We've discovered a little treat at our house that I feel pretty good about.  Outshine bars!  Thanks to my friend CO for the introduction!

My kids love them, the hubby loves them, I love them . . . and they are really pretty tame as far as ingredients go.  There is added sugar, but lots of fruit and veggie purees and all natural colors (at least in the two versions I have brought home, both shown here).  If you haven't tried them . . . I highly recommend them.  Lime and tangerine carrot are my personal favorites! They are slightly more expensive than regular popsicles, but at least you're paying for something worthwhile instead of a bunch of high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors. (I think I paid $3-something for each of these boxes, though I've seen them on sale at Target too.)  Next I plan on sampling the coconut version.  There are tons of flavors and varieties . . . I don't think you'll be disappointed!

So about this "Castile Soap" . . .

If you want to be green AND clean, I have a favorite little tip for you.  Pick up some Castile soap.  I prefer Dr. Bronner's, but there are other versions, you will just want to be sure that they are natural and simple, assuming that is what you are going for.  (I've found some with added junk, just so you know.  Same price even.  Not worth it.)

Here is what we use Castile soap for at our house . . .

• foaming hand soap (just put a couple of ounces in a foaming bottle, fill will water; viola)
• body wash (foaming is good here too)
• shampoo (especially for the sub-five footers that live here)
• dish soap (ditto on the foam, but you don't have to)
• laundry detergent (add to a DIY recipe)
• DIY cleaner (will post a recipe for our favorite later)
• . . . I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things.

Anyway, it's quality stuff.  Buy the big 32 ounce bottle and you can get quite a few products out of it.  Super quick, easy to use, good for you and the environment too.  I've purchased it at Target, Walgreens, and Amazon.  You can usually get the big bottle for right around $15-16.  If you want to be frugal, think of all the products you can get out of one bottle.  If you use about 2 ounces per product, you can get about 16 out of one bottle . . . that equates to $1 a product in Castile.  Sometimes that is all you're using (hand soap, body wash), which means it is crazy cheap AND healthy.  Sometimes you'll be adding a few things to it (DIY household cleaner), but all of those are simple, cheap ingredients as well, so it's a clear win-win.

https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/category/LIQUIDSOAP.html

PS My favorite is the peppermint scent!

A total TEA-reat.

Okay.  Pushing it, I know.  But if you're a tea drinker, you've got to try this . . .

I received it as a gift from a student and cannot get enough!  It's really flavorful and completely delicious, especially on these cold sub-zero winter nights.

Oh, and check out my sweet, sweet mug.  I won this in the "dice game" that I played with my family at Christmas.  An owl wearing a hat?  Swoon!

Just two more things that ROCK MY SOCKS . . . now run to Trader Joe's and pick up some tea.  You'll be glad you did!