What are you doing for Earth Day? Every year I try to make a change for the better of our planet and our health. This year I bought some of these from our food buying club (at half price! Yay!).
Wrap N Mat
They are just these cloth things I guess that you can wrap sandwiches and snacks in and then they unfold and you can use them as place mats. They can be washed in the washer. I'm pretty excited. Plastic bags are so trashy. These look so cute! I hope we don't lose them. I mean, I hope we don't lose them right away (I know we will lose them....).
Here are some other changes I'd like to make eventually but we just bought a house (yay!) and obviously can't afford an overhaul of all things toxic. It's so sad there's so many bad things out there.
-Replace all Teflon and aluminum or metal pans with stainless steel, baking stones, or cast iron (I'm using parchment paper in the meantime for baking).
-Replace most plastic containers, Tupperware, etc. with glass storage containers or stainless steel.
-Stock up on incandescent bulbs before they get phased out by CFLs.
-Use less paper towels or none at all (I'm not ready for this right now).
-Avoid styrofoam at all costs.
-Always carry a water bottle so you can avoid the temptation or reason to buy bottled water or sugary drinks (this is so worth the time and effort! We save a lot of money this way).
-Switch to eco-friendly cleaning and laundry products.
-Switch to healthier, environmentally friendly personal care products.
What are some other ideas?
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Beautiful Babies E-Course Notes: Lesson Two
Notes/Ideas from Dr. Russell Blaylock Interview
Why get information from sources such as talk radio and blogs, rather than scientific journals? Industrialized food has been around for about 100 years so it's therefore still experimental. And does it seem like industrialized food benefits our health? It sure doesn't seem like it to me.
-The Monsanto Company funds The Journal of Clinical Nutrition, among others.
A diet high in MSG will cause more carbohydrate and sugar cravings over protein rich foods, making it very hard or impossible to diet the weight off. The metabolism and appetite spin out of control.
Soy is one of the worst things you can eat. A 25 year study showed that those who ate the most soy suffered severe brain atrophy and dementia.
"Natural" products with yeast extract, hydrolyzed yeast extract, produce free amino acids in the body which cause glutamic acid to rise drastically, which our bodies were made to deal with.
Splenda (sucralose): Thymus suppression. Can be very dangerous for children, destroy their immune system.
Colgate-Palmolive, fluoride study, a scientist was fired for fighting against fluoride
76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
WOW
Video Notes
The Dangers of MSG
About Kaizen
The Dangers of Modern Vegetable Oils
Dangers of GMOs
Industrial Meats
Why get information from sources such as talk radio and blogs, rather than scientific journals? Industrialized food has been around for about 100 years so it's therefore still experimental. And does it seem like industrialized food benefits our health? It sure doesn't seem like it to me.
-The Monsanto Company funds The Journal of Clinical Nutrition, among others.
A diet high in MSG will cause more carbohydrate and sugar cravings over protein rich foods, making it very hard or impossible to diet the weight off. The metabolism and appetite spin out of control.
Soy is one of the worst things you can eat. A 25 year study showed that those who ate the most soy suffered severe brain atrophy and dementia.
"Natural" products with yeast extract, hydrolyzed yeast extract, produce free amino acids in the body which cause glutamic acid to rise drastically, which our bodies were made to deal with.
Splenda (sucralose): Thymus suppression. Can be very dangerous for children, destroy their immune system.
Colgate-Palmolive, fluoride study, a scientist was fired for fighting against fluoride
76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
WOW
Video Notes
The Dangers of MSG
About Kaizen
The Dangers of Modern Vegetable Oils
Dangers of GMOs
Industrial Meats
Friday, March 22, 2013
Eat Food! And Enjoy It!
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| Making baked oatmeal bars (recipe below) |
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| Self feeding at its finest |
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| Bath time might be happening around here three times a day! |
Day One
Combine in glass or ceramic bowl:
3 cups rolled oats (or combination of oats and buckwheat)
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3/4 cup filtered water
5/8-1 cup sucanat
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cover and let sit for 12-124 hours in a warm place (a cupboard above the fridge, on top of the oven, or in a microwave).
Day Two
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 11 x 7 baking dish
Add to oat mixture:
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Optional: 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries OR 1-2 tart apples chopped
Pour into greased baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes. This can be served as is or topped with chopped nuts, ground flaxseed, raw milk, yogurt, etc.
Beautiful Babies E-Course Notes, Lesson One
I am taking an e-course online and the website suggested we take "beautiful notes" somewhere. I didn't want to start a notebook because I have a terrible time keeping track of a notebook and I always end up using them for lists or scribble paper for Josiah or drawing paper for Maryn. So I'm just keeping my notes here on my blog. Sorry; I know it's boring stuff and I'm not really going to make it too interesting. I also bought the book, Beautiful Babies (Nutrition for Fertility, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Baby's First Foods) by Kristen Michaelis.
Beautiful Babies E-Course
by Kristen Michaelis (of FoodRenegade.com)
Video 1: Nutrition Matters
If a child with fetal alcohol syndrome can be born with facial abnormalities, can a pregnant woman with a very healthy diet give birth to a baby who will have few facial abnormalities and therefore be less likely to need braces, eye glasses, or be less likely to have allergies, ear infections, cavities, etc?
Video 2: What is Nutritionism?
-Nutritionism is the focus on nutrients rather than food. Labels and banners on food these days focus on "anti-oxidants, fiber, protein, Omega 3s..." Food is seen as a delivery system for nutrients.
-Nutrients are only visible to food scientists with their microscopes, so we think we need an expert to tell us what to eat (rather than going with our natural desires). We follow a food "priesthood."
-Nutritionism divides the world into good and evil. There's always a satanic nutrient or additive we've demonized. Now it's trans-fats. It used to be saturated fats.
-Nutritionism assumes the whole point of eating is health. No other traditional culture thinks of food this way. They eat for pleasure, community, family, ritual purposes, religious practices, to express their identity (abstaining from pork, for example).
Nutritionism doesn't make us any healthier.
Nutritionism thinks the fake version of a food can be healthier than the real version of a food (margarine is "healthier" than butter).
Video 3: What Traditional Food Cultures Can Teach Us
Weston A. Price, a dentist, noticed more and more children coming to his office with horrible tooth decay and terrible face/teeth abnormalities. The only cause he could think of was diet.
So Dr. Price traveled the world finding cultures that ate traditional diets. He noticed their children did not have facial abnormalities, cavities, allergies, etc.
These traditional cultures all ate meat, and they ate the whole animal, with a great focus on organ meats. Fermented foods like saurkraut, sourdough bread, properly prepared grains and nuts and seeds (soaked)
It makes more sense to follow what these successful, fertile, healthy cultures ate than follow the dietary guidelines our government agencies come up with that are constantly changing.
Beautiful Babies E-Course
by Kristen Michaelis (of FoodRenegade.com)
Video 1: Nutrition Matters
If a child with fetal alcohol syndrome can be born with facial abnormalities, can a pregnant woman with a very healthy diet give birth to a baby who will have few facial abnormalities and therefore be less likely to need braces, eye glasses, or be less likely to have allergies, ear infections, cavities, etc?
Video 2: What is Nutritionism?
-Nutritionism is the focus on nutrients rather than food. Labels and banners on food these days focus on "anti-oxidants, fiber, protein, Omega 3s..." Food is seen as a delivery system for nutrients.
-Nutrients are only visible to food scientists with their microscopes, so we think we need an expert to tell us what to eat (rather than going with our natural desires). We follow a food "priesthood."
-Nutritionism divides the world into good and evil. There's always a satanic nutrient or additive we've demonized. Now it's trans-fats. It used to be saturated fats.
-Nutritionism assumes the whole point of eating is health. No other traditional culture thinks of food this way. They eat for pleasure, community, family, ritual purposes, religious practices, to express their identity (abstaining from pork, for example).
Nutritionism doesn't make us any healthier.
Nutritionism thinks the fake version of a food can be healthier than the real version of a food (margarine is "healthier" than butter).
Video 3: What Traditional Food Cultures Can Teach Us
Weston A. Price, a dentist, noticed more and more children coming to his office with horrible tooth decay and terrible face/teeth abnormalities. The only cause he could think of was diet.
So Dr. Price traveled the world finding cultures that ate traditional diets. He noticed their children did not have facial abnormalities, cavities, allergies, etc.
These traditional cultures all ate meat, and they ate the whole animal, with a great focus on organ meats. Fermented foods like saurkraut, sourdough bread, properly prepared grains and nuts and seeds (soaked)
It makes more sense to follow what these successful, fertile, healthy cultures ate than follow the dietary guidelines our government agencies come up with that are constantly changing.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
crafty bunnies
One good result of basically ignoring your kids for hours each day (while cleaning, packing, etc.) is that they eventually learn to play together and entertain themselves. Yesterday though I decided to do a craft with them and we made these adorable bunnies.
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| Owen gets a little bored during crafts :) |
Maryn and I have been really enjoying reading The Secret Garden, my favorite book of all time. She is becoming a winsome little girl, full of fantasy and wonder. I really love it. She will be four and a half soon and I am loving this age.
Josiah's speech is coming along splendidly. He's experimenting with his voice a whole lot too, finding echoes whenever he can and taking advantage of it (screaming wherever he finds one, including public restrooms and the Chick-Fil-A Play Place even during story time). The occupational therapist is helping us a lot with his bedtime routines and he's staying in his bed all night, almost every night! I think his behavior will improve greatly once we can get outside more often.
Now I really must go...Owen has been crying in his bed all this time...and Josiah is begging for food. :-/
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Owen, 9 months old
Owen turned 9 months old on February 21st, and he weighs 20 lbs still. He has really been moving, playing with his siblings and playing by himself as well. He has an uncanny ability to spot the smallest object on the floor and pop it in his mouth super fast. He has an incredible wingspan that allows him to pull things off grocery shelves, kitchen shelving and has also been known to turn around in the grocery cart and pull things from the back, such as celery leaves, and eat them.
He is an adorable, squishy little boy. I kiss him all day long, and though he is losing much of his chubs, his thighs are still very chubby and I squeeze them all day too :)
He has FOUR teeth! Two top and two bottom.
He says Dada, Tickle Tickle, and I think he says "Josiah."
He thinks the word NO is hilarious.
We love our sweet baby Owen. Also known as Owie Badowie.
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