A goodness factory in the kitchen.

I have a couple of really good do-it-yourself friends who are also into clean, natural eating. I've always been a fan of smoothies with kale, and of cooking with real ingredients rather than the boxed stuff.

With their inspiration and some time on my hands, we've been taking it up a notch in this house.

First was the bug spray. It's so easy, smells good, and it only has three ingredients, every one of which you might put on your skin anyway: rubbing alcohol, baby oil, and cloves.

Brent's bug spray, bottled up and ready to use. Not pictured: how good it smells.

Then I started making my own coconut milk. It's wildly easy, so much cheaper than buying the cans, and it's all natural. (Which means you've got to drink it quickly, because it goes back quickly.) I buy a little bag of frozen but fresh-from-Panama unsweetened coconut. I blend it with about twice as much water for a few minutes, then I strain the pieces out. Delicious.

My friend Stephanie then dries the leftover coconut pieces in the oven to make coconut flour -- which can then be blended into coconut butter. So delicious. I haven't taken those steps yet, though, because I keep forgetting to buy parchment paper, and I'm not keen on leaving the oven on for four hours.

Brent started making his own sauerkraut, which is also very easy and nutritious. It's fun to do, doesn't take all that much time, and is very rewarding -- especially these days, as the "food" you find in your local grocery store gets more and more suspicious. Pesticides? GMOs? Preservatives? Artificial colors and flavors? Chemical sweeteners? It's lunchtime roulette, and making my own coconut milk is one way I make an effort to avoid playing.