Category: Healthy Living

On Stevia and Sweeteners

Published on by Violet Rhodes1 Comment

🌿 After my last blog post on mint tea using stevia, I had several requests about the stevia or where to get it. So today I’d like to share with you the stevia and sweeteners I use and what I like. I’m not making claims on certain products, but just what I’ve found works for us and what I feel are safe to use.

It can look rather daunting when you first starting looking into using stevia or other sweeteners. One thing to be sure to check if your looking for a stevia is that there are no fillers or additives! Maltodextrin, dextrose, or fructose are all unhealthy ingredients that are sometimes used in cheap stevias. They take a small amount of stevia extract and mix it with a filler or two. How convenient for the marketers but not for our bodies! Maltodextrin is highly processed, usually made from corn, and is very high on the glycemic level, which means it spikes your blood sugar. Beware of these ingredients!

Some people declare the bad after taste and therefore hate all stevia. Yes, there are some with that after taste or can turn bitter if you use too much! I feel most of the ones I use have very little or no aftertaste. And too, your taste buds do adjust once you use these awhile. I’ve been using most of these for a number of years already so here’s what I like.

The Now Organic Stevia Extract Powder is an affordable, good stevia without fillers. It’s a very nice, fine powder. The Now Stevia Glycerite is another zero calorie sweetener but this is in liquid form. It’s base is vegetable glycerin, which is sweet alone and safe to use. (It’s also what is used to preserve many herbal tinctures) I love the Stevia Glycerite for sweetening drinks! It dissolves a bit easier than the powders and just does a good job. Nature’s Warehouse sells this but it’s called Better Stevia Liquid, but I think its the same thing. They also sell the Now Organic Better Stevia Extract Powder.

Trim Healthy Mama has a very good, pure, organic stevia powder. It is more pricy but is worth it. It has no fillers or additives. It is pretty clumpy so you have to be a little careful to not get too much in, because it comes out in clumps. This one can very easily get bitter if you use too much. Many people enjoy this stevia. You can buy it online or at Nature’s Warehouse.

Sweet Leaf Stevia Sweetener is another one that I feel is safe to use. I’ve used it some but do not have any on hand presently. This one could easily be found at a health food store or online.

More recently I’ve found out of a good stevia that comes from Bolivia. It’s called E.N.D. Stevia. But beware what you buy from Bolivia!! The Bolivian climate is an excellent place to grow stevia. The problem is, about 50% of the stevia from there is fake!! In fact, I had heard of and used just a little of another Bolivia stevia. It was shiny, white little crystals. I was pretty skeptical about it because of different things. So Jerald and I started researching and we came across this one blog that said enough to scare me! If you would like to read that article you can find it here.

The REAL stevia from Bolivia is in powder form and slightly green. Maybe you can see it in the pictures. It sweetens very well and I really like it! There is a definite difference in the two Bolivia stevias I tried. If you would like to purchase this stevia you can do so on Etsy.

I like to keep the powder stevias that I use the most, in small glass salt and pepper shakers. It’s so handy to just sprinkle in to my yogurt, shakes, smoothies etc. I freeze my fruits unsweetened and then when I get them out to use I let them thaw, then just sprinkle in to taste! “Just right!” says Amelia Bedelia 😂😂

Another sweetener combination I use is a mix of Erythritol, Xylitol and stevia. Erythritol and xylitol are both sugar alcohols that pass through your body without adversely affecting your blood sugar. Erythritol has a zero glycemic index and is easiest to digest. Xylitol is very low on the glycemic scale but can cause stomach discomfort. There is mixed research as to the positive and negatives of these sugar alcohols. I feel it’s fine in moderation, but would still feel stevia is a better choice. Both the Erythritol and xylitol can cause stomach discomfort or diarrhea but the xylitol is the worser culprit. That’s why I really like the following recipe because it uses less xylitol! This is great to use in baking because it adds bulk to substitute for the sugar. You can use it about anywhere you want to replace sugar. Be sure to buy Organic Non GMO. We buy the Erythritol and xylitol online at Amazon. Nature’s Warehouse also sells them as would most any health food stores.

Here is the recipe I use.

Simple Sweet

5 c. Erythritol

2 c. Xylitol

1 T. Better Stevia Extract Powder

2 T. Sweet Leaf Stevia Sweetner

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix very well. Store in airtight container. Use 1/3 cup to replace 1 cup sugar. Used with permission from Simple Foods cookbook.

I have already substituted Better Stevia for Sweet Leaf and it was fine.

If the 1/3 cup doesn’t make your food sweet enough, I would suggest adding in a bit of stevia to finish it off, till you get your desired sweetness.

I also use some Coconut sugar or honey in my baking. Coconut sugar is a healthy sugar with a lower glycemic level. It still raises your blood sugar some, but does not spike it like regular sugar. I feel it’s a very good, safe alternative, but if your trying to lose weight, I would be cautious in how much you consume. Coconut sugar can be found at Walmart.

Honey has a high glycemic index, however if it is raw, local honey, it still has health benefits. So again, if your trying to lose weight, I wouldn’t consume a lot, but is still a healthy sweetner. But Do Not buy Supermarket, pasteurized honey! It is much too likely it is mixed with high fructose corn syrup or some other additives. I read an article on this once, and I could definitely tell a difference between my store bought honey and the raw, local honey I use.

If you still don’t want to use any of these stevias or sweetners I suggested, you could at least use raw sugar. I buy the Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar in a green bag at Walmart. It is at least not quite as processed and bleached as regular old white sugar! But it’s still sugar! I use this for any regular baking/cooking for company or when I take food to gatherings. 🌿

🍰 Stop eating sugar, you are sweet enough already 🍫 🥰

🍯 Life is short and it’s up to you to make it sweet🌿 Sarah Louise Delany

Cleaning Conundrum

Published on by Violet Rhodes2 Comments

Is there anyone who is NOT quarantined presently? What are you finding to occupy your time? Have you started Spring cleaning? I want to clean windows and wash curtains but have not done much yet.

Today I want to share my cleaning schedule as well as what I use to clean with instead of chemical cleaners. (And a few other tidbits thrown in!) I switched to natural products years ago and its really not difficult at all because you likely have some of these in your house already!

But first of all, let me share with you my cleaning conundrum. I have a love/hate relationship with cleaning! I despise a crummy, cluttered house and simply could not function peacefully in a hullabaloo! However, I do not like to clean! But, I abhor a dirty house worse than cleaning, so I dutifully clean! (I’m also just a bit too particular in the cleaning department, due to my germaphobia). Thus it is I find myself in such a woeful predicament every Friday! I clean Fridays to get it over with before Saturday. Occasionally I’ll even clean on Thursday if Friday is too full, just to stay ahead of the dread of cleaning. 😩 But once I’ve gotten things cleaned around here, the heavy feeling of gloom just vanishes like the thunderheads after a Summer storm! It’s so liberating to be able to see my cleaning in the rear view mirror!!

So as you can tell, it takes discipline, and I find it helpful to maintain a basic weekly cleaning schedule as much as possible. If I stay after the general cleanup through out the week its not a Mount Everest to clean. I can whip through my weekly cleaning in two hours or less. I think. I’m not in the habit of timing myself and neither do I always get it done in one grand, uninterrupted stretch…..#momlife! And I don’t always clean everything throughly. If I’m extra pushed for time or something, I’ll skip dusting or skip cleaning the tubs that week etc. And some weeks you may feel you just absolutely don’t have time! But at least, give the bathrooms a quick wipe down with a Lysol wipe, gather trash and sweep floors. That alone helps a lot when you don’t have extra time. But another thing I do like about cleaning weekly is, that when I get company, I don’t need to spend lots of extra time cleaning! There’s more time for food prep or other necessities. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean having a smudgy bathroom and cruddy floors for company. But a quick lil cleanup isn’t as extensive as a thorough scrubbing. And mopping before company? That’s fine, but for me I like to mop after company. (I know, I’m just kinda weird!😜) But when you mop on a regular basis, it’s not that bad and after a big batch of company my floor will need it worse than before. Am I making sense? Now if you come to my house you’re really going to check out my kitchen floor, huh?! And too, I know as moms we do need to simply “put up” with a bit more messiness and dirt. With my cleaning notes here, I’m not meaning a spotless house at all times! I need to remind myself of that frequently! (If I forget, my hubby does pretty good at reminding me that a spotless house is not the most important thing!)

Ok, finally, here’s my chemical free cleaning crew! For the toilets I sprinkle liberally with borax and a splash of white vinegar. Let soak a bit and scrub. For wiping it down, I have a large spray bottle filled with about half vinegar and half water and 20-30 drops essential oils. Most essential oils are naturally antibacterial and work as a disinfectant. White vinegar is also a natural disinfectant as well as hydrogen peroxide. This is my go to for disinfecting around home. It works well for germy areas such as doorknobs, countertops, sinks and toilets. Now if you’re worried about really yucky germs such as the virus floating around the world, then I would say use your Lysol wipes. Those are definitely stronger but then have the chemicals too….Honest confession here. I do keep those on hand but use sparingly.

For mopping my kitchen floor, I add approximately a cup of vinegar, several drops orange essential oil and just a tad of dish soap to my bucket of water. I use my wall mop (shmop) to mop with. Its microfiber, plus I like that I can throw the head in the washer with a load of laundry! It feels heaps cleaner to me than to use a mop that you use over and over but just hang up to dry between uses! I also like how the floor is not sopping wet this way, but dries quickly.

And by the way, I use Seventh Generation dish soap. Super good soap with 0% synthetic fragrances or dyes and is available at Walmart. Have you ever considered just why dish soap is colored or scented? Does it help clean dishes?! Not to my knowledge. But let me know if it does. I haven’t used those dish soaps for so long that maybe I forgot! 😛 Also, this dish soap does not dry out my hands near like the usuals such as Palmolive, Ajax, etc. And since we’re on the dish soap subject, do you have trouble with smelly dish rags? I don’t have much trouble with that but when I do, I rinse it with cold water, sprinkle liberally with baking soda and vinegar. Let it set and fizz awhile, then rinse with cold water again. I don’t use bleach so this is my method. Also, I’ve heard Dawn dish soap can be a culprit in making smelly rags. And rinsing your rag with cold water instead of hot, when you’re ready to hang up your rag, could help with smell too. And get out a clean rag everyday!! How can it clean anymore if it’s been all over the kitchen visiting every filthy mess around, then left lay in greasy, grimy dish water?! But truly, I think the bottom line of any smelly rags, even bathroom rags, is due to the laundry soaps used. But oh dear, I’m getting off the cleaning subject and visiting the laundry room! Excuse me! I’ll get back on track in just a jiff, but first I want to hint that you really should use a clean line of laundry soap too! Many out there are full of fillers, 1,4 Dioxane (a carcinogen), chemicals, and synthetic fragrances. The soap I use I buy at a store in Indiana but they do not ship, so I’m sorry that is really not helpful to most of you. But it is an amazing laundry soap! It’s in powder form and very safe. No suds or smell and you won’t have stinky rags when you use this soap! This soap can be bought at Wittmers Furniture and Gifts in Odon Indiana and I always stock up when we are back there visiting family. However, I’m in the process of trying out some other safe laundry soaps that are easier to source. And I hope sometime to share my findings with you.

Here is a natural bleach recipe you may wish to try. I used to use it but now I just add vinegar to my laundry for extra cleaning power or it can be used as a replacement for fabric softener. 2 cups hydrogen peroxide, 1 cup lemon juice, 2 cups white vinegar, and 11 cups water. Mix and fill 1 gallon. If you wish to disinfect a load of heavily soiled laundry, add 1 teaspoon tea tree oil to the load. I used to make my own dryer sheets too, using the following recipe. 1 cup vinegar, and 8-10 drops ecyluptus oil. Soak little cotton cloths in this and wring out a bit before throwing in the dryer. I actually don’t use these anymore but have switched to the Bounce dryer sheets that are free of dyes and perfumes. Or you can use wool dryer balls too.

For my sinks and tubs I have another spray bottle filled with liquid Castile soap, diluted with water. That and a scrub brush sends filth flying! For added cleaning power you can sprinkle on baking soda or borax then scrub. After I’ve gotten the worst of it, I like to go over the sinks with a Norwex rag to shine it up. I know you can clean using only those rags but I prefer some scrubbing power first. Now I know Norwex rags are expensive and you don’t have to use them! Spraying with the vinegar solution then wiping down does a good job too! Or, you can even use plain vinegar to shine up faucets, mirrors and windows. I don’t have one, but I know the Norwex window rag works really good for glass and mirrors. I just use my vinegar solution and paper towels. For dusting I like a dampened Norwex rag or even another microfiber cloth works good. You don’t have to spray that lemony Pledge to dust!

I love it that there is no strong smell with using these kinds of cleaners! Recently I bought some Lysol toilet cleaner because I thought the toilets needed some extra cleaning power. I used it twice but could not handle the smell! I’m not sure it even helped that much more… maybe a little, but that cleaner went out the door pretty quick! Another thing I love about these cleaners is the simplicity! This basket of cleaners fits neatly underneath the main bathroom sink and is the extent of my basic cleaners. No myriad of cleaners and bottles under every available space below each bathroom sink! (Which is rather like I grew up on!)

If you want to make a cleaner for scrubbing sinks and tubs and such, stir together 1 cup each of baking soda and borax. Then add 1 Tablespoon Castile soap and enough water to make a paste like consistency. You can also add essential oils if you wish. After scrubbing, rinse it down really well or it will leave behind a bit of grainy residue.

Here’s a picture of my liquid Castile soap. You can find it at Amazon or health food stores. I also use this (diluted) in pumps for sink side hand washing. Its extremely versatile! But yet so safe, that you can even use it for your own shower use! Or to bath your babies!

If you are Spring cleaning and wondering what to put in your water to wash the walls, try adding a bit of Castile soap. It don’t suds up a lot in a bucket of water, but still works fine. You can also add a few drops essential oil. Adding lavender oil is supposed to repel spiders.

Here are a couple cleaning quotes you might enjoy!

* Clean your house AND clear your mind!

*Dust is a protective coating for fine furniture.

*I make no secret of the fact that I would rather lie on the sofa than sweep beneath it.

*We dream of having a clean house- but who dreams of actually doing the cleaning?

Homemade Wipes and Honest Diapers

Published on by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

As all moms of littles know, wet wipes are a must for both hands and bottoms! Especially for on the road and away from home. I’d like to share with you alternatives to regular, chemical laden wipes. Please be careful what kind of wipes you use especially for babies. They’re skin is thinner and extra sensitive. And a lot of wipes have chemicals in them that are absorbed right into your baby’s skin and can also cause diaper rashes. (I would also be really careful what kind of soap, lotion and powder you use for baby but that’s a complete other subject!😊)

To make homemade baby wipes, cut a roll of Bounty paper towels in half. The ‘select a size’ kind is nice. Set the half roll in a large, empty coffee can. It fits perfectly! Now, mix up the following solution and pour evenly over the paper towels.

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil

1 Tablespoon witch hazel

1 Tablespoon aloe vera

2 Tablespoons liquid Castile soap

Set the container upside down for a day or so, to help it distribute evenly, before setting upright. I like to take out the middle cardboard piece because the towels are easier to cut and plus, then you can start pulling out the wipes from the center of the roll.

Now, you can also make hand wet wipes using the same method. Following is the solution for that.

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tablespoon witch hazel

2 Tablespoons liquid Castile soap or Lemongrass Tea Tree foaming liquid soap

5 – 8 drops each of any or all of these essential oils- lemon, orange, tea tree, eucalyptus.

If I have these on hand, I really like to use Doterra’s oil blends called Onguard and Purify. These are both especially good for targeting germs.

Pour over a half roll of paper towels.

If you want a safe wet wipe that you can just buy instead of making, I definitely recommend Water Wipes! I love these! They are 99.9% water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract. These are actually what I use for my baby. And I’ve also switched to these for hand wipes for the road too, because of convenience. Now for these I make the same solution that I use for the paper towel hand wipes, except I only use 1 cup of water. You can use even less water if you want to, but I like to rather have mine a little extra wet than too dry. They clean better that way.

Take the wipes out of the pack and place a thin layer in the bottom of a container. Pour on a bit of the solution, then layer more wipes, solution, wipes, solution, etc until the wipes are all layered in container. It helps distribute the oils and soap more evenly this way.

My family has been away from synthetic smells for so long that we all hate scented wipes, soaps etc! But we love these! They smell so much better, plus they’re way better for your skin too!

And one more thing you can do with this same solution recipe. You can pour it into a small spray bottle and use it as hand sanitizer! Shake before use. Of course it’s not gel like the alcohol laden sanitizer is, but this will be a lot healthier for you! Simple, easy solutions for those germy hands, big or little! 👐🖐🖐

Witch hazel can be found in the health and beauty department at Walmart. They also carry the Water Wipes in the baby department or you can find them at Target too. The Liquid Castile soap we buy by the gallon from Amazon because it’s a staple in our house. Or you can also find it in most any health food store.

When Josie was born, I tried out several kinds of safer pampers. It wasn’t long until I had a favorite and that one is still my favorite now with Reece! The Honest Company makes a super absorbent, hypoallergenic and ultra soft diaper. They’re made without latex, fragrances/lotions and chlorine. They are made with plant derived materials and are very good quality! The diapers fit snugly and I hardly remember messes ever leaking out the sides because these hold so well!! They absorb super good too! And my babies pretty much don’t get diaper rashes. I contribute that a lot to diapers and wipes free of chlorine and other chemicals. Most diapers are bleached with chlorine and when they have chlorine, dioxins will be present too. Dioxins can do damage to the body, plus it is a carcinogen.

The Honest pampers are of course more expensive but we feel it’s worth it (think of your baby’s delicate skin and what all its absorbing). You can buy these from Amazon or Target and the prices are about the same. One thing that’s nice at Target is that they frequently run a sale that when you buy two boxes, you get a $10 gift card for the store!

Of course using cloth diapers for your baby would be a very good option but I am just plum not that virtuous! 🤨 If you are, kudos to you!!

And please, I do not want to make anyone feel guilty for what you are using for your baby! However, I would encourage you to at least check into healthier options and see what you could do differently. There are other safe alternatives besides what I shared, but this is what I like and have found works well for us.

Protein Bars and No Flour Muffins

Published on by Violet Rhodes4 Comments

Do you need an idea for something to put in your school lunches this week? Or maybe a healthy snack option to curb your preschooler’s hunger? Or a quick bit of dessert for supper? These are very quick, simple recipes that even young cooks could make. We enjoy both of these!

Protein Bars 🥥🍯

3 1/2 c oatmeal

1 c unsweetened coconut

1/2 c flax meal

1/3 c chia seeds

1 c peanut butter

1/2 c melted coconut oil

2/3 c honey

Stir together wet ingredients and pour over the dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Stir well to combine and press into a 9×13 pan. Refrigerate. These firm up nicely when you store them in the fridge.

These bars are very tasty and chuck full of good ingredients! I use Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter because it doesn’t contain extra sugar or hydrogenated oils. You can use either refined or virgin coconut oil. I grind up both my flax seed and chia seeds and keep them fresh in a jar in the freezer. A Juice Plus Doctor’s wife told me that chia seeds go right through you if you don’t grind them up first, so I like to make sure I get their super health benefits! (and just a hint, likely your picky eaters won’t notice them if they’re ground up!)

Banana Muffins 🍌🍌

1 c peanut butter

3 eggs

1/4 c honey

1 tsp vanilla

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c chocolate chips

Whisk together first five ingredients then add the rest and blend gently. Pour into lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 20 to 23 minutes. They will sink down a bit as they cool. Makes one dozen. (Used with permission from Simple Foods cookbook)

You would not guess these muffins have no flour in them! Using sugar free or dark chocolate chips is a healthier option. This recipe is also a great way to use up those forsaken bananas sitting in the fruit bowl!

Josie LOVES these muffins!! 😋