May 26, 2013 at 1:01 AM (Homemade Hippie cleaning products, Make It Yourself, Non Toxic, Simple)
Tags: Detergent, DIY, easy, Essential oil, frugal, Home, homemade, housekeeping, Laundry, Laundry detergent, Non Toxic, Soap
This is the laundry soap that I used before I discovered soap nuts. See all about soap nuts HERE and other ways to use them besides laundry HERE. I was at my girlfriends house the other day and she was complaining about the high cost of laundry soap and all the chemical junk that it contains. I showed her how to whip up a batch of homemade laundry soap. Her cost: $0.83 cents! This does 60-64 loads of laundry. That is one penny per load baby!
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
- 3 pints water (6 cups)
- 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap grated (we cheated and grated it in her food processor . ha!)
- 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda)
- 1/2 cup borax
- 1 Quart hot water (4 cups)
- A 2 gallon bucket with a tight-fitting lid (we used an old coconut oil bucket, if you’re really nifty you can funnel this into an old detergent bottle and nobody will even know you’re a cheap skate!)
- cold water to fill bucket
1. Mix Fels Naptha in a saucepan with 3 pints water, heat on low until dissolved. Stir in the washing soda and borax. Stir until thick and remove from heat.
2. In the 2 gallon bucket add 1 quart of hot water. Add soap mixture to the bucket and stir well.
3. Now fill the bucket with cold tap water (leaving room to stir).
4. Set bucket aside for 24 hours. Uncovered. It will turn into a gel.
5. Place lid on bucket and you’re ready to wash some clothes.
Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup per load. You can stir in any essential oils that you like, if you are a fan of scented laundry.
Related Articles:
What the heck is a Soap Nut?
Soap Nuts around the House (and on your head)
Homemade Hippie Orange Cleaner
Homemade Hippie Scouring Powder
Homemade Hippie All-Purpose Cleaner and Disinfectant
Homemade Hippie Dishwasher Detergent
Homemade Hippie Windex for 0.12 cents a bottle
ALL Homemade Hippie Recipes
12 Comments
May 31, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Health, Herbal Medicine, Homemade Hippie Beauty Products, Make It Yourself, Non Toxic, Under $1.00)
Tags: alternative medicine, aromatherapy, beauty, bug spray, DIY, Essential oil, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Health, herbal medicine, Home, homemade, insect repellant, Non Toxic, Simple
In Michigan we are surrounded by water, which causes lots of humidity, which causes mosquitos the size of pterodactyls. For some reason mosquitos love me. Maybe because I am an extremely white, white girl and you can see every vein in my body, which to a mosquito must look like the best all you can eat lunch buffet in town. I also get welts the size of a quarter every time I get bit, so I spend most of the summer looking like a victim of scabies. They have hatched really early this year, because of the crazy warm weather, so it’s time to get out the arsenal and try to fend them off before they start carrying away small children.
The best natural bug repellant I’ve ever used is Bite Blocker by Homs LLC. I have tried several different kinds, but they all seem to wear off after a few minutes. Bite Blocker really works for hours, and doesn’t smell nasty at all. I decided to make my own version of Bite Blocker at home, because the ingredients list is pretty simple.
If you don’t want to make your own it can be purcased HERE. If you use the coupon code HIF798 you will receive a $10 discount and free shipping.
Homemade Hippie Buy Spray
1/4 cup olive oil (or any cheap liquid oil you have laying around)
2 Tbsp vegetable glycerin
1 Tbsp Citric Acid
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp homemade vanilla extract
6 drops Lavender essential oil
6 drops Tea Tree essential oil
6 drops Clove Bud essential oil
6 drops Peppermint essential oil
6 drops Rosemary essential oil
6 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops Geranium essential oil
Mix all ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Shake before each use. Reapply after 2-3 hours. You can use any strong mixture of essential oils that you prefer, this is just what I had a lot of in the house. I would make sure to use the Geranium oil, because that is the main active ingredient in Bite Blocker. The others I’m sure you could play with and have good results. Let me know what you use!
I have used this a few times so far and it does work very well. Rob and I went to a terribly overgrown area to chop down some dead trees for fire wood. It was way back in the shade, and next to a small creek. Every step we took sent up swarms of mosquitos and I thought for sure we’d be covered in welts. I got one nasty bite on my ankle, through my sock and Rob got zero bites. Considering that we were outside for 2 1/2 hours hauling firewood and sweating profusely I think that is pretty darn good don’t you?
This also smells good, and isn’t offensive to Rob’s manly nostrils, as he doesn’t like to “smell like a flower”.
Related Posts:
Homemade Hippie Wrinkle Cream
Homemade Hippie Mouthwash
Homemade Hippie Face Wash
Homemade Hippie Hand Lotion
Homemade Hippie Lip Balm
Homemade Hippie Hair Spray
Homemade Hippie Body Wash
Homemade Hippie Tooth Paste
Homemade Hippie Body Lotion
A COMPLETE LIST OF HOMEMADE HIPPIE RECIPES
20 Comments
May 30, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Recipes, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: bacon, brussels sprouts, Cook, cooking, Easy Recipes, food, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, Recipes, Salad, Simple
This recipe is very simple, but full of flavor. I love the saltiness of the bacon, the sweetness of the raisins and the bitter brussels sprouts all mixed together. A fabulous side dish!
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
3 slices thick bacon
4 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 medium shallot, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup homemade chicken stock
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
- In a heavy skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside to crisp up.
- Add Brussels sprouts to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until well browned and almost soft. About 7 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add raisins, shallot and butter. Cook 3 minutes
- Add broth and bring to a boil, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce heat and simmer broth 1-2 minutes.
- Mix in vinegar and crumbled bacon. Taste and season as needed. Serve warm.
I only had a tiny amount of golden raisins on hand, so I added 1/4 cup of dried cranberries also. It turned out delicious!
I mix mine with lettuce or spinach and eat it like a salad. Yum!
5 Comments
May 28, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Recipes, Simple, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Bake, baking, casserole, Cook, cooking, Easy Recipes, fish, food, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, morel, Nutrition, real food, sea food, trout
Any fish will work for this recipe. Just pick your favorite fillet and go with it. We just happened to have a huge lake trout in the freezer, so this is what I used. It is finally mushroom season, and morels are my favorite. Time to stock up!
Lake Trout with Morels
1 lb fish fillets 1/2 to 3/4 thick
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup green onion, sliced
Sea salt
1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp dry thyme
- Thaw fish if frozen. Pat dry and place in baking dish. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- In a saucepan melt butter and add mushrooms, onions and thyme. Cook until tender.
- Pour over fish and bake in 450 degree oven for 12-18 minutes. Fish should flake easily with a fork when done.
If you are lucky enough to have a surplus of morels this year there are many ways to preserve them. I have tried just about everything, and several methods work.
1. I thoroughly rinse the mushrooms in cold water. Then sauté in butter for no longer than 3 minutes. Let cool and place in a zip lock baggie with juices from pan. When you are ready to eat, cut off the plastic bag and place the whole frozen block in a skillet. Cover and cook on low. Tastes just like fresh, with a slight difference in firmness and texture.
2. I have dried them on a string in the attic for a month, I have laid them on the oven rack and dried them at 160 degrees for about an hour. I have laid them on window screens out in the back yard until dry. I have never owned a dehydrator, so that’s the only method I haven’t used. Of everything I’ve tried, threading them onto a string (like a little mini-clothes line) was by far the best. When rehydrated the taste and texture was exactly the same as fresh out of the ground. Maybe because no heat is used?
3. I have washed and drained the mushrooms so they are almost dry. Then laid them on a cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer until solid. Pack into bags and vacuüm seal. This method changed the texture a bit, but the flavor was the same.
4. My least favorite method was packing a mason jar (or other freezer container) with mushrooms, covering that with cold water and freezing. They would be ok for soup, but the texture was too mushy for my tastes. And a lot of the flavor gets dumped out with the water after thawing.
Happy mushroom hunting!
3 Comments
May 27, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Baking, Recipes, Whats for Breakfast?, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Asparagus, Bake, baking, casserole, Cook, Easy Recipes, food, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, Recipes
This is an easy make-ahead breakfast. You can mix it up the night before and then bake it the next morning. It also makes a fast and easy dinner.
Ham & Asparagus Strata
4 English muffins, torn into pieces
2 cups cooked ham
2 cups fresh asparagus, cut up
4-6 oz Gruyère cheese, cubed
5 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
- Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Spread half of the english muffin pieces on the bottom.
- Top with ham, asparagus and cheese cubes
- Top with remaining english muffin pieces
- In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, onion, mustard and pepper
- Pour this mixture over casserole dish, coating everything evenly
- Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours
- Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 60-65 minutes
There are a zillion variations on this recipe. I have replaced the ham with chicken before. I have used broccoli instead of asparagus. I have used swiss instead of Gruyère. Let your imagination go wild!
2 Comments
May 16, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Homemade Condiments, Make It Yourself, Recipes, Sugar Free, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Bake, baking, Barbecue sauce, casserole, chicken, Coconut oil, Cook, cooking, DIY, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, homemade condiments, kitchen, low carb, no carb, Nutrition, paleo, Pork, real food, recipe, Recipes, Simple, sugar free
It is grilling season, so it’s time to whip up my secret weapon. I have been adapting and changing this recipe for so many years that I don’t remember what I originally started with. All I remember is that I had a half used can of tomato paste in the fridge I was trying to get rid of, and this recipe was somehow born. I love that it has no sugar, but still tastes sweet and has this great spicy kick that goes well with just about any meat. I also really love the base of nourishing bone broth, which you can never have too much of. Tonight we’re grilling bone-in pork ribs from our local farmer with some cornbread. Mmmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
The Worlds Best Barbeque Sauce
makes 2 cups
1 Tbsp grass-fed butter or coconut oil
1 cup sweet onion, diced small
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock (or beef or vegetable)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2-1 tsp stevia powder (or sweetener of choice)
Heat butter/oil in sauce pan and sauté onion for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. You can serve it just like this, but I like to boil it down to thicken it a while. I turn down the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so. I also find the longer cooking time melds the flavors, and it turns out even more delicious.
I have used this sauce on every cut of pork, beef and chicken that I can think of. It is a great marinade, basting sauce, oven baking glaze and dipping sauce. If you are feeding young kids or someone who doesn’t like spicy food you may want to add the chili powder a little bit at a time and taste as you go.
If you want to make this even healthier, you could let it cool and add 2 tbsp of whey and leave it on the counter over night. Then you would have a sugar-free probiotic condiment.
This keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge, and also freezes very well. If you eat as much meat as we do, it won’t last you that long 🙂
Related Posts:
Coffee Spice Rub
Tender Grilled Brisket
Real Food Taco Soup (in the crockpot)
Real Food Chili (in the crockpot)
Real Food Lasagna (SO Simple)
Stuffed Green Peppers in the Crockpot
Country Fried Steak
Real Food Meatloaf
The Worlds Best Chimichangas!!
COMPLETE LIST OF REAL FOOD RECIPES
59 Comments
May 15, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Fast, Make It Yourself, Recipes, Simple)
Tags: Butter, Coconut oil, Cook, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Home, homemade, how to, kitchen, Nutrition, Popcorn, real food, recipe, Simple, tutorials
This is almost too easy to post about, but it’s one of our favorite snacks, so I thought I’d share. You can use coconut oil, or butter or a mixture of the two. I like a mixture, but that is totally up to your taste buds! This is a large recipe, because for some reason this doesn’t go stale like other recipes I’ve tried. I pack a bag in my lunch and eat it cold the next day. If you want just a small, easy snack 2 Tbsp of dry popcorn kernels make 1 Quart of popcorn.
Coconut Oil Popcorn
makes about 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups)
1/3 cup organic popcorn kernels
3 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
salt to taste
I use a very heavy bottomed, stainless steel stock pot with a lid for this recipe. I think just about any heavy pot will do (including heave frying pans).
Place coconut oil, popcorn kernels and butter in pot. Turn heat to medium-high and place lid on pot. Every 10 seconds or so shake the pot to avoid burnt popcorn. Once the popcorn starts to pop, you can stop shaking. There will be a fast burst of popping, after that turn off the heat and let it finish popping. Remove lid and add salt to taste.
butter, coconut oil and organic popcorn in pot. Medium high heat.
I have made this many times and have never had burnt popcorn or un-popped kernels in the bottom of the pot. We eat a lot right away, and then store the left overs in sandwich bags for lunch or snacks.
Empty pot, no burned or un-popped kernels.
Other popcorn flavor ideas that I plan to try:
Grated Parmesan cheese
Italian seasonings (basic, oregano, parsley)
Salt & Vinegar
Lemon pepper
Tabasco sauce
Celery salt & Dill
Garlic Butter
Homemade taco seasoning
What are your ideas?
22 Comments
May 14, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Real Food Dessert, Recipes, Sugar Free)
Tags: Bake, baking, Banana, Coconut, Coconut milk, Coconut oil, Cook, cooking, dessert, DIY, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, housekeeping, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, Recipes, Simple, Vanilla extract
I have made this as a dessert and omitted the sweetener and served it for breakfast. It is delicious either way. It tastes great warm or cold and is full of healthy fats, omega-3’s and protein.
Coconut Banana Custard
1 1/2 cups coconut milk powder (I buy mine from Wilderness Family Naturals)
4 cups very hot water
4 over-ripe bananas, mashed
8 free-range soy-free eggs (why soy free?)
2 Tbsp homemade vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
Mix coconut milk powder and hot water. Whisk until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and blend. Pour into a 11×13 casserole dish. Set the casserole dish into a larger pan filled with water. Bake in 350 degree oven for 55-65 minutes. Do not over-bake! Custard sets as it cools, and even more in the fridge. If cooked too long, the liquid will separate from the eggs, and it will turn out like a sweetened scrambled egg, with a bunch of excess liquid. You are looking for the edges to set, but the middle to slightly jiggle when you bump the pan. For the perfect custard, let it cool in the water bath for at least 30 minutes, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 4 or more hours.
This can also be baked in individual ramekins or glass Pyrex dishes (for 35 minutes each). Pyrex dishes are very convenient if you’re planning to pack this in your lunch. You can just let it cool completely and snap on the lid and you’re all set.
I have made this with no sweetener before and it is delicious that way as well. It comes out slightly sweet and more eggy tasting and makes a great breakfast hot or cold.
You can use canned coconut milk (or make your own fresh), but I find it cheaper to use the powder.
For a more beautiful presentation, after the custard is finished baking place a layer of banana slices (or coconut flakes) on top and place under a hot broiler for 3-4 minutes. The bananas will carmelize and blacken and look beautiful on the plate.
7 Comments
May 12, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Buying in Bulk, Recipes, Simple, Whats for Dinner?)
Tags: Bake, Baked beans, baking, casserole, Cook, cooking, crock pot, easy, Easy Recipes, food, frugal, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, Nutrition, Oven, real food, recipe, Recipes, Simple, Slow cooker
Baked Beans in the Crock Pot
This makes 1 quart of beans
1 cup dry kidney, navy or pinto beans soaked (see below)
2 sweet, yellow onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup raw maple syrup (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup organic or homemade ketchup
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lb bacon (from pasture raised pigs)
To soak the beans: Place beans in large bowl or pot, cover with 1 quart of very warm water (110-130 degrees). Soak for 8-24 hours. I put mine in the oven with the pilot light and oven light on, to keep them toasty. They next day, drain the beans and rinse.
Place beans and all other ingredients EXCEPT SALT in the crockpot, laying the bacon across the top. Adding salt to dry beans, keeps them from getting soft. Always add salt to beans after cooking. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
These are very good and very filling. I serve them with fresh cornbread right out of the oven and we usually eat way too much. This recipe freezes and reheats very well. I have made a quadruple batch before and froze it in individual containers (back when I had a chest freezer, geez I miss that!).
3 Comments
May 10, 2012 at 1:01 AM (Real Food Dessert, Recipes, Whats for Breakfast?)
Tags: Bake, Coconut oil, Cook, Crêpe, food, Frugal Recipes, Health, Home, homemade, kitchen, Nutrition, real food, Recipes
A hot crepe filled with warm chocolate pudding. Mmmm it doesn’t get any better than that. This is surprising easy to make, and a very large batch can be made.
Real Food Chocolate Pudding
1/3 cup honey
4 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or organic corn starch)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 cups raw milk (you can also use coconut milk)
1 tsp homemade vanilla extract
In a 3-4 quart saucepan whisk together the arrowroot powder, cocoa and milk. Turn on the heat to medium and stir in the honey. Continue to stir until pudding thickens. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Set this pan aside while you make the crepes.
Real Food Crepes
This is a double recipe and makes 16 large 12″ crepes
6 eggs (from the happiest hens you can find)
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp raw honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Lots of butter or coconut oil for frying
- Mix ingredients together in a blender or with a whisk and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Heat a 12″ skillet to medium high heat. Melt 1 tsp butter in pan.
- Pour 1/3 cup of batter into pan. Tilt pan to spread batter all around.
- Immediately take your spatula and gently lift all around the edges of the crepe. This helps it from sticking, when it’s time to flip.
- Cook for one minute. You will notice it starting to firm up, and you will see very small bubbles forming.
- Flip over and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer to a plate and spread a thin 1-2 Tbsp of chocolate pudding onto crepe. Roll up and serve.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you’re trying to impress someone
- The first crepe always gets mangled. And the cook gets to eat it, so nanner nanner 🙂
These are excellent warm, and just as excellent the next day cold.
I have made many different variations of crepes, and have come to the conclusion that everything tastes amazing when rolled up in these delicate thin pancake-like creations. I have tried:
- Smoked Salmon and Gouda Cheese
- Strawberries and whipped cream
- Blueberries and cream cheese
- Bacon and Smoked cheese
- Almond butter and honey
- Ham and green peppers
- Grilled pumpkin and cinnamon
- Carmelized onion, tomato and swiss cheese
- Roasted eggplant and mushrooms
- Banana slices and yogurt
- Cooked apples and nutmeg
What are your ideas?
5 Comments
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A Real Food Lover 