Autumn Eats

Looky looky what I found at Target! I tried it, not bad. I think I will make a pumpkin pie and add this to it. I will give you guys the recipe if it turns out good.

Here is my pumpkin right before it went in the oven for an hour and a half. Fresh pumpkin is so worth the time. It's so much healthier for you fresh as opposed to the canned stuff. I am not sure what I am going to do with this cooked pumpkin yet.

Two organic apples, two large leaves of organic rainbow chard and two tablespoons of chia seeds all blended in the Blendtec.

Dinner last night was oatmeal. The following is what I added to it:

Steal Cut Oats

Almond Milk

Brown Sugar 

Golden Raisins

Dried Elderberries

Vegan Chocolate Chips

Chia Seeds

Maca Powder

It was soooo good. It was like dessert for dinner!

This was dinner tonight. I tried my hand at some African Yam Soup.

African Yam Soup

2 yams- peeled and cubed

1 can chopped organic tomatoes with juice 

1 stick celery

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

1 thai pepper

1 anaheim pepper

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp organic peanut butter

2 cups water

Olive oil

1 bay leaf

Turmeric- to taste

Cumin- to taste

Allspice- to taste

Black pepper

Sea salt

I threw this all in the crock pot on high for about an hour. You can let it cook for 1-2 hours and then just eat as is or you can do what I did and puree it. I pureed it in my Blendtec on the soup setting. Garnish with whatever herbs you like. I used cilantro and basil.

Beer Hair Rinse

Equal parts 

Water & flat beer

Half as much

Apple cider vinegar

(ex: 1 oz water, 1 oz vinegar and about 2 tsp vinegar)

5 drops or so of 

Rosemary essential oil

Mix together everything and put in spray bottle. Spray in hair after shampooing to remove build-up in hair. This is good if you have some extra flat beer lying around. This is hippy to the max!

Lastly, my boy Sonic wanted to show off his new winter sweater. He was giving me a weird look here because I was taking a million pictures of him :) Goodnight all!

Tinctures & Soaps

Good evening all my friends. Today, I wanted to show you a few things I made recently. We haven't had internet for a while since we moved into our new placed and just recently got it back. That is why I have been MIA.

This was just a plain ol' Castile soap bar that I grated down with a knife (a cheese grater works great as well.) This is the base for my laundry soap.

Gentle Lavender Laundry Soap

1 part soap bar

1 part baking soda (aluminum-free)

to 1 1/2 parts borax

a few drops essential oil lavander

a few drops essential oil tea tree oil (optional, I use it for the antibacterial properties) 

You can also add 1 part washing soda, but I don't because I have a hard time finding it where I live.

Combine all ingredients. Use 2-3 Tbsp for a large load of laundry. I suggest washing with warm or hot water when using this laundry soap so that everything dissolves well and works to its full potential. 

My elderberry tincture cooking away.

Elderberries, for those who do not know, are tasty little flu fighters. They have been used for everything from allergies, constipation and common cold to emphysema, rheumatism and fever. 

Elderberry Tincture

1/2 cup dry elderberries

1 cup or maybe a little more water (enough to cover elderberries)

1-2 Tbsp vegetable glycerin (make sure it is food grade and add more if you want it sweeter)

Bring elderberries and water to boil and then turn it to low and let it simmer for a couple hours. Then add glycerin once cool. Keep refrigerated and this tincture lasts about 3 months. This recipe is good for children. Below is the recipe for adults. The adult recipe is more potent and lasts for years. 

1/4 lb. dried elderberries

16 oz. Everclear

Blend this mixture together and let it sit for 2 weeks in a dark closed jar. After two weeks, strain. You can add either one part honey or maple syrup to one part mixture to sweeten. This recipe will last for years if kept in a dark place (like a closet just like any other alcohol.) 


I also made a headache tincture the same way, but with equal parts peppermint and lavender herbs. Peppermint is suppose to be good for tension headaches. I get tension headaches all the time, so I am trying this tincture out to see if it helps with these type of headaches. Lavender is also good for headaches because of its soothing properties. Aside from making a lavender/peppermint tincture for your headache, there are other ways you can use these herbs to help ease your headache. You can rub either peppermint or lavender oil on your head and temples or you can make a steam treatment. If you would like to read about how to do steam inhalation, you can check out THIS website.

 Simple Soap Recipe

2 quarts water

2 cups Castile soap (grated)

2 Tbsp vegetable glycerin

2-3 Tbsp dried chamomile 

5-10 drops lavender essential oil

5-8 drops tea tree essential oil

Mix all ingredients except oils in large pot over low heat, stirring occasionally until all grated soap is melted. You can pour this into soap molds and it will hold up as a bar soap. If you want a more liquid soap, then add more water and strain the chamomile before mixture cools. Add essential oils last. 

I like to put chamomile in my soaps because it is soothing and gentle on my skin. I have very sensitive skin, so I have to be careful. Lavender is also a gentle and calming oil. Tea tree oil is antibacterial.

Happy late Halloween! 

These were my brother, husband and my pumpkins we carved :)