DIY Deodorant with Bentonite Clay & Coconut Oil

This is how I imagine myself:  {zombie walk, grunts} MUST MAKE STUFF BETTER!!

So, lately (in my endless quest to make stuff better) I've been using a lot of clay. I make things from clay so I thought "Why not put clay on my pits?"

If we're going to be honest, I was actually thinking about bathing in clay (which is an actual thing,
people), but that's when it occurred to me that my original DIY deodorant doesn't exactly make all the sweat go away-- just the smell.  And then this this thought just popped into my head: "OMG. I bet clay would make the sweat go away!" I'm not going to say the obvious because I'm humble, but if you want to comment on how brilliant I am then there is a comment section below. {bats eyes humbly}

Here is some good information about bentonite clay if you're interested in reading about it: Bentonite Clay Info.

Anyways, so I decided to toss a little bit of clay in my existing deodorant recipe. It was AWESOME.

Natural Birth Control: Why I Use A Diaphragm

Alright, readers! Are you ready to get personal? Gone are the posts about dryer balls (that's a real thing) and hair rinses. Welcome to the world of Vajayjays and baby boxes and the things you do to prevent children from growing inside of them!

It all started when I realized that I'm on the quest to be all natural, but I'm taking hormonal therapy to prevent pregnancy. As a nurse and more importantly -- as a hippie health nut, I know it's probably not the best idea to artificially dictate my hormonal patterns. However, I don't need any small people running around either.

You see my dilemma. But first I should tell you about…

5 Ways to Drink More Water

I have never exactly liked the idea of a New Year's Resolution. I have the opinion that if you need to make a change, then you should do it when you figure out that it should be done instead of waiting around.

But I always wait around. It's the perpetual problem of my life: procrastination. And since I wait around, I make New Years Resolutions. It's a cycle and I'm okay with it.

So this year I decided to make my New Year's resolution that is so simple, but also something that I really needed to do for a lot of different reasons.

I should really drink more water.

I've known this for years, but as I said-- I procrastinate. I always have made the excuse that as a nurse I never had TIME to drink more water. In fact, I would like to blame my nursing career for making me become accustomed to being chronically dehydrated. Now my body doesn't even think of asking for any kind of refreshment because it's become so efficient on running on hardly anything. So now I have to remind myself that I need to drink. That's the hard part because, well, I already admitted it-- I like to procrastinate.

But now I'm not working as a nurse and I'm a student again. I have plenty of time to do lots of things especially drink more water. Now there is NO excuse!

Southwestern Scrambled Eggs

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Now it's back to the grind… and trying to lose that holiday weight! {insert sad face here}

This recipe is deceiving because it's actually pretty healthy, but it looks gloriously sinful as it's piled high on a plate and topped with sour cream. And, it's just a little spicy, but we all know that a little heat in the morning can rev up your metabolism for the rest of the day. Goodbye holiday love handles! ;) My favorite part of this breakfast is the kick of the jalapeño which is complimented nicely by the creaminess of the avocado. The protein content will also keep you feeling full well into lunch. I promise you that you won't feel deprived with this breakfast, but you're getting quite a wallop of veggies in every bite.

I'm excited to share this because it is one of my absolute favorite breakfast dishes. The first time I made it I loved it so much that I made it every morning for a week. But what's not to love: It's simple, it's easy and it's delicious!

It's also Gluten Free (in case you were worried).

What You Need:
Serves 2

• 4 eggs 
• 2 large or 3 small pieces of bacon, chopped 
• ½ small jalapeño, diced finely
• ¼ yellow onion, diced
• ¾ cup fresh spinach and/or arugula 
• ½ tomato, diced
• ¼ c shredded cheddar cheese, sharp
• ½ large avocado, cubed
• Optional: Salsa, sour cream

Cook the bacon per the instructions and set aside to cool, then tear into small pieces. If you want to save some calories use Turkey bacon and cook it in the oven! 

Over medium heat, sautee the onions and jalapeño. Once soft, add the spinach/arugula and cook until wilted. Toss in the diced tomato.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl right before you put them in the skillet-- it'll help them stay a bit fluffier. Add to the skillet with the vegetables and lower the heat to medium-low. I like to cook my eggs low and slow.

Add the cheese and half the bacon right on top of the mixture. Salt and pepper per your tastes.

Stir them in the skillet every minute or so until they are cooked through.

Serve immediately and top with the remaining bacon, salsa, avocado, and sour cream.

Bon appetite! And I hope 2014 brings you lots of good food and happiness (which are basically the same thing).

If you're wondering about the organic egg shortage then read this post from Lindsay Dahl: Organic egg shortage- what can we do to support organic production?

And check out Ribas with Love's Delicious Egg Souffle recipe!

Honest Co. Dishwashing Gel vs GrabGreen Dishwashing Detergent

The Battle of the Eco-Friendly Dishwashing Detergents!

Many of my readers don't want to make their own dishwashing detergent and have asked me for options for eco-friendly commercial brands. I did some research and I wanted to try these brands to see how they stacked up against each other.

In the left corner, we have GrabGreen Dishwashing Detergent: 

It's a tiny pre-packaged detergent that you toss into your dishwasher and go! Easy, simple, no fuss. Includes a rinse aid.

In the right corner, we have Honest Company's Dishwashing Gel:

It's a liquid so you can determine how much you need/want to use. You just put it in the dispenser and go! It's also compatible with a rinse aid (but not included).

Round One: 
How Green Can You Go

I use the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to compare products safety. I like them because they break down chemicals into what's harmful and their degree of safety.

They use an A (Safe) to F (may kill you) scale. To put things in perspective, only 6 products got an A score and many of the big names (like Cascade and Finish) got a big fat F.

You can click on the link to EWG above to see where your dishwashing detergent ranks.

EWG's rating of GrabGreen Dishwashing Detergent: B

GrabGreen uses A LOT of different ingredients and some are rated as low as a C, which means they could be potentially harmful, but it's still a lot better than most of the detergents out there.