Water Kefir

Keith and I started drinking water kefir this past Spring and LOVE it.

The biggest difference I saw when using it was with my skin - it totally cleared up and got "the glow. I threw out our batch a few months ago because I thought it went bad (but it didn't, oops!) but have finally started it up again last week. I can't wait to see the difference in my skin again.

We love this stuff and Keith was so upset when I threw it out! He said "it's like you threw out our children!" Why did he say that? Because the grains are alive. Kefir is a bacteria, an awesome kind of bacteria. It's a dairy-free, fermented probiotic so it's great for your gut. We think of it as our cost-efficient way to have probiotics. We used to pay heaps of money on probiotic capsules but now we just drink this. It's also like "nature's pop" since when you leave it for a certain amount of time, you get the fizz!

It smells funny but tastes great. We kinda nickname it "baby puke" because it smells like that - gross right? But so good! Depending on how long you let it sit for (48-72 hours) the less sweet it will be. We usually do the 72 hour wait since we like ours a bit more tangy than sweet.

It's so easy to start and make yourself. The only thing you need is:

• water kefir grains (we got ours from Big Carrot)
• water
• organic cane sugar (we get ours from Moberly Natural Foods) 

The best way to learn how to do it is go to Cultures for Health (the brand of water kefir grains we got) and watch their videos. Here they are!

1. Watch this one to know how to hydrate your grains when you first buy them.

2. Then watch this one when you're ready to make your first batch!

Then repeat every 2-3 days or so.

We're sold. And I won't throw out this batch, promise.

New Toothpaste Recipe

Wow, the last post was August! Can you tell I'm a student?

We've continued to use and make all of the things we've posted over the past few months and years, still loving them! Today I tried a new toothpaste though so I thought I'd share!

We've been using this toothpaste recipe from David Suzuki since October 2012 and love it. Every time Keith and I go to the dentist they don't stop commenting about our teeth and gums - it's a constant "wow" from them. When I was there last week the Hygienist said "you have no stains on your teeth, you don't drink coffee do you?" and I said "I sure do!" and she said "through a straw?!" I laughed and in my head thought my homemade toothpaste is awesome. Keith gets comments like this all the time as well and neither of us tell them we make our own toothpaste because we think they'll say something against it once they know it's homemade and natural.

This week I ran out of vegetable glycerin and haven't had a chance to pick up my order yet so we've been using the sample toothpaste from the dentist. Blech. But today I found this other recipe and made a batch until I pick up my vegetable glycerin. 

Natural Tooth Soap and Paste Recipe

• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2.5 tsp coconut oil 
• 7 drops of peppermint essential oil

That's it! It felt a lot more smooth than the other one we use and a bit more sour for some reason? But my mouth still felt fresh and clean once I was done.

Good to have another option on hand. If we continue to like this one, we'll probably alternate recipes every time we run out.

Do you have another toothpaste recipe you like?