DIY Bath Fizzies

I love taking baths and relaxing! Even more I love to make the elements that make my bath so relaxing. I know most people probably wouldn’t enjoy it because it is time consuming but there is nothing better than being able to customize the product to your specific liking. You also know what is going into the product and if it is really safe or not. If you are like me and enjoy making your own beauty products here is how you can make your own DIY Organic Bath Fizzies:

Ingredients:
•1/2 cup citric acid
•1 cup organic baking soda
•3/4 cup organiccornstarch
•1/4 cup organic cane sugar
•About 6 drops organic food coloring
•10 to 15 drops organic essential oil(s
•Spray bottle
•Silicone ice-cube tray (any fun shape you have)
•Storage jar (preferable something recycled you can always decorate it anyway you want)

Directions:
1.Stir together citric acid, baking soda, and cornstarch in a measuring cup.
2.Pass mixture through a fine sieve or a flour sifter into a mixing bowl.
3.Stir in sugar.
4.Fill spray bottle with water, and add food coloring.
5.Spritz mixture lightly (it should be damp and not wet enough to start fizzing) until you can pack mixture with your hands.
6.Add oil using a dropper, 1 drop at a time, until strength of scent is to your liking.
7. Use a metal spoon or your hands to mix ingredients until color is even throughout (mixture may begin to dry out if this happens, spritz until packable again).
8.Spoon into ice-cube tray & pressing firmly.
9. Let dry at room temperature overnight.
10. Pop out of tray gently and transfer to decorative jars.

**As usual you can add your own fun to this by using edible glitter, eco-paint to decorate the fizzies after they have dried! Be creative. It’s fun!

Napa Valley Soap Sample Set

Napa Soap Company sent me amazing soaps to review for them and I must say before even trying the soaps the scents are more than enough to make me fall in love with their products. They were kind enough to also send some samples to give away to my readers so that is exactly what I am going to do. The flavors I was sent are amazing and I know you will love them as much as I do.
All you have to do to enter is click here. If you want to win an extra prize all you have to do is make sure to friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Once you have done this comment below with your name on Facebook and Twitter so I can keep track. The winner will be announced on February 27! Don’t be left out of the fun!
Incase you haven’t heard of Napa Soap Company click here to find out more.

I was perusing some of my fave stores to find some gifts I would like to receive on this day of our love Feb, 14,2012 and I think I found some super awesome stuff! Don’t forget you can show your love while shopping responsibly! Love your Valentine and our Planet!!

Aromatherapy Gift Set Candles

Set the mood for your romantic evening with these super cute beeswax candles!The gift sets scents are Harmony (Lavender & Geranium), Rapture (Patchouli & Cassia) and Sensuality (Palmarosa & Geranium). Talk about great combo right! Beeswax is a renewable resource that cleans the air by emitting purifying negative ions. Who knew right? BuyGreen.com – Your Trusted Source for great Valentine’s Gifts

Gerbera Daisies

I’m not a fan of roses but Organic Bouquet offers a wide array of beautiful bouquets to choose from. You can never go wrong with flowers on this awesome holiday. Organic Bouquet is the place to go if you do go the flower route. They harvest their flowers sustainably and even ship them greenly. Eco-Elegant Valentines Day Flowers & Gifts Starting At $29.95- OrganicBouquet.com!

Valentine's Ganache

Is there any better way to tell someone you love them then by giving them chocolate? I am pretty sure not! These beautifully hand panted chocolates are filled with super delish cherry puree, made from organic ingredients. Organic Bouquet never goes wrong with great eco-gifts!Free Gourmet Chocolates with Purchase of One Dozen Sweet Romance Roses! OrganicBouquet.com!

Organic Truffles & Sangria Lovebird

Ok jewelry and chocolate that is probably the winningest combo for a V-day gift ever! From War to Peace has packed up their amazing Peace Jewelry and combined it with organic truffles! Omg to die I say to die!! Get yours fast before the day of love is over!

I have to say I haven’t tried too many gluten-free baked goods. I have tried some and haven’t been disappointed yet. I was looking for a cake to get for the bf because his birthday was coming up and I wanted to get something a little special. I found Gateau Chocolat when looking for Gluten Free Organic Cakes. I was excited because I knew he would love it if I got him a gluten-free organic dessert for his birthday. I must also add I think the website is cute. It is simple but the color combination and logo I like which is always a plus in my book when a business, especially a conscious one, has a well designed site/logo. I am put off otherwise because I feel if you can’t put an effort into your website or even logo what effort are you making for your product. Now granted there is only one item to choose in 2 different sizes I was completely fine with that.

I received the cake quickly and in a cute package (not a fan of styrofoam the cake came in and will admit I have no idea if it was made from recyclable materials or was some other kind of eco packaging, which is my fault). The bf was soo excited about the cake the packaging got forgotten about.
When we opened the cake everything was together and the packaging did help keep from any damage or shifting in transit which was good.
We cut up the cake which looked like a super rich brownie of sorts. I am not a fan of nuts so I personally wasn’t enthused about them being atop my cake. The photo shows almond slivers, the ones on my cake were more like coarsely chopped nuts that I think were almonds but I picked them off of my cake so I am not sure what they were.
I thought the cake was chocolaty and delish. The wafter-like bottom gave the cake some crunch too which was good. The bf however wasn’t really a fan. He said it was dry and didn’t really like it which 1. made me feel bad for getting him a cake he didn’t like but 2. made me ask myself if we at the same cake at all. I liked it, I didn’t think it was dry at all. I really liked it. I think it is a great gift for people who enjoy gluten-free and/or organic food.

Organic Homemade Kitty Treats

Over the holidays I usually purchase my friends and families pets safe and organic treats for the holidays but it never really occurred to me to make them myself. I know it is a little more time consuming but with all of the other holiday backing going on why not right? I found this quick and simple cat treat recipe that any cat would love.

Supplies:
cookie sheet
½ cup organic whole wheat flour
½ cup non-fat, organic powdered milk
½ cup cooked and chopped organic chicken
1 tbs. organic vegetable oil
1 organic egg, beaten
¼ cup water
1 tbs. chopped, fresh organic catnip

1. Mix together the powdered milk, flour and catnip in a bowl.
2. Add the egg, organic chicken, vegetable oil and water and mix until dough becomes sticky.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
4. Grease the cookie sheet to make sure the treats don’t stick.
5. Form treats in to any shape or size you like. You can even use cookie cutters if you have ones small enough.
6. Place on cookie sheets to bake for 10 minutes.
7. Take out of oven and flip treats to cook for another 10 minutes so they cook evenly on both sides.
8. Remove treats from the oven and let cool before giving them to your kitty.

Believe it or not I was never really much of a fan of eggnog. I always thought it was gross. The BF however loves it and would probably drink it by the gallon from November through February. In an effort to keep crap consumption down I found a healthier more peaceful version of eggnog that I thought many of you might appreciate. I will admit I haven’t tried it yet but after perusing many-a-recipe this seems to be the best.

Ingredients:

•21 oz extra-firm silken tofu
•2 cups soymilk (almond,rice or any other milk you prefer)
•2/3 cup light brown sugar or organic honey
•1/4 tsp salt
•1 cup cold water
•1 cup rum or brandy
•4 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•20 ice cubes
• organic cinnamon
• organic nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Place the crumbled tofu and soymilk in a blender with the sugar and salt.
2. Blend until very smooth.
3. Scrape this into a large bowl or pitcher, and whisk in the water, rum or brandy, and vanilla.
4. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until serving time.
5. To serve, blend half of the mixture in the blender with 10 of the ice cubes until frothy.
6. Repeat with the other half.
7. Serve in glasses with nutmeg and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Trilogy Trio

Save $22 on Trilogy Today Just in time for the cold weather and the holiday season you get a Trilogy Trio for only $29! This trio usually goes for about $51 total and you can have it for the awesome price of $29!

The Trilogy Trio comes with:
Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil 20ml
Trilogy Face Care Cream Cleanser 20ml
Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream 50ml

This set is perfect if you have never tried Trilogy products before or if you want to give someone a sample of Trilogy items that may have never used their products before! The trio is a perfect stocking stuffer, Secret Santa or any holiday gift for that matter. Get it while the price is still hot! What is also super cool about Trilogy is that the packaging is biodegradable!! Just thought I might throw that in there.

Apple Pie Dip

Dip Ingredients:
2 cups peeled, cored, and diced organic apples
1 1/2 teaspoon organic fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons organic brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons organic apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon
2 teaspoons organic raw honey

Chip Ingredients:
5 (6-inch) organic flour tortillas
2 tablespoons organic butter or vegan substitute, melted
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons organic brown sugar

Directions:
1.Combine all the dip ingredients in a bowl, then cover with foil and bake in oven until soft at 350 or 400 degrees. Check on them repeatedly to make sure the apples don’t get mushy. You can leave the foil off for a few minutes to toast the top.

2. Once the apples are finished cooking you can ether serve them warm or put the apples in the fridge to chill.

3.Brush the tortillas with butter, then cut them into wedges.

4.Arrange the wedges on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake at 350º F until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let them cool before serving.

You can add Different fruit preserves or some fresh sage or cloves to switch up the taste, even pecans! This is a simple, delicious and healthy alternative to desert dips. When you are already pigged out and over stuffed it is sometimes nice to add something healthy to the mix.

Gravely Scary Veggie Party Platter

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh organic spinach (you could use artichokes or any other green veggie you want to mix with the hummus)
10 ounces organic plain hummus
Organic Broccoli
Organic Celery
Organic Kale (or Kale Chips)
Organic Pretzels
Hard-boiled organic eggs
Fresh Mozzarella Balls
Organic Crackers (any type you prefer)
Organic large black olives
Organic carrot sticks
Edible Black Marker

Instructions:

1.In a food processor, puree the spinach and hummus together. You can use plain hummus to keep the dip the normal sandy color hummus usually is or get crazy and add a fun colored vegetable to make your grave yard floor.

2.To make the ghosts you can use either hard boiled eggs or mozzarella balls, cut the black olives up into the desired features for your ghosts and then simply place on to your egg or mozzarella ghost.

3. Use an edible marker to turn crackers into tombstones. If you have cake decorating tools and have a fine icing tip you can use a vegetable puree to write on the tombstones. It is easiest to write on the tombstones first before placing them into the dip.

4. Once you have all of the components made and ready put your hummus into your desired display dish. Leave the dip uneven like real ground would be. Stick in your broccoli, celery and/or kale trees and bushes in first. Then carefully place the tombstones lastly ghosts. Get creative and add other things like maybe edible bats made out of cut out pieces of pumpernickel bread. Get as spooky as you can!

5. Once everything is in place use the pretzels as your fence to outline your graveyard. You can use pretzel flats or good old twisty pretzels! All of it make for a gravely delish snack that will wow party attendees!!

Organic Homemade Shampoo

I love making my own spa and beauty treatments. I can use the ingredients I want and save money at the same time. Making your own beauty treatments can be fun and informative. It gives you the chance to learn about different properties that natural fruits, vegetables and herbs have.

Ingredients:

•1 organic egg

•1 teaspoon of organic coconut oil, warmed to room temperature

•1 teaspoon of organic lemon juice

•1 tablespoon of castile soap

•1/2 cup of distilled water

•5 drops of organic essential oil

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and consistent.

2. Put in fridge for 15 to 20 minutes to make sure everything has time to sit and mix. (this is an optional step you can use it right away)

3. Get in shower and wash hair. Keep in mind if you use very hot water you might actually cook the raw egg in this treatment.

4. If you have any shampoo left over you can put it in the fridge and save it but you should use it the next day. Keeping it past that is risky.