I have said almost everyone on here!   You can definitely consider me a “Crunchy Mama.”

My favorites: “Are you going to the chicken pox party?,” “Two words: BIG PHARMA,” and “Darn, I got the low fat.”

Here are some I’d add:

“Oh, you drink pasteurized milk?”
It’s called kombucha, my little one thinks it’s soda.”
“Is this cake gluten-free?”
“Two words: Ultra Pasteurized”

How many have you said?  Any you would add?

As a practitioner working with children with autism, I’m aware of toxins and the role they play in our health. So when I became a mom, I began looking into diapering options.  I learned that all disposable diapers (except Tushies that uses cotton and woodpulp), use a chemical gel.  Even the eco-friendly brands use the same absorbing gel as the commercial brands, Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP), which was removed from tampons when it was associated with toxic shock syndrome. Some commercial brands use even worse chemicals.

Because of this, I decided I wanted to use cloth diapers.  As I mentioned, I spent many hours online reviewing different options and comments from mothers.  I’m here to share what I have learned and what I use.

Cotton prefolds are the most basic option, and the most cost effective.  They’re a flat cotton diaper that you fold to fit your baby, and a waterproof cover over it.  There are simple to use “all-in-one,” and pocket diapers too – that you stuff to suit your absorbency needs. And, there are a variety of hybrid diapers, where you keep the cover, and throw out part of the inside “insert.”

I use a combination of cotton prefolds and FuzziBunz pocket diapers.  The cotton prefolds are really easy to wash and dry, they get very clean without any hassle.  At night, I use FuzziBunz because the fleece layer wicks wetness away, and I can stuff them to fit my needs with more or less absorbency.

Here is what has worked for me. I use:

• 2 dozen organic cotton prefolds from Green Mountain Diaper
• 9 FuzziBunz pocket diapers
• 5 Joey Bunz inserts for extra stuffing at night
• 4 Thirsty covers for the prefolds
• 50 cloth wipes
• A thermos I fill with warm water and a bowl to catch the extra water when I pour it on the wipes
• 1 spray bottle with homemade wash, but you can also buy one from Kissaluvs

This is about a 3-4 day supply, which is perfect because the longer diapers sit, the more they smell of urine, so I like to wash mine every 3 days.  I knock off the solid poop and toss them in the wash.  I wash them twice, once on cold with vinegar and Charlie’s Soap, and once on hot with Charlie’s soap and baking soda. I don’t even own my own washer and dryer.  You can do this with a shared laundry room.  Even with paying $4.50 per load, I still save money and do something great for the environment.

Let me know how it goes and what you use!

Julie

Salmon roe has the highest level of omega 3 of any other food.  The omega 3 fats (EPA and DHA) in one ounce of salmon roe equate to 1800 mg.  This is 3.5 times the amount in salmon (from the highest omega 3 species).

In addition to being rich in brain fats, salmon roe is rich in antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins including high levels of vitamins C, D and E, thiamine, folate, vitamin B12 and selenium.  Fish eggs are also high in protein, with one ounce of salmon roe containing 6 grams of protein.  It is also a good source of cholesterol for those children who are allergic to chicken eggs.

Salmon roe (and other fish eggs for that matter) are great for brain development in children, fertility, and good health.

Weston A. Price a nutrition researcher in the 1930s and 40s who studied the diets of native cultures said about salmon and other fish eggs, “The eggs of the salmon are dried and stored as an important item of nutrition for both children and adults. They are also used to increase the fertility of the women. From a chemical standpoint they are one of the most nutritious foods I have found anywhere” and “In many of the primitive tribes living by the sea we found emphasis on the value of fish eggs.”

Salmon roe is delicious.  It is cured in salt; therefore, tasting like little salty peas that burst in your mouth.

Salmon roe is a great first food for babies.  My baby loved (and still does) picking up the little pea-sized sticky eggs and popping them in her mouth.  While their a toddler favorite, don’t forget to try them with your big kids too! You might be surprised, even some picky eaters enjoy them.

If you’ve never done it before, try salmon roe.  Eat them plain, or add them on top of some rice or a deviled egg.

You can get salmon roe (as “salmon caviar”) at Vital Choice Seafood, a company dedicated to the highest quality and sustainability.  Save 10% on your order through November 30st, 2011 by using the coupon code: hope10.

Do you love butter but are avoiding it because of dairy intolerance?  Then try ghee – it’s easy to cook with, its nutritional properties are outstanding, and it’s casein-free.

Diet Compliance: GFCF/SCD/GAPS/LOD/Paleo/Nut-Free

I created this cake for my friend and colleague Sandrine Hahn of Nourishing Our Children for her birthday party when she was on the GAPS diet. I adapted this recipe from Elana Amsterdam’s “Vanilla Cupcakes” in Gluten-Free Cupcakes using all SCD/GAPS compliant ingredients.  I’ve made this many times since then, including for 400 people at the MINDD Forum in Sydney Australia, and it always turns out great.  The texture is very forgiving.  Not being in my own kitchen, I did not have my usual measuring devices and each batch came out good.  I was able experience with varying amount of oil and found it always turned out well.  Coconut flour makes a cake fluffier and lighter than with nut flour. It’s my favorite gluten-free flour at the moment.  The vanilla is strong and delicious in this recipe.

• 1 ¼ cups coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 large pastured eggs
• 2/3 cup melted grass-fed ghee
  
• 1 cup raw honey
• 2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 330 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.  In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, salt, and baking soda.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted ghee, honey and vanilla extract. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until thoroughly combined.

For you squeamish parents out there, why eat liver?

Liver is rich in many nutrients.  Because its an organ with so many jobs, the liver stores a large number of nutrients for its many needs. Liver from chicken, beef, lamb, or an grass-fed or pastured animal contains high levels of iron, vitamin B12, folate, vitamins A & C, and zinc.

In the spirit of wanting more families to eat liver, I’d like to share my kid-approved “Burgers with Liver” recipe from Cooking to Heal with you.  I know this dish may not sound tasty but these burgers are delicious.  Time and time again, parents tell me that their kids say, “These are the best burgers ever!”   No one will know they are eating liver.

Burgers with Liver

Diet Compliance: GFCF/SCD/LOD/FG/Egg-Free/Nut-Free

Make it FG (Feingold) without herbs and spices except salt.

• 1 lb ground beef
• ¼-1/3 cup ground liver (put liver in food processor and blend until smooth) about 2-3 oz.  Avoid any liver that is not thoroughly blended
• 1-2 teaspoons onion powder
• Rosemary, white pepper, or other herb or spice (white pepper is lower oxalate)
• Salt, dash

Mix together and form into patties.  Cook as usual – in a pan, on the grill, or as desired.  I prefer cooking them until they are well done.

Many people are trying to get always from bread.  Whether it’s because of a special grain-free diet to support their health and heal the gut, to balance blood sugar, or to lose weight.  There are a number of grain-free diets: Specific Carbohydrate, GAPS, Paleo and Primal Diets.

This is not difficult to do, especially once you get some ideas rolling.  Dinners at home are pretty easy: there are many variations of roasted dishes, soups/stews, and other hot meals that can be enjoyed with meat or fish and vegetables.

But what about a cold lunch or snack on the go?  Hot foods are not always easy or desirable on the road.  And how do you make a sandwich without bread?

Here are some of my 10 favorite easy bread-free sandwiches, finger foods and snacks

1. Cucumber slices
2. Endive leaves
3. Kale leaves
4. Lettuce
5. Thinly cooked omelet
6. Hardboiled egg white halves
7. Avocado halves
8. Tomato halves
9. Red bell pepper slices
10. Celery sticks

Cucumbers and endive leaves can be used like crackers to place food on.  Kale and lettuce can be used as a wrap. The flat omelet can be used like a pizza crust or open-faced sandwich.  Avocado halves can be used like a bowl, and hardboiled eggs as a mini-bowl.  Celery as a cracker to spread nut butter, and bell pepper slices can be used for dipping hummus.

Use chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad to fill an avocado bowl or top to of any of the ideas above.  Considered sliced turkey or other meat and shredded vegetables to wrap in the kale leaves.  Add hummus, olive tapenade, nut butter or other spread with the vegetables sticks for dipping.

Eating gluten-free and grain-free is easy and delicious with a few simple ideas!  Hope these help spark some new creative meals!

As such all of the products and lunchboxes here are BPA-, phthalate-, lead-free, and the food and beverage containers are also plastic-free.

Here are some of my favorites.  Let us know yours!

Lunchbox Carrying Cases (fill with any of your own containers)

Mimi and the Sardine
Small and soft to squeeze in anywhere

Crocodile Creek 
Basic/Classic Lunchboxes without lead or other toxins

Skip Hop, Zoo Lunchies
Adorable animal lunchboxes

Full Lunchbox System

PlanetBox
Stainless lunchbox system with carrying case and place for water bottle. Be careful as not all of the compartments are water-tight.

Lunchsense
Unique box design folds out for an eating surface and for easy washing. Does include “non-toxic” plastic containers, so consider using your own non-plastic containers instead.

Inside Lunchbox Containers

Lunchbots (stainless steel)

ECOlunchbox (stainless steel)

Reusable Sandwich Bags

LunchSkins

SnackTAXI

Water Bottle (Metal-Free)

Lifefactory
Finally a glass water bottle that doesn’t break, and no more metal tasting water!  Glass water bottles with a silicone sleeve. 9 oz bottles fit well into most lunch boxes.  Even better, these are Life Factory’s baby bottles with a solid cap so they can be reused after baby is older or purchased new if you’re just discovering them.  They also have 16 and 22 oz sizes.

Clingwrap (Plastic-free)

Abbego
Cotton with beeswax coating

Share your favorites!

Pictured above: ECOlunchbox Three-in-one

From a quick post I made on Facebook about my new chest freezer, I received many responses and questions from clients and friends.  I’ve been asked to share my research and experience.

Chest Freezers vs. Upright Freezers

At first, uprights are intriguing—namely, it is so much easier to store food on shelves and find things and are no-frost.  However, for many other reasons chest freezers are the way to go.

Chest freezers are more energy efficient.  I have a 7.2 cu ft. freezer by Frigidaire and it’s estimated to cost $30/year to run it!  Cold air sinks, so when you open the door of an upright, you’ll notice the cold air come down and out toward your feet.  When you open the lid of a chest freezer, the cold air sinks mostly in and toward the bottom of the freezer, saving energy.

During a power outage, a chest freezer will keep food frozen for 3 days, where as an upright is only 1 day.  Unless you have a backup generator, this is important so your food doesn’t go bad.

Capacity in a chest freezer is significantly better.  While the shelves of an upright are convenient, they do not provide an efficient use of space.

While you may be initially turned off by a freezer that needs manual defrosting, there are significant advantages that make it worthwhile.  Freezer burn is dehydration, due to exposure to air. No-frost (upright) freezers pull the moisture out of the freezer to keep ice from building up, but this promotes freezer burn, particularly with non-airtight packaging.  Wrapping your food is important but the freezer you choose is important as well.

Storing in the freezer

It’s best to store in manufacturer sealed packaging like some meat comes in.  If it’s not air-tight, wrap it in freezer paper or plastic wrap (if you choose), then in a ziplock-style freezer bag.

Butter freezes perfectly, so you can buy butter for making ghee and freeze it.  You can save 50% or more doing this.  Staples like nuts and flour store well in the freezer when stored in an airtight bag.  Soups, stews, stocks, and other homemade food store very well in the freezer. (Yes, you can store in glass, as long as you leave room at the top so the container doesn’t break.)  On the other hand, yogurt and potatoes do not store well in the freezer—yogurt separates and potatoes have a mushy texture (although I don’t mind this and freeze stews with potato frequently).

Label food and when you froze it – I typically do this on the freezer bag.  Keep an inventory of what goes into the freezer and mark it off when you use it.  This will help you keep track of what you have.

Organizing the Freezer

With a chest freezer, there is a lot of room but everything is piled on top of each other.  Use the wire basket for things you need to use first or small items.  I organize the rest with in bags.  I use Eco Bags that are made with a netting of string – so air circulation is not affected—and I group like foods together.  This way I can pull out two bags of frozen food and get to what’s at the bottom. Place newer items at the bottom if possible.

Size

Chest freezers will hold 20-30 lbs or more of meat per cubic foot.  Depending on your needs, a 7 cubic ft freezer is often sufficient for a family of 4.  After researching on Consumer Reports and other sites, I found the 7 cu ft. GE and Frigidaire freezers to be two good entry-level options for around $200.  I have one and have a good friend with the other.  I’ve heard good things about both.

Extras.  You may want to think of getting a few extras (either built into your unit or purchased separately), particularly a lock for safety with children, and an alarm if the temperature rises too high. You also may want to consider a back up generator if you have a large investment of food in your freezer.

My chest freezer is one of the best investments I’ve made to make my kitchen life easier.

What’s a mom to do?

Commercial formula? Homemade formula? Cow’s milk, Goat’s milk, or casein-free formula?

Particularly for babies that are sensitive to dairy, formula choice can be a difficult one.

As a nutritionist specializing in autism, I have a lot of clients looking for dairy-free (and soy-free) infant formula for their babies.

For a mother that has experience with an older child on a casein-free diet, the signs that their current baby is not tolerating dairy are often clear.

For GFCF families, I highly encourage breastfeeding. And it’s important for nursing mothers to avoid dairy and any other foods she finds her infant is sensitive to.

The most common alternative on the market is soy formula. However, there are a number of studies showing poor outcomes with soy formula for infants, so I do not recommend soy formula.

There are a few choices to consider and discuss with your child’s pediatrician.

Neocate is an elemental formula that contains vitamins, minerals, and individual amino acids. Elemental formulas do not contain whole food proteins that sensitive and allergic babies and children may react to. For children with multiple food allergies and live threatening conditions, these formulas are a lifesaver. However, a main ingredient is corn. Neocate is made with corn syrup solids; however, it’s non-GMO and they do not contain any corn protein therefore considered safe for children with corn allergies.

Elecare is another elemental formula, similar to Neocate. Some babies do better with one vs. the other so often parents will try both. While a lifesaver for some, many moms don’t want to give corn or corn syrup solids to their baby. Fair enough.

While not a formula, Metagenics has a powdered supplement called UltraCare For Kids made with rice protein powder that some mothers make into an infant formula.

On the other hand, many mothers prefer homemade formula made from fresh real ingredients (This is what I chose). Weston A. Price has created several infant formula recipes: a raw cow or goat milk formula, and one that is milk-free (the Liver-Based Formula). While not casein-free, the Liver-Based Formula can be adapted with the help of a nutritionist to be casein-free.

The goat milk contains casein, but the form A2 beta-casein is often better tolerated, so it may be an option for some children that need to avoid conventional milk but can handle goat milk. This recipe can adapted to be free of cow milk containing ingredients.

What I love about their recipes is that they have calculated the nutrition in breast milk and in their formulas and have a comparison chart. If you adjust the recipes to be casein-free, you will want to make sure to recalculate nutrient levels so ensure the new formula has a similar nutrition profile. I often help clients with this.

Many new babies (with a sibling with autism) are perfectly healthy and thriving and do not need a special formula. However, some new mothers with family members that are intolerant to casein may want to explore whether a casein-free formula is the right choice for their infant.

Work with a holistically oriented pediatrician that can think outside of the box and advise you on the best formula option for your infant.

Photo credit: by Enokson, Flickr, Creative Commons, July 20, 2011