Too sweet

Okay... DH loved the cookies, and they look good, but I thought they were way too sweet. Of course, we followed the recommendation of using 1/2 cup suncrystals per 1 cup sugar, but I think we can cut it down quite a bit and still have tasty, sweet cookies.

Think now... they say stevia is 10 times sweeter than sugar. So 1/4 cup of stevia would be the same as 2 1/2 cups sugar... right? Already that's too much for a 2 cup sugar recipe. So we should be replacing 1 cup sugar with 1/10th of a cup of stevia. Hmmm... yeah.. I think 1/8th to 1/4 would be about right for suncrystals. We'll try again next time.

So... Sun crystals appears to be a good solution. It browns like baked goods should and is very sweet, with a much reduced caloric content. I'm wondering if changing the proportions of sugar in the recipe will cause any other problems. We'll see next time. I'll post the cookie recipe when we get it just right.

Sun Crystals Sweetener

I think I've found the perfect sweetener. It's rather pricey, but if it will help him keep his sweet tooth from killing him, I'll use it. He ordered five bags (5lbs) and paid 34.00 for them. It's a mixture containing 50% stevia and 50% regular granulated sugar. You use 1/2 the amount of sugar called for in any recipe, and you'll have the same results with fewer calories. So if you're baking, this is a real plus... cookies will look and taste good.

I found a box of small packets at a local grocery store, but the large bags were not available there. DH found it online. Sun Crystals can be found and ordered here. SunCrystals website

Today we made cookie batter and replaced most of the sugar with Sun crystals. We'll bake it up for Santa tomorrow, and see if it tastes good. This is only going to be used for dad's cookies since the rest of us don't need it. I sure hope it works out for him.

Truvia: NOT the perfect sweetener, but....

Drats. We've started using it and I thought it would work out but after researching a bit more, I've found out it has side effects. It may have something to do with the erythritol and apparently it can cause some people to have stomach problems. Some people have also reported having MORE carb cravings... not what you want if you're diabetic. Other reported side effects were mental confusion, fatigue. I'm not sure we'll stick with Truvia, but if we don't experience any of the side effects, it might be worthwhile to manage his diabetes. We haven't used it much yet, and I generally don't like to add too many unknown sweeteners to our cooking.

Here's a link to an article I found useful in helping us make a decision regarding it's use:
Purevia/Truvia controversy

I try to stick with tried and true white sugar. However, knowing NOW that less refined foods are actually easier for the body to process, I think I will be using less refined sweeteners when possible. Here are a few I'll try:

• regular stevia sweetener when I can find it
  
• organic agave nectar
• brown “turbinado” cane sugar, we use this occasionally. Maybe we'll use it more often.

I'm sure white sugar will still manage to make it's way into my meals since the rest of us don't eat many sweets anyway.

So I'll be adding a few recipes using some of those natural sweeteners, sometimes including Truvia for my DH. Today's recipe:



Cucumber Wakame Salad (Namasu):
2 japanese cucumbers or one regular one
sliced carrots
a little bit of wakame (soak in water to rehydrate it)
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 1/2 packets Truvia
a pinch of sea salt

Dissolve salt and Truvia in the vinegar. Slice the cucumbers into chunks and carrots into rounds. Squeeze out the wakame, mix it all together with the dressing and let sit in the fridge for an hour or so before serving.
Optional chores: Remove the seeds by slicing the cuke in half then scooping out the seeds with a spoon. Looks nicer.
You can also grate some fresh ginger to add more spice to this one... it's really good.

Diabetes... what a chore

Okay... DH is finally accepting the fact that he needs to do something about his health or he will be on insulin in a few months. We're praying it's not too late. I've been trying to get him to eat healthier, more veggies, less rice, more fiber, less refined foods... and get some exercise.

He's been eating healthier meals (whatever I pack, rather than buying fast food) and we've been trying very hard to do the diabetic plate thing. 1/2 veggie, 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch, a glass of milk, and a fruit. It's a big improvement. In the past 2-3 weeks, he went from 260 to 245. Oh... and he tries to take a 30 minute walk on his days off. I'm going to try getting him to take a walk 5x a week, or at least on days when he doesn't have overtime.

But he's craving sweets now. So I've been researching stuff like Splenda, Nutrisweet, and Truvia. I've ruled out using Splenda and NutriSweet artificial sweeteners. There are side effects. Truvia appears to be a safer alternative. It comes from the stevia plant and is used in several other countries as an alternate sweetener to sugar. This week we'll be trying it since we found some when we went grocery shopping at Safeway today. It's a bit pricey, but if he likes it, we'll continue using it.

Here's more info... Truvia.com . They also have recipes to try and info on how it can be used in baking and cooking in place of sugar. Maybe I can convert some of our favorite recipes too...

Girl 5 and the Ukus

Wow. She had a lot of babies in her hair, and tons of nits. We spent at least 2 hours pulling nits out and there's still a lot left. She will need to return for another combing session next week.

This time, I thought I'd take a few pictures for anyone who is curious to see what an uku looks like. Here's a pic of one of the ukus.
And some nits:They almost look like dandruff, but some are brownish in color. The white ones are usually already hatched shells, the brownish yellow ones are probably live eggs. You can tell it's a nit if it doesn't slide down the hair shaft easily.

Her grandma gave her a third treatment a couple days ago and they applied the nit gel to help remove the eggs. It didn't work very well. We found at least a dozen baby Ukus, a few adults and lots of nits. Poor kid, she must've been itchy for a while. This is evidence to me that those pesticides don't work very well and the only REAL way to be sure you get rid of them all is to keep nit picking and use the Robi comb... daily if possible. Gosh I'm beginning to sound like an sales associate for the Robi comb. Honestly, I'm not affiliated with them (though I'm beginning to think I should be). I just believe in their product after having to deal with these little buggers.

How to finally get rid of head lice (aka ukus)
Use a remedy that would kill them first. If it's Nix, Rid, mayonnaise, essential oil solution, it really doesn't matter what you use initially. You most likely won't be able to get rid of all of them because they probably will not kill off the eggs. And you may also have some resistant bugs crawling around your head even after treatment.

Next, do the egg releasing gel or use a vinegar solution to loosen up the nits a bit. This only aids in the nit removal process. It doesn't mean you'll be rid of ALL of the eggs, so you'll have to pick out whatever you can when you finish with the little plastic comb. The vinegar might sting if you have open sores on your head, but the smell will wash out and it'll actually leave your hair feeling beautiful.

Then, follow up after your hair is clean and dry with the Robi comb. You might find nothing left, but continue to do this daily for at least 2 weeks, then maybe 2 times a week for the next month. Anything you've missed will be zapped. If you use this method, you shouldn't need to do a second treatment. The hatchlings will be killed off daily rather than waiting a week (for them to spread perhaps?!).

And here's the famous Robi Comb.
Now, if you don't want to use pesticides or messy mayo treatments at all, I think using the Robi comb twice a day (take a good 20 -30 minutes to do a thorough combing) would do the trick. I'm just a little paranoid. But if they ever get the Ukus again, I think I would feel safe with this method. But I might end up Robi combing 3 or 4 times a day...

And don't forget to wash the beddings and vacuum the house. They say it's not necessary, but I still think it's a good idea if you have the time. At the very least, vacuum the area where your kids lay around or sleep. Daily if possible, til you know they're gone... the ukus, not the kids.

Head lice, ukus, the curse, whatever you call them, takes TIME to get rid of. But I really think the comb has been a blessing. If it weren't for the comb, I think my daughter would still have the bugs. And her friends, well, if they can just keep visiting so I can comb through every few days, we'd all be rid of them sooner.

I've become mommy to my daughter's clan.

Yes... they are starting to call me mom since I'm the one who is trying to rid their heads of the bugs. It's only because I have the comb and have done all that research and I know how hard it is to get rid of them.

Well, we have another one of her friends here... And I thought they were all clear. This girl (#5) has also gone through her 2 treatments and she was the first one who did it. She hasn't come over for Robi combing till today and the girls are checking her head before we Robi her. It's a hot day and the comb will not work if her head is sweaty, so they're laying around in the shady backyard to cool down before we start. They've already found a bug and lots of nits so I'm assuming we'll find lots... I'll be back to update this after we comb through... Gosh.. what a month it's been.

Eczema relief

Not long ago, my daughter had an eczema flare up (of which I also have small patches which I'm trying to get rid of). Her skin is nearly cleared up again. Instead of resorting to Hydrocortisone creams or steroids (which I think the doctor might have prescribed because it was quite a large area), we treated it with several different things... so I don't know what exactly worked.

Benadryl in the evening, only when the itch was really bad (to make sure there was NO nighttime scratching)
10 minute Sea Salt bath with Rose, Sandalwood, patchouli and some other oils that were already added to the salts.
Tea tree spray - water in a spray bottle with about 5 drops of tea tree oil. Shake and spray on.
We started a few days with ACV/water spray, but it was too strong and painful to continue. Not sure how much this helped. We continue to drink water spiked with ACV and honey everyday... she must get the required 2 tsp of ACV. I normally make a pitcher with 1/4 cup ACV, 1/4 cup honey and fill it up with water. It looks like a 2 qt pitcher.
Aveeno lotion with tea tree in it.

She wore long sleeves, mostly because she was embarrassed, but I'm sure it helped prevent her from breaking skin when she did scratch.

I took a few weeks, but it's starting to look almost normal again. And she says the itch is now gone. She hasn't taken benadryl for a few days now, so I'm sure she must be feeling better.

I'm sure beach trips would've been helpful too... but by the time I figured this out and had time to take her, there was no need to do so. Oh well, we'll probably go this weekend anyway. I need to do something to get rid of my patches before they spread.

Uku update: not good news..

I checked her friends heads again yesterday and killed a few big ones again. The Robi comb zapped 3 on one girl, and 1 on another friend. And there are eggs. It's been about 2 weeks since the last time I checked them and it looks like they're back. Both girls used RID and thought they had gotten rid of everything. We'll have to make sure we Robi comb them whenever they come visiting.

On the upside, my daughter and her good friend (who hangs out with her at our house almost every afternoon) have no more bugs on their heads. I've been regularly combing through their hair for the past couple weeks and haven't zapped any on them for several weeks. So I believe that the comb used in combination with the repellent spray I made is working.

Here is an excellent resource on head lice. Much mahalo to Keely for providing this info. If you're dealing with them, it will help you banish those buggies once and for all.

HEAD LICE INFORMATION SHEET

I'd like to add the Robi comb to that arsenal. I think it's the best way to be sure they are gone AFTER the treatments are done, and in between treatments. Some of those buggers actually survive the pesticides... and I'd hate for them to spread to other family members.

UKU alert! The head lice curse

There was an outbreak of ukus (aka head lice) in our neighborhood and of course, one of my children brought it home. Darn. During the end of summer vacation, we been battled the bugs and after nearly two weeks, I was pretty sure we were free and clear. She was the only one who got them and as soon as we found out, I put everyone through the whole routine. Nix treatments (which were not fully effective), combing, hours of nit picking, and Robi combing after finding a few more live ones who survived the second treatment. And of course TONS of housecleaning. They say it's no longer necessary to do such a thorough cleaning, but I say better safe than sorry.

Her friends all caught those little buggers as well, so I just spent many hours Robi combing their heads. We will probably get together again to Robi comb one last time. It's now been at least 5 weeks, but two of the girls still had several on her head when we combed through last week.

After I treated my daughter, I made a repellent using tea tree oil, rosemary, peppermint, and lavender. I put a few drops of each in a spray bottle and we sprayed our heads every morning. None of us got the bugs, and her hair remained free of ukus though she still hung out with her friends (some of them still have the buggers). I don't know if it's the repellent or just that she is keeping her head safely away from theirs, but I'm glad they're no longer Bugging her.

In case you're wondering, Robi comb is a battery operated comb that zaps the little buggers as you comb through. It has metal teeth and really does kill them. It was wonderful to see them DEAD when we combed through. Especially after using the NIX and finding so many live ones still falling out as I picked out the nits. We got our Robi comb at Walgreens, but it can also be found online. If you're constantly dealing with these bugs, get one and comb through daily for a while. It is so satisfying to know they are really being eliminated.

Clean Fresh Laundry

I've switched from Tide Laundry Detergent and Bounce fabric sheets to something that won't irritate my daughter's skin.

Today, I did the laundry using All Free and Clear, and added about 1/3 cup white vinegar with a drop of rosemary essential oil to the rinse cycle. I also cut an old scrap of cotton fabric, put a couple drops of peppermint oil on it and threw it into the dryer with the wet laundry. It actually smells much cleaner than ever. Over the past couple years, I've washed the laundry twice before getting odors out. Today, both loads came out smelling clean. Wow. And I wanted to buy a new washer....

UPDATE on the ACV: We made a pitcher of 1/2 cup ACV, 1/2 cup honey, and about 8 cups water. It actually tastes good.
We also found that adding a bit to lemonade works well. My son had a cup of lemonade with about 1 tsp. of ACV in it and he wanted more.
Eczema still there, but it's not as itchy. My daughter made a mix of water/ACV half half and sprayed it on. She says it stings like crazy for a little while, but the itching subsides for several hours. Yes, it smells, so she only does it at home. And it looks worse after spraying, but it looks better the next day. I think it might be working. I also have a small eczema patch that I will put of bit of ACV on over the next few days.

ACV

ACV, or apple cider vinegar has been touted as one of the best natural health remedies of all time. Now I know why. I was skeptical, but not anymore.

Recently, my DH caught the flu. He spent most of his time resting for about 2 weeks before he finally decided to see a doctor. We don't know if it was swine flu or not, but it was pretty bad. After seeing the doctor, he came home with a few different meds and a doctors note to stay out of work for another week. When he came home with the doctors diagnosis, I did some research on how I can help keep the rest of my family healthy and found a website that has natural folk remedies. I read up on ACV and decided to give it a try... after all, it's used in cooking... it must be fairly safe. Here's the link: http://www.earthclinic.com/

Anyway, to make a long story short, I caught the flu anyway, but my symptoms are mild, and I didn't get all of the ones he did. No fever, no nausea, no vomiting or runs. Just a cough, some congestion, slight sore throat, and very mild conjuctivitis (which only lasted a day). The conjuctivitis pretty much confirmed that I caught what he had... No one else in the house has it. It's been a couple years since I had a flu shot, so I don't think that has anything to do with it. But here's the biggest surprise. I also have arthritis. My fingers used to be achy, my shoulder joints were sore when I woke up in the morning.. everyday. Today, they don't hurt, in fact, they haven't hurt for several days now...

A few days ago, my DD's eczema started flaring up. The combination of laundry detergents and softeners (DH did some of her laundry before he got sick) and DOVE soap with some kind of fragrance (we usually use only the sensitive skin or regular one) and the pre-storm heat and humidity, made her arms and torso flare up with itchy eczema patches.

She applied it directly to her skin, full strength, before taking a bath. She said she wasn't itchy anymore, but she still has the bumps. Of course, this was only the first treatment... We made a pitcher full and drink it throughout the day. At first, she said "ewww. it smells like toe jams..." But when she tasted it, she agreed that it was drinkable. When I told her it was also good for her complexion, she drank it down happily.

I told my mother about my aches being gone, and now she wants to give up her "Mona Vie" expensive health drink ($30.00/bottle). I'm going to need more ACV for our home, so I'll get some for her as well. The bottle we bought last time cost a little over $7 for 32 oz. (1qt). Considering my DH paid about $60.00 in copay fees for meds and the visit, I think we got a good deal. Now I'll have to figure out how to get some into my son before he catches it. Orange juice maybe... he likes that.

NOTE: in order to get the benefits of ACV, you need to buy an unprocessed ACV. Stuff in the grocery store has all the good stuff filtered out. Look for Bragg, "with the mother" ACV.

Cooking with a 5 year old

Tonite we had chili for dinner. I didn't want to go shopping and we had these things in our kitchen. Wish we had portuguese sausage too, but oh well. I'm a lazy cook and I refuse to go shopping unless it's time to buy milk. Anyway, here's the recipe. It's easy and my 5 year old can help.

Chili for the lazy cook and a 5 year old sous chef

1 bell pepper (or red pepper)
1 onion
lots of cherry or grape tomatoes
7 cloves garlic
1-2 lbs (?) hamburger
1/2 - 1 lb(?) ground pork
some sausage if you have it
curry powder
chili powder
montreal spicy steak seasoning mix
a few blobs of barbeque sauce
a bottle of beer
a can of condensed tomato soup
1 can kidney beans

I think that's it. So here's how I managed it with a 5 year old helper.
While he peels the onion, prep the bell pepper by slicing it into strips. Have your child slice the bell pepper first. I let my son use a paring knife. Watch carefully to make sure they curl their fingers and chop slowly and carefully. Curling the fingers under helps prevent cut fingertips. If anything, you might have a few fingernail bits in there. Hmmm... chili with extra crunch, yum. While he's doing that (it'll take a while), start browning the meat and chop the onion. Here's my sous chef chopping away...
Use a garlic press and crush the cloves into the meat after browning it. Add the seasonings (a few shakes of curry, a lot of chili powder, and a shake of montreal). He should be about ready with the bell pepper. Add that and the onion, and have him start on slicing the tomatoes into 1/2s.
Add the beer and simmer till he's done with the tomatoes. I added a couple blobs of bbq sauce at this time. He can help add the tomato soup, stir it up and add tomatoes and kidney beans.

Simmer for a while, I guess about 30 minutes would be fine. Mine sat on the stove on low for a while, but I tasted it after about 30 mins and it was goooood! If you like, add frozen corn too. I like but not everyone else in my family does, so I serve it as a condiment. If I'm not too lazy, I'll grab a few slabs of sliced cheddar from the fridge and serve that too.

Please don't ask for measurements. I don't use them. I'm a lazy cook but my nose is fairly capable for the purpose of family style meals. This one is DH approved... and he's so darn picky. He's the reason I hate cooking... Wish I had taken a picture of the finished product.

Now... what shall I make tomorrow that he can help with... hmmm... what's in the fridge?

Putting up a Bracket... what a pain!

Today's extremely challenging task is putting up a simple hanging plant bracket. Right... simple... sure... First off, this is how we've been storing our potatoes, ginger, garlic, and onions. In a broken box sitting on the floor. Oh my... how lovely is that?! I wanted to mount a bracket to hold a wire basket set.
Maybe it would be easy if you have a normal wood beam home. However, when steel beams and steel plates are involved... an otherwise simple task becomes a painintheBEEP! Amazingly, I put up a few curtain rods, drilling through the metal several years ago. But I forgot how I did it! Drats. After struggling for an hour to make the first hole, I'm halfway through the project (one screw in and the bracket is dangling) and can't drill through to get the second one in. There must be an easier way.

So it's research time... And after asking friends, checking the internet, and seeking help from the sales person at the local hardware store, this is what I decided. I need a new and better drill bit, some oil, and to slow down a bit. I bought this one, tried it out and it still didn't go through. So I tried moving the bracket down and drilling another hole. Maybe there are just too many layers or something else where I was initially drilling. And yes! Success! I managed to get the bracket up quite easily after that. My shoulder was tired and achy, but it's perfect. Here's the miracle bit I used.


And take a look at my new bracket, with the hole I tried to drill still looking ugly up there. But hey, I realized there was a reason for this hassle. If I mounted the bracket that high, I would need a step stool to get my ginger (used very frequently here) everytime I want it. At this height, it's just right without it. And now I have another lesson to learn... how to patch holes in drywall. Hmmmm.. that should be simple.... right....