Elderberry Syrup. A flu season staple at my house.!

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Elderberry syrup is a potent herbal anti-viral. Elderberries contain high levels of anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that protect cells against free radicals. They are found in blueberries and cranberries also, although the levels in elderberries are much higher. Elderberries grow wild across most of north America and Europe. You can make your own Elderberry syrup or buy it at the local health food store. Fred Meyers sells sambucus,( the trade name for it) as well as amazon.com. 
Note it is WAY cheaper to make your own. I started out by buying it. I found it worked so well I started to make my own. Last winter I was pregnant, so everytime I thought I might be starting to catch a cold I took the elderberry prophylacticlly (2 tablespoons daily, four tablespoons throughout the day if sick.). I was working in the hospital and did not want to catch any of the nasty flu and cold bugs. I made it through the winter without ever fully developing a cold!


How to make your own,
First buy dried elderberries at your local health food store or order online at frontiercoop.com. (not currently available on amazon.com although they have a picture of some here.


You will need: 
2 ounces of dried elderberries
1 quart of water
1 1/2 cups of honey
Jar with tight fitting lid
saucepan
strainer

• in a saucepan place place the dried elderberries and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the amount in the pan is down to a pint or two cups.
• Remove from heat and strain.
• Place the liquid back in the saucepan
• Then stir in the honey
• Heat until thoroughly dissolved
• Let the syrup cool to room temp
• Pour into a clean jar with a tight lid
• If stored in the refrigerator this will keep for up to a year.
• Make sure you label and date the jar

Here is a link to another blog with a recipe using fresh elderberries.

I for one plan to buy a bush and start growing my own!

A quick smoothie in pictures

I just wanted to share with you the accountant and I's mid morning snack. It was quick and easy on a busy Saturday morning. I was given the magic bullet as a wedding gift. I love to use it because it is single serving sizes and super easy to clean. Its major downfall is it is made of plastic not glass.BUT I still love it! So here is today's organic smoothie.

Mango, Raspberry, Almond Milk Smoothie
Ingredients per serving: 1/2 cup of mango, quarter cup of frozen raspberries, Vanilla flavored almond milk fill cup to 3/4 full, 1/4 teaspoon of honey
Place all in the blender and blend. Serve!

Olivia was looking longingly at me begging for some. Does anyone know much about almond milk and how healthy or not that it is? I love it so I haven't researched it yet. I figure it must be better than soy for me...guess we will see!

Dioxins what are they and why do I care?

The accountant and I have recently decided to attempt to be as dioxin free in our house as possible. Not so much for us as for our little ones. I am sure we will be helped in the long run but have probably already had our lifetime exposure met...so we want to limit little Olivia's as much as we can.
First what is dioxin and why do I care?
Dioxins are a by-product of industrial processing of chlorine bleach, bleached paper, manufacturing of pesticides, waste incineration such as burning of plastics, treated wood and bleached paper. Dioxins accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and accumulate over one's lifetime. Once in our bodies they stay there. According to the EPA exposure to bleached coffee filters on a daily basis is enough to exceed a lifetime of acceptable levels. Dioxin is passed from mother to child via the placenta and breastmilk.

So why do I care? What does dioxin do to me?
 Dioxins are known teratogens, mutagens and human carcinogens. "Dioxins mess with the growth regulation of our cells-inducing or blocking cell death and may cause tissue underdevelopment, overgrowth or tumors."  Dioxins appear to be a "complete carcinogen" that doesn't require another chemical to have the effect. According to the world health organization they increase all cancers. They also mess with estrogen receptors, may be toxic to growth  and development and cause liver, nerve and glandular damage. they are also suspected of causing respiratory tract, and prostrate cancers, endrometriosis and contribute to type two diabetes.

How am I exposed?
More than 90 percent of our exposure comes from our intake of food.

• Animal fats from conventional meat
• Full fat dairy products that is non-organic
• Fatty fishes like herring, mackerel, sardines, trout and tuna
• Produce laden with pesticides

We are also exposed by foods that come in contact with containers that have dioxins such as bleached paper plates, food containers and milk cartons. We absorb dioxins from bleached tampons and maxi pads. 

Other ways they enter our bodies are through gases, vapors, emissions from hazardous waste incinerators, paper mills, cement plants and metal smelting plants.

Wow. They sound  like they are everywhere! What can I possibly do to limit or avoid exposure? A few simple things we can do that will help limit our own personal exposure is really quite uncomplicated.

• First choose paper products wisely. Opt for unbleached or oxygen bleached products, esp for products that come in contact with our food and body. Items such as tampons, toilet paper, tampons, paper towels (or use rags) and coffee filters.
• Choose organic grass fed animal products
• organic produce 
•  a more plant based diet.

The accountant and I are doing really well in the food area. What we are working on are the paper products arena. I am trying to eliminate the paper entirely or find an unbleached substitute. I will let you know when I find good deals!

Source: Easy Green Living by Renee Loux

We recently switched to unbleached toilet paper which I bought through the amazon subscribe and save program.

Baked lemon, basil cod fillet

Ingredients: 2 fresh Alaskan cod fillets

1/2 a lemon

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

2-4 Tablespoons of dried organic basil

Himalayan salt (my favorite salt. Sold at Trader Joe's) and pepper to taste

Sorry this is the only picture. I forgot to take more! But the recipe itself is yummy and very very simple.

First pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then place cod fillets on cookie sheet. For less mess line with aluminium foil. 

Then drizzle olive oil over fillets.

Sprinkle 2-4 Tablespoons of dried basil over fillets (this is for two fillets)

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fillets.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Place in oven, on middle rack and cook until done. About 20-25 minutes.

Serve with side of choice.

Make your own Coleslaw.

Yesterday my mom and sister were coming over for lunch. I made coleslaw and basil cod (which I will post tomorrow). My mom is very allergic to eggs so the coleslaw is vegan!

First Occupy baby. Yummy cut up avacado!

Ingredients: 1 green head of cabbage, shredded. Organic from co-op in Everett

3/4 cup of vegenaise (sell in the refrigerator at Fred Meyer. Different flavors. Goes on sale occasionally)

1 organic sweet bell pepper, sliced thin

2 Tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar (I have Bragg's from Fred Meyer. Smaller cheaper bottles are available at Trader Joe's)

2 organic carrots, grated (Klesick box of good)

1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup ( I buy mine from Costco, best price I have found)

Himalayan salt (Trader Joe's) and black pepper to taste

First shred the coleslaw and place in large bowl

Then slice green pepper very thin, add to bowl along with one cup of vegenaise (you can use mayo too), apple cider, maple syrup, carrots, salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together.

Yummy and simple! At this point taste the coleslaw to see if the dressing needs adjusting at all. Depending on the size of your cabbage head you might need a little more mayo. This salad may be served immediately although it tastes best left covered in the refrigerator for two hours to allow the flavors to spread.

The Organic, Green Bathroom

When the accountant and I built our house we planned on installing a glass shower door in our bathroom. So far the expense of that has been out of our reach so we are using a shower curtain. I was pregnant when we purchased it and had been reading a lot of "green" books. So we ended up purchasing a PVC free liner and an organic cotton curtain, both from target. Now what is so bad about PVC you might ask. Here is what I found out in my research. PVC is usually a hard plastic like those found in a newer house's water pipes. What makes it dangerous is when it is made flexible. How do they do this you might ask? Add Phthalate (DEHP).  Phthalates have been proven to cause a range of birth defects in lab animals, damage to the nervous system, respiratory and reproductive systems. I can't fix the fact that I have soft flexible PVC water piping but I can change my shower curtain liner! Incidentally I drink filtered water only, but that is a story for another day.

We cut costs and went organic with our soap, shampoo and body wash too. I use Dr Bronners Castile Soap for body wash and the accountant uses it as his shampoo. We buy it in the gallon size to save money because I use it for so much stuff! I buy mine through Amazon.com. It is the cheapest I have found it yet. Because it is concentrated you can mix it with other things or water it down. I water it down for cleaning but not when using it for body wash and shampoo. (warning, it has a thin texture not the thickness you might be used to with other body washes, shampoos.)

For hand soap we use glycerin based Avalon organics. It smells wonderful and is good for you! I buy it on sale from Whole Foods or buy online through vitacost.com when I am ordering my vitamins. (they charge flat rate shipping so it is only a good deal to buy through them when buying in large quantities)

Toothpaste is the flouride  free type by Toms of Maine. Trader Joe's sells it for around three dollars a tube. Which seems like a lot but think about all the chemicals you put in your mouth with regular toothpaste. Some of which even have Triclosan in the ingredients! Amazon has a great price of 6 tubs for $14.94.!

Gluten Free, Dairy free Banana Bread

Gluten Free Banana Bread by Candace Young

altered from original recipe found at gluten free goddess

Ingredients:


3 Bananas
1/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups gluten free baking mix flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
shake of salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup of cranberries
1/2 cup of raisins

cook at 350 degrees for 50-60minutes. Makes 1 loaf.


This is delicious. Especially served hot out of the oven! It is soft, does NOT crumble. Great eaten with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, or afternoon, or well just about anytime!