Cheesy Nacho Hashbrown Casserole

2 1/2 lbs grated potatoes
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided, 4 ounces kept out for topping
6 oz sour cream
10 oz condensed milk
10 oz nacho cheese sauce
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
2-3 cups milk
1/4 cup diced mild chiles

Pre-heat oven to 350 F
Mix everything together in a large bowl, reserving 4 ounces of grated cheddar cheese, and pour into lightly oiled large baking dish, approximately 11x17.  Sprinkle top of casserole with reserved cheese.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until cooked through, cheese is melted and top is lightly browned.

Real Food Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

YUM!

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar, honey or maple syrup
2 TBSP vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix everything together in a medium sized bowl, and pour into a 2 quart ice cream maker, freezing per maker's instructions.

Enjoy!

Broccoli-Quinoa Bake

3 cups lightly steamed broccoli
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups milk
16 oz grated cheese (cheddar, Colby jack, etc.)

1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 TBSP Parmesan cheese

Mix broccoli, quinoa, milk, cheese, pepper, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl.  Pour into a large, shallow baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in 425 F over for 25-30 minutes, until top is lightly browned.

Spanish Rice from Scratch

This recipe is my compilation from a few different recipes.  It's cooking right now, so I hope it's good!

Saute in pan until soft and translucent: 1 onion finely diced, 3 cloves garlic finely diced, and 1 TBSP oil or fat (I used kidney lard - yum!).  Add in 1 1/2 cups brown rice, and toast lightly.  Carefully add 2 1/2 cups water or stock, 8 oz tomato paste, a pinch of corriander, two pinches of cumin, and salt and pepper to taste, stirring thoroughly.  Allow to come to full boil, then reduce to simmer, and allow to cook for 35-45 mins, until done.

Gluten Free Coffee Cake

I am still too intimidated to try making GF cinnamon rolls, because if they fail, I'll have wasted the ingredients and the cost of them, which I cannot afford...So I decided on coffee cake, because I've had great success with other cakes, and it's really similar to cinnamon rolls in taste.  It was delicious!  Even my husband (who's not GF) went back for seconds!

GF Coffee Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose GF flour mix
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup very soft butter
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Mix it all together on medium until smooth, pour into a greased 9x9 pan

Topping (optional)
1 TBSP melted butter mixed into
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 TBSP GF flour mix
3-4 TBSP brown sugar
Sprinkle on top (or just mix the cinnamon into the batter!)

Cook for about 30 mins at 350f, until cake tester comes out clean.  Cake will appear under-cooked.

Gluten Free Tortillas

This is my own recipe, one of those few that works just right the first time around.  I am tired of corn tortillas, and how they can be so brittle.  Cinnamon and melted butter just doesn't work on a corn tortilla, nor does a wrap taste right on corn, but with these tortillas, they are delicious!

“Better than a regular flour tortilla!” - my husband, the quesadilla lover

½ c buckwheat flour

½ c millet flour

¼ c brown rice flour

¼ c tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp EVOO

1 ½ to 2 c warm water

Makes 7-8 9" tortillas

Mix everything together until it forms a thin, pancake-like batter.

Pour by ¼ cup fulls onto a very hot and lightly oiled skillet.

Immediately spread batter around using the back of a spoon until very thin and fairly circular.

Allow to cook on first side until nearly cooked through, then carefully flip over and allow to cook until each side is lightly golden in places.

Store in airtight bag in pantry for 3-4 days, refrigerator for 1 week, and freezer for up to a month.  Maintains taste and pliability, without going stale.

Our Vaccination Journey

Our vaccination journey began when I learned that the Rubella vaccine contains aborted fetal lung cells (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM123789.pdf).  After I learned this, I learned that other vaccines contain aborted fetal cells as well.  Because we believe that God gives value to all human life, and as a result it is wrong to use that life for experimentation when it is unwillingly given.  Those fetuses had no choice.  The cells were obtained in the 1960’s, and have been in the vaccine ever since (http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/505950).  Some might say that good has come of those abortions, and I would agree, but that does not mean it is good to use that option when other, clearly viable options also exist (see prior link).  The argument about embryonic stem cell research is similar: “We could find a cure!”  But what value is the cure if it kills other lives?  Would you ok a treatment for your child that was developed using embryonic stem cells?  I know I would not, because I don’t want myself or my child to profit from another’s murder (which is what abortion and embryonic stem cell research are) or pain.  Additionally, I have a moral objection to injecting my child with the cells of another, when those cells were not freely given.

Thus, the Rubella vaccination was eliminated from our options.  Merck no longer makes Mumps and Rubella vaccines separately, now only making the MMR-II (Mumps, Measles and Rubella) or Attenuvax (Measles only) (http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm093833.htm).  Measles is fairly uncommon, with 71 reported cases in the USA in 2009 (most were linked to those traveling from or in close contact with those from developing nations), and the death rate is 1-2 per 1000 people infected (http://www.cdc.gov/features/measles/).  It is easily treatable.

So, the MMR-II is eliminated, with Attenuvax remaining an option.  Additionally, I learned that the Varicella vaccines, some Polio vaccines, Hepatitis-A vaccines, Rabies vaccines, and Shingles vaccines all contain aborted fetal cells (http://www.cogforlife.org/vaccineList.pdf and the FDA/CDC ingredient lists for individual vaccines).  Thus, more vaccines were eliminated from our options.

We eliminated the Rotavirus vaccine because there has been some controversy about its ingredients, and we felt that since breastfeeding is the best protection against Rotavirus’ main effect (dehydration), we didn’t really need to worry about it.  We also made certain we were aware of symptoms of dehydration in small infants so that we could be on guard.

Hepatitis-B is a blood-borne disease common to IV drug users and those who have multiple sexual partners, so there is little risk of my infant contracting it.  We will reconsider it when we have teenagers.

Polio has been eliminated from the Western hemisphere per our pediatrician and http://www.polioeradication.org/Infectedcountries.aspx

DTaP:

Diphtheria (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001608.htm) is a rare disease with risk factors of poor hygiene and crowded environments, and is usually only seen in developing countries.  Although it is fully treatable, it has a death rate of 10%.   The vaccine is not fully effective, and can only confer immunity for 10 years, after which a booster is necessary.  Most adults are not up to date on their booster shot (the DT vaccine).

Tetanus can be life threatening (45% will die), but there is both treatment and a passive immunization option available to those who have a potential infection.  It should be remembered that tetanus infection is actually quite rare (approximately 600 cases in USA in 1950 (population was 152,271,417 in 1950, making it a 0.0000039% infection rate prior to vaccine development)).

“Almost all reported cases of tetanus are in persons who have either never been vaccinated or who completed a primary series but have not had a booster in the preceding 10 years. From 1995-1997, 54% of the reported cases in the United States had an unknown tetanus vaccination history, 22% had no known previous tetanus vaccination, 9% had 1 previous dose, 3% had 2 previous doses, 3% had 3 previous doses, and 9% had 4 or more previous doses.”

          http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/786414-overview

Pertussis has cyclical outbreaks every 3-5 years and is rarely serious in those older than 3 months.  Additionally, vaccination does not prevent infection or transmission, with incidence most common in those who are vaccinated.  See: http://www.vaccines.me/articles/vvjak-whooping-cough-pertussis-in-the-fully-vaccinated.cfm and http://www.vaccines.me/articles/vprkm-pertussis-vaccine-unreliable---study-from-new-zealand.cfm (I could not find any reports from the CDC on this, but lots of news stories and independent news articles.)

This is an informative article on the DTaP vaccine (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/226999/the_dtap_vaccine_what_the_manufacturers.html?cat=71).

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Pneumococcal (PCC) Meningococcal (MCV)

These are the leading causes of bacterial meningitis, and Hib and Pcc are the primary causes of bacterial pneumonia, a leading cause of death in young children in the developing world (but relatively uncommon in the USA) (http://www.who.int/immunization_monitoring/diseases/meningitis_surveillance/en/index.html).

Hib is commonly found in the noses and throats of healthy individuals living in regions where vaccination is not carried out. Almost all unvaccinated children are exposed to Hib by age five. The bacterium is spread by exhaled droplets. Occasionally, Hib can invade the bloodstream and cause infection and disease in other parts of the body, including the meninges (membranes enveloping the brain and spinal cord) leading to meningitis, and the lungs, causing pneumonia. [emphasis mine]

AND

“Studies showed rates of Hib meningitis at 20 to 60 cases per 100 000 children under five years of age in the United States (before immunization began)”

                   http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs294/en/

World Health Organization’s data on vaccine preventable diseases: http://apps.who.int/immunization_monitoring/en/globalsummary/countryprofileresult.cfm

This (http://thinktwice.com/) site gives lots of anecdotes about vaccine effects.

Here (http://www.whale.to/vaccine/ImmunizationGraphs-RO2009.pdf) you will find graphs (with source notes) showing how many diseases became less common as sanitation improved, prior to vaccine introduction (note: I have not personally reviewed each source that was used in this document).

This from a bachelor’s educated Registered Nurse (RN) and Certified Public Health Nurse (PHN).  I was taught “all children should be vaccinated against Rubella so that a woman, when pregnant, if exposed, will not potentially transmit the disease to her unborn child who could then suffer an ill effect such as a heart defect.” (That was a class discussion and part of a lecture on the vaccine schedule when I was in nursing school.)

So, what do we do, having decided to delay and possibly never give those vaccines we do not find morally objectionable?  We keep our kid(s) out of daycare, nursery school, the church nursery and away from those whose health status is unknown/we cannot guess what they’ve been exposed to or may carry, until they’ve reached an age where any such infection is less likely to severely affect them, which is 2-3 years old for most diseases.

We study the signs and symptoms of these “preventable” diseases, so that if our child should come down with something, we will know and respond appropriately.  We are not afraid to seek treatment of disease beyond our home efforts of rest and hydration, knowing that medicines can be very useful and effective.

We eat homemade, mostly organic foods, forsaking fast-food and prepared foods almost entirely.  We make healthy life choices, avoid addictive behaviors, and exercise and play.  We trust God to provide and protect, we pray and rejoice.