as a guideline and came up with my own creation to suit my preferences. 

Here's my recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups of uncooked quinoa (any color variety)
1 cup frozen green peas 

1 cup fresh broccoli

1 cup fresh snow peas (if available)
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped, sliced, or shredded)
4-6 scallions (chopped and quantity depends on preference)
2 Tablespoons sesame oil (to stir fry veggies)

3 eggs
2 teaspoons sesame oil (to cook eggs)
Sea salt

4-6 Tablespoons Tamari sauce (a wheat free soy sauce) (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS