Making natural living easy.
This post may include affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I’ll earn a small fee at no extra cost to you.This planting guide for Zone 9 contains 12 vegetables you can plant in April for a great harvest this summer. Ahhh, April! Spring is finally here (for those of us in Zone 9 anyway), and it’s time to get our seeds and starts in the ground. Does it seem
Are you tired of sniffling, sneezing, and itchy eyes? Essential oils can give you safe, natural relief from seasonal allergies without any of the nasty side effects from conventional medicines. Do you feel like walking around with a gas mask to avoid the gunk in the air this time of year? Between pollen, grass, weeds, and all the other junk that causes seasonal allergies, lots of people are just
If romaine lettuce recalls make you nervous–take charge! You can grow your own romaine lettuce for crisp, fresh, delicious salads. Here’s everything you need to know to grow romaine lettuce in your garden. Here in California, there have been one too many romaine lettuce recalls for my liking. Since we have a salad with dinner several times a week, we go through a lot of romaine lettuce–and I don’t want
It’s easy to dry oregano from your garden. Once you’ve dehydrated oregano, you can add its delicious flavor to your spaghetti sauce, meatballs, soups, and more. We have a huge oregano patch in our front yard garden. Every spring before it goes to flower, my Little Helper and I harvest bunches of this fragrant herb. Then I dry it in my dehydrator for use in recipes all year long. When
Brrr! It’s cold outside, but these veggies are up to the task. Plant these 10 vegetables in February and you’ll enjoy fresh food from your garden in no time! For most of us gardeners, January is spent looking through seed catalogs and planning out the majestic garden you’re going to enjoy in the spring. By February, though, your seeds have arrived and you’re itching to get them in the soil…am
This delicious, homemade lemonade recipe is a burst of tart and sweet flavors–without corn syrup, artificial flavors, or dyes. A family favorite! Wintertime in California means citrus, and lots of it. Nearly every yard in my neighborhood has a lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, or orange tree—sometimes several. Here’s a recent haul from a friend’s lemon tree, ready to be washed. And this was only part of the harvest! Naturally, I
This Panda Express Orange Chicken copycat is ready in minutes. Enjoy the bright, fresh orange sauce and crispy chicken in this easy recipe that’s healthier than the original! You know how sometimes a brand name becomes synonymous with the product it makes? Think Kleenex or Xerox. We love Panda Express, and it automatically means “Orange Chicken” when we hear it. The conversation has become shorthand: “Wanna Panda?” is all that
It’s a busy Mom’s dream! These chicken fajitas are full of flavor and spice, and are ready in minutes thanks to the Instant Pot. Okay friends, no secrets here…our family is CRAZY about Mexican food. You might have noticed this already, since over the years I’ve shared my Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe and my tips for making Refried Beans in the Crock Pot. And don’t forget my Killer Hot Sauce!
These are the best homemade granola bars out there. My kids LOVE them, and they only have 7 ingredients (Quaker Chewy has 28+). Ditch the mystery ingredients and go natural! Quick quiz: Which would you rather put in your mouth? Your kids’ mouths? Quaker Chewy Granola Bar ingredients: Best Homemade Granola Bar ingredients: GRANOLA (WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, BROWN SUGAR, CRISP RICE [RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT], WHOLE
Serve a perfectly roasted chicken with side dishes in just 30 minutes. Enjoy moist, flavorful chicken with crispy skin, every time–here’s how. This recipe is sponsored by Raley’s. However you holiday, Raley’s makes it affordable. OK Moms–tell me if this sounds familiar. You finally got out of the office, the kids are done with practice and doing homework, and you’re about to plop on the couch. Then you get The
Does it ever feel like your kitchen is drowning in plastic? Me too. This was just one cupboard in our kitchen–a jumbled mess of containers, lids, and mixing bowls. It was impossible to find the right lid for the right container, and when you grabbed one bowl, everything else fell out. Several years ago, we decided to try to reduce our “plastic footprint” as much as possible. As part of
Have you ever been stuck trying to figure out a stocking stuffer or gifts for your green-and-natural friend? They don’t want something made from plastic. They’d rather have a nice handwritten letter than a scented candle. And please don’t give them stuff from those overpriced bath stores. If you do, you’ll get a lecture on parabens, endocrine disruptors, and phthalates. Not exactly the ingredients for a merry Christmas! Never fear…here
