Natural Sunscreen put to the test....Part 1

We are going to the waterpark capital in the world in the Dells in Wisconsin for a fun family vacation this week.  So, I thought what better time to try out a homemade sunscreen recipe?  

Here is the one I used from "Wellness Mama":

http://wellnessmama.com/2558/homemade-sunscreen/

The only changes I made were I lessened the beeswax and Shea butter by half hoping to keep it more liquid than lotion, because I put it in these cool roller ball oil holders so the kids could easily apply it to their faces.  I also added pomegranate oil after researching natural sunscreen ingredients.  

We are going away for 3 sunfilled days.  I am going with another family and taking extra kiddos so we have a combined 11 children to use as guinea pigs!!!!  

So far she loves the smell and getting to apply it herself!!!!!  I love that it has NO harsh chemicals.  I will report back after the trip....... 😎

1/16/17 

UPDATE!!!!  (Sorry, I forgot to come back and update!)  The sunscreen worked fantastic.  I used it this trip and all summer long.  My husband and even went with another couple to Punta Cana and I took it with me.  I didn't have to buy anything!  The only day I burned, (and I was out all summer long) was the last day of our trip.  We left in the morning and went on an island tour that lasted the entire day and we had almost no shade.   If it wasn't for that day, I would've made it the whole summer without a single sunburn. So I would say it was a very successful batch. 

Beef Bone Broth

Want to do something really easy? How about really healthy?  Or just want to drive your dog crazy all day???  Try this recipe for making healthy, easy, yummy, dog driving crazy beef bone broth.  It makes a wonderful base for soups, stews, casseroles and can even be used a cup at a time.  

5-6 lbs of beef soup bones

10 peppercorns

2 chopped carrots

2 chopped celery stalks

1 whole garlic, peeled

2 chopped onions

Water

1 Tbsp sea salt

First, roast the bones at 400 degrees for 1 hour.  Next, add the veggies and continue roasting another hour.  Transfer everything in roaster to a large soup pot.  Use batches of warm water to roaster to deglaze pan and add to soup pot.  You'll be surprised at how much caamelization occurs!  Sprinkle sea salt over top.  Fill your soup pot 3/4 full with water and simmer on stove top for 4 hours.  Turn off heat and let cool.  Strain the liquid from the solids.  (I use the meat chunks in my homemade dog food, but be sure to separate out the garlic and onions.) That's it, you're done!  Super healthy, simple and will keep your dog under your feet all day hoping for a taste, which he got..... :)-

Oh, and I store mine in large mason jars and freezer safe ziplock bags.  Just pull one out and you're ready to make a rich soup in just a few minutes!

He has camped out here all day!

Garden Fresh Tomato Basil Soup

We reached the end of our tomato season and I had 2 large bowls left in the fridge.  I decided to try homemade tomato soup I just had to share the results.   It was delicious and so easy.  I will never throw out a bowl of tomatoes ever again! Here's what I did......

Ingredients:

5-6 cups cubed tomatoes

1 large onion, sliced

2 carrots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Pinch of sugar and salt

Fresh basil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Serve with 1 Tbsp. Greek yogurt

Sauté onion, carrots and tomatoes in olive oil in large soup pot.  (I did not peel the tomatoes, the blender puréed them just fine).  Add garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes stirring constantly on med heat.  Add broth, sugar and salt.  Simmer for 30 minutes, turn off heat.  Add balsamic vinegar.  Let cool until you ready to put small batches through a blender or food processor.  Reheat.  Serve with fresh basil and a dollop of Greek yogurt.  Enjoy!

Ice Cream Cake

Every year I have at least one child asking for an ice cream cake.  I always agree, but find them too sweet and too expensive.  This year I convinced my now 10 yr old to let me tackle his birthday request.  Luckily I made two 'cakes', because we all keep going back for more!

Here is what we did: 

Crush 10-15 Oreo cookies and arrange on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. 

Spread 1 qt. of softened vanilla chocolate swirl ice cream over the crushed cookies and put in freezer for 20 minutes.

Mix 1 box instant banana pudding with 2 cups milk And 2 cups cool whip.  Put into fridge to set.

Layer pudding mixture on top of ice cream and crushed cookies.

Top with the rest of cool whip and freeze until firm, about 1-3 hrs.

Cut and serve very cold!!!

We all loved it!  One of the kids at the party cracked me up when he asked for a second piece and said, "I was in no way disappointed by this!"  I thought, 'ummmm okay!  Thanks????'  

The possibilities and combinations are endless, what flavors would you choose?

Homemade Pizza

As most of my readers know, I am the mom of seven amazing children.  I will admit that I haven't always been the naturally homemade mom you see today.   16 1/2 years ago I was a macaroni and cheese and chicken nugget kind of mom!  I'm not saying that's horrible,  I'm just saying deep down I always wanted to feed my kids healthy foods without being dependent on the box aisle or freezer section at the grocery store.  Add six more children and a decade (plus) of experience and I have slowly become the kind of 'from scratch mama' I hoped to become!  Tonight I was making homemade pizza with the kids and I overheard my five-year-old ask my seven-year-old why we couldn't just order pizza.  He told her that everything homemade is always better than anything store bought.  I did a little jig in my brain :). 

As soon as they noticed I was kneading dough, the twins came over to the kitchen island yelling "zi-za!!!!" After making two homemade pizzas I had the third lump of dough left, so I let the 2 year old twins make their own pizza.  They beat the heck out of that dough...it was as flat as it could get!  There was flour all over the kitchen, sauce all over the counter, and smiles everywhere I could see. 

" Yes," I thought, "this is the kind of mom I want to be."Enjoy!

Homemade pizza dough (makes 4 large so half it if you don't need to feed an army!) 

6 cups warm water

1 stick butter,melted

2 tbsp yeast

1/2 tsp salt

10-12 cups flour

2 tsp olive oil

Melt butter and add warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle in yeast and stir.  Let sit until dissolved and bubbly, about 5 minutes.  Dump in the salt, add flour several cups at a time, stir well.  When the dough is starting to stick together dump a cup of the flour onto a clean counter or surface.  Knead the dough into a smooth ball adding flour a Tbsp at a time if too sticky.  Split into 4 equal sized lumps.  Let rest 10 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Put each lump of dough onto pizza pan and press flat with your hands (or let your kids go to town :)  Top with pizza sauce, your favorite toppings and cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  

Now, before you discount this blog as too much work and 'that family is so perfect'.....I'm adding this final picture of my son who got into the lipstick in my purse while I was blogging this post.  Yeah, I'm that kind of mom :)

 

Strawberry Balsamic Vinegrette

One if the things I really seem to miss since I've been a 'clean' eater is salad dressing. It is hard to enjoy my salads plain, and harder to find sugar free or unprocessed dressings. We tried this last night and it was pretty good! I will be experimenting with raspberries and blueberries in the future!

1/2 cup strawberries, puréed
1 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp raw honey
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Pour all ingredients in a canning jar, seal lid and shake. I let mine sit for at least an hour to release all the flavors.

Chicken fajitas with homemade tortillas

Well this recipe is not exactly on the gluten free diet unless you use alternative flour or skip the tortillas altogether, but I made them for the kids who all agreed they were the best tortillas they ever tasted. My 7 year old son even have me a huge hug after dinner and said, "Thank you mommy for learning how to cook so much stuff, you're a real chef now!" Awe, that made it all worth the effort. I always tell the girls when their daddy raises the bar for their future husband, and tonight I think I just raised the bar for the boys' potential wife :)

Ingredients:

Tortilla dough- 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt and 3 Tbsp olive oil.

4-5 chicken breasts
1 green pepper
1 Red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 onion

Taco seasoning:
1/4 tsp each of garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
1/4 cup water

Make tortilla dough. Dump out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough a few times. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Slice the chicken into strips and sauté it in olive oil while the dough is resting. Add taco seasonings and water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking roll out the tortillas as thin as possible and fry in oil one at a time. Flip them like a pancake to cook each side.

Add vegetables to chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until they are the fineness you like. Serve with salsa, avocado, cheese and sour cream.

I dumped mine into a Romain lettuce leaf, but admit I tasted a small piece of a tortilla....it was good!!!

(You may notice in the picture that I doubled the tortilla dough recipe. I made the second set fried in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar for dessert. I'll post that recipe next :)

Chocolate peppermint thin mints

Ummmm....yum! Once I realized you could make homemade chocolates in about 5 minutes I've been dreaming up combinations. I've tried almond butter and chocolate, chocolate and pecan, peanut butter and jelly chocolates for the kids and today chocolate peppermints. They are all yummy, very low carb and yes, healthy!!!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup pure cocoa powder
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp half n half
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Dash salt

Melt the butter and oil. Whisk in cocoa powder, cream, honey, vanilla, peppermint, and salt. Pour into silicone molds or cups. Let set in the fridge. Remove from molds and store in air tight container in the fridge. (Hide from the kids in the back behind some broccoli, Enjoy :)

Sugar and gluten free banana cheesecake

Our family is on a 21 day sugar and wheat detox so with today being Valentines Day I had to create something special for my loves. The result was fun and yummy, perfect for showing my husband and kids how much I love them.

Ingredients:
2 packages softened cream cheese
2 eggs
2 Tbsp half and half
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp honey
2 bananas
Dash salt

Mix everything in a blender, pour into molds or muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes or until firm in the center. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes and remove from molds. Chill in fridge 2 hours and serve. These are not overly sweet and perfect if you have eliminated sugar from your diet. If you haven't you may need to add more honey. Enjoy!

(I drizzled chocolate sauce on the kids to make it a bit more sweet and fun
:)

Homemade mozzarella cheese

Well yogurt was not so difficult and we LOVE it! I ate a bite of plain Dannon Greek yogurt the other day and almost had to spit it out! Wow! I couldn't believe what a difference homemade yogurt could make. I guess there is no going back now :)

So I decided my next challenge is cheese. I chose to start with mozzarella since it can be completed in an hour and is ready to eat. I did quite a bit of research (which I recommend) and then I dove right in. The first question I had was what are the ingredients?

One gallon of whole milk
1/4 rennent tablet
1 tsp. citric acid
1-2 tsp. Cheese salt

My next questions was: what in the world is rennent and cheese salt?

-Cheese salt is an easy one, it is any salt that is NOT iodized (i.e. organic, sea salt).

-rennent is gross! It is curdled milk from the stomach of an unweaned calf, containing rennin and used in curdling milk for cheese. Told you it's gross! But the tablet is just a pill you buy at a brew/cheese supply store (they also carry citric acid). Thankfully commercially sold rennent is made from vegetable sources.

My husband stopped and picked up my supplies for me and I made cheese while he watched the Super Bowl. We had fresh mozzarella by half time, yay! 

So here's what you do:

1. pour one gallon of milk into a large pot on the stove and sprinkle 1tsp. citric acid over the milk, stir well.


2. heat the milk to 90 degrees using a candy or kitchen thermometer, pay attention it does not take long.

3. as the milk is heating, dissolve the 1/4 rennent tablet into a few Tbsp. of water. When the milk is at 90 degrees, turn off stove, remove thermometer and pour the rennent water over the milk a few teaspoons at a time, making sure it is mixed all the way through.



4. Let the milk sit for 10 minutes, do not stir it. It becomes very thick and gelatin like.



5.This is the part that took me the most time. First cut the milk into large pieces ( pretend your slicing jello into cubes). Then using a slotted spoon separate the curdled milk from the whey ( white- yellowish liquid). I promise it doesn't stink like you may imagine. It just smells like warm milk!



6. Then heat it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds at a time squeezing more liquid out and pressing the milk solids together. When most of your liquid is removed stir in your cheese salt.

 

7. I removed it from the bowl at this point and started kneading it on a cutting board. Mine started to look like string cheese so I heated it again to form it into a log.



8. Once you get your cheese the way you want it submerge it in ice water for a few minutes to harden the loaf. I dried it for about 30 minutes on a rack, wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it into the fridge to harden and get cold overnight. This step was optional, because it is ready to eat right after it is formed. Just like all cheeses, you should store it in the fridge.

One gallon of milk yielded 1.1 lbs. of fresh mozzarella. I can't wait until summer when I can make bruschetta with tomatoes from the garden!

After my mozzarella success I researched how to make cottage cheese, cream cheese and hard cheeses....they seem like too much work for a mama of 7, but never say never, right?????

 

Chicken 'Parmesan' with zucchini noodles

Well we are on day 2 of a sugar and wheat detox and I must say that I enjoy eating a Paleo type diet, I enjoy cooking from scratch, but I don't know how in the world I am going to be able to keep it up for 19 more days! Tonight's dinner was a ton of work, but very good so I thought I'd share (and remember I am new at this type of eating :)

First, I made homemade mozzarella (did that yesterday) this step is not necessary, but I wanted the challenge and I did it! It tastes amazing and will be something I do for special occasions, but probably not for everyday eating.

Tonight I put a jar of (sugar free) spaghetti sauce, one can organic stewed tomatoes, and one small can of tomato paste into a baking pan. I placed it on a burner on low and kept simmering it as I prepared the rest of the meal.

Next, I used a vegetable peeler and turned 4 zucchini into a huge pile of noodle like strips. I stirred them into the sauce and continued to simmer on low.

For the chicken, I took 3 breasts and cut them into tenderloins, pounded them gently, and fried them in extra virgin olive oil. I sprinkled garlic and onion powder on them and browned each side. Then, I set them on top of the zucchini noodles and sauce, topped it with slices of mozzarella and then browned it at a 375 oven for 30 minutes.

The result I thought was very good. My husband who is not a fan of zucchini even ate the 'noodles'. I will definitely make this again, but will probably add parmesan cheese as I fry the chicken, make more zucchini noodles and add sliced onions as well.

I loved the freshness of the mozzarella and even though I said I probably wouldn't make it from scratch again, I have a feeling I will!

That recipe will be next.....so stay tuned.........

Roasted and Candied Pumpkin Seeds

One of the advantages of carving a pumpkin is having the seeds as a treat too! Pumpkin pie pumpkins have sweeter seeds, but you can do this with any seeds.

 

Ingredients:

seeds from a pumpkin

1 Tbsp of butter or coconut oil

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. white sugar

dash of salt

 

Remove the seeds from a pumpkin or two, rinse off the pulp and boil in a sauce pan of water for 10 minutes; drain.  Dry off the seeds with a paper towel and place back into sauce pan.  Add the butter or coconut oil, brown sugar and spices.  Cook and stir, coating well for a few minutes.  Spread into a cookie or baking pan.  Roast at 425 for 15 minutes, watch carefully and turn down heat if it starts to burn.  (The burnt ones taste like popcorn :)  Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes. 

 

They are VERY HOT, so be careful. 

 

Do not let them completely cool or you will not be able to remove them from the pan after hardening.  Sprinkle them with salt and white sugar.  Remove them onto a glass plate or tray and enjoy! 

We break them apart like peanut brittle.

Pumpkin Pie from a pumpkin (dairy free, too :)

 

Homemade pumpkin pie from a pumpkin (not a can) is something everyone should try making at least once. It isn't nearly as difficult as one would think. I even had success with it as a dairy free recipe.

Here is my very simple and extremely tasty recipe:

 

Ingredients

2 pie crusts

1 pie pumpkin (the small ones not the carving kind)

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk (almond, cow, or evaporated all work great)

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. vanilla

whipped cream: optional, and highly recommended

 

Slice the pumpkin, scoop out pulp and seeds.  Then roast in a pan of water in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes, or steam slices in a steamer until soft. 

Set aside to cool. 

 

Prepare pie crusts.  Peal off the skin of pumpkin and place in food processor or blender.  Add eggs, milk and spices and puree.  Pour into pie crusts and bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350 and bake another 30-35 minutes until the center is done.  Remove from oven and serve with whipped cream.

 

There is something very wonderful about eating a pumpkin pie from a pumpkin!  Yes, it adds a step, but you will feel like you accomplished something special and can justify a second piece! 

 

You also will have pumpkin seeds you can roast....that recipe is next!

Homemade Honey Lemon and Orange Cough Syrup

A few summers ago I was on vacation with the family. The morning after a miserable night in the hotel with coughing kids, I was up and into an Urgent Care. The doctor on call asked me if I had heard of the benefits of natural honey for coughs? I hadn't but LOVE the natural approach to just about everything so was of course all ears! He gave me a packet of studies to read up on about the overwhelming evidences for natural honey being more effective than every single over the counter AND prescription cough medicine. I went to the nearest Farmer's Market and bought some honey. We were able to sleep that night and I have used honey for coughs ever since. This year I decided to up the attack on coughing and am trying an all natural cough syrup with raw honey as it's base. It takes about 10 minutes, quicker than I can get in and out of Walgreens, and makes 1.5 pints of syrup. The total cost here is about $9. Here is my recipe and how to do it.

 

Ingredients:

1 pt. of raw honey

1 orange

1 lemon

1/2 cup water

 

 

Slice the orange and lemon.  Boil in water for 5 minutes to soften the skin and release the pulp.  I mashed mine slightly with a plastic spoon.

 

 

Let the lemon and oranges sit in the water to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, then strain.

 

Pour liquid into clean and sterilized jars.

(My ratio is about 1/3 liquid to 2/3 honey, or 30% to 70%.  Most recipes recommend not exceeding 50% water to 50% honey)

 

 Mix well and store covered in the fridge for as long as you would normally keep honey around.  (For me it is 3-6 months, perfect for cold season)

For Adults use, 1Tbs; children 50 pounds and over, 1 tsp; and children under 50 pounds, ½ tsp. May be taken four times a day or as needed. 

You can also drink it in a cup of herbal tea as a nice way to soothe your throat and quiet your cough.

*This is recipe and blog is not intended to replace medical advice.  Always talk to your doctor and discuss medical treatment, including home remedies, before use.

Some noteworthy notes:

* *DO NOT use honey for children under two years of age - there is a microorganism in honey, which is otherwise harmless for children age two and older, that can sometimes make infants ill because of their young digestive system. Alternatives include brown rice syrup, barley, and organic fruit syrups; as substitutions in the recipes use the same amount as honey.

* DO USE all natural raw honey if at all possible.  It takes a little effort to find a good source, but is well worth your time.  Natural raw honey is full of wonderful antibacterial properties and has been used for thousands of years for it's health benefits.  Recent studies have shown the unusual antibacterial activity of honey, leading to a greater understanding of the ability of honey to kill pathogenic bacteria through several different mechanisms. In studies, honey was effective against many different drug resistant bacteria.

**DO NOT boil, microwave, or overheat your honey as it kills the good stuff in it and changes it's properties. (Think about it like you would the good bacterias in yogurt ;)

*DO Learn more about honey as a medicine.  There are many many resources out there and reliable studies to read on the use of natural honey.  Take the time to educate yourself so that you can make wise health choices for your family.

Learn more:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/honey/AN01799

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/honey-eases-childrens-coughs-study-shows/2012/08/27/2ed5b478-6a22-11e1-acc6-32fefc7ccd67_story.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7419158n

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/06/honey-may-ease-nighttime-coughing-in-kids/

How to get your kids to eat Squash ;)

Well, this week I have been particularly frustrated with my brood of kiddos.  Even the babies who are normally excellent eaters have become picky.  I made Butternut Squash Soup and they turned their noses up at it.  I made tuna noodle casserole (a BIG request 2 weeks ago), but no takers.  Chili, no thanks.  I even made an old standby, Italian Sausage casserole, but apparently bought the wrong kind of noodle!!!  I pulled my now famous pumpkin pie french toast and they were still crying for cereal........UGGGG! 

What is with these kids, don't they know money doesn't grow on trees, there are starving kids in.....you get the point.  So, I decided to NOT go to the store until the end of the week.  I had my hubby stop last night for milk and eggs, but that was it!  He even offered to order me some sushi, but I declined the treat and told him that probably wouldn't be fair to the kids!  So, guess what?  They are all eating what IS in the fridge!  They ask occasionally for a granola bar, I keep reminding them that I will go to the store on Friday.  They will live and this week there will be less to throw out to make way for our next batch of groceries.

 

 

Look at that all gone!!!  And they were crying for more  :)

 

Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash, sliced and steamed

2 cups chicken broth

1 can pumpkin

1can carrots

1 onion diced small and sauted in olive oil

cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger to taste

 

I cook the squash in the vegetable steamer (or cooked face down in a pan of water in the oven). 

Saute the onion in oil and add the scooped out squash.  Pour in the broth.  Drain carrots and add them to the pot as well (you can use fresh carrots, I just happened to have some canned to use up).  Let it cool and run through the food processor.  If it is too thick you can add some milk, water, almond milk OR more broth to taste.  Put back into soup pot and stir in the can of pumpkin and spices to taste  (cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg).  Serve warm, stores in fridge for 1 week.

Chocolate Coconut Bars -Gluten and Dairy Free

Super easy, super good, can't wait for them to be gone so I can try it again!!!

Next time I am going to spread the chocolate icing in the bottom of the pan, or just mix it in the food processor!  Ohhhhhh and pineapple, gonna try pineapple in the next batch too!
Let me know how yours turn out :)

Chocolate Coconut Bars

2 cups shredded coconut

3 Tbsp. coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp. chocolate icing or chips

Place the syrup, coconut and oil into a food processor and blend for 2 minutes.  Press into a small (I used a 4 x 6 casserole dish).  Warm up the icing (I use store bought/dairy free chocolate icing, but I think chips would be awesome mixed in) and drizzle over the top.  Refrigerate for 1 hour and then cut into small squares.  That's it!

Granny's Apple Cole Slaw

This is my version of Wolfgang Puck's Apple Cole Slaw.  It took me about 15 minutes to put together, needs about an hour in the fridge before serving, and if you 'like' cole slaw you will LOVE it!!! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup mayo
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar or 2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. poppy seeds
dash of pepper, paprika, and salt
1 Tbsp. brown or yellow mustard
(Mix these together and put into the fridge while you cut your apples)

2-3 Granny Smith apples sliced and cut into matchsticks
1 bag of cole slaw mix
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup sweet corn
 (mix these in and put into the fridge for about an hour before serving)

Stir in nuts of your choice before serving.  I used honey roasted and sliced almonds!  Have a very Happy Fourth of July, everyone :)

easy Banana Ice Cream - dairy and gluten free

"Why yes, you CAN have an ice cream cone for lunch!"   Have you ever been able to say that to your kids?????  I can and you can too!  Just follow these simple steps and you will all be screaming for ice cream!  I promise the only ingredients in this were bananas and real vanilla extract.  You can add ingredients to your taste or diet, but this one was excellent plain!

STEP 1: Break up and freeze bananas

STEP 2:  Blend in blender with 1 tsp. vanilla a few pieces at a time.

STEP 3: Put in storage container and back into the freezer for scoopable ice cream!

Optional Add-Ins:  Peanut butter, chocoalte chips, strawberries, cherries, marshmallows, nuts, Reeses Peanut Butter cups (yes, please), Hershey's syrup (in the above picture), M & M's, caramel sauce, crushed graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or oreos, oh my!

Outdoor Chair Cushions- RE DO in 1 hour!

Our patio furniture has lasted us about 9 years so far and still looks great....except for the chair cushions of course.  I usually buy them on sale at the end of the season every other year, but this year we can't wait.  They looked that bad!  This time I wanted to save the landfill from my ripped cushions and try to recover them.  I LOVE THEM!!!  Here is what I did:

BEFORE

I bought 8 yds. of Outdoor Fabric from the clearance section at Hancock Fabrics.  (it was 56" wide)

It was $6 yd. and I had a 10% off coupon making my purchase around $44.00

My cushions were standard sized at 42" x 22"

I cut the fabric at 47" leaving me a rectangle 56" x 47".  (You may need to trim off the sides or take it in depending on your cushion size.)  Next, I folded it over and sewed the top and side seams, right sides together with my surger, but you could use a conventional machine.  Basically this left me with an inside out pillowcase.  Flip it right side out and put in the cushion. 

Then, I used my surger and closed off the bottom of the cushion.  If you have a regular sewing machine you may want to slip stitch it closed.  That is it! 

AFTER

You could sew it more fitted if you want or add the seperation lines in the middle of the top cushion, but I was pleased with them and was happy to be done in just a few minutes per pillow. I made 6 in less than 1 hour!

The babies were happy too!!!