Easy Homemade Popsicles

Here's another healthy summer snack idea. Make your own popsicles!

There's a couple ways you can go about it...

-Brew a fruity herbal tea (without "real" tea in it, i.e., no black or green tea as the tea base). Try hibiscus, rosehip, berries, citrus, etc. Brew a large batch of tea, however strong or weak you want. You can sweeten your tea (soon to be popsicles) with honey.

-If you really don't like tea you can try to find some low sugar juice instead, or juice your own fresh fruit and use that instead of buying bottled juice.

-Or for a "heartier" popsicle, blend some fruit and yogurt together (morning smoothie style), banana, strawberry, and berries work well.

Once you've chosen one of these options the next step is it into an ice cube tray or popsicle molds. If you don't have a mold which usually has sticks to hold your frozen popsicle then you're going to need some 'popsicle sticks'. I encourage you to steal these little wooden stir-sticks from your local Starbucks, or you can use your imagination and find something else that is suitable.


Pop them in the freezer and you're done... tasty, and high-fructose corn syrup free!
For a little info on high-fructose corn syrup check out http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588
and http://www.mcvitamins.com/high-fructose-corn-syrup.htm.
Enjoy!

***If something needs sweetening try honey a local honey or raw sugar (no, we can't get that local in Canada).

Easy DIY Facial Cleanser and Toner

Facial Cleanser

-2 Tablespoons of (vegetable) Glycerin

-1/2 Teaspoon of Castile Soap

-2 drops of Tea Tree Oil

-2 drops of Chamomile Oil

-1 drop of Lavender Oil

This recipe doesn't dry out my skin, and leaves me feeling soft and clean.

Facial Toner

There are a lot of options for easy to make toners.

-You can use Apple Cider Vinegar cut with water. I tried this, and the upside is that it left me feeling clean and tingly. The downside is that my partner couldn't stand the smell of my face, because you smell like Apple Cider Vinegar which isn't the best smelling thing in the world.

-You can use Chamomile Tea with a couple drops of tea tree. Chamomile is anti-bacterial, antiseptic, and a mild anti-inflammatory (good for soothing those red irritated or inflamed pimples).

-You can use Rosewater, how can generations of old ladies in so many different countries be wrong!? Rosewater tones your skin, helps to close your pores, gently removes oil and dirt, and soothes your skin. And who doesn't like to apply something that smells so good..?

Like most products you put on your face, you should try it out on a small patch first before you go ahead and do your whole face.

Cheap and Healthy Homemade Granola Bars

   

The ingredients for this recipe cost me under 8 dollars (not counting the egg, butter, honey, apples and cinnamon which I already had in my cupboard).

Ingredients and Directions:

In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients:

-2 cups of Organic Rolled Oats

-3/4 cup of dried fruit (I used a mixture of    unsweetened shredded coconut, cranberries, cherries, and raisins)

-1/2 to 3/4 cup of chopped nuts (I used   almonds)

-1/2 cup chocolate or carob chips (I used carob – no caffeine in it, unlike cacao/chocolate)

-1 and 1/2 tsps of cinnamon (and add any other spices or flavouring you like)

-1 tablespoon of white sesame seed

-1 tablespoon of black sesame seed

(if you wanted you could also add a few tablespoons of wheat germ to increase the protein content. You could also add some puffed quinoa for a bit of crunch).

In a pot over low heat warm up:

-1/2 cup of honey (I used honey that already had chai spices in it, including cinnamon, ginger, clove and cardamon)

-2 and a half Tablespoons of Butter

-1 teaspoon of virgin coconut oil

In another bowl:

Mix together

-2 grated apples (do I need to specify to leave the core out? Leave the core out.)

You could also substitute one apple for a very ripe mashed banana.

-1 beaten egg

Then mix together the honey and butter mixture into the apple and egg mixture, and combine well.

-Then stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

-Spread this mixture into a greased baking pan.

-Bake at 325F and bake for 25-30 mins.

-Allow to cool before cutting into desired sized pieces/bars

      I don't know the size of my baking sheet, but the mixture ended up being about 2 cms thick. If you use a smaller baking sheet and your mix is thicker you may want to bake for an extra five mins or so.

         The baked apple in this comes out fluffy-ish and keeps the recipe moist. The result is a fairly moist and chewy texture.

Enjoy!