Hair Care Resolutions - Apple Cider Vinegar

One of my resolutions for this year is to explore natural hair care alternatives, namely the no 'poo regiment, which involves breaking up with commercial shampoos & conditioners and instead using baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The idea of replacing lovely-scented lathers and creamy conditioners is a bit sad, but there are reasons and costs for their being enticing to consumers. On my journey back to basics, I have been weaning myself off by taking it one step at a time. When my supply of Whole Food's 365 Shampoo & Conditioner in Lavender Blend (read my review) ran out, I decided to repurchase only shampoo (in Herbal Mint - this natural scent is quite faint). 

For conditioner, I purchased a bottle of apple cider vinegar, part of which is poured into a jar that's stored in my bathroom. Each time before I wash my hair, I pour about a tablespoon of ACV into an old, clean yogurt cup and set it by my shower. When I'm ready for conditioner, I run hot water from my shower directly into it - roughly 1 cup. (I learned from trial and error that using cold, or even lukewarm water is not pleasant when pouring it over my head.) Pouring the diluted ACV cup over my hair also takes some practice - make sure to tilt your head so it covers your hair and does not get into your eyes! I try to hold my hair out of the way of the showerhead so the conditioner can really seep into the hair. Then rinse thoroughly! 

So far my complaints have been that it stings when it gets into eyes, and the smell - it is after all vinegar. I think once I master the technique of the rinse, perhaps by using a squeezable water bottle, it will become less of a hassle. Also, I have experimented with reducing the vinegar smell by adding a couple of drops of lavender essential oil into the rinse. This helped slightly, but my essential oils are highly coveted resources. In combination with rinsing thoroughly with water, I think I will be able to avoid the ACV smell, which I get whiffs of when I blowdry my hair. Not sure if this scent would be noticed by others, I asked my boyfriend, whom I briefly mentioned that I was switching up my hair routine, if my hair smelled different. He replied saying that it smelled "like a Halloween mask"... !?! 

All of these things are tolerable when I consider that my hair has been feeling noticeably softer, shinier, and less oily (on day two post wash). And even though I'm still hesitant about rubbing baking soda into my scalp, I'm ready to move onto the next phase of this no 'poo experiment. Since my overriding motto is "no waste," I will wait until I use up my Whole Foods Herbal Mint shampoo. At least I'll get a reusable shampoo container out of it. 

Crunchy Decadent Granola Bars

As one of America's favorite snack categories, granola bars are widely available in many varieties from different brands. They are also some of the easiest to make at home and keep well for future snacking. I especially love that I can customize the ingredient list to my personal taste. So of course, this recipe only serves as a template for your own creative concoctions. 

Homemade Plain Yogurt

Cooking has never felt more like a science experiment than in the process of making homemade yogurt. As someone who works in a research lab, I can say that there are many parallels between growing up bacterial culture in a flask of LB broth and "growing" yogurt by inoculating milk with a yogurt starter. Now that I have whet your appetite with this comparison, I'll continue to describe the remarkably easy process of making plain yogurt at home that anyone can follow.

Disclaimer: This was my first time making yogurt at home and though successful, there are a few things that I would adjust next time I make it. Check out the end of this post for more resources! 

What you'll need: 

- a large pot that fits multiple jars

- smaller saucepan that can hold at least 1 quart of milk

- milk (I used 1 quart of whole milk from Whole Foods ($1.19). If this is your first time making yogurt, I'd suggest starting with this amount.) 

- glass jars with lids (clean jam jars would work fine) 

- thermometer 

- yogurt starter (I used store-bought Stonyfield's organic 0% plain yogurt at 5/$3) 

Note the six live active yogurt and probiotic cultures listed on the back of the Stonyfield cup - S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, bifidus, L. casei, and L. rhamnosus. These guys are the key players that we're trying to make happy in this recipe.

Peach Crumble Dessert

Fresh summer peaches + a friend's birthday party + Smitten Kitchen's peach shortbread recipe = a perfect occasion for a baking project. 


Shortbread, in my mind, has always been associated with dry cookies that come in tins and ten sticks of butter. So I apprehensively approached this recipe, fearing that it would come out too rich for my and others liking. The pictures on the recipe page reassured me that they would be more like a peach bar with crumble rather than a dense, dry shortbread. And the ingredients and instructions made it seem simple enough to whip up two hours before a party. 

Refreshing Summer Spritzer

Summer weather is now in full swing, which means even those of us with camel-like drinking habits are in search of refreshing sources of hydration. What started a year ago as the search for the perfect mojito in the city of Boston (verdict: blueberry or mango mojito at Top of the Hub) has transformed into a quest for the perfect mojito recipe and finally evolved into this "recipe" for a refreshing summer spritzer. Just as the key to the perfect homemade mojito lies in the mint-infused syrup, this drink also calls for mint-infused simple syrup to sweeten. 


Follow the instructions loosely, and change and substitute according to your preferences. (You can even turn this into a spritzer-mojito hybrid by adding rum.) After all, it's summertime and living is easy. 

Healthy Dessert: Quinoa Coconut Pudding

Holidays such as Father's Day (today) always give me the opportunity to concoct scrumptious desserts. With limited ingredients in my kitchen this time, I decided to experiment with a quinoa dessert. I bought two bags of truRoots organic quinoa at 2/$7 from Whole Foods a while back, when I was looking for a carb substance to replace my run-of-the-mill pasta that I had been bringing to work. Since then, I have been discovering as well as creating different recipes using quinoa, including portobello stuffed quinoa and curry quinoa. I also learned that this versatile superfood can be used to make dessert puddings! 

Back in the fall, I made a delicious rice pudding. I figured I would base this quinoa pudding off that recipe and essentially substitute quinoa for the rice. This recipe yields roughly 6 servings and takes about 40 minutes. 

Homemade Pizza with Trader Joe's Dough featuring Fresh Basil

Homemade pizza has always been a go-to meal for me and my boyfriend. In the past, we have created pizzas using store bought items including Boboli crust, pizza sauce, and frozen chicken appetizers. Since my meat-consuming days, we still enjoy tossing ingredients onto a pizza crust for a meal that allows great flexibility - his half, the omnivore's delight, doused in extra parmesan cheese and mine with fresh veggies.

Lately, we have been purchasing the $1 pizza dough from (you guessed it) my favorite store Trader Joe's. Of the three varieties of dough (regular, wheat and garlic & herb), we have been getting the garlic & herb flavor. The instruction says to allow the dough to sit in room temperature for about 20 minutes before kneading and stretching it out on a floured surface. And it only needs 8-10 minutes of cooking at 450 degrees! 

Rainy day baking projects

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon so I decided to bake a couple of desserts - an apple bread (for breakfast this week) and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, which I have been craving for awhile. 


Apple Bread
Here is my version of the above recipe: 
1/2 cup oil (I used slightly less) 
1-1/2 eggs
1 cup (light brown) sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla  (I had no vanilla) 
1-1/2 cups (old Fiji) skinned apples, diced - 1 medium sized apple
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
I also added about 1 cup of mashed soybean paste (I don't know what to call it) that was leftover from making homemade soybean milk. 

INSTRUCTIONS Combine and set aside the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Sift flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture gradually. Add apples and nuts. Bake in 2 regular loaf pans or 3 foil loaf pans for 1-1/2 hours 45 min at 300 350°F. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

*note: I baked the bread at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes


My bread did not rise as much as I expected it to... Perhaps not enough baking soda? I had a slice and it was delicious and moist! Also since I used light brown sugar instead of granulated (the recipe does not specify), the bread is sweet without being overly so and the taste of the apples really comes through. 


Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies 
(adapted from Quaker Oats' Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies) 
Ingredients 
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened (I left it at room temp for a few hours)
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 
1/2 (maybe 3 tablespoons) of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (again, no vanilla)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 2 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips :) yes I'm very healthy


Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins (chocolate chips); mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 (14) minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time Time: 14 min
Yield: I made my cookies fairly big, but this recipe should yield about 2 dozen cookies

(Yes, these really do vanish) 

• PS Happy Earth Day!