12 Ways to Naturally Relieve Teething

April 3, 2012 By 7 Comments

Samuel has been full blown teething these last several days. I feel so sorry for him. This round seems to be the hardest yet. He’s so cranky, and we constantly refer to him as, “Drool Monkey.” Poor thing.

We have found several ways to help relieve his teething discomfort without using Children’s Tylenol, which is full of high fructose corn syrup. I thought I’d share them with you.

1. Chicken Bone. Great for the baby who feeds himself. When Samuel began exploring food, I would pull off the chicken for Samuel to eat, and hand him the clean bone to gnaw on. Now, I just pull the grisly part off and let him go to town. He LOVES pulling the chicken off the bone with his teeth, and when he’s done, he gnaws to relieve the teething pain. We’ve also done this with rib bones. This kid can eat some ribs! Ask Mindy from The Purposed Heart. She’s witnessed it with her own eyes!

2. Frozen cherries in a mesh feeder. Frozen cherries are flavorful, but hard enough that they stay firm. Great for gnawing. Put them in a mesh feeder for easy holding.

3. Ice cube in a mesh feeder. My sister-in-love swears by this method. It gets a little messy, but since it’s just water, let them go at it. Not to mention, it’s fun for them.

4. Cold wash cloth. Wet a clean wash cloth in cold water (can even stick it in the freezer for a few minutes to get it really cold). Let baby suck on it. Samuel just slings it around, but I’ve heard other mommy’s have great success.

5. Gum-o-mile. We LOVE Gum-Omile , which is a great alternative to Baby Orajel. Just a few drops rubbed straight on the gums every few hours. Samuel sees the jar and begs for it. I think he just likes how it tastes.

6. Whiskey. Don’t judge. You know you’re tempted to pull out the good ol’ whiskey and take a shot to alleviate your pain let the alcohol calm your baby’s inflamed gums. Our grandmaw’s did it, so it must work, right? Note: I’m not implying that you let your baby drink the whiskey. You can, but not your baby! Just dab a little on your baby’s gums.

7. Wooden teething ring. We’ve not used a wooden teething ring this personally, but there are other mommy’s who swear by it. I keep forgetting to order one. Otherwise, I’d be all for giving it a try.

8. Mama’s finger. Great for when you little one is just getting started in the teething world. This is not a great method once your baby gets any teeth. Baby or not, biting hurts.

9. Frozen celery. Great for baby’s gums and to help introduce them to the flavor of celery! Samuel is really enjoying this right now even without freezing.

10. Carrot stick. When cooking dinner, I will wash a big carrot stick for Samuel and let him go at it while I finish dinner. He enjoys the flavor, and it’s great relief for his gums.

11. Highland’s teething tablets. I will never be without these tablets. Seriously. They are amazing! Samuel loves them, and they help him, especially at bedtime, to relax and rest. They help with irritability no matter what the cause. We bought ours from Vitacost, but you can find them on Amazon too!

12. Cold orange. Samuel is an orange fanatic. I give him triangle wedges still on the rind to gnaw on. Leaving the rind on gives it the extra teething benefit.

These are just a few things we’ve been using to relieve Samuel’s teething discomforts. My friend, Erin at The Humbled Homemaker, shared 8 Alternatives to Orajel (Holistic Teething Remedies) a little while back that I found super helpful. She mentions teething biscuits, which I forgot all about. Check out her post for a few other tips on how to naturally relieve teething pain.

 

What about you? What creative ways have you found to help relieve your baby’s teething discomforts?

By the way, if you’re enjoying this post, please consider subscribing to my blog and receive a free copy of my ebook: A Surrendered Marriage: A Guide to Intentional Conversations.

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Filed Under: Motherhood & Family Living, Natural Living

Yogurt: A Flu Fighting Food

November 30, 2011 By 9 Comments

The past four Wednesdays (sans last week due to Thanksgiving) have been oriented towards helping you fight the flu (or cold) naturally. Each Wednesday we (Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy, The Humbled Homemaker, The Purposed Heart, Christian Mommy Blogger, and Day 2 Day Joys) have been revealing a different food that is purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year.

So far we have talked about the immune boosting benefits of pumpkin, the importance of eating breakfast, green tea, and 7 Ways to Eat Raw Garlic. I have thoroughly enjoyed perusing all the amazing recipes and tips that have been linked up.

Before I jump into our final immune boosting food, I want to highlight some of my favorite recipes shared from last week’s link up on our flu fighting food – garlic!

Fast and Yummy Bean Dip by Whole New Mom - Love this idea. I’m planning on making a big batch of beans this week. I have this on my list to try.

Cumin Garlic Hummus – Umm…yes, please! This looks so yummy. I am going to put garbanzo beans on my grocery list for next week. We love hummus, and I’m always on the look out for a delicious new recipe to try!

Now for this week’s flu fighting food – yogurt.

Yogurt is by far one of my favorite foods ever. Not to mention, it’s so cheap, especially if you make it yourself, and it is available year round.

Yogurt is a fermented dairy product made by adding bacterial cultures to milk, which causes the transformation of the milk’s sugar, lactose, into lactic acid. – Source

Yogurt has been said to stimulate cell activity,which is your first line of defense against sickness. One serving a day of probiotic-rich yogurt helps your body fight off infections, such as the cold or flu virus.

Now, I have to be sure to state that I’m not talking about the conventional stuff people call yogurt these days. I’m talking about good, quality yogurt. The kind without high fructose corn syrup, sugar, natural flavorings, or whatever it is they put in that stuff.

Side note: sugar (yes, HFCS included) suppresses your immune system. So, whatever reasons you have for eating yogurt are null and void if it’s chock full of sugar.

My friend, Stacy, at Stacy Makes Cents, has a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful tutorial on how to make your own yogurt (in a crock pot). I have personally followed the instructions, and we have been enjoying our own yogurt for a couple of weeks now. It was so easy to make, and I will never buy store bought yogurt again. Well, unless of course I dump my starter culture down the drain. I have a reputation, don’t I?

Check out Fix and Forget Friday – Crock Pot Yogurt for a complete tutorial on how to make easy, peasy yogurt. The only difference between me and Stacy is that I use raw milk, and I don’t flavor mine. Unlike her, I killed my kefir grains … again…for the second time. So I need my plain yogurt.

Some of our favorite ways to enjoy yogurt:
  • We cover Samuel’s morning fruit in yogurt. He loves it.
  • Over top granola.
  • In our smoothies.

But our absolute favorite way to use yogurt? As a substitute for sour cream! We use it on our baked potatoes, in our soups, on our tacos, wherever something calls for sour cream, we just substitute yogurt.

I was really surprised that we liked this substitution. We are sour cream addicts. However, we were always running out. Who knew yogurt (plain, of course) would work so wonderfully?! You should try it, especially now that you know that yogurt is a flu fighting food! ;)

Be sure to check out some of the other ladies’ sites to get more information and tips on yogurt as a flu fighting food.

Yogurt Pudding: A Flu Fighting Food @ Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
Apple Pie Smoothie: A Probiotic Flu Fighter @ The Purposed Heart
5 Holiday Uses for Yogurt: A Flu Fighting Food @ The Humbled Homemaker
Probiotics 101 @ Day 2 Day Joys
@ Christian Mommy Blogger

Your turn! Link up your delicious yogurt recipes below. There are only two guidelines for participation:

  1. Your recipe must include YOGURT as an ingredient. Any entry submitted that does not include yogurt will be deleted.
  2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great yogurt recipes as well!


Don’t have a blog? No worries, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. What are some of your favorite ways to eat yogurt?

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Natural Remedies

7 Ways to Eat Raw Garlic {Flu Fighting Food}

November 16, 2011 By 22 Comments

The past three Wednesdays have been oriented towards helping you fight the flu (or cold) naturally. Each Wednesday we have been revealing a different food that is purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year.

So far we have talked about the immune boosting benefits of pumpkin, the importance of eating breakfast, and green tea. I have thoroughly enjoyed perusing all the amazing recipes that have been linked up.

Before I jump into this week’s immune boosting food, I want to highlight some of my favorite recipes shared from the previous weeks.

My Favorite Pumpkin Recipe

Pumpkin and Spinach Macaroni and Cheese from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body looks scrumptious (and so creative)! It is also freezer friendly – score!

My Favorite Breakfast Recipe

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal from Nutmeg Nanny – This tugs at my heart strings. I love blueberries, and I love oatmeal. The ultimate comfort food in my opinion.

 My Favorite Green Tea Recipe

Vanilla Green Tea Latte from The Purposed Heart – I tried this the day it posted! So yummy, and very easy to make!

Now for this week’s flu fighting food – garlic.

 Garlic
I love garlic. Garlic is truly one of the most fascinating foods I have ever encountered. It is hands down my favorite flu fightin’, throat scratchin’, nose runnin’ fighter pilot. Garlic is amazing, ya’ll!

The compounds in garlic that make it stink the most is what makes it work the best. I have yet to encounter a quicker, more effective way of not only preventing the cold or flu, but treating it as well.

Garlic is most commonly known for its anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Practically speaking, garlic is a natural antibiotic that your body does not grow resistance to, which means it has on-going positive benefits.

For medicinal use, garlic should be consumed raw. Yes, you read that right. You gotta eat it raw if you want to REALLY fight the flu. However, don’t stop cooking with it. Though most of the medicinal properties will be lost, cooked garlic will still retain some amazing benefits. Plus, it makes for some tasty meals.

Here are 7 ways to consume raw garlic:

1. A spoon full of sugar honey helps the medicine go down.

Take 1-2 (or 3) cloves of garlic and chop into small bits. Sprinkle on a teaspoon of honey.

Then, enjoy. The hubster just so happened to need to take a couple of cloves of garlic last night. So, I took pictures. Perks of being the husband of a blogger. ;)

See. He lived. This is our preferred method of consuming raw garlic. We’ve tried several ways, but this one is quick and easy easiest.

2. I would like to make a toast.

Butter a piece of toast and garnish with a couple of cloves of garlic. We found that if you roll up the toast it’s easier to stomach.

3. Take it like a man.

Neither of us are man enough, but some folks just chew a piece or two of garlic up, swallow, and call it a day. If you’ve done this, then you are my hero.

4. Oil her up.

Mince some garlic up in your favorite dressing. Our favorite is my Raw Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing.

Leigh Ann’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing:

In a pint size mason jar combine the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (you can substitute Balsamic Vinegar as well)
  • 2 cups olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • minced garlic (1-3 cloves)
  • 1 t thyme
  • 1 t basil
  • 1/2 t onion powder
  •  t dry mustard (optional)

Put the lid on the jar and give it a good shake. Store in refrigerator.

Note: It will solidify in the refrigerator. I will just pull the jar out when I start cooking to let it come to room temperature (or at least liquify).

5. Holy moly guacamole.

Do you have a favorite guacamole recipe? If not, then Stacy Makes Cents has a great one – Holy Guacamole. Add a few cloves of garlic in to help make consuming your raw garlic more palatable.

6. Meet in the middle.

Make a sandwich, and stuff a few cloves of garlic in the middle. Now, that’s a spicy sandwich!

7. Bottoms up.

The thought of this one makes me a little sick (pardon the pun), BUT I have to mention it. Take a glass of lukewarm water, mince a few cloves into it, give it a good swish and shoot! Woweeeee!!! *shudder*

When to take garlic as a “medicine.”

You should eat raw garlic at the onset of a cold. For example, is your throat getting a tickle? EAT GARLIC! I promise you that you will not regret it.

Mark and I have kicked ourselves for the past two weeks for not heeding our own advice. I got sick. He got sick (see picture above). In the past, we would have been faithful little children and eaten our garlic. Instead, this time we were lazy, and thought, “Ohhh, I never get sick. I’m fine.” Yea right. God has a funny way of working things out. ;)

Once you get sick because you didn’t eat your garlic at the onset, you should eat raw garlic every 2-3 hours. Be sure you don’t do this on an empty stomach though, or you’ll have more troubles than just your stuffy head and scratchy throat.

Also, you should be careful if you are nursing. Samuel has shown sensitivity to onion and garlic. So this time when I got sick, I couldn’t take garlic every 2-3 hours because I am still nursing. I do not want to try to get over a cold again without garlic. It was painful!

 

What about you? Do you have any creative tips for consuming raw garlic?

—-

Be sure to check out the other great garlic recipes and tips shared by the other amazing ladies hosting this series with me. They have some great stuff that you don’t want to miss!

Garlic Lemon Salad {& Baked White Fish Recipe} @ Christian Mommy Blogger
Easy Garlic Salsa @ Day 2 Day Joys
Garlic Potato Soup @ Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup @ The Purposed Heart
Better than Red Lobster Garlic Cheese Biscuits @ The Humbled Homemaker

—–

Now it’s your turn! Link up your delicious garlic recipes below.

There are only two guidelines for participation:

  1. Your recipe must include GARLIC as an ingredient. Any entry submitted that does not include garlic will be deleted.
  2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great garlic recipes as well!

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition

Why Green Tea is Considered a Flu Fighting Food

November 9, 2011 By 6 Comments

Are you thinking about getting the flu shot? Why not fight back with food instead! Each Wednesday we are revealing a different food that is purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year.

So far we have talked about the immune boosting benefits of pumpkin and the importance of eating breakfast. This week, we’re talking about green tea.

Wait, that’s not a food.

No. No it’s not. However, green tea has incredible immune boosting benefits.

Immune Boosting Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea is a powerful antioxidant (right alongside Vitamins C and E), which is said to help protect against a variety of diseases. Because of it’s ability to eliminate free radicals, it dramatically inhibits the flu virus from replicating. Therefore, it will not only help prevent the flu virus from entering your system, but if you do get it, it could greatly lessen the duration of the virus.

Drinking green tea is also a great way of ensuring that you are taking in plenty of fluids. Staying hydrated is an easily forgotten natural remedy. Ask me how I know…

It is important to note that the majority of research for green tea assumes that we are consuming at least 3-5 cups per day. So, if you only have one cup of green tea a day, you will not reap all of the benefits. But don’t let that stop you from drinking  (or eating) it when you can.

What kind of tea should you buy?

Good, high quality tea will produce a pale green to yellow cup. Your tea should smell sweet and grassy when squeezed.

Are you wondering if your tea bag is filled with fresh green tea? To test tea bags for freshness, remove the tea from the bag, and place the empty bag in a cup. Pour hot water over it, and let it steep for 2-3 minutes. If the result tastes like plain hot water, the tea itself is likely fresh. If the tea bag water tastes like tea, the tea is old, and the paper has absorbed its flavor.

 

We buy Yogi Green Tea . I personally tested our stash last night, and had the unfortunate pleasure of sipping hot water. Have you ever sipped plain ol’ hot water? *shiver while saying juuuuu* Not so tasty. Not tasty at all. But alas, we have fresh tea!

My Favorite Way to Drink Green Tea

Steep 1 Yogi Green Tea bag in warm water for 2-3 minutes with lemon and ginger. Add a little honey to taste.

I love a nice, warm cup of green tea after lunch. Sort of like a pick me up to finish the day. This is yummy and soothing. In fact, I might have one now… oh wait, I’m already drinking this - Gypsy Cold Care . I’ll drink green tea next, then.

What are Some Other Ways to Enjoy Green Tea?

Well you will have to check out the other great green tea recipes and tips shared by the other amazing ladies hosting this series with me. I’m still feeling under the weather so I didn’t get creative this week (in case you didn’t catch all the complaining above). I’m doing good to get regular food on my table. But they have some wonderfully creative ways to get green tea into your diet!

Green Tea Kombucha @ Christian Mommy Blogger
Immune Boosting Green Tea @ Day 2 Day Joys
Green Tea Oatmeal @ Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
Vanilla Green Tea Latte @ The Purposed Heart
Blueberry-Banana Green Tea Smoothie @ The Humbled Homemaker

Now it’s your turn! Link up your delicious green tea recipes below.

There are only two guidelines for participation:

  1. Your recipe must include GREEN TEA as an ingredient. Any entry submitted that does not include green tea will be deleted.
  2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great green tea recipes as well!


 

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition

Two Week Menu Plan {11/7 – 11/20} and a Baked Fish Recipe

November 7, 2011 By 6 Comments

Healthy, real food cooking is not for the faint of heart. It’s certainly not for lazy women. If you want to feed your family real, nutritional food you have to be willing to put in the work. Bottom line.

Now, confession … I am lazy. I like love comfort and ease. I love to procrastinate. I do not like foods that can’t be put together in two minutes. Period.

I am so consumed with myself and my agenda that I have failed to provide my family with good nutritious meals lately. Yes, can I give you 101 excuses?

And on and on it goes. But the bottom line is that I care more about myself and my agenda than I do caring for my family right now. *blush*

Living intentionally by grace means sometimes you have to really understand grace. God has been taking me through an obstacle course of humility honing my heart to reflect His, and for that I am grateful. I think in order to understand grace, you must first understand your depravity. You have to see yourself rightly – lazy, selfish, imperfect.

With that said, this week, I’m getting back in the groove. My only focus is feeding my family well. It’s going to be hard because I’m out of practice. However, I have to start somewhere. First, I’m taking my microwave to the garage. I’m done with it. I rely on it too much for “quick fixes.” Then, each day I will be intentional to plan, and  carry out my plan.

So without further ado, here is my two week menu plan.
11/7 – 11/13

Breakfast

Monday – Scrambled Eggs, Peaches & Yogurt
Tuesday – Baked Oatmeal Sweet Potato, Kefir Smoothie
Wednesday – Pancakes w/ homemade syrup
Thursday – Baked Oatmeal Sweet Potato (Leftovers), Kefir Smoothie
Friday – Egg in a Hole, Kefir Smoothie
Saturday – Pancakes w/ homemade syrup
Sunday - Immune Boosting Breakfast Lentil Soup w/ Rice and Bok Choy

Lunch

Shredded Chicken Salad x 2
Peanut Butter & Blackberry Jam w/ Carrot Sticks x 2
Leftovers x 2
Loaded Salad

Dinner

Monday – Baked Whitefish (recipe below) w/ steamed broccoli & carrots w/ butter
Tuesday – Mark Grill – Chicken Breast however he wants w/ Brussels sprouts and sauteed bok choy
Wednesday – BBQ Ribs in Crockpot w/ sweet potatoes & green beans
Thursday – Cajun Chicken Pasta w/ green salad
Friday – Crockpot Beef Stew
Saturday – Leftovers
Sunday – Tacos w/ black beans and rice

11/14 – 11/20

Breakfast

Monday – Scrambled Eggs, Blueberries & Yogurt
Tuesday – Leftover Immune Boosting Breakfast Lentil Soup w/ Rice and Bok Choy
Wednesday – Pumpkin Granola, Kefir Smoothie
Thursday – Egg in a Hole, Kefir Smoothie
Friday – Pumpkin Granola (Leftovers), Kefir Smoothie
Saturday – Pancakes w/ homemade syrup
Sunday – Soaked Quinoa Porridge

Lunch
Peanut Butter & Blackberry Jam w/ Carrot Sticks x 2
Leftovers x 2
Loaded Salad x 3

Dinner

Monday – Shrimp – not sure how I want to make it yet
Tuesday – Mark Grill – Pork Chops (however he wants) w/ broccoli & carrots
Wednesday – BBQ Ribs in Crockpot w/ sweet potatoes & green beans
Thursday – Chicken Enchiladas w/ Black Beans and Rice
Friday – Spaghetti w/ Salad
Saturday – Leftovers
Sunday – Tacos w/ black beans and rice

—–

 Baked Whitefish

4 filets (flounder, tilapia, or cod are some of our favorites)
juice of 1 lemon or lime or orange
1 T of coconut oil (at least)
Salt to taste
Fresh Ground pepper to taste
1 T fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary are some of our favorites) or 1 t of dried herbs
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Place fish in a well oiled baking dish. Squeeze juice of fruit over the fish, add herbs and seasonings, spoon out your coconut oil over each piece (I don’t worry about melting the oil first, it will spread as it melts). Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 300-350* for about 10-15 minutes. Don’t over cook or it will be leathery.

Serve with a fresh salad and seasonal veggie.


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So what about you? Do you ever grow weary of making “real” food?

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This post is linked to Orgjunkie.com’s Menu Plan Monday.

 

This post contains my referral link. Please see my disclosure policy here.

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Weekly Menu Plan

Immune Boosting Breakfast Lentil Soup

November 2, 2011 By 11 Comments

Are you thinking about getting the flu shot? Why not fight back with food instead! Each Wednesday we are revealing a different food that is purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year.

In addition, each post will be opened up to all our readers, who will be linking up their favorite recipes with these key flu-fighting ingredients, so you can get lots of ideas for creative ways to serve them to your family!

To be sure you don’t miss a single post in the series, consider subscribing to Intentional by Grace, or another one of these participating blogs:

Christian Mommy Blogger
Day 2 Day Joys
Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
The Purposed Heart
The Humbled Homemaker

Last week, we talked about the immune boosting benefits of pumpkin.

This week we’re talking about the importance of eating breakfast in the fight against the cold and flu virus.  

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Our mother’s mother’s mother knew this important fact, and she told her kids who told her kids who told you, right? Yet, we all invariably skip breakfast day after day after day.

Why is this?

Could it be that we do not properly understand the importance of consuming an amazingly, nutritious breakfast; therefore, we skip right over it without a second thought?

Well, no more can we use this excuse because I’m about to tell you why it is so important to eat your breakfast every single day.

So let’s get started!

God has provided us with a variety of food for our enjoyment, good food at that. Unlike God, who is completely self-sufficient and needs nothing to exist (aka, He is completely independent), we need food for sustenance (aka, we are completely dependent [on Him]). Our bodies need food. We need food for energy.  This energy enables our bodies to grow, replenish, and reproduce.

The truth is, most of us struggle to take in the required number of nutrients that our bodies need to work on a daily basis. Skipping breakfast means we miss out on essential nutrients that our bodies need to work; thus ensuring that we will most likely fail to meet our required nutrient needs for the day.

If our bodies are not getting the appropriate nutrients, then we open ourselves up to a whole host of sickness. Therefore, breakfast truly is arguably the most immune boosting meal of the day.

However, we must be careful to define what equates to an immune boosting breakfast.

I am not talking about slapping cream cheese on a bagel and calling it a day.

You need to be sure to include protein, fat, carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables in your breakfast menu.


Here is a Good Immune Boosting Weekly Breakfast Menu

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Immune Boosting Breakfast Lentil Soup (recipe below), sauteed greens, and brown rice
Tuesday & Thursday: Probiotic Pumpkin Cran Smoothie, Omelet (be sure to include some butter or coconut oil)
Saturday & Sunday: Basic Soaked Breakfast Oatmeal – add apples, raisins, walnuts, butter, & honey & 2 scrambled eggs

 

On a recent trip to Colorado, our host served us lentil soup and brown rice for breakfast. It was absolutely delicious. When writing this post, I just knew I had to share this with you. I think it’s easy to limit soup to lunch or dinner, but it’s absolutely amazing for breakfast (better if you ask me!).

Time saving tip: I recommend making up a huge batch of lentil soup and freezing it in pint size mason jars. The pint size jars equal a single serving. You can let it thaw overnight, and reheat in the morning, pour over brown rice, and voila – Immune Boosting Breakfast Lentil Soup. This is also a wonderful soup for the hubby to take to work with him!

So warm.
So hearty.
So good!


Immune Boosting Breakfast Lentil Soup

Lentils from above
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter or butter/olive oil mix
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (to taste, this can get spicy so be careful)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dried lentils (soaked this makes almost 4 cups)
1/3 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon each of basil & thyme
Chicken broth (I use at least 2 quarts of homemade chicken broth) & water, to cover
1 large tomato, diced

To Make:

  1. Soak lentils overnight in water (or at least 7 hours). Drain and rinse lentils.
  2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the vegetables; sauté for 3 minutes.
  4. Add the spices, herbs, and garlic; sauté for 1 minute.
  5. Add water, lentils, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.
  6. Reduce heat; simmer at least 1 hour (until lentils are soft).

To Serve:

Sauté spinach (bok choy, Swiss chard also work well) in coconut oil with a little garlic.

In a large soup bowl, layer cooked rice, sautéed greens, and top with immune boosting lentil soup. You can put as much as soup as you like.

Serve immediately.

Really, really yummy!

—–

Be sure to check out the other great breakfast recipes and tips shared by the other amazing ladies hosting this series with me. They have some great stuff that you don’t want to miss!

Sweet Apple Steel Cut Oats @ Christian Mommy Blogger
Breakfast Quesadilla @ Day 2 Day Joys
Granola @ Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
Apple Chai Muesli @ The Purposed Heart
“A Traditional Costa Rican Breakfast” @ The Humbled Homemaker

—–

Now it’s your turn! Link up your delicious breakfast recipes below.

There are only two guidelines for participation:

  1. Your recipe must include BREAKFAST as an ingredient. Any entry submitted that does not include breakfast will be deleted.
  2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great breakfast recipes as well!

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, In The Kitchen, Recipes

My Cloth Diapering Routine

October 27, 2011 By 13 Comments

Today I’m joining Christian Mommy Blogger and The Purposed Heart in a mini cloth diaper series. I was asked to share my cloth diaper routine, and since we’ve already been talking about cloth diapering around here, I readily agreed!

I hope to give you an overview of what cloth diapering looks like for us day-to-day.

Although it looks mostly the same each day, there are days when diapers stack up on the changing table, poop never gets flushed, and diapers get forgotten in the washer.

However, below is what it’s “supposed” to look like each day. :)

What I am working with…

We have assortment of diapers – bumGenius, FuzziBunz, and Kawaii. They are all one-size pocket diapers, which I adore! We have 18 in rotation right now, which means I wash every other day. I can go every third day, but I don’t like letting them sit that long. Just a preference.

Where I keep my clean diapers …

I like to keep my diapers stuffed and stacked in the top drawer of our changing table.

Here, why don’t I just show you …

Where I keep my dirty diapers …

Once I have changed Samuel’s diaper, I sit him in the floor of his room while I take the dirty diaper across the hall into the bathroom. We keep our diaper pail in the bathroom beside the toilet.

If it’s poop, I dump the contents into the toilet and flush. Since I use cloth wipes, I will sometimes use the wipe to knock the poop off if it’s being particularly ornery. I do not dip or rinse in any way. Whatever doesn’t come off gets dropped in the pail and left for the washing machine to take care of. That’s what I pay her for.

Then, regardless of how it’s soiled, I remove the inserts, and put down my laundry tabs if it’s a hook and loop system. I toss everything into my pail including my cloth wipes.

Don’t forget to wash your hands.

Note:I found that keeping my pail in the bathroom is easiest for us. When I kept it in Samuel’s room, I had to walk the poop to the toilet, back to his room to put the diaper in the pail, then back to the bathroom to wash up. This seemed silly to me. So I just moved the pail to save a little time.

How I wash my diapers…

On wash day, I grab my pail and take it to the laundry room. I dump the contents into the washing machine. Easy-peasy!

I use Charlie’s Soap for detergent – about 1/8 a cup. I do my first wash on hot cycle with an extra rinse. If it’s a particularly dirty load, I will send them through another short cycle on cold without detergent. I do this most days anyways, but skip this last rinse if I’m in a hurry.

How I dry my diapers…

In the warmer months, we hang everything out to dry on the clothesline. I absolutely love line dried diapers! Plus, I’ve noticed that it keeps “the smell” at bay.

In the cooler months when we have less sunlight, I stick all my diapers in the dryer on low heat. It’s not my preferred method for drying, especially with finicking hook and loop diapers. I would rather hang them on a drying rack and let them air dry.

However, that takes much longer since my laundry room is out in the garage without heat. So, right now, I dry on the lowest setting for the shortest time possible.

How I stuff my diapers …

I usually bring my diapers in from the dryer after Samuel’s just woken up from a nap. We’ll sit and talk and giggle while I stuff the diapers in his bedroom floor.

Here’s how I stuff my diapers.

And I think that about covers it (no pun intended, get it?)!

Cloth Diaper Wipes Baby Wash Recipe

  • 3 cups warm water
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 drops of lavender essential oil (or scent of your choice)
  • 3 drops Melaleuca (Tea Tree) Oil
  • 2 T castille soap

1. Combine all ingredients in a pint size mason jar. Give it a shake.

2. Pour into a small spray bottle and refill as needed.

Don’t forget to check out Christian Mommy Blogger’s Cloth Diapering the How Part and The Purposed Heart’s Different Types of Diapers (and she personally uses) for more information on cloth diapering routines!

 

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Do you have any questions, or see something that I do that’s down right silly? I would love to hear from you in the comments.

This post contains my referral link. Please see my disclosure policy here.

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Natural Living

Pumpkin: A Simple Immune Boosting Baby Food

October 26, 2011 By 14 Comments

Forget the flu shot! This year, fight back with food instead! Come back each Wednesday as we reveal five different foods that are purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year.

What’s more, each post will be opened up to all our readers, who will be linking up their favorite recipes with these key flu-fighting ingredients, so you can get lots of ideas for creative ways to serve them to your family!

To be sure you don’t miss a single post in the series, consider subscribing to Intentional by Grace, or another one of these participating blogs:

Christian Mommy Blogger
Day 2 Day Joys
Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
The Purposed Heart
The Humbled Homemaker

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When I was asked to participate in this blog series, I got so excited. What a great opportunity to learn from others, and learn more about the amazing foods God has provided for us through His creation to fight sickness and disease. Not to mention, I get to share it with you!

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Before I got married, each year the dreaded cold and flu season took me out of the ball game – every year, without fail. Even during our first year of marriage, Mark and I passed the cold back and forth all season. It was horrible.

Since then, I have learned that when we adequately boost our immune system through a nutritious diet (and supplementation where needed), we drastically decrease our chances of contracting the cold or flu virus. Mark and I have been free from the flu (loving all of this alliteration) since switching over to a more whole foods diet. Now that Samuel is eating more solid foods, I want to be sure I’m helping him load up these nutritious foods as well.

One of the easiest foods I have found, and it just so happens to be this week’s flu fighting food, is pumpkin – something we all have sitting on our front porch this time of year!

Pumpkins are a super food, full of vitamins, minerals, and other healthy nutrients. It matters not whether you eat the pulp or the seeds, pumpkins are great for your health and can offer some incredible immune boosting benefits. Not to mention, they are an easy baby food.

4 Health Benefits of Pumpkin

1. Fiber.

We have talked about fiber before. Fiber is important for good digestive health. Good digestive health is good for the overall immune system because upwards of 75% of our health lies within our gut! Without a properly functioning digestive system, our immune system doesn’t stand a chance. Pumpkin contains a healthy supply of beneficial fiber, which can help boost your immune system by promoting a healthy gut.

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for growth and repair of tissues in the body. Since Vitamin C is not stored in the body, we must continually supply our bodies with this vitamin through our diets. Pumpkins are high in Vitamin C!

3. Provitamin A

Also known as carotene is a powerful antioxidant, which is found in all bright orange, yellow, red and green fruits and vegetables. The carotenes found in pumpkin are converted to vitamin A, which is essential for healthy immune system regulation. It is said that pumpkins contain the daily recommended dosage of vitamin A in one single cup!

4. B Vitamins

Deficiency in the B vitamin complex can result in the enlargement and malfunction of almost every organ and gland in the body. Some studies show that thiamin may strengthen the immune system and promote the body’s ability to tolerate stress. Pumpkin is high in B vitamins; therefore a great source for this most important nutrient.

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Pumpkin has several other benefits, but you’ll have to check out some of the other posts in the series to learn more. I’ve also linked several resources below for further reading.

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Would you like an easy tip for cooking pumpkin?

I have found an easy way to “roast” my pumpkins. With a little one crawling around and getting into everything – yesterday, he ate an entire tomato before I even knew he was rummaging through my produce bag – I am always looking for the easiest, no-brainer way of cooking.

Insert – Crockpot “Roasted” Pumpkin

After trying my hand at roasting my pumpkin in the oven, I opted to find a “better” way. I have tendency to forget about food if it takes longer than 20 minutes to cook.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Wash your pumpkin.
  2. Poke lots of holes in your pumpkin.
  3. Put the pumpkin in your crock pot.
  4. Put the lid on your crock pot.
  5. Turn on low.
  6. Cook until you remember it’s in there.

So easy, even I can do it! If your pumpkin is too big to place in your crock pot whole, then just slice it in two (don’t remove seeds unless you really want to) and place both halves in your crock pot.

I “roasted” this pumpkin for about 4 hours on low. When you can poke your fork through your pumpkin, it’s done.

I spooned out the seeds and stringys. Then scooped out the flesh and put it in a mason jar to store in the fridge.

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Pumpkin Makes a Great First Food for Baby

I pull out chunks of pumpkin for Samuel to eat. He absolutely loves it. He can eat a pint of pumpkin in one sitting!

With all of pumpkin’s amazing  benefits, I love that I can help boost my baby’s immune system with a simple food found in God’s amazing creation.

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Web Sources for this post:
Vitamins in Pumpkin
Pumpkin Health Benefits

Book Sources for this post:
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

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Be sure to check out the other great pumpkin recipes and tips shared by the other amazing ladies hosting this series with me. They have some great stuff that you don’t want to miss!

Probiotic Pumpkin Cran Smoothie @ Christian Mommy Blogger
Pumpkin Pear Muffins @ Day 2 Day Joys
Pumpkin Soup @ Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
Creamy Pumpkin Soup @ The Purposed Heart
Probiotic Pumpkin Dip @ The Humbled Homemaker

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Now it’s your turn! Link up your delicious pumpkin recipes below.

There are only two guidelines for participation:

  1. Your recipe must include PUMPKIN as an ingredient. Any entry submitted that does not include pumpkin will be deleted.
  2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great pumpkin recipes as well!

 

This post is linked to Real Food Wednesdays, Growing Home.

 

 

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, In The Kitchen, Kitchen Tips

Deceptively Delicious Potato Soup Recipe

October 13, 2011 By 6 Comments

I made Potato Soup this week. While making it, I decided to get creative. I wondered to myself as I chopped the obligatory ingredients whether I could pack more of a nutritional punch into this amazing comfort food.

Here is what I came up with based on what I had on hand.

What You Need

  • 3 Tablespoons of real butter
  • Small onion, chopped fine
  • 1 quart homemade chicken broth
  • 1 1/4 cup whole, (raw preferably) milk
  • 4 russet potatoes (or equivalent to based on what you have), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
  • 8 slices of bacon, crumbled
  • 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
  • Raw, whole milk yogurt, kefir or sour cream, for topping (Need a starter? Cultures for Health is my go-to place.)
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

And the deception

  • 3 carrots, chopped fine
  • 3 heads of broccoli, chopped fine
  • 1 cup of pureed pumpkin (I used fresh)

To Make

  1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add onions & carrots; cook until the onions are translucent & carrots softened.
  2. Add broth, milk, potatoes, salt, pepper, broccoli, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil. Be sure to stir frequently so the milk doesn’t scorch.
  3. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer rapidly until the potatoes soften. Stir occasionally.
  4. Once potatoes soften, gently crush with back of spoon. Add half your cheese, bacon, and green onions. Check to see if you need to add more salt and pepper.
  5. Simmer until cheese is melted. Stirring occasionally.

To Serve

Spoon soup as is into a warm soup bowl, or blend first to smooth, then serve. Top with green onions, bacon, a little extra cheese, and a dollop of yogurt.

Note: Plain yogurt is our topping of choice. Instead of having sour cream and yogurt and kefir on hand, I have simplified and just keep yogurt and kefir.

This soup goes great with hot homemade cornbread and a fresh salad.

As you can see, there is no picture of our soup. I had every intention of photographing the moment, but we ate it too fast. I’ll do better next time.

I didn’t tell Mark what was in the soup, which is his favorite soup, because I wanted to see how deceptive I really was. ;) He had no idea there was anything in the soup that didn’t belong.

In all honesty, I don’t have to hide food for us to eat it. However, I do like to look for ways to pack more of a nutritional punch into our diets. So, I’ve been experimenting. I have some other ideas up my sleeve, but need to try them out first. I’ll let you know what I come up with next.

 

This post is linked to Five Flu Fighting Foods.

What about you? How do you add more nutrition to an ordinary meal? Do you have to disguise foods for your family to eat what they need? Leave a comment with your suggestions!

Cultures for Health

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, In The Kitchen, Recipes

All About Oils – What to Use When & A Tropical Traditions Giveaway {Giveway Ended}

October 7, 2011 By 33 Comments
The winner of the Tropical Traditions Giveaway is Lisa Brown! I will be emailing you to collect your information. :-) Congratulations, Lisa. And thank you to everyone who participated!

Note: The previous winner did not send me the information needed to collect her coconut oil. Therefore, a new winner was chosen. The new winner will have 5 days to claim their prize upon receipt of my email.

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As I have sought to learn all there is to know about fat, one thing I have learned is to keep it simple. It’s easy to get confused and discouraged when trying to remember what’s good for me and what is bad.

Here our list of fats we use on a daily basis:

For Salads:

Use Olive Oil. Olive Oil is best used cold due to its tendency to break down under high temperatures. When you use olive oil cold, you ensure retention of all the wonderful nutrients.

  • Rich in Vitamin E
  • Full of powerful antioxidants (polyphenols)

We use Olive Oil for salads almost always. The only exception is my homemade Probiotic Ranch Dressing.

One of my more famous dressings is my Raw Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing. It is requested often (even by those who eat a conventional diet ;) ).

Leigh Ann’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing:

In a pint size mason jar combine the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (you can substitute Balsamic Vinegar as well)
  • 2 cups olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • minced garlic (1-3 cloves)
  • 1 t thyme
  • 1 t basil
  • 1/2 t onion powder
  •  t dry mustard (optional)

Put the lid on the jar and give it a good shake. Store in refrigerator.

Note: It will solidify in the refrigerator. I will just pull the jar out when I start cooking to let it come to room temperature (or at least liquify).

For cooking:

Use butter liberally. The best butter is the kind you get from a local farmer. Your butter should be more on the orange-y side (is that a word?). Most butters that you find in the supermarket will be a pale yellow color.

I want to quote something for you from the book Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck. This book has been invaluable! I highly, highly recommend it.

In her chapter on Real Fats, she explained the reason for consuming full fat milk and entire eggs. It is a lengthy quote, but completely worth your time to read, I think. It was a complete paradigm shift for me. My emphasis added.

Consider, for example, two near-perfect foods: eggs and milk. Both foods are a complete nutritional package, designed for a growing organism’s exclusive nutrition, and must contain everything the body needs to assimilate the nutrients they contain. Thus the fats in the egg yolk aid digestion of the protein in the white, and lecithin in the yolk aids metabolism of its cholesterol. The butterfat in milk facilitates protein digestion, and saturated fat in particular is required to absorb the calcium. Calcium, in turn, requires vitamins A and D to be properly assimilated, and they are found only in the butterfat. Finally, Vitamin A is required for production of bile salts that enable the body to digest protein. Without the butterfat, then, you don’t get the best of the protein, fat-soluble vitamins, or calcium from milk. That’s why I don’t eat, and cannot recommend, egg white omelets and skim milk. They are low-quality, incomplete foods (page 181).

Therefore, cooking with butter is a good idea because of it’s high saturation level. This means it can be heated to higher temperatures before breakdown (smoking) occurs. It is a much less delicate fat. By keeping it intact, your body has a better chance of properly assimilating all the nutrients from the food you are cooking. Not to mention, your food will taste better.

Use a combination of olive oil and butter. Most of us probably use olive oil for our cooking needs. We’ve been told it’s healthy and good for us. I’ve told you some of the possible troubles with olive oil when heated, but I think this will be a hard one to give up for most. However, due to olive oil’s delicate nature, I would submit that you at least use half olive oil, half butter when sauteing. The butter, which is much more stable, will help the olive oil stay in tact.

Use Coconut Oil. This is hands down my favorite oil for cooking. Did you know that the Polynesians, who eat coconuts and coconut oil every day, call it the “Tree of Life?” Coconut oil has been used for centuries, but went out of fashion when saturated fats were said to be bad for you. Thankfully, coconut oil is making its reappearance.

Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain saturated fatty acids, which do not have to be emulsified by bile acids before they are digested. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.

Additionally, coconut oil’s main fat, lauric acid, is an antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral fatty acid, which is also found in breast milk. Interestingly enough, Dr. Mary Enig suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet to take in an equivalent amount of lauric acid that a nursing infant would receive from breast milk. Furthermore, research shows that lauric acid helps build immunity and protects against (and even said to kill) many infectious diseases, such as HIV, measles, herpes, strep, and more.

Pretty impressive track record, if you ask me.

Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, which lengthens its shelf life and makes things flaky when used for baking. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils.

Where to buy Coconut Oil?

Finally, I have found that coconut is a scary oil for those who aren’t used to cooking with it.

For this reason, I was excited when Tropical Traditions asked me to try out a jar of their 32-oz. – Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. We had been using another brand of coconut oil for years. As  a result, I was prepared to be disappointed in Tropical Traditions. Alas, I was not. They have won me over.

Tropical Traditions’ coconut oil is by far the best I have ever had. I found myself dipping a spoon into the jar and eating the coconut oil raw. Yum!

We also used the oil for scrambling eggs, sauteing squash and zucchini, smoothies, and a spread on our toast. I learned that Samuel will eat anything if there is enough coconut oil on it. ;) He loves sucking on veggies to get all the coconut oil out first.

What I like about Tropical Traditions is their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil  is that it is not mass produced. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years. Their coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. The families who produce the oil are also trained according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and re-certified each year.

How can you get a jar of Tropical Traditions coconut oil?

Right now they have a sale for 2 jars – 32-oz. ea. – Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil – BUY 1 GET 1 FREE!, which means you get two jars of coconut oil for $40.00. This is a steal.

Or you can enter the Giveaway!

Tropical Traditions has graciously agreed to giveaway a free quart of coconut oil to one of my readers!

Here’s how to enter (must do one of the following, but can do both):
(Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry if you do both options)

1. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter (@troptraditions) or Like them on Facebook.

2. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions Sales email newsletter.

For additional entries (and a better chance to win):
(Be sure to leave a separate comment for each of the following entries)

2. Visit Tropical Traditions Free Coconut Recipes page and leave a comment below telling me what recipe you want to try out.

3. Subscribe to Intentional by Grace by RSS feed or by email.

4. Share about this giveaway through your blog or favorite social media.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:00 PM EST. The winners will be picked using Random.org, and announced on this site. So stay tuned to see if you are the lucky winner!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

 

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Here are some resources to help you explore the benefits of adding good quality fats to your diet and where (not all but) most of my information comes from.

Web information:

Know Your Fats – Weston A. Price Foundation (scroll down to the bottom for lots of wonderful articles)

This post contains my referral link. Please see my disclosure policy here.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Health & Nutrition, In The Kitchen, News & Giveaways, Product Reviews, Recipes
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