My Adventures of Going No 'Poo - Day 1

 
Ok, so last we talked I was taking some steps to a more natural way of life. Cloth diapers, homemade laundry soap, etc. I have found a new way to cut out chemicals and save loads of money. Homemade "shampoo and conditioner." I have made alternatives to these with a couple of basic ingredients already in my home: baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and good ol' H20.

When I first starting reading about no 'poo (the method of not using sham"poo") I was not convinced. I really like using shampoo that smells flowery and tropical and leaves my hair feeling soft and pliable. However, the more I read the more I saw that is exactly what people were saying the no 'poo method was leaving their hair (minus the yummy scents). Not trying to brag here but I love my hair. I've always loved the color of my hair but mostly I love it because it is beyond easy! Its a good thickness and curls or straightens when I want it to (generally speaking at least).

Reading and doing research about no 'poo really brought some interesting points to mind. Shampoo is really a detergent that strips your hair of oils even more than we need it too. It takes away the excess oil that causes greasiness but it also takes away the oil that is good for moistening your scalp and keeping your hair shiny in a good way. By taking away the good oils your hair and scalp can end up drying out which then causes your body to over do it and produce to much oil.. It's a vicious cycle I tell ya! Plus, if you're using a shampoo that is not all-natural (which I NEVER have, I go for decent price and smells nice) then it likely contains chemicals that could potentially be harmful to your body or to the environment. (By the way, I have more to say about chemicals and such soon.)

Photo from The Crunchy Wife

I made the plunge and tried it this morning. I made both of my solutions in peri bottles (you know the kind you get from the hospital after having a baby. I bought some in bulk off of eBay that were super cheap and use them for a few things around the house). I used 1 Tablespoon of baking soda to 8 ounces of water. And about 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar (maybe a little more) to 8 ounces of water. These are done in separate bottles.

It seemed a little strange to me when actually applying it because the baking soda fully dissolves in the water so it feels like you're just squirting water (in my case cold water) on your head. The same with the vinegar mixture (I put the vinegar mixture all over my head but I know most people seem to just put it on the ends). However, after rinsing my hair it wasn't tangled (when my hair is wet and I haven't used conditioner it tangles very easily) and although it didn't smell like flowers it smelled clean and fresh.

My hair is pretty thick and I was afraid I would need to use more to truly clean my hair but after blow drying and straightening it I had no issues at all. Today my hair feels normal to me, maybe even a little bit lighter than normal. I'm fully aware that this might not stay as easy as it is right now. Most people going no 'poo go through a transitional time where their hair is overly oily or overly dry as your scalp tries to figure out whats going on. We will see! 

Day 1 with no 'poo

We'll see how my hair does over the next couple of weeks. Fairly healthy as of now.

Be a blessing to someone today!!
-Kayla

chick-fil-a knock off

I love me some Chick-fil-A! Seriously, I could eat there several times a week and not get tired of it! Yesterday morning as I was trying to rack my brain for something to do with the boneless skinless chicken breast that I already had, Chick-fil-a started to sound so very good! So I looked on Pinterest for a knock off recipe and found an amazing one! Here's the recipe I used.I can't find the one that I sort of followed but I changed it quite a bit anyway. Enjoy!!

Chick-fil-A Bites

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pickle juice
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Combine egg, milk and pickle juice in a large ziplock bag or bowl. Add chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

2. Mix the flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Pull the chicken out of the "marinade" and add to the breading mixture. Shake to coat the chicken completely.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet (I needed my burner on a 5 out of 10) Add the chicken. It took about 4 minutes on each side for my chicken to really brown up and cook well. I used a large skillet but this may need to be done in two portions so the skillet isn't to full.

4. When the chicken is done, use tongs and remove it from the pan on to a plate lined with paper towel.

Here is the sauce recipe I found too. I will say, I couldn't find the right brand and my sauce was good but not exact. So, if you can find Ken's honey mustard, then go for it!

Chick-fil-A Sauce

Serves: 1 cup
Start-to-Finish: 5 minutes
Recipe By: www.food.com

Ingredients:
1 cup Ken's honey mustard dressing (no brand substitutions or lite versions here, it makes a difference)
2 tsp smoky barbecue sauce

Directions:
1. Combine ingredients.
2. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

I bought a hickory smoke barbecue sauce and it was so good. I can't remember the brand for sure but it was just a basic one. This is what I used in the chick-fil-a sauce and just as a barbecue dipping sauce as well. Delicious! 

I bought frozen waffle fries and added a little seasoned salt to top it off. Oh wow! This will be a regular dinner for me to fix!!

bbq pulled pork. recipe.

As I promised earlier today here is the delicious recipe for some pulled pork that I made yesterday. Sorry, I'm not a food photographer and every time I attempt it my food just doesn't look good at all so with that being said just trust me and try it for yourself!

BBQ Pulled Pork

butt roast (as big as you need for the number of people you're feeding)
onion powder
garlic powder
ground mustard
McCormick Pork Rub
McCormick BBQ Seasoning
Otts Sweet Hickory BBQ sauce
one can of Diet Coke

Coat the meat in all of the powdered seasonings and rubs. When I say coat it I mean really coat it! Rub all of those flavors in. I added the pork rub and the BBQ seasoning first and then added not near as much of the garlic, onion, and mustard. Now toss it in to a crock pot and add half of a bottle of the BBQ sauce.  Then pour in the Diet Coke. I used a pair of tongs and flipped the meat over at this point to make sure the sauce really did reach all sides of the meat. My meat cooked on low for 7 hours before I used a fork and shredded it, I am not sure how much the meat weighed but it was a pretty big piece. I shredded the pork (so easily!!) with a fork and put it back in to the crock pot. I left it on low for about another hour until we ate it.

Any of the name brand ingredients can most definitely be switched out. I loved the combination that I used though! Although, I talked to a friend at work today and she said she had heard of using a can of rootbeer and I think that might be good too! There's always next time!

 Yummmy!

Try it out and let me know how it works for you!

my own biscuit recipe.

Kayla's Biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients well with a whisk. Add in the butter and it will begin to make crumbs. Once that is  well mixed add in the milk and stir it until it forms a ball. I used a plastic cutting board that is generously floured and set the ball of dough right in the middle. Let this set for a couple of minutes and then knead the dough until its soft enough to work with. Add flour to your cutting board again and pat the dough out to about 1/2 inches. Use a biscuit cutter or a cookie cutter (I chose heart in honor of Valentines Day!) and cut the biscuits out. Add the biscuits to a greased cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes. This recipe will make about 10 biscuits.

Sorry about the directions I am not a recipe writer for sure! I adapted the recipe from another one I saw and ours turned out great!! We had them with gravy for breakfast but they'd be great with jelly or just as a quick and easy bread for a side dish for dinner as well. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

pinterest obsession.

Confession: I am a Pinterest Addict.

Seriously, I look at pins so often! There are so many awesome ideas!

Here are my top 3 DIY projects that I want to make right away!

How simple! Turn boring old vases and jars in to detailed, white "pottery."
Found here

Super cute and easy dog food container
made from an old popcorn tin!
found here

I love this idea! I think it would be a perfect way to plan meals and incorporate new meals in!
Found here

Here are a few ideas that I have found for the wedding!

A whole collage of perfect baseball party ideas! So cute!
Found here

I love this photo! :)
Unknown Source

I finally found a guest book option that I LOVE! Yay!
Now to see if Chris likes it and then find the perfect calendar!
Found here

Here are a few recipes that look "good enough to eat!"

Apple Nachos! Wow! Yum!
Found here

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles! Hello Fall!
Found here

Frozen Hot Chocolate. Sounds delightful!
Found here

ice cream cake.

Last night I made dinner for Chris and bought stuff to make a dessert too. Neither of us really wanted ice cream by the time dinner and the Cardinals game was over so we didn't eat it. Although, it was a delicious breakfast! :)

So here is the simple, delicious recipe! 

(I found a similar recipe on a blog not to long ago but I don't remember where it was!)

What you will need:

Ice cream sandwhichs (enough to cover the bottom or the dish you are using)

One container or CoolWhip

Chocolate Syrup

Caramel Syrup

King Size Candy bar of your choice

Yummy ingredients right?

Line the bottom of your dish with the ice cream sandwiches, I found some that were half chocolate and half vanilla (mm!). Then crumble half of the candy bar and sprinkle it over the ice cream. Drizzle both types of syrups. Add a layer of CoolWhip and then add another layer of the syrups and the candy bar crumbles. Freeze for a couple of hours and enjoy! 

This was the easiest dessert and quite possible the yummiest too!

Sorry for my absence from blog world. I am planning on returning now. :)