Vegan Chocolate Chip Raisin Macadamia Nut Oat Lactation Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chip Raisin Macadamia Nut Oat Lactation Cookies

Yes, you read that right…lactation is in the title! Lol. No, these cookies will not make you lactate on first bite. They are simply filled with ingredients that are supposed to be good for breast milk. As most of you know, I had my 3rd baby boy exactly 3 weeks ago today! He is the first baby I’ve had since we changed our diet. With my first two boys, I was not able to breastfeed much, almost none with my first, as I never got my milk. I had a little bit with my second, but no where near enough. So I was very curious to see what would happen this time around. Well, I definitely have some milk! It’s not a ton, and I’m not sure how long it will last, but it’s there, so I am doing what I can to keep it.

The first thing I did was get online and start to research whole foods that help with milk production. I found a bunch of good resources and spent a good amount of time reading about it. Basically I learned that, other that staying really hydrated and eating a healthy whole food diet (which I do), some of the nutrients in food that may help with milk supply are iron, protein, and B vitamins. Also, there are herbs like fenugreek and fennel that help as well. So with all my new info, of course my brain began creating. I had heard about others baking “lactation cookies” in the past, and cookies are something I am definitely obsessed with, so I figured it’s a perfect reason to create another cookie for the blog! And Mother’s Milk tea is a common way to get in some of those lactation promoting herbs, and what goes better with tea than cookies!

Since I literally had JUST gotten home from the hospital, and being on my feet baking cookies was not in the cards, my amazing wonderful hubby offered to be my “legs” in the kitchen while I stayed on the couch and tried to communicate to him my crazy recipe idea for these new cookies of mine. He was a rockstar and before I knew it trial 1 was complete! It took 3 trials to get these just right, and just right they sure were! I’m talking deeeeelicous! Every ingredient I used was carefully thought out. They are filled with nutrients, many of which have shown to help contribute to healthy lactation. Here’s a list of everything I used that contains loads of goodness like iron, protein, or B vitamins:

oats, almond flour, nutritional yeast, molasses, flax, raisins, macadamia nuts, coconut butter versus oil, and dates versus refined sugar

These cookies turned out SO darn good! The texture is soft and chewy with crispy edges. They are not only vegan, but they are made without any refined sugar or oil and are gluten free! So popping a few in my mouth not only gives me an absolutely delicious and healthy snack, but also feels awesome to know I am doing something to help my milk! And another bonus is that these freeze pretty darn well. I made a huge batch and keep them in the freezer. Then I take a few out every morning and eat them throughout the day. They keep great!

Keep in mind that I am not certified to promise any of this will help increase your milk, and all my info has come from resources online that I read to help me, but as I see it, eating some healthy cookies is not a bad idea in general! Plus, these are filled with healthy ingredients and nutrients, so breastfeeding or not they are a great snack. My two boys and my husband love them so they serve our whole family well!

If you try making my cookies, make sure to let me know! I love hearing your feedback on my recipes. You can also tag me on Instagram at veggiesdontbite #veggiesdontbite so I don’t miss it! Hope you enjoy!

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For all you breastfeeding moms out there, especially for those of you not in a place to make your own cookies, I found these awesome bars that have been created by a certified lactation consultant. They are called Boobie Bars, how cute is that?! You can order them online here. These also have ingredients that have shown to help with lactation, but they are more “official” because they have research behind them…I ordered some to try, especially for those weeks I’m booked with awesome recipes to create for you all and making cookies just isn’t in the cards. Bonus is that they are vegan and they have a gluten free option! Can’t wait to get them!

Original article and pictures take www.veggiesdontbite.com site

Vegan Berry Crunch Smoothie Bowl

Vegan Berry Crunch Smoothie Bowl

I’ve done a lot of physical activity over the past few days, which as you know, is rather uncharacteristic.

First, I went to the Beyoncé and Jay-Z concert at MetLife Stadium. As much as I’d like to fangirl out right now, I recognize you’re probably not here to read about my obsession with Bey or my feelings about Jay-Z’s rumored infidelity. (But if you are, please contact me to discuss. I have a lot of thoughts.) All I’ll say is that it was the most amazing concert I’ve ever been to (times infinity), and I did my best dancing for 2½ hours.

It was a lot of cardio for a Friday night.

On Saturday, I went out to my bestie Fifi’s house on Long Island, and she suggested we go paddleboarding. Since I have zero upper body strength and pathetic swimming skills, I wasn’t exactly pumped about this idea. But I’m a good friend, and paddle boarding is trendy, so I reluctantly agreed.

Much to my surprise, I got the hang of the paddleboarding thing pretty quickly, and I was quite proud of myself. I’d even venture to describe the first 30 minutes as delightful. The sun was out, the wind was at my back, and my balance was remarkably on point. My arms weren’t even tired, and I started to think that maybe I had had underestimated my own strength. Whoop!

Unfortunately, things took a sudden and unexpected turn for the worst.

Paddling back to shore against the wind almost killed me. At a certain point (i.e. after my fourth fall), I sat down on my board and paddled furiously (making almost no headway), while wondering if it was possible for one’s arms to actually fall off. Fifi and our friend Alston somehow managed to get ridiculously far ahead of me, which was both embarrassing and terrifying on many levels.

I felt like Marky Mark in The Perfect Storm, alone and lost at sea. (Except wearing a life jacket and in the middle of a busy harbor.) Funnily enough, I kept thinking, “If I die out here, will Logan stay on The Dude Diet?”

And then a friendly boat rescued me and I was motored the last 200 yards to the dock. Crisis averted.

You’d think that shaking it at Beyoncé and extreme paddleboarding would be enough exercise for the month weekend, but no. Fifi also wanted to do Ladies’ Tennis Clinic on Sunday.

Dear God, WHY?!!

Luckily, I actually know how to play tennis, so that wasn’t so bad, but there was a lot of running, and I was VERY sweaty. Needless to say, I slept like a baby on Sunday night.

Based on my level of physical exertion this weekend, I imagined myself waking up on Monday morning looking like an SI Swimsuit model and feeling like Gwyneth. Shockingly, that didn’t happen. Everything was the same, except that I was (and still am) insanely sore. Like, an absurd amount of pain. I haven’t felt this way since varsity volleyball tryouts circa 2003.

Yes, I’m serious, and no, I didn’t make the team.

My poor body was clearly in need of a good stretch and some rejuvenating nourishment yesterday, which was delivered in the form of YouTube yoga and this big, beautiful Vegan Berry Crunch Smoothie Bowl.

Based on my internet research, I’m a little late to the smoothie bowl partay (as per usual), and all the cool nutrition/fitness gurus on Instagram have apparently been posting these bowls for months! I was unaware of this because I don’t follow any of those peeps. Too much #fitspo makes me feel anxious about my bi-monthly workout schedule. Sorry.

Anyhoo, I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the smoothie bowl movement, and I suggest you join me. The bandwagon is very nice, and it’s full of beautiful, healthy people.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the smoothie bowl, allow me to enlighten you…

It’s a smoothie.

In a bowl.

BOOM.

Just kidding, it’s way more exciting than that!

First of all, the smoothie portion is really thick, almost like soft ice cream, which is obviously awesome. Ice cream for breakfast is a win. More importantly, you can load it up with all kinds of fabulous toppings since you don’t have to worry about slurping it through a straw. Hallelujah.

The berry crunch smoothie bowl you’re looking at is a vegan revelation, friends. An antioxidant rich blend of mixed berries, banana, kale (or spinach for ze kale haters), chia seeds, almond milk and agave, it’s sweet, creamy goodness that doesn’t taste offensively “green.” I promise.

And the toppings! I would happily crush a bowl of this super thick smoothie on its own, but the toppings are what make it so irresistible. I went to town on my bowl with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and banana, as well as chopped almonds, toasted coconut, a sprinkling of my favorite granola, and extra chia seeds. This combo was a badass blend of fresh flavor and crunch, but feel free to get creative with your add-ins. It’s part of the fun.

This smoothie bowl makes an unbelievably festive and satisfying breakfast or lunch, and you can easily half the recipe for a light, energizing snack. If you want to amp up the protein, just add a scoop of vegan protein powder or a couple tablespoons of almond/peanut butter into the mix. (I stand by my earlier feelings about combining greens and nut butter, but you do you.)

Get on board.

Vegan Berry Crunch Smoothie Bowl: (Makes 1 large smoothie bowl)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped kale or baby spinach

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1½ cups frozen mixed berries

½ frozen banana (Yes, you can use a regular banana, but then you may have to add some ice to your smoothie bowl.)

1-2 teaspoons light agave (depending on how sweet you like things)

Suggested Toppings:

½ banana, sliced

¼ cup blueberries

2-3 strawberries, sliced

1 teaspoon chia seeds

2 tablespoons chopped almonds

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut shavings, raw or toasted

¼ cup granola of your choice

Preparing your Vegan Berry Crunch Smoothie Bowl:

-Place the kale or spinach, chia seeds, and milk in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. (This will ensure that you don’t have any gross, chewy greens in your smoothie bowl.)

-Add the frozen mixed berries, banana and agave to the blender.

-Puree, scraping down the sides of the blender periodically, until relatively smooth. Don’t be crazy about getting it completely smooth, people. You won’t be drinking this through a straw, so a little texture is good!

-Pour smoothie into a bowl.

-Garnish with toppings of your choice, and get after it.

I like to make festive designs with my toppings because I like fancy things, but that’s obviously optional…

But you should probably do it…

Because pretty food is the best. Duh.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)
• ½ frozen banana (Yes, you can use a regular banana, but then you may have to add some ice to your smoothie bowl.)
• 1-2 teaspoons light agave (depending on how sweet you like things)
• 2-3 strawberries, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut shavings, raw or toasted
• ¼ cup granola of your choice

Instructions

1. Place the kale or spinach, chia seeds, and milk in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. (This will ensure that you don’t have any gross, chewy greens in your smoothie bowl.)
2. Add the frozen mixed berries, banana, and agave to the blender. Puree, scraping down the sides of the blender periodically, until relatively smooth. Don’t be crazy about getting it completely smooth, people. You won’t be drinking this through a straw, so a little texture is good!
3. Pour smoothie into a bowl and garnish with toppings of your choice. Serve immediately.

Original article and pictures take domesticate-me.com site

Using Scripture to Shape Your Kids’ Character

Using Scripture to Shape Your Kids’ Character

It all started when our kids were little bitty.

I was having a bit of a grumbly day, which had been happening way too often for anyone’s liking. When I was grumpy, of course my kids became grumpy. So the combination of grumpy mom and grumpy kids turned our household into a great big grumpy mess.

Somehow (God’s leading, no doubt) I stumbled upon the following from Philippians 2:14-16:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

Do everything?? EVERYTHING without grumbling or arguing?? How in the world? Did God not understand about the poop and the snot and the tantrums?

I was personally challenged by this passage, and loved the image of shining like a star in a world full of darkness. How desperately I wanted my kids to know me as a shining model of God’s character, instead of as a dark, gloomy, frustrated, grouchy, “let’s just get through the day without killing each other” kind of a mom.

So living out this scripture became a prayer focus for me. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing…do everything without grumbling or arguing…”

As I focused on this passage, it became easy for me to gently share it with my kids every time they started to grumble or argue. Talking about it became natural, and little as they were at the time, they could understand the simple words, “Remember the Bible words? Do not grumble. Do not argue.”

But this parenting practice became even better when I started to incorporate the remainder of the verse into my training with them. When I noticed my little boys playing nicely and getting along (hallelujah!) I would take the last part of the Philippians passage to encourage them with, “You guys sure are shining like stars right now!” and they would beam.

And THIS all led to the creation of Character Charts that I made with construction paper and star stickers. I wrote the entire passage of Philippians 2:14-16 on a chart for each of them. Then every time I “caught” them playing nicely and getting along, I would say, “I saw you shining like a star this afternoon when you were playing together without grumbling or arguing. I guess you better go put a star on your chart!”

It’s amazing how such a simple reward can mean so much to a little one. It was positive reinforcement at its best, because it involved scripture Truth! And on the flip side, having these charts on our wall made it easier for me to call out grumpy behaviors with, “Your star needs to shine brighter right now. Can you think of a nicer way to talk to each other (or to me)?”

The “Star Charts” led our family down a fun path of selecting other Bible verses that helped shape our kids’ (and our own!) hearts toward making godly choices. Using scripture for our kids’ character training was better than any training we could have given them. We wanted them to know the “why” behind the good behavior we were asking for. Using scripture was a natural and beautiful way to do that.

If you’ve been reading here for many years, you may remember that I had created printable Kids Character Charts and included them in my Heavenly Homemakers Shop for you to purchase. They were not super professional, but they were a step above construction paper on the wall. :) Then after a few years I took them out of my shop with plans to have a professional designer re-create them into something wonderful.

That finally happened this summer!

There are five full sets of printable character charts and cut-out stickers in this collection, each with a Bible lesson you can use as you introduce it to and use with your kids.

1. Shine Like Stars – from Philippians 2:14-16
2. Fruit of the Spirit – from Galatians 5:22-25
3. Walk in the Light – from 1 John 1:7
4. Be Imitators of God – from Ephesians 5:1-2
5. Treasures in Your Heart – from Matthew 6:19-21

You can download and use this collection in any way that works best for your family’s character and Biblical training!

My kids are all big and tall and turning into adults now. They look back at their beloved Character Chart days with fond memories (which is always fun for me to hear!). The charts use Biblical truth in a very simple and practical way so that God’s truth becomes your child’s truth.

Encourage your kids toward Godly behaviors with these five full sets of character charts and cut-out stickers in this collection. Each comes with a Bible lesson you can use as you introduce it to and use with your kids. Shine Like Stars - from Philippians 2:14-16 Fruit of the Spirit - from Galatians 5:22-25 Walk in the Light - from 1 John 1:7 Be Imitators of God - from Ephesians 5:1-2 Treasures in Your Heart - from Matthew 6:19-21 You can use this collection in any way that works best for your family's character and Biblical training!

God bless you as you raise, train, and love your kids!

Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site

Unexpected Signs That Your Family Has Leaky Gut

Unexpected Signs That Your Family Has Leaky Gut

We are a leaky gut family. I’ll explain how that works in a minute- it has to do with all the different ways poor gut health affects the physical and mental self. The poor inner ecology is what was ‘passed along’ but the symptoms present as many different things, from allergies to eczema to autism.

Have you ever wondered why your family seems to have so many ‘issues’ while others sail through life eating worse food and having much less healthy habits than you? Did you have a nagging suspicion that your family’s ‘quirks’, though seemingly unrelated, could actually be related?

As we talked about in the Gut-Brain Connection post, the inner ecology in our body has a LOT to do with conditions that you would not expect to be related to eachother or what is eaten, but they are.

Doctors are puzzled by this, and tend to just claim ‘genetics’ if they don’t understand something. I’m sure some things are genetics, but I find it difficult to believe that the ‘autism’, ‘eczema’, ‘hyperactivity’, ‘allergy’, ‘food intolorence’, and ‘OCD’ genes would suddenly show up in this current generation after being missing from so many before. A family full of these things is a family with the sign of leaky gut.

Read: 5 Signs You Have Leaky Gut (and 5 things you can do to fix it)

Nutrition Component

In addition to the inner ecology influencing brain function, generational nutrition does at well.

A family with leaky gut likely was very healthy 100 years ago, living on whole foods with minimal toxins and drug exposure. Two or three generations ago they switched to eating more packaged foods, cleaning with chemicals, and smoking cigarettes.

The next generation they may have quit smoking, but continued to eat even more food that came from factories, and started avoiding sun exposure (and with that avoiding fresh air) and fat.

Antibiotics, an amazing discovery that saves lives, unfortunately also are over prescribed without looking toward the long term consequences in the GI tract.

The following generation is where some big issues started popping up- Chronic fatigue, digestion problems, attention problems, autistic spectrum disorder, eczema, chronic unexplained pain, learning disabilities, depression, and possibly even obesity.

Our ‘progressiveness’ is hurting our families.

Each generation has said, ‘Well, I was raised this way and I turned out fine… Grandma lived to be 80… It must be something else, my great grandparents not only ate like this, but they also smoked a pack a day!”

Over time, our bodies have become depleted. Moving away from whole foods, reducing fat, and the stress of environmental toxins has left us depleted of nutrients. When we get pregnant (if we are able), these deficiencies are passed on to our offspring, and the toxins may be partially passed on as well.

If a mother’s liver is overwhelmed with toxins, it may not adequately filter them out and away from her developing baby, and the baby is then born fighting an up hill battle. A mother deficient in vitamin B12 passes that deficiency onto her baby, who then has trouble growing, developing, and learning (source) and detoxifying. These aren’t the only problems- there are many more.

As we talked about in the gut-brain article, just intake of the correct nutrients isn’t enough. We need to be taking in nutrients that our body can actually use (ie from whole foods) and our body has to be functioning well enough that it can digest and utilize the nutrients how it should.

Symptoms of Leaky Gut

• Allergies
• Bipolar Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Compulsive behaviors such as overeating, obsessive dieting, and excessive hand washing
• Chronic unexplained fatigue
• Digestive issues
• Sensory integration disorder

What Can We Do?

By taking the nutrition and toxin aspect of our family’s health seriously, I believe that we can change our family tree. If you suspect your family is also a GAPS family, I would suggest starting by reading the Gut and Psychology Syndrome book, and then implementing the diet as described in the book.

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“What if I don’t want it to go away?” Some people ask me that; their child has loveable quirks, and they don’t want to lose the intelligence, different way they view the world, or their personality. I don’t think modifying their diet really does get rid of that sort of thing. I’m a bit obsessive and on GAPS I stop washing my hands 97 times a day and don’t have to re-check that the stove is off a dozen times before leaving the house, and I don’t repeatedly put my truck in first gear while waiting for the light to turn green, but continue being able to methodically evaluate things. In my experience, I haven’t noticed ‘losing’ any of my quirky traits that I find helpful in life, I only lose the ones I’m happy to not have.

*Disclaimer: I’m just a mom trying to figure out what will help my family. I’m not a medical professional. I’m not judging you, diagnosing you, or claiming to have all or any answers. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned lately, if you have any questions.

HOW TO START BALANCING The Leaky Gut

First we may need to start with supplements to correct nutrient deficiencies and try to temper the stress-causing leaky gut and leaky-gut-causing-anxiety cycle. I had good success with True Calm, an amino acid and herb blend (you can find this here). I also recommend cod liver oil to give the body easily absorbed fatty acids that the brain thrives on (more about cod liver oil here). My daughter saw calming benefits from L-Carnosine, which is also an amino acid. Many people who do not find success with Gaba (in True Calm) find that L-Carnosine is helpful. You can find L-Carnosine here.

We also need to make healthy changes to our homes and reduce our toxic load – these are pretty basic steps but can make a big difference. Click here to get a free printable checklist for a 30-day plan to get this started in simple steps

Next, we try an elimination diet. It’s so common that removing foods that often are allergy-causing, inflammation-causing, and cause a leaky gut. Removing dairy and/or gluten will most often relieve symptoms drastically. And then we can work our way back to really healing our gut with the GAPS diet. (click here for more information on working backwards to the GAPS diet)

Then once we are stabilized and eliminating common allergens from our diet, we can work on restoring gut flora balance and healing the gut. Most importantly, we clean up the gut. (click here for the GAPS intro diet for gut healing and sealing)

Probiotics can help, be sure to go slow – we’ll be introducing these beneficial bacteria, which will in turn kill off the bad ones – when this happens we can experience a rush of symptoms, so it’s important to go slowly (these are the probiotics that I use)

When the gut flora is balanced, we should crave healthy food, have a fairly stable mood, and feel nourished.

DEPENDING ON YOUR SYMPTOMS, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO MODIFY THIS PROTOCOL AND STILL SEE GREAT RESULTS; POSSIBLY JUST REMOVING GLUTEN, ANY KNOWN ALLERGENS (OFTEN EGGS, WHEAT, OR DAIRY), AND INCREASING PROBIOTICS FOR A TIME.

Original article and pictures take healthhomeandhappiness.com site

Ultimate Superfood Pregnancy Smoothie

Ultimate Superfood Pregnancy Smoothie

A nutrient dense, ultimate superfood pregnancy smoothie with organic berries, greens, flax hemp meal and almond milk. Perfect for the first trimester when you’re nauseous and can’t keep anything down, for the second and third trimester when you feel like you’re starving and want a healthy meal, and for postpartum when breastfeeding.

Look at me all 6 months pregnant! And drinking my ultimate superfood pregnancy smoothie.

You guys, I drink this smoothie every. single. day.

I never fully understood the meaning of “hangry” until I was in my 2nd trimester of pregnancy. My first trimester I had barely any appetite at all. Eating was a chore. Which was crazy because, hello, I love food. Most days I would just eat cereal, crackers, and this smoothie.

But around 16 or 17 weeks, I would go from not hungry to STARVING in a matter of minutes. Lots of snacking on granola bars and apples with peanut butter. Or sometimes, potato chips. Shhh. Don’t tell anybody.

This superfood pregnancy smoothie has been such a saving grace for me. I have it everyday for lunch around 11am, and since it is so nutrient dense I don’t get hangry anymore. Well, until 10 minutes before dinner time, when I need to eat. NOW!

I have never been more conscious of what I am eating than I am right now when I am pregnant. All the fruits and vegetables I buy are organic, along with almost all my other food. I’ve also gotten really particular about the meat I buy. All hormone free and organic. It costs a little more, but I want to make sure me and baby boy are getting the highest quality food available.

My ultimate superfood pregnancy smoothie has all the nutrition I need –

Organic Frozen Berries: I buy a bag of organic blueberries, blackberries and strawberries at Costco. Berries are packed with antioxidants, boost heart health and lower blood pressure.

Organic Banana: I use 1 fresh banana, but you could definitely chop it up and freeze it too. Bananas have tons of vitamins and minerals, especially potassium which helps build muscle and synthesize protein.

Organic Flax Hemp Blend: I buy this big bag of Carrington Farms Organic Flax Hemp Blend at Costco. Flax seeds have omega 3, fiber, antioxidants, and hormone balancing phytoestrogens called lignans. Hemp seeds are THE most nutritious seed in the world. One of the only plant based foods considered a complete protein, providing the perfect balance of Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids to promote heart health, lower triglycerides, and help reduce inflammation. Hemps Seeds contain all 8 amino acids that your body is unable to generate on its own, in addition to vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Best part is hemp seeds curb hunger, so you won’t get “hangry”! When they’re blended up, you don’t even taste them.

Organic Greens: I get this Deep Greens Blend of organic baby kale, chard and spinach. It is triple washed, so I can just throw it straight into my smoothie. These dark leafy greens are important for skin and hair, bone health, and provide protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. Don’t worry, you don’t even taste them in the smoothie.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is a great source of healthy fats. It aids in digestion, is great for your skin and hair, and builds your immunity. Plus, it gives a nice tropical sweetness to the smoothie.

Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk: This is my preferred dairy substitute. Almond milk has 50% more calcium than milk, is cholesterol free, and it is super low in calories.

Having just 1 of these pregnancy smoothies a day really puts my mind at ease knowing me and baby boy are getting a ton of nutrition. And I don’t feel guilty when I have dessert every night after dinner. Usually ice-cream, and at least 2 scoops.

Hey, we need our sweets too!

4.7 from 3 reviews

Ultimate Super Food Pregnancy Smoothie

• 1-1/2 cups frozen organic berries (I get a blueberry, blackberry, strawberry mix at Costco)
• 1 organic banana
• 2 tablespoons organic flax hemp blend (I get at Costco)
• 2 tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil
• big handful of organic greens (I use a baby kale, spinach and chard blend)
• 6-8 ounces unsweetened vanilla almond milk

None of this was sponsored, this is just the ingredients I love!

Save

Original article and pictures take www.tasteslovely.com site

Ultimate Immune-Boosting Gummies

Ultimate Immune-Boosting Gummies

A week ago, several friends and I got together for a “winter health DIY night.” We all brought herbs and other ingredients and we made several different natural remedies for the upcoming winter. We made elderberry syrup, cough syrup, and some other projects I haven’t published yet.

Some wanted to turn their elderberry syrup into gummies. So they did! But I didn’t use straight elderberry syrup to make mine. No, I combined a few things to make the ultimate immune-boosting gummies!

One gummy per day may help you stay healthy this winter because of all the awesome ingredients.

Elderberry has some pretty awesome immune-boosting properties and can help shorten the duration of colds and flu.

Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, which is good all the way around!

Ginger is anti-inflammatory, and good for tummies and colds too.

Raw honey is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and adds a touch of extra sweetness for the little ones.

Grape juice has been shown to help prevent tummy bugs — I don’t fully understand why, but a lot of people have reported that it worked (family members who didn’t drink it got the bug; family members who did drink it, didn’t).

Vitamin C and probiotic powders can make it just that much better, although I give these separately instead of mixing them in.

Gelatin makes them fun, but is also good for soothing the gut!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4″ slice ginger
• 1/4 c. grape juice

Directions:

Step 1: Combine elderberries, ginger, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 – 2 minutes then turn it off. Let it sit for 20 min.

Step 2: Strain the elderberries, squeezing them well, and reserve the liquid — you need 1/4 c.

Step 3: Stir in the cinnamon and raw honey. Add the gelatin and let it sit for a couple min.

Step 4: In a separate pot, heat the grape juice until steaming. Pour it into the other mix.

Step 5: Stir until gelatin has dissolved.

Step 6: When the mix has cooled to warm (cool enough that you can touch it), add the vitamin powders, if using.

Step 7: Pour into molds or a square baking dish. Place in the fridge.

Step 8: Cut into 1/2″ squares or pop out of the mold. Store in the fridge for 2 – 3 weeks. Take 1 – 2 daily; more (up to 1 per hour) at the first sign of illness.

Have you ever used immune-boosting gummies for health?

Original article and pictures take www.modernalternativehealth.com site

Ultimate Bundles

Ultimate Bundles

A few times a year, I love to tell my readers about the incredible eBook bundle sales from Ultimate Bundles! Each bundle covers a different theme, but they’re all packed with eBooks, eCourses, and bonus products…for a super low price.

The only downside is that a new bundle is usually available for just a few days! The sales last for about one week (or sometimes less).

I co-founded Ultimate Bundles in 2013, and while I no longer help to run the business I do love to get the bundles myself–and tell YOU about them! Some of our past bundles have included:

• The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle
• The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle
• The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit
• The Ultimate Photography Bundle
• The Ultimate Work at Home Bundle

A few of our bundles are ongoing and CAN be purchased any time! These include:

Conquer Your Clutter Super Bundle: 38 tools to help you restore sanity to your home, family, work, and life.

Gut Health Super Bundle: Get 25 eBooks, eCourses, and videos to help you heal your gut, naturally.

Herbs & Essential Oils Super Bundle: Everything you need to use herbs & essential oils in your home. One comprehensive package.

For the annual bundles, like the Homemaking bundle and the Healthy Living bundle, each year is a brand-new collection with different books and bonuses. Unfortunately, I always have readers who are disappointed because they miss these lightning-fast sales!

To make sure you get notified when the next bundle is available, go to the Ultimate Bundles website and click the “Reserve One Today” button, or fill out the form below:

Never Miss a Bundle!

Sign up to be notified of new bundle sales!

Original article and pictures take thehumbledhomemaker.com site

Tylenol is Deadly (Looking for Risk in All the Wrong Places)

Tylenol is Deadly (Looking for Risk in All the Wrong Places)

Did You Know that Tylenol Can Be Deadly?

When used as directed, it typically isn’t, but the dangers of acetaminophen (the non-brand name for the drug sold as Tylenol) can crop up after even a very slight overdose.

Even one extra dose can cause liver damage. (That’s how it kills. Too high a degree of damage to the liver results in acute liver failure, of which acetaminophen overdose is believed to be the single leading cause.)

When you consider factors like the following, the considerable danger of that small margin becomes apparent:

• The wide variations in weight among children of the same age can cause dosing confusion.
• If a parent is exhausted from caring for a sick child, his judgment/memory is impaired.
• If two parents are caring together for a sick child, a miscommunication can easily happen.
• The difference between children’s liquid and infants’ liquid is significant, so it’s not difficult to mix up the dosage.
• Acetaminophen is included in numerous multi-symptom medications, making it quite easy to get the drug from multiple sources without realizing it.
• Certain predisposing factors, such as kidney disease, liver problems, AIDS, or malnutrition, lower the dangerous dose.
• Malnutrition is likely a common short-term situation among those who are ill, making one wonder about the safe dosage in such a scenario.
• Alcohol consumption drastically reduces the safe dose. (Do keep in mind that some OTC* medications also contain alcohol. I’m not sure whether this has been accounted for in the recommended dosages, especially for young children.)

_{*OTC = over-the-counter}

Keep Your Risks in Perspective

Over the course of a year, more than 450 people die of acetaminophen overdoses, many of them accidental. Do you know how many people are known to have died from essential oil use or abuse? Well, it’s hard to find clear numbers, but from what I can tell, 5/year might be a reasonable high-end estimate. (Almost none of those, if any, are from anything close to a normal dose, either. We’re talking about drinking a bottle or more of an undiluted oil.) And yet many people will make regular, somewhat careless use of Tylenol without batting an eyelash, while making a huge fuss over how “very dangerous” essential oils are.

My point is not that we should never take Tylenol, or that “Tylenol is bad” and “essential oils are good.” (Essential oils do have the potential to be deadly if inappropriately used, and there are other factors to consider in the stats, like the number of people who use acetaminophen vs. essential oils.) My point is that whenever we’re looking at the risks of something, we need to keep them in perspective.

Don’t Let Familiarity or Unfamiliarity Cloud Your Judgment

We have a tendency to be more comfortable with those things that are familiar, because we’ve been trained to be comfortable with them. Conversely, we have a tendency to be wary of things that are unfamiliar. That’s just human nature. But the mere degree of familiarity with a thing does not make it safe or unsafe.

As wise consumers, we need to be (accurately!) aware of the risk profiles of whatever healing modalities we use, and we need to take measures to use them safely. For acetaminophen that may mean paying careful attention to dosage, or even reducing the dosage under certain circumstances. For essential oils it may mean diluting properly and knowing which methods of application are sound for a given oil. For either one, it may include being aware of contraindications and/or knowing warning signs to watch for.

What measures do you take in your home to help keep children, especially, safe from the use or abuse of medicines and other substances? Leave a comment and share! It may be that something you’ve thought of another parent hasn’t, and you could save a life.

I’m not a licensed medical professional. This post is intended for educational purposes only, has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA, and should be construed as preventing, diagnosing, treating, or curing any illness. As always, please do your own due diligence and be responsible about your health!

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