The Holistic Mama

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Pumpkin Cranberry Mini-Muffins

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Today I made these great muffins that came out so delicious!  They are not too sugary and have a great pumpkin flavor.

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup beet sugar
  • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tspn baking soda
  • 1/2 tspn sea salt
  • 1 cup dried canberries
  • 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Spoon mixture into a greased mini-muffin tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

These are great as a side dish for Thanksgiving, or as a mid afternoon snack.  They aren't going to last long in my house that is for sure!


Safe and Natural Insect Repellent Recipe

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peppermint

Most of the insect repellents you can buy in the store have harmful chemicals in them.  Chemicals that are bad for our health and bad for the environment.  The best way to keep the bugs away is with essential oils.  They are extremely potent and effective for many different things.  It's so important to be conscious about ticks and mosquitoes since they can carry many different diseases.  There are many variations on the recipe to use for insect repellent.  Here is one that was recommended to me which is effective against mosquitoes, bed bugs, black flies and ticks.

1 4-oz sprayer bottle (glass preferably)
12-15 drops Young Living Purification oil
5 drops Young Living Thieves
5 drops peppermint essential oil
4 drops rose essential oil (optional for added tick protection)
1oz vodka
4 oz purified water

This can be used on children, dogs, and of course adults.  Be sure to use high quality oils to get the best results.  The best quality oils I have found are from Young Living.  I buy all my oils from them and they work very well.

For more homemade personal care recipes, check out my eBook The Holistic Mama's Guide to Homemade Skin Care.


Homemade Baby Food is Best

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When my siblings and I were babies, my mother made all of our baby food herself.  As soon as I got pregnant I had no doubt in my mind that I would make the baby's food myself.  As my daughter got closer to six months old and it was time to feed her food I was feeling a little overwhelmed with making all the meals for myself and my husband and then also making food for my daughter.  To my surprise, it is a lot easier then I thought.  Since she started out only eating a small amount at a time I was able to make a batch that would last a few days.  Also, at my baby shower I got the best thing ever – the Beaba Babycook.  It steams and purees foods all in one container, its awesome.  It only takes 15 minutes and its easy clean up.  I highly reccomend it.

Just as I don't eat refined or packaged foods myself I would never feed that to my baby – unless I knew it was 100% organic and pure vegtable or fruit with no fillers.  When I make the food myself I know its coming from organic ingrediants.  An infant's immune system is less developed than an adult's, and more vulnerable. Nonorganic baby foods tend to use fruits and vegetables that have been treated with chemicals.  I do my best to minimize any chemicals that go into or onto my baby's body to give her immune system the best chance to develop.

Studies have shown that mass produced baby food are mostly made of water and thickening agents and have very little real food in them.  The nutrition value is very low in many baby foods – Gerber and Heinz have been shown to be amoungst the worst as far as nutritional value.  Other brands are a bit better but nothing will stand up to fresh food made at home.  It's also a great way for your baby to try a lot o different foods and combinations of foods. 

Share with me your baby's favorite combinations, I would love to hear from you.  One of my new creations for my daughter that was a hit was Red Lentil and Carrot Puree.


Cloth Diapers: Why I Love Them

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It's better for your baby.  Whenever I have a choice to make for my daughter my first thought is always – what is the healthiest choice for her? When I was pregnant I thought it would be great to use cloth diapers on my baby. I didn't know anyone who used them and had no idea where or what to buy. The first month or two after Giulia was born I used disposable diapers because I didn't have the first clue about how to go about using cloth diapers. After a few weeks of Internet research I decided to give it a shot. I found a lot of reasons why using cloth diapers are better but the reason that resonated with me the most was that it was better for her. Babies who wear cloth diapers get less diaper rash and aren't exposed to the chemicals used in the diapers. Disposable diapers are made with sodium polyacralate. If you have ever changed a REALLY wet diaper and saw those little tiny crystals on the baby's bottom, that is sodium polyacralate, which can cause a lot of skin reactions. In addition, using cloth diapers instead of using disposable diapers will reduce your baby's chances of getting asthma. The Archives of Environmental Health tested 6 leading cloth diapers and 6 leading disposable diapers and discovered that the emissions from one disposable diaper were high enough to produce asthma-like symptoms in mice.

It's better for the environment. I read an article in Mothering Magazine that explained how there are landfills FULL of disposable diapers and I couldn't get the image out of my mind.  I don't want to be a contributor to the mountains of garbage caused by disposable diapers. It is estimated that 10,000 tons of disposable diapers are added to landfills EVERY day.  That's a lot of diapers!

It's MORE Convenient then disposables.  Yes that's right, I said its more convenient then disposables.  Whenever I change a diaper in front of other people, they are shocked to see that I am using a cloth diaper.  “Wow, you use cloth diapers??” or “How much extra laundry do you have??”  Most people can't even comprehend using them.  I usually do a load of diapers every other day.  Having a baby there is a lot of laundry anyway – it really doesn't make much of a difference.  I always have diapers on hand, I never have to run out to the store at 10:00pm because we ran out of diapers or wipes.  I also don't have nearly as much garbage to carry outside to the curb.  I find using cloth diapers much easier and more convenient then disposables.

It saves money.  When I was using disposables I spent close to $100 per month in diapers and wipes.  After my initial investment in the cloth diapers (about $300), I have no monthly cost.  After three months of use the diapers have paid for themselves.  Since I purchased the one-size diapers I won't have to buy anything else again.

I've tried a number of different brands of diapers.  Some of my favorites are GrowVia, Fuzzybuns, and BumGenious.

Resources:
Kelly's Closet