Kalua (Pulled) Pork

As it turns out Kalua Pork, a smoky pulled pork, is one of THE EASIEST things to make!!! Plus it is Gluten Free, Candida free friendly, Dairy free, ect...

Kalua Pork

1 Pork Roast (Any cut or size works, I usually get a 2lb. loin or shoulder roast)

Liquid Smoke

Salt

Place your pork roast in the crock pot (I always put mine in frozen), top with a generous amount of liquid smoke (I use about a half a bottle, so the pork is lightly coated and there is a thin layer on the bottom of the crockpot), and sprinkle generously with salt. That's it!!! Just cover and let cook for a good 6-8 hours. Shred with a fork and stir it to soak up all the juices on the bottom of the crock pot. 

The meat will be incredibly moist and flavorful. You can eat it just plain, on a bed of rice, or you can put it on a bun for a great sandwich. 

My favorite is to put the meat on a gluten free bun, top with some BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Rays, or Kraft Honey Hickory are both great Gluten free options), and a slice of cheese!

Bed Wetting

Ok, ok, I admit it I was one of those parents who was slightly judgmental about the whole idea of bed wetting. It is just one of those things I never understood. Quite frankly I still don't understand it, but low and behold... I have a bed wetter!

Now maybe some of you out there have bed wetters too. Maybe your little one wets the bed every night, in which case you can get a book to teach you how to train your child not to wet the bed, you can wake up every night and make your child pee, or you can just put the kid in Pull-Ups. My little guy however is only an occasional bed wetter. He will be accident free for 6-9 months and then all the sudden he will wet the bed 2-3 times in a matter of a couple weeks. It is all very frustrating!!!

Personally I am of the opinion that most children just grow out of it. For some children it just seems to take a lot longer...

You can try to limit drinks in the evening and remind them to use the restroom before bed, but regardless of what you do they will still have an occasional accident, and you will have a nice pee soaked bed to deal with...

While things like Pull-Ups work great for little toddlers, once your child is in grade school wearing a Pull-Up is more humiliating than you could imagine and trying to force it while only result in a LOT of tears.
They do make GoodNites underwear which might be a great idea for sleep overs or trips to grandma's house, but when your child only wets the bed a few times a year it really just doesn't make economical sense.
You can try getting a water proof mattress protector, but I have found that they are a horrible pain to wash since they repel liquid so well that when they are going through the wash cycle the water gets stuck inbetween the cushion layer and the water proof layer resulting in a gallon or 2 of water weighing down your mattress protector fresh out of the spin cycle. You then have to try to wring and squeeze out the excess water, with limited success, only to toss it in the dryer through 3-4 dry cycles. While this is going to save your child's mattress from getting pee stained and ruined, it is more effort than it is worth.

I have finally found the perfect solution to our bed wetting problem! GoodNites makes a product similar to those little absorbent pads they use at the doctor's office and at hospitals. They are called Disposable Bed Mats.The beauty of this product is that each corner of the pad has a sticker that you can use to keep the pad in place. They are highly absorbent and do a great job keeping the pee out of the mattress. One pad can last you for months if not used, and once used you can just unstick it, fold it up and throw away the mess. There is no embarrassing pull-up, no ruined mattress, and they are virtually unnoticeable. (They do make a slight crinkly noise when climbed on). I like to stick one on the mattress pad under the sheets so that you cant see it, but so that I dont have to wash the mattress pad every time he wets the bed. Yes I do still have to wash his sheets and usually his blankets, but it is a heck of a lot better than absorbing the pee out of the mattress, or dealing with those horrible water proof mattress pads!!!

Now if your child has already wet the bed and soaked through the mattress one of the best ways to absorb the pee out of the mattress is to spray the area with a good carpet/upholstery cleaner and let it soak in for a good 10-15 minutes, than coat the whole area really well with Baking Soda, cover and seal with plastic (I would tape down a large garbage bag over the area), and let dry for several hours (I would try to do a good 12-24 hours). The Baking Soda should pull the carpet cleaner and pee right up out of the mattress. Then just vacuum all of the Baking Soda up off the mattress. You will usually still have a pee stain on the outside layer, but a simple combination of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish soap can eliminate the stain.

Good luck to all you parents of Bed Wetters, may our children grow out of this problem quickly!!!

The Do's and Don'ts of Potty Training

It is almost that dreaded time of life in our house... Potty Training Time!!! There is nothing that strikes unease in any parent's mind more than the thought of potty training, but it really is a simple thing that you don't have to fear as long as you know what you are doing.  So here are my potty training tips that helped my children to train in a matter of a day or 2 with very few accidents....

First and foremost, just like Yoda says "Do or do not, there is no try!" Potty training is all or nothing. If you want to set a child on the potty just to see if they are interested that is fine, but when you actually train there is no going back. If you give up, so will your child and you will have to start all over again... and the next time it will be significantly harder!!!

Second there is a magic age for potty training. I don't know how many times I have talked to parents who think that if they wait till their child is older they will potty train faster... but this philosophy is usually proven incorrect. It turns out that when you wait till your child is older they have learned that it is easier to just go in their pants then to take the time to go and find the potty and do their business there. They have grown accustomed to going in their pants and find it preferable to interrupting play time. Plus they are less motivated by praise and the idea of rewards. Three and four year olds live in the here and now, being completely driven by whatever instincts hold their attention. They do not understand the concept of pausing their activities to pee, and do not remember in the here and now that they will be rewarded for doing so.
I have found that the magic age for potty training children is around 2 for girls, and a little closer to 2 1/2 for boys. For various reasons, when the child is around the age of 2 they not only know how to potty, but they are extremely excited about it and motivated to do so. Of course this varies some if you have a little genius or if your child was a premie and/or late developer. However, don't stray too far from those ages. Children start to figure out the concept of going potty pretty early, it is just a natural thing. They don't realize yet that it is inconvenient, and are too excited about doing something new.

Third, training potties are worth their weight in gold! Toilets are made for adults: they are loud, scary, and inconvenient for toddlers. I am a little uncomfortable by little potties that look more like a toy as I am afraid that would be confusing to a young child, so try and find one that looks more like a legitimate potty. (It doesn't need a flusher, just a good seat that isn't smiling at them like their stuffed animals do...) My secret for potty training success is to always have the potty in whatever room the child is in. While your child is watching tv put it in the family room with them, when they go down for a nap put it in their bedroom, if they are doing crafts at the table put it next to them, if they are playing in their play area put it in there with them! If the child sees the potty than they are more likely to remember to use it when the need arises. Now you can reinforce that by asking the child every 20-30 minutes if they need to use it, but I find that even without asking, just seeing the potty there is usually enough to help them remember. Training potties are worth the investment!!!
Once your child is potty trained you can usually transition them to using the "big potty" fairly easily. If they are just terrified of the big potty you want to have them slowly ease into it. Do not force them to do something they are afraid of or they will revert back to their original behavior and you will have a heck of a time trying to get them re-trained!!! Try to show them it is a safe environment. Usually the fear of big potties is the flushing, let them see the toilet flush frequently so they can learn that it isn't as scary as they thought.

Lastly, DO NOT USE PULL-UPS!!! (Except overnight or for long nap times, but as soon as the child wakes put them right back in their undies!) If a child has the option of peeing in their pants they will take it. Start using real underwear on day one, and don't ever go back, not even if you are just running to the store! I highly suggest spending the extra money to get some underwear that has the child's favorite characters on it as they are much more motivated to keep their underwear clean if it is extra special to them.


Now, I believe that natural consequences are the best teacher. I find that rewards other than praise aren't necessary. They are really too young to realize the correlation of getting rewarded for their behavior, but do understand praise very well especially if it is immediately given. Get excited and praise them through the roof the first few times they get it. Continue to be excited and praise them the first few days, and they will have enough motivation to do it without expectations. If they do slip up and have an accident show them that you are disappointed, ask them if it feels yucky, and be extra careful to keep reminding them for the next time. If you get angry and upset they will learn to fear having an accident, it will most likely occur again (possibly more frequently), and they will only learn to try and hide it from you.

Also, for little boys I highly suggest having them sit to pee. When they are so little it is IMPOSSIBLE to aim. If you have them stand and hold it to aim you will be cleaning up pee everywhere!!! Have them start by sitting, and once they have the hang of that than you can have them try standing. I suggest not having them hold it, but teaching them to stand above the toilet with their back arched and belly sticking out, this way it naturally arcs in the right direction without making a big mess.
I have had other mothers who argue the other way around (that the child is more excited to pee standing rather than sitting), but I think it is easier to get them going in the potty before factoring aim into it. The only problem with sitting is that you have to make sure they are pointed down before they go or they will still soak their undies, pants, and half the floor...

Now even with these tips you are still going to be cleaning up accidents. You need to be physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared to do so. Luckily if you catch them at the correct age and readiness there will be very few accidents, but nonetheless it WILL happen no matter what! You will have to clean up puddles on the floor, you will have to rinse poop out of their undies, sometimes you will even just throw away a pair of undies that just isn't worth trying to save. You have to be prepared to handle these situations before you start potty training so that you don't let them revert back to diapers. Like I said earlier, if they have the option of using a diaper or pull-up they will take it no matter what! And the next time you try potty training it will be harder and take longer for them to catch on.

My first born  followed my basic rules and was potty trained in 2 days!!!
My son potty trained himself when he was 2 1/2. I had tried once or twice to "see if he was ready" by sitting him on our training potty, and had left it out being too lazy to put it away. One night he just came up to me and said I want to use the potty. I set him on there, he went, and thought it was great. Then the next morning he wanted to do it again, and actually used the potty all the next day, and after that he was trained. However, he did this just a few weeks before we moved to a new state. Knowing how hard it is to travel with a newly potty trained toddler I stuck him in a pull-up while we drove to avoid accidents and too frequent stops and he reverted back to being un-potty trained. We had to start all over and that time it took weeks to train him...

Please learn from my successes and mistakes. Potty training does not have to be hard. You can do it. Or should I say... Your toddler can do it!!!

Acne Face Wash

Being one who suffers from adult acne I have tried virtually every face wash out there (within reasonable cost at least). Needless to say, none of them work... so I started looking for new more natural options to wash my face.

I found a link to Oil Cleansing and was intrigued, but really wasn't impressed with the results. Maybe I just didn't do it right, but my skin felt too dry and the acne was still there.
A little more research later I found a girl who used Coconut Oil and Baking Soda to cleanse her face and figured it was worth a shot. I was hooked!!!

 I make the scrub each day by scrapping a little oil onto my finger and placing it in my palm, then sprinkling a little baking soda on top, and rubbing the 2 ingredients together so the coconut oil gets melted and gritty. Next I rub it onto my face, really scrubbing at those trouble spots, then let it sit for a minute or so while the water in the sink warms up. (The baking soda creates a great gritty exfoliating texture that scrubs your skin, and the coconut oil not only moisturizes, but also helps to pull out all the bad oils and dirt that stay in your skin.) Then you just wash the mixture off with hot water and pat dry with a towel. Your skin feels pretty slick for the first couple of minutes after you wash while the oil is settling in, but soon feels nice and smooth.

Now to finish getting your skin really clean and feeling fresh follow up after a couple minutes with a great homemade toner. Here is the link to the toner that I use... http://shwinandshwin.blogspot.com/2010/10/skin-brightening-toner.html . I suggest halving the recipe as it makes a TON, and it last forever. I dab a little of this homemade toner on a cotton ball and gently rub it down and across my face. When you finish you will be able to see all the dirt and grim that the coconut oil pulled out of your pores, which I find totally awesome!

I have noticed that when I am consistent in using coconut oil and baking soda to cleanse my face that my skin clears up so nicely, yet when I switch back to using regular soaps again my face starts breaking out.

Occasionally I will switch up my face wash by taking half of a used lemon (left over from my morning lemon water) drizzle it with a little honey, and use that to scrub my face. After scrubbing with the lemon you have to let it sit for a minute before you rinse. The lemon and honey are great for brightening skin, healing blemishes, and their antibacterial properties help to fight acne also. However I don't care to use this method as often since it makes your skin a little more sensitive and dries it out a bit more than I like. However, I think that sometimes you need to switch up your routine for convenience and to keep your acne prone skin from getting used to your preferred treatment. Plus it is great for clearing up those trouble spots!

Swiss Steak

This recipe is actually a family recipe that I grew up with. The great bonus' are that it is Candida friendly, GAPS friendly, but also tastes AMAZING!!! Plus it is sooooo EASY TO MAKE!!!

Swiss Steak

1 Beef Roast (cut and size doesn't really matter, try to stick to Organic)

1 28oz can of Tomatoes (my parents always used whole tomatoes, but I like the diced ones personally)

1 Onion, sliced medium thin

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Place roast in the bottom of the crock pot, cover with tomatoes and onion, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high 6 hours, or low for 8 hours. That is it!!! DO NOT ADD WATER!!! 

To serve, cut and top the roast with the tomato and onion mixture. If you can eat starches I highly recommend thickening the extra sauce as it makes the best gravy in the world, especially on top of mashed potatoes... 

Now roasts can sometimes be a little tricky, but I have had the best success with getting good tender meat when I put the roast into the crock pot still frozen and cook it for at least 6 hours...

A Not-So-Green Smoothie

.

In an effort to work on detoxing and cleaning out my system, along with trying to make sure I get all my nutrients in each day, I have been working on making "Green" Smoothies. So... here's the deal... I HATE raw veggies... especially lettuce... with a PASSION. However, they are so incredibly good for you, so I figured the best way to get them into my system was to hide them.
 I found a basic recipe for a "green" smoothie that I thought might work for me since it is VERY basic and can be used in a large variety of formulas. I can't remember where I saw this basic recipe, but here it goes..

Not-So Green Smoothie

2 c Spinach, or Kale (I use spinach since it is less bitter)

2 c fruits of any variety

 (I usually put in a cup of berries for their great antioxidants, and a cup of other fruits like peaches and mangos to give it a boost of flavor)

1/2-1 c liquid

 (for extra protein and creaminess try using soy or almond milk, for a boost of flavor try adding 100% fruit juice, for good intestinal health try adding 1/2 c Kefir or 1-2 T Apple Cider Vinegar, or, of course, you can always just use water)

That is it! 2 c greens, 2 c fruits, and some liquids to get it going. Throw it in the blender on low, if it is having trouble mixing add more liquid, then bump the speed up to medium/high till it is thoroughly blended. Tada! You now have a healthy detoxing smoothie that tastes great and is great for you!  

If you truly want your smoothie to be green in color than use lighter colored fruits like apples, pears, or bananas. I am not a stickler on the color, in fact I am much more likely to eat it if it is NOT green, so I enjoy putting in berries which turn my smoothies a deep reddish purple color. So pretty AND delicious!!! 

Coconut Oil and Chocolates

.

I have been doing some research on Coconut oil and was AMAZED with this SUPER FOOD!!!


Here is a great link to a website I found with 160 uses for coconut oil. http://wakeup-world.com/2012/03/02/160-uses-for-coconut-oil/ They even have uses for our 4 legged family members!!!

Now I don't know how people just take a spoonful myself, so I have been sneaking this miracle food into my cooking instead.

Here is, by far, my favorite way to eat my coconut oil..

Homemade Coconut Chocolates

3/4 c Coconut oil

1/2 c Cocoa Powder

1/2 t Vanilla

Stevia to taste

Crushed almonds or hazelnuts (Optional)

In a small sauce pan melt your coconut oil and cocoa powder until well incorporated. Then Add your vanilla and Stevia. Now with the original recipe I found for these chocolates found here http://wholeintentions.com/2012/08/chocolate-coconut-cubes-candida-diet-allowed/ , it states to only add a teaspoon of Stevia but I found that it wasn't nearly enough, so I just add a Tablespoon, and taste the mixture, then add a little more at a time until it reaches the right level of sweetness. The problem with Stevia is that if you add too much it will start to taste bitter, so you just want it nice and strongly chocolate-y that is just sweet enough to not be too bitter. (It is not milk chocolate!)

Once you reach the right level of sweetness you can add your nuts. Next, spoon your mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze for at least an hour or two. Once it is hardened you can just pop one out and enjoy!!! (Yeah right like you could really just eat only one...)

This snack has all the best qualities! Not only are you getting your super food: Coconut Oil! But you are also getting the antioxidant rich chocolate. Plus it is Dairy Free, Gluten Free, and Sugar Free!!! Perfect for any candida diet!