We Haven’t Got That Kind of Time April 28, 2011

I met a woman a few weeks ago who told me she loves her postpartum body. Not only have I never heard a woman say she loves her body after its been through childbirth, I have never heard any woman say she loves her body. Period. And this woman didn’t have the kind of body that bounced back into place a few months after birthing. This woman had the quintessential goddess body; wide round hips, a low belly, soft breasts, a roundness in her cheeks…she was truly beautiful. And when she said these words, “I love my postpartum body. It makes really feel like a woman and reminds me that I can give life. I feel really badly for women who don’t appreciate the imprint childbirth imparts on their bodies. It’s like a roadmap – telling you all the ways you grew and nurtured this little being into the world,” I thought I might cry.

A few days later I was trying on swim suits, as you could say my “roadmap” is well written. I was so exasperated by trying to figure out how the different sizes work for different brands at one point I said to myself, “Well at least they make them big enough for me!” Then I caught myself. I looked at my little pine nut crawling around on the dressing room floor, yanking on tags, sticking her tongue out at the mirror and suddenly the magnitude of what it means to raise a girl in this culture with a healthy body image sank in so unexpectedly it took my breath away. I realized in an instant that the importance of getting a swimsuit for the summer was beyond the thing itself. It was about putting one on, taking my little girl swimming, being out in public showing the world my roadmap, and teaching her that the most important thing is having the ability to go swimming at all. I was thinking about how many women I know who will not go swimming with their children because they will not be seen in public in a swim suit, and was shocked to realize how easy that road can be to go down. I wondered, at what point in my life will I truly have the gratitude for my health and respect for my body it deserves? When will I free myself from this struggle and lay down this cross? Will I have to be a breast cancer survivor? Will I have to lose someone I love to a terminal disease? How do I cross the threshold into self acceptance and loving-kindness?

As if I was meant to receive the message, I caught an interview with Anne Lamott a few hours later. She was talking about how she went shopping with a close friend who was dying of cancer. Annie tried on a dress and asked her friend, ”Does this dress make my hips look wide?” Her friend replied, “Annie, we don’t have that kind of time.”

What she meant is that we can’t philander our time here on earth with the things that take us away from becoming all of who we are meant to be. There is only enough time to show compassion and be present for the people you love, to fully embrace what is real and here now, and to strive towards being the very best person you can be for both yourself and for others. Anything that does not bring us closer to those states of being is an untruth.

I let this sink in at the same time knowing my skin will lose its elasticity. My laugh lines will become crows feet. My freckles will become age spots. I may never lose the baby weight; but when my joints start to ache and it’s harder to get around, I will be glad to have spent my time at the beach while I could.

Tuesday Tasty April 19, 2011

Chicken Salad with a Twist:

16 oz chicken breast (about 2 pounds)

boil to cook, and save cooking water  for a soup broth

Dice chicken,  then toss with:

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds

¼ c. Chopped almonds

1 tbsp chopped dried cherries (or cranberries)

4 stalks diced celery

1-2 tbsp diced onion

1/2 c. grated carrots

1 tbsp mayo

The mayo is optional. Carrots are used as most of the mayo replacement. Sometimes instead of any mayo I use the carrots and then add avocado to my salad when I serve it. (Don’t make it with avocado to save, as it will oxidize and not look appealing  – though it would still taste good).

Tuesday Tasty April 5, 2011

Well, I thought making meatballs would be easy once I got the mix made, and that’s absolutely true, except that all the little steps had to happen in between naps, meals, melt-downs and stinky poopies. By 9:30 PM when I was still baking them though, I realized you have to look at making a batch of meatballs as an investment cooking project, because I probably have at least 3 dinners and several lunches worth, and they freeze really well.

The other thing I learned about meatballs is that it’s a lot like meatloaf in the sense that you can pretty much add whatever you want. Any recipe you find is really just a guideline. It’s the eggs and breadcrumbs that hold it together, so you can include all kinds of seasonings and veggies. I even added some millet and amaranth.

I started with a base recipe from Gourmet for “spaghetti and Meatballs.” They use 3 different kinds of meat, I only used a pound of lean ground beef. They used 6 eggs, I only used 3. They used a special kind of cheese – I used no cheese. They soaked Italian bread in 3 cups of milk all afternoon, I used croutons I had made from stale bread a few moths ago. You get my drift.

Here’s my meatball recipe creation:

1 pound ground beef

1 onion

6-7 cloves of garlic

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

4 stalks of celery

3 eggs

1/4 cup amaranth (cooked ahead of time)

1/4 cup millet (cooked ahead of time)

2-3 cups bread crumbs

1 TBSP dried parsley

2 tsp. Italian seasoning blend (oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme)

A few grinds of pepper to taste

Directions:

Finely chop or mince the onion, celery, peppers and garlic. Sautee in olive oil until al dente (about 10 minutes). Let veggie mix cool.

In a large bowl add bread crumbs, meat, grains, and spices. When the veggies have cooled, add them to the bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. When everything is well blended, add the eggs and mix in really well. (Remember, it’s the eggs binding with the bread that holds them together, so you want them mixed through and through).

Preheat oven to 375, and start making meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. (The size doesn’t matter really except that the larger the meatball, the longer the cooking time). Meatballs will bake on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes.

Other thoughts on things you can add to a meatball base:

Chopped pumpkin seeds, oats, bran flakes, quinoa, sunflower seeds, carrots, parsnips, chard or kale.

Again, I wouldn’t call this a quick dinner if you have to do everything yourself, but it is easy. In my case with a baby crawling around if I had wanted to eat them that night for dinner I would have had to start at 9 AM and really dedicate myself to getting it done – what with letting the veggies cool and then making all the little balls, etc. However, I’m glad I learned how flexible meatball recipes are, and I love that I made them with millet, amaranth and lean meat, and I added no salt. This way I can feel fine giving them to the baby as well. Also, I love meatballs, but I never get to eat them because the chemical list and mystery meats in the manufactured ones give me the willies. So, as I mentioned, I look at this as an “investment cooking project,” where I will freeze them in bags of 6-8, and have several meals and some baby snacks ready to go.

A note on the amaranth and millet. This is a great grain to have in the house as a staple, and it’s as easy to cook as rice. I usually cook them together in the same pot, and them I use it as a cereal or a dinner savory throughout the week. It’s a great super food for babies as well. High in protein, amino acids, iron, and B vitamins.

To prepare:

1/2 cup amaranth

1/2 cup millet

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add grains and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with nuts or fruit for a cereal: (we like bananas, raspberries and yogurt):

or serve with roasted veggies for dinner: (kale, carrots and zucchini):