Homemade Apple Chicken Salad

I'm not gonna lie.  I love Panera.  I also love that they were committed to having antibiotic-free chicken LONG before it was popular.  I eat there frequently enough, but our budget does not always leave room for me to indulge.  Food is also an area where I have those moments of:  "I could totally make that". One of my all-time favorites of theirs is the "Fuji Apple Chicken Salad."

I discovered that you can actually buy the salad dressing at the grocery store (I saw it at SuperTarget) but after reading the ingredients (soybean oil, sugar, etc) I decided making it would be an even better idea.  So, here is my copycat version of the Panera Fuji Apple Chicken Salad:

Romaine lettuce (we added some spinach and kale too)
Grilled chicken breasts (or rotisserie chicken)
Chopped Red Onions
Chopped Tomatoes
Pecans (or walnuts)
Crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (or feta)
Dried apple chips (we have a dehydrator so we made some of our own!)

For the dressing:
2 T. oil (we like to use Grapeseed, but I'm sure olive oil would work well too)
1 T. white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 T. organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 T. garlic powder
1/2 T. onion powder
1.5 tsp dijon mustard
3 T. Frozen organic 100% apple juice concentrate (we also have a juicer so I am hoping to try this with actual fresh juiced apples in the future)

Whisk together and refrigerate!

YUM! And this one recipe costs less than one order at Panera but fed all five of us.  The only ingredient I did not have was mustard (we're not big mustard fans), but now that I have it, we can use it over and over to make this recipe.

Enjoy!

Coconut Oil Skin Cleanser

I've seen a few articles in the blog world about the "50 Best Things To Do With Coconut Oil" or "100 Unknown Uses for Coconut Oil" so clearly people are starting to see the benefit of this wonder fruit.  Did you know it was a fruit? It's in the same family as olives and peaches.  But it can also be classified with nuts and seeds.  See? Wonderfruit!

Did you know that the Coconut Palm in the Philippines is called "The Tree of Life"?
Coconut is known to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and healing properties.

Coconut oil was used in a study on Alzheimer's patients and was shown to increase the patients' mental capacity over time.

It's considered a "good fat" because it's not an artery clogging fat.  It is easily absorbed by the body. I could go on and on.

We have been cooking with coconut oil for a while and even used it as a skin moisturizer for over a year.  It also makes for a great "carrier" oil for essential oils.  But there's one use I was skeptical about.  Using coconut oil to cleanse the skin.  It seems counterintuitive to add oil to skin in order to clean it, but I can speak from experience: it works.

There's a simple concept: oil cleanses oil.  Our skin has naturally occurring oils that act to keep the moisture balanced, protect the pores, and maintain elasticity.  So, when we apply soap to the skin, we are essentially stripping the good oil away from the skin.  We work hard to replace that oil with moisturizers (many of which have additives that are unhealthy), when truly we should just cleanse the oil that we have.  Enter the oil cleansing method!

I started at this website for some great information: www.theoilcleansingmethod.com

She suggests castor oil and sunflower oil but I have found coconut oil to be the perfect choice for me.  You simply rub the oil into your skin and massage for a minute or two.  Then take a warm (almost hot) washcloth and hold it up to your face until it cools.  Then simply wipe your face with the washcloth. I like to repeat this step a few times to make sure I have all the mascara off.

If you think you need a moisturizer, you can take a small bit of coconut oil and rub it in to your skin and leave it. Who said going natural has to cost you more? Toss out your expensive face creams and washes and use just one product! And you won't find it at the make-up counter.

Remember that your skin is the largest organ of your body.  What you put on it gets absorbed so don't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't ingest!

Why Organic?

Just the other day at SuperTarget the cashier asked, "Is there really a difference between buying organic and non-organic?" At first I thought she was joking, but then I realized that some are just not aware of the difference.  

We started eating organic foods about 8 years ago when my oldest daughter had an allergic reaction to a pesticide on cherries.  We started out with just the fruits and vegetables where you consume the skin.  But over the years it has evolved to include almost all of our food.  

Organic means that conventional pesticides are not used in the growing process or the after-harvest.  Additionally, the seeds are not from strains that are treated to be pesticide-resistant.  Organic produce is not allowed to be genetically modified either.  (That's a whole other issue for another day).  

Are pesticides bad? I've heard that question before also.  Take a look at this photo.  Protective gear must be worn near these pesticides and yet somehow it's safe for us to consume them?!

And it's not just one spray that's used.  For strawberries alone, there are over 50 pesticides that are allowed to be used simultaneously.  They don't just kill bugs and diseases.  

And that's just strawberries.  

If you feel overwhelmed and wonder where to start, I always say to start with the dirty dozen.  Each year the Environmental Working Group releases a list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables that should always be eaten organically.  Changing just these twelve can decrease your exposure to the worst pesticides by 80%! This is the most recent list:

Some complain that organic produce costs more.  I would argue that cancer costs more.  Co-pays and medications cost more.  Feeling lousy costs more.  

Now my children can actually taste pesticides if we are at a friends house or a bbq where organic fruits and veggies are not available.  You will realize in time that organic foods are not only better for you, they just taste better too!

Easy Oatmeal and Honey Bread

Our journey to a natural life has been just that: a journey.  We did not make all of our lifestyle changes overnight.  Take one thing at a time and make your changes slowly.  Recently one of our changes has been with bread.  Many have jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon, and you'll be happy to know that this recipe can be modified slightly to make gluten-free bread.

For our family though, we believe that all things should be in moderation.  We have no health issues with gluten but we still try to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables with very little wheat included.  We try to make all of our food ourselves so we only eat bread as often as I'm willing to make it.  That being said, there's nothing like the fresh baked bread smell in the house! Mmmm!!

This recipe quickly became my favorite because it had so few ingredients and truly is one of the easiest there is.  Most kitchens already have all the ingredients! Enjoy!

Oatmeal and Honey Bread

1 C. old fashioned rolled oats or instant steel cut oats

2 pkg. yeast (equivalent to 4.5 teaspoons if you have it in a jar)

2 and ½ tsp. salt

½ C. honey (we use only raw, local honey)

2 T. oil (my favorite is grapeseed for this recipe)

5 cups flour (we use unbleached organic flour)

• Soak oats in 2 C. boiling water until lukewarm
• Dissolve yeast in 1/3 C. warm water (110-120 degrees) and add to the oats.  The oats must not be warmer than 120 degrees or it will kill the yeast.  Use a thermometer if you are new to bread-making. 
• Add salt, honey and oil to mixture.
• Add flour in 2 cup increments until dough is smooth.  The honey will make the dough slightly sticky, do not add too much flour.  Knead until smooth (about 5 minutes).
• Place dough in a greased bowl and cover to rise until double. Usually about an hour.
• Punch down the risen dough
• Divide in half and shape into loaves.  Place in greased loaf pans.  Cover and let rise until double. Usually 1-1.5 hours in a warm spot.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.  Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

photo credit: babble.com

Laundry!

If you're a crafter, you may walk through the aisles of decorations and think, "I could make that." I have a few family members that are great at woodworking so when they see a table at Pottery Barn, they think the same thing: I could make that.

Part of homesteading is defined by self-sufficiency.  We are attempting to rely less and less on pre-made, factory processed items and figure out how to make things ourselves.  Truly, all progress is not in a forward direction in my opinion.  In the name of "progress" we have introduced more chemicals into our homes.

Last year we started making our own laundry soap.  I am thrilled with the results.  Here is a recipe that has worked great for us!

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot)

2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent aisle.

(this is optional. I did not add it but if you notice your clothes getting a little dingy, you can add it).
You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store or walmart.

Grate the bars of soap and mix all ingredients together in a large bucket.  This makes approximately 2 gallons of detergent.  

**Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need 1-2 Tablespoons.**

This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. If you love a strong scent you may have to add a fabric softener or laundry crystals to each load. You can find laundry crystals in the detergent aisle.

We got our recipe from this site: http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html?m=1

As for fabric softener, we have discovered that nothing works better than just plain old white vinegar! Your clothes are soft and dont smell like vinegar.

Enjoy!

photo credit: littlegreenbow.com

Here we go!

"Find something you are passionate about and you will stay tremendously interested in it." Julia Childs

"Love what you do and you won't work a day in your life." Walt Disney

I love what I do! I daydreamed of being married and in the first few seconds of holding my firstborn, I knew that "I was made for this." Three kids later, over a decade of marriage, and I still love what I do.  My job is taking care of the ones I love.  Over the years I have discovered that the natural way is the better way.  It's been a journey that hasn't always been easy, nor is it over yet, but I have learned so much along the way.

This little 'ol blog was inspired by friends that have said, "You should have a blog and share that info!" So here we go.

Come along with our little family as we discover how to be a Suburban Family Homestead!