Home Beauty with Honey

One of my absolute favorite at home beauty treatments is a Honey Hair Pack. I first learned about using honey on my hair about 9 years ago from the book Natural Beauty at Home by Janice Cox.

Honey is an all natural product you can find at any grocery story & it has some wonderful beauty uses at home.  It contains many vital vitamins and minerals and it's high potassium content make it nearly impossible for bacteria to survive in it. Honey gives dry or damaged hair back it's moisture, color, body & shine.  Honey can have a lightening effect on hair over time so if you've got dark hair I'd recommend trying molasses instead.  Try a honey hair pack once a week!  I love to use honey on my dark blond hair & I recommend you give it a try too!

First comb through your hair with a wet comb to get your hair slightly damp. Be sure to wear a button up shirt or robe as you don't want to get honey on your shirt. Next drizzle about 1/2 cup of honey all through your hair and then put on a shower cap or wrap your head in plastic wrap and wait 20-30 minutes. Don't worry about the stickiness as it will easily wash out of your hair.  I love to sip a hot beverage & have some quiet reading time while waiting.  Finally you wash & condition your hair as normal.  Easy, frugal & good for you!

Blueberry Protein Shake

I did my favorite Friday morning yoga class and wanted a substantial smoothie with fruit & protein for lunch so I came up with this concoction. It turned out to be a very tasty purple shake that was thick since I used a frozen banana & blueberries instead of fresh.

 

1 frozen banana

½ to 1 cup blueberries

½ to 1 cup plain yogurt

2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

½ cup milk

Mix in a blender & enjoy!

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

We love to eat muffins & I love to make them.  Blueberry is one of my favorites. Here's a healthy variation on the traditional blueberry muffin.

Ingredients:

2 c. white whole wheat flour from Trader Joes 

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

zest of 1 lemon

1 egg

1/4 c. raw honey

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1 c. blueberries (I like to keep a bag of frozen wild blueberries on hand for muffin emergencies)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease your muffin pan. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the blueberries and toss gently to coat with flour.  Melt the butter in a small pan on the stove and remove from heat. In the pot where you melted the butter, add egg, syrup, and honey.  Stir to combine.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir lightly, until just incorporated.  Add the yogurt and stir again until all dry ingredients are moistened, but not overmixed.  Batter will be a bit lumpy.  Bake at 350 for 20 – 25 minutes (or 12 – 15 as mini muffins).  Makes 12 regular muffins or about 30  mini muffins.

Enjoy with cup of green tea! 

 My little taste tester loved them with butter.

Do It Yourself Foaming Hand Soap

Here’s my easy & frugal solution to making my own foaming hand soap.

1 foaming soap bottle

1 part water

1 part (SLS free) body wash (I like Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Body Wash) or Dr. Bronner’s liquid Castile Soap

Add water and soap in equal measures to a bottle and mix or shake. It may take a few squirts for the soap to thoroughly dilute. That’s it! Easy-peasy, right?

Cultivate a Better World

I just had to post this Chipotle ad that aired during the Grammy’s.  It shows the ickyness of factory farming which provides the majority of the meat we eat in the United States. I thought this ad was so cute & educational. My little Luke loves it!

I started buying grass-fed beef a few years ago and I highly recommend it. I buy from the Riemer Family Farm in nearby Wisconsin and they deliver to Crystal Lake.

There are so many health benefits but also benefits to the earth when you avoid factory famed meat.  I won't bore you wtih the details but I will recommend the book that was a large part of my journey towards better eating: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.