Ethan is 7 Months Old!

Ethan turned seven months old today! What a blessing he is to our little family. God's Word is so true..."Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalms 127:3

Bleach Alternative

This one is quite basic...use Hydrogen Peroxide.

Add 1/2 C Hydrogen Peroxide 3% to the rinse cycle. It works like bleach without all the chemicals.

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Homemade Baby Wipes

This is a very economical alternative for regular baby wipes, and it is so much better for your baby as well. Have fun making them!

1/2 roll of paper towels
1 C filtered water
1 T baby oil or olive oil*
1 T baby wash, shampoo, or soap shavings*

*Look for chemical free products. I use the Arbonne Baby Care line as I know the products do not contain harmful ingredients.

• Use thick paper towels. Cut the roll of paper towels in half with a serrated knife (an electric knife works even better).
• Mix water, baby oil, and baby wash and stir until well blended.
• Place the paper towels in a container and slowly pour the liquid mixture over the paper towels.

• Put a lid on the container and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn the container upside down and let rest for another 10 minutes.
• Gently remove the center cardboard core from the roll. Wipes will pop up through the middle of the roll.

• Place wipes in a plastic container with lid, a baby wipe container, or a gallon Ziploc bag.

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eMeals: April Recipe

I was a little hesitant to try this recipe as it had canned chicken, and I didn't buy the crescent rolls as they had sugar in them, but the results were....just try them!

Chicken Puffs

4 oz. cream cheese
1 can chicken, drained
2 T melted butter
2 T milk
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t onion powder
1 can crescent rolls

Mix all ingredients, except for rolls. Separate rolls and pinch together to form 4 rectangles. Spoon ½ c of mixture into the center of each roll and pull 4 corners together and seal. Brush the top with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Bake on cookie sheet @ 350° for 20-25 min, until bread is browned.

I made my white bread recipe and used the dough for this recipe instead of using canned crescent rolls. I also covered the tops with beaten egg instead of butter. This recipe is delicious...enjoy!

To learn more about eMeals click below.

 

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First Foods: Applesauce

1 C filtered water
4 apples, pealed and chopped

Place in pot and cook until apples are soft. Blend well. You increase or decrease water to obtain desired consistency. Cool and serve.

Ethan really likes his applesauce. He is not quite sure of the consistency as I made it thicker than what he is used to!

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First Foods: Oatmeal Cereal

1/2 C whole oats

4 C water

Mill oats into a fine powder with a food processor (or baby bullet). Add the milled oatmeal and 4 cups of water to a pot and cover until it boils. Once it hits a boil, turn down the heat to low and cook with cover on for 20 minutes. Test the consistency of the oatmeal cereal -- if you want it thinner, add more water. Pour into a bowl and combine with your favorite fruit or veggie puree.

I milled the oats and added 1/3 cup of water to a sauce pan along with 3-4 teaspoons of the milled oatmeal. This made 2-3 servings and I mixed them with pureed bananas.

My son is allergic to oatmeal or bananas. I made the mistake of serving them together. Ethan loved the combination but developed eczema on his arms and legs. I took him off oatmeal and bananas and once the skin condition clears up, we will try each one on its own to see which one caused the eczema.

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White Bread Recipe (Bread Machine)

1 C warm water

1/4 C olive oil

2 T Sucanat

1 t sea salt

3 C unbleached flour*
2 1/4 t yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in the order recommended by your machine manual. I like to make my dough and let it rise in the machine and then bake it in a bread pan in my oven (375 degrees for 40 min).

*You can use a blend of 1 1/2 C unbleached white flour and 1 1/2 C stone ground whole wheat flour or use 3 C of stone ground whole wheat flour. All three combinations are delicious. My favorite is the blend! Enjoy!

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Steph's Maple-Almond Butter Granola Recipe

I searched and searched for just the "right" granola recipe, and I believe this is it! The only sweetener used is 100 % Maple Syrup, which is hardly sweet at all. It is Vegan and extremely good for you!

I went shopping today for the ingredients, and couldn't find everything as I didn't have much time. So I left out the coconut (I could only find sweetened coconut) and the chia seeds (couldn't find them at the store I stopped at). I used whole ground flaxseed meal, which I mixed with the cinnamon and oats. I also used slivered almonds, walnuts, and pecans for the nuts and dried apricots, prunes, and raisins for the fruit. This granola is DELICIOUS, and you should try it! Enjoy!

1/2 C maple syrup
1/4 C coconut oil
1/4 C almond butter
1 T cinnamon (or more if you prefer your granola to have a stronger cinnamon flavor)
2 1/2 C rolled oats  
1/4 C ground flax
1/4 C chia seeds
1/2 C chopped nuts/seeds (almonds, walnuts, pepitas)
1/4 C unsweetened coconut
1/2 C mixed dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, raisins)
liberal sprinkle coarse sea salt

Mix maple syrup, coconut oil and almond butter together. If your coconut oil is at room temperature, you might need to melt it first.
Mix oats, coconut, and cinnamon together, then add to wet ingredients.
Pour onto a baking sheet in an even layer. (I use a silicone baking sheet liner, but you can coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray if you prefer.) Bake at 300 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

 Baked Granola

Immediately upon removing the granola from the oven, add the chia, flax, seeds/nuts and dried fruit.

 Nuts & Fruit 

(The fruit swells and gets sticky in the oven, and raw nuts/seeds retain more of their nutrition.) Add a sprinkle of salt and toss well. The salt really brings out the sweetness and other flavors.

Makes 15 1/4-cup servings!

Stored Granola

Recipe Source

Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

1 egg
1/2 t minced garlic
1 T lemon juice
1 t prepared mustard
3/4 C olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Combine egg, garlic, lemon juice and mustard in the container of a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, then blend on low speed while pouring oil into the blender in a fine stream as the mixture emulsifies and thickens.