Got milk? You don’t have to just drink it. 

Love it or hate it, milk has a place not only in your diet but also in your tool box and cleaning closet as well as among your toiletries. Raw goat milk, in its unadulterated and probiotic-heavy state, is the best to use. But seeing that unpasteurized milk is outlawed for sale almost everywhere in the U.S., pasteurized goat milk is second best. While not all milks are created equally, you can use any animal milk to successfully benefit from these tips. From curing a hangover to tending to those stained linens, milk has got your back.

Appetite Suppressant

To prevent overeating at mealtime, drink a glass of milk 15 minutes beforehand. Milk fills you up and gives you enough protein – 1 cup of non-fat milk contains 8.26 grams of protein – to keep you feeling fuller and less inclined to go overboard when food is served.

Hair Conditioner and Mask

With its vitamin and mineral content, milk works great on smoothing and shining your hair. Rinse your hair with fresh milk and let it sit wet for a few minutes before rinsing with water. You could also mix powdered milk with water to form a paste and then comb through hair, letting it to sit for at least 5 minutes before washing out.

Hangover Cure

Milk helps to settle the stomach, rehydrate the system, and raise blood sugar levels. These make it a great morning-after hangover cure. Additionally, milk contains the amino acid cysteine, which is known to neutralize a lethal dose of acetaldehyde, which is an alcohol metabolite.

Fish Freshener

Place frozen fish in a milk bath and let sit until the fish thaws. The milk makes the fish taste fresher.

Make-Up Remover

Mix powdered milk with water until a paste forms. Apply the paste to skin to remove make up. Rinse thoroughly.

Crack Eliminator

Before you toss Grandma’s beloved china, enlist milk to the rescue! The protein in milk reacts with the mineral kaolin in china to close cracks. All you have to do is place china in a pan, cover it with milk, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer for up to an hour.

Silverware Polisher

For glistening silverware, take advantage of milk gone sour. Simply soak silverware in sour milk, cover it completely, and let it soak over night. The next day, wash the silverware as you normally would. If the milk isn’t sour already and you want to make your own, for every cup of milk, mix in one tablespoon of lemon juice and one tablespoon of vinegar and let it sit for five minutes before use.

Bug Bite Soother

Mix milk powder with enough water until it resembles a paste. Apply the paste to the area affected by the insect bite to relieve pain. The enzymes in the milk will neutralize the venom.

Facial Cleanser and Mask

Milk is a natural cleanser. It contains vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamins B6 and B12. The alpha-hydroxy acids in milk exfoliate the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and discoloration. Use a cotton ball to dab milk all across your face. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wash with water before moisturizing. For a mask, take 1/4 cup powdered milk and add enough water until it becomes a paste. Mix thoroughly and apply to the face. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before rinsing.

Ink Remover

To remove ink from clothing, take the affected garment and soak it in a milk bath overnight. The next day, wash the garment as usual. The stain should be gone. To boost the milk’s effectiveness, mix two parts milk with one part vinegar as the soaking solution.

Body Skin Moisturizer

The butterfat in milk moisturizes the skin. And because the pH of milk is close to the skin’s natural pH, the skin is more receptive to the moisturizing effects of the milk. Pour a few cups of fresh milk or 1/2 cup powdered milk into your bathtub, Cleopatra style.

Dry Hands Softener

To relieve dry and chafed hands, rinse them in milk a few times a day. Over the course of a week or two, your hands will begin to feel softer and less Winter rough.

Leather Cleaner

Dab worn or dirty leather with milk and buff until clean. The milk removes debris and leaves the leather shiny and looking brand new.

Corn on the Cob Flavor Booster

Boil corn with some milk in the water – about 1/2 cup – and the corn’s sweetness will heighten and its flavors will become more developed.

Shaving Cream Replacement

Run out of shaving cream? Nothing powdered milk and water can’t fix. Mix enough water with powdered sugar to produce a paste. Apply the paste to your face, underarms, and legs and shave. This simple concoction is smooth enough to resemble the real thing.

Poison Ivy Soother

To reduce the itch from an unintended stroll through a poison ivy bush, dab fresh milk or a powdered milk and water paste on the affected area. The milk will reduce the itchiness, redness, and irritation.

Sunburn Soother

Delicately pat sunburned skin with fresh milk. The milk cools the burn and the enzymes in the milk help to offset the pain.

Fertilizer

A tip from farmers and seasoned gardeners themselves – use milk as a fertilizer. Milk has been used as an organic fungicide and fertilizer without harming the plant.

Furniture Polisher

Sour milk makes for a great furniture polisher. Apply sour milk to furniture surfaces through a disposable spray bottle and wipe clean. You can also make your own sour milk, outlined above.

Milk Carton Bird Feeder

No, we didn’t forget about offering you a way to re-use the milk carton! Here is a tutorial on how to turn the carton into a bird feeder.

Images: Muffet, Striatic, Sshreeves, Jenny Downing, Gagstreet, Markusram, Robert Benner, The Living Room

The post 20 Unusual Ways to Use Milk appeared first on EcoSalon.

Cauliflower brings the flavor and bulk sans the guilt.

Vegetable casseroles are where it’s at. Because the dish is a casserole, you feel a bit indulgent, which takes care of all those cravings for comfort, while not sidetracking your healthy lifestyle. This recipe calls for cauliflower and red pepper, but I’ve used many different vegetables – mostly root vegetables – in their place, such as broccoli, shredded carrot, celery root, beets, Crimini mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and artichokes. The only “heavy” ingredient is shredded cheese. Use any raw goat or sheep cheese you can find, and there is no worrying weather your body will be able to process it all.

But today, the focus is on cauliflower, which is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals. It helps protect against free radical damage, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Cauliflower also boosts brain function and because of its fiber content, promotes digestive health.

Cauliflower Casserole

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup shredded raw goat or sheep cheese

Directions:

Remove the core and stems of the cauliflower so that only the florets and a bit of their stems remain. Remove the inside flesh and seeds from the red pepper, and then chop it finely. Dice the garlic.

In a pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the cauliflower, red pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir for 1 minute and then add the water. Immediately close the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. This allows the cauliflower to steam and soften. After 2 minutes, remove the lid, stir the vegetables, and then transfer them to a casserole dish.

Sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven to broil on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

To share or not to share? Either way, enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Cauliflower Casserole appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fresh farmstead cheese from purebred Nubian Goats.

Got a hankering for something tastier than the mass-produced brick of cheddar on your grocer’s shelf? Try fresh goat cheese, gelato, or quark, a sour cream substitute, courtesy of Crow’s Dairy in Buckeye, Ariz.

Wendell and Rhonda Crow’s purebred Nubians produce the area’s only farmstead cheese, which means that their products are made entirely from milk produced by Crow’s goats. The animal’s diets are soy-and corn-free at the behest of customers, as well as being GMO feed free. The dairy’s products are sold at local farmer’s market and served at high-end restaurants throughout Phoenix.

Crow’s is sold at various markets in the Phoenix area, and they accept phone and mail orders, with a minimum order of $100.

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

Image: Crow’s Dairy

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