Homemade Applesauce

You Will Need:

10-12 apples (pick your favorite)

A touch of water

Optional Cinnamon
Optional Sugar or Honey (Unsweetened at home is actually quite sweet usually leaving sweetening unnecessary)

Canning supplies if you intend to can your applesauce for later.

Making applesauce is easy. One of my favorite fall tasks and well whenever we run out of applesauce, which happens often with the little ones that love it!  I used to use Lindsay’s method (Passionate Homemaking) then I moved out of my parent’s house and realized the value of a good blender.

 

My new method for applesauce still preserves many of the great nutrients but works better for people  with cheap (or no) blenders.

I start by peeling and chopping all of the apples, They need to be cubes that will cook well and mash later depending on the smoothness of applesauce you like. Think making mashed potatoes :o)

I put all my chunks in a pot and add a tiny bit of water. If you are adding cinnamon most people say do it after it’s sauce, I say add it now, gives the flavors more time to meld. Turn the pot on to medium heat and stir until the apples begin to soften. If you prefer chunkier applesauce, as soon as the apples begin to soften start mashing or blending if you like smooth applesauce let it boil and cook a little longer.

If you are canning your applesauce (as I do) start your jar sanitizing while the apples cook. Sanitize 4 or 5 2cup (pint I guess?) jars for larger apples 1 or 2 jars for smaller apples.

Once the apples reach the softness of your choice, transfer the mixture to your second rate blender or pull out your potato masher.  Mash or blend your apples to the desired consistency. Your applesauce is done. Enjoy or can for later enjoyment.

Pull your jars out and ready them for the sauce. Fill the jars leaving about an inch of headspace (to the edge of the ring). Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.  Allow the jars to cool on the counter Label and store for later!

Enjoy your applesauce!

My Natural and Green Laundry Routine

I promised I would share with you how I keep my diapers clean and sanitary. Really I do all of my laundry approximately the same as my diapers so this is my “kill two birds with one stone” post.

First of all, I can’t stand all of the nasty chemicals and scents etc. that are in commercial laundry detergent/ products. We have been ridding our lives of everything chemically loaded why should we coat our clothes in them?

We separate out our clothes pretty simply. Clothes and Diaper covers go together and Diapers, wipes and rags go together. The clothes and diaper covers are washed in cold/cold cycles to preserve clothes and water resistance. Diapers, wipes and rags are washed in hot/cold cycles to sanitize.

We use Charlie’s Soap as our laundry detergent because it is naturally derived and rinses clean. It has no added scents or well anything really. It gets our clothes beautifully clean without anything added but . . .We have hard water. . Bad, nasty, difficult water that threatens to turn all of our clothes into burlap. Water softeners are expensive, one thing I realized, they are all essentially salt. So rather than spend a fortune on water softeners I decided to spend 59 cents and buy a can of salt. I now throw in about a teaspoon of salt in every load and BAM. No more hard water. So far our clothes are softer, the diapers are feeling more and more comfortable on the babies and I haven’t noticed any ill effects on our clothes. Every once in a while I will use vinegar in the rinse cycle as well as a fabric softener and in cloth diapers as sanitizer. Most of the time however I forget the vinegar, the washer doesn’t normally give me warning when the rinse cycle comes up.

Stains if treated quickly can usually be removed by one of three methods, I either 1. Let them soak in the sink and swish them around a few times before throwing the item in the washer (normally stain is pretty well gone when I throw it in the wash) 2. Rubbing a bit of baking soda into the stain to scrub it out or 3. This awesome stain remover made from ¼ cup of dish soap, 2-3 tbsp of vegetable glycerin, and about ½ cup of water mixed in a spray bottle this stuff rocks!

The one difference in the diaper loads is that we need to disinfect the diapers regularly as to not spread bacteria between the kids. To cloth diaper loads I add 10 or so drops of Tea Tree oil and about once a month I add a ¼ to ½ cup of lemon juice to sanitize and bleach them, leaving them to soak for about a half hour. This keeps our diapers fresh and mostly stain free. If I had the ability to line dry them this would accomplish all of this in one as sunlight is a natural disinfectant and bleaching agent!

When we pull things out of the washer Diaper Covers and Wet Bags, Wool items and Gentle Items (I.E. Bra’s) get thrown over the clothes line in the laundry closet the rest get thrown in our dryer with dryer balls I made with this tutorial from Kelly at ImperfectHomemaking. 

We usually fold the clothes when they come out of the dryer because I have nowhere to store unfolded laundry, but a lot of the time I really wish I had somewhere to toss it instead!!

Well that’s it, our lovely laundry routine! I hope you enjoyed our tour!

Paranoid?

A recent realization of mine is that we all tend to have a little bit of paranoia and conspiracy theory running around in the back of our heads. Hearing several of the health concerns and while I will admit, many a time our family err's on the side of caution and changes our habits. But lately I wonder, how much of our changes are based on fear?


Fear is a great motivator, a undeniably evil tormentor, and unfortunately something I have succumb to way too often. As a "crunchy" mommy I look at the health risks associated with everything, the risks of SIDS (which really hits me hard as two families in our last church have lost babies, and I have babies!) the risks of cancers, the risks of heart disease and a whole myriad of other problems, this worry list continues to grow with each discovery I make. "How could I have let this come into my house without even knowing?" I think. I indignantly glare at the objects and beat myself up for my lack of research about them.

Yes I worry, I worry more than I think I ever should. My worry list drags on and on until sometimes I wonder if anything in our lives is truly healthy for our kids. While I will continue to research and study and more than likely I will probably still worry, I am reminded of one true fact. God is in control. Period. No if's. No and's. No but's. Our kids could face horrible things whether or not we change every bad thing in our lives. There is nothing we can say or do. In fact many a time we worry about things that, even though they are possibilities, they will NEVER happen. Not to say that nothing will happen or some of those things won't take place, or even that we shouldn't take precautions to safeguard our children, but I think sometimes in this journey we need to stop focusing on what could happen if we don't do this or that. It is out of our control whether or not things happen.

God gently reminds me that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord.(Romans 8:28) His eternal being knows my life, my heart and my kids better than I ever will. He knows everything good and bad that is going to happen and he knows the end. We can be confident that he will work it all out for his good and his plan.  As Billy Graham said, "I've read the last page of the Bible, It's all going to turn out alright." What more is there to say?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. ~ Hebrews 12:28-29

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

As we meditate on God's word and grow closer to him, he holds us, he stabilizes our walk and he and he alone holds the future. Don't forget that Satan had to beg God's permission to attack Job. He will not allow us to be faced with anything we cannot handle with his help.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be Thankful. ~Colossians 3:15

Just some things to keep in mind before you throw away everything you own because it's unsafe. :o)
(I know I needed the reminder! Pray for me! I need it to battle my fear! If you need prayer feel free to comment, I will pray for you too!)

Stephanie

Homemade Deoderant

Inspired by several of my favorite blogger's I have decided to make my own deodorant. I have never fully been comfortable with traditional store bought deodorant and after a few months of research I realized why. It is basically a chemical concoction that can cause a myriad of different problems.Including aweful pit acne. I can do better than that for sure! So after some research I noticed a pattern. Most deodorant recipe's call for an deodorizer, a dry seeking product, and scent. So here it is:

Simple Homemade Deodorant

1/2 Cup Baking Soda (Deodorizer)
1/2 Cup Arrowroot Powder (Dry Starch)
5 Drops Tea Tree Oil (For scent and disinfecting properties)
5-10 Drops Lavender Oil (Scent to your preference)
Coconut oil to desired consistency (Moisturizer)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Jam deodorant into container of your choice. (I used an old Dove deodorant container and a mason jar for what wouldn't fit in the stick)
Apply gently, A little goes a long way!
Enjoy smooth, non-stinky pits! With no chemical concerns!

Now wasn't that easy!

Now here are the pictures . .

 Mixing the ingredients

 Although it's hard to see this was after jamming half of it into the deodorant stick

Finished Product, Isn't it lovely?

Happy Naturalizing!

Stephanie