Well, after 2 long, hot, and sometimes wet weeks in Arizona, we're back home in the mountains of northern New Mexico. I'm dealing with the mammoth pile of vacation detritus clogging my kitchen and while I was at it, I emptied my whole pantry and desk area to reorganize.
Why not? It's chaos anyway!
And 2 months after the move, I have ideas of how to make my miniscule kitchen storage work better.
I've got photos and stories galore.
I've got 4 ounces of tea for which I paid $18.00- don't get me started on that story!
But most exciting of all, I've got a big order on the way from Mountain Rose Herbs because it's that time of year!
Over the next couple weeks, barring unforseen children emergencies, here are the recipes, how-to's, and reviews I'm planning:
1) Elderberry Syrup- making your own is very inexpensive and quite simple. I'll be making a batch big enough to see us through to April. I hope.
2) Iron Syrup- Isaiah's blood work showed low-iron in July and due to the move, I just grabbed some Floradix (the natural iron supplement) from the health food store. But the stuff is nasty. Turns even my tough stomach. I promised him I'd make a sweet and delicious brew after he finished the bottle.
3) Echinacea Tincture and Glycerite- a natural medicine cupboard staple. Save about 80% by making your own. Tincture is alcohol based and quite strong. Glycerite is alcohol-free and tasty, safe and easy for kids to take right out of the bottle.
4) Rosehip Jam- Sugarless, raw, and very high in Vitamin C. A perfect topping for winter porridge.
5) Winter Teas- Mix your own teas to chase away the winter cold, without caffeine. Loose tea saves money and waste, and maximizes the nutritional benefits of the herbs.
6) Adrenal fatigue- information and a book review that I hope you'll find helpful.
I feel like a proper hypocrite, though, sitting here on a park bench, having just finished a cocnut milk latte. Ya, Nescafe I found in the back of the cabinet. I should do a true confessions post about all the rules I broke on vacation. Caffeine, sugar in all its forms, more screen time than my little people have had in the last 6 months put together.
It was a great time.
I'll start my detox today. Right after 1 more (weak!) cup of crappy instant coffee.
"If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a two weeks' vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days."
-Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Just came to your blog through Diaper Swappers :) I think I've visited here before though, because I recognize the picture of bread and honey in your sidebar.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, about the floradix. You can actually get it in tablet form, and the pills are small and easy to swallow. I couldn't handle the taste of the liquid either, but I LOVE how well it works!
Thanks for the tip! I'll remember that. I'm not sure I could get him to swallow any tablets at all. That's always a problem with him.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's also really expensive, and that's the main reason I want to make my own. It's a potent Rosemary Gladstar recipe that I'm quite excited about..
Oh these look like great tips! I'm looking foward to them.
ReplyDeleteGuess who dumped out half a bottle of my Floradix? Let me know when you end up making your own batch. I think I know the recipe you are talking about, but I don't know where to get half that stuff. Do you order all your herbs online?
ReplyDeleteI do have to order my herbs online. It's hard to find many, and way too expensive, to buy any locally. Mountain Rose Herbs online has great prices.
ReplyDeleteMy order should be here in another week so I'll be starting these recipes then. I need to make a trip to the liquor store for vodka and brandy, then I'll be set.