Stream of Consciousness

It's rainy here. The drizzly kind of rain we've been waiting for.

The crunchy brown grass has perked up, and looks skyward, lapping up every drop.

This week has been quiet, filled with steady work and lazy days - I've avoided the commute to work, and have rolled the exercise ball into my home office. For some reason, I can't stand going in to work these days. The fluorescent lighting and stale air drives me nuts. The home office is quiet, and sometimes lonely, but the drone of Olympic coverage in the background keeps me company.

Big changes are coming our way, and my homebody-ness is probably a symptom of the anxiety I feel. A has already moved into her "big girl" room without a hitch. Next week we say goodbye to our long-time care provider. We'll be enjoying a two-week family vacation this month before I send my little girl off to her first day of school.

I'm conscious that my due date is fast approaching, and panicky that nothing is "ready." The baby room is in a state of disrepair, and I have yet to pull out and sort through all the newborn stuff. There are no frozen meals in the freezer, and the list of rooms that need a thorough cleaning grows every day. Despite the mild panic, I know that my baby needs very little - some sleepers, diapers, milk and a warm body.

This little monkey I'm growing continues to kick me down below, and I know that her head rests close to my heart. While this conjures up a sweet image, I will be glad for the day she flips. At almost 31 weeks, we are wondering what's taking her so long. A visit to a chiropractor next week may help, and I'm starting to use some of the exercises and tips from this wonderful site.

For now, I can finally enjoy hot tea, stew and freshly baked bread, as the rain keeps the house cool and damp. The oven has come back to life!

Have a wonderful, wet weekend.

Recipe Week Post #3: Lentils, lentils and more lentils

Okay, okay, so I'm slightly obsessed with lentils - if you can't already tell from my first and second post this week. And I JUST discovered an organization called Canadian Lentils, which (although they're not very clear about their mandate on the website) I believe supports Canadian lentil growers.

But I realize not everyone is overly fond of the little bean. I'm married to one of those people *SOB* I remain convinced that I can convert the wayward lad, and bring him over to the land of plentiful little lentils.

Here's why I love lentils:

• I just can't get over how easy lentils are to cook - no soaking necessary! They take on the flavour of any sauce/soup you put them in, and can be ground down to make fantastic dips. They're also lovely in salads!

• A huge package of lentils will cost me $1.50, compared to the $10-15 (sometimes more!) I spend on a meal that includes chicken, pork or beef.

• They're packed with fibre and protein and all sorts of healthy vitamins/minerals. If you pair lentils with a grain or cheese, you end up with a complete protein, something which is really important if you're eating vegetarian while pregnant.

This is called Curried Red Lentil and Kale Soup, and was adapted from Living Without

2 tbsp veggie oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp curry powder
1 cup red lentils
1 cup chopped kale
4 cups veggie stock (I mixed 2 cups water, 2 cups veggie stock to cut down)
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground cumin
2 tsps lemon juice
1/4 cup coconut milk

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for several minutes. Add the celery, carrot and potato and cook for 5 minutes until tender.

Add the tomato paste and curry powder, and cook for 30 seconds while stirring. Add the red lentils, stock, coriander and cumin. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the kale and cook for another 5 minutes.

Garnish with lemon juice and coconut milk and enjoy! Serve with freshly baked whole grain bread or naan bread.

Recipe Week Post #2: When Two Tastes Collide

When I first met my husband, I thought he was an adventurous eater. He happily accompanied me to Indian and Thai restaurants, and suffered through my disastrous first attempts at cooking (anything other than boxed Mac & Cheese and chicken nuggets). We started dating soon after I was back from a trip to Thailand, and I was eager to expand my somewhat limited repertoire of teenage recipes (by the way, I STILL use my Clueless in the Kitchen cookbook on a regular basis. It's amazing for simple, go-to recipes).

However, I later discovered that my husband was, in fact, just trying to woo me, and really had little interest in the alternatives. He was raised on meat, potatoes and veggies, and his favourite meal is still barbecued chicken breast with some kind of sugar-laden sauce gooped all over it. Over the years, he has had to endure my commitment to buying only humanely-raised local meat, sourcing a cow for raw milk (and attempting to make my own cheese, yogurt and butter), and cooking with copious amounts of legumes. And he has been very supportive...truly.

It's tough, however, to spend a lot of time on recipes and meals that are not enjoyed by the whole family. Hubby eats my forays into vegetarianism and veganism to be polite, but darling daughter doesn't even bother.  While I'm moaning and oohing over the tasty things I throw together, husband is blandly picking away at his plate, and daughter is throwing hers at the wall.

It's been a REAL struggle trying to find recipes that please us all, and most of the time I just fail - I often end up making my own dish, and pairing it with a hunka meat (local, pasture-raised) that's been thrown on the bbq. However, there is one dish so far that's been a winner for the whole family. Every time I make this, we all gobble it up!

Warning: You must be open to eating lotsa butta if you want to try this recipe. I strongly feel that, unless you have dairy allergies, butter should be part of a well-rounded diet. It's silly to shun all saturated fats, especially in favour of chemically-laden margarines (ick!!). However, if you DO need an alternative, check out Earth Balance. They don't work as well in this dish, but it could certainly be a substitute!

Pasta with Red Lentils and Spinach
(taken from Didi Emmons Vegetarian Planet)

1 lb whole wheat pasta (or your fav gluten free variety)
8 tbsp of butter or butter alternative - don't even think about skimping here!!
2 garlic cloves, smooshed
2 inches of ginger, cut into thin strips (hubby detests big pieces of ginger, so I've sometimes resorted to using 1 tsp of dried ginger or pre-processed mashed ginger)
1/2 tsp dried sage
3/4 cup red lentils
1 cup water
3 cups spinach, packed
salt and pepper to taste (I personally find I need at least 1/2 tsp salt for this dish)

Cook pasta, and set aside. In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, just until it begins to brown. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Next, add sage, lentils, water and salt. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes or until lentils are just tender (they can still be slightly crunchy).  Stir in spinach and cook until wilted. Add pasta, and cook until heated through. Season with pepper and watch with pleasure as your family devours it.

Recipe Week: Eating for Two

Clearly, I'm not a food photographer, because if you head over to Oh She Glows (where I got this recipe), you will see a much prettier picture of the dish above. My friend and fellow blogger Jayda Siggers, has inspired my choices of recipes this week!

This week I'll be sharing the meals that I'm cooking up, to feed my babies' demand for more protein and iron (and my own demand for more fibre!!) My goal with all the meals this week will be to add:

- more greens
- a rainbow of colours
- as much fibre as I can take (pregnant gals, you know what I'm talking about!)
- non-dairy, non-meat sources of protein

Today's dish - which was eaten for dinner last night - is called the Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess Bowl (lightened up because the blogger has adapted this recipe to include less fat). Gotta love that name! I made some adjustments to the recipe, based on what I had in the veggie drawer:

1 cup green lentils, cooked ahead of time
1 cup quinoa, cooked ahead of time
1/2 tbsp veggie oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 head of purple cabbage, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
3 cups kale, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 batch Tahini-Lemon Dressing (see below)
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon juice

Make dressing, and cook lentils and quinoa in advance. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes, and then add cabbage and tomato. Saute for another 7-8 minutes. Stir in chopped kale and cook just until tender. Add the tahini-lemon dressing, lentils and quinoa. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Serve warm with a squirt of lemon juice on top (Makes 6 cupes - I cut the recipe in half last night!)

Tahini-Lemon Dressing


1/4 cup tahini
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (had no idea what this was, but found it at Bulk Barn!)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp of water (or as much as needed to achieve desired consistency)

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Makes about 1 cup of dressing.

Postpartum Adjustment: My Plan of Attack

In my last post, I talked a bit about our plan to keep A in preschool/daycare while I'm on maternity leave.

This may seem like a crazy decision for a couple as cash-strapped as we are, but both my husband and I agree that it may save our collective sanity.

When you are pregnant, levels of the female hormone estrogen and progesterone increase greatly. For some of you, this may lead to shiny hair, clear skin and that pregnant "glow" everyone talks about (unfortunately for me, the clear skin is nowhere to be found). But in the days following the birth of your child, your hormones take a bit of a nosedive:

Image Source

That's right - they go back to their pre-pregnancy state in a jiffy, even though you had a good 10 months to adjust to their increased levels. Nature likes to play cruel tricks on us women.


It is thought that these drastic hormonal changes are what cause women to experience the baby blues; and, if you happen to be extra sensitive to all this bodily chaos, you may go on to develop postpartum depression or anxiety.

I knew all of this in theory when I was pregnant with my first child, but unrealistic expectations and lack of experience set me up for some serious postpartum adjustment in the days following A’s birth. So for this pregnancy, we’ve thought a lot about how to avoid some of the issues we (and I say “we” because my partner had to go through this change with me) faced the first time around. I like to call this my postpartum plan of attack or Plan Red. Because truly, I do sometimes feel that I’m going to battle with my emotions:

Zones of Operation
We will be planning for a home birth again. We toyed with idea of going to the hospital this time (just to avoid having A wake up in the night or be disturbed by the birth), but when I brought up the idea, my husband looked at me, aghast, and said “don’t make me go there” in a little boy voice.

So we are staying home, because apparently my husband needs it more than I do.

Allies
It is imperative to have decent help on hand following the birth of a baby, even more so when there are other children that need taking care of.

These have to be helpful people, though. Don’t invite anyone you feel slightly uncomfortable around (as they will be seeing you in your most vulnerable state), and make sure they’re there to cook and clean. Holding the baby is only an option when I am tired and would like a break to take a shower or a snooze. I will be calling in the troops, in the form of my mother, mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law (if they can spare the time). The hope is to have someone staying with us for the entire first month.

I am also hiring a postpartum doula, who will be there as an objective support person. She will support me with breastfeeding, suggest resources/tips I might need, and basically be a good listener (someone that is not scared of listening to me cry or blubber).

Supplies
Yep, I’m taking the plunge, and doing something that even the crunchiest of crunchy finds slightly repulsive. I am going to eat my placenta. I have a doula friend who will be taking my baby's hunka meat, drying it in a dehydrator, grinding it down, and then putting it into capsules for me to consume. I’ve written about this before, but never thought I’d actually do it. I’m desperate enough to see if it makes any difference in my emotions/mood following the birth – I would probably eat fried monkey if someone told me it could help.

Contingency
It’s always best to have a contingency plan in place in case something unexpected comes up. Although we’re hoping that this little baby does not have reflux, we’re open to the idea that it may happen. Which is where preschool comes in – taking care of a child who cries all day (and night) and does not sleep is difficult in the best of times. We want our older daughter to have some sense of structure and routine, just in case we are hit once again with the “reflux blues.”

We’ve also thought about what might happen if I have to transfer to hospital or have a baby who is sick. Again, we’re counting on our “allies” to pitch in and help. The past three years in Ottawa has given me time to meet many wonderful parents, some of whom have become great friends. So although we’re planning for the worst, we’re also hoping for the best – this time, we have reinforcements!

Preschool

It's official! A. has been registered in preschool.

This may not sound like anything newsworthy to you, but for our family, it's a big step.

A's reflux troubles forced me to look for childcare that offered her a lot of one-on-one time. I needed a childcare provider who believed in attachment parenting, because my daughter did not respond to anything else. At one year of age (when I was preparing to head back to work), she still could not put herself to sleep for a nap, and had to be rocked. Her reflux issues had gotten better, but she was on a restricted diet, with no soy or dairy products.

We ruled out a large daycare centre immediately. A was sensitive to everything - loud noises, too many children and bright lights would have been difficult for her to manage at such a young age. So we began to look into private (licensed and unlicensed) daycare providers in our area.

I thought the search would take months, but we found someone almost immediately. I knew right away over the phone that she was the right childcare provider for us - her voice was kind, and she sympathized with A's constant crying and fussing. Although I'm sure she was wondering what she'd gotten herself into, she took on my daughter like another child in her family!

Lately, however, there are clear signs that A needs a different environment. First of all, she's a very spirited little girl, and like most first-born children, she requires a lot of guidance with activities. Playing by herself is not something she does very often. In a home environment, there is always time needed to prepare activities and clean up messes. Daycare centres are better equipped to deal with all the painting, claying, crafting and toys, as lessons/activities are planned well in advance.

As much as I wish I had the energy to be a crafty, homeschooling Mom, I know that it's not in my nature. I'm a bookworm, I like a lot of quiet, and my idea of a fun time is to listen to music, strum away on my guitar or try a new recipe. I'm definitely not cut out for exciting, daily craft ideas or inventive/educational games. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing with my daughter, but I certainly don't feel capable of providing her with an enriching educational environment, day-in and day-out.

So, with maternity leave approaching, we decided it was time to transition A to a preschool centre, where she will stay until it's time for Kindergarten. Financially, it's a little silly to keep your children in daycare when you are at home and perfectly able to care for them. But mentally and emotionally, I think it makes a lot of sense. I have been saving money for over a year now, just to be able to pay to have A in part-time preschool while I'm on maternity leave (and maybe I'll explain more the reasoning behind this decision in another post!)

Like any mother, I am anxious about the transition, and fretting over how she will fit in. Will she get along with the other kids? Will she scream and cry when I drop her off? Will she learn how to nap in a roomful of children? These are all unknowns, and right now, I'm trying to tell myself that things will find their own way of working out. Until then, we are talking about "school" a lot, and discussing how things will be different in September.

How did your child transition to daycare/preschool? Did anything make it easier on you or them?

{this moment} Gatineau Hike

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

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