All posts by Monna

Jun 28
0

Watermelon Slushies!

By | Recipes | 2 Comments

Today has been a hot day.

Too hot to think and too hot to write.

Apparently, not too hot for giant baby to talk though. He’s found his voice and he’s been giving me his opinion all day. Thankfully, he’s happy!

So, we need something cool. This is easy, delicious, cold, sweet and healthy! Also a great remedy for kids who tend toward constipation but don’t like to eat fruit. I know, you didn’t see that one coming, right? I guess I have to add something thoughtful. Ha!

Watermelon = fiber + water.

So much tastier than metamucil, right?

Watermelon Slushies

1. Cut fresh watermelon into smallish chunks – about 2″ pieces.

2. Place in freezer till frozen (you can use a bag or a cookie sheet).

3. Take watermelon chunks  out of freezer and place in a blender jar. How much you need depends on how many people you are serving or how thirsty you are!

4. Let the watermelon sit in the blender jar until you have enough watermelon juice to make the blades move. I nearly filled my blender jar with melon and about 6-8 ounces of juice got things moving.

5. Blend till melon is slushy.

6. Pour into glasses and serve.

Ours is garnished with basil since that’s Destructo Girl’s favorite flavor. I would have put a few leaves in the blender but I forgot.

See? Too hot to think!

If you’re serving adults, I bet you could just use a little “spirit” to get that blender moving too.

What is your favorite healthy hot weather treat?

Shared at Frugally Sustainable.

 

Jun 27
1

Zucchini Coconut Oil Bread: Or How to Re-focus Destructo Girl

By | Honest Mothering, Recipes | 4 Comments

Baking isn’t something I do much of in the summer. In fact, as I mentioned to my friend Dani today, all I want to do lately is drink my meals. Before you start judging (or laughing)… While I’m tempted to imbibe large amounts of consciousness altering beverages during these sleep deprived, crazy preschooler-centric days, I’m actually drinking smoothies. Mainly veggie heavy smoothies. Yesterday, two of my three meals were smoothies. It was heavenly.

Of course, after that many smoothies, we all wanted a little something to “stick” to our ribs. Plus, we needed a distraction from the stir craziness that heat advisory house arrest creates for a mom with a younger kids.

Yesterday and today, exhaustion, the frustration of monotonous tasks and the feeling that I never get anything done anymore finally got to me and I felt myself rapidly approaching insanity. First, I gave in to my inner bi-atch and, I’m ashamed to say, was a total grump with my poor kids. Then, I freaked out and cried hysterically for a few minutes. I’m not joking. There. I said it in public!

Annoyed with myself for my lack of control, I took a deep breath and decided to change direction. When my sweet giant baby finally took a nap, I got out the mixing bowls and ingredients to make a sweet treat that would use up the zucchini overload in my fridge.

As I prepared the tools for baking, Destructo Girl came in and said, “Mommy, I would like to watch you cook.” I said, “You bet!”

We had so much fun! Doing something unusual like baking together in the middle of a hot, hot day really changed the whole attitude of our house.

I didn’t intend to create a recipe out of this. I wanted to learn a lesson about self discipline – the art of taking a breath and choosing a different path. The awesome recipe was just a happy accident.

First, I should warn you that because I didn’t intend to post this, my baking time is an estimate. I’ll update the post the next time I bake this. Second, while this recipe uses nutrient dense ingredients that are good for all of us like Coconut oil, whole wheat pastry flour, zucchini, eggs and milk, I consider it cake though most would consider it a quick bread. Nursing mamas will love that it also includes ingredients that encourage more milk – brewer’s yeast and flaxseed meal. The final result is a moist, flavorful and satisfying treat!

p.s. Please, please, PLEASE don’t ruin this recipe by trying to substitute nasty canola oil for the coconut. Ugh. If you need to sub, try melted butter or avocado oil.



*If you don’t want to heat up your house, do what I do and bake this in a convection/toast oven on the back porch. YES!

Zucchini Coconut Oil Cake

Streusel topping

  • 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 t. nutmeg
  • 2 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 c butter

Cake dry ingredients

  • 2 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 c. flax meal (I just whiz some flaxseeds in my coffee grinder)
  • 3 T. Brewer’s yeast
  • 3/4 t. nutmeg
  • 1 t. fine sea salt
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. baking powder

Wet ingredients

  • 1 c. coconut oil
  • 2 c. brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 t. vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated zucchini (not drained)
  • 1/2 c. milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Grease and flour two loaf pans. (I used 1- 8.5×4.5×2.5″ and 1-5.25x9x2.75″ because I don’t have matching ones! This, along with my being distracted by three kids, is partly why my baking time is fudged.)

3. In a medium bowl, measure the dry streusel ingredients and mix in the butter with a fork or fingers till it resembles small crumbs. Destructo Girl used her fingers on this step and was integral to its deliciousness.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir together thoroughly. 

5. Finally, in a larger bowl, mix the coconut oil and sugar together till well combined. (I used a hand mixer.)

6. Add the eggs one at a time till just mixed.

7. Add vanilla, zucchini and milk.

8. Finally, dump the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined.

9. Divide batter between the two loaf pans, being sure not to fill more than 1/2 to the top.  (Believe me, I did this over the weekend for my oldest’s b-day cake and it was an epic mess!) This batter is pretty wet looking.

10. TOP with streusel.

11. Pop in the oven and bake somewhere between 45 min and an hour. Ok, I realize this part might freak some of you out – so here’s how to tell if it’s baked all the way. Bake it at least 1/2 hour before opening the oven because you don’t want your cake to drop. I waited about 45 before checking.

You can tell a cake is done using two tests. First, if you press gently into the middle, the dough will spring back instead of staying indented. Second, if it springs back and a toothpick inserted deep into the middle comes out clean (or with just crumbs on it – not wet!), you’re golden. If your cake is already pulling away from the sides of the pan, chances are it’s overdone.

Hope you enjoy this! Let me know if you bake it.

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Jun 07
4

Cradle Cap: Naturally Prevent or Eliminate It

By | Natural Health, Parenting, Recipes | 39 Comments

Cradle Cap is one of those things that can sneak up on us mamas, especially when we’re newbies. We’re so busy figuring out the whole nursing, sleep deprivation, diaper changing and how-to-decipher-baby’s-cry that we might not even notice till there’s a strange little crust on baby’s sweet head. Gross, right? Well, it’s not surprising they get it considering how many hands are touching and rubbing them and how many lips are kissing them constantly. Fortunately, cradle cap can be resolved naturally and easily if you know what to do.

First a little info. According to one of my favorite baby doctor authors, Dr. William Sears, cradle cap is seborrheic dermatitis. It can result from oil buildup, hormones and even fungal activity. Not what you want on your little baby, right? He suggests using a dandruff shampoo to deal with it. But if you’re like me, you might not want to use something so harsh on your little treasure. We have a much gentler, less toxic way of handling it at my house!

Ready??? Here it is.

Coconut oil. Yep. This stuff is magic.

While it’s true that you can use other oils like olive oil to follow this process, coconut oil is special. First, it’s a fairly dry oil, meaning it won’t leave a greasy residue behind when you put it on your little one. Don’t want to mess up all those darling clothes you’re dressing him or her in, right? Second, coconut has anti-fungal properties. So if your little sweetheart’s cradle cap has progressed into a little fungal problem, it will help resolve the issue more quickly.

Here’s what we use:

  • Coconut oil – Trader Joe’s organic oil is cheap and lasts a long time!
  • Mild shampoo – We use TJ’s Tea Tree oil shampoo for our whole fam. Tea tree oil is also anti-fungal and smells fresh!
  • Baby comb
  • Baby brush

*This really isn’t a commercial for Trader Joe’s. But, we like these products because while they’re not perfect, they’re fairly healthy for a reasonable price and mild enough for a baby. We don’t like to use harsh chemicals (sodium laurel sulfate, parabens and DEA’s etc) like those you’ll find in most “gentle” baby shampoos.

Here’s what we do:

***I choose a time when my baby is relaxed and happy – like right after a feeding. I connect with my little person during this process, looking straight into his eyes and smiling. Then I use a gentle, quiet voice to tell him what I’m doing. It is a calming and enjoyable time for us both.***

1. I pour a little coconut oil in my hand and gently apply to the baby’s head, massaging into skin without dripping it all over him. The idea is to connect with him so he can relax. If cradle cap has spread down onto the face, I apply the oil there as well, being careful to avoid the eyes. I pay special attention to eyebrows, behind ears and around the nose.

2. After I let the oil soak in for a few minutes I use a soft baby brush to gently massage my baby’s scalp, loosening the cradle cap as much as I can without distressing the baby. If it were severe, I would use a comb instead to gently scrape the crust off the baby’s head.

3. Next, I hop into the shower with my little person to remove the dead skin and oil. I gently apply shampoo onto the head and massage again with the baby brush. Not only is this relaxing for my baby but it will remove more of the cradle cap if I didn’t get it all the first time.

4. I carefully rinse my baby’s head, using a washcloth to wash his eyebrows, around his nose and ears and to keep soap from getting in his eyes.

5. After my baby is happily bundled and diapered (don’t want to have to shower again!), I give him a big smile and ask if he’d like a little massage. Then I apply a bit more coconut oil on that little head and rub it in gently. I actually use it all over my baby and he chuckles and smiles the whole time.

If a baby has severe cradle cap, it may take a  few passes to get all the crunchy stuff off his or her head. If it’s severe, no need to traumatize a baby to get it all off at once. Some consistent work – a few days in a row should get it all. Once it’s off, continuing to bath a baby regularly and apply the coconut oil works great to prevent cradle cap from re-occuring.

I used this method with my earlier babies and had great success. However, it’s possible to avoid cradle cap completely (as I did with my last!) by using coconut oil and bathing baby regularly to prevent it from building up in the first place. Coconut oil has been the perfect massage and moisturizing oil for our babies.

Just one more way to naturally prevent or treat a normal baby issue from the Organic Mama Cafe.

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Jun 04
0

Drink Your Vitamins: Herbal Infusions for Mom

By | Breastfeeding, Natural Health | 2 Comments

Whether you’re a nursing mom like me or just a busy woman trying to get your list done for the day, it’s likely you don’t get as much sleep as you’d like and start your days feeling like you need a boost. After all, the nice adrenaline rush we get after one late night starts to fade after weeks of interrupted sleep common to parents. Usually the resulting exhaustion finds us groping for a strong cup o’ joe in the morning…and in the afternoon. Now, I’m not anti-coffee but I want to suggest something that will provide energy without creating adrenal fatigue – nourishing herbal infusions.

Herbal infusions are simply large amounts of herbs steeped a long time to get the most nutrients from them. They supply nutrients that gently strengthen and rejuvenate our bodies.  They are also inherently safe since they utilize the whole herb and not just a focused portion of the plant (like a pharmaceutical).

The ratio for making an infusion is…

1 oz dried herb + 1 quart boiling water

If you don’t have a scale, 1 oz of a leafy herb is about 1 c by volume. Heavier items like rose hips would require less than 1 c. to make 1 oz.

When starting to use herbal infusions, it’s wise to use one herb at a time and rotate them throughout the week. It’s easier to determine how you respond to an individual herb before mixing a bunch together. Great counsel for a new herbal user.

However, for today’s post, I have already used all the herbs in my current nourishing infusion and need something to drink daily that will boost my milk supply and my energy level. Not only do these herbs pack a nutritional punch that energizes me for the day, the nettle, red clover, alfalfa and marshmallow all help nursing mamas to make more milk. Red raspberry may help milk production as well but some research seems to indicate that due to its astringent nature, it can actually decrease milk supplies in some mamas if used long term. So, I included it some days and leave it out at times.

Place in a gallon jar:

1 c nettle

3/4 c. red clover blossoms

1/2 c. red raspberry leaf

1/4 c. alfalfa

1/8 c. marshmallow root (milk production)

1/8 c. rose petals

2 T. dried lavender

2 T. rose hips

1 pinch stevia herb (not the powdered junk)

Pour boiling water over the herbs to the top of the jar and cover with a lid. Steep from 4-10 hours (overnight is perfect).

Strain, refrigerate and drink within 36 hours.

*Some people like to add a pinch of peppermint to their infusions. However, peppermint CAN reduce milk in some nursing mamas so use as needed.

When I need large quantities of dried herbs, I purchase them from Mountain Rose Herbs. They have a great reputation for quality and their prices are good, especially in quantity. If you can’t afford all of the herbs, start with one (nettle is a good choice) and build your supply slowly. I would spend my money on herbs over vitamins any day.

Since I’ve started drinking infusions rather than coffee, I actually prefer their refreshing flavor to caffeinated drinks. I drink my infusions iced and unsweetened (stevia is enough!).

Give it a try!

What nourishing foods/drinks do you use to get you through days when you wish you’d had more sleep?

*As always, I’ll remind you that I am not a doctor.  These are common sense remedies I use for my family, especially because they support the immune system rather than simply masking the symptoms of illness. I have taken the time to research any herbal recipes carefully myself and have consulted with my local herbalist and doctor. I encourage you to always do the same before choosing to take or administer any kind of remedy, whether herbal, prescription or off the shelf at a local drugstore.**