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How We Do Cloth Diapers

March 8th, 2010 · mothering, natural living

Picture Credit.
 

This article was originally published in October, 2008.

Before our toddler was born my husband left the cloth vs. disposables decision up to me. I knew his preference was cloth for both financial and health reasons. I felt the same way, so I researched the different types to see what was out there. I hadn’t changed a baby’s diaper in… well… ever really so I had no idea what I was looking for. Somewhere in all of my research I came across Mother-Ease.

Diapers 

These are what have made cloth diapering so easy that I find using disposables rather difficult and quite leaky. These are the Mother-Ease one size diapers. I love these diapers for many reasons, but one is simply because they were designed by a mother from Canada who wanted better cloth diapers for her baby.

The first thought that popped into my head when I thought of cloth diapering was “Oh no, not pins.” These are pin free and so easy. They literally work from 8 lbs. up. Both our 6 week old baby and our two year old toddler are using the same diapers as we speak. Granted, our baby has a huge bum, but it’s very cute and charming on a little guy like him.

When we first ordered diapers we ordered the complete package. This supplied us with diapers, soaker liners and covers. I know it’s a lot of money up front, but it certainly does pay for itself in the long run. I also realize there are less expensive ways to do cloth diapering, which I absolutely encourage.

Diaper Covers

We have used the air flow covers. We very rarely have leaks, and they generally occur not because of the diaper cover but because our little man is a heavy wetter. As our 2 year old has grown out of them we simply order new ones and save the old ones for the next in line.

We have not had to buy diaper covers for our youngest. He has simply used the same ones his brother wore without any leaking. This has been a big money saver.

Wipes

We also chose to use cloth wipes for the same reasons as cloth diapers – cost and health. To dampen the wipe we use a thermos with warm water and a couple of drops of tea tree or lavendar oil. This cleans them up with no added chemicals or alcohol and the essential oil acts as both a deodorizer and a disinfectant.

We purchased some wipes online and I (not so brilliantly) tore some old wash cloths in half and didn’t sew them up. I remember telling my husband “Look, I cut all of those washcloths in half and now we have twice as many wipes.” He looked at me and said “You know the edges are going to fray, right?” Whoops. We still use them, though. Our babies’ bums don’t know the difference.

Overall I have found cloth diapering to be a simple way to both save money and keep dioxins and chemicals away from our baby.

What about you… How do you diaper your babies and why?

 

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Real Food Faceoff with Sally Fallon Morell

March 4th, 2010 · nourishing food, real health

Have you been following the Real Food Faceoff series over at Kitchen Stewardship? It’s been really interesting and inspiring to go behind the scenes of so many hearts and kitchens to see how and why they do what they do.

Today Katie is featuring Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Traditions and president of the Weston A Price Foundation, against… well, me. When I wrote up answers to the faceoff questions I linked to My Journey to Nourishing Food, which is a great way to get to know where I am coming from if you’re interested.

Head on over to the Real Food Faceoff if you’d like to see how and why Mrs. Fallon Morell does real food.

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Easy Step Towards a Nourishing Diet: Eat More Raw Foods

March 3rd, 2010 · nourishing food, real health

Papaya by katstan.
photo credit

Previous steps:

If our nation is anything it is a pasteurized nation. Heat it up, kill what’s beneficial in order to make it uniform and "safe". You’ll now see pasteurized egg shells in the supermarket right along side of the pasteurized milk and juice.

The saddest part is that the eggs and the milk that they are pasteurizing do pose a threat. When it comes from factory farmed animals the rates of salmonella and e. coli are much higher than those animals that are raised properly. Pasteurizing these foods is simply putting a band-aid on a much, much bigger wound.

But we all know that raw foods are good for us. Enzymes and friendly bacteria make raw food beneficial to our digestive system. When I eat a large salad with my meal or drink a glass of kombucha I notice a difference in how I feel afterward. Lighter is a good way to describe it.

Beyond Fruits and Vegetables

We all know that fresh fruits and vegetables carry the enzymes and friendly bacteria from the soil that we need. But we can go beyond carrot sticks and apples. In fact we must if we are going to seek to eat a diet that is 50% raw or more like some suggest.

  • Raw Dairy. This is the first place to start. Raw dairy is infinitely superior to it’s pasteurized cousin. When milk is raw it contains all of the enzymes necessary to digest the casein and lactose that so many have trouble with. It is also higher in vitamins and minerals due to the loss of nutrients in the pasteurization process. The friendly bacteria it contains are akin to probiotics and help the digestive system keep moving rather than blocking it as pasteurized dairy can do. Resource: find real milk in your area here.
  • Lacto-Fermented Vegetables. These little guys are storehouses of enzymes, probiotics, and micronutrients. Learning to love naturally fermented pickles, sauerkraut, cortido, and salsa has made such a difference in our family. Not only are the health benefits great, but using this as a method of food preservation requires much less energy and seems more sustainable in the long run.
  • Cultured Dairy. Culturing dairy (raw or pasteurized) into kefir, yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk increases both the nutrients and the enzymes, not to mention adding more friendly bacteria. They are also delicious and so useful in the kitchen. Resource: find yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk starters here.
  • Lacto-Fermented Beverages. These are a great alternative to sodas or juice. Kombucha, water kefir, and beet kvass are the most commonly known. I wrote more about my adventures with kombucha last year. Resource: find water kefir grains and kombucha scobys here.
  • Raw Nuts and Seeds. Raw nuts are difficult to digest, but with a soaking they can be easy on the belly and still contain enzymes. I use the salt brine soaking method found here and then dehydrate on a low temperature in order to preserve the enzymes of the raw nuts and seeds.
  • Raw Eggs, Fish and Meat. This is less common in our area of the world than in others. Sushi and steak tartare of examples of the delicacy that can be raw animal foods. I have yet to venture into this realm, but do sneak in raw egg yolks when possible. Smoothies and homemade egg nog are good ways to get in raw egg yolks. Raw egg whites are controversial as they have been shown to have anti nutrients and I am not sure how I feel about them at this point.

I definitely have further to go on this step, especially during these dark days of winter. But I do notice a big difference when I am eating more raw foods.

How about you… How important do you think raw foods are? How do you get more of them in?

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Weekly Menu Plan

March 1st, 2010 · menu plans

I am attempting to get back on track after our travels and a menu seemed like a good place to start. We are still dealing with some dietary restrictions, so most of our meals are proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and some raw dairy.

Sunday

Monday

  • breakfast: Coconut Flour Pancakes w/ nut butter + jam, bacon
  • dinner: Potato-Onion Soup, Big Salads: greens, avocado, nuts, cheese, homemade dressing
  • prep:dehydrate walnuts and pumpkin seeds

Tuesday

  • breakfast: eggs, leftover pancakes
  • dinner: Roasted Chicken & Vegetables (Brussels Sprouts & carrots), roasted rosemary potatoes, salad w/ homemade dressing
  • prep: make more salad dressing

Wednesday

  • breakfast: nut & seed "cereal" w/ coconut & raw milk
  • dinner: Eggs "Benedict" with mushrooms & bacon, salad, smoothies
  • prep: pick up milk + eggs from farm, thaw beef

Thursday

  • breakfast: Fried eggs, leftover potatoes
  • dinner: Minestrone Soup, coconut flour biscuits, salad
  • prep: bake biscuits, prep soup 4 crock pot

Friday

  • breakfast: nut & seed "cereal" w/ coconut & raw milk
  • dinner: Meatza, steamed broccoli, salad
  • prep:

Menu Planning Resources

For hundreds of menus visit Laura.

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Travel Food For Those with Dietary Restrictions

February 28th, 2010 · cooking, nourishing food

We returned from a lovely trip earlier this week and I am just now starting to catch up around the house and online. I asked for travel food ideas in my last menu plan and I was blessed by many of your ideas. So I thought I would share what worked for us.

I do confess that I have an easier job than most whether I’m preparing meals at home or for the road. My husband is the least picky eater I’ve ever met. He praises most everything I make and very, very rarely complains. He is a practical man who loves real food and has passed that on to both of our boys, making my job that much easier.

We were gone five days and I tried to pack enough food for the majority of our meals. We ate out a few times, but for the most part our meals came from our cooler. Grains, beans, sugar, and pasteurized dairy are off the menu for some or all of us, so I knew that eating out would be a challenge.

What We Packed

  • Salad fixings. The easiest main dish to prepare for those with dietary restrictions is a large, dynamic salad. I packed greens, avocados, chopped veggies, homemade salad dressing, and containers of cooked and seasoned grass-fed beef and cooked, chopped chicken. When meal times came around I assembled salads for our family and served them with sourdough bread + butter for our boys.
  • Snacks. Some of our meals were just an assembly of small snacks. Raw cheese + almond crackers, fruit, vegetables, and crispy nuts are the ones we chose. A little bit of super dark chocolate made for a nice treat.
  • Grain-free baked goods. The most portable of foods is the muffin. I threw together an experimental recipe of coconut flour pumpkin muffins using a pumpkin I roasted before the trip. The recipe still needed tweaking, but with some grass-fed butter it made for a filling and nourishing snack.
  • Omelet Muffins. Readers Erin and Aurelia reminded me of these handy little eats. I need to make the recipe again before sharing the specifics, but it is basically eggs, cheese, milk, and cooked vegetables baked in a muffin tin. We ate these for breakfasts twice and they were a hit.
  • Beverages. Water is our beverage of choice, so we filled up some kombucha bottles for the road. Raw milk and kombucha rounded out the other options.

Eating Out

Like I said we did eat out a few times. Before the trip I did a little bit of research so that we could be prepared. I wanted to make sure that we had options and guidelines when we were on the road. So there were two places I knew we could eat.

  1. Chipotle. Because they source their pork from Polyface farms this is one place we don’t mind eating. Using the salad option (minus the rice, beans, and dressing) and adding guacamole you have a filling and nourishing meal. Our boys love it as well.
  2. Whole Foods Market. Ridiculously pricey? Yes. Full service salad bar? Yes. We never actually did stop here, but I knew we would be able to find options here.

So along with our driving directions I added locations to the above establishments for when we passed through large cities. All of this preparation really paid off in both saving money and keeping everyone healthy.

How about you… How do you do travel food?

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