Herbal Supplements- Sick Kid edition

I love essential oils- but we also use herbal supplements at our house to combat all the germs that assault us. I have been using these on my kids for the past 4 years, and I love them. They are safe and they work *Disclaimer* I am not a doctor. I am also not anti- doctor. If my child is sick and needs help- I take them to the doctor. But for things like a runny/stuffy nose and cough- we go this route.

While this is the kid edition, many of these companies also make adult versions, which the adults at my house use.

Cough Syrup- We use Planetary Herbals “Loquat Respiratory Syrup for kids”

We also use Planetary Herbals Well Child when my kids are sick, and  "Kids Immune Protect"  when they are not sick- to help with prevention.

I am a firm believer that boogers are no good. I don't accept the belief that little kids just have a runny nose. 

Here is what we do for boogs at our house.

If it's clear and runny like a faucet- I give them Eyebright bayberry to help dry it up.

When your child (or you…) has mucusy boogers that are not clear, you want to give them something to warm things up and get it out (you don’t want to mucus to set up shop, that promotes infection…). I give them this Horehound Blend or a supplement by Gaia herbs from their kid line called "Cold Symptoms"- depending on what I have on hand.

And the nose symptoms change (runny to stuffy)- so I might start giving a child one herb, and then switch to another as needed.

How to administer:

Dosage is by weight, and it says on each bottle how to give them. Some herbal supplements taste better than others. For the nasty ones- I mix it in a couple with about 2 T of juice and some water- my kids love juice (and pretty much never get it:) So they will drink it right up. 

Also- check the ingredients. The cough syrup has honey- and should not be given to a child younger than one.

Where to buy:

I purchase them online at iherb (They usually have free shipping on orders over $40- and they have tons of other great products)

I purchase them online at Vitacost. If you've never purchased from them before- you can sign up through this link for $10 off your first order. They also have tons of other great products, and have free shipping over $50)

If you live in in East Valley area of Phoenix, there is a store called Desert Sage herb that has all of these products- or something that will work just as well. They are very nice and will help you if you are not sure what you need.  

Sprouts also carries some of these products. 

FYI- online is the most economical route (aka cheapest) but it's nice to know you can go in and buy them if you need to:)

Swiss Chard

I had no idea what Swiss Chard was until about 3 years ago. I had gotten my first Bountiful Basket, and it contained Swiss Chard- and I didn't know what it was. I looked on the Bountiful Basket website to see what it was and how to prepare it. I didn't think it was that great.

Since then, I have learned more about swiss chard and some ways to prepare it that make it SO GOOD!
And if you live by me and are interested in sampling some chard- I just so happen to have a fridge FULL of it. (And by full I mean I've been cycling through these recipes for the past month trying to be resourceful and use our bounty, and I still have a ton.) So I'll share- let me know. 
Here are some of my favorites:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/light-swiss-chard-frittata.html#more- This one is so good. You can use any kind of cheese. I usually use feta. Or if you don't eat dairy, you could make it sans cheese, and it would still be pretty good. And you can also sub 2 more eggs instead of the 4 egg whites if you want to use whole eggs. Grace doesn't like this- but my other kids will eat it, and Alan and I love it.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/04/rainbow-swiss-chard.html- More of a side dish, but still good.

http://deliciouslyorganic.net/organic-real-food-on-a-budget-fusilli-with-chard-bacon-and-cream-recipe/- this is our favorite meal with chard. You can use any kind of noodles. I usually use a whole wheat noodle (TJ's has the best value on organic whole wheat noodles- they also have rice noodles that are good.) I don't always have cream on hand, so I'll substitute milk, and it's still good. You could also use rice milk to make it dairy free.
*Splurge on a good bacon- I love Applegate Farms brand. It's really good- and you only need half of the package- So while it's pricier, it will last for two meals. (We freeze the other half for the next time we make this.) This recipe makes a ton! (And you can also use spinach if you don't have any swiss chard)

You can also throw it in a green smoothie, but it needs to be a pretty sweet smoothie to mask the chard. (Ex. add an extra banana or some stevia) If you're used to green smoothies, you like it just fine, and it's an easy way to vary your greens. If you are new to green smoothies, you can taste the chard more than spinach and you probably will not like it.

The Liver Cleanse

 Are your allergies bothering you lately? Mine are- so it's time for another round of the Liver Cleanse at our house. This round, my 5 yr old is happily drinking the stuff straight like a big kid!

The Liver Cleanse is the reason I first became interested in essential oils. I was trying to help my then infant Julie boost her immune system, and I was also seeking relief from my seasonal allergies.

The more I read about it, the more I realize what a big job our liver has. If it's getting overloaded with toxins, the liver will have a hard time doing it's job right. So if any of these things ail you- try the liver cleanse!

allergies, cellulite, depression, drowsiness after eating, eczema, elevated cholesterol, fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalances, hypoglycemia, indigestion, jaundice , mood swings, nausea, obesity, PMS, rashes, weak muscles, or weight gain.

The Liver Cleanse

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (1/2 a lemon)

1 drop of lemon essential oil

1 drop of peppermint essential oil

a little water to dilute

Drink it first thing in the morning before any other food or water. Do it for 2-4 weeks, take a week break, and then repeat until the symptoms subside. 

(Some people say 2 weeks and take a break, others say 4 weeks, so you can choose! I've done both and they both work) 

For kids: you can add a little honey or pure maple syrup to the cleanse to see if they'll drink it (This didn't really help my kids- the peppermint makes it "spicy" for them) Or you can rub the oils in the bottoms of their feet.

*This is not a quick fix remedy- it will take time to clean out that little liver:) But it really does work!

And I thought this was a simply genius idea brought to you by my friend Kelli. We recently juiced a lot of lemons, and I freeze the juice for future liver cleanses, cooking, and cleaning. We used breast milk storage bags to freeze the lemon juice. They are smaller and made to be frozen, and if you have had a child recently you probably have a ton of these left.


I'm putting an oil order in next Monday. If you want to order any oils, let me know! Lemon is $13 and Peppermint is $23

Strawberry Lemonade

The typical drink of choice at our house is water. But I needed to bring a beverage to a party we were going to. So we made this- It's pretty amazing and a real treat for us!

Strawberry Lemonade
4-5 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
10 oz. frozen strawberries
1/4- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it- I like sweet lemonade so I use 1/2 cup)


In a blender, blend the strawberries, lemon juice, maple syrup and 3 cups of water. Put in a pitcher and add remaining water, mix and enjoy!

Makeup

Background: I am a Makeup Wearer. I have been since I was about 12. I am by no means an expert/professional- but I like to wear it. That being said- it can't take longer than 5 minutes in my getting ready routine. That's not my style.


Long story short- after having Kyle I had some skin issues arise that were not fun. I finally went to the dermatologist- and he said it was essentially "adult acne" and gave me some drugs to take. They were not too heavy of drugs- as I was nursing, and he told me to come back a couple months after I was done nursing and he'd give me stronger stuff, if needed. I asked how long I would have to take them. He said, "Well, it could be indefinitely."


I do not like taking drugs. And indefinitely is a really long time. (Definitely not my style) So I became much more diligent in my food choices and in taking supplements, (zinc, cod liver oil, biotin) because I believe "you are what you eat." It helped a lot. A whole lot. Last summer I also decided it was time to stop putting a ton of chemicals on my face. So I switched to mineral makeup.


I had not used mineral makeup before. It was new and different. At first, it took more than my allotted 5 minutes of makeup application time (I'm faster now, and back at 3-5). I really like it. You should try it!


I'm not here to recommend a brand, I know there are a lot of great ones out there, but  I will tell you what I've used. (Meaning- it's makeup for goodness sake- how many brands could I have tried in less than a year?)


I first got Bare Essential getting started kit because 1) I didn't really know what I was doing/how to use mineral makeup. It came with the basic brushes, 2 foundations, blush, and mineral veil. I thought it was expensive, but it worked well and I was in mineral makeup business. 

If you do this- go into Ulta or another store that carries it and try out the foundations to see what color you need. Bare Essentials has a lot of online promotions, so check to see if it saves you money.


That was in the summer, and my foundation in the summer and winter are drastically different. So when winter came, I tried everyday minerals. I've used their base, eyeshadow brushes, and some eye shadow. They'll send you free samples so you can get the perfect color for you. I really like this brand. It works great, and it's more affordable. They also have online deals all the time. I will say, though, that if you have no idea what you want or need, or how to use mineral makeup, their website doesn't offer much help. So if you have any questions, let me know (I may or may not know the answer:)


FYI- Mineral makeup does contain SPFage. I use straight coconut oil as a face lotion at night. Some mornings I'll use oil of olay sensitive skin lotion if I need it (when that runs out, I'll look into it more and decide how I feel about it), and I still use my maybelline mascara. So don' t think I'm perfect :)

*And sorry there's no pictures or a step-by step process. I'm no photographer. Jana- this would be a fun project for us- don't you think? In our spare time...

Green Bean Salad

Okay- this Green Bean Salad is really good. I've made it several times. My little family loves it (except Grace who is going through a "I don't like green beans" phase. So her vote doesn't count) I even brought it somewhere as a side dish, and people said they liked it. (It was my parents- so hopefully they would be honest and tell me if they didn't?)  I've eaten it for lunch, dinner, and even breakfast one day (It's that good- and I'm weird.) So now I get excited when I see green beans on sale somewhere. I'm easy to please.

We ate this along with black beans and rice for dinner.

Green Bean Salad

Adapted from Deliciously Organic*. Serves 8

For the dressing:
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
3 oranges, segmented
1 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted 

Directions:
Stir vinegar, thyme, honey, mustard, onion, and salt together in a small bowl. Pour in olive oil and whisk until combined.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add beans to boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes, until bright green. Drain, run cool water over to halt cooking, and pat dry. Place cooked beans, oranges, dates and almonds in a large bowl. Pour dressing over beans, toss and serve. Best served at room temperature.

* I used less oil- because the first time I made it, there was a lot of "sauce" left in the bottom. It was still good, but it made me cringe to let all that good oil go to waste. I like the sauce-to-bean ratio better with less oil. I used almonds instead of hazelnuts because I don't have hazelnuts on hand. And I renamed it because Alan's pet-peeve is when the name of the dish is the ingredient list- and I don't think you'd believe me that it was good if I named it "Green Bean Surprise" .

All About Kids Class- Rescheduled!

My friend, Katie, and I are hosting a kids class all about essential oils. It is being taught by Sarah Brooks, who has her degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. She also has plenty of field experience with her own 5 children. Come join us as we learn how to help our kids stay healthy using essential oils! (FYI- winter does not have to equal perma snot and coughs in kids. Really!- there are things you can do to combat this!)

All about Kids
Essential Oil Class
Thursday, January 26th
7:30 PM

Katie's Home
Guadalupe and 101 area in Mesa, AZ.

(leave a comment with your contact info and I'll send you the address. Comments are moderated and I won't publish your info.)

Feel free to come and bring a friend! If you could let me know that you're planning on coming, that would be great! (So we can have some idea of how many to expect.)

And let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!