Recipes, Answers and Updates!!

UPDATES

Went to the drs on Friday, here's the stats!
weight: 131 lbs (total:31 lbs)
Blood pressure: 107/64
measuring: 29 weeks
babes HB: 142
I go for my second ultrasound on October 10th....maybe this little bean will co-operate!! Although, I have been going along as though it's a BOY!!lol
She mentioned that I should start booking my appointments for every 2weeks...I told her nope. I said that if I felt something wasn't right, I'd be sure to come in. In the end, she said alright. I also haven't gone for my Gestational Diabetes test yet....got a teeny lecture about that since they're sticky about it and want the test completed between 26 and 27week and no later than 28weeks. I'm not going to be losing sleep over trying to get there to get the test done.

RECIPES
*Honey Blemish Treatment*
1.soak a cotton ball in a saltwater solution and then hold on blemish for around 3min
2.dab honey onto blemish and let sit for about 15min
3. rinse with warm, then cool water
The saltwater will gently dissolve the tip of the blemish and allow the honey to penetrate and do it's work!! Honey is soothing and antibacterial!

*Vinegar Toner*
1 tbsp of APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
1 cup of distilled water
I use this as a toner after a shower or if my face could use a little pick-me-up
Store in a glass container and do not rinse. Depending on use this amount can last about 2weeks.

*Parsley Splasher*
1 large handful of fresh parsley
2 cups of boiling hot water
put the parsley into a bowl and dump the boiling water over it. Allow to cool and then strain. Pour the lovely green liquid into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Keep in the fridge if you like for a WAKE UP in the morning!! Apply to face with cotton pads or put in a spritzer container and spritz on your face whenever you'd like!! I haven't had any issues with the greeness!!lol


*MAC 'n' CHEESE*
I didn't use any measurements so bear with me!!
-in a med sized pot add:
about 1/4 cup of butter, 1/4 cup of flour and some diced onion and garlic (or just use powder if you have people who do not like chunks of onion)
mix on med-high heat until you have thick, gooey mixture...don't burn it otherwise it will have a bitter taste!!!
-then add to the mixture about 1-1 1/2 cups of milk (or cream, the higher the fat content the richer your sauce will be..I use 18% and I've also used 2% milk with no real difference in taste)whisk until you have a thick white sauce.
-add about 2 handfuls of your favourite shredded cheese and stir until it is all melted and you have a yummy cheesy sauce!!
-add your pasta of choice and coat those noodles in the yummo sauce.
You can add roasted veggies sliced or diced, ham, tuna..whatever!! have fun creating a yummy dinner!!
WARNING: this is a very filling meal, especially if you use whole wheat pasta, but it is delicious!!

*SMOOTHIES*
ahhh, the nectar of health and wellness.......
This is where you can be ever so creative!! There is no right or wrong way!!
The one in the pic below was
4 lemons
4 oranges
1 small handfull of parsley and spinach
tbsp of Raw Honey (to sweeten it a bit)

You can whisk a raw egg in there, I love that...I just don't do that while I'm pregnant. I simply just wash the eggshell before cracking and throw it in. I have been doing that since my early teen years!
You can add soy protein powder, yoghurt for some calcium as well. I typically just stick with fruit and veggies because I drink a lot of milk (I can make rice, almond and soy milk with my juicer too!!!) and eat a lot of yoghurt regularly already.
Thus far, my favourite is berries, spinach, carrots and parsley...YUMMO!!
If you add a banana, the taste takes on a totally banana flavour and thickens a bit.

BTW, you can do all of this in a blender...I just really wanted a juicer because I am a wimp and HATE pulp and really thick drinks!!LOL


Cloth diapers........
Ok here's the ultimate wash method I have found...
first, take all your diapers and wash them in HOT water until the water looks fairly clear after swishing. You m ay need to do this a few times.
Dry as you normally would (high heat in the dryer or on the line)
Now in your diaper pail, sprinkle some baking soda and some Borax in the bottom. I use a combo of a wet/dry pail. The night before it's diaper wash day, I fill the bucket with cold water (my diaper wash days are about every 2 days) and let 'em soak all night. I then dump the bucket into the washer and put it on spin.
I then put it on regular wash, on hot, and add a small scoop of
Claudias Choices and let it go!
Here are some tips I've learned along the way...
*do not use any soap that has any type of plant based oils in it. This will put a coating on the diapers and not allow them to clean.
*If you're having trouble with homemade stuff, switch to just baking soda for awhile. You can add a cupful of white vinegar to the rinse cycle if you'd like. See if that helps. Baking soda and the odd scoop of Borax will do the trick just fine!
It's what I've used when I don't have any Claudia's Choices.
I typically do a strip on the dipes about once a month or so or sometimes I just skip any soap and just use baking soda every few washes to prevent any buildup. It's buildup that will cause them to not works as well, clean as well or smell most of the time!

Well time to get back to cleaning and organizing and the dailies around here...it smells as though Matthew has a treat waiting for me in HIS dipe!!lol
Have a blessed Monday!!