Baby Wipes

After just a few days home from the hospital we noticed Judah's skin was turning red and raw in the diaper area. I was using a popular commercial wipe that advertised claims such as 'natural', 'unscented' and gentle on sensitive skin. A quick Google search enlightened me regarding the ingredients in these wipes. No wonder he complained! Anyone up for a little carcinogenic, toxic formula in a baby wipe made of melted plastic? Me neither!

Click here for Cosmetics Database info.

I found several recipes for baby wipes online and as per my usual recipe routine, I made my own concoction. Excluding the cost of the paper towels, solution enough for 50 wipes cost $1.75. A container of 62 wipes at Walmart cost $3.97 plus taxes. You can bring the price down even more putting the solution in a bottle and using reusable cloths / baby facecloths.

I tri-folded 60 sheets of the Bounty Select-a-Size paper towels so they fit into an empty baby wipes container and added the baby wipe solution. You can make them unscented or use essential oils deemed safe for baby such as lavender and chamomile. I skipped the oils and used the Dr. Bronner's lavender scented soap which has the essential oils already added. I found the soap at Vita Health but you can also get it at Superstore or on Amazon.

1 tbsp Dr. Bronner's Organic Pure Castile Soap (baby unscented or lavender)
1 tbsp pure aloe vera
1 tbsp coconut oil or grapeseed oil
2 capsules Vitamin E (acts as a preservative)
Boiled or distilled water (I boil water for 5 minutes)

Mix together ingredients and add enough water to make 500mls. Pour over paper towels / cloths and let it soak through for a few hours before using.

Notes:
Not all paper towels are created equal. I found even with Bounty, depending on where I buy them (Costco vs. grocery store) they are not the same size. Sometimes when making a batch of wipes, I will need slightly more or less paper towels to soak up the liquid.

Over the hot summer, I discovered if I didn't use the wipes fast enough, they smelled a bit rancid. The solution: keep extras in the fridge until you're ready to refill a container.

Tortellini Soup

Several people have recently mentioned the fact that I haven't posted any new recipes in a really long time. This is true. Worst pregnancy symptom ever: not enjoying food - the sight of it, the smell of it, the making of it and especially the eating of it. Anyone who tells you morning sickness disappears by 13 weeks is delusional. In fact, the person who invented the term morning sickness is likewise delusional - or cruel. The second worst pregnancy symptom: not liking popcorn. My husband is fully to blame, this being his child who has obviously inherited a disdain for those fluffy, salty, buttery delights.

I'm happy to announce that I will might start food blogging again. I still don't like food but I think "nesting" has kicked in and I feel guilty for not feeding my husband properly.

I found this recipe here but I have torn it to shreds since I disagreed with nearly everything she wrote, except for most of the ingredient list. I was tempted to write about it but I read in Proverbs 10 yesterday that he who slanders others is a fool, so I decided to keep my mouth shut ;)

Olive oil, a generous amount

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried basil (or you could throw in about 1/4 cup fresh at the end)

1/3 cup flour

1 can tomato paste (156ml)

1 can diced tomatoes (796ml), I use unsalted

8 cups chicken broth

Pepper, to taste

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (optional)

1 pkg tortellini, fresh or frozen (750g)

Fresh baby spinach, a few handfuls

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

1 cup half and half cream (or milk)

Salt, if needed

1. Sauté onion, garlic and basil in olive oil, adding the garlic and basil near the end of cooking time as it only needs a minute or so.
2. Stir in flour and continue cooking for one minute.
3. Transfer to a cooking pot along with the tomato paste, tomatoes, chicken broth, pepper, chicken (if using) and simmer until heated through or until you are almost ready to eat.
4. Add tortellini and spinach and simmer another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and cream. The original recipe stated to heat the cream before adding it to the soup to prevent curdling. I wonder about this because I put cold cream in hot coffee every day. However, the power of suggestion was strong and I feared losing a whole pot of soup, so I went ahead and warmed it. If you want to live on the edge, try it cold and let me know how it goes. I'm curious.

I have bags of cooked, shredded chicken (otherwise known as leftover turkey from Christmas) in my freezer. It's very convenient, I must say.

Update: As the soup cooled it got really thick. I think if I made this again, I would omit the flour. I don't think it is necessary.