The Sun & Cleaning Products

It's been awhile since I've done a "wiser" post...

I started noticing about 3 months ago that when I use harsh cleaning products, it really affects my skin. And I'm lazy, I rarely put on gloves to clean. Then I started thinking about how much we absorb through our skin. For example, my Master's degree is in the psychology field, and in abnormal psychology I've learned about seasonal depression which occurs during the time of year when we see the least amount of sun. Combine that with the fact that our bodies need Vitamin D and the most beneficial form of Vitamin D is in the form of good ole straight sunlight, absorbed directly into our skin.
One of my friend's brothers attempted suicide many months ago, and one of the things that the doctors found in their testing was that his body was dangerously low in Vitamin D. Could this deficiency contribute to feelings of depression or even suicide? I don't know, but it's interesting the obvious correlation. My husband has said many times that the winter months are really hard on him, in regulating his mood.

Anyway, sorry about the tangent, back to what we absorb through our skin:

So, really, how much of what we expose our bodies to is exposed through our skin? Obviously Vitamin D through the sun is, but what about cleaning products? Shampoo? Soap? Deodorant? If I think too hard about it, I get really stressed because I can't afford for everything in my house to be organic! But I've tried (like the dirty dozen in fruits and veggies) to think about the worst things in my home.

That same friend that I spoke of above moved a year and a half ago (sniff sniff), and I went over to help her clean her house. I fell in love with her cleaning products because they smelled SOOOO GOOOD and they didn't bother my skin at all! The brand name is Method, and when I find it on sale, I buy it, but if I coupon I can get some glass cleaner for .25! It's a constant battle: cheaper or better for you?
Well, I got an email from the Krazy Coupon Lady that talks about homemade house cleaning solutions. Check this recipe out!

1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t peppermint oil
1 t cornstarch
Mix and put in a spray bottle; use to clean surfaces and glass. 

Okay, doesn't that sound like it smells heavenly?

She also gives the following as inexpensive cleaners:
white vinegar-natural degreaser and disinfectant. Okay, I hate the smell of white vinegar. I've used it a few times, but rarely because I like my bathrooms to smell CLEAN, not smell like vinegar. But with the recipe above, I think it would smell clean! I love the fresh smell of peppermint and lemon! Anyway, if you like vinegar, mix 1 part vinegar and 1 part water. You can pour vinegar straight onto your stove and let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe it clean---grease is GONE! :)

Baking soda-this is for scrubbing! Make a paste with water and it cleans everything, including your oven!!! No more fumes that you are breathing in!

Canola oil-use a small amount with a drop of lemon juice to clean wood furniture. You can also put a drop of lavender oil in if you like!

Need to unclog those drains? Do the following: Pour 1/2 c baking soda down the drain followed by 1/2 c vinegar. Wait for it to bubble up, and then rinse it down with hot water.

Does anyone else have ideas for homemade cleaning solutions?

Community resources & Fried Okra

I had the opportunity to go visit the Amish community on Monday. This is a resource that I've known about....but I haven't REALLY known about!  For $19 I got the following:
1 gallon fresh raw goat's milk
2 dozen freshly gathered eggs
4 lbs cucumbers
4 canteloupes
6 lbs tomatoes
2 lbs okra
3 lbs summer squash
2 HUMONGOUS butternut squashes (like, I'm not sure I have a pan big enough to cook them! But I'm super excited... I have a soup recipe coming up that is soooo delicious!)

 I think that's it, but it feels like I'm forgetting something. But seriously! That is some cheap food, and it was all freshly picked that morning before I got there! They had bushels of green beans for $15, concord grapes by the bucket, homecanned items, gobs and gobs of things! I made yogurt and kefir with the fresh milk, and the kids and I are still eating on the cucumbers. I froze most of the tomatoes for winter cooking, and made a healthier version of fried okra, and still have enough for 2 more batches! See below for the recipe.

I don't know that I'll go every week, as it's about a 40 minute drive...but I will definitely go 1-2 times/month. The quality of food plus the price makes it worth the effort, especially while I'm in between summer and fall planting for my garden. (It's soooo hot here that every time I try to plant fall crops, they wilt as soon as they break through the surface. So, I've started seeds inside and will transplant them as soon as the weather cools a bit.)

I know that there are resources that aren't well known in every community, you just have to look for it. Eating healthy does NOT have to cost an arm and a leg! What have you found in your community?

Fried Okra

Note-this is best done in a cast iron skillet...but I don't have one. It's on my wish list. :)

Okra, diced (discard the top of the okra)

popcorn

coconut oil

1-2 eggs

Put popcorn in your high powered blender and blend fresh corn meal. Crack the eggs and mix with the okra til it's pretty slimy. Mix in the cornmeal until everything is thoroughly covered. Warm coconut oil until warm enough for frying, but not smoking. Fry okra on both sides until crispy and slightly browned. You can serve with ketchup or eat plain. All of us love fried okra, but I admit, it may be an acquired southern taste. Have you ever had fried okra? What do you think? 

Say YES to Fun School Lunches!

Allright, here we go. I'm doing this post mostly for me, but I know there are a lot of other parents out there who are at a loss on how to pack healthy lunches for their kiddos, that are fun too! (And that don't take an hour every morning to prepare!) I will be adding to this post as I go!

Salads

Black Bean Taco Salad
1 handful of salad greens with fresh veggies (cucumbers, peppers, whatever you want to add)
1/4 cup of black beans mixed with a bit of salsa or taco seasoning
1 handful of chips, crushed in hand
The dressing is salsa, so pack this is a sealed cup. Everything else can be in compartments so that the kiddos can assemble their own salad and it's not all soggy.

Tuna Salad
1 can tuna
1 apple, finely chopped
handful of raisins
1 small stalk of celery, finely chopped
seeds of your choice (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc)
Mix all together with a bit of vegenaise, onion & garlic powders, cumin
Serve on a bed of greens and chopped veggies

(I actually made this last week with leftover crockpot chicken. The kids loved it!)

Black Bean & Corn Salad
2 c cooked black beans
1 1/2 c fresh corn
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro chopped (leaved only!)
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 diced cucumber
1 handful spinach
Combine and drizzle with the following dressing:
1/2 c agave
1/4 c rice vinegar
1/3 c lime juice
1/3 bunch cilantro (leaves only)
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
sea salt to taste
Blend in a blender.

 Fresh Mango & Mint
That's it! Chop up some mango, chop up some fresh mint leaves, mix and voila! It's super tasty!

Strawberry Salad
Spinach or romaine, rinsed and torn
1 cucumber, diced
1 apple, chopped
8 strawberries, quartered
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 can mandarin oranges
crumbled blue cheese
1/4 c slivered almonds or chopped pecans

Combine in a bowl and put the dressing on the side in a disposable cup:
1/3 c agave
1/4 c rice vinegar
8 strawberries
Blend in blender.

Fruit Dips

Yogurt Dip
1 cup homemade kefir or yogurt
Add agave nectar & cinnamon to taste (thanks Jessica!)

Strawberry Dip
1 cup plain yogurt
frozen strawberries, 6ish?
a bit of agave nectar
Blend in your blendtec and pour into those disposable cups to dip apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, pears, etc.

Veggie Dips

Black Bean Dip

1 cup black beans - lightly pulsed in a blender/food proccesor

1 cup salsa

1/4 carrot puree (blend raw carrots in blender until smooth, add water if needed)

1 Tbsp taco seasoning

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro or 1 tsp. dried cilantro

Mix together and serve with an array of sliced fresh veggies.

Salsa
This is for you folks out there who don't care for raw tomatoes (like me!)
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1-2 raw roma tomatoes
1 bell pepper cut into big chunks
1/2 medium onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1 T lime juice
1 t sea salt
1 t cumin
1 drop hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Pulse all ingredients (except cilantro) in blender until you reach desired consistency. Stir in cilantro. Serve with pita chips, rice chips or organic tortilla chips.

Wraps

Spread homemade peanut butter on a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon. Roll up and slice.

Spread hot refried beans, mozzerella cheese, and shredded veggies (squash, carrots, etc); roll up and serve.

Make homemade guacamole (I wish we all loved this, but only my hubby does) by dicing or mashing a ripe avocado with taco seasoning and sea salt to taste, some lime juice and some salsa. Mix well and roll in a tortilla.

Toast a piece of whole wheat or sprouted bread. Spread with almond butter and top with sliced bananas, raisins and cinnamon.


I will post some soup/chili/stew recipes this fall (my absolute favorite season ever!) that you can send with your child. See here with the link to our soup/leftover container.


I will also post a pre-school breakfast post soon with some breakfast ideas besides that sugary bowl of cereal. My son finally eats a variety of breakfasts instead of mini wheats every day! Woot Woot!


You can always serve a homemade muffin with fresh fruit and veggies and dip. We do this 1-2 lunches/week and the kids looooove muffin day! Here is a link with some muffin recipes!

A few smoothie recipes

...for those of you who exercise or just need a little bit more energy:

-5 stalks organic celery, chopped into chunks
-1 1/2 c water
-1 apple
-4-5 frozen bananas, broken into chunks

Blend Blend Blend! This tastes so creamy, and is almost treat-like. :)


-3 stalks organic celery, chopped into chunks
-2 bananas
-1 c frozen mixed berries
-1 c water

Blend Blend Blend! This is so simple and so energizing!


For either of the above smoothies, add a couple of handfuls of your favorite greens to help boost the vitamins and minerals!

Eggplant at Our House??? Who Knew?

We have NEVER liked eggplant. Ever. Well, we got some in our CSA, and you know me: I didn't want to waste food, especially fresh farm grown food, so I started researching. I found a recipe for fried eggplant and then added my own variations, and the result? Not a stitch of eggplant was left! The entire family lapped it up, even me!

Okay, so one of the secrets is an amazing sauce, which we were fortunate enough to eat tonight as well. Make this first and let it be simmering while you make the rest:

4 pounds of fresh, mixed tomatoes, half of which need to be flavorful Romas!

Blanch these by putting them in boiling water until the skin starts to blister, then dump into ice water to cool. Pull the skin off and chop into chunks, or pulse in your blender until it's a little smooth with some chunks still in it.

Meanwhile, in a large pot saute in 2-3 T of olive oil, 1 large chopped onion and 5 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced.

Add the following to the pot:
tomatoes
3 cans tomato paste
2 T raw apple cider vinegar
4 T vegetable broth powder (see recipe for it here)
2 t dried oregano
3 T fresh basil, chopped
2 t fennel seed
1 1/2 t sea salt
Add veggies of your choice. I threw in a couple of summer squash, sliced. Spinach and mushrooms would be tasty, too!

Simmer for 30-60 minutes.

Slice 2 eggplant, lengthwise, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.

Make batter by combining a little more then 1 cup chickpea flour (made by dumping dried chickpeas in the high powered blender and plug your ears while it blends until smooth), 1 t sea salt, 3/4 t chili powder, 2 t garlic powder and 3/4-1 c water. You want the batter a little thicker then pancake batter consistency, not too thick or it will slip off of the eggplant.

Dip the egg plant in the batter on both sides and fry in coconut oil. Make sure the oil isn't too hot to smoke, but just hot enough to fry until golden brown. Flip and do the same to the other side. Layer your eggplant between paper towels so that it's not too greasy.

Boil water and cook your favorite pasta and serve pasta, eggplant and sauce. You can sprinkle Parmesan or hemp seed if you wish. Mwah! Delicioso!

p.s. okay, that picture wasn't that great, it's a post-eating picture trying to move things around to look good, because I really wasn't convinced this was going to taste good. After a few minutes of bliss, I said, "Get the camera OUT! This is sooooooo GOOD!"

2 New Muffin Recipes

I have rarely made muffins. For my whole life. They just seemed like a lot of work, until I realized that you can squeeze all kinds of nummy stuff into them, and then freeze them! Pull them out the night before and it's all soft and wonderful the next morning. Lately, I've been freezing muffins, and I leave just enough for lunch with a fruit and a ton of veggies and dip (hummus, black bean, salsa, whatever!) This is a super easy lunch idea instead of buying lunch or packing sandwiches day after day. (Oh, and it's a super easy breakfast idea to eat AFTER a green smoothie!)  Before I give you these recipes, though, here are a few resources. 3 years ago, I bought each of my kiddos one of these. This is PERFECT for leftover soup, stew, chili, or even dinner from the night before if the kids raved about it. :)

This year, I'm buying these so that my kids have homemade & much healthier lunchables. Also, my sister has a membership at Sam's Club and is going to buy a package of 1000 of these (see picture) for dips, etc. I'm soooo excited for this, because kids looooove to dip things. Heck, I love to dip things too. :) 


Alright, hopefully now that you know there are plenty of ideas for packaging the lunch out there, let's move on. MUFFINS!!!  P.S. Special thanks to my Jess who bought me the coolest cookbook! I have adjusted some of the recipes per Jess and the result is absolutely fabulous!

Banana Muffins

2/3 c Agave

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 c coconut oil

1/4 to 1/2 c almond milk (adjust to make batter thin enough)

1 1/2 t vanilla

1/2 apple, cored, with skin on

1 t baking powder

1 1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t sea salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

2 c flour, see note

Note: any combination of flour will do, but we do a lower gluten variety if we can. You can do whole wheat or partially whole wheat with spelt or kamut or brown rice flour. Everything I've tried has worked beautifully!

Blend in high power blend, or if you don't have one, make sure at least the apple and banana is blended until smooth. Then add dry ingredients to combined wet ingredients. Fill muffin tins until about 3/4 full. This made about 21 muffins. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. 

****you can also add a few teaspoons of freshly ground flax seed-yum!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 can pumpkin

1 1/2 c agave

1/2 c coconut oil

2/3 c water 

1 whole apple, cored, with skin 

1/2 banana, mashed

2 t baking powder

3 1/2 c flour (see note above)

2 1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t sea salt

1 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

1/2 t ginger

Blend in high powered blender. If you don't have one, do the banana and apple, and then mix combined wet ingredient with combined dry ingredients, adding water as needed to ensure the batter is thin enough. Pour into 2 muffin tins, about 3/4 full. Cook at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

****you can also add a few teaspoons of freshly ground flax seed-yum!

I loooooooove fall, so these just fill my kitchen will all sorts of happy smells and happy thoughts of cooler, crisper weather and colorful leaves.
I will do some dip ideas in another post, but until then, ENJOY!!! :)

Sickness

So, my little man is SICK! For the first time! (Boooo!), but I can't complain, the guy was born during flu season and this is the first time he's been sick! I decided to put my faith in some natural remedies, try it out and see if they work, and guess what? He is on the mend! This is what we did:
-Colloidal Silver, 1/2 tsp a few times a day
-garlic. Because I'm still breastfeeding I thought perhaps if I took the garlic straight, it would get to him through my milk. First I made a batch of homemade mashed potatoes. Then I took a small spoonful, and slipped a fresh, crushed garlic clove into it. I actually cut the clove in half, because I have a hard time swallowing big things.
-I have had about 16 oz of kefir for the last 2 days-again, hoping it goes into my milk for lil guy.

Anyway, little guy was up almost the whole night 2 nights ago, and at least 3 times per night for about 5 nights before that. Last night, he got up twice, but the second time was only cause he was congested. My hubby made a homemade saline solution and cleared his nasal passages, and he went right back to sleep.

He also hasn't been napping because he's been so uncomfortable, and I just went into my bedroom where he was playing, and he was passed out on the floor. :) Cute! Anywho, I think I will keep this colloidal silver on hand and keep the garlic comin. How cool is that! No trip to the doctor and NO ANTIBIOTICS! Woo Hoo!!!