Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Most hand sanitizers (even "organic" or "natural" options) contain toxic chemicals, preservatives, and carcinogenic fragrance ingredients. We've been trying to replace items we use that contain these toxins with items that do not, but it's been quite a challenge to find a hand sanitizer we consider pure enough to use! So here is our current homemade hand sanitizer recipe:

Homemade Hand Sanitizer

What you'll need:
- a bottle or container for your homemade hand sanitizer
- isopropyl alcohol (we use 91%)
- organic, food-grade aloe vera gel (not the green gel stuff from the sunscreen section - that's full of toxins too)
- organic essential oil for scent (optional) - We choose to use the pure, organic oils from Veriditas Botanicals and, for this recipe, we are using their lavender oil.

Instructions:
- Fill your bottle 2/3 full with the aloe vera gel (a funnel really helps with this step). Fill the remaining 1/3 with the rubbing alcohol. Mix thoroughly. Add a few drops of essential oil (refer to the bottle to see how many drops to use) and mix again. Enjoy your homemade hand sanitizer!

We keep a bottle of this in our car because we are germ freaks. ;)

Note: For an even more natural recipe, substitute witch hazel for the rubbing alcohol.

Earthpaste Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to all who participated in our Earthpaste giveaway! If you missed our review of Earthpaste toothpastes, you can check it out here.

The winners of the giveaway are:

Colleen Anderson
Moo77hb
Jeremy Desnoyers

Enjoy your toothpaste! =) All of the winners have been notified via email. If, for some reason, you did not receive the email (check your spam folder), please send your name/mailing address to me at jonanderinstewart@gmail.com and I will send your info to Earthpaste, who will be sending you your package. Thanks!

Tropical Mango Smoothie Recipe

This one tastes like something you would drink in the middle of summer while you're sitting on the wrap-around porch out front, watching the sunset from a wooden porch swing (piled with cushions, of course). I love it so I hope you do too. =)

Tropical Mango Smoothie
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup organic coconut or almond milk
- 6 oz. organic pineapple, peeled, chopped, and frozen
- 6 oz. organic mango, peeled, chopped, and frozen
- 6 oz. organic peaches, peeled, pitted, sliced, and frozen
- 1 organic banana, peeled, halved, and frozen
- the juice of 1/2 organic lime (optional)

Add your wet ingredients to the blender first, followed by the rest of them. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Favorite Products Series featuring Natural Vitality // What is Amla?

When Natural Vitality recently asked me if I would be interested in testing some of their products, I excitedly responded with a "yes!!" I had been hearing about and seeing reviews of their products on blogs I follow for months and there were definitely a few things I had been wanting to try. Here are my thoughts on some of their products (plus, some ways to use them in our smoothies!). I'll start with my favorite:

Natural Vitality's Vitamin C Complex is sourced from organic amla, which has been my preferred source of Vitamin C for use in supplements/vitamins for quite awhile now. Amla is basically an Indian gooseberry. It naturally contains 30 times more vitamin C than an orange and also contains proteins, other vitamins and minerals, and is packed with powerful antioxidants. I was beyond excited when I saw this bottle in my box of goodies from N.V.

I love that Natural Vitality's amla-sourced Vitamin C. is in capsules, so I can easily add its power-packed nutrients to my smoothies! This one is great, guys. No additives, nothing extra...just organic amla-sourced Vitamin C and bioflavenoids (well...and the capsule). No yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, soy, wheat, sugar, starch, preservatives, or artificial flavor or color. I definitely recommend this one. Love it. Love, love, love! Empty 2 capsules into any of our smoothie recipes for an extra Vitamin C. boost.

The Organic Life Liquid Multi-Vitamin ingredients from Natural Vitality are plant-sourced, which is really important in a multi-vitamin. The multi includes 24 organic veggies, superfruits, and berries, and its aloe vera contains more than 200 plant-based biologically active amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, enzymes, and sterols. The box they sent me contained 30 individual packets (one packet = one serving) that you can take alone or mixed with water, juice, or a smoothie (more on that later). This product is vegetarian, gluten-free, and GMO-free.

To add this multi-vitamin to your smoothies, simply pour the contents of 2 packets in with the rest of the ingredients in any of our smoothie recipes! Our smoothie recipes make 2 servings, so you and your smoothie-buddy will each get a full serving of vitamins.

The Plant-Sourced Minerals mix from Natural Vitality is a purified water extraction of soluble plant-derived minerals. They are minimally processed and this mix offers a complex of more than 70 plant-based, small-particle, bioavailable trace minerals. It's vegan, gluten-free, GMO-free, cruelty-free, allergen-free, and contains no wheat, dairy, egg, sugar, or artificial color or flavor. While this is the liquid version of the product, I recommend the capsule version of it, which does not have the extra "other ingredients" list!

To add the plant-sourced minerals to your smoothies, simply add 2 tsp. of it to any of our smoothie recipes.

Overall, I really like what Natural Vitality is doing. They strive to provide plant-based, organic, quality products. They also give back to our wellness-building community, which you can read more about here. They keep their products GMO-free and pesticide free and support organic farming (yes!). Browse more of the products they offer here (and don't forget to go buy their Vitamin C!!).

Much love,
Erin

Dark Chocolate Smoothie!

Hello. My name is Erin and I love chocolate. Well, raw chocolate that is...the dark, pure stuff that's only sweetened with pure goodness and doesn't have any soy or additives in it. Not that contaminated-with-lead grocery store junk. ;) I knew it would only be so long until I would try a chocolate smoothie recipe, and here it is! It even has veggies in it...and you know what?? The kids didn't even notice! Ha! Success! Want the recipe?

Dark Chocolate Smoothie
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic almond or coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 3 bananas, peeled, halved, and frozen
- 4 carrots, peeled, chopped, and frozen
- 3 heaping tsp (a real tsp, not a measuring spoon) of raw, organic cacao powder
- 2-3 TBSP raw, organic almond butter
- 1/4 tsp organic cinnamon

(we buy our almond butter and cacao powder from Mother's)

You know the drill! Wet ingredients into the blender first, add the rest, blend until smooth and enjoy! This smoothie is best enjoyed immediately after blending.

P.S. - If you taste your smoothie and find that you would like it a little sweeter, add more frozen banana. If you want a richer chocolate flavor, add more cacao powder.

Amazing, Natural Toothpaste Review & Giveaway Featuring Earthpaste!

Jon and I recently tried a new-to-us toothpaste that we absolutely loved and couldn't wait to share with you! Before I get into details, I just want you to know that I think everyone should try this toothpaste...so I contacted Earthpaste and they offered to give 3 of you a tube of your own (your choice of flavor!) so you can experience all the natural toothpaste goodness for yourselves! Make sure you read through to the end of the post to see how you can enter to win. =)

About the Company

I love love love companies that are focused on wellness and non-toxic options for everyday products, so when I found Earthpaste, I was immediately interested in their toothpastes. We have tried a few other natural toothpastes, but this brand featured an entirely unique list of ingredients and I couldn't wait to try it. Earthpaste's toothpastes are made with hydrated Redmond Clay, a little xylitol, essential oils, and Real Salt. That's it! No chemicals, no additives, no artificial flavoring, and no flouride (yay!)! It's even safe to swallow (probably the first time I've ever seed a toothpaste that was)!

Flavors

Earthpaste currently offers four different flavor options. Our favorites so far are Peppermint and Cinnamon. The Peppermint is so refreshing. I really love that I can taste a little bit of the tea tree oil in it. The Cinnamon is just right - not too hot or spicy, like some of the other cinnamon toothpastes. The fresh-mouth, long-lasting aftertaste is great too!

Texture

Okay, so this was the first thing that kind of surprised me. The texture of this toothpaste is much like a normal natural toothpaste when you first put it on your brush. It's got a very natural color to it and it is a little bit thinner than other toothpastes, but it still squeezes out onto your brush in a nice line. Then it sort of dissolves while you're cleaning your teeth. You can tell it's there and that it's really cleaning, but because it doesn't have all of the added chemicals and foaming agents, you don't end up with a mouth full of "soap suds" while you're brushing. Makes sense...it is made of clay. It took me all of a day to get used to, and now I absolutely love it. I feel like my mouth is so much cleaner after I brush my teeth and there's no nasty chemical residue coating covering my teeth. Actually, I think this toothpaste leaves my mouth feeling cleaner than any other toothpaste I have ever tried!

Things I Love About It

- the natural ingredients
- the lack of chemicals and toxins
- no glycerin, no flouride, no artifical coloring
- the use of clay - so cleansing! It totally makes sense to use it in a toothpaste.
- the vibrant tastes and clean aftertastes - so pleasant and refreshing!
- the super clean feeling it leaves in my mouth
- the lack of nasty foaming agents, detergents, and artificial soap suds
- it's safe enough to swallow
- it promotes healthy teeth, a healthy mouth, and healthy gums
- it's very affordable for a natural toothpaste
- the company is committed to wellness and quality, pure products

Actually, I think I love everything about this toothpaste. You should try it! Want to try it? (Of course you do!) Here's how you can enter to win a tube for your family:

Mandatory entry (leave a comment for each entry you complete):

1. If you are a subscriber of www.jonanderinstewart.com, you are already entered to win (if you want to subscribe, you can do so through the subscribe box at the top right of the page, then activate your subscription through the email sent to you)!

Optional (extra entries):
2. Visit Earthpaste and let me know which flavor you want to try in the comments below.
3. Be a fan of our new Facebook page.
4. Be a fan of Earthpaste on Facebook.
5. Share this post on Facebook (leave a comment with the link to your post).
6. Share this post on Twitter (leave a comment with the link to your tweet).
7. Pin the giveaway image on Pinterest (leave a comment with a link to your pin).

Note: This giveaway is for USA residents, age 18+ only. No purchase necessary. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

The giveaway will run from today until Friday, June21st at midnight, PST. Three readers will be chosen at random using random.org. The winners of the giveaway will be announced the following week and notified via email. No purchase necessary. Retail value of price: $7.99 each.

Homemade, All-Natural, Non-Toxic Hair Conditioner Recipe

We've been gradually replacing chemical-laden household and personal products with organic, non-toxic options for about the last 2 years. Some of the things that have been the most difficult for me to replace are hair products. I'm actually still looking for some organic, non-toxic options (leave suggestions in the comments!), but I have already found a hair conditioner recipe that works perfectly for me, so I thought I'd share it with you.

 

I started using this method to condition my hair a few months ago and my hair has already been so much healthier.

What you'll need:
- Organic apple cider vinegar (I use the raw, unfiltered version from Bragg)
- a pint-sized mason jar
- 2 cups water
- 3 drops of organic essential oil (I use the Cinnamon Leaf oil from Veriditas Botanicals)

Before you get in the shower, pour a splash (probably 3-4 TBSP) of the vinegar into the mason jar, add the drops of essential oil, and fill the rest of the jar up with water. After rinsing out your shampoo, pour the vinegar mix over your hair, starting at the base of the crown and working down to the ends before rinsing.

Note: You can choose any essential oil you want. I add it for the scent. I tried an orange essential oil prior to the cinnamon leaf, but found that the acidity of the orange smell only added to the acidic smell of the vinegar, and I didn't like smelling that on my hair all day. The cinnamon leaf oil cuts right through that acidic vinegar scent and I don't smell the vinegar at all throughout the day anymore! Just yummy, delicious cinnamon. =)

Deep Conditioning Tip

Once a week or so, use a pea-sized amount (I use a pea-sized amount and my hair is almost waist-length. It really only takes a tiny tiny bit.) of organic, unrefined coconut oil to deep condition your hair from the ends up to where you would start a ponytail. Distribute the coconut oil through your dry hair before showering and shampooing. Your shampoo and the vinegar rinse will take care of any oiliness that could result from the coconut oil, but the oil will still have a chance to add those beneficial nutrients to your hair. I love my hair on the days I do this. Honestly, I could probably do it every other day, but I normally forget to grab the oil on my way to the shower. ;)

Note: You might not want to try that oh-so-common Pinterest version of coconut oil hair conditioning that involves slathering it all over your entire head and leaving it for awhile. It will take forever and half a bottle of shampoo to wash it out. Less is more with the coconut oil. Trust me. ;)

Do you have a favorite hair product or natural hair care recipe? Leave it in the comments below! I'm still searching for other hair products/recipes.

Watermelon Jolly Rancher Smoothie

When I tested this recipe for the first time yesterday and all of my taste testers said it reminded them of a Jolly Rancher, I knew I wouldn't be able to wait long to share it with you. It is so refreshing and cooling - perfect for summer. I can't wait to make popsicles and sorbet with this recipe!

Before I give you the recipe, I need to warn you...do not do what I did. See, when I first tested this recipe and let you all know on Facebook that I would be sharing it soon, it looked like this:

Yesterday morning, I prepped my watermelon so I could test this smoothie in the afternoon. I used a melon baller to scoop out all of the fruit, then stuck it all in a gallon-sized freezer bag and placed it in the freezer. A couple hours later, I went to check it to see if it was frozen yet. It wasn't. It was only about half frozen. I decided to go ahead and make the smoothie anyway, and the result was what you saw yesterday. Today, however, the watermelon was completely frozen (obviously...it's been in the freezer now for over 24 hours). Yeah...I learned today that blenders (even the fancy schmancy kind) do not like frozen watermelon. It took me about 15 minutes just to get all the fruit in this thing thawed enough to blend and I had to add way more liquid than I did yesterday. This is why the smoothie in today's picture is much more pink than red. So now you know...don't let your watermelon freeze all the way. Only half-way frozen watermelon for this one. ;)

Watermelon Jolly Rancher Smoothie
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup organic coconut or almond milk
- 4 cups of organic, half-frozen watermelon
- 7-10 organic strawberries, sans leaves
- 1/2 organic banana
- organic peppermint leaves (optional)

Blend (wet ingredients in the blender first) and enjoy! =)

p.s. If you forget to take your watermelon out of the freezer before it completely freezes, you can still try to blend it...but you're going to end up with more of a sorbet (unless you add a bunch of extra liquid) and it's going to take a lot longer to prep.

Strawberry Peach Pie Smoothie Recipe

Who doesn't love fresh, homemade fruit pies? I don't know if you're like me, but I can barely stand to wait for them to cool down when they are done with their hour-long+ baking session! Two of my favorite fruit pies are strawberry pie (with those fresh-from-the-farm strawberries, yum!) and peach pie. Now, I've been craving fruit pie, but I'm not about to heat up our already-too-hot summery kitchen with the oven (old house, no air conditioning...82 degrees in here as I'm typing this). So I decided to combine the two pie flavors and create a smoothie that will satisfy the hankering I seem to have right now and keep us all cool at the same time! Enjoy. =)

(p.s. - the picky eater taste testing kiddos approved this one)

Strawberry Peach Pie
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic coconut or almond milk
- 1 cup water
- 6 oz organic strawberries, tops removed and frozen
- 6 oz organic banana, peeled and frozen
- 6 oz organic peaches, pitted and frozen
- sprig of mint (optional)

As always, add the wet ingredients to your blender first, followed by the frozen ingredients, blend, and enjoy!

Pineapple Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe

I tested this perfect summer smoothie recipe on my husband and some kiddos who are normally super picky eaters. Jon immediately said it is probably his favorite smoothie so far and the kids loved it! We all decided that we are going to have to make this recipe often during the summer and freeze it in popsicle molds for some extra yummy hot-weather goodness. I hope you enjoy it too, because, honestly, it's amazing.

Pineapple Creamsicle Smoothie
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 10 ounces of organic pineapple, chopped and frozen
- juice of 1 organic lime (a normal-sized lime, not a tiny one)
- 1-2 organic bananas, peeled, chopped, and frozen

Instructions:
- Add your wet ingredients to the blender first, followed by the pineapple and banana.
- Blend until smooth.
- Enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy!