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Better Than the $1 Menu: Superfoods that Ring in for 99 Cents or Less | Shine Food By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., EatingWell Magazine Every few months, it seems, there's hype about the latest, hottest superfood--chia seeds and acai berries spring to mind. But LOTS of foods, many of which are stocked in nearly every grocery store in America, are "superfoods"-foods brimming with various disease-fighting nutrients, usually without providing too many calories. Don't Miss: 7 of the Healthiest Foods You Should Be Eating (But Probably Aren't) The added bonus to eating more of these easy-to-find super-healthy foods? They won't break the bank. 1. Related: Lentil Soup & More Healthy Recipes for Lentils 2. 3. Related: Easy Kale Chips & More Kale Recipes 4. 5. 6. Don't Miss: Immune-Boosting Superfoods 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Don't Miss: 10 Superfoods You Might Be Eating Everyday *These are average prices gathered from online grocery stores and a USDA 2011 survey of fruit and vegetable prices. What's your favorite healthy food for under $1? By Kerri-Ann Jennings More from EatingWell:

Moonlight Cushion Gently cycles through an array of hypnotic colours We’ve heard of soft lighting but this is ridiculous: an impossibly fluffy cushion that gently cycles through an array of hypnotic colours whenever you press it in the middle. Ingenious! Yes, fellow chillaxers, the Moonlight Cushion makes rival soft furnishings look positively boring. Luxe white furry cushion Powered by a battery pack hidden inside a zip-up compartment, this squishy square’s low energy LEDs ensure the whole shebang is both bright and safe. When it’s not doing its glowy-showy thing, the Moonlight Cushion looks just like a luxe white furry cushion.

How to Make Your Own Hand Cream and Hand Lotion We all know that our hands show our age. Taking proper care of our hands is an important part of any beauty regimen. Keeping our hands moisturized will help prevent the loose and wrinkled skin that comes with aging. Almond Hand Cream Recipe Ingredients: 1/4 cup of beeswax 1/2 cup of almond oil 1/2 cup of coconut oil 1/4 cup of rosewater Melt the beeswax in a pan or double boiler (double boiler works best so the heat is not so intense). Cocoa Butter Hand Cream Recipe 3 tablespoons of beeswax 3 tablespoons of cocoa butter 3 tablespoons of almond oil Using a pan or double boiler, mix together the beeswax and cocoa butter until melted. Honey and Banana Hand Lotion Recipe 1 banana 1 teaspoon honey 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (softened or melted) Mash the banana very well.

How To Make Your Own Hand Cream Creams combine the hydrating effects of water with the emollient actions of oil. They are nutritive and moisturizing to both skin and hair, as they lubricate and hydrate the body, face and scalp. According to the book "Earthly Bodies and Heavenly Hair, Natural and Healthy Personal Care for Every Body" by herbalist Dina Falconi, making your own cream should be done with sterilized equipment and clean hands, as creams are prone to bacterial contamination. Steep your herbs of choice in eight oz. of liquid oil for three to six weeks. You could use olive, peanut, jojoba or almond oil. All of these oils will condition and lubricate your skin and hair, and the depending on the herbs you infuse in them, you will receive additional benefits. Strain out the herbs and measure six oz. of the oil for your cream. Measure out three oz. of cocoa butter, shea butter or coconut oil, one oz. of beeswax and nine oz. of liquid, such as distilled water, distilled witch hazel or an herbal infusion.

How to Make Handmade Hand Lotion (w/ label download) | A Sonoma Garden An Important Post Update on using Preservative with this Lotion I had always been a little intimidated with the idea of making handmade toiletries, such as lotions, lip balms and the such. First of all, I thought I’d need all sorts of expensive ingredients. However I was getting really fed up with the store bought lotion. Enter this hand lotion recipe (below) that I found on TipNut last fall and you know what? 1 1/4 cup hot water 1/4 cup emulsifying wax (Don’t use beeswax, here’s an easy homemade beeswax lotion recipe) 1/4 cup olive oil 24-36 drops essential oilTips on using a preservative I buy my emulsifying wax & essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. I have found that our coffee mugs hold almost exactly 1 1/4 cup of water, so I fill is up and microwave that for 1 minute or until about 120 degrees. Then pour the hot water into the wax/olive oil mixture and watch it turn milky white. Oh and of course, you’ll need decorative labels to put on your jars, which you can download here.

Building Your Medicine Chest: First-Aid Antiseptic Ointment Today I want to share with you an all-natural product that you can make easily at home in order to build your DIY medicine chest. This homemade antiseptic ointment is packed full with germ-killing properties that will help treat everyday minor cuts, scraps, and abrasions. You can use this ointment just as you would a tube of that pricey commercially-prepared stuff. Best part of this is…you control the ingredients! First-Aid Antiseptic Ointment Ingredients 0.5-1 ounce (approx. 1-2 tablespoons) raw beeswax, grated8 ounces (approx. 1 cup) olive, almond, or coconut oil (this is the BEST coconut oil on the planet and it makes the BEST ointments)1/4 teaspoon non-GMO vitamin E oil 20 drops tea tree (Melaleuca) essential oil 15 drops lavender essential oil10 drops lemon essential oil For recipes such as these, I only recommend the use of dōTERRA™ Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade™ essential oils. Directions Over very low heat, in a small pot or double boiler, melt oils and beeswax. Notes

Lavender Healing Salve Tutorial | iMake A salve is a lotion, ointment, paste or cream used to heal very dry, sore, irritated skin. For example, dry hands, chapped lips or sunburn. This salve contains lavender essential oil, lavender is well know for its healing properties. This recipe makes quite a lot of salve – approximately 250 ml, so please be prepared with more containers than you think you might need. You will need: A saucepanA heatproof jug (one reserved especially for these type of projects)Suitable pots, jars or tinsKitchen scales Ingredients: 45 g beeswax pellets45 g cocoa butter (solid)120 ml olive oil (any type)10 ml lavender essential oil What I did… Wash and dry your containers and lay them on a tea towel. Gather and weigh your ingredients. Melt the ingredients together by keeping the water simmering. Take the jug out of the pan, leaving the water simmering. Return the jug to the pan to liquify the mixture again. Leave to cool fully (in the fridge is fine) and then add a label if you feel so inclined! Like this:

How do you make lotion bars? None of your beeswax! While digging in my bathroom closet the other day, I came across a block of beeswax that I bought last holiday season for making chapstick (recipe coming at some point soon). It was a "what the hell do I do with a big block of beeswax" kind of moment. You guys have those moments? I'm sure you do. It's probably a common occurrence in your house. I did some quick searching on the internet and found some lotion bar recipes, but they all contained oils like avocado that I can't find in my little town. Sarah's Lotion Bars made with semi-normal shit One part Beeswax (you can buy it online, but I found a local source for $9 cheaper per pound. Once it is completely melted, add the almond oil to the double boiler. Allow the white swiggles to melt a bit. Remove the double boiler from the pan and put it on a towel; dry off any water that has accumulated on the bottom. Pour the mixture in to your mold of choice. I left the bars out at room temperature overnight. I cook a lot.

Homemade Hand Cream The following is a post from contributing writer Jami. I have pretty dry hands and during the gardening season they get even worse from the rough scrubbing needed to remove all the resulting dirt. They quickly become chapped, especially around the cuticles. I’ve tried many different brands of hand creams, but I have never found one that I liked both the scent of and had the power to keep my hands looking good. Plus, the ingredient lists on these creams were SO long…surely a hand cream could be simpler, couldn’t it? Yes, I’ve found, it can. Since it’s made with real oils and beeswax, it is, well…oily, so I wouldn’t apply it right before working on the computer or reading a book. Lavender hand cream also makes a terrific gift and can be adapted to use different scents or even be thinned to use with a pump. Supplies Needed (to make about 3/4 c. or 6 oz.) Instructions: Combine the oils in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm, about 5 minutes. Variations:

How to make Hand Cream. Homemade Hand cream and hand lotion recipes Almond Hand Cream Recipe Ingredients: 1/4 cup of beeswax 1/2 cup of almond oil 1/2 cup of coconut oil 1/4 cup of rosewater Directions: Heat 1/4 cup of beeswax slowly in a double boiler. Cocoa Butter Hand Cream Recipe 4 Tbsp. 4 Tbsp. 4 Tbsp. Melt together beeswax and cocoa butter. Shea Butter Hand Cream Recipe for mature skin 4 Tbs parts shea butter 2 Tbs part camellia seed oil 10 drops carrotseed essential oil ( Combine shea butter and camellia oil in a double boiler. Beeswax Coconut Moisturizing Hand Cream recipe 2 Tbsp. 8 Tbsp. Melt together wax and butter. Beeswax Mango Butter Hand Cream Recipe 4 Tbs. 2 Tbs. 8 Tbs. 10 drops carrotseed essential oil Melt together wax and butter. Shea Butter Hand Cream Recipe 2 Tbsp. 8 Tbsp. 10 drops Lavender essential oil Melt together wax and butter. Coffee-licious Hand Cream Recipe 2 Tbsp. 2 Tbsp. 6 Tbsp. Melt together wax and butter. When making your own hand creams and hand lotions, remember these tips: If going preservative-free.... Natural Nail Care Recipes

AP IMPACT: CO2 emissions in US drop to 20-year low PITTSBURGH (AP) — In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal. Many of the world's leading climate scientists didn't see the drop coming, in large part because it happened as a result of market forces rather than direct government action against carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, said the shift away from coal is reason for "cautious optimism" about potential ways to deal with climate change. "There's a very clear lesson here. In a little-noticed technical report, the U.S. Both government and industry experts said the biggest surprise is how quickly the electric industry turned away from coal. Online:

More Than Mere Magic Mushrooms | This Could Be Big This week we're talking about fungus two ways. One that can survive exclusively on polyurethane and another that can replace Styrofoam. Both polyurethane and styrofoam are not biodegradable, so without a solution, all the plastic bottles and old toys we throw out every year will be sitting in landfills for centuries. Yes, you can recycle plastic, but that just means turning it into another product and recycling hasn't sufficiently slowed the production of new plastic. According to a Yale study, globally we produced 245 million tons of plastic in 2006, compared to only 1.5 million tons in 1950. One of the fungi we're looking at is called pestalotiopsis microspora. The other comes from a couple of college friends who discovered that the sticky substance on the bottom of mushrooms called mycelium could be turned into a glue and when that glue is combined with corn husks and other food byproducts it takes on a form similar to Styrofoam. EnvironmentNature & Environment

SustainIndy Home Created in 2008 by Mayor Greg Ballard, the City of Indianapolis’ Office of Sustainability is making the City one of the most sustainable and livable cities in the Midwest. Since its creation, the Office has led this effort by collaborating to achieve community-defined goals and establishing public-private partnerships to create a more sustainable Indianapolis. 2014 Sustainability Awards The Indianapolis Sustainability Awards are designed to inspire innovation, showcase impact, reward leadership and promote education around the principles of sustainability. The 2014 Indianapolis Sustainability Awards Dinner will be held April 30, 2014 at the JW Marriott in Downtown Indianapolis. Thank you to our sponsors! Sustainer Sponsor ($7,500) Only 2 Remaining!! Table Wine Sponsor ($5,500)------------------------------------------------------------- Green Sponsor ($3,000)------------------------------------------------------------- Media Sponsors----------------------------------------------------

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent and Rinse Agent - $ave Naturally | diy Natural Why do we make our own homemade products? It all started with our first batch of homemade laundry detergent, since then we’ve been hooked! Now we’re on a mission to make as many household products as we can. It saves money and gives a sense of joy and accomplishment. Up this week is homemade dishwasher detergent. When you’re done making this check out these other related articles: When we develop product recipes we focus on: 1) saving money, 2) simplicity, 3) and effectiveness. Let’s see how easy this really is: Note: No time or desire to make your own dishwasher detergent? Dishwasher Detergent Recipe 1 cup borax1 cup washing soda1/2 cup citric acid1/2 cup kosher salt (for scrubbing action) Use 1 Tbsp per load (you can use a heaping tablespoon if you feel the need, but we do not). Each batch yields 24 ounces of detergent. For a DIY rinse agent, simply fill the compartment with white vinegar. Ingredients and Cost

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