Soap Nuts.

Yes, I said Soap Nuts. Actually, they're the dried berry of the Chinese Soapberry Tree.

Anyway, had to go to King of Prussia the other day and while we were that far, we decided to pop over to West Chester to go to Senora's Authentic Mexican (I don't how to do the thingy on the 'N') for lunch. Then we thought, while we're here, let's see if the Great Pumpkin Market is still open.

I had heard about Soap Nuts before, but I hadn't seen them in a store, at least not that I can remember. The best part, they had them in a trial size. Which meant I didn't have to buy the 80 load huge box, just to try them. So we've got the first load in the wash right now. Wish me luck.

Here's the deal about Soap Nuts. First thing, if you want all the info go to Maggie's Pure Land Products website. But I'll summarize it here. Basically, they're a natural source of Saponin which is a natural cleanser. It's been used for something like 2500 years and is low sudsing and safe for high efficiency machines.

You take like 5 of them and put them in a cotton pouch and toss it in the washer (use less for hot water). It's fragrance free and works naturally as a fabric softener, which is great for me because I'm allergic to fabric softener. And you get to reuse them. Once the saponin's gone you toss them in the compost pile or turn them under in the garden.



I'll let you know how it turns out, but everything I can find online says that everyone who uses them loves them.

This Hippy Has a Plan

So, things have got to change at this hippy's house. We're disorganized at best and it shows almost more than anywhere else in our eating habits. And we both ought to get it under control, because we need to get our weight maintained better for our health. I have arthritis in my spine and really bad knees and he has acid reflux and apnea. It's all aggravated by excess weight, which let me tell you, we have plenty of at this house.

So, we have a dear friend who also needs to make some major changes for health reasons, and she has a diabetic son. So, our family is going to support her family and vice versa. We have some similar hurdles, like a tendency to skip breakfast, and not eat as regularly as we should. We all need to get our portions under control, especially for snacks.

Our plan is not the same as hers, but they're similar enough that we can help each other a lot. As steps of the plan become habit, we're gonna add new things, until we're doing what we need to do.

So here's the plan:
No more high fructose corn syrup.

No "regular" pasta where it's avoidable. We're gonna use whole wheat and high protein whenever it's possible. (Try finding whole wheat Acini de Pepe in this area.)

Eat breakfast everyday.

Smaller snacks more often. (Not one huge snack late at night.)

Pack a lunch.

Plan out a whole week's meals at a time so we can shop more effectively.



Wish us luck.

More cocoa recipes. (pt 2)

Oh, my. Mocha Cocoa

combine:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp powdered vanilla
• 2 packets Starbucks Via Extra Bold Italian Roast
  

in a mixing bowl.

To enjoy, mix 2-3 Tablespoons into 1 cup of hot water or milk.

Just a heads up, if you're sensitive to caffeine this cocoa packs a bit of a kick. You might consider using the Decaf Via instead of the Italian Roast.

More cocoa recipes.

Plain Jane Classic Cocoa

combine:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1 Tbsp powdered vanilla
  

in a mixing bowl.

To enjoy, mix 2-3 Tablespoons into 1 cup of hot water or milk.

My friend Ann told me she doesn't like fancy cocoa, and it occurred that I never posted the basic recipe that all my fancy cocoas start with.

Another Convert

A while ago, I bought my friend Lisa a stick of Crystal Rock Deodorant. I gave her some time to give it a try and asked her the other day what she thinks of it. SHE LOVES IT. That is all.

I spent my snow day on Cocoa (pt 3)

Candy Cane Cocoa

combine:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 2 Tbsp finely crushed (almost to powder) peppermint candy

in a mixing bowl.

To enjoy, mix 2-3 Tablespoons into 1 cup of hot water or milk.

Crush your candy canes or starlight mints in a coffee grinder, or food processor to get to a powder quickly. I did mine with a mortar and pestle and it took forever. (My coffee grinder make everything taste like cloves from using it to grind spices a few too many times.)

I spent my snow day on Cocoa (pt. 2)

Gingerbread Cocoa

combine:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw (crushed to powder)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp powdered vanilla

in a mixing bowl.

To enjoy, mix 2-3 Tablespoons into 1 cup of hot water or milk.

Sugar in the Raw comes as rather large crystals and will need to be crushed down somewhat for this recipe to make sure it dissolves completely. It's added for it's molasses content and could be replaced with superfine sugar without sacrificing much taste.

I get my powdered vanilla at Kitchen Krafts in Quakertown.