2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3 c. diced tomatoes

1/2 c. corn kernals

3 c. chicken broth

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. black pepper

1 T. cumin powder

1 c. cilantro, chopped (or more if you’re a cilantro nut like me!)

2 c. cooked basmati rice, added at the end

Place all ingredients except the rice in a slow cooker and stir until blended. Place on low heat and cook for 5-6 hours. Add rice ten minutes before serving. Serve with tortilla chips and lime juice.

Combine 3 cups of plain nuts with 3 T. of plain oil if desired. Run through blender or food processor until butter is your desired consistency.

See? Told you it was easy!

(1 lb. freshly picked kale)

I am nervous to use most green superfood powders due to my celiac disease. And, am less than thrilled at the prospect of paying the super high prices of those that I know will be safe. But, I can make my own (perhaps slightly less super) green super food.

(1 lb. kale dehydrated and powdered)

Simply place a variety of greens in the dehydrator and run on a very low temperature until dehydrated, run through the kitchen mill (mortar and pestle, food processor, etc.), and store in a canning jar to be added to smoothies throughout the year.

It’s a super simple way to preserve all of that goodness without using a lot of valuable storage space on your urban homestead!

Bed One – 3 raspberries

Bed Two – three blackberries (so far only one has leaves)

Bed Three – strawberries

Bed Four – 3 sugar snap peas, 2 cucumbers

Bed Five – 4 basil

Bed Six – 4 kale, 4 green pepper, 1 hot pepper, 2 squash vines

Bed Seven – 2 rows red onions, 2 rows white onions, 5 cabbage, 4 broccoli

Bed Eight – 1 cabbage

Garlic Pot

Peppermint Pot

Lemon Balm Pot

Rosemary Pot

Peach Tree

Pear Tree

However, my Blendtec has solved the problem – I can throw a whole bunch of whole vegetables into the blender and make it run the “whole juice” cycle. What’s left is not always a deliciously tasty drink (depending on what was put in the blender it can have a flavor I love or one I just tolerate) but in one glass I get all of the wonderfulness of vegetables including vitamins, minerals, and the fiber.

Bath Salts

1 cup Epsom Salt

2-5 T. olive oil (enough to moisten all of the salt)

6 or so drops of Essential Oil (I used lavender – yum!)

Mix these ingredients in a small bowl. Use your chosen amount in your bath water for a relaxing a moisturizing tubby time. You could also scrub your body with the salts while standing in the tub and then fill the tub and take a bath.

This is a wonderful way to relax after a rough day at school. While I am relaxing, my body is being exfoliated and moisturized.

Aaaahhhh…I think it might be time for another bath right now…

We are able to purchase organic carrots in bulk through Costco or Azure Standard and this method makes effective use of them!

First shred or food process two pounds of carrots.

Pour into a bowl and add water to just cover all of the carrots.

Allow this mixture to sit for 30-60 minutes.

Push to strain all of the juice through a sieve into a pitcher. You can discard (or compost!) the leftover flesh of the carrots.

Add water to the carrot juice to equal 2 quarts or half of a gallon. Enjoy!

To make Kale chips, cut the Kale of of the hard stems and arrange the pieces on a cookie sheet. Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle even more lightly with sea salt.

Stick in the dehydrator, or a low temp oven (though they are less crispy in the oven), for about 30 minutes until crispy.

Enjoy those delicious chips!

We use Ecos which we purchase at Costco.  This detergent is made from biodegradable cleaning agents, made from all plant based cleaning agents (no icky stuff!), contains no phosphates or dyes, and has a light flower scent that is completely natural. It costs 13.39 for an advertised 210 loads which is $.06 per load. We have a high efficiency washer and rarely get our clothes extremely dirty; because of this we can cut the amount of detergent used making it as low as $.03-.04 per load!

The only problem that I have with laundry detergent from Costco is the big packages that it comes in. To solve that problem I saved a few of the last All Small and Mighty bottles that I used and pour the Costco detergent into those smaller and easier to manage bottles. That just makes things simpler.

I refuse to use commercial fabric softener – it’s expensive! And it’s not very natural or healthy for our bodies. I have been using dryer balls that we purchased with gift cards from our wedding. They work very well in the dryer but we still had some issues with static cling. Not any more! I put about a tablespoon of vinegar in the softener compartment of my washer before washing loads that typically produce static and have had no problems with – even when I washed our sheets! When I first mentioned this idea to Cole his response echoed my thoughts “If my clothes smell like vinegar when they are done we are not using vinegar” – and they don’t! I promise! You can purchase 1.32 gallons of vinegar for $2.99 at Costco. And like with the laundry detergent, I divide that vinegar into smaller containers: old vinegar bottles.

The last member of my dream team is Hydrogen Peroxide. A combination of half hydrogen peroxide-half water can replace that nasty bottle of bleach from the store. Note: this is a good bleach for whites not for colors (colors may become MUCH lighter after a washing with hydrogen peroxide). I use a few tablespoons of this bleach in my white loads and it works wonderfully! My hubby runs in white t-shirts, I walk around in the garden in my white athletic socks (silly, but I always seem to do it!), and white undergarments show the stress of sweat quite easily. Those dirty icky little stains come right out when washed with this great combination! Walgreens will often have three sixteen ounce bottles on sale for $.99. Costco sells 64 ounces for $2.09.

The beautiful thing about green-ing our laundry routine is that it takes no more work now than it did before. And boy, do we reap the benefits! We are paying significantly less for healthier and cleaner clothes!