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

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!

Cannabalm Lotion Bars

Here's a topical that I made at the request of a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.  I've made these in a roll up tube that I found on ebay for ease of application, but you could make the same recipe in any kind of a container with a resealable lid and just apply by hand as well.

Here's what you'll need:

1-2 whole cayanne peppers
1/4 Cup of plain coconut oil
1/4 Cup of Cannabis infused coconut oil
1/2 Cup of Shea Butter
2/3 Cup of shredded unbleached bee's wax
5 drops lemongrass essential oil
1 drop geranium essential oil
1 drop ylang ylang essential oil
3 drops tea tree essential oil
A small sauce pan
resealable container or empty roll on tubes
sieve or cheese cloth


Here's how to do it:

First off we will infuse the plain coconut oil with Cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper is known in the herbal community to help mitigate pain.  Check out this link for a bit more information: Learningherbs.com

To infuse the plain coconut oil with Cayenne pepper first slice the pepper the long way to open it.  Place pepper and 1/4 Cup of plain coconut oil in a small sauce pan.  Over low heat melt the coconut oil.  Leave on low-medium heat for approximately 30 minutes (you can go longer for a stronger infusion) to infuse the coconut oil with the pepper stirring occasionally.

Using the sieve or a cheese cloth, strain the pepper, seeds & stems from the melted coconut oil. Return the infused coconut oil to your pan and discard the pepper.

Next add your cannabis coconut oil & Shea butter to the pan.

Return pan to burner on medium low.  Heat until all of your oils are melted.  Add in the bee's wax shreds.  Continue heating until the bee's wax is melted and well incorporated.

Remove pan from heat.

Add in all of your essential oils.

Stir well.

Allow to cool slightly until warm but not solid.

Pour mixture into your roll up containers or your resealable container.

Allow to cool on counter or in refrigerator until solid.

Once cooled completely, place lids on containers.

To use:

This balm can be applied to swollen joints or anywhere you are feeling pain.  It will help with inflammation as well as pain. Just be sure not to apply to eyes, nostrils or any other tender areas ;) as the cayenne pepper will give a burning sensation on these sensitive areas.

Note: I have been using this on my psoriasis and it doesn't seem to give a burning sensation.  Try it on a small area of your skin first and see how it feels for  you.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe and that it can help you to find relief as well.

Comment for questions or just to let me know how the recipe works out for you.  Also if you find it to work well for a certain medical problem let me know so I can share that with other patients who may also find relief.

Enjoy!

Cannabis Foot Soak Recipe

Here's a quick and easy topical cannabis recipe. A cannabis infused foot soak will refresh sore tired feet. This recipe combines the antifungal qualities of both tea tree oil and cannabis making it an effective treatment for athletes foot. The peppermint oil leaves feet refreshed and the Epsom salts and coconut oil will soften rough and cracked heels. 

What you will need:

1 Cup Epsom Salts

2 Tablespoons cannabis coconut oil 

6 drops tea tree essential oil

6 drops peppermint essential oil

1 clean jar with lid

To make:

Melt cannabis coconut oil until liquid. Allow to cool until tepid but not solid. 

Place Epsom salts in a quart mason jar with lid. Add the essential oils and seal jar. Shake jar vigorously to mix in the essential oils. Next pour in your melted oil. Return lid to jar and shake vigorously until well mixed 

To use:

Add 1/4 Cup of mixture to your foot bath. Soak feet in the bath for at least 20 minutes. 

To store:  

Keep mixture in a sealed jar in a dark cupboard. 

Enjoy!

THChristi

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!

99% Organic Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

MMMMMM!  Today I made these at the request of one of my patients and they turned out so great I wanted to share my recipe with you all.  I'm calling them 99% Organic because the chocolate and peanut butter chips are not organic but everything else in the recipe is!

So here's the ingredients you will need to make these tasty treats:

• 2 3/4 Cup Organic White Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 Cup of cannabis infused organic cold pressed coconut oil
• 1 Cup organic cane sugar (the light colored stuff)
• 1 Cup organic brown cane sugar (the dark stuff)
• 2 farm fresh organic eggs
• 1 Cup of organic quick oats
• 1/4 Cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 Cup Peanut Butter chips
• 1/4 Cup shredded organic coconut

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, oatmeal, cinnamon and salt.  Set aside.

Put your 1 cup of infused coconut oil in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to melt.  

In another mixing bowl blend together eggs and sugars then drizzle in the melted coconut oil.  Beat this together until smooth. Then add the dry ingredients from the other mixing bowl a little at a time until you have a well mixed dough.  

Now add in the coconut and chocolate/ peanut butter chips and stir them in by hand so as not to break up the chips.

Use about 1 tablespoon to form a nice 2" size cookies. Place the cookies about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.   Use the back side of a spoon to flatten the dough on your cookie sheet.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 

Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.  

This recipe will make approximately 48 @ 2" medicated cookies.

If you are new to eating medibles start with 1 cookie and wait about 45 minutes to guage the effect of the cookie.  If you still have pain then go ahead and have a second cookie.  Everyone's tolerance is different.

Enjoy!

420 Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

Happy 420!  In celebration of this marijuana movement holiday I made up a batch of these delightful 420 Strawberry Cheesecake Bites.  Packed with a double dose of medicated goodness these little treats will surely get your party started!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 package of cream cheese (2 ounces)
• 1/4 Cup of Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/2 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 9 fresh ripe strawberries 
• 2 teaspoons of cannabis infused coconut oil (or Cannabutter)
• 1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 teaspoon cannaoil (or Cannabutter
• 6 chocolate candy melts (these are optional for putting a "lid" on your strawberries

Instructions:

1. Finely chop 3 of your strawberries.  Set aside.  
2. Carefully cut out the stem and core of the other 6 strawberries.  Place each berry with the cut side down on a cutting board.  Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl combine your cream cheese and infused coconut oil.  Blend until well mixed.
4. Drain any liquid that has accumulated on your chopped strawberries and discard.  
5. Add your chopped berries, graham cracker crumbs, vanilla and powdered sugar to your cream cheese/coconut oil mixture and blend well.  
6. Place mixture in fridge for about 15 minutes to set up.
7. Now fill your cored berries with the cream cheese mixture.  The easiest way is with a pastry bag or put filling in a ziplock bag, cut off a small amount from the corner and squeeze the bag to fill the berries.
8. Return your filled berries to the fridge to chill.
9. While your berries are chilling out place some wax paper on a plate or sheet pan.
10. To prepare the chocolate coating you will want to use a microwave safe mug.  Add your milk chocolate chips and your cannaoil into this mug.
11. Microwave this mixture in 30 second intervals stirring between each time until you have a smooth mixture.
12. Remove your filled berries from the fridge.  One at a time dip these into your chocolate coating mixture and place on your waxed paper plate or pan.  

**Optionally add 1 candy melt as a lid to your filling on each berry.

Return dipped berries to the fridge and allow to set up for 1/2 hour or longer.

Serve and enjoy!

Stay Safe & Have a Happy 420!

Gooey Ganja Smores Bars

Oh yeah!  I just whipped up a test batch of these and after the first bite I could tell that this is a recipe worth sharing.  Now to get the blog done before the medicine kicks in and slows my typing to a crawl :0).

Ok so to make my Gooey Ganja S'mores Bars you'll need the following ingredients:

• 1 C Chocolate chips.  I used a combination of semi-sweet, peanut butter, dark chocolate and some pink chocolate chips I had left from valentines day.  You can use whatever kind you prefer or mix up a batch like I did.
• 3 Cups of Golden Grahams Cereal
• 3 C mini marshmallows
• 1/2 C mini marshmallows cut in 1/2
• 5 T Canna butter
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp mexican vanilla extract (or use regular vanilla extract)
• 1 Cup of Wiltons milk chocolate candy melts

You'll also need a 9x13 pan greased with cannabis butter with a little canna butter reserved for greasing your hands.

A large mixing bowl and a medium microwave safe bowl & a small microwave safe bowl. This is a pretty easy project, but still takes anywhere from 15-30 minutes.

So let's get started!  

1. Place your Chocolate chips in the freezer (they need to be cold for about 10 minutes to keep from melting when we mix the bars together.)
2. In your large bowl mix together the Golden Grahams and the 1/2 Cup of mini marshmallows that you cut in 1/2.  Set aside.
3. In your medium bowl, mix together 5 T of Canna butter and 3 Cups of mini marshmallows.  Place in the microwave for about 1 minute.  Remove from the microwave and stir.  If your marshmallows haven't melted all the way, return to the microwave in 30 second intervals and stir each time. 
4. Once the marshmallows and the Canna butter have melted and blended together fully, add the salt and the vanilla and stir until well blended.
5. Add the chocolate chips to your cereal mixture and mix it up
6. Pour the marshmallow mixture over your cereal mixture.  With greased hands mix it well together and press it into your greased pan. Press it in well so that as it cools it will form nice bars, but not so hard that you break up your cereal.  Set aside.
7. Place your candy molds in your small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute.  Stir.  Return to microwave in 30 second intervals stirring between each.  Do this until it is fully melted.  ***TIP:  Candy melts cannot get even a drop of water in them or they will freeze up into a nasty lumpy clump.  Be sure your bowl, hands and spoon are completely dry!
8. Pour your melted candy melts over the top of your cereal bars.  Spread with a knife to get a nice even top.
9. Place your pan into the fridge to set up for 20 minutes or until they have chilled.
10. Cut and serve.

To store, place indivindual bars into ziplocks.  Can store in fridge or in the cupboard.  These will store about as long as homemade cookies, about 5 days to a week, so eat them up.

Enjoy!

THChristi's Tub Treats

These little tub treats can turn an ordinary bath into medicated moisturizing magic. They're easy to make and give bath time a special spa feel.  You'll get out of the tub relaxed, refreshed and fully moisturized!

Here's how you can make a batch of these little medicated melts.


Supplies:

• a large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl ( plastic will scratch and absorb the essential oil in this recipe)
• wire whisk
• measuring cups
• silicone ice cube tray (or some other mold that will hold about 1 Tablespoon per cavity like a candy mold, mini muffin pan, regular ice tray)
• wire sieve
• nitrile gloves

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cannabis infused coconut oil  ** use recipe for cannabis butter substituting coconut oil to make your own or pick some up at your favorite dispensary
• 5-10 drops essential oil (I used lavender but you can use whatever scent appeals to you)
• 1 Cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup citric acid (I found this at Walmart with the canning jars)
• 1/4 cup corn starch

Instructions:

1. Measure out baking soda, citric acid, and corn starch. Sift these together through your wire sieve. This will help to evenly mix these dry ingredients and catch any large clumps

2. Measure out 1/2 cup of cannabis infused coconut oil into a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to melt any still solid coconut oil. You want this melted but not hot.

3. Stir your essential oil into your meted cannabis oil.

4. Slowly drizzle in the oil mixture into your dry ingredients whisking it as you go. This should make a loose mixture.

5. Glove up! Now get in here with your hands and mash, knead, & mix until this mixture is fully and uniformly mixed

6. Fill your molds with this mixture and place in the freezer to set up. This will take about an hour.

7. Remove from freezer and remove from molds. Place finished tub treats in a resealable container and store in a cool cupboard or in your fridge. Coconut oil will melt at around 75 degrees so if your house is warm you definitely want to keep this in a fridge.

To use:

Run a warm bath. Drop in 1 or 2 tub treats. Relax and soak for at least 20 minutes.

Breakdown of ingredients:

Cannabis infused coconut oil: Cannabis has many healing properties. In a topical application it is known to be pain relieving, anti inflammatory and helpful for skin issues such as psoriasis, eczema, rashes and irritations. Coconut oil is also known to have healing qualities when applied topically. It is an anti-oxidant, UV blocker, anti-microbial, and is high in vitamin E.

Baking soda: It's skin soothing and softening properties help with itching, acne & rosacea.

Corn starch: In bath formulas corn starch softens skin and offers relief from itching

Citric acid: The effervescent action of citric acid in the water helps to distribute the coconut oil throughout your bath. In skin care it is an anti-oxidant, astringent, and adds vitamin C to the skin.

Lavender essential oil: This oil relaxes and calms nerves, can help relieve headaches, helps with muscle pain, has anti-fungal and anti-septic properties.

Enjoy!

Hash Hard Candy

I had a request for my recipe for Hash Hard Candies.  To be honest this recipe is just the recipe from LorAnn Oils with the addition of some decarboxylated kief hash.  I've used their flavorings and recipe for awhile and have been pretty happy with my results.  Check out their website if you want to purchase LorAnn Oils candy making supplies.

So here's what you will need for this recipe:

• A Candy Thermometer (absolutely necessary)
• A heat gun (recommended but not necessary if you have a reliable candy thermometer)
• A heavy pot for cooking
• Hard candy mold or mini muffin pan with foil liners
• Patience and lots of time!
• 2 Cups of Sugar
• 2/3 Cup of Corn Syrup
• 3/4 Cup of water
• 1 dram (1 small bottle) Candy flavoring oil
• 1 teaspoon Tart n' Sour flavoring
• decarboxylated kief (amount will depend on how strong your dosing your candies)  This time I used 1/8th gram per candy in my mini muffin tin.
• extra sugar for dusting your finished candies

Ok so here's the thing with making hard candies, you have have have to be patient.  This process takes a long time and if you try to speed it up you will run the very real risk of scalding your sugar and ruining the whole batch, so please be sure you have the time before beginning this process.

How to do it:

1. Spray your mold or muffin tin with a very light shot of cooking spray.
2. Measure out your desired dosage of decarboxylated kief and add that to each section in the muffin tin or mold
3. Add the Sugar, Corn Syrup, & Water to your heavy pan. DO NOT STIR!
4. Place your candy thermometer in your pan.  Be sure that it doesn't rest on the bottom of your pan if it does, it will break and ruin your thermometer and your candy.
5. Place your pan on medium heat.  
6. Pull up a chair and be prepared for the wait.  Watch your candy  in the pot, but do not stir it or turn your heat up past medium. 
7. Watch for the sugar mixture to begin to boil.  Now allow it to boil together until it reaches 300 degrees F (hard crack stage).  This takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on your oven.  Here's where the heat gun comes in handy.  I use it to check the temperature of the boiling candy in different parts of the pan.  I do this throughout the boiling process.  Inevitably there will be a hot and cool spot in the pan.  When any one spot hits 300 degrees F immediately remove the pan from the burner.
8. Quickly add your flavoring and Tart 'n Sour.   It will incorporate with the boiling action of the candy mixture. DO NOT STIR! Stirring will create bubbles in your candy. 
9. Add your candy mixture to your prepared molds.  I use a metal tablespoon and quickly spoon it into the mini muffin tin.  Whatever is left over I pour into one of my hard candy molds. (Be sure you are only using molds that are rated for high heat.  Chocolate molds are NOT and WILL MELT if you add this molten sugar into them! Ruins your mold and your candies too!)
10. Allow your candies to cool completely
11. Carefully unmold your candy
12. In a small bowl add about 1/4 Cup of granulated sugar.
13. Place each candy into sugar and flip the candy over so both sides are coated with sugar.  You may spray a fine mist of water on the candies to help the sugar to adhere.
14. Place candies on a plate and allow to dry with the sugar coating in place.
15. Package and enjoy your Hash Hard Candies.

***Please note you are working with REALLY HOT sugar and this can burn really bad.  Use extreme care to keep this away from your skin!

OK so I hope you have fun making your own Hard Hash Candies, just remember to have lots of patience & time.  And again please be very careful.  That molten sugar can do a lot of damage to your skin.  I recommend doing this entire project BEFORE medicating so you are able to give this your full attention.

Stay Elevated!

THChristi's 5 Minute Marijuana Muffin

THChristi's 5 Minute Marijuana Muffin

Because sometimes you don't have a lot of time for cooking fancy medibles I wanted to share one that I make when I need a no nonsense medible.  This recipe only takes 5 minutes start to finish and is cooked in a mug in the microwave so no big clean up.

Here's what you'll need:  

• 2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of Cannabis Sugar *
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons of milk* (I use evaporated from a can but you can use whatever milk you prefer)
• 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil*
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
• Yogurt for topping the muffin

Here's how you do it:

1. In a small mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients.  Stir them together with a fork until well mixed.
2. Add milk, cooking oil & vanilla.  Stir well
3. Spray your mug with cooking spray
4. Pour mixture into mug
5. Microwave on high for 1 minute.  Check to see that center of this muffin is done by inserting a toothpick.  If the toothpick comes out clean its done.  If the toothpick has wet batter on it, microwave again in 30 second intervals until it's done.
6. Remove from the mug.  Allow to cool for a minute or so.  Serve with a scoop of yogurt over the top.

*If you don't have Cannabis Sugar, use regular sugar and either substitute CannaMilk for the milk in the recipe or substitue CannaButter or CannaOil for the cooking oil in this recipe.  If you don't have any of these Cannabis cooking items on hand you could add a measured dose of decarboxylated kief to the recipe too. 

There are several variations you can do on this recipe......

• Add 1/8th Cup of dried fruit &/or nuts to the recipe
• Add 1 Tablespoon of cocoa powder for a chocolatey muffin and topp with a few chocolate chips &/or nuts
• Add 1 Tablespoon crushed pineapple & substitute 1 teaspoon brown sugar to make a pineapple upside down muffin.  Serve topped with a maraschino cherry 

Stay elevated!

Cup o' Cannabis Instant Oats

Medical marijuana for breakfast? Well yes!  Pain doesn't care what time it comes calling.  

Some mornings I wake up feeling like I've been run over by a bus in my sleep.  Chronic pain from Fibromyalgia is like that for me a lot of mornings.  I needed an edible option that was easy but effective.  This is a fairly healthy breakfast option too. I came up with this make ahead instant breakfast treat to do the trick.

THChristi's Cup o' Cannabis Instant Oats:

What you'll need:  

• 5 Cups Quick Oats
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Cup Cannabis Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Creamer
• Large mixing bowl
• Food processor
• 12 snack sized zip lock bags
• Optional add ins like nuts, raisins, brown sugar, dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg etc.

Here's how you do it:

1. Measure out 2 1/2 Cups of Quick Oats and place in the food processor with the blade attachment.  Run until you've ground the oats into a fine powder.
2. In your mixing bowl add the ground oats and 2 1/2 Cups un-ground quick oats.  Add in Cannabis Sugar, Powdered Creamer and salt.  (Add in up to 3/4 Cup of any of the above listed add ins)  Mix well.**
3. Now measure out 1/2 Cup of your mixture into snack sized baggies.  This will make about 12 servings. 

**For stronger medicine you can add a measured dose of decarboxylated kief into each bag.

To make your Cup o' Cannabis Instant Oats:

Empty packet into a coffee mug. Add 3/4 Cup of cold water and microwave for 1-3 minutes or add 3/4 Cup of boiling water and let stand for 3 minutes.  If you made your packets plain, add in any toppings you like now and enjoy!

Cannabis Sugar

As promised, here's an easy recipe using the medical marijuana tincture I taught you to make last month.  Cannabis infused sugar!  I love this recipe because it is so easy to make and to use.  I package in small ziplocks from the bead store and keep these in my purse.  When I'm out and about and need to medicate, I can order up a coffee or tea and stir in a packet of my cannabis sugar.  You can also make and use in place of sugar to make any recipe a medible.  I  like to use as an extra layer of medication by sprinkling on top of my medicated sugar and/or peanut butter cookies. 

What you will need:

• Mixing Bowl
• Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Baking Sheet
• Alcohol Based MMJ Tincture 
• Granulated Sugar
• Optional: sugar/candy molds

Directions:

1. Place 1 Cup of granulated sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add 1 Tablespoon of tincture.  Mix well to fully incorporate tincture into sugar.  Mixture will still be grainy.  This is fine.  
2. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet pan in a thin layer ****
3. Place in a 200 degree F oven for 30 minutes.  This will evaporate the alcohol from your sugar.  
4. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool. Sugar will be clumped up on your baking sheet, this is normal 
5. Place clumped sugar in a sieve and press through with a metal spoon to re-granulate the sugar
6. Place sugar in an airtight container for storage

Uses:

Use Cannabis sugar in any way you would use regular sugar.  I like to add it to my coffee, iced tea, hot tea, oatmeal, cereal, on a halved grapefruit,  in a fruit salad & anywhere else where I would use granulated sugar. Use in recipes to make medibles.  Keep a container at your desk at work or package in single serving sized bags for convenience.

****Optional:  To create pre-portioned sugar cubes, press sugar mixture into a teaspoon or sugar mold.  Place onto a baking sheet and follow above directions for baking.

I hope you will find this recipe an easy way to get your medical marijuana for home and on the go.  

Stay Elevated!