Category Archives: blog

detox foot & armpit mask

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Many people love bentonite clay + apple cider vinegar masks on their face, but did you know you can also use these to detox other areas of your body? I like to keep a small glass jar upstairs with the 2 ingredients and a wooden chopstick. Makes whipping up a batch of this stuff so quick and easy.

Pour a few Tbsp of bentonite clay into my 4 oz jar, add in organic ACV until it gets smooth and stir it well with the wooden stick (do not use metal with the bentonite clay).
It will get nice and smooth and bubbly – way better than mixing it with water! My favorite essential oil to mix in is dōTERRA’s Zendocrine detoxification blend. It is an amazing blend of tangerine, rosemary, geranium, juniper berry and cilantro essential oils!

These oils are fantastic to support cleansing of the endocrine system (great for your skin) and cilantro is also excellent for heavy metal cheating.

Add in 2-3 drops of the Zendocrine oil to your wet clay mixture, cover your feet. Prop them up and sit back with a good book and let it dry before washing all those toxins and inpurities out!

This is also GREAT for an armpit detox!! Pulling out those toxins and odors can be very beneficial, especially when switching to natural deodorants.

Some other fun oils to try as add-ins::

  • Deep blue to sooth tired feet and sore muscles
  • Slim and sassy to boost metabolic function and detox
  • Lemongrass and peppermint for a fresh and cooling pick-me-up
  • Cilantro to pull out heavy metals

Have fun with these & Let me know how you like it!

airstream renovation: back bunk room

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It’s quite rewarding to spend so much time and energy making a plan for a versatile yet small space, draw it out, change it a million times, tweak it again, figure out how the heck it will work and then actually get to make it happen.

Today was a loooong day, but we finally made it happen! My poor husband has been putting in 12+ hour days on the weekends and long evenings during the week, so this week I jumped in to help and man….. I’m spent.

This weekend’s project was to start on the interior build-outs!
We chose to start with the back bunk room for a few reasons:

1: we knew the sizing of the beds that we wanted so the space was non-negotiable. With several spots still in question as to where we will designate the space, the beds with fixed sizing seemed like a logical spot to dive in

2: the curves are a pain. The back lower bunk on the curve gave us a good spot to practice that will be more out of sight than the front dinette in case our first attempt was less than stellar

3: the boys are over the moon about sleeping in this thing and it is pretty fun to watch their excitement over their beds going in – plus they can ‘camp out’ on them now over the weekends while we finish the rest

What we ended up doing:
2 twin XL bunks that will be cut down a few inches (35.5 width vs 39). We originally had them much narrower, but decided to pull them out a bit so that the edge would be on the rib and line up with the start of the back curve (for extra support and strength). We did not want the full 39 inches because every inch counts in this thing and we figured that narrowing it a few inches would be a happy medium and still sufficient for rapidly growing boys to house them for years to come.

Next to the bunks we have the awesome massive generator box :/ To cover this, we decided on a custom pull out bed that folded could still be plenty of space for our 2 year old and when needed would open up to a full sized bed. Instead of making it fold in half like a traditional futon does, we cut it in 1/2 the other way lengthwise. The folded dimensions will be 54″ x 40″ and it will open up to 54″ x 75″ for the full bed. Since our little guy is still mostly little, this would give us room to grow but should be more than sufficient space for him to sleep without opening it up each night.


We knew we wanted this room to be versatile and a spot that all 5 of us could use if we have travel guests, opening up the front ‘bed’ for the guests. During the day we also wanted a good spot for the boys to hang out, a place anyone could crash for a nap or curl up with a book, and also a spot that could function for he boys school work if needed. The full sized bed when folded next to the bottom bunk creates a large ‘L’ shaped seating area and allows space for a built-in desk under the opposite window to open up (we haven’t engineered this part yet). You can see how the 2 beds together make the ‘L’ shaped seating area, but check out when it opens! Not only can it be a full sized bed that will be next to the bunks, but the total sleep area on the bottom when it is fully extended will be slightly larger than a Cali King mattress, which will be awesome when we need it! The other reason we chose to go with a full bed cut in 1/2 is that we extended the center bath to be about 40″ wide so the door from the hallway should line up well with this offset layout.

STORAGE:
We need every inch of storage space we can get, so under the beds will be the ‘dresser’ to store the boys’ clothes. There are 3 large storage compartments under the back bunk and we hinged the corner so that we can access that for less frequently needed items along with all the electrical boxes and breaker box.

Under the full bed when folded shut is the generator and then 3 compartment areas for additional storage. I am also working on a concept to make 3 storage boxes that will sit on the top half of this bed to turn it into more of a window seat. The 3 top storage boxes will be their ‘toy’ boxes – each boy will get his own box and that is where they will get to pick whatever toys they want to bring…..as long as it fits into their box.

I know, some people think it is crazy to limit them to one box, but the whole idea of this lifestyle is to get outside, get moving and SIMPLIFY! You would be shocked at how many toys still fit into that space. I am quite excited to put the rest of this room together, but for now you’ll just have to envision the plans based on the frame 🙂

For those who want the ‘how-to’ part, here ya go:

1 – we started with framing out the front of the back bunk. Keep in mind the walls are curved in all directions which can make a square, perfectionist personality literally lose their mind! The width of the airstream at 20″ high is several inches wider than what it is at the floor so the key to framing it out is measure 10 x & hopefully cut once.

We made the bed frames 20″ high because that is what we needed to clear the generator box after insulating. We knew we wanted the beds all the same height to give it the versatility to open into one large bed if needed. Once that front framing piece was set, we screwed it into the floor and went from there.

2 – made a back frame piece on the ‘straight’ part under the window that we could use to support the back.

3 – started filling in that area with slats since we knew those storage sections would be accessed from the front. We originally wanted to hinge the entire back bed, but for some reason once we started we figured we’d just go with front access storage areas. We cut a solid panel for the back corner since the only way to access that part will be top down. We have debated whether or not it was a mistake not to hinge the whole thing, but it’s done and I think what we have will still work out fine.

How to make the slide-out bed:

1 – Do the math to see how long you will need each section. for us, our open size needed to be 54″ wide by 75″ long.

2 – We made one frame that would be fixed and another frame that would move with the bottom when the bed was fully extended. Once you determine the length of the slats you need, you then alternate securing the slats to the “top” and “bottom” frame pieces. This is the point where a video is worth a thousand words, so I will post a video of how the frames work and slide later this week.

I would try and explain it more, but it’s late and our brains were fried hours ago from trying to do the math on this. We ended up with a bit of trial and error because it was just easier to dive in and figure out our measurements hands on. It led to a few more adjustments than we originally had planned, but it all worked out in the end and I think considering we have never built anything like this before it turned out pretty well!

Please post any questions here – we would love to answer them and are documenting more of the details in hopes that it may help some poor soul figure out their plan a little easier. We would be lost if it weren’t for so many of you awesome renovators that have gone before us sharing your tips, plans, ideas and how-to’s! We are so grateful!

airstream renovation: flooring

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Something is FINALLY happening on the inside!! I think at the end of all this maybe we will have time to better organize our updates, but for now just trying to keep up with it so we can have some of this written down and documented. This week we’ve made some big strides!

We installed the floors early this week. We went with TrafficMASTER allure after reading a lot of reviews on what to use and not use in a travel trailer. It is so crazy the things you have to factor in and consider when taking your ‘home’ into all different climates and also moving it around constantly. It is like having to build everything to be able to withstand an earthquake at all times. So fun. Anyway, the floors we went with a floating plank style but since we could not use real wood bc of climate control, moisture and weight issues we went with the Allure vinyl plank. Here’s what went down (literally)

It is crazy how much the lighting changes the shade of this floor, but in most light it is more of a neutral unfinished tone than the golden hue. We wanted it to be warmer than a grey driftwood, but still light and very neutral.

Pros: easiest floor we have ever installed. So so so easy. Literally press it down and a pair of heavy duty clippers or box cutters did the trick to make the cuts. It looks great – has a nice texture and we loved the color options. It is super easy to clean and seems very durable as little ones have already dropped tools and heavy objects on it with no ill result (big plus).


Cons: installing it in a travel trailer voids the warranty or any type of guarantee it may otherwise have. In reading the fine print, it actually recommends installing it in a cool dark place. Well that makes life rather boring. Short story:: it can’t take the heat.

So the day after we celebrated our beautiful new floors it hit triple digits here in the high desert. Blaring hot sun with no reprieve. By mid day with it closed up and stored the floors were already having issues 🙁 we have several spots that buckled and warped with the high temps. Thankfully as it cooled again that night some of it went back down, but we are going to have to go through and glue down several parts of our nice new and NOT cheap floating vinyl floor….which is a bummer.


It still looks good. It will still work, but despite all the rave reviews we had read, we will NOT likely be recommending this flooring to anyone renovating an RV or travel trailer bc of this. Unfortunately most other flooring options would be just as bad or worse so we feel we still have a good choice, but definitely not impressed at it warping in spots on day 1. Hoping it will be a fairly easy fix and we will not have more issues with it moving forward. Overall we are still happy to have it in and excited to move on to the next step: building in the furniture!

airstream renovation :: wall panels back in

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We finally have some visible progress! The walls are finally all in! E made a door to cover the big hole (aka generator opening) and we have sanded, primed and painted every single wall panel and re-installed them all.

Since we have moved several things on the top center panel, we had to cut a new piece of aluminum for both the center panel and the front end cap (curve). E did an amazing job engineering that – NOTHING about working with curved space is fun or easy, but he pulled it off and it looks great!

The kids are having a lot of fun now that they can spend more time inside with us ‘helping.’

Because we have added in fans and moved the A/C unit we had to completely replace the top center panel. This was a fun process of a LOT of measuring twice….and three and four times to make sure we only had to cut once. It was pretty funny watching 4 adults try and hold that piece of aluminum up as we slid it into the center holds. Amazing how heavy a little piece of aluminum can get holding it above your head for an extended amount of time, but we made it and it fit perfectly!!

We installed 12v led lights down the center panel through the whole thing. We now have working lights, outlets and a working A/C unit (we hit our goal to get the A/c installed and up and running before the desert heat creeps in!).

We’ve been really blessed this week with some cooler weather – I know it won’t last long, so we are enjoying the clouds and moderate temps while they’re here! 

It’s time to start getting serious about the interior design and build out the insides! We think we know what we want, but I am having a hard time deciding on some of the materials (shocker, I know). We want the interior to be bright, open and airy so we are going with a lot of white and light colors, but with 3 boys (ok more like 4 counting the hubs) and living outdoors most of the time, too much white may prove to be a bad call.

We are en route to the lumber yard as I type this so stay tuned for some good progress pics in the next few weeks!! We’re down to 7 weeks to get this thing completely DONE and get moved in, so the pressure is on and the hours are getting long!

Long nights?

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I had a long night up with the kiddos the other night and woke up looking a bit…puffy around the eyes. I decided to try correct-X on one eye and a very expensive eye cream on the other to see if the rumors I had heard were true that this can aso be a magic eye cream. Within minutes I could tell and feel the difference, and believe it or not, the correct-X won! It calmed and soothed the skin and took the puffiness right down. A super convenient skin ointment for the kiddos that also works to erase long, rough nights? Yes, please! Bye bye expensive eye creams!

dairy free gluten free mac-n-cheese

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I wish I had a video of the dancing that ensued in the kitchen when my boys found out I was going to attempt a ‘safe’ mac-n-cheese. When you go your whole life allergic to dairy and wheat, you don’t get this as a dinner staple….or at all. My 6 year old had never had it, but when we ordered food and a local place accidentally delivered a side of mac-n-cheese that my 4 year old (not allergic kid) devoured. Their curiosity was peaked for this ‘kid’ food staple.

So I finally decided making a ‘cheesy’ sauce with no cheese couldn’t be that hard, right? While we usually try and change our diet rather than sub food, we have incorporated some shredded Daiya brand ‘cheese’ into a few dishes and the boys feel like they are getting something cheesy (quesadillas are their fav)

So for this Mac-n-cheese I started with a pack of organic gluten free rice/corn blend fusilli (who doesn’t love the spirals!!).

 Here is the recipe for the ‘cheese sauce’ though I apologize – I never really measure anything.

Start by melting the butter over med heat until liquified, then adding in the gf flour to make a rue.

Once this paste is formed, add in the Daiya shreds and let them melt and add in flax milk to cream it up. Whisk the blend until smooth and creamy.

 Add in salt to taste, the grated nutmeg (bc everything cheesy is better with nutmeg) and remove from heat. Stir in 2 drops of dōTERRA black pepper oil for an amazing flavor boost.

Drain pasta and drizzle on some Rosemary & Thyme infused olive oil. Top with cheese sauce and watch your dairy free kids smile with delight and gobble it up!

We kicked it up a notch my adding in some natural sausage – browned and crumbled into the mix. You can sneak in chopped spinach as well!

Healthy Eyes

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so I maybe did a little airstream renovation work this past weekend without proper eye protection. That combined with the desert dust and dryness was not a great combo.

These three oils have been by my side and are fantastic when you need to support healthy eye function. LOVE these touch rollers! Just figure 8 them around your outer eye bone in layers when you need a little extra support! 

Never never put essential oils directly into your eyes, ears or nose:..safety first! 

gluten free instant pot quinoa breakfast bowl

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This is hands down my new favorite quick and healthy breakfast. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE our instant pot? 

For this breakfast bowl…

STEP 1: start your breakfast meat cooking (optional). We love the Jones Farm Natural Maple Sausage Links and cook up a batch of those while the rest is preparing

STEP 2: make quinoa in your instant pot (if you have the Bluetooth instant pot there is a recipe script on the app). If not, add:

  • 2 cups quinoa (rinse it first)
  • 3 cups water
  • A few shakes of sea salt

Close and lock the lid, select manual and drop it to 1 minute

Let it release naturally after 10 minutes

When pressure releases, fluff with fork and drizzle with rosemary & thyme infused olive oil

STEP 3: We routinely make soft boiled eggs with the instant pot. It is SO easy with perfect results every time!

Insert your rack into the instant pot. Add about 1/2-1 cup water and however many eggs you want to boil

Close and lock lid. Set to 4 minutes on manual. If you like them really soft boiled, cancel it when the cook time is done and manually release the pressure. Otherwise, let it naturally release in 10 min and they are more like medium boiled eggs (no runny yolk).

Once pressure is released, put eggs into cool bowl of water with ice to stop the cooking. The shells are a breeze to peel this way too.

Peel your eggs

STEP 4: prep your veggies. I love adding chopped spinach and/or avocado but you can do whatever you’d like

ASSEMBLY: scoop some of the rosemary & thyme flavored quinoa into a bowl. Add in a few peeled eggs, your sausage, chopped veggies and sprinkle with Parmesan or sharp cheddar (optional). Add in some fresh grated sea salt, lots of freshly grated black pepper and dig in!

 

GF raw Blueberry Bars with Wild Orange and Cinnamon Oil 

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I’m always cooking and flavoring our food with essential oils, so I am super excited about this recipe for these raw, gluten-free treats from dōTERRA! These may be a new staple in our house!
  
INGREDIENTS:

Base Layer

  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 1 drop Cinnamon essential oil

Blueberry Layer

  • 4 cups organic blueberries (Frozen is fine but be sure to thaw first; also, fresh will give you a more vibrant color.)
  • 3 cups GF oat flour (I use my vitamix to grind up GF rolled oats)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 5 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2-5 drops Wild Orange essential oil

DIRECTIONS:

Bottom Layer: Melt coconut oil in microwave and combine with other ingredients, adding the Cinnamon essential oil last. Mix well. Press mixture into a layer an 7×11 pan. Place pan in refrigerator to firm up.

Blueberry Layer: Puree blueberries in a food processor. Melt coconut oil and combine all remaining ingredients, adding the Wild Orange essential oil last. 

Press blueberry layer evenly on top of bottom layer. Dust with unsweetened cocoa power like we did or leave them blue and bare-y. Place in fridge to chill until desired consistency is reached.

https://doterrablog.com/raw-blueberry-bars-with-wild-orange-and-cinnamon-essential-oil/

simplify:: my closet

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with less than 4 months to go until we hopefully hit the road, i am getting a new urgency to get rid of as much stuff as possible. i’m actually carving time into my week (thanks to my improved time blocking skills and my new Erin Condren planner) to tackle an area of crazy in this house in hopes to take small chunks out of this mountain sized project of moving from excess to minimalism.
today’s project: my clothes. this is one i’ve been putting off, but i made a good dent today! i don’t know if it would have been easier or harder had i actually FIT into all the clothes i’ve been toting around for the past 10 years. nope, pretty sure the jeans i wore out of college before life with three babies aren’t going to fit the same way again….ever. time to let go. though i have NOT been successful following the KonMari method, i did find it useful today to realize these clothes have served their purpose and it is ok to let them go. crazy the memories that we can attach to clothing, right? like the sweater I was wearing the day we brought our puppy home and i had him hiding out in the pocket!

Needless to say all this stuff is now OUT and I am one step closer to creating a capsule wardrobe that will work for our life on the road! 

Who here has done a capsule wardrobe? Tips? I’ll be updating when I get mine down to that and all set!

 

airstream renovation :: part 4

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This has been the most stressful, but rewarding phase yet. It’s about to start getting REAL! I have to give a shout-out to my super talented husband who managed to get all of the electrical wiring in the right place & tested, the spray foam in (despite a few challenges) and then completely cleaned up and ready for walls in a relatively short amount of time. If anyone is wondering what we’re doing in our ‘spare’ time – this is it….night and day aside from our normal work hours. The kids have been troopers and are really starting to get into it too as it’s getting to the point they can pitch in and help more.

Getting this thing water tight and all the last little rivets, caulking and cracks filled took a long.long.long time. Once we finally got everything in, set and sealed, it passed the water test! We then had to finalize the placement of all the electrical wiring. Trying to decide the exact spot that you want an outlet when you don’t even have walls in yet to work with is a challenge. I learned that I am very visual and my spacial orientation is lacking when it comes to envisioning where this all will end up. Talk about stress! Making sure you have every wire in the right spot and set before you’re about to foam it all in with NO undo button will definitely make you break a sweat. We had some intense days of making sure this thing was 100% ready for the spray foam.

Speaking of the foam…..now that it’s behind us, I’m sure it is awesome and will be a great asset to our comfort in the future. Up to this point, it has been nothing but a pain in the a$$. As you know, this stuff grows as it cures, and when you only have 1.5″ space and no wiggle room, the expanding qualities are nothing short of awful. Thankful that we have excellent safety gear on hand, and after many many many hours of ‘trimming’ it back down, we are about 99% DONE with the insulation phase!

The final step of this phase is salvaging the old aluminum wall panels. Man these things were rough. We have washed each of the panels several times, sanded them down and coated them with the best primer we could get our hands on. They look amazing compared to where they came from! We’ll hopefully be wrapping the walls up this week!!

Next steps: lights and switches installed, walls painted, A/C & generator installed & then we’ll get to lay the flooring!!!

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

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This bread is good any way you slice it. I compiled ideas from several recipes and this is what I came up with… We started making this for St Patrick’s Day 2009 and it has been a favorite ever since! Since this one is not easily adapted to be dairy free, we have avoided it for the kids until this year. Now that we are able to do baked egg and milk, we converted this to a gluten-free variation this week. The texture is a bit more dense, but the flavor is still spot on!

IRISH SODA BREAD

1/2 cup white sugar

2 cups white flour***

2 cups wheat flour***

***[for gluten free, sub these for 4c gluten free complete flour mix]

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda*

3/4 tsp. salt

1 cup currants

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup pecans [nut-free sub for sunflower seeds]

1 Tbsp flax seed, pecans

1 Tbsp. caraway seeds

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup plain yogurt**

**(can substitute yogurt/sour cream) If using ALL sour cream, decrease baking soda by 1/2 tsp. If using ALL yogurt, increase baking soda by 1/2 tsp.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch round cast iron skillet (or could use round baking or cake pan)

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins and caraway seeds. In a small bowl, blend eggs, buttermilk, sour cream and yogurt. Stir the liquid mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Knead dough in bowl about 10 to 12 strokes. Dough will be sticky. Place the dough in the prepared skillet or pan and pat down with a dusting of wheat flour. Cut a 1 in. by 6 in. deep “X” into the top of the bread before baking.

3. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for appx 50 min or until brown and pulling away from sides of the pan. Turn bread onto a wire rack to cool.

more than a tree

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I try and post about things here that are practical, helpful and informative. This is way beyond that. See this painting? It’s so beautiful. My friend Karie painted it. You may see a tree, but here is what you don’t see…IMG_9759

Karie gave this to me this past summer when I was leaving the hospital. No, not because I was in the hospital. I had stopped by to visit her and her sweet 4 year old little boy, Walker. On July 3, 2014, Walker was playing legos and suddenly everything changed. He had a seizure…then another, and another, and things have never been the same. You can read their full story at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/walkerphillips

June 2015… I finally made it back to SC to visit her and little Walker who had been in and out of the hospital for almost a year. I had to sit next to one of my littles in a hospital bed for 4 days once. It was heart wrenching. traumatic. exhausting. scary.

Karie has been doing this since that July day in 2014, fighting and advocating for her son to be well…searching desperately for any attempt to find the root cause of all that was terrorizing his little body. In her pain, one day she started to create again while sitting there next to his bed….just waiting. She painted this tree, and then gave it to me as a thank you for stopping by. I thought I had come by to give something to her, but they gave me so much more that day.

Karie and I were roommates way back. After I moved away, I flew back a few years later to be in her wedding. A few years after that, I was able to stop by and visit when she had her first baby. Now I sit here weeping across the country as I fight off the twinges of pain that are only a glimpse into what her mother’s heart is feeling. She is still waiting beside his bed. This time she’s not in the hospital. They said there was nothing more they could do. Little Walker is a fighter. She writes so beautifully and so raw on her blog www.waitingonwalker.com

I look through tears at this painting sitting next to my bed and see something beautiful, but the real beauty the moves me to the core is this mother’s heart….this precious boy’s life. They were created for a purpose. Life isn’t fair. Walker should not be dying. Somehow though through all the pain, there is still beauty. I pray we never fail to see it. In this tree, I see Walker’s life – he has grown into something more and radiates a light that is far beyond what could have been had he been restored only on this earth.

I feel like I have no words for what is happening. No words for her. What could possibly be said? Nothing. Lots of prayers.

Immune support for kiddos

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People often ask us what we use with the littles to keep them healthy and their immune systems strong. We are so blessed to have an amazing well known pediatrician who realizes that our bodies are meant to work well if given the proper nutrients.  

 Our boys have a daily regimen of supplements, minerals and oils that have worked wonders. When they do need some extra support, we know what to do and are well equipped!

how to make kombucha

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Kombucha can be intimidating, but once you jump in and realize that your scoby won’t jump out of the jar and eat you in the middle of the night (and that it is harder to kill than a goldfish) you’ll think this is super easy. I will do another entire post about the importance of gut health and the benefits kombucha can give, but this will focus on the how-to.IMG_9347

Things you’ll need to get before you start:

  • a scoby (I’d suggest asking around to all your natural minded friends and there’s a good chance someone will know someone who has one they would be happy to part with. If not, you can often get them at local health food stores)
  • a large glass jar (1-2 gallons or larger) I love the ones with the pour spout as it makes continuous brew kombucha SO easy! This is the jar I use and LOVE.
  • a piece of breathable cloth or a tshirt you can cut to make your ‘lid’
  • a rubber band to hold on aforementioned lid
  • enough black tea to brew however many gallons your jar will hold
    NOTE: get PLAIN black caffeinated tea. This is not the time for the decaf and DEFINITELY don’t do herbal. Scoby will not like that.
  • organic sugar (1 cup per gallon)
  • class containers to house your kombucha
    NOTE: If you do a 2nd ferment (the part that makes it yummy and fizzy) you will want to invest in some EZ cap long necked glass flip top bottles. These work SO much better than any others if you like a lot of carbonation These are my FAVORITE!
    You will also want fruit, herbs or fruit juice to flavor your 2nd ferment.

IMG_9693HOW TO:

1) Brew your tea as directed in another container and add your sugar. Let it cool to room temp.
**the temp is super important for the scoby. Do NOT EVER pour your scalding hot water on him, and freezing cold tea will put him into hibernation**

2) gently pour your tea into your large container with your scoby. It should rise to the top. If it doesn’t it may be the temp is off but eventually it should float. if you have to reach in there or touch it with any type of utensil, just do NOT use reactive metal.

3) cover with your [clean] tshirt piece and rubber band that on. I suggest using a dry erase to mark the date so you know when you’ve started this masterpiece.

4) leave it alone in a nice corner where it won’t get too hot or too cold. let it sit there for about a week and then give it a sip. Don’t be scared of the scoby. Just dip a plastic spoon in there and give it a taste. The longer it sits, the more that scoby will eat the sugar, making the health benefits great, but the flavor will start to really sour (vinegary) the longer that it sits. Some people like to let it go for 2 weeks – I personally have found 8-9 days is great for my liking.

5) this is where you can drink it as-is or choose to go to 2nd ferment. This is my favorite part, but will require a few additional containers. If you paid attention and got the EZ cap flip top glass bottles (mentioned above), now is the time to pull those out. click here to get the cobalt ones I LOVE!

2nd FERMENT

6) pour your kombucha into your smaller containers and add about 1/4 c juice to every 16 oz container that you fill with kombucha. MAKE SURE to leave enough room for this stuff to ‘breathe’ so do NOT fill the bottle too high (1-2″ space left at the top or in the neck)IMG_9470

7) seal your bottles and let them sit anywhere from 2-10 more days on the shelf. only refrigerate them when you are ready for the fermentation to stop (when it is sufficiently carbonated to your liking)

8) carefully pop open the top (it can get SUPER fizzy) and enjoy your handiwork knowing that you are getting a great probiotic drink at a fraction of the cost to buy it in the stores!

2nd FERMENT FLAVOR OPTIONS:

There are endless possibilities when it comes to how you want to flavor your 2nd ferment, but here are a few that I’ve tried and our favorites:

~ Organic Cranberry Pomegranate juice – LOVE
~ Organic Blueberry Pomegranate juice – LOVE
~ Pineapple juice – my FAVORITE
~ Apple juice – MEH – It’s really good if you let it carbonate a lot and then tastes like sparkling cider, but otherwise tastes more like ACV
~ Fresh Peach slices – NOT A FAN – Love the idea of the fresh fruit, but this just didn’t add enough sugar to carbonate it to my liking and still had a strong vinegar taste

The BEST part about flavoring your kombucha is that you can also add in a drop of dōTERRA essential oil into the 2nd ferment (make sure it is one that is safe for internal use). They give an amazing burst of flavor!

Check out some of these combos (and msg me if you need any of these oils):
Blueberry + Pomegranate + dōTERRA Lavender
Blueberry + Pomegranate + dōTERRA Lemon
Blueberry + Pomegranate + dōTERRA Tangerine

You can also add in things like cinnamon, herbs, oils, turmeric, etc. I’ve found powders like cinnamon and turmeric add good flavor, but they leave a thick sludge at the bottom, so be prepared to either suck it up and drink that or strain it out.

Would LOVE to hear your favorite flavors, tips and tricks!