Mayo-free Tuna Salad (with avocado)

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Everyone in my house loves tuna. Tuna is cheap and easy. But, mayo is gross. Actually, I love the taste of "real" mayonnaise, but there is nothing real about the (yummy) gloopy white stuff that comes in the convenient little jars at the grocery store. I think doing away with store-bought mayo may have been one of the hardest real food conversions for me. Homemade mayo is delicious, but the eggs make me worry about sending it in Little Bear's lunch. My solution has been to make tuna salad with olive oil and a bit of vinegar (plus the typical tuna salad accoutrements). It's ok. But, not great. 

How to make it great... Let's try avocado! {spoiler alert, it was amazing!}

Scoop one avocado into a bowl.

Add a few tablespoons of unrefined olive oil, a good squeeze of lemon or lime, and whatever spices and mix-ins you like in your tuna (today I just did salt, pepper, garlic powder and dill).

Smoosh it all together, making the mixture as smooth as possible.

Add tuna and mix with the avocado mixture while flaking the tuna.

Eat.

Yum!

I measured, but tuna is so dependent on the brand, draining, and type that you'll probably have to play with the proportions to make it just perfect. As a starting point, 1 avocado + 2 tablespoons oil should be good for 2-ish cans of tuna or 4 of the single-serve packets.

Miracle Earache & Ear Infection Remedy! {Momma's Magic Drops}

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One of a mamma's simple pleasures is the quiet that falls over the house between the kiddos' bed times and momma's bedtime. I don't like that time to be disturbed. By anything.

Especially by the sound of a screeching toddler...

At about 11:45 last night, Little Bear (2 1/2) started screaming like a banshee. My first thought was, of course, bad dream... I ran to his room and he was sitting up in bed clutching his ear. I will concede that he's really not ever sick and has never ever had ear troubles, so he may have been more dramatic than most kids. Either way, the sound of my baby in pain induced a bit of a panic.

... Crap. An ear ache is probably not ER worthy, although his screams are pretty intense. Can I get an OTC drop that will help? What kind of artificial meds are in those drops? ...

I had to do something, but I had no idea what. There were some old homeopathic, glycerine-based ear drops in the medicine cabinet (not sure why, though), but they turned out to be entirely useless. Dude wouldn't even let me hold a warm rag on his ear to soothe it, and I was out of ideas.

As I snuggled my still-bawling little guy, I googled like a maniac. The only remedy I could find that could be made with what I had on hand was garlic and olive oil. I had no expectation of success, but I had to do something.

Apparently, both ingredients are highly antibacterial and garlic is a crazy good anti-inflammatory.

SO, to cut to the chase, Little Bear sat on a chair in the kitchen whimpering, "muh ear, muh ear. muh ear hut" while I made "Momma's Magic Drops" {Seriously, naming not fun things fun names somehow makes the idea less appalling to the little ones...}

I have no pics of the actual process, because I was beyond tired and frazzled by the time we were at this point in the night...

• Put 1/4 cup unrefined olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. 
• Add about 4 cloves of crushed, coarsely chopped garlic. 
• Let it simmer until the garlic pieces start to brown. 
• Remove the garlic and bring to room or body temperature. 
• Use a dropper and drop several drops in the affected ear. 
• Wait several minutes with the bad ear up to let the oil run down into the ear (we sang the ABCs three times slowly while eating chocolate).
• Repeat several times a day until the ear is better.

You can store the oil in a glass container in the refrigerator. When you're ready to use them, fill up the dropper and leave it on the counter to warm up for several minutes.

No exaggeration, within seconds of the drops going in his ear, LB was calmed down. And, by the time we were done singing the ABC's, he was already starting to doze back off. He woke up this morning tired, but without even the slightest indication that his ears were hurting. SUCCESS!!!

For good measure, we still did drops this morning and then two more times during the day.

*HUGE sign of relief*

Do you have another natural DIY remedy to share? Have you tried this one? I can't say how well this will work across the board, but I will for sure try it again if/when LB has an earache again!

Aloe Vera Gel Hair Mask - One-Ingredient, One-Hour to Healthy, Shiny Hair!!!

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I'm absolutely NOT retracting my love for my coconut oil hair mask, but I have found another new love! One of the commenters on the coconut oil mask post suggested an aloe treatment. Since aloe gel is relatively inexpensive, and since I have an obsession with trying new natural remedies, I couldn't wait to give it a go...

Step 1: Wash, condition, and towel dry your hair as usual.

Step 2:  Apply a generous amount of REAL aloe gel to your hair, root to end. Don't buy the blue crap (or the clear crap next to it) in the sun-care aisle of your supermarket. Go to the natural care section and look for real aloe gel, or get it online (I found it at about half the price online!).

The good stuff!

Even this "100% Gel" version has crummy ingredients!
(Aloe Vera Gel, Triethanolamine, Tocopheryl Acetate,
Carbomer 940, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin,
Diazolidinyl Urea) - Talk about misleading marketing tactics!!

Step 3:  Put a shower cap on and wait about an hour.

Step 4:  Rinse hair and dry/style as usual! So shiny and clean!

For me, at least, I like the aloe better for dull or icky-feeling hair, while the coconut oil is better for dry, damaged hair. In my world, that translates to coconut oil in the winter and aloe in the summer (with a little overlap here and there).

Have you tried both? Which is your favorite?

Keeping the Kitchen Stocked

I'm a firm believer that a cook is only as good as her (his) pantry.  The first line of defense against food apathy is your shopping cart.  You are going to eat (and feed your family) what you bring home from the store - it's as simple as that!

I run a solo law practice with a 2-year-old and no hired help - trust me when I say, I understand busy!  Fortunately, eating "for real" does not mean hours in the kitchen or even a meticulously crafted food schedule (because who knows what day you'll come home with literally 15 minutes to throw dinner together?!).  It really comes down to appreciating your food for what it is and making a commitment to keeping it real.

Check out my pantry organizing blog here!

With that being said (or would it be typed?), here's what I always keep on hand in my pantry/refrigerator for emergency meals - rather than typing "organic" 100 times, let's just assume that everything listed is organic/non-GMO):

Canned Goods
I try to stay away from cans as much as possible (they're lined with BPA), but I keep these on hand for emergencies.

• Whole beans (pinto, kidney, garbanzo - whatever you like)
• Canned salmon without bones and skin
• Canned tuna
• Crushed tomatoes
• Diced tomatoes
• Tomato paste

Boxed Goods

The keys here are organic and whole-wheat.  

• Whole wheat crackers (Ak-mak is our favorite!)
• Lower-sugar cereal (Little Bear's favorite is CF Fruit O's)
• Chicken, beef & vegetable stocks
• Coconut milk
• Spaghetti-style whole wheat pasta
• Elbow whole wheat pasta
• Rotini whole wheat pasta (love jovial einkorn pasta)
• Wheat-free, whole-grain pasta (love the corn/rice/quinoa/amaranth blends!)

From the Bulk Aisle

Buying in bulk saves tons of money and keeps healthy choices on hand.

• Dried beans (pinto, kidney, navy, etc.)
• Brown rice
• Whole wheat bread crumbs (or homemade)
• Quinoa
• Whole-grain (with the germ) corn grits/polenta
• Oats (whatever type you like, it's mostly all wholegrain)
• Popcorn (for late-night munchies!)
• Whole wheat pastry flour (for making roux)
• Various nuts & seeds
• Raisins
• Chia seeds
• Turbinado sugar

Bottled Ingredients

Find your favorite oils, vinegars & sweeteners and keep them stocked for quick sauces and dressings.

• Unrefined olive oil
• Unrefined coconut oil
• Unrefined sunflower oil (I recently found this really cheap at Walmart!)
• Unrefined, toasted sesame oil
• Raw, local honey
• Organic maple syrup
• Franks red hot (or other hot sauce)
• Balsamic vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Lemon/lime juice
• Non GMO mayo
• Peanut butter

Freezer

Frozen fruit/veggies will usually be cheaper than fresh, and they are healthier than canned.  A quick sauté or broil will pull a side dish together super quickly.

• Frozen mixed veggies
• Frozen diced onions
• Frozen fruits
• Frozen spinach
• Frozen whole wheat ravioli
• Various types and cuts of meat, rewrapped into individual portions

Produce

It's so important to just buy what is locally in-season, but these gems are almost always available organic and tend to be pretty cheap.

• Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Onions
• Bananas
• Apples
• Carrots
• Greens
• Pre-peeled garlic (without added preservatives)

Dairy

Adding a touch of cream or cheese to almost any sauce makes the meal instantly seem richer and more thoughtfully prepared.

• Sour cream
• Half & half
• Whole milk (raw or low-temp pasteurized, if you can)
• Cream cheese
• Greek yogurt
• Several cheese choices (freeze what you aren't using right away)

Extras

Keep these little extras on hand to add quick pizzaz to any dish.  Costco has a great selection of organic dried herbs & spices.

• Dried basil
• Dried oregano
• Dried rosemary
• Smoked paprika
• Onion powder
• Granulated garlic
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground ginger
• Cocoa powder
• Cumin
• Chili powder

Other
Just because it isn't 100% healthy, doesn't mean we don't occasionally need a quick sanity-saver!

• Whole-grain tortilla chips
• Cookies for Mommy (Anna's ginger thins & Late July "Oreos")
• Cookies for Little Bear (Arrowroot Maple Cookies)
• Chocolate bars (dark & milk - yum!)

Am I missing anything?  What are your secret cooking weapons?

Minus the Microwave, Please!

I had a couple of questions about why the casa de Olson decided to go sans microwave after I posted an instagram picture of my new coffee heating solution.

There isn't a simple answer, so rather than tapping out a response from my phone, I'll explain here.

I can't say that I've done extensive microwave research, but a quick "microwave safety" google search leaves little settled.  There are adamant folks on both sides.  I have no solid opinion about the actual safety of the microwave, but I tend to lean on the safer side of things when it comes to my food.  I pretty much just figured, why risk it? 

Also, when you really start to rely on real, homemade food, the microwave becomes less and less useful.  I ended up deciding that I can easily throw leftovers in the oven or in a skillet for a pretty quick reheat just as easily as I could put them in the micro and nuke 'em.  Without a microwave, I couldn't take the easy way out and compromise on nutrition anymore.  I had to think of a real, healthy meal for my fam rather than concede to a frozen/processed alternative.  Even if the microwave itself doesn't create health risks, it does superheat food and cause the nutrients to break down.

Really, it all boiled down to the fact that my kitchen isn't as big as I'd like, and with the very little mileage I was getting out of the microwave, I much preferred the extra counter space.  As I said on my instagram photo, the only thing that I really missed my microwave for was reheating my coffee/tea (as most moms know, as you introduce kids into your life, the second half of your coffee gets colder and colder...).  Simple problems beget simple solutions, though, - cue the coffee maker!

PERFECT Hair Mask (Yet Another Reason Why Coconut Oil Is the Best)

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It's no secret that I'm in love with about five single-ingredient products: coconut oil, chia seeds, bee pollen, witch hazel, and beer. Wait. Beer... what? I mean... coffee. Yeah, coffee.

Anyway, back to coconut oil. I literally use coconut oil for everything.   EVERYTHING.   Frying, baking, spreading, facial moisturizer, body lotion, after-sun care, nutritional supplement, hand cream, boo-boo cream (I have a 2-year-old, so give me some slack. It's boo-boo and potty and wee-wee for now, ok?).   One of my favorite coconut oil uses, though, is as a hair mask.  I have really fine hair.  When it's healthy, it shines like crazy.   But, when it's dried out, it's crunchy and frizzy.   Not pretty wavy and textured, but crunchy (I know you know what I mean...).  

I figured one day several months ago that if I use coconut oil for everything else, why not in my hair?! Here's how it works:

Start with an unrefined coconut oil (I'm a big Nutiva fan, and it can usually be found for pretty cheap on Amazon).

It'll be a solid in the tub, but will quickly melt in your hand. 

After your shower at night, take between a teaspoon and a tablespoon-sized glob (it's a word) in your fingers, depending on the length of your hair.

Work quickly to massage it through your hair.  You'll want to make sure you've covered all the way from your roots to your ends.  Use extra oil, if needed. 

Find a way to pull your hair up and back so it's not flopping around.  I braid the bottom of my hair and then secure it to the back and top of my head with bobby pins.  For some reason I always feel like Katniss Everdeen when I do this (laugh if you want, but it's the little things that get us through, right?).

Sleep with your hair this way (use a shower cap, if you are worried about greasing up your pillowcase). 

In the morning, wash and condition your hair as usual.  When your hair dries, it'll be super silky, shiny, and soft!  For me, it lasts about a week in turbo hair mode and then starts to wear off. 

Depending on your particular hair type, repeat every week to two weeks, as needed.

Let me know if you've tried this before or if you give it a go for the first time - I love to hear feedback on my favorite things (good and bad!)!