Category: recipes + diy

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homemade natural mouthwash recipe

Homemade Natural Mouthwash Recipe

homemade natural mouthwash recipe

So I found this gorgeous decanter at an antique shop a couple of weeks ago. My mom had this great idea to fill it with mouthwash and store it in the bathroom. I’ve spent the weekend experimenting with various homemade mouthwash recipes to find one that I really liked.

Why did I choose to make homemade mouthwash rather than purchasing store bought? Well, I’m trying my best to reduce waste in my home, and I figured the plastic mouthwash bottle is one less thing we could keep around the house. The second, more important reason is because I’m trying to avoid the chemicals (Sodium Benzoate, Triclosan, SLS, Alcohol) often found in conventional store bought mouthwashes. I prefer to be able to pronounce all the ingredients in my household products, especially those going into my mouth! Another benefit of homemade mouthwash is that it’s dirt cheap to make.

Be sure to also check out our zero waste tooth paste and tooth powder, that go together so nicely with homemade mouthwash!

homemade natural mouthwash recipe
Peppermint Oil, Homemade ACV, & Hydrogen Peroxide

Mouthwash Recipe Experiments

Baking Soda Mouthwash: 1 cup distilled/purified water, 1 tsp baking soda, two drops of peppermint essential oil. The baking soda will eventually settle so you’ll need to shake it up a little before use.

Hydrogen Peroxide Mouthwash: 1 part hydrogen peroxide, 1 part distilled/purified water, and two drops of peppermint essential oil.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mouthwash: 1 cup distilled/purified water, 2 Tbsp. homemade ACV.

And The Winner Is!

I chose the baking soda mouthwash to keep stored in my bathroom for regular use. I loved the saltiness of the baking soda mixed with the freshness of the peppermint oil. It also is the one of the three that is most similar in taste to conventional mouthwash. I also liked the ACV recipe, because it had a really mild flavor. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the aftertaste of the ACV mouthwash. I didn’t dig the hydrogen peroxide mouthwash, but everybody’s taste buds are different so might be worth a try for you!

homemade natural mouthwash recipe

Have you experimented with homemade mouthwash recipes?! If so, what’s your favorite??

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green tomato chutney recipe

Green Tomato Chutney Recipe

This week I decided to put my garden to bed for the winter. The bounty has been plentiful, but it’s time to let the soil rest and start making plans for next year! While cleaning out the beds, I had heaps of green tomatoes leftover. I asked for recommendations from my Instagram fam for green tomato recipes and there were so many great ideas! Be sure to head over to my Instagram post to see all of the great green tomato recs. However, I finally decided to make chutney. Today was my first time ever making chutney, and I used a recipe recommended by my friend Nicole from the Food in Jars blog. Her recipe was a great foundation for my chutney, but the recipe I’ve listed below is a creation all my own. I didn’t have a lot of the ingredients at the house listed in the recipe so I made it with what I had available. This recipe is very nearly waste free, minus the dark brown sugar which we don’t have available in bulk here in Athens.

Here’s how I made my tasty jar of chutney that I don’t think will last through the week!

Green Tomato Chutney Recipe

My recipe makes one 12oz mason jar’s worth of chutney

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

6 smallish green tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white vinegar

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. salt

Directions

Chop your onion and tomatoes and toss into a pot. Add sugar, vinegar, ginger, and red pepper flakes.

 

Mix well and bring to boil. Then reduce heat to low and cook for an hour to an hour and a half. Stir it regularly so you don’t scorch the bottom. You’ll continue to cook the ingredients down until they have thickened. (Think, is this spreadable on a cracker? If so, you’re done!) After it’s cooked down, add the salt.

You can now fill a mason jar with your deliciously sweet and spicy chutney, or like me, you can just start digging in right out of the pot because it is just so tasty. I don’t think my jar of chutney is going to last more than a week!

 

I’ve still got some green tomatoes leftover, and I think my next experiment will be fried green tomatoes!! What is your favorite green tomato recipe??

 

 

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zero waste dog treats recipe

Yesterday afternoon, I made some zero waste dog treats for my pup, Polly! She adored them, so I thought I’d share my recipe with you guys. We love to make fresh juice at our house, and I usually toss the leftover juice pulp in the compost. However, a fellow zero waster mentioned that you can use the pulp to make dog treats so I decided to try it out! Not only are they completely waste free but also vegan. Here’s the recipe I used:

3 cups leftover juice pulp (I kept leftover pulp in the freezer until I had 3 cups worth)

1 cup oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together all ingredients. Roll out dough into cookie sized balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake treats until hard, about 15 minutes. Cool and then they are ready for your pup to enjoy!

These zero waste dog treats were so simple to make and such a fun way to use leftover juice pulp rather than just tossing it in the compost bin. I’m excited to experiment more with the recipe.

Do you have a favorite homemade dog treat recipe? Do you know of  any creative uses for juice pulp other than dog treats and compost?

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homemade apple cider vinegar

A few weeks ago, I had some apples leftover from the Ellijay Apple Festival that were going bad and instead of tossing them in the compost, I’d decided to try making homemade apple cider vinegar. And ta-da!! It turned out great and was super easy to make.

homemade apple cider vinegar

Here’s how I made my homemade ACV:

3 apples chopped (I used the peel and core)

2 tbsp raw, local honey

  • Rinse and chop the apples, then throw them in a glass jar (I used two small glass jars)

homemade apple cider vinegar

  • Fill the jar with filtered water, just to the top of the apples.
  • Add honey and stir until dissolved.
  • Cover jar with coffee filter and let sit in a cool, dark place!

homemade apple cider vinegar

  • Stir every few days for about two weeks.
  • Use a strainer to separate the vinegar from the apple bits and throw those pieces in the compost.
  • You can continue to let it sit for a 2-4 weeks to taste. (Mine was perfectly ready at six weeks) Now your ACV is ready to use!

homemade apple cider vinegar

ACV Uses

Apple cider vinegar has many uses for house and health. It’s a natural disinfectant and deodorizer, and can make your hair shine. I’ve added a few links below listing the many uses of apple cider vinegar. What’s your favorite way to use ACV? And have you tried making it homemade before?

50+ Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

15 Reasons to Use Apple Cider Vinegar Every Day

Surprising Apple Cider Vinegar Uses

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oh so fantastic coconut oil

I’ve seen this image on Instagram several times and it always make me giggle:

coconut oil

But this little funny also influenced me to research and write a blog post about the many great uses of coconut oil. I already use it as a skin moisturizer and for oil pulling (description following) but found that, holy cow, you can use it in so many other ways I had no idea about and here’s just a few:

Coffee Creamer – Stir a teaspoon of it into your morning cup of joe for a sweet non dairy creamer alternative.

Natural Makeup Remover – Gently rub around your eyes as an all natural eye makeup remover.

Homemade Toothpaste – Mix coconut oil and baking soda with a few drops of peppermint oil for a zero waste and natural toothpaste alternative. Pair with a Tiny Yellow Bungalow 100% bamboo toothbrush, for an ultimate sustainable teeth brushing experience 🙂

Sunburn Soother – I usually use a bit of aloe for sunburns but found it interesting that coconut oil can do the trick as well. If you don’t happen to have any aloe on hand, try coconut oil!

Hair Deep Conditioner – On days when your hair is particularly dry or damaged, rub some oil into your wet hair while in the shower. Let it sit for several minutes and then rinse it out.

Toast Spread – Coconut oil is a delicious and healthy vegan alternative to butter for your morning toast.

Skin Moisturizer – Rub coconut oil into your skin for long lasting, smooth, moisturized skin. Especially beneficial for those with skin issues such as eczema or psoriasis. I love to rub it on my feet before bed for an overnight moisturizing treatment.

Oil Pulling – My personal favorite. Swish a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth for 10-15 minutes for oral health. It’s an ancient Ayurveda dental practice used to help draw out toxins and cleanse the mouth. Give it a try!

What are your favorite coconut oil uses?!

coconut oil