You won't believe it. It was my son's birthday recently (he turned 2!) and my girls had made some cupcakes and we were starting to make the frosting but when we went to grab the powdered sugar, it was no where to be found! I could have sworn I had a few bags as back up downstairs in our storage room but nope, I was wrong. What I did have though was a few bags of granulated sugar.
I know I have heard about making homemade powdered sugar before but I have never felt the need until now. I grabbed my awesome Blendtec Blender, oh I love that thing. It had ground an assortment of grains and beans but never sugar yet.
I like using cane sugar because I know that it is Non-GMO. Even if it isn't labeled that way. GMO sugar comes from sugar beets never sugar cane.
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| 2 Cups Granulated Sugar |
I needed 3 cups of powdered sugar and wanted to be on the safe side so I filled it up to the 2 cups mark and blended it on HIGH for 90 seconds.
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| Homemade Powered Sugar From Granulated Sugar |
Magic.
My 2 cups of granulated sugar became 4 cups of soft and fluffy powdered sugar before my eyes. We were able to go back to our lovely afternoon of baking together without having to run to the store or disrupt our Sunday afternoon family time.
And the cupcakes were so good! I didn't even get a picture before they were all gobbled up. But Nawna's Chocolate Buttercream Frosting definitely was a hit like always.
I love having tricks like this up my sleeves. Not only did it save me a trip and extra annoyance but buying granulated sugar is less expensive than powdered sugar so it saved me money too. Win, win.
Let me know if you try it out. You may need to blend it a little longer to get it as fine as you want.
Happy Baking
PP
I love New Orleans. We all know how much it caters to adults seeking great food, culture and entertainment but it is actually a great place to take children as well. There are few places in the U.S. where you can feel like you are visiting another culture, but New Orleans is one of them. From the European architecture, French speaking community and unique food, New Orleans really has it all.
FRENCH QUARTER ____________________________________________________________
There are so many things to see, but of course the French Quarter gets top billing. Cobblestone streets, wrought iron balconies, tiny shops full of local crafts and treasures you never knew you needed. Every corner holds something worth seeing. You can explore by foot,
child centered tours or even by carriage ride which makes it extra magical and easy on tired feet.
- Jackson Square- Start here. With the European style war statue of Battle of New Orleans hero, Andrew Jackson facing the Mississippi River, soaring St. Louis Cathedral flanked by twin Louisiana State Museum buildings: the Presbytere and Cabildo (where the Mississippi Purchase was signed!) and where all the street artists from singers to painters sell their offerings.
- Cafe Du Monde- Get here early for breakfast. World famous since its opening in 1862, this cafe is THE place to get beignets in New Orleans. Tuck in to a plate these square, french-style donuts sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar and wash it all down with their scrumptious hot chocolate. beignets and a hot chocolate in this world famous cafe since it opened in 1862. When you are done, head around back to see how they are made.
- French Market- do a little window shopping while you let your beignets settle and support local artists in these beautiful shops.
- Arcadian Bookstore- Piled high with books from every genre, my girls were so excited to pick out some books from their French Section.
- Antoine's Restaurant- If you are looking to experience history, this is the oldest restaurant in America. Same location, same owner since 1840! There are many historical pictures on the walls along with handwritten menus in the early 1900's. Tip- more suited for older children who can sit quietly through a slow-paced multi course meal.
There are so many things to see and buy. TIP- Make sure you bring an extra suitcase! You might find yourself like m; with a new hat, work of art, heirloom children's clothes, books, pecan logs, alligator jerky, jewelry and all sorts of accessories from the talented local artists of New Orleans. I always love finding unique gifts and useful souvenirs and this is such a great place to find them.
PP
Lemon Essential Oil has got to be my most used and loved essential oil. There are countless uses for lemon oil that it was hard to narrow down to just 10. Lemon Essential Oil is found in the peel of lemons and is known for its disinfectant, antiseptic, anti-fungal, antiviral and detoxifying properties.
HEALTH ________________________________________________________________________
- Detox- We all know how awesome lemon water is in helping our bodies detox. I love big glass of lemon water first thing in the morning before having anything else in my stomach. It just gives my body a little boost to move out all the toxins it processed overnight. I have really sensitive teeth though and I was afraid of what that daily lemon juice was doing to my teeth enamel. Now I don't worry at all. Instead of squeezing some fresh lemon in my water, I just drop 1 or 2 drops of lemon essential oil in my water and I get all the same benefits without the worry. Lemon also helps support a healthy metabolism, digestive system, liver and kidneys.
*Of course I only recommend using Doterra Essential Oils because I know they are safe to ingest. Their quality and purity are unmatched. Many other essential oils have added fillers, chemicals or other contaminants which are not safe to take internally.*
- Colds- help strengthen your immune system by rubbing lemon oil onto the soles of the feet and drink warm lemon water with a touch of honey to help soothe sore throats and coughs. Diffusing citrus with any conifer oil is also great for sore throats. I especially like Siberian Fir with lemon when I am diffusing.
- Anxiety and Stress- A study published in Brain Research found that lemon essential oil may possess anxiety-reducing and pain-relieving properties. Diffusing lemon oil aromatically can help lower the stress hormone Corticosterone. (Also, very promising findings showing a significant improvement in the cognitive function of older adults, especially among Alzheimer's patients in a small 2009 study.)
- Air Purifier- Have sickness and germs in the house? Or did you just burn dinner. Diffuse 5 drops of lemon oil to cleanse and purify the air and no one will be the wiser. I really like this diffuser because it comes with intermittent timing so you can have it going all day but it will never get over-powering.
HOME _________________________________________________________________________
Thanks to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, lemon and its refreshing, clean scent is found in so many of our household cleaning products. It is just as easy to add to our homemade and natural cleaning routines without all the extra chemicals.
- Add a drop or 2 for fresh smelling laundry
- Add a drop to your dish detergent for sparkling dishes
- Make your own All-Purpose Cleaner
- Stainless Steel- baking soda, vinegar and lemon oil get the sparkle back.
- Gum + Sticky Residue- this one is a life-saver. Have you ever had to get gum out of hair? Or stickers off windows or walls? What about tree sap? Lemon oil is such a heavy hitter. Just cover the area with lemon oil and rub off/ out.
- Degrease- Mix with dish soap for a powerful de-greaser
- Ok, one more. Lemon is an amazing addition to non-toxic homemade wood polish in helping to restore, shine and moisture by penetrating worn finishes.
There are so many other ways to use lemon. I might need to write a sequel, but first, I want to cover a few things regarding its safe use.
HOW TO USE LEMON OIL SAFELY _______________________________________________
Skin Sensitivity- Citrus oils, including Lemon can be photo-toxic. That means you should rub lemon directly on skin that will be exposed to sunlight. That is one of the reasons I love to apply my oils to the bottom of our feet or along the spine.
As with any essential oil, there is a risk of contact sensitivity so test out on a small patch of skin first to determine if there is any sensitivity.
If you would like to start reaping these benefits by using Lemon Essential Oil in your home you can find it
here. If you would like to try a few other oils at the same time you can find lemon oil in this
Beginner's Trio mini set or as part of our Top 10 oils in the
Home Essentials Kit that also comes with a diffuser. To find out more about essential oils read the
Essential Oil Series or click to
Get Started to get the best price by getting your own wholesale account and access to buy these oils at a 25% discount.
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| Non-toxic Homemade Wood Cleaner and Polish |
Making our own natural and non-toxic cleaning products are so easy. Most of the time we already have all of the ingredients on hand. I love making homemade wood polish because I can get the fresh lemon smell that I love without all the chemicals from an aerosol can floating into the air and poisoning the air my family breathes.
I never really thought much about all of this until I was pregnant for the first time and my doctor's office gave me some literature for new moms. I'm one of those people who read through everything. When we bought our first house I annoyed the title company by reading through everything at closing. Anyway, in one of those papers I read a warning against the chemicals found in most of our cleaning products and that they could cause birth defects if inhaled/ingested. I remember thinking "If those chemicals can cause birth defects or miscarriage, what have they been doing to the inside of my body all this time?"
That set me on a course of learning that I never expected and led to how I feel today about the toxic load we are exposing ourselves and our children to everyday. Our chronic diseases, infertility, and a host of other problems can be laid at the feet of the chemicals that are so prevalent in every aspect of our lives.
So I learned about GMOs, how to grow and can my own food and found easy adjustments for cleaner food and purer products where I could. This homemade wood polish is such and easy switch.
INGREDIENTS __________________________________________________________________
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil- honestly it doesn't need to be cold-pressed, the light will work just fine
- 2 1/2 Tbls Distilled White Vinegar
- 10 drops Lemon Essential Oil- you can also use Orange or if you want a woody scent Arborvitae.
- 16 oz. Glass Spray Bottle- essential oils must be stored in glass, they will eat through plastic. These ones are a pretty color and come with cute chalk labels.
INSTRUCTIONS ________________________________________________________________
1. Add olive oil and vinegar to glass spray bottle.
2. Add 10 drops of essential oil.
3. Shake well before each use.
4. Apply to microfiber cloth and wipe wood surfaces clean. Repeat every 2–3 months or as often as needed.
Enjoy bringing back the shine to your favorite tables, desks, floors, and more with this simple non-toxic recipe for homemade wood polish.
Check out more in our
Essential Oil Series.
Homemade garlic powder has the most incredible scent and flavor. You'll be wondering what you've been eating all these years. Well, that's actually one of the reasons why I make my own spices.
Most packaged spices, including garlic powder that we buy from stores are full of anti-caking powders and other fillers so we really don't know what we are eating. There is also no way of knowing how old the spices are. We know that the antioxidants and other nutrients start breaking down over time so we could end up with something that is virtually tasteless and void of nutrition.
I wrote a previous post about how easy it is to dehydrate garlic. Seriously, it is. But I've had a lot of people ask what I actually do with this garlic and how I use it once it is dehydrated. It's so easy to throw a few slices in when I am sauteing veggies, making soups or dips. But my favorite thing is just to make homemade garlic powder.
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| Homemade Garlic Powder |
I use a spice/coffee grinder and just fill it to the top of the silver fill line and process til it is a light fluffy powder. Watch out though. If you try to remove the lid right away you will end up with a cloud of garlic powder everywhere. So you need to let it rest for the dust to settle. I usually use up a bottle of garlic powder every few months; but once I had one for almost a year and I never had a problem with it clumping. But that is why I keep my dehydrated garlic in the slices and just grind what I need when I need it. It keeps the strongest flavor and I never have problems with caking.
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| Dehydrate Garlic Slices |
I use my dehydrate garlic slices but if you don't have any available then you could totally just use granulated garlic. Costco has a big jar of good California granulate garlic that I love.
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| Granulated Garlic |
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| Garlic Powder |
I just always save my spice jars and just reuse them, but there are a lot of cute ones on Amazon you could use if you want a cohesive look or wanted to give away some as gifts. These ones match the Spice Island jars you can get at the store.
I love easy ways to replace toxic and synthetic chemicals in our lives that don't take a lot of effort. Let me know in the comments if would be interested in seeing more ways to switch out everyday products/ ingredients with ones that are more natural and health promoting.
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