Safety of Using Homeopathic Remedies While Breastfeeding

This article is a guest post by Joette Calabrese.  This is the second in a series on homeopathy for infants and children. 

 

As mothers, we know that there is no better nourishment for our babies than breast milk.

Simple.

Whatever a mother eats, drinks or uses medicinally, will influence her milk supply. Because of this superbly close affinity between the mother’s health and her milk, it’s vital that it be full of rich nutrients (courtesy of her nutrient-dense diet) and clean of any harmful substance from the likes of over-the-counter meds, antibiotics or steroids.

Drugs leave havoc in their wake by suppressing illness, compromising immunity and carrying with them side effects; many of which are not put to rest simply by halting the medication.

But what if the mother gets sick? Well, that’s where homeopathy comes in to play.

Homeopathic remedies are not like over-the-counter meds, antibiotics or steroids. While the latter treat the symptoms, homeopathy addresses the entire person. Additionally, drugs tend to suppress the illness, while homeopathy helps the body overcome it.

Homeopathy has no side effects and will not interfere with any other medications or procedures. Plus, it’s the gentlest and also most powerful way to give the gift of robust health to both mother and child.

When a breastfeeding mother becomes sick, I strongly encourage her to try homeopathic remedies.

This means that the remedies a mother might use for acute illnesses (mastitis, yeast infections, UTI’s, colds, flu’s, ear infections, etc) are both gentle and safe.

Even if the mother and child are in good health, I still encourage the daily use of three cell salt remedies while the baby nurses to promote and maintain robust health. Calc fluor 6x, Nat mur 6x and Silica 6x have a reputation for helping to build bones and teeth enamel, strengthening blood vessels and arteries, and building strong and resilient blood, skin, hair and nails.

These and other cell salt remedies will help to nourish and fortify the infant’s health, too.

A nursing mother gets the best of both worlds when she uses homeopathic remedies. Not only is her health gently and safely restored and supported, but in the process, her baby’s health is also nourished with every nursing moment.

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The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The reader is encouraged to make independent inquires and to seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.
 

Do you wish you could be the healer in your family?  I know what its like.  As a mom and homeopath, I’ve distilled my techniques  to a system that will teach you how to  take care of your family via homeopathy, common horse sense and just the right measure of nutrition.  Its called“How to Raise a Drug Free Family”.  Its all of my  methods, tips and tricks designed for mothers and others all wrapped up into one system.  I promise you’ll love what you’ll be able to accomplish with this information. www.homeopathyworks.net/offers/drugfree.html

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Perfected! (grain-free : gluten-free : GAPS version)

I am really, really excited about this cookie recipe, as the taste and texture is like the cookies I remember from the days before we were eating grain-free. Straight out of the oven, these cookies are wonderfully crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle.  After a day or two on the counter (or in the fridge), they are nicely soft and chewy.  These cookies don't have a strong coconut flavor, and have also been enjoyed by people that are not eating a grain-free diet.

The GAPS diet does allow cocoa to be eaten occasionally once digestive symptoms have subsided.  The challenge to making these cookies GAPS-legal is finding chocolate chips that are sweetened with honey, as other sweeteners are not allowed on GAPS.  I used dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips, but they still aren't GAPS-legal because of evaporated cane juice as a sweetener. You could easily omit the chocolate chips, or even replace a little of the coconut flour with cocoa if you prefer.


Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter, preferably from grassfed cows
• 1 cup mild-flavored honey
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter or your favorite nut butter (pecan cashew butter is very tasty in this recipe)
• 1 Tb organic vanilla extract
• 3 whole eggs plus 1 yolk, preferably from pastured hens
• 3/4 tsp fine-ground celtic sea salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tb coconut flour (you might need a touch more coconut flour if your nut butter or honey is very runny)
• 3 Tb almond flour, preferably from crispy nuts
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional, possibly omit for GAPS)*
• 1/2 cup chopped crispy pecans (optional)
• Optional equipment: stand mixer**

1. Set your oven racks so that none are in the bottom third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, baking soda, coconut flour, and almond flour.  Whisk well to combine and break up any lumps of coconut flour.
3. Beat the softened butter for a couple minutes, until it is light and fluffy.
4. Add the honey and continue to beat for a few more minutes until the honey is incorporated very well.  If you are using a stand-mixer, make sure you scrape the sides and bottom a couple times to get everything incorporated well.
5. Add the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the bowl as needed.
6. Add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is running.  The easiest way to do this is to break all of the eggs into a bowl or cup and then just pour them in one-at-a-time.  Let each egg get incorporated before adding another one.
7. While the mixer is running, add the dry ingredients a little at a time.  Since coconut flour does not contain gluten, there is no worry of over-mixing it!
8. Stir in the optional chocolate chips and pecans. 
9. Scoop the cookies onto greased cookie sheets (or line the cookie sheets with silpats, which are wonderful since the cookies never stick and are less likely to burn).  I like to use a 1-Tb scoop for consistently pretty cookies, but you could just use a spoon.
10. Press down the cookies slightly with a spoon or fork. Skip this step for subsequent batches baked on already-warm cookie sheets, as those cookies will spread more on their own.
11. Bake the cookies at 325 F for about 16-20 minutes (or a few minutes longer if you are cooking them on stoneware). They are done when they are golden brown on top and a little darker brown on the edges.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Then use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack.
13. Once cool, store these cookies in an airtight container.  They can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer if you won't be eating them all in the next few days.  They are nice and chewy straight from the fridge, and even soft enough to eat straight out of the freezer!  Storing them in the freezer will also remove the pressure of having to eat them all in a week or so, as they will last for months in the freezer.

*I used dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips, but they are still not GAPS-legal. To make this recipe GAPS-legal, you may have to omit the chocolate chips or try to make your own using honey as a sweetener.  Or, you could replace a little of the coconut flour with cocoa and have the whole cookie be chocolate flavored.
**I love using my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer for making cookies as it makes it very easy to add the ingredients while the mixer is running.

This post is part of Monday Mania, Pennywise Platter, Fat Tuesday and Fight Back Friday!

Tips for Planting the Summer Vegetable Garden and Deep Mulch Gardening

This post is an updated version of one that was originally published in April 2011.
 
We've passed our last frost date here in southern New Mexico, so it is time to plant the summer garden! I'm excited for the year ahead, and hoping to try a few new techniques this year. I have a couple new raised beds for more planting space this year, and I'm going to try out deep mulch gardening in some areas instead of my usual method. The keys to a happy garden are good soil, the right amount of water, and plenty of sunshine.

Plan it Out
Before I planted my first summer garden a few years ago, I drew up a little plan of my garden and mapped out where I would plant everything.  Then I actually planted things and learned that the "plan" was totally off. These days, I still like to do at least a bit of planning ahead for plant placement. I do the following:

• Take stock of old seeds - If you've previously planted a garden, you may still have some old seed packets.  Figure out what you've got and what you still need for this year. I only had to buy a couple seed packets this year. 
• Plan for companion plants - For instance, tomatoes will benefit from being planted near parsley and dill, and would enjoy the afternoon shade offered by sunflowers.  Basil likes to be planted near tomatoes. For more ideas, check out my post on companion planting with herbs.
• Get a rough idea of plant placement - Make sure to find a nice, sunny spot for your plants.  To reduce pests and diseases, it is a good idea to make sure you don't plant the same type of plants in the same location year after year.  I also need to re-think plant placement a bit each year because my compost heap changes locations and other plants (like strawberries) have taken over more area in the garden.

Prep the Soil and Add Compost
Good soil is key to a flourishing garden.  The ideal soil will have plenty of nutrients for the plants, will drain away excess water to prevent root rot, and will also retain enough moisture to keep the plants from drying out too much between waterings. Even if you have great soil, at a minimum you'll still want to turn over the dirt in your garden annually (unless you want to try the deep mulch gardening technique, which I will describe later in the post). This ensures that the ground is not too hard-packed so that roots can easily grow.  It also helps to mix nutrients evenly into the soil since certain areas may have been depleted by previous plantings.

If you don't have very good soil, you'll need to amend it to make it better.  Overly sandy soil drains too quickly and the plants will dry out too much.  In some yards, there is clay soil which is problematic since it drains very slowly and is very compacted (which makes it hard for roots to grow). The best thing to use for amending your soil is compost!

Compost is basically decomposed plant matter, and it is full of nutrients.  Using compost is a great way to enrich the soil as it retains just enough moisture and provides all the fertilizer your plants will need to grow and thrive.  The ground in my yard is full of sand and rocks.  Every year I remove more rocks and add more compost, so over time my garden soil is getting better and better.

Compost is also great to use because it can be very cost effective. I have two large compost piles, and it is wonderful to put all of my vegetable scraps plus yard waste to such good use.  If you don't yet make your own compost, check to see if your local city has any available.  In my area, we can get compost for free at the city landfill.  You can also buy compost at the store.  Whichever compost you use, make sure it is fully composted before planting your vegetables in it.  My mom uses store-bought compost and finds it best to amend the soil and then wait 1-2 weeks before planting.

Get to Planting
Once your soil is ready, you can start planting!  Some plants, like tomatoes, get planted individually with plenty of space between plants.  Other plants, like corn, get planted in rows.  And then squash, cucumbers, and melons get planted in hills.

When transplanting tomato or tomatillo plants, it is a good idea to plant them much deeper than other seedlings. The bottom of the main stem (which includes some leaves) should be buried in the ground.  This will give the tomato plants a head start as roots will grow off the main stem.

This year, the edible plants in my garden will be:

• Tomatoes
• Butternut squash, spaghetti squash, zucchini, and yellow squash
• Cucumbers
• Sunflowers, marigolds, and nasturtiums
• Strawberries 
• Swiss chard
• Watermelons
• Pumpkins
• Green onions
• Celery
• Corn
• Parsley, basil, oregano, dill, mint, and thyme

Make it Beautiful with Flowers
I take a queue from my mom and always plant flowers in with my vegetables.  This makes the garden beautiful to look at, but it also aids the vegetables.  For instance, sunflowers can provide late-afternoon shade for tomatoes, marigolds can benefit strawberries, and zinnias can attract lots of beneficial pollinators.  Nasturtiums are also great to plant as bugs are more attracted to them than to your veggies. For more information on companion planting with flowers, check out the Extreme Gardening book.

Set up the Watering System
Where I live, we have a yearly rainfall of only 8-11 inches so supplemental watering of the garden is absolutely required!  If you don't get regular rain in your area, you'll also need to supplement the water in your garden.  I know many people who like to use sprinklers or even water with the hose by hand, but my preferred method for watering is a drip system. Drip systems are wonderful for many reasons:

• Drip systems deliver water directly to the ground around your plants.  This keeps the plants healthy and beautiful as many do not like having their leaves wet.
• If you use a timer with your drip system, it will ensure that your plants get watered on a regular basis. This is a must for me as I can't be trusted to remember to water my garden all the time.  
• Drip systems conserve water since the water goes directly into the ground where it is needed, instead of up into the air.

Setting up a drip system can be complicated or simple.  My drip system is part of the overall landscape irrigation system that we installed.  However, you can easily set up a drip system off the hose bib in your yard as well.  They even sell drip system kits at the home improvement stores.  If you want more info, check out this free irrigation tutorial site.  

Mulch!
Once you are done transplanting and your seeds have started growing well, it is a good idea to apply a layer of mulch to the garden.  Mulch helps to keep the ground from drying out too much, and it also keeps the plants off of the moist ground. Alfalfa hay is especially good to use as a mulch because it provides nutrients to the soil as time goes on.

Deep mulch gardening, which I will be experimenting with this year, is a method whereby you add lots of mulch (at least 8-12 inches) and leave it in place.  Then you just separate the mulch a bit to plant.  This method is supposed to involve no digging or weeding, as more mulch gets continually added on top while the mulch on the bottom breaks down.  Where I live, the trickiest part of implementing this method will be watering.  I'll let you know how my experiments with this method work out.

Get the Kids Involved 

Getting your kids involved in the garden is wonderful.  It teaches them about the life cycle of plants, lets them feel responsible and confident, and gives them skills for their own gardening endeavors as they grow up.  Even very young children can participate, although when they are under 2-years-old their contributions will look more like getting filthy in the dirt. My daughter has had her own little garden space since she was three-years-old.  She helps me plant seeds and transplant seedlings into my garden, but she especially loves having her own space where she can plant anything she wants, however she wants!  And she is immeasurably proud when she gets to harvest food from her garden and watch us all enjoy it at the dinner table.

Watch it Grow and Keep a Journal!
Once your garden is planted, it's time to enjoy watching it grow until the foods are ripe.  A friend gave me the great idea to keep a gardening journal.  Each year, I record what was planted, when it was planted, and how it fared.  This helps me keep track from year-to-year on what worked best.

What are you planting this year? Have you tried deep mulch gardening?  What are your tips for planting the summer garden?

This post is part of Fight Back Friday!

Teriyaki Chicken Wings (gluten-free : grain-free : primal : paleo)

(I've moved! You can see this recipe on my new website here!)

I'm excited to share a wonderful recipe for teriyaki chicken wings from my friend Sharon.  These wings are so good that everyone in my family clamors for more. The wings are marinated and then cook up in less than 30 minutes in a nice, hot oven.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Serves 4

• About 2 pounds chicken wings, preferably from pastured chickens
• For the Marinade:
• 1 cup mild-flavored honey
• 1 cup gluten-free tamari soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tb minced fresh ginger, or 2 tsp dried ginger
• juice from 1 orange 
•  High temperature cooking oil, such as refined coconut oil or sunflower oil

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir a bit, and if necessary let it sit for about ten minutes so the honey can dissolve (especially if you are using crystallized raw honey).  Stir again. 
2. If your wings are all in one piece, use a sharp knife to separate the drummettes from the flat pieces. Add the raw chicken wings to the marinade and push them down to submerge. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 8-30 hours. The longer, the better!
3. Use the high-temp oil to grease two large sheet pans, or you could even use two large 9X13 glass baking dishes. 
4. If you'd like a little sauce for dipping (or just want to make the most of the marinade and use it for another purpose, such as salad dressing), pour some of the marinade into a small saucepan.  Bring this to a boil, skim the foam, and let it cook down for awhile over low heat.
5. Pour off the rest of the marinade, and place the chicken wings on the greased baking dishes. 
6. Bake the chicken wings at 425 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes.  Use some tongs to flip the wings after about 15 minutes of cook time.
7. Allow the wings to cool a bit and then serve alongside sesame snap peas, a green salad, and/or egg drop soup.  You can drizzle some of the cooked marinade on top if you like your wings extra saucy.  (Make sure to let those baking dishes soak for awhile in hot soapy water before you try to clean them!)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (grain-free, gluten-free, primal, GAPS-option)

My husband always requests cookies for his birthday.  Last year, we had chewy cinnamon almond cookies, but this year I wanted to develop a new chocolate chip cookie recipe.  These cookies are not very dense, and for whatever reason they are much tastier after being refrigerated (and they are even soft enough to eat straight out of the freezer). Chocolate and peanut butter = Yum!

The challenge in making these GAPS-legal is to find chocolate chips that are GAPS-legal.  The chocolate chips I used are dairy-free and soy-free, but they do still have evaporated cane juice as a sweetener so they are not GAPS-legal.  You could just omit the chocolate chips to make them fully GAPS-legal, and they are quite yummy that way too. And you can see that they are very pretty without the chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter, preferably from grassfed cows
• 1 cup mild-flavored honey
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 Tb organic vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• 3/4 tsp fine-ground celtic sea salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 3 Tb almond flour, preferably from crispy nuts
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)*
• 1/2 cup chopped crispy pecans (optional)
• Optional equipment: stand mixer**

 

1. Set your oven racks so that none are in the bottom third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, baking soda, coconut flour, and almond flour.  Whisk well to combine and break up any lumps of coconut flour.
3. Beat the softened butter for a couple minutes, until it is light and fluffy.
4. Add the honey and continue to beat for a few more minutes until the honey is incorporated very well.  If you are using a stand-mixer, make sure you scrape the sides and bottom a couple times to get everything incorporated well.
5. Add the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the bowl as needed.
6. Add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is running.  The easiest way to do this is to break all of the eggs into a bowl or cup and then just pour them in one-at-a-time.  Let each egg get incorporated before adding another one.
7. While the mixer is running, add the dry ingredients a little at a time.  Since coconut flour does not contain gluten, there is no worry of over-mixing it!
8. Stir in the optional chocolate chips and pecans. 
9. Scoop the cookies onto greased cookie sheets (or line the cookie sheets with silpats, which are wonderful since the cookies never stick and are less likely to burn).  I like to use a 1-Tb scoop for consistently pretty cookies, but you could just use a spoon.
10. If you like, press down the cookies slightly with a spoon or fork.  In the pictures above, the plain peanut butter cookies were not pressed down, and you can see that they are nicely rounded on top.  Pressing down will give you a flatter cookie, like the chocolate chip ones in the top picture.
11. Bake the cookies at 325 F for about 16-20 minutes (or a few minutes longer if you are cooking them on stoneware). They are done when they are golden brown on top and a little darker brown on the edges.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Then use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack.
13. Once cool, store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.  They are nice and chewy straight from the fridge, and even soft enough to eat straight out of the freezer!  Storing them in the freezer will also remove the pressure of having to eat them all in a week or so, as they will last for months in the freezer.

*I used dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips, but they are still not GAPS-legal. To make this recipe GAPS-legal, you may have to omit the chocolate chips or try to make your own using honey as a sweetener.
**I love using my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer for making cookies as it makes it very easy to add the ingredients while the mixer is running.

Easiest Plants for Beginning Gardeners

Over the few years I've been gardening, I've learned that some plants require lots of effort, but some are very easy.  If you are just getting into gardening, you may as well start with the easiest plants! The easiest plants:

• keep coming back year after year with no additional effort
• produce plenty to harvest
• don't require any special fertilizers or other special treatment

Since I live in the desert, we have large temperature variations.  We see temps over 100 degrees every summer, and usually get down to the low teens in the winter (except the previous winter when we had a freak snow storm and temps of -10F). In my garden, the easiest plants to grow are:

• Strawberries
• Green onions
• Celery
• Parlsey
• Thyme
• Mint

Strawberries
Growing strawberries seems to be my freak superpower.  I started with 25 plants about 3 years ago, and these have propagated so that now I have a bajillion plants.  During peak strawberry time I harvest about 20-40 berries a day for over 6 weeks.

Tips for Strawberries

• Strawberries reproduce by sending out runners. Make sure to plant them in an area where they have plenty of room to expand since the runners will slowly reach out to cover more and more area.
• Strawberries like sandy soil!
• Mulch around the base of the strawberry plants. This really helps prevent all of the berries from being eaten by bugs. I use straw or hay to mulch the strawberry patch. Pine needles are supposed to work great as well.
• Conventional strawberry growing calls for mowing down the plants after the harvest. I DO NOT do this! I just let the strawberries grow and grow. By the end of the growing season, they grow to where there is no space to walk in a 10-foot X 10-foot area. In the Fall, I invite friends to come over and dig up some strawberry plants to transplant into their own yards. I just make sure they dig them up in rows, so I have some space to walk again in the strawberry patch.

Green Onions

I use green onions as companion plants for my strawberries and apple trees.  Whenever I need some green onions for cooking, I just go snip some off a few green spikes.  Some of the green onions in my garden have been growing for over 3 years. 

Tips for Green Onions

• When you need some green onions for a recipe, do NOT pull up the green onions.  Rather, just cut off some green parts and leave the rest in the ground.  The onions will continue growing new green parts!  
• Leave some green onions growing long enough to make seeds.  Once the onions have been growing over a year, they will make flowers and seeds. The seeds can easily be collected and planted, or just left to drop where they are if you want more onions in that location. 

Celery
My three celery plants have been growing for over 3 years. They do not tend to make any big stalks like the ones you buy at the store, but they make lots of little stalks and celery leaves.  This is a great way to always have some celery on hand for making soups and stews. I do still occasionally buy celery at the store when my daughter is requesting to eat ants on a log (celery filled with peanut butter with raisins on top).

Tips for Celery

• Plant the celery in a location where you can leave it growing for years.
• When it is time to harvest some celery, just cut some directly off the plant and leave the rest in place.  It will continue to grow new stalks and leaves.   

Parsley
I originally planted parsley as a companion plant for my strawberries, and to have a little for making homemade ranch dressing.  Parsley has really proliferated in my garden, and has even started popping up around my apple trees.  Parsley is great because it attracts beneficial pollinators and predaceous insects to the garden.

Tips for Parsley

• Plant parsley in a location where you would welcome more parsley plants. In the late spring, parsley will drop lots of tiny seeds that will readily grow into new plants.
• When it is time to harvest parsley, just cut off what you need and the rest will continue to grow. 

Thyme
I planted some thyme in my garden bed and a little in a pot a few years ago.  These plants are perennials, so they just keep on growing throughout the year. I love having fresh thyme on hand for cooking savory dishes.

Tips for Thyme

• Thyme will grow well in a variety of locations, ranging from pots to garden beds.  
• In the winter, the thyme leaves will turn a dark purplish color.  Although they look different, they still taste great.
• If your thyme gets too big or scraggly, don't be afraid to prune it back. 

Mint
Fresh mint is delightful to have on hand for throwing into some iced tea in the summer.  It is also great for stomach upsets and digestive woes. I like to just chew on it whenever the mood strikes me.

Tips for Mint

• Mint is notorious for taking over wherever it is planted. Mine is planted in a pot so that it can't spread too much.
• Although the mint plants will die back when winter arrives, many more mint plants will pop up once warm temperatures come back in the spring.

What plants keep coming back year after year for you?