Homemade Laundry Soap Powder

1 Lemongrass Body Bar, grated*

2 cups of baking soda

2 cups of Borax

5 drops Lavender

Essential Oil* 5 drops Orange Essential Oil*

1/4 cup white vinegar

5 drops Grapefruit Seed Crush*

Grate a bar of Beeyoutiful’s Lemongrass Body Bar on the fine side of a cheese grater. (You can use any other “white” soap bar  that does not contain dyes or blue specks. The dyes can color your clothes over time.) Add the soap, baking soda, Borax and  essential oils to a bowl or container that has a lid for storage and whisk them together. I use 4-5 T of the dry powder for a large batch and let my washer start filling with water to dissolve the soap before I add my clothes. To each batch of laundry I  also add 1/4 cup white vinegar to break down hard water and act as a fabric softener, and 5 drops of Grapefruit Seed Crush to  disinfect. This is a REALLY great, easy recipe to mix up, and something even this busy mom can do to make our lifestyle more  “green”! —Stephanie J.

Spicy Chicken With Quinoa

This is one of my family’s favorites! Th is spicy dish warms you up on a chilly evening, and we think the leftovers are even better the next day.

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

5 Tablespoons butter, divided

3 cups chicken broth

2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce

2 cups chopped green onions

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 Tablespoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Cooked quinoa (or brown rice)

Sour cream

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until tender. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, cayenne, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer,  uncovered for 10 mi nutes. Meanwhile, in a separate container, combine the salt, garlic powder, pepper, basil and cumin; mix well. Add chicken and toss to coat. In a skillet, saute chicken in remaining butter until juices run clear. Add chicken to tomato  sauce; simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over quinoa or rice. Top with sour cream. —Candi D.

Greens- In a Class All Their Own

Greens are not ordinary vegetables. Unfortunately, grocery stores lump greens into the vegetable category. Veggies and greens both help our bodies but in different, important ways. Root vegetables like carrots, beets, and turnips are sweet to the taste because they contain sugar and water. By contrast, their green tops taste bitter from the abundance of nutrients in them. While both are necessary for good health, we usually toss out the bitter greens.

Here’s the list Victoria Boutenko provides in Green for Life to make show-stopping smoothies:

Greens: Arugula, asparagus, beet tops, bok choy, broccoli, carrot tops, celery, chard, collard greens, endive, escarole, frisee, kale, mizuna, mustard greens, radicchio, radish tops, Romaine, green and red-leaf lettuce (no Iceberg or light colored leaf), spinach.

Edible Flowers: Clover, elderflowers, dandelions, daylilies, nasturtiums, pansies, violets.

Weeds: Chickweed, clover, dandelion (greens and flowers), lambsquarters, malva, miner’s lettuce, plantain, purslane, stinging nettles.

Herbs: Aloe vera, baby dill, basil, cilantro, fennel, mint, parsley, peppermint leaves, spearmint.

Sprouts: Alfalfa, broccoli, clover, fenugreek, radish, sunflower (use sprouts only 1-2 times per week).

[Lists and recipes are from Victoria

Boutenko’s Green for Life—used by

Chicken and Rice Soup

All organic if possible:

2 cloves garlic

3 chicken breast cut up

4 carrots

3 celery stocks

1/2 onion

1 green pepper

1/2 small cabbage

1 and half cups rice

Chicken soup base (no msg)

Whatever other seasonings you want

Add celery, carrots, onion, garlic, chicken, soup base, and other seasonings to pot fi ll with water, cook 1 hour on med. then put in rice, green pepper and cabbage and cook for 20 min. or put it all into crock pot and fi ll with water and cook all day. Serve with tortilla chips —Debbie D

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANING /DISINFECTANT SPRAY:

2 cups warm (tap water will work) water

1/4 cup Castile soap or 1 tsp. all natural dish soap

1 T Apple Cider Vinegar (Or cheap white vinegar)

20 drops or 1 T. Tea Tree oil

10 drops Peppermint oil or Eucalyptus oil

5-10 drops Grapefruit Seed Crush

Combine together in a spray bottle, shake to mix. Spray surface lightly and polish dry with a soft cloth. Because of the concentration of this cleaner, you won’t need a lot to get the job done! Great in the bathroom for your sink or toilet. Also easy to use on kitchen counter tops and on vinyl or tile floor after pets or kid messes!

Warning: Test porous surfaces before using as the essential oils can possibly eat into unsealed surfaces.

This is a recipe used by Beeyoutiful Staff. Please feel free to alter it to fi t your personal needs. Please note however, the Castile  Soap or natural Dish soap is what emulsifies the essential oils and  keeps them from floating on the top in concentrated levels. We personally like using this homemade/cheap blend better than most commercial cleaners just for it’s effectiveness! Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

FROM MARTHA P.

Makes 12 muffins

2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

2/3 c. Rapadura (dehydrated sugar cane juice)

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 c. lemon yogurt**

1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled (can use coconut oil)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 t. grated lemon peel

1 t. vanilla

2 cups fresh or thawed, drained frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 12 muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir together fl our, Rapadura, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, stir together yogurt, butter, egg, lemon peel, and vanilla until blended. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add yogurt mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in blueberries gently. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffi ns comes out clean. Remove muffin tin to a wire rack. Let sit 5 minutes before removing muffi ns. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Th ese muffi ns freeze well (but there are never any left to freeze!)

**I have used plain yogurt and added 1 t. lemon juice and 1 additional t. lemon zest and it works

great.

Baked Cranberry Oatmeal

Th is is fast, easy, and the sweetness can easily be adjusted to

Th is is fast, easy, and the sweetness can easily be adjusted to your own personal preferences. You can also substitute raisins if

cranberries are not available.

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together oats, sucanat (or brown sugar), cinnamon, baking powder, and

salt. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in cranberries. Spread into a 13×9 inch baking dish. Bake for

40 minutes.

—Candi D.

MULTI-PURPOSE

LAVENDER SOFT SCRUB:

3/4 cup Baking or Washing soda

1/4 cup powdered milk

1/8 cup liquid Castile soap or 1 T all natural dish soap

1/2 cup warm water

10 drops Grapefruit Seed Crush

3-5 Drops Tea Tree Oil

5 drops Lavender essential oil

Combine above ingredients into a squeeze bottle, shake to mix and use to scour sinks and tubs. Rinse well. Polish dry with a soft cloth. Store unused portion in the refrigerator or make fresh each time. It will sour because of the milk ingredient if left at room temperatures. The soft scrub cleans really well and smells so fresh and fragrant. Great for maintenance cleaning!

This is a recipe used by Beeyoutiful Staff. Please feel free to alter it to fit your personal needs. Please note however, the Castile  Soap or natural Dish soap is what emulsifies the essential oils and keeps them from floating on the top in concentrated levels. We personally like using this homemade/cheap blend better than most commercial cleaners just for it’s effectiveness! Enjoy!

Black Bean Burgers

by Lisa N.

1T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 med. red pepper, chopped

4 med. cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. turmeric

1 1/2 c. cooked or canned organic black beans, drained

1 c. cooked brown basmati rice

2 c. fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

Hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)

1 1/2 t. sea salt

Heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until soft and onions are translucent. Stir in cumin, turmeric and cook for 1 minute. In a food processor, combine beans, rice, and onion/pepper/garlic mixture. Transfer to a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs and mix well. Season with salt and hot pepper if desired. Flatten 1/4 cup amounts of mix into patties and grill for a more excellent taste! Cook about 3-5 minutes on each side. Makes 8 burgers.

Jennifer B.

Chicken pieces cut into bite-sized pieces.  (I prefer to cook in a cast iron skillet until lightly browned)

1 large onion

2 garlic cloves minced

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon rind

1 cup tomato sauce

1 Tbsp sucanat or organic turbinado sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 can coconut milk

Sauté chicken until golden and then add onions and garlic to sauté. Th en add tomato sauce, coconut milk, lemon juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Stir in dry ingredients and simmer on low for 10 minutes. I serve this over brown rice (soaked and cooked according to Nourishing Traditions) with a green salad.