Healing Hazel & my personal review

Click Here for the Healing Hazel Website


I have psoriasis. I've suffered from it for almost 9 years.  I have it on my scalp (worst place on me), my back, my stomach, under my breasts, behind my ears and in the creases in my ears. I also have odd patches just here and there.  It can get extremely itchy and causes me both great pain and stress.  I hate the way it looks, and limits the things I do outside the house.  It is limiting, because it looks terrible.  Thankfully, mine is mostly in places that I can cover up, but if I wear anything dark, I am constantly brushing my shirt off and looking in mirrors, because the flakes that end up on my shirt make me look like I have terrible dandruff.  At times, my scalp will bleed from the scratching I've done.  This happens mostly in my sleep. 
I have tried medicated lotions and ointments, special shampoos etc and if anything, they only bring me a bit of relief.  None though, have ever started to heal the psoriais "leisons" or scales and none have taken away the itch.  Most things will go through what I like to call the "honeymoon phase" as it seems it only lasts a short while, then the problems start creeping up again.

I recently started doing my own research on Hazelwood and the healing properties it holds.  I was very skeptical that something like a necklace, bracelet etc would work better than anything I've tried.  Well, let me tell you.......I was wrong.  I purchased my necklace(s) from Healing Hazel and have now been wearing one for only a few days and I am shocked.  Shocked and very very pleasantly surprised.  Within 24 hours of wearing the necklace, I noticed I wasn't itchy on my scalp as I had been.  I had learned to live with the painful itch, and now it wasn't there.  This is a HUGE positive for me!  After 48 hours, I noticed that some of the leisons under and on my breasts are not as mean and red looking.  The skin is getting softer on the spots that were so dry and scaly (gross, I know, but thus is life for anyone who has psoriasis, unfortunately).  I know these seem like little progressions, but for someone who has had these skin issues for so long, once that just sort of become a daily part of life, this is an amazing step in the right direction.  I should also mention, that I have anaphylaxis to quite a few foods, including Tree Nuts.  I did my research prior to buying the necklace, and it is completely fine and safe for people with nut/tree nut allergies. No part of the nut is in contact with the branches, and every single site I've looked at states that they are particularly careful about this when harvesting the wood. 
If you google "benefits of hazelwood" or "healing properties of hazelwood" you'll read for yourself all of the ailments that it can help.  There are too many for me to write about at the moment, but as I continue wearing my necklace, I'll be sure to blog even more on it!

There are many companies offering Hazelwood jewellery however, my experience with this one particular company has been great so far and I'd recommend them! 

Thanks for the awesome product, Healing Hazel!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These cookies turned out pretty good!  I was a little concerned when scooping them and putting them on the cookie sheets because they seemed really wet and crumbly.  But, they are tasty!  Egg, milk and dairy free, of course!


1 cup canola oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs (I use 1/2 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp water for each egg called for)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

 

Mix in a large bowl, canola oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended.  Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir into the bowl.  Mix in the oats and the raisins last.  Drop by rounded spoon onto cookie sheets. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the 350 F oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*I use parchment paper on my cookie sheets, makes for super easy cookie removal and cleanup!*  I also left my cookies in for approximately 15 minutes, I wanted them a bit crispier and they turned out wonderfully!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were my first attempt ever at making an egg, milk and soy free cookie.  They're not bad.  Not great, but not bad. 

1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs (I use 1/2 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp water for each egg called for)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Foods chocolate chips)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, white sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour and oats, then fold in the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bottoms are golden

*I use parchment paper on my cookie sheets.  It makes it so much easier*

Popcorn Cauliflower (baked cauliflower)

My family goes nuts for this dish! 

1 head of cauliflower, cut up and washed, or one bag of frozen cauliflower, thawed.

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste.

Toss cauliflower in the olive oil and add salt, makes sure all pieces are coated.  Put cauliflower onto a baking sheet.

Place in a 425F oven for one hour, making sure to flip the cauliflower pieces every 15 minutes, so they nicely brown all over.

Serve and enjoy!  Trust me, this veggie will go fast!



Banana Muffins

3 banana's mashed
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar (you can add a bit less if you choose)

combine and mix well then add

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 c flour

Mix to moisten
Put into 12 muffin tins

Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes
*These turned out perfect!  They were very moist and didn't last long in our house at all*

Freezer meals

As I am preparing foods, I always set aside what I can to throw in the freezer for those times when the foods we eat can't be eaten by our allergic kids, or if we have to eat away from home.  I bought some Ziplock containers that can be used in both the freezer and the microwave to put portions in.  I also bought some freezer bags. 
Since this past Wednesday, I've put away two single serve size containers of home made beef stew, four single serve containers of spaghetti and meat sauce, five bags of pancakes (made with the coconut milk that was not a hit, yet they loved the pancakes!) containing four pancakes each, six bags of home made pizza containing two decent sized portions in each, and in the bread machine right now, is the dough that I'll make breadsticks from to put away and freeze.  I think we're set for a bit now!

It's just one day

This is comment that came out of my husbands mouth tonight.  We were invited out to dinner at a restaurant tomorrow night, with the kids.  We pretty much never go out to eat, at least not with the kids, for obvious reasons.  It's just not safe, or the easiest thing to do.  But, there is alot of out of province family here right now and they all want to get together. 

I had expressed my fears, my frustrations and my worries to my husband about taking not one, but two allergic kids to a restaurant that we've never been to before.  Now, his comment had nothing to do with our egg allergic son, he has anaphylaxis to egg and all egg product, so there is never any messing around with that allergy.  His comment was in regards to our MSPI child, who's reactions are IgG mediated, which basically means that they are not immediate reactions, nor can you see them (unlike hives).  His reactions are inside and ingesting the offending foods, in his case, milk and soy protein......can actually do damage to his body.  He sort of brushed off my concerns and told me, our son would be fine eating there, it's just one day.  I'll admit, I was a bit ticked at that comment.  Ticked and surprised.  But it also made me realize that alot of people think, if you can't see something, it must not really be there.  Like an invisible disease, or disability.  Something to think about anyway.

I've been freezing meals for situations such as this one, so if we do go, it will all be fine.  And my husband has quickly learned that in this house, and in my family, allergies and intolerance will not have needless risks attached to them. 

Now, off to grab a meal from the freezer to thaw!

Home made pizza night!

The crust turned out great! 

*2 teaspoons dried granulated yeast

*3 cups flour

*1 teaspoon salt

*2 tablespoons sugar

*2 tablespoons olive oil

*1 cup water, plus

*2 tablespoons water

Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed.  Select the dough setting.  Once it's done, remove the dough and place in an oiled bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.  Once dough is risen, roll it out into one thick crust, or two thin crust pizzas.  Add your toppings, bake in a 425F oven for 25 minutes or until done. 

Enjoy!

*We use Daiya Vegan Cheese (which is also soy free too) on our dishes that call for cheese. 

**Update**
     I wanted to make bread sticks, and they turned out great! I made the same recipe pizza dough but added 1 tsp of italian seasoning to it (a blend of spices), and once it was finished, I rolled it out into a large rectangle and sliced it in half, then into 6 (so I had 12 parts).  I rolled each part into long sticks, put them on a baking sheet (remember to grease your pan, I forgot-oops), cover and let rise for 30 minutes.  Bake in a 425F oven for approx 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool. 

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients:
*package of stewing beef, or as I did, leftover roast beef chopped into bite sized pieces
*Whatever raw veggies you want to add, I used onions, red pepper, celery, carrots & potatoes.  Just chop them up and throw them in.
*We are a garlic loving family, so I chopped up some fresh garlic and put it in as well.
*One tetra pack of Campbells Beef Broth (it's dairy, soy and egg free).
*Add enough water to almost cover the meat and veggies.

*Set crock pot on low for 8 hours.  Closer to the end of the cooking time, make a past using either flour and water, or corn startch and water and add it to thicken the stew up.

Add salt and pepper as needed and enjoy!

Did you know that Trident Gum contains milk?

No?  Neither did I! 

It contains Recaldent, and here is the information from the Trident website about the ingredient.

*Recaldent* is an ingredient derived from casein (pronounced kay-seen), part of the protein found in cow's milk.*

Guess I'll be adding this to the unsafe foods list I am getting together!

"Free of" basic white bread, bread machine recipe

No dairy, No Soy, No Egg

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F or 45 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1  package bread machine yeast or equivilent of from a jar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola, it's all I had at the time)
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast. Setting should be either Basic or White Bread setting.  Press start.

My first attempt at baking a loaf of

Dairy free, soy free and egg free sandwhich bread!  Although it did sink a little on top, it tastes pretty good!
The texture is that of any basic white bread made in a bread machine.  So  many store bought breads either contain at least one of our allergens, or have the "may contain/may contain trace of" clause on the package. 

What do you think?
(and yes, that is a paddle in the loaf that I haven't cut around yet to pull out)

"Eat from as close to the ground as you can"

Honestly, how can you go wrong?  No additives, preservatives, or processed junk.  All natural.  I think, with the growing number of allergic people, and with it getting more and more difficult for some families to safely accomodate allergy free meals, eating from as close to the ground as you can, is a great motto. 

We walked over to the Farmer's Market yesterday morning, and picked up some beautiful red and green leaf lettuce, carrots, parsley, and swiss chard.  I've never made swiss chard, but with my mother in laws advice, it seems pretty easy.  And nutritious.  So I'll make it tonight, then make some more to freeze for another day, another easy side dish.  I also bought 5 links of smoked sausage from a local farmer.  I find that the farmers put very little into their meats, which is awesome for everyone, but even better for people with MFA (multiple food allergies).  It certainly makes serving a safe meal, an easy task! 

I wish we had year round farmers markets, but where we live, it just isn't possible.  You pay a bit more for the food but I'd far rather pay more for fresh, quality foods that you know comes from local sources.  And supporting local can never be a bad thing!

Welcome to our blog!

My family has had to live with multiple food allergies for going on 10 years now.  Our 11 year old was diagnosed with a severe egg allergy at 10 months of age.  Around the same time, I was diagnosed with a severe form of OAS-Oral Allergy Syndrome-and am allergic to many fresh, raw fruits and tree nuts, except for almonds.  I can eat most of my offending fruits in other forms, being cooked, baked, steamed, canned etc. 
Our 5 year old has just recently been diagnosed with an MPSI-Milk Soy Protein Intolerance- so we have to take on yet, another challenge in our lives.

But, I will learn.  We will learn.  We will make mistakes and we will come out on top because of them. 
This blog is dedicated to the learning, the cooking and baking, the preparing.  Finding safe products and documenting about them for not only our sake, but for those that are faced with similar dietary challenges. 

So, bear with us as we learn and try to fill these blog pages with all the stuff we need to live healthy, normal and full (in the food sense) lives!

Welcome!