The weather has been great here in my little piece of New Mexico and spring brings feelings of lighter, fresher food and every woman's all time favorite - spring cleaning.
I know I've mentioned my love for vacuuming so this next DIY recipe just seems like a natural for me. Plus, I like choices and this one leaves plenty of choices depending on the oils in your stash.
DIY Carpet Freshener (works great for mattresses and car mats too!)
You'll Need:
1-2 Cups of Baking Soda
doTerra Essential oils of your choice
A mason jar with lid
OR large spice shaker container you can reuse (the kind you purchase your spices in at Costco)
Note: I like to mix my oils in about 15 minutes prior to vacuuming. I don't recommend adding the oils more than a day ahead since you want the most smell for the most fresh!
Here's another idea I saw on line using a smaller mason jar. You'll just need to poke holes in the lid (or punch them if you have a punch tool that punches through metal). If you're vacuuming a smaller area like your car or a few kitchen mats, this size will work fine.
To make your freshener mix, mix 1 cup of baking soda with 15-20 drops of your favorite doTerra Essential Oil. (Try a combination like Essential Orange and Peppermint for the car or Purify for your mattresses.) Then grab a taco while the oil seeps deep into the soda for 15 minutes or so.
The combinations for terrific smelling carpets are endless....
Some of my doTerra essential oil favorites for freshening things up are:
Wintergreen and Wild Orange
Cinnamon and Wild Orange (for the car)
Lemon (for my mattress)
Lemongrass
Lemon and Lavender (for my mattress)
Peppermint and Wild Orange
Now that you've carefully mixed your favorite essential oils and the baking soda, wipe the cheese from your mouth and sprinkle your carpets, your cat's favorite chair (and your mattresses if it's linen wash day) with this non-toxic, lovely smelling mix. I recommend leaving the freshener on your to-be-vacuumed surfaces at least 15 minutes.
Now vacuum. Viola! Your world smells nothing short of amazing and you aren't filling your lungs with a boat load of synthetic chemicals including phthalates which have been linked to cancer, birth defects and disrupting the body's endocrine system, to name a few.
Speaking of amazing... I made this salad last week and it was such a hit, that I made it again this week. If you're looking for fresh and healthier, try it! I'm calling it Asian Crunch. If you live in the Albuquerque area, our local Flying Star restaurant has a similar salad - although my family swears my recipe is superior to their version.
Asian Crunch Salad
You'll need for the salad:
1 medium Asian cabbage head (also known as savoy cabbage), quartered and then sliced thin
3 green onions chopped
1 bag matchstick carrots (about 2 cups) (I like my salad super crunchy!)
1 red bell pepper diced
1 cup of slivered almonds (lightly toasted in the oven)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 8 oz can of mandarin oranges (optional)
For the marinade/dressing:
1 Cup Soy Vey Vari Vari Terikyaki marinade
(If you don't have Soy Vey, mix 3/4 Cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp canola oil, 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds, 3 tsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp brown sugar)
2 Tsp of grated ginger
3 green onions
2 tsp Sriracha sauce
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
If you have the Veri Veri Soy Vey, add the last 3 ingredients of the marinade to it.
If you don't have Veri Veri Soy Vey, measure out the 3/4 Cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp canola oil, 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds, 3 tsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Add the ginger, onions and sriracha sauce. Wisk it good and set aside.
Sorry about the blurrry chicken. One hand on the knife with chicken juice (ewww) and the other hand holding the camera... Anyhoo, dice yo' chicken.
Pour half of the marinade from the bowl into a separate container and refrigerate. Add the chicken to the remaining marinade. Let the goodness marinade together for 4-6 hours - and as long as a day ahead if convenient.
Now take all the produce for the salad and chop it, dice it, smell it and throw it all together like this.
Once it's all in there and you mix it up, it should look like this.
When you're about 30 minutes from dinner time, throw the chicken in a pan and cook until nice and yummy. (Discard any extra marinade from the chicken before cooking.)
Add your cooked chicken, toasted almonds and reserved dressing/marinade to the salad and stir it all together. And if you're really good at following directions, it will look something like this. Delicious! (PS: You can add the mandarins individually to each plate right before you eat - otherwise they get crushed.)
Today was a beautiful day and I crammed a quick run into my afternoon.
Not a super long run, but enough fresh air to bring myself back into the indoors with a new attitude.
That was pretty much today for me.
Enjoy some crunchy salad, a good smelling bed and the rest of your week.
~Charlene
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What's the best dish on your menu this week?
Do you garden?
What's your favorite oldies song?
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