Allergy friendly skin care

I wanted to make my own body lotion for quite awhile before I found the right recipe. I'm pretty lazy (or have very little time to mess with things like this...), so I had quite a few specifics that said recipe had to meet. It couldn't have shea butter (people with tree nut allergies often react to it), it needed to be the right consistency(not completely harden like the first recipe I tried, or be too watery and separate like others) or leave that oily layer. Most of all, it needed to be fast, not too touchy and have consistent results. This one, with just a little tweaking, finally fit the bill. Most ingredients are ones already in my pantry and the others are simple and easy to find at any health food store, or if you're like me, ordered and delivered to my doorstep from any number of sites or sellers on ebay. On top of that, you'll pay about what you pay for generic lotion in the store. We all use it -- the boys use it on their faces and lips and eczema and it does amazing. The best compliment I ever got was at a facial where they do your throat and chest as well. The aesthetician told me I had remarkably soft skin and asked what I used. I was pretty proud of my lotion! : ) When I first started making it, I just saved some old lotion pump bottles and when it cools, but before it's totally set up, I use a funnel and pour it into those. Otherwise little boys tend to use wayyyyyyyy more than they need!

I'm also including the sugar scrub I use. I use it on my body and often, unless it's really dry (which happens in Wyoming), don't need to even use lotion. I had to play around in the kitchen to even figure out exactly what the ratio of sugar to oil that I use is -- usually I just stop by the kitchen and dump some sugar and oil in a container on my way to the shower. The sugar exfoliates as it dissolves and the oil soaks into your skin. two notes : make sure you pat and not rub it dry or you'll wipe the oil off and watch your step -- showers do get slippery with any type of product, but particularly oil based. I also use this on my face with great results. Olive oil is one of the few oils that won't clog your skin and cause breakouts. The sugar can be a little harsh it you have sensitive skin. Just add a bit of warm water to your hands to dissolve it until you get your own personalized ratio.

Sugar Scrub

1 c sugar

¼ c olive oil or oil of choice

Optional: 4-5 drops essential oils

Mix well to combine. Store in sealed container. Rub into skin at end of warm shower until grains dissolve. Rinse off and pat dry.

Homemade lotion

1 ¼ c distilled water

¼ c emulsifying wax

1/4 c choice of oils (I use mostly olive oil with a tablespoon or so coconut oil)

2 T cocoa butter

24-36 drops essential oils (I use several drops Vitamin E and Avocado Oil and add a ½ tsp vanilla extract)

Heat water in microwave until very hot. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add hot water and whick til smooth and creamy. Let cool slightly, stirring periodically. If lotion thickens more than desired, simply add water ¼ at a time, mixing well with each addition until desired thickness. If using Vitamin E, let cool slightly before adding. Keeps about 3 weeks. This is pretty rich -- a little goes a long ways!

Energizing Apricot Mask

½ c dried apricots

½ c warm water

1 T honey

Place in blender and process until smooth. Spread over face. Let set 15 min. Rinse skin well with warm water.

Moisturizing Avocado Mask

½ avocado, mashed

1 tsp honey

Mix til smooth. Spread over face and leave on 15 min. Rinse well with warm water.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

One of the boys actually found this recipe. They've realized I can (eventually) tweak most recipes for their allergies so when they find something they like they ask for the recipe (an odd thing for most 10 year old boys...). Sure enough, this recipe only needed very small tweaks to meet the dairy-free, egg free, soy free criteria. I haven't tried it gluten free yet, but it seems like it should work easily. These are everything a muffin should be -- moist, flavorful and great with a cup of coffee!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

makes 24

2 c pumpkin puree (I've also used a combo of pumpkin and butternut)

3 eggs or egg substitute to equal (we use EnerG)

3/4 c olive oil

1 tsp vanilla

3 c flour

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp each: ground nutmeg, cloves and all-spice

pinch salt

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine (I use a stand mixer). In separate bowl combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Add to liquid ingredients and mix until just combined. Spoon into 24 greased or papered muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min. Top with a glaze of 2T milk (or coconut milk) and 1/2 c powdered sugar (most organic powdered sugars are corn free) if desired.

"Corner Under the Stairs"

Yes, I know it's an odd name. I've meant to explain several times. I keep forgetting. Or getting distracted. Shocking, I know.

There is a group of mom that meets at my house to pray for each other and decompress. And have an adult conversation. The kids tear the house apart and we sit in the living room and chat and pretend to discuss a book we're supposed to read. One afternoon we were talking about having a place of our own -- you know, a place that the kids weren't supposed to touch. A place you could leave scissors on the table or tiny bananas you've made from frosting and no one will come out a few minutes later having bit the head off the cake topper you've just made or cut their hair off with the scissors. A place where you could shut the door and craft or scrapbook, or pretend to do something while having a moments peace and no one tapping you on the shoulder (which, I swear to God, actually happened as I typed that sentence...). One mom in particular (who has a little bit of a crazy house and insists on babysitting on top of it) expressed the wish to be able to organize her craft supplies and have even just a small space that her things could be HER THINGS. She mentioned that there was this corner under her stairs that was meant to be a large storage closet and all her craft stuff was in there just waiting to be organized and it was going to be her corner. I got this instant mental picture of a mom huddled in a tiny closet. There's a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. No windows, bare walls. And she looks a little crazy. She hasn't showered, her clothes are a little eskew and she's in the fetal position hugging her knees and rocking and humming. She's gone a little batty. The kids are pounding on the door outside, yelling, "Mom! Mom! Where are you?" In my head it was pretty funny. So I giggled. And then had to share the mental picture with the rest of the group so they would understand why I was laughing at her obviously serious revelation. It became a standing joke that meeting that we'd go to our "corner under the stairs", but the truth is, as moms we NEED a corner. History tells us that Susannah Wesley, the mother of the famed preachers, Charles and John Wesley, would take her apron and pull it up over her head to make a private place to pray in her crazy household. She needed a corner. Moms need a second. Sometimes it's enough privacy to cry. Sometimes it's because we need a timeout as badly as the kids do. Sometimes it's just needing enough quiet to remember what we were thinking. Or have a thought. Sometimes it's just the desire to pee in peace (why is it more disasters seem to happen to a 3 year old at that time than any other?). Or maybe hear what the voice on the other end of the line is trying to yell. We need a corner under the stairs. So, the name has reason. The reason is a place to think, a moment out of time to sit and collect my thoughts. Turns out either I don't have as many thoughts as you might think or I don't have as much time to think them as I thought. Turns out I really do need a corner under the stairs!

Pickles!

That's right. Pickles! With an exclamation, thank you. I'm a little bit of a pickle snob. I don't love pickles. I like one kind. Claussens. I don't know why -- something about the 1) crunch 2) garlic and 3) salt. The 3 components most other pickles are missing. I don't like it when they can be bent in half. I don't like them spicy, sweet or sour. I want salt and I was garlic and darn it, I want it to coat my mouth and leave me KNOWING I had a pickle. So, when I made the very wise decision (I so wish there was a way to get sarcasm across in, say a font...) to buy a 35lb box of pickling cucumbers the week before we left for vacation, I realized I a) didn't have time to can and b) don't really like pickles. So, off to Google. After viewing many, many recipes claiming to copy the taste and snap I require, I rejected them all (seriously, how dumb do they think people are? Just look at the ingredients floating in the bottom of the jar people! Do you SEE allspice?). I finally found one that I thought looked close, read the comments and saw a few people said these were way salty and thought, "Yep. That sounds close." I then "fixed" it after looking at the bottom of jars in Walmart (Yes, I went to pickle section and looked at the bottoms of jars, even swirled a few around to make sure I wasn't missing anything...) and started pickling. Now, the downside of this recipe is when I play with things I tend to forget what and how much of what I've put in...so this is "close". I also don't know how many cucumbers I used. Maybe 20ish lbs? I made some whole, some half, some spears, some sliced...I was getting bored so every time I felt like it I changed pickle formats. We've already polished off a huge container. Now, I used the big tall tupperware containers, but any large container will do -- I've even read that lots of people use ice cream buckets! I'm thinking the recipe said this will do about a gallon of pickles -- I tripled it or more...for however many I made...

Pickles

1/3 c dried minced onions

7 cloves minced garlic (I cheated and bought pre-minced garlic and used the equivalent)

1/2 T mustard seed

2 T dried dill

2 T dill seed

2 c vinegar

1/2 c canning salt
1 1/2 quarts water (preferably distilled)

Boil and pour over cucumbers. Let cool, then put on lids and let set for 12-24 hours. Refrigerate for up to one year.

Note: Since making these we have made numerous other things with this brine...eggs (pour over peeled, hardboiled eggs), asparagus, peppers, etc.  We've even tried reusing the brine (bring back to a boil) with good results.  :-)

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I'm sitting here on this grey and blustery Monday with a bowl of this soup. It's just such perfect comfort food. A good friend brought up this soup about a month ago when Bryan and I were both really sick. We loved the delicate and unique flavors -- it seems like most chicken soups get to tasting the same after a while! This one has dill -- a spice I just wouldn't normally add to chicken soup, but it adds a beautiful complex flavor! We loved it so much I asked her for the recipe so I could tweak it and make it allergy free (I knew it was close)! The original is a chicken noodle soup -- some of ours are allergic to wheat. I used wild rice since I had it on hand, but regular noodles or rice noodles would work great too! Just add them in the last 10-15 min or cook them separately and add just before serving. Now, this does make enough for an army...feel free to cut it in half or use leftover chicken!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

*Note: I used leftover chicken from a roast chicken and homemade chicken broth, sidestepping the first section!

1 whole chicken (preferable organic)

1 onion, chopped

Slow cook in crockpot with 4-5 c water (or simmer 1-2 hours in a large pot until meat "falls off bones"). Seperate meat and bones -- allow skin and bones to simmer longer to make broth. Shread/chop meat.

3 T olive oil

1 med onion, finely chopped

1 lb carrots finely chopped

1 portabella mushroom or about 4 oz other mushrooms, finely chopped

1 large parsnip, grated or finely chopped

1 leek, tops removed, washed and finely chopped

1 crushed garlic clove

Heat oil in large pot (or in a pan if you'll be using the crock pot), saute veggies for about 5 min.

Strain broth and add to veggies (or add all to crock pot). Add:

1 T dill (or to taste)

2 tsp salt (or to taste)

2 tsp pepper (or to taste)

2 c. wild rice (or wait until end and add rice or other noodles if desired)

Chicken (as much as desired)

Simmer until rice is tender. Add water as needed to desired thickness.

Perfect comfort food for a day like today!

Chickpea Salad aka Pretty Pretty Salad...

This is one of my favorite salads. In fact, I practically live on it during the summer! But, right now I have a losing battle going on with some fresh herbs in the fridge, so this seemed like a good way to use them up! The original of this recipe came from Martha Stewart magazine -- I believe the July 2009 issue. It has since been adapted...just because. Besides being insanely good for you, it's one of the few summery salads we can have -- most of them are mayo or other dressing based and have things like corn syrup and soy. This is a staple to bring to picnics and BBQ's in the summer so we have something to eat!

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

8 oz dried chickpeas, soaked

8 oz cherry tomatoes, or 2 tomatoes cut in wedges

1 cucumber or 1/2 an English cucumber, peeled and diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

2 carrots, diced

3 scallions, diced or 1 small red onion, diced

3-4 T or to taste, chopped fresh parsley

2-3 T or to taste chopped fresh basil

Dressing:

1 1/4 tsp sea salt

2 minced garlic cloves

About 16 grinds of fresh pepper (I know...specific.)

A pinch red pepper flakes

a pinch dried oregano

3 T rice vinegar

2 T olive oil

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Prepare dressing in small bowl and mix well. Toss to coat. Add some grilled chicken or even just crusty bread for a meal!

Serves 6, 196 cal, 8g protein, 8g fiber Can you say "good for you?".

Allergy friendly, Dairy Free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Hot fudge Sauce

This is a basic coconut ice cream recipe I adapted from a chocolate coconut recipe. We've found that canned coconut milk is remarkably versatile. I was surprised that the coconut flavor adapts so easily to so many other flavors without an overwhelming coconut flavor. We had ice cream very similar to this in Thailand -- they made it fresh on the boardwalk and then scooped out a fresh coconut and served it in the shell with the shavings! It's super easy ice cream and once you get hooked on it, you'll want to have some on hand all the time! I've even converted Bryan, who can have regular ice cream. He actually prefers this now! Store it in a microwaveable container -- it does freeze harder than dairy ice cream so I zap it in the microwave for a minute or let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes or so until it's soft enough to scoop. Oh, and a word of warning. DON'T eat it as soft serve right after you make it. If you're a fan of soft serve, you can eat a gallon without trying...Coconut milk is easy to come by. Even here in Gillette any grocery store or even Wal-mart carries it. Usually you can find it in the ethnic food section by Chinese/Thai food.

To top it, here's my dairy free, corn free chocolate fudge sauce recipe. It stores great in the fridge. If you have any left.

Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Ice Cream (Dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, soy-free)

3 cans unsweetened canned coconut milk (I use 2 cans regular and 1 can lite)

1 c sugar (or about 6 T agave)

1 vanilla bean

3-4T vanilla

Scrape vanilla bean and add with pod to 1 can coconut milk. Cook over med. heat for 5-10 minutes. Chill. Combine remaining ingredients in blender and blend. Pour all into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions for freezing. Serve soft serve or freeze as desired.

*Note: Blue Bunny ice cream has great reusable containers! Find a friend who buys it and steal their containers! Or ask me...I have extras!

Allergy Friendly Fudge Sauce

2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (or 6 T cocoa powder plus 2 T coconut oil)

1 c rice, coconut, almond or other milk

3/4 c sugar

2 T. brown rice syrup or sugar syrup (see my cinnamon roll recipe or corn syrup if you can...)

3/4 tsp vanilla

Combine chocolate and milk. Heat to boiling over low heat, stirring constantly (especially as it heats up). Cook, stirring, until mixture is smooth and blended. Add sugar and syrup. Increase heat to medium until boiling. Continue boiling without stirring until sauce reaches 220 on a candy thermometer or soft-ball stage. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Store in sealed container in refrigerator. Sauce will thicken as it cools -- serve hot or cold.

Variations:
We've tried several various variations on this.  These are our favorites!  P.S  I can not for the life of me remember where the original that we worked with came from.  I know it was a chocolate coconut milk ice cream...if I remember, I'll post it, but it's been so long I have no idea...

Pumpkin Pie ice cream:
1 recipe Vanilla Bean minus the vanilla bean addition

Add:
3/4 a large can pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Serve with crushed graham crackers and/or the fudge sauce (above).

Raspberry Rum:
1 recipe Vanilla Bean minus bean and sub out vanilla for rum extract (or get brave and add rum!)
1 1/2 c frozen raspberry crumbles (or just crumble them yourself)

Tropical:
1 recipe Vanilla Bean minus bean and sub out vanilla for rum extract
1 can (not the small ones) crushed pineapple, drained
1 c frozen shopped mango (partially thaw and chop smaller if desired, or add it to the blender)

Mint Chocolate Chip:
1 recipe Vanilla Bean minus bean and sub out vanilla for peppermint 1 T mint (or to taste)
Add chocolate flaked off a Lindt 80% or higher bar for a soy free version, or mini chips if soy is tolerated.  Add green food coloring if desired.
May also be made with the chocolate base for Double chocolate mint.