Foodie Pen Pal October 2012

So, this month, my box is from Pamela in sunny Florida! She included some great items, and I honestly can't wait to try out the recipes she included.

Here's my box:

Top row L to R: Plantain chips, coconut water, marinade, and a tea she recommended.
Bottom row L to R: recipes, plantains, then three snacks- peas, trail mix, and corn nuts better tasting big brother. :-)

I can't believe Liam tore right into the chips and really seems to enjoy them. I think that if I end up not using all the plantains in a recipe, I'll fry the rest into chips!

I love coconut water, but never seem to keep it in the house- so this is a real treat for me. If you've never had it, please give it a try. Though its miracle uses are largely unfounded, I will say that for me, it acts in the same way Pedialyte or Gatorade would. Replenished. Refreshed.

My plan for the plantains is to try something easy first. I think I'll go this route: Tortas de Plátano

Seth used the marinade for pork chops, and although I didn't have any, they smelled delicious and he really enjoyed them.  We devoured the packaged treats! Seth and Liam tore into the crunchy peas and the corn, and I had the trail mix.



Here’s a detailed explanation of Foodie Pen Pals:
-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
- Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

Frankenstorm

So, we live in central NY. While we're not in nearly the treacherous position that the oceanside areas getting hit by the hurricane are, we are in an area where two storm systems are going to collide. It is somewhat likely that we'll lose power. We're in a rural area on top of wide open, unprotected hills. So, how are we planning for this storm?

First- we are completely unconcerned about flooding. When the landlord built the community, he specifically planned the landscaping to control and water runoff- including preventing flooding. And, coincidentally/luckily, he just dug two new ponds in the last two weeks. We're also lucky in that our yard ends in a large hill. At the bottom of that hill is huge ditches that ultimately lead to big gully down the road a bit.

Later today, we'll go fill up the gas tank in the car.

My only concern at this point is losing power- and that is only because our only source of heat at that point would be our gas stove. So if I'm not cooking, there's no heat flowing. We'd likely just pile on the blankets, dress in layers, and hope for the best.

Seth has an old cell phone with a radio tuner in it- meaning we can use it as a radio. And we also have several spare batteries for it. So we'll use that to keep up on the weather if our internet should go out and we cannot use our cell phones' data.

We went and spent a whopping $15 on food and bottled water. We're on a well here. No electricity means no water. We just got some soup and stuff. The freezer is full, so we'd likely just eat from there. But in the event we're without power for an extended time, the soups and things will keep us fed until we can get somewhere else.

We made sure we have enough pet food to last a week if need be. The cat can also eat cooked meat from the freezer and the rabbit can eat green yanked from the lawn.

Absolute worst case scenario, we'd listen for traffic reports and attempt to make the drive to my parents' place once the storm passes. They heat with wood, and keep a 3-4 MONTH food supply on hand at all times. Now, there are two major valleys between here and there on the 40 mile stretch. I'm actually not concerned. One is the city of Ithaca. It is flanked on all sides by massive gorges, and the actual city wraps around the end of a lake. The way the town is built, up and down hills, tells me that the town can handle some water volume. The second is Watkins Glen, a smaller town that is set up similarly to Ithaca. All roads between the two places are fairly high set, as is the road between Watkins Glen and my parent's house.

I anticipate sitting on my couch through some heavy storming, needing to reschedule a prenatal appointment (it's scheduled for 8am Wednesday, directly after the storm has smacked Syracuse), and freaking out every time the house creaks in the wind. I don't foresee any issues. But, it's never bad to be prepared.

Speaking on being prepared. This incident has reminded me how unprepared we would be in an actual unforeseen emergency. Bluntly, we'd be screwed. I can tell myself I'll eat soon if there's no food available. Try explaining that to a toddler or two.

So, our plan after this is to buy one of these per month: 30 Day Food Pail

When we move in June, I also plan to do a few 50 gallon water storage systems, a basic emergency preparedness kit, and a few other things. I'd like to do this all now, but quite frankly- we have no where to store any of it, and I really don't want to move it all in 7 months.

I also plan to oven can dried goods. Some estimates put the shelf life of oven canned dried goods at high as 20 years. Canning a dried soup mix would be far cheaper than anything else I could preserve.

So, good luck to you and yours if you're in the path of the storm! And to anyone else, I'll post once the air clears. ;-)




Edited to add: We received an awesome email from the landlord today. It basically said our heating systems do not require electricity, but in the even the pilot goes out, call him and he'll come light it. The entire water supply here has a backup generator system, so we won't lose water. And the stuff that the electricity runs- tv, internet, lights, etc., are non issues that we planned for.

So, we'll definitely be sticking it out at home. :-)

Fall Soup (vegan friendly)

I'm feeling soupy today. Seth has a work dinner, at my FAVORITE restaurant. *jealous* For whatever reason, if I can't snuggle up to my man, I wanna snuggle up to a huge mug of soup. As usual, excuse the lack of photos. I have no forethought at all. I will take pics of my super cool frog mug full o' soup later though. This is one of those 'throw random shit in a pot' recipes.

Here's what I did:

In a pat of butter (or your favorite vegan alternative), saute some diced onion and cooked brussels sprouts (or cabbage) until it all has a nice crust on it. Then toss in some diced potato and turn the heat down a bit. Give it a stir every couple of minutes while you do the next step. Open a can of white kidney beans and dump into a bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, mash until lumpy potatoes consistency. Toss the mash and another can of white kidney beans into the pan. Add a little more butter or alternative, then just stir until the mashed beans incorporate themselves. Add in some stock of your choosing, salt and pepper to taste, and slowly simmer until the potatoes are done.

This literally took me five minutes of 'work' to make.

Cohesive ingredients, using the above method:

1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 cups cooked brussels sprouts, diced
3T butter, or vegan alternative
1 large white potato
2 cans white kidney beans
12oz stock/broth
salt and pepper to taste

This made about 1.5 quarts of soup. That'll feed us dinner tonight (Liam and I), and lunch for all three of us tomorrow. God, I love soup. It just makes me want to curl up with slippers, a blanket, and a big steamy mug.

32 Weeks

I'm 32 weeks pregnant today. It's so crazy to think about this pregnancy. I remember being about 12 weeks along and so terrified of early miscarriage. Then 18 weeks finding out we were having another boy. Those experiences seem so far away! We're nearing the finish line now. I have less than 2 months before my due date, but likely only 4-6 weeks before being induced. I'm excited and terrified all at once. However, I surprised my Dr. I was able to stabilize most of my glucose levels without added intervention. I just changed my eating.

I have nearly everything we need. Seth's amazing coworker sold us a car seat, two bases, and a bassinet for $100. I'm honestly not in love with the bassinet. I'm thinking of either selling it or donating it to a mama in need. The one I REALLY want can be found on eBay for $50-60, instead of the $150 it currently retails for. So, aside from that, I just need some boob stuff and more 0-3m clothes. I'm planning on buying disposable nursing pads at first, just to see what the filling up is like so I can gauge how many cloth pads to buy. I also want to get gel pads, nipple shields (inverted nipples), a lactation aid that kind of pumps up the nipple, and some more comfy nursing bras and tanks. And yoga pants. Ohhhhh, how I need new yoga pants. :-)

We have a gently used baby gear store called Mama Goose. I'm planning on selling off my maternity clothes there, as well as the baby gear we don't use. I can get 60% of whatever they plan to sell it for as store credit. That'll buy my baby clothes. Everything Haven outgrows will be taken there. I may actually take this bassinet there. It's a great store. Cheaper than Salvation Army or Goodwill, doesn't smell funny, awesome staff, and an incredible selection of everything. Had I known, I would have gotten my Ergo carrier there instead of paying full retail. Same thing with all the crap we've been buying Liam! Clothes he outgrows in less than a month. Toys he gets bored with in a week. Eh, live and learn.

Outside of that, life is good. I have the option of returning to school in January. I'm inquiring about finishing my last 7 courses on a part time status. I can't do full time with a toddler and newborn. It means finishing a few months later than I wanted. But, by the time I finish, we'll know more about Seth's role at work, my ability to find work, and if we can afford to hire someone to come in while I go back to work. Ideally, the timing will work so my mother in law can babysit for us full time, help us homeschool, and quit her job! All I need to do is make enough to pay her for that. Why would I work a job just to break even on child care?

Well, here's why: I have the patience of a honey badger, lol. I struggle daily with my role in my home. My MIL is amazing. She thrived as a SAHM- even going so far as writing the lesson plans FOR her kids' teachers! Her children are all well adjusted, amazing people. And she now lives for her grandkids. :-) She is honestly a far better caregiver and teacher than I'll ever be. I am confident enough in my self to admit that. I do think I'm an awesome mom. But when it comes down to it, she's a better pick for the home school, toddler wranglin', house managing caregiver. For me, it's not any different than hiring a nanny, except she's family. And we love her to pieces. I'm a better money maker. I LOVE being home with my babies while they're young. But let's face reality. I'll likely never make enough money to allow my husband to stay home with the kids, even though that's our dream. So the next best thing is his mom. :-)

I wanted to share our plan for if my little trooper ends up in the NICU. The hospital is almost 70 miles from us. There's no way I'll be able to come home until he can. So, my mother in law already plans to be here with Liam while we're having the baby. We'll have her stay here with Liam for however long she planned to, then we'll come get Liam when I get discharged and stay at he Ronald McDonald House near the hospital. A neighbor can feed the pets. Seth can 'work from home' up there so he's not eating into his vacation time home with us. That will allow me to be at the hospital everyday to pump, feed my baby, care for him, hold him, without having to worry about Seth and Liam. I am hoping every day that he can cook until he's ready and be discharged with me, but there is a plan in place if there's a problem.

Well, that's it from our end. Things are good. :-)

32 week belly. :-) I'm still DOWN 29lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

Sad. Discouraged.

I had my 30 week OB appointment today. Boy, was that rough.

My diabetes is out of control, despite our best efforts. I'm eating half the carbohydrates they want, I'm taking an obscene amount of insulin. And, no change. My blood glucose levels will not come down. So now we're discussing early induction. I don't mean a week early. I mean 4-6 weeks early- or more. It's hitting a point where he'll be better off in the NICU than in my body.

What a devastating feeling as a mother, to know that my body, his home, his womb, is what is causing these issues.

So, as a last ditch effort, they're letting me handle it. My insulin was upped again. But I am free to make my own diet choices. So, extreme low carb it is. Basically, living on meat, cheese, eggs, and salad veggies. Not impossible, but boring. But, my child is worth it. If they told me I had to live on water and sunshine to make sure he's safe, you can bet I'd do it. I have 3 weeks to get this in check. At that point, we'll decide if we're ok, or if we need to schedule my induction for soon there after.

I just can't wrap my head around this. I'm crying. I'm scared to eat. I had one chicken nugget. 2.5 carbs. A typical American meal is 40-50carbs or more. Those 2.5 upset me so much, I made myself go and throw it up. I'll likely cook up an actual piece of chicken and have just that for dinner. It's the only thing I feel safe eating.

Please body, just let him safely remain inside, away from needles and tubes... just for a while longer....

Foodie Pen Pal!

I am a foodie pen pal.


So, this month I got a box from Debbi.

From L to R: Spaghetti Squash, Pepper Jam, Chocolate Zucchini Bread, and the front guy is a pretzel roll her kids insisted she send. :-) She also sent some fantastic recipes that I can't wait to try.

We loved everything in this box. I had never had spaghetti squash or pepper jam! My mom and I shared the squash for lunch, and it was super easy to cook- and yummy to eat! Pepper jam was also new to me, but was great on some crackers with cream cheese.

SOME DETAILS: 

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your  penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun  foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
- Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

So, if you'd like to get involved, follow this guy down here.