Sunday, June 17, 2012
Safety Update
After reading this, I've officially retired our Bumbo. What else can I use to occupy my little Peanut while cooking?
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Primal Quiche
All week, my husband has been craving quiche. In fact, he mentioned his desire to eat quiche multiple times each day. Begrudgingly, I decided to take the hint. I've never been much of a quiche eater, and post-baby, I've started to kick my paleo/primal eating into high gear (more on that in a future post). So the thought of making and eating quiche did not settle well with me; in fact, I couldn't cook something that would sabotage my recharged food efforts. At the same time, it gave me a new food challenge, and I decided there had to be a way to make it a bit more paleo friendly.
A lot of recipes I found were for crustless quiche, but to me, that seemed to take all the fun out of eating quiche. Then I discovered this recipe for paleo quiche. The recipe is written in a blog format with a video, but here's the gist:
For the crust:
1 cup almond meal
1 large egg (mine was from a local farm)
1/4 cup grated parmesan (I bought mine aged at a local market and grated it myself. I also had to hold Eleanor while grating it, so I think I ended up with almost 1/3 cup). I know that cheese isn't really paleo, but trust me, the parmesan is worth it.
Mix ingredients together until it forms a paste. Grab a pie tin and grease it. I used local butter, but I'm guessing you could substitute coconut oil. It didn't take much, so you can use it sparingly.
Press crust mix into pan; spread out with fingers.
Bake crust at 375 for 10-15 minutes until the edges brown.
For the actual quiche, put everything else you want in the crust before the eggs. For our quiche, I quickly sauteed some broccoli and shallots and mixed them with some really delicious cheddar cheese and diced ham steak. Okay, I've been mostly kicking my cheese habit, but I decided to have a cheat with some great aged cheddar. But really, you could put in anything you wish to eat in the quiche -- mushrooms, peppers, onions, eggplant, chicken, steak, and so forth. Use your imagination.
Then I scrambled five large eggs. You can add a tablespoon or two of cream or whole milk to the egg mixture, but because I had cheese, I opted not to. I also added a pinch of salt, but feel free to be more creative with other herbs or spices. Pour egg mixture into the pie pan over the other food and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, until the center is firm.
The quiche was a hit, and my husband said the crust was delicious. I thought it was pretty awesome too.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of said delicious quiche, but I did capture many adorable photos of Eleanor, who kept herself busy while I was cooking (part of the time).
I have no idea why my pretty little lady insists on sitting sideways in her Bumbo, but she loves it. She must know it terrifies me.
It was nice to make a meal other than grilled meat and veggies for dinner, and overall, it was an easy effort. Plus, it was a great excuse to have coffee with dinner!
Enjoy!
A lot of recipes I found were for crustless quiche, but to me, that seemed to take all the fun out of eating quiche. Then I discovered this recipe for paleo quiche. The recipe is written in a blog format with a video, but here's the gist:
For the crust:
1 cup almond meal
1 large egg (mine was from a local farm)
1/4 cup grated parmesan (I bought mine aged at a local market and grated it myself. I also had to hold Eleanor while grating it, so I think I ended up with almost 1/3 cup). I know that cheese isn't really paleo, but trust me, the parmesan is worth it.
Mix ingredients together until it forms a paste. Grab a pie tin and grease it. I used local butter, but I'm guessing you could substitute coconut oil. It didn't take much, so you can use it sparingly.
Press crust mix into pan; spread out with fingers.
Bake crust at 375 for 10-15 minutes until the edges brown.
For the actual quiche, put everything else you want in the crust before the eggs. For our quiche, I quickly sauteed some broccoli and shallots and mixed them with some really delicious cheddar cheese and diced ham steak. Okay, I've been mostly kicking my cheese habit, but I decided to have a cheat with some great aged cheddar. But really, you could put in anything you wish to eat in the quiche -- mushrooms, peppers, onions, eggplant, chicken, steak, and so forth. Use your imagination.
Then I scrambled five large eggs. You can add a tablespoon or two of cream or whole milk to the egg mixture, but because I had cheese, I opted not to. I also added a pinch of salt, but feel free to be more creative with other herbs or spices. Pour egg mixture into the pie pan over the other food and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, until the center is firm.
The quiche was a hit, and my husband said the crust was delicious. I thought it was pretty awesome too.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of said delicious quiche, but I did capture many adorable photos of Eleanor, who kept herself busy while I was cooking (part of the time).
I have no idea why my pretty little lady insists on sitting sideways in her Bumbo, but she loves it. She must know it terrifies me.
It was nice to make a meal other than grilled meat and veggies for dinner, and overall, it was an easy effort. Plus, it was a great excuse to have coffee with dinner!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Blog is back!
My apologies for my long absence from this blog. I can't believe that I now have a busy, adorable four month old on my hands. Eleanor is a pretty amazing kid and I adore her to pieces.
Looking back, the past four months have been an utter whirlwind. It's hard to know exactly what to write about. Each day has offered new challenges and new insights, but I now feel ready to share my observations over the past few months and the new balancing act that comes along with such a momentous life change. Over the next few weeks, I will be blogging about my post-partum CrossFit experience, share articles and recipes of interest, and ultimately my insights on my new "simple challenge" of motherhood. While it has certainly been an interesting ride, I am one very lucky momma to have such an amazing daughter. Isn't she darling?
Is there a topic you'd like me to blog about? While I have several ideas for new posts, I'd love to hear from you!
Looking back, the past four months have been an utter whirlwind. It's hard to know exactly what to write about. Each day has offered new challenges and new insights, but I now feel ready to share my observations over the past few months and the new balancing act that comes along with such a momentous life change. Over the next few weeks, I will be blogging about my post-partum CrossFit experience, share articles and recipes of interest, and ultimately my insights on my new "simple challenge" of motherhood. While it has certainly been an interesting ride, I am one very lucky momma to have such an amazing daughter. Isn't she darling?
Is there a topic you'd like me to blog about? While I have several ideas for new posts, I'd love to hear from you!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Things I'm learning... Part 1
A quick blog post before Miss Eleanor wakes up of things I'm learning as a new mom:
The baby dictates labor and delivery. I had lots of fantasies about a natural birth; how I'd wake up with contractions in the middle of the night; how I'd do much of my early labor at home; how I'd labor in the jacuzzi at the hospital and walk the hospital floors. None of that happened because of the medical attention I needed during my labor because of the baby, and I'm grateful I was able to have a vaginal delivery, as I was almost brought to the OR for an emergency C-section. I always thought I could have a natural delivery because I was strong enough to handle it -- it never once occurred to me that labor wouldn't go according to my plans because of my child.
Recovery from labor is hard. Everyone focused on the difficulties of labor; no one talks about the recovery process. You're sore. You're tired. You have crazy hormones. Thankfully it doesn't last forever, but in my mind, I thought I'd have a lot more energy after labor. It doesn't work that way. Thankfully, I got a cute baby out of the process.
If you plan on breastfeeding, get a lactation consultant. I'm lucky; Eleanor has a great latch and a great suck, but that didn't mean I was breastfeeding correctly in a painless position. She also gets sleepy, and keeping her invested in the breastfeeding process is difficult, at best. She'd also happily suck without eating if I let her. I found the hospital lactation consultants to be lackluster, and found one to be slightly judgmental. So, I contacted a private lactation consultant who has come to my house twice and who encourages me to call her every day with questions and to update her on what is going on. I've learned that it's a process to figure out how to breastfeed. I thought after one consult, I'd know it all and be done. That certainly hasn't been the case. Breastfeeding is wonderful and lovely, but it takes a lot of time, energy, and effort. Having the extra support is essential, and if I didn't have it, I'm sure I'd be exclusively formula feeding by now.
I shouldn't have mommyhood figured out yet. I really thought that after three weeks home, I'd have a lot more of this parenting "thing" under my belt, especially the breastfeeding piece. But I'm still learning about my daughter and what she needs, and every day, something changes and is different. And I'm slowly learning that that's okay. I'm also learning to ask people for help when I need it.
I don't always want visitors. Please don't be offended if I ask you to wait before coming over to visit. I'm tired, and I'm figuring out how to feed and take care of my child while trying to remember to brush my teeth and eat, and visitors can feel like a lot of work. Even if a visitor doesn't feel this way, I will feel like I have to entertain said visitor. Having someone to come over and hold Eleanor for four hours isn't helpful to me (although I understand why someone would want to hold her!) Know that I want you to meet and love my child, but I also need some space. Although if a visitor wants to watch her so I can take a shower and a nap before her next feeding guilt-free, I won't deny that!
It's amazing how much you can love such a little person. Eleanor is perfect. I guess I'm biased, but it's absolutely overwhelming how much I love her to pieces. She's a beautiful child who makes me laugh with her sighs and silly faces. There's nothing more wonderful in this world than snuggling with her, holding her, kissing her, and dancing around the house with her. I have to admit, I was nervous about how I'd feel making the transition to a mother. It's been surprisingly natural, lovely, and joyous. She's an amazing little person, and I'm totally smitten and in awe of her.
The baby dictates labor and delivery. I had lots of fantasies about a natural birth; how I'd wake up with contractions in the middle of the night; how I'd do much of my early labor at home; how I'd labor in the jacuzzi at the hospital and walk the hospital floors. None of that happened because of the medical attention I needed during my labor because of the baby, and I'm grateful I was able to have a vaginal delivery, as I was almost brought to the OR for an emergency C-section. I always thought I could have a natural delivery because I was strong enough to handle it -- it never once occurred to me that labor wouldn't go according to my plans because of my child.
Recovery from labor is hard. Everyone focused on the difficulties of labor; no one talks about the recovery process. You're sore. You're tired. You have crazy hormones. Thankfully it doesn't last forever, but in my mind, I thought I'd have a lot more energy after labor. It doesn't work that way. Thankfully, I got a cute baby out of the process.
If you plan on breastfeeding, get a lactation consultant. I'm lucky; Eleanor has a great latch and a great suck, but that didn't mean I was breastfeeding correctly in a painless position. She also gets sleepy, and keeping her invested in the breastfeeding process is difficult, at best. She'd also happily suck without eating if I let her. I found the hospital lactation consultants to be lackluster, and found one to be slightly judgmental. So, I contacted a private lactation consultant who has come to my house twice and who encourages me to call her every day with questions and to update her on what is going on. I've learned that it's a process to figure out how to breastfeed. I thought after one consult, I'd know it all and be done. That certainly hasn't been the case. Breastfeeding is wonderful and lovely, but it takes a lot of time, energy, and effort. Having the extra support is essential, and if I didn't have it, I'm sure I'd be exclusively formula feeding by now.
I shouldn't have mommyhood figured out yet. I really thought that after three weeks home, I'd have a lot more of this parenting "thing" under my belt, especially the breastfeeding piece. But I'm still learning about my daughter and what she needs, and every day, something changes and is different. And I'm slowly learning that that's okay. I'm also learning to ask people for help when I need it.
I don't always want visitors. Please don't be offended if I ask you to wait before coming over to visit. I'm tired, and I'm figuring out how to feed and take care of my child while trying to remember to brush my teeth and eat, and visitors can feel like a lot of work. Even if a visitor doesn't feel this way, I will feel like I have to entertain said visitor. Having someone to come over and hold Eleanor for four hours isn't helpful to me (although I understand why someone would want to hold her!) Know that I want you to meet and love my child, but I also need some space. Although if a visitor wants to watch her so I can take a shower and a nap before her next feeding guilt-free, I won't deny that!
It's amazing how much you can love such a little person. Eleanor is perfect. I guess I'm biased, but it's absolutely overwhelming how much I love her to pieces. She's a beautiful child who makes me laugh with her sighs and silly faces. There's nothing more wonderful in this world than snuggling with her, holding her, kissing her, and dancing around the house with her. I have to admit, I was nervous about how I'd feel making the transition to a mother. It's been surprisingly natural, lovely, and joyous. She's an amazing little person, and I'm totally smitten and in awe of her.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Introducing...
I know I don't update this blog very often, but my current reason for not being on is that I was busy having a baby!
Eleanor Isabella was born Wednesday, January 25, at 10:03am. Six pounds, two ounces, and 19 inches of perfection and sheer cuteness! Eleanor is already such a love. More updates to follow!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Nesting
First, an updated belly photo at almost 38 weeks:
I remember hearing a lot about the "nesting" instinct, a.k.a, when a pregnant woman obsessively prepares for childbirth by getting the house ready for the baby. I heard it can manifest itself in bizarre ways, from obsessive cleaning with only a toothbrush or organizing and reorganizing the silverware. A few weeks ago, I was paranoid that since I wasn't nesting (a.k.a. obsessively preparing my house), that it meant I wasn't ready or prepared to be a mom. I was worried there was something truly wrong.
And then I got on a laundry kick. Suddenly, all baby clothes and baby paraphernalia needed to be laundered and folded immediately. If she was going to touch it, it needed to be washed. I panicked when I saw that one of her lovey blankets was instructed to be spot cleaned only, and should never be emerged in water. Turning to my husband for solace and advice, he told me to calm down and not worry about it -- the baby would survive. And four loads of laundry later, I felt quite accomplished, until I realized I had forgotten to wash her changing pad cover. Dang. Now, I'm terrified I'm turning into one of those hovering, panicked mothers I swore I'd never be. Or, I'm just letting my primal instinct take over.
The next episode of nesting manifested itself in making sure my pantry and house were stocked with essential items, a.k.a hoarding. I just HAD to have enough toilet paper (I think we have over forty rolls of Charmin in the house right now), and I was hellbent on ensuring we had plenty toothpaste, shampoo, and face wash to last through the Apocalypse. The cats need food -- $120 later at Petco, I was finally satisfied that we just might make it through and the cats wouldn't starve. And I purchased the largest bottle of olive oil made in the Western world.
My last phase of "nesting" has been stocking the house with enough food. I wanted to make sure we have plenty of healthy options to eat in the house so I'm not tempted to order pizza every night for the first few weeks of our daughter's life. Recently, I've made butternut squash soup, meatballs and sauce, and a beef stew. I ran to the grocery store to stalk up on frozen fruits and vegetables, constantly questioning if I had enough. I started buying snacks of nuts, dried fruit, Larabars, and Clif Bars (full of junk, but at least they keep in the pantry and are cheaper than Larabars), although I now need to go out and purchase more dried fruit and nuts (it never ends!). Here's the end result:
I realize that yes, we will have to go to the grocery store once she's here, but at least it's a start.
So, my nesting instinct has started to kick into full gear, and we have the essentials for her once she comes: outfits, diapers, wipes, blankets, bassinet, and a pack 'n play. I'm realizing that I'll never fully be prepared for the change that's about it come, and I'm trying to be mindful of the fact that she doesn't need a whole lot of stuff to be a healthy, well cared for newborn. And after all that cooking, I think it's time for bed. And who knows -- maybe I will grab that toothbrush soon.
And then I got on a laundry kick. Suddenly, all baby clothes and baby paraphernalia needed to be laundered and folded immediately. If she was going to touch it, it needed to be washed. I panicked when I saw that one of her lovey blankets was instructed to be spot cleaned only, and should never be emerged in water. Turning to my husband for solace and advice, he told me to calm down and not worry about it -- the baby would survive. And four loads of laundry later, I felt quite accomplished, until I realized I had forgotten to wash her changing pad cover. Dang. Now, I'm terrified I'm turning into one of those hovering, panicked mothers I swore I'd never be. Or, I'm just letting my primal instinct take over.
The next episode of nesting manifested itself in making sure my pantry and house were stocked with essential items, a.k.a hoarding. I just HAD to have enough toilet paper (I think we have over forty rolls of Charmin in the house right now), and I was hellbent on ensuring we had plenty toothpaste, shampoo, and face wash to last through the Apocalypse. The cats need food -- $120 later at Petco, I was finally satisfied that we just might make it through and the cats wouldn't starve. And I purchased the largest bottle of olive oil made in the Western world.
My last phase of "nesting" has been stocking the house with enough food. I wanted to make sure we have plenty of healthy options to eat in the house so I'm not tempted to order pizza every night for the first few weeks of our daughter's life. Recently, I've made butternut squash soup, meatballs and sauce, and a beef stew. I ran to the grocery store to stalk up on frozen fruits and vegetables, constantly questioning if I had enough. I started buying snacks of nuts, dried fruit, Larabars, and Clif Bars (full of junk, but at least they keep in the pantry and are cheaper than Larabars), although I now need to go out and purchase more dried fruit and nuts (it never ends!). Here's the end result:
So, my nesting instinct has started to kick into full gear, and we have the essentials for her once she comes: outfits, diapers, wipes, blankets, bassinet, and a pack 'n play. I'm realizing that I'll never fully be prepared for the change that's about it come, and I'm trying to be mindful of the fact that she doesn't need a whole lot of stuff to be a healthy, well cared for newborn. And after all that cooking, I think it's time for bed. And who knows -- maybe I will grab that toothbrush soon.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Quick Updates
Primal update: the week started out strong, but hit a huge blip over the weekend, mostly from going out to get food in social settings, which lead me to eat greasy pizza, lots of rice, and some bread. I'm looking forward to putting the weekend behind me and getting in protein and veggies tomorrow. The pantry is clear of any non-primal food, with the exception of the sugar that I kept (even though I rarely use sugar, I just didn't know how to part with it for some twisted reason). The crackers and pasta are completely gone, because I knew if I had them around once baby made her appearance, I would eat them like they were going out of style. I also have plenty of almonds, almond butter, almond meal, coconut flour, and coconut oil. I just need to figure out how to incorporate the coconut into my diet, as it's something I've rarely used before.
On the plus side, I've given up my addictive granola habit cold turkey, and I'm quite pleased! And I haven't made myself hot chocolate in over a week. Minor victories! In a way, I feel like I'm relearning my primal ways. I slowly eliminated foods before, and I feel like that's the same route I'm taking now. Hopefully this upcoming week will be easier.
CrossFit update:
I've been getting a lot of pelvic pain from this child recently. It usually happens when I stand up from a seated position, and disappears pretty quickly. But on Friday at my box, as we were warming up with air squats before our WOD, it came back with a vengeance. I was perplexed. I had just back squatted 100 x 10 a few days ago and felt fine. Why would air squats bother me? I sat down for a few minutes until it subsided, and decided I would continue with the strength portion of our WOD (which for me, was push jerks). I ended up at 85 x 2, which felt like a comfortable weight -- not heavy, but high enough that I didn't feel like going any further. So, I took a quick trip to the bathroom, and the pain returned again. And it just wouldn't go away. My fellow CrossFitters and coach knew there was something wrong by the look on my face, and we all agreed that I should sit the WOD out. So, I acted as cheerleader, kept track of scores, and called my midwife. She said the pain was nothing out of the ordinary, but it seemed like I was pushing myself too hard, so she told me to park myself on the couch for the rest of the day, drink water, and take it easy this weekend. I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'm hoping I'll be cleared for some exercise; perhaps some "CrossFit Lite." Worst case scenario, I hope I can at least go for walks! We'll see what this peanut lets me do.
Baby update: The nesting instinct is kicking in high gear. I'll write more about this next time, but I've been obsessed with cooking and freezing food (so far, I've made almost five pounds of paleo meatballs and spaghetti squash), and I had a burning need to make sure we had plenty of soap, toilet paper, and frozen veggies in the house. I've done three loads of baby laundry and still have more to go. This week, I'm hoping to make a paleo stew and butternut squash soup to freeze, and the car seat base is in the car. Slowly, things are falling into place, but I'm hitting the anxious stage. Time's a-ticking away! I'm so hyped up, this "take it easy" thing is kind of frustrating.
Question: are there any laundry detergent alternatives to Dreft? It's just so expensive, and I don't know if it's really a necessary expense. Are there other products out there?
On the plus side, I've given up my addictive granola habit cold turkey, and I'm quite pleased! And I haven't made myself hot chocolate in over a week. Minor victories! In a way, I feel like I'm relearning my primal ways. I slowly eliminated foods before, and I feel like that's the same route I'm taking now. Hopefully this upcoming week will be easier.
CrossFit update:
I've been getting a lot of pelvic pain from this child recently. It usually happens when I stand up from a seated position, and disappears pretty quickly. But on Friday at my box, as we were warming up with air squats before our WOD, it came back with a vengeance. I was perplexed. I had just back squatted 100 x 10 a few days ago and felt fine. Why would air squats bother me? I sat down for a few minutes until it subsided, and decided I would continue with the strength portion of our WOD (which for me, was push jerks). I ended up at 85 x 2, which felt like a comfortable weight -- not heavy, but high enough that I didn't feel like going any further. So, I took a quick trip to the bathroom, and the pain returned again. And it just wouldn't go away. My fellow CrossFitters and coach knew there was something wrong by the look on my face, and we all agreed that I should sit the WOD out. So, I acted as cheerleader, kept track of scores, and called my midwife. She said the pain was nothing out of the ordinary, but it seemed like I was pushing myself too hard, so she told me to park myself on the couch for the rest of the day, drink water, and take it easy this weekend. I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'm hoping I'll be cleared for some exercise; perhaps some "CrossFit Lite." Worst case scenario, I hope I can at least go for walks! We'll see what this peanut lets me do.
Baby update: The nesting instinct is kicking in high gear. I'll write more about this next time, but I've been obsessed with cooking and freezing food (so far, I've made almost five pounds of paleo meatballs and spaghetti squash), and I had a burning need to make sure we had plenty of soap, toilet paper, and frozen veggies in the house. I've done three loads of baby laundry and still have more to go. This week, I'm hoping to make a paleo stew and butternut squash soup to freeze, and the car seat base is in the car. Slowly, things are falling into place, but I'm hitting the anxious stage. Time's a-ticking away! I'm so hyped up, this "take it easy" thing is kind of frustrating.
Question: are there any laundry detergent alternatives to Dreft? It's just so expensive, and I don't know if it's really a necessary expense. Are there other products out there?
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