Ways to Keep Your Home Safe & Cancer Free

Your home should be a safe and peaceful space that promotes well being and health. However, if you’re constantly cleaning up the house with harsh chemicals, washing it down with anti-bacterial soaps, and steeping yourself in off-gassing bedding, carpet and décor, your home may not be such a safe place after all.

Take off your shoes.
Keep toxins out of the house? Don’t bring them in in the first place. Remove your shoes at the door and track less dirt, chemicals, lead, oil, and pesticide residues into the house. It’s also a nice way to leave the world behind, and then symbolically welcome yourself back to the haven of home.

Filter your water.
Most of us drink, shower, and bathe with water that’s full of highly toxic chemicals such as arsenic, fluoride and, chlorine. To get rid of them filter your drinking water and install a filter in the shower, or a whole house filtration system to remove up to 99% of the chemicals.

Make your own cleaning products.
Commercial household cleaning products are a significant source of toxins, polluting your indoor air, and contaminating your body, as they’re absorbed through the skin while you scrub. Cut your exposure by making your own inexpensive, non-toxic cleaning products, using baking soda, Castile soap, lemon juice, tea tree oil, vinegar, and other natural products.

Stay away from toxic toothpaste.
Most toothpastes and mouthwashes are loaded with fluoride, triclosan, artificial flavors and colors, all of which are terrible for your body. Switch to natural versions from the health food store or better yet, make your own.

Don’t buy body care products containing parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate or oxybenzone.
They’re just a few of the toxins lurking in common body care products with the power to throw your hormones off cycle and trigger health problems.

Get rid of synthetics.
Synthetic bedding and wall-to-wall carpeting are made from petrochemicals and are often treated with chemical flame-retardants, and nobody should spend 8 hours a night steeping in all that! Switch to unbleached, organic cotton, linen, wool or down alternatives for your bedding, and trade synthetic wall-to-wall carpet for eco-friendly, sustainable materials like bamboo floor coverings, and organic sisal.

#cancerfreehome #essentialoils #filterwater #healthyhome #livinggreen #naturalcleaning #noordinarychick #nosynthetics #notoxins #safehome

Herbal Tips - Lavender

Lavender (Lavendula officinale, spica, and vera)

Lavender is one of thirty-nine known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae.
Lavender is associated with the element air and the planet Mercury. It is symbolic of healing, love, magic, protection, and vision. The aromatic sweet smell is unmistakable, and its long-lasting fragrance makes it popular in the perfume industry. Lavender also displays powerful sedative and calming properties; and is used for the treatment of anxiety, digestive problems, insomnia, migraines, and tension headaches.

Culinary
The flower buds are usually dried just before they bloom, and then ground and used as a flavoring. Herbs de Provence; a fragrant dried herb mixture from southern France known for its lavender inclusion, and ingredients vary according to what is available. Mix basil, fennel, lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage, and summer savory. Sprinkle on meats to grill, chicken, and roasts, before cooking. Fresh lavender flowers can be candied for decorations. Try flavoring preserves and sorbets, adding to cake and cookie mixes, or adding a few stems to vinegar to make a sweetly scented dressing.

Gardening
Lavender was an essential part of the early monastic and medicinal herb garden. This beautiful, potent, and lovely-smelling flower not only repels mosquitoes but also keeps moths and flies away. Lavenders flourish best in dry, well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils in full sun. All types need little or no fertilizer and good air circulation.

Harvest & Storing
Harvest lavender stems at any time by cutting them from the plant, but avoid clipping more than every third stem to keep the plant looking full. Dry the flowering stems by lying on open trays, or hanging them in small bunches.

#aromatic #culinarylavender #flowers #healthyeating #herbs #herbsdeprovance #lamiaceae #lavender #livinggreen #medicinalherbgarden #naturalgardening #noordinarychick #perfume

Slow Roast Cherry Tomatoes

We planted a Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato in our garden this year, and the abundance of sweet cherry tomatoes is truly amazing.

You can only eat so many tomatoes, and with the amount we have we decided to look for ways to preserve the little too ripe summer treats.

Cherry tomatoes are small so making sauce with them isn’t very productive because there isn’t enough meat in the tomatoes for any yield.

We like sundried tomatoes, but thought these cherries were too small and wouldn’t have much taste if they were all the way dried.

So we decided to try a slow roast method we’ve read about in many preserve the harvest sources.

It’s easy, just slice your cherry tomatoes in half and spread them on a tray, we like ours lined with parchment as nothing sticks, and it’s so easy to clean up.

Add some garlic cloves; cleaned up but left in their skin, and sprinkle with your favorite fresh herbs… We used fresh basil, marjoram, and oregano.

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and drizzle lightly with your favorite olive oil.

Place your tray in the oven and bake at 225 degrees; set your timer for 3 hours, no need to check them this slow method works fine on its own.

You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside and these little cherry tomatoes come out as herbed sweet and savory delights!

You can use them right away, or let them cool and cover them with some extra olive oil, keep them in the fridge for the best summer condiment… the fun will be how many ways you can think of to use them, enjoy!

#basil #cherrytomatoes #culinarytreats #garilc #freshherbs #healthyeating #livinggreen #marjoram #naturalgardening #noordinarychick #oliveoil #oregano #preservetheharvest #slowroastcherrytomatoes #summercomdiment #sweet100s #tomatoes

Summers Too Ripe Fruit - Crisps

 

There are many ways to use summers too ripe fruit; freeze it for another day’s smoothie, a fruit syrup, a batch of jam for winters kiss, but one of our favorites is a simple fruit crisp that can be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert, or anytime!

There are also many methods for fruit crisps; in the winter we prefer to sweeten the fruit and have a crumbly topping, but in the summer we use a little French secret that turns our fruit crisp into a crusty topped delight.

The summers’ too ripe fruit crisp shown is made from apricots, blackberries, and nectarines with the following method:

*Note we have listed our ingredient amounts per the 9 inch round we used, and you can adjust up or down from there.

Gather in a bowl; 1 cup organic oatmeal, ½ cup unbleached flour, ½ cup loose brown sugar, 1/3 cup slivered almonds, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon cloves, mixing gently. Put 3 tablespoons unsalted butter to the side for the final blending for use.

For your French secret: ½ cup organic heavy cream and ½ cup Florida crystals (sugar) brought just to a boil while stirring regularly, and set to the side to cool for assembly.

Butter a glass pie pan or shallow casserole, and layer in your cleaned, sliced too ripe organic 6 apricots, 3 nectarines, and ½ pint blackberries.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.    Pour your reserved French secret over your prepared fruit.

For blending your topping cut the unsalted butter into cubes and mix into your dry ingredients until crumbly, and then spread evenly over your prepared too ripe fruit ingredients.

Place your crisp in the oven; when the temperature recovers 375 degrees adjust down to 350 and bake about 35-40 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Serve warm or chilled, with whipped cream, cheese, yogurt, or ice cream and enjoy for breakfast, dessert, or anytime!

#apricots #blackberries #breakfast #brownsugar #cinnamon #cheese #cloves #dessert #floridacrystals #frenchsecret #frozenfruit #fruitcrisp #fruitsyrup #healthyeating #heavycream #icecream #jam #livinggreen #naturalfoods #nectarines #noordinarychick #oatmeal #organiccooking #organicfoods #ripefruit #sliveredalmonds #smoothie #summerfruit #summerstooripefruitcrisps #unbleachedflour #unsaltedbutter #whippedcream #yogurt

Fresh Lemon Balm Honey

 

Making an herbal honey infusion is an easy thing to try, and the results are truly a unique taste delight. 

Your needs are pretty simple; fresh lemon balm, two mason jars with a lid n ring sets, some clean glass marbles, and some honey!

We like to pick our herbs in the morning when they are most potent after the nights cool rest. We grow natural (no pesticides) in our garden so we go straight from harvest to project as any added water can ruin the infusion.

Remove the fresh lemon balm leaves from their stems and fill the jar about ½ full, packing your herbs down. 

Pour in the honey until it covers your lemon balm; mix gently making sure all the air bubbles are removed, and all the plant matter is covered in the honey.

Drop in your marbles to keep the fresh plant matter submerged because mold can develop if it’s exposed to air while steeping.

Cap your jar and let sit in a cool dry cabinet 2 weeks to infuse. The first week check your honey a couple times, opening the jar and removing any small pieces of lemon balm that float to the surface. You may notice your honey thinning, which happens naturally from the moisture in the fresh herbs.

After the second week strain the plant matter from the honey with a small strainer right into a clean jar, and it’s ready to use any way you enjoy having honey, except it has a delicious lemon balm flavor.

We are sure you will come up with many ways to try your honey infusion; but one of our favorites is to add it to a classic cheese tray, and they argue whether it’s better drizzled over the Brie and Bosc pear, or smeared on a wedge of Spanish Manchego!

#freshherbs #healthyeating #herbalhoney #herbinfusedhoney #honey #garden #lemonbalm #lemonbalmhoney #livinggreen #naturalfoods #noordinarychick

Summer's Kiss Littleneck Clam Appetizer

Kiss; keep it simple silly; you'll love this appetizer!

Summer is here and we're still eating as many clams as possible. One of our favorite ways to have littlenecks is the simplest... a neighbor of ours used to have seafood delivered overnight from Martha’s Vineyard; he taught us this following appetizer.

You will need any kind of grill, charcoal, infrared, or propane.
Fresh Littleneck Clams; scrubbed, soaked, and rinsed.
Fresh Lemons; cut into wedges.

Preheat your grill.
Place your cleaned clams on hot grill and cover to steam open.
Serve with lemon wedges as soon as the clans open.

Yes it is this simple and they are fabulous! Happy clamming.

#appetizers #chef #grill #healthyeating #lemons #littleneckclams #livinggreen #naturalfoods #noordinarychick #seafood

Spice Rub Trio for your Summer Barbecues

Lip-Smacking Poultry Rub may be used directly on poultry, or added to any coating.
*Anytime Beer-Can Chicken serving suggestion: Clean a whole chicken and pat to dry with paper towels. Sprinkle rub generously over the entire bird and place on a beer can with half poured out, then inserted in a beer-can baking rack. Roast in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 20 minutes per pound; the first 50 minutes without opening the oven, then baste, rotate and finish baking until a leg is pulled easily away from the bird.

Too Tasty Beef Rub may be used on any cut of beef, or burgers to flavor.
*Roast Beef Cuts serving suggestion: Pat your beef cut dry with a paper towel, then rub a small amount of olive oil over the entire surface. Sprinkle rub generously over the entire roast and place on a baking sheet; bake as per specific beef cut instructions.

Spice Me Up Rub may be used directly on any beef, fish, pork, or poultry product. It may be added to a grain to finish; and it’s even great on fresh corn on the cob!
*Pulled Pork serving suggestion: Cut your boneless pork shoulder into 3 inch hunks and pat dry with a paper towel. Place pork pieces in a baking dish and sprinkle rub generously over all. Cover and place in a preheated 350-degree oven. Turn pork over after first 45 minutes; cover, continue cooking, turning each ½ hour until meat is tender and shreds with a fork.

#barbecue #beef #beercanchicken #burgers #cornonthecob #culinary #fish #flavoring #healthyeating #herbs #lipsmackingpoultryrub #livinggreen #naturalfoods #noordinarychick #pork #poultry #pulledpork #roastbeef #spicemeuprub #spices #spicerubs #tootastybeefrub #wholefoodschef