Going Green in Indy

Monday, June 30, 2014

10 New Ways to Use Lemongrass Essential Oil

Lemongrass essential oil is my sleeper favorite. I wasn't sure about trying this essential oil for quite some time because of the scent. But it quickly became one of my favorites for rubbing on sore muscles - kind of a poor man's Deep Blue Rub .

I typically use a drop or two per leg, diluted in Fractionated Coconut Oil , when my legs ache. And it's been a blessing for me for when my tendonitis flares up and as my little guy deals with growing pains. But I'm finding more and more interesting uses for lemongrass oil.

Here are 10 new ways to use lemongrass oil:

As a natural fruit and vegetable wash. Add 1-2 drops lemongrass oil in a large bowl of water, wash your produce and it kills bacteria and cleans off pesticides.
Yoga mat cleaner using witch hazel and lemongrass essential oil.
Lowering cholesterol. I've heard anecdotally that using lemongrass essential oil can assist in lowering cholesterol levels. Marlene Hunt reported on the dōTERRA Facebook page: “I lowered my cholesterol about 15 points- apply on bottom of feet & over my heart.”
As a bug repellant. Mix lemongrass essential oil in a spray bottle of water; or mix with an unscented lotion.
Fighting fleas and ticks.
For stress relief.
As an antiseptic.
Fighting lactose intolerance. Rub lemongrass essential oil on the bottoms of the feet before or immediately after having dairy.
For a household cleaning spray.
In cooking. I stumbled across this interesting recipe on doTERRA's Facebook page:

Thai Tom Kah soup with lemongrass and lime EOs at the finish; simmer fresh-caught local or regional fish, coconut milk, and fresh, finely chopped or grated garlic, ginger, galangal, coriander, onion, celery, Add prawns and mushrooms 15 minutes prior serving, and cast scallions and cilantro after adding EOs.

For more great tips on using lemongrass essential oil, visit doTERRA's Facebook page for reader tips.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

40 ideas for 4th of July parties #summerfamilyfunparty

July 4 - give or take a week - usually means a block party in our neighborhood. It's a great pitch-in where neighbors get together, socialize and shoot off firecrackers.

Looking for some ideas to spice up your Fourth of July celebrations?

Here are 40 recipe ideas to get you going:

On the Grill

Super Side Dishes

Sweet Treats

Drinks

Share your favorite July 4 ideas or other inspiration for the #summerfamilyfunparty below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

What I learned from cheating on my daughter's birthday party

Birthdays in our home have been known as the event. Each year, the kids choose a theme, and I brainstorm crazy ways for the kids to celebrate. It's always within our small budget, and it's creative, and it's a house filled with happy kids.

We've done rock star parties, luaus, dance parties, Fancy Nancy parties, even a Jedi training party for the magical sixth birthday.

Home birthday parties in our family evolved to the point that our neighbor friend asks her mom what she should wear each year. Seriously.

But this year...was different.

We had planned a sleepover for next month. My daughter wanted a Harry Potter theme. Down to broom races in the backyard (her idea). And I had just a bit of fun researching Harry Potter-themed recipes online.

Then the unthinkable happened. We had two injuries within three days - my husband in a sling and my daughter on crutches. My house was already not party-ready by any estimation. And my daughter was feeling pretty puny from her knee sprain. Since our traditional summer fun was out the window, why not bite the bullet and have a party outside the home?

I wound up renting a room at the local frozen yogurt shop. For $50, I had yogurt and toppings for the group, a room to ourselves for nearly two hours, and balloons. We kept the event simple - played one of her favorite CDs, brought out her jewelry making supplies, nail polish and face paint, and let the girls have their fun.

In other words, in my mind, I cheated on my daughter's birthday party. I caved in. I went corporate instead of homemade.

And you know what? No one was disappointed.

No one cared that it wasn't the event. Don't get me wrong, themed parties are fun, but they are a lot of work. Sometimes, kids just want to get together though and be kids. They giggled when they played spin the bottle with nail polish. They made jewelry and talked with each other. And strangers became friends by the end of the afternoon.

Kids just want to have their time, not want everything planned and packaged for them. Like the year we had my son's party on a obscenely warm December day, and instead of playing the planned stuff, they had an impromptu soccer game in the backyard.

While planning activities is fun, you do have the internal pressure to squeeze them in just because you planned and purchased the supplies. And as a parent, you have to let that go, and simply enjoy the moment.

Will this change the landscape of how we handle birthdays in our home? Perhaps. I will never be a parent who shells out money for a party at Monkey Joe's, Incredible Pizza or the Children's Museum, but maybe, just maybe, I may be open to not having the party-ready house one afternoon and let someone else do the cleaning for me!

Friday, June 20, 2014

Mineral Sunscreen: Reviewing Block Island Organics

Summer camp was approaching, which meant the dreaded question: What should my child wear?

Not clothing, mind you. Sunscreen.

As I've become more and more conscious of what we put in and on our bodies, I realized that one area we haven't truly touched in our family is the kind of sunscreens we put on our bodies. Frankly, I relied mostly on price.

Recently, I had the chance to review a mineral suncare brand called Block Island Organics. They are introducing a line of sunscreen products for babies, children and adults, and I was excited to try it for our week at Girl Scout camp.

Block Island Organics sunscreens are promoted as being non-toxic and mineral-based (zinc and titanium), as opposed to chemical based, and include a zinc-only Baby SPF 30, an SPF 15, SPF 30 and SPF 40 product. I also appreciated the products are non-comedogenic, vegan formulated, paraben-free, phthalate free, nano particle free, artificial fragrance free, non-eye irritating, not tested on animals, made in the United States and highly rated by the Environmental Working Group.

The kids and I tested the sunscreen through sweat, swimming and sun. It didn't have the greasy feeling a number of sunscreens do, and while if we weren't careful in rubbing it in we were a bit whitish, we didn't come home with a sunburn.

While it was a bit more than what I've typically paid for sunscreens in the past, Block Island Organics gave me the freedom from worry about whether my children would be sunburnt and about what I was putting on their skin.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Freezer Cookbook Review: Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook

Freezer cooking recipes are often a tough find. I might find the occasional blog or a random recipe in a 15-year-old cookbook, but rarely do I find a must-have book on make-ahead meals.

Enter Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook by Jessica Fisher of the popular blogs Life as Mom and Good Cheap Eats. This is a must-have on every working mom's kitchen bookshelf - whether you're working out of the home or working at home 24 hours a day!

I love how Fisher doesn't make freezer cooking An Event. Freezer cooking can be as complicated or quick as your schedule and budget allows. (Personally, I always try the recipe with the family first before I begin freezer cooking a particular dish!) The shopping lists and cooking plans are great for when you do have additional time to invest in a freezer cooking session at home.

Even better, these aren't yesterday's casseroles or tired slow cooker recipes either. Our family loved recipes like sesame chicken with snow peas and mushrooms and easy cheese enchiladas.

And yes, dear library, I will return the book. Someday....

What are your favorite recipes for freezer cooking? Share them below.