Mama G's Autumn Soup

Autumn is here & so are cold days & nights. There is nothing quite like sitting with a cup of hot homemade soup, all cuddled up in a blanket, snuggled by a fire. Here is a soup I like to make that varies from time to time depending on the ingredients in my cupboard. This recipe is my most recent. Hope you enjoy it. It's loaded with vitamins & minerals & it warms the soul. So pull on a blanket, pour yourself a cup & make a fire(or turn the fire on as I do with my electric one..heehee) & enjoy! :) 

Ingredients :                      

•  Grapeseed oil, 1-10 oz.fresh white mushrooms(rinsed, dried & chopped)
• 2 carrots(peeled & chopped into half coins)
• 2 leeks(peeled,washed&coined)
• 2 shallots (peeled & chopped)
• fresh bag spinach(rinsed)
• 1 lb.frozen broccoli
• 1 cup fresh lentils
• 1 can green beans, drained(or 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen)
• 1 can pinto beans(rinsed & drained) 
• 4 red potatoes(washed & chopped small)
• 2 boxes vegetable broth(32 oz.each)
• dried 1 tsp of each of these: oregano, basil, celery salt, garlic salt, onion powder, turmeric, and ground black pepper, and gomashio
• 1 tsp dried of each of these: chives & cumin
• 2 tsps. sea salt & 1 sheet of Nori ground in a coffee grinder(you can shred into tiny pieces if you don't own a grinder).                                              

1. Chop all ingredients, wash & dry & set aside. Prep is the key to making it go smoothly.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil in stock put & throw in shallots. Cook till soft.                             
3. Throw in mushrooms. Cook till soft. Add 2 Tbsp. veg.broth.
4. Throw in Leeks. Cook for 3 mins. Add 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil.
5. Throw in carrots & red potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add more broth as needed- make sure covers veggies.
6. Add 12 cups water & stir. Add fresh spinach, broccoli, green beans, pinto beans & lentils. Cook for 5 mins.
7. Add 1 last Tbsp. Grapeseed oil & all dried herbs, spices/ seasoning EXCEPT for Gomashio, Nori, S&P. Stir & cook for 15 mins.
8. Pour in rest of vegetable broth, S & P. Cook for 20 mins.
9. Add Gomashio & Nori & cook for 5 mins.

This may seem to take awhile, but it is worth it & you can do stuff around the house during each interval of cooking time. Perhaps pick out a great classic movie to watch with your soup? ;)
Hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you enjoyed or any variations you might have used.
HAPPY AUTUMN!

Autumn Wreath

You'll need:
Clippings & sticks from Bradford pear tree clippings that you trim in Fall & strong brown & green craft wire.( you can get wire at a craft store or hardware store).

If you're careful, you can bend the sticks( not too thick) & enroll a partner(my Hubby helped me :) ) or you can invest in a wreath frame found at craft stores. Keep bending & tie tightly around until the thickness of the branches are what you want.

I have made many wreaths through the years, but this one was very nice. Wish the pictures did it justice. It's so relaxing & fun & you would normally throw the clippings away. Why not recycle & use for another purpose? Hope you have as much fun as I did!! :)

Handmade Jewelry

Today I wanted to make a necklace that a guy could wear.  We just came back from the beach, so I thought I would use a seashell from there.  I picked an old guitar string as the string, since we have so many hanging around.  And that was all I used! I think it turned out to be something pretty neutral. It's not necessarily feminine or masculine. This is how it came out:

Guitar String and Seashell

Guy's Necklace (or girl's too)

Guitar String Necklace

1. Take a guitar string:

Guitar String

2.  String a seashell on.

Add the seashell

3.  Loop the straight end through the end with the circle.

4.  Send it through again and loop it (don't pull it all the way through, this is fine) once it's on. It's easily adjustable now but doesn't fall off easily!

With the other necklace, I didn't loop it through a second time and just had the string meet up with the seashell, which had the perfect spot to hold the string.  

Loop the Guitar String

Wearing it a bit longer as a necklace

Guitar String Necklace

I think these came out pretty cool, especially since we had so many guitar strings just hanging around.  It's definitely something a little different and beachy! What do you think? Does it work?

How to Dye Your Hair with Kool-Aid

Dying my hair!

Want a new color that lasts a week?  You can try a crazy new color for cheap with kool-aid!  I've done this two summers in a row and I have a lot of fun with it.  Last summer I did an all-over red in my hair, and this year I did different colored streaks of red, orange, and blue.

Kool-aid is accidentally vegan, so it's a great way to dye your hair on a budget!  I got my kool-aid packets on sale for 10 cents each.  I spent a whopping 40 cents on my hair dye!  It is temporary though, so it doesn't last as long as regular hair dye, but it lasts longer than one wash! Last year it lasted 2 weeks, this time I'll have to see how long it lasts!

Kool-Aid Hair Dye

If you want all-over color:

1. Mix 3-5 packets of kool-aid with just enough water and conditioner to make a paste.
2. Cover the area to avoid kool-aid stains and wear throw-away gloves.
3. Work the paste into sections of hair, covering every strand from root to tip. (Or wherever you want the color)
4. Wrap your hair in plastic wrap, cover your pillows in rags so they don't stain, and sleep on it!
5. The next morning, unwrap your hair and rinse it out  in the shower.  Do not shampoo, but condition your hair.  It will look really cool when dry!

If you want streaks:

       Follow the above but use less kool-aid, in different colors if you'd like, and cover strands with tinfoil once you've applied the color.

And, voila!

This is a fun, creative way to go crazy with your hair without doing anything permanent.  Have fun!

Natural Eye Makeup Remover

Olive Oil Make-up Remover

We girls love to wear our makeup sometimes & we try to wear natural with the best ingredients in them. Taking off the makeup is another story! I don't want to go through all of the trouble(not really trouble) of putting on beautiful high-quality makeup, then ruin my face with a chemical-laden product of a makeup remover. Mandi & I have found a great solution!! OLIVE OIL!!! :) It glides on smoothly, will not irritate your face(seriously, ladies) & takes that makeup right off!! Yay!! You can keep the oil as is, a dab or two on a cotton ball or find a recyclable tin or what-not & pour in & freeze overnight, then glide off with a tissue or a clean finger(don't double -dip with same finger for bacterial reasons) & wipe carefully on eyes. Voila!!

Black Bean Burgers

Yummy, these are!! We make these on a regular basis....at the very least, once a week...especially in the Summer. They're made quickly & they're better for you than those processed bean & other veggie burgers & great for protein! They're so good too!! Let us know what you think of them! Enjoy!(oh... and you can substitute other beans once in awhile too if you feel like being different one day. : ) )

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 can black beans (or whatever you prefer)
1/2 cup all purpose unbleached  flour
2 slices of a healthy bread, crumbled
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. paprika
salt & pepper to taste
1 TBSPN. natural ketchup, certain Hunt's brands are good, or homemade if you'd like
olive oil or avocado oil for frying

Directions:

1)Sautee the onion, pepper, garlic, with some oil.
2)In a Large bowl, mash the beans until almost smooth. Add the sauteed onion mix. Add rest of the ingredients minus the flour. Then add flour, 1 TBSPN at a time.Combine well, with spoon. Mixture will be mushy & thick.
3)Form beans into patties, to size preferred.
4)Fry burgers in rest of oil til browned well & crispy on both sides(approx.3 minutes on each side)

Makes 6 or more burgers depending on size.

I hope you can try these sometime. Enjoy!!

Homemade Toothpaste

Hello, again! How are you all enjoying this beautiful summer weather? Personally, I have been soaking up these rays all day, gardening, playing with my dog and bunnies, and just relaxing!

I also found time to make this awesome toothpaste with my mom. It makes your teeth feel so much cleaner and really whitened up my teeth! You should give it a try!

Store-bought toothpaste can be pretty scary. Looking at the label, you see that its even dangerous to swallow! And it's supposed to go in your mouth, right? :P

The good news (there's always good news!) is that you can make your own. And its really very simple.

When making your own, you can choose each ingredient, be picky about what you use, change the taste, and save money!

Homemade Toothpaste
6 Tbs Baking soda
1/2 tsp Peppermint extract
6 Tbs coconut oil
1 tsp sweetener (optional)

Mix these ingredients together and store in an air-tight container, and use whenever you brush your teeth! *warning: if you're not used to baking soda in your mouth, it can taste bitter. It is worth it though, so give it a try!

Because of bacteria concerns, you may not want to use this every day. But its a great way to whiten your teeth and use a natural way to clean your teeth!

(We are not dentists, but we are speaking from personal experience)

What do y'all think? Does it work for you? How do you feel about toothpaste?

Chocolate

Chocolate, Chocolate, How I Love thee..... Dark Chocolate is the tastiest, most Heavenly creation ever invented!! It is loaded with antioxidants & benefits & it makes me happy!! There are a lot of ways to enjoy this Beautiful dessert. One way my family enjoys it is homemade. My kids made my husband & me heart shaped chocolates for our anniversary. They were yummy & beautiful. We also love it in milkshakes & ice cream, to name a few....Here are 2 of our favorites.

Homemade Chocolate

Recipe for homemade chocolate:
          1/4 cup organic cocoa
          1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
          1-2 Tbs.  real  maple syrup, depending on how sweet you'd like it.

*Place in cookie molds(or free form it) on top of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Place in freezer for at least an hour & enjoy.

Recipe for a homemade chocolate "milk shake" (vegan):
          Follow recipe for our chocolate/peanut butter vegan ice cream (below-one of our first postings)
          frozen rice whip
          almond milk (we just eye ball it for amount needed)
          pour in glass with shaved dark chocolate for decoration along with chunk in middle(we like Lindt or               use the homemade)
       

Homemade Hand and Body Scrubs

Hi everyone! Here are some great, easy body scrubs that will make your skin feel ah-mazing!  We love making scrubs and here are a few of our favorites! Hope you enjoy!

Mixing the Citrus Hand Scrub

Citrus Hand Scrub

2 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup oil (we used olive)

4 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. lime juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Just mix them all together and store in an air-tight container.  Use as a cleaning, softening, de-grubbing hand scrub!

Ingredients for a yummy scrub

Cocoa-Coffee Body Scrub

Chocolate for the scrub!

1 cup sugar

1 cup coffee grounds

1 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup coconut oil

Pouring the Chocolate-y goodness!

Mix and pour all ingredients into an air-tight container and use in the shower or bath to fight aging, red bumps on the backs of arms, dry skin, and other impurities.  And it will smell oh-so-good!

Pouring for the Brown Sugar Scrub

Brown Sugar Scrub

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 Tbs. vanilla extract

1/4 cup olive oil

This can be stored in an air-tight container after mixing and used anytime you'd like to soften your skin and smell like a delicious, freshly-baked cookie.

Peppermint Stick Body Scrub

Peppermint Stick Body Scrub

2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

peppermint essential oil/ peppermint extract (enough for scent desired)
cherry extract (enough for color desired)

This is a perfect scrub for the holidays, but can be used any time of year of course! It will make your whole body smell minty-fresh!

The extracts

First the sugar

Lots of Sugar

Now some oil

Pouring it in

ooh

Now add your choice of extract

And mix it all together!

Do any of you make your own body scrubs? What kind do you make?  We hope these scrubs leave your skin feeling beautiful and soft!

Tropical Smoothie

It's Summer & we all need a special treat once in awhile, so here's a recipe for a yummy tropical smoothie. Put an umbrella in it & sit out in the yard & pretend you're in the Caribbean!

Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients: 1/2 fresh pineapple, cored, peeled & chopped
                  2 bananas
                  2 cups  coconut milk
                  8 ice cubes
                  optional: sprig of stevia plant or mint

Blend altogether in a blender, put in a pretty glass with a decoration, lay out on a chaise lounge & Enjoy!!
Don't forget some Beach Boys music in the background...."and you'll have fun, fun, fun..."

Pineapple and banana

All-Purpose Cleaner

So why make your own cleaners?

Homemade, All-Purpose Cleaner

Because you know what you put in them, so you don't have to worry about getting sick from them, and they clean really well, sometimes better than the store bought ones!

If you use chemical, store-bought cleaners, take a minute to look at the ingredients, and see how many of them you know.

Store-bought cleaners often have to be kept locked up, away from children, because they can be toxic.  These same cleaners are sprayed, sprinkled, and wiped over surfaces that everyone, especially children, touch and eat off of on a regular basis.

That is why we decided to write this post on homemade, all-natural cleaners made of healthy things for the sake of your family, friends, visitors, and animals. Oh, and the environment too!

These are easy to make and use so that even I, a college student living in a dorm, am able to make and use them! They also really clean, meeting even mom's standards! It's the best of both worlds!

Cleaning Time!

All-Purpose Cleaner

3 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Vinegar

2 tsp Baking Soda

Essential oil*

Add all to a spray bottle and shake a little, or mix in a bowl and use a rag to wipe on surfaces.

*This is, of course, optional, and replaceable with other things, such as freshly-squeezed lemon juice.  It's just so that it smells good really, although essential oil often has antibacterial properties.

We love using this cleaner on just about everything! Our favorite is on stainless steel, it makes it look smooth and polished and gets all those annoying fingerprints off with one wipe! Plus, there's no streaks!

No Streaks

Hope you enjoy it!

                                                                                     Mom-and-College-Kid-Approved ;)

Nice Cream!!

This chocolate pb nice cream was put in a homemade choc. bowl!

We'd like to share a delicious Vegan recipe with you. It's a fantastic alternative to ice cream, but there's no dairy in it!! No one will guess that it's actually vegan! The secret ingredient is bananas & it is sooo creamy!! It's as delicious, if not more than, ice cream. The magic of it is you can combine many different flavors. We'd like to share with you our all time favorite: Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream.

Tools needed:

A Freezer

Food Processor

Spoon or spatula

Ice cream scoop

Ingredients:

Bananas (6)

Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (We Love Smuckers Natural)(4 Tablespoons)

Organic Cocoa Powder(2 Tablespoons)

vegan cool whip(frozen) ( we like rice whip)(as much as you want)

optional: can add nuts, vegan chocolate chips, vegan oreos, any topping desired)

Directions: 

                 Cut bananas in coins, place on parchment paper on cookie sheet & freeze for at least 1 hour.

                 When bananas are ready, pour in food processor with remaining ingredients, minus the toppings)

                 with spoon or spatula stir around every now & then to work it in

                 Be patient....it takes a few minutes to get creamy. It's very crumbly & chunky at first.

                 With an ice cream scoop, scoop into your favorite dish or cone, put toppings on if you'd like &                      ENJOY!!! Yummm!!

This is a strawberry-flavored nice cream!

The Beginning

Hi everyone!

Our names are Gina and Amanda, and we are a Mom and daughter duo!  We're both vegans and crafty people, with tons of ideas and imagination.  We'd like to make this blog a place for recipes, crafts, and ideas that we can give to others and learn ourselves!

I'm Amanda, and I'm going off to college this fall for my freshman year.  I've been vegetarian my whole life and vegan this past year.  I'm studying Environmental Science this year at school and I hope to have a career as a Wetlands Scientist.  I love reading good books, making and using homemade products (like lotions, manicures, and hair treatments!), and getting a good deal!

I'm Gina, the Mom :) I'm an at-home Mom and Housewife, and an occasional Substitute teacher.  I am also vegan.  I've been vegetarian for over 18 years now and a vegan for about 6 months.  I love discovering new ways to save and re-purpose and be creative and redecorate!  I went to school for interior decorating years ago and I still have the same love of decorating with salvaged items that I had then.  I , like my fabulous daughter, love reading, making and using homemade treatments, and I absolutely LIVE for amazing deals! Amanda has become a pro when it comes to bargains, she certainly does her research!

We hope that this blog will inspire you to be creative and save money, and we hope to learn things from you as well!  Our counterpart, the Father and Son duo, will make guest appearances with their ideas at times too!  They build great things using free and cheap materials all the time and love it.  There are lots of good things to come in the future!  We truly hope you enjoy this site, and look forward to sharing ideas with all of you!  Please feel free to share with us too. :)

Today we'll start things off with a little homemade spa day!

We started off with a Chamomile Steam facial

1. First, make sure your face is clean.  That means no makeup!
2. Next, boil a pot of water.
3. Once it's boiling, pour into a bowl and put in chamomile flowers or a chamomile tea bag.
4. Put a towel over your head, and let the steam purify your pores for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Afterwards, splash cool water on your face and blot dry!

The Pore Minimizer

Now this sounds pretty intense, doesn't it? Its not, all you need is baking soda and water!

1. Take about 2 Tbs of baking soda and mix with just enough water to make a paste.  
2. Massage (try not to scrub) the paste onto your face for about 30 seconds.
3. Rinse.

Baking soda is a magical ingredient that you can use in just about anything, and it does wonders on skin!

Strawberry Oat Hand Treatment

Now this recipe we took from here, but we just absolutely loved it and we had to include it!  It feels amazing on your hands, you just don't want to stop using it!

1. Make really soupy oatmeal. (about 2 or 3 cups)
2. Mash 3 or 4 strawberries with a fork.
3. Stir in the oatmeal, and add a few spoonfuls of olive oil.
4. Soak your hands in the mixture and coat all rough spots.
5. After a few minutes, massage it into your hands.
6. Rinse off and pat dry!

Oatmeal hand treatment

Peppermint Lime Foot Soak

This foot soak smells amazing! your can experiment with different scents, using different extracts and citrus juices too!

1. Mix 2 cups Epsom Salts, 1/2 cup baking soda, about a Tbs of lime juice, and a few drops of peppermint extract or essential oil.
2. Pour some in a foot tub, and relax!

The rest can be stored in an air-tight jar and used within the week.

Strong and Beautiful Nails Soak

1. Heat olive oil on the stove so that it's warm to the touch.
2. Add a few drops of lemon juice.
3. Soak for 15-20 minutes.
4. Optional: Put on gloves and let the soak get into your nails for longer, even overnight.

Strong Nails Soak

During the soak we did pedicures, lotion-ing up our feet and painting our toes! When the soak was done, we moved on to manicures, filing and painting our nails. :)

Coffee Scrub

*Warning: This can get very messy! Make sure to stand in a bath or on something you don't care about getting messy!

1. Take 3/4 cup coffee grounds, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and enough olive oil and mix into a paste.
2. Scrub over your body to exfoliate, combat cellulite, moisturize, and get rid of those red bumps you get on the back of your arms!

Coffee Scrub

Next came the fun part!

Bath time!

How to have an amazing bath

There are so many different ways to enjoy a bath.

• You can have a detox bath: 
• 2 cups epsom salt, 2 cups baking soda, 2 cups sea salt, 1 Tbs ground ginger, 1 cup vinegar, and some essential oil
• A Green tea bath:
• Add 5-10 green tea bags to your bath to give your skin and body lots of vitamins and minerals
• A relaxing bath:
• Pour rosewater and coconut milk into your bath
• A soothing bath:
• Put oats into your bath to soothe irritation

This time, we used homemade bath salt and the chamomile water that we used from the facial this morning.

Relaxing Bath Salts

1. Take 3/4 cups epsom salts, 1/2 cup sea salt, 1/4 cup baking soda, and some essential oil (we used 3 drops of peppermint) and mix.
2. Store in an airtight container (like a mason jar, or what we used, an old jam jar).
3. Sprinkle a good amount into the bath.
4. Enjoy!

Homemade, All-Natural, Self-Tanner

So this is another recipe we cannot take the credit for, but love it so much we had to share!  This is thanks to this wonderful post!

1. Exfoliate! This is almost always the first step to anything and everything.
2. Boil 2 cups of water.
3. Once it starts boiling, turn off the water and put in 4 black tea bags for 10-15 minutes.
4. You can then use a sponge or a spray bottle (we used old washcloths) to apply. Cover your skin with the mixture once and let dry (you should stand on top of something you don't care about, because this gets messy).
5. Apply it again if you have enough with a second coat.
6. Let it dry again and then apply lotion mixed with a little cocoa powder and watch the color of your skin darken!

This doesn't look unnatural or orange, it looks like you've just gotten a healthy glow! Hello, bathing suit ready!

There are many different ways of enjoying a spa day, this just happens to be the way we spent it today!  It may seem like a lot, but it was very relaxing! We'd love to hear your suggestions, too! What do you to relax and beautify yourself at home?

Love and Peace,

Gina and Amanda