All-Natural Twig Toothbrush

I have blogged in the past about an eco-friendly toothbrush.

But this next development is on a whole new level.

I got to thinking about how we brush our teeth. Clearly, thousands of years ago they didn't have little plastic sticks with fancy bristles that cleaned their teeth, so how did they do it? 

If you read my blog much you'll know I am obsessed with doing things the way they used to be done in times long ago.

Well, what people did was use teeth-cleaning twigs. This simple device is the root of any number of plans (potentially tea tree, neem, cinnamon or sassafras, but the most common is from the Araak tree in the Middle East), with the end chewed up a bit to make a bristle-like effect. 

It is an incredible money-saver and planet-saver and guess what - it works better than a toothbrush - all you have to do is gently chew on it.

The studies show: it is more effective than conventional brushing at reducing plaque and gingivitis provided it is used with proper instructions. (Oral Health and Preventative Dentistry, 2003.) It is now considered the best tool to promote good oral hygiene. It prevents the formation of cavities and plaque and makes teeth whiter and enamel stronger. If used regularly it can even remove stains from smoking, tea, coffee and red wine.

It also:

• doesn't require toothpaste
• fights bacteria naturally
• freshens breath naturally
• costs almost nothing
• is environmentally-friendly (no packaging, no plastic, biodegradable)
• requires almost no upkeep (moisten if dry, replace every few weeks)
• is part of a self-sufficient lifestyle

Well, recently I got my own all-natural twig toothbrush from http://www.naturaltoothbrush.com/ and here is a list of why you should buy one, taken straight from their website:

1.) Only $1.95 per brush and only $0.95 shipping. Get FREE Shipping if you order 7+ brushes!
2.) Scientific study proves that its better than a conventional toothbrush.
3.) A natural, easy way to help smokers quit smoking.
4.) Great for travel, outdoors, and camping - no toothpaste required.
5.) Contains nutrients and minerals that are essential to good oral hygiene.
 -- These are: fluorine, silicon, vitamin C, sulphur, salvadorine, trimethylamine, potassium, sodium, chloride, sodium bicarbonate, calcium oxide.
6.) A natural way to whiten stains, remove stains, prevent plaque, and cavities.
7.) 100% natural, eco-friendly, vegan-friendly, and biodegradable.

In Middle Eastern culture the twig toothbrush is called Miswak and has thousands of years of proven effectiveness.  Check out these awesome testimonials from major magazines and professionals:
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You will love using the twig toothbrush. The little "brushes" massage your teeth and gums and to use more just peel back another layer and start again. 

Here's mine:

I seriously suggest you order one today! If you do, let them know My Idea of Happiness sent you. If I get enough interest I'll consider doing a bulk order for you guys!

It is Popsicle Time! How to make them homemade -- with recipe ideas

I barely stepped out for a few minutes this morning to water the garden and I was already drenched in sweat. Even a steady diet of freezing cold coconut water isn't enough to keep me cool these days. Some temperatures just call for popsicles!

Store-bought popsicles are both full of sugar and overpriced. It's really quite sad. But that doesn't mean you have to give them up all together.

Say it with me now: homemade popsicles.

Benefits:
+ Jam pack fruits and veggies into your little ones (or big ones: I'm talking about you picky husbands!)
+ Keep cool
+ Inexpensive to make
+ Fun for kids to help with
+ Reduces waste -- hey, what else were you going to do with that strawberry puree?
+ If you make them with a mold, and not just cups and sticks, it reduces waste

I know not everyone owns a popsicle mold set (and if you don't but want to buy one: go BPA-free please) so the easy way to do this without one is to pour your ingredients into Dixie cups and place a wooden stick in the centre. Keep them all on one plate in the freezer to make it easy.

It may seem self explanatory how to make them but I do have a few tips:
- If they get stuck, run warm water over the base and it will help them slide out
- Keep your recipe smooth with no chunks (unless you're purposefully leaving whole fruit in the popsicle) because it can be a choking hazard if you're not expecting it
- Don't fill it all the way to the top -- liquids expand when they freeze
- Set the mold, or cups, carefully and levelly in the freezer, no spills please
- Let soda de-fizz a little if you're using it

Okay, so what should you use in the molds or cups to make your homemade popsicle? Choose a few ingredients and blend or whisk them together. Here are one billion ideas off the top of my head:

• Yogurt + orange juice
• Carrot juice + pineapple juice, or the liquid from canned pineapple
• A leftover green smoothie
• Root beer + vanilla ice cream (not healthy but my supervisor at work told me this one)
• Leftover fruit sorbet or frozen yogurt
• Yogurt + frozen berries, or berry jam
• Soy milk + fruit juice
• Almond milk + coffee + honey
• Yogurt + honey + cocoa powder -- mmmmm!
• Brewed chai latte
• Iced tea or even hot, sweetened tea brought to room temperature first
• Applesauce
• Pudding
• Lemonade or limeade
• Coconut water + fruit
• Coconut milk + fruit
• Pureed fruit: peaches, strawberries, watermelon
• Banana + almond butter
• Vitamin water
• Booze?
• "Pregnancy pops" -- one website said to freezer ginger tea with honey for morning sickness, too cool

There are lots of recipes online if you take a minute to search.

Berry Pops could be delicious with a few substitutions.

Here's a great list of featured popsicle recipes from Country Living.

How much fun is this Triple Citrus Popsicle?

Whoa: Spa Pops!

This one has coconut, chocolate and raspberries by the looks of it so - I'm sold!

Also, try this recipe:

Or if you want to be really lazy, just freeze fruit on a stick (but for goodness sake, dip it in chocolate first):

The Raw Food Diet

There are so many benefits to eating raw food. In fact, some people eat only raw food. 

It sounds hard - and it absolutely can be - but you can actually eat more than you think. All seeds, nuts and fruits and most vegetables can be eaten raw. Whole grains can be soaked and sprouted, which gives added nutritional benefits. If you choose the right eggs, fish and meat they can be too. And there`s even raw milk (as well as cheese and yogurt) but you may need to break a few laws to get it. (Follow raw milk activist/farmer, Michael Schmidt's journey here.)


^{You can make alfredo sauce, cheesecake and so much more. It just takes a little learning -- and maybe the purchasing of some new equipment:}

^{A dehydrator cooks food at a temperature so low it's still considered uncooked. It takes a long time but the result is anything from meat jerky to crispy kale chips to delicious apple leather. As long as the food stays until 40 degrees - it's considered raw!}

 <sup>A Vita-mix is the Cadillac of blenders and will help you to make raw soup, homemade nut milks and so much more. 

The main benefit is to digestion and nutrient absorption (which in turn benefits everything in your body) because the food's enzymes and healthy bacteria are left in tact. As well, these foods typically do not contain added preservatives or toxins, including the toxins that are created when you heat food, like oil. 

The foods typically included in a raw food diet are so inherently healthy (pasta made of zucchini, vegetable juices) that you can eat what you want and feel good about it.

If you're looking to start a raw diet, I recommend trying to eat 75% raw, 25% usual for the first while to get used to it. 

There are tons of blogs that you can get RAWesome in no time. Here are my favourites:</sup>
 

My pal, Raw Judita

<sup>http://rawjudita.com/
http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/
http://www.choosingraw.com/
http://rawfullyorganic.com/blog/
http://www.therawchef.com/blog/
http://crazysexylife.com/
http://giveittomeraw.com/
http://www.juliesrawambition.com/
http://www.rawmazing.com/
http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/
http://www.rawon10.com/
http://rawloulou.blogspot.com/
http://www.rawfamily.com/

Also, read anything by David Wolfe. He's the man. 

Lastly, some awesome recipes to get you started:</sup>

Raw cheese sauce

Raw cheesecake

Raw brownie (by My New Roots -- love this blog!)

Let me know if you eat raw!
  

EASY Tuna Cake Recipe

Tuna Cakes
Adapted from Sprout Right


Tip:  Add a dipping sauce for added fun. I love a tzaziki sauce made from plain yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, onion and salt!

4 cans tuna (find a sustainable variety)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or oats)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
oil for pan-frying


Mash and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Heat oil on medium heat. Form into patties and pan fry for 5 minutes per side until golden. Serve on a whole grain bun with lettuce, tomato and other favourite burger toppings and condiments of your choice.

Young Gardener Videoes #4 and 5 and Garden Update!

Oops. Did I not post THE YOUNG GARDENER #4: Rain barrels video?

Here it is!

And while I'm at it... here is #5: Planting!

As you can see, I have the garden in full force! I'll try to list what I'm growing this year but honestly, it's not easy to remember without standing out there.

I am growing:

• Tomatoes: 3 red varieties, 2 green varieties, 2 cherry
• Cucumber: straight eight and 2 pickling types
• Peppers: bell, cayenne, banana
• Herbs: stevia, mint, basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, marjoram (how do I use this?)
• Onions, chives, garlic, green onions
• Kale, spinach, lettuce mix
• 5 kinds of beans, 3 kinds of peas
• 2 kinds of sugar pumpkin
• 2 kinds of winter squash
• Zucchini 
• Broccoli
• Eggplant

My guess is I'm forgetting at least one thing but I'll update if I remember.

Also, I just realized I don't know where my corn seeds went! Shoot!

Do you have any gardening questions for me? 

Now that everything's planted it's harder to think of what topics to discuss for the YOUNG GARDENER videos. I was thinking: composting, watering, caging tomatoes/trellising trailing plants, maintaining healthy plants, and then harvesting. Maybe if people are still interested after harvest I could show how to seed save some crops, and how to preserve your harvest (like how to can tomatoes, etc.) Would you like that?

Dinner for 3 ... or, Three Different Dinners

I am lucky to have a husband and son who are not picky -- so this post won't be full of complaints.

Most of the time, I make one dinner and we all eat it. Sometimes I'll have a with-dinner coffee, while Ollie always has water, and Cal might have some strange soda that he's found (seriously -- he finds really weird soda), but really it's rare that we eat different food for dinner.

However, tonight was the "we all eat the same meal" apocalypse. I knew we would eat basa fish tacos, however:

- I only had 2 tortilla wraps left (Calvin needs 2 to himself, minimum)
- The bulk of the tacos was going to be lettuce which Oliver has a rough time chewing well
- I wanted hot peppers! Lots - sorry Oliver!
- There was like 1/2 cup corn-rice mix leftover and it would look pretty pathetic split 3 ways

So I did this... (And once I get around to uploading photos from my camera I can include a shot I took)

CALVIN
2 large fish tacos: cooked fillet + cheese + salsa + lettuce + tomato + hot peppers + sauteed pepper & onion

AMY
1 fillet with cheese and salsa + a side of sauteed pepper & onion & hot peppers (this is better anyway because I can have extra veggies, I mean, who wants to only eat what peppers you can fit into a tortilla)

OLIVER
Rice and corn mix + some fish + some cheese + some tomato (his favourite food)

Everyone wins!

See I told you I wouldn't complain. ... But I do wish we had avocado.

Your rock star wish list

When my husband was dabbling in being a booking agent/event promoter I was able to see my share of "riders". It's a list that a band submits for the shows on their tour that states what they'd like in the dressing room. Most said something like: a 24 of water bottles, a 24 of our favourite beer, hot food (not pizza!) or a buy-out, chips, fresh fruit, etc. Pretty basic. Others said more ridiculous requests like the temperature of the room, newly purchased Sharpies for signing autographs, heck-- Britney Spears' rider says she needs McDonalds hamburgers with the bun removed. Beyonce's says fried chicken. I saw another for a Christian band that said "We are easy going about food just make sure the stage doesn't have too many lights because we'd rather the concert glorify God than make us look good."  Wow.  

So, if you could write your most rock star rider wish list what would it look like? It says a lot about you. Not a fake list to make you look healthier than you really are, but an honest listing of what you'd want if you were a touring musician. 

After lots of thought, here's mine:

- water or access to a tap with drinking water to fill my traveller

- 1 Bolthouse Farms juice or smoothie (vanilla soy chai, green goodness, berry, pure carrot, pineapple-coconut or other) or the like -- a freshly juiced version is welcome!

- a hot French Press of Fire Roasted Coffee medium- or dark-roast (any),

freshly ground before brewing

- a hot, homemade meal from whole foods (favourite ingredients include: kale, avocado, quinoa, tamari, tempeh, garlic, ginger) -- nice and salted please, nothing low fat please

- raw veggies with hummus or baba ganoush 

- raw fruit with an unsweetened nut or seed butter

- a cold salad: chopped, taco, pasta, potato, egg, tuna, coleslaw, etc. 

- a chocolatey dessert that pays no mind to calorie count but uses no processed or artificial sugar 

Now tell me yours below!