Do Not Mess With A Hippie’s Customer Loyalty

I stopped by the health food store to pick up some toothpaste because we had run out. Also because my eleven year-old made it very clear the tube was, as of today, officially empty– which is completely unacceptable. Like, can’t you stay on top of anything, mom?

I approached an employee, a slender young man wearing (what else) an earthy looking necklace made of coconut bark or nuts or something.
He walked me to where the toothpastes were located.

 

Him: Ok but wait, because there are several things you need to watch out for.

Me: Even in health food store toothpastes?

Him: Yes. [gives a disillusioned sigh]

Me: Oh.

Him: For example, Tom’s of Maine got bought out by Colgate…

Me: NO. WAY.

Him: Yes! [disapproving scoff] So I won’t be using that brand anymore.

Me: Well of course not. Shady.

Him: I know. See? The ingredients say it contains sulfate lauryl sodium, but that’s it’s derived from palm oil. That’s what they say, but who knows…

Me: Maybe they’re lying. Can’t take any chances.

Him: Exactly. That’s SLS, the stuff that’s in, like, shampoos and soaps and it’s awful for the skin. You wouldn’t want to be using it then, let alone putting it in your mouth.

Me: Totally.

Him: And look at this other one! Someone actually brought one of these back yesterday because they couldn’t BELIEVE all the stuff in it.

Me: No!

Him: Yep. We won’t be carrying that anymore.

Me: [shaking head]

Him: This is the brand I use, it’s really good and totally safe.

Me: Well, the brand I like the best is this one [pointing at Nature's Gate toothpaste]

Him: [takes the box and reads the ingredients] That’s actually pretty good, nothing bad in it.

So I happily took my overpriced toothpaste and gloated in knowing that I’m not putting sulfate lauryl sodium in my mouth and I’m one product closer to not supporting big evil corporations wanting to kill us all with their chemicals.

When in doubt, ask a hippie.

Easiest Homemade Mosquito Repellent

This week we went to an outdoor show by the lake.

Pretty sunset by the beach, right? But you know what else warm weather, recent rains and large bodies of water attract? Thousands and thousands of mosquitoes. Of the worst kind.

I have never seen mosquitoes like the ones in Canada. They’re big, mean, bad-ass hooligans that can bite even through your clothes. I was excited about going out with our friends but I was also terrified because I didn’t want to come back home mauled by winged blood-sucking demons.

The thing is I refuse to use commercial brands of mosquito repellent because, dude, that shit just ain’t right. I cringe thinking of how many times I sprayed my kid with that stuff throughout her first decade of life, before I knew any better. Not anymore, especially not now that I’m pregnant.

So the night before our outing I did some research, whipped up my own concoction and did a patch test on my hand. Next day the skin looked good, no itches, rashes or any kind of reaction. Good stuff. If you’re going to try this homemade version I recommend you do the same, just to make sure you won’t come screaming at me if it gives you a reaction. Deal?

This is the easiest repellent you could possibly make. Just two ingredients! I’ve found versions that have a lot more than that, complicated steps, boiling this and cooling that. None of that here; just simple, no-nonsense directions.

Homemade Mosquito Repellent

Citronella essential oil

Almond oil

In a small container or jar (I got the set of travel bottles for beauty products at the dollar store) mix 40 drops of the citronella oil and fill in the rest with almond oil. Shake it and apply it on the skin, avoiding sensitive areas like the eyes and mucus membranes.

——

Doesn’t get much easier than that! We were fine during our outing and were left alone by the bugs, but I wanted to be sure sure of the repellent’s effectiveness.

Yesterday I went outside to do some yard work, and not even three minutes went by and I felt a pinch on my neck: a mosquito bite. I had forgotten to put on my repellent, so I ran back inside, slathered up on my potion– which, with the almond oil is super moisturizing, too– and walked back out. And, my dear (four) readers… I was left in peace.

I stayed out for over an hour in a humid day after a light rain, sweating and working surrounded by plants and bugs… and not one single bite.

Reasons why homemade is a gazillion times better

COST

Average cost of repellent, at Walmart: $7.97

Approximate cost of homemade repellent: $12.18 for buying ALL ingredients and material for the first time- Citronella ess.oil: $8.99. Almond oil: $2.99. Reusable bottle: 0.20 c

And after purchasing these materials once, you can whip up at least 6 batches which means that each bottle refill costs $2.03

And each bottle refill lasts at least 12 applications, which means that each application costs 0.17 c to make. Seventeen cents.

Now, I’m not sure how many applications a spray bottle of Off! can last, but even if it lasts for 20 applications, that translates to 0.40 c per application. We may be talking cents here, but it’s still more costly and over time things add up!

There are about 12 weeks left of summer– 84 days. Let’s suppose you’re super outdoorsy and you use repellent at least twice every day. This means you’ll be applying it 168 times. If you use Off!, this will translate to approximately $67.20 spent on repellent.

BUT. If you use your own homemade version you’ll be spending only $28.56. That’s $38.64 in savings! I don’t know about you, but I can think of many more pleasant things to do with $38.64 than buying damn bug spray.

HEALTH

Off! List of ingredients-  Active Ingredients: N,n Diethyl Meta Toluamide (4.7%), Related Isomers (0.25%) Inactive Ingredients: Inert Ingredients (95%), Ethyl Alcohol, N,n Diethyl Toluamide, Fragrance, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice

WTF is all that anyway? What are these “inert ingredients” they speak of, but they don’t specify? Aww, aloe vera and leaf juice are listed, how cute. If only their benefits weren’t over-ridden by all the other lab juices they’re drowned in.

Homemade repellent list of ingredients- Citronella oil, almond oil.

Citronella essential oil is, among other things, a natural anti bacterial, anti depressant, anti septic, anti spasmodic, anti inflammatory, deodorant, fungicidal, insect repellent, and stimulant. Almond oil is commonly used as a carrier oil to combine with essential oils for topical use because it moisturizes the skin. It also offers some sun protection and anti-wrinkle effects, it’s great for massages, and it is the oil of choice for avoiding stretch marks during pregnancy. Win-win-win.

ENVIRONMENT

You can’t reuse the spray bottle from your store-bought repellent. You can’t even reuse the pump containers because it would be dangerous to mix new ingredients into a bottle containing trace leftovers of chemicals.

Every time you spray you’re sending particles of those same chemicals into the air we all breathe. And every time you go into the lake or ocean for a swim your repellent washes off your body and stays in the water, where it adds up to every other person’s repellent, body lotion, deodorant, soap suds and sunblock residues, intoxicating and harming all sorts of organisms. Sigh.

Good thing none of this happens with a homemade version, because it’s just plant oil. No biggie.

I’m sure there are many other reasons why it’s wise to go the homemade way, but for me these are the three most important ones. So, what do you think? Any chance you’ll be giving homemade repellent a try soon?

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention! I had read someplace that citronella wasn’t optimal for pregnant women to use, so I called Motherisk (motherisk.org), which is a Canadian institution that provides all sorts of information on how specific toxins, chemicals, ingredients, household products, etc. can be harmful to expecting mothers, and they gave me a green light on citronella. In their words, it’s considered a “low exposure” topical ingredient and therefore represents no danger. Booyah!

I taught a class. LIKE A BOSS.

Ok, so maybe not really a class but more of an informal get-together with fun friends. And maybe I wasn’t discussing string theory or time travel, but teaching the art of cooking beans. BEANS. Bear with me.

Beans are generally considered poor people’s food, and little do we know about the wealth of goodness they provide. Poor beans, so misunderstood by now they’re half emo.

My friends Amy and Caroline (both born and bred Canadians) had been nagging requesting I teach them how to cook beans. Unlike Mexico, beans are nowhere near a staple here in the great white North. In fact, when I volunteer at my local food bank I’m always astounded by the amounts of people who, upon being offered a bag of dry lentils, reply “Dry lentils? I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”  Whaa..?

This is a modern-day tragedy, considering they skip out on the lentils and all their fiber, folate and magnesium, but do go for the canned raviolis and sugary Kool-aid drinks. It isn’t anyone’s fault, though; it’s all just lack of information.

If I must be honest, I was more than a wee bit thrilled to have my buddies want to learn how to cook the legumes. I’m lucky to hang out with a rather health-oriented bunch of people here, and knowing they understand the benefits makes it all so rewarding.

Plus, I get to boss people around. Who doesn’t like that.

Before we start, this is a really cool link I found in which the soaking and cooking methods for beans are explained. It’s super easy! Basically, always soak your beans overnight before you cook them, and never add salt while they’re cooking; wait until they’re soft inside.

We began with a Hoppin’ John salad, recipe borrowed from the Food for Life series, by the Physicians Comitee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

Hoppin’ John Salad

Makes about 10 1/2-cup servings

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup finely sliced green onions

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 tomato, diced

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 – 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Combine black-eyed peas, rice, green onions, celery, tomato, and parsley in a mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, oil, salt, and garlic and pour over the salad. Toss gently. Chill 1 to 2 hours if time permits.

That’s it! Super easy and full of flavor, especially from the lemon-garlic dressing.

Next, we moved on to making fava bean falafel. Disclosure: I have never tasted falafel from a restaurant, but my friends agreed that this version was much better than one they had tried at a Middle-Eastern joint. So, yay!

I used this recipe over here and made the fava bean version. The only thing I did differently is that I did cook the beans after soaking them. My mind couldn’t wrap around trying to grind and fry uncooked beans.

Delicious!

And finally, they learned how to make a Mexican lentil soup. It’s all in the recaudo poeple. THE RECAUDO.

There are as many versions to this soup as there are grandmothers in Mexico, but I’ll share with you how I do it. My kid devours this soup, and to me it’s like comfort food without any fatiness or cream. Heaven.

Mexican lentil soup- a la Caro

1 C of brown lentils

2 C of water

2 tomato

1 green bell pepper

2 small onions

tiny bit of olive oil

Place the lentils in a sauce pan with the water, heat to a boil and then lower heat. Let them cook, approximately 30 minutes (they should be soft on the inside, without turning to mush on the outside.) Check them constantly to make sure they don’t run out of water.

Make the recaudo– the sauce that will be the base of your soup and bring all the flavor to it. To make the recaudo, heat the olive oil lightly in a pan, add the tomatoes, peppers and onions cut in quarters and fry them. Once fried blend them all with a bit of water or vegetable stock. Add this liquid to the cooking lentils. Then add the oregano, cumin and chilli powder to taste. I go crazy with these spices because my family loves them, but you may want to start by adding half a teaspoon of each and gradually increase amounts until you like it.

Once the lentils are done cooking all the flavors will be meshed together beautifully. Salt to taste and enjoy.

In conclusion, beans totally rock and you should be eating them.

P.S. When I was taking the above pics outside, on my deck, my neighbor was out doing yard work. He stared at me as if wondering why the heck I was putting food on the floor and taking pictures of it. FOOD PORN. That’s why.