How having an alter ego freed me

I have been Christi Spangler nearly my entire life. As Christi Spangler my experiences formed my personality. My pains created my self imposed limitations. My hurts guarded my self expression. My dramas played out through my anxieties.

Enter cannabis.  Cannabis changed my life in so many ways. First it came to me as a form of medication relieving me from my physical pain. This freedom inspired me to want to help others and I began to follow that path creating recipes and formulas for pain relief. I began sharing these things with friends and family. They found relief and started pushing me to develop a brand and share this with the world. I went back and forth with branding ideas, but none seemed right. One day a family member suggested THChristi (Thank you Jim) and it felt right. I began labeling under that name. Soon after that I realized THChristi was not just a brand, but was to become my alter ego as well.  THChristi became my cannabis crusader name,  My internet moniker and my pot personality. I was Christi Spangler still,but now I was also THChristi, sensimilla super hero!

How liberating! THChristi had no past.  No problems. No limitations!  I was free as THChristi to be and do and say anything!  Free to express the best parts of Christi Spangler, without the limitations of past experiences. Amazing!

As I grew in my role of THChristi, something was happening in the background to Christi Spangler too. With each successful step outside of my former comfort zone, THChristi gave Christi some of her confidence. With every accolade that THChristi received, Christi too experienced accomplishment.

So long story short , THChristi, my alter ego, has become my personal healing hero. And THChristi allowed me, Christi Spangler, to become a fully functioning human. 

Whats the point of this story on this blog?  I simply aspire to inspire you reader to find the super hero within yourself.  Find her, be her, and become who you were meant to be.

Sparkle & Shine!

One love from me, myself & I

Kief Jerky

I've been receiving a ton of request for this recipe. I had planned to save this one for my upcoming cookbook, but since so many of you are looking for a healthy, protein rich way to medicate, I decided to let this recipe out early.

Kief ready to decarboxylate

Here's what you will need to do this project.

Ingredients:

1 pound of thin sliced, very lean raw beef. I like to use eye of round and trim off all the fat.

3 Tablespoons of Tamari (you can substitute Soy Sauce but then the jerky will not be gluten free)

1 teaspoon of coarsely ground pepper

1 teaspoon of Tapatio salsa picante

1 teaspoon of gluten free garlic powder

1 tso of fine ground pink himmalayan salt (or substitute sea salt)

4 grams of decarboxylated kief or bubblehash. Please be sure to decarb this kief to make the medicine activated for edibles.

Supplies:

1 large and 1 small mixing bowl

Food dehydrator or a wire cooling rack, cookie sheet and an oven

Food handlers gloves

Sharp knife and cutting board or meat slicer

Cookie sheet

Wire seive

Step 1: 

Remove all the fat from your meat. This is a very important step!  Any fat left on the meat will cause your finished jerky to spoil as the fat can go rancid and mold over a short time!  So be vigilant when removing the fat!

Step 2:

Slice the meat across the grain into thin slices (1/4" thick works well) and place the sliced meat into your large mixing bowl

Step 3:

In your smaller mixing bowl, stir together the other ingredients reserving the decarboxylated kief to the side. When well mixed add this marinade to your sliced meat. Now using your gloved hands, mix up the beef and marinade so that all sides of each meat piece have been exposed to the marinade. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refridgetate for several hours until the marinade has been absorbed by the beef.

Step 4:

Remove the marinated meat from the refridgerator. Lay meat out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Use the wire sieve to sieve the decarboxylated hash or kief onto the meat. Toss the meat together to allow the keif to evenly coat the meat.

Step 5:

If using a food dehydrator... lay the meat out in single layer on the racks. Do not over lap any of the meat. Do not add grease or cooking spray to the racks!  Set the dehydrator temperature to 150 degrees fahrenheit.  Set timer for 8 hours.

If using a conventional oven.... place wire rack on cookiesheet. Lay the meat in a single layer on wire rack. Do not overlap the meat. Do not add any grease or cooking spray. Set the oven at the lowest temperature.  Mine goes to 175 degrees fahrenheit.  Place cookie sheet in oven on a middle rack. Use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door gapped open. Set timer for 6 hours.

Step 6:  

When your timer goes off, check on your jerky. Is it fully dried?  If it is, allow it to cool before removing from your rack. If it is not fully dehydrated, set yimer for another hour and check it again. Repeat as neccessary until the meat is fully dry and cooled.

Step 7: 

Remove meat from the rack. Store in a sealed ziplock bag. If you have been vigilant in your removal of the fat from the meat and have fully dehydrated your meat, it will store indefinitely at room temperature. If you have left any fat on the meat or have pulled it out before it is 100% dehydrated, then store in a sealed container in the refridgerator. The shelf life on the refridgerated version is around 2 weeks.

Step 8: 

Enjoy responsibly.  Start with a small piece to see how this edible will affect you. Because of the chewy nature of the jerky, you will have it in your mouth for a minute. This is a good thing as it allows you to get a sublingual quick acting effect, followed by an edible effect that comes on fully after 1-2 hours depending on how your body metabollizes.

Yummy, healthy and glutenfree jerky!

Notes: 

You can upsize this recipe easily by double or tripling the ingredients.

If you use the ingredients as listed without substitutions this will be gluten free.

If you want to substitute a different hot sauce that still works or if its too spicy, leave out the hot sauce but double the amount of black pepper.

If you have trouble slicing the meat you can either freeze it for about an hour to firm it up, or you can adk at your grocery meat counter if they can slice it for you.

You can substitute turkey for the beef. Just increase your stove temperature to 200.

You can substitute cannabis concentrate like bho or co2 oil or distillate (the clear) for the kief. However be sure it has been decarboxylated first. Then you will want that concentrate warmed slightly and can add it with a dropper or pastry brush directly to the meat before putting it in the dehydrator.

THChristi

If you run into problems, have questions or need assistance, please leave a comment below and I will do my best to help.

Stay lifted!

THChristi

Post Script:

Hey friends!  Are you interested in my upcoming cannabis cookbook?  Do you want updates on the cookbook and other THChristi happenings, including meet and greet opportunities, possible classes and other public events?  If so, be sure to give my new public figure page a like on Facebook! 
https://www.facebook.com/THChristi-1707013209547618/

Sharing is caring

In the last few years I have been on a journey with this blog and my place in the cannabis community. I started helping patients like myself 5 or 6 years ago when I began creating my own medicated edibles and topicals. When I started this there was very few cannabis recipes available online so I began creating my own. After awhile I realized that old expression "be the change you want to see in the world" was calling to me. I answered the call by starting this blog and my facebook page so I could share some of my recipes and accumulated knowledge regarding cooking with cannabis. I felt, and still do, that I was doing something positive. I wanted to help other patients like me, who wanted some options to make their own medibles.

Since the very beginning I have taken a lot of criticism. I got messages from medical cannabis providers telling me that I shouldn't be sharing my recipes because it would take away their business. I had others tell me I shouldn't share my recipes because I should keep them secret and corner a market. I had others still claiming that they had cornered a market on a particular medible and my recipe (not theirs) was somehow infringing on their business. To these folks I always have responded with my view of the bigger picture. There are more patients than any one provider could possibly cover and many patients are in other states and countries. With over 300,000 page views from all over the world I have been able to reach and help so many folks who I have never met by sharing information and shared knowledge elevates us all.

Along with these criticisms I have also been fortunate to be recognized for my work. I have seen my work featured in a local cannabis publication, received an online award for best edible recipes and even been recognized as one of many Women of Weed in an international magazine.

I have fought for patient rights at my state capital. I have participated in cannabis miracles where patient have healed cancers in their own bodies with cannabis medicine. And sadly I've also mourned the losses of friends who were unable to recover. In the last year or more I've been fortunate to help many more patients by providing medibles and topicals to them directly through a cannabis farmers market and indirectly through different access points that have carried THChristi's products.

I want you, dear reader, to understand that I fight and work and create and share and gift cannabis medicine and recipes and knowledge out of a true passion and calling to do so.

I am a real person, a sensetive and generous human being with a true desire to help others. So please, before you attack my character or question my motivation to help, take a moment to consider these things. If after  that consideration you still feel the need to call me out, by all means, do so. I will do my best to respond with compassion and understanding.

You can comment below any post or shoot me an email at thchristi (@) hotmail.com

ThChristi

Why I advocate for cannabis medicine

To be perfectly honest it's all about me. Or at least it started out that way. My fibromyalgia had me in such severe pain I really didnt know if i could go on some days. The medicines I got from my doctor helped but the side effects made my life zombie like. Getting from 1 nap to the next took all of my energy. In stepped cannabis edibles and my life was forever changed for the better.

Now here we are some years later and I have had the great pleasure of helping other patients find relief and healing through cannabis medicine. I have seen cannabis cure lymphoma in my friend and amaze his family and doctors. I have watched a patient stop her painful spasms in seconds by simply using a dropperful of whole plant tincture. I've seen children with 100s of seizures a day get down to a few seizures a month by using cannabis medicine. The list goes on and on.

So these are the reasons I will continue to advocate as long as I am breathing. We should all have the option of accessing this natural plant medicine.

Do you have your own amazing cannabis story?  Share it below in the comments.

Peace & Pot

THChristi

Raw cannabis smoothie

I have been on a smoothie kick lately. Im loving the ease of getting my fresh fruits and the energetic boost to start my day. I've also been reading a lot about utilizing raw cannabis for a health benefit without the high. So today I decided it was time to take the plunge and try to incorporate some of this raw cannabis into my diet.

Heres what you need:

Blender, nutri-ninja or some other smoothie maker

1/2 cup of ice
4 organic strawberries (3 chopped and one whole for garnish)
1/4 cup organic blueberries
1 Tablespoon of hemp seed
A handful of fresh or fresh frozen organic cannabis leaves.
1/2 cup of organic juice (any kind you like. I used peach nectar

So now just add everything to the blender and blend until smooth.

Cheers to our health! 

Oh and PS: mine was absolutely delicious!

THChristi

Bummer!

Well imagine my suprise when I discovered this morning that a major cannabis website had published one of my recipes. But the bummer is they didnt even credit me. Just said "I stumbled on this recipe"  Then proceed to share it nearly word for word. Not even a link back to my blog!

So oh well. I try to share for the benefit of patients who live in other states where I cant provide medibles for them directly. I have always believed that shared knowledge helps to elevate us all.

So now you all can see why I havent been sharing so many recipes lately. I will hope to get all this knowlege in a simple cookbook form in the future and let you know how to get that.

Intellectual property is such a tricky issue on the internet. But I can tell you I surely feel violated and snubbed. :( 

So please feel free to use and share any of my published recipes, but hey could you please link back to this blog or credit THChristi if you share these on your own site.

Thanks for listening.

Stay up!

THChristi

We are still going strong

Its been awhile since I blogged and I apologize for that. We have been blessed to be busy with our work and passion, medical marijuana.

It's a real honor and blessing to be able to help other medical marijuana patients find relief!  We have been doing this through an awesome venue. The Patient Cannabis Exchange is a medical marijuana farmers market in Tacoma, Washington. Not only have we found a great place to offer our unique cannabis products to other patients here, but we have also found a community of other like minded patients and providers.

If you have a medical marijuana authorization come out on a Sunday and check it out. Its worth the drive from wherever. You'll find a happy helpful environment with ALL KINDS of cannabis medicines. Donation amounts are often less than your local dispensary because you will be dealing directly with the farmer or producer.

THChristi

Hash oil, whole plant and solventless. . The scoop on THChristi medicines

I've been fielding quite a few questions lately as to why I don't  just make my medicines  with hash oil like "everyone else does". 

Listen guys, I'm not opposed to hash oil medibles at all. There's a lot of great medibles to be found that are made with  hash oil.  I just believe in my proccess and my patients are the proof!  

I decided early on that i wanted to utilize whole plant medicine to get an entourage effect of all the cannabinoids working together for symptom control and relief.  

And as far as utilizing solventless hash rather than hash oil in my medibles I just want to give you all that natural option.   No chemicals were used to make the dry sift and bubble/water hash that I am using to make medibles like my kief jerky, lemon bars, extra strength gummys, nut butters and more. Not everyone is concerned with this but for those patients who are its a godsend to have access to meds that weren't chemically extracted. 

Now don't get me wrong here. I am not opposed to hash oil personally. I use dabs for pain and I take hash oil Shattercaps myself. And from time to time I do offer hash oil medibles at the request of my patients. 

So when it all comes down to brass tacks, its really just about choices and offering options for patients. I do things differently because variety is life's spice. If we all did everything the same there would be no options. 

I hope this helps to clarify not only what makes THChristi's different but also why we arent confined to "the box" when it comes to making medicines. 

Stay positive my friends!  Remwmber a mind is like a parachute and works best when it's open!

Cannabalm with Emu Oil by THChristi

I made this recipe about a month and a half ago and offered it for my patients then. The positive feedback has been so overwhelming!  Patients are finding relief from everything from psoriasis to broken ankle pain with this formulation. Cannabis never fails to amaze me with its healing   potential!  The addition of the Emu oil adds to the healing benefit and absorption. Amazing!

You are going to be shocked at how easy this balm is to make!

Simply melt together 1 ounce of Emu oil, 1 ounce of beeswax and 4 ounces of cannabis coconut oil in a large heavy pot. When all your ingredients have melted together give a good stirring and pour the hot liquid into a clean jar or tin. 

Leave uncovered until your balm hardens up. 

Once the balm has cooled to a hardened consistancy cover with the lid. 

Thats It!  Like I said this is so easy but so effective!

I've intentionally left this unscented. If you wanted a scented version you could easily add some essential oil in the liquid phase. Just a couple drops would be sufficient. 

Enjoy!

Get active!

Yes. It's true. We are still fighting for medical cannabis. When our state legalized recreational marijuana they began to see us as customers bit patients. They blame us for the failure to launch on recreational marijuana even though it's obvious the real problem is the lack of these recreational stores that they've allowed to open over the last year and the mass amount of producer/processors of recreational marijuana. How do they expect to move that legal weed without opening all the retail stores they were supposed to supply

On Wednesday night I attended a hearing at the state capital. One of those legal producer processors testified that his company alone was holding 45,000 pounds of legal marijuana with no place to sell it. That's one producer. It's ridiculous. They licenses all these growers but only opened a handful of retail locations. 

Now they want to place the blame on cannabis patients who, btw have been protected in Washington since 1998

So what's my point?  I guess my point is just that I never intended to be an activist. I didn't think I needed to fight for something that already exists ( medical cannabis ). 

Last year I fought for myself. I've been a patient for 4 or 5 years now. I use cannabis medicine daily to treat and stop my symptoms from fibromyalgia.  

This year I'm working with more patients than before. This year I see patients every week who would needlessly suffer if our access is reduced. This year I fight for not only myself but for these patients. 

To me the title of "activist" simply means one who is actively working toward a goal. Please join me in being active. If you don't feel compelled to do it for yourself, do it for other patients. You don't have to commit a lot of time or money. Just a few minutes to make a phone call or write an email.  It's really that simple. It's really that important. Just tell them patients are not customers and medical cannabis needs to remain a  separate system from recreational. 

Find out who your legislator is here:

http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Thank you for joining me and so many others in this important activity!

Decarboxylation. Making active medibles

"My edibles don't kick and I put a lot of medicine in them. What went wrong?"  This is a question that comes my way time and again.

We put a lot of time money and effort into growing and harvesting and curing our meds but I've noticed some of us don't take the same care when making our medibles. It's one simple step that can change everything. 

From google:

1. Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO₂). Usually,decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain.
   
   
   In the case of marijuana, decarboxylation will change THCA to THC and make the medicine activated for oral consumption. This important step will ensure that the medibles you make are fully potent when you eat them. Not to say there isn't medicinal value in THCA bit if your looking to get the THC benefits this little step will make sure of that. 
   
   
   There are different theories out there to get the best decarboxylation of your starting material. These are the times and temperatures I use. Based on my lab testing I'm hitting between 95-99% decarb using these. 
   
   
   For kief: spread on a cookie sheet or Pyrex dish in a 250 F degree oven for 35 minutes
   
   
   For bud and trim:  grind and spread on a cookie sheet or Pyrex dish in a 250F degree oven for 30-35 minutes
   
   
   Cool and store or use right away for cooking. And yes I actually prefer to decarboxylate my material and then make butter or oil from that. When making butter or oil it will decarboxylate to some degree in the process. But I've found that you create a more potent and active butter or oil by decarbing first. 
   
   
   I hope this helps you guys with your medible making. 
   
   
   Stay Lifted!
   
   
   
   

   

   
   

   THChristi 

   
   
   
   
   
   

MMJ BBQ Sauce

Yummmmm!  Medicated BBQ Sauce!  Why didn't I do this sooner?  With the heat of summer cooking in the kitchen can be uncomfortable to say the least.  If you're like me you spend a good part of the hot days cooking on the grill.  I'm always looking for ways to spruce up my barbeque recipes and this is a double whammy.  Homemade BBQ sauce and medicated to boot!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Kethchup
• 2 Tablespoons of chive flower vinegar (you can make your own or substitute apple cider vinegar)
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon honey (I used a local buckwheat honey that is perfect for savory applications but you can use whatever kind of honey you prefer)
• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons prepared yellow mustard 
• 1 Tablespoon REAL maple syrup (don't substitute that awful "maple flavor" pancake syrup.  It's better to leave this ingredient out all together!)
• 2 tsp Tapatio hot sauce (It's worth looking for this brand but you can substitute your favorite hot sauce)
• 1 tsp of fresh ground pepper
• 1 gram of activated kief 

*** Makes approximately 8 ounces

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan add all the ingredients listed and whisk together until well mixed.
2. Heat to a boil over medium heat.  Stir constantly.  Do not allow your mixture to heat over 300 degrees or you will begin to degrade your medicine.
3. Continue heating and stirring until your sauce changes from the bright red color of the ketchup into a deep orange red and begins to thicken.
4. Bottle or jar up your sauce and store in the refridgerator.
5. Yep, it's really this easy!  Now use your medicated BBQ sauce for a great dipping sauce, on burgers, steaks, chicken or anything else! 

I hope you will enjoy this sauce and this route of getting your cannabinoids.  Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below.  If you enjoy my recipes and this blog please subscribe and share with friends.

Stay cool!

MMJ Raspberry Sorbet

Beat the heat with this summertime treat!

I just love summertime.  The organic berries from my garden are ripening and I have bowls full of raspberries every day right now.  I've been making jelly, jam and syrup to put up for the winter a pint or 2 at a time as my berry bushes keep yielding.  Since we've been in a heat wave here in the Seattle area I decided it was time to do something a little different with my berries.  I mean after all just how much jam do we need?

I've also had some requests recently for a medicated recipe featuring a glycerin based cannabis tincture.  I thought why not combine 2 great ideas.  So here it is..... MMJ Raspberry Sorbet.

What you will need:

• A metal or pyrex 9x13" cake pan
• wire sieve or cheese cloth to remove the seeds
• small saucepan
• freezer with room to put your cake pan for about 12 hours
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 3 Cups fresh raspberries
• Juice from 1/2 of a lime
• 4 doses of glycerin tincture  (dosing is variable depending on a patients tolerance and the strength of the tincture itself.  If you normally use glycerin tincture for medicating you should have a good idea of what amount works for you as a dose.  For this recipe I used 3 squirts of the tincture per serving as we both have fairly high tolerance levels and will be eating this medicine as a nighttime treat.  This will be a good amount and allows for a really good nights sleep.)

How to make it:

1. In your small saucepan combine the sugar and water.  Cook over medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved.  Allow this to cool to room temperature
2. Add your fresh raspberries to the cooled sugar water and using a stick blender mix until the raspberries are fully mixed in.  **if you don't have a stick blender, pour sugar water and raspberries into a blender and pulse until well mixed
3. Use your wire sieve or cheesecloth to strain out any of the raspberry seeds.  Reserve the liquid and toss the seeds into the trash.
4. To your reserved liquid add the juice of 1/2 a lime and your 4 doses of glycerin tincture.  Mix well.
5. Pour your liquid into your 9 x 13" cake pan.  Place in the freezer for 4-12 hours to allow the sorbet to set up and freeze through. To keep it light run a fork through the freezing mixture every couple of hours.
6. Once your sorbet is fully frozen it is ready to serve.  I like to garnish with a few fresh garden raspberries and some lemon balm leaves like in the picture above.  Other good garnishes are chocolate and mint (a perfect match for raspberries), whipped cream, or shortbread cookies.  Of course you could always serve on an ice cream cone too!

I hope you will enjoy this fresh and tasty summertime recipe.  Let me know how it works out in your cannabis kitchen.

Stay lifted!

Medical Marijuana Fruit Leather by THChristi

Strawberry flavored Organic
Red Pear & Rhubarb fruit leather

Tired of candy and other sweets when really you just want a dose of medicine?  This recipe might help.

I'm going to share with you my recipe for Strawberry flavored Rhubarb and Red Pear fruit leather.  This is a hit with patients who are looking for something different and even a little healthy to eat as a medible. Because this recipe contains rhubarb as one of the main ingredients I have added some additional sugar to counteract the tartness found in the rhubarb.  Don't worry though, if you want to convert this you can easily substitute any fruit in the amounts listed in the recipe.  If you use a sweet fruit in season you may leave the sugar out entirely or you can reduce it to taste.  You may also substitute any desired sweetener for your dietary needs.  While fruit leather may sound daunting or complicated it's actually quite simple to make.  Let's get started!

What you will need:

• A large stock pan
• 2 greased cookie sheets with sides 
• a blender (I like the stick type blender but you can use a counter top unit as well)
• 2 Cups of coarsely chopped Rhubarb
• 2 Cups of coarsely chopped Red D'anjo Pear with peel on
• 1 1/3 Cup of water
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar ( add more or less to suit your taste)
• 1 package strawberry flavor kool-aid (unsweetened)
• 2.5 grams of decarboxylated kief (or add more or less for desired potency)
• parchment paper for wrapping
• kitchen shears
• zip lock bags or other airtight container for storage

Instructions:

1. In your stock pot combine the rhubarb, pears, water and sugar.  Place on stove top on medium heat.  Heat to a simmer stirring occasionally.  Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes or until your rhubarb is softened.
2. Use your stick blender to process the contents of the pot into a nice puree constancy.  If you don't have a stick blender (immersion blender), pour the contents into your counter-top blender or food processor and pulse until you achieve a puree texture.  
3. Add to your mixture 1 packet of strawberry flavored unsweetened kool-aid and your decarboxylated kief.  
4. Again using your stick blender or counter top model pulse until everything is well blended.
5. Divide your mixture into 2 equal 1/2s.  Pour 1/2 of the mixture onto each of your greased cookie sheets. Spread until it's evenly distributed on each sheet.
6. Set your oven to 170F (or your oven lowest setting).  
7. Place the pans in your oven.  Use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door a little bit gaped.  This will allow the moisture to leave the oven as your fruit mixture dehydrates.
8. Now we wait.  I found the mixture takes anywhere from 6-12 hours to dehydrate in the oven.  You can check if it is done by attempting to peel up a corner of the fruit leather.  When it's done the leather will easily peel up.
9. Once you've achieved the desired texture, remove the sheet pans from the oven and allow it to cool on your counter.
10. When your mixture has cooled completely, score all around the edges of your sheet with a sharp knife.
11. Tear off a piece of parchment paper approximately the same size as your cookie sheet.  Place this paper over the top of your fruit leather and use your hands to rub out any trapped air bubbles in the paper
12. Starting in the corner, peel up your paper and fruit leather.  If you have scored the edges of your pan well you will be able to pull the whole sheet out in one big piece.
13. place parchment side down on a clean work counter.  Using a sharp pair of kitchen shears cut your leather and parchment into 18 evenly sized pieces.  To prevent the scissors from sticking you can grease the blades with cooking oil or non stick spray.
14. Place the cut leather pieces into individual zip-lock bags or stack them into an airtight container.

If dehydrated fully this leather can last for a very long time.  Store in a cool and dry place.  If you still have some moisture in your fruit leather you will want to store in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

** Variations for other fruits:  Simply substitute the fresh chopped fruit of your choice.  You can certainly use blends of fruit as well, just be sure that you have a total of 4 Cups of fresh chopped fruit.  Reduce the amount of sugar to taste and then follow the same instructions above.  Feel free to use an alternative sweetener such as maple syrup for this recipe.  Also if you don't want an artificial color/flavor you can make this without the kool-aid.  I mainly use the kool-aid flavoring when working with rhubarb because it mellows the sour/tart rhubarb flavor a bit.  When making with berries and other fruit I just allow the flavor of the fruit to shine through and eliminate the kool-aid from the recipe.

**Do not substitute wax paper for parchment paper.  The wax paper will absorb some moisture and become almost impossible to remove easily from the finished leather

**Alternative to cutting into rectangles you could use a cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes or you could cut out a long strip and roll it up to make a fruit roll-up

I hope you will enjoy this recipe.  If you have any questions, just leave a comment below and I will get back to you with my best answer.

Thanks for reading!  If you are enjoying my recipes please subscribe to the blog to get the latest blog posts right in your inbox.

For updates and day to day happenings with THChristi follow me on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram

No time to make your own?  Come find me at the Patient Cannabis Exchange farmers market in Tacoma, WA every Sunday.  I will have medicated fruit leathers along with a lot of other medible and topical medication options.  

Stay well my friends!

Cannabis & Lavender Fizzy Bath Bombs

Today I'm making another batch of these fragrant bath bombs. These are a patient favorite for relaxing after a stressful day & easing pain as well as softening & moisturizing the skin.  

We've experimented with several different scent combinations, but by far the lavender is the one my patients prefer so I wanted to share that recipe with you all today so you can make your own.


What you will need:

• 1 Cup Baking Soda
• 1/2 Cup Citric Acid (found with the canning supplies)
• 1/2 Cup Corn Starch
• 1 Tablespoon Witch Hazel (found at the pharmacy)
• 3 Tablespoons Cannabis Coconut Oil (melted)
• 20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil 
• 5-6 drops purple food coloring
• A large mixing bowl
• a sieve
• latex or other gloves
• 2 small Dixie cups (the ones they make for bathroom dispenser)
• a spoon for mixing
• a cookie sheet lined with wax paper
• measuring cups and spoons

How to do it:

1. In a large mixing bowl sieve together the baking soda corn starch and citric acid.
2. In a separate bowl add melted coconut oil, witch hazel and lavender oil. These will not blend together at this point but that is OK.
3. Put on your gloves.  Slowly add the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl and begin to blend together with your gloved hands.  Add a little at a time to prevent the citric acid from reacting and foaming up.  If it foams a little bit it will still be fine.  Keep adding and kneading the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a well blended mixture.  It will be a damp powder.  You will know when it is fully mixed when the entire mixture has a uniform lavender color.
4. Loosely measure out 1/4 Cup of your mixture and place in the small Dixie cup.
5. Pack this tightly using a small spice jar to press it into the cup.
6. Invert the cup onto your wax paper lined cookie sheet. Then if necessary tap the bottom of the Dixie cup to release the bath bomb.  Repeat this step until you've used all of your mixture and your cookie sheet has 10-11 bath bombs.
7. Set the cookie sheet aside somewhere where these can dry and set up.  Depending on your humidity this can take 1-3 days.
8. After your Cannabis & Lavender Fizzy Bath Bombs have dried, store them in a resealable jar in a cool place or package them individually and share with your friends. 

 **Note: If you live in a warm climate or keep your house very warm you may want to store these in the fridge as the coconut oil will melt at around 72-73 degrees F

How To Use Them:

Run yourself a warm bath.  Drop in a Cannabis & Lavender Fizzy Bath Bomb. Soak in the tub for at least 20 minutes. Relax and enjoy!

I hope you will enjoy this recipe.  I'm always looking for new and innovative ways to incorporate cannabis medicine into my life and that of the patients that I work with. If you make & use these please leave a comment and let us know how they worked for you. Also if you enjoy this recipe consider subscribing to the blog on the top right hand side to ensure you don't miss any future posts and cannabis recipes.

Stay Lifted!

Fibromyalgia, Me and Medical Marijuana

So with all my cannabis recipes I thought it might be good to tell you all a little about my fight and why I am a medical marijuana patient. Here's my story:

A few years ago I began to notice a big shift in my general well being. First I started having a lot of random days where I would feel like I was coming down with a flu bug but they would pass after  a day or two and never really develop into a full blown flu. Another thing I noticed was the lack of energy I had available on any given day. Somedays I woke up full of energy only to be sapped and exhausted by lunchtime. I began suspecting something was wrong but with no health insurance I was not one to run into the doctor. I lived with these strange symptoms along with daily hip pain for over a year. I tried eating healthier. I tried getting more rest. I got a new bed hoping better sleep would allow my energy level to return to normal. All of these helped a small degree for a time but the lethargy & exhaustion always returned. My hip pain never seemed to lessen and I began to have random roving pain throughout my body.

One day out of the blue my pain levels escalated from bad to worse. One minute I was ok with background pain, the next minute I was in absolute agony. I tried meditation and deep breathing to calm myself down but the crippling pain remained. Then the spasms started. First in my face & hands. These mostly were an irritant but as they moved into my larger muscle groups they became very painful as well. 

That was the tipping point that got me to finally seek some medical help. 

First I saw a rheumatologist who sent me for a bunch of expensive blood work and X-rays. When my test results came in she  gave me a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and sent me home with muscle relaxers, pain pills and Vitamin D. 

I was on this rx plan for a couple of months but it didn't seem to help much at all. The pain pills masked the pain but made me edgy, itchy & irritable. The muscle relaxers helped to tame the muscle spasms but the side effect was low energy and then sleep for about 3 hours every time I had to take a pill. That posed an obvious problem when I had these spasms during the day. 

After awhile I began to question this course of treatment. The treatments were having as bad of an affect on my daily life as the symptoms had.  I wanted to find a way to get my energy back and limit my pain without a lot of side effects. I decided to see a naturopathic doctor. It was at my first visit that my doctor suggested I try a treatment plan that included vitamin supplements and medical marijuana. It was that day that changed my life. 

Now I'm 100% free of the rx meds and their harmful not to mention inconvenient side effects. I am on a daily dose of Rick Simpson Oil which I take before bed. This allows me to sleep more deeply which has improved my energy level throughout the day. I use medicated edibles to keep my pain levels in check along with topical mmj treatments for pain. I've found several good strains of mmj that when smoked or vaped immediately stop my spasms and tremors!  ( Harlequin & UW both the purple and green pheno). And for the pain that even the pain pills couldn't suppress I use my vape pen with Honey Oil Concentrate. 

This amazing natural medication has given me back my quality of life. Where pain once kept me on the sidelines observing life around me I can now actively participate. I can spend time working in my garden again. I can play with my granddaughter again. I can enjoy walking my dogs again. Wonderful!

But aren't their side effects from using medical marijuana?  Well sure. I suppose there are. For example one side effect would be the cotton mouth  that is experienced when smoking mmj and that is easily solved with a nice glass of water. How about the munchies?  Yep medical marijuana can definitely stimulate the appetite but that's easily solved by medicating inline with  my regular meal time. Last but not least doesn't medical marijuana make you high?  Yes, sometime and in some forms of the medication I do experience a high or a general sense of well being and happiness and that's just fine with me. I'd rather have mood elevation as a side effect than the feelings of pain, sadness & despair that came with the pain pills. I'll take a few minutes of laughter as a side effect of my mmj over the 3-4 hours of uncontrollable sleepiness that came from my rx muscle relaxers. I'll enjoy happy hungries over not bing able to cook or eat due to pain any time. 

So that's my story at least the short version. I still suffer with the multitude of symptoms that come with Fibro but less frequently and a lot less intensity. When my bad flares come, as they do I, can treat myself with the appropriate form of mmj and continue on with my day, my tasks, my hobbies & my life!

Peace & pot! 

Dank Doggie Biscuits

I've had a few requests for my recipe for making medicated dog treats.  As many of you know, marijuana can be good medicine for our 4 legged best friends too.  This is a personal choice so please do your own research before deciding if medical marijuana is the right course of action for you or your pooch. 

Here's a couple of articles that endorse or support this type of treatment:

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/05/medical-marijuana-for-pets_n_3391770.html
• https://www.avma.org/news/javmanews/pages/130615a.aspx

I have also read some articles where dogs have become sick after accidentally consuming a human patient's medibles. Sometimes this can be detrimental if things that dogs shouldn't eat are in the medible (ie Chocolate & raisins).  The other problem is that most medibles made for humans contain high doses of THC which can be very disorienting and even dangerous to the animal. Please exercise caution and keep your medications up away from your pups.

In an attempt to limit the amount of THC in my dog biscuits I use the trim that remains after making infused butter or coconut oil  The key is to squeeze out all of the oil that remains in the cooked trim.  Once you have done this place the pressed trim in a small cooking pot and cover with boiling water.  Allow it to cool slightly and press again (I use a french press coffee maker to do this but you could also use a sieve and hand press it).  This will remove the water and any remaining oil.  Now you have the rinsed cooked trim material from which we will make our treats.

With all that said if you are wanting to make a medicated treat geared toward the canine in your life here's a recipe that I have created for my buddies.

Dank Doggie Biscuits

Ingredients you will need to make these treats:

• 1 Cup of rinsed cooked trim from making cannabis infused butter or coconut oil
• 1 Cup of dry oatmeal
• 1/8 Cup of water
• 1 1/4 Cup of whole wheat flour 
• 1 Tablespoon of natural peanut butter
• 1 egg -beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Here's how you make them:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
   
2. Place the rinsed trim, water and oatmeal in a blender and blend on high until the mixture is pulverized.
3. In a separate large bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder
4. Add the wet pulverized mixture, peanut butter and beaten egg to your flour mixture and stir together until the mixture begins to stick together.
   
5. Pour your mixture onto a floured surface and knead by hand until everything is well combined. (about 5 minutes). Add additional flour as necessary.  You want this mixture to be the texture of a roll out cookie dough.
6. On a floured surface, roll out the mixture to a thickness of about 1/4".  
7. Cut out biscuits using a small or medium dog-bone shaped
   
   cookie cutter or use a pizza cutter and cut into small squares.  Use a fork to make holed in the dog bones (this will vent out any of the steam created and keep your biscuits fairly flat)
8. Place these cut outs on an UNGREASED cookie sheet*** This is SO important!  If you add grease or oil to these biscuits
   
   they will be TOO strong!!!!
9. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes
10. When your biscuits are done, remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.

For short term storage you can place the cooled biscuits in a sealed container and keep in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For a little longer term storage place in a sealed container in

your freezer.  These will be good for about 4 months.

To store them long term without refrigeration will require a few more steps.  To do so place your cooked dog treats in a food dehydrator for about 48 hours or until their is no residual moisture remaining in the biscuit.  Trapped moisture will cause mold so break open one or two

of the biscuits to see if the center has been fully dehydrated.  Once you've removed all of the moisture these can be stored in a cookie jar at room temperature and will last for a very long time.

NOTES ON USING THESE BISCUITS:

Just like humans, each dog will have their own tolerance to marijuana in an edible form.  Use caution when giving your dog these treats until you know how much your dog can tolerate.  So start out small!  Each batch I make is different depending on the starting material and strain of marijuana used so I like to give my dogs about 1/4 of a biscuit and wait 45 minutes to an hour to see how effective it is.  If I notice that the pooch is still in pain after this waiting period I will give another 1/4 and again wait to see what affect it has.  I do this with each and every batch that I make for the dogs that way I can determine the acceptable dose.  Always err on the side of caution.... you can always give more but you can't take it back.  Remember the goal is pain relief, not a high dog.

I use these biscuits for pain relief, to relieve canine anxiety and to calm my dogs during the 4th of July celebrations, thunderstorms and when going to the groomer or long rides.

Best wishes & puppy kisses!

THChristi & friends

Cannabis Infused Coconut Oil

Today I'm sharing my process for making a Cannabis Infused Coconut Oil.  The beauty of this medicine is it's versatility.  It can be used in creating both tasty edibles and healing topicals.

You will notice that my recipe uses a mixture of buds, sugar leaf trim & fan leaf trim.  I have found that using all parts of the plant is the best way to make this.  Each part of the plant holds cannabinoids in different concentrations.  By using a whole plant mixture (minus stems) it makes a well balanced medicine that is easily processed by the body in both a topical treatment and as an edible. 

What you will need:

Steeping the plant matter

• Crockpot
• RO (reverse osmosis) water, or distilled water
• Organic Coconut Oil
• Dried and cured medical marijuana buds, sugar leaf trim and fan leaf trim
• A french coffee press or other straining device that you can press out the liquid from the material
• A large bowl or pot
• Latex or nitrile gloves
• A gold coffee filter or fine sieve

Here's the recipe for 1 Cup of Coconut oil.  You can easily double, triple or whatever you like.

1. In your crockpot add 1 Cup of organic Coconut Oil.  Turn your crock pot on low and allow the oil to melt into a liquid.  
2. Once the coconut oil has melted add 2 ounces of dried plant material.  I like to use about 1/3 dried buds, 1/3 dry fan leaf trim, and 1/3 sugar leaf trim. It's not important to make these exact 3rds but it is key that your total dried plant matter is a total of 2 ounces for every cup of coconut oil.
3. add 5-6 cups of your RO or Distilled water.  IMPORTANT:  some folks make this without the water and just mix the fat with the plant matter.  I do not recommend doing it that way.  The water acts as a filter for a large amount of the chlorophyll as well as prevents your mixture from becoming too hot and scalding or cooking off the precious cannabinoids which you are after.
4. Turn your crock pot on high.  Stir your mixture every hour.  This will agitate the plant matter in the oil and help to infuse the cannabinoids into the oil.  
5. After 1 hour turn your crock pot onto low or warm and allow this mixture to cook and steep for at least 4 hours but up to 24 hours.  
6. Once you've reached the desired time, turn off your crock pot and allow this mixture to cool down to a temperature you can work with easily without burning yourself.
7. Using a ladle or large spoon, scoop your mixture into your clean french press coffee maker.  Press the mixture to strain out the plant matter and pour the liquid into a large bowl or pot.  This may take several pressings depending on the size of your french press.  If you are not using a french press you can use a wire sieve to strain out the liquid.  Be sure to glove up and squeeze out the liquid by hand.  
8. When you have strained out all of the plant matter cover your bowl or pot (which now contains a mixture of water and oil) and place it into the refrigerator overnight.
9. Once your liquid has chilled overnight it will have seperated into 2 layers.  Remove the hardened coconut oil from the top and drain on a paper towel.  Discard the water.
10. At this point you may notice there are still some fine particles attached to the bottom of your hardened coconut oil.  To remove these you will want to remelt the hardened coconut oil in a pot over low heat.  Once this is melted back into a liquid strain it through a fine sieve or your gold coffee filter.
11. Place this liquid back into the refrigerator to solidify.

Now you have a strong coconut oil infusion which can be used in edibles as well as topicals.  This mixture will store well in the fridge or freezer. 

I like to place 1/4 Cup premeasured amounts into zippered bags and keep it in the freezer.  When I'm ready to make a recipe I can just pull out the amount I need and thaw it out and add it to the recipe.

You can use this infused coconut oil straight on your skin as an effective topical treatment or add it into your favorite topical recipes like my THChristi Tub Treats

For edibles, you can easily substitute 1:1 solidified coconut oil for butter, or melted coconut oil for other oils in your favorite recipes.  Or try making my 99% Organic Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Subscribe or stay tuned for more make your own medicine recipes using Cannabis Infused Coconut Oil.  

Have fun and stay medicated!