New, Safe, Homemade Cleaning Solution - Vinegar, Borax and Tea Tree Oil

I  have been experimenting with natural cleaning products of late as more and more people have been blogging about them. I love the Borax and Washing soda for my laundry but I don't think I like it as much for general household cleaning as I like using vinegar, Borax and Tea Tree Oil. :)
I used about 1/4c Vinegar, 2 Tblsp Borax and 40 drops of Tea Tree Oil.
I put some HOT water in a bowl, dissolved the Borax as best I could and then poured this into the spray bottle, added the Vinegar and Tea Tree Oil, then filled it with water. Shook well.
It worked great!
I used it on my stove top - I actually took it apart and sprayed it in places I normally don't clean because they're hidden and walked away for less than a minute, when I came back and wiped, EVERYTHING came up. No effort on my part at all, it just wiped away!
The stuff that had been there forever that Bleach, Soft Scrub, other stuff, and no amount of elbow grease could get rid of, this mixture cleaned it right up. That's probably why I never went under there, I was so frustrated I couldn't clean it before! :)
Now, I don't know if it was that it was Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, the Borax, the combination, or if just regular vinegar would have done it, but whatever it was, it worked and I am so happy! :)

The next time I make it I am just going to use regular vinegar, water, and squeeze citrus juice and put the rind in,  and Tea Tree Oil. I also read you only need a few tablespoons of vinegar. So, that is what I will do next. I'll likely eventually post about it! :)

Note: I wish I was more patient and diligent tho to see to it that the Borax was all dissolved as it can clog up the spray bottle... be sure the Borax has completely dissolved in the hot water before you pour it in the spray bottle! :)

Be blessed in your Spring Cleaning! :)

Whole Wheat Molasses Bread

I finally found a whole wheat sandwich bread I can make, that cooks all the way through and tastes great!! I used 2 cups of white flour - just to get rid of it. Next time I intend to grind up some oatmeal and use 2 cups of that instead to stretch out my whole wheat flour.

Here is where I got the recipe: http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/search/label/Breads

Version 1 using 100% whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 TBSP dry active yeast 
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses*
1 1/2 tsp. salt
8 - 8 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the oil, honey, molasses, salt and 5 cups of the flour until well combined. Allow to rest 20 minutes. Then, knead in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is just barely not sticky, and knead for about 10 minutes. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with a towel to let it rise until double (about an hour). Turn on the oven to 375, punch down and form into two loaves and place into greased bread pans. Allow to rise for ONLY 10-11 minutes, then bake for 32-35 minutes. 

*If you are avoiding molasses or don't have any on hand, you can substitute an extra 1/4 cup of honey for the molasses. 

Version 2 using a mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour
2 3/4 cup warm water
4 tsp. dry active yeast 
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses*
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups all purpose flour
6 – 6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the oil, honey, molasses, salt and 5 cups of the flour until well combined. Allow to rest 20 minutes. Then, knead in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is just barely not sticky, and knead for about 10 minutes. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with a towel to let it rise until double (about an hour). Turn on the oven to 375, punch down and form into two loaves and place into greased bread pans. Allow to rise for ONLY 9-10 minutes, then bake for 32-35 minutes.

*If you are avoiding molasses or don't have any on hand, you can substitute an extra 1/4 cup of honey for the molasses. 

Update on the homemade Dog Food

Noah still loves the stuff! I finally decided to reduce the recipe tho since the last one lasted a week and a half, I want him to eat fresher food than that! :)

So, here we are:

1 c oatmeal
1/4 c oat bran
2 eggs
2 c veggies (I used a frozen medley of sorts)
1/4 c flax seed
1 stalk of red kale or purple or whatever :)
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
I was going to use a 1/4 c of sunflower seeds again, but these ones were salted, so I didn't.

This time too I put everything thru the food processor since he doesn't chew, he's still (after 3 or 4 weeks) so excited about getting real food that he doesn't chew!

I made this on Sunday 3/6, will need to make some more today or tomorrow.

Still cheaper, healthier than anything you can buy in the store and Noah is so happy with it!!

Let me know how you like it if you try it! :)