Wholesome Mommy :: by the Centsible Sawyer

Kicking the Chemicals: Shower Scrubin’

Written on September 3, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Living

I’ve been testing some cleaning supplies lately and ordering some ingredients to make a few of my own as well! I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve used so far, so I thought I would share some of my favorites here with you.

First off, Seventh Generation has a great line of products that I’ve been very pleased with! And, just recently, Walmart began caring them! A win-win! I love that I can buy great products at a great price without driving mile and miles. As you may know, I drive about 45 minutes to my local Earth Fare where I buy most of our groceries every two weeks. So, I am so excited that I can purchase some of my green cleaning products at Walmart – which is much closer. If only they would carry MORE of my favorite organic and natural products…maybe in time.

I must say, I had no doubt that I could find a good, green and chemical free all purpose cleaner, but when it came down to shower cleaner and toilet cleaner, well, let’s just say I was a skeptic. You know those two places can get really grimy and can be a real pill to clean!

Well, I can check off shower cleaner. Seventh Generation’s tub and shower cleaner is a real winner! I have a large tile shower and all I did was spray it all down and walk away. I left it to stand for several hours (and the smell didn’t take my breath away – that in and of itself was nothing short of wonderful). Then, I went back and sprayed it all down with the shower head. I took a scrub brush and scrubbed just the really icky areas like the corners and places where the shaving cream or shampoo had clumped up. As for the rest of the shower, I didn’t even wipe it, the grime just sprayed off. It even wiped out the soap scum on the shower door – no scrubbing needed!

Shower cleaner…check.

And as for the all purpose cleaner, well I’m making my own. I’ll be sharing the recipe with you in the next few days. But, Seventh Generation makes a terrific one too! They have a disinfecting multi-surface cleaner that is the first of its kind. Until now, you couldn’t buy a disinfectant that wasn’t made with harsh chemicals. Seventh Generation’s disinfecting multi-surface cleaner kills 99.9& of germs and it is an all natural disinfectant made with botanical ingredients and essential oils.

Now, on to find a great toilet bowl cleaner. More on that later.

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Beyond Beans & Cornbread

Written on September 2, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Bread, Main Dishes, Wholesome Food, Wholesome Recipes

I have been preaching at you a lot about using everything you’ve got. Well, that is what this post is all about. I’ve had a couple people ask me how I cook beans. But, that would be a boring post, so I want to also share with you what I do with all those beans and cornbread once they are cooked. I think you’ll be surprised that one humble meal can make a couple really awesome meals when it is all said and done!

First, how I cook beans:

I cook my beans in the crockpot. I make all sorts of varieties; northern, pinto, black, black-eyed peas, and garbanzo. My favorite go to beans are the white great northern beans. I rinse them and throw them into the crockpot in the morning. Then, I add twice as much water and a good amount of salt. So, if I cook 2 cups of beans I add 4 cups of water. I turn my Crockpot on high and then leave it until dinner time.

Before dinner I cook a big iron skillet of cornbread using the following recipe:

Southern Cornbread

2 eggs
2 c. self rising cornmeal
1 c. milk
1/3 c. oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients except oil. Heat the oil in your iron skillet. Pour the hot oil into the cornbread batter and stir. Pour the batter back into the iron skillet that you heated the oil in. Bake for about 30 minutes.

When dinner is all finished I wrap the remaining cornbread up and throw it in the freezer. The leftover cornbread is an important ingredient in my family’s favorite chicken dressing. This is a little bit of Thanksgiving that can be enjoyed anytime! My husband would be happy to have it once a week!

Chicken Dressing

2 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 large onion (grated)
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups corn bread (crumbled)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 T salt
2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped
4 cups of chicken stock
A few grinds of fresh black pepper

Mix together all ingredients and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.
This is a great way to use up old, stale bread too! Just thrown it into your food processor before it goes bad (mold) and grind! Then, use it in this dish or store them in a container in the freezer for later use.

As for the leftover beans, if we don’t eat them all as is, I use them in Pasta & Fagioli soup – one of our favorites and just like the kind they serve at Olive Garden. If I have leftover pintos, I mash them and then freeze them for refried beans on a Mexican dinner night. Or, we use them right away in homemade burritos or topping for nachos.

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At Last, a Natural Deodorant That Works – Soapwalla Deodorant Cream

Written on September 1, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Product Reviews & Giveaways, Wholesome Living

I’ve been on a quest for healthier personal care products. I’ve been reading labels and reading articles and trying to determine what is safest to buy and what to stay away from. If you’re new to shopping for safe and healthy cosmetics and personal care check out the Environmental Working Group’s site, Skin Deep. Their Guide to Safe Cosmetics is very helpful and will fit in your pocket when you head out to the store.

Buying healthier personal care is a lot like buying healthier food: the shorter the list of ingredients the better. However, finding safe personal care is a lot harder because reading the labels of shampoo, deodorant, or lotion seem more like reading a periodic table of elements!

I’m making lots of changes and slowly but surely I’m ditching the chemicals from our lives. After much reading I decided deodorant seemed like one of the hardest challenges and most important challenges when it comes to making a switch from traditional to natural cosmetics. First of all, my reason for switching is that some research shows that there could be a link between the aluminum in deodorants and antiperspirants and breast cancer in women. Aluminum is a toxin and it has also been linked to Alzheimer’s and brain disorders.

So, all this sounds kind of scary, right? But the truth is…no one wants to stink! I know I don’t. The last thing I want is to show up stinky to an important meeting! Everything I read online about making the switch to natural deodorants didn’t sound so good. It seemed that natural deodorants had been left wanting when it came to making people feel and smell fresh.

That is why I am very excited to share that I have found a terrific deodorant that has held up to the sweltering heat here in Georgia. Soapwalla’s deodorant cream has held up even during these weeks of 90’s even 100 degree weather and has kept me stink free!

Another thing I love about this product is that it was made by hand in the owner’s Brooklyn apartment kitchen. It is made with care and the product is good!

I have to admit, it took a little getting used to at first. It is a cream…not a stick like I was used to. However, it is just like rubbing lotion into your skin and it doesn’t feel as weird as I originally thought it would. It is made with peppermint and tea tree oils, so the scent is nice.

My husband and I use it. The scent is neither feminine or masculine. And, IT WORKS for both of us. Strong enough for a man…ah, you know the rest. The cost is $10 for a pot of this miracle cream. And, it will last a while. But, I have a treat just for you and your wallet!

Right now, Rachel is offering WholesomeMommy readers 10% off their orders! Until September 15th, customers who enter “WSM10” in the messages section during Etsy checkout will receive 10% off their order, which she will immediately refund via paypal. So, give it a try for yourself and let me know what YOU think.

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Blue Ribbon Blueberry Muffins

Written on August 31, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Bread, Main Dishes, Snacks, Uncategorized, Wholesome Recipes

You will NEVER eat a better blue berry muffin than this! These muffins are so big and delicious and nearly fool proof! I made them with the help of my 18 month old son! He stood on the step ladder and poured in all the ingredients and of course had a taste of the flour while I was busy measuring! LOL. You’ll be suprised that making muffins from scratch could be this easy! Also, these muffins freeze well! Just bag them up into a freezer bag and pop them in the microwave to defrost. To make them really fresh, just like coming out of the over, pop them into the toaster oven for a few minutes. (That is, if you don’t eat them all up on the very first morning!)

Blue Ribbon Blueberry Muffins

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
10 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
*1 1/2 cups fresh (washed, picked over) blueberries

Position rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil (or spray) muffin pan.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the sugar, butter, milk, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, and zest until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together just until the dry ingredients are mostly moistened; the batter will be lumpy. Sprinkle the blueberries into the batter and fold them in gently.

Fill the muffin cups just to the top- the batter will rise and make big bakery style muffins! Bake until muffins are golden brown and spring back lightly when you press in the middle (about 30 to 35 minutes).

This recipe yields about 15 muffins.

*I used fresh blueberries because I had them. But, you can use frozen blueberries in this recipe, no need to thaw them before baking.

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Banana Almond Butter Breakfast Bars

Written on August 31, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Bread, Main Dishes, Snacks, Wholesome Recipes

Many of you requested this recipe so I tried to supply it as quickly as possible! I found this recipe online and tweaked it so I could use ingredients on hand. The final result is a cross between a chewy granola bar and one of those “Oatmeal to Go” breakfast bars/cookies. Either way… they are quite filling and delicious! If you have other recipes that you would like to see leave me a comment and I’ll try to get them up next!

Banana Almond Butter Breakfast Bars

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/c cup sliced raw almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup smooth almond butter
2 very ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Spread oats, almonds, and wheat germ on baking sheet. Toast these ingredients for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place all of the remaining ingredients in your mixer and blend well. Add toasted ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Line a 9×9 pan with aluminum foil. Spread the mixture evenly into baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Allow the bars to cool. Lift bars out of the pan by taking a hold of the aluminum foil. Cut the large square into 12 granola bar size pieces. You can wrap these individually in plastic wrap if you wish for a quick and delicious snack or grab and go breakfast.

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Menu Plan 8.30.10

Written on August 29, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Meal Plans, Wholesome Recipes

It’s been a great week here! I’ve been baking and I’ve got lots of yummy things put away in our freezer this week including, cranberry pecan muffins, 2 batches of chicken stock, banana almond butter breakfast bars, and blueberry muffins! Now we can kick back and relax a few days and spend some time just having fun with Judah until I have to head back to work.

:: Monday
Breakfast: Homemade Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Dressing & Asparagus
Dinner: Steak, Cauliflower and Onion Tart, Baked Potatoes, Salad, French Bread

:: Tuesday
Breakfast: Banana & Almond Butter Breakfast Bars
Lunch: Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup
Dinner: Homemade White Pizza with Spinach and Chicken

:: Wednesday
Breakfast: French Toast & Turkey Bacon
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: BBQ Chicken, Sauteed Garlic Brussels Sprouts, & Roasted Butternut Squash

::Thursday
Breakfast: Waffles with Peanut Butter
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Steak Fajitas, Refried Beans, Rice

:: Friday
Breakfast: Cranberry and Pecan Muffins
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Fried Fish & french fries

:: Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes & Turkey Bacon
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Smothered Burritos, Rice, Rotele Cheese Dip

:: Sunday
Breakfast: Eggs, Hash browns, Toast, & Turkey Bacon
Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie

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More Changes

Written on August 26, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Family

Here at Wholesome Mommy I’ve been writing a lot of post about how my family is making changes to our eating habits. In order to afford more natural, wholesome, and organic foods we use coupons, shop sales, and we don’t buy processed foods. Processed food is expensive and organic, processed foods are even more ridiculously priced. I also make a lot of our foods from scratch.

However, I am not a full time stay at home mom… I would love to be, but it just isn’t in the cards for us at this time. So, I work outside of our home 2 to 3 days per week as a Georgia public school educator and I’m also a part time adjunct professor at a local college. So, on the days I’m home I want to spend quality time with my son, not tied to my kitchen. Although I love to cook and bake, I like meals that can be prepared in 40 minutes or less and I limit baking to one day per week. Once a week I do several of the following: bake muffins and/or breads, make waffles and/or pizza dough, make chicken stock, ice cream, and/or homemade bagels. I try to make sure there is a something in the house to grab for a quick breakfast and I prep some meals ahead of time for the days when I have to work. I always make out a meal plan and I try to plan meals that are more involved for the days when I’m home and I plan quicker meals for days when I’ve got to work.

For me it is all about finding balance and being organized. With a little planning I’m able to provide wholesome meals and snacks for my family. I feel like we have a good grasp on what we are putting in our bodies and we eat really well. But, there are more changes on the horizon for our family. We are trying to green our home a little more.

We’re already doing several green and frugal things already…mostly because they are frugal – they just also happen to be green! We use cloth diapers part of the time (but we also use disposable some of the time), we line dry some of our clothes and linens (but we also use our dryer), we recycle cans and cardboard (although we aren’t always diligent about it – mostly because we still haven’t found a system that works), and we use reusable bags, lunch bags, and sandwich bags.

But, we are stepping it up a notch. To find our what changes we’re making and what new posts you can expect here, watch this short video:

Join me along with my fellow , Walmart Moms, Sheena of Sophistishe,
Jennae of Green Your Décor, and Jenn of Frugal Upstate , on our four week journey to live a more sustainable lifestyle in the Seventh Generation/Walmart sustainability challenge.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms(http://www.walmart.com/walmartmoms) program. Seventh Generation( http://www.seventhgeneration.com/) has provided me with products. Walmart has provided me with compensation to blog about attempting a more sustainable household for a month. Participation in this program is voluntary. All opinions are my own.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Written on August 25, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Dessert, Main Dishes, Uncategorized, Wholesome Recipes

This cake is so good. I love lemon poppy seed muffins so when I saw this recipe for lemon poppy seed cake I had to make it! We ate it for breakfast but it would also be a lovely ending to a meal. Besides being delicious it is also a wonderful cake to give as a gift. Why? Because this recipe will make two small loaf pans, each big enough for a family of four (at least) to enjoy. So, keep one and give one away, or make one large cake in a tube pan.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Aurthur’s)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 small (1.25 oz) jar or poppy seeds
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter (I use organic)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs (I use organic, cage free, or pastured eggs)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk (I use organic)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I think next time I will use 3 Tbsp to make it more lemony)
2 tsp grated fresh lemon peel

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a removable tube pan or two small loaf pans. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside. Mix the lemon juice with the milk (milk may curdle – that is okay).

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated and mixture is smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add half the flour mixture, then the milk-lemon juice mixture. Beat on low speed until smooth. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until just blended. Stir in lemon peel.

Transfer batter into pan(s) and at 350 bake large pan for 65 minutes or two smaller pans for 35 – 55 minutes, until top is dry and lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake(s) in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

For gift giving wrap the cakes in cellophane and fasten with a twist tie and then festive ribbon. This is a great gift for any occasion! I recently prepared it for a new mommy who is just learning that motherhood means lots of juggling and poking in food when ever you can! =)

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Meal Plan 8.23.10

Written on August 24, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Meal Plans, Wholesome Recipes

Each week I plan a week’s worth of meals to make life easier and to incorporate things I already have in my freezer and pantry. I like to use fresh ingredients, so I try to be mindful of how long they will last and when they need to be used up. Typically I shop every other Wednesday and I pick up a bunch of fresh produce. So, later in the week I will use up fresh produce and early in the week I use frozen.

To make the most of my time at home I try to accomplish some prep work and some baking early in the week and I try to keep it to one day. Last week I made orange, cranberry, pecan muffins and I froze them. I also made waffles for breakfast one morning and I doubled them and froze the remainder so that we could have them for breakfast during my work days (just pop them in the toaster like Eggos – only better!). I also made a double batch of homemade bagels and I shared them with another family who just had a baby. This week I plan to can all the pears we picked in the evenings, make chicken stock with the leftover bones and back of two fresh/raw chickens, and make some homemade pizza dough and freeze it up.

Here’s what we’re having to eat at our house!

:: Monday
Breakfast: homemade bagels
Lunch: turkey brats and baked beans
Dinner: Tuna Casserole
Rolls
Homemade Strawberry Ice cream

:: Tuesday
Breakfast: homemade bagel breakfast sandwich
Lunch: Turkey Sandwiches
Dinner: Beef Stew
Homemade Mayonnaise Rolls

:: Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Rotisserie Chicken
Roasted Potatoes
Green Beans

::Thursday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Waffles and Bananas
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Red Beans and Rice with Turkey Sausage
Spinach
Fresh Fruit

:: Friday
Breakfast: yogurt & blueberries
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Potpie using leftover Rotisserie chicken

:: Saturday
Breakfast: Homemade Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: at church

:: Sunday
Breakfast: Eggs and Homemade Biscuits and gravy
Dinner: Chicken and Dressing
Sauteed Green Beans
Sweet and Salty Carrots
Homemade Yeast Rolls

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle FUN for Kidlets

Written on August 24, 2010 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Fun

At our house we try to look at items before we toss them out to find out if there is something else we can repurpose them for. Sometimes containers can be reused for storage or craft projects or other things. I’ve got a whole file folder full or fun crafts that children can make and do out of recycled materials. I’m just waiting for Judah to get a little older so that he can do them!

However, I’ve recently came across a great way to repurpose something I have a lot of lying around my house and have a little fun with Judah at the same time. I’ve discovered that a lot of my packages have been packed with paper in order to keep the products from shifting around. Sometimes that paper is nice, long sheets of what I call butcher paper.

I’ve been folding it up and saving it for drawing paper for Judah. These big sheets of paper make for tons of fun for us and it’s the perfect canvas for little hands that are just learning to use crayons.

Judah uses Clemetine Art’s natural crayon rocks. These crayon rocks, like all of Clementine Art’s products, are made from natural, certified nontoxic, and environmentally friendly ingredients. They are made of things like soy wax, carnauba wax, beeswax, and mineral pigments. I love them because Judah is bound to put these little boogers in his mouth at least once while I’m coloring with him (note – they are a choking hazard for children under 3 but I monitor him the whole time we color). I don’t have to worry it he get a little git in his mouth!

What are some other ways that you’ve turned recycling or repurposing into fun for your children?

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