Kale chips

I have been on a small mission the past couple months to change my eating habits, to eat more natural foods.  That means less processed and attempting to base some of what we eat on the  "Nourishing Traditions" way of eating.  I find it somewhat time consuming, particularly since I am a working mom with two very busy, on the go boys.  We are also a family who needs to include more veggies into our diet, as I'm sure many people do.  The trouble is, we are pretty picky about veggies.  I prefer raw, but i know they are much harder to digest, and we don't necessarily get all the nutrients as when they are cooked.  Many cooked veggies gag me- usually the texture, sometimes the taste.  In my pursuit of healthiness, an acquaintence mentionedIi really should be eating more leafy greens- cooked!  That's worse than most cooked vegetables!  The thoughht of that is just disgusting.  She also mentioned kale. Oh, i eat kale on my lunch wraps- I said.  Her reply, raw greens are really difficult to digest, so you should cook them.  Yeah, I know, just can't bring myself to do it!  So she mentioned kale chips.  Hmmm... Interesting idea.  How do I do that? You just mix them in olive oil and salt and bake them.  Even my 7 year old eats them, she says.  OK, if a 7 year old can do it, so can I.  I figured out how to do it, and guess what?? They are my new salty snack of choice!  In fact, I can't seem to keep them around for leftovers for lunches.

I have been trying to find a salty snack made without processed oils and sugars.  Not so easy to find. Who knew kale chips would satisfy that craving?!?  But, it got me thinking that someone must have been really desperate to think, hmmm let's bake some kale!  Here is the simple recipe for an addicting, yet healthy snack!

1 bunch kale
Approximately 1/4 c olive oil
Approximately 1 tsp sea salt, johnny's seasoning salt, etc

Step 1. Clean and dry kale.  Peel leafy part off the center stem on each side and tear leaves into 1 inch pieces, or so, and place in mixing bowl.

Step 2.  Pour olive oil over kale and mix until coated.

Step 3.  Sprinkle salt over kale and mix.  Add more or less to taste. (If they aren't quite salty enough, i lightly dust as soon as I take them out of the oven)

Step 4. Spread onto baking sheet so that the pieces do not overlap.

Step 5. Bake for 18-20 minutes in a 300 degree oven.

Potty training time?

I was recently talking with a co-worker, and somehow we got onto the subject of potty training.  She was sharing how easy it was to potty train her boys, but her grandson took forever to learn.  She said that when he was around 5 it had dawned on her to find some training pants that were more like what she used when her boys were little, because then they could feel wet, unlike diapers today that wick away moisture.

I hadn't thought too much about trying to potty train yet, as my 2 1/2 year old doesn't show much interest, and doesn't really understand when he pees- unless he happens to watch himself doing it when his diaper is off.  So, i decided to try and find some cotten training pants and start trying.

At first my son was excited, just from the thought that he could earn stickers and cars (his absolute favorite).  I thought this might work, as he hates to have wet clothes, he loves cars, this could be great.  Well, it's not starting off so well, not that i thought it would be easy!  He's peed through 5 pairs of training pants so far, and the more he doesn't earn a car, the less he wants to sit on the potty.  The problem is, that i don't think he completely understands what it is to pee in his potty.  So, he will sit on it and make a "pssssssss" noise with his mouth, and in his mind he has gone potty! Hmmm... Good effort buddy, but that's not peeing in your potty. So now to get him to understand...  No, no, you need to get water in you potty, from your weenie!  Of, course he tries, but he's already peed, so nothing comes.  Hmmm...  This could take a while!

Healthy Mission

During the past week, I was on a bit of a mission.  It started trying to look for ways to help our 2 year old sleep better.  The past few weeks his nose has been getting quite stuffy in the middle of the night , which is waking him  up 3-6 times a night.  He also has little red bumps all over his upper arms and thighs, and on his cheeks.  Exzema??  So I was trying to figure out if allergies could be the cause.  I had been doing some random reading on the internet a few weeks ago, and one site had recommended a book, " Gut and Psychology Syndrome" (or something with a title similar to that).  I had decided to try and get in on Kindle, but it is not available in that version.  Recommendations list associated with that book had a cookbook that followed the principles discussed.  But that too, was no available on Kindle.  I came across another book that seemed to discuss similar things.

I read this book in about 2-3 days (which I don't typically do).  It has inspired me to attempt to make our foods more natural and free from so many toxins, get back to the way people and cultures ate even as short a time ago as my grandparents, but even prior to that.  I want to get raw milk, have gotten raw honey, have already gotten the healthy chicken and made my own chicken stock, and have plans to make more chicken stock, beef stock, cream, butter, cream cheese, and possibly yoguurt.  The book was so interesting, and such a simple thought to step back and prepare things as they once were before processed foods and before our lives became so hurried.

I know it will take me awhile to get quicker at preparing these foods, and I will have to make the effort to really prepare these foods as we should.  I am lucky to have a husband who is game for trying my new ventures, but I am truly hoping to keep my family healthy and full of energy.  Here is to our healthy journey!

Something Scary

Oh, how life with a toddler and little one gets so much more fun every day.  Cael is learning to talk and say more and more.  He can carry on little conversations, and speaks in rather long sentences.  He is learning to do more and more- jump, catch, drive (wait-isn't that supposed to be at 16?!???).  Well, he got a great little car/4-wheeler for Christmas, and if how he drives now is any indication of how he will drive when he is 16, it will be an expensive few years!

Along with all these things, he is becoming more aware of his surroundings, a little hyper-aware.  Dark rooms, being outside when it is dark, and being alone in the dark are his short list of frightening things.  It officially became apparent the other night when he began crying when I left him in his room to read (part of our regular nightly routine for months).  I came into his room to see him crying and hiding his head under his pillow.  All he could tell me was there was "somthing scary" while looking toward a back wall.  He had already had a nightlight in his room.  So I added another, with no luck calming him down without me in there. I eventually had to lay in his bed with him to get him to fall asleep.  

I evoked ideas to help remedy the situation from friends on Facebook.  There were a few suggestions- all entailed using something to get rid of the monsters before we went to bed.  While the ideas were good, I didn't quite feel like that would solve the problem.  There was something that he could see that was scaring him- I think the shadows on the walls.  We proceeded to remove all things on the wall and any object that was not furniture or books.  Any of his shows he likes to watch that have a possible scary element to them, were deleted from the DVR.  There were still shadows on the wall, from the furniture and curtains, produced from the nightlight plugged in a couple feet off the floor.  So I got the idea to replace the current light switch for the room light with a dimmer, so that any shadows produced would be produced on the floor or out of his visual field from his bed.  

While his new fear of the dark is not completely remedied, I have been able to leave him in his room to let him read in bed before going to sleep.  He continues to ask me to lay on his floor while he falls asleep, but I wonder if it is more to have the company rather that because there is "something scary."  Let's hope we can continue to help him get over this new fear!

The Adventures of Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping used to be a time my husband and I could get out of the house, leisurely walk the aisles, think about what foods we needed/wanted, and gradually work our way through the store.  After we had Cael, our oldest son, that changed.  He was never a baby who would just sit in his carseat and sleep or hang out while we shopped.  We always had to carry him, facing the world, so he could see everything that was going on.  We tried carried him through the store for as long as he would let us.  He was also neve a kid that would just sit in the cart seats.  Eventually the time came and we had to start letting him walk the aisles with us.  That again has forever changed the way we shop.  We had to tag team.  One would man the cart, and the other would man the boy- try to keep him from getting into everything, but let him appease his curiosity.  He has always had a lot of energy, so he likes to quickly go from one area to another. 

Then came Cason, baby #2!  This has FOREVER changed our shopping trips!  Cason only briefly (the first few weeks of life) would sleep in his carseat while we shopped.  But he too likes to be able to see the world.  Now one person straps Cason to them in the carrier (best invention ever, especially when you have 2 kids and need free hands), and the other chases Cael around the store.  Typically we begin our adventure heading toward the balls in the toy area.  Cael can become very fixated on getting to play with the balls, so to make our trips more enjoyable for all, whoever has Cael for the shopping trip heads over to the toy section while the other does the shopping that needs to be done on the way over and then wanders the toy aisles for ideas for future gift.  Cael likes to toss a few balls and look at all the cars and trucks.  After 10 minutes or so, we give him a warning that his time is almost up, and then head on to the grocery sections.  We pass many benches, which he loves to climb on, so he may hang out on those for a few minutes before moving on to catch up (until the next bench).

Cael likes to look at everything, touch everything, help get everything, climb on everything, and help push the cart.  If he's not doing one, he's doing another, and then another, and then another, and then back to the original something- you get the idea!  Usually pushing the cart results in him belly on the floor holding onto the bottom bar of the cart, dragging himself on the ground.  We like to think of him as their mop! He tries to climb on empty shelves (there are a lot of them), climb in the fridge areas, climb on the freezers, etc.  We like to get him to help put items in the cart to slow him down for a moment.  He doesn't always listen when we tell him 'no,' and at times we will end up carrying him for a short time because he chose not to listen- which results in crying, whining, and wiggling any way he can to get out of our arms.  So, while Cael is busy doing all of that, whoever has Cason is in charge of manning the cart and quickly moving through the aisles to get our weekly groceries.  We have little time to discuss what we need/want, as stoppage time becomes time when Cael can find the only thing breakable in that aisle and go for it, apples, oranges, and cantelope are balls to throw, and bananas are something he wants to eat!

We know some people will look at us and think that our kid is out of control.  But we know this is a kid who needs to move.  That is how he learns, and that is how he gets out his energy.  He has always been on the go- from infancy when we would have to walk him in laps around the house to keep him settled, to when he clrawled only for a short time to discover new things, and when he learned to walk and hasn't stopped!!!  We know that it would be a horrible shopping trip if we tried to confine him to the cart or in our arms.  So this is our weekly workout chasing Cael while he explores our world.  So if you happen to see us out, know that our son is a happy, smart, and even well behaved kid for a 2 year old, who likes to move and explore the world!  Just remember that things aren't always what they seem!  Happy Shopping!

Dairy-Free Key Lime Pie

Every other week we get our fruits and veggies from a local co-op.  This week we happened to get about a dozen limes.  What the heck do you do with that many limes?  We don't have a lot of time to prepare meals.  So I opted to try a key lime pie.  Our oldest son still has some stomach aches if he eats too much dairy, so I decided to try a non-dairy version.  And kinda made it up as I went.

Ingredients

1 cup cashews
1 cup Almond milk
1tsp vanilla
6 limes zested and juiced
1/4 tsp liquid stevia
2 Tbs maple syrup
Approximately 6 graham crackers and 8 vanilla wafers ground up to make 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup non dairy butter melted
1 1/2 tsp agar flakes dissolved into 1/3 cup boiling water


Step 1.  Boil cashews in water for 45 minutes.

Step 2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the graham cracker/vanilla wafer mixture with the butter until moistened.  Spread into a pie pan and up the sides.  Bake 10 minutes.

Step 3.  While those cook, combine zest, lime juice, vanilla, and stevia into a bowl.

Step 4.  When cashews are done, strain the water and place cashews into a blender with almond milk.  Blend for 2 minutes until smooth.  Add maple syrup.  Add the lime juice mixture and blend until well combined.

Step 5.  Once blended and agar flakes have been dissolved, pour agar liquid into blender and blend for 2 minutes.  Pour mixture over crust.  Place in fridge and allow to set up until cold.


Serve and Enjoy!!

Dairy Free "Formula"

Having two kids, you really learn a lot about babies and toddlers, likes and dislikes, things that work, things that don't.  Unfortunately you also learn "on the job." We learned a lot after our first son.  Particularly we learned that the reason he was probably so crabby and not pooping regularly was because he has a sensitivity to dairy, the casein in it.  Unfortunately we didn't really consider this until he was 11 months old, and wouldn't need a formula anymore, so we never had much trial and error with that.  Now that our second is transitioning to formula we have noticed a change in his demeanor, and he is very gassy and may not poop for days at a time (VERY unlike him). So began our quest for a formula that he would like, that would give him the nutrients he needs, and make his belly feel better.  We have lately had him on Similac Alimentum.  He does ok on it.  He isn't as crabby as when he was on the non-hypoallergenic formulas, but he is still quite gassy and still not pooping.

I spent a lot of time the other night on the internet searching for options for homemade formulas.  There were some really interesting options to say the least.  One you make from liver and chicken broth.  I really can't bring myself to try something like that.  It just sounds disgusting!  I finally came across a woman's story where she was trying to find something to help her grandson, and with the help of a friend who gave her a book to read that had some formula recipes, she eventually used that as a guide to develop a formula in conjunction with consulting with many health experts, including nutritionists.

So, i've decided to give it a try. It can't hurt.  And if we can find a way to help him feel better and ultimately sleep better, that means we will get to sleep- What's that??  I modified the recipe to include things I have at home that seem to include what is called for in the original recipe.  I have diluted it for now to get him used to the flavor, as we still have a small supply of breast milk for a couple more weeks.  He took the first bottle of it pretty well, and i tasted it.  Actually doesn't taste too bad.

Here is the recipe I used for homemade formula
(This is my edited version based on the amount my son is currently eating for the day-actaully it is a little more than he eats for 1 day)

Ingredients
2 c. Goats milk
2 c. Almond milk
1 Tbs blackstrap molasses
1/2 tsp powdered children's acidophilus
3 Tbs flax seed oil
2 Tbs liquid coconut oil- not easy to find
2 tsp Dr's Advantage liquid calcium/magnesium+ mineral essentials
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp infant vitamins

Add all ingredients into a blender.  Blend on high for 30 seconds.  I am filling a 4 oz bottle with 3 oz of formula and storing in the fridge and adding 2 oz warm water when I feed him.  He prefers warm milk, although will drink it cold.  I'm sure the formula is meant to be drunk without diluting it.  So as he gets used to the taste I will wean off the addition of water.  I will be sending a premade batch with him to daycare.  I plan to make a batch in the evenings for use the next day.

UPDATE: I am pouring the mixed batch of formula into 8 oz glass bottles and storing in the fridge.  For a 4 oz bottle, I add 3 oz of formula and 1 oz hot water to warm it up a little.  My son drinks this formula very well! He hasn't has any issues with a hurting belly and is very happy.  It was an immediate difference in his personality after he had been drinking this "formula" and not the store bought formulas.

There are a lot of ingredients, but I keep all his formula ingredients in 1 area in the kitchen and fridge and fridge to make the process quick. I make 1 batch at a time and last a day and maybe 1 bottle the next, depending on how hungry he is!  There is definitely a variation in quality of ingredients, so unfortuneately, the more expensive the ingredients (i.e. flax seed oil), the better for your child.  But I'm sure (and I have used) the cheaper versions will give similar benefits.  You need to find blackstrap molasses rather than traditional molasses.  The iron and calcium levels are much higher.  I found this is a nutrition store.