Dear Sugar: 3 Fun Uses for Coffee (And All the Moms Say YAY!)

Dear Sugar:

Coffee.  YES!    Not just good for drinking, though drinking is pretty great!   But that ground coffee you love can be used to create other fab things too!  And how about getting a great deal on ethically-sourced coffee?  Coupon code at the end of the post.  

1:  Facial scrub.

Take a dab of organic coconut oil (a little goes a long way) and mix in a teaspoon of ground coffee.   Then apply to your (clean) face using the pads of your fingers, doing so in circular motion.  You can also use a washcloth.   Massage all over for a few minutes, then wipe off excess, and then rinse your face with warm water.  The oil moisturizes and the coffee exfoliates.   I have read you can use a skin brush in the shower and use this same recipe to help reduce the appearance of cellulite, though you have to rub in for like ten minutes and it makes your shower floor REALLY slick: so be careful!  

2:  Fudge.

Coffee + Chocolate = Bliss.   Follow this super-simple recipe from Babble to create coffee fudge!  (The video shows you how to make the fudge with leftover coffee OR wine.)  Serve it to your girlfriends or eat it all for yourself.  Call it mommy medicine. 

3:  Home fragrance/decor.

Coffee smells incredible (like love and babies).  Find a clear glass container (the dollar store is a great place to find something), partially fill with coffee beans, and then place a vanilla or scent-less candle in the center.   It's simple, it's gorgeous, and the beans release a coffee scent all the live long day to bring you energy. 

This post is sponsored by our friends at Coffee Crate.    Enter coupon code WHITESUGARBROWNSUGAR17 at checkout to receive 15% off your order, from now until August 30.    

Christmas Is Almost Here!

 Making snowpeople with cotton balls, ribbon, bows, and paper.   Oh what fun!

 Christmas Little People

 A Nice and Naughty list.  Miss E had much more fun listing naughty things. 

 Cookie dough, anyone?

 I can't help it.  I must touch the tree. 

 Homemade body scrub

 Ready to give!

 We can't help it!  We must....create....art! 

Cookie balls with chocolate drizzle.   Yum!  All you do is take a package of your favorite sandwich cookies (we use Newman's Own Organic) and crush.  Mix with one cream cheese.  Refrigerate for one hour.   After the hour, form into balls.  Drizzle with melted chocolate of your choice and top with something fabulous like sprinkles or a chocolate chip.   Keep in the fridge until ready to serve....though they won't last long! 

What To Feed The Kids?

Like most moms, I want to feed my children healthy, wholesome foods, but there never seems to be enough time!   Furthermore, being a diabetic means I take healthy eating quite seriously.

After many sessions of trying various recipes, I came up with my own recipe for muffins that can serve as part of a meal or a snack for kids of all ages (even babies who have a few teeth!).

YOUR CHOICE MUFFINS

Makes approx 12 muffins

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cup of dry base---a combo of a few: oats, whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, wheat germ, flax seed, cereal, etc.
• 1 ½ t baking powder
• ½ t baking soda
• ½ t salt
• 1/3 cup sugar

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup of liquid---a combo of milk, soy milk, orange juice, pineapple juice, unsweetened applesauce, yogurt, etc.
• 2 T of olive or canola oil or 2 T of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup of chopped/diced/tidbits fruits and/or veggies (berries, peaches, pineapple, carrot, apple, etc.)

1:  Heat the oven to 400.   Grease or place cupcake holders in a cupcake pan.  As an alternative, grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish (which I prefer because it’s easier to clean) and then after baking, cut your muffin "cake" into portions. 

2:  Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another.  

3:  Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients.   Combine just until mixed---not until smooth.  A few lumps are fine!

4:  Pour into your pan on muffin cups and bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5:   Serve and/or freeze extra.    (The muffins unthaw in about an hour---so they are great to take when traveling or eating out).  

Tips/Thoughts:

• Combos I’ve tried:  apple carrot muffins, pineapple flax seed, blueberry banana.  Have fun experimenting!
• Flax seed adds fiber and protein.   Make sure to buy ground (not whole); you can find it on the baking aisle in stores.  
• For optimal health, I purchase as many organic ingredients as possible including dairy (milk and eggs), fruit (regular fruit contains tons of pesticides), sugar, and oats.
• This recipe is perfect if you fruit that is almost too ripe, stale cereal, etc.

  

Couponing and Saving $$$

My mom had been a coupon clipper and user for as long as I can remember. After getting married, I also began clipping and using coupons, but I hardly took it seriously.

As our family grew from two, to three, and now to four, couponing has become a sport for me. My two year old points out the Kohl's that's only one mile from our house and says, "Kohl's. Coupon." Yep. It starts young, folks.


So here are my money saving and couponing tips and tricks. I am by no means an expert, nor will you see me on Extreme Couponing on TLC (a very amusing show, I must say!).

• This is by far the best couponing website I've found. The writer offers step-by-steps on how to coupon, a coupon database, and frequent deal updates. This is a great place to get started!






• Make a list of your family's favorite product brands. Using a Word document, type up a generic message asking that a company provide you with coupons. Be sure to state how much you love their products! Go to the "contact us" section of each company's website and paste your paragraph. (Don't forget to include your name and address). From that same list, sign up for e-mails and online newsletters from the companies. (I got a great response from my coupon requests!)






• Tell your family members and friends that you want to coupon more often, and ask them to save coupon circulars for you.






• Decide how much time you can commit to couponing. My couponing takes about one hour a week which includes clipping coupons, organizing coupons, searching online sale flyers, and planning shopping lists.






• If you find an item your family loves on major sale or clearance, stock up! I recently purchased eight 64oz bottles of organic grape juice because it was in clearance for $2.08 a container. I didn't have any coupons for the organic variety, but at that price, who cares?

Saving money in general:

• Organize, organize, organize. I have tubs in my basement (purchased in clearance after Christmas, of course!) for girls' clothing up to size 5 (the oldest is only in a 2/3 now). If I find items on major sale or get hand-me-downs, I sort them into the appropriate bin and store. I also have a bin for Christmas cards and wrap (which I got in major clearance after Christmas last year), children's gifts (items I got at a specialty toy store sale---75% off!), and more.






• Clean green. I clean with vinegar and baking soda. That's it. I use vinegar for EVERYTHING from the cleaner for my mop, carpet cleaner, bathroom cleaner, mirror cleaner, etc.






• Make your own laundry detergent. Here's my old recipe.






• I use fabric napkins instead of paper, and I use rags instead of paper towels. Yes, paper products aren't very expensive, but over time they cost a family quite a bit! My next goal is to purchase reuseable baggies off Etsy and stop buying plastic baggies.






• Rent movies for free from your local library.






• Teach your kids to shut off lights when they leave the room, not to leave water running while brushing their teeth, etc. My 2.5 year old remembers most of the time to do these things.






• Organize a swapping party with friends.






• Organize birthday parties that do not cost a lot. Or have parties just for fun!






• Plan cheap activities for kids.






• Get rid of things you no longer use or wear, donate them (get a receipt to take a tax deduction!), and enjoy a cleaner home! You can also have a yard sale and pocket the money! Here are some tips on the whole process.






• Rotate your kids' toys instead of buying them new things.






• Plan your meals.

Random Summer Fun: Routines, Recipes, and Photos

Our back yard featuring the Blue Bladder (aka, our temporary salt water pool, the play ground set, and in the very very far back right corner, our veggie garden).

I attended an event in my town called Mom Prom! The proceeds went to a children's hospital. There was dancing, drinks, food, conversation, and vendors.

Miss E checking out the Weeping Willow.

Chocolate drizzled organic fruit with nut on top. So good!

Very simple berry cobbler. Oat pie crust for the top (recipe from Baking With Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano, p. 78): Combine 1.5 cups of oats, 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour, a pinch of salt, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup agave nectar, and 1/4 cup water. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the fruit filling. For the filling, combine fresh fruit of your choosing with some whole wheat pastry flour (to thicken) and agave nectar (to taste). Spray a glass pan (I used 9 x 13) with olive or canola oil, pour in the fruit filling, and then, with your fingers, spread the pie crust on top. Bake at 350 until the crust is slightly brown (about 20 minutes).

Simple pasta---served room temp. Cook pasta of your choosing. I use Dreamfield's because it's very low on the glycemic index. Once done, mix in goodies like cherry tomatoes, raw pine nuts, any type of cheese (I like goat!), sauteed spinach or arugula, olives, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Want to pamper yourself without an expensive trip to the nail salon or spa? Fill a container (big enough for your feet) halfway with equal parts of vinegar and warm water. If you can't stand the vinegar smell, add a few drops of essential oil (orange is my favorite). Soak your feet for fifteen minutes while you watch a favorite tv show or read a book. Vinegar will soften your feet. To complete the treatment, slather your feet with your favorite moisturizer (I'll use olive oil) and slip on some comfy socks.

Bird One of three hatched last week. This next is hiding on the top deck of my daughter's playground. It's fun to visit the birds every day to see how much they've changed.

Baby E has discovered sidewalk chalk.

Mid-summer is tough here in the Midwest, just like mid-winter. The weather is so extreme, creating two very restless babies and one maxed out mama. Play dates with friends (2-3 a week), trips to the library, and our new purchase, a 3 ft deep, 18 ft in diameter, saltwater "Blue Bladder" in our back yard help keep us all sane. Additionally, Miss E asks for chocolate first thing every morning. I usually give in by 10 a.m. We read a Bible story from The Jesus Storybook Bible every day. These little routines help.

I have a lovely routine down. The girls nap at the same time each afternoon. This gives me time to nap (if I've had a bad blood sugar day), do a few chores, make any necessary phone calls, write for Diabetes Health or Adoptive Families, and plan my fall courses.

In mid-August, I'll return to work, teaching writing to college freshman and sophomores part-time. Miss E starts preschool (!!!). I'm looking forward to the holidays (yes, already), the girls' combined birthday party (two November babies---one fab party!),

Less is More: How We Clean 'Round Here

Miss E, unloading the dishwasher by herself

A few years ago, I started caring a whole lot more than I ever did about what my family was putting on, in, and around our bodies. Learning I had type I diabetes, becoming a mother, and owning a home were all major changes that had me thinking, reading, and changing. Soon enough "going green" was part of my vocabulary.

I'm often asked what I clean with, what our diet is like, etc., mostly because I'm vocal and active in the diabetes and adoption communities (online and IRL). I don't push my views onto others, but when asked, I happily share.

For cleaning: I use distilled white vinegar for nearly everything. "Everything" includes carpet cleaner, dishwasher cleaner (run a cycle 2x a month), counter cleaner, mirror cleaner, toilet cleaner, floor cleaner, window cleaner. One gallon of vinegar costs just $3-$4 at Wal-Mart. It's non-toxic (well, in a sane dose) and acts as a disinfectant. I don't love the smell, but for most jobs, you can use 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar, and if desired, you can add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice. I love orange or tangerine essential oil.

My oldest daughter loves to clean, loves using the potty, and loves to lick surfaces (she's definitely a mouth-baby)---so vinegar is a precious commodity around here. I don't panic when she touches or licks a surface in my home, simply because I know it hasn't been cleaned with harsh, toxic, dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals.

Another great cleaning agent is baking soda. I sprinkle this onto my shower/tub with a little water and scrub away. Baking soda is inexpensive.

I use a mop that holds my own cleaning agent of choice (you guessed it: vinegar) and features washable, reusable cloths on the end. I have cleaning towels (bought in green for distinction).

For laundry: I make my own detergent because it saves money (a lot of money!) and is generally healthier. I won't launch into how incredibly unhealthy and unsafe traditional detergents and dryer sheets are...and don't get me started on bleach. Here's my current laundry detergent recipe that was passed on to me from a friend (original source unknown to me):

Mix 3 cups of Borax, 3 cups of washing soda, and 1 bar of grated soap (I used the vegan mint soap our nanny makes). Store in a kid-safe container. Use 1 T per load of laundry.

I do not use dryer sheets. Instead, I use those dryer balls (found at Wal-Mart). Clean your lint-trap often for safety, and don't store clean laundry on top of the dryer which makes it less energy-efficient.

Be aware that many "green" laundry detergents (and all products, for that matter) still contain unsafe ingredients. Just because something is labeled "green" or "natural" doesn't mean it's safe or healthy. You need to know how to read an ingredients list. The cleaning industry is highly unregulated---so don't be fooled by pretty words or pictures of a field full of lush trees on a package label.

I wash almost everything in cold water. The exceptions: sheets and towels.

For Dishes: Run a cycle of vinegar through your dishwasher 2x a month. Place a glass baking dish with 1/2 inch of vinegar in it on the bottom rack and run a regular cycle.

I don't run the dryer cycle to save energy. Instead, I open my dishwasher and allow my dishes to air dry. Keep in mind that if you have little ones, you'll want to remove any unsafe dishes (like knives) before leaving the dishwasher open to air dry.

Generally, people use way to much detergent. Find the safest and most effective detergent for your dishwasher, and learn what amount to use.

Learn how to properly and efficiently load your dishwasher. Over-rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher reduces effectiveness. I used to over stuff my washer, but a technician showed me that placing dishes in select places was blocking certain water jets.

Other Tips:

• Remove your shoes as much as possible before entering your home. Shoes carry allergens, germs, and disgusting things like gym gunk, school gunk, grocery store gunk, yard gunk. I have crawling, licking babies who don't need to ingest that stuff.


• If you are overwhelmed by cleaning house, create a schedule where you do one or two chores per day. I prefer to wash sheets and towels one day, clothing laundry another day, and clean house on one day. I alternate every other week cleaning showers/tubs and mopping floors. I usually vacuum two to three times a week.


• If you choose to hire someone to clean, be specific about what products and procedures you want. Even if someone claims to be a "green" cleaning service, you'll want to make sure that his/her idea of "green" matches yours.


• Get little ones involved. My daughter is two and loves to help put away dishes, put laundry in the dryer, dust, and wipe the toilet lid. Because I use safe cleaning agents, I have no problem with her helping me.


• READ READ READ READ. And then implement what you've learned. I have a slew of resources I love. Check them out at my Amazon store.

Family Fun

Like many of you, we've been stuck at home due to ice, snow, and sleet (0h my!) for weeks on end. Here we are enjoying one another's company----very closely. :) We miss the sunshine so much but snuggles and kisses are oh-so-lovely!

I've been making simple but delicious recipes for my family. For this, just cook the pasta of your choice (whole wheat is best!), add in a jar or two of pasta sauce, some spinach (I cook organic, frozen before mixing in), plus any other veggies of your choice (yellow squash, carrots, onions, etc.). Top with cheese (I love goat cheese) and bake for about 20 minutes (or until hot). It's easy to sneak in lots of fruits and veggies when you mix it in with favorites like pasta and cheese!

This is my version of pasta in white sauce. Instead of fat-laden Alfredo sauce, I place 1 package of light cream cheese, spices (of your choice), and 1/2 cup of water (from the pasta) in a sauce pan and cook over low-ish heat until creamy. Additionally, I cook whole wheat pasta in another pan, and veggies (frozen veggies used here: carrots, zucchini, and yellow sqaush) in another pan. I then sauteed some cherry tomatoes with spices in another pan. I keep my ingredients separate so each person can build his/her own pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese. This is YUMMY!

Enchiladas are easy to make! I buy small corn tortillas and place inside of them the ingredients of the person's choice. Mine were made with cheese, sour cream, and salsa (vegetarian) while my husband's contain hamburger. Roll each and place in a glass baking dish (sprayed with olive oil) seam-side down and top with store-bought enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 until hot, usually about 20 minutes. Serve with a side of peppers and onions that you saute in olive oil and spices of your choice.

This has been our weather lately. LOTS of ice, snow, and sleet. Here's Miss E trying to shovel snow. She's growing "like a weed" and does something new every single day (actually, every single moment). She's learning Bible verses, shapes, colors, new words/sentences, and mostly, many dance moves. She is an excellent big sister and tell us "baba" or "binky" when the baby cries.

Here we are making snow angels. I do realize this picture looks like a murder scene....

Here I am doing a stunt into a pile of snow. Yes, I'm cool like that.

Not to be topped...my husband does his own snow stunts.

Just when we thought we'd never see the sun again...Today is 60 and sunny! Miss E is enjoying bubbles. She spent lots of time running in circles through the yard, jumping on residual snow in Crocs (oh my---wet feet!), and waving at airplanes.

Meanwhile, Baby E continues to grow and change. She is "talking" nonstop, smiling, and enjoying the sights. Today the girls' babysitter and I took the girls for the first walk of the season (and Baby E's first walk ever).

I have no doubt the cold weather isn't over yet. So I'll keep the projects coming. Here's a photo of homemade cafe latte soap! Yum!!!! You can make this soap recipe (and many more) via Soapmaking the Natural Way by Rebecca Ittner. It's fun learning to create new things, and it's even more fun to say, "I made this!" and pass on the goodies to family members and friends.

I hope your home is a place of health and happiness! Cheers to a hopefully very soon spring season full of newness and light.