Geek Food: Pumpkin Pasties

Welcome to the November 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Feeding Your Family
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared recipes, stories, and advice about food and eating. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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The long and short of things. Our family loves food. And we are pretty much geeks. So, it isn't a far leap to turning our love of cooking in to recreating food from our favorite stories and books. Being fall, of course I need to share Pumpkin Pasties.

Meal Plan Monday: June 10th, 2013

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken
BLTAs
Black Bean Tacos
Quinoa Pasta Salad
Black Beans and Cilantro Lime Rice
Mediterranean Zucchini and White Beans
Stir Fry with Tofu

Spice Up That Pumpkin!

Welcome to the Festival of Food Carnival. In celebration of autumn and Halloween, we're sharing recipe ideas for healthy treats, or anything you would enjoy this time of year. Hosted by Diary of a First Child and Hybrid Rasta Mama, you're welcome to join us next time, or if you have a previously published recipe you'd like to share, add it to the linky below.


That time of year has come again. Crisp air. Gorgeous leaf colors. Pumpkin EVERYTHING. Seriously. I love pumpkin. Lattes, scones, muffins, breads, doughnuts, chai... Oh so many sweet, sweet treats to indulge my love of pumpkin. Boy was I excited to come across this tasty dish. I tweeked it a bit, and tried a few things (including leaving out the mango nectar. Don't do that.) and now it is a perfect gluten and dairy free dinner for those blustery nights. You can even leave out the chicken for a vegan option that is every bit as good.


Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
6 chicken breasts - cubed
3 garlic cloves - minced
1 tbsp ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2-4 stalks celery - diced
2-4 carrots - diced
2c pumpkin
1/2c peanut butter
6c stock
1/2c mango nectar
1/2c lime juice
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2c cilantro - divided
1 can of coconut milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
2-4c rice
3 green onions - minced
1/2c peanuts - chopped

Cook chicken, garlic, ginger, and red pepper in skillet. Transfer to crock pot, add celery, carrot, pumpkin, peanut butter, stock, mango nectar, lime juice, rice vinegar, and 1/4c cilantro on HIGH. In separate bowl, combine cornstarch and coconut cream, add to soup and simmer on high until thickened. When ready to eat, ladle around rice, top with cilantro and peanuts.Please take a moment to visit the blogs of our other Festival of Food participants. The links in this list will be live by the end of the day, as participants are all in different time zones.

• Jessica from Delicious Obsessions shares her recipe for Lemon Coconut Blueberry Macadamia Nut Muffins, a low-carb, low-sugar treat that won't leave you feeling guilty. You can also find Jessica on Facebook.
• Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares a recipe for Unsweetened Cinnamon Applesauce in the slow cooker, a yummy treat that also makes the house smell amazing. You can also find Abbie on Facebook.
• Lulastic of Lulastic and the Hippy Shake shares a story of urban foraging, and the delicious recipe for the Fruit Leathers she made with the harvest! You can also find Lulastic on Facebook.
• Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares a super easy, fix it and forget about it Crock Pot Pumpkin Custard that tastes like warm pumpkin pie filling without the sugar and grains! You can also find Jennifer on Facebook.
• Bianca at the Pierogie Mama justifies why she guards her homemade applesauce from 'unauthorized' uses.  You can also find Bianca on Facebook.
• Jennifer from True Confessions of a Real Mommy helps you take your love of all things pumpkin to the dinner table! A gluten free, dairy free, and vegan if you like Thai Pumpkin Soup to warm you up! You can also find Jennifer on Facebook.
• Crackerdog Sam guest posts at Hobo Mama with a slightly sweet, stove-popped Cracker Jack alternative. You can also find Hobo Mama talking about Crackerdog Sam on Facebook.
• Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares her foundation recipe for 'milkshakes' - coloured green smoothies - that her toddler loves to have with 'chocolate' date balls and banana 'ice cream'. You can also fine Luschka on Facebook.
• Amy at Anktangle shares a wholesome version of a decadent treat: Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars. They have a classic, no-bake cookie flavor while being gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan. Nut-free substitutions included! You can also find Amy on Facebook.

Stay connected! Be sure to "Like" the 

Festival of Food Carnival Facebook page.

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Strawberry Preserves!

LOOK! I made strawberry jam syrup all by myself!

This was only my 3rd attempt at canning, second making jam, and first by myself. It tastes delicious, but just hasn't set right. I am reading that strawberries are particularly temperamental, and I goofed a bit on when to add the sugar and pectin, so I don't feel too bad about it.  

Do you have any tips to share? Recipes that call for strawberry syrup? I'm all ears!

Eat Cookies, Boost Supply

Sometimes milk supply could use a boost. When L3 started teething, she was consuming more and I was pumping less. I figured a little treat couldn't hurt!

I adapted my recipe from That Mama Gretchen


1 C butter (or substitute)
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar, packed

1 T fenugreek
4 T brewed fenugreek tea
2 T flaxseed meal (I had flaxseeds and ground them in my coffee grinder)
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 C Gluten Free all-purpose flour (I use Jules)
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
4 C oats
1 C dried cranberries
1/2 C chopped/sliced almonds
4 T brewer's yeast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brew fenugreek in 8 oz of hot water until grains are soft.
Mix flaxseed and 4 T fenugreek tea and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Drink the rest, reserve the grains!
Beat butter and sugars.
Add eggs and mix well.
Add flaxseed mix, fenugreek grains and vanilla, mix.
Add flour, brewer's yeast, baking soda, and salt.
Mix in oats, cranberries and nuts.
Round off a large tablespoon of dough and place on cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Farmer's Markets are for Kids Too!

This was originally posted last year for Natural Parents Network. Thought it was time for another go around, with Market Season getting underway!




We love food. We like to talk with other people who like food. My boys are learning this as well. Where do they learn about food, and how it gets from farm to table? The farmer's market.

Before we even get to the parking spot, there is talk about what items we need for our grocery list, what we are hoping to find, and the required reminders about limits: hold a hand, use walking feet, ask before touching anything.

They each get some money to spend. We supplement their amount, since they aren't aware of the value of money yet, they see it as a trade. When they have used their money, they are done. Right now that means one trade. Later, it will mean learning about money value and the math involved.

When making their "deal" they ask about the food. L1's favorite right now is bread. He asks for bread based on the meal he wants it with. "I want toast," "For spaghetti," or "I eat it now." The baker we visit makes the suggestion and tells them what is in it. L2's favorite thing is fruit. And right now, berries. I swear he has one particular market gal bewitched. He is just sooo darn cute, and she loves such a little boy asking for "boo berry," "tawberry" or just "THAT ONE!" and she is always good at addressing him and listening.

I love that my children are gaining this opportunity to start talking about their food this way. I am glad to have a place to teach them about product value (and soon, about money). To learn courtesy and conversation skills. To have a place where more often than not the people treat my children as "real people" whose needs and wants are just as valid as the next customer.

I also love the FOOD we get! And the lovely recipes that come from our pickings.



Filling
1/2 c raspberries
1/2 c blueberries
2 peaches, cut into chunks
2tsp nutmeg
2tbsp cinnamon
2c sugar
2c water
5tbsp cornstarch

Crumble
2c Jules Gluten Free or other all-purpose flour
1/2c shortening or unsalted butter
1/2c sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1/8tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 c milk or milk substitute (might vary, use enough until it just holds together)


Cook peaches and berries over medium high heat to start juice release. Add water and sugar, bring to boil. Let boil about 4 minutes.

In separate cup use equal parts cornstarch and water to create slurry. Add to fruit and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour into casserole dish and place in fridge to cool.

In mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cube butter, add a couple at a time while mixing at low speed. Slowly drizzle milk until crumbs form. Chill in fridge.

When chilled, sprinkle crumbs over fruit mixture and bake at 425 until browned, about 10 minutes.

To see what deliciousness we had for dinner before this lovely desert, head on over to True Confessions of a Real Mommy.

For the Love of Farmer's Markets

Who doesn't love the farmer's market? So many things to see, smell, taste, hear, touch. Yes, every sense can benefit from a trip to the farmer's market. Even your sense of adventure and well-being can be boosted! Especially when you have to worry about every little thing in your food. In our home we have to avoid gluten and soy. Two tricky ingredients that seem to hid out in any packaged food your might come across. So, picking fresh items is always the easiest choice. Besides, our family is lucky to live in the pacific northwest, an area with very diverse food options available (at the right time of year!). Every area has it's own environment and food options, I encourage you to seek them out!

The easiest way to do this is to find out which stands that are actually run by the families that sell the product. When the baker can tell me every ingredient that went into that cookie. The beekeeper can describe the plants his bees frequent. The butcher can tell me the temperament of his animals. Why is this important? I don't need to know these things to gain nourishment from these items. I like to know because it reinserts me into the food cycle. Just because I am not able to cultivate enough food to feed our family (I am happy with growing our own pumpkins) does not mean I am not responsible for how they get to my table. Sourcing foods grown locally, sustainably, and organically creates the market for those items. Thus, making it easier in the future to have better access to them!

Rarely do we go to the market with specific items in mind. (Well, the adults don't. My kids know exactly what items they would like to keep an eye out for.) We love to just wander and see what is new, fresh, and exciting. On this particular overcast Sunday, it was the shellfish that caught our eyes. Plump shrimp, buttery looking scallops, and some solid looking clams. When paired with local wine and served over gluten free pasta, you start to wonder why you would ever look farther than your own "backyard" for amazing food.

2tbsp unsalted butter or substitute (coconut oil is good!)

2tbsp shallot

2 stems scallions

1tbsp garlic

2 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

about 1/2lbs scallops 

1oz lemon juice

1-2 c white wine (We used a 2008 Silverlake Sauvignon Blanc)

1lb clams

1lb shrimp (precooked, I hate overcooked shrimp)

Using Medium High heat, melt butter/substitute in pan. Add shallots, green onions, garlic, and bay leaves. Sweat until translucent. Salt and Pepper scallops, add to pan; brown tops and bottoms. Deglaze pan with lemon juice, reduce to half. Add wine (don't cover seafood) and bring to boil. Add clams. When shells open, add shrimp. Salt and pepper to taste. If sauce is a little too acidic to your tastes, you can smooth it out by adding a little more butter, until you like it! Serve on bed of pasta. 

Awesome, right? You should see what my kids picked out and was turned into desert. Just a hint: peaches, blueberries, and raspberries...

Meal Plan!

So, since the nicer weather is FINALLY deciding to peek out in our wet little corner of the Pacific Northwest, we don't really have a lesson plan. Just a "get the heck out of the house and go soak up some vitamin D" plan. So, I thought I would share my meal plan with you. Enjoy, and let me know if you need a recipe!

Sausage Dogs and Homemade mac'n'cheese

Chicken, Cheesy Potatoes, Broccoli

Quesadillas with homemade black beans

Spaghetti and Salad

Pork Loin, mashed potatoes, asparagus

Baked Ziti 

Mini Pizza

Fricase de Pollo con Papas

4 Chicken Thighs 

about a cup or how ever many you want bite size potatoe pieces

1/2 - 1 onion diced

1/4 - 1/2 green bell pepper diced

3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced

Can of tomato sauce

about 1/2 cup white cooking wine

olive oil

Sautee the onion, bell pepper and garlic for a few minutes until it's translucent. Add the thighs and brown them on all sides. Add the tomato sauce, cooking wine and enough water to cover the chicken. Stir and cover and simmer for about an hour. Stir every few minutes and let it thicken up and the chicken is ready when it starts to fall off the bone. Add the potatoes for the last 20 minutes or so. Not too early so that they don't fall apart. Serve over rice with the sauce. All the measurements are approximate. I always just eyeball it so feel free to put how ever much of the tomato sauce and cooking wine you want. It's really easy. It always comes out tasty. The longer it cooks the better it tastes.

Roasted chicken with cranberry sauce

Black Bean, corn and Yellow rice Enchiladas Gluten/Soy/Dairy Free

Olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, 1 smashed and 2 finely chopped

2tbsp ancho chili powder

2c dry red wine

1 can tomato puree (28oz)

2tbsp honey

3c water

salt

1c rice

1 tsp ground cumin

2tsp ground tumeric

8 corn tortillas

2c black beans, cooked (or 1 15.5oz can)

1c corn kernals

2 ripe avocados

juice from 1 lime

4tbsp fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and finely chopped garlic and cook until softened, about 5 min. Add the tomato puree, honey wine and 1c water, cook for 15 min. Season with about 2tsp salt.

In a meduim sauceoan with a tight-fitting lid, combine the smashed garlic, rice, cumin, turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp salt and remaining 2c water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15 min. Let sit, covered, for 5 min; fluff with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Grease a large baking dish. Place 1c chile sauce in a shallow bowl and, working one at a time, dip the tortillas in the sauce and place on a plate. Spoon 2 heaping tbsp rice, 1 heaping tbsp beans and 1 heaping tbsp corn down the center of the tortilla; roll up to enclose and and place seam side doewn in a prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, rice, neams amd corn. Brush with the enchiladas with olive oil and bake, uncovered, until golden around the edges, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the quacamole, mash together the avocados, like juice, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp cilantro

To assemble, pour the remaining sauce down the middle of the enchiladas and top with the remaining 2tbsp cilantro; serve with the guacamole. 

Masaman Curry

Crockpot veggies

Lesson in a Picture Book Pt 5

So, we are off the Eric Carle wagon, and have moved swiftly onto the Dr. Suess train. Imagine my surprise when my 22mo sat still and listened to every page of Cat in the Hat! He carries it around with him, asks for it frequently, and insisted we have 2 copies of it from the library. (Also, L2 has started REQUESTING we go to the library! How awesome is that!?) So, it is time to delve into the world of Dr. Suess, and what could be better for my food loving boys that to start with Green Eggs and Ham? Though, when I was child, my parents read this book to my food finicky brother to encourage him to try new foods. It didn't work.

Monday: Making Green Eggs. Kind of. I don't really want to just dye eggs, but mixing green veggies with eggs for a yummy quiche souffle sounds right up our alley! It sounds fancy, but it really isn't hard.

Ingredients:
Eggs
Milk (we use almond milk)
Choice of veggies to add; we'll be using green peppers, green onions, and some asparagus.
Salt
Pepper

Whisk eggs and milk, pour into oiled ramekins. Add veggies, salt and pepper to taste. Place ramekins in pan (a cake pan or such) with about 1/2 in of water in the bottom. Bake at 350degrees until a pick comes out clean!

Tuesday: Exploring foods. My dad used to play a game with us where we would go to the grocery store and pick out anything we wanted. As long as we had NEVER eaten it before. So, we will head to the market and see what we can find. In the past it was things like caviar, sugar cane, and something we affectionately named booger fruit. (Kiwno Melon) Then everyone tries the new foods. Some are great, others...not so much.


Wednesday: Get crafty! Make green eggs and ham out of whatever: felt, construction paper, paint, ect. Then, act it out! Eat in a box? In the rain? 

L1 makes Ratatouille!

This was a little while ago, but someone asked for the recipe, so here it is! 

Wash your veggies!

Peel carrots!
(We left the skin on the other veggies.)

We use whatever is on hand, this time:
Yellow Squash
Carrots
Red Potatoes
Green Tomatoes
Onion

We use a mandolin to slice nice and evenly.

Use some olive oil to grease the dish. Salt occasional layers.

Start layering veggies.

L1's Julia Child impression. Or, he is eating.

Now for some garnish.
(We allow sharp knives with supervision, as sharper knives allow for better control and less chance of too much force causing slips and cuts.)

Add salt and pepper.

Cover with foil.

Bake at about 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked through.

It can be eaten alone, or we like with some chicken and rice!

Yummy!

Lessons in a Picture Book Pt 3

This week, we continue to explore Eric Carle books. This week: Walter the Baker. I really do love Carle's style, the stories are simple and I can expand on them easily, the colors are bright and hold's even L2's attention.

We love a book about cooking. "It like Daddy! He cooks, like at Daddy's restaurant!" My boys have their own aprons and tools, including knives from Pampered Chef.

Monday: We won't jump right into cooking this week, as you might think. This book has another important message in it. How we treat people. My boys are generally sweet and caring, but we all need reminders sometimes. When Walter's rolls fail to please the Duke and Duchess, they throw them at his feet and banish him from the city in the wall. So, we are going to build a wall, and make our city inside it. This will have one of two outcomes: L1 will invite his brother to join us, but L2 will knock things down causing anger and frustration. Or, L1 will disallow L2 into the wall, which will end just as badly. I am hoping that by intentionally creating these situations, I will be in a better frame of mind to help them work through the issues that have become frequent in our home. In the story, a cat knocking over milk is the beginning of the end for Walter. So, it really does all lead to a great chance to work through this typical sibling behavior.

Tuesday: Making Pretzels! Yay! I am going to give this recipe a try, though if you have another that you KNOW works, I would love to try it. I am hoping it holds up well enough for the boys to really try and create their own shapes.

EDIT: This recipe is faulty in wording. I am trying things out to see if I can fix it, and contacting original author.

Gluten Free Soft Pretzels Recipe

Pretzel Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups warm water
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 bag Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix including yeast packet
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp powdered cinnamon

Pretzel Directions:

1. Whisk together 1-1/4 cups warm water, brown sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Allow to sit for a few minutes until bubbles begin to show yeast activity.
2. Pour Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix into a large bowl. Stir in olive oil and the yeast mixture until completely combined.
3. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for one hour.
4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and divide dough into twelve pieces.
5. With wet hands, roll each piece into a “snake” between six and eight inches in length. Lay the snake onto the parchment paper, then gently flatten the dough with wet fingers until about half previous height.
6. Pick up one end of the snake, so that half of its length is lifted from the cookie tray. Twist the dough 360° and gently lay the end down again. Pick up the other end of the dough and give it a full twist in the same direction. Smooth any rough spots with wet fingers.
7. Repeat with each section of dough, so that both cookie trays have six pretzel twists on them.
8. Cover both trays with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 450°.
10. Mix remaining cup of warm water and baking soda. Using a pastry brush, gently paint the twists with the baking soda mixture.
11. Bake twists for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.Brush with butter and sprinkle salt.

Thursday: Once Walter gains the approval for his pretzels from the Duke and Duchess, he makes a giant basket of them to share with the townspeople. Thursday we will be taking our treats to a play date to share with our friends. There are many allergies/sensitivities in our group, so I hope they will be well received. 

We also have a bit of a bonus Lesson in a Picture Book this week: Over at Little View of a Big World we have been wandering Seattle with Larry the Dog. This week we plan to visit the Freemont Troll, tour a chocolate factory, and eat some yummy Thai food. L1 will have his camera, and we hope to share the adventure with you!

Lesson in a Picture Book

I am hoping to start planning more activities to keep us busy during the week. We have been watching too many movies, and the boys started asking for them ALL. THE. TIME. So, as I used to do when I worked as a home-based teacher, I picked a book and created a "Lesson Plan" out of it. And, I thought I would share it.

  

You may or may not know, I have been wanting pancakes lately. So, I figured we could make some. And what do you know: there is a children's book about just that! Eric Carle's Pancakes Pancakes. I figured we could do just one activity a day, with our week being 3 days this week (because of other scheduled activities.)

Monday: Read the book. The book explores where each ingredient in the pancake comes from. Something I think our society is very disconnected from. Milk from the cow, egg from the chicken, flour from wheat, ect. I don't have access to a farm where we can see these things, but I can find videos online!
Milking a cow
Gathering eggs (I was going to find a video of egg laying, but I didn't find any that showed anymore than the chicken's backsides.)
Wheat to Flour (Plus an activity book I found for older kids, thought I would share.)

Wednesday: Because L2 is gluten, soy, and dairy free we needed an alternative recipe. I found this one over at The Mommypotamus. So, we will be making Almond Meal from raw almonds in our food processor. We'll see how it turns out! We will also make fresh butter. Not dairy free, but I have yet to find a homemade butter dairy free, and this is any easy activity for kiddos. Besides, only L2 is sensitive (and my restriction my breastfeeding association.)


Homemade Butter:
Supplies:
Glass jar with lid
1/2 pint of cream
water


Leave cream out on counter overnight. Pour into jar, seal lid. Shake it! Steady shaking until it separates forming a ball. Pour our buttermilk. Add water, gently shake to rinse. Drain water, consume!


EDIT: My friend found a link to making two butter alternatives! I think we will be trying the olive oil one since finding soy free miso seems too big a challenge.


Thursday: Pancake time! Yay! (Talk about delayed satisfaction!) Mixing, cooking, eating! Not much more can be said about this, but I will add pictures to this post when we do. My husband is a chef, so my boys are already well on their way to running the kitchen. They are so cute!

We checked out a large collection of Eric Carle books from the library. His themes and style make for great "organic" planning material. The art, the topics, the stories! I hope to plan a few more weeks like this, keep your eyes out!

Foiled by Food!

This last weekend, we enjoyed a great time as a family at the LLL Conference. For the most part. One of the many challenges of food sensitivities is eating right while not at home. It is not usually a problem for us to just avoid the triggers, and usually a little contamination here or there isn't an end-all for our family. Luckily. I know people who suffer greatly by the slightest error.

The hotel we were at did make an effort to accommodate our needs. When a caring friend brought to their attention that my "special order" lunch just didn't do it for me (the lunch spread was chinese food,  I got a plate of iceberg lettuce with a sprinkling of chicken, egg, and olives. Not bad overall, but just didn't seems sufficient.) they had a meal of steamed veggies, rice, and chicken breast delivered to me. The other meals/snacks were great.

No, I was foiled by my own chosen ignorance. I kept thinking "A little bit won't hurt." "He's been ok, he might not even have this problem anymore," or just not bothering to double check when someone said something was gluten/soy/dairy free. I take the blame on this whole episode, and boy am I paying for it.  The saddest part is: so is my helpless boy.

L2 spent Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night very uncomfortable, tossing, turning, and crying. Our days were filled with whining and crankiness, by all of us. I felt so bad to have caused this episode, and then to be lacking in patience to deal with the aftermath. I just wanted him to settle down, be calmed by nursing, NAP! But no. Nothing seemed to help, and we were running low on sleep.

I couldn't decide if keeping us out and about was best (distraction can work wonders for a toddler, even one with a tummy ache) or to hunker down and work at rebuilding our trust and connection. We kind of did both, and plan to continue it through the weekend. We also started on some probiotics that are just CLEARING out his system (as in horrible diapers even when he sleeps!) and seems to be on the mend. He slept well the last two nights, and seems to have better humor during the day. I also have been very careful about our food consumption this week, and not even risking the small amount of risks.

Sorry L2. As always: Momma should know better, and will work to do better in the future.

Take Me Out to the Ball Field!

We love going to watch baseball. And even though they aren't the greatest of teams, the Mariners are entertaining, and their field is great. We love to take our boys, watch the game, wander the stadium, play on the playground, and of course EAT! And last night, I was finally able to take advantage of all of those things!

Phase One: Breastfeeding at the stadium.

Too frequently, I read about mom's getting flak for breastfeeding at the ball game. Not me, not at Safeco, not ever. In fact, the employees there have always been great about it. They help me find an open seat in our section that isn't in direct sunlight, or need a little more space for a nursing/sleeping babe. They do have a nursing lounge, which I have used when a kiddo needs a quiet respite to nurse and reconnect, but never once was this suggested to me (which I would have construed as a suggestion to hide). 

Phase Two: EATING!

So, going gluten/dairy/soy free is not the easiest. I am sure anybody knows this. But going to the ball field just SCREAMS hot dogs and beer. Or, at Safeco, Ivar's, microbrews and Garlic fries. Ok, so maybe it is a little stuck up, but it is great. And last night, I was able to enjoy GF fish and chips from the Seafood Shack on the second level (they use rice flour for the batter!) and they have even started carrying Redbridge GF beer at select stands. Also, upon hearing my fish wasn't all the great on first bite, the guy come back with a bigger batch of freshly made ones that were divine!  They have expanded their options for many food restrictive or choice fans. So, even with the embarrassing 3 homeruns given up in the 5th inning and subsequent loss, last night was a WIN!

Phase Three: Celebrating the Field and a single suggestion for improvement.

I like to honor positive efforts. It sucks to only hear complaints, so I like to taut the positive as much as I would the negative. So, I sent them a little note doing just that. Don't know that I will hear anything back, but I did what I could. Here is my letter:

I would just like to thank you for creating a truly supportive family environment  at the ball field! Too often I hear of mother and babies being bullied for breastfeeding in public, but that has NEVER been my experience when visiting Safeco Field to watch our Mariners. Not only have your employees been accommodating when we needed to change seats to get our children out of the blazing sun on a perfect sunny day, or find more space to nurse comfortably, but never once have they suggested the  available nursing lounge. Which although is very nice (great for my distractable babe) might give the impression of encouraging seclusion. Thank you so much for all of this! My only suggestion would be to introduce the International Breastfeeding Symbol. Not only to make the lounge easier to locate  for those who would like to use it (currently the signage has a bottle on the sign, which isn't exactly supportive of breastfeeding), but also to display the Field's support in any seat or location your breastfeeding fans have permission to be.

Thank you again for providing my family with a great place to spend time together.

Link to International Breastfeeding Symbol: http://www.breastfeedingsymbol.org/download/

Yeah, I stole the picture. It is of us, but I my camera phone was dead, so this was all there was!

UPDATE: Safeco Field now uses the International Breastfeeding Symbol! I wish I could have snapped a picture of it up on the jumbo screen. I can't say it was because of this email, but I won't discredit myself either!

Growing

This week is my 5 year anniversary of being married to my awesome husband. It is also L2's 1st birthday. It is a week filled with contemplation and reflection.

My first son was born 2 years after my husband and I got married. We had great plans to forgo interventions and have a natural birth in the hospital. Circumstances kept us from taking the birth class we wanted to prepare ourselves, and events of my labour took us further from the path. Straight to the operating table and my cesarean. Most people know the story. And that when we were expecting again, did everything possible to keep from repeating that horrible experience.

So, L2 was born at home. Attended by a midwife and a doula. But mostly, it was my husband and I focused on the labor and the process of bringing our child into the world.

I labored for over a day. I spent much of that time trying to forget the pain. Ignore it, not let it have control of me. It wasn't until 24 hours in, when I realized that L1 was about to spend his first night away from us, that I knew I needed to stop trying to not feel pain. It wasn't a pain. This was my body doing what I had looked forward to, expected, needed it to do since my first "failed" labor. Until that point, my body had always failed me. I was always too fat, too slow, too ugly...too whatever. It was that moment that it was MY BODY. Mine. And I could make it what I wanted it to be. All while sitting on the toilet wishing this baby would just come already! I know many women had to learn to let go, I had to learn that I am responsible for me. So, I would tell myself it was time for a contraction, and then picture myself opening, my baby being born. This was my turning point. Things finally took off, and L2 was born a few hours later. It was amazing. 

L2 continued to be a driving force in recreating myself. He was dairy intolerant, and because we breastfed, I cut dairy. A few months later the symptoms still hadn't cleared up, and had gotten worse. Not only was there a rash, but he stopped smiling, laughing, reacting. So, we (by which I mean "I", as we were of course still exclusively breastfeeding) cut soy and gluten. And low and behold, we had our happy boy again! The side affect for me: loosing weight, fast. I realized that though I had gone down in weight each pregnancy (eating better for baby!) that all of a sudden, I was loosing more. And I LIKED It. So for the first time ever, I felt like moving. I hate the E word.

So, I slowly started asking around. I found a Zumba instructor willing to let me participate with my chunky +20lb boy. I never needed to take him, but having it be a possibility broke down my last excuse. So goes that story.

I write all this to tell you that I cried today. During our cool down. I though about being in labor last year.. 2 years before that, I was expecting my first child. 2 years earlier even, I was preparing for my wedding day. And today I was caring for myself as I never had before. I stretched further, knowing I had grown much more than just my baby turning one tomorrow. I was a new person. I am a wife, a mother. More than that, I am me, and only I can decide what that means.

I had so much more I wanted to say, but just don't know how to put it all into words. You know what? I forgot to thank the academy. And by that, I mean every person who has touched my life and helped make me who I am. Husband, kids, dad, mom, sister, friends. Even the OB's that attended my first pregnancy (hey, who knows if I would have learned so much if we hadn't had such a bad time?) or the first person who ever made fun of me. Ok, not her. She can stay in the lost corners of my memory.

Now. What comes next? I'm ready.