Our Journey to Raw and Living Foods

My husband I recently watched the movie, Food Matters via our Netflix instant download a month or so ago. It inspired us to do some more research and start making some changes in our lives.



Among those changes are adding more supplaments (specifically vitamin C, D, and some probiotics) and eating more RAW food. Yes, raw as in uncooked foods. Among the usual salads and eating more veggies and fruits for snacks, we are incorporating greens smoothies and other creative meals. My dehydrator has been running a lot lately...

Here was last night's meal:

Vegetable Semosas. Mine don't look half as good as these. These are completely raw because the wraps are made of mostly zuchinni and spices and cooked in the dehydrator at a low temperature which does not kill any of the enzymes. Byron thought these were great.

(Homemade cucumber and homemade chipotle dip)

Green Smoothy that is not pictured, but tasted delicious.

Dessert was Banana Nut "cookie balls." These were made with ground up walnuts and homemade dehydrated banana chips as the main ingredients.

My little cutie pie enjoying his dessert

Yuumm...

Staying Healthy & Staying Green....

Here is proof that you can Supercoupon and still eat healthy and stay green...

Wild Harvest Organic Roman Lettuce (3 heads)-$1.00!!

Grande all natural, multigrain tortilla chips- $1 per bag

Special K cracker (90 cal a serving)- $0.49 cents a box

{LOTS} Dannon Activia yogurt- FREE

Seventh Generation liquid dish soap-$0.69 cents

Seventh Generation disinfectant spray-$0.99 cents

Palm Olive Pure + Clear dish soap-$0.57 cents

Marcal* facial tissue- $0.29 cents a box

Marcal paper towels- $0.29 cents a roll

Marcal toilet paper-$0.29 cents a 4 roll pack!

*100% of our Small Steps® products are made from 100% premium recycled paper, not trees. Our 100% premium recycled eco friendly products are hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and whitened without chlorine bleaching. Small Steps® bath tissue, towels, napkins and facial tissue contain just the right combination of strength, absorbency and softness to handle every job.

Plus, with all that you save you can afford to purchase more organic, healthy, and sustainable products!

Supercouponing update: 3rd month of supercouponing and saved 57% ($200!!!) of our monthly grocery budget (all food, household, and personal care items). Not too bad if you consider I'm stockpiling too!

Green Cleaning

Household cleaners are SO expensive. If you are looking for something on the safer or "greener" side, you can spend even more. I don't mind making cleaners at home, but most of them have a vinegar base that I just can't stand. I want my house to actually smell clean and not like I just spilled a gallon of vinegar on the floor after hours of hard work. Essential oils can help, but those are very expensive too.

A friend of mine introduced me to Shaklee a while ago, but for some reason I thought you had to be a member to purchase their products. Money Saving Mom is writing a series on her blog on 100 Different Ways to Save $100 This Year. She tipped me off on Shaklee's Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. It's non-toxic, natural, doubly concentrated, and biodegradable. The 16 oz bottle makes 48 gallons of household cleaner! It has formulas for Windows and Mirrors, Degreasing, and All purpose jobs. The best part about it is that it only costs around $12 a bottle at non-member price.

Working great so far.

Gardening Resources

I'm the type of person who learns better if someone shows me how to do it rather than tell me. As my husband and I have started to garden over the last couple years, I have searched the internet for resources. One of my favorites is a video podcast called Gardenfork.
Eric Rochow, the creator, is just your average guy who likes to garden, cook, and live green. His wife works the camera and there two energetic dogs are always in the background causing a distraction. He has great tips and how-to videos that make you feel like you can do it too. Anything from pruning apple trees to making apple crisp.

Rochow is also creator of Real World Green. He has videos ranging from how to recycle your Christmas tree to how to "Green your Laundry."

Check out his website and subscribe to his video podcasts. Let Eric Rochow help you get a good start to this year's growing season.

It's That Time

The seed catalogs are coming in and piling up. It's about that time to start planning our garden. Soon we will be starting our seedlings.

Some pictures from last years garden:

Delicious lettuce

The best watermelon you've ever tasted

Garden in the spring . Everything is starting to grow!

Oh, I just can't wait!

Homemade Wood Furniture Polish

.

.

I ran out of furniture polish, so yesterday I decided to make my own out of 2 parts olive oil and one part lemon juice (both of which I already had). I used olive pomace oil. It's only about $12.99 a gallon, but it doesn't have a very good flavor for cooking with. I used it when I made soap as well. I just put the mixture in an old washed out spray bottle and used a microfiber cloth. It worked wonderfully and smelled good too. One thing I don't like about homemade house cleaners is that the house ends up smelling like vinegar when you are done. You can buy essential oils which help a little, but they are expensive and it doesn't seem to totally mask the vinegar smell. I give this recipe for furniture polish a thumbs up for sure.