Homemade White Cake

I won't lie to you, this is not necessarily a "crunchy" cake. There is still a ton of sugar and it's made with white flour. However, it is still a million times better then store bought box mixes. Have you read the ingredients in those box mixes? You can't even pronounce most of the ingredients! I have depended upon those boxes for far too long. Today, I decided I was going to go one step healthier and make a "real" cake.

This white cake is close to the box mixes. Not quite as fluffy and light but perhaps if I had used cake flour instead of all purpose flour it would have been. I originally found the recipe on iambaker. iambaker has a recipe for homemade cake mix, which you make the dry ingredients and store in a mason jar so that you can have that "box mix" ready whenever you need it.

I didn't need the mix to sit around for awhile so I just threw it all in a bowl and started baking. I did tweak the recipe a bit and it seems to have helped in the fluffy department. As you can see by the picture, we didn't even wait or need frosting in order to eat these!

Homemade White Cake

2 3/4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups super fine sugar (just throw some sugar in the blender and blend)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
5 egg whites
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk together to fully incorporate.

In separate bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add in egg whites one at a time, thoroughly beating with each egg. (The butter might start to solidify a bit into rice size pieces. This happens when the egg whites aren't at room temperature but I have found it to have no effect on the cake.) Add in milk, water,  vanilla, and vinegar.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix till combined.

Divide equally between two 8 or 9'' round pans or 24 cupcake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

For best results, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before mixing.

If You Like Forums/Message Boards....

I don't know how many people are into the whole forum/message board world but I've definitely gotten sucked into it. I find it really helpful to find people who are like me and when you become crunchy it suddenly seems like nobody else is like you.

One of my favorite sites is Babycenter.com Now I could care less about Babycenter as it's very mainstream. However, their "Community" has be invaluable to me. The Community is made up of different groups and you can join any group that you'd like. For instance, I'm part of "Crunchy Mamas", "Cloth Diapering", "Crunchy Kitchen", "Homeschooling", and "None/Select/Delayed Vaccinations".

There is also groups for specific age groups called Birth Clubs. For instance, if you have a kid born June of 2007, you could join the June '07 board and meet other parents with the same age kids and you can bounce questions off each other. Birth Clubs (usually called Birth Boards) tend to be more useful and popular starting with your pregnancy (you can join Birth Boards based on your due date) till about when your baby is 1-2 years old after that they tend to taper off. One thing I will say about the Birth Boards is that they are notorious for their drama. You get that many moms (especially when hormones are high from being pregnant) and it can be like high school all over again. Therefore they are nice to pop in and see what everyone else is going through but you are best to avoid reading the debatable subjects (which most crunchy things seem to fall under) Unless of course you enjoy drama, in which case make sure you pop some popcorn.

Like I said, Babycenter has been a great resource for me. The women (usually women, sometimes you'll find a dad or two in there) have been extremely helpful. Especially the Crunchy Mamas! Those are my "go to" women when I need help with crunchy projects. They also enlighten me to crunchy products and changes that I would have never heard about. I would have never heard of no 'poo if it were not for that board.

If you are into the whole message board scene, I highly recommend you give Babycenter a try. Especially the specific topic groups.

Kale Chips

I've avoided the kale chip wagon for awhile now. I've seen the recipe passed around all my crunchy circles and yet I still didn't bother to give it a try. I finally caved in and tried it out today!

For such a green veggie kale chips are surprisingly good. Now I'm not going to lie, I will definitely choose potato chips over kale chips any day. However, if you are wanting a very healthy chip alternative or just a way to get your kids to eat their veggies, this is it! When you bite into a kale chip, you almost think it's a regular chip. Same crispy crunch, same lovely salt taste, just with a slight veggie flavor.

My boys adore them! They have only tried maybe 5 pieces (I had to kick them out of the kitchen) and they are already obsessed! My oldest son told me that next time we go to the store I need to buy 3 bunches of kale because the 1 bunch I bought yesterday is not going to be enough!

Kale Chips

1 Bunch Kale (any kale will do but I hear the curly variety works best)
1 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. Sea Salt

Optional:
1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
or
Parmesan Cheese
or
1/4 tsp. paprika with 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
or
anything you can come up with!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse and dry kale. Cut the kale into smaller pieces (think chip size or slightly larger) and also remove the stems and any tough center ribs. Mix with oil and salt plus any other desired ingredients. Lay on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they can brown and burn quickly!

You can also crumble up the kale chips and use it to sprinkle on top of popcorn.

Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen for 2011

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just put out their updated list for the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. For those of you who are not familiar with those terms; they refer to produce and pesticides. The Dirty Dozen being the 12 types of produce with the most pesticides and the Clean Fifteen being the 15 types of produce that have the least amount of pesticides.


This year there are some changes. For example, apples are now the worst on the Dirty Dozen list. 


Don't be swayed by people who say that the EWG is doing a disservice by making a Dirty Dozen list. These people claim that since the EWG tells it like it is, people will not eat as many fruits and veggies because they are trying to avoid pesticides. That's just silly. Sure some people might decide to avoid those fruits and veggies all together but the point of the list is to help people understand which produce is more important to buy organic. We can't all afford to buy everything organic. However, knowing which foods have higher "risks" means we can spend a bit more money on organic versions and not fret (too much at least) on the items that we buy conventional. 

Here is the list for the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen. 

Dirty Dozen
1) Apples
2) Celery
3) Strawberries
4) Peaches
5) Spinach
6) Nectarines - imported
7) Grapes - imported
8) Sweet Bell Peppers
9) Potatoes
10) Blueberries - domestic
11) Lettuce
12) Kale/collard greens


Clean Fifteen
1) Onions
2) Sweet Corn
3) Pineapples
4) Avocado
5) Asparagus
6) Sweet Peas
7) Mangoes
8) Eggplant
9) Cantaloupe - domestic
10) Kiwi
11) Cabbage
12) Watermelon
13) Sweet Potatoes
14) Grapefruit
15) Mushrooms

Safer Sunscreens for 2011

It's only just now getting warm enough where I live that I am beginning to think about sunscreen. Generally we never use sunscreen. However, when my kids are outside all day in the hot sun we do put some on. There is no way they would not get burnt otherwise.

I need to buy new sunscreen this year, as I am now more aware of sunscreen ingredients and since my old sunscreen really should not be used as it’s from last year  two years ago! However, sunscreen it seems is very un-crunchy. Most sunscreens are full of parabens, phthalates, and PEG’s. Most also contain synthetic oxybenzone which is an endocrine disruptor and can effect the nervous system. It also releases free-radicals when exposed to the sun which are harmful. The newest concern about sunscreens is the vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) that most companies put in. It has recently been found that retinyl palmitate may speed up the growth of skin lesions and tumors. Yikes! Isn't that what we are trying to avoid by wearing sunscreen?!

Finding a safer sunscreen sounds like a lot of work so I’m very thankfully that the lovely people at safemama.com have taken out the guesswork and compiled a list of sunscreens and rated their safety.


Safemama puts out a sunscreen cheat sheet every year that lists the safest sunscreens. They also include their personal reviews of the sunscreens as well as the price of them. Very nice when you want to buy a crunchy sunscreen but you don’t want to waste money on one that you will hate. For an even quicker answer to your safe sunscreen question safemama has their Top Choices for Best Overall, Best Ingredients, and Best Solid/Stick Sunscreen.

I’m now off to find a crunchy sunscreen before we start spending massive amounts of time in the sun.

Using Tea Leaves as a Fertilizer

I drink a lot of tea. 6 cups a day! Since I drink so much tea, I have a lot of leftover tealeaves. I always felt bad when I just dumped the tealeaves down the sink. What a waste. There had to be something I could do with them!

Turns out tealeaves, much like the popular coffee grounds, make for a good fertilizer! This is great news for me or rather my plants. I no longer had to waste my used tealeaves and my poor plants would get some nutrients because I refuse to use the yucky fertilizers that are suspicious shades of blue.

Tea contains many nutrients. Granted most of then are found in the first brew of tea but the leftover tealeaves still have some nutrients left that your plants can put to use. Tea is also slightly acidic so it is especially great for acid loving plants such as Hydrangeas, Roses, Tomatoes, and Peppers.

There are a few ways to use tea as a fertilizer.

1) Let the used tealeaves soak in water and then pour that water on your plants.

2) Mix in the tealeaves with the dirt of your plants.

3) You can also just put the tealeaves on top of the soil but do not do this with indoor plants as it will promote mold and/or gnats. Outside it is generally all right, especially if the dirt/tealeaves dry out in between watering.

Any old tea will do. I drink Red Raspberry Leaf so that’s what I use but anything works. Loose leave is the easiest as you already have all those leaves just sitting there, however you can use bagged tea it’s just a bit more effort.

I will say that I doubt tea gives plants as much nutrients as other fertilizers (organic or not) but if you happen to have tea leaves around then put them to use!

Ditching the Food Pyramid

I’ve never been a fan of the Food Pyramid or the newer MyPyramid. It was way too much food in some areas and way too little in others.

The Food Pyramid was too much food especially since they only recommended ranges (6-11 servings of grain for example) so people just assumed more was better.

MyPyramid was better in portions. In fact, it’s the same serving recommendations as the new MyPlate. Both serving guidelines are hard to find because they are tailored for age ranges and genders; you usually have to dig through text to find it. However, MyPyramid was more difficult to read and most people just ignored it and used the old Food Pyramid instead.

The USDA has finally come to at least some of their senses and decided to ditch both pyramids. In its place, they have adopted MyPlate.

MyPlate features a handy picture of a plate divided into food groups. This makes much more sense than the pyramid. With a plate, people can instantly get an idea of what they should be eating.

I do still have issues with MyPlate. I think it’s definitely better than the Food Pyramid but it’s not without its faults.

My opinion on MyPlate:

Pros:

Suggests eating less food.

Gives fruits and veggies more importance (half the plate should be fruits and veggies)

Drink water instead of sugar drinks

Less grains (than the Food Pyramid. Looks like it’s the same amounts as MyPyramid)

Gives specific servings for ages ranges/genders

Cons:

I still feel like they recommend too many grains. I feel like 6 servings of grain is too much for me and 5 for my kids is a ridiculous amount!

Fats – Still recommends low fat foods and avoiding saturated fats.

In fact, fats aren’t even included on the plate. You have to go searching for it in the subtext below.

Only recommends making half your grains whole grains. This is good but I’d like to see make most or make all your grains whole.

Here’s an example of what MyPlate says I should eat:

6 ounces of grains

2 ½ cup of veggies

2 cups of fruit

3 cups of dairy

5 ½ ounces of protein

Here’s what MyPlate says my 4-8year old kids should eat: (4-8 is MyPlate’s age range not mine)

5 ounces of grains

1 ½ cups veggies

1 – 1 ½ cups fruit

2 ½ cups dairy

4 ounces protein

In essence, MyPlate is really just MyPyramid made easier to understand. It does put more emphasis on eating less, eating less sugar, etc than MyPyramid did. Like I said, MyPlate is better but not perfect. We still have a ways to go.

Carrot Fries

That's right! Fries made out of carrots!!! My boys are getting a bit tired of carrots lately but unfortunately for them, we bought a huge bag of carrots. While searching for new ways to make carrots, I can across carrot fries. They are a huge hit with my boys. My oldest even rated them better then restaurant potato fries!

Carrot Fries

3 cups carrots - sliced into fry-like shapes
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
herbs or spices of your choice (I've been adding a basic Italian spice blend)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spread carrots evenly on a pan (one with a lip to it) and cook for 20-25 minutes.

That's it! So simple!

Natural Remedy for UTI

About a week ago, I realized I had a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). As it was late at night because it always is when you get a UTI. I mean seriously, do you ever get a UTI at a normal hour of the day when the doctor is actually in? No, you always get them late at night, kids are already in bed, doctor's office is closed and there's nothing but a big co-pay and hours at the ER waiting for you!

Well I was not wanting to drag everyone out of bed and go pay way too much at the ER. I found the usual natural remedies: cranberry juice, colloidal silver, drinking tons of water. However, I didn't have cranberry juice or colloidal silver and I was chugging tons of water and my Red Raspberry Leaf Tea but I knew that wasn't going to be enough. When I get a UTI it pretty much goes from nothing to verge of kidney infection in seconds. I was already in decent pain and starting to bleed.

Then I came across baking soda. Hello my faithful little friend! I mixed 1 tsp. baking soda (I made sure to go with the chemical free kind) in 8oz water. I was able to drink about half of it; baking soda tastes like soap. I then proceeded to down quite a few more cups of water.

A few hours later the pain was almost gone! The bleeding had stopped also. Wow! I went to bed and a few hours later, had to go to the bathroom (you can't drink that much water and expect to sleep through the night) and I made another batch (yet another reason to keep baking soda in the bathroom) and once again  only drank half of it.

The next morning I was pretty much back to normal. I drank one more glass that day and kept drinking water like it was going out of style. The next few days, I made sure to drink tons of water and tea but I did nothing else. Well, I shouldn't say nothing else. In addition to my usual prenatal vitamin (not pregnant right now, just breastfeeding) I took some extra vitamins. (okay I took an Airborne. Not my favorite or recommended vitamin but it's what I had. 1 a night for a few days) Baking soda can deplete your body of vitamins and nutrients. Plus vitamin C is good for UTI's.

Now I have a few notes to add to this.

1) I am not a doctor, I'm not in medical school. The closest I come to being a doctor is playing Dr. Mom.

2) I'm not necessarily saying baking soda will cure all UTI's. It cured mine but I'm not guaranteeing anything. If you do decided to give the baking soda a try and if in 2 days you aren't back to normal; go to the doctor!

3) Even if baking soda doesn't cure a UTI, it will help with the pain and can get you through the night.

4) Do not take more than 3 tsp of baking soda in 24 hours.

5) Baking soda has quite a bit of sodium so if you are on a sodium restricted diet then you probably should avoid this remedy.
6) You should probably avoid this remedy if you are pregnant as it's high in sodium but it also robs your body of nutrients/vitamins.

I'm so glad I've found out about another use for baking soda! Even if it doesn't cure any other UTI's that I might get, I do know that it will help me get through the night!