Tag Archives: homemade

Sweet Relief for Allergies

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I love this time of year; everything is turning green, leaves are budding, flowers are blooming, new life is in the air.  However, these are the same reasons that many (including myself) hate this time of year.  If you are one of the 50 million + people who suffer from seasonal allergies, then you know exactly what I’m talking about!

Seasonal allergies affect a large portion of the population, and the pharmaceutical companies take advantage of that little fact by marketing all kinds of medications that should  combat the allergens.  In reality, these chemicals relieve the symptoms of the allergy for a short time period.  Not only are we left with an unfavorable chemical in our bodies, but we have usually forked over a good amount of money for these products that only work for a short period of time.

When I was diagnosed with seasonal allergies (many years ago – in high school), I was given a prescription for one of these products, which I used religiously.  I DID NOT like the way it made me feel, I was constantly “cloudy” and felt like I was moving through a dream-world, I even made it to the top of a cheer leading stunt only to look down and wonder how I had gotten there before I became dizzy. Side-effects aside, I didn’t have itchy, watery eyes or a stuffy nose so it must not be a horrible product, right? WRONG!   This is just a partial list of many of the side-effects associated with OTC and prescription allergy medications: drowsiness, raised blood pressure, insomnia, light-headedness, or nervousness, and the list goes on.
Well, after the incident at cheer leading practice, I pretty much took myself off of the allergy medication and just dealt with the sneezing, itchy/watery eyes etc. for the time span of my allergy season (about 8-10 weeks).  I eventually outgrew whatever it was that caused my allergic reaction (or built up an immunity to it – this is the more likely answer) and forgot all about allergy season…until we moved to Virginia and lived there for one year.

One year after changing my address I began, once again, to experience allergic reactions to my environment. Apparently the Virginian flora and fauna had NOT been integrated into my system and was different enough from what was in my
Hoosier home state that I was doomed to the life of being a constant kleenex carrier again.  I remembered all to well how I felt when I had taken allergy meds before (even OTC ones), and I DID NOT want to deal with those side-effects again.  Not only did I not want those side-effects, but I was now nursing my second son and I absolutely did not want those meds crossing the breast milk barrier.  I started doing some research on natural allergy relief and was very surprised to learn that I could very easily combat my allergies (not the symptoms) with honey (maybe Mary Poppins was on to something with the whole “spoonful of sugar” idea)!  Now, this doesn’t mean that you can run to the grocery store and grab the squeezy bear of honey to use.  In order to help combat allergies, you need to use LOCAL RAW HONEY.  Here is the reasoning behind that: local honey is honey that is produced by bees in your area. This means that the pollen the bees are collecting are from vegetation in your area (the same vegetation that causes your runny/stuffy nose, and itchy/watery eyes). A teaspoon of local honey, taken several times a day, can build up your resistance to local allergens therefore relieving you of allergy symptoms over time.

Now, it doesn’t work immediately, but it DOES work (and at fractions of the $$$ that is spent on OTC and prescription meds!). I have been using this method of allergy relief  for a few years (with myself and my children) and I will never cease to be amazed at the way it works!

There are other great benefits of having local honey around your home, as well as the bee pollen that you can purchase from those local bee keepers, but I’ve got to “buzz”  (I know, horrible pun!), so that’s a post for another time.

To Peep, or Not to Peep???

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As Easter approaches at an accelerated pace, my boys (and no doubt, my Dad) start craving those ooey gooey fluorescent covered confections that are a trademark of the holiday.  Any parent can start to read the ingredient list and just cringe knowing that their children will be ingesting boatloads of sugar and be bouncing off the walls in a short amount of time.  This behavior will be followed by a sugar crash that results in a meltdown of epic proportions (if your children are anything like mine).

Knowing that my kids love these, I started searching for ways that I could replicate the recipe.  I found a few, but all of them still included using a lot of sugar.  I had to adapt my recipe so that it included natural sweeteners (ones that do not cause a rapid spike in blood sugar), and this is what I came up with:

  • 1 cup  filtered water (split into half cups)
  • 3 Tbls gelatin ( I use grass-fed beef gelatin)
  • 1 cup organic honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Take the gelatin and put it into the bowl of a stand mixer, cover with 1/2 cup of the water.  Pour the other 1/2 cup of water into a pan, and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat (stirring the whole time so the honey doesn’t burn).  Once it has reached a rolling boil, use a candy thermometer to bring to 240 F (it takes about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally.  After it reaches 240 F, slowly add this mixture to the gelatin in the mixing bowl.  You need to start whisking this on high (be careful, it may splatter at first and is very hot, I worked my way up to high-speed).  After approximately 5 minutes, it will begin to look like this:

 

This is about 10 minutes into the whisking on high speed…ummm marshmallowy….

While this continues to whisk into ooey gooey perfection, grease a jelly roll pan (I use coconut         oil, but butter will work as well) so that you  will have it ready to pour the mixture into.

 

 

 

 

After 15 minutes of high-speed whisking, you should be able to lift up the attachment and have a nice “stiff peak”.

This looks perfect!  now it is time to grab that greased jelly roll pan and scrape the whole she-bang into it.  It should spread out, but you may need to coax it a little bit by spreading with a greased spatula.  Cover the pan with an inverted pan for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

After the mixture has settled for the amount of time you were able to leave it alone, turn it over onto a surface that has been lightly oiled.  You can then take any shape cookie cutter (we used a bunny head), dip it in a cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture, and start cutting away!  Once you have all of your shapes, the fun of decorating begins!  There are so many options to choose from!  You can use dusting sugars (made specifically for baking confections), coconut, nuts/seeds.  The sky is the limit!

These were dusted with palm sugar that had been tinted with a few drops of beet juice.

 

I can’t say that my boys will always stay away from the commercial brand, but at least we have an alternative now…. and I can’t wait to use the marshmallow recipe for s’mores this summer!

Warm Spinach/Kale Dip

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I had a hankering for greens last night, but I wanted it in more of a comfort food style.  After opening the fridge to see what was in there that could satisfy this, I saw my kale (too time consuming to make kale chips), my spinach (hmmmm, creamed spinach?), my kefir and some cheeses.  ”Now, this, I can work with this!”, I thought.  Here is what I gathered:

 

  • 2 cups  shredded  cheese (I used gouda, but havarti would be nice as well)
  • 1  cup kefir or greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic,  minced                                                                                                                     
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1 cup each  blanched, cooled and chopped spinach and kale

I combined everything EXCEPT the cooked greens until they were well incorporated and then I added the greens in, making sure that they were evenly dispersed throughout the spread.  I scooped the mixture into individual ramekins (so I can freeze small portions and reheat as needed), but you could use one larger oven-proof container. Pop into a 350 oven for about 15 minutes. Serve with your choice of “dipper”.  I love carrot and celery  sticks with mine, my boys like pita chips and crusty bread with theirs.

It was perfect, and totally cured my jonesing for greens!!!

Grab and go, from your own refrigerator NOT a drive-thru

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About a week ago my friend Amy over at 4th Frog asked me if I had a healthier version of this breakfast cookie that I could share with her.  Well, knowing that I did have a couple different versions of this in my handy-dandy kitchen binder got me to thinking that I really should take a few of my best “quickie” breakfast ideas in my arsenal and post about them.  Thanks, Amy, for sparking this post!

For those of you that clicked on the breakfast cookie link, you were able to see that there were approximately 20 ingredients listed in that “healthy” grab and go breakfast/snack with the first two ingredients being whole wheat flour and sugar.  Surely there’s a much simpler cookie out there!  Guess what??  There are several!  I’m going to lead with my sons’ favorite two for now, and will probably post the others as a follow-up.  The third recipe that I am including today is for a breakfast sandwich, similar to what you would find under that gigantic yellow “M”.  I will give you a fair warning, the breakfast cookies are not “cookies” like a normal cookie.  They’re not supposed to be.  However, despite the lack of overpowering sweetness, they are very palpable, very hearty, enjoyable, and pack an energy punch!

 

Here goes nothing!

Simple Breakfast Cookie

2 cups of gluten-free oats (you can use regular rolled oats, I try to limit our gluten intake)

2 large eggs (organic are best, if you can get them)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

Mix-ins are optional, these cookies also contained 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/4 cup flax seeds, and 1/4 cup cacao nibs.  Other great mix-ins are goji berries, dried cherries, dark chocolate chips, and shredded unsweetened coconut.  Truly, the possibilities are endless!!

Pre-heat oven to 350, mix everything together and drop by spoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet (I prefer using a Silpat, but parchment paper works just as well).  These do not spread out very much, so if you want a larger, flatter cookie press down gently with the back of the spoon.  Pop them into the oven for 10 mins, let cool for 3-5 mins before transferring to a cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container for up to one week.  These cookie freeze well and are great toasted in a toaster oven for a couple of minutes or tossed into an oven to heat up (350 for about 5 mins).

This cookie has become a staple in my boys’ swimming cooler. They are quick and easy to eat and definitely give an energy boost. Not only do I have to pack one for each of them, but I need to supply for their friends as well!!

 

Honey-Almond Butter Breakfast Cookie

16 oz Almond Butter

1 1/2 cups honey

1  1/2 cup gluten-free oats (you can use regular rolled oats, I try to limit our gluten intake)

2 eggs (again, organic if you are able to)

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of cinnamon

Mix-ins:  cacao nibs, raisins, dark chocolate chips, coconut flakes, chia seed, flax seed, etc.  These cookies contained 1/4 cup chia seeds as well.  This cookie is fairly hearty and feels more like a “breakfast bread” in texture than the above cookie.

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients and any optional mix-ins.  Place generous spoonfuls of dough onto lined cookie sheet approximately one inch apart from each other.  Place in oven for about 18 minutes.  Cool on pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container for up to one week.  These can also be frozen and reheated for enjoyment.

I’ve been told, by a certain 12 year old, that these cookies are AMAZING….and then he promptly devoured 3 of them!

 

 

 

Breakfast Anytime Sandwiches

one dozen eggs

Options:  bacon*, sausage, cheese, sprouted english muffins, gluten-free toast,  gluten-free bagels (again, I try to limit our gluten, but if you are not concerned about that factor,  then plain bread products are just fine.)

Pre-heat oven to 350

 

You will need to lightly coat the cups in a muffin tin before cracking the eggs into them.  I prefer using grass-fed butter, but coconut oil,  grape seed oil, etc are also acceptable.  Once the cups are coated, crack an egg into each one.  Place the muffin tin into the oven and bake the eggs for 15-20 minutes.  While they are baking, you can shred the cheese, toast bread, or cook sausage patties.

*if you are using bacon, line the cups of the muffin pan with 2 pieces of bacon each in a criss-cross fashion before breaking the egg into the cup.

Once the eggs have baked, you can assemble your sandwiches however you see fit.  Assembly works best on the cookie sheet since you will need to place the cookie sheet with the assembled sandwiches in the freezer.  Once the assembly is complete, place the whole cookie sheet, UNCOVERED, into the freezer while they finish cooling down.  Set the timer for an hour and then pull them out and wrap them individually in foil or plastic wrap.

When you need to grab one for breakfast, it takes about 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven to reheat.  So when you get up, pre-heat the oven an d pop it in while you are completing your “I have to get out the door in 30 minutes, or else!” routine.

These are also a fabulous after practice/before bed snack.

 

Hopefully one of these recipes will help you out in your morning rush, believe me, there will be more to follow!