Something in the air...

Fall is coming- I can feel it in the air. Mornings are cool and crisp (even bordering on the chilly side!) and even the sky looks like fall. However, all of this beautiful autumn weather has my allergies all in flux! I believe that it is ragweed season and the extra rain we've been having lately has probably contributed to the growth of molds and the distribution of various allergens. I've been wheezy for the past two morning runs and my poor, poor finger! Right now, I don't think it would matter WHAT I ate, my poor hand would still be in bad shape!

Flare-up

I had a really bad flare-up with my right pinkie finger, yesterday. It got all purple with little pin-pricks on the tip. It hasn't been this bad for a really long time. I thought I was being pretty careful with my diet. I'm guessing that all of the cleaning I was doing in preparation for my in-laws' arrival is to blame for this flare-up. Sigh...

Colgate Cavity Protection- Regular Flavor

Every since my first attempt at making homemade toothpaste, I've been on the search for regularly manufactured, better tasting toothpaste. Baking soda and coconut oil just weren't cutting it for me. While my teeth felt clean, it was horrible tasting and made me dread brushing my teeth. As far as I know, Colgate Cavity Protection, regular flavor, does not contain sodium benzoates. It is not minty in flavor and it has fluoride and tastes MUCH better than the homemade stuff.

Vanicream Cleansing Bar

I've been a little absent from this blog, as of late, but we were on vacation, then getting back from vacation and well, you know how it goes...

Anyway, typically, whenever I go away for any extended amount of time, my skin starts to act up because I'm away from my fragrance free, hypoallergenic, BOP environment. You can't always dictate exactly what you are eating or bring your own bar of soap into public restrooms.

This time, however, my skin did pretty well, all things considered. We joined my sister's family and my parents at the beach for a week in the sun, sand and surf. We took turns cooking, went out to eat occasionally and had fun relaxing. I made sure to bring things along that we could eat (oatmeal, veggie sticks, homemade bread, etc.) but was pretty lax about my eating habit in general during the week- hey, it's vacation, after all!

I brought along my own shampoo and soap. Which brings me to the main topic of this blog post; I brought along one bar of Vanicream cleansing bar for two weeks of vacation (after the beach, I went home with my parents for another week of vacation at home). If you haven't tried the Vanicream cleansing bar, you really must. It's soapy and lathery and I really felt like it cleaned well. The ingredients are all safe to use for those avoiding BOP (or any sensitive skin types, in general). I actually liked the bar better than the liquid cleanser by the same company. My only complaint would be that the bar does diminish quickly (hence the rich lather, I suppose). However, thanks to this bar of soap, my skin felt pretty good during and after vacation.

Not-So-Caprese Salad

Summer is the time for fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes and one of my favorite ways to eat summer tomatoes are in a caprese salad- tomatoes, basil and mozzerella cheese. Alas, caprese salad is off the list when trying to avoide Balsam of Peru. So, instead of bemoaning my loss of tomatoes, I came up with the following dish that at least integrates two (basil and cheese) out of the three flavors of a caprese salad. Mangia!

Ingredients:
1 lb. Mozzarella Cheese cut into small cubes
1 big bunch of fresh basil (we like basil in this household so we use a LARGE bunch of basil)
1/2 lb. warm, cooked pasta (I like to use whole wheat)
Drizzling of olive oil to taste
Garlic Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients, dress with olive oil and garlic salt. Let the cheese melt slightly with the warm pasta and voila- summer salad!

FroYo- TCBY

To say that it's hot outside would be an understatement. Here in the Carolinas, we've reached record triple digit temperatures this past week and all I've wanted was some ice cream. Most (if not all) ice cream has a vanilla base and/or vanilla flavoring- a BOP no-no (not to mention not so friendly for the waistline).

Frozen Yogurt is somewhat more redeemable since it does contain live active cultures and (sometimes!) less calories and/or fat. So, in a compromise of heat stroke proportions, I had froyo. Before heading out to TCBY, I checked their ingredient lists online. Be careful on this one- there are more than several flavors containing sodium benzoate (vanilla, strawberry, kiwi strawberry sorbet) and many more that contain citric acid (cheesecake, chocolate, classic tart).

Coffee and Peanut Butter (my personal favorite), however, do not specifically name sodium benzoate or citric acid in their list of ingredients. That's good enough in my book. Frozen Yogurt, here I come!

Sweet Potato and Carrot Casserole

My daughter does not like to eat her veggies. She loves fruits, grains and dairy. She is a good eater (sometimes out eating me!), but when it comes to anything green, leafy or starting with the letter "v" and ending with the letter "e", forget about it! Coupled with her allergies to nuts, soy and eggs, meal time can get a little interesting. The one veggie that my daughter adores is sweet potatoes. I used to think that she'd turn into one big sweet potato because she ate so many as a baby. So, in an effort to get more veggies and vitamins into her, I came up with the following dish:

Ingredients:

1 can sweet potatoes
1 can carrots
1/8 cup butter
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Directions:

Butter small casserole dish and set aside. Mash sweet potatoes and carrots together. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into buttered casserole dish and top with crumb topping (listed below). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Crumb Topping:

Mix equal parts oatmeal, brown sugar, sugar and flour. Cut in bits of cold butter. Add raisins if desired and top casserole before baking.

Not only is this dish soy, nut and egg free, but it's safe for a BOP free diet, too! Enjoy!