Booster Juice, I don't need you anymore

As part of my 90 day commitments, I'm drinking smoothies and/or shakes as part of my healthy eating plan. (Yes, I've read about the perils of smoothies, and I'm aware of and ok with them.)


One of my FAVOURITE indulgences in days gone by were Booster Juice-type smoothies. They always seemed IMPOSSIBLE to replicate at home, but at up to $6 a pop, they were hard to justify.


Not anymore! Lol!


Berry mango smoothie
1 cup Bolthouse Farms Amazing Mango Fruit Smoothie
1 1/2 cups Western Family Bite Size Blend frozen fruit
1/4 cup water
1 scoop (30g) Kaizen Naturals natural whey - vanilla ice cream flavour
--> blend well. (I use a hand blender and a 1 litre wide-mouth mason jar - less dishes than using a full-size blender!)


Mmmmmm yum!!!


The protein shake mix (Kaizen Naturals) I use is the best I've found (and actually, Todd found it!): whey (not soy) isolate and concentrate, stevia (NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS, flavours or colours), GLUTEN FREE, 24g protein to 1g sugars, AND.... It's only $27.99 at Superstore for a 30 day supply (at 1 shake a day). Plus, and I tell you, I've tried a LOT of shake mixes, it is the BEST TASTING one too. I actually like it plain with just milk.


And no, I don't work for Kaizen, nor do I get any benefit from this post. I just feel that people should know that they have AFFORDABLE options for shake mixes, that do the same things, if not better than the expensive ones. :)


Enjoy!

Process Vs. Product

I know the theory behind process vs. product when dealing with kids. I have to say that I whole-heartedly agree with it, because my generation was taught at a very young age: product > process, and thus there are many people like me who struggle with the fact that we can't be perfect at everything (not so good for self-esteem!).

But sometimes, there are instances when a project DOES need a product, and it ISN'T all about the process. And I think that teaching kids that too is important. So that they understand that in life, there is a time and place to be focused on your product and not just the experience.

Case in point: homemade Valentine's cards. There are 15 other kids in Xman's class and 6 other kids in Shanman's class. To not complete the product would mean that a) some kids would get left out, or b) mummy would do it all. Two unacceptable options in my book.

My compromise?
The boys chose their colours, I made the elements and then guided the crazies in the assembly process.

The result?
Two happy boys who got to glue (X got to cut out too, his latest obsession), and put stickers on, their cards for their classmates.

We got product AND process, and I didn't yell or pull my hair out in frustration.

Yes! Win-win-win!

(The pictures are my "template" on the left, and 4 of each of their interpretations of the template on the right. Red and orange were X's chosen colours and blue and purple were Shan's.)

Question: Do you share your breastfeeding photos online?

The Facebook debacle.  How many blog posts have been written about his?  *sigh*  I shudder to think of the real estate that is being occupied by this idiotic situation, when TRULY, it is avoidable.

***** If you are just reading/hearing about this now, go check out this page: FB! Stop.. and this regularly-updated blog post on Jodine's World to read the history of the most recent chapter in Facebook's persistence in being a bully and participating in the digital harrassment of breastfeeding mothers worldwide. *****

Boba, a baby carrier maker, posted this pic on the facebook page on 2 February, with the caption: "Press *LIKE* if have photos of your baby breastfeeding. Do you share them online?"

How cute is this pic?!?! LOL!

And I posted this in the comments:

"yes I do. I LOVE my pics of breastfeeding my boys. breastfeeding has been SO HARD for us, and there have been different challenges with each of my 3 boys, but amidst the tears and the struggles, we have succeeded, against all odds. I've been breastfeeding for a combined total of 50 months, none of my boys have ever had a drop of formula, and we're still going strong with baby #3. And I'm PROUD of that fact. Because it's NOT easy for everyone. And because I had NO ONE close to me to help me. If breastfeeding was NORMAL, and everyone SAW it, perhaps I'd have had someone in my life I could call on, to help me through the pain, the spasms, the pinching, the blood, help me with latch, with nursing strikes, with mastitis, with supply issues, etc etc. But it's NOT NORMAL. Even though "they" say it is, here in North America, it's not. Breastfeeding isn't even allowed on Sesame Street anymore. Breastfeeding needs to be RE-NORMALISED, and how else to do it than by making breastfeeding photos NO BIG DEAL? And how do we make them NO BIG DEAL? By posting them, by dealing with the backlash, and by desensitizing our society to the sight of *gasp* a non-sexual breast, and a baby feeding as God designed it to do: at the breast.

I feel that our goal, as "those militant lactivists who post their breastfeeding photos" is that we WANT people to say "meh, whatever, another breastfeeding photo." You don't have to think it's beautiful like we do.... but it should be commonplace, and NO. BIG. DEAL. I do NOT want people to be gawking at my boob. FAR FROM IT. I want to feed my baby when he's hungry, without people getting all up in my face. I want my grandchildren to be breastfed when they need it. I want my great-grandchildren to be breastfed when they need it. I don't want their mothers to feel the shame of feeding their children in public like so many do today. Because that is sad. Sad that any mother should feel shame in providing for her baby. And it IS NOT NECESSARY."

 

Not long after I posted it, a few people (including the lovely Emma Kwasnica, and Jennifer V T) shared the second paragraph with their peeps... and as I read it back again, this response is probably the best I've pulled out in regards to the photo debacle. 

 

Sometimes, I can be eloquent, but others, when emotion comes into play, well, I become a cursing, blubbering moron.  I was apparently calm enough to articulate my views on this heated debate in a way that I feel proud of my communication skills.  LOL.  (So yes, folks, English class in school DOES have a purpose.)  I wanted to post it on here for posterity, oh, and for a broader audience than just the likers on the Boba page. ;)

 

So what about you?  Do you share your breastfeeding photos online?  Do you scrapbook them?  Oh, and next question, are you going to a Facebook nurse-in on 6 February?????  I'll be in Seattle - meet me there! 

Changing habits

The rule of thumb with habits, good and bad, is that it takes 40 days to make a new habit, or kill an old one.


That means forty days of being diligent, persistent, and conscientious of your actions.  Paying attention.  Being engaged with your own actions, and not just operating in a haze.  (HA!)


I'm bringing up changing habits NOW because I LOATHE the whole "New Year's Resolutions" thing.  I turn 33 this year, and I've wasted enough time in my life lamenting at how I wasn't able to keep up with my NYR this year, BUT NEXT YEAR!!!!  Good gravy.  I've been of the frame of mind, for about the last 7 or 8 years or so, that I don't do resolutions, per sé.  I do GOALS.  Why?


Because setting goals WORKS.


And my goal right now?


To change my habits.


I have a list the length of my leg of habits I'd like to change or develop, but since I'm the type of person, that in order to not get totally overwhelmed, then stressed, then have debilitating anxiety attacks, which THEN result in hideous depression - *breathe* - I have to take baby steps.  So, because 90 days seems to be "THE THING" right now (P90X, Vitality for Life, etc), and yesterday was the 1st of February, I made a commitment to develop a couple of new habits, and to COMMIT to persistence and diligence and engagement with these habits for the next 90 days.  That will take me to 30 April, 2012.  (I will then be 33. :D)  Because, realistically, I know for me, 40 days?  Probably not enough.  Besides.  GO BIG OR GO HOME. ;)  And changing a couple of actions for 90 days seems like a good enough baby step for me.


I'm really excited to see what 2012 holds for our family.  We have faced some MASSIVE adversity and challenges as a family, financially, emotionally, physically, you name it, over the last 4 years most specifically.  And I personally have battled for years with stress/anxiety, depression, and most related to being a housewife: inadequacy.  I LOGICALLY know that these feelings are bunk, but feelings don't have to make sense.  And I know that logically, in order to deal with them, I need to address my actions - and create new habits.  Hence, I'm changing habits.


I'm going to be posting in the coming weeks about my commitment, in addition to other things, and I'd love to hear what kind of things that you have committed to - either now or in the past.  What things have you battled with in your commitment?  What challenges have you faced to keeping those commitments?


Cheers,
Dinnae ;)

My gluten free all purpose mix & some yum yum yummy cheddar dill biscuits

So I've been asked by more than one person on more than one occasion what "all purpose" gluten free flour I am using these days.  Since embarking on this "gluten-free journey" I'll call it, I've learned SO much about what's out there and available, what's not out there (yet), and how we can adapt our "normal" life to be more gluten free friendly, if you will.  


When I first started gluten free baking, I posted about an all purpose flour mix that I found the recipe for at glutenfreegobsmacked, and celiac.com.  Then, as my reading and researching continued, I learned more about flours, and how to use them to recreate our normal recipes, as close as I could, but using the gluten free substitutes.  The most notable source of my knowledge about how flour works in a recipe would probably have to be the posts that I've read that are part of Shauna's (from a gluten free girl) brain child, the Gluten Free Ratio Rally.  


***The Ratio Rally is a group of gluten free bloggers who have been experimenting with replacing wheat flour with gluten free flours, based on WEIGHT, not volume measures, under the premise that every good recipe is based on a solid ratio that will create a good product, no matter whether you are using wheat flour or not.  Follow the ratio, and your results are almost guaranteed.***


As said by Tara over at "a baking life:"

"Baking by ratio is not an entirely new concept, but it's been spotlighted lately by Michael Ruhlman's book Ratio. It's an enormously helpful way of understanding traditional cooking and baking, but I've noticed some hesitation about applying it to gluten-free baking. Would it even work with all our crazy flours? Would a good gluten-free ratio be adaptable to a variety of flours? Would it make gluten-free baking even more daunting to the uninitiated? 

Yes, yes, and thankfully, no. It really works. And it's easier than you think."

That said, I have yet to try out any of the GFRR recipes.  :O  I know.  Here I am saying how great it is, and I haven't tried the fruits of their labours.  Okay, so I haven't tried the recipes, but the whole WEIGHT thing is a nugget that is stuck in my head - and that is a good thing.  Kate (at gf gobsmacked) also mentioned weighing flours vs. measuring them, in fact, most gf bakers recommend it.  


This is due to the different density in the different grains.  Corn has a different density to millet, to chana, to rice, to the starches.... you get my point.  But when we're baking gluten free, we have to mix these flours, and try to get a flour that will mimic wheat as best we can.


Another thing I've learned, that while brown rice flour is the closest match to wheat in taste (yet still SO far), there are so many other flours that give amazing texture, flavour and NUTRITION to your baked goods.  So combining these flours to create a whole- and multi-grain flour gives great texture and flavour, and beats wheat flour hands down in the nutrition aspect.  (Just don't eat the batters or doughs raw... ummm, grossness.)


I don't use that multi blend mix anymore.  Ha ha.  It's funny but it's not.  This is a learning experience for me, as it is for ANY person taking on the task of learning to bake (and cook) gluten free.  I only used the multi blend mix for a couple of months... before the reading and research convinced me that I should be putting more whole grains in.  For the first couple of times that I made my own mix, it was just a hodgepodge of flours, to make up the 70% flour and 30% starch by weight.  I made it in 1 kg batches, and was using it in place of the multi blend mix. But, because as I said above, more than one person on more than one occasion has asked me for the mix I'm using now, I ACTUALLY wrote it down when I made it last weekend.  :)  Stoked.


Dinnae's all purpose multi-grain flour mix


350g brown rice flour
150g corn flour (NOT corn meal or corn starch)
100g millet flour
100g chana flour
100g tapioca starch
100g cornstarch
100g sweet rice flour
2 TB guar gum


Mix together with a whisk or seive, store in an airtight container.  Use in place of wheat flour in your recipes.


Use as is for cookies, waffles, pancakes, etc.  If making cakes, sweet breads, muffins or cupcakes, add 1/4 tsp of guar gum per cup measure of flour in the recipe.  (This addition of guar is based on the addition of guar to the Multi-blend mix - I'm just continuing that.)  I wouldn't recommend this mix for baking bread, as your ratio of flours to starches is one that needs to be more specific.




And now, my latest gluten free adaptation was a recipe that I got from the lady who actually trained me to cook for treeplanters, Kara.  Her mum was (is?) a camp cook for a summer camp, and I do believe that this recipe for Cheddar Dill Bread was originally hers.  Using the gluten free flour makes this bread very scone-y, so I'm calling them scones.  I made them in muffin-top pans, so they even look kinda like scones too.

Sorry, HORRIBLE photo, but it was taken at night.  And they're still yum!

 Cheddar Cheese Dill Scones


4 c all pupose gluten free flour blend
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 c sugar
4 tsp onion or garlic salt
1 tb dill
1 tsp dry mustard
2 1/2 c grated cheddar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/4 c milk
2 tb veggie or canola oil


1/4 c water IF NEEDED


Oven to 350°F.


In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, including cheese.  Mix well.  Add remaining ingredients, stir until just moist.  Batter/dough will be tough, but if needed, add another 1/4 c of water or milk and mix in thoroughly.  Using an ice cream scoop, scoop into greased muffin top pans.  


With wet fingers, "smoosh" down the scoop of batter/dough so that it is fairly flat in the pan, wetting fingers anew before each smoosh. (I keep a small bowl of water next to where I'm working so I don't have to keep the water running, or keep walking over to the sink.)


Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Best when eaten fresh.  ;)


Makes 40 muffin top scones.  YUM.


*** Notes: this recipe halves really well, and makes the PERFECT size batch to accompany dinner. ***




Now, I know I am going to get this question, because *I* would ask if I were you!  What kind of ice cream scoop do I use?  It is a COMMERCIAL one that I got when my mum owned a café.  You should be able to find this same kind, in varying sizes, in any commercial kitchen supply store.  They are INDISPENSABLE for muffins, cookies, etc, keeping your baked goods equal in measure, and uniform in shape too (ie with no bake/boiled cookies).  If memory serves, it was about $10 (give or take) about 15 years ago.  If you find a place to buy one, especially online, let me know!  I'd love to be able to pass the info on.  ;)

The ice cream scoop I use for scooping muffin batter and cookie dough.
I believe it is a 1 oz size.

Wordless Wednesday

Cuteness - playing with Daddy's phone

Blog Dare Post - Convincing children....

So @TheBlogDare followed me on twitter the other day.  It's a group/initiative put on by @BloggyMoms, and it's a "dare" to do a POST A DAY for the entire year.  Oi.  I struggle to get a post a month in!  LOL.  Don't know that I'll be able to manage EVERY DAY, but I guess I can just participate as the prompts stir a post in me.


Today's prompt was: "I convinced my children to..."


hee hee.  Convincing children?  Herding cats?  Correlation?  YES.  Absolutely. :D


But... funnily enough, this IS something that happened recently.


T and I are both "attachment-minded," natural-ish parents.  That doesn't mean that we are full on, 100% crunchy hippies, but we try to be as engaged as we can as parents, and are trying to change the parenting cycle from how our parents were.  We practice co-sleeping (until they want their own space, which for our kids was fairly early), baby-wearing, breastfeeding, all 3 of our boys are intact, 2 of our 3 kids have had no vaccines (and they're the healthiest out of the 3 too!), 2 of our 3 births were 100% natural (and one at home unassisted!), and we are doing our best to change what was modeled for us both, and spend more time with our kids in a way that is going to foster their development.


I want to interject here and say that most parents in the 70s and 80s, and even 90s did what they knew, and what they were modeled or taught, so not to say that my parents were bad, it's just that they didn't know the amount of info that parents today have at their disposal... can we say "internet?"  Our generation of parents is, in a general way, far more educated about the more effective ways to parent, and raise secure, confident children.  But that doesn't mean we don't love our parents anyway.  ;)


Anyway, right now, we're reading a parenting book called "Positive Discipline for Preschoolers" by Jane Nelson, Cheryl Erwin and Roslyn Ann Duffy.  There is an entire series of books in the Positive Discipline series, and in a nutshell, it's about raising children who are "responsible, respectful and resourceful."  Oh my dog.  What an amazing book.  And what a PARADIGM SHIFT for both of us.  My mum often says to me that she BEGAN to change the cycle of parenting with me and my bro, and it's my job to finish that change.  (She is SO supportive that way!)  One of my biggest battles is how much I yell.  I'm a yeller.  My mum was a yeller.  My grama was a yeller.  And I don't for a second doubt that before she had herself committed, that my great-grandma was a yeller too.  (Yes, that is part of my family history... but that's for another day.)  Frustration is a daily feeling for me.  But I'm working on it, and getting MUUUUUUCH better.  I'm not so much a yeller when dealing with the baby I'll add... somehow it's "easier" to attachment parent a baby than it is a difficult toddler, preschooler, or kindergartener. :P  


But ANYWAY.  Something in the book talked about how, even with babies, if you ask them to help you do something you are empowering them, and they will understand that, and will be more than likely to accommodate you.


Riley is teething right now.  First year molars.  YUCK.  Monday he had a low-grade fever, not enough for drugs, just warm.  By evening though, he was shaking from the fever, had puked up his dinner, and was burning up.  :/  (It was still a low fever though, not hospital-worth.)  I checked to see if it was a tooth, and nothing, so I just assumed tummy bug.  Out came the gravol and ibuprofen so that maybe he could be in less discomfort, poor bubba.  We had a rough night, up every 1.5-2 hours, and the next day, he had these two HUGE bumps on his bottom gums.  AWESOME.  (But at least it wasn't gastro!)


Anyway, when you have a grumpy, sick child, the LAST thing they want is medicine.  The first two days were fighting and messiness and stickiness and YUCK trying to get the medicine into him.  Then on Wednesday, I read the part in the book about asking even babies to "help" and empowering them.  So.... I thought, why not, let's give it a try.


"Riley, honey, can you please help mummy and take your medicine?  Mummy needs your help baby.  Will you help mummy?"


Well, string me up and call me Sally, holy crap it WORKED.  Not kidding.  He's 14 months old.  And he took his ibuprofen NO PROBLEM.


He hasn't had a lot of medicine since then, as I try not to give it to him too often, just when he's seeming really grumpy/in pain, but every time I have, since then, I've asked him to help me, and EVERY time, he has taken it with no fight.


Oh, bless you Jane Nelson et al.  BLESS YOU.


How have you managed to convince your children to do something lately?

Back at it!

Healthy living-wise, December was a rough month.

The first week was good, but then, Monday of week 2, my "aunt flo" returned after 22 months of absence. (okay, so that stretch ROCKS, but her return was still not welcome.)  First cycle after 22 months of none was HEINOUS.  I felt like I was going to die.  LOL  NOOOOO exercise that week, and holy Moses, I usually NEVER crave chocolate at my time of the month, but this go round?  WOW, NEVER have I eaten that much chocolate in a week. :/

Then, the craziness of the last week of school, and all the stuff going on, the shopping, the INSANITY... The sniffles (everyone had colds again)...

Then the week before Christmas - holy crackers - 3 littlies at home full time again.  WOW.  It'll be awhile before I actually homeschool if I ever do (that was a desire of mine, but out of necessity - my sanity - I don't yet).

Then the week between Christmas and New Year's - I got an infected lip.  Not just a little bump and sore, but I'm talking my upper lip swelled to THREE TIMES it's normal size.  (Happened as a result of some tickling/roughhousing with my boys.)  Went to the walk-in and got 'roids and abx, and finally, as of yesterday, I look normal again.  It's still a bit infected, but I still have 1 more day of 'roids and 6 days of abx, so I should be all clear.

Monday is here, and now YAY! I just did my first workout in weeks.  That felt freeeeeaaaakin' awesome!  And today my healthy eating was good (so far).  I'm excited to see what 2012 has in store for my body and my health! :)

Happy 2012 to all!

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   Happy 2012
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Coloured Rice --- soooo fun!

My tiny little pile of leftover grains of rice - this little pile made me giddy!   Look how vibrant they are!  (Except for the yellow and orange!)

At our old church in Williams Lake, there was this sensory play table with white rice and peas in it, and some animals and cups and vehicles... It was ALWAYS, WITHOUT fail, Shan's FAVOURITE place to be when he was in Sunday school.  I've wanted to have a sensory box for ages, but never got around to making it happen.  (Which is a shame, we had such an AWESOME, huge playroom in our townhouse in Williams Lake, now we are so limited space-wise!)   My brother and sister-in-law had bought the boys a Step 2 play table (with roads and train track, etc, that has a cover to make it into a great craft table) for Christmas last year.  I never set it up because we knew we were moving south, and a compact box is far easier to move than an awkward table.  I knew that I wanted to set it up so that we could have a sensory play box sit under the table when not in use, and up on the craft table when it was.  So this past summer, I bought a bag of white rice, a rubbermaid storage tote, and some bulk split peas (green and yellow), pinto beans and navy beans, to create a sensory play box for the boys.  Near the end of summer, one of the crafts the boys brought home from day camp was a picture made with coloured rice (glued, kind of like glitter).  I saw that and decided that before I would create the sensory box for them, I was going to colour the rice.  5 months later, and I finally get it done. :D  (In my defense, I only JUST got the time and space to organise the office where the table and box now live - that was my boxing day... I'll post about that later, because I am SO excited about that room!)


Last night I googled "how to dye rice," and came up with a bunch of results.  They were all similar: food colouring, liquid, and either a bag or a bowl.  I tried two different methods (out of necessity, due to my different food colourings), and I thought I'd share what worked for me and what didn't.


Food colouring
Options I saw were Koolaid (would smell yummy, but you would HAVE to use the mix that does NOT have the sugar in it), normal liquid food colouring (from the supermarket), gel food colouring, water colour paint.  Try and get the gel icing colouring from Michael's or JoAnn, or some other craft store (they usually do NOT sell them in the supermarket - I've tried looking).  I used regular food colouring for yellow and orange (blended yellow and red together), and to say it nicely, the colours just don't pop.  Bluntly?  They're DRAB.  Very light.  So drab that in the mix in the tote, they both look almost like there is no colour to them.  In the gel colouring (I have Wilton brand), I used black, green, blue and red, and the colours are SO VIBRANT!  I did not try Koolaid or water colour paint.  From what I saw online, the Koolaid does not dye very bright (kind of pastel-y), and I guess the water colour or tempera paint would be ok too?


Liquid
Options I found were rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, and water.  I did not try the vinegar.  The theory with using alcohol would be that it would dry very fast.  One would think.  WRONG.  The 3 that I did with straight alcohol took FOREVER to dry, and I had to spread them out on papertowels to dry.  The one that I did a mix of (not on purpose), dried ok, but the straight water dried SO FAST.  I didn't even have to dump it out.  I just mixed it every 10 minutes, and it prevented it from getting too hard.  My theory about that is that the water didn't need to evaporate, it was just absorbed by the rice.  But it was such a small amount, that it didn't affect the rice.  (1/4 cup to 6 cups rice.)  ***NOTE*** Alcohol does NOT work with gel food colouring.  I found that out the hard way.  For whatever reason, it made the gel solidify into this hard, almost wax crayon/oil pastel like substance. O_o  If you decide to go the alcohol route (which will make you cough, believe me), use NORMAL food colouring.


Method of mixing
I saw it done in a quart canning jar, ziploc bags, and bowls.  I used bowls with a wooden spoon, and it did the trick.  More space than a quart jar (I did huge batches), and less wasteful than baggies.  It was also very gratifying to mix and watch the colours change, rather than just shake the crap out of it.  PLUS, I didn't need to dump it out to dry it, I just kept stirring every 10 minutes (with the water ones).


So, without further ado, here's MY recipe. :D

7 colours of rice, yellow and green split peas, navy and pinto beans = fun fun fun!

How to dye rice


What you need:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp gel food colouring (or more if wanted)
• large bowl
• wooden spoon
• 6 cups white rice
• a few drops of essential oil (optional)

Pour your water into a small bowl, or even a half cup measure.  Put your gel food colouring in the water, and mix it in well to dilute it.  This is where you are going to decide how dark/vibrant your colour will be.  Continue to add more colour if desired.  Just remember that once you add the rice, with gel colouring you can't really add more, as it wouldn't spread well.  You COULD use normal food colouring to get more colour if you wanted it, but you're better off adding another 1/4-1/2 tsp gel food colouring at this point.  (Note: I used the back of my spoon to make it dilute faster, next time I might use a hand blender to get all the gel pieces pulverised.)  Pour your colour mix into your large bowl.  This is the point you would add the essential oil if you wanted to make it smell good.  Lavender and sweet orange would be really nice, and both are good for kids.


Measure 6 cups of rice into your bowl.  Mix with your wooden spoon.  Mix WELL.  Make sure you have no unused colour mix in the bottom of your bowl, and that your rice is fairly evenly coloured. You will hear the rice start to snap and pop (like Rice Krispies!) when it starts to dry, that is normal.  Just keep stirring it every 5-10 minutes to prevent it from forming into a rock.  That said, I DID forget, and came back - I was able to break apart the "rock" with my hands, no biggie.  It was actually kind of fun.  :D

From top left (clockwise): red - using alcohol and water combined/gel and regular food colouring,
orange - using alcohol and regular food colouring,
purple - water and gel food colouring,
black - water and alcohol and gel food colouring,
blue - water and gel food colouring,
green - water and gel food colouring,
middle: yellow - alcohol and regular food colouring.
The colours look so much more vibrant in this pic because I used the Camera+ app to take it, and the "vibrant" filter - the yellow and orange especially do NOT look that vibrant in real life - the others aren't too different.

I made seven colours: yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, green and black.  I kept aside 2 cups of each colour  to use in crafts, and together with the boys, I put the other 4 cups of each into the sensory box/bin/tote (whatever! LOL).  In our box, we also put 4 cups each of the other bulk items I bought (yellow and green split peas, pinto and navy beans).  They had so much fun measuring each colour/item out, that the process of "building" our sensory box was in and of itself a fantastic activity.  The had a BLAST burying my arms and hands (and each other's!) in the colourful mix.  And it felt SO cool. :)

Burying mummy's arms in rice and beans

Do YOU have a sensory play box for your child(ren)?  What do you put in it?  Do you change it up?

GF meatballs

Still on my quest to make easy, yummy meals that my two picky older boys will eat, that are gluten free for the man, and NOW, I have my NEW item to check off: relatively healthy so that I can eat more than a bird's portion. :P

I made some hamburger rolls last night, like sausage rolls, except using ground beef and phyllo pastry instead of sausage meat and puff pastry.  They weren't bad, and although high-ish on the calorie side (450 for 2), I used extra lean meat, and phyllo, so the fat was fairly low. :)  BUT, I did learn that having them directly on the cookie sheet results in greasy phyllo.

Today, after a MAMMOTH amount of exercise (2 hours of wearing my 25lb baby walking around the mall and dancing him to sleep in the passport office and 20 minutes of one of my new FIRM Express DVDs), I CRAVED carbohydrates.  Chippies!  Haven't had chippies in awhile, and they're not too bad. (Baked!)  What can I make that goes with chippies?  Well, I forgot to take meat out, and we have about 20 kg of ground beef left in our freezer.... so, yeah, what can I make with ground beef?  The man was stoked about chippies, and suggested "what about mini meatballs?"

So, using some Victorian Epicure Seasoning for Meatloaf, and Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats, I made me my first meatballs.  Ever.  I've never made them before, really.  :D

Dinnae's Gluten Free Meatballs

1 kg extra lean ground beef
3 large free range eggs
1 cup gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp Victorian Epicure Seasoning for Meatloaf
2 tsp seasoning salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
If you're able to, put a wire rack over a cookie sheet, so that you can place your meatballs on it, so the fat and juices can drip into the cookie sheet, keeping your meatballs as healthy as possible.
Shape your meatballs in roughly 2-3tsp portions, and place on wire rack.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven, thickness of meatballs, etc.  To check for doneness, cut one of your centre meatballs in half. 

Makes 50 meatballs.

Nutritional information (based on the sum of the ingredients):
Per 8 meatballs
256 calories;  9g fat;  11g carbs;  2g fibre;  31g protein


I served them with homemade GF beef gravy (leftover from roast night last Friday - thickened with potato starch instead of wheat flour), and of course, those carbs, shoestring chippies, and raw veggies and low fat dip.  YUM!  And surprise surprise, my boys inhaled them.  Score!

Reality check

I'm expecting my FIRM Express DVDs to arrive this week, so I thought this weekend would be a good time to take my "before" pics.  Today I got dressed in a sports bra and workout capris, and got dh to take a front, side, and back view of me.

What a reality check. :(

I KNOW that I'm big.  I KNOW that I have more rolls than I ever have.  And I KNOW that I'm actually clinically obese.  (Wii Fit tells me that every time I do my body test. :P )  But to see that picture... that person is ME???  It's humbling.

Today (well, technically yesterday, as it is currently 12.30am Tuesday) is Thanksgiving day here in Canada.  We went to a couple-from-church's house for dinner, and I was very careful with what I ate.  I STILL went 500 calories over for the day, because I allowed myself a butter tart, but I had had a good week DESPITE a trip to Red Robin when one of my BFFs came to town. (ACK! Mesa chicken salad is YUM, and healthy-ish, but 1000 calories!!!)  I felt ok after dinner, not over-stuffed like I usually am at the holidays.

***Note: I'd like to say here that since I am a breastfeeding mama, my daily calorie goal of 1900 might be a bit low anyway, so I'm not HUGELY concerned if I'm 100-200 calories over -- I *DO* weigh 200 lbs.  I read somewhere that in order to maintain your weight with a sedentary lifestyle, your weight in lbs x 10 is how many calories you need.  Add in breastfeeding (200-500 MORE per day), and light activity, 1900 is a pretty low amount. (but still within safe levels for milk supply.)***

Which is good.  VERY GOOD.  Because here I am uploading before pics to my profile on the FIRM Believers Club, and I'm feeling horrendous and disgusting right now.  I'm disgusted with myself mostly that I've allowed myself to get to this point.

Tomorrow I will take my measurements, and I'm sure that will be another reality check too.  The myfitnesspal.com app allows you to custom-pick which measurements you want to track, so I will be putting in the ones from the FIRM's Goal Setting article... and checking those once a month.  Realistically, knowing my history with working out and losing weight, I won't see the scale move as much as I will see those numbers on the measuring tape move, so I need to get those recorded before I start my FIRM Express DVDs.

NO MORE EXCUSES....

Emotional eating

I've always known that I eat when I'm bored. I've ALWAYS done it, I'm a late-night snacker, and I have a HORRENDOUS sweet tooth. (I am very into holistic nutrition, and I have NO DOUBT that I have some bad yeastie-beasties in my gut. :/ )


And, I've SUSPECTED I was an emotional eater, but really haven't taken a close look at when I eat, besides the time of day.


Last week I had a *ROUGH* one. My little one is teething and growing, so his immune system is down, and he caught a cold. Stuffed up babies don't sleep so well. Meaning? Mummies don't sleep so well either. Daddy ended up on the couch for 2 of the nights this week, and me and Ri ended up getting not enough sleep. When I'm tired, I'm grumpy, I'm cranky, I truly am a bear. And I can be mean. It makes me sad and depressed, I feel guilty, and guess what? I eat. :(


As you may know, I have been experimenting a lot with baking bread and snacks for the man. Store-bought bread and snacks that are gluten free are heinously expensive, and usually taste like a$$. We spent $8 on a box of 5 nutri-grain-type bars 6 months ago, and we each took ONE BITE and threw the whole rest of the bar and box in the rubbish - they were THAT BAD. O_o But I digress. 


I had bought a package mix (very unlike me, I'm a from-scratch kinda girl) of brownie mix, by Bob's Red Mill, to bake for him. The brownie on its own is actually very benign, but of course, chocoholic that I am, I HAVE to make the topping. Did you know that sweetened condensed milk is ALSO actually quite benign on its own in moderation? But that chocolate chips are, like, 3/4 FAT???!??!!! Anyway, I had these grand intentions of having one a day, to allow myself something sweet (so I don't binge)... but because of the rough days, I OF COURSE ended up having MORE than one each day. And EACH TIME I had more than one, the 2nd went down the hatch RIGHT AFTER having a blow up at my kids. :(


I bought myself some carrots and some other veggies to snack on, but when I'm sad/depressed/bummed, it's not the actual ACT of eating that consoles me - it's the sugar. It is my only vice. And when I'm down, I need a "hit." (LOL!) I have to deal with my sugar addiction, but... baby steps. In the meantime, I need to think of achievable ways that I can circumvent my cravings, by maybe tricking my body into thinking that I'm having some crazy rich awesomeness. I have thought about buying a flat of coke zero too, but not for an always thing, just for those days of craziness: a coke zero is MUCH better than 640 cal and 14g of fat in brownie.... O_o


Do YOU have a bad sweet tooth? How do you, besides cold turkey, ;) deal with it without going into DETOX? Are you an emotional eater? 

Corn bread and a Kitchen Aid...

So, yesterday, whilst making GF bread for the man, I killed not one, but TWO el cheapo hand mixers.  Yes, that's right.  KILLED 'EM.  (Only one of them was brand new though, and that one I was able to salvage to give away, but the other one?  Had to actually throw it out, it had dough in the MOTOR. O_o)

Covered in dough, LITERALLY from head to toe, I sent the man some pics and attached a message: "if you want to continue eating GF bread, you head on over to Costco and get the KitchenAid mixer that is on sale."

:D

Regular $379, down to $289.  The 575watt motor... hubba hubba.  This Empire Red mixin' machine is HUGE, and oh does it ever work well!

My Empire Red Kitchen Aid 575W Stand Mixer

BTW, the bread I made yesterday turned out okay (millet bread), but I don't know if it fell hugely because of the mixer debacle or what....

So, today, of COURSE I gotta give it a go.  I decided to try this recipe I've used but make some substitutions, and WHOA MAMA... it is SO good!

Corn bread - YUM!

Corn Bread

2 1/2 c corn flour

1/2 c cornstarch

1/2 c tapioca starch

1 tbsp guar gum

2/3 c dry milk powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/2 c warm water

1/4 c melted butter

1 c warm water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (although any vinegar would probably work)

3 eggs (preferably at room temperature, or close to)

Combine the corn flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, guar gum, dry milk powder and salt in a mixing bowl.  Mix well.

In a small bowl, combine your sugar, yeast and first lot of warm water - stir to dissolve and let sit in a warm spot for 10 min or so until it gets all bubbly.

In another bowl, combine your butter, the second lot of warm water, and the vinegar.  Add wet to dry, and then add the eggs, 1 at a time while mixing.  Once thoroughly combined, add the yeast mix.  Beat for 2 minutes on high (or about 3 or 4 on a KitchenAid ;) ).

Cover with plastic wrap (I spray with cooking spray first) and a towel, and let rise until doubled (your time will vary).

After the first rise, beat again for 3 minutes (high).

Grease a large loaf pan, and fill the pan about 2/3 high.  Any extra dough, bake in muffin tins.

Put on a cookie sheet (in case of bubble-over) in your oven with the light on, and let rise until just over the top of the pan.  (again, your time will vary, it took mine about 45 min or so.)

Once finished rising, turn your oven to 350 degrees F (do NOT take it out of the oven), and bake it for 30 - 40 minutes.  After the first 10 minutes of baking, cover your loaf with foil, so the top doesn't get burnt.

*** This bread is VERY batter-y, almost cake-like.  Do NOT be alarmed, it rises beautifully, and tastes SCRUMPTIOUS! ***

For those of you NEW to GF (gluten free) baking, corn flour is NOT corn meal, nor is it corn starch.  I get mine at Save-on Foods in the bulk section, for those of you in BC and Alberta. ;)

Why SEEING breastfeeding is important: My personal challenge to you

*** NOTE: ***

This entire post was written and composed by Emma Kwasnica.  Unfortunately, this amazing, talented chica isn't blogging *yet,* so I'm posting it here to help get it out there... It was originally posted as a note on Faceboob that you can see here: http://www.facebook.com/notes/emma-kwasnica/why-seeing-breastfeeding-is-important-my-personal-challenge-to-you/436431689914

* If you wish to re-post this, please do! (But please remember to credit Emma!!)

* If you wish to TWEET THIS, FB SHARE THIS, please, please do!!!

And I sincerely hope you enjoy what this passionate woman has to say. :)

Why SEEING breastfeeding is important: My personal challenge to you

I'd just like to talk a bit about the bigger picture here for a moment, in that by Facebook taking this stance against breastfeeding images, and by creating such arbitrary obscenity guidelines as "no exposed areola or nipple may be shown" (I have seen many, many women whose areola covers up to a third or more of their entire breast - a baby's mouth could never come close to "covering" it all!), it is stigmatizing breastfeeding women, and shaming women into thinking that their breasts are much, much less than the amazing life-giving source they are. Nipplephobia has reached epic proportions here in North America, and this is to the supreme detriment of babies everywhere.

Just think for one moment, how many more women would breastfeed, or for how much longer, if only we rid society of the harmful practice of over-sexualizing women's breasts! And how much this, in turn, could benefit the BABIES. For whose voice do the most vulnerable members of society have, if not ours? Interestingly, we find cultures around the world where women's breasts are seen *only* in their functioning capacity, i.e., that of nourishing and comforting their young. I believe that we can get there, too (or at least try to find some balance), but we have to start somewhere, and I truly feel that there is never any harm to come from challenging the status quo (you're not surprised, I know ;-) ).

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: as a childbirth professional, but also as a woman, in general, it is absolutely crucial that one support ALL women to breastfeed their young. While you, personally, may have your own code of "decency" for how much skin YOU are comfortable showing while breastfeeding, it is important that you do not impose your own, completely arbitrary line drawn in the sand regarding "modesty" or "discreetness", onto any other breastfeeding mother. Period. Just like a woman who wants to cover up should be supported (and generally IS in our society....), we need to support those women who struggle --or those women who do not want, or care-- to cover their baby and their breast, and make life simpler for these women to, first and foremost, feed and comfort the baby!

Quite simply, this is about normalizing breastfeeding. The more we hide it away, classify it as obscene, shame mothers into covering up while feeding, and encourage women to retire to "private" rooms in order to breastfeed the baby, the less we see of it in public, and the less and less people are comfortable with the very idea of nursing in public. This is the sad reality of this pathologically hyper-sexualized (yet sexually repressed...) North American culture of ours. The solution, however, seems quite simple to me; breastfeeding (and/or images of breastfeeding) need to be seen every day, and I am convinced that SEEING more breastfeeding, wherever possible, is what will change our breastfeeding culture. Re-normalize it. Everywhere in North America (in all provinces in Canada, and in every state in the USA but two) women have the right to breastfeed in public, wherever they have the legal right to be. So women should do it. And they should feel completely free to do it. Lots of it. As much as possible.

If you want to be a part of the solution, here is one, simple thing you can do, each and every time you see a mother breastfeeding her baby in public : yes, give her a great, big smile, but don't stop there --go right *up* to her, and tell her what a wonderful thing she is doing for her child. I guarantee you, that if we all did even this simple gesture every time we saw a woman nursing in public, the tides would begin to turn.

I would also like to suggest in your daily life (outside the 'net), that you get out there and nurse your children in public. And do so with a huge smile across your face. Pretty hard for onlookers to say, feel, or do something negative in the face of a beaming, breastfeeding mother --n'est-ce pas?

Breastfeeding is normal. Normal. NORMAL. Say it, do it, show it.

Will you start by doing these simple acts right today? Indeed, I challenge you.

Warm regards,
~Emma Kwasnica


 
Emma Kwasnica & her family at the 2008 Montréal Breastfeeding Challenge. This photo and article were published in Le Journal de Montréal, a major daily francophone newspaper. If a North American city of 2.5 million can handle this in their daily paper, why can't Facebook? (oh, and before you pass inane judgment, and tell me these kids are "too old to nurse", please read this and get educated/get your head out of the gutter :http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html)


 
2010 Breastfeeding Challenge - notice the 11-month-old Would. Not. Latch. Not for the world. TOO DISTRACTED.

 
Mama love ~ nursing Sophie is such a joy

 
March, 2006 -- HOORAY FOR TODDLER NURSING (. Y .) (. Y .) (. Y .) Bitter sweet. My girlfriends and I and our three nurslings, just prior to our sudden and UNEXPECTED departure from Toulouse back to Canada (due to a stoopid competition clause kerfuffle with Seb's work at IBM). Christel, Christelle, and I found one another through our local LLL group. Our babies are around the same age and grew up around one another from 12mo through to 2.5yo (when we left Toulouse). There is nothing like finding yourself a like-minded "tribe" of mama friends who totally "get" one another. I will forever cherish being in the company of these two women and their babies, as I muddled my *own* way through, slowly but surely developing into the fierce mother I am today. Love you, girls ! xx

 
Montréal Breastfeeding Challenge 2009 "in the park". Torrential downpour for the event, but that didn't stop us "hardcore breastfeeders" from going ahead with our plans. I am 42 weeks pregnant with Chloë *to the day* in this photo; Sophie (2.5 y/o) nursing on cue for the official latch-on at 11am. Labour had, indeed, begun just a few hours prior to this moment, but I literally psyched myself out, and contractions petered right out at around 3am, because there was no way I could miss the Breastfeeding Challenge in front of my own house in the morning ! (Photo courtesy of Rowan Smith) http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Breastfeeding%20event%20zapped%20H1N1%20fears/2056459/story.html

 
This photo was deleted by the "powers that be" of Facebook on Friday, July 16th. I've just re-uploaded it now. I do wonder if it is precisely BECAUSE my breasts are not being used to titillate men in this photo that it was found to be so offensive, offensive enough to be deleted. I mean, here is this nice-looking woman, hair done, wearing a somewhat dressy, funky, black top... looks like she could be heading out for a night on the town, right ? And instead of seeing her breasts all smooshed up into a push-up bra and a large line of cleavage displayed for all the hot-blooded men to ogle, we see a baby suckling at her breast. Could utter RAGE be the response on the part of (some) men looking at this photo ? On the part of the button-pushers behind their screens at Facebook, those who are deleting the photos, those who are responsible for insuring Facebook remains pure from all this sort of "filth" ? As ludicrous as this might seem, could they be feeling denied by the space occupied by this tiny infant EATING at my breast ? Disgusted by it ? I am devastated that our culture has done this to us, given us this mental disorder. But it has a name (Nipplephobia), and there is hope out there for people with it (therapy). Nipplephobia *can* be overcome; a large part of the therapy includes seeing more and more women breastfeeding their children, seeing more and more breasts EVERYWHERE, being bombarded by the image of breasts being used in their biological context --that of nourishing a child. I highly recommend you try it. It's also why I post the dozens and dozens of breastfeeding photos that I do, here on Facebook. Look at them. Over and over again. Please. It will do a world of good... 
********************************** Facebook warning Hello, You uploaded a photo that violates our Terms of Use, and this photo has been removed. Facebook does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children who use the site. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page at http://www.facebook.com/help/?topic=wphotos. The Facebook Team








 
October 2010 -- The crazy-eyed lactivist strikes again. (I just put this sign up on my fridge, at home)


 
Nursing Sophie ~ 3 years, 11 months old

Adopt a gluten free blogger - Gluten Free Gobsmacked

Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger Web Event

And the GF adventures continue... 


Through my mad surfing, and my insatiable thirst for all info gluten free, I of course stumbled upon a NUMBER of blogs.  The first?  Kate Chan's blog over at Gluten Free Gobsmacked.  I love her style of writing, her passion for ingredients, that she's a mama like me, and the fact that she is a seasoned GF chica.  She was diagnosed with celiac THREE WEEKS before her wedding (poor chick!) and she and "her love" have been experimenting and living gluten free ever since.  Her DH is of Asian descent, so in that aspect, she kinda has it easy - so so many GF flours are regular, normal, everyday flours in the Asian menu.  At least *HE* knew what he was looking for! ;)  That said, I spend a LOT of time in the Asian section in our local Save-On Foods and Great Canadian Superstore... 


Anyway, back to Kate.  She's very adventurous with her baking, and she's part of this wicked awesome thing called Ratio Rally - wherein a group of GF bakers are committed to using weight ratios for their baking rather than standard cup measures... and lo and behold, some amazing creations are coming out of it!  They just did the most recent of Ratio Rallies, Cakes, on the 3rd... Can't wait to dig in to that one!  Oh, and another reason why I love her writing?  She has a sweet tooth like me!  Oh be still my heart!  One of her recipes that I'm *DYING* to try is for .... wait for it.... OREOS!  If you know me, then you know that I loooooooove Oreos.  If you don't, well, just get this - I have been known to polish off a whole bag of Double Stufs ON. MY. OWN.  Anyway, I was going to try baking them this week, but necessity won over craving - the man needs bread for lunch.  And it's just been one of those weeks that nothing else was gonna get baked this week.  Pooh!  Although... it seems that summer has finally arrived in Greater Vancouver - YES!  Hence why we've been so busy this week - lots of time spent at the beautiful parks in the City of Surrey.


So, why am I telling you about Kate?  Well, I signed up for this Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger Web Event.  Basically you "adopt" a GF blogger, do one of their recipes, photograph it and post about it.  So... here it is!


As I said, the man needed bread for lunch.  So I did a recipe of Kate's called Sorghum Flax Bread that actually has 3 different ways to make it.  I have, in my bread baking over the last 3 weeks, made it all 3 ways.  You can find her recipe HERE.


So I gotta tell you a bit about my adventures with this bread.  These pics are made the standard way with the recipe (eggs NOT separated, and WITH a sponge).  To be perfectly honest, I didn't notice a difference in taste or look between the 3 ways.  BUT.  With a sponge and with eggs separated was the only way my dough didn't bubble up and over into my oven during the rise.  (That was effort #2, NOT these pics.)  Not quite sure WHAT I did... except that MAYBE with the sponge this time last time I didn't let it settle enough?  I think that is *most likely* the cause of the bubbling dough debacle.  Well, at least my oven wasn't *ON.*  


***No smoke alarms or fire alarms were tripped in the baking of this bread.***  ;)

My "sponge" activating

My dough, all nicely patted down into my pan.

My dough, not so nicely patted down into my pan... 

oh, but rising! LOL!

Make lemonade out of lemons?  

How about buns out of bubbling over bread dough?

End result? Some darn good-lookin' bread and buns.

And a yummy chicken BLT... not bad!

And the verdict?  Well, good enough that the man is happy with it for his sandwiches for lunch... and I enjoyed a slice with hummus this evening... Aw yum!  


All yumminess aside, serious verdict is that this wholegrain bread has some good chew (not crumbly! yay!), a fantastic texture, and a little bit of a sweet undertone.  I may mix it up a bit by making it a bit savoury next time - dropping some of the sugar, and upping the salt and maybe some spices in there.  The texture is awesome, and I think it'd make a GREAT cheesy scone-type bun.


Go check out the rest of the posts for this AaGFB event, you'll find them in the comments section of the post. :)


Happy bread making!