The Floor

About 2.5 years ago I was trying to figure out how to help one of my children boost her immune system and avoid a reoccurring viral infection. I learned that our feet soak up so much! (Good and bad)

I have tile in about 1/2 of my house. This little guy crawls all over the tile on his hands, knees and belly. Then he finds something that has been on the tile and put it in his mouth. Along with his hands. Repeat.

So essentially- whatever I'm cleaning my floors with- he is eating. All day.


If you are looking to improve one method of cleaning at a time- start with your floor cleaner.
It can be as simple as vinegar and water. If you care about the smell- add some essential oils to it.
Or find a good all-purpose cleaner to do the job. One that you don't mind letting your baby eat:)

I've tried several all- natural, all-purpose cleaners (trying to find the best bang for my buck that works well) I'm currently using Biokleen all-purpose cleaner. You can buy a gallon of it from Azure for $16.10. It's super concentrated so a little goes a long way- and it works great!

White Beans and Penne Pasta

This one is quick (35 min), super easy, really good, and I think I always have all the ingredients on hand. (minus fresh rosemary- my plant scorched this summer and I've yet to replant. Bummer)

 White Beans and Penne Pasta
from Zonya Foco's Lickety-Split Meals*


1 T olive oil
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves minced garlic            
        Saute 3 or 4 minutes in a large pan over medium-high heat


2 cans (14.5 oz each) stewed tomatoes
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Great Northern Beans- rinsed and drained
        Add and simmer 10 minutes. Use this time to put together a tossed salad.


6 oz. Penne pasta
        Stir in and set timer for 10 minutes. 


2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary or 1 Tablespoon fresh**
         Mix together in a small bowl. Microwave on high for 30  seconds. 
         Prepare the servings of pasta and drizzle rosemary oil over each serving. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.


* I love the lay-out of Zonya's recipes. I wish all recipes used her lay-out- so easy to read and follow!
**fresh rosemary is way better- when you use the dried- you feel like you have twigs on your pasta- but with the fresh- you have the nice flavor and a nice texture.

Linguine with zucchini, grape tomatoes, and creamy lemon-yogurt sauce

I'm a recipe follower. I've gotten to the point where I can adapt a recipe and use what I have on hand, but I still feel much better having the guidelines the recipe offers. So here's the recipe with my adaptions included- that way you can choose!

Linguine with Zucchini, Grape tomatoes, and creamy lemon-yogurt sauce- serves 4

from Jillian Michaels Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

8 oz. whole-wheat linguine (I used brown rice angel hair pasta)

1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek Yogurt (I used the home-made yogurt I had on hand)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 teaspoon grated Lemon zest (I used lemon juice- I had no zest)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 medium zucchini (8 oz each), cut into thin strips 3 in. long and 1/4 in wide

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (I used chopped roma tomatoes)

Bring a large pot or water to boil. Add the linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl (I used a small one) stir together the yogurt, Parmesan, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Use a spoon to push the zucchini aside so a space on the bottom of the pan is clear. Add the garlic and cook until gragrant and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, mix altogether, and cook until softened, 1-2 minutes.

Transfer the zucchini mixture to the yogurt mixture and stir gently to combine. ( I added the yogurt mix to the skillet) Add the reserved water, if necessary, to thin. Divide among four bowls and serve over cooked pasta.

Calories: 302.7 kcal, Fat: 7.2 g, Protein: 14.4 g, Carbohydrates: 49.0 g, Sodium: 254.7 mg

Laundry Soap

Here's the Laundry Detergent we are currently using.

Homemade Laundry Soap 
3 cups Borax
3 Cups Washing Soda (not to be confused with BAKING soda- it's not the same)
1 Bar of  Fels Naptha, grated fine (I grated it with the food processor, and then run it through the food processor with the chopper blade)

Mix it all up. Use 1/8 to 1/4 c. depending on size of load. (For a regular washer. If you are a lucky duck with an HE, use 1/16 to 1/8 c.) Works like a champ and is way cheap. 

Some tips:

Washing Soda is different than baking soda. It's still by arm and hammer- but the only store that sells it here in AZ is Fry's or Bashas. It's in their laundry isle, by the detergents. Fels Naptha is also in the Laundry isle- but they have that at other stores too.

Grating the Fels Naptha is the hardest part (or more time consuming). So I'll break out my food processor and do several bars at a time, and then bag them up so they're ready to go for later.

So I have my sourdough starter- now what?

Here's some info that might be of use to you if you are venturing into the world of sourdough.

Like I said earlier- sourdough was pretty intimidating to me. But I decided to give it a try and not be too hard on myself if it was a total flop, and I was so glad I did. While you do have to take care of your little starter- it will love you back:)

The Basics 

for feeding- you feed it 1 part sourdough starter, 1 part water, 1 part flour (based on weight). I usually weigh it with a digital kitchen scale; add the starter in the jar and weigh it- zero the scale, then add the same amount of water, zero, then add flour).(I also use a funnel because I can make a mess:)

You can also use measuring cups. If that’s the case- use this ratio: ¼ cup starter, ¼ cup water, almost ½ cup flour. (or .5,.5 and <1) I was really worried about being exact on these things at first, but I’ve learned if you are generally there- you’ll be okay.

The directions from cultures for health say to reserve ¼ c. of starter for the fridge. Mine usually ends up being about ½ cup. It just seemed to work a little better for me, and after 1 feeding, I’d have plenty of starter ready for what I was making. There’s a little bit of a learning curve while you figure out how much starter you need for what you want- and when to stop feeding it and stick it in the fridge.  So if it’s feeling overwhelming- put at least ¼ cup of starter in the fridge and take a break.

Also, if you do end up with a lot of starter, you can mix up batches of stuff, let the dough have it’s resting period, and then freeze it for later. Or just make pancakes of waffles.

I usually only take it out of the fridge 1 feeding before I need it. It’s warm here and it bubbles up great. That being said- If I was to make bread or something where I needed a good rise, I’d probably do the 3 feedings before.

If it’s a recipe where you add flour with the starter, there will be a “soaking’ period of around 7-12 hours. It its’ a recipe where it only uses starter (like pancakes or waffles) there’s no soaking period.

*Oh- and you want to keep the starter or soaking dough a fair distance from your other food that is actively culturing. (ex. yogurt, kefir, etc.)

Here's some recipes I've tried that were good:

Sourdough Crackers, Sourdough Waffles, Sourdough English Muffins, Sourdough Pancakes, Sourdough Tortillas, Sourdough Chocolate Cake, Sourdough Pizza Crust, Chocolate Sourdough Cupcakes, Sourdough Banana Bread, or this pizza Crust (This is our favorite- but I use all whole wheat flour)