A Butterfly in Winter

I am in awe of the small wonders we are surrounded with but often never notice in our busy day-to-day lives.

This morning, while throwing a few pieces of wood into our outdoor wood furnace, something caught my eye. There was a little butterfly sitting on one of the logs! Quite unusual for the middle of January!

It brought to mind how the Lord carries us through even the wintry times in our lives...we must try and see the sunshine where we are at now(which is what I think this butterfly was doing on this slightly warmer day!) and endure because spring WILL be coming!

He WILL carry us through!

"Weeping may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning" Psalm 30:5

Baking Soda to treat Food Allergies?

I recently read on the Avoiding Corn Forum on Delphi about someone's positive experience with using a product called Tri-Salts to minimize and/or shorten allergic reactions to foods. Apparently this works because during an allergic reaction, the body's pH becomes more acid. The ingredients in the Tri-Salts alkalinize the body.

I do still have some reactions to *something* (usually in processed foods). The reaction lately is to have severely chapped/sore/burning lips soon after I have consumed *whatever it is*. This happened on Friday night at dinnertime. Soon after eating, I started having the chapped sensation and was dreading facing the next 3 days of horribly chapped lips that absolutely nothing would help. I then remembered the thread on Tri-Salts and that there was a recipe, but all I could remember was it was a small amount of baking soda and something else.

I got a box of baking soda and used a bit more than 1/8 teaspoon in about a half cup of water and drank that. Within half an hour, the soreness and burning was GONE! The next morning, my lips peeled like crazy after getting out of the shower(this usually happens on day 3 or so). After some light exfoliation with a rough towel, my lips were fine!

Scroll down on http://www.woodmed.com/index.php/component/search/?searchword=trisalts&ordering=&searchphrase=all to find helpful advice in regards to food allergies, as well as a recipe to make a homemade version of Tri-Salts, containing baking soda and salt.

Praise God for a simple remedy!

Your mileage may vary. I certainly wouldn't rely on this for an anaphlactic reaction. But it couldn't hurt to try it for any other reaction when you know you/your allergic child have been exposed.

Fruity Minty-Lime Popsicles, OR, an Easy Way to Add Vitamin C to your diet

Not being satisfied with the selection of popsicles in the grocer's freezer(or the price of the 'healthy' ones), I searched and searched for a recipe to make popsicles comparable to the commercial ones, yet free of preservatives, colorings, and other additives.

I was blessed last winter to come across a PBS cooking show where they were making foods from Mexico, and this recipe was featured.

Here is how I do it:

Fruity Minty-Lime Popsicles

In food processor, combine and pulse until finely chopped:
3/4 cup sugar (I use cane sugar in order to avoid GMO Beet sugar)
2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped mint leaves(I have been using dried peppermint from my herb garden)

Pour sugar mixture into bowl.
Add and stir until thoroughly combined and sugar is dissolved:

2/3 cup lime juice (I use Santa Cruz Organic Lime Juice)
2 cups sparkling water

In prepared popsicle molds(or other suitable containers), place pieces of frozen fruit. We use frozen pineapple, blueberries, and strawberries(my favorite).

Fill with lime mixture to about 1/4 inch from top. Insert popsicle stick/lid and put in freezer to freeze for a few hours until firm.

Enjoy!

Hummus, OR, How to add immune-boosting raw garlic to your diet

Having just (hopefully) gotten over the flu making its rounds through our family one by one, I am again looking at ways to boost our immune systems.

Raw garlic is a good immune booster, but not many people can stomach the thought of simply eating the cloves every day. Especially not the kids.

Here is one solution and one of my sneaky tricks to getting the kids to eat it: Hummus!


A few years ago I found an easy recipe on the back of my McCormick bottle of ground cumin. I tried it because it had pantry staples and not a bunch of stuff I don't tend to have around(like tamari).

Here is my version:


Easy Hummus:

In a food processor, combine:

1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas(garbanzo beans), drained with 1/4 cup of liquid reserved
3(yes, 3) garlic cloves (original recipe calls for 1)
1TB lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper or cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt

Puree until smooth or the consistency that you desire.

Serve with cut up veggies, organic or otherwise non-GMO corn chips, or whatever your heart desires.

Be warned: You WILL have garlic breath! So make sure everyone has some! ;-)

Enjoy!