Monday, May 28, 2012

homemade toothpaste

So, I've been wanting to make my own toothpaste for a while now. But just never got around to it, because (yes, I'm admitting it openly) I still battle with being a procrastinator... Not that we went without toothpaste while I procrastinated of course! But I just never seemed to find the time... :) 
So after hearing of my mother-in-laws happiness with her new homemade toothpaste I decided to look up a few recipes and add my own flare (of course). The less fancy recipes, which were the multitude of what I was finding, all said 50/50 coconut oil and baking soda. I made sure to use organic virgin coconut oil and baking soda with nothing added to it. Because the baking soda was too salty for my liking I added a small scoop of pure stevia and a capsule full of cinnamon (I take a cinnamon supplement before meals to help my sugar levels stay even...) so I think a small scoop of cinnamon would be fine, maybe 1/2 tsp for the batch. Here are the measurements I used.



4 tbsp organic, virgin coconut oil
4 tbsp pure baking soda
1 scoop of pure stevia powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (EDIT: try organic peppermint extract instead, much better!)

Mix well and store in a small glass jar with a lid. Keep a small spoon handy for scooping onto your brush.
Some of the praises people were singing about this type of homemade toothpaste mostly revolved around the coconut oil. Many people stated that coconut oil has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties so it can stay on your counter without refrigeration and keeps your toothbrushes clean.

When using I find that it's best to turn the hot water on, scoop paste onto my wet brush, keep the water trickling to heat up while I brush, then when done - rinse the brush in hot water and the scoop/spoon so that the oil doesn't get the chance to harden in the pipes on it's way down the drain.

All in all, I too, am extremely pleased with this stuff! My teeth feel super clean and the cinnamon and stevia combated the saltiness of the baking soda pretty well without going to the other extreme and becoming too spicy with too much cinnamon. But play around with the amount of cinnamon and stevia till you find your preference. As you can see in the shot I like to call the 'action shot' it's pretty much the same consistency as regular toothpaste - maybe a bit less stiff than some brands but it stays on your brush while you go from scooping to popping it in your mouth to brush... !






Friday, May 25, 2012

got a picky eater?

If you've got someone who refuses to eat certain vegetables, they proclaim to you in a booming voice that they don't like it, never have - and never will.... well, just roast it! I've gotten my husband to eat many vegetables he said he'd never like by simply roasting them the first few times I fed them to him.

< - > brussels sprouts < - > zucchini < - > yellow squash < - > asparagus < - > sweet potatoes < - > 

But mostly any vegetable seems to be delicious roasted. I don't think I've tried one and disliked the result, honest. 


Simply cut into bite size pieces and roast with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil. That's it! Roast in the oven until done (I typically set the oven to 375). It's especially good (if they like the additional veggies) with slices of garlic and thinly sliced onion too. Just make sure to put the slices of garlic on top of another vegetable because when they're directly on the baking sheet they tend to burn. With all the roasted veggies done it's a great topping over some pasta or some crunchy bread. 

Monday, May 14, 2012

etsy find : loaded baked potato

A loaded baked potato BEAN BAG CHAIR that is... WITH a slab of butter pillow! 
$250 - B Fiber & Craft Emporium on etsy

There's also waffle and syrup sheets for your bed - with optional fruit pillows!


I just thought these were too cool NOT to share! I personally would not spend the money on it - but if I were to be insanely rich in the near future - I just might since it would be the coolest thing even to sit in the potato just once - haha Then after a little bit I'd probably donate it to a local kid's museum - can't you just see all the little ones getting the biggest kick out of it and all the fun photo ops for their parents!?! ^__^

Friday, May 11, 2012

Photo Fridays

Ah... internet memes. Remember when it was pretty innocent and cute though - like the lolcat photos > lolcat on wikipedia

So, for this photo friday - here's our little Billie - loldog style. ^__^