Make your own Cough Drops with Coconut Oil, Honey, and Cinnamon

I know my pic isn't fancy, but this is my day off and I've got it packed with stuff to do to catch up with life. So, this is what you get. :)

Here is the link to The Coconut Mama recipe I used.

The ingredients are super simple - raw coconut oil, raw honey, and cinnamon!

Some folks had issues with their recipe not hardening up. I had  no issues. My CO was solidified when I started (pantry runs 68*-72* or thereabouts).

I don't have tiny ice cube trays, so I used my Tupperware ice cube trays and a small Pampered Chef scoop and put a scant scoop in each compartment. Then I pounded them on the counter top to make them settle in and flatten and stashed them in the freezer for the afternoon.

When I took them out of the freezer, they were solidified. They popped easily out of the ice cube tray (over a cookie sheet, I twisted the ice cube tray, turned it upside-down, and most of them came out. For the remainder, I pounded the ice cube tray upside down on the cookie sheet a couple times.)

I put them in baggies and they are in my kitchen freezer door for easy fighting-illness pick-me-ups.

I'm thinking these will be good to add to my morning tea, as well as a soothing throat drop!

After a long hiatus.....I am back! Here's a recipe I made today for Homemade Cough Drops!

I know I've been gone for awhile. Life sort of got in the way and I've been pulled away to other things.  But this month I've been working a bit on writing a very-much-in-the-beginning-stages novel for National Novel Writing Month and the writing bug has bit me in the hind end and I wanted to get back to writing here on the blog again.  So maybe this blog post is part procrastination, but it just seemed so much easier than figuring where to go next with the novel. It's still writing....right? ;-)

After this whole election thing and finally finding out the results, I was feeling the need to do something....to make something with my hands.  I've been dabbling a bit in some make-your-own type stuff and I know winter's on its way.... I was having a gluten-free cinnamon roll(been a long time since I had one - it was yummy) and I swear by my Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice (decaf) tea to keep me healthy through the sick season.

(Yeah, I know that was a long, crazy sentence up there...)

Anyway, I looked around a bit and decided to try my hand at making my own cough drops/throat drops. I'm not too thrilled by the ones with all the extra junk I wouldn't otherwise consume.

I found 2 recipes, and this is the one I decided to make today: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/11/diy-homemade-cough-drops.html

It was super easy - no need to heat anything up. And my little handmade cinnamon and honey cough drop balls look a lot like the ones on the The Prairie Homestead's site, so I must have done it right!

Now I need to let them sit a day or so to dry and then either wrap them up in wax paper pieces or put them in a container to keep them safe until I need them!

I was able to find Slippery Elm Bark and organic cinnamon at my local health food store (I believe it was from Frontier). I had the raw honey in my pantry already - purchased from the farmer's market.

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

We've already had one round of sickness already this year, so I decided we need to start taking some elderberry syrup both as a preventative and during any illness we may have.

Purchasing name brand elderberry meds can get really expensive, especially for a family of 5. I am finding that making it myself is a much less expensive option!

Elderberry is rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, flavonoids, beta carotene, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and a whole host of good-for-you things. 

Elderberry has been used to help with flu, colds, sinus issues, and even as a hayfever remedy. (I just recently read about the hayfever usage and might need to consider that next fall!) 

For more detailed info as to how elderberry products work, check out Sambucol's FAQ page, for they say it more eloquently than I can this morning. :)

Elderberry syrup is not a new thing--it has been used for generations.



After all of that information, let's move on to the actual recipe!

I used the recipe at Mountain Rose Herbs for reference, leaving out the optional stuff. With my allergy/sensitivity issues, I figure the less ingredients the better.

Since our elderberries at the farm didn't produce well due to the drought this summer, and I used all of the ones I had in the freezer, I purchased a pound of Frontier Organic Dried Elderberries from the local health food store for $14.99. I wanted to order from Mountain Rose Herbs, but they were out and I wanted to get some ASAP.

I also purchased local(ish) honey from the local health food store for $2.99/lb.

Here's the recipe, the way I made it:

Elderberry Syrup

1/2 cup dried elderberries (or 1 cup fresh/frozen)
3 cups water

1 cup honey

sterilized jar with lid
Strainer
cheesecloth (optional)


1. Put the elderberries and water in a pan, bring to a boil and simmer 30 mins.
2. Mash your elderberries. I used a potato masher. You could use a spoon or carefully use an immersion blender or something similar. Be careful--the juice will stain!
3. Strain your elderberry water into your sterilized jar, pressing to get as much juice out as possible.
4. Pour out a small amount of hot/warm elderberry juice into a small bowl and mix with honey.
5. Pour honey mixture into jarred elderberry juice and stir until combined.
6. Refrigerate.

I ended up with a little over 3 cups of syrup. I expected closer to 4 cups, but I left the stove for a bit and came back to a non-simmering pot, then turned it up and it was boiling. Oops.

Dosage: For everyday maintenance, 1 TB daily. When you are fighting an illness, take 1tsp every 2 to 3 hours.

For ease of pouring, I am repurposing a smaller bottle.

Cost to make this batch came to $4.37. That is less than half what a little bottle of Sambucol would cost me!

I actually like this homemade version better than Sambucol!

Most of my family took to this syrup pretty well, but not my extra-picky middle child. *sigh*  He loves maple syrup, so maybe I will try making a small batch with maple syrup instead of honey.... more expensive, but if it means he will take it...


Obviously, if you have a little one under 2 years old, you may want to use a different syrup other than honey.

Honey Lemon - Good for What Ails Ya!

I saw this idea a few months ago on Pinterest and promptly forgot about it. I was reminded when at the local health food store talking with one of the ladies there and made it the next day!

Our household has been fighting a cold/cough virus, and I plan to be using this a lot!

It's incredibly easy to make this concoction. Some people add Ginger to the mix, but since I am not certain whether Ginger is in the mix of spices I have been having some problems with lately, I left it out.  I am told and have read that over time, the concoction turns into a gel-like consistency. For now, two days after making it, it's made a lovely lemon-infused honey to put into my tea!

How to Make Honey Lemon
Gather:
Raw honey
Lemons
Fresh ginger, sliced thin(optional)
Clean jar with lid

Slice your lemons as thin as you can and place in jar. If you're using ginger, place that in as well, mixing with lemons.

Pour honey over the top until covered. The honey will draw out the juices and help fill the jar, so pour slowly! (I kind of made a sticky mess when I poured too much in at a time...)

Place closed jar in fridge to do its thing. If you feel like it, you can turn the jar on its top to help the honey move around and through the whole lemon stack.

When you need some honey-lemon goodness, simply spoon out what you need and replace jar to fridge. I have been adding this to my daily tea regimen, adding it to my black or white tea(you can use green, if you want).  For kids(and adults) who may not want true tea, you can just put a dollop of honey lemon in a cup and pour hot water over it for a yummy drink.

Yummy and good for you!

This should keep for months, as honey doesn't go bad, and lemon has plenty of acid in it to help fend off ickies.  As an extra precaution, don't go dipping dirty spoons into your jar. ;)

Keepin' it Real!

It Wasn't Hiatal Hernia....My Health Cocktail

Well, I was wrong about the possible hiatal hernia. It was actually that I had ribs out of place on both sides of my sternum and that was what was causing such chest pain and inability to draw a full breath.

Plus, I have a virus, which I was beginning to suspect, because I ended up getting a fever one day last week, and I have a kid home today with a low grade fever.

And I do still have a little heartburn going on...

Add in my allergies this peak ragweed season and I have a "wonderful" health cocktail.

As you might guess, I went to the chiro this morning. I got all adjusted and now I can actually breathe! I do  have a little bit of residual soreness but hopefully that will go away in the next couple of days...much better though! I actually woke up this morning feeling almost as bad as last Monday when this all started. :(

I am going to keep up with my allergy regimen(Zyrtec+Homeopathic for pollen+avoidance), and add garlic in to help get rid of this virus.  I think I will add a TON of our homegrown garlic to our dinner tonite so that everyone will get a good dose!

Might Sourdough Bread be an Option for those with Grain Issues?

I read an article in the September issue of Whole Living Magazine last night talking about the rising gluten free movement and whether gluten avoidance is what is really necessary for everyone with grain issues. Have we really found the culprit, or are there more culprits out there in our wheat supply?

One of the main focuses on the article was sourdough. Many people who were interviewed said that they were able to tolerate sourdough without problems(barring those with Celiac).  Interestingly enough, it is the refined flour sourdough bread that is getting the thumbs up. Commercial whole wheat flour is not the same as flour you would grind from whole grain at home, since it is ground/smashed, then the parts are separated, and divvied out to various sources, and then they are remixed when a whole grain order comes in. Manyy find that this is too hard on their digestive systems.  Before you reach for Organic refined flours, the article said that these do not have the fortifications added, and apparently to make a good sourdough with refined flour, you need to have those fortifications to feed the yeasts, otherwise they do not grow well.

Ancient (non-tinkered-with/non-GMO) grains were also given the nod and stronger approval than commercial refined flour.

I have been doing well with a once-a-week or so whole grain spelt pizza crust made at home.

So...I am thinking about branching out and trying to make sourdough from spelt and any other ancient grains I can find, and seeing how I do with it.  I would like to do it with whole grains, even if I have to finely grind them at home.

Hmmm...this is much like our ancestors made bread, isn't it? Getting back to basics...

Keepin' it Real!

Take a look at the article. I bet you will find it just as interesting as I did!

Pink Slime: My Take

Pink Slime has been on the news in the last few months, with some people falling on the side of avoidance and wanting to have it labeled, and others insisting it's fine to eat, because it's "just beef" (which is a lie, if I've ever heard one).

I am writing this post to give my take on the issue.

As my readers might guess, my preference is for all-natural foods. I like to know what's in my food, so that I can make an educated decision as to whether I want to take it into my body.

It hasn't always been this way. I used to just eat whatever I wanted and not think about consequences. After my allergies snowballed and I ended up with pretty extensive allergies (13+ diagnosed food allergies that came up with conventional allergy testing, most pollens, 2/3 of molds, and animal epithelials.....I won the prize that day as they hadn't seen anyone that bad for some time), I was forced to examine every bite that went into my mouth.

And I have come out the other end a person who wants to eat with eyes wide open.


As to the Pink Slime issue, I knew that I didn't want to be taking any more chemicals into my body than absolutely necessary. This was the main reason I was trying to avoid the stuff.

My reasons were not for avoiding direct allergies.....

...but then I read today that the method Cargill uses to make their Pink Slime uses citric acid. Given the business that Cargill does, (they are one of the major agricultural companies), I have to assume that the citric acid they are using is derived from (probably genetically modified-up to 85% of US corn is GMO) corn.

So, now I am back on my anti-GMO soapbox and have stronger reasons to avoid Pink Slime. Beef with Pink Slime is not *only* beef. It's had something added. Something that is part of production and doesn't legally have to be announced a label, but no less added.  As a person whose allergy diagnosis included Corn and Soy, I can't help but try to avoid them when I can, along with other GMO's(such as cottonseed). A hard feat when GMO foods are crammed into something like 70-85% of the US food supply.  I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but I'm not giving up!

When I look at a selection of conventional ground beef, it's not only likely that the cows have been fed GMO corn and soy, and that the packaging contains GMO corn, but the GMO corn is put directly into the meat (if it's from Cargill, but who knows that information in the meat section of the grocery store)!

Bad news for me and fellow Corn-Allergy people. I don't care that Big Government says it is safe.....I don't trust it.

And...I find it a bit ironic that, if they say it's safe to eat, ConAgra Foods and Kraft Foods claim that they pulled the Pink Slime out of their products. They're not standing behind their product with pride.  These companies all have ties in the GMO chain.....and I'm not sure they're not just blowing smoke and tickling our ears.

For the big companies, it's all about the money, folks. It's not about the health of the American people; it's about the money the American people are willing to put into their pockets.

The eyes of the American people are being opened as they become aware of what exactly goes into our food(or, at least, what's been divulged), and how our food in the US compares to other First World countries. I have seen a lot of change happening in the last couple years; I used to be one of a tiny minority, but more mainstream people are hopping on my boat (yeah!).

Educate Yourself. Vote with your Dollars.  I think that's one of the few ways that will be effective in positive change in the food industry in the coming years.


Updated to add links.

Amish farm kids don't have the allergy problems we do? Makes me go Hmmm.

I have often come across the supposition that farm kids don't have as many allergies, and that it's our modern pristine environment that is causing kids to have all of these allergy problems.  I haven't subscribed to that train of thought, though; having spent much of my childhood on a farm with plenty of dirt and animals, I still ended up with my allergy problems. I shudder to think of how they could be any worse than they got.

The thought that farm life leads to fewer allergies is based on an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002(citation at the bottom) about children growing up on farms in Switzerland. These kids had fewer allergies, thus leading to the conclusion that a less-than-sterile environment was conducive to a better, more appropriate, immune response.

More recently, there was a study comparing Amish farm kids in the Indianapolis area, farm kids in Switzerland, and non-farm kids in Switzerland. Results showed that the Amish kids had far fewer issues with allergies and asthma than did the Swiss farm kids, who in turn had fewer than the non-farm Swiss kids.

The article I read online on Yahoo News touched on many possible reasons for the health differences between the three groups of kids. Some reasons mentioned include: limited gene pool in the Amish community, positive effects of drinking raw cow's milk, and more time spent outside and in barns due to the low-tech ways.

I would like to add to their speculation that the Amish may not be exposed to Genetically Modified crops, since they grow their own food and use the lower-tech ways. I could be wrong, but I highly doubt the Amish buy into the government-subsidized crops.  They probably don't have Roundup to deal with, either, in their surrounding air, or in their food, and thus their bodies don't have to deal with the repercussions from being around it. 

I would like to see further scientific research as to what exactly each of these population groups eat on a regular basis, and whether that might have some bearing on the health of the populations' immune systems.  My guess would be that the non-farm Swiss families may get some GMO's in their foods(yes, there are GMO's in Europe, but not as prevalent as in the US), the Swiss farms might eat less if they grow much of their food, and the Amish would have very little to none, and that may explain the results of this recent study.

What are your thoughts?

Mulling over Wheat-Free for the Entire Family...

After reading Wheat Belly, by William Davis, MD, I have been reflecting on my diet and that of my family.

I would like to take wheat out of the entire family's at-home eating regimen and watch for changes.

I am not going to toss out or give away all of our wheat-containing foods. For one thing, I can't afford to do that.

What I am thinking about doing, though, is simply not buying them for a month and seeing what happens.

This will take some very intentional menu planning, grocery shopping, and maybe a little more work in the kitchen (at least to start out with) to get the whole family on board.

I plan to have our family get together and talk about this, and why I want to do this, so that we can be on the same page. The kids are getting old enough to realize that what we eat does affect our bodies(thanks to allergies). What they don't understand is why they hear a certain food is dubbed "good" in some circles and why other circles say that same food is "bad". So, we will have some discussion on that I am sure. (We've already had that discussion over the topic of chocolate, and I had to explain why not all chocolate is created equal.)

So, if everyone can get on board, and if I can get my ducks in a row,  I may be doing a Wheat-Free Family May Menu.

Review: Vitacost and Mr. Rebates

One way I am able to afford to get better vitamins and supplements for my family is to use Vitacost.com and Mr. Rebates.com together.

With Vitacost alone, I often save around 50% off of the cost of what we buy. That's a huge chunk of cash! And, I usually only order a couple times a year, so I generally order enough to get the free shipping offer. There are often additional offers you can get--just google "Vitacost Coupon Codes" and check out the sites to find a good one that works for you.

Vitacost gives their customers the option of leaving feedback, so this helps me in deciding which products to buy. Unlike some other online retailers, Vitacost gives all of the information about the product that you would get by looking at it in the store. Plus, since you are already at the computer, you can research companies if you have any questions about allergies, etc., and not waste money and time in buying a product that won't work for you! They also have a 30 day money back guarantee if something doesn't work for you.

An additional way that I save on our Vitacost expense is to first log into my Mr. Rebates account and then go to Vitacost from my Mr. Rebates page and get an additional amount back (added to my Mr. Rebates account, which I can then have moved to my Paypal account or request a check in the mail).  The current rebate for Vitacost is 6%. There are numerous other websites that you can save money on with Mr. Rebates as well! Check it out!

Vitacost is currently doing a promotion where members can refer friends and both the friend and the member gets $10 towards their purchase at Vitacost! Win!

Click here to get your $10 towards Vitacost: Vitacost.com Rewards

To sign up for Mr. Rebates, click here to get started:

Happy (frugal) Shopping! :)

RECIPE: Healing Dahl Soup

It's that time of year again! The weather  is cooling, and I am starting to crave hot bowls of yummy goodness.

Late last week, I was feeling like I was coming down with something.  I made Turkey Veggie Soup, but I also made up a pot of what I have dubbed Healing Dahl Soup.  It's thicker than soup, but has a warming spiciness to it--and it contains many ingredients that are known for helping the immune system to fight illness.  Thankfully, my cold only lasted a few days this time!

Here's the recipe:

Healing Dahl Soup
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger, freshly grated (fresh ginger can be hard to come by here, so I tend to get Organic Minced Ginger from The Ginger People--less waste, and it's not very expensive!)

2 TB veg oil (I used extra light olive oil)

1 cup red lentils, rinsed (other types will work)

4 cups water

3 TB lemon juice (I use Santa Cruz brand, since it's corn free)


1 tsp sea salt


1. Heat oil over medium heat in large frying or sauce pan.
2. Saute onion, garlic and spices together.
3. Add water and lentils and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir ever so often.
5. Remove cover, add lemon juice and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes or until lentils are mushy and thick. Add the salt.
6. Serve over rice, if desired. I generally serve it over brown rice.

Enjoy!

Here's to Real Food!

My BaxAura Experience

With August (historically my worst allergy month) approaching and the need to take a Zyrtec ever so often increasing, I decided to give the BaxAura a try.  I am told it would take 1 visit to do the scan/treatment, and then 1 visit to follow up. I am not sure if they charge for the follow-up, but I figure Zyrtec isn't cheap either.  My visit today cost me $85. The price may vary from location to location.

The BaxAura operates in a similar way to the BioAllergenix system(which uses the Bax3000). Apparently, though, it tests for even more things than BioAllergenix, and it makes a homeopathic remedy for you to take home with you. I went today in hopes of the BaxAura being able to treat the little things that have fallen through the cracks with the BioAllergenix system. 

I am MUCH better than I EVER was pre-AAT/BioAllergenix with the environmentals. But I still feel the need to take a Claritin/Zyrtec ever so often. Especially because I don't want to operate on the "tough it out" mindset that may have had some role in getting me to the point of having so many allergies in the first place.  Trying to ignore the allergies and making my body fight and fight and fight just wore my immune system/adrenals out.  "Get tough or die" might have some truth to it....when you can only get so tough...

But I digress.


The first step of the BaxAura testing/scan was to have a cuff strapped onto my forearm. The cuff is similar to something you would use for a sprained wrist, only without the padding, and with little metal pieces on it much the size of the rivets on a pair of bluejeans. The cuff is hooked up to the system and the computer runs through the scan. This lasted under 10 minutes for me. (You can't have magnets or batteries on your person during the scan.)

After the scan, the machine pulls up how your body responded to each item scanned for, and the practitioner selects the items over 10,000 (I am not sure what the units are here).

Once the items are selected, then the laser is used the same as with the BioAllergenix/Bax3000 system. Forehead over the head and down the back with eyes open, forehead over the head and down the back with eyes closed, same with a full breath in, then the same with a full breath out, then at the points on the feet, arms and hands.

A homeopathic remedy was also made using the machine, specific to my needs after this treatment.  I got two, one for the regular treatment, plus one for my gall bladder issues.

I was to fast for 3 hours after the treatment, only taking in pure water(no flavorings or sweeteners). Then, starting tonite I use the homeopathics 3 times a day until my followup appointment.

One nice thing about this is, with the environmentals, it is not necessary to completely avoid them for the treatment to work. I think this is a definite plus compared to the Bax3000/BioAllergenix and AAT, because who can really avoid all that stuff in the air....anywhere, much less in a 100 year old farmhouse? Not being able to completely avoid things may be my handicap with the other systems....time will tell.

So far, I have gotten extremely tired, my jaw(self-diagnosed TMJ type issues) has acted up, and I had a little bit of heartburn for just a few minutes that quickly left (all at different times).

It will be interesting to see how well this works on my August allergies.



Oh, and as an aside--you know that Gluten-free pizza crust I posted about a few days ago and got a headache afterwards? Coconut came up on the list that needed treated. Listen to your body.

Something's Amiss...Trying Gluten-free

Be warned that this post has potential to be a bit TMI. When we're talking about allergy/sensitivity issues, things can get a bit...interesting.

I have been having...issues with *something* in my diet. As I have mentioned previously, the BioAllergenix has helped immensely in opening up most foods as allowable in my diet. With the exception of tomatoes--which I think is a genetic thing I just have to live with to some extent, but has gotten better with the treatments--just not cured.

The issues I have been having are basically a sore belly/gut. My digestive system, mostly my gut but there are clues(such as itching) that it's sometimes moved beyond that, is not happy. I've not had the classic symptoms of celiac(ie. I'm not having to run to the bathroom multiple times/day if you get my drift) but I do know that when I was trying to reintroduce wheat, I would have horrid heartburn issues, and I wonder if it's the culprit here with my gut.

I also found that my toothpaste, of all things, was attacking me. Over the course of a few weeks, the corners of my mouth were sore as all getout, leading to a coldsore(making me think my immune system was suffering), and I think possibly might have exacerbated the gut problems I have been having lately. I mean, the digestive system starts at the mouth...if this stuff was wreaking havoc there, what might it be doing where I couldn't see????

I have switched toothpaste and believe the component in the offending toothpaste that caused this is Xanthan Gum.  I have gotten the same response to some coffee mix in the past and compared ingredients and that is the one thing they shared in common....and I would get similar reaction to sauces and salad dressings....and upon inspection they all have xanthan gum.  At any rate, I'm not using any of those things now and my mouth feels *much* better.

I plan on going in for an allergy/chiro visit this week. We'll see if I was right about the xanthan gum.(which, by the way, is probably derived from Corn---please o please don't let the corn allergy come back full force!).

In the meantime, and the point of this post, I am eliminating the following from my diet for the rest of the month of March(considering doing it thru Lent, though I don't belong to a group that officially observes Lent--I did start avoiding on the first day of Lent!) and watching for improvement/change:
1. Tomatoes/nightshades
2. Gluten
3. Xanthan gum

I am still taking certain supplements:
1. Rainbow Prenatal Multivitamin(the one-a-day kind)
2. Probiotics
3. Digestive Enzymes(mostly if I feel the meal is going to bother me)
4. Evening Primrose Oil--for lovely PMS symptoms
5. Considering Calcium Bentonite clay, as I was given the go-ahead from the family doc, but think I should wait until this trial is over so I know if it's the elimination diet or the clay that works/doesn't work.

We'll see how it goes...

Difficulty Swallowing--Allergy?-Eosinophilic Esophagitis?

I've fallen a bit behind in my updating! Please forgive the long post!

I went ahead and did the Hydrocarbon treatment about a month ago. Retested it today and am strong. So, that is good. (Yeah!)

I suspected our water softener salt was bothering me(something about the shower and when I wash my hands at night...products? the water itself?) and brought in some of the salt and tested weak to it. I was treated for Water Softener Salt. Still need to remember to bring the salt in again to test again, but I am not experiencing the itchy throat during/after I shower and when I get up in the night and wash my hands after using the restroom. (Yeah!)

I also had a Water Samples List scan done and Tap Water(!), Arsenic and Aluminum came up and I had those treated. The doc was able to test the Aluminum today and I am strong there. (Yeah!)

So, in general, I have been doing pretty well. I have had very minimal reactions. I don't remember the last time I had one of those mega-itchy throat/palate/ears/runny nose/sneezing attacks. As a result, I am starting to notice other symptoms lurking about that I missed before when I was dealing with all the immediate allergy reactions.

About 2 weeks ago, I started having a feeling of having a lump at about the base of my throat and some difficulty swallowing. Looking back, I *think* this began when I had made meatloaf and had put 1/4 cup of ketchup in the 2lb loaf and had some for dinner. (I know, I know, what was I thinking???) Two nights in a row. And two nights in a row I had heartburn about an hour after eating it.

So, I am fairly certain it was the tomatoes that started it. I have been putting off the tomato treatment for some reason. I have been treated for the general "Tomato", but have not been treated for the Genetic Predisposition toward tomato. That is next on my list, I believe, since my dad has difficulties with tomatoes.

I had gone to the family doc last Friday about my throat and she seemed to think it was due to acid reflux and irritation. She also ordered a thyroid test.

I followed the family doc's instructions to take Pepcid, but I haven't really noticed any difference while on that. In fact, I felt worse the first few hours after taking it yesterday. :(

In my internet perusals, I came across the condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Turns out a friend's child was diagnosed with this and I didn't know what it was so I looked it up. I was surprised that the adult description fits me very well. It is a condition where, in response to allergy, the white blood cells form in the esophagus in these little things called eosinophils and cause inflammation. It's a fairly new diagnosis in adult medicine.

I really cannot afford to go to another doctor--much less a specialist and testing. Whether I have this condition "officially" or not, the approach is the same: Figure out what is causing the allergic reaction and avoid/treat that allergy. There are medications to take as well, but nothing is promising or really recommended for lifetime use.



So, I went to the BioAllergenix doc today. I brought my list of suspect foods and she muscle tested me for the things that she had available to test me for. I was strong on all of them.

After much talking and looking over my charts and past history, she suggested a re-scan of the Second Procedure on Mother Tincture, since that was not available when I first started. So, I did this scan and most of the Groups came up as Multiple Responses, which means I had a trace response to more than one item in each Group. Unfortunately(for my inquiring mind), it doesn't break it down to exactly what it was my body was reacting to. I decided to go ahead and be treated for all of them today and fast for 6 hours rather than break it up and attempt to avoid a lot of things until tomorrow and have to repeat the process again later with different foods.
(The reason I can do only 6 hours this time is because they were ALL Multiple Response. If I had any actual foods come up, I would have to avoid until tomorrow.)

I'm a bit hungry...but I will survive...in the meantime the kids are going to have to fend for themselves!

Next...Genetic Predisposition for Tomatoes.

Ginger Mushroom Chicken Soup - Good for what ails ya!

I have been reading a lot lately about the different foods that are good to boost our immune systems, and decided that since the kids are fighting something(as am I) after going back to school, I would try to implement many of these foods into a soup.

I decided to start with good ol' chicken soup, and work from there.

Here is what I came up with.
I put an * next to the especially immune-boosting foods.

Ginger Mushroom Chicken Soup

3 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 medium onions, chopped
*5 cloves of garlic, minced
*1 heaping TB of minced Ginger (I used Ginger People Pantry Essentials Minced Ginger)
*4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 1/2 cup hot water and sliced or torn(I added the water to the pot too)
*Generous quart of chicken stock(bone broth is even better!)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced

Put oil in your soup pan and cook onions and garlic until translucent.
Add Ginger, shiitake mushrooms, chicken stock, carrots and celery.
Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until carrots and mushrooms are tender.

Enjoy hot with whole grain (or Gluten-free) crackers.
Makes about 4 servings.

Welcome to my blog!

I figure I should start off my blog with a proper introduction.

I am a stay-at-home wife and mother of 3 kids. I am originally from Colorado, but have been transplanted to Northwest Ohio where my husband's family resides. We are currently living in the old homestead(est. a bit before 1900, I believe) on part of the acreage his grandpa grew up in and have been attempting to live the simple life here--no easy task!

We have been playing with organic/natural gardening the last 6 or so years, as well as simple animal husbandry(specifically chickens). I have created an herb garden as well that continues year to year.

Since the birth of our third child, my allergies that once presented themselves as mere hayfever decided to move over into the realm of foods and it got to the point that every time I ate I had some sort of reaction. I plan on sharing that journey here as well.

As the oldest of five children raised on a single income, I was raised by a very frugal stay-at-home mother and hard-working dad. I am quite thankful for that in the current economic times and am always looking for ways to save money. I will share what I do in that regard as well.

Thanks for coming, and I hope to share my knowledge with you in the future! :)