Almost Crunchy — • Eco-friendly and holistic living for the rest of us.

The Punk and The Pretty

by Almost Crunchy Me on 01/14/2011

It’s crap craft time with The Punk again. Everyday is craft day in our house. Things get ugly fast when I don’t have something craftastic at the ready. This is pretty straightforward and not terribly imaginative. However, it keeps Beastly at bay, and we’ve come up with some cute pretties (as we like to refer to hair clips in my house).

Materials for Easy-to-Make Pretties

snap clips
glue gun
glue sticks
crap to stick on such as felt flowers, googly eyes, pompoms, ribbons, etc.

Put a dab of glue on the clip and let your kid stick something on it. They have some pretty cute things in the scrapbooking section of craft stores. Anything that you can glue down will work. Hopefully, it’s something that won’t be embarrassing to look at when it’s stuck on top of your kid’s head.

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Allergen-free Cupcakes

by Almost Crunchy Me on 01/12/2011

Of course, as soon as you call something “allergen-free,” somebody is bound to inform you that they are allergic to one or more of the listed ingredients. “Gluten-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Peanut-free, Dairy-free, Casein-free, Sesame-free, Sunflower-free, Apple-free Vegan Cupcakes” didn’t have the same ring to it, so I went with ‘Allergen-free Cupcakes’ instead. My friend Shelly suggested calling them ‘Fun-free Crapcakes,’ but, in the end, I thought that might deter a few folks from giving the recipe a go.

I came up with this after one of The Boy’s best friend was put on a severely restricted diet. No dairy, no eggs, no gluten, no soy, no apples, and the list went on and on. Since most of the GF recipes did not fit the bill, I came up with this so he could eat the cupcakes at a school party. The Punk is allergic to nuts, peanuts, sesame, poppy, and sunflower seeds so I decided to omit those as well. Hell, I figured I might as well make it as complicated as possible.

Allergen-free Cupcakes
(Gluten-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Peanut-free, Dairy-free, Casein-free Cupcakes)
makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup garfava, garbanzo, or sorghum flour
2 tsp. [avhamazon locale="US" asin="B0013JJZWG" linktype="text" picsize="small"]xanthan gum[/avhamazon]
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 tsp. [avhamazon locale="US" asin="B00127FW3K" linktype="text" picsize="small"]EnerG Foods Egg Replacer[/avhamazon]
1/2 cup oil (I’ve used olive oil and canola oil. Coconut oil might also be nice.)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups rice milk or water (if you want to do dairy, use milk)

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine the two and mix well. It won’t look like regular batter; it will be the consistency of meringue. Scoop into lined muffin tins and bake at 350º for about 20 minutes.

This got a thumbs-up from my taste testers (i.e., The Punk and The Boy). I topped it with fake buttercream icing, which I made by whipping butter substitute and then adding vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Ew. It really didn’t have the right consistency so don’t even think of getting fancy and piping it onto the cupcake. I’m sure there are butter substitutes that would do just fine, but I didn’t have the time to try every single one on the market. Besides, I only found one that didn’t have soybean oil in it, and it didn’t taste as good as the other brands. I had to slather it on thinly because it would have made the cupcake too greasy. Of course, the kids ate it up anyway.

These are a great after-school snack. I usually pre-mix the dry ingredients and store them in mason jars for later use.

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B*tch Knows Her Chai

by Almost Crunchy Me on 01/08/2011

It’s been a while. I know. My sister and the three other people who read my blog have really missed it. I just couldn’t seem to get it together. A little too much “vatta” according to the Yoga B*tch. She’s my yoga guru. Picture a yogi taking a swig from a glass of dry martini while cackling maniacally. Okay, not quite. More like a yoga instructor with an edge and a good dose of reality.

She thought I needed a bit of an intervention. She designed a yoga practice for me. I THINK about it often. She knew that I am quite the work in progress so she figured we would do baby steps. For the holidays, she gave me the gift of Original Masala Chai from Yogic Chai. If she can’t get me back into doing yoga, then maybe I can just drink chai. Again, it had something to do with the whole “vatta” bit.

She’d been raving about this chai. I love me my morning cup o’ joe, so I wasn’t all that keen on replacing it. But since the Yoga B*tch raved about it incessantly, my interest was piqued. Then when a snowstorm hit Jersey today, a good cup of chai started to sound good. Yoga B*tch promised that this wouldn’t be some syrupy Starbucks concoction, and the b*tch was right! It’s like a little mug of, dare I say, love. It’s more substantial than just drinking tea but not as heavy as coffee. I’m a total convert.

Yogic Chai isn’t any old chai, either. It’s made locally by an herbalist using all organic teas and spices. It’s actually good for me. Local. Organic. Healthy. Yummy. SOLD. They make it so easy to try all the blends since they have 4-oz. trial sizes for a dollar! Fat Burner Masala Chai, please. I checked them out on Facebook. They hang out at the Walnut Street train station in Montclair, New Jersey, during the morning rush. The cuteness factor alone made me want to go to work early to buy from something called a Chai Cycle. Freezing my butt off in the wee hours of the morning, however, ain’t gonna do anything to warm me up or chase the “vatta” out of me. I’ll stick to brewing my Yogic Chai in the comfort of my home for now. Cheers!

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A Day with Holistic Mamas

by Almost Crunchy Me on 10/24/2010

It’s been a fun day of blogging live for Holistic Moms Network’s 2010 Natural Living Conference. Lots of giveaways in my reusable tote. Lots of conversations running through my head.

Here are some little snippets:

Exhibitor: “You’re a Blogging Queen.”
Me: “Uh, no. They just forgot to make me a special badge that makes me look legit so one of the organizers wrote that on my name tag.”
Awkward silence.

Exhibitor: “You have a blog! That’s great! Thanks for featuring us.”
Me: “Oh. Only my mom and my sister read the blog… And my sister only reads it so she can check my grammar.”
Awkward silence.

Me to the other women crowded around the snack bar: “Ooooh. They have soda.”
Awkward silence. Mouths agape.

You get the picture. I’m not one for social interactions. I like to carry food with me at all times so I can conveniently stuff my mouth once the awkward silence ensues. Lunch was interesting. I realized how ALMOST crunchy I am. Most of the moms were talking about how difficult it was to leave their children. The crying, the trip back to calm down a still-crying child, the check-ins with their respective spouses, and the comments about this being “the one time in a year that they do this.” Hmmm. Mind you, I co-slept with The Boy until he was about two, nursed both my children on demand for well over a year, soothed them to sleep instead of Ferberizing, carried them in a sling, and the list goes on. But my children didn’t bat an eyelash when I bid them adieu to go to the conference. In fact, The Punk waved me off enthusiastically. She was more than happy to have Daddy all to herself.

So as one mother described being so tired that she took a nap in her car whilst her little angel slept in her car seat, I decided to stuff my mouth with something wrapped in bacon. Not a good time to recount the two-hour massage I got yesterday. I felt a little like an impostor. Like I had to have a story like this to be a “true holistic mom.”

But, on the other hand, this is why I skipped the “Self Care: Balanced Living” workshop. It’s MY journey. I can’t be an effective mama if I can’t even keep my peepers open. So, yes, I nap on the massage table, not in the car, and my children are the better for it. But there’s no need to out myself during lunch at a natural living conference. When one woman looked at me expecting a similar story of motherhood-induced fatigue to issue from my lips, I stuffed my mouth with a fist-size chunk of pork loin. That’s how I roll.

Subscribe and get more posts by email about the exhibitors from the 2010 Natural Living Conference!

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Homeopathy: Natural Approach to Treating Cough, Cold, and Flu

by Almost Crunchy Me on 10/24/2010

[avhamazon locale="US" asin="B001GCU09M" linktype="pic" picsize="small"]Next up, Natural Approach to Treating Cough, Cold and Flu for the Whole Family by Dr. Nathalie Stern (who is a French doctor wearing a to-die-for belted jumpsuit). Back to Homeopathy.

A few interesting facts:

used by 40% of French medical doctors
over 200-year safety record
used throughout the world
treats everyday symptoms: allergies, coughs, colds, flu, stress, muscle aches, bruising, teething, PMS, etc.
takes many different forms: tablets, gels, ointments, creams, drops, etc.
over-the-counter drugs that are available without a prescription
the body has to be able to treat itself and homeopathy facilitates this healing. Headaches, coughs, etc. can be treated by homeopathy but it’s not appropriate for cancer, meningitis, and the like
has no known side effects
no risk of overdose

How are homeopathic medicines different?

works to help the body heal itself
use high dilutions of natural substances

I also finally figured out how to say Boiron (the name of one of the more popular homeopathic companies). It’s Bwah-rohn. It’s cuter when a French doctor in a jumpsuit says it.

There are lots of remedies that can be given for coughs, colds, and flu. Kind of becomes confusing when you try to figure it out yourself. Fortunately, Boiron has made it simple with three formulations: Coldcalm for multi-symtom colds, Chestal for coughs, Oscillococcinum for flu-like symptoms. It cuts down on the symptoms and shortens the duration of the flu. Love me some Oscillococcinum. Take it at the first sign of the flu and voila! Seriously. Works like a charm.

Update: The American Boiron rep just pronounced it Boron (rhymes with moron). A little disappointing. Looking forward to Boiron’s remedy finder coming next month on boironusa.com.

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The Natural and Non-Toxic Home

by Almost Crunchy Me on 10/24/2010

[avhamazon locale="US" asin="1600374093" linktype="pic" picsize="medium"]My first workshop at the 2010 Natural Living Conference is Natural and Non-toxic Home given by the fabulous Candita Clayton ( owner of one of the fabulous shoes in the previous post).

Here are a few of her tips for a room by room home health check-up:
Entryway:
Check your chemical residues at the door. Take your shoes off as you enter your home.
Ol’ William, please take note.
Kitchen:
Your main concern in this room are the cleaning products. Use natural cleaners such as vinegar, castile soap, lemon, baking soda, and borax.
Don’t ever heat anything up in plastic. Period. Move on.
Paper towels suck. It’s not just highly bleached paper but also bound together by a form of plastic. Use dishtowels.
Check out what’s in your water though EWG’s Drinking Water Database.
Cascade has chlorine in it. Do yourself a favor and stop using it. Here’s a hint: Ecover makes the best dishwashing tablets. This coming from a woman that tested hundreds of products when she was researching her book.
Stop using non-stick pans. I have to chime in here to say that there are ceramic non-stick pans out there that work really well. They’re ceramic not Teflon so they are non-toxic.

Family Room:
Dust it especially your furnishings at least once a week.
Keep your conventional carpeting to a minimum. Toxins are trapped in the back of the carpet and the carpet padding. Opt for wool, sisal or organic cotton rugs.
If you have a wood-burning fireplace, clean it once a year. Eco-logs are actually a little more clean burning. Check out Terracycle’s Eco-logs.
Opt for soy candles. They are less toxic and burn cleaner than petroleum-based and perfume laden ones.
Fabric treated with stain guards and most traditional fabrics contain lots of toxic substances. Try to buy organic or steam clean non-organic fabrics on furnishings.

Baby’s Room:
Buy a hardwood crib.
Buy an organic mattress or get a hand-me down and cover it with a wool mattress cover.
Keep the room well-ventilated.

Home Office:
Keep it clean. Toxic dust is created by all those electronics.

Bedroom:
Encase traditional mattresses in wool covers. Pillow encasements are your best friends. Two words. Dust mites.
Keep your home dry and clean to prevent dust mites.

Bathroom:
Use a cotton shower curtain.
Wash your bath mats often.
Again, use non-toxic cleaning products.

Laundry Room:
Skip the traditional fabric softeners. Again, go green with the laundry products.
Go ahead an buy a vat of [avhamazon locale="US" asin="B0018B15FE" linktype="text" picsize="small"].

Basement:
Check out your radon levels.

Find out more about Candita at canditaclayton.com.

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Not a Dansko or a Birkenstock in Sight

by Almost Crunchy Me on 10/24/2010

Candita Clayton's Paolo Albertos

It ain’t all about sensible, boat-like shoes. Here are a few of my faves. The latest in Holistic Mom shoe fashions.

Tod's driving moc

Lucky heeled clog

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