Thursday, July 11, 2013

Cleaning the Kitchen Sink Without Chemicals

Sink Scrubbing Solution:
I love my Scrubbing Bubbles for cleaning the bathroom, but I don't like using chemicals in the kitchen where I prep my food. If you are looking for a natural alternate all you need is Distilled White Vinegar and Baking Soda.


Coat the sink with the Baking Soda (I use an old Parmesan Cheese container to sprinkle with). Then in a cup or spray bottle mix 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water solution. When you spray the Baking Soda, it will foam up and do all your scrubbing for you!

Disposal Cleaner:
If you can't find a product that you like, or simply want a natural solution, put one cup ice and 1/4 cup Lemon Juice into the disposal and run it for 5 minutes, until all the ice is crushed and disposal is empty. Rinse with warm water for 1 minute.


Black Bean, Feta, and Corn Salsa

Not only is this Mediterranean Style salsa delicious and addictive, it is very quick and easy to make. It goes great with wraps or sandwiches, or as a snack by itself. I like to eat it with Low Fat Wheat Thins, but it goes great with any cracker or tortilla chip.

What You Need:
  • 1 can White Corn
  • 1 can Black Beans
  • About 2-3 stalks Green Onion (chopped and white parts discarded)
  • 1 block/package Feta (crumbled)
  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 Tblsp Sugar (not pictured).



Simply drain the Corn and Black Beans as well as possible, and combine all ingredients in a bowl or container. Its ready to go, but you can chill it in the fridge if you prefer. Be sure to mix it well after it sits for any amount of time so your flavor remains consistent!



Monday, July 8, 2013

Make Dog Diapers from Child Diapers

OK, so either your dog is going into heat or has incontinence. Either way you need diapers and fast! So you may or may not save much money doing this, but you may save yourself from frustration and driving around to 5 different places looking for dog diapers. Also, I've found that once I get home, I am severely disappointed in the quality of the dog diapers. They often have a plastic tape that holds them in place, and once it comes undone the diapers is useless. The toddler diapers on the other hand have a Velcro type adhesive that means you can take the diaper off to let your dog potty and then put it back on a few times throughout the day before it gets worn out.

I used Pampers Cruisers since they are designed for a toddler about town :) and I figured the stretchy fit would be more comfortable for my pup.

My dog weighs about 40 pounds or less and has a slim frame, so I went with a smaller size so it wasn't baggy and constantly needing to be pulled up.

Get out your diaper and and locate the back. (Pampers have the size printed on the back so its easy). Fold it in half, be careful not to cut through the front and the back. I made the top of my tail hole about 1/2 inch below the start of the padding (which is the crease in the pictures).

Cut a little more than 1/2 inch slits approximately 2 inches apart.

Finish cutting out the square for the whole. Remember it doesn't need to be perfect.

Throw these away so your dog doesn't try to eat them like mine did :P

Now you are ready to wiggle your pup into it. Good Luck!



FINAL RESULT!


Photo-Bombed!

I like to go ahead and cut a whole pack of diapers, so I can just pull one out and its ready to go. Plus, my boyfriend cut himself pretty good while trying to cut out the tail whole so I saved him the trouble. But its all up to you!! I hope you found this tutorial helpful!