Gift Baskets: For Food Lovers

For a simple and affordable gift for food lovers, create a gift basket that contains homemade jam, bread, vinegar, marinated olives, beef jerky, etc. You can even narrow it down to a specific ingredient such as raspberries (raspberry jam, raspberry jellies, raspberry vinegar, dried raspberries, etc.)

To Ripen Bananas

To ripen bananas quickly, put them in a brown paper bag with an apple or two.

Bananas Do Not Ripen in the Refrigerator!!!

I'm so sick and tired of stopping guests from removing bananas out of my refrigerate because they're misinformed and believe that the bananas are ripening. Refrigerators are cold, and the cold helps preserve freshness. That's what the refrigerator is used for. Follow me so far? So if you want fresh bananas and slow down the ripening process, you should put them in the refrigerator. The outer skin will discolor and darken the way bananas ripen on the counter at a much faster rate, but the inside is unaffected. It's by far the best way to keep them fresh.

Make It Easier to Be Healthier

It may seem like a waste to buy prepackaged, precut fruits and vegetables, but if you find that your fresh produce goes ignored, it may not be so frivolous. Your health is top priority. If you don't have or make time to eat nutritiously, make it easier for you. I usually recommend this for vegetables, though, not fruits, as the fruits taste rather bland. Berries such as blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries can be eaten as is. Buying produce that can be consumed easily is the way to go. Baby tomatoes are much more accessible than Roma tomatoes or Heirloom tomatoes that require chopping.

Baking Soda: Sunburn Soother

Just like baking soda takes the heat out of a fire by extinguishing it, you can use baking soda to soothe burned skin. Draw a cool bath and fill it with a cup of baking soda.

Baking Soda: Natural Fire Repellant

Place a box of open baking soda near your kitchen stove, not only as a deodorizer, but also as a natural fire repellant. Just sprinkle baking soda over the fire accident to put it out quickly. Having a closed box or a box that doesn't have a wide opening is useless if the fire spreads by the time you have it opened.

Treat Bad Breath

1. Hydrate yourself with water! A dry mouth becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, responsible for bad breath.

2. Steer clear of minted sugars. The minty freshness is only a brief experience, but the sugar contributes to the production of bad breath, which is long lasting.

3. Munch on carrots and celery. **

4. Fresh herbs such as mint or parsley is also a great breath freshener.

5. Consider switching toothpaste. Some ingredients don't do an effective job treating bad breath. Experiment with other brands.

6. Chronic bad breath may be a symptom of an underlying medical problem. If bad breath is severe and home remedies are unsuccessful, visit your dentist. It may be periodontal disease.