Halloween with Hyland's

I know for most people Halloween and Trick or Treat have come but I have to say I have seen some AMAZING costumes on my facebook newsfeed. Our trick or treating was postponed so technically I still have time, but I think this year we are relying on costumes my mom sent down. Last year, we went all out for the yearly Pumpkin Patch Parade and my husband (yes Husband!) made my youngest son's costume.

You are probably like what on earth but baby E was slimer.  My husband and older son were both ghostbusters.

How creative were you this year?  If you are ready to showcase your Halloween Costume making skills? 

Hyland’s is hosting a fun Halloween contest featuring $500 worth of prizes! 

To enter, just head to https://www.facebook.com/Hylands.Health to upload your photos before November 5. (You will see a tab at the top of the page “Enter Contest”)

After you enter your photo(s), you can view your submission(s) under the “View Entries” tab and vote for your favorites November 6 through November 9. 

The grand prize winner will be determined by votes and receive:

• $100 VISA gift card
• Hyland’s Backpack
• Hyland’s Sore Throat
• Hyland’s Cold Tablets with Zinc
• Hyland’s Compete Flu Care
• Hyland’s Complete Flu Care 4 Kids
• Hyland’s Nightime Cold n’ Cough 4 Kids
• Hyland’s DEFEND Nightime Cold & Cough
• Hyland’s Sniffles ‘n Sneezes 4 Kids
• Hyland’s Baby Tiny Cold Tablets   

Approximate Value: $200!

Additional Prizes:  Hyland’s will be awarding second place prizes based on three separate categories: Cutest, Most Elaborate and Most Creative.
Each prize includes:

• Hyland’s Backpack
•  Hyland’s Sore Throat
• Hyland’s Cold Tablets with Zinc
• Hyland’s Compete Flu Care
• Hyland’s Complete Flu Care 4 Kids
• Hyland’s Nightime Cold n’ Cough 4 Kids
• Hyland’s DEFEND Nightime Cold & Cough
•  Hyland’s Sniffles ‘n Sneezes 4 Kids
• Hyland’s Baby Tiny Cold Tablets

Approximate Value $100

Good Luck!

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Muffins with Whole Wheat Flour

I was ecstatic about my first CSA delivery.  I was trying to guess what I might get based on what would be in season.  I knew I was going to get lots of greens but was surprised when I got rhubarb and strawberries.  The strawberries were ready to pick early this year because of the unusually warm weather. Rhubarb took me by surprised because I thought I checked to box that said “No Rhubarb”.  I’ve never actually eaten rhubarb but I passed on it because I didn’t know what to do with it. 

When I saw the two ingredients, I immediately thought pie but I knew strawberry rhubarb pie typically has LOTS of sugar.  I wanted something that we could eat everyday without the guilt.  How do you find something like that? Search the internet! 

I found a wholewheat oatmeal rhubarb recipe and set out to make it work for me.  The first change should be obvious; I needed (or wanted) to add strawberries.  I decided to do 1 cup of strawberries and 1 cup of rhubarb.  The next adjustment I made was switching “vegetable oil” for coconut oil.  While coconut oil used to be categorized as a no-no, research is beginning to show that it does have positive benefits.  Finally, I switched out the brown sugar in exchange for honey.   Voila, now you have…

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Muffins

·       1 cup fresh rhubarb, chopped

·       1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

·       1 egg

·       1 cup whole milk

·       1 tsp. lemon juice

·       1/2 cup maple syrup

·       1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

·       1/4 cup coconut oil

·       2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

·       1 tbs. honey

·       1 cup rolled oats *I actually used Old Wessex Organic Irish-Style Oatmeal because I know it was verified GMO-free by the Non-GMO Project

·       1/2 tsp. cinnamon

·       1 tsp. baking soda

·       1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

In a bowl or a stand mixer, whisk together the egg, milk, lemon juice, unsweetened apple sauce, honey and coconut oil. 

In a large bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Make a “well” in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the egg mixture in, and stir just until combined. If using a stand mixer, you can slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture. 

Gently stir in the chopped rhubarb and strawberries. Let batter rest for about 10-15 minutes. Resting the batter allows the flour to absorb some of the liquid in the batter, while allowing the gluten to relax.

Pour batter into paper muffin cups or greased muffin tin.

Bake in center of oven at 350° F for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool muffins in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack.

Makes about 16 muffins

Nutritional Information

Calories: 169, Fat: 4.8g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 126mg, Carbohydrates: 28.3g, Protein: 3.7g

Sorry for the less then stellar pic, it was from my phone

I'm jamming!

Every Sunday, I start to prepare for the week.  I try to get meals planned, and breakfast options made.  My boys go to daycare three days a week and I like to have muffins ready for those days.  It just makes everything run smoothly.  The boys get a muffin and fresh fruit then we are off and running but this Sunday I mixed things up. 

I had an opportunity to get a flat of strawberries through my CSA with Kretschmann’s Organic Farm last Friday.  They don’t actually grow the strawberries but get them from a local partner farmer.  Unfortunately, they are not organic.  I had done some searching and it is very difficult to find local, organic strawberries.  I took them anyhow and decide to embark on my first canning experience.

I cleaned all the strawberries on Saturday night, made a trip to Wal-mart Sunday morning for supplies, and started my strawberry jam on Sunday afternoon.  I enlisted my husband to cut the strawberries with me.  He did a much neater job then I did.  I was covered in strawberry juice by the time we were done cutting the probably close to 9 lbs of strawberries. 

I used a no refined sugar, pectin-free strawberry jam recipe provided by 100 Days of Real Food.  The process was fairly easy.  The biggest issue I encountered was my stove.  I have a beast of a stove from the 70’s.  It is brown and it is a double oven/stove all in one big monstrous piece. The canning pot I have barely fit on the back burner.  I would have used the front big burner but I had little choice since it doesn’t work… umm did I mention I could use a new stove/oven?

The strawberry jam turned out good.  All 14 of my jars sealed and while I know that doesn’t guarantee everything went well, I was excited.   The jam itself was pretty good, it is a little sweeter then I like but it was definitely a good, easy recipe to start with.  I tested a small drop on a plate and my boys would have licked it clean if I let them.

I was also successful in making my neighbor hungry and reminiscent.  My neighbor to the right asked my husband if we were making strawberry jam because she could smell strawberries all afternoon while she was working in her garden.  She also said it brought back memories of making jam with her mom as a child.  

I’ve got the itch to do more canning.  Do you have any tried and true recipes you love?

The best shampoo you'll never find in a store

I'm here to let you in on an amazing deal for a fantastic shampoo that leaves your hair moisturized and feeling squeaky clean. It's also very safe to use, but you can't search for it on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database. The best part of all, it is super inexpensive!

This is a very, VERY exclusive opportunity. It's only available to you because it's actually made by you, in your home, with ingredients that you've likely already got in your pantry (or can find easily in most grocery stores).

I made the commitment to green up my shower routine a few months ago and have experimented with umpteen different combinations - baking soda paste dry washes (icky chalky mess), apple cider vinegar rinses (tolerable, but never made my hair feel absolutely clean), coconut oil treatments (hello greasy, stringy hair), "safe" shampoos from natural foods stores (buh-bye money and easily combed hair). I wasn't totally satisfied with any of those, but I wasn't ready to give up. Enter pinterest.

I can't express how much I heart pinterest. From ideas for gardening that I will likely never successfully implement in my yard to elaborate recipes that are intimidating yet enticing, you can find everything on that site. It is an especially good resource when researching ways to live clean and green. I've made a ton of homemade cleaners thanks to strangers pinning ridiculously easy "recipes". So, I was beyond excited when I came across a pinned photo of the back of a woman's head...her hair looked healthy, smooth, and beautiful. The pin promised access to the best homemade shampoo EVER or something to that extent. SOLD.

I would try to convince you that this is my beautiful head of hair, but I have no time for styling.

I originally intended to use my homemade coconut milk for this recipe, but I wasn't thinking straight and added vanilla to it for my kids to drink. Oh, well...Native Forest canned coconut milk is thick and creamy (while my homemade was not), plus their products are organic and BPA-free. This was so easy to mix together and I decided an unused, cute hand soap pump dispenser was perfect for this use.

Here's the recipe (adapted from wellnessmama.com):

• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup liquid castille soap (I used Dr. Bronner's almond)
• several drops of vitamin E oil
• Lots and lots of the essential oil(s) of your choice (I decided to rip off Aveda and do rosemary and peppermint oils)

Place all ingredients in the dispenser and shake.

You will need to shake the dispenser before each use. I use about two palms full of the shampoo each time because I have very thick and pretty long hair. This will lather up a little, which I like. Natural shampoos tend to not lather at all and conventional (read: chemical soup) shampoos lather a ton...this is somewhere in the middle. I make sure I rinse very well to prevent any build-up because I have extremely hard water. Occasionally, I'll follow a normal shampoo routine with an apple cider vinegar rinse just to be sure that everything has been totally cleaned out.

Since I started to use this shampoo, my hair has been much more manageable. I can run a brush through it without encountering tangles and my hair looks and feels great once it's completely air dried.

Give it a try and let us know how it worked out for you!

The Dangers of Sunscreen

Sun Exposure, Vitamin D, and Sunscreen

Sunscreen is one of the most commonly used and trusted cosmetics used by parents.  But did you know the sunscreen you put on your and your precious children’s skin can actually cause more harm than good?  While they may prevent the redness and pain associated with sun burn, they may in fact increase your risk for skin cancer and may also disrupt the delicate hormonal balance in your body. 

Most conventional sunscreen products today contain harmful chemical ingredients that are dangerous and unsafe.  In 2007 the EWG (Environmental Working Group) published a list of the ingredients found in many conventional sunscreen products and their harmful effects on humans.  It is a shocking list!  If you look on the ingredient list of most sunscreens available out there, most contain many of these ingredients. ( This entry from Wikipedia has a lot of great information about sunscreen and is very well cited and sourced.  Please take some time to read it.)

This upset me last summer.   I was researching ways to protect my new baby during a summer of days at the beach, lake, and on my in-laws’ boat out on the ocean.  I wanted to protect his delicate skin from sun damage but I wasn’t willing to use harmful chemical sunscreens to do it.  Before he was six months old I used loose-fitting long sleeves and long pants along with a wide-brimmed hat and kept him under an umbrella.  As he got older and wanted to crawl in the sand I wanted to be able to use sunscreen on him.  I did some research on the EWG website and found that California Baby Sunscreen, which is available at Target, was a safe and effective sunscreen.  Though expensive, I was willing to pay the high sticker price for this product (close to $20 in some stores) in order to keep my baby’s skin safe. 

This summer I have tried something new.  I have made my own sunscreen!  I wanted to save money but had no desire to sacrifice safety and efficacy.  I first heard about making my own cosmetics from some friends in a mothers’ group on Facebook.  After hearing the recommendations of other moms, I decided to try my hand at making my own sunscreen and other personal care products.  It has been a 100% successful endeavor!  Not only does it WORK, I know exactly what ingredients are in the sunscreen and I am perfectly confident that they are not only safe but beneficial to my family’s skin.  
 

Homemade Sunscreen Tutorial

You need to purchase a few ingredients before beginning with your sunscreen recipe.  There are a lot of recipes available out there on the web.  Some are so complex they have my head spinning, others are more simple like mine.  I wanted to keep things simple and easy when I made mine, so I started off with a very simple, easy recipe.  

Gather together your desired ingredients from all or a combination of the following: 

• 100% pure zinc oxide powder (the only absolutely necessary ingredient) 
• Carrier oil(s) such as but not limited to coconut oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil,    etc. 
• Beeswax 
• Non-citrus essential oils

 

What this recipe basically consists of is a sunblock mixed with a carrier oil applied directly on the skin.  Zinc oxide is a total block when used undiluted on the skin meaning it completely blocks all sun rays by reflecting them away from the skin.  By mixing it with other ingredients you can control the SPF.  It protects from both UVA and UVB rays. For this reason you may want to consider allowing some sun exposure without sunscreen before sun burn occurs and before applying sunscreen.  More on that later.

Start by choosing your carrier oils.  I like any of the ones I listed above for different reasons.  Jojoba oil is incredibly luscious and very hydrating.  It makes your skin oh-so-soft and silky but it is also very expensive.  Shea butter is affordable and also very rich and moisturizing.  Coconut oil has many beneficial properties including antibacterial and antifungal properties.  It is very healthy and can help heal skin (not to mention it’s edible!).  Be sure to use only virgin, unrefined, organic coconut oil (and buy organic whenever possible of your other oils).   Sweet almond oil is commonly used by massage therapists and is inexpensive and effective.  I personally like to use a combination of shea butter and coconut oil.  I eventually plan to make a very small batch of sunscreen using jojoba oil for extra dry patches of skin.

 

In a double boiler, melt your carrier oils until homogenous.  Remove the bowl from the pot and whisk them together.  Add a few drops of your desired essential oils for scent (or omit for unscented lotion).  Add your desired amount of zinc oxide using this formula:  18.9% zinc oxide is SPF 32.  For my first batch I did one part shea butter, two parts coconut oil, and two parts zinc oxide.  This gave me 40% zinc oxide powder in my solution.  I calculated it out to be SPF 68 (40÷18.9=2.12, then 2.12x32=67.84).  This is what I used on my son for our first long day at the beach this spring.  We stayed out for 6 hours and he did not get even the slightest amount of sunburn.  I, on the other hand, waited two hours before applying my sunscreen and did get a little burned.  Oops.

I made a second batch of sunscreen a few weeks ago because I wanted to try a different recipe.  I had some beeswax on hand to use in making some different lotions and body butters and I had read that it can work by making the sunscreen water resistant.  So I wanted to try a slightly different recipe using beeswax and experimenting with a different combination of oils.

This time I used one part shea butter, one part coconut oil, one part almond oil, one part zinc oxide, and about 2 teaspoons of grated beeswax.  I melted the oils in the double boiler and then added the grated beeswax and stirred until it dissolved.  Then I whisked them all together and then whisked in the ZO powder.  Voila!  I opted not to add any essential oils because the beeswax made it smell delicious!  

Make sure to allow your concoctions to sit for at least 10 hours before using them.  They won’t settle into their more solid/semi-solid state for at least that long even if they are completely cooled.  The beeswax also helps the mixture to be more stable if you are using more liquidy oils such as jojoba or almond.  If 10 hours have passed and you find your recipe to be either too solid or too liquid, simply re-melt in the double boiler and adjust the ingredients to accommodate it.  I suppose you could even use olive oil though I have never tried it myself.

And now, as an end to my post about sunscreen and sun protection, please take a few minutes to read this article about Vitamin D and healthy sun exposure.  Healthy and safe sun exposure is important in allowing your body to make the necessary Vitamin D that it needs. 

Thanks for reading!  If you have any questions about my method or where I buy my ingredients, feel free to ask in the comments.  

Happy summer everyone!

~Erin~

(Me and L after a long day at the beach--notice his still-lily-white skin!)

How to Save - Personal Care Products

I’m calling this particular blog entry “How to Save,” which I’m sure led you to intinctively think “money”. However, that’s only one aspect of your life that you’ll find you’ll be able to cut back with these tips and recipes. You’re also going to be saving time, saving fuel, saving your health, and saving the planet. Obviously, making your own personal care products saves you money in one big way - you don’t have to buy the store shelf version of the item. However, when you start to think about it, you realize you’re also saving time at the store and having to go to the store less often which, in turn, saves fuel and fuel costs. Additionally, you can control what goes into your products. So, you’re not exposing yourself to parabens (http://healthimpactnews.com/2012/99-percent-of-breast-cancer-tissues-have-parabens-from-cosmetics/) and potentially hazardous chemicals (http://www.rodale.com/hormone-disrupting-chemicals?cm_mmc=TheDailyFixNL-_-868210-_-04022012-_-what_is_a_hormone_disruptor_anyway_text), thereby protecting your health. Finally, you’re not using and tossing packaging, you’re reusing what you’ve got on hand or, ideally, using a glass or stainless container that can easily be rinsed and used again.

While there are a TON of different recipes for different DIY cosmetics and other personal care items, these are a few that I’ve tried and love. The bonus is that these are things I use every day, sometimes two or three times a day, meaning that I’m really cutting back in all the areas mentioned above!

Eye Makeup Remover

As crunchy as I tend to be, I still love my heels and my makeup. I’ve been trying to wear less and less cosmetics since there are certainly chemicals and plasticizers present in my foundation and eyeliner, but to completely go cold turkey just isn’t in my future (particularly since I haven’t found the secret to reversing or freezing time and aging). I decided to, instead, ditch my Maybelline Eye Makeup Remover which I use at least four times a week. In the process, I found myself not having to use my toner, either - BONUS!

All you’ll need is water (practically free), vegetable glycerin (less than $10 per bottle and you’ll only need a smidgen per recipe), and oil (you can use coconut, almond, vitamin E, olive, avocado, baby oil...whichever you choose or happen to have on hand). I used an 8-ounce bottle I originally purchased for taking toiletries with me on vacation. It’s got a squirt spout, which is perfect for applying the remover to a cotton swab and swiping your face!

Here’s the recipe...just put all the ingredients into your chosen container, then swish around a bit and there you go!

1 ½ tablespoons vegetable glycerin
¾ tablespoon oil
approximately ⅔ cup water

Voila! All in all, the solution costs about $1 for an 8-ounce bottle of remover, whereas I was previously paying $5 for a 3-ounce bottle. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot of savings, but everything adds up!

Deodorant
Don’t be scared. I know everyone hates sweating and no one wants a deodorant which isn’t going to be able to stand up to heat and activity. I live in Texas where it got so hot last summer that our state was literally on fire. So, believe me when I tell you this stuff works!

The next time you run out of deodorant, don’t toss the container! Simply follow this recipe (adapted from littlehouseinthesuburbs.com), then press the mix into the container. Within minutes, you’ve got a smooth and effective perspiration-fighter!

¼ cup baking soda
¼ cup cornstarch
10 drops of your favorite essential oil (I used tea tree but I think next time I’ll try rosemary - love the smell)
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil

Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl until well-combined, then stir in the coconut oil, adding more a little bit at a time until you reach the right consistency for you. Remember that coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but starts to melt above 72 or so...be sure to store this somewhere that stays relatively cool. Also, word to the wise: this must be applied by hand. I’m okay with that, especially since a little bit goes a long way. I made this recipe about two months ago and I’m still only halfway through mine.

Mouthwash

Have you ever taken a minute to think about all the stuff you put in your mouth throughout the day? I’m sure you take steps to clean up your diet, so the food you eat is (hopefully) organic and chemical-free. But what about your oral care products? I didn’t really give it much thought until I realized that the ingredients label on my mouthwash is not required by law to be all-inclusive. And what the manufacturers choose to list there is enough to give me great pause. So, the last time I ran out, I decided to try my hand at DIY whitening mouthwash. I remember my mom using hydrogen peroxide as a teeth whitener when I was a kid; it was time I tried something myself.

I chose to use an empty mouthwash container, but as soon as I buy more small mason jars, I will switch to using one of those. I don’t expose the plastic container to heat (I simply rinse out with lukewarm water when I’m out), so I’m not terribly afraid of the consequences, but I’d still like to un-plastic my life as much as possible.

It’s a simple recipe, really. And one you can easily adapt to your own tastes. I use a mixture of ¼ hydrogen peroxide to ¾ water (filtered is best), then I add drops of peppermint extract until it tastes perfectly minty and fresh. I use this twice a day and I’ve noticed that my teeth look great and my mouth feels delightfully clean!

An Eggsperiment!

Do you dye your Easter eggs with your children?  Do you hate when the dye gets all over your table, the kids clothing, and stains your fingers?  Then think that if this coloring stains all of these things what are you taking in when you eat these eggs the next day?  You peel the shell off your beautiful red egg and the white of your hard-boiled egg is pink.  That can’t be natural and sure isn’t good for you.  Sure we’ve all done it, but maybe its time to stop and think just what are we eating.  I know it’s easy to go and buy that $1.99 kit.  I challenged myself to use food around my house or that I can find at the grocery store to dye my eggs.  If I can do this anyone can!  After it was all done my boys still had fun and there was no mess!  No franticness of cleaning up the dye the moment the egg splashed in the bowl.  My table isn’t going to stain this year!

I boiled my eggs like I normally do and let them cool before dying.  I did let them sit in their mixture overnight to let the color sit in.  I covered them in their bowls and kept them in the refrigerator.

First I walked around thinking what could I use to dye our Easter eggs....

I thought about the different colors and went up and down the grocery store aisles.

I thought blueberries, but fresh wouldn’t work because of their thick skins.  So what about cans? Well go figure they didn’t have any so I went to the juice aisle.  Did you know they make blueberry juice?  After dying my eggs, they came out a greyish blue color.

While in the juice aisle, I picked up grape juice too.  Those eggs came out a reddish brown! 

At home, I had boiled some water and put some in a bowl with 4 green tea bags.  Those eggs came out yellow!

Using the same boiling water and 4 ½ tablespoons of Cumin, the eggs turned an orange color.

I had a can of cranberries and crushed them in a bowl and added some boiling water to it.  The eggs became a purple color.

I broke up a few stalks of kale and put them in a pot of water.  I let the water boil and simmered the kale for a few minutes, and then I took out some of the water as well as some kale. This egg is a pale green yellow.

For the last egg, I used fruit punch and that egg turned out to be brown.

This is what my mixtures looked like before the eggs were put in!

  

  Boys getting ready to dye some eggs!

  

  Eggs getting ready to be chilled in the refrigerator over night.

 

 

It was fun to experiment with the colors and fun for the kids to.  My 3 year old loved trying to figure out what colors the eggs were going to be.  He also would just smell them.  So much better than vinegar!  You can experiment with different designs as well.  If you have rubber bands you can put them on and then submerge them in the mixtures.  Crayons work on them as well before and after.  What child doesn’t like to color and give them a reason to do it on some eggs!  Also we have tons of stickers here and I let my son decorate some of the eggs with them.

This experience was so much fun, less of a mess and best of all better for you.  You won’t be eating any extra food dye on top of your eggs.  I hope you have fun dyeing your eggs and don’t forget to make it an eggsperiment! 

Our finished product!

~Bonnie