'Apple Pie' for Breakfast

This is a recipe from my dad, who teaches a course called Aging Reversal: An Ayurvedic Approach.

My daughter calls it apple pie, and the taste is similar, with absolutely no sugar!  It is intended as a first course to stimulate the appetite and help digestion, to be followed by oatmeal or something similarly hearty.

1-2 cups of water
2-4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
1/2 cup - 1 cup of raisins

boil together in a pot on the stove.

Add to boiling water:

2-4 apples or pears (peeled)

cook for about 5 minutes and enjoy.

If there is leftover liquid it can be enjoyed as apple juice.

Healthy Mama Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is adapted from epicurious.com. They call them lactation cookies and they are excellent for moms (and kids), whether or not they are breastfeeding.

This is a double recipe.  You can cook and freeze them.

Ingredients

8 Tbsp water
4 Tbsp flaxseed meal 

1 1/4 cups butter

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup agave (or 1 1/2 cups brown sugar)
1/2 cup honey

4 Lg eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
6 cups thick cut oats
1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups raisins
4 tbsp Brewers Yeast (no substitutions)


Preheat oven to 375.

Mix flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter, peanut butter, agave and honey.
Add eggs.
Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended.
Sift: dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips and raisins.
Add butter mix to dry ingredients
Stir in the oats and then the choc chips.
Drop on parchment paper on baking sheet.
Bake 7-9 minutes.

Hungry Mama Bites

I made this for my Birthing from Within and Mom's classes last week and it was a big hit.  You could basically put what ever you want in here as long as you have a good proportion of dry to sticky ingredients.

Hungry Pregnant/New Mama Bites  

(makes 36-40 bites)

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 cup honey, agave, maple syrup or cooked dates (or a combination)

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed, chia or hemp hearts

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips or raisins

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Freeze balls to help them bind together.

This recipe is adapted from http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.ca/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html

Birthing from Within Open House

Wednesday, January 9, 2013
3:30 - 6:30 p.m. (drop-in)

Birthing from Within Studio
(331 Mt. Sundial Court West - Garage)

A celebration for families, supporters and those who are curious about Birthing from Within

Connect, reconnect and find out more...

DOOR PRIZES & DELICIOUS SNACKS

RSVP on Facebook

Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes...

...are influenced by a variety of factors, but cannot be controlled by planning.

Let me rephrase that.  Parents have an idea (fantasy?) of what it will be like.  Moms and dads get organized, read all the 'right' books, take classes, write their birth plan, hire a doula.  And the reality is nothing like they expect:

Just getting through a contraction blocks out everything mom has learned and read.

 
The parents expect to be at home with their doula in early labour and end up in the hospital for 18 hours instead. 

 
Mom says she will never get an epidural and after 30 hours of labour, gets it and wonders why she didn't get it sooner.

Most of us have a fundamental belief (whether we acknowledge it or not), that if we prepare in a certain way and do all the right things, we will have the 'good' birth.  If the birth we have does not match the fantasy, we make an assumption that we have done something wrong and judge ourselves as failing.

Part of what Birthing from Within is about is acknowledging this belief and shifting the idea of a 'good' birth. External factors (what happens) are not as important for parents feeling good about their birth as internal ones (what parents do in the moment).  Some people have unexpected cesarean births that they feel great about, because they know they did everything they could.  Others have a rapidly progressing vaginal birth with no interventions that they perceive as being completely traumatic.

Birthing from Within is not about laying down a plan to follow to the letter.  It is about preparing by putting out into the universe what we would like for ourselves, without being attached to what actually happens.  We are prepared to accept what is happening in the moment and do the next best thing, when necessary.

This is a huge departure from most of what is out there about birth preparation.  It can be scary to let go of the busy work that we do to get the 'right' plan.  And it is good to be a little bit scared, especially when we are stepping into the unknown.

Please check out www.birthingfromwithin.com and www.elliedoula.com for more about this unique birth preparation.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is basically superfood. It is a complete protein by itself, tastes amazing and is gluten free.

It can be used in place of rice, in salads, in stir-fries and as hot cereal.

It cooks in 15 minutes on the stove, or you can sprout it first by putting it in a glass jar and covering with water. Put cheesecloth over the top and secure with a rubber band. Soak it overnight or for at least 8 - 12 hours. In the morning, rinse and drain the jar well. There should not be water left sitting in the jar.

Leave the jar in a cool, dark place while the quinoa sprouts. Make sure to rinse and drain the quinoa every 6 - 8 hours. The quinoa will be done sprouting in about 48 hours.

They have large bags of organic quinoa for about $10 at Costco.
My quinoa salads are often a combination of quinoa and whatever I have in my fridge/garden for veggies.  Below is an example, and I hope that you will experiment.  Everything is optional with the exception of the quinoa (although you can substitute bulgur, brown rice or couscous) and some kind of acid - lemon or vinegar usually.

In a large bowl mix:

1-2 cups of Quinoa - either sprouted or cooked.
1-2 cups of black or kidney beans (1 can)1-2 carrots grated
1 pepper - finely chopped
2-3 cups of spinach, lettuce and other greens - raw and chopped
2-3 green onions
Fresh herbs - cilantro, oregano, chives, mint, thyme, cilantro, parsley. (1 or 2)
Lemon juice to taste
Olive or sesame oil (or whatever oil you like)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce
Feta Cheese

It tastes the best if you make it and let it sit for an hour or two and marinate.  Lasts 3-4 days in the fridge.

I like to get a variety of colours with the vegetables.  Red lettuce, different coloured peppers.  You can also use peas, corn, green beans, cucumbers or whatever you have.

Fathers and Partners Help Best as Birth Guardians...

...and/or loving partners, not as coaches; they also need support.

In honour of Father's Day, I decided to write about this Birthing from Within principle.

In our birth culture, we have moved from dads not even being in the room, to an expectation that they are responsible for supporting the mother in every aspect of pregnancy and birth.  This is not fair to either parent.

Birthing from Within Classes and doula support recognizes that fathers are also going through a rite of passage and major life change that is parallel to, and different from, the mother's experience.  Birthing from Within Classes provide a special class for fathers,that address their different needs. Read more about how Birthing from Within helps fathers...

The main role of the father during birth is to simply be present for the mother, to focus all of his attention and love on her.  Many dads learn that their role at the birth is to 'do something', whether that means negotiating with hospital staff, getting ice chips or doing a certain kind of massage for the mom.  While there are times during the birth that specific tasks may be required, the thing that moms remember most is a sense of their partner being present emotionally.  The father's preparation is sometimes about unlearning -- letting go of the instinct to solve a problem or fix something and instead learn to let the mother experience the intensity of labour, simply being there for her and recognizing the birth as the transformative experience it is.

Birthing from Within pain-coping practices (learned in a class) can help the parents stay connected to each other and gives the father something 'useful' to do that maintains and intensifies their emotional connection.

Having a doula or other female support person present is an excellent way to allow the parents to focus inward on the birth, while the doula gets the ice chips!  Doulas can also help direct dad if he is uncertain about what might help the mother and give him a break if he needs to leave for a few minutes to centre himself. Read this article about how doulas help...