10 Flavor Boosters For Dieters

1. Cider Vinegar & Herb Infused Vinegars (See Multipurpose Herb Vinegar: Recipe). Watch commercial flavored vinegars for sugar content.
2. Herb Seasoning Shakes (See 2 Tasty Recipes To Shake The Salt Habit, No Salt Seasoning Shake and Salad Seasoning Shake Recipe).
3. Red Pepper Flakes (or powders like cayenne, chili and paprika).
4. Salsa (Watch salt & sugar in commercial brands).
5. Horseradish (Just a little dab will do ya).
6. Hot Sauce (Tabasco, etc.)–Watch for hot sauces that contain a lot of sugar or salt.
7. Fresh Lemon, Lime, Orange (Juice or Zest).
8. Garlic (Fresh or Powder).
9. Dill (Fresh or Dried).
10. Pepper (Invest in a Pepper Grinder if you don’t have one, really. Freshly ground pepper is divine!)

Healthier Eating Tips

• Veggie Boosters: If boiled veggies are too blah for you, toss one of these flavor enhancers in the pot: Garlic cloves, celery, bay leaf.
• Meat Flavor Boosters: Marinate meats or add spice/herb rubs before cooking.
• Vitamin Boost: Add fresh parsley to your dishes for an extra easy vitamin boost that won’t interfere with flavor.
• Fruit Boost: Fruits are sweet and tasty on their own, but an added sprinkle of cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant.
• Get Hydrated: Skip the soda pop, see How To Beat The Soda Pop Addiction. Also try Homemade Herbal Teas for an extra health boost.
• Easy Fiber: Wake up to an oatmeal breakfast or take a thermos full to work for lunch, easy way to fill up on fiber and it’s darn cheap too! See How To Make Crockpot Oatmeal & Oatmeal In A Thermos.

15 Beauty & Health Uses For Baking Soda

Did You Know: Baking Soda & Water Can Help Soothe Nausea, Sunburns, Poison Ivy Relief & So Much More

1. Homemade Deodorant: Make a quick and easy powder deodorant with 1 part baking soda, 1 part cornstarch and tea tree oil. Combine ingredients and mix well, store in airtight container. Source: Homemade Deodorant Recipes.
2. Cold Sores Remedy: Treat cold sores by dabbing with baking soda. Source: Cold Sore Tips.
3. Blackhead Remover Recipe: 50/50 Baking Soda & Water. Use gently on your skin as an exfoliator. Source: 11 Easy Food Facials – Homemade Recipes.
4. Homemade Toothpaste Recipes: 1 tsp baking soda mixed with 1/4 tsp hydrogen peroxide. Mix into paste then brush teeth. Source: Homemade Toothpaste, Mouthwash & Teeth Whiteners. Here’s another: Make your own homemade toothpaste with 1/4 cup Vegetable Glycerin + 1/4 cup Baking Soda + 10 to 15 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil (food grade). Source: Natural Toothpaste: Homemade Recipes.
5. Nausea Remedy: 1/2 tsp Baking soda in glass of warm water (not for pregnant women because of the high salt content). Source: 12 Home Remedies for Nausea.
6. Sunburn Relief Remedy: Fill a spray bottle with cool water and dissolve 1/4 cup baking soda. Spritz on burned skin for relief. Source: Sunburn Relief Home Remedies – Over 50 Soothing Treatments.
7. Dry Elbows Fix: Mix fresh lemon juice and baking soda to make a thick paste, apply to dry elbows. Gently rub in to exfoliate the skin and leave to sit for about 15 minutes. Wash off and apply a moisturizer or Vaseline. Source: Dry Elbow Home Remedies & Treatments.
8. Poison Ivy Remedy For Itch Relief: Baking soda bath (use lots of baking soda, hot water). Source: Poison Ivy Home Remedy For Itch Relief.
9. Canker Sores: Sprinkle baking soda onto sore or make a paste of baking soda and water then apply. You can also rinse your mouth with a strong baking soda and water solution. Source: Home Remedies For Canker Sores.
10. Wasp & Bee Stings (Mosquito Bites Too): Kill the pain of wasp stings dead by making a thick paste of baking soda and water then apply to sting. Same trick helps with bee stings and mosquito bites (for itch relief). Sources: Wasp Stings: Treatments & Home Remedies and 15 Bee Sting Home Remedies & Tips and Over 40 Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Tips.
11. Wart Home Remedy: Looking for a simple home remedy to get rid of warts? Try White Household Vinegar & Baking Soda: Sprinkle a heavy coat of baking soda on the wart then drizzle vinegar over it. Do this once in the morning and once at night until wart is gone. Source: 50 Wart Home Remedies & Treatments.
12. Soothe Toothaches: Ease toothache pain with Baking Soda: Take a cotton swab and moisten it with a bit of water, dip it in baking soda (coat the swab really well with baking soda) then rub into tooth and gums until pain subsides. You can also make a mouth rinse by mixing a heaping spoonful of baking soda in a small glass of lukewarm to warm water, dissolve the soda then swish the mixture in your mouth around the sore tooth. Source: 25 Toothache Remedies For Pain Relief.
13. Heartburn Relief: Suffering from heartburn? Use baking soda and water to neutralize stomach acid (this remedy should only be used moderately, regular use could dramatically increase your salt intake since baking soda is high in salt). Mix 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of baking soda per glass of water. Because of the high salt content in baking soda, pregnant women shouldn’t use this remedy. Source: 12 Heartburn Remedies Plus Causes & Prevention Tips.
14. Sore Throat Relief: Relieve a sore throat by mixing 1/2 teaspoon of each baking soda and salt with a 1/2 cup of warm water and gargle a few times each day. Source: 12 Simple Sore Throat Remedies.
15. Tooth Whitener: Brighten your smile with strawberries & baking soda. First mash a fresh strawberry and add about a tsp of baking soda. Spread on toothbrush and rub strawberry mash onto teeth. Leave for a couple minutes then brush teeth clean. Rinse mouth well. Source: 12 Simple Beauty Hacks From The Kitchen.

Note: These are simply home remedies I’ve collected, they’re not professional medical advice.

Vacuum Bag Sachet Fresheners: How-To

Slip these fragrant sachets into your vacuum bag and enjoy the pleasant fragrance when you vacuum the floor. They’re easy to make using just a few simple ingredients and best part is: they don’t make a mess!

How To Make Vacuum Bag Sachets

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried lavender*
1/4 cup dried rosemary*
1 TBS cloves*
1/2 cup cedar shavings
1 TBS baking soda
5 to 7 drops of essential oil (your choice)
Pantyhose or cheesecloth squares

*Or use 1/2 cup of your favorite herbal blend

Directions:

• Mix ingredients together then store in a sealed glass container for 1 week.
• Make plain sachets or pouches using pantyhose or cheesecloth that will hold three tablespoons of the fragrant mix, fill with mix then tie or sew shut.
• Store ready-made sachets in a sealed glass jar until needed.

Tip: Instead of using the above mix, try using your favorite potpourri blend, add a few extra drops of essential oils if needed.

To Use:

• Pop a sachet into the new vacuum bag each time you change it. When you vacuum, the fragrance from the sachet will fill the room.
• If you’d rather skip the sachet, simply add a few tablespoons of the fragrant mix into the new vacuum bag when changing it.
• Use a fresh sachet each time you change vacuum bags.
• If you prefer a stronger fragrance, add a few more drops of essential oil to the sachet pouch before placing in the vacuum bag.

You can also try this herbal carpet freshener that you sprinkle directly on the floor before vacuuming: Homemade Herbal Carpet Freshener Recipe.

Do You Wash Your Broom?

Brooms are an essential tool for a clean home, we use them on a daily basis to sweep up dirt, dust bunnies and spilled bits that accumulate on our floors. But when the broom bristles are full of grody bits, aren’t we just spreading dirt and germs around when we use them for cleaning?

Nice And Clean Sweeping Broom

You don’t have to clean your broom each and every time you sweep the floors, but giving it a good wash regularly will keep your broom in tip-top cleaning shape. Here’s how:

How To Clean A Broom

• First take the broom outside and try to shake and knock out any loose dirt. You can do this by knocking the broom against something like a large rock, the fence or a tree (not too hard that it will snap the broomstick).
• Nylon bristle brooms can be soaked in a pail filled with hot water and your favorite household cleaner or bleach.
• Straw bristle brooms can soak in a hot soapy solution.
• Rinse the bristles with clear hot water then let air dry outside (bristle side up).

Let the broom dry completely before using again. When you’re done washing the broom, why not give the dustpan a good soapy cleaning too? Takes just a minute to do!

Tips:

• Brooms just purchased should be soaked in strong salt water before using to make them last longer (straw bristle brooms). From General Household Hints: Timeless Wisdom Collection.
• Add new life to fiber brooms by washing them occasionally in 2 quarts of warm water to which have been added 4 tablespoons of household ammonia. Let the bristles soak in this for half an hour. Rinse in clear warm water and then hang them up in a cool place to dry.
• Never stand a broom or brush on its bristles in the closet. Screw cup-hook at the end of the handle and hang it up so the bristles don’t touch the floor. This prevents the brush from losing its shape or wearing out sooner than necessary. From 20 Vintage Cleaning Tips & Work Savers.

10 Quick Tips For A Shiny Bathroom

1. Apply a thin layer of lemon oil to shower doors. This helps keep soap scum from building up by making the soapy water bead up on the glass and slide on down the drain. Pour 2 tsp of lemon oil on a clean cloth then wipe the doors. Do this every other week for best results. You can also try rubbing baby oil or shaving cream on your clean shower doors to keep them shiny and fog free. Shaving cream can also be used to remove built up soap scum on shower doors, walls and fixtures (found on 10 Household Cleaning Quick Tips).
2. After each shower spray shower walls with cleaner to keep soap scum and grime from building up, really saves on cleaning time and keeps your shower shiny (here are some Homemade Shower Spray Recipes).
3. Remove rings inside the toilet bowl by applying a paste of borax and lemon juice to the stain (first flush toilet to make the surface wet). Allow to set for 2 hours then scrub (mentioned on 15 Helpful Household Lemon Aids). For a toilet ring preventative measure, try pouring about 2 cups of vinegar in the toilet bowl and allow to sit for a few hours before flushing (do a quick brushing before flushing). Do this every 2 or 3 weeks. More toilet bowl cleaning tips found here: How To Clean A Toilet Really Well.
4. Bring a sparkle back to those shower curtains by laundering them with a bath towel. Add 1 cup vinegar during the rinse cycle. You could also wash them by hand using a household sponge soaked in vinegar (will help remove mildew and soap scum).
5. Remove nasty hard water buildup around tap fixtures using paper towels soaked in vinegar. Wrap them around the base of the taps for several hours to break down the crud, then wash clean (see Cleaning Crusty Tap Fixtures for more details).
6. Remove hairspray and splatter buildup on mirrors by buffing with a lint-free cloth and a bit of rubbing alcohol. Two earth friendly homemade cleaners for glass and mirrors: one cup cold strong black tea with 3 TBS of vinegar; or one part vinegar added to four parts water (both found on Homekeeping – A Natural Shine To Cleaning). Newspapers are great scrubbers to use for near-streak-free glass & mirror cleaning. Also this old trick is handy to know: use shaving foam on bathroom mirrors to keep them from steaming up.
7. No need for harsh cleaners to loosen up gobs of dried toothpaste and heavy grime in the sink, try this homemade cleaner that’s gentle on porcelain and brings back a shine: Homemade Softscrub Cleaner Recipe.
8. Use your favorite liquid dish detergent to brighten grout between tiles, just drizzle on a sponge or wet cloth and scrub. You can also use toothpaste.
9. Bathrooms have lots of little nooks and crannies that hide germs and hold grime, use old toothbrushes to get right in there and gently scrub caulking, around faucets, vanity design features, shower tracks, baseboards, etc.
10. Things get pretty humid in the bathroom making it a perfect environment for mildew. Keep it at bay by spraying walls and ceilings with a 50/50 solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water, leave on (it will dry itself) and do this a couple times a year. Careful not to get this solution in your eyes when spraying. You can also use this to scrub away any mildew spots (or try a straight dose of hydrogen peroxide for tough spots).

Easy Household Time Saver: Each day wipe down the bathroom sink, toilet and spray the inside of the shower with cleaner, empty the bathroom trash into the main trash. Your bathroom will sparkle throughout the week!

How To Melt Chocolate: {Tip Sheet}

Here are special directions for ease and economy plus a handy tip for getting every-little-bit of that melted chocolate out of the bowl.

How To Melt Chocolate Easily

Stir Chocolate Frequently When Melting For Best Results

Quick Tip: Break chocolate into pieces before melting, this will make the process go faster.

Double-Boiler Method:

• Use a double-boiler or put chocolate chunks in a small round-bottomed bowl (glass) and place over hot water. Stir every few minutes until chocolate is fully melted then remove from heat.
• Do not boil water, as the steam may get into the chocolate and cause it to become lumpy plus splashes of water in the chocolate will make it unusable.
• Never melt chocolate over direct heat as it scorches very easily resulting in bitter or grainy chocolate.

Melting Chocolate In The Microwave:

• Heat at 30 second intervals, stir between each cooking session and make sure you don’t overheat the chocolate or it will be bitter. (Source)

Melting Chocolate In The Oven:

• Preheat oven to 250°F. then turn off the heat. Place chocolate chunks in an oven-safe dish and set it on the middle rack of the oven. Remove when chocolate is melted (stir every few minutes while melting).

Handy Tip For Getting Every Bit Of Chocolate

To save time and avoid waste, remove melted chocolate that clings to sides and bottom of bowl as follows…

1. Mix 1 tablespoon granulated sugar into remaining chocolate.
2. Remove mixture easily with spoon; blend and use with balance of melted chocolate.
3. Bowl is left clean; ready for rinsing; no waste.
4. If desired, to compensate for this extra sugar, reduce by 1 tablespoon sugar quantity specified in recipe being followed.

Source: Some of the information above is from a vintage Fry’s Cocoa cookbook/pamphlet