The General State Of Unwell

The following is pretty much a rambling vent.


I don't feel well.  I can't remember the last time I did feel well.  It must have been before I was pregnant, because that's when my immune system took a nosedive.  I've been sick with cold after cold, pneumonia, previously nonexistent allergies, headaches, you name it.  Prior to gestation, my immune system was a steel tank.  Germs?  Psshh.  Germs didn't get to me.  I once compared myself to Bruce Willis' character in "Unbreakable."

Have you seen that movie?  It's so good, so imaginative.  I'm a huge M. Night Shyamalan fan.  SHHH!  I don't want to hear about how nothing he's done has compared to "The Sixth Sense."  I am making the blanket statement that all of his movies have been exceptional.  Yes, even "The Happening."  Shush.

I got sidetracked.  That happens to me quite a bit these days, too.  I often feel that my brain is foggy...like San Francisco.  I can see the peaks of the Golden Gate bridge, but not the whole thing.  I have a hard time concentrating.  "Focus" is a foreign word.  This is not awesome when you are in the process of starting your own company (yep, I am!  More later).

It doesn't help that I'm completely miserable at work.  I haven't received a raise in three years (the company can't "afford" it), though my workload has tripled in that time.  Supporting a family of three, single-handed, in this economy, weighs heavily on my shoulders.  BD has been sick for a very long time - he is having surgery next month and I pray that will relieve some of his burden.  I spend 40 hours each week questioning my purpose here and wondering if I'll be laid off at some point.

Babydoll slept through the night a handful of times between her birth and the age of 11 months.  I thought that once I was getting more regular sleep, I'd feel more rested.  It's been 7 months since she started to regularly sleep through the night ("regularly" meaning an average of 4 nights out of 7) and I don't feel better, though I usually get at least 8 hours of sleep.

We changed our diet several months ago - it's more plant-based, low in fat, lots of whole grains, and very little fast food.  I thought that would make me feel better, but I feel even more sluggish than before.

I practice yoga nightly.  I focus on my breath.  I try to clear my mind while holding each pose.  The quiet time seems to make my mind run like a coked-up hamster in a wheel, which gets me all frustrated with myself because "Dude!  I'm trying to relax here!  Shut up!"

I suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and I have a feeling it is rearing it's oh-so-ugly head right now.  The foggy brain, unrelenting fatigue, mood swings, inability to lose weight, all point to it...not to mention the stabbing pain of bursting cysts every few weeks.  Good times.  If you are unfamiliar with PCOS, check it out.  It's a real bitch.

I "fired" my OB/GYN after Babydoll's birth.  I've selected a new doctor, but as OB/GYNs go, he's pretty in demand and difficult to get in to as a new patient.  I don't trust the medical community, in general, but I know that I really need help, at this point.  There's a little girl who relies on me to be as healthy as I can be.

Mama Said No

We officially have a toddler!  She's been walking steadily for several weeks...and climbing...and utilizing various household objects to assist her mountaineering.  This kid is fearless.  I love it and I hate it.

Along with official toddlerhood status, we also have official toddler attitude.  If Babydoll isn't a strong-willed child, I don't know what is.  This is, I believe, my mother's curse.  Apparently, I was also a strong-willed child. I'm sorry, Mom.  I'm so, so sorry.

It became clear to Babydoll's Daddy and myself that "No" would not be sufficient to stop this child's mischief.  There is nothing more frustrating than a 15-month-old who laughs at you when you tell her "No," then continues scaling the end table in her quest to knock over the antique brass lamp (she has done this twice already.  She is damn lucky that her daddy is a very handy fella).    There was one night that I came home from work, around 5:45, and from that time until she went to bed around 9:30, all I said was "No.  Stop that.  No.  Mama said No.  Stop that.  Get down from there.  No!"  Over and over.  And over.  As I flopped into bed that night , BD commented "You know, it's better if she's shows us now that she's strong-willed."  "Better than when?" I asked.  "Than whenever," he replied.  "We know what we're up against.  We won't be surprised to find out she's stubborn when she's three."

He has a good point.

I don't want to be a spanker.  Or a yeller.  Or a belittler.  And I don't want to spend my evenings saying "No" on repeat.  I figure I better get my act together and find ways to gently discipline this kiddo, and hopefully stay ahead of the game.

You can totally tell I'm a first-timer, by that previous statement, can't you?  

Here's what I've been looking into and trying:

Saying No positively.  When she's getting into something that we don't want her getting into, we tell her "Not for Babydoll," and redirect her to the toy basket or maracas (thanks, Holly) or anything else that is suitable for her.  This works like 75% of the time...so far.

Try to understand why she's misbehaving.  This goes along with the attachment parenting practice of respecting your child.  Babydoll is showing us more of her personality these days and we love it.  It's her natural inclination to climb, explore, be silly, fearless, and curious.  I love that she has all of these traits.  We do not want to trample her spirit.  I want her retain all of those traits as she grows older.  So when she's climbing all over the furniture, she's telling us that she's bored and she needs some physical activity.  If we can, we go over to the park near our house.  The playground is enclosed, so she can climb, swing, run, and be silly to her heart's content.  If an outing isn't possible, we redirect.  I bought her a kid-sized armchair and she's welcome to climb all over it and drag it around.  We pull out her tunnel and let her drag it around and chase the kitty through it, or we pull out her ball tent and let her throw the balls out of it.  If there is one thing I've learned about this parenting business so far, it's this: just let them play.  You can clean up later.

Redirect.  In every blog, book, and website dealing with the topic of gentle discipline for toddlers, this word keeps coming up.  Because it works.  You stop the kid in his/her tracks with this practice and get them focused on a new activity.  If she's got hold of Mama's phone, I ask her if I may have it please.  Sometimes she gives it up right away, but most of the time, she just shakes her head no and says "Na-Na" (Babydoll-speak for No-No).  Before I even ask her for it, I make sure I have something of her's that she's likely to want to trade.  The trade almost always works.

The Grab Bag.  This probably isn't a Groovy Mama Original, but I did come up with it on my own and didn't read it anywhere.  When Daddy and I want to watch a movie and eat pizza at the coffee table, for example, I fill a reusable shopping bag with all sorts of items: some of her toys, books, the spare keys, an old purse, a takeout menu (for shredding, of course), anything that's okay for her to mess with.  The grab bag keeps her occupied for anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour, and keeps her hands out of the hot wings.

The kitty.  Our cat loves her baby and our baby loves her cat.  When Babydoll is on the brink of a tantrum, we can ask her "Where's your kitty?" and she immediately stops and looks around for the cat.  This is another idea for redirection.

Teaching manners.  Babydoll knows the sign for "please" and she speaks it as well.  She is not too young to mind her p's and q's.  She is learning that the expectation is there to say "please" when you want or need something, and to say or sign "thank you" after it's been given.  We are helping her understand that pitching a fit and screaming is not going to get you what you want.  BD and I make sure we use manners with each other, as well (teaching by example).

Dr. Sears' website is chock-full of ideas and examples to help you learn to gently discipline your toddler.  This post, titled 8 Tools For Toddler Discipline, gave me a lot to think about and try.  

A child Babydoll's age doesn't  yet have the verbal communication skills she needs to express herself.  We've taught her some sign language and her vocabulary is ever-growing, but it heeds us as parents to remember that she processes things differently than we do, that it can be frustrating to not be able to tell your caregivers exactly what is on your mind.

When we're having one of those days, and you know what I'm talking about, I try to stop for a minute and just breathe.  "She is a child.  All of these attributes that are driving me crazy today will serve her well one day.  She's just a baby.  Where is that damn cat???"

Groovy Recipe: Kinda Greek Quinoa Salad

My friend Peanee recently embarked on a vegan journey; she and my other vegan friend, LMB,have inspired me to follow a more vegetarian lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong.  Babydoll's Daddy and I still eat meat.  I braised some kick-ass short ribs the other night.  But between BD's IBS, Peanee, LMB, and my herbivore baby, I've really started exploring meat-free cuisine.  Another friend, Victoria (aka Canadian Mama), posted on Facebook recently that she whipped up a quinoa Greek thing with sauteed veggies that triggered the idea for this Groovy Recipe.

Kinda Greek Quinoa Salad

* serves a bunch (like 6-8)

Ingredients

3 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

4 radishes, quartered and thinly sliced

1 English cucumber, quartered and thinly sliced

2 medium zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced

Handful of grated carrot

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red pepper, petite dice ("cut into small, equal pieces")

Fresh oregano leaves (like a small mound in your hand's worth)

1 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives

Juice of one fat lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

Romaine hearts (3 per serving)

Salt

Pepper

Juice the lemon into a glass bowl and whisk in the olive oil; season with rosemary, salt and pepper, and set aside.

Make sure the quinoa is cooled - you don't want to cook all the veggies you just spent half an hour chopping.  In a large non-metal bowl (make sure it's good and big, there's a lot of stuff going into it), toss all the veggies, olives and feta with the dressing.  When everything is well-coated, fold in the quinoa.  Stir it up until everything is well-mixed.

Lay the Romaine hearts side by side on each plate, slightly overlapping.  Mound the quinoa salad on each heart.  Serve.  Grub.

I had planned on serving this with hummus and pita, but Babydoll and her daddy ate it while I was plating the food.  Ah well.  I love the flavor of fresh herbs in a salad.  My parents grow oregano, basil, and thyme in abundance, so I always grab a fistful when we go over to their house.

Groovy Tip: when buying bell peppers, flip it over and look at the bumps on the bottom.  Four bumps are better for cooking (sauteeing, grilling, or stuffing).  Three bumps are better for eating raw, as in this salad.

Why no metal bowls?  Because we're using an acidic ingredient (the lemon) and acid reacts to the metal.


I just noticed that my last three posts have all been recipes.  I haven't been too inspired by much else than feeding my family lately.  Work sucks.

Groovy Recipe: Cheesy Quinoa Quiche

Do you ever experiment with recipes?  I do.  I often look at a new recipe and think "Hmmm.  I should add this, or take out that, or substitute this for that."  Sometimes, these experiments do not work in my favor.  Then, we order pizza.

Sometimes, though, the experiment turns out so well that I proclaim "Holy balls!  That shit was GOOD."  Last night, I riffed on a recipe I found via Pinterest.  My sister-in-law (who had a baby today, by the way!) pinned this yummy looking thing, with the caption "quinoa quiche."  That sounded right up my alley, so I repinned it, then clicked for the recipe.  Turns out the recipe, from Iowa Girl Eats' blog, is actually more of a frittata...of sorts.  So that got me thinking...what if I made a quiche, a true quiche, but added some quinoa to it?

Sunday supper, consider yourself conquered.

Cheesy Quinoa Quiche

* serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa

3 eggs

1 egg white (save the yolk)

1 medium zucchini, grated

1/2 cup grated carrot

1 small onion, grated

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 cup shredded cheddar

3/4 cup whole milk (or heavy cream)

1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning (I use Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute)

Dash of nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Crust of your choice (I usually make a pat-in-pan butter crust for quiche, but I used a pre-made deep-dish pie shell that I had in the freezer for this dish)

Preheat the oven to 350; place crust in a quiche pan or pie pan (or whatever you have...I keep it loose in the Groovy Cucina), then place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush the inside of the crust with the egg yolk.  Sprinkle the parmesan evenly inside the crust.  Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and egg white with the milk, then fold in the veggies, spices, quinoa, and cheddar.  The mixture will be "lumpy" because of the quinoa.  Fret not.  Pour the filling into the crust (Note: you will have extra filling.  I'll tell you what to do with it in a minute.).  Don't overfill it - remember that quiche rises a bit when baking.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until it's set in the middle.  Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

Extra filling: my friend Angie (mama to Babydoll's BFF) mentioned that she makes extra quiche in muffins cups, to have for breakfast, lunch, or whatever.  I always have extra filling when I make quiche, so this idea is brilliant.  I sprayed 6 muffin cups with cooking spray, then filled with the extra mixture and baked them alongside the big guy for about 20 minutes.  I let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then used a butter knife to loosen and remove the babies from the tin.  No crust needed!

This is, to me, a self-contained meal.  Veggies, lean protein, whole grains, all in one package.  It was SO good.  If I'd had salad fixin's, I would have served it with a small salad on the side.  But honestly, we were so satisfied with just the quiche.  Babydoll's Daddy got down like James Brown on it, only coming up for air when he went for seconds.

Groovy Recipe: Totally Healthy Ranch

I am an American, so it's only natural that I love ranch dressing.  What's not natural is your typical store-bought ranch.  This is the ingredient list for Hidden Valley Ranch:

Vegetable oil, egg yolk, sugar, salt, buttermilk, spices, garlic, onion, vinegar, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, modified food starch, MSG, artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, calcium disodium EDTA, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate

I don't even know what half that shit is.  Gross.  MSG?  Are you kidding me?  Do people still eat that?  And 2 tablespoons of HVR contains 140 calories, 14 grams of fat, and zero nutritional value.  This does not jive with my healthy, clean-eating goals.

I love entertaining, and several years ago I came up with my own ranch dip recipe for crudite (or "cut veggies," if you're not fancy like me).  No mayonnaise, no packet of mystery powder, no sour cream needed.  It's so simple and SO good.  And the best part: 2 tablespoons of my ranch has about 20 calories, no fat, and around 3 grams of protein (plus calcium).

Ingredients:

1 16oz tub of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning (I use Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, but you can use Mrs. Dash)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 tablespoon fresh, snipped chives*

1/2 tablespoon fresh, chopped dill*

Stir all that together.  Let set in the fridge for at least an hour, but overnight is better.  Serve.

Yeah.  That's it.  I started using Greek yogurt in place of regular yogurt a couple of years ago, because Greek contains a ton of protein, and the texture and flavor are more similar to sour cream.  If you want to use this as a salad dressing, just thin it out a bit with nonfat milk (or whatever milk substitute you have on hand - just make sure it's not sweetened).

This is my lunch today - no fat, low calorie, low salt, lots of protein, and a bunch of organic veggies:

It's upside down.  I know.  You get the picture, though.  Ha.

 

* I really recommend using fresh organic herbs, but if you don't have them on hand, just use about a teaspoon each of dried chives and dill.

Fresh Air, In Human Form

In my experience, everyone needs one person to whom they can turn when they need a breath of fresh air.  On those days, when you feel like screaming the F word at the top of your lungs and hurling random objects at whomever crosses your grumpy path, you need someone to connect with, whether in person, by phone, e-mail, or Facebook.  Someone who puts you in check, stops you in your pissed-off tracks, and helps you see that life is, truly, good.

My "fresh air" person is my friend, LMB.  We've known each other for close to twenty years, and she is consistently one of the better people on Earth.  When I'm having one of the above-mentioned days, I know that I can click on her FB page and find something that makes me genuinely smile.  I can e-mail her and she responds with something positive and thought-provoking.  When I see her in person, which isn't often enough, her very presence is uplifting.

My goal one day to be that person for someone else.  I'm pretty cranky, though.  And I swear a lot.

Veggie Baby

After doing some research, I decided to hold off on introducing meat and poultry to Babydoll until she was about a year old and/or had more teeth.  The very idea of pureed meat makes me gag, not to mention that the smell of it is disgusting.  I want the babe to enjoy food, not be repulsed by it, and I figure that if she sees Mama vomiting over her dinner, it probably won't elicit a very healthy response to what's being served.

Bleh.  I am still shuddering over the thought of pureed meat.

Between 12 months and 14 months, we introduced turkey (in the form of meatballs), chicken and ground beef.  She's definitely not into the beef.  That's cool with me - we don't eat it very often, anyway.  Chicken has been hit-or-miss, and that's okay with me, too (I don't really care for the bird).  I cut up the turkey meatballs to put in her pasta-veggie lunch combo.  Sometimes she gets down on it, other times, the dogs get a super yummy snack.

If my baby is naturally inclined to be a vegetarian, I'm all for it!  My only concern is that she gets enough protein and iron in her daily diet.  She drinks cow's milk like a champ, and she loves yogurt and cheese.  While these are good sources of protein, I know that a growing toddler needs around 15 grams of protein per day and 10mg of iron.  I've started looking into non-meat sources of iron and have come up with the following foods (that I know she'll eat):

• lentils
• quinoa
• spinach
• beans (kidney, pinto, black)
• chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
• potatoes (with skin)

Fortunately for us, this kid LOVES quinoa.  Not only is it a good source of iron, but it's a pretty kick-ass protein, as well.  We don't love cleaning it up off the floors after dinner time...nor out of her hair.  Man, that stuff sticks like crazy to baby hair!  She also loves lentils.  Yay!  Lentils are a staple at the Groovy Homestead - we eat them about once a week.  Trader Joe's sells a 1 pound bag of steamed black lentils that are so yummy and super easy to add to almost any meal.

I should mention that soy is a good source of both iron and protein, but we don't do soy.  After corn, it's the most genetically-modified food in America.  And it wreaks havoc on women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (that would be me).  Soy in small amounts is very healthy, but most people tend to eat/drink far more soy than is healthy for your body.  Ah, but that's a post for another day.