A Healthy Alternative to Mac and Cheese

I grew up on Kraft Mac-n-cheese. My husband absolutely loves the stuff. Up until I "awakened" we ate it 2-3 times a week. Ugh, I'm so ashamed. Sure, it was yummy and super easy but do you know the ingredients in that crap?!

The "cheese" is basically a cheese like product with yellow dye to make it look real. Yellow #5 and 6 to be exact. Proven to cause hyperactivity in children and adrenal tumors. 

The wheat used in these products is GMO wheat. Kraft has contributed a significant amount of money to keep GMOs from being labeled as well. What are they hiding? GMOs are altering our genetic code and causing all different types of issues worldwide. Infertility, cancer, Alzheimer's, the list is never ending. You can't mess with Mother Nature. The consequences are DIRE. 

So if you're an avid Kraft consumer looking for a better alternative, shell out the extra fifty cents and get Annie's. They are an AMAZING company, non gmo verified and supportive of local farmers. They also offer gluten free options which is what we had tonight. 

Okay it doesn't look that appetizing but it is by far my daughter's favorite thing in this world. Whenever she saw me bring out the box she started running around in circles shouting, "NOODLES! Oh thank you mommy!" The pasta is made with rice. So not an everyday side item but it's great for a special dinner. We have it about once or twice a month. However, I take a few extra steps to make sure it's as healthy as possible. 

1.) grassfed ground beef - adding in good quality meat makes it a great meal sure to leave our bellies extra full. I brown the meat in lard or bacon fat with garlic and sea salt. 

2.) boil the noodles in broth instead of water. I keep a pretty hefty collection of broth in our fridge at all times. Boiling the noodles in broth assures me that my daughter is getting plenty of the nutrients broth has to offer while enjoying her favorite treat. 

3.) Finely chopped kale and broccoli florets. Lately C has been refusing her broccoli so adding in the florets finely chopped assures she gets at least a little broccoli in every bite. She doesn't even notice it while she's inhaling the noodles. 

4.) after draining the noodles I add in raw milk & real butter. This way the milk doesn't get heated enough to kill beneficial bacteria. Butter is essential in the Cure Tooth Decay diet and very high in essential vitamins. I'm talking real butter, make from cream of cows. Not that vegetable oil Country Crock crap. To make it even healthier try using raw milk kefir! 

I mixed it all up and topped with shredded raw cheese. Made enough for Coraline and I for dinner tonight and tomorrow night (my husband works super late on the weekends). When I handed her the plate and asked, "is it good?" She shook her head yes and said, "I happy mommy!" 

Glandular Supplement

A big part of the Cure Tooth Decay diet is trying to eat organ meats a few times a week. Well, my two year old is NOT a fan. I buy beef liver from Kroger and sometimes I can get her to eat it with a little garlic salt and ketchup but not often. She won't eat chili or meatloaf either so forget putting some heart or liver in there either. This is one part we were struggling with so I was very thankful when Rami suggested Swanson's glandulars for women in the Cure Tooth Decay group.

Well I went to get them off Swansons and kept them in my cart for a few weeks until we had a little more cash on hand. Two weeks later I was finally ready to check out and imagine my delight that they were buy one get one free! VICTORY! 

I also had to get some #2 cell salts because the ones we got from BestMade don't include Calc phos. Only Calc Fluor, Mag Phos and Ferr phos. So I've been using those as well as #12 (silica) and now #2. 

Excited for all the advances we're making! Also, Dr. Sunshine confirmed that the dairy was activating the candida. So he worked his magic and apparently she is cured. This could mean SO MUCH. This could change everything. It could be that her body wasn't healing because it was rejecting our milk, butter and cheese. We get more milk tomorrow and I'm excited to see results.  

Iodine

There are few things as magical as iodine. I had no clue what this even was until a friend of mine, thanks Delis)  mentioned it on the Cure Tooth Decay Facebook group. Iodine has many anti fungal properties and is wonderful to have on hand (especially with the risk of Fukushima! It also reverses the effects of radiation exposure). We bought Lugol's off Amazon and add it to our water as well as swish before bedtime. Iodine directly on the teeth does stain, but it's nothing a little activated charcoal can't scrub off.

Here's a few facts I took from an article on CureZone. 

"Some countries are fluoridating their water supply for the theoretical benefits of fluoride helping to prevent cavities. What is happening is the ingested fluoride takes the place of iodine that should be there in the teeth, especially growing teeth. Iodine and thyroid for example have complete control of tooth growth along with some help from growth hormone. It is only because our iodine intake has been decreasing over the years that fluoride has been mistakenly added to our water with the idea of helping children's teeth. It would have made more scientific sense to have added more iodine."

"Many researchers (28-31) and Wharton [32] reported that immunodeficiency and malnutrition in adolescence and iodine deficiency and dental caries are associated. In 1939, Hardgrove [33] reported that “in his community (Fond du Lac, Wis, USA), since the beginning of administration of iodine to prevent goitre, children have less caries. Iodine seems to increase resistance to caries, retarding the process and reducing its incidence."

"Iodine is among the most potent of bactericidal agents. Its effect is not time-dependent; once bacterial contact is made, its action is immediately lethal. Iodine has excellent penetrability into dental plaques.37,38 These characteristics make it an excellent agent for oral use. Earlier studies by Gibbons and coworkers showed that a single two-minute application of a 2 percent iodine/potassium iodine ( I2-KI ) solution eliminated mutans streptococci from accessible human tooth sites for up to 13 weeks.39 In 1977, Caufield and Gibbons showed that a dental prophylaxis followed by three applications of a 2 percent I2-KI solution significantly reduced mutans streptococci levels in fissure and proximal-surface plaques and saliva. Reductions persisted for 20 to 24 weeks in proximal plaque and saliva; fissure plaques were significantly suppressed for four weeks but gradually returned to baseline levels in the absence of dietary restrictions."

I could keep quoting but you catch my drift. 

Snack time

So many people in the Natural Alternatives for Kids Teeth group have a hard time with snacking. Many go to snacks at age two are things like goldfish, or the better alternative, Annie's bunnies. I admit, we ate a LOT of these! Especially summer time when we frequented the park/pool. It can be hard to stay away from excess sugar and gluten regarding snacks. The good news is that when you start a paleo lifestyle, very high is essential fats, you will stay full and the snacking will slowly disappear. 

There is this one time of day for us where C wants something in her tummy right before a nap and nursing isn't cutting it anymore. She isn't hungry enough for a full blown lunch so I've been trying to figure out a good alternative. Here's a few suggestions for those of you looking for a snack time fill. 

KALE CHIPS - my #1. Not only is kale absolutely amazing for you, it is fast and easy to peel off some leaves, toss in lard, butter or coconut oil, sprinkle with sea salt & toss in the oven for 8 minutes or so. 

CHEESE BLOCKS - we currently buy Organic Valley raw sharp cheddar because that's all we have available this time of year. I just cut a few squares and put it as a side with some Granny Smith apples or blueberries. Those are the fruits lowest in sugar content and, paired with some good quality cheese, make a great snack!

SWEET POTATO CHIPS - another easy alternative and absolutely delicious! A good sweet potato takes about an hour to cook in the oven and is gone within seconds for my little. So I've been peeling and slicing into chip like pieces and sauté them in coconut oil and sea salt. It's almost like a dessert for us, the perfect blend of sweet and salty. (You can do this with carrots too)

BROTH - right before dinner if C is getting antsy it is so easy and convenient to heat up a little broth for her. She will slurp it up and it keeps her content while I finish. I add Great Lakes gelatin and sea salt to enhance its healing properties. It's perfect for any time of day.

What healthy gluten free snacks do you frequent in your home? 

Valentine's Day Kisses

I have a guilty pleasure. It's so guilty that only my husband knows the extent of my obsession. He only knows because I constantly call him to pick it up on his way home from work. It's chocolate. Cacao to be exact. And there's a Walgreens practically next door that sells the bars for about $3 a piece. Oh. My. Yum. I dream of bedtime so I can cozy up with my puppies, creep on my Facebook with a hot cup of chamomile tea and I will eat a whole bar in one sitting. And I don't even blink about it. I get so few guilty diet luxuries and Ghiradelli uses non gmo cacao and very high quality. This is my happy place. 

So, imagine how sad I was to know they use GMO soy for the soy lechtin emulsifier! This company is known for having the highest quality chocolate! Wouldn't it be a no brainer? Maybe eventually they'll jump ship with Enjoy Life and make it totally allergen free. But alas, then they'll be ridiculously unaffordable as well. Am I doomed to a chocolate free bedtime hell? 

Nope! A friend of mine(thanks Laura!) posted about making some chocolate bars for her daughter with butter since she was having a hard time getting her daughter to consume the amount of butter recommended in Cure Tooth Decay. This is definitely not our problem,Coraline will eat teaspoons of the stuff plain! But since realizing she isn't tolerating dairy, I subbed in coconut oil and it turned out great! I just threw in raw cacao, raw honey, and melted coconut oil until it became a good taste and consistency. Made little dollops on wax paper and froze. These would make great valentines kisses for little ones. Coraline sure loved it! 

Cacao is high in antioxidants, sulfur and magnesium! But technically it is a seed, so I wouldn't make this a constant part of your diet. Great for a treat and practically guilt free! 

Hiatus.

I've been absent for awhile, to be honest I needed a break. I started feeling like a failure. I needed some time to sort things out myself, turn off my Facebook notifications and really reflect on bringing some joy back into my life. Truthfully, since we noticed the tooth problems progressing, I haven't truly felt happy. Sure some days are better than others, but for the most part I have a constant pity party and the phrase "why me" is always floating around my mind.

Well a break is what I needed and now I know "why me" and have answers. Real life answers. A lot has gone on the past few weeks so bear with me as I tackle our trip to the chiropractor and kinesiologist, added supplements, holidays out of town and finally discover the BIG issue we're battling...candida!

This little superstar turned two right before Christmas. Originally we were going to get sedation and crowns when she was twenty months, then told to pull instead. So it is now February and things are going great! She is thriving, meal time is beyond easy, she never complains of tooth pain and eats like a horse. Originally I had too high of hopes. When we started this journey both teeth were cracked and chipped/chipping. I had a friend tell me that her daughters teeth grew so I was hoping for a miracle. Well, the last bit of loose enamel has chipped off and I'm so glad. Every single time she ate/brushed I worried about that tooth. You could literally push half of it back, there was no fixing that. So now the goal is keeping the baby teeth until they fall out on their own or at least until she can sit without sedation with Dr. Gardner. We got the funds together and finally saw a naturopath and chiropractor! What a blessing! 

Dr. Sunshine was referred to me by my farmer and raw milk co op. He is in Knoxville and has cured allergies and offers kinesiology. He is Christian as well so I was very excited to visit him! At our first visit I explained what our issues were and got muscle testing done. Mold allergy? Dairy intolerance? Leaky gut? Celiac? No no no. I was getting frustrated. Something was wrong with my baby and I needed answers! Then her little arms held the vial against her belly and my arm was stuff as a board. "It's candida", he said. And just like that...I knew. 

He started us on Prostatin and I took it upon myself to start GAPS as closely as possible. One thing I made sure we kept up with was dairy. Rami and Dr. Price really push butter and raw milk for tooth decay so I made sure I put it in EVERYTHING. I even started hoping to wean and offer her milk when she asked to nurse. She ate butter by the spoonfuls as well. But the candida wouldn't go away and her face rah was as prevalent as ever. Constant red pimple like dots all over her face! I put derma on them, clay, coconut oil...I started putting coconut oil on my nipples before nursing. Still there. Then we got stranded in a snow storm without our milk. I was so stressed out. Here I am trying to wean and we had no milk for three days! Well, guess what? The bumps went away. Praise God I have an answer!

Testing concluded no dairy allergy and her face is very mild when she has her kefir, so I think the dairy aggravates the candida too much. I have read from a few moms in the tooth decay group that killing the candida also cured the intolerance. So for now I will cook with coconut oil and ghee instead of the massive amounts of butter. I'm skipping my milk share for the next couple weeks too. We see Dr. Sunshine again Tuesday morning and I can't wait to talk it over with him. If you can't seem to find the root issue of your child's rash/tooth problems I highly suggest finding a chiropractor that also offers naturopath services and kinesiology. So we are now dairy, gluten & sugar free and it feels AWESOME!

Expectations

Inspired by our sermon at church today. As usual, that's when my writing hits me. Everything in my life is centered around Coraline's teeth. So every time he mentions worry, troubles, stress, expectations, trusting God...to me it all goes back to her teeth. My only stress. My only worry. My only fear. It consumes me. It literally CONSUMES ME. I skip birthday parties, play dates, holidays with family. I'm worried what our outspoken family members will say. I worry that they will call me a neglectful mother. I worry they will make fun of my child. I worry they will post pictures and everyone on Facebook will think I'm giving my kid processed crap and juice. I worry they will think negatively on nursing. I worry they will give her self esteem problems. 24/7 this consumes my mind, my heart and my soul. This is EVERYTHING to me. I don't want it to be. I don't want this. I want her to be able to enjoy a guilt free cupcake at a peer's party. I would like a family pizza night. It would be easier on me. It would be easier on everyone. Unfortunately, I was chosen for this task. For some reason or another, there's a goal in the end. 

So when we were told to circle 1-10, how much do we trust God with our troubles... How often do we say "God, I'm going to let you handle this one. I can't do it", I had to be honest with myself....2? 3? Maybe? When I pray about her teeth (which I do every day) I pray for guidance. I pray for the wisdom to come to me from outside sources. I pray for the finances to buy the supplements I need. I pray for inner peace to get me through play dates or rough nights at dinner time. I never tell God to handle it. I never put all my faith in him. I have put SO MUCH WEIGHT on my own shoulders that I am a constant ball of stress and anxiety. I have alienated my friends and family. My load is heavy. My heart is heavy. 

I need you to handle this God. I just can't do it anymore. I am giving up and giving into you. You are my leader, you are my crutch, you are in control. Please, please...fix my baby. Fix her gut. Fix her allergies. Fix her mineral absorption. I don't know what else to do. 

Last time I put God in control of my life was when I lost myself 2009/2010. I gave up my resentment and atheism and prayed..."something isn't working. I need help. I can not live this way any more. I can not continue with emotional abuse and this self hatred that every man in my life has ever instilled upon me. I am giving up and giving in. I need a God. I need My God. Because my life is and has always been a mess." That is when I met Hugh. That is when I met a man who has loved me unconditionally for almost 4 years. Who has never gone a day without telling me I am beautiful. I do not deserve him. I do not always appreciate him as I should.  But when I do start feeling a disconnection in my marriage, if I only pray and tell God how I'm feeling, it is ALWAYS fixed ten fold. I can't explain this. God is unexplainable. Just as i trusted him to heal my lost self early 2010, I now trust in him to heal my baby.

 

I may be considered an ignorant sheep to liberals and the like. When it comes to religion, I understand that. I have been there. I sported my agnostic bumper sticker and shirt throughout high school. I made fun of the "bible thumping rednecks". I was also miserable in my own skin. Miserable with my home life. Miserable in my relationship. Opening my heart to God has saved my life. My expectations are I reachable because I don't know what my God has in store for my family. I just know it will be great.

I would never think in a million years I would marry a man who loves me so much! ❤

And if the only thing I have to worry about is my daughter's teeth, I would say I'm living a pretty blessed life.