SCD Mayonnaise, Just Like Grandma Used to Make

I have fond memories of my grandmother making mayonnaise when I was younger. I did not get to see her often since we lived in a different state, but whenever I visited she tried to broaden my taste bud horizons. She was Scandinavian, having immigrated to the U.S. from Sweden in 1950 with her young family, bringing with her not only some beautiful artwork and antiques that I’m blessed to now own, but the preferences for what I considered to be odd foods as well.

During one of my visits, I remember her making mayonnaise. MAKING mayonnaise. I couldn’t believe it. Although my friends now think I’m somewhat of a health nut, they laugh when I tell them that back then I did not know that corn didn’t come from a can. Really. Really. That’s ironic since now our cabinets contain fewer processed foods than Laura Ingall’s did.

Although the following recipe is different from Grandma’s in that it’s pasteurized, it still comes straight from the heart—and yes, from my Vita-Mix. I know what ingredients go into it, and I know that my younger daughter can eat it safely.

Is it harder than buying a jar at the store? You betcha. But the whole process takes less than ten minutes, and THAT is faster than driving to the store to pick it up.

I have to admit that because my husband is more patient than I am, he is much better at obtaining the correct consistency with this recipe than I am. Oh, and I didn’t develop this recipe; I’ve adapted it from multiple others online.

Here is the step-by-step tutorial.

Mayonnaise Recipe (SCD)

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks (the fresher, the better)
2 Tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup canola oil (Please note that canola oil is listed as “Legal, but not recommended” for SCD; I’ve also used olive oil. Choose your favorite budget-friendly SCD-legal oil.)




Place all ingredients into a non-stick skillet with the stove set to medium-low.
Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture JUST begins to thicken. One way to determine this is to “pull” the mixture toward you with the spoon. As soon as you notice that it does not flow back as quickly, remove it from the heat. This process takes about two minutes. Please note that in my experience, if the mixture has any clumps in it, it has cooked too long and will not thicken properly.




Place the bottom of the pan into a shallow dish of cold/ice water to stop the cooking process. After the mixture has cooled for two to three minutes, pour all of it into your Vita-Mix or blender. Another note: the directions for machine speed below are specifically for the Vita-Mix. You know your blender better than I do and will have to adjust accordingly.



Turn the power on and set the machine to low=1.
Start pouring the oil in right away, but very slowly, in a constant drizzle.Keep the machine on low=1 until the mixture starts to thicken, then turn it to 2, then 3.




After all of the oil is in the blender container, turn the machine up slowly to 10. Then switch it to High until you see the tell-tale “clover” sign indicating the mayonnaise is properly thickened. Turn the machine off.















Put the mayonnaise into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator for approximately two weeks. It will keep longer if you don’t “double dip,” and instead, use only clean utensils every time you apply the mayo.

 

Heat Exhaustion

First, as always, please let me remind you that I am not a medical professional. I’m a parent like you whose first concern is the safety of her children.

Yesterday, we had a scary experience that I wanted to share in hopes of preventing this in another child. My older daughter, who is 10, came home from a birthday party with heat exhaustion. The outdoor temperature was much warmer this weekend than it has been this year so far and the kids spent a lot of time playing outside at the party.

At first, she certainly did not seem like herself, but I thought she was just tired because she had an abnormally busy weekend with three activities, two of them birthday parties. However, as the evening progressed, it became apparent that her behavior was more than simple social activity overload.

All’s well that ends well and I’m happy to report that very early this morning her temperature dropped back into normal range and she is feeling much better. But before I file this experience away in my Parenting is not for the Faint of Heart chronicles, please let me share with you some important information.

First, here’s the recipe for Oral Rehydration Solution (click here for the SCD version). It’s easy to make with ingredients you have on hand—and saves valuable time over running to the store for Pedialyte.


Oral Rehydration Solution

1 Liter water, boiled
8 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
Lemon or Lime juice (we added this to make it taste better)

Add all ingredients together. Cool before serving. (Or serve over ice.)


Second, here are the symptoms of heat exhaustion from AboutKidsHealth.com. Check out their site for helpful information about dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion is caused by loss of water and salt, often as a result of exercise in hot weather. If it is not treated, it may progress to heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
• normal or elevated body temperature, although not as high as 40°C (104°F)
• profuse sweating
• pale skin
• skin may be cool and moist
• fast, shallow breathing
• fast, weak pulse
• headache
• nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• dizziness, weakness, or fainting
• heat cramps
• exhaustion


Third, the American Academy of Pediatrics states:

For morphologic and physiologic reasons, exercising children do not adapt as effectively as adults when exposed to a high climatic heat stress. This may affect their performance and well-being, as well as increase the risk for heat-related illness. This policy statement summarizes approaches for the prevention of the detrimental effects of children's activity in hot or humid climates, including the prevention of exercise-induced dehydration.

This is important information for all of us, especially now that summer is approaching.

 

SCD Easter Basket

I feel a little guilty that I didn’t even try to make SCD Easter candy this year, but we did at least do Easter baskets.

1. Real Easter eggs the girls dyed: Many were dropped by Eliana during the artistic process, but they still count, right ;)
2. Egg-shaped sidewalk chalk
3. Handmade (by my crafty neighbor) pom-pom bunnies
4. Seeds and bulbs/corms to plant in their own gardens: carrots, beets, dill, parsley, annuals, gladiolas and freesias.
5. Plant markers/stakes
6. Bubble blowers
7. Lara Bar (one of the few purchased foods she tolerates)

She also had an Easter egg hunt at school. I was disappointed that the parents were asked to bring plastic eggs filled with candy, but her teachers were happy to accommodate her. I sent 5 large plastic eggs (it’s really hard to find small non-candy items to put in those tiny eggs) with the following: lip balm from Whole Foods (not as safe as homemade, but one of her favorite things), 1 small box of organic raisins (a rare treat), clear stickers that showed through the egg and looked like an underwater world (my husband’s project), and two egg-shaped chalks. The teachers requested that I put her name on them and when they collected all of the eggs from the kids to redistribute them in equal numbers, they simply gave Eliana hers, along with a few others that had no candy.

Honestly, it’s the activity that she loves. Since the preschool Easter egg hunt over a week ago, she and her sister having been playing egg hunt with the empty eggs everyday. And I’ve already explained that when she hunts for eggs at church she won’t get to keep most of the contents. Thankfully, she’s pretty used to this kind of thing, and we try to make up for it in other ways.

Oh, and I should mention that the baskets of both girls are almost identical, except that Sofia received a chocolate bunny. That’s the whole reason she loves Easter ;)

I’d love to hear how you approached Easter non-traditionally this year, whether SCD or otherwise.

 

Successful Shopping Secrets

Hey, it’s FruGal Friday again. (I know the name is corny, but the thoughts are sincere ;)

Today when I was doing some research for a product I wanted to purchase—and find at a discount—it occurred to me how much money I’ve saved over time by researching products beforehand.

The obvious thing to do is to research the quality of the product you’re interested in. The key is to find a reputable site where your product is their niche. For instance, whenever I want to find out if a health or beauty product is worth its salt, I go to MakeupAlley and check out the product reviews, which are written by consumers just like you and me.

I also love Consumer Reports for in-depth research and advice on best buys, as well as Amazon.com for general usage reviews on products.

Spending time doing a little research can save you a ton of cash over the long haul, especially when you consider the lifespan of the product, possible repair costs, replacement costs, etc.

And another frugal tip: after you’ve Googled the product name plus “review,” or “complaint,” is to Google the product name plus “coupon.” Many coupons are now printable, and if you don’t mind email solicitations, you can often get larger discounts or free products. For me the extra email is only worth if for large purchases.

If you’re planning a large purchase, such as an appliance, (and you’re set on a new one) try to build enough time into your plan to find a discount and possibly even some perks. Sometimes even an hour or less online can make a difference. As an example, a few years ago after burning through three used washing machines, we decided to upgrade to a more energy efficient front loader. This was a last-minute “emergency” purchase, for reasons I’ll spare you. Yet, the final cost of the machine was hundreds of dollars less than the advertised cost in the store because 1. I had a coupon for a percentage off; 2. I asked for free delivery; 3. The price in the store was considerably higher than one I’d found online so I asked for the lower price, which they gave me.

One note of caution: Don’t fall for the discount that’s tied to using the store credit card. If you’re a fan of Dave Ramsey you’ll know why. If you’re not, just know that statistically people spend more when they use credit cards, and with the current economic situation, credit card rates—and the percentage of people defaulting on payments—are going up.

I’d love to hear your favorite sites for product reviews and your best retail bargain experience! (We’ll talk about retail alternatives another time.)

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part VIII

I can make quick, easy, and economical compost.

For you gardeners out there, you know how long it can take to make compost if you utilize a traditional compost pile, especially if you’re like me and don’t turn it that often.

Last year, being the frugal-minded gal that I am, I decided to make compost out of a crock pot full of fish from which I was trying to make an SCD broth for my daughter. The harried mom in me beat out the frugal gal and left the pot on the counter all night. After that, I wasn’t comfortable serving the food to my daughter and I didn’t want to just throw it out. So, I ground it up—bones and all—in my Vita-Mix. Then I just poured it around some cauliflower and broccoli seedlings that I had in my Square Foot garden at the time.

The benefit: beautiful plants. (Please ignore the weeds in the photo. I promise that my garden normally looks tidier than this. Really.)


The drawback: Serious cat attraction! Yeah, I know. You’re thinking the cat problem should have been obvious to me before I put the homemade fish compost in my garden. But hey, I’m just another hardworking mom like you, trying to squeeze in a little gardening ;) And we don’t even have cats, but apparently every cat in the neighborhood got the memo. So, I solved the cat problem by mulching around the plants with leaves.

Click here to read more about making compost with the Vita-Mix.

And if you want to read more about composting in place (without a Vita-Mix), check out Patricia Lanza’s Lasagna Gardening book. I love her sheet mulching method, which can utilize both aged and new compost, as well as her description of a tomato-cage composter.

Since spring is upon us, I’d love to hear your unusual composting techniques! Or cat foiling methods ;)

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part VII


I can make coconut milk (and puréed soups).

Today I was making what we call coconut-lentil soup. Its real title is Indian-Style Lentils, a vegan recipe from Susan O’Brien’s Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Cooking book. The recipe requires coconut milk, another product that is hard to find in SCD-legal form. So, I whipped out my trusty Vita-Mix and made some.

Recipe:

1 cup unsweetened, dry coconut
4 cups filtered water

Add ingredients to Vita-Mix, turn the machine on low, then quickly turn the dial increasing speed; flip the switch to high and blend for about two minutes. If you need the milk to be completely smooth/without particles, you may need to strain it.

This is another recipe that you can alter to fit your taste and budget by increasing or decreasing the coconut-to-water ratio.

Of course, after I cooked the soup, I puréed it in the Vita-Mix to get the texture my daughter likes.

There is some discussion online that puréeing foods in the Vita-Mix increases the bioavailability of the food, and I have looked into some of the research, but that’ll be a post for another time. What I do know is that my daughter loves this recipe, and although it contains cauliflower and mustard seeds (which can be a challenge for some people on SCD), she’s never had a problem with the puréed version of this soup.

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part VI


I can make applesauce and fruit leather.

You can choose to make raw or cooked applesauce, and raw or cooked fruit leather. Since my daughter doesn’t tolerate uncooked fruits and vegetables as well as cooked, I cook hers.

Here’s my most recent recipe for cooked applesauce.

Recipe:
8 medium organic apples (3 Granny Smith, 5 Fuji)
2-3 Tbs. honey
½ cup filtered water
Juice of 1 key lime (the tiny ones)
Cinnamon, SCD legal and just a dash

I peeled and cored the apples. Then I added the other ingredients and cooked the contents in a saucepan on the stovetop until the apples were very soft. While the apples were still hot, I dumped the entire contents of the pot into the Vita-Mix and pureéd it on high until very smooth, since this is how my daughter likes it best.

Then I poured 1/7 of the mix into 7 of the aluminum containers that I use for her SCD freezer meals.

You can also use this or your own recipe to make fruit leather. The less liquid you start with the better, as it will take less time to dry/dehydrate. The addition of the honey makes the leather more pliable, but also stickier.

Recipe:
After making fruit sauce, such as apple sauce, above, pour the contents onto the solid, plastic trays of your dehydrator, or alternately, onto cookie trays that have a lip (like jelly roll pans). Dehydrate approximately 12 hours in your dehydrator, depending on the quality of your dehydrator (mine is a very inexpensive one), the setting you use, and how dry you want the leather to be. I have not made fruit leather on the cookie trays in the oven before, but know that you would have to dry it at approximately 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit for many hours until it is at the texture you prefer.

One last note, if you tolerate raw fruit and fruit peels alright, the Vita-Mix makes it really easy to make fruit sauces/purées and leathers since you don’t need to peel the fruit. Just quarter the fruit, place it into the Vita-Mix, use the tamper while processing it on high, then pour it directly onto the dehydrator trays or in a bowl to eat.

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part V

I can make almond milk.

Since kids on the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) can’t drink milk due to its lactose content, it can be handy to have nut milk available for recipes. Commercial nut milks often contain ingredients that are illegal on the SCD. However, with the Vita-Mix, making nut milk is super easy and fast. And you know exactly what’s in it.

Feel free to alter the proportions of this recipe’s ingredients to suit your taste and budget. I have used a 1-to-4 ratio of nuts to water before successfully.

Recipe:
Filtered water, 2 to 4 cups, depending on how dilute you like your milk
Raw, blanched almonds, approximately 3 cups
Honey to taste, optional

Place all ingredients into the Vita-Mix. Turn the machine on low, then quickly turn the dial up. Flip the switch to high and blend until the nuts are completely liquefied.

My daughter does not tolerate any residue in her almond milk, so I strain it in the funnel I purchased just for this reason.

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part IV

I can make nut butter.

It’s hard to find raw nut butter as a finished product. So, if you don’t want to consume roasted nut butters, the Vita-Mix is an easy way to fix that.

Recipe:
Your choice of raw nuts, such as almonds or cashews, blanched if your diet requires it.

Approximately 3 cups of nuts
Extra virgin olive oil, approx. 1 Tbs., optional

Add the nuts to the Vita-Mix. Make sure you have the tamper ready. Turn the machine on low, then turn the dial up. Next, flip the switch to high. Immediately start pushing the nuts down toward the blades with the tamper. It is important to listen carefully to the machine. If you hear the pitch change, you may need to stop it. I have over heated my Vita-Mix before while making almond butter. I find that adding a small amount of olive oil makes the process easier, and the nut butter a little smoother.

With the recent peanut butter recalls, I feel like I need to point out that you can make safe peanut butter at home. Most ASD kids who are on the SCD are not eating peanut butter, but for those of you who are, here's a link.

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part III

I can make almond flour—and save a lot of money!

The last time I checked my closest Whole Foods, almond flour was about $14 per pound. However, I can make it in my Vita-Mix for less than $5 per pound!

There’s a trick to it however. And that is to never use more than a cup of nuts at one time. Otherwise you’ll probably end up with nut butter.

Recipe:
¾ to 1 cup of raw, blanched almonds

Place almonds in Vita-Mix. Turn on low, then turn the dial up. Flip the switch to high until you see the very fine particles of flour spinning around in the top of the Vita-Mix reservoir. Turn off your machine.

Check to make sure the particles are the size and texture you prefer. If they’re too big, you can turn the machine on again, but be forewarned, the transformation from nut flour to nut butter is pretty quick.

If you need the flour to be especially fine, you can sift it, but honestly, I never do.

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part II



I can make high-calorie, high-nutrient smoothies for my daughter who needs extra calories and iron.

Smoothies have almost as many variations as there are stars in the sky. So, pick what you and your family like, what’s on sale, and what works for you in your stage of the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet).

I particularly like this smoothie because you can’t taste the spinach, but get the health benefits of it, like iron, which my daughter needs.

Use your best judgment with regard to amounts, based on what you and your family will eat, and how much your blender will hold. My Vita-Mix holds substantially more volume than my old Oster.


Recipe:
Frozen blueberries
Very ripe banana, frozen if possible
1 to 2 cups of fresh spinach (omit if uncooked veggies are not yet tolerated)
1 to 3 baby carrots (omit if uncooked veggies are not yet tolerated)
½ to 1 cup of homemade SCD yogurt (base the amount on what stage you’re at with the probiotics)
¼ to ½ cup of raw, blanched almonds, cashews, or other nuts if tolerated
Coconut oil (to increase calories)
Orange juice, SCD legal or homemade; enough to cover at least half of the contents. You can also use SCD legal pineapple juice if you prefer/tolerate it.

Add all ingredients to the Vita-Mix in the order listed. Turn the Vita-Mix on low, immediately turn the dial up all the way, then switch it to high. If necessary, use the tamper to push the fruits and veggies into the blades. Turn the machine off when the fruits and veggies are completely pureéd.

 

Intentional Change

As a SAHM with a child who sometimes has behavioral challenges, it’s easy to get into a rut, especially after a bad day. Yesterday was one of those days. It started off positively and I felt good that I was able to coerce a friend—another SAHM who needed to get some work done on her home business—to let me watch her little boy, who is about a year younger than my younger daughter. He was the perfect gentleman guest; it was my daughter who had issues with sharing that later (mostly after he left) turned into an hour-long scream fest. If you have kids on the SCD who experience behavioral challenges you know how anxiety provoking the flip from Dr. Jekyl, to Ms. Hyde can be. This tantrum, which included aggression and belligerence, did not last nearly as long as they used to before the implementation of the SCD. And I do think that my daughter’s behavior has regressed since she had the stomach flu last week. However, my inability to successfully navigate the tantrum, and my exceptionally slow recovery from it, has led me to make some changes in our schedule today.

First, I should say that my girls are home for Spring Break, and that it has gotten unseasonably cold and rainy, so going outside is not really an option. I should also say that we homeschooled a few years ago and will be coming back to that next year, so I often approach our days in an educational way—even during Spring Break :).

The first challenge we’ve had in the last few days is that my younger daughter is eating about eight or nine times a day, including three breakfasts. Of course, kids with malabsorption disorders often eat more frequently, and larger amounts than their peers. However, I think that she’s making up for all of the weight she lost last week during the stomach flu. Keeping up with her non-stop demands for food, and her pickiness about what I offer, has been a little stressful.

So, this morning I made her a much larger breakfast than usual, all protein, which isn’t unusual for her on this diet. Regardless of what I offer her, she most often chooses the protein and ignores the carbs, no matter how hard we try to get her to eat.

Then, at breakfast, the girls and I discussed today’s schedule and activities. We decided that after breakfast and morning chores, first I would do some activities with my younger daughter, while my older daughter had some time to herself. Then, we would switch. This is a real blessing for me, because I’ve been trying—quite unsuccessfully—to find time to work on this blog for weeks.

The key for my younger daughter to stay engaged is that all attention be on her. No criticism please. I know what works for her; and I know what doesn’t. I know what works for her at school; and I know what works for her at home. And if I want to have any hope of spending time on a house project, blog writing, paying the bills, cleaning, etc., she needs to have a significant amount of one-on-one time first. And sometimes in the middle of whatever it is I’m doing :).

So, we decided that we would do flower related activities. Based on the fact that she loves to pick flowers from our garden and take them apart, this is what we did: We assembled flowers by using straws for the stems, colored tissue paper for the leaves and petals, and yarn for the roots. Since she has some minor issues with fine motor skills, tearing and rolling the tissue paper was good for her. I put two-sided tape on the straws, she stuck on the leaves and petals, and we tied the yarn onto the bottom for the roots. Beautiful? No. But she had a great time and was excited to give the flower to her sister after we finished all of our activities.

After making the “flower,” I let her cut pictures of flowers and vegetables/fruits out of gardening catalogs to paste into a small book that I put together out of white construction paper and brass clips. Again, using the scissors was great for her fine motor control. Then I wrote the names of each item under its picture. Now she and her sister are upstairs using that book and paper dolls that they made to play school.

Granted, it’s early in the day, and life changes from one minute to the next. But in this moment, I am thankful for a successful morning, especially when as a SAHM, it’s hard to feel a sense of accomplishment. Thanks for letting me share this with you. And I hope you’ll share how your intentional changes create success for you and your family.

 

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part I


I can make Shrek Juice.

Shrek Juice is our version of a green smoothie/green lemonade. My SCD girl and I love it. I adapted the recipe to make it work with the Vita-Mix and SCD, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Use as many organic fruits and veggies as you can afford.


Recipe:

½ to 1 head of romaine lettuce (the kind that come three to a package, not the large heads you purchase individually)

1 sweet apple, quartered, but not peeled or cored

1 small piece of fresh ginger, according to taste. I keep mine stored in the freezer so it stays fresh longer. You can peel this if you like, but it’s not necessary.

½ to 1 whole lemon. If you have organic lemons, it is not necessary to peel them, but you may choose to do so for flavor alteration. Quarter it before placing into the Vita-Mix.

1 cup of ice

2 cups of filtered water

Add all ingredients to the Vita-Mix in the order listed. Turn the Vita-Mix on low, immediately turn the dial up all the way, then switch it to high. Use the tamper to push the apple, lemon, and romaine into the blades. Turn the machine off when the fruits and veggies are completely pureéd.

Use a fine mesh strainer or sieve to filter the pulp out of the juice to make it SCD compliant. (I bought the one you see in the photo below in the homebrew supply section of an international food market.) I filter it for my daughter, but drink it with the fiber myself.



To make a purple, and slightly sweeter version of this, add fresh or frozen red or black seedless grapes, about 1 cup.

 

About LivingLaVidaMama

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Formerly, I've worked in publishing and been a medical student. Currently, I'm a freelance writer and copy editor, and full-time mom with two exceptional daughters. LivingLaVidaMama focuses on intentional frugality and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet that has dramatically improved my younger daughter's autistic-like symptoms. Contact me at MadForWriting at windstream.net