I just got back from the dentist and they had to do very little scraping. Yea! The main thing I attributed this change to is the homemade toothpaste I have been using. Yep, homemade, organic, and works! It is even whitening my teeth.
On top of all that, it is cheap and easy to make! Score!
I found a recipe on Pinterest that took me to JJ Begonia's site. The toothpaste recipe she had looked good, and I had all the ingredients on hand.
A little warning before you run off and make this. It does not taste like normal toothpaste. You will be brushing with baking soda, which has a very salty flavor--not something most of us are used to in our toothpaste. However, it also doesn't include any of that junk that the national brands have in them so it is much better for you.
Here is the recipe for easy reference. I made minor modifications to the original:
Teeth Whitening Toothpaste
Ingredients (Makes 2 Ounces)
3 Tablespoons organic Baking Soda
(find it HERE)
3 Tablespoons organic Coconut Oil
--I always use Nutiva (find it HERE)
2 Teaspoons Hydrogen Peroxide
(find it HERE)
1/4 packet Stevia
(find it HERE)
5 or 6 drops Organic Peppermint Oil
to taste (find it HERE)
Directions
Mix the baking soda and coconut oil until smooth. Add peroxide and stevia and mix. Put in 5-6 drops of peppermint essential oil and do a final mix. Store in an airtight container.
I have read where some people caution against using baking soda to brush the teeth every day, saying it will damage the enamel. My dentist didn't state that baking soda would harm my teeth at all.
I have also seen similar things about hydrogen peroxide. There is so little of it in this mixture, and I use the 3%, so it has been fine for me to use. My teeth are definitely whiter than they have been in a while.
Happy brushing!
Laureen
My Mother's birthday is coming up. Not just any birthday, a really really big birthday. My Mom will be 90. Ninety!
We all have talents in our family and one of mine is organization and party planning. It's fun for me and I really enjoy it. So I have been the main planner for my Mom's big party.
This thing has turned into the size of a wedding reception. We will have close to 100 guests, catering, music and dancing.
I went through the instructions from my previous post on Party and Event Planning - Laying the Foundation and came up with the following list:
- What is the purpose of the event? The purpose of the event is to celebrate my Mom and to make sure she knows she is loved and appreciated.
- What do I want the tone or mood of the event to be? Relaxed and fun, but beautiful at the same time. Party casual dress, safe environment for all my Mom's friends, and a great party atmosphere.
- What is important to me? That my Mom has the best time of her life. That she is celebrated and knows how much we all love her.
- What do I want for my guests? I want them to be well taken care of. I want them to have a good time. I want to have some surprises, and to provide a beautiful and fun environment.
- How do I want to participate in the event? I want to eat and be able to participate fully in this event. I tend to take on too much leading up to events so I am exhausted at the party. I want to relax and have fun at this one.
Starting the Planning
Now
that I have a foundation for the event I can start planning. The first
thing I like to do for a party is put together the guest list. This
helps me understand the approximate number of people, which leads me to
how much space, food, and drinks I will need.
We have a huge family. Our baseline of guests is 32 right now, and that is just my siblings and their families. My Mom came up with a guest list of 60 something people, so we are up near 100.
I
don't hold surprise parties for 90 year olds, so having my Mom included in the initial planning helped to move things along. It also makes it easier to come up with the right guest list, theme, and
color scheme. We have booked a hall to hold the event, and my Mom has a caterer she likes. We have chosen a tentative date
of June 21.
Guest list: Approximately 100 people
Theme: I struggled with this one. Was going to do Old Hollywood since my Mom grew up in Hollywood but, I have settled on no theme. I will write about this in a future post.
Colors: Bright teals, corals, and pinks
Filling in the details
I like to create nice invitations. The invitation sets the tone for the party and lets your guests know what to expect. My niece created a gorgeous invitation which sets the tone perfectly for this party. I hand address the invitations per old Emily Post rules. There is something about receiving a more formal invitation that is properly addressed that creates anticipation. I love hearing the guests excitement when they RSVP. It keeps me motivated.
We have rented a hall, and it is huge. I think we could easily seat a few hundred people there. We will need to make the space more intimate.
I love teals, corals, and pinks and hadn't used these colors for a party before. I found a great palette at The Perfect Palette (I found it on Pinterest and followed the links).
We will also add in a touch of black and gold to make the party shine and make the colors pop.
So far we are having white tablecloths, teal blue table runners, gold centerpiece vases, black accent vases, and pink and coral flowers on the tables.
I have found a lot of items on eBay and others at floral supply stores. I will post pictures and where to buy in a future post.
The party design is coming along. My biggest concern at this point is whether I should have put in an order for the flowers. I need to plan out what I need for a party of this size. I usually just go to the flower supply and pick out what works with my color theme, but I need a lot of flowers this time.
Time will tell if I made the right decisions. More in a coming post!
So how are you celebrating life? Leave me a comment below.
Laureen
Have I mentioned I like baked goods? MMMmmmmm Hot from the oven, yummy, fluffy, baked goods. With my eating plan cutting out all wheat and sugar, it has put a big dent in my enjoyment of baked goods. This isn't just a gluten free thing, it's a no wheat thing so gluten free flours are out.
I have found a way to make cookies, both baked and no-bake but I wanted more. This morning I jumped into muffin making with both feet, and by am I glad I did! YUM!
These muffins use buckwheat flour, which is not a wheat, surprisingly. Buckwheat is made from the seeds of a fruit which are in the same family as rhubarb. See this wikipedia link for more info: Buckwheat. Since it isn't a wheat there is no gluten in it naturally. I am eating for heath these days and buckwheat seems much healthier to me than overly processed wheat.
I also used almond meal or flour and some gluten free oats. These 2 ingredients made the muffins more dense and hearty than what we made in my Rum Cake Donut Muffin recipe.
To replace the sugar, I used Xylitol and Stevia. Both of these sweeteners are natural and do not include chemicals. Stevia is an herb and Xylitol is made from birch. Neither of these sweeteners raise blood sugar nor impact the pancreas.
Taking all of that in mind, here is the recipe.
Note that the buckwheat
will make them dark. The batter will be dark and the muffin will be
dark. But the flavor is great. Give them a try!
Healthy Muffins (makes 32 mini muffins)
1/2 cup organic buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond meal or flour
¾ cup gluten-free oats
1-½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup coconut oil
½ cup organic birch Xylitol
1 packet Stevia
1 egg (for vegan, substitute a flax egg)
¾ cup almond milk (or coconut or hemp)
Preheat the oven to 350ยบ.
Whisk together the flours, oats, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, add
coconut oil, sugar, egg, and milk. Mix to combine until thoroughly blended.
Add dry ingredients to wet
ingredients and stir only to combine.
Coat your muffin pan
with a little coconut oil cooking spray and scoop the
batter evenly among the cups. I filled a 24 mini-muffin tin and had enough for another 8.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. The muffin should spring back
when you lightly touch the top.
Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan and allow them to cool another half hour or so.
Topping
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons Earth Balance "butter"
3 Tablespoons Xylitol or 1 teaspoon Stevia
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl or on the stove. Mix the sweetener and cinnamon in a second bowl. Quickly dip the muffins in the butter
and then roll them in the sweetened cinnamon. I just did the tops but you can do the whole muffin if you want--you just may need to double your topping recipe to cover all the muffins.
Tap off any excess cinnamon and they are ready to eat.
I am loving the fact that I don't need flour or sugar to make a yummy treat. Hope you enjoy them too!
Laureen
