Healthy Gluten Free High Protein Oatmeal Bars

I am always looking for healthy snacks for school lunches.  My kids are pretty good eaters, but I find getting protein into their lunch at school can be a challenge.  With many schools not allowing nuts, that takes a many protein options out of the pool.

So I have been on the hunt for a kid friendly protein bar without the nut butter.  I also watch the gluten content of foods so gluten free is a bonus.  After a few test runs I have found one that the kids love and I actually have to hide it when I make it so they don't devour the entire batch of bars!

Photo from Peas and Thank-you blog

I adapted this recipe from the Chocolate Chip Zee Bars from Peas and Thank You - she has posted great pictures for each step.  

I changed it up a bit, and added some flax seed meal and hemp hearts.   I have posted the Healthy Gluten-Free Oatmeal Protein Bars on this site for all to enjoy! 

Now lets see how long the kids will eat these.  As with most things I create, I can only offer it for a limited time to keep the interest there.  So I will have to create some variations of this for sure!

Making your own laundry soap

Many of us these days are conscious of the environment and of the choices we make when purchase various products.  Laundry detergent may not seem like a big deal, but it is.  Considering the toxicities of their chemical ingredients and the carbon foot print caused in production and delivery, I have opted to do some research and find a cheaper, more eco-friendly option. 

In this post I am going to tell you about how to make your own laundry soap!  It is so easy and only requires a few natural ingredients! If you have allergies at all in your family, this is definitely a recipe to try.

My version is made for hard water as we have very hard water where I live, but if you have soft water, we can easily make one for you too!  The ingredients:  Borax, Soap Flakes and Washing Soda!  That is all.

Soap recipe

Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load).  I like to only use 1 Tbsp per load on my HE washer.

• 1 cup of soap flakes or grate a bar of soap such as ivory.
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda

If you have soft water, decrease the washing soda to half. Thoroughly stir together and enjoy the results!  This laundry soap works so well and is so cost effective ($0.08 per load).  For anyone that wonders if Borax safe, well it is!  Borax is about as dangerous as baking soda.  Do not however confuse it with Boric Acid.  The two are NOT the same.  Stay away from Boric Acid.For those of you who want more info, read this excellent Crunchy Betty article where she expounds the toxicity levels of borax.

High Efficiency (HE) Washers - HE front-load washers require “special soap” for one reason alone – low suds. Because they use less water, they require soap that is less sudsy. The good news is,this homemade detergent is VERY low suds. 

Where to buy:  I purchased the soap flakes through well.ca, a great place to shop online for groceries and shipping is free!  They carry many natural and eco-friendly products.  Washing soda and Borax are both available at your local grocer.

Quick and Easy Homemade Vapor Rub

I have been wanting to make my own homemade version of vicks vapor rub.  I don't know if you remember the stuff from childhood, but I certainly do!  If I had a cold or cough my would always put this on my chest or under my nose.  I loved the smell of it.  Very relaxing and I would always manage to fall asleep after my mom would give me some.  

Nowadays I am looking for more natural, do it yourself home remedies, and ones that I can use on my kids.  This is what brought me to research this recipe.  I found one that is great and very simple to do.  If you can bake cookies, this is a no brainer.  

The recipe is taken from Crunchy Betty! Love the blog name.  Very few ingredients are required and you should be able to find them all at a local health food store or vitamin shop.  I went to our local one "The Garage" (The Community Farms Store) here in Duncan.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Beeswax beads or grated beeswax
• peppermint essential oil
• eucalyptus essential oil
• rosemary essential oil

No exceptions, eucalyptus and peppermint mixed together will quickly relieve a stuffy nose or irritating cough.  Rosemary is a natural antibacterial and antiviral and know to be a great essential oil for respiratory and sinus health. 

So now that you have your ingredients list, just get a glass measure cup to make it in, have a small jar or container to pour it into.  I used an baby jar and a mini jam jar.  Sterilize your container by pouring boiling water into the container and the lid.

Take your glass measuring cup and add 1/4 cup EVOO and 2 tsps beeswax.  Melt it either on the stove with the glass measuring cup in a pot of hot/boiling water or 2 mins in the microwave.  Heat it up just to melt the beeswax into the EVOO.  Once melted add your essential oils.  I used 35 drops of Peppermint, 15 drops eucalyptus and 10 drops of rosemary.  You can experiment with other oils, but I like this combination best. 

Mix the oils in by stirring for a few minutes, then pour into your containers.  To speed up the solidification of the mixture, put it in the fridge.  Once fully cooled put the lid on and you are good to go!  This will last at least 6 months or more!