Making It Easy for Mom
I’m just a mom on a budget, trying to keep my family healthy.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Ancient Proverb
Are we becoming too tolerant with the declining health of our children? My four-year old daughter struggled with some very ugly eczema for about 7 months before we finally got it under control. Not just a little rash, but oozing, bleeding, skin scarring eczema. I read everything I could about what might cause it and how to fix it. Two things we might not often consider, when thinking about allergies and skin reactions, are diet and gut health. My daughter taught me a lot about how to truly figure out allergies. While an allergist can do a test, they aren't always reliable nor do they show food sensitivities. What I know now is that the best way to know if something is working, is if you are healing. So, guess what? She has been eczema free since November. What did we do? Well, first we stopped putting anything on the eczema. Next we added more fat to her diet as well as fish oil supplements (great source of fat and omega-3 fatty acids). We also added zinc and a multivitamin with niacin. Both niacin and zinc have been shown to help with skin issues. We then eliminated gluten and dairy. We also completely eliminated food dyes and preservatives. This is actually much easier than it sounds because when you eat real food, you don't have to read a label. She also began taking probiotics three times a day. The probiotics were and continue to be a crucial part of her healing. We also take her every three weeks to get adjusted at our chiropractor, Dr. Thomas Georges. Since November we have added back in organic whole milk yogurt, heavy organic cream, organic butter and organic cheese, but gluten only on a rare occasion. When she does have gluten, she begins to itch. We do not drink any kind of cow's milk (other than what is used in the yogurt). We did have an allergist perform a food allergy test, and it came back negative. But remember, just because you don't have an allergy, doesn't mean you don't have a food sensitivity. The best way to figure that out is through the elimination diet. So, I am proud to say my baby doesn't even think about her "exzy" (her name for it) anymore. And on the plus side, all of these changes have made her a calmer child, better sleeper, better eater, healthier weight (used to be kind of underweight), and happier kid.
Could changing your child's diet or adding some supplements help with a health issue you or your children are facing?
Could changing your child's diet or adding some supplements help with a health issue you or your children are facing?
Book Recommendation: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics, Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies
Bock, Kenneth, M.D. & Stauth, Cameron (2008) Healing the New Childhood Epidemics Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies. New York, NY: The Random House Publishing Group Inc., Ballantine Books.
I can't think of a single family I know that has children without some kind of allergy, attention issue, learning disability, asthma or autism. Why are we all facing all these issues with our children today? Toxins, nutritional deficiencies, gut bacteria imbalances, viruses, and family history all have some impact. But the biggest change is our toxic exposure on a daily basis. Are we really thinking about what kind of toxins we are coming into contact with each day or are we just blindly trusting that if it's in the store, it's fine. If the doctor says take it, I should. If lawmakers are setting the pollution limits, then we are okay. Another vaccine added to the schedule, ok. Sugar, yes please. Hmmm I think we need to recognize that our bodies are daily being asked to detox on a level never seen before.
A girlfriend I had recommended this book to said, "'I'm fascinated with this book. I think every parent should read it as should anybody that has allergies and asthma. I only wish I had read it earlier! I had to do my own detective work to get Ryan's system normalized but now I wish I could have done more for Alexander's year of monthly ear infections and Niki's breathing problems at around a year old. I never once considered what vaccinations could be doing to them. Thank you for recommending it to me!"
A girlfriend I had recommended this book to said, "'I'm fascinated with this book. I think every parent should read it as should anybody that has allergies and asthma. I only wish I had read it earlier! I had to do my own detective work to get Ryan's system normalized but now I wish I could have done more for Alexander's year of monthly ear infections and Niki's breathing problems at around a year old. I never once considered what vaccinations could be doing to them. Thank you for recommending it to me!"
Bock and Stauth separate each epidemic, so while it's an easy read cover to cover, you could also select the section most relevant to your life. The stories of real families and what they did to better their personal struggles are inspiring. I thought the best part of this book was the nutritional strategies, supplements, and detox strategies offered at the end. Think of a world with more kids healed through detoxing and supplementation combined with good nutrition as opposed to medication. That's the world I want to leave for my children and grandchildren.
Web Article Recommendation: One of my favorite researchers is Chris Kresser. He is an incredible scientific researcher. This article talks about why we have so many allergies and so much asthma in today's children. If you have kids that suffer from either of these conditions, please read Dirt.
Something my kids have taught me this week: We need physical activity daily! It's winter. It's cold. I get it. Kind of...we live in the desert, but I did grow up in Chicago. And don't be too jealous that it's warm here because we are in windy season. Here is a great indoor game that will wear those kids out! That's every parents daily goal, right?
After reading dirt, you might want to check out the section in my menu called non-toxic products. I've added a section about safe cleaning and bathing products (no plant based estrogens here). Please check it out and consider eliminating some of the toxic everyday products you are using in your home.
Hot Lava- I've lived in a lot of places, and I must say that if you try to talk about Hot Lava anywhere other than the Midwest, you get blank stares. So for those of you that grew up anywhere else, you are fortunate today to learn to play this special game. What you do is cover the floor with pillows, blankets, couches, chairs, or whatever you can find to jump on. Then you make a path through the house where you have to jump on these items. The floor is obviously hot lava that will burn you. You wouldn't believe how long kids can play this game. And three of my favorite things about this game are it's using your imagination, promoting teamwork, and it's free.Brain Power Idea: Bananagrams
Remember the friend that bought my kids a globe? Well she also bought them Bananagrams. I know, you want a friend like her too. Well, if you don't know this game it's like scrabble, but a race, and using an individual word board. We've tried to follow the rules of Bananagrams, but the kids are a bit too young. Instead, we use the letter tiles to make words. For those of you with toddlers in need of a good word list, try the high frequency words. Sometimes I leave out breakfast words or sentences that they can read. Then, remember word stairs (week two)? We change around or add letters to make new words. There is something special about having a manipulative that gets kids excited to learn. And when they are mature enough to actually play Bananagrams, we can follow the real rules.
My speech pathologist "fwen" assured me that my four year old's speech issue will more than likely disappear on it's own. But she does like to use invented spelling. And hey, she spells it like she says it.
Methods to get your kids to eat new foods: I received a question asking about how to get your kids to try new veggies. The key word here is try because once they have tried them, about 10-13 times, they will eat them because they like them. They might not like every veggie, but they will find some to be delicious. I have found that giving the raw version of the fruit or veggies is the tastiest, and let's be honest, easier to prepare. On top of that, the raw version is almost always the most nutritious way to eat veggies and fruits. Okay, drumroll please...I bribe my kids. Isn't that what all good parents do? Here is strategy three of six.
Method 3: The Sticker Chart: I have sticker charts to thank for my sanity. Whatever you are trying to accomplish in parenting, a sticker chart can help. For small children I would suggest having a treasure box where after perhaps 3 stickers on their chart, they get to go pick a toy. With my 4 and 6 year olds we let them choose a toy to work towards and put a price on it with stickers. They usually pick something from Target, and they have tried to pay the cashier with their sticker charts. I have used sticker charts for potty training, learning to read, sleeping in your own bed, being nice to each other, and respecting mom and dad. You name it; it works. Never take a sticker away. Once they have earned a sticker, they have earned it. But, you can always remind them, "If you want a sticker you have to..." Or, "Is this behavior going to earn you a sticker?" Also I only give one sticker at a time. Below are two examples of sticker charts. The orange one I created. The blue one was created by my son after we went to Target. He saw a toy he wanted and came home, created this sticker chart, and asked me what he could do to earn stickers. I love the motivation!
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Mom made chart
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| Kid made chart |
Featured Food: Berries and Cream
Fat, Fat, Fat!!!! I keep saying we need it. It’s true. If you are someone that has trouble sleeping at night, a high fat bedtime snack might be just what you need. I usually fresh or frozen organic berries and make my own whipped cream out of organic heavy cream. Using a hand blender, just whip it up until it looks like whipped cream. Store bought whipped cream is sugar plus preservatives. Yuck! I also put some dark chocolate chips on top. Believe it or not, eating this right before bed will help your brain’s health (which is mostly fat) and promote more restful sleep. Don’t believe me? Try it, and let me know.
Grocery List: This is based on a family of four.
Produce: I am going to use pears, apples, clementines, and some frozen berries this week. Choose whatever fruits are best for you.
-6lbs organic apples
-10 organic pears
-1 bag of clementines
-1 red onion
-1 orange pepper
-head of garlic
-4 tomatoes
-5lb bag of organic potatoes
-Bag of organic carrots
-Bunch of organic celery
-Bunch of organic green onions
-1 container organic spinach
-5 avocados
-1 lime
Cold Stuff:
-2 bags frozen organic strawberries
-2-3 dozen cage-free or organic eggs
-1 package of bacon
-1 roll of Jimmy Dean natural sausage
-1 loaf of Udi’s gluten free bread (frozen aisle)
-1 box of Van’s gluten free waffles
-Butter
-Probugs yogurt for one a day for each kid
-1 container of Greek yogurt
-1 container organic heavy cream (for featured food)
Meat:
-4lbs organic ground beef
-3 organic chicken breasts
-Bag of Sockeye salmon (Costco has this at a great price)
-1 box of lunchmeat
-1lb ground turkey
Dry Stuff:
-1 jar almond butter
-Protein powder
-2 containers of coconut milk
-1 lb organic pinto beans
-Bag of tortillas
Three boxes of organic chicken stock (I buy it in bulk at Costco.)
-Small can of organic tomato sauce
-Bag of almond accents
Check your pantry/fridge:
-Kosher salt
-Organic maple syrup
-Garlic powder
-Onion powder
-Pepper
-Soy sauce
-Olive oil
-Italian seasoning
-Worcestershire sauce
-Gluten free Panko breadcrumbs
-Organic ketchup
-Either quinoa or organic white rice
-Vegenaise
-Costco no-salt seasoning
-Turmeric
-Bragg’s nutritional yeast
Sunday: Make a pot of organic pinto beans
Boil water with about 1 Tbsp of kosher salt. When the water is boiling, add the beans. When the beans begin to boil, transfer all the contents of this pot to the crock pot. Cook on high 4-6 hours. We will use these beans a lot during the week. And I have a new way to refry them.
Breakfast: If you are still having trouble with my eggs and bacon, then please read the articles attached to the links. Also, in our house we have eggs every morning except for Fridays. Friday we have a special breakfast of Van’s gluten free waffles or option 2. All of us function better with daily eggs and bacon, eggs and sausage, or eggs with veggies.
Option 1: Scrambled eggs and bacon, or scrambled eggs and sausage, or scrambled eggs and veggies, but this week save some of that bacon grease we are going to use it. I let it cool and put it in a jar in the fridge. Cut up fruit. Pour a glass of coconut milk. My kids daily have a probugs yogurt with breakfast.
Option 2: Udi’s gluten free bread with almond butter and a protein shake. Mix one scoop of protein powder with some frozen berries, and coconut milk.
Monday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Make some bean burritos and bring some fruit.
Dinner: Picadillo or as my kids say “picadillos” (make enough for a lunch burrito tomorrow)
Brown your ground beef (1-2lbs depending if you and your husband want to bring it for lunch). Drain most of the fat, but leave some. Add diced red onion, clove of diced garlic, and diced orange pepper. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and generous amount of pepper. When the onion is transparent, add two cut up tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 30 min. You can use this for tacos, burritos or make some sprouted grain corn chips and serve nachos.
Let’s do something different and delicious with our beans. Take about 1 Tbsp of your bacon grease and put it in a pan. When it’s liquid, add one scoop of beans per person. Let them bubble, then smoosh them up. I bet your kids will love their beans like this! And bacon grease is a fantastic fat to balance blood sugar.
Cut up some fruit too.
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Picadillo burritos and fruit
Dinner: Chicken with Blasted Veggies
My mom is the creator of the blasted veggies. All you do is cut into large pieces your favorite veggies. I use potatoes, green onions, tomatoes, and carrots. Then cover and blast them at 450 degrees until they are soft. This usually takes about 45-60 minutes. While you are blasting the veggies, hammer out a couple of chicken breasts and in a little olive oil, fry them. I always season them with garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and I splash a bit of soy on both sides. Then I cut up a little fruit, and done!
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Make some bean burritos and bring some fruit.
Dinner: Muffin Tin Meatloaf (make enough to have leftovers tomorrow)
I figured since it’s Wednesday, let’s do something you already know. Take your 1-2 lbs of ground beef and add a mix of seasonings to your taste (I use kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and italian seasoning). I also add a little Worcestershire sauce to make it the color brown. Then beat 1-2 eggs and throw them in the mix. I also use about a cup per pound of gluten free panko bread crumbs. Mix it all together and put it in your muffin tins. Smoosh it in all in there. I’ve found one pound makes 6-8 muffins. Then spread some ketchup on top of each meatloaf and throw that muffin tin in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes.
While that is baking, take one cup of quinoa or rice and fry it in some olive oil. Add one small can of tomato sauce and the difference of chicken stock according to the bag of liquid needed (per one cup of quinoa is 2 cups total liquid) Add some kosher salt and following the timing instructions on your quinoa bag.
Let’s try making a salad with spinach and avocados. This week let’s squeeze one-half of a fresh lime and a little bit of olive oil. Put mineral salt and pepper to taste.
Cut up some fruit for dessert.
Thursday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Meatloaf and fruit
Dinner: Salmon Salad
Fat, Fat, Fat!!!! I keep saying we need it. It’s true. If you are someone that has trouble sleeping at night, a high fat bedtime snack might be just what you need. I usually fresh or frozen organic berries and make my own whipped cream out of organic heavy cream. Using a hand blender, just whip it up until it looks like whipped cream. Store bought whipped cream is sugar plus preservatives. Yuck! I also put some dark chocolate chips on top. Believe it or not, eating this right before bed will help your brain’s health (which is mostly fat) and promote more restful sleep. Don’t believe me? Try it, and let me know.
Grocery List: This is based on a family of four.
Produce: I am going to use pears, apples, clementines, and some frozen berries this week. Choose whatever fruits are best for you.
-6lbs organic apples
-10 organic pears
-1 bag of clementines
-1 red onion
-1 orange pepper
-head of garlic
-4 tomatoes
-5lb bag of organic potatoes
-Bag of organic carrots
-Bunch of organic celery
-Bunch of organic green onions
-1 container organic spinach
-5 avocados
-1 lime
Cold Stuff:
-2 bags frozen organic strawberries
-2-3 dozen cage-free or organic eggs
-1 package of bacon
-1 roll of Jimmy Dean natural sausage
-1 loaf of Udi’s gluten free bread (frozen aisle)
-1 box of Van’s gluten free waffles
-Butter
-Probugs yogurt for one a day for each kid
-1 container of Greek yogurt
-1 container organic heavy cream (for featured food)
Meat:
-4lbs organic ground beef
-3 organic chicken breasts
-Bag of Sockeye salmon (Costco has this at a great price)
-1 box of lunchmeat
-1lb ground turkey
Dry Stuff:
-1 jar almond butter
-Protein powder
-2 containers of coconut milk
-1 lb organic pinto beans
-Bag of tortillas
Three boxes of organic chicken stock (I buy it in bulk at Costco.)
-Small can of organic tomato sauce
-Bag of almond accents
Check your pantry/fridge:
-Kosher salt
-Organic maple syrup
-Garlic powder
-Onion powder
-Pepper
-Soy sauce
-Olive oil
-Italian seasoning
-Worcestershire sauce
-Gluten free Panko breadcrumbs
-Organic ketchup
-Either quinoa or organic white rice
-Vegenaise
-Costco no-salt seasoning
-Turmeric
-Bragg’s nutritional yeast
Sunday: Make a pot of organic pinto beans
Boil water with about 1 Tbsp of kosher salt. When the water is boiling, add the beans. When the beans begin to boil, transfer all the contents of this pot to the crock pot. Cook on high 4-6 hours. We will use these beans a lot during the week. And I have a new way to refry them.
Breakfast: If you are still having trouble with my eggs and bacon, then please read the articles attached to the links. Also, in our house we have eggs every morning except for Fridays. Friday we have a special breakfast of Van’s gluten free waffles or option 2. All of us function better with daily eggs and bacon, eggs and sausage, or eggs with veggies.
Option 1: Scrambled eggs and bacon, or scrambled eggs and sausage, or scrambled eggs and veggies, but this week save some of that bacon grease we are going to use it. I let it cool and put it in a jar in the fridge. Cut up fruit. Pour a glass of coconut milk. My kids daily have a probugs yogurt with breakfast.
Option 2: Udi’s gluten free bread with almond butter and a protein shake. Mix one scoop of protein powder with some frozen berries, and coconut milk.
Monday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Make some bean burritos and bring some fruit.
Dinner: Picadillo or as my kids say “picadillos” (make enough for a lunch burrito tomorrow)
Brown your ground beef (1-2lbs depending if you and your husband want to bring it for lunch). Drain most of the fat, but leave some. Add diced red onion, clove of diced garlic, and diced orange pepper. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and generous amount of pepper. When the onion is transparent, add two cut up tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 30 min. You can use this for tacos, burritos or make some sprouted grain corn chips and serve nachos.
Let’s do something different and delicious with our beans. Take about 1 Tbsp of your bacon grease and put it in a pan. When it’s liquid, add one scoop of beans per person. Let them bubble, then smoosh them up. I bet your kids will love their beans like this! And bacon grease is a fantastic fat to balance blood sugar.
Cut up some fruit too.
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Picadillo burritos and fruit
Dinner: Chicken with Blasted Veggies
My mom is the creator of the blasted veggies. All you do is cut into large pieces your favorite veggies. I use potatoes, green onions, tomatoes, and carrots. Then cover and blast them at 450 degrees until they are soft. This usually takes about 45-60 minutes. While you are blasting the veggies, hammer out a couple of chicken breasts and in a little olive oil, fry them. I always season them with garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and I splash a bit of soy on both sides. Then I cut up a little fruit, and done!
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Make some bean burritos and bring some fruit.
Dinner: Muffin Tin Meatloaf (make enough to have leftovers tomorrow)
I figured since it’s Wednesday, let’s do something you already know. Take your 1-2 lbs of ground beef and add a mix of seasonings to your taste (I use kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and italian seasoning). I also add a little Worcestershire sauce to make it the color brown. Then beat 1-2 eggs and throw them in the mix. I also use about a cup per pound of gluten free panko bread crumbs. Mix it all together and put it in your muffin tins. Smoosh it in all in there. I’ve found one pound makes 6-8 muffins. Then spread some ketchup on top of each meatloaf and throw that muffin tin in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes.
While that is baking, take one cup of quinoa or rice and fry it in some olive oil. Add one small can of tomato sauce and the difference of chicken stock according to the bag of liquid needed (per one cup of quinoa is 2 cups total liquid) Add some kosher salt and following the timing instructions on your quinoa bag.
Let’s try making a salad with spinach and avocados. This week let’s squeeze one-half of a fresh lime and a little bit of olive oil. Put mineral salt and pepper to taste.
Cut up some fruit for dessert.
Thursday:
Breakfast: Option 1
Lunch: Meatloaf and fruit
Dinner: Salmon Salad
If you don’t like fish, you should really start trying to like it. It’s a pretty
important part of a balanced and healthy diet. Perhaps you can do bite for bite strategy from week three. You have to choose salmon carefully. See if it’s farmed, then you are missing out on the omega-3 fatty acids. If it’s colored, well that isn’t good either. So, the best and cheapest I have found is Sockeye salmon at Costco. Take one fillet per person and cover it in Vegenaise. Then put some mineral salt and pepper on it. Bake according to instructions on the bag. When it’s done, put it over spinach or a spring mix and avocados. Top it with some almond accents.
Friday:
Breakfast: Option 2
Lunch: Make a sandwich with Udi's gluten free bread, spinach, Vegenaise (mayo), and lunchmeat. On the side have some fruit and yogurt.
Dinner: Magic Meatballs with Veggies
Friday:
Breakfast: Option 2
Lunch: Make a sandwich with Udi's gluten free bread, spinach, Vegenaise (mayo), and lunchmeat. On the side have some fruit and yogurt.
Dinner: Magic Meatballs with Veggies
This is using our meatball recipe and combining it with potatoes and veggies. First pour one box of organic chicken stock into a pan. Next, make your meatballs from last week. I call them magic because everyone loves them no matter what's inside of them. Basically I use meatballs to clean out my fridge. I sautee anything that is about to spoil. Typically this includes, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, garlic, kale (food process it up so it's tiny), really the options are endless. Then for each pound of ground turkey, I add one beaten egg, a generous amount of Costco's no-salt seasoning mix, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric. You can also put some nutritional yeast (extra b vitamins). I like Bragg's brand of nutritional yeast. Also put enough worcestershire sauce to turn that mixture a light brown. Then add in your sauteed mix and some type of breadcrumb. Either use Panko gluten free breadcrumbs or you can crush up the Mary's Gone Crackers from last week. Mix that all up and roll them into really big balls. Next cut up into cubes 4 potatoes, 4 carrots, and 4 stalks of celery. Let all that cook covered, on medium heat for about 35-45 minutes, or until all your chicken stock has evaporated. We are usually stuffed with just this, but cut some fruit up if anyone is still hungry.
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