Meat-free recipes for Lent or anytime

Well, Lent has begun, and for many in the Catholic world, that means meatless Fridays (or more!). Last week, Elizabeth at That Married Couple posted her family's favorite veggie meals, which inspired me to dust off some of my own favorites (although I am too busy lazy to type out recipes and take pictures, so I just have links to share). Seeing as I am vegetarian, I have a load of well-loved recipes bookmarked. Although, beware--these are so delish, you won't feel like you're giving anything up!

Not-So-Dirty Rice from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen:  I love this rice recipe. I have never eaten dirty rice, so can't speak for its authenticity, but I can testify to how yummy it is. I am a pretty lazy cook, so instead of making it in the beautiful little eggplants like in the original, I just make the rice on its own. I usually add half a cup of dried lentils with the rice (increasing the amount of liquid and adding more as needed) and throw in some spinach toward the end to get my green veggies in.

Curried Couscous Salad from Giada de Laurentiis (via): I don't really know why, but there's something about an aliterative ingredients list that really appeals to (the big nerd in) me. This one is great for that: curry, couscous, cucumber, cauliflower, cashews, and cranberries. Yum! It sounds a bit out there, in terms of ingredients, but it is so good.  I didn't put the full amount of cranberries in when I made it, because Jon generally doesn't like to mix sweet and savoury flavors, but we both agreed that they really make the dish, so I'll be adding more next time. I served this as a main dish, and the two of us polished it all off.

Ten Minute Tasty Asparagus and Brown Rice from 101 Cookbooks: This is kind of a ridiculous name for this recipe the way I make it because  a) I make the rice from scratch rather than use frozen rice, so it takes longer than 10 minutes; b) I rarely make it with asparagus, since I'll only buy asparagus when it is in season (even though I buy most other things year-round)--instead I use zucchini, cauliflower, or broccoli; and c) the stand-out part of the dish, for me, is the tahini sauce, which isn't even in the title. But, as long as you like tahini, it is tasty!

Creamy Pumpkin Penne from Cara's Cravings: I love everything with pumpkin or butternut squash, and probably have a dozen recipes I could share with that as the main ingredient, but I chose this one because, when I made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago, Jon commented about 10 times, while eating, how much he loved this dish. It must be a winner, with praise like that! Oh, and the original recipe calls for sausage, which I am sure is lovely if you like / are eating sausage, but I left it out with no ill effects.

Butternut Squash and Hummus Sandwich (inspiration): Lunch is a toughy for me, because I don't really like plain sandwiches, but it can be hard to cook something every day. I had this the other day, and it really hit the spot. I mashed together 3-4 tablespoons of leftover butternut squash (or micro-bake a sweet potato, if you have no squash) and 1-2 T store-bought hummus. Add hot sauce to taste, a tsp of apple cider vinegar, and some black pepper. Spread on your favorite bread / toast / wrap. Top with grated carrot and half an avocado.

Que aproveche!

Thoughts about weaning

Weaning talk seems to be everywhere these days. Or maybe that is just me, as the mother of a four-month-old (yikes!). And there is so much information that is, I must say, rather poor (yes, I mean you, health care providers that don't follow the evidence). It is not helped by things like the article published in the British Medical Journal in January, which everyone seemed to interpret as saying that people should introduce solids at four months. (The NHS has a great explanation of what the article really did say here. Long story short: the authors suggest the government do a full review of the scientific literature to ensure that the recommendation of weaning at 6 months is based on up-to-date information. A full review is likely (in my opinion and others') to confirm the government’s current recommendations, but it is known that there are a small number of recent studies that show some possible benefits to earlier weaning. Oh, and some of the authors have, in the past, been paid by infant food companies, so there is a possible conflict of interest there.)

Before I go any further, I should define what I mean by weaning. Weaning can mean cessation of breastfeeding, but the way I am using it today is in the other sense of the word: introduction of complementary foods. For some people, the two go hand-in-hand, which, I guess, is why the one word has two meanings, although we are not planning on stopping breastfeeding anytime soon. I would prefer not to use such an ambiguous word, but introduction of complementary foods is a faff to write out all the time, so weaning it is! 

Anyway, I thought I would round up all my thoughts on the matter here. I did a research project a few years ago with regards to food and nutrition among children under 5 years of age. I read about all sorts of things, but one thing I learned about was baby-led weaning.  In this, you skip the whole step of feeding baby purees and instead give soft finger foods that baby can feed himself, such as banana, avocado, or cooked vegetables (more information in book form, paper, or blog). I really liked the idea of this, as it seemed to fit in with my general outlook on parenting (such as breastfeeding on demand, being sensitive to his needs, etc). 

One thing I noticed while reading the literature is that I could find information on possible benefits of both baby-led and traditional weaning, but I didn’t really read anything about negative consequences of either system. On balance, though, baby-led seems to be a good fit for our family, for various reasons, which I have outlined below for your reading pleasure!

1. Developmentally ready—inside and out. It is so important, when introducing solid foods, that your baby is ready to eat and digest them. Obviously, there is no magic switch that gets the gut ready for foods, and we can’t peek in to check if it is developed. However, the outer developmental signs give us an idea of internal development; basically, the skills baby needs to eat develop simultaneously to the intestinal tract. This is thought to occur at around six months old, which is why the WHO, UK Dept of Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, and others recommend waiting till 6 months to introduce solids.

Now, I was going to do a big list of what are and are not signs of readiness for food, with lots of detail. But then I found this page on the excellent website Kellymom, and the work was done for me! I’ll just give a quick list, then, and send you over to Kellymom if you want more details.

Many people think that a baby should be given solid foods when they stop sleeping through the night, as they probably aren’t getting enough milk. This isn’t a very good indication, though, as babies can wake up at night for a whole variety of reasons, including growth spurts for which breastmilk (or formula) should be sufficient. Dr Sears suggests that babies wake up more often before hitting developmental milestones, as they are dreaming about grabbing that toy or sitting up, and maybe even trying to do it in their sleep! I’m not sure how anyone might know this is going on, but it is a sweet thing to think about.

Another common reason for introducing solids is because baby is “interested” in food, watching what the parents eat or grabbing at it. I don’t really go along with this one, because Gus has seemed interested since about 3 months old, and has even swiped at my plate several times (spicy pasta probably not a good idea for baby!). The thing is, he shows a similar amount of interest in my polka-dotted pajama shirt, trying to grab and eat it too. So I don’t think he understands yet that food is for eating, just that it looks like an interesting toy and he wants to play with the things that we are playing with.

Signs that are generally thought to indicate readiness for food include being able to sit up unsupported, disappearance of the tongue-thrust (when baby pushes things out of his mouth with his tongue), ability to chew rather than suck everything, and development of the pincer grasp (picking things up with thumb and forefinger rather than palm).  Obviously, babies develop at different paces, and parents are generally the experts on their own children. But, for the majority of babies, these things will all come together at about 6 months of age. 

It is actually perfectly possible to wait until full development before introducing solids using either baby-led or traditional weaning. However, for me, I think it will be easier to know for sure using baby-led weaning. It would be so easy (and tempting—I’m excited about his first solids!) to shove a spoon in Gus’s mouth when he isn’t quite ready. But if he isn’t ready for foods yet and we are doing baby-led, he just won’t try and eat it. He might mash and throw the foods, but he won’t try to put them into his mouth. Thus the baby-led part of this method. I really believe that babies do know when they can do things (instinct or whatever), they just need to be given the right opportunities and appropriate modelling and encouragement.

There are also lots of health benefits of exclusively breastfeeding a baby until 6 months of age. Kellymom can help us out with that one as well. A quick word about iron: many people worry about this, but if baby was born healthy and full-term and mom had a healthy pregnancy (and especially if you were able to delay clamping the umbilical cord), an exclusively breastfed baby should have plenty of iron for at least six months. There is less iron in breastmilk than in some other foods, but the bioavailability is high, meaning more of the iron is absorbed by baby’s intestines.

2. Going at Gus’s pace. I mentioned this a bit above, that with baby-led weaning, the child decides which foods and how much to eat. This helps them learn to regulate their appetite, as they will stop eating when they are full, rather than when mom stops putting the spoon in their mouth. Some people think this can help prevent obesity, because babies learn to listen to their bodies’ cues about satiation. And since breastfed babies already decide the when and how much, it makes sense to me to continue developing this skill.

I recently heard the phrase food is for fun until they are one. The WHO agrees that most of baby’s calories and nutrition should be met by breastmilk until she is 12 months old, and that even for children 12-23 months old, breastmilk can make up 35-40% of a child's caloric intake (here, p 12). This is why they use the term complementary foods. Solid foods shouldn’t be replacing milk feeds right away; they should be supplementing them. As baby grows, more calories come from solids. With baby-led weaning, baby will increase the amount of food actually ingested as needed (which may change day-to-day). Ellyn Satter recommends a division of responsibility in feeding in which it is the parents’ job to offer a variety nutritious foods at appropriate times, but it is the baby who decides how much and which specific foods to eat. Taking the focus off of shoving food in baby’s mouth in order to get enough calories instead gives baby the space to learn about tastes and textures of different foods at her own pace in a low-pressure environment. To me, baby-led weaning is the more natural way to achieve this goal.

3. Learn the social aspect of meals. Eating is about so much more than just getting the calories in. Mealtimes should be fun, relaxed times to spend with family and friends. All experts that I have read suggest that babies and children should eat with the family, and eat family foods, as often as possible and practical. Again, this can be done using either method of weaning, but it seems easier to do it with baby-led. I don’t think I could eat my food and spoon-feed a baby at the same time! I have lovely visions of Jon and I sitting at the table with our meal, Gus in his high chair, and all of us eating and talking together. Okay, Gus will probably do more throwing and playing than eating and talking, but it will be a family affair.

4. Save time and money. Or in other words, I am lazy. The idea of spending hours filling my freezer with purees does not excite me. Washing up all the accoutrements that do along with making those purees excites me even less. I know how our house works, and we will leave the pureeing utensils to sit dirty for days, because they are a pain to clean, will run out of food for Gus, and will have to open up a jar, which we will have paid an arm and a leg for, just to have him eat 2 bites. Excitement levels diminishing even more (I think I am actually digging a hole here for my lack of excitement to reach the appropriate depth.) Much better for my lazy self to peel a banana or steam a veggie or two in the microwave. Or just grab a bit of the dinner I am cooking for Jon and me and hand that over to Gus. Ahh, the bliss of the easy option!

5. Infant food companies. This reason gets me up on my political high horse a bit, but it is still important.  Infant food companies have in the past and continue today to engage in immoral and unethical practices with regards to promoting their products, particularly infant formula. Yes, some people do need to use breastmilk replacements for a variety of reasons, so it is good that they are available. But that doesn’t mean that they should be advertised using lies that undermine women’s confidence in their ability to breastfeed or to people who cannot ensure a safe, adequate supply of formula (i.e. people who would have to spend a majority of their income on formula or do not have access to clean water and sanitation). I am reading The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer at the moment, which has both horrified me with some of the advertising practices she describes and gotten me really passionate about the issue.

What does this have to do with weaning? Well, I know that if I use purees as the main part of Gus’s diet, I will be much more likely to rely on pre-packaged foods to feed him (see above re laziness), which all come from these same companies. I am sure that I will make some purchases of baby food anyway, but any way to limit the amount I give to these companies is good by me. I so far have not tried to join the complete boycott of Nestle, but I can do my little part. (There’s a good round-up of the reasons for the boycott, with lots of links, here)

6. He’s just so little! OK, this one (and the next one, really) don’t have to do with baby-led weaning per se, but they are too central to my whole thoughts about weaning to leave out. So many people start to give solids at four months, but I could just not handle that yet!  I am still getting used to Gus actually being here on this earth, much less be able to think about him growing up so fast that he can eat solid foods already.  I know I can’t keep him a baby forever, but if I can hold on to this bit for just a little longer and him still be healthy, I gladly will.

7. Proud of myself as a woman. To me, it is really empowering to see Gus growing and developing and know that it is all because of the food that I am creating for him with my own body. I don’t mean to imply that I am somehow “better” than non-exclusively-breastfeeding mothers, or that every breastfeeding mother should feel the way that I do.  But for me, in my own experience, it is a pretty awesome feeling. And to be able to go until 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding will be the icing on the cake for me. (Or really, the cake part of the cake, since I prefer it to the icing. But I digress.)

Anyway, that encompasses our weaning plans. Stay tuned for them to all come crashing down around us (hopefully not!).

7 Quick Takes (volume 5)

Welcome to this week's edition of 7 Quick Takes! As always, you can continue the fun over at Jen's place, Conversion Diary.

-1-

I have not been sleeping well this week. The annoying thing is, Gus hasn't even been waking up! He has been sleeping pretty restlessly, though, which has been waking me up more or less hourly from about 1 to 4 am. Combine that with my habit of not turning off the light till midnight, and you get one tired mama! Wednesday, I hardly slept a wink--even when Gus was calm, I just couldn't fall asleep. Luckily, last night was much much better. Hopefully I can catch up a bit this weekend!

-2-

WARNING: Skip to next take if you do not want to read about poop!

I have cut dairy out of my diet this week.  I have heard so many people say Breastmilk is the perfect food for babies, so there is very little waste.  Some babies only have a bowel movement once a week! Yeah, try telling that to my kid.  Every. single. diaper. was a dirty one. And not a little bit, either.  So I thought maybe something was upsetting his tummy a bit, the most likely culprit being dairy. So no more cheese for me.    Lunches are tough. I have never been much of a sandwich person anyway--I like a hot meal--but now I feel really strapped for ideas for quick and easy vegetarian lunches. Hummus and eggs, mostly, this week. Although not together. That would be weird.  And the plan to make a big batch of soup that never quite materialised. Anyway, I think it has been beneficial to Gus, so we'll keep going with it for a bit.

-3-

You all know how I love me my Moby wrap. I have mentioned it before, haven't I? If not, here goes: I love wearing my baby in my wrap. Whether you love wearing your baby or just love the look of cute little ones tucked up in papooses and such, check this out. Pictures of women from all different countries and eras, wearing their babies.  There are some super cool ones in there, too--baskets you carry on the back where the toddler can stand up and play with toys! And I do not know how people can carry a child on their head, but it  apparently can be done. (via Fill Your Pants Facebook page).  PS. It's in French, so I don't know what it says, but the pictures are pretty self-explanatory!

-4-

We're getting our family photo done this weekend.  I really need a haircut, but I actually want to grow it out again, and I hate paying someone to cut it when I want it longer. We'll see what happens. Gus will look great for the pictures, regardless of how I look!

-5-

My goal for the coming week is to finish writing Gus's birth story.  I have it mostly written, but it is 5 pages long, with probably one more page to go! So I either have to edit before posting or do a multi-part series. And my labour was fairly quick and uneventful. How do people with 24-hour labours write a concise account? Anyway, look out for it next week.


Updated:  I was rushing to finish this yesterday, and forgot to say that I have been spurred on to finish my birth story after reading Elizabeth's and Kaitlin's stories this week.  Thanks, ladies!

-6-

I finally called the hospital yesterday to become a milk donor!  I am blessed with an abundant supply of milk, and breastmilk is so beneficial to babies born sick, too early, or too small. It can be really hard for mothers to maintain an adequate supply if their babies are too small or sick to suckle, especially if the baby can't be held, and formula increases babies' risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and infections. In the UK, you can see UKAMB for more information on milk banks and donating breastmilk.

-7-

One week till Gus's baptism!  Can't wait!  I just need to find something for me to wear and book a pub for lunch afterward. I also wanted to get a St Augustine and St Monica (St Augustine's mother) medal before the baptism, but it seems like it will cost me either about £1 for two (I want something a bit nicer than that) or £50 (not really in my budget for a necklace at the moment). Or I can get this $600 one! 

Have a great weekend! 

Links to some good giveaways

I would really like to write a real post, but for now, you will just have to make do with a couple of links and a picture of the wee one.


Rixa at Stand and Deliver is giving away a beautiful sling baby carrier.  But I really want to win it, so just click over to her blog and read all the great things she writes about birth, but don't enter the giveaway ;)


At A Perfect Lily, she is giving away a whole bunch of things for a really good cause--to help rescue a little girl with Down's Syndrome from a life in an institution--they just ask for a donation in order to enter the giveaway.  I only found this blog today, so haven't read much of it, but it is about one family's life with a DS baby.  I read the birth story (as I do) and was in tears.  Will definitely have to go back and read more.


And, as promised, a picture of Gus with his wee friends Bee, Octopus, and Bear (4 weeks old):

(I must cut those tags off of Bear's ear.  Luckily, Gus is not actually that interested in toys yet, so the tags pose no problem at the current time.)