Monthly Archives: July 2012

My Hypoglycemia

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I want to write about my current health problems. This is absolutely amazing to me in a less than pleasant way. Keep in mind that I have not been diagnosed by a doctor with any of this. There is only one doctor in this world that I trust completely, and he’s a chiropractor/nutritionist.

To start off, I have hypoglycemia. It was genetically passed down to me from my mom. My brother has it as well. Hypoglycemia has to do mainly with blood sugar levels. It can be a precursor to diabetes if left unchecked, and there are a whole slew of unpleasant symptoms that go along with it as well, including depression, and a vast array of mental disorders. Our nutritionist has given us a diet that we use to regulate our blood sugar, so that we don’t have the typical highs and lows that make us act totally nuts.

My hypoglycemia did not kick in until pregnancy, during which, I did not think anything was wrong other than severe morning sickness. Post partum, my hypoglycemia manifested itself in the form of post partum depression, which is the absolute worst thing I could ever wish upon any new mother.

Basically, I believed that everyone, including my new baby, hated me and was out to prove my inferiority. I was miserable and hated life. I lived like this for eight months. Then I told our nutritionist what was going on. He said that I wasn’t getting enough nutrients to my brain, so it couldn’t function properly. He gave me the hypoglycemia diet, and I followed it for one month. It was the best month of my life. The diet was designed to allow for a steady stream of carbohydrates to the brain. It, also, regulates hormonal imbalances, which is why I got pregnant that same month.

With my severe morning sickness, this diet was impossible to live by while pregnant. I tried to keep some of the principles I had learned, but by the end of the pregnancy, I wasn’t doing much of anything that this diet called for.

Post partum the second time, I thought I had escaped post partum depression. I got to feel the joy of having a newborn baby. It was wonderful, but I felt like I had been robbed of that the first time, and then the depression returned, but I knew what was happening this time, so instead of being incredibly sad, I got very angry. And in my angry state, I did not see the point of using the hypoglycemia diet. I started using sugar to drown out the pain of the depression, which lead to a yeast infection.

Now here is the part that I find truly amazing. I have a wonderful book called Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch. My mom has this book as well in an earlier edition. It discusses many of the disorders in this world and how to naturally heal them, without traditional medicine.

In the Candidiasis (yeast infection) section it says: “Candidiasis may be related to hypoglycemia.”

With the return of my period, came the return of some really nasty premenstrual syndrome (PMS). In my book in the Premenstrual Syndrome sections it says: “PMS has also been linked to food allergies, changes in carbohydrate metabolism, hypoglycemia, and malabsorption.”

I recently had a bout of insomnia. The Insomnia section says: “Insomnia can also result from a wide variety of physical causes, including arthritis, asthma, breathing problems, hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, indigestion, kidney or heart disease, muscle aches, Parkinson’s disease, or physical pain.”

Two days ago my wrist started hurting so badly that I cannot put any kind of weight on it. We thought it might be carpal tunnel, but upon looking up what carpal tunnel is, it is not. So, I went to the fibromyalgia section, and was blown away. This section described all the aches and pains I’ve been feeling since high school down to exactly where they are. This section also says: “Other possible causes that have been proposed include infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, or with the fungus Candida albicans [yes, that’s the fungus that causes yeast infections]; chronic mercury poisoning from amalgam dental fillings; anemia; parasites; hypoglycemia; and hypothyroidism.”

In conclusion, I have realized that hypoglycemia is entwined in every aspect of my life: physically, mentally, and emotionally, and I have solved the mystery of why my body aches day after day after day. Better yet, I know how to heal these ailments naturally.

Freezer Meals: Left-over Style

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I think it’s time that I write a post about freezer meals, since they have saved my sanity when it comes to making dinner. I love cooking and experimenting, but I just can’t do it every day. Freezer meals make it possible for me to feed my family healthy meals every day, while saving me time and money. This method of freezer meals, also, makes it possible to save leftovers for a few months, instead of having to eat the same thing twice in one week, which is an issue in our house.

Last Monday, I made a wonderful meatless chili in my crock pot (seriously the best cooking device ever invented). Our tiny family didn’t even eat half of it, so I broke out my freezable Tupperware, piled the leftover chili on in, and froze it for later. I put some chili in the fridge for myself for later that week, because I don’t mind eating leftovers in the same week. Well, this Monday came around, and it was time for Meatless Monday again, and rather than slaving over some other meatless meal that could have been a dud, because I’m not a pro at meatless yet, I baked some potatoes in the oven, reheated the chili in the microwave, and within 10-15 minutes of work, we were eating dinner. The potatoes took an hour to bake in the oven, but I was playing outside with my family while that was happening.

Yes, this came from my freezer!

If you have a larger family that would eat through the entire pot of chili, the simple solution is to make twice what you normally would. You’ll only have to spend one hour or less of chopping for two meals. The other great thing about making your own freezer meals is that you can portion control everything. I put my meals in small Tupperware or Ziploc bags, so that I don’t have to thaw and then refreeze my meals.

This is the Meatless Chili that I made.

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Meatless Chili

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes

Serve alone or over a potato with cheese and sour cream.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 medium zucchini, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 3 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 1 pkg McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix, original
  • 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 15 oz cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 C of quinoa
  • 1 C of water

Instructions

  1. In a crock pot, combine onion, garlic, green bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, cornmeal, seasoning packet, diced tomatoes, pinto beans, and kidney beans.
  2. Cook for 8 hours on low.
  3. In the last 15 minutes, bring water to a boil in small saucepan.
  4. Add quinoa to water and return to boil.
  5. Simmer on low for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water.
  6. Add quinoa to the chili.
https://kstuff.net/freezer-meals-left-over-style/

Cloth Diapering on a Budget Part 1

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Is there anything cuter? I think not.

“I can’t afford cloth diapers!” Is surprisingly the most common reason I am given when people tell me why they don’t use cloth. For those who haven’t looked into it, cloth diapers have a high start up cost, but the savings over the life of your cloth diapers ranges anywhere from $3000-$10,000. (Yes, people really do spend that much money on disposables, which are then thrown in the trash, to biodegrade in a landfill for years. Talk about throwing money away.)

Over the year and a half that we’ve been cloth diapering, I have come to conclusion that it’s good to have a variety of different cloth diaper styles. Every style has its benefits, and you will find yourself in need of different styles at different times. This works out great for buying cloth diapers on a budget.

Let’s say you’re already spending $60 per month on disposable diapers. From what I remember of using disposables, this was a pretty common amount to spend on disposable diapers. I, also, remember spending as much as $100 some months, so if you want to get your cloth diapers even faster, you could start with that amount. But for the sake of saving money, let’s start with $60.

Now, since we’re using the entire diaper budget, we have to get enough diapers to last a month. Thankfully with cloth, you have to wash every 2-3 days, otherwise your diapers will start to grow mildew. Just for the first month, plan to wash every 1 – 1 ½ days, or whenever you run out of diapers.

The Econobum Diaper package comes with 3 covers, 12 prefolds, and 1 wetbag. This is barely enough to get by, but if your goal is to save money using cloth, then this is a sacrifice that will only last for one month. You will, also, need some cloth diaper friendly laundry detergent. I am currently using Country Save.

First Month
Econobum Diaper package                          $48.95 – $49.95
Country Save Laundry Detergent              $11.95 – $15.95*

Totals                                                              $60.90 – $65.90

So, I went just slightly over the budget, but you have what it takes to successfully cloth diaper for one month. It will be hard, because it really is not enough, but it will get the job done. Don’t give up this first month, and don’t stop buying, otherwise you’ll drive yourself crazy and head straight back for the disposables. Also, if you decide to spend a little more, I would get 1-3 more covers, 3-6 more prefolds, and 1 more wetbag, or a second Econobum Diaper package.

For the second month, go for the Econobum Diaper package again, that is if you didn’t buy two right from the start. This will give you all the diapers you need, plus some, so that you can relax a little, and go a few days between washes. Also, buy more laundry detergent if you need it.

Second Month
Econobum Diaper package                          $48.95 – $49.95
Country Save Laundry Detergent              $11.95 – $15.95

Totals                                                              $60.90 – $65.90

On to the third month! Now that we’ve got the basics, it’s time to start really enjoying cloth diapers. I highly suggest trying out some pockets. They’re perfect for dads and other caregivers, or even the stressed out mom. Bumgenius 4.0s (I’d get the ones with snaps.), Fuzzibunz, Happy Heinys, Diaper Rite, Blueberry, Kawaii, Rumparooz, Tots Bots, Thirsties, etc. Each diaper usually comes with a diaper and two inserts. Sometimes the inserts are different sizes, like a newborn and a baby size.  If you buy in packages, you’ll save some money, or you can buy one of each kind to decide what you like.

Third Month
One Pocket diaper                                          $9.95 – $23.50
X 4

Totals                                                                $39.80 – $94.00

By the fourth month, you might have realized that nighttime is a beast. You’ve either been doubling up on inserts and prefolds, or you’re waking up to change the diaper in the middle of the night before everything is soaked. It’s time to invest in some hemp flats or inserts. It’s probably time to buy more laundry detergent as well.

Fourth Month
Hemp Insert                                                      $5.50 – $6.50
Hemp Prefold                                                    $6.75 – $7.95
Hemp Flat                                                          $5.95 – $7.95
Country Save Laundry Detergent                  $11.95 – $15.95

Totals                                                                  $30.15 – $38.35

By the fifth month, you can probably stop spending if you’re happy with what you’ve got, but there is one last thing that some people love and others think is totally unnecessary. A diaper sprayer allows you to stop dunking and swishing, though some of them create a spray all over the toilet, which you then have to clean up, so it really depends on how terrified you are of sticking your hand in a toilet.

Fifth Month
Diaper Sprayer                                                  $44.95 – $54.95

Totals                                                                  $44.95 – $54.95

Get any more diapers you might want, and experiment with all the different kinds there are: one size, fitted, all in one, all in two, pocket, contour, prefolds, hybrid, wool, etc. Just a warning, if you really are into cloth diapers to save money, stop buying them once you’ve found what works for your family. It is so tempting to buy the newest brand or the cutest cover, but just stop.

Different diapers work differently on different kids. If you buy a bunch that you don’t like, while you’re searching for the kind that you do like, don’t fret. You can sell them as used, gift them to friends, or save them for kids to come, because really even in the same family, certain diapers work better for certain kids.

Adorable and affordable!

Have fun cloth diapering! It really is worth it.

*The star! I buy my Country Save at Whole Foods Market at the higher price, but I get twice as much detergent.