green your house cleaning products

My friend Zinnia gave me these recipes to green household cleaners. These are all natural so you don't have to worry about the kids helping out with the cleaning or the chemicals you're breathing while cleaning. Thanks Z, these are fantastic!

These simple, easy-to-find ingredients are all you need to make green cleaners:
• Baking soda
• Borax (usually found near powdered laundry soap in supermarkets)
• Castile soap (We use Dr. Bronner’s)
• Distilled white vinegar
• Essential oils (we like to use orange, lemon, lavender, oregano, and bergamot)
• Purified/filtered water

All-Purpose Cleaner Spray

Replaces Formula 409 or the likes: Use for all surfaces, countertops, sinks, floors, etc.

RECIPE

• 2 Tbsp. castile soap
• 2 tsp. borax
• 3–5 drops each:
Lemon essential oil
Orange essential oil
• 5 oz. hot, filtered water
• 8 oz. distilled white vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine castile soap, borax, essential oils, and hot water in 32 oz. spray bottle Replace top and shake to mix contents.
2. Add vinegar and fill to 32 oz. line with hot filtered water. Replace top and shake again to mix ingredients.
3. Spray and wipe on counters/surfaces.

Glass & Degreaser Spray

Replaces Windex: Use to degrease all glass surfaces (mirrors, windows, microwave front) or to degrease sinks, countertops, cabinets, floors, and so on. (It’s perfect for removing mineral deposits and soap residue on sinks, too!)

RECIPE

• 8 oz. distilled white vinegar
• 24 oz. filtered water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in 32 oz. spray bottle.
2. Replace top and shake to mix contents. Spray and wipe dry.

Bathroom & Disinfectant Spray

Replaces Lysol: for all surfaces in need of disinfection (toilet surfaces, door handles, bathroom sink, etc.). Kills bacteria, viruses, fungi. Use on toilet/surfaces to disinfect and kill germs. Note: For disinfection, spray needs to sit on surface for 5–10 min.

RECIPE

• 1 tsp. castile soap
• 10–12 drops each:
Oregano essential oil
Lemon essential oil
• 5 oz. hot, filtered water
• 27 oz. distilled white vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine soap, both essential oils, and hot water in a 32 oz. spray bottle. Replace top and shake to combine contents.
2. Add vinegar, filling to 32 oz. line. Replace top and shake to mix contents.
3. Spray on surface to disinfect, let sit 5–10 minutes, then wipe dry.

Sink Scrub/Drain Opener/Toilet Bowl Cleanser

Replaces Comet and Drano: Green ingredients like vinegar and baking soda even work in a super-cleansing capacity!

Drain Opener

RECIPE

• 4 Tbsp. baking soda
• 8 oz. hot water
• 4 oz. distilled white vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine baking soda and hot water in an 8 oz. cup and pour into drain.
2. Pour white vinegar into drain, and cover. Let sit 30 min. and rinse with hot water.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

RECIPE

• 1 cup baking soda
• 8 oz. distilled white vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in toilet bowl.
2. Scrub and let sit 30 min. or overnight.
3. Flush toilet to rinse.
4. To finish, spray toilet bowl with Bathroom & Disinfectant Spray and let dry.

Sink Scrub

RECIPE

• Baking soda
• Distilled white vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sprinkle both ingredients into the sink and mix into a paste.
2. Scrub and rinse. For tough stains, let sit 30 min. before rinsing.

Air Freshener

Replaces chemical-based air fresheners like Febreeze: Essential oils and filtered water are all you need to keep things smelling fresh. (And at C&T Publishing, where everybody shares just 2 bathrooms, this is important!)

RECIPE

• 3–5 drops each:
Orange essential oil
Lemon essential oil
Bergamot or lavender essential oil
Castile soap
• 12 oz. filtered water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients with half of the water in a 12 oz. spray bottle. Replace top and shake to mix contents.
2. Fill to top with remaining filtered water. Spray as needed.

roasted sweet potato side dish

This side dish is so delicious and goes good with a nice steak or by itself.

• white sweet potatoes (not yams)


• shallots

cube the sweet potato and thinly slice the shallots coat in olive oil, salt, pepper then roast in 425˚ oven. It's ready to eat when golden.

dessert

I just want to talk about dessert for a second because my kids always want to know "what's for dessert?" Dessert can be healthy so I usually offer delicious fruit that's in season or a sweet with a nice tall glass of cold milk.

Easy and somewhat healthy desserts:

• diced strawberries topped with a drizzle of chocolate


• hot milk sweetened with a teaspoon of honey


• a bowl of pomegranate seeds in the shell is a fun dessert for the kids (just put an apron on them)


• sliced granny smith apples with caramel dipping sauce


• multigrain waffle  topped with fresh berries and a drizzle of real maple syrup


• plain yogurt topped with honey and toasted almonds


• cracker topped with mascarpone cheese, honey and strawberry


• DIY orange juice pops pour half oj put a dollop of frozen vanilla yogurt then finish with more oj (yummy creamsicles)


• banana smoothy - just banana and milk whipped up with a little ice so it's really cold, sometimes I put a little chocolate

eggplant parmesan casserole

I love eggplant parmesan but it is too fussy for a busy mommy of 3.

what you'll need:

• eggplant sliced 1/4" thick


• zucchini (optional) sliced 1/4" thick


• mascarpone (Italian cream cheese)


• fresh parmesan


• shredded mozzarella


• can of crushed tomatoes


• fresh basil chiffonade


• panko bread crumbs

1. coat casserole dish with olive oil

2. layer of sliced eggplant

3. top with crushed tomatoes

4. place dollops of mascarpone all around (this makes the sauce rich and creamy)

5. sprinkle basil all around

6. a layer of zucchini

7. tomato, mascarpone, basil

8. a sprinkle of parmesan and mozzarella

9. top the casserole with plenty of panko

10 bake at 375

This is one delicious vegetarian meal!

 

Make a wish and save your chicken bones

I saw this table setting idea on Martha Stewart and I love it! Start roasting chickens and saving the wishbones. Our family has always done the wishing bone game but never with such pretty and magical looking bones.

Wishbone Napkin Ring

To make "silver" napkin rings, save wishbones from roast chickens, wash and dry them thoroughly, and spray them with chrome paint. On each one, string silver cord from tip to tip; wrap it six times around the bone, and tie it off.

lunch box thank you notes

This month I am making a special effort to write a little note to my kids each day letting them know what I am thankful for and how special they are.

Here is a FREE downloadable PDF of  blank fall note cards to be used for whatever you like.

fallcards

Pancake chicken nuggets

Going to the grocery store with the 3 kids is not happening. So if I can't get to the grocery store, I just have to make due with whatever is in the house. This day it was frozen chicken strips and pancake batter.

• pancake batter


• frozen chicken strips

I cut the strips into nuggets size pieces dipped them in pancake batter and fried them.

maple syrup mustard dipping sauce

• real maple syrup


• mustard


• mayo


• cream cheese

mix and serve with the pancake chicken nuggets.

Pesto Pasta

My kids love Uncle Ken's family recipe for pesto pasta. It is really quite simple. Of course that's exactly what most kids prefer. Simple Food. I have several Basil plants in my yard which I am regularly snipping away at.

What you need:

• Fresh basil


• Fresh parm cheese


• Pine nuts (optional)


• Olive oil


• Salt

Blend all of the above to taste using plenty of EVOO

My kids like the "round and round" rotelli rainbow pasta but stir the pesto sauce into any cooked pasta you like, finally of course top with fresh ("sprinkles") Parmesean cheese

-Tip- Pesto pasta is a little plain for me so for the adults, I add fresh tomatoes, olives, or marinated artichokes and chicken

-Tip- this pesto sauce freezes well.

-BONUS TIPS-I marinate chicken in it then bake OR for a delicious marinera with lots of flavor, I pour the pesto into a can of boiling hot crushed tomatoes.