Print on dictionary or bible pages and create art

Create your own art using an old dictionary, or bible or even sheet music.


You could attach a page from an old dictionary, sheet music or bible to a sheet of paper, centered and print a picture on it to hang on your wall as art.

There is a restaurant nearby that sells framed pictures just like this for 100s of dollars.

Why not print a wedding picture in black and white on the dictionary page that says Love or Marriage or Forever.

You could also print on a bible page that has your favorite verse, or the marriage ceremony reading that was read at your wedding. Sheet music from your wedding song.

Frame it alone or in an old window with several panes that can hold several from that day.

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

I absolutely love green beans...you can keep your canned veggies tho..they they have to be fresh, or at the very least, frozen...canned are awful, IMHO.

Green beans are easy to grow and its not too late in the season to plant some..get out there and plant some up a boring fence or stake up a net.

   

You can also mix these with other veggies but its string bean season and we are having these with our organic grass fed steaks tonight.

Oven Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Green Beans

quart of green beans
fresh or freeze dried garlic (minced or sliced thinly)
3 T Grapeseed or Coconut oil
4 T parmesan cheese, plus
2 T fresh grated parmesan cheese to garnish
your favorite spices, I like thyme w my greenbeans (whatever you like)
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
Toss it all together,pour onto baking sheet and bake at 400° for about 8 minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. (red pepper flakes on the side if you have someone afraid of heat)

  I like to roast my veggies on a high heat, fast.  Watch them so they don't burn...all ovens are different. I also have to double this recipe as my family will devour these fast. My boys love any veggies roasted.

Easy Refreshing Summer Salad

This is so refreshing at a picnic on a hot day, easy to prepare ahead, healthy, and so delicious.  You can make it as spicy or not spicy as you want.  We like it with 4 jalapenos, seeds and all. You can add almost anything you have on hand from the garden.

Summer Salad

1-2 bags frozen corn (depends how far you wanna make it go)
2 green peppers (chopped)
1 onion chopped
hot peppers (to liking) chopped (we like the seeds and all)
1 can garbanzo or black  beans
1 can kidney beans
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
6 mini english cucumbers sliced and diced

4 diced tomatoes

3 T red wine or balsamic or white vinegar
4 T peanut oil (coconut will harden and I hate olive oil, use what you want)
Seasoning, (rosemary, basil, marjoram, or whatever ya like)
salt and pepper to taste
mix all ingredients together and let set in refrigerator for a few hours.
This is so refreshing, and healthy. You can add anything you want to it from the garden. I never thought corn would taste good cold, but I can’t eat enough of it in the summer! I love it. I just call it summer salad. Matter of fact, I am going to run to the grocery store right now and get some ingredients to make this, until my garden grows.
 I also love it with a fresh fennel bulb diced  up and  thrown in it

A double batch makes about 5 qts.

Fast and Easy Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw

Fast and Easy Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw

You can either use a half a head of cabbage and three carrots shredded or a bag of coleslaw mix from the produce section. 

1 red onion sliced thinly

In a bowl: 

3/4 c mayo

3 T coconut oil (melted)

½ c sugar

1½ T vinegar
4 T half and half, cream or milk

¼ tsp salt

whisk

Mix, add in cabbage, carrot and onion and  3 T poppyseeds and toss.

Refrigerate 2 hours or more. 

Body Brushing for healthy skin

My favorite body brush has knobbies for foot massages.

I posted awhile back,  about healthy skin and using a washrag in the shower to keep the skin free from cellulite and psoriasis etc. by scrubbing really hard with a washrag and hot water. It works.and I do this daily and I  started to follow it up with...body brushing.  I love the way it makes my skin feel and look.

It only takes a few minutes after a shower, or before if that works for you. I prefer after. It promotes tighter skin, cell renewal and blood flow. It also helps the lymphatic system release toxins and aids in digestion and kidney function

Start at your feet, and brush toward your heart.   I use a brush that has a long handle so that I can get my back. They are inexpensive. I also have a facial brush, I use it on my boobs and tender spots. I like the knobby and brush in one, because after I brush, I like to massage my feet with the knobby side, as foot massaging is highly recommended in Ayurveda, which is my newest obsession right now.

facial brush, good for boobs and delicate areas

 Body Brushing only takes a few minutes and I find it more important that moisturizing, so if you are strapped for time,do this and moisturize later.  I moisturize with just plain old coconut oil.  Try it out, I promise you, it will make your skin feel amazing!  

If you can't find any body brushes in your local health food stores, I have put them on my Amazon Store page under favorite things.

Caprese Pasta Salad & an Easy Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

So Simple, Clean Eating

There really isn't much to this recipe, you add what you like and omit what you don't like. 

Fresh tomatoes

Fresh basil

Fresh mozzerella

cooked pasta, we like penne in our house

fresh parsley, and rosemary chopped

dried basil to supplement

crushed red pepper to your liking

salt and pepper 

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Toss with the balsamic vinaigrette, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, gets better with age

Who knows what is in those bottled dressings..so here is a simple, whole foods recipe 

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 large cloves garlic (pressed or chopped)
• 1 tbsp fresh finely chopped parsley
• salt/pepper
• fresh and dried herbs of your choice, depends what you are dressing

Just a little hair product tip that works well for me

Here is a tip for not only making your shampoo and conditioner go farther, but it is also gentler on your hair.  I can't use straight conditioner, it makes my hair greasy looking, no matter how much I try to wash it out and no matter what brand I use.  When I do this dilution process, I don't have a problem because, diluted, its just enough product.

Also, for men facing hair loss, the essential oils can help bring blood to your head, and if you suffer from itchy scalp, this will alleviate that also.

I do not care what kind of shampoo and conditioner you use...I switch constantly because, the aren't the miracle products they claim to be and really, 30 dollar shampoo and 3 dollar shampoo are really no different.  Your hairdresser may tell you otherwise..but as someone who has tried everything..this works for me better than any 30.00 product ever could and I pay less than 3.00 for my products now.

These are in my bathroom at all times, I keep the empty bottle in the shower and only make up a single use batch at a time so I can use it for both the shampoo and conditioner. The bottle has a pointy type tip, like the old fashioned ketsup and mustard tips...feel free to recycle one of those bottles if you can find one that is still shaped that way. 

Put a dime size dollop of shampoo into the bottle.  Add four drops of tea tree oil or rosemary oil to the bottle and then put a small amount of water into it..maybe a little more than the amount of shampoo you used. Shake and apply to the scalp and hair. I like the pointy bottle for just this purpose, they sell them at restaurant stores. 

Repeat the same way with the conditioner, the water helps so its not heavy..and it distributes it more evenly when its diluted. ...you won't believe how much longer your shampoo and conditioner last, and if you can get your whole family on board, even better.  

You can skip the oil if you want, or use another oil...geranium keeps away bugs if you tolerate the smell, for those gnat infested picnics in the heat. The oils that give you a tingly sensation are the oils you want to use for helping prevent hair loss and/or preventing dandruff and itchy scalp. 

JUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET IT IN YOUR EYES....I did and it sort of hurts!