Foaming Soap Recipe

I like foaming soap.  I am not sure why but I do.  We use a popular name brand foaming soap when washing baby bottles or a quick scrubbing of a needed pan.  THAT gets a little expensive.  So, I searched for recipes from people who are more adventurous than I am in trying to DIY household goods.

I originally found a recipe at iDreamofClean and tried that out.  She says to use about 1/8 of a cup of regular dish soap and the rest of the foaming soap container with water.

I tired this combo and felt like it was still a little too watered-down for my taste.  So, I increased the mount of soap and it was a little better but still not exactly what I was wanting as far as a dish soap goes.  I may try increasing the soap again or I will go back to using the regular name brand recipe for bottles and the homemade stuff quick dishes, etc.  Maybe I have just become a soap snob in that respect.

However, this combo, I believe, is PERFECT for hand soap.  I read another article somewhere about using Dr. Bronner's soap for this very purpose.  Well, wouldn't you know we have a bottle of that stuff sitting around waiting to be used.  So, that will be my money saver for the week (month, and maybe the year!)  I am sure that I will need to work out the ratio a bit for that but I did read that a 4:1 ratio is good (water to soap).

I know that you can buy refillable dispensers but I really like how Method has designed their soap bottles in that a) they don't tip over very easily and b) they have the best design as far as getting all the soap out of the bottle (and that goes for their "regular" hand soap as well.)  So, I think that I will be heading to the store soon to buy some foaming soap and when they run out then out will come the Dr. Bronner's.  Yippee!

Other options to try are doing this with your little ones bath soap if they have a thing for using a lot of soap.  It will make it go a little farther if they like to play with the soap.  Miss L is one of these people so I will be trying this out with her at some point.

One thing to remember though, don't use soaps that are "creamy" as they do not infuse well with air to make the foam and will clog your dispenser.  I didn't do this but I have read about a LOT of people that have.

Have you made your own foaming soap?

Chicken Stock

Needless to say, there are many things that some women who are expecting do not want to talk about or think about early on.  For me, one of those things really anything having to do with a whole chicken.  Then I realized that cooking that left savory smells in my house for too long was a recipe for a gag fest.  As you can see, cooking of much really did a number on my sense of smell (which is on bloodhound level) and ultimately my stomach.  However, I am glad to say that I think we are on the up and up in that area.  But there are some things that I am not really ready to return to making and unfortunately one of those things is chicken stock.

I have learned to love making my own chicken stock.  I made my first batch about a year or so ago and I think I used too much water.  It still turned out well but not as rich as I have heard from others.  Then I   ccsw1ry with leaves, etc.  However, a friend recommended to me about putting in almost withered veggies in there, too.  Like spinach or anything else that I can find in my produce bin.  However, if I know that it's going to be awhile before I make stock I will throw my veggie extras in a ziploc bag and freeze them until I am ready.  Easy-peasy.

So, I throw my chicken/turkey carcass in the crock pot, cover with veggies, add some garlic and pepper to season, a bay leaf, and enough water to cover the carcass (about 6 to 8 cups depending on the size of your crock pot.)  I turn my pot on low and set the timer for 12 hours.  Generally, I just let it go over night and we are good to go in the morning.

While Squawkfox recommends putting the stock in the fridge after straining to let the fat coagulate, my mother-in-law has a handy little tool called a fat separator.  I don't know HOW it works but I do KNOW that it gets the job done.  If you don't want to wait the eight hours for the fat to separate this will make quick work of the task for you.

For storage, I pour my chicken stock into ice cube trays and once they are frozen I pop them out and put them in a ziploc storage bag.  The cubes equal about 1 oz of liquid.  Maybe a little less.  So, when I need them I put some in a microwaveable measuring cup and melt them.  You can use a pot and stove just as easy, too.  Whatever your preference.

If for some reason you will not be able to pop your cubes out for awhile wrap them up in plastic wrap to keep them from "drying" out.  Trust me, it can and will happen.  ha!

There are other storage options but this is my preferred method so I can generally just grab what I need for easy use.

Sometimes I don't even want to think about making stock after making a meal and dealing with cleaning a chicken.  I just throw the carcass in a ziploc or other freezer safe container and freeze it until I am ready to make stock.  It just takes the pressure off to prepare the meal and then get everything together for stock.

Hopefully, I will be up for making stock again soon.  But I may stick my pot outside so as to avoid the smell in my house.  It's a good smell in general.  It's just not a good smell to my pregnant frame at this time.  Such is life.

The crock pot method made a LOVELY stock rich in color and flavor.  I no longer find myself in a quandry needing stock at the last minute and I can flavor up just about anything by using it instead of water -- stuffing, rice, bulgar, quinoa, etc.  I look forward to making some soups this winter with it, too!  YUM!!  I also get a lot more bang for my buck.  My chicken is usually about $5 -- we will get a couple of meals out of it plus more stock than I could ever buy for $5.  Gotta LOVE the savings!!  (And you have to love the reduced salt, fat, and no MSG!)

Thoughts or tips on making stock???

Baby Food

I am sure that I have blogged about this somewhere before.  Maybe not.  But this week I am all over making Miss A's baby food.  Well, at least her vegetables.  I may get to the fruit that she has in the mornings another day.  Recently, the price of baby food increased by ten cents.  I was not thrilled to have that added to my grocery budget.  I remembered that I had stocked up on quite a few bag of frozen vegetables (with no added salt or anything) that were about the price of one can of baby food... maybe less?  I also remembered one of the reasons that I told Husband as to why I "needed" to have a BlendTec was to make baby food.  Here's where the rubber met the road.

I remember having a bit of difficulty getting the vegetables just right in our old blender.  Same story for our food processor.  Boy Howdy! (Miss L's newest phrase) The BlendTec made light work of the baby food making.  Fast.  Super easy clean up.  Plus, I had just made seven meals worth of food in less than 10 minutes.  I scooped the food into ice cube trays and put them in the freezer for a few hours.  Then I popped them all out and put them in a freezer bag (with the help of my two year old).  It was actually great fun!  I made peas, broccoli (which you generally cannot get in the jars) and green beans.  I have some fresh yellow squash and zucchini that are waiting to be steamed and then blended.

How easy is it?  Steam vegetables.  Toss in blender.  Add a little water if needed.  Puree to desired consistency.  Put in ice cube tray.  Freeze.  Ta-da!

We may still buy a couple of jars to have on hand for convenience.  However, I just threw a couple of ice cubes into an airtight container and took it too a friends house.  I think the trick is to know that it will be melted by the time you need it or have access to a microwave to warm it up a bit.  Or, I guess you can go the hot water bath if you have some time and your baby is not screaming at you for food.

I love the way the food looks, too.  Not grey-ish green, but fresh!  Novel idea, right?  I love that I am paying about .62-cents for seven meals rather than for one or two meals.  There are so many ways to make your own baby food.  I just happen to really love my BlendTec.  You also need to do what is best for you -- it's not a crime to buy jarred baby food.  Please don't hear me saying that -- we'll probably have some around for times at church or other places.  We'll see.

Do hear me say that this is the most frugal way to feed a baby... unless you are managing to get jar food for free.  I am not that person.  ha ha ha!!

Husband thinks I have gone crazy green natural.  I just told him I am just stretching our food budget even farther.  That's always a good thing.

Dryer Balls

These are another item that I really wanted to love and have come to not love so much.  I know many people swear by these not-so-little balls of fuzz but I am not one of them.

I won't say the company that I purchased them from because I really like the company and think that they make some quality products.  There's nothing wrong with the dryer balls -- I just don't like them.

When I first got my dryer balls I was pretty excited and used them all the time.  They are supposed to cut down on the static electricity in the clothes and decrease the drying time.  I noticed some difference in time with Husband's pants but that was about it.  We have a gas dryer and I think they are a little more efficient than electric in general.  Maybe that was it?

It also doesn't help that it sounds like my dryer is dying as these balls toss around in the laundry.  I have four balls and I can't imagine what it would sound like with the recommended eight!  Thankfully, we can close the door to the laundry room.  I don't think that the balls cause the dryer any damage...it was...just...annoying.  I am sure that I would have adjusted to it eventually.  Oh well.

Fear not.  They have not gone to waste!  Little fingers used to steal them out of the dryer before our units were stacked.  Now, the girls just enjoy tossing them around, cuddling with them, and doing whatever it is that little girls do with pink and white wool balls.

My New Obsession

A couple of years ago (my friends will attest) my obsession was cloth diapers.  Loved cloth  Always wanted more or was trying to see what the next things coming out was.  We still use cloth from time to time, I love the diapers.  I am just not as freakishly-obsessed.  The industry is flooded and I am convinced they will continue to become more and more popular.  That's another post for another day.

While my husband didn't mind my cloth diaper obsession he wasn't a huge fan.  However, he is really starting to love my new obsession but loves to tease me just the same when I get really excited.

So, what is it already?


Coupons!

But coupons are just paper unless you can match them with really great deals.  Then they become money in your pocket.  I'll be sad when the "double-coupon" days disappear after awhile.  They always come back but shopping is just not as fun as when great sales and great coupons are in play.

I just returned from a coupon class here in Phoenix.  It was presented by Practical Saver for those of you here in Arizona.  But there are similar services available nation wide, like Coupon Sense.  Let me say that I was super opposed to using coupons because I never thought they made much of a difference.  When matched up with great sales they are budget altering!

One day I realized things needed to change.  I wasn't sure how it would change but I knew it needed to change.  Some months as I would sit down with Husband to go over finances I would realize I went over budget by $5.  No biggie, right?  But some months it would be $100 or more.  I would cry in apology and promise to get better at it.  Some months were great.  Some months I felt like I had made no progress and had actually regressed.  UGH!  I was convicted in this area of my home management.  I needed to be a better steward.  I talked with several more seasoned wives who were also mothers of quite a few more children than myself.  One told me about Practical Saver and I was at the point of trying anything at least once.  My life has been changed.  Lately we have been coming in at or under budget!!  It's becoming more like a game for me and I am sure some day it will drive my little Princesses crazy.  On the flip side, I hope they learn a lot from this so when they are managing their own homes they will know how to shop the sales.

Yes, I pay someone to do the leg work for me but with the stage in life that I am in I think it is more than justified.  It's not all that much and it has more than paid for itself.  Multiple. Times. Over.  I cannot even begin to tell you.

I am not perfect at this by any means and I am still learning.  Although, I am getting pretty good at this and find that we have plenty.  We even have a box set up for the food bank.  It is such a blessing to be able to extend our food budget to others in need.

Maybe as I move through this and learn I will share with you all what's going on behind the scene's -- since I am kind of doing this for my girls, too.