Strep Throat Remedy

One of my passions in healing through foods, so when I come across an amazing all natural remedy for a common ailment I get really excited! I learned of this remedy while I was taking my Herbology course through The School of Natural Healing. It is targeted towards strep or sore throats. 

The Formula:

- 1 Tbsp Pure Raw Honey

- 4 Minced Garlic Cloves

- 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Just mix all together and take 1/2-1 tsp every hour. You will need to make about 4 batches over a 24 hour period. Do not wash down the mixture because you want it to coat your throat, the cayenne brings blood to the area and the garlic stimulates your immune system. If you follow the procedure you can get rid of your sore throat in 24 hours! That beats having to take antibiotics for 10 days.

Garlic is antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal so you are covered. Three cloves of garlic is actually equivalent to taking one dose of penicillin! You also want to use pure raw honey because the bees were not given sugar and antibiotics while producing the honey, and the honey will have maintained all its goodness because it wasn't heated above 70+ degrees celsius. 

Why shouldn't I just take antibiotics? Antibiotics definitely have a time and a place but they are over used. The problem with antibiotics is that they kill ALL bacteria, good or bad. You have good bacteria in you intestines called "flora" that is needed to fight bacterial infections, help digest, and keep the intestines healthy. When antibiotics are over used you can run into problems such as yeast infections and irritable bowel syndrome. 

Cold coming on?

It's that time of the year where the colds come on! I hate it when my kids are sick, it makes me a little crazy but I have a few tricks up my sleeve that help a ton. I learned a bit about essential oils about a year ago and they have saved my life a couple times so now I CAN NOT be without them. I also have some herbal remedies that I use as well. 
If I am feeling a little off then I take about 5000mg+ of Vitamin C through out the day as well as take  Grapefruit Seed Extract. GSE is absolutely amazing and is not just good for colds. Grapefruit seed extract or GSE has many medicinal properties that have been proven very effective in fighting various infections, viruses, and harmful germs.  You can use it to wash vegetables, fruits, meat, and poultry. You can also clean cutting boards, toothbrushes and all kinds of utensils with it as well. And the best part is it can be used by people of all ages and there are no side effects if used properly. 
I take my essential oils orally as well as put them on the bottom of my feet. I use the brands DoTerra as well as Young Living Oils. It is VERY important that you use THERAPEUTIC grade oils. My must haves are OnGuard* or Thieves* (depending on brand), Oregano*, Melaleuca*, Lemon*, Lavender* and Peppermint*. I put a couple of drops of OnGuard, Oregano and Melaleuca in a capsule and take with water and some food. I will also dilute the oils with olive oil and put on my feet before I go to bed.  
I do most of the above for my kids as well. I make sure they get lots of vitamin C and I put the oils on their feet (make sure you have socks ready to put on after, the oils may damage your carpet or furniture).
I also give my kids GSE, I buy the tablet form so they just chew them up with their other vitamins. Wasn't easy at first but they are used to it now.
There are SO many other remedies out there but I will just leave it here for now!

OnGuard or Thieves- The oils in these blends have been studied for their strong abilities to kill harmful bacteria, mold and viruses.

Oregano- Antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic,antiviral and an immune stimulant

Melaleuca- Analgesic (painkiller), antibacterial, ant-ifungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, etc.

Lemon- Anti-cancer, antidepressant, antiseptic, anti-fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc.

Lavender- Analgesic, antidepressant, antif-ungal, antimicrobial, etc.

Peppermint- Analgesic, Antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, anti-carcinogenic, etc.

Food Matters

I received an email from my sister-in-law letting me know that the producers from the documentary "Food Matters" is allowing a free and full preview of their film for everyone until October 8th, so take advantage!

You can find the link to the video here

The following is from the Dr. Mercola website:

What You Will Learn from this Film

As summarized on the Food Matters' website, by watching this film you will get answers to the following questions, and straight facts on:

• How you can use food as medicine
• Who needs vitamins?
• Is organic really better?
• How safe is your food?
• Foods that fight anxiety and depression
• Natural therapies for cancer
• Which drugs might do more harm than good?
• The best ways to detox, lose weight and keep it off! 

LOVE this quote:

First they ignore you,
then they laugh at you,
then they fight you,
then you win.
Mohandas Gandhi

Mushroom, Potato and Leek Soup

This is one of my favorite soups! My sister-in-law from whole food mommies made it and I fell in love. I just altered the recipe slightly so that it would be vegan. If you have never cooked with leeks before, they are from the onion family and add a very nice flavor. The original recipe calls for cream that I left out but if you want a creamier texture you can use a cashew cream sauce instead. 

Enjoy...

Mushroom, Potato, and Leek Soup

2 Tbsp Earth Balance
3 Leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced
2 Large Carrots, sliced

6 cups of Vegetable Broth

1 lb Mushrooms 

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup Almond Milk or Soy Milk

1/4 cup Flour

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Dill

Pepper to taste

In a large pot sauté the leeks and carrots in
1 tbsp of the Earth Balance for about 5 minutes

Pour in the broth and seasonings. Add the potatoes and cook
until soft, about 30 minutes

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms
 in the remaining butter and add to the soup

In a separate bowl slowly add the flour to the milk and mix well. Add to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens. 

Banana and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I am always looking for treats that I can have that have very little to no sugar in them because me and sugar DO NOT get along. It just so happens that these cookies are VERY low in sugar (the only sugar in them is the dark chocolate) and they do not have any eggs or gluten (depending on your oats) in them! Oh and they are very good! Enjoy...

Banana and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

3 bananas

1/2 cup almond butter

4 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp pure vanilla

2 cups oats (i used old-fashioned)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350ºC

Bake for 12-14 minutes

All the goods you need

Mash the bananas together with the almond butter, coconut oil, and vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the oats, coconut, cinnamon, baking powder and salt

I took a bar of 70% dark chocolate and just chopped it up

Take the wet and dry ingredients along with the chocolate and mix all together

Place spoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet, grease it or use a 'silpat'

Voila! They were very yummy and I didn't feel guilty giving them to my kids!

Milk Substitute for Babies

I had an excellent question this week following my blog on The Truth Behind Milk, a friend was wondering what she could give her one year old instead of the homo milk that her doctor recommended. First off I want to commend this mom for going with her mommy instincts instead of discrediting all the evidence and just listening to her doctor. Many people put too much trust in their doctors for advice and recommendations. Doctors get VERY little nutritional teaching in their years of study and therefore it is up to you to do the research and go with what YOU feel is best.

I am going to focus on babies that are one year and older and the substitutes that you can use if you choose not to give cow's milk to your child. There are actually quite a few milks out there that you can use such as: Nut milks, Rice milk and Soy milk. I personally recommend using almond milk.  

It is lower in calories and fat than regular cow's milk, and is high in vitamins, such as vitamin E. Like cow's milk and fortified soy milk, almond milk boasts an impressive dose of bone-building calcium.

Like conventional dairy products, almond milk is nutrient-fortified, and a good source of several important fat-soluble vitamins. One cup of plain almond milk meets 10 percent of the Recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin A, 25 percent for vitamin D and 50 for vitamin E, making it high in many nutrients compared to the amount of calories it provides per serving. Vitamins A and E act as antioxidants, enhancing immunity and protecting the body's cells and tissues from damage. In addition, vitamin A is important for healthy eyesight and supports normal growth and development. Vitamin D helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth, and enhances immunity.

Almond milk is rich in calcium, providing the same amount per cup as cow's milk and soy milk. One cup offers approximately 300 mg, meeting 30 percent of the DV for this major mineral. Calcium plays many roles in the human body. Along with vitamin D, phosphorus and magnesium, calcium is needed to build and maintain strong bones and teeth. 

(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/246903-nutritional-benefits-of-almond-milk/#ixzz1YQbafcBp)

A great thing about almond milk is it is just as easy to make as it is to buy and I have yet to find a recipe that I can't replace cow's milk with almond milk! 

Almond Milk Recipe

1 cup almonds soaked* for at least 6 hours beforehand if possible

2 cups water

1/2 tbsp raw sesame seeds (very high in calcium)

optional ingredients: vanilla, agave, cinnamon, maple syrup 

 Soak your almonds for 6-8 hours if you can

 Place the almonds and the water in your blender and blend for about a minute

 You could use it as is but if you prefer a smooth texture, you will want to put it through a 

cheesecloth, coffee filter or nut milk bag

Here I am using a coffee filter 

 You can just leave it to drain or you can use a wooden spoon or spatula

 to push the milk through the filter 

 You will be left with almond pulp that you can use to make almond flour, pie crusts, cookies, etc.

 Voila! This almond milk will stay good in the fridge for 3 days

 My girls LOVE almond milk!

Vanilla Almond milk: Add 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract and 2-4 dates 

Chocolate Almond milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 2 tbsp raw cacao nibs or unsweetened cocoa powder

Cinnamon milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 1 tsp cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg

The following recipe came from wholefoodmommies.com and is great for everyone but especially the little ones

Almond Milk Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup Almond Milk

1 Half frozen banana

3 frozen strawberries (or any other frozen fruit)

Handful of raw spinach

1 tsp. flax seed

1 Vitamin D capsule (opened and emptied into smoothie)

.5 ml DHA oil (I use Dr. Fuhrman's brand for all my supplements)

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth.  This shouldn't be too thick- more like a flavored chilled drink.  Pour into sippy cup and let your kids go to town.

*The Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds

• Enzyme inhibitors get neutralized.
• The amount of vitamins your body can absorb increases.
• Gluten breaks down so digestion is much easier.
• Phytic acid, which inhibits the absorption of vital minerals, is reduced.(http://www.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html)

Blueberry Deception

A few weeks ago I did a post on the importance of reading labels and what ingredients to avoid. Here is a video I found about how blueberries are faked in cereals, muffins and other foods and you can tell by reading the labels. Click here for the video