My Blog = My Life: fresh

The chemical aerosol fresheners you can purchase in the store may send off a pleasant odor, but they wreak havoc on our health! The highly condensed level of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and artificial fragrances can cause headaches, earaches, diarrhea, vomiting - even wheezing in young children!

However, sometimes it take more than just an opened window to clear out an unpleasant odor from a room. This Herbal Mist Air Freshener is completely natural and the scent is as lovely as you choose to make it! Mist in the kitchen after frying onions and bacon, spray inside the diaper pail, and store a bottle in the bathroom.

To make your own herbal spray air freshener, all you need is a clean spritz bottle and 2 basic ingredients:

1. Distilled water
2. Essential oil (I've provided some blend suggestions below)

• Country Spice | cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, bay

• Spring Morning | lavender, rose, geranium, rosemary, sweet orange

• In the Woods | sage, thyme, cedar, patchouli, frankincense

• Lover's Lane | vanilla, sandalwood, ylang ylang, jasmine, neroli, rose

• Far East | patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, lime, coriander

• Energizing | basil, lavender, orange, nutmeg, mint

• Calm, Cool, & Collected | bergamot, geranium, clary sage, chamomile, yarrow

• Garden Glimpse | lemon, orange, basil, thyme

Linking to: Natural Living, The Prairie Homestead, Mind Body Sole

Well, I just went on my first major vacation as a blogger. It was a 20 day vacation to visit my brother in England, far from my home battle station PC. And with summer in full-swing, chances are you'll be going on a few vacations of your own. So, what have I learned about blogging while on vacation? And what will I probably do differently next time? A few things. On both counts.

There were three ways I could go about blogging while away. First, I could not blog at all and pick it up when I got back. Second, I could repost some of my older popular posts (a common thing to do in the blogging world). Third, I could keep fresh posts coming each day. Obviously the third option would be the biggest commitment. And, despite what some women might think, I'm not afraid of commitment, so I took door number three. ;)

To not blog at all while on vacation is to shoot yourself in the foot (as I learned by not blogging here on WW4F). A big rule of blogging is that you should post often enough that people always have a reason to come back. In this big, fat, crazy internet world we live in, people will forget you pretty quickly if you disappear. It will probably take me a little while to remind everybody that was following that I still have posts coming on WW4F. Others will never find their way back, I'm sure. If I had it to do over, I would have prewritten and pre-scheduled several posts for WW4F.
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This dessert has got to be one of my favorite ways to enjoy summer fruit! Supposedly the recipe makes 6 servings, but our family finds it's never quite enough! Double the recipe for a 9X13.

Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups sliced peaches, fresh or canned 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen 1/2 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup organic butter 1/2 cup oats (I use gluten-free) 1/4 tsp sea salt 3/4 cup raw cane sugar
Directions: Gently stir fruit together. Pour into the bottom of a square baking dish (8x8 or 9x9). In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of fruit. Bake at 375F until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Serve warm with shipped cream.
Makes 6 servings.

Alternatively, replace the peaches and berries with 4 cups of pears or sliced Granny Smith apples.

I came up with this recipe shortly after we started eating the Trim, Healthy Mama way. It combines a few of our favorite flavors into one mouth-watering, plan-approved, protein-packed, tender piece of chicken.

Servings: 4 Baking Time: 25 minutes. Gluten-free, sugar-free, nut free, soy-free
*For anyone else who's a THMer, this staple falls under the Satisfying category.
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Truiva (or plan approved sweetener)
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved length-wise
• 2 cups sliced, fresh mushrooms
• 8 bacon strips
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• fresh chives, snipped

Fry bacon. Set aside on paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Discard all but 1 Tbsp of bacon fat. Saute mushrooms and cook chicken until lightly golden in bacon fat.

Arrange chicken in 8x8" baking pan. Wrap each breast with two strips of bacon to from an "X". Pour mushrooms over top and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Garnish with chives.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Linked up at: Trim Healthy Tuesdays.

Lavender has got to be my all-time favorite herbal scent. I purposely brush my legs against the plants when I walk along my garden so I can catch a whiff of their glorious fragrance. With a little work, I can preserve and enjoy the smell and its healing properties long after the blooms have died off.

Although not as strong as a distilled essential oil, a lavender oil infusion produces the same fragrance and can serve the same purpose without the need for dilution. Here's how I made mine:

You'll need:

• a pale colored oil with a mild scent (olive, almond, or jojoba work well)
• fresh lavender blooms, not completely opened
• a plastic (Ziploc) bag and wooden spoon or mallet (or a mortar and pestle)
• a glass jar with lid
• a piece of cheesecloth or muslin, large enough to cover the mouth of your jar
• a smaller jar in which to pour the strained oil

1. Place the lavender heads in the Ziploc bag and seal tightly. Green leaves and stems can be added too, but keep anything woodsy or branch-like out.
2. Tap the flowers lightly with the wooden mallet or spoon to bruise them so they can release their fragrance.

3. Stuff the large glass jar full and pour in enough oil until they are covered. 4. Seal the jar and shake well. Set aside for 48 hours for the flowers to steep.

5. After 48 hours, strain the oil with a cheesecloth into a dark colored jar and discard the flowers and stems. Store in a cool, dark place.

You'll find the aroma to be quite subtle, but it will become more pronounced when it's warmed or rubbed into your skin. Stay tuned for a luxurious, all-natural hand cream recipe that uses the oil we've just created.

Like many of you, we are a single-income, larger-than-average, (1.8 or more children), homeschooling family.

And both my husband and I come from a rich, Dutch heritage.

In other words, whether or not we need to be, we enjoy frugal living. I'm also a lover of nutritious, from-scratch, whole-food cooking. Overtime, we've found that you can have one and the other! Here's how we can enjoy a mainlywhole-food diet on a budget (we still eat take-out more often than I'd like to admit!).

Cheap foods that are good for you

1. Whole grains. Oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa are cheap! For ultimate nutritional value, choose any of these grains and soak them for a hearty breakfast that'll keep you energized all morning.

For a fabulously healthy, gluten-free, blueberry-muffin smelling breakfast, pour 1 cup of steel-cut oats, brown rice, OR quinoa in a crock-pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of almond milk, 1 1/2 cups water, 1-2 Tbsp of ground flax seed, 2-3 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, 1 cup fresh blueberries, cinnamon, sea salt, and sweetener (honey, maple syrup, stevia, or brown sugar) to taste. Stir. Cook on low overnight. Alternately, try using diced apple and a handful of walnut in place of blueberries.
2. Beans and legumes. Beans are one of the cheapest proteins available and can be used to replace meat in a meal. Given a good, over-night soak in purified water, they are a highly digestible form of fiber, complex carbohydrates, iron, and folate - ideal if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.

Our favorite way to enjoy beans are in chili, taco salad, and brownies (there's a Special Agent Brownie recipe in Trim Healthy Mama that's absolutely fabulous!).

3. Eggs. Eggs are one of the very few complete proteins available to us (they contain all 9 essential amino acids), contain only 70 calories, and are chock full of nutrition. Besides being excellent sources of protein and good cholesterol, they also contain iron, vitamins A, D, E, and B12, folate, selenium, and lutein.

Eggs can be cooked quickly in a variety of ways (hard or soft-boiled, fried, poached, scrambled) and provide great structure and texture when added to baked goods.

We enjoy them on their own and in omelettes, crepes, breakfasts bakes, and pizza crust.

Foods worth paying more for

No matter how tight our budget, there are certain foods I don't cheap out on as we feel the extra dollars are insignificant compared to the health benefits. We'd rather "pay the farmer than the pharmacy," as the saying goes.

1. Oil. It's a safe bet that anything you can get in a big plastic jug for $4 is not good for you. Vegetable oils and margarine derived from cheaply grown or genetically modified plants like sunflower, corn, soybean, canola, safflower have little nutrition to begin with and are chemically altered and deodorized in order to make them palatable. Our bodies were not meant to consume them.

Opt instead for healthy saturated fats that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. These include butter (preferably organic), coconut, olive, and red palm oil.
2. Fresh, local, organic produce. We can't afford to purchase all of our produce this way, but we try our best to grow or purchase the infamous "Dirty Dozen" organically as these fruits and vegetables contain the highest pesticide residue otherwise:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Celery
• Peppers
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Pears
• Cherries
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes
• Grapes

• onions
• avocado
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• asparagus
• bananas
• cabbage
• broccoli
• papaya
• kiwi

Instead, we use coconut or almond milk. They contain high levels of vitamins A & D and are lactose free. They cost slightly more than pasteurized, hormone enhanced cow's milk, but since we rarely use it for more than our morning smoothie, we don't notice a difference in our grocery bill.

As our budget allows, we try to purchase higher quality dairy products like kefir, greek yogurt, cream and cottage cheese.
4. Meat. Cheaper cuts of meat are usually that way because they come from animals that are pumped full of genetically modified grain products, growth hormones, and antibiotics - the sole purpose of which is to fatten an animal up as quickly as possible for slaughter. Food Inc. is a fascinating documentary that explains how the food industry is making us sicker, fatter, and poorer through this process.

Although more expensive, grass-fed, locally raised, organic beef and chicken is a far more nutritious alternative and of much less consequence to your health.
5. Sweeteners. Sugar is cheap, appeals to our pallet, and is easy to come by. Consequently, diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart failure, and a host of other health concerns are also the norm. We stay away from refined sugar as much as possible and use raw honey, pure maple syrup, and stevia instead.

While they should still be used in small quantities, these sweeteners contain healthy enzymes and minerals which are difficult to get from other foods. They also have a healthier Glycemic Index which means they don't mess with your blood sugar levels in the same way refined sugar does.

Where to get healthy food for less

1. Garden. Anyone can grow their own produce, even a little bit. Be it a pot on the balcony of your apartment or a 3 acre market garden, all you need is some seed, soil, water, and sun and you're in business.

We put in a large raise bed last year for free - my husband made a tarp in exchange for a truckload of triple-mix and I used the gift cards I got for my birthday to purchase our seeds and plants.
2. Farmer's Market. Farmer's markets are great places to find local, seasonal produce, cure meats, eggs, honey and maple syrup at a fraction of the price you find in the store. Plus, farmers generally care about individual relationships with their customers and often offer a faithful buyer further discounts and "throw in a little extra."
3. Local Farmer. In the fall, we often purchase 1/4-1/2 a cow from a Christian farmer who grows his beef organically. We get to choose how we'd like it butchered and our freezer is well stocked for several months. We estimate purchasing our meat this way saves us 30% of the store price.

If we had the space for it, we'd love to keep our own chickens. We go through plenty of eggs around here! Thankfully, they are cheap to come by! We buy them from Brad's co-worker whose family keeps organically raised laying hens as a sideline business.

In the summer, we pick our own berries, freeze most of them, and turn some into sauce or jam. A relative of ours keeps a bountiful raspberry patch where we can come and go as we please.

It didn't work out last year because of pregnancy complications, but this summer, my mom, sisters, and I plan on putting up other produce from local farms that we don't grow ourselves: peaches, pears, carrots, pickles, etc.

4. Bulk Stores. I buy most of our grain from The Bulk Barn. We often receive coupons for $3.00 off a purchase of $10.00 or more (which I can easily spend in one visit!). I blend whole kernels with my Wondermill and the stuff I purchase pre-ground (flax), I purchase in small quantities as it goes rancid quickly. I purchase my organice herbs, teas, sea salt, and spices from The Bulk Herb Store.

I also purchase soap and other dried goods here like coconut, almonds, walnuts, and cranberries.
5. Grocery Store. You can save money at the grocery store by using coupons, ad-matching, checking the clearance shelf, and purchasing store-brand non-perishables like brown rice and tomato paste.

The clearance shelf where everything is ripe and ready, is a wonderful place to get greatly discounted produce. If you have a juicer, freeze your juice into Popsicles for a healthy summer treat or into ice cubes for slushies. Peppers and onions can be cut up and bagged for pizza toppings, apples turned into sauce, and mushrooms sauteed in butter for a fine steak topping.
6. Online. I must admit to rarely purchasing groceries online. I prefer to see the product myself. The exception to this is the extra virgin coconut oil I get from Tropical Traditions. The quality is truly remarkable. We use it a lot, especially in desserts like Chunky Cream Pops, Skinny Chocolate, and Peppermint Patties. I'm thankful it regularly goes on sale for 40-50% off.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support! Linking to: Mind Body Sole, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Frugally Sustainable, Natural Living Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Homestead Barn Hop, The Better Mom,

If you need to make an impression but are completely intimidated by the idea of baking a real cheesecake, this recipe will stop the show. I've made it many times and love the silky smooth texture, the way it slices perfectly, the combination of vanilla and chocolate, the richness of the cream, and how versatile it is for decorating. Not to mention that it can be whipped up the day before and stays good for a really long time.

That is, if you haven't eaten already.

You'll need: Crust: 1 1/2 cups of crumbled Oreo cookies 3-4 Tablespoons melted butter Chocolate Layer: 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 2 Tablespoons cold water 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Vanilla Layer: 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 2 Tablespoons cold water 1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions: Crust: Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter together. Pat into a 9" spring form pan. Set aside.
Chocolate Layer: In a small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer. In a separate small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add to warm cream and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir chocolate chips into remaining warm cream until melted. Stir in gelatin mixture and remaining cream. Pour on top of crust. Cool in fridge for 45 minutes or until firm.
Vanilla Layer: In a small saucepan, bring cream and sugar to a simmer. In another bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Stir into cream until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add vanilla. Carefully spoon over chocolate layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm.
After removing the sides of the spring form, you can garnish this beautiful dessert any way you like. In the picture shown above, I simply rubbed some more Oreo cookie crumbs onto the sides. Using several thin strips of waxed paper, I created a lattice stencil on the top of the dessert, sprinkled on some more crumbs, and carefully removed the strips of paper. Then I added a "haystack" of chopped chocolate covered peppermint sticks.
I've also served this with a fresh strawberry sauce made by pureeing strawberries and sugar in the blender for a fresher taste. Be creative-the possibilities are endless!

*GF Variation: Simply use Gluten-free cookie crumbs instead.

Ontario strawberries are almost in season! When they are, we'll eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There's nothing quite like them! Strawberry Spinach (or Field Green) Salad is our favorite way to incorporate the sweet, red berries into an evening meal.

Serves: 4-6 people Ready in: 15 minutes * For THMer's, this recipe falls into the Satisfying category.
Ingredients:

• 6 oz. fresh spinach or organic field greens
• 2 cups, sliced strawberries
• 1/4 small, finely sliced red onion
• 2/3 cup slivered almonds or walnuts
• 1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre, or feta)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp plan-approved strawberry jam (Smuckers has a stevia-sweetened version)
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper.

Linking to: Stacy Makes Cents