Refresh!

I'm back! I know I know, it's been MONTHS! Where have I been? BUUUUUUUSY!!!! We bought a house, our baby turned in to a busy toddler, I got pregnant again (due somewhere between Aug. 12 and Sept. 16) and I have focused more on my businesses. Now that I feel like I have this life juggling act under control, I thought I would attempt blogging again. I have missed writing. It's a great outlet.

For my first post back, I thought I would start simple. With a recipe. A delicious refreshing summer time drink that I was OH SO ADDICTED to when we were in India. It's 4 simple ingredients and you can make bigger condensed batches so you just add water and ta-da!

Lemon Mint Juice

What you need:
-lemons
-fresh mint leaves
-sugar
-water.

Juice about 6 lemons and store in a mason jar or something similar. Take about 60 or 70 mint leaves (more if you really love mint) and dry roast them for about a minute. In a blender, or food processor, put 8 tablespoons of sugar and 2 cups of cold water and all the dry roasted mint leaves. Then blend for a minute or so. Pour your sweet mint juice through a strainer into a mason jar or something similar.

Then all you do it put about 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts mint juice to 3 or 4 parts cold water (with ice too if you like) in a tall glass and give a little stir! This recipe is very easy to adjust to your preference. You may like more lemon, or more mint, or less sugar...so play around.

PS: Growing your own mint is SO super easy! Fresh herbs and spices are just the best! I grow 2 different kinds. Just a regular green mint and a pineapple mint. Both ideal for this refreshing beverage. Go to your local farmers market or even the greenhouse at places like Superstore, and they'll have some mint plants!

Golden Ages to the Dark Ages of Teething

On average, a baby will cut their first tooth at 7 months. Which is around the same age they become these dangerously fast paced curious little creatures who may bite, pull hair and twist nipples when given the chance. Such busy bodies with equally busy brains. Adelaide got her first tooth at the beginning of August, and now she is working on her 5th one. For teething pain I just give her frozen berries and icecubes or frozen cubed cantaloupe in her Nuby mesh thing and she really LOVES it. She also loves her cthulhu's frozen tentacles, lol. And when the pains really bad, at night before bed I'll cave and give her a half dose of baby pain reliever. You could try Camilia. I get to brush the little teeth every night when we're in the bathtub! They're just the cutest little things.

I've noticed Adelaide eating more since she got her first tooth. So I get vegetables and fruits (homegrown and organic as much as possible) and puree batches big enough so there's plenty left over to freeze a few meals. Here is a super helpful and encouraging site to keep you from feeding your baby boxed or jarred instant food from the grocery store. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com. If you wanna make batches and freeze them like I do but need a bit of advice, just read THIS. We kept her on a gluten-free dairy-free sugar-free diet at first (mainly because of the yeast rash.) She's since had plain yoghurt which I add fruit to for a sweetener (because she still remains sugar free), and organic brown rice and organic oats which I just process to a fine grain in the food processor. The way I see it, it's only an hour and a half per week to make baby food. You could make bigger batches so you only have to make it every 2 weeks. Whatever works for you and your schedule!

When we started giving Adelaide textured lumpy food and finger foods, it was a little scary at first. I was so afraid she was gonna choke. I also wanted to avoid sugar and gluten filled prepackaged foods that some books recommend. Chopped banana is an easy choice, especially if you're on the go. Or soft fruits like plums, cantaloupe, berries, pears, or avocado without peels of course. Or bake small cubes of sweet potato adding cinnamon and nutmeg until they are super tender (and of course you can omit the spices.) Or slice an eggplant after peeling it and add minced garlic with a dash of pepper and let the eggplant sit and sweat for about an hour or more, then bake for 40 minutes on about 350F, let cool and dice in small bits.

I can't wait til she can eat what we eat! Curries, stews, soups, BBQ! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! I'm even going to attempt making breast milk ice cream!! Sugar-free of course! So babies can eat it. Perfect for teething!!

Coconut Crepes.

Coconut crepes are something I fell in love with in Goa.  I ate them on the beach like everyday! These are pretty inexpensive fruits and if you use the mature coconuts it's a great source of protein!  With a little google searching, I discovered that coconuts are very beneficial for you!  They:
   Help you lose weight, or maintain your already good weight
   Reduce the risk of heart disease
   Lower your cholesterol
   Improve conditions in those with diabetes and chronic fatigue
   Improve Crohn’s, IBS, and other digestive disorders
   Prevent other disease and routine illness with its powerful antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents
   Increase metabolism and promotes healthy thyroid function
   Boost your daily energy
   Rejuvenate your skin and prevent wrinkles

Now that the weekend is here, it's the perfect time to whip up some coconut crepes!  My crepe recipe is my Mum's which is a bit of this and a bit of that, lol.  It's a great recipe for gluten free crepes too, just use rice flour!
In a large bowl mix:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
some salt
some sugar, if you want
some cinnamon, if you want
and add mushed bananas or other fruits you love, if you want!
Once it's all mixed, just pour some into the middle of a hot frying pan and tilt the frying pan in circular motions to spread out the mixture to make it big and round and thin.  They take little time on each side, but fry them until they're done just the way you like it!  When each crepe is done I stack them on a plate inside a warm oven until there's no more mixture left.

While you're frying these up, break open your coconut and take out the meat.  And then grate it all in to bits.

And then it's time to eat!  Put some coconut into the middle of the crepe with syrup or honey.

 Roll it up and top with more coconut and syrup or honey.  ENJOY!!!

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