Live – Feb 2015

Holistic Bath Bombs

You know what’s more relaxing than taking a bath? Taking a bath with a bath bomb! To soak away a stressful day, all you have to do is toss a bath bomb into your tub. It will set off a fizzy reaction that releases super-relaxing essential oils. Plus, they make great gifts! Pamper yourself (or your loved one) and make your own DIY bath bombs:

Gather your supplies. Ingredients for bath bombs vary depending on preference, but I like this recipe list.

1 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup of citric acid
1/2 cup of arrowroot powder
1/2 cup of Epsom salts (make sure these are fine grained)
¾ tsp. of water
2 tsp. essential oil (or a mixture of different scents)
5 tsp. Jojoba or almond oil
Dried herbs and flowers if you like it fancy
A few drops of food coloring (optional)
Round, plastic, snap together dome molds ( I split open a Christmas ornament for this, and it works perfectly fine) or a muffin tray
Whisk
Bowl and cup for mixing

Note: One of the best parts of making your own bath bombs is getting to choose the essential oils! You can go with floral scents like lavender or rosemary, or a citrus blend with lemon or grapefruit. Some other common essential oils used for bath bombs are peppermint, vanilla and chamomile.

Combine dry ingredients. Place all of your dry ingredients (citric acid, corn starch, Epsom salts and baking soda) into a big bowl and stir together with your whisk.
Combine wet ingredients. Place all of your wet ingredients (water, essential oil and other oils) into a cup and stir until well mixed.
Mix together. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir them. (The mixture should begin to clump together.)
Pack mixture into molds. Grab your plastic mold and pack the mixture firmly.
6. If the mixture isn’t packing well, place the ingredients back in the bowl and add a tiny amount of water. Be careful, though – too much water will ruin the batch!
Gently and carefully remove the bath bomb from the mold. Place them on wax paper on top of a fluffy towel. Let the bath bombs dry for at least one day before you use them! If your bath bombs are a gift, wrap them in cellophane or tissue paper. To store them, keep them in a plastic, airtight container.

Enjoy!

Vanessa Tran is a Certified Yoga & Meditation Teacher. Holistic Nutritionist. A fun and creative being who loves adventures & help others feel sexy inside out.

Visit www.pranaquests.com to learn more about recipes and wellness offerings.

Five Ways To a Happy Lunch For Kids

Contributed by Tricia Kassotis, Coordinator, ECE Program, CCOL

BE CREATIVE. Putting fruit juice in thermoses and soup in sealed cups is a great motivator to get children to eat them. Just make sure the teacher knows that there has been a switch to avoid having the juice heated and the soup served cold. Don’t roll your eyes, it has happened.
AVOID SENDING CANNED LUNCHES: beans, spaghetti-o’s or Kraft dinner that teachers would have to prepare before serving. Boxed and canned foods are wonderful choices for lunch, and many children enjoy them, but please prepare them ahead of time and store them in a microwave able container. Teachers have limited time to heat up lunches during one of the busiest times of the day.
PUT IN A WET WASHCLOTH a zip lock bag and freeze over night. Put it into the lunch bag to keep things cold. As it melts it doubles as a great clean up wipe for hands and face.
FREEZE FRUIT JUICE IN ICE CUBE TRAYS. Put orange juice in a drink container along with a few fruit juice ice cubes. Children can shake up the melted ice cubes in the container for fruit punch by lunchtime.
LABEL EVERYTHING! Lunch bags and containers arrive in lunchrooms by the dozen. Label, label, label. Imagine twenty children, all with heated lunches in clear plastic containers.

Valentine’s Inspired Cocktails to Make at Home!

Antonios Vitaliotis, Coordinator of the Bartending program challenged his students to create Valentines cocktail recipes! Here are a few of their tasty treats!