#2- The Dehydrator

       The next gadget that has quickly become a staple for us is the dehydrator.  Let me tell you all something I love, love, love this thing.  I have one by Nesco, nothing big, nothing special, just a plain model to get started. Here's the website http://www.nesco.com. Some features that I like about mine is that I can add some trays, so I can dry more if I need to, right now the four it came with are good enough. I love the silicone mats that help keep the sticky stuff from getting everywhere, and also help keep the fragile things from breaking up and falling all throughout the trays.
     Since we got ours we have dried quite a bit. Kale, spinach, grapes( homemade raisins),tomatoes, okra, mango, apples, roasted onions, and fruit leather. I know, I know it seems like a lot and it seems daunting and I have barely scratched the surface with what this thing can do.

Dehydrated kale chips and apples

      I personally love dehydrated kale chips better then the ones from the oven, and they have become a staple in our house, in fact in an earlier post I mentioned that Grace takes them to school. If they are in the house they go in her lunch box, and she has yet to get tired of them and ask from something else. Aiden eats practically anything that comes off of it. If it's crunchy he eats it, he wouldn't touch the mango because it was too juicy raw, but off the dehydrator he can't get enough of it. He also thoroughly enjoys the okra. The other great thing is that you can flavor them anyway you want them, grace likes ranch, and a little olive oil and salt.
      What kinds of things can you do with dehydrated stuff, well earlier this week when Grace was sick, we had spinach spaetzle in our chicken noodle soup. Then I added some spinach powder to the spaghetti sauce. I added a little water and a little peach fruit leather to make a puree to add to barbecue sauce. Anything dehydrated usually gets eaten as is in our house, and honestly it really doesn't keep long enough for me to do anything else with it. By the time I think of something it's usually gone.

     Again it is an expense, but with what I have been able to save just with not throwing away  leftover vegetables, like mushrooms, it ends up paying for itself. It doesn't use that much electricity, in fact we haven't noticed any difference in our bill and it run all night a few times every week or two. Not only that but it makes it a little easier to give the kids extra fruits and or vegetables. throw some spinach powder in with a smoothie, noodle, soup, eggs, whatever you want. They end up eating the fruit instead of potato chips. I end up having it on hand and so we can give them a healthier choice. I don't go too crazy, but when produce goes on sale buy a few more here and there and it starts adding up. Oh and did I mention it keeps for a while. Make sure you follow the instructions that come with it, and there are many blogs out there on the internet with really good advice if you need more.

P.S. I am trying to be better about posting pictures with these thing so bear with me, but I will figure this out.

My Kitchen Gadgets

     So I thought I might write about some things that are essential in my kitchen. Just things that make my life easier, therefore making everyone in my house happier.
      So without further ado....

   The Stick Blender
  That's what I call it, you stick it down in stuff and turn it on and voila blended.  This thing has come in so handy, and I find myself using it more and more. Tonight it was tomato soup. I am one of those people that I like to cook, and I like to cook from scratch a lot. My philosophy on eating healthy is the more prep work I have to do, the healthier it is. So, since we live in an area that has rain now and farmers market, I try to either grow some tomatoes, or I go to a market and get some canning tomatoes and can those. Which I did the latter this last time. This doesn't mean that I don't have help, this doesn't mean that I don't have chicken nuggets and fish sticks in my freezer, we just try to not eat them everyday. So, tonight we got home around dinner time, and we had a cold front move through so we had tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Grace does not like chunky tomato soup, so here comes the stick blender. Since we also try and eat some vegetables I threw in a couple handfuls of dried spinach, some dried herbs and hit it with the stick blender and we had tomato spinach soup. Not to shabby. And it had no chunks.
   The blender also fits in my widemouth jars I canned the tomatoes in, so I can open a jar throw in some garlic, onion, basil, chilies, whatever flavor you want, put the lid back on and let it sit. If I do it in the morning or around lunchtime, it has at least a few hours to hangout and then I hit it with my blender in the jar before even putting it in the pan and easy tomato sauce.
  It is also essential in making before bed snacks. I have one of those little boys. The ones with hollow legs and can eat all of his dinner have seconds and still get up at midnight because he's hungry.  So we do smoothies for bedtime snacks every now and then. Put some yogurt, some frozen fruit, some honey and some milk and you have a smoothie. Lately they are enjoying oatmeal smoothies, the most recent flavor of choice is cinnamon blueberry. YUM!!!

   It is an expense I understand, hello military family. However, there are so many versions to choose from and as long as you use it properly and don't burn the motor out. Not me, however my husband knows all about that first hand, which is why I am now on my second one, then they should last. In the past five and half years I have only had two.  But it has come in so handy, and takes up less space then the blender itself does. And the best part is I can take my blender to the food not have to put the food in the blender then pour it back again. Of course this can also make a mess, although I haven't made one as big as any I have ever made with the blender, just be careful and don't go crazy with it. Another plus is most come with little attachments like a little mini food processor. Which I used the other day to make the crust for a cheesecake. So, I love them they are great. I hope you enjoy the soup!!


Tomato Spinach Soup

32 oz tomatoes undrained
 2 cans tomato soup-the regular size
 2 cans water
dried garlic
dried onion
dried basil
we like garlic so I use quite at least a tablespoon, a palmful of onion and a couple tablespoons of basil.
feel free to use as much or as little as you like. I don't actually measure, I just kind of dump it in til it looks good. If you aren't sure always use less, you can always add more. Much better to say hey I'll use more next time then having to dump out a whole pot of soup.
Two handfuls of dried spinach, or you can use a package of frozen-it's soup so I wouldn't worry about thawing it or draining it before adding it to the pot, or a few handfuls of fresh, whatever is on hand.
 Note-Since I used dried spinach I also added about a cup of chicken stock to make sure there was enough liquid, use more if you need to get the consistency you like. If the frozen route gives you to much liquid take the lid off and let some excess simmer off til you reach the consistency you like.

Put everything in to the pot and blend it up. Bring to a simmer for fifteen-twenty minutes and serve.
We garnished with a dollop, about a teaspoon of heavy cream and some cooked orzo pasta. Enjoy!!

Cars

     The other day we went for a walk.  We live half a mile from the water bill place so we actually walk the bill there quite often. Don't see the point in buying stamps, when it's so close. So there and back it's about a mile.
      So over dinner, Gracie was regaling Pop-pop with how far we walked. And I have one of those Dads. Yup, up hill both ways in the snow dads. As he was telling us that when he was Grace's age, he and his sister used to walk to school and it was about an mile one way. He then asked her if she knew why he had to walk to school. Grace emphatically says she knows. "Why?" asks pop-pop. Grace replies quite seriously, "Because that was before there were cars."

   Say goodnight Gracie.

Trash

     We had our first Parent/Teacher conference today. Just because, the nine weeks is almost over. The usual  standard, "Hey school has started, and let me show you how your kindergartner is doing."  All in all, it was good. She's where she's supposed to be. The biggest impression Grace has had is her lunch, and her sense of style. Yes, she is allowed to pick out her own clothes. As long as, it is weather appropriate, and within regulations, I'm ok with it. Case in point, there were tropical flowers, and hearts, and crowns. And that was just one outfit.
     As for her lunch. It was good feedback. The teacher was extremely impressed with the "healthy" lunches I pack. The first day, I sent kale chips. Easiest, simplest thing, pop them in the dehydrator, leave them for a few hours and they are done. Her teacher had never seen kale like that before, and was thoroughly taken off guard that this little five year old, not only knew what kale was, but would eat it, willingly.
     To top it off, I fill Grace's thermos with water. I made the mistake of trying to send her with lemonade, once. Evidently, she was expecting water, and she couldn't figure out what I did to make her water not taste like water. I was asked not do that again. So for the past almost nine weeks she has water in her lunch box, everyday.

So what, you may ask does trash have to do with any of the above paragraphs, well I am getting there.

      Last night we ran out of paper towels. I wrap a paper towel around her water bottle just in cases, and she has something to wiper her hands and face if she needs it. So this morning there were no paper towels. Gasp!! She didn't have a paper towel today. No biggie, I thought. Little did I know there were serious repercussions to follow.
      Later as she was cleaning out her lunch box, we were all informed that she would bringing trash tomorrow. To school.  Trash??? What??? Yes, trash. "Like a plastic bag, or box, or something like that."

     Since I make chips, she has a reusable box for her sandwich, or macaroni and cheese, and she drinks water, the only thing she has to throw away is, yup, you guessed,  her paper towel.

Say goodnight Gracie.

The chiropractor vs. the ear nose and throat guy

 Evidently when you start writing a blog, then chances are there are going to be more people then you think actually look at. Probably on accident, but still. So here's my story about avoiding having tubes put in in my 13 month old. I am by no means a doctor, I only have a B.S. and that's in Animal Science. But there are other alternatives and treatments that have helped me and I hope it can help someone else too. I am also one of those people who thinks, no believes that teething can cause all sorts of problems.  Here is my story.

 Aiden started having ear infections. He had one I believe last winter more or less right before the new year. And then The month of February he spent all but about five days on antibiotics. The first one, was a double one, and the doctor told me to hope that we caught it in time with an aggressive dose of amoxicillin that his ear wouldn't rupture. Gee thanks. Luckily, it didn't. Turn around a few days after his last dose of antibiotics and we are back in the doctor's office and sure enough another one. So another round of even bigger and badder antibiotics, and a referral to see the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. This visit was scheduled for three days after his last dose of antibiotics. After looking in his ears for oh say 10 seconds, that's for them both not a piece, I was told that his right ear was clear, which was where the last infection was, but he couldn't tell me anything about his left. Say what? Yup, couldn't tell me anything. And then he spent more time telling me that the only thing they can do is put tubes in his ears. Which meant anesthesia and surgery, and anesthesia. And quite frankly that terrifies to even imagine either one of my kids in surgery, under anesthesia. Just not something I ever want to deal with.

 A little back story now,  on New year's Eve I hurt my back, like bad enough I went to the E.R. on New Year's Day. I ended up with a couple of shots and some ibuprofen. And was told to make a follow up with my doc. At the follow up, I received a referral for physical therapy because that's what our insurance does. In talking with the therapist about Aiden's ear issues, she recommends talking to the chiropractor about it. She had taken her oldest in and hardly had any problems when he was teething and his ears. So, I talk to the chiropractor, who by the way is just an awesome, doctor, and awesome human being, just awesome. Come to find out there is an adjustment that is used to help your eustachian tubes drain. They stimulate a nerve that causes your soft palate to relax, as it relaxes it is no longer constricting your tubes and they can drain. Wow. And he of course used a lot more latin words to describe the procedure and what parts of the body that are affected, however that's the basic laymen's version of what happens. This explanation made a lot more sense to why my son kept coming down with ear infections, then the specialist who told me that teething has nothing to do with it, and it is happening because in utero his tubes didn't develop all the way, but they weren't underdeveloped, and that it actually had more to do with his head not being big enough, and teething has nothing to do with it. Technically the specialist is right. Bacteria causes the infection. Bacteria that builds up from sitting in his ear because it's not draining down his tube like it's supposed to. Kind of makes sense if a muscle is so tense say from teething pain, that it is constricting the tube and it can't drain. I don't know, like I said I'm not a doctor, but I'd say that if that muscle was relaxed and his ears were draining then the fluid wouldn't be sitting for the bacteria to grow in. Just saying.

 So I took my son to the chiropractor. We went in, and the second the doctor touched his neck, he went still. I mean like completely still. The only time I see him that still is at the chiropractors. Crazy. And according to the doctor, every baby has that reaction. Like they know not to move. So he laid him on the table, Aiden relaxed pretty easy, and after manipulating his neck with his pinkies, all of a sudden Aiden took a huge swallow. And then nearly fell asleep on the table. Darndest thing I have ever seen. And the reaction is either to be wired for sound to to go to sleep. Aiden does the latter.   And all of this happened in about five minutes.

 Please don't get me wrong, there are some cases that cannot be controlled by this alone, and even my chiropractor told me that it's not a cure, we're just helping his body work the way it's supposed to. It doesn't mean that he won't get ear infections. But hopefully tubes will be a last resort scenario, and so far, we have been blessed with our alternative treatment and the outcome.

 Aiden isn't a severe case. My god daughter had to have tubes, and she ended up with some hearing loss. So I get  it. I do. She had major issues hearing. Aiden never did, I just thought he was ignoring me, so I would raise my voice or make sure he was paying attention, he is a infant/toddler. Plus we use the Signing Time dvd's so I was also signing most things to him. In fact after the horrible visit with the specialist, we went out to dinner because it was late, and in leaving I had to say four or five times let's go home to him, into his left ear and I got nothing. However once I got his attention, I signed it, once, and in the middle of the second sign, he was headed for the door.  Looking back a lot more little things made more sense. Loud noises didn't bother him, now they do. Also he doesn't turn the stereo up so loud or as often. And he is saying more sounds. He started on a Thursday with his adjustments, and by that weekend he was saying Ma. Which he hadn't said since before Christmas.

 In the beginning he saw the Chiropractor pretty regularly, from a every other day, to twice a week to now it's I make an appointment when I think he needs one. Like I said I know that there are varying degrees of severity when it comes to this topic, and by far mine is pretty mild. But I was lucky and very graced, to be in the write time when I needed to be to learn of this alternative, and we have had wonderful results. I hope anyone who finds this and reads it that it gives you something to think about, and that if you decide to try it that it works for you like it worked for us.

The 1580's

So it's been a while I know.  But for the humor of the week. 

After driving by an apartment complex here in town, Grace  says, " Mom we need to live there they have a playground." To which I replied, "Well, most apartments complexes have a playground. Like the one we lived at before daddy went to Iraq." (She was 15 months when he went.)  After a pause she says, " Well you know mom, I have a hard time remembering some things that happened a real long time ago. You know like in the 1580's."  

Good night Gracie.

The Big Three

So we have been working on Grace eating her lunch better at school. This is the kid who is completely satisfied to have spinach leave and ranch for a snack so I know she like the food but it's school and there are about 15 other distractions also trying to eat their lunch or not.  So today when asked if she had eaten her lunch her response was " I ate all my peas." to which I responded good what else did you have for lunch. By the time she finished telling me she had claimed to have eaten all her peas, and her sandwich, and her apple.

The following is a conversation between her and her father at bedtime.
" Daddy can I tell you something?'
"Sure, what is it."
" I lied about eating my vegetables."
"You lied about eating your vegetables? Well you know that's not good?"
"Well I forgot."
"Grace did you forget or were you lying?"
"I lied."
"Well you know that lying is not a good thing to do and it means that you aren't behaving and doing what you are supposed to?"
"Yes"
" And you know, who is watching right?'
"God, and Jesus, and Santa Claus. Those are the big three."

Good night Gracie.