manic organic mama

a mama on a green(er), (more)organic, healthy(er) mission

October 16, 2011
by m.o.m.
1 Comment

The Ants Go Marching One by One …

… no there are no HURAH’s to be had here.

After posting about immunizations, what happens to me …

… I get bit by a couple ants and have an allergic reaction.

I got home Thursday after work a bit late and did my usual routine of straight to the bedroom to change.  Since it was kinda late, I changed into pajama pants and a tank top.  Then into the kitchen to get something to drink.  While standing at the refrigerator I saw ants all over my sink.  And as I followed their little army line across the counter, down the wall and across the kitchen floor I realized I had walked right through them.  I looked down about the time one bit my foot.

After cleaning them up, or so I thought, I sat on the couch and proceeded to feel one biting the inside of my thigh.  It was probably a pretty funny sight to see … me dancing around the living room stripping off my pants.

This was an hour or so after it happened.

By mid day on Friday it was itching so bad I could hardly stand it and it was considerably larger, as you can see from the circle the Urgent Care Dr so kindly drew around it.  My treatment at this point … Keflex and Prednisone.

Oh and while there I had a rather interesting talk with the dr.  She asked me if I was allergic to bees and I told her that I had never been stung by one so I don’t know.  She recommended that I get tested and possibly start carrying an epi pen.  WOW!

By the evening, I was ready to filet my thigh off my body with a knife if I’d have had one that sharp.  As soon as I got home the jeans were gone and shorts in hopes that it would help a bit.  But it was still growing. (Across the top in the pic below.)  Shorts didn’t really help, so I took some Benadryl.  And after waking up at 2AM because it was itching again, I took 2 more Benadryl.

I had a feeling my Saturday morning was going to end up urgent care again, per the dr orders if it continued to get worse, which it did.

You can actually see in the pic above, taken Saturday morning, that it was actually turning purple.  Back to urgent care where this time the dr told me there was no obvious infection but the Prednisone wasn’t really doing anything to quell the allergic reaction.  This dr added hydroxyzine to my cocktail of drugs.

So how is it today?  Well, it has definitely gotten better.  It looks like more like a week old bruise and the itching is tolerable at least.

But how am I? I’m a mess.  And not because of the bite but because of the medication.

Keflex can cause … upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting, mild skin rash

Prednisone can cause … headache, dizziness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, inappropriate happiness, extreme changes in mood, changes in personality, bulging eyes, acne, thin fragile skin, red or purple blotches or lines under the skin, slowed healing of cuts and bruises, increased hair growth, changes in the way fat is spread around the body, extreme tiredness, weak muscles, irregular or absent menstrual periods, decreased sexual desire, heartburn, increased sweating

Hydroxyzine can cause … dry mouth, nose, and throat, upset stomach, drowsiness, dizziness, chest congestion, headache, reddening of skin

All of the side effects in bold and italic are the ones that I have.  The worst is the upset stomach and heartburn.  I’ve read that fatty foods make it worse, which is pretty much the same with all stomach problems and eating several smaller meals throughout the day helps.  I have to take the Keflex and Hydroxy 3 times a day and the Prednisone just in the morning.  I usually feel like crap about 30 minutes after I take them, the upset stomach and dizziness kicks in pretty good then.  I have a generalized weak, run down feeling most of the day.  I literally had to sit down mid way through doing the dishes because I thought I might fall out.  Oh and the dry mouth, nose, throat thing … oh yeah, that’s bad.  Cottonmouth is not fun ever let alone your nose and throat too.  I can’t imagine what people going through chronic illnesses feel like cause this sucks.

October 13, 2011
by m.o.m.
1 Comment

What Are We Putting In Our Bodies

Before I delve into the body of this post I have to give some back story.

The last time I had a flu shot was in November 1996.  I was in the Air Force, it was the day before I started terminal leave prior to discharge, my son was about 4 months old.  A day or two later, my ex husband and I drove to Indiana.  He was to return to finish his last month of active duty.

A couple days after getting there, BAM, full on flu, for the better part of a week.  With a 4 month old!  Thank goodness he was such a good, easy going baby.

I haven’t gotten a flu shot since and I’ve also never had the flu since.  And if I have, it’s been so mild I didn’t realize it was the flu.  On another, somewhat related note, I have allergies pretty bad.  I did shots for awhile and then went through all of the flavors of allergy meds, Allegra, Claratin, Zyrtec.  I’ve also had strep throat almost every year while I was on said allergy medicine.  About 5 years ago I just gave up on allergy meds altogether.  Ironically, I haven’t had strep throat since.  Interesting.

Today, someone asked me if I was getting a flu shot since I’m not really eating meat.  At first I wasn’t sure what the connection was, and after asking them, they informed me that they use chicken embryos to incubate the flu virus for the shots.  I had no idea.  Since my decision to eat better, i.e. less meat, no dairy, organic, etc, I have a) found the need to defend my decisions to many people and b) found that people spew their preconceived ideas as facts.  That being said, I research things before believing people and this was no exception.

What did I find …. immunizations and vaccines contain known carcinogens and toxins as well as types of human cells that are at the center of heated ethical debates.

Below are some ingredients found in common immunization/vaccinations that I found at the CDC’s website (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf).

Albumin, egg or bovine – chicken or cow protein used as a growth medium.  Not a huge deal, unless of course you are a vegan, then this isn’t a good thing.

Albumin, human serum – human diploid cells (normally from aborted fetuses) used as a growth medium.  I have a big problem with this but not for the reasons you might think.  Why is this ok but stem cell research is big deal?  This baffles me beyond belief.

Aluminum (in various forms) – used as an adjuvant. It’s a known carcinogen that can have developmental, reproductive, organ system, allergy and immunotoxicity issues.

Formaldehyde (formalin) – used as an antimicrobial and stabilizer.  It’s also a known carcinogen that can have developmental, reproductive, organ system, allergy and immunotoxicity issues.

Phenol – used as a preservative, antibacterial, ph indicator and/or dye.  Can have organ system toxicity issues.

Thimerosol (mercury) – used as a preservative.  Can have developmental, reproductive, organ system, neuro, allergy and immunotoxicity issues and can cause endocrine disruption, bioaccumulation and cellular level changes.

Now I will stop and provide the disclaimer that I am in no way making any statement about weather or not immunizations cause autism or any other issue.

HOWEVER

We are injecting elements, chemicals, biological compounds into our bodies that we know cause problems.  In the dosage that we are injecting is it really an issue? Probably not, but most of these serums where discovered/invented/created decades ago.  Our environments have changed, our food has changed.  Some of these compounds that were not of concern before are now becoming toxic in our systems because they are in everything.

Could these be causing increases in other illnesses and diseases, why couldn’t they?  Is the risk outgrowing the benefit?

September 21, 2011
by m.o.m.
1 Comment

Am I broken?

image

So here we are, day 5 of my juice fast.  And while I feel great, the scale does not and neither do my clothes.

My home scale was on the fritz so out the door it went and I haven’t weighed myself in weeks. To say that I was less than thrilled this morning when I got on the scale at work and it said I weighed the same as I did weeks ago on my home scale would be an understatement.

Actually I was downright deflated. How can I not have lost any weight after drinking veggie/fruit juice for the past 5 days? My clothes are also none the looser.

And then I had to step back and think about the bigger picture. I didn’t do this for some miracle weight loss. I did this to mostly get back on track. No sugar, no caffeine, no dairy, no meat. The weight loss would have been a plus.

And I know that I need to get back in the gym or doing something physical or none of it matters. So as soon as I figure out what I need to do to use the gym at one of my companies other local office locations, that needs to start again too.

I’m going to keep juicing and eating just veggies for at least the next week.  I will have a few exceptions, like the team lunch next week at a restaurant that is yet to be determined, but I doubt will have any dishes of just vegetables.

The subsequent week I’ll start putting whole grains and legumes back in.

Today I switched up my juice, and while it looks like I murdered someone, its really good.

3 beets
2 granny smith apples
enough carrots to fill my starbucks container
1/2 of a lemon

September 19, 2011
by m.o.m.
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Liquid Diet update, day … 2 1/2?

When you tell someone, especially me, that they can’t have something they want it even more.

I caved twice yesterday, but not in a bad way. Once I had a tomato. Not uncommon for me. Sliced with a tiny bit of salt. Then later I had an avocado. I was just really craving something more substantial. I don’t think I drank enough juice or water so I think that may have contributed. Since they are veggies, I’m ok with that.

This morning getting up I was pretty lethargic and run down. After I had my smoothie I was good.  So I’ve downed most of a bottle of water and one of those reusable Starbucks glasses of juice.

Its freezin ass cold in my office so I’m prob gonna make some green tea here in a bit.

And a headache. Barely there, just enough to notice but there. Prob caffeine related.

Other than that this isn’t too terrible.

September 18, 2011
by m.o.m.
0 comments

Liquid Diet

A few months back a former coworker asked me about juice diets.  He had watched something about doing a juice diet to detox/reboot your system.  At the time I didn’t really think too much of it.

Some time later, a couple/few weeks maybe, another friend posted a comment on FB about Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

Its a documentary about a guy from Australia who eats badly, is overweight and has a medical condition that requires medication daily.  After 60 days of his juice diet, and of course exercise, his rare medical condition was gone.  During this 60 days he toured the US, met other people and introduced them to his diet and helped improve their health and/or weight.  The point is that a plant based diet can heal the body.  This was, as I figured out, the same documentary my former coworker had watched.  At that point I really wanted to do this for a week or so.

A week or two ago, another former coworker and the strongest woman I know, FabAmy, tweeted that she was watching Food Matters.  I put it into my Netflix queue to be watched.

I think it was that same week, I saw a DVD at Whole Foods (I love that it’s 3 minutes from work), Forks Over Knives.

Yesterday I watched Food Matters and Forks Over Knives.  Both illustrate the benefits of plant based diets and their impact on health.  Not just weight but things like cancer and depression.  It also discusses studies done in the 40′s through current that show how animal proteins can stimulate cancer cell growth.  Do I totally buy into this animal protein/cancer link, I don’t know, but knowing that the USDA and FDA get kickbacks from the Dairy and Beef Councils doesn’t instill too much trust in those agencies.

So after watching these two documentaries, and knowing that I have been eating just … terribly, I decided to try a modified juice fast/detox for a week.  Why modified? Cause I’m a food addict and I would rather try modifying it slightly and succeeding then trying to do something and failing.  At the end of the week I’ll see how it goes and maybe continue longer.

THE PLAN

Smoothies in the morning.

The guy from FSND does just juice and water.  I just don’t think I could do that.  But a smoothie in the morning I can do.  Since I just do fruit in my smoothies anyway, the premise is still there.  I also got a vegan protein powder to add some density to help keep me on track.  I got this one at Sprouts.  I accidentally picked up the chocolate one instead of the regular one.  I really want to try VEGA but it was a little out of my budget this week.  Added to a smoothie of frozen berries, a banana and some coconut water it’s pretty good.  A little gritty, almost like a super fine sand, but palatable.

Juice

The recipes for a healthy veggie juice on the net are pretty much all the same.

I modified this list grouping a little.  I don’t have the best juicer but parsley just doesn’t juice at all in it.

This is how much juice you get from an entire bunch of kale.

Medium size bunch of celery.

The cucumbers at Sprouts were HUGE.  So this is a good sized cucumber.

2 golden delicious apples.  I added two more after I did the initial mix.

1 regular size bag of carrots.  This cup also had the juice of the lemon and a small piece of ginger root.

When mixed up, all of this juice looks like this ….

It made almost 2 liters.

This was my first cup.  It’s not a bad tasting juice.  Alot like celery, a little sweet and as you can see, it’s not a filtered juice so there is a good amount of fiber in it.  This is probably gonna be at least 4 to 5 times a day.  After my first glass I was was satisfied.  It doesn’t last very long, I think because your body probably absorbs it so fast.  But it will still be a challenge.

Green Tea

I’ve read other detox plans that allow green tea and since I love green tea I thought this would be a good alternative than just water.  I think it will also help with my caffeine intake.  I stopped drinking regular coffee a few months ago but I picked up decaf coffee, which still has some caffeine in it.  I made this tea iced and it’s in the fridge.

Water

This will be my challenge.  At work I’m good.  At home, not so much.  Water in Apache Junction, even Arizona in general sucks.  I hate my water at home, even out of the filter so I’m going to have to try and choke it down while I’m home.

 

I started yesterday with a raisin bagel with a little butter and a decaf, soy pumpkin spice latte with no whip.  Then I did a smoothie at lunch, two cups of juice later in the evening and tea.

This morning so far I have had a smoothie and some tea.  I’m ready for my juice and some water.  I think to help with that I’m gonna put some filtered water in the fridge, maybe if it’s cold it will go down easier.

August 7, 2011
by m.o.m.
2 Comments

you got your peanut butter in my chocolate …

… you got your chocolate in my peanut butter

Some of you may remember that old Reese’s peanut butter cup commercial.  Regardless, there is something about peanut butter and chocolate.  Add pretzels to that mix and WOW!!

A former co-worker’s very pregnant spouse made some chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel sandwiches that were oh so yummy.  I’ve been craving them for a week or so.

I figured the recipe was just PB, pretzels and chocolate but did a little research first.  Most of the recipes I saw were the same with a slight variation.  Some called for mixing the PB with regular butter, or brown sugar or powdered sugar.

I tried to find some organic pretzels but they didn’t have any at Fry’s.  The best I could find were Snyder’s.  They at least use unbleached whole wheat flour.

I chose some natural organic PB and powdered sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup of peanut butter
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1 bag of pretzels (waffles or mini twists)
  • 1 bag of semisweet chocolate pieces

I had to start by mixing the peanut butter.  It was a new jar so it was totally separated.

Then add the powdered sugar.  I had to actually use my hands because of the thickness.  Then scoop out 1/2 teaspoon at a time and form balls.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and refrigerate to set.

After the peanut butter sets for a bit, sandwich between two pretzels.  Put back in the fridge to re set again while melting the chocolate.

Dip the sandwiches in the melted chocolate, place back on the parchment and then back in the fridge.

YUM! YUM! YUM!

Of course the teenagers love them, Dakota is planning on having them for breakfast!!

 

July 17, 2011
by m.o.m.
0 comments

Randoms

Today was a random day of cooking.

I like being ‘domestic’ on Sundays … cooking, cleaning …. basically getting ready for the week ahead.

I remembered that I picked up a ‘healthy lunch’ cookbook one day at Kohl’s.  Yeah a little weird to be at Kohl’s but it was only $5.

Most of the recipes make a smaller number of portions and the serving sizes are lunch sized so I figured it was perfect.

I got two out of it for the week, falafel and tofu bites, basically tofu roasted in black bean sauce.

But first, I make some quick guacamole.

I had a couple avocados at home so when I was at the store I bought some pre-made pico de gallo at Fry’s.  Mashed up an avocado and mixed in the pico.  It was soooo good.  I’ll use it this week with some hummus or the falafel.

TOFU BITES

This recipe is straight from the book, I don’t think I changed anything in it.

Tofu is definitely an acquired taste but I’m beginning to like it more and more.

  • 4 tablespoons black bean sauce
  • 1 tablespoon clear honey
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 8 ounces, firm tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

I’ve never used black bean sauce.  Actually, I’m not even sure I’ve ever even had it.  Of course opening the jar it smelled amazing.  It looked like a bunch of mashed up bugs though!! LOL!!

  1. Mix the black bean sauce, honey, soy and oil in a shallow dish.
  2. Add the tofu and spoon the marinade over the top until tofu is completely covered.
  3. Marinate 1 hour, turning the tofu occasionally.
  4. Preheat oven to 350.
  5. Brush a roasting pan with oil to lightly coat.
  6. Arrange tofu in pan.
  7. Cook for 20 minutes, turning once, until golden and slightly crispy.

Marinating ….

Ready to go in the oven ….

… and after the were done.

These were really really good.  A bit strong on taste so with some rice or noodles would round it out very well.  I’m taking them for lunch tomorrow with some steamed broccoli.  I left them in for about 25 minutes and I think they could have stayed in a few more minutes to get them a little crispier.

FALAFEL

The first time I had falafel was last year while in Sedona with a couple of girlfriends.  It was totally yummy.  I figured this would be a good recipe because I can freeze some and cook them as needed.

  • 3 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 3 scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1-2 teaspoons chopped mint (optional)
  • 1 small egg, lightly beaten
  • salt and pepper
  • all purpose flour
  • oil for frying

My modifications … no mint, pre crushed garlic, whole wheat flour.

  1. Put chickpeas, scallions, garlic, cumin and coriander in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
  2. Add the egg and mix until it forms a paste.
  3. Chill one hour to allow mixture to firm up.
  4. Form mixture into balls.
  5. Dust with flour.
  6. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in non stick skillet.
  7. Cook falafel approximately 6 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

My food processor just isn’t big enough so I had to do it in sections and then mix the egg by hand.

I have one of those scoops for cookie dough so I used that and ended up with 19.  I also put more than a dusting of flour on them.

I have 9 that I am going to make tomorrow night and I froze the other 12 is packets of 6 to be cooked later.

Now … time to finish laundry and watch True Blood!

July 3, 2011
by m.o.m.
0 comments

Coo Coo for Coco

As much as I like cocoa puffs this post is NOT about cocoa puffs.

Today we’re talking coconut oil.

In particularly for a hair treatment.

Let me preface by stating that my hair has not seen it’s natural color since Tiffany and Debbie Gibson were raging on the airwaves.

Even without the color the issue, my hair is very fine, so color treated fine hair … a pain in the ass.  It doesn’t hold a curl for very long unless it’s loaded down with products.  It doesn’t have that smooth silky look unless it’s loaded down with products and straightened.  All of that makes the matter worse.

I heard about using coconut oil as a deep conditioner and started reading up on it.  Mad scientist kinda shit!  Something about more protein and it can penetrate the cell walls of your cuticle or something like that.  It’s supposed to help with hair loss (I swear I loose a small animal worth of hair a day), texture and overall health.

I had some that I use to cook with, which is a good choice also.

It’s pretty easy too.

Mine was a already starting to liquify because my pantry and laundry room are in the same room, the heat of the dryer had started to melt it.  But if it’s solid it will pretty much melt in your hand.

I used about a tablespoon.  Sectioned out my hair, started at the bottom and a little at a time started pulling it through, making sure every strand is coated.  Which for me took awhile.  I may have fine hair, but I have a shit ton of it.

After all of the hair is coated, pile it on your head and wrap it in plastic wrap or a plastic bag.  Some recommend using a hairdryer on it first to help.  I used saran wrap then a towel.

Now … wait an hour.  Yes an hour.

Then wash it out.  You may need a couple washings.  No store bought conditioner though. (I haven’t used it since)

My hair afterwards … WOW.  I unfortunately did not get a before and after.

I dried it and it wasn’t perfectly smooth but it didn’t have that blown out fluffy frizz it normally has after I dry it.  It looked pretty good.

So I’m hooked.  Most things I’ve read say to do it every couple – three weeks or so.  I’m going to do it again this week since my hair needs the extra attention.

I think I found a new best friend for my hair.

June 25, 2011
by m.o.m.
4 Comments

Bountiful Basket 6/25/2011

Fruit: huge bunch of bananas (the yellow ones i bought this past week), 6 mango, green apples, plums, limes (key limes i think), strawberries, blackberries

Veggies: romaine, cabbage, carrots, celery, green onion, grape tomatoes

The plan:

bananas and berries – will more than likely end up in smoothies

mango – oatmeal? maybe in smoothies too

plums – will eat as is

apples – nothing planned

limes – nothing planned

celery – peanut butter!!!

carrots – butter and garlic!!

romaine and tomatoes – probably go with the cuke and green pepper in the fridge for a salad

green onion – maybe chop up and add to some miso

cabbage – no clue

 

Now between the carrots, onion and celery I know there is a base for just about anything but it’s just too hot for anything hot.  Cabbage = cole slaw = blech.  Maybe some other, not so heavily coated coleslaw. And of course the key limes = pie, but I’d be the only one to eat it.

I’m wide open to any other suggestions!

June 22, 2011
by m.o.m.
0 comments

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Before I get into this recipe I have a confession and an observation to make.

The confession: The other night I made a rotini pasta dish … with cheese.  I was trying to get rid of the last of the cheese and I had some shredded mozz so I used it.

The observation: Mucus/congestion.  I had read awhile back about how dairy products can cause you to be more congested.  Supposedly when you stop ingesting dairy you get more mucusy.  I did notice that and realized that upon waking in the morning I was not as stuffy and congested but throughout the day felt like there was a mucus hose in the back of my throat.  But after eating the pasta, with the cheese, I woke up more stuffy than I had been previously.  So the no dairy thing for me, is apparently something that I keep to keep up with as much as possible.

The other confession:  The other day at Fry’s, I wen to Starbucks.  But I got a decaf soy latte.  No caffeine, no dairy, no sugary sweet syrup.  But Starbucks is a gateway drug so I need to limit it as much as possible!! LOL!!

So this mac and cheese recipe.

I found it on The Kind Life and have wanted to try it ever since.

Ingredients, slightly modified from the original

  • 3 cups whole wheat rotini pasta
  • 1 cups almond milk
  • 1/4 cup tamari
  • 1 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 tsp. of dijon mustard
  • 2/3 cup(s) of canola oil
  • salt & pepper to taste

 

I, of course, had to buy the yeast.  Tamari/soy sauce doesn’t last in my house, Chelsie would drink it if I let her!  And grey poupon, I’m not a big mustard person but after reading the label and realizing that it’s pretty pure and natural I might start using it on more stuff.

This is super easy.

  1. Boil the pasta
  2. Combine all other ingredients in food processor or blender
  3. Once the past is done, drain and return to the pot and add the sauce

Looks pretty appetizing.

The texture was very cheese like but the taste … I can’t put my finger on it.  I think it could have used less tamari, it make the taste more intense.  It’s definitely not your run of the mill Kraft mac and cheese or even a homemade baked mac and cheese but it’s definitely good.