Fabulous Feminine Tea blend

This tea blend is what I drink every morning. It helps with so many of the problems that women get. It doesn't cost much, and it really works. I have noticed a decrease in skin blemishes and my "cycle" has become lighter and shorter with less mood problems. This tea blend is beneficial to women of all ages, however not all of the herbs are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding I suggest consulting with a midwife or Dr. that is educated on herbal medicine.  

• Rosemary- High in  vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K. It helps to prevent Alzheimer's and Dementia and improves memory. Good for fighting infections and  using against rheumatism. It also a good herb to use in promoting  menstrual flow, but because of this you should not take rosemary tea if you are pregnant. 
• Raspberry Leaf - High in Vitamin C and also has vitamin E, A, and B complex, Manganese, Magnesium, phosphorous and potassium  It is beneficial for treating the flu, gum disease, rubella, upset stomach, hangover, diarrhea, fevers, vomiting, menstrual problems and inflammation. It also increases fertility in both men and women.
• Oat straw- Rich in calcium and other minerals it is used to improve bones, fend off depression, strengthens capillaries, nourish and strengthen the central nervous system, help treat liver infections and arthritis, as well as preventing osteoporosis. Also increases hormone levels that stimulate cell growth. Good to use if you suffer from anxiety also.
  
• Corn silk - Contains vitamin C, and K. Helps the body to prevent and rid itself of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and bladder inflammation. It also helps the body to flush out toxins. 
• Rose buds - Mostly I have this for flavor, but it dose have antioxidants and vitamin C.
• Hibiscus - contains antioxidants, helps with heart problems, and also promotes healthy digestion. However you should not use hibiscus if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Chamomile - use for PMS, Migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, and stomach cramps. 
• Lavender - Helps in cases of Anxiety, stomach problems, colic, insomnia, arthritis, backache, headache, and mood swings. 
• Stinging nettles- rich in iron, calcium, potassium, and Vitamins A and C. Used to treat skin disorders, digestive problems, urinary tract infections, coughs, and colds.
• Red clover flowers -Effective against menopausal side effects, inflamed lungs, inflammatory bowel disorders, kidney problems, liver disease, skin disorders and weakened immune system. Acts as an antibiotic, appetite suppressant  and blood purifier.  It also increases fertility. 

My blend consists of 4 parts each of rosemary, nettles, read clover flowers, and raspberry leaf. 2 parts each of oat straw, corn silk, and chamomile. 1 part each of lavender, hibiscus, and rose buds. I will add other things too depending on my mood, such as peppermint, ginger, passion flower, dandelion leaves, and calendula flowers. When adding lavender, make sure not to do to much or you might have tea that tastes like soap. 

If I don't want all of the teas then I will sometimes to just one herb, or combine a couple. I really like the flavor of Red clover and rosemary. 

On the benefits of Gelatin

Gelatin is supper good for you. With our overly skinned and boned meats, under eating of dark leafy greens  and over use of the unhealthy vegetable oils we Americans are not reaping the vast benefits of gelatin. It is an animal product, derived from skin, connective tissue, and bones. I know that for some of you it sounds a bit weird, but it is so good for you! Even if you aren't a fan of "Jello" (which by the way is very unhealthy for you. Way to many processed sugars, artificial dyes, and who knows what else) you can still simply dissolve it in water and drink it. In fact taking it with water when you wake up, and before you go to bed is the most recommended way of taking it. I like to take it in the morning and then add it to food whenever I feel like it. I use Great Lakes Kosher Gelatin which is from grass fed cows and is only like $15 at my local health food store.
So what dose it do exactly? It supports skin, hair, and nail growth as well as tightens the skin. It also supports joint health and is a source of protean. It helps to move food through the digestive tract, and it has 18 amino acids. Have you ever heard of a little something called collagen? Well this a fantastic way to get it!
Basically it helps you to look and feel younger. Yes, I'm only 19, but hey, why not start getting this into my diet so that I don't have so many problems when I'm older.
Mamma natural has an awesome video on gelatin. Click here for that video.

Ready for a gelatin recipe? It is so supper easy. All you need is 2 cups of juice, not from concentrate, and 2 tbsp of gelatin.
Place 1/2 cup of the juice in a saucepan and heat on medium  When it has bean heated a bit, add in the gelatin, and stir to combine. Add in the rest of the juice and place in the container that you want it to chill in. Place the container into the refrigerator and chill, just until the mixture begins to set up, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. If you want to add in fruit, now is your chance. Stir in some fruit, then place back into the refrigerator to chill completely. 

Want to know how to make gummies that have fiber in them? Blend 2 cups of fruit with 1/2 cup of the juice from some sort of citrus fruit. Place in a saucepan with 4 tbsp of gelatin. Heat and stir until combined. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares with a knife or shapes with a cookie cutter. You have Gummies!

Here is a sight for a bit more info. 

Ground Beef and Sauerkraut soup

I got  the original recipe from kalynskitchen.com. It sounded so yummy that I decided to make an urban farmer edition. I used some cultured veggies that I made, which is homemade sauerkraut with shredded beets, carrots, celery, and some sort of leafy green added in for extra vitamins and flavor. I also used grass fed beef because it is way more flavorful and healthy. I highly recommend only buying grass fed beef and cage free meets, because the animals are healthier and happier. Also grass fed meets and the like wont give you cancer, so.... ya that's a bonus. if you make it exactly like mine, then your immune and digestive system will be sooooo so so happy! If you make it from caned sauerkraut and cook the meet in peanut oil, or use pasteurized sour cream and dried garlic then you will still have a delicious soup. But, my way is still better... Just sayin' :)

Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup

Ingredients:1 lb. grass fed ground beef or buffalo. (turkey and whatnot can be subbed)1 tbsp coconut oil1 large red onion, chopped 4 cloves of minced garlic (plus more to garnish the soup with)4 cups of beef or chicken stock (really easy to make at home, just boil your leftover meet and bones in water for a while)
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice (feel free to use fresh!)
Extra water if you want a more watery soup2 tbsp maple syrup (the real stuff! None of that fake corn syrup groseness, and grade B is best)4tsp of soy sauce3 dried bay leaves3 Tbsp of dried parsley 3 tbsp rubbed sagefresh ground black pepper to taste

2 cups of sauerkraut. (I used my homemade cultured veggies)
Thick homemade goat milk kefer to garnish (sour cream, plane yogurt, or cow milk kefer works well too)
Extra minced garlic if someone likes that garlic bite. 

To Cook
In a pot (I used my dutch oven) heat the coconut oil on medium heat. Add in the onion, sprinkle a little salt and cook for a couple of minutes. If you are scared of some sort of cross contamination then remove the onions and cook the beef with some salt and pepper. Add the onion back in, if you took them out, and add in everything else but the sauerkraut and garnish. (this is to preserve the probiotics. If you use canned then go ahead and add it in.) Cook from just till its warm or all day depending on how much you want the flavors to develop and how much time you have. Usually simmering it on low for an hour or two tastes real dandy in my opinion. If using unpasteurized kraut then add it in before serving to let it get warmed up. Serve with your fermented dairy of choice, minced garlic, and possibly some fresh herbs on the side.

Goat milk bath fizzies

These are super easy and fun to make. Your skin will be so soft and happy after using this! If you cant get citric acid, you can always just make this as a milk bath and use it all at once.  All you need is Powdered Milk (cornstarch can be substituted), Baking Soda, Citric Acid (this is what makes it fizz), Olive Oil, Dried Lavender Flowers, Lavender essential Oil, and a Silicone Mold. You can make this without the mold, and just have a fizzy milk bath. Also you can leave out the lavender, or use other oils and flowers. 

                         

Mix the dry ingredients first, and make sure their isn't too many clumps. I used a for to do this, but a whisk will work well also.

Then add in the Lavender.

Drizzle in the olive oil, starting with 1 tbsp, adding more until the mixture just comes together.

Take some of the mixture and pinch between your fingers. If it sticks together but isn't soaked with oil, then you've got it!

When putting the mixture in your mold, pinch it together in between your fingers first, then gently press into the molds. If you press it in to hard then the mixture could stick and you wont get perfect shapes.

  

Turn the mold over and press the middle gently and they should pop out easily. 

 They fizz really well. You should only need a few for a whole bath. About 3-4 tbsp. But go ahead and use more if you would like.

• 1/4 Cup of Baking Soda
• 1/4 Cup of Citric Acid (I get this in the baking aisle at my grocery store, but you might find it with the sprouting items at your local grocery store.)
• 3 and 1/2 Tbsp of Goat Mil Powder (you can substitute cornstarch for this but it wont be as nourishing)
• 1 Tbsp of Dried Lavender
• 5 drops of lavender oil
• 1 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of Olive Oil (I usually use 1/8 cup or 2 Tbsp)

Keep in a cool dry place. If you aren't going to use it up vary soon then you may want to keep it in the refrigerator.

A look on life and being a year older. Also February Book swap

Well, I'm a year older and guess what... Theirs no diffidence from being 18 to 19! Whoa! Who knew? You know how people generally will ask you if you feel any different and you never do? Perhaps you might think that maybe you should feel different  but you just don't and therefore you are an exception. Well, your not. I am pretty sure that this is how EVERYONE feels. I used to think that when I was 10 it would be this profound experience, but, no...Nothing Happened. Then 15 (I was never really much into the whole "license thing" for a marker on age) But still NOTHING! And of course 18 was no different. I'm not going on a rant caused by me being annoyed by people asking me if I feel any different. In all honesty, no one asked. I'm actually not ranting at all, I have just bean thinking about how profound experiences, and life changing moments don't ever seam to be caused by age. Yes, your mental maturity, but not your physical maturity, and I think that that is the really exciting part about these times in our lives. Some can be predictable to a degree, if perhaps a life altering moment of you life was when you were married or had children, the usual things that will change a persons life. But, their are so many other moments that influence the choices that we make, and the ideas that we have. These little things, the infinitely small moments that affect us at just the right time to change us and possibly our whole perspective on life, I think are really incredible.

It's time for something a bit more fun. Anyone care for a cream filled sugar cookie cup?

   

For our last little book swap we had a rose and wildflower tea with heart shaped tomatoes, chia seed crackers, cheese, chocolate mouse, and those yummy sugar cookie things pictured above. 

For the crackers simply take one part chia seeds to 2 parts water and a pinch of salt. Mix in a bow and let it sit of a couple of minutes. Now that the mixture is all jellified spread it on one of those silicone dehydrator sheets and put in a dehydrator on about 100 or 115. After 1 hrs flip the crackers to face the other side and leave until dry. about another 2 hrs. 

For the strawberry sugar cookie cups. (also known as tassies)

preheat oven to 350. Take a batch of sugar cookie dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Place in a mini muffin tin and push against the sides. bake for 12 min . when golden take out and press against the sides of the tins again and let cool. remove from tins.

The filling

• 1/2 package of cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup of sour cream or kefir
• 2 tsp of strawberry flavoring, or use strawberry yogurt or kefir in place of the sour cream.
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 12 strawberries cut in half. Cut a V at the top and round the corners to make hearts.

Blend the ingredients except for the strawberries and put into the sugar cookie cups. Top with the strawberry hearts. 

Have a lovely weakened. 

Healthy teeth

I have bean using a blend of peppermint and wintergreen essential oils diluted in almond oil to brush my teeth with, and you know what? I don't like how it tastes. Everyone else I know that uses it loves the taste, so I don't know what wrong with me. To my joy I finally finished up the blend and I decided to make a new one. I mixed about 10 drops each of birch (antibacterial and good for the gums) clove (helps with toothaches and stops bleeding.
So it's good for soars in the mouth) and some orange oil (great for the mouth and gums in general). It tastes kind if like a Christmas root beer. The initial taste was a bit weird at first, but the aftertaste is so incredible! I absolutely love it. And my tooth that I have bean having problems with since I got my braces off feels so much better. I put the oil in my old bottle for essential oil. You can also use a glass bottle with a dropper, but you need to make sure it has a glass dropper also because the oil can kind of "eat" away at the plastic which you don't want in your mouth since it absorbs so much of what you put in it. All three of these oils are awesome for all sorts of stuff. I really like mixing birch with grapefruit in my vinegar cleaning bottle. It covers up the vinegar so well, and it leaves such a delightful sweet smell. Birch is good for keeping skin from aging, and both it and clove are great for arthritis type pains (gotta use birch internally and clove externally). I mix clove and peppermint with almond oil in a roll on and it gets rid of the aches in my neck and back. I encourage you to look up the other uses. And make sure you get a therapeutic grade oil and make sure you won't have any adverse affects before proceeding. Oh! And keep those teeth nice and clean! The rest of your body suffers when you don't keep them clean especially when you loose them.

A new year to add to our lives

Jacob's and mine's birthdays are coming up real soon. His is in just a couple of days, and mine is in a couple of weeks after that. I have bean really thinking about my goals that I want to accomplish before I turn 20 (ah! It seams so soon! just a year away!) and it has brought up a lot of memories of what I have already done. I figured I'd show you some of the highlights of the year, and maybe in another post I'll put up some of what I accomplished with my goals in mind. This year has bean such a crazy ride. I'm glad to have that one behind me, not because it was bad (it wasn't bad at all really) but because it means I have so many more ahead of me to enjoy with new knowledge to help me better myself, new family to help me along the way, and an incredibly wonderful husband to support me and to grow along side me. Believe me, he is still growing, it seams that guy gets taller everyday! hehe

Here is a bit of my year in photos.

 Engaged, book contest, croquet & garden party, bridal shower, graduations, bacheloret party, reception, wedding, powderhorn, helping with breakfast for bikers, cousins family reunion, marriage celebration, wine and cheese party, Halloween, camping, book swaps, fun times in the park. Their are so many other memories that I am being to lazy to post, and even more un-photographed memories that are only tucked away in our minds, but I wanted to share some with you. Even if it was just these precious few. Ok, I need to stop or else I'm going to get all super emotional thinking about this past year. I have made a lot of really good memories that overshadow all of the bad ones. I'd say that this has bean such an amazing year, and I am so, so, SO looking forward to the next one.