Beauty Tip #02 - Body Scrub

Body Scrubs are essential for summer. With all the fun in the sun it is very easy to forgo weekly exfoliation, but for smooth, supple skin it is so important. Being unemployed for sometime I do not have the resources to dedicate to exfoliation. In high school I had a business selling homemade soap and spa items where I picked up a few tricks.

To make homemade body scrub all you need is 1c episom salt, 2tbsp olive oil, 1tsp baking soda, and 1/2tsp essential oil mixed together. I love using peppermint oil in the summer as it adds a cooling effects. I sometimes add dried peppermint leaves to the mix too.Very refreshing!

You can add also add other additives and dies depending on your mood like rose buds, lavender, etc.

Down Home Recipe #06 -Healthy Fries and Ranch!

Like so many women out there I struggle with my weight. That's why I am always looking for great ways to serve healthy meals that are more then rabbit food. This past weekend I was inspired by a visit to a Greek restaurant. The next night I served chicken skewers soaked in seasoning and applesauce, baked yam fries, a small green salad and a cucumber ranch for dipping. It was so delicious that no one believed me that it was good for you.

Chicken Skewers:
4 chicken breasts cut into cubes and placed on a skewers with 1/8" space for evening cooking. Place skewers in casserole dish. Mix 2c applesauce with 1tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp thyme, and 1 tbsp rosemary.
Pour over chicken. Marinate for 2 hours before BBQ.

Baked Sweet Fries:
Wash 4 yams. Cut into 1/2" slices. Place on greased baking dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt, garlic salt or chili powder. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden.

Cucumber Ranch:
Peel and shred one large cucumber. Place in paper towel and let rest in fridge over night. Get as much moisture as you can get out of the cucumber slices, put in blender. Add 12oz plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp garlic, and 1/2 tsp mint. Blend until smooth. Store in fridge. It will solidify within a day or two.

A Green Way to Remove Weeds

After spending days power washing and hand weeding our 25 sq ft brick patio, I was very discouraged to find a mere 2 days later little green weeds starting to pop up.

I have two miniature schnauzers who have a tendency to put everything in their mouth in the backyard, so the use of any chemicals is out of the question. I needed to figure out how to fight this losing battle.

My grandma who lives nearby has starting using only green methods to do her gardening, she suggested using vinegar. I had some basic vinegar in my cupboard for cooking. I put some in a spray bottle and tried it out on a little patch. It killed them all!

The trick is to make sure everything is dry if any water is exposed to the weed before it dries out completely it will grow back.

You can get two gallons of vinegar perfect for weed killing from Costco for $4!!!

Good luck and happy weeding :)