Internet Delay

Right now we are experiencing an Internet issue that is apparently state wide and could take 48 hrs to fix. Tomorrow's video post will be delayed until it is restored. Stay tuned!  It will be about natural pet care featuring our newest family member, a black lab puppy we call Cinder.

Convection Oven Perfect Fries

Who doesn’t love a perfect batch of hot, salty French fries?  I know I do! Can you make them successfully in the oven to avoid all that extra fat?  YES!  Will they actually turn out crispy and delicious?  Yes!  I’ve made them for years in the oven.  I’m not going to lie, they are not McDonald’s fries which I have a serious weakness for. (Yes I know they are about as far from natural as possible!)  But for making quick dinners at home WITHOUT deep frying, they are pretty tasty.  I use my convection oven for even heating but a regular oven will work also.

Video Post: How to Make and Use Cloth Diaper Wipes

Today I'm going to show you how I do my diaper wipes at home.  I know there are other great blog posts and videos out there on the subject but I thought I would share how I like to do ours.  I received some cloth baby wipes as a gift from a sweet lady who came to my Aqua Zumba classes.  It go me thinking about it more and how easy it would be to make more of them.  After all, I'm cloth diapering so it's not like its any extra work for laundry.  I just put the cloth wipes with the diapers and launder it all together.  

Deep Cleaning - Naturally

The times that I actually feel motivated to deep clean are so few and far between that I can probably count on one hand the number of times that happens in a year!  So when the urge hits, you gotta run with it!  One such urge came on the other day when I became so disgusted with our basement bathroom that I simply couldn't stand it.  I went to bed thinking about it, and I woke up with one mission.  Deep clean it.  Top to bottom.  Floors to ceiling.  And while I was at it, how about the walls.  ALL the walls in my house. (Serious ambition but not enough hours in the day!)

Video Post: Turkey Bacon

Our family LOVES bacon. But is this turkey bacon any good?

Don't those biscuits look tasty?!!  They are available at Kristin's Kitchen!

Potato Bin

Last year I saw a neat post on Pinterest that I really wanted to try.  It was all about how to grow your own potatoes in a large trash can.  Can’t be that hard right?  We had an old 55 gallon trash bin that had at one point been converted to a rain barrel and was no longer being used as such.  (That was another pinterest project that just didn’t work out for our circumstances.)  The post I read stated that you can yield 100 pounds of potatoes from just one pound of planted spuds.  We love to grow our own food and we knew we would be moving and it could be transportable so it seemed like a great idea.

First we picked up some organic potato planters at the local grow store and cut them into 1 or 2 inch chunks, making sure to leave “eyes” on each chunk.  For experimentation sake, we also left some of them whole.  We then let them sit out on a cookie sheet in a bright room but not in direct sunlight to get them to sprout for about 2 weeks.

We started with our 55 gallon trash can and drilled holes all up and down the bin to make sure there would be plenty of good drainage for watering.  Next, we filled the bottom with about 6 inches of gravel/rock so that the dirt would not get soggy on the bottom.  The next layer was 6 inches of top soil mixed with compost.  My boys loved helping with this step.

Next we put a layer of planter potatoes leaving a few inches of space all around each piece.  Finally, we covered those with another 2 inches of soil and watered them well.

It took about two weeks to see the plants sprout up but once they did they just took off.  Each time the plants got about 6 inches we filled in another 3 inches of dirt until eventually the whole bin was full of dirt.  The idea is that you get potatoes to grow all throughout the bin this way.  The plant on top was looking beautiful and luscious.  I wish I had a picture to show you but I apparently forgot to take one!

Then we moved.  We didn’t just move, we moved to the mountains where the air was thin and dry and the sun was harsh and the nights got cold.  Too cold.  Our poor potato plant just didn’t know what hit it.  We want to do another one next year and try to account for our climate.  I think we shocked our potatoes.

Even still, though the plant died after we moved, we were able to harvest about 1 and a half pounds of new potatoes.  The kids had a great time digging through the bin and finding potatoes.  We were able to have one meal with our roasted potato babies!   

Here’s to a large crop next year!

Have you ever tried a potato bin?  What are your tips and tricks?

Video Post: Use Coconut Oil for Split Ends

Since moving up to the mountains, my hair has been pretty dry.  Yes, I do need a haircut.  BUT is there anything I can do for my dry, split ends?  I've been wanting to try this coconut oil trick for a while so here goes.

What are YOUR natural tricks for split ends?

Pineapple Chips

Turning away from processed sugar is sometimes hard.  OK, it’s really hard.  I love sweets… candy, baked goods, and CHOCOLATE just to name a few.  When I let myself and family have too many treats I can feel the addiction!  And let’s be clear.  Sugar IS an addiction and one the food industry relies on to line their pockets and keep us coming back for more.    We all know that sugar is bad for us and especially highly processed candy and fruit snacks available on the market right now.  In an effort to reduce sugar intake in our house, we like to eat fruits.  Dried pineapple chips are delicious, sweet, and chewy.  It’s a good way to satisfy a sweet tooth craving.

Happy New Year!!! Let's Start Fresh!

Happy New Year from Sports Bras and Aprons!  For those of you who have never visited, first of all, welcome!  This blog was started as I began my journey to better health in January of 2013.  It's been two whole years. Wow times flies!!  But for the last year my posts have been intermittent as I was pregnant and now have a beautiful little 4 month old daughter to add to my little family of 5 now.