Make Your Own Ice Pack

Original post: Make your own shapeable ice pack

To make your own shapeable ice pack, mix 1 part rubbing alcohol with 3 parts water in a ziploc bag and put in the freezer. The alcohol will prevent the water from freezing completely. When it’s frozen, wrap with a towel or cloth of some sort and apply. If the mixture freezes too hard, just add a little more alcohol.  If it’s too slushy, add a little more water.

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Me: I made 6 of these when The Teenager had his wisdom teeth taken out. They work like a gem!  I double bagged them so if they leaked, it wouldn’t get all over.  They are really awesome! 

(Caffeine-free) Diet Coke Brownies

Original Source: Diet Coke Brownies

1 box fudge brownie mix (I used the 9 x 13 pan size)

1 (12 oz.) can Diet Coke (I used caffeine-free, of course)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl dump the brownie mix in.  Open that can of Diet Coke and slowly pour over the dry brownie mix. It will foam up a lot.

When all of the Diet Coke has been stirred in and well incorporated the batter will be very liquid, but that's OK.

Pour into a 9 x 13 pan which has been lightly coated with non-stick spray (bottom of the pan only),and bake for 30-35 minutes or as directed on the box. Let them cool, cut them into 24 pieces and try not to eat the entire pan before the family gets home!

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Okay, I made these and Yum!  Delicious!  They were a little chewier, but so good.

But I have to say one thing.

24 pieces?  Seriously?  24? Who cuts them that small? 

If you cut them into 12 pieces, that makes them 4 1/2  WW+ points each.  Of course I cut them even bigger than that, but we won’t go there.

Okay fine, 6 brownies are 9 points each.  I calculated that if I had made them traditionally with eggs and oil, those 6 brownies would have been 16 points each! I saved 7 points!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Original Source: Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower  Pizza Crust

Makes one 9 inch pizza crust

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings*

Directions:
Remove stems and leaves from 1 head of cauliflower, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to your food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (You can also use a cheese grater). Place the “riced” cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes (may need to adjust according to your microwave). No need to add water.

One large head will produce between 2 and 3 cups of riced and cooked cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To make the pizza crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, beaten egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, minced garlic and salt, mix well. Transfer the mixture to your cookie sheet, and pat out into a 9″ round.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool awhile. This helps to make the crust more solid.

To make the pizza:  add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes). *Toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

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Me: The Chocoholic detest cauliflower.  I make him eat it, but he complains the whole time.  So I thought this would be fun to try.  He knew I was making it and he was determined to hate it. 

My head of cauliflower produced 5-6 cups of riced cauliflower.  I quadrupled the recipe and put it in my big cookie sheet.  For toppings, I used a can of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, 1 pound of hamburger, 1 can of crushed pineapple, and cheddar cheese.  I cut it in 8 pieces, so they were pretty big pieces.  And this is what happened.

We ate it before I could get a picture of the finished product!  So you get a picture of the finished off product.  The Chocoholic even ate 2 pieces!  I am thrilled, and cannot wait to make it again.  And I don’t feel guilty about feeding it to my kids because they are eating vegetables!  Whoo Hoo!

How to Fold a Shirt

Original Source:  How to Fold a Shirt

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Me: You have to click on the link above to see the video.  Yes, the video is in Chinese/Japanese, but you seriously have to just watch the video, then try it.  It might take a couple of tries, but once you get it down, you’ll be amazed.  So fast and perfect!  I love it!

DIY Laundry Detergent

Original Source: DIY Laundry Detergent

1 Box (4 lb 12 oz) Borax- Found in the detergent aisle

1 Box (3 lb 7 oz) Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle

1 Container (3 lb) OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle.

2 Bars (14.1 oz) Zote Soap or Fels Naptha, grated- Found in the detergent aisle

2 Boxes (2 lb) Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the cooking aisle

1-2 Bottles (55 oz) Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (This is 100% optional. Like I said, my laundry detergent must smell good and I really like soft towels)

The hardest part is now over and all that’s left is to mix everything together. I used a very large bucket that I got from my Father-in-Law and took a layering approach to mix it easier. I took a small amount of each ingredient and layered it on top of each other, then I grabbed a large mixing spoon and mixed it together. I did this probably 5 times but it was so much easier than dumping all the ingredients in at once and then trying to mix it well.

This batch makes A TON! Now for probably the best part…you only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load depending on the size…I’ll give you some time to re-read that since I’m sure your in total disbelief…recover yet? That’s right, you only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load! Now here comes the stroke of genius, if you opted to put the Purex Crystals in your batch, you can scoop the detergent right into your bottle and use the cap as your measuring spoon. There are 3 lines on the side and the middle one is approximately 2 Tablespoons…genius right?

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Me: I have done this before and it works great.  So inexpensive, and it lasted forever!  I used Fels Naptha before, but this time I chose to use the Zote Soap because…wait for it…it’s pink!  LOL  If you know me, you know I LOVE pink!  So pink laundry soap just makes doing laundry that much more fun!

I used my Bosh mixer to grate the soap.  Much, much faster than hand grating.  And it cleans off really easily.  I mean, it is just soap! 

I have read comments about people being worried about using this soap in cold water, because how is the Zote/Fels Naptha going to melt.  Really?  Melt?  Soap doesn’t melt, it dissolves.  And it dissolves in cold water just fine. 

So looking at this picture, you can see that I filled both bottles, I filled the OxiClean container, and my bucket is almost 1/2 full.  This will last me for months, and I do about 4-5 loads of darks every week.  I don’t use this for my whites and towels, I use Tide with Bleach for those.  But this is an amazing way to save money.  Try it out!

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Original Source: How to make your own microwave popcorn

First you need a plain brown paper sack-- the kind you put a lunch in works great. And a 1/2 cup of raw popcorn-- open the sack so that it will stand up, and pour the popcorn into the sack.  Fold the top down on the sack and put the sack in the microwave standing up straight.  Cook for 2 minutes- just like you do the store bought packages. After it has popped, you can eat it plain- or add any topping you like. There are lots of different ways you can flavor it-- and I promise you won't be able to tell the difference between this & the store bought packages.  It's a lot cheaper too- so that is always a plus!!

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Me: I was very skeptical about this one.  Notice I am skeptical about a lot of things pinned.  But I figured if it doesn’t work, I am only out 1/2 cup of popcorn.  I had The Artist do this for me and look at the result:

I know it blurry, but I had to show you that the bag is full!  Yes, 1/2 cup of popcorn filled the lunch bag!  It popped perfectly!  Then we just used “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spray, which is zero points and it’s the perfect snack!  I am never spending money on microwave popcorn again!  Whoo Hoo!

Homemade Streak-Free Window Cleaner

Original Source:  Streak-Free Window Cleaner

 

3 1/2 ounces Jet Dry
4 Tablespoons rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup ammonia
1/4 cup powdered dish-washer soap
2 Gallons of Hot Water

Squirt windows with hose.

Use long handled brush (we used one of those car washing microfiber thingies) to dip in solution and scrub windows thoroughly. Then spray windows thoroughly to rinse.

Just LOOK at that sheeting action!!

A little while later….the windows will dry to an even shine with no wiping or squeegeeing! A SHINY, STREAK-FREE WINDOW! Just as “advertised”! :-)

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Me: Confession time.  We have lived in our house for 8 years, and I have never cleaned the outside windows.  I know, shameful. So I was excited when I read about this.  Skeptical, but excited.  I figured if it works, great.  If it doesn’t, at least I will have cleaned them.  I went out and bought the scrubber from Wal-Mart.  It’s the exact same one, and was very inexpensive.  I followed her instructions, but I doubled the recipe, because I was going to do all the windows.  I didn’t need to.  I had plenty to do every single window, with lots left over. 

I enlisted the help of my children, who lugged the bucket around, sprayed windows, and even climbed ladders and washed the 3 highest windows for me.  When we were done, we went back to the first window, and guess what?

It was GORGEOUS!  It truly was streak and spot free!  I was amazed!  And it was so fast.  We did all the windows in just about an hour.  And that included taking the screens out and spraying them off and spraying down my vinyl siding to get all the dirt off. 

I did learn that when rinsing the window after scrubbing it, spray it really good from the top down to get all the soap off the window.  I will definitely be doing this over and over again! 

Using Rice to Clean Bottles

Original Source: Rice as Vase Scrubber

Prepare a stained vase for a new batch of blooms. If you can't reach the residue at the bottom, add a tablespoon of rice and a lot of soapy water, shake, and rinse until clean.

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Me: I started doing this a few years ago, and it is really amazing.  It works with any kind of bottle, including baby bottles.  We use it now with cleaning our water bottles.  You know how they get residue stuck in the bottom and it’s a pain to clean.  Not any more!  Try it!

Make your mascara last longer

Original Source: How to Make Your Mascara Last Longer

• Add 4-5 drops of saline solution (for contacts) to your mascara bottle.
• Insert the wand and stir!

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Me: This works!  After I saw this pin, I tried it and my mascara was like new!  I have done this many times since.  It gives weeks of life to your mascara.  It’s truly amazing.  Try it out!

Bubble Snake Maker

Original post: Bubble Snake Maker

1.  Gather your supplies ~ an empty plastic bottle, a piece of terry cloth fabric and a rubber band.

2.  Cut the bottom off your plastic bottle and cut your fabric into a circle.

3.  Assemble your Bubble Snake Maker by putting the fabric over the open bottom of your bottle and securing it with the rubber band.

4.  Put some dish detergent in a bowl and add a little bit of water.  Dip your Bubble Snake Maker in and you're ready to go!

5.  Have fun making your Bubble Snakes!!  After dipping into the soap mixture, gently blow into the mouth of your bottle.  A slow, gentle stream of air will create a long chain of bubbles.  ( Just don't inhale, or you might get a mouthful of bubbles ~ yuck! )

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Me: I admit, I was pretty skeptical about this, but take a look…

It worked!  My kids had a lot of fun playing with these.  I didn’t cut the rag because I still wanted to use them.  Then I thought, what if we used bubble solution instead of dish soap?

They did not work as well.  They were sufficient, but after seeing the dish soap bubbles, they weren’t as impressive.  I would stick with the dish soap.  This is something that even young children can do.  It’s a definite hit around here, and we will be doing it again.