Cleaning With Just Water

Are you enjoying your summer?  I've almost given up on blogging these days with three lovely boys, baseball, homeschooling and other joys of life!  But I interrupt your summer to present my new-found obsession and joy... cleaning!

I am not kidding.  I am loving these products.  So much so that I (not born a salesperson or a cleaning lady, let me assure you)  have decided to sell Norwex products because they sell themselves!  Once I show someone how they can clean their windows, walls, floors, sinks, mirrors and counter tops with only water, they are sold.  It works.... it reduces the use of chemicals, preserves the environment and saves you time and money.

Here is the cloth that started it all.  The Enviro Cloth can clean up to 90% of your home.  It lifts EVERYTHING off the surface, leaving a true clean instead of a residue that attracts dust.  When used dry, it creates an electrostatic charge that picks up all the dust off your surface.  When used wet, it will clean all your major surfaces with only water.

Here's what sets our products apart.  When you are done cleaning with the Enviro cloth, you rinse it out with hot water and hang it up to dry.  The micro silver inside the cloth goes to work with its self-purification properties against mold, fungi and bacterial odor and within 18 to 24 hours, your cloth is ready to use again!


Our Polishing Cloth also contains silver and is used to make your windows, mirrors, granite, stainless steel, faucets and more streak-free and shiny.  You can use a spray bottle of water to wet your surface, then follow up with a dry polishing cloth for amazing results.  I have never had my mirrors so clear and and my windows streak-free when the sun shines through!

My husband is so happy with how clean our house is since I've been using Norwex products.  It's fun and easy.  And saves me so much time.  I can clean our hardwood floors in half the time I used to spend vacuuming, sweeping and mopping by using the simple and wonderful Mop.  The dry pad dusts and polishes all types of flooring.  The wet pad (which also contains silver for self-sanitizing purposes) will clean the floor efficiently with ONLY water!  It dries quickly and streak-free and is much easier to push than a Swiffer.

And yes, all these products are machine washable so you can use them again and again!!  And you are saving money because of all the products you will no longer need to purchase.  The Enviro Cloth replaces paper towels and Clorex wipes and you no longer need dusting spray, floor cleaner, window cleaners, and more.

AND the cloths come with a 2 year warranty!

If you are in a two-hour radius of my hometown, I would love to have a show in your home.  You will be amazed at how generous Norwex is to their hosts/hostesses.  You can receive up to $200 in free product, just by hosting a party!  July and August are the Mop months, so you could have the Mop completely free.

Email me at fiveapplesaday@gmail.com or check out my website for more info.

Hope you're having a terrific summer.

~ Katrina :)

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Lentils and Barley

I like lentils.  It's one of those foods that gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.  Must be a fond childhood memory from childhood that I can't quite place... kind of like Dad's homemade ice cream and Mom's warm, homemade bread.  

Back to lentils.  They are high in fiber and a good source of iron, protein and potassium, to name only a few.  There are many more health benefits, but I'm not a nutritionist.  I just like 'em.  (Look up more benefits here.)

It's not pretty, but this is my new favorite stew.  I've never cooked with barley before trying this recipe.  I very much like the taste and texture.

Lentil Barley Stew

(original recipe here)

Ingredients:

1/4 c fat (butter, coconut oil, etc.)
3/4 c celery, chopped
3/4 c onion, diced
6 c water or broth
3/4 c lentils, uncooked
1 qt tomatoes, canned (puree in blender if you don't like chunks)
3/4 c barley, uncooked
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp garlic (or a few shakes, we like a lot of garlic)
1/2 c shredded or diced root vegetable (sweet potato, carrots, etc.)
1 c diced leftover meat, optional (makes my boys happy if I add chicken)

Directions:
1. Saute oil, celery and onion for five minutes or until onion is translucent.  (I like to add minced garlic to the celery and onions.)
2.  Add broth and lentils.  Cook 20 minutes.
3.  Add tomatoes and seasonings.  Simmer an additional 45 minutes.
4. Add veggies and meat (optional).  Simmer an additional 15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Serves about 6.

Hope you enjoy it, too!
~Katrina

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