Coconut Oil saves the vacay :)

We've had many uses for coconut oil during our vacation.

1. Lauren got stung by a bee and had a horrible welt for days. Coconut oil soothed it and helped the itch a lot.

2. Lucy has a suspected ear infection (or ear irritation from teething). I didn't have my Wally's Ear Oil so used some coconut oil instead. Withing a day, the ear tugging stopped.
http://www.coconut-oil-central.com/coconut-oil-ear-infection.html

3. I've converted 1 sister to coconut oil on her body & face :)

I love coconut oil!

Best Nipple Ointment for Nursing-- APNO

When Lucy was 2 weeks old, I got mastitis, horrible nipple "trauma" (lol), and I'm pretty sure I had thrush also. I got some suggestions for Dr. Jack Newman's All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO). My lactation consultant agreed it was the best thing and would help my nipple pain immensely. My MW put a call into a compound pharmacy and I finally had some relief. A friend of mine just had a baby and she is dealing with the same issues :( I suggested the APNO, but she has yet to get it because it's a bit of hassle having to get a prescription & then go to a compound pharmacy. I then remembered a friend who gave me the OTC ingredients so that you can make it yourself. Hopefully the new Mommy will have some relief soon!

Here are Jack Newman's ingredients (compound pharmacy necessary)
-Mupirocin 2% ointment (15 grams)
-Betamethasone 0.1% ointment (15 grams)
-To which is added miconazole powder so that the final concentration is 2% miconazole. This combination gives a total volume of just more than 30 grams. Clotrimazole powder (not as good as miconazole) to a final concentration of 2% may be substituted if miconazole powder is unavailable, but both exist (the pharmacist may have to order it in, but compounding pharmacies almost always have it on hand). Using powder gives a better concentration of antifungal agent (miconazole or clotrimazole) and the concentrations of the mupirocin and betamethasone remain higher. Sometimes we will add ibuprofen powder to a final concentration of 2%.

Here are the OTC ingredients and supposedly it works just as well :)
Mix equal portion and store in an airtight container

1% hydrocortizone cream
Clomitrazole cream (such as the brand name Gynelotramin)
Lanolin (lansinoh is good b/c it is sterile)
Neosporin (you can use with or without the pain killer)

Kiddie Meatloaf

I have really been experimenting with my kiddie meatloaf to try and get it the right consistency. The first time I made it it was extremely mushy (not enough breadcrumbs). The girls still downed it, but it bothered me that it really didn't have a meatloaf consistency. I made my 2nd batch a few weeks ago and it turned out YUMMY. I liked it so much I even ate what the girls didn't finish. I love making it and freezing it in small portions just to take out in a pinch. Here's my recipe:

-1lb grassfed no antibiotic/hormone ground beef - I use HEB brand
-2cups of steamed pureed frozen organic veggies-- any you have! i used peas & broccoli--- steam & then puree
-1+ cups of bread crumbs.. I eyeballed it to get it to the consistency I wanted it
-1 egg
-garlic & onion powder & italian seasoning for flavor
-4tbsp of ketchup

Mix everything together (with hands:)) and transfer to a loaf pan. Bake at 375 for 1-1:15 hours or until it reaches 170degrees.

I think next time I will add very finely chopped spinach to add even more veggies. Enjoy!

Breast Milk

I know that we have posted about this before but I have so much to say about breastfeeding. I can't tell you how thankful I am every single day that I am able and choose to nurse my babies. The benefits are through the roof in terms of their health! I think my favorite thing about it though is the comfort that I can provide to them. My youngest had a minor health scare and was taken to the hospital for some pretty invasive testing. He was so upset but I knew that as soon as I could get him on the breast he would be soothed, happy and content. I was so grateful that I was able to do that for him.

I also just had someone ask me if they could "borrow" some of my breast milk for their pink eye. Did you know that if you squirt some into the eye it heals pink eye? Amazing, huh?! There are literally 1000's of thing that you can do with breast milk...I am not sure how long I plan to nurse the baby but I see no end in sight at this point:)

Elderberry

I cannot say enough good things about elderberry syrup for boosting the immune system. I learned about it during flu season and Lila & I took it daily to help our immune systems. Since then, if I've ever suspected any of us were getting sick I up the dosage (2-3tbsp) for a few days and it WORKS! A few weeks ago, Lila had a runny nose (clear, but still runny) so I gave her some elderberry for a few days and she never got sick. My Mom was visiting and was sneezing & had a runny nose. She took elderberry 2x that day and the next day she was perfectly fine! This past Friday, I was feeling under the weather... throat/ear pain & just rundown. I took 3tbsp during the day on Friday and 1tbsp on Sat and by Sat afternoon I was feeling perfect... never got sick. I swear by this stuff! I can give it to Lucy now too (by syringe or spoon). Here are the brands that I buy:

For adults: Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry http://www.vitacost.com/Gaia-Herbs-Rapid-Relief-Black-Elderberry-Syrup
For kids: Nature's Way Sambucus http://www.vitacost.com/Natures-Way-Sambucus-For-Kids

I highly recommend Elderberry for a great immune system & an immune system booster! You can google it and find tons of info on how great it is for the immune system!

Coconut Oil

Do you know all the benefits of coconut oil? Check out the link below for all of the benefits!

I've been using coconut oil on my skin as my "moisturizer" for months now. I love the smell and the way my skin feels. Also I use it for : cooking, diaper rash, bites, and anything else I think it may help with!

Here's a great site on the benefits of coconut oil!

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

Panko crusted Chicken Fingers

I cannot claim this recipe... I found it on another blog, but I made them last night for the girls and they were yummy! They both liked them a lot. I actually only used 1 chix breast, about 1/4 cup of panko crumbs, & just whatever spices I felt like using. I also did not do nugget sized, I did chicken finger size.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into nuggets sized cubes
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbs. Sesame Seeds (optional but yummy)
Seasonings (salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, Lawry's seasoning salt... whatever you like)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat over to 375.
Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Submerge each nugget in the beaten egg, then roll through the bread crumbs to fully coat. Place on baking dish.
When your baking pan is full, lighly spray the nuggets with your cooking spray... this will help them to get nice and crispy!
Bake for 30-45 minutes until both sides are brown and crispy! I flip them about half way through.