Hello Friends!
As most of my family is moaning and groaning because of the nasty head cold we've all got (the moaning and groaning ones are, needless to say, the boys), I was thinking of the alternative remedies we use for different conditions and thought I'd share some of those along with other alternative uses for ordinary items. I love things that do double duty! Letting items do double duty saves time (not as many items to shop for), money (don't have to buy as many things) and best of all, you don't have to use all of the chemicals to accomplish cleaning oriented tasks.
I'll start with a disclaimer that I'm not a doctor and the views and methods contained in the following are the opinion of this writer only and in the event of a medical emergency, head cold, heart attack, gallbladder problems, ingrown toenails, the flu, gout, hives, hangnails or any other malady, you should contact your medical provider and/or use sufficient common sense in treating your condition. The advice contained herein does not represent the mainstream medical guidelines and is, therefore, probably considered "fringe" which will put me on yet another "watch list" - along with the ones I'm on for not vaccinating my children, homeschooling, being an unapologetic Christian, growing my family's food, raising and butchering our own organic meat and raising animals that provide raw milk which we consume. That said.... We do believe in antibiotics when indicated, we go to the doctor when sick (pretty much only because of involved medical conditions my children have, if seizures didn't complicate everything, we'd not be at the doc too often), but we believe that healing and staying healthy through natural hygiene and natural foods are the best medicine.
For immune support all year round, (with increases in the Winter months), we liberally use raw garlic and onions, vitamin D3 and Vitamin C supplements and elderberry syrup. Echinacea tea helps too. Raw Ginger made into a tea or in homemade salad dressings can help with an upset tummy. Younger children may like candied ginger to chew on, but the taste is rather strong, and I tend to stay away from the sugar in general, but especially when there is a viral infection (cold/flu) going on. Adding honey and lemon to your hot tea will help soothe a sore throat. Homemade juice popsicles can help lower a fever and get fluids into your little one when they don't feel like drinking.
My recipe for Homemade Electrolyte Replacement drink follows. Much cheaper and healthier then buying artificially flavored sports drinks and very important when trying to keep hydrated. Of note, foods such as avocados, bananas, yogurt and citrus fruits are also high in electrolytes, but if you need a liquid for hydration, this is the way to go.
1 Quart Distilled Water (distilled really is best, filtered is a satisfactory substitute)
Juice of 1 lemon OR lime
Juice of 1-2 oranges
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. salt substitute (make sure it says potassium on the label)
You can also add a 1 - 2 Tablespoons of sugar if you need for flavor.
Mix it all together and refrigerate. You can also make this into popsicles.
Pure coconut milk (sold as coconut water at health food stores) is also an excellent electrolyte replacement solution.
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Now onto the other stuff....
Hydrogen Peroxide
*mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 1 part water for an oral rinse
*put peroxide into a spray bottle (be sure to label bottle) to spray & wipe surfaces to disinfect
*pour on blood stains on clothing to remove stain
Lemons
*whiten fingernails by rubbing a wedge of lemon over them
* use a wedge of lemon to clean soft cheeses or sticky foods off of a grater
*put a couple wedges of lemon (squeezed the juice into) a glass coffee pot, add a few ice cubes and salt
and swirl around for a sparkly clean coffee pot
Olive Oil
*polish wood furniture with a bit of olive oil on a soft cloth
*coat measuring cups with olive oil when you need to measure something sticky such as honey or mustards, the sticky liquids will come out easily
*control frizzy hair by combing a bit of olive oil through dry hair
Aluminum Foil
*keep birds out of your fruit trees by hanging twisted strips of foil on the branches - use fishing line to secure
*sharpen your scissors by cutting through 6 or 8 layers of foil
Alka Seltzer
*clean a toilet- drop in two tablets, wait 20 minutes, brush and flush.
* remove burned food from pots and pans - fill cookware with warm water, dissolve 4-6 tablets in it and let it
sit for an hour before scrubbing
Bananas
*polish leather shoes with a destringed banana peel. Buff with a soft soft cloth or towel.
*rub a scraped knee with the inside of a banana peel to promote healing
*deter aphids by burying dried or cut up banana peels a few inches deep around rosebushes.
Be Well, My Friends. Be blessed. Be Safe. Be Healthy.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
In Keeping with the S-L-O-W Theme...
Hello Friends,
Welcome to a beautiful new day. None of us knows what the day has in store for us and we could face this uncertainly with fear, because certainly bad things can happen...they happen all the time. We could face the day with a spirit of loneliness, stay at home moms often have lots of little voices and lots of big projects (as well as many smaller day -to - day projects) to accomplish, but we tend to be in our own little world, isolated from others, friends are doing their own things, husbands are gone at work, so we're in it alone. Sure, we know God is with us...but... boy oh boy... sometimes it would be nice if God would pick up a broom or do some dishes - because the littlest of our wee ones will certainly not be helping with these tasks... and if they do... well, let's face it, it generally is NOT much of a help because we have to do it all over again. Or, we can choose to face each new day, each new challenge, each new spilled cup of milk or pile of cheerios dumped on the floor with humor and grace. None of us are perfect, and none of us can possibly be perfect at this, but life goes so much smoother when we approach our lives with grace and mercy. The same grace and mercy that our Loving Father God has granted us.
This wasn't at home, but a few weeks back, one of the little Cubbies at our Awana group was sitting patiently for his snack. I poured him a cup of juice and he spilled it. The grown ups chuckled and grabbed napkins and cleaned it up, the other cubbies kept eating their snack. I poured another cup of juice for this little boy, this time not quite as full, and not two seconds passed before his second cup of juice was spilled again. The adults were chuckling a little less, but we gathered more napkins and another snack for the sweet boy, who was doing nothing more than being a three year old, soaking his snack with his juice was simply an unintended consequence of being a three year old boy. The third cup of juice was the charmed one because he drank it without a drop spilled. Can you imagine if we, as the adults in that room, would have treated this little boy with anything less than grace and patience and love? Yelling in an instance like this would have done nothing but startle the little boy (and the other little ones) and is breaking a child's spirit over spilling something really the goal in correction?
This story reminded me that I'm quick to say words to myself that break my own spirit. I'm not nearly as gentle with myself as I am to others. In the day to day grind of all that must be accomplished, I'm not doing my family any favors if I am beating myself up because I messed up a recipe or left something in the oven for too long. My mood (uh... hormones aside, of course) is 100% dependent on my reaction to stimuli. There could be terrible things happening all around, but my mood is dependent solely on how I CHOOSE to react to those stimuli. So in those days of loneliness (and the frustration that rises within us when we tell a friend or (worse) tell our mom that we're feeling lonely and the response is "You've got 5 kids and 4 dogs running around the house, your husband will be home in 3 hours and I saw you talking to a goat and 3 chickens earlier, how can you be lonely?!?!"), when our spirits feel crushed and we feel so small and insignificant, remember two things. Friend, Sister... you are a Princess... Daughter of the Risen King MOST HIGH, He will NEVER leave you, NEVER forsake you and He loves you like nobody else could ever love you. And Two...I love you. You have friends who think about you and adore you all the time. You have people you don't even KNOW that are praying for you and praying for the very best that this life has for you. If those two things don't make you feel loved and cherished and wanted, nothing will. I have taken the drudgery out of mundane tasks in my life. Doing dishes, folding laundry, making dinner, just the things that take a lot of time and are "mindless" activities. I pray during these times. I pray for friends and friends of friends who are going through difficulties. I praise God for all things He's done in my life, all His creation. Each spoon I wash, each little pair of socks I fold, is a prayer going out to a friend, an acquaintance, a stranger who needs to be lifted up. I've found it to be a powerful time of the day for me, knowing that I'm doing the very best I can do for a friend or brother or sister who needs to be supported through difficulty.
As an example of us choosing our reactions to external stimuli...I am guilty of having a bit of a temper. Not usually with the big stuff... but small things that build up over time can send me in a tailspin the likes of which haven't been seen in decades. I'm going to be honest that this is hard to write...to apply to myself, but in a moment of complete clarity and perhaps a bit too much caffeine (with another pot of joe brewing just feet away from me), I know that I get irritated with my husband when he is running late. I don't think it is EVER OK to be late (well, there are a few notable exceptions: if you've died and are unable to call me, you get a pass, if you are in a car accident and your cell phone was thrown from the vehicle, you get a pass (as long as your last words before getting carted off in the ambulance are "Call Jenni...she's expecting to meet me in 15 minutes....cough cough sputter sputter"), if you are speaking to a governmental official and telling them how badly they're messing things up and your raucous tirade goes on longer than expected or you end up in jail... you get a pass... but I had BETTER be the one call you're allowed... I'm probably not going to bail you out, but I would like to know why you're late) ANYHOW... So, my sweet, wonderful husband, who has qualites that any wife would adore (and many most would...nevermind) has a habit of not being on time. To his credit and very hard work, I will say that he has improved in this over the years. But when he is late, I feel lonely. I feel unappreciated, unloved, uncared for, unwanted (insert pity party here). And then SHE enters the picture... mmm hmmmm. HER. Her name is Princess Mood Swing and NOBODY likes her. She is my alter ego and I don't even particularly care for her. But... watch the personality switch from calm, loving mom working in the kitchen, lovingly preparing her family's healthful dinner into HER the second Daddy walks in that door 47 minutes late. It would make your head spin. Nice Jenni is the face behind, happy to forgive, continuing cooking, but Princess Mood Swing is the face out front.... DRAMA RAMA, tears, crying "YOU DON'T LOVE ME..." (Really, I will spare you... she is really not fantastic to be around) but after oh my... going on 13 years of marriage, I realized (yes, this is a VERY recent "light bulb" moment for me) that he NEVER gets angry with me when I am late, even if he has somewhere important to be... Granted, I'm not late very often, and if I am late, it is 10 minutes late because of traffic (hee hee... getting stuck behind slow moving tractors duirng the harvest, generally), but if he were ten minutes late, my response would be an exaggerated, over the top, drama queen reaction worthy of some kind of academy award. And he doesn't bat an eye... His response is ALWAYS "Its OK. I have to go, love you, see you soon." And I'm such a woman... I'm like "Let's talk about this....." or (when Princess Mood Swing is speaking) "Would you just yell at me already?!?!"
I don't know how men put up with us... any more than I know how we put up with them, but I have learned this (wait for it....wait for it.... YES there was a point to this!): Life in the slow lane makes relationships easier. Life in the slow lane makes parenting easier. It makes the day to day operations of running a home easier. It allows us time to examine our selves, our reactions, our behavior, it allows us time to instill desirable traits into our lives and the lives of our children. It allows us to spend our time doing the things that are most important to us, leaving behind or minimizing the "clutter" that fills our time. It allows time for friends, it allows time for people to connect. It has allowed me to allow human-ness in others. I've learned that not only is it not my place to change people, as trying to change someone is as unloving a thing as anyone could possibly try to do, but not only is it not my place to change others, but I don't want to change anyone. We need to love others for who they are, not for who we want them to be.
I leave you with this, a video of a song that brings a tear of joy to my eye every time I hear it. Enjoy, my friends. Be blessed. ♥
Welcome to a beautiful new day. None of us knows what the day has in store for us and we could face this uncertainly with fear, because certainly bad things can happen...they happen all the time. We could face the day with a spirit of loneliness, stay at home moms often have lots of little voices and lots of big projects (as well as many smaller day -to - day projects) to accomplish, but we tend to be in our own little world, isolated from others, friends are doing their own things, husbands are gone at work, so we're in it alone. Sure, we know God is with us...but... boy oh boy... sometimes it would be nice if God would pick up a broom or do some dishes - because the littlest of our wee ones will certainly not be helping with these tasks... and if they do... well, let's face it, it generally is NOT much of a help because we have to do it all over again. Or, we can choose to face each new day, each new challenge, each new spilled cup of milk or pile of cheerios dumped on the floor with humor and grace. None of us are perfect, and none of us can possibly be perfect at this, but life goes so much smoother when we approach our lives with grace and mercy. The same grace and mercy that our Loving Father God has granted us.
This wasn't at home, but a few weeks back, one of the little Cubbies at our Awana group was sitting patiently for his snack. I poured him a cup of juice and he spilled it. The grown ups chuckled and grabbed napkins and cleaned it up, the other cubbies kept eating their snack. I poured another cup of juice for this little boy, this time not quite as full, and not two seconds passed before his second cup of juice was spilled again. The adults were chuckling a little less, but we gathered more napkins and another snack for the sweet boy, who was doing nothing more than being a three year old, soaking his snack with his juice was simply an unintended consequence of being a three year old boy. The third cup of juice was the charmed one because he drank it without a drop spilled. Can you imagine if we, as the adults in that room, would have treated this little boy with anything less than grace and patience and love? Yelling in an instance like this would have done nothing but startle the little boy (and the other little ones) and is breaking a child's spirit over spilling something really the goal in correction?
This story reminded me that I'm quick to say words to myself that break my own spirit. I'm not nearly as gentle with myself as I am to others. In the day to day grind of all that must be accomplished, I'm not doing my family any favors if I am beating myself up because I messed up a recipe or left something in the oven for too long. My mood (uh... hormones aside, of course) is 100% dependent on my reaction to stimuli. There could be terrible things happening all around, but my mood is dependent solely on how I CHOOSE to react to those stimuli. So in those days of loneliness (and the frustration that rises within us when we tell a friend or (worse) tell our mom that we're feeling lonely and the response is "You've got 5 kids and 4 dogs running around the house, your husband will be home in 3 hours and I saw you talking to a goat and 3 chickens earlier, how can you be lonely?!?!"), when our spirits feel crushed and we feel so small and insignificant, remember two things. Friend, Sister... you are a Princess... Daughter of the Risen King MOST HIGH, He will NEVER leave you, NEVER forsake you and He loves you like nobody else could ever love you. And Two...I love you. You have friends who think about you and adore you all the time. You have people you don't even KNOW that are praying for you and praying for the very best that this life has for you. If those two things don't make you feel loved and cherished and wanted, nothing will. I have taken the drudgery out of mundane tasks in my life. Doing dishes, folding laundry, making dinner, just the things that take a lot of time and are "mindless" activities. I pray during these times. I pray for friends and friends of friends who are going through difficulties. I praise God for all things He's done in my life, all His creation. Each spoon I wash, each little pair of socks I fold, is a prayer going out to a friend, an acquaintance, a stranger who needs to be lifted up. I've found it to be a powerful time of the day for me, knowing that I'm doing the very best I can do for a friend or brother or sister who needs to be supported through difficulty.
As an example of us choosing our reactions to external stimuli...I am guilty of having a bit of a temper. Not usually with the big stuff... but small things that build up over time can send me in a tailspin the likes of which haven't been seen in decades. I'm going to be honest that this is hard to write...to apply to myself, but in a moment of complete clarity and perhaps a bit too much caffeine (with another pot of joe brewing just feet away from me), I know that I get irritated with my husband when he is running late. I don't think it is EVER OK to be late (well, there are a few notable exceptions: if you've died and are unable to call me, you get a pass, if you are in a car accident and your cell phone was thrown from the vehicle, you get a pass (as long as your last words before getting carted off in the ambulance are "Call Jenni...she's expecting to meet me in 15 minutes....cough cough sputter sputter"), if you are speaking to a governmental official and telling them how badly they're messing things up and your raucous tirade goes on longer than expected or you end up in jail... you get a pass... but I had BETTER be the one call you're allowed... I'm probably not going to bail you out, but I would like to know why you're late) ANYHOW... So, my sweet, wonderful husband, who has qualites that any wife would adore (and many most would...nevermind) has a habit of not being on time. To his credit and very hard work, I will say that he has improved in this over the years. But when he is late, I feel lonely. I feel unappreciated, unloved, uncared for, unwanted (insert pity party here). And then SHE enters the picture... mmm hmmmm. HER. Her name is Princess Mood Swing and NOBODY likes her. She is my alter ego and I don't even particularly care for her. But... watch the personality switch from calm, loving mom working in the kitchen, lovingly preparing her family's healthful dinner into HER the second Daddy walks in that door 47 minutes late. It would make your head spin. Nice Jenni is the face behind, happy to forgive, continuing cooking, but Princess Mood Swing is the face out front.... DRAMA RAMA, tears, crying "YOU DON'T LOVE ME..." (Really, I will spare you... she is really not fantastic to be around) but after oh my... going on 13 years of marriage, I realized (yes, this is a VERY recent "light bulb" moment for me) that he NEVER gets angry with me when I am late, even if he has somewhere important to be... Granted, I'm not late very often, and if I am late, it is 10 minutes late because of traffic (hee hee... getting stuck behind slow moving tractors duirng the harvest, generally), but if he were ten minutes late, my response would be an exaggerated, over the top, drama queen reaction worthy of some kind of academy award. And he doesn't bat an eye... His response is ALWAYS "Its OK. I have to go, love you, see you soon." And I'm such a woman... I'm like "Let's talk about this....." or (when Princess Mood Swing is speaking) "Would you just yell at me already?!?!"
I don't know how men put up with us... any more than I know how we put up with them, but I have learned this (wait for it....wait for it.... YES there was a point to this!): Life in the slow lane makes relationships easier. Life in the slow lane makes parenting easier. It makes the day to day operations of running a home easier. It allows us time to examine our selves, our reactions, our behavior, it allows us time to instill desirable traits into our lives and the lives of our children. It allows us to spend our time doing the things that are most important to us, leaving behind or minimizing the "clutter" that fills our time. It allows time for friends, it allows time for people to connect. It has allowed me to allow human-ness in others. I've learned that not only is it not my place to change people, as trying to change someone is as unloving a thing as anyone could possibly try to do, but not only is it not my place to change others, but I don't want to change anyone. We need to love others for who they are, not for who we want them to be.
I leave you with this, a video of a song that brings a tear of joy to my eye every time I hear it. Enjoy, my friends. Be blessed. ♥
Monday, January 17, 2011
Organic Authority Berry Bars Recipe - YUMMY!
I have a few places where I find many recipes. These are always recipes I covet and keep for a long long time. I've discovered another one from Organic Authority ( you can also follow them on Facebook!) that we just loved! This recipe is for Berry Bars. They are fantastic for a snack or for a good, filling homemade breakfast that can be made the night before. The recipe below is directly from the site, the green comments in the parentheses next to the original recipe are my tweaks and changes I made to up the flavor and nutrition. These turned out to be incredibly tasty and we'll be making them again!
Berry Bars
Crust and topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(or substitute 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour for all of the above)
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces (Substitute half of butter for equal amount of coconut oil)
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 to 1 1/2 pounds organic berries, fresh or frozen (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, a mix) (If using frozen berries - thaw and drain VERY well)
Juice from one lemon (or 1 – 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I substituted the entire amount of butter for coconut oil)
(I also added 1 cup of shredded coconut)
Berry Bars
Crust and topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(or substitute 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour for all of the above)
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces (Substitute half of butter for equal amount of coconut oil)
- Heat the oven to 350. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl or a food processor. Either use the food processor until the butter is reduced to small crumb-size pieces, or use a pastry blender to blend the butter into the flour. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture.
- Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour the remaining crust mixture into the baking dish and spread out to the edges. Cook in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 to 1 1/2 pounds organic berries, fresh or frozen (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, a mix) (If using frozen berries - thaw and drain VERY well)
Juice from one lemon (or 1 – 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I substituted the entire amount of butter for coconut oil)
(I also added 1 cup of shredded coconut)
- Melt the butter and set aside.
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl. Add the rinsed berries, the lemon juice, and the (now-cooled) melted butter. Toss gently until the berries are coated.
- Spread the berry filling over the cooked crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture on top of the berry mixture. Return to the oven for about 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then cut into bars and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Hello Friends,
A quick lunch recipe for your family! We had a baked potato bar for dinner a couple nights ago and I had a bunch of leftover potatoes that had to be used (because you KNOW I'm not going to waste them!!!), So I cut the taters in half, scooped out the middles and "revived" the middles by mashing them up with some milk and sour cream. Leave some lumps. Add in about half a stick of butter (this was for 12 potatoes). Add some shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar, great flavor and you don't have to use as much with all that flavor!) and crumbled in some bacon. Mix potato mixture together and spoon back into the potato skins. Pop into a 375*, pre heated oven for about 30 minutes and you've got a lovely lunch that has cleaned out your fridge (using up leftovers), is filling and wonderful when paired with a green salad. I have 5 happy boys with full tummies right now!
A quick lunch recipe for your family! We had a baked potato bar for dinner a couple nights ago and I had a bunch of leftover potatoes that had to be used (because you KNOW I'm not going to waste them!!!), So I cut the taters in half, scooped out the middles and "revived" the middles by mashing them up with some milk and sour cream. Leave some lumps. Add in about half a stick of butter (this was for 12 potatoes). Add some shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar, great flavor and you don't have to use as much with all that flavor!) and crumbled in some bacon. Mix potato mixture together and spoon back into the potato skins. Pop into a 375*, pre heated oven for about 30 minutes and you've got a lovely lunch that has cleaned out your fridge (using up leftovers), is filling and wonderful when paired with a green salad. I have 5 happy boys with full tummies right now!
Whewwwwww! Keeping busy for kids...
Hello Friends,
I'm afraid that the very ice stormy weather outside has 5 boys INSIDE! :) So far, I've made it through the morning, which was no easy feat. The boys (big boys don't have school today because of the MLK holiday) are all currently building a volcano and waiting for lunch to be ready. It was wonderful standing in the kitchen prepping lunch (twice baked potatoes), watching all of the boys working nicely together! This morning was kind of hairy... Jonah was in a SUPREME mood - which happens with him from time to time, and all I could think was that I wanted to rewind to very early in the morning (1 O'clock to be exact) and remember to pack Jon's breakfasts and lunches for the week (SOOO sorry, Honey... I am doing this today... I'm such a bad wife!) and then NOT get out of bed... just sleep in and let the chaos occur without me. That might make me a bad mom too, huh?
Normally, on days when the older boys don't have school, when things get too loud, I send them all outside to play. They usually end up shooting each other (no, I'm not kidding, but I do make sure they all are wearing protective eye wear.. that TOTALLY counts for something, right?), but at least they're making noise OUTSIDE of the house. Today, however... today that is not meant to be. We've got an ice storm happening out there and I am sentenced to listening to the chaos - ALL. DAY. LONG. Just sayin'. I'm not too big on using the television as a baby-sitter, but I admit to a bit of a panic (OK, OK... full blown anxiety attack) when the ice covered the dish and we lost signal. I know the 4 bigger boys were wanting to watch a basketball game at noon, and so I hope, if for no other reason than I'd like to not listen to whining, that this passes quickly without me having a nervous breakdown... because my sorry self will be out there whacking away at the dish mercilessly with my whacking contraption... a street hockey stick duct taped to the end of a broom. I KNOW I look like an idiot out there banging away at the elusive ice on the dish which is positioned wayyyy too far out of my reach. I know the words I say would make me sound like a loon. I'm not. Really, I'm not. (No... really!) And... oh, I can't believe I'm going to admit this... but it always evolves into me slipping and sliding around on the little deck, whacking at the air with aforementioned contraption... SO... I'm sliding around on ice and whacking, the kids (and Papa (Grandpa)) are inside watching me, laughing uproariously at the sight, screaming, "NO! NOT YET!" "KEEP GOING MAMA!" "WHACK IT AGAIN!" "YOU ALMOST GOT IT... I JUST SAW.... NOOOOOO! HIT IT AGAIN." All yelled through the stucco/concrete of the house. Fortunately, there is a window so I can not only hear them yelling at me (and hear and SEE them laughing at me), but I can also catch a little glimpse of ESPN basketball on the television...so I know that, if just for a few hours, there will be relative peace within the confines of the (Funny) Farm. I may have to repeat the whacking procedure when the ice builds up again... but I know that all of the men folk have "got my back"... laughing, jeering and pointing at Mama in her moon boots swinging the whacking contraption wildly... all for them. Don't they see that its all for them? Mama loves them (and her sanity) so very much that I will endanger my own safety to go out in the ice (it should be noted that Mama Zahmma is an extraordinarily klutzy Mama) just in the name of a basketball game. I love my boys and I would do anything to make them happy. As evidenced by the basketball game that is starting soon, a favorite lunch in the oven and a drying papier mache volcano drying on my dining room table.... I suppose the chaos is not all bad... unless they are laughing at me. And laughing at me is one thing... but I've gotta say... laugh, if you must.... but the pointing and laughing so hard that you need rescue breathing and wetting your pants and water coming out of your nose from laughing so hard....those things might be better saved for watching your "worlds dumbest type shows"... because I have to say... nothing I'M doing should elicit that dramatic a response.
Alright... Lunch almost done. I'll bet they'll love me again (and apologize and ask for forgiveness and grace) when they see the ooey gooey cheesey bacony creamy twice baked potatoes that are waiting for them. And not to be a kill joy... but they're getting a salad for lunch as well. Bwah ha ha ha.. cuz I AM THE MAMA.
I'm afraid that the very ice stormy weather outside has 5 boys INSIDE! :) So far, I've made it through the morning, which was no easy feat. The boys (big boys don't have school today because of the MLK holiday) are all currently building a volcano and waiting for lunch to be ready. It was wonderful standing in the kitchen prepping lunch (twice baked potatoes), watching all of the boys working nicely together! This morning was kind of hairy... Jonah was in a SUPREME mood - which happens with him from time to time, and all I could think was that I wanted to rewind to very early in the morning (1 O'clock to be exact) and remember to pack Jon's breakfasts and lunches for the week (SOOO sorry, Honey... I am doing this today... I'm such a bad wife!) and then NOT get out of bed... just sleep in and let the chaos occur without me. That might make me a bad mom too, huh?
Normally, on days when the older boys don't have school, when things get too loud, I send them all outside to play. They usually end up shooting each other (no, I'm not kidding, but I do make sure they all are wearing protective eye wear.. that TOTALLY counts for something, right?), but at least they're making noise OUTSIDE of the house. Today, however... today that is not meant to be. We've got an ice storm happening out there and I am sentenced to listening to the chaos - ALL. DAY. LONG. Just sayin'. I'm not too big on using the television as a baby-sitter, but I admit to a bit of a panic (OK, OK... full blown anxiety attack) when the ice covered the dish and we lost signal. I know the 4 bigger boys were wanting to watch a basketball game at noon, and so I hope, if for no other reason than I'd like to not listen to whining, that this passes quickly without me having a nervous breakdown... because my sorry self will be out there whacking away at the dish mercilessly with my whacking contraption... a street hockey stick duct taped to the end of a broom. I KNOW I look like an idiot out there banging away at the elusive ice on the dish which is positioned wayyyy too far out of my reach. I know the words I say would make me sound like a loon. I'm not. Really, I'm not. (No... really!) And... oh, I can't believe I'm going to admit this... but it always evolves into me slipping and sliding around on the little deck, whacking at the air with aforementioned contraption... SO... I'm sliding around on ice and whacking, the kids (and Papa (Grandpa)) are inside watching me, laughing uproariously at the sight, screaming, "NO! NOT YET!" "KEEP GOING MAMA!" "WHACK IT AGAIN!" "YOU ALMOST GOT IT... I JUST SAW.... NOOOOOO! HIT IT AGAIN." All yelled through the stucco/concrete of the house. Fortunately, there is a window so I can not only hear them yelling at me (and hear and SEE them laughing at me), but I can also catch a little glimpse of ESPN basketball on the television...so I know that, if just for a few hours, there will be relative peace within the confines of the (Funny) Farm. I may have to repeat the whacking procedure when the ice builds up again... but I know that all of the men folk have "got my back"... laughing, jeering and pointing at Mama in her moon boots swinging the whacking contraption wildly... all for them. Don't they see that its all for them? Mama loves them (and her sanity) so very much that I will endanger my own safety to go out in the ice (it should be noted that Mama Zahmma is an extraordinarily klutzy Mama) just in the name of a basketball game. I love my boys and I would do anything to make them happy. As evidenced by the basketball game that is starting soon, a favorite lunch in the oven and a drying papier mache volcano drying on my dining room table.... I suppose the chaos is not all bad... unless they are laughing at me. And laughing at me is one thing... but I've gotta say... laugh, if you must.... but the pointing and laughing so hard that you need rescue breathing and wetting your pants and water coming out of your nose from laughing so hard....those things might be better saved for watching your "worlds dumbest type shows"... because I have to say... nothing I'M doing should elicit that dramatic a response.
Alright... Lunch almost done. I'll bet they'll love me again (and apologize and ask for forgiveness and grace) when they see the ooey gooey cheesey bacony creamy twice baked potatoes that are waiting for them. And not to be a kill joy... but they're getting a salad for lunch as well. Bwah ha ha ha.. cuz I AM THE MAMA.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Recipes: Raw Peanut Sauce and Yummy Carrot Cake
Hello Friends!
Well, I'm happy to report that after two full days, the migraine hangover is gone and I can FINALLY move on with life. The stress of "being down", not being fully functional, weighs heavily on my spirit and I'm always happy when I can move on back into normalcy... whatever that looks like on any given day around here! The following are recipes that are much loved around here. I make the carrot cake about twice a year... it takes a long time to grate carrots and just mixing this bad boy up takes a long time...so I was quite happy to finish this and put the recipe away for another 6 months or so. The last couple pieces are sitting on the counter and I may just have to snag one of 'em. I'm not too big on sweets, in general, but this is a good one, so we'll see. The peanut sauce is a modified recipe. We make peanut sauce to go with Asian noodles, stir fries, chicken satay... I thinned it out a bit and added a bit of additional spice and it went wonderfully over a lovely bed of zucchini and cucumber noodles. It is a PERFECT "first food" for anyone wanting to try a raw diet and a fabulous way to take a break from meat or just a nice, real food yet quick to prepare lunch.
Raw Peanut Sauce
1 cup raw nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew or sun butter all work well)
3/4 Tablespoon powdered ginger (OR 2T fresh grated)
1/2 cup water (I used a bit more)
6 T lemon juice
2 T pure maple syrup
3 T soy sauce (I use liquid aminos)
4 T sesame oil (I use dark)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 a jalapeno pepper, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate. Spoon over zucchini and cucumber noodles. To make noodles, shred zucchini, yellow summer squash and cucumbers. Allow to "cure" for several hours (up to 8 hours) in a colander, they will drain liquid during this time. Arrange on a plate and spoon cold peanut sauce over noodles.
Carrot Cake
6 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup dark brown sugar
(combine in bowl for 1 hour)
add 1 cup raisins after 1 hour.
Preheat oven 350*. Grease and flour two 10" cake pans.
In a large bowl:
beat 4 eggs gradually beat in:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup veg oil
2 t. vanilla
1 cup crushed pineapple (drained)
In a separate bowl:
Combine:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
4 tsp cinnamon
Stir flour mixture into wet mixture until well blended. Stir carrot mixture into batter and add 1 cup chopped walnuts. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool on wire racks and frost with cream cheese frosting when completely cooled.
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
3 - 4 cups confectioners sugar
1 T vanilla
In a stand mixer (or use hand mixer), cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and slowly add confectioners sugar until frosting is the desired consistency.
Well, I'm happy to report that after two full days, the migraine hangover is gone and I can FINALLY move on with life. The stress of "being down", not being fully functional, weighs heavily on my spirit and I'm always happy when I can move on back into normalcy... whatever that looks like on any given day around here! The following are recipes that are much loved around here. I make the carrot cake about twice a year... it takes a long time to grate carrots and just mixing this bad boy up takes a long time...so I was quite happy to finish this and put the recipe away for another 6 months or so. The last couple pieces are sitting on the counter and I may just have to snag one of 'em. I'm not too big on sweets, in general, but this is a good one, so we'll see. The peanut sauce is a modified recipe. We make peanut sauce to go with Asian noodles, stir fries, chicken satay... I thinned it out a bit and added a bit of additional spice and it went wonderfully over a lovely bed of zucchini and cucumber noodles. It is a PERFECT "first food" for anyone wanting to try a raw diet and a fabulous way to take a break from meat or just a nice, real food yet quick to prepare lunch.
Raw Peanut Sauce
1 cup raw nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew or sun butter all work well)
3/4 Tablespoon powdered ginger (OR 2T fresh grated)
1/2 cup water (I used a bit more)
6 T lemon juice
2 T pure maple syrup
3 T soy sauce (I use liquid aminos)
4 T sesame oil (I use dark)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 a jalapeno pepper, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate. Spoon over zucchini and cucumber noodles. To make noodles, shred zucchini, yellow summer squash and cucumbers. Allow to "cure" for several hours (up to 8 hours) in a colander, they will drain liquid during this time. Arrange on a plate and spoon cold peanut sauce over noodles.
Carrot Cake
6 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup dark brown sugar
(combine in bowl for 1 hour)
add 1 cup raisins after 1 hour.
Preheat oven 350*. Grease and flour two 10" cake pans.
In a large bowl:
beat 4 eggs gradually beat in:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup veg oil
2 t. vanilla
1 cup crushed pineapple (drained)
In a separate bowl:
Combine:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
4 tsp cinnamon
Stir flour mixture into wet mixture until well blended. Stir carrot mixture into batter and add 1 cup chopped walnuts. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool on wire racks and frost with cream cheese frosting when completely cooled.
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
3 - 4 cups confectioners sugar
1 T vanilla
In a stand mixer (or use hand mixer), cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and slowly add confectioners sugar until frosting is the desired consistency.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Random Thoughts
Hello Friends,
Here I sit at 4:30 in the morning. After waking up over an hour ago with just the slightest remnants of my migraine hangover, I thought I'd get a big glass of water and play Tetris until I got sleepy... go back to bed and that would be that. I love it when my thoughts turn to the impossible - I know full well I won't be going back to sleep after chugging 20 ounces of anything! It sounded good on paper, though.
I'm finally going to start doing the food journal to try to narrow down what is causing these migraines. I usually have one or two a year, but have, sadly, had four or five in the past couple of months. It is rough on the system. I'm thankful that I'm able to function in between the headaches and that they are not daily, but when these happen, the amount of dread that goes along with them is really overwhelming. And then... just when I think it is over...the hangover. Definitely not as horrible as the headache itself, but it brings with it a nagging reminder that my brain has a mind of it's own and that I have no control over what is going on at the moment. Being very acutely aware of this right at this moment, having just come out of a doozy of an episode, well, suffice it to say I'm grateful to be and the tail end of this again.
I'm also acutely aware of being able to function, or rather being UNable to function during these attacks. There is not much happening with me other than laying in the dark, praying silently and suffering through a seemingly endless amount of the most painful thing I've ever experienced. This is where the rubber meets the road...this is when good preparation comes in handy. We combined households with my parents over 7 years ago, so I have the benefit of having my mom and dad here. I am usually the one who cooks meals, but, of course, Mom steps in and takes over in the kitchen when I am unable. I'm so grateful for the help when I need it, because, we all know, kids need to eat and even when my world comes screeching to a halt temporarily, there would be mass chaos if we didn't manage to get them fed! So...rubber meets the road? (What do you mean, Crazy Woman? Your mother is cooking for you!) Grandma is stepping into a prepared kitchen. A thoughtfully stocked pantry and freezer - a meal ready to be put together with minimal thought, if need be. Even with limited convenience foods, a healthful meal can easily be made with just a bit of time and elbow grease. Making mixes (baking mix - add milk and you've got biscuits, add egg and milk and you've got pancake or waffle batter, rice mixes- prepare the rice and add the homemade seasoning and you've got rice pilaf to go with dinner, cake and brownie mixes - follow the directions and you've got a dessert without preservatives or chemicals) ahead of time, making sure that we have staples, flours, rices, vegetables in the fridge and freezer... it makes my job easier, and in the event that Grandma needs to step in, it allows the transition to happen seamlessly. Another thing that has been prepared? The children. They get plenty of time to do their own thing. I get in the mix and play with them, of course, but they know how to entertain themselves and can play quietly as well. I've always felt that it is not my job to entertain the children endlessly. And because of this, they can happily play with each other as well as by themselves. They know that sometimes, especially when someone is sick, that I'm not available to play a game or even read a book with them. If I'm tending to a sick child (and my boys... aye... they can get sick. And when you've been through some of the things they've been through, you know I don't mean they have a cold. So, if I say sick, you can assume that someone is having seizures, not regaining consciousness, has a 104.6* fever or is bleeding profusely... you can understand why having the ability to keep children occupied by themselves for a bit is a useful tool in preparation), sometimes it is necessary to tell the other boys that they need to be in the other room playing. The boys also know that if I'm getting a migraine, that keeping noise to a minimum is important. Even so, it is hard for Sam (who is 6) to not cuddle Mama, not talk endlessly (still working on him, he still thinks he needs to verbalize EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT that pops into his head ♥) and not be able to jump around and squeal with joy at every little thing. So today, after two days of limited cuddle time, today will be a Sammy gets to cuddle on Mama all day kind of a day.
Later today, I'll be posting a couple recipes that I wanted to get up yesterday but just couldn't muster typing them out in front of the glaring computer screen. Raw peanut sauce (over zucchini and cucumber noodles) and carrot cake were big hits here yesterday. The carrot cake takes some time to make, and was, honestly, a bit difficult for me to follow in my mental fog, I make it occasionally, but it is a time intensive recipe, so yesterday probably wasn't the best day to make it. But it did get made, everyone loved it and I'm glad to put away that recipe for another 6 months. I just made the peanut sauce for the first time yesterday. I needed an easy lunch because I really wasn't feeling like cooking, so I adapted a peanut sauce that we use for Asian noodles... the addition of ginger and hot pepper flakes made a wonderful sauce that went beautifully over fresh zucchini and cucumber "noodles".
The slow life comes in handy more than occasionally here. We have been able, to a large degree, to cut ourselves off from the frenetic pace of the world. I think we have a good balance in our home. We still are a busy, active family, the twins have a basketball game and a baseball practice tonight, so we don't cut ourselves off from life or friends or busy-ness, but it is nice to know that, if we need to, we can be content with not running all over the place and doing a million different things, just for the sake of keeping busy. There is plenty to do around here without adding societal expectations to the to-do list.
Here I sit at 4:30 in the morning. After waking up over an hour ago with just the slightest remnants of my migraine hangover, I thought I'd get a big glass of water and play Tetris until I got sleepy... go back to bed and that would be that. I love it when my thoughts turn to the impossible - I know full well I won't be going back to sleep after chugging 20 ounces of anything! It sounded good on paper, though.
I'm finally going to start doing the food journal to try to narrow down what is causing these migraines. I usually have one or two a year, but have, sadly, had four or five in the past couple of months. It is rough on the system. I'm thankful that I'm able to function in between the headaches and that they are not daily, but when these happen, the amount of dread that goes along with them is really overwhelming. And then... just when I think it is over...the hangover. Definitely not as horrible as the headache itself, but it brings with it a nagging reminder that my brain has a mind of it's own and that I have no control over what is going on at the moment. Being very acutely aware of this right at this moment, having just come out of a doozy of an episode, well, suffice it to say I'm grateful to be and the tail end of this again.
I'm also acutely aware of being able to function, or rather being UNable to function during these attacks. There is not much happening with me other than laying in the dark, praying silently and suffering through a seemingly endless amount of the most painful thing I've ever experienced. This is where the rubber meets the road...this is when good preparation comes in handy. We combined households with my parents over 7 years ago, so I have the benefit of having my mom and dad here. I am usually the one who cooks meals, but, of course, Mom steps in and takes over in the kitchen when I am unable. I'm so grateful for the help when I need it, because, we all know, kids need to eat and even when my world comes screeching to a halt temporarily, there would be mass chaos if we didn't manage to get them fed! So...rubber meets the road? (What do you mean, Crazy Woman? Your mother is cooking for you!) Grandma is stepping into a prepared kitchen. A thoughtfully stocked pantry and freezer - a meal ready to be put together with minimal thought, if need be. Even with limited convenience foods, a healthful meal can easily be made with just a bit of time and elbow grease. Making mixes (baking mix - add milk and you've got biscuits, add egg and milk and you've got pancake or waffle batter, rice mixes- prepare the rice and add the homemade seasoning and you've got rice pilaf to go with dinner, cake and brownie mixes - follow the directions and you've got a dessert without preservatives or chemicals) ahead of time, making sure that we have staples, flours, rices, vegetables in the fridge and freezer... it makes my job easier, and in the event that Grandma needs to step in, it allows the transition to happen seamlessly. Another thing that has been prepared? The children. They get plenty of time to do their own thing. I get in the mix and play with them, of course, but they know how to entertain themselves and can play quietly as well. I've always felt that it is not my job to entertain the children endlessly. And because of this, they can happily play with each other as well as by themselves. They know that sometimes, especially when someone is sick, that I'm not available to play a game or even read a book with them. If I'm tending to a sick child (and my boys... aye... they can get sick. And when you've been through some of the things they've been through, you know I don't mean they have a cold. So, if I say sick, you can assume that someone is having seizures, not regaining consciousness, has a 104.6* fever or is bleeding profusely... you can understand why having the ability to keep children occupied by themselves for a bit is a useful tool in preparation), sometimes it is necessary to tell the other boys that they need to be in the other room playing. The boys also know that if I'm getting a migraine, that keeping noise to a minimum is important. Even so, it is hard for Sam (who is 6) to not cuddle Mama, not talk endlessly (still working on him, he still thinks he needs to verbalize EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT that pops into his head ♥) and not be able to jump around and squeal with joy at every little thing. So today, after two days of limited cuddle time, today will be a Sammy gets to cuddle on Mama all day kind of a day.
Later today, I'll be posting a couple recipes that I wanted to get up yesterday but just couldn't muster typing them out in front of the glaring computer screen. Raw peanut sauce (over zucchini and cucumber noodles) and carrot cake were big hits here yesterday. The carrot cake takes some time to make, and was, honestly, a bit difficult for me to follow in my mental fog, I make it occasionally, but it is a time intensive recipe, so yesterday probably wasn't the best day to make it. But it did get made, everyone loved it and I'm glad to put away that recipe for another 6 months. I just made the peanut sauce for the first time yesterday. I needed an easy lunch because I really wasn't feeling like cooking, so I adapted a peanut sauce that we use for Asian noodles... the addition of ginger and hot pepper flakes made a wonderful sauce that went beautifully over fresh zucchini and cucumber "noodles".
The slow life comes in handy more than occasionally here. We have been able, to a large degree, to cut ourselves off from the frenetic pace of the world. I think we have a good balance in our home. We still are a busy, active family, the twins have a basketball game and a baseball practice tonight, so we don't cut ourselves off from life or friends or busy-ness, but it is nice to know that, if we need to, we can be content with not running all over the place and doing a million different things, just for the sake of keeping busy. There is plenty to do around here without adding societal expectations to the to-do list.
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