March 19, 2013

Grass Fed Beef - What a Treat!


Eating lean and low fat meat is a necessary part of a healthy diet.

We all know that too much fat is not good, but when eating meat, sometimes it's not only the fat that is not good for us.

There are whole new sections in the markets these days for organic and grass fed meats.

We usually check them out, but even on sale, these meats are very expensive, so they don't make it into the cart on a regular basis.

But every now and then, we hit it just right when the market is reducing them for clearance.

That's when we get to have a special treat.

The grass-fed ground beef makes the absolutely best hamburgers one can ever eat.

This meat is all natural and no hormones were used during the raising of the animal.

We would have never known the big difference between the regular and organic if we hadn't tasted this meat.

It is so good!

We now keep our eyes open more closely on this section in the market.

We don't want to miss a deal when it comes around.




March 4, 2013

Mixing Potions


I have been having some fun with mixing different ingredients for my own creams and shampoos.

In my last post, I was seeking a more natural alternative to all the chemical products on the market for our skin care.

Some of my experiments have been complete failures.

Some have just not been the mixture that my skin, especially my face, needs or likes.

And I have had some success with a couple of great potions that we use regularly.

But I still haven't found the perfect recipe for my face lotion or shampoo.

When I do make up the mixtures, I make smaller amounts so we can test them without wasting too much of the ingredients.

And the mixing of the oils and waters, which is what most lotions and creams are, is quite a learning experience as those two ingredients just do not mix well.

Using beeswax and watching the temps while mixing them will give better results, but it does take practice to get it right.

Finding the right oils for my skin type is also a learning process.

I will say though, I have always used ivory soap for my skin as it has been the only soap throughout my entire life that has not given my skin any problems.

I have tried numerous beauty bars, soft soaps, and cleansers over the years and not a none of them is agreeable to my skin, face or otherwise.

The ivory is pure, real soap, but as I get older, I find it is drying to my usually oily skin, hence the search for a non-greasy moisturizer.

As I mentioned above, I have had a few successes, but I know I need to make some changes to those recipes so they are perfect.

Once they get used up, the experimenting will continue.

I will share the ones that work the best for us.