Posts Tagged ‘food renegade’

6 Feb

Are You ‘Stopped Up?’

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Crunchy. Tagged: , , , , , .

Remember how I did this post on diarrhea?  Yes, I know it’s not a fun subject, but guess what folks, it’s a fact of life.  I know no one will admit to having BM issues, which is fine, but stuff happens.

I wanted to share a product with you that I was told about when I was pregnant with Emma.  I was having some issues in the bathroom (obviously I wasn’t eating enough veggies) and needed assistance.  My friend, who’s a midwife, told me about this supplement called Natural Calm.

Natural Calm Magnesium Supplement for constipation

It’s ‘A Relaxing Magnesium Supplement’ and can be found at most health food stores or from Amazon.  I added a heaping teaspoon to my hot tea, and then drained the mug.  I’m not gonna lie when I say it worked darn near instantly!  And the reason I’m bringing it up now, is that I have been a bad girl lately, and not eating my greens like I’m supposed to, so once again I need some help.  I can’t guarantee it’s a cure-all, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

You have to dissolve it in at least 2-3 oz of hot water, then can add warm or cool water, if desired.  I just added it to my nightly tea and was done.  I may have accidentally let Emma have a sip one time, and it did get her going…almost too much.  It says ‘for children under 4, for pregnant or lactating women, or if you have kidney problems or are currently on medication, consult with your doctor.’

Emma sipping her tea

Remember, I’m not a doctor nor pretend to play one, but I like to pass along info when I remember it.  You know I’m all about sharing the goods (not that kind), especially when it comes to keeping you regular the ebb and flow.

Don’t forget to take your Epsom Salt Baths, too.  I love adding them to my nightly baths, along with some essential oils, to get me really relaxed.  It’s another great way to get your magnesium, though it might not cure your constipation.

Note: Photo from here.

29 Jan

How To Brew Your Own Kombucha

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Crunchy, Kombucha, Make It Yourself. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Alright, so riding on the coattails of how to Grow Your Own Scoby, I wanted to follow-up on how to actually brew Kombucha.

My friend sent me this informative video from Modern Alternative Mama, and this is how I’ve been making the ‘booch ever since:

I noticed that she forgot to say how much sugar to put in your tea.  The standard is 1 cup of sugar to 1 gallon of sweetened tea.  I also add Chia seeds (an Aztec superfood) to mine, since I happen to have them in my house, and they are high in Omega-3s.  Seriously people, this stuff is super easy to make!

homemade kombucha with chia seeds

This is what my typical ‘booch bottling session looks like.  I just use old GTs bottles or whatever glass bottles I have lying around.

bottling your homemade kombucha

As for flavoring, I usually get a bag of frozen, organic mixed berries, and do each berry by themselves or a combination of them.  I also do the lemonade with 1 tsp. of organic sucanat, and 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice.  You can add fruit to it if you like or leave it by itself.  Get creative with flavors and try fresh ginger or cinnamon, if you want to change it up.  Josh actually liked the pineapple-flavored bottle I made one time…it’s HUGE since he can’t stand the stuff!

Once again, if yours isn’t turning out like you hoped, you can buy a culture online from places like Kombucha Kamp, which is the #1 source for all things Kombucha!  For Q&As on if your Scoby is not growing, check out Food Renegade’s post to diagnose any problems.  Check out this post, if you’re pregnant or nursing, and read her suggestions on whether or not to drink it.  Personally, I would because I’m used to it, but wouldn’t advise it if you’re brand new.

When you start to become overloaded with too many Scobies, and can’t give them away fast enough, you can create a Scoby hotel, to house them and use as you need.

scoby hotel

Making my own Kombucha has been a lot of fun for me, and I love how much cheaper it is than paying $3.50 a bottle in some places.  Even if you’re not interested in making your own, go out and buy you a bottle (I got started on GT’s Raspberry Chia).  It couldn’t hurt to get some extra probiotics into your belly, especially if you take antibiotics.  For the benefits on drinking 4-8 oz. of Kombucha daily, check out this link.

booch bottling helper

Whatcha think?  Have you ever heard of this fermented drink or do you have any interest in trying it?  While my hubby may not be on board (yet), it can be fun for the whole family to make, especially if they want to pick their own flavors.  Go on and try it, I think you’ll really like it!

29 Jan

How To Grow A Scoby

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Kombucha, Make It Yourself, Organic. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you’ve seen me post several pictures of my wild and crazy Kombucha bottling experiences.  I started on this wild ride in October and have been going strong ever since.

What in the world am I talking about?  Have you ever heard of this crazy fermented tea drink, called Kombucha (kom-boocha)?  No?  Well let me enlighten you.

“Kombucha is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea that is used as a functional food.” -Wikipedia

This stuff is amazing and can get costly if it turns into a habit.  I had heard about it a couple years ago when a big controversy broke out, and one kid got in trouble for bringing it in his lunch.  There was a big fuss about it containing a small amount of alcohol; so many manufacturers pulled it from the shelves.  Several companies even reformatted their recipe and even label some for ‘over 21.’

GTs Synergy Raw Organic Kombucha

I don’t know all about that, but I do know that I love it, and I give it to my 2-year-old every day. The kid practically asks for ‘booch just about every time I open the fridge.  Like I mentioned in this post, it cured Emma’s week-long bout of diarrhea, along with some coconut water, so this mama’s a fan.  It’s loaded with probiotics, fiber, omega-3s, and antioxidants!  What’s not to love?

When I came across Food Renegade’s post on How to Grow A Kombucha Scoby, I was intrigued.  You could grow your own Scoby (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast), ‘mushroom’ or ‘mother’ as it’s also called, with only four ingredients.  I started mine at the end of October and it grew within a week (thanks to the Texas heat)…I had no idea it could be that easy.  Basically, once you have a Scoby, you can keep reusing it to brew continuous batches of Kombucha (it’s the gift that keeps on giving).

What you will need:

  • a bottle of GTs Raw, Organic Original Kombucha (pictured above), brought to room temperature
  • a glass jar (a 32 oz. Mason jar will work)
  • 1 kitchen towel & rubber band
  • 1 cup of sweetened tea (made with filtered water or tap water that you boiled) & 1 Tbsp sugar

I found my Kombucha at Sprout’s, and I know Whole Foods, Market Street, Natural Grocers, and other natural health food stores will carry it.

*Make sure you keep all hands and utensils clean as this is a live, raw food.

What to do:

1. Brew one cup of black tea (I use Bigelow) and add 1 Tbsp of Organic Sugar.

2. Once the tea has cooled, mix tea and the bottle of Raw, Organic Kombucha into a glass jar.

3. Cover with a towel and secure with a rubber band, so it can breathe and keep bugs out.

4. Let it sit until the Scoby is about ¼” thick.  That’s it!

It should look like this after a week or several weeks, depending on the temperature of your house.  If it starts to get mold on it, throw it out and start over.

how to grow your own scoby

Also, if yours isn’t turning out like you hoped, you can buy a culture online from places like Kombucha Kamp, which is the #1 source for all things Kombucha!  For Q&As on if your Scoby is growing or not growing, check out Food Renegade’s post to diagnose any problems.

Go out there and get your Scoby on!

2 Nov

Hippie Halloween: The Logistics

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Crunchy, Food, Paleo. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Don’t worry, I’m not extremely hippie…yet.

The reason for this post was to explore what I will do with future Halloweens and to see what you do with your family.  Growing up, we always did the dress up bit and go around the neighborhood getting some yummy loot, but I decided to change that this year.  I’m calling myself the Grinch of Halloween since Emma has to endure without the usual trick or treating that just about everyone does.

I honestly couldn’t bring myself to let her go door-to-door to get stuff that A) I don’t feed her anyway and B) I would not let her eat once she got home.  It’s heart wrenching enough to tell her no to gluten infested foods, so I didn’t want to tease her and let her gather goodies with no intention of her eating them.  Like I said, I’m a Grinch.  But I am totally okay with that.  I think.

The other purpose of this post was to share what awesome neighbors we have!  There’s a couple (around my parent’s age) across the street whom we see daily and often go over to play with their two dogs.  The wife asked if Emma ate candy, to which I said no, then asked if there was something they could get her for Halloween.  The thought alone was incredibly sweet on multiple levels.  I appreciate that they asked before assuming I gave her those things, then I was shocked at them even thinking to get her some ‘mama-approved goodies.’  The wife didn’t think I was crazy for not giving her candy, so I truly appreciate where she was coming from.

I rattled off that she likes dried fruits (no added sugar), all kinds of nuts, and of course fruit.  The kid can eat the tar outta some berries now!  So they thanked me and said they’d come up with something.  I had no idea what to expect, until they rang my doorbell just before dusk and brought her a gift.  I was hoping they weren’t trick or treaters cuz I didn’t have anything to give them.

Personally, I think Emma scored with her loot.  I know I’m crunchy and a bit overly excitable, but it was very kind of them to do.  In her very own pumpkin (that weighed 5 pounds) were some cashews, almonds, plum-Amazins, and fruit.  Being my kid, she immediately dove into the nuts and was grabbing for the apple as I was trying to take the pic.  I let her snack on those while I finished dinner and these yummy Grain-Free Pumpkin Cake Bars from Food Renegade.

I don’t think Halloween was a total bust but this will get me thinking for the ones to come.  Maybe next year I could pass out fruit or some Tanka Bars…ha!  Josh said we would get egged and rolled if we did that.  Maybe we’ll just get out of the house for the night and head to the bookstore liked Emma wanted.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Emma did kind of dress up.  We have a ’grandma’ that loves our little girl like her own and was kind enough to make Em a costume (without me even asking).  She went with M&Ms since we have an Emma and the grandma has an Emily–I thought it was cute.  And at the request of Emma, it had to be blue since that is her favorite color.  She even sat through face painting…what a big girl!

Alright, I’ve rambled enough on my crunchy, lackluster Halloween.  Now you tell me.  Do you do traditional celebrating and pass out candy goodness or is there an ounce of crunchiness in you that makes you think about what you might be giving out to the wee little ones?

2 Nov

Hippie Halloween: Paleo Sweets

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Crunchy, Dairy-Free, Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

To continue with the Halloween festivities, I found this delicious recipe from Food Renegade and thought they’d fit nicely with the fall theme.

I couldn’t let Emma go all day without getting something sweet, even if she didn’t go trick or treating, now could I? If you know me, I love to bake sweet treats even if that means they are gluten-free and grain-free. When I came across these bars I knew they’d be perfect for Halloween. The recipe calls for Cinnamon Icing, but since mine didn’t turn out and I ran out of coconut butter, I just left it out. But please help yourself to making both and letting me know what you think.

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cinnamon Icing

Cinnamon Icing

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine.

3. Pour into an 8×8 oven safe baking dish (I suspect you could squeeze 12 cupcakes out of this recipe if you use a muffin tin). Bake until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.

For the Cinnamon Icing:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and use either your mixing blade attachment or a whisk to beat the ingredients until fluffy.

2. Once the pumpkin cake has cooled, cut it into 9 squares and remove from the pan. If the cake isn’t completely cool you are not allowed to proceed.

3. Use a small offset spatula or a spoon and drizzle the frosting over the top.

4. Store the Pumpkin Cake Bars you haven’t immediately annihilated in the fridge. The icing will harden in the fridge, let it come to room temp if you’d like it soft. If you’d like it softer faster, the frosting will melt beautifully if you stick the cake bar in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Goes great with your morning coffee or tea!

Yeah, these were pretty freakin’ tasty, even after they were in the fridge for a day or two.

I also made some more of the bark inspired from Practical Paleo, but changed the ingredients up a bit.

Pistachio Golden Raisin Bark

Adapted from Balanced Bites

  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp bacon grease or coconut oil
  • 2 TBSP golden raisins
  • 2 TBSP pistachios, roughly chopped
  • 2 TBSP walnuts, roughly chopped
  • Pinch of coarse sea salt

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook time: >5 minutes; Yields: 10-12 pieces

1. Melt the chocolate chips with the bacon grease over a double-boiler (with an inch of water in the bottom) on low heat or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir vigorously before adding more chocolate chips. Add microwave time only in 10-second increments to prevent burning the chocolate.

2. Stir in the golden raisins, pistachios, walnuts, and sea salt, and spread the mixture on parchment paper over a cookie sheet. Place in the refrigerator to cool. After it has set, chop the chocolate roughly.

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