Sunday, January 31, 2016

MOMMY BLOG: LACTATION COOKIES

BREASTFEEDING IS HARD! 

If you are here because you are looking for a good recipe for lactation cookies, first of all, lady you freaking ROCK. You are nursing a baby, and if your babe is anything like mine, who was half piranha, half baby, you deserve a MEDAL! It is not as easy as they say, and I call BS on anyone who says that it shouldn't hurt. Errrr, it hurts, A LOT!!!! Anyways, congrats on nursing your baby! Now, when I started nursing, I encountered many hurdles, and for me, breastfeeding has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life! One of those hurdles was poor milk production. So, off I went to the "inter-webs" searching for a solution. And I found it! Lactation cookies. I stumbled across a website that claimed to have the best lactation cookie recipe ever so I decided to give it a try. First batch was ok, but it called for coconut oil which was a bit overwhelming for my tastebuds. After three attempts changing things a bit I reached a recipe that I absolutely love. 

I ended up eating this every day in the morning and at night. They are so gooey and rich. They are perfect with a very nice cold glass of milk.

You can find the original recipe here: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2015/02/lactation-cookies/
This lady has some pretty delicious recipes and I am glad I found this recipe, even though I ended up tweaking it a bit, it's still pretty similar. So if you want to see my adaption, keep reading. 

Ingredients 
  • 3 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 5 tbsp brewers yeast (I bought mine at Amazon)
  • 5 tbsp ground flaxseed 
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  •  a pinch salt
  • 16 tbsp unsalted butter, soften
  • 1 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • On a large bowl mix oats, flour, brewers yeast, flaxseed, baking soda, baking power, cinnamon and salt.
  • With an electric mixer, mix soften butter on medium high until creamy (and pale in color). Add sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and the egg yolk until combined. Add vanilla extract and combine. 
  • Gradually add the dry ingredients into the bowl on low, do not over mix.
  • With a wooden spatula, stir in chocolate chips.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop in the dough into 1 inch rounds, and place on baking sheet. Bake for 16 minutes, or until bottoms start to look golden. 
  • Cool completely or not... YOLO! I couldn't wait so I ended up eating a couple while they were still warm! Yummy!

This recipe makes about two dozen cookies, a bit more, a bit less depending on how big you made your rounds. 

For me these cookies were perfect, and within two days I was able to see that my milk production was up! I really hope this helps. 

Hugs, Frances

Friday, January 29, 2016

MOMMY BLOG: WEANING - WEEK 1

Hello again! I hope you guys are doing awesome! 

As many of you know, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusively breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months of life. And, they furthermore recommend to extend breastfeeding for a whole year. Last week I made the decision to wean my baby boy from breastfeeding. He just turned 6 months a couple of days ago. Let me be clear, if you are a breasfeeding mother and you have decided to breastfeed longer than 6 months, that is totally fine, and more power to you. The same goes to any of you momma's who have decided to wean before the 6 month mark or for you momma's that formula your babies. You do what's best for you and for your baby, so do not let my post make you feel like you are less than me or anything like that. This is what works for my family and for my baby. From the beginning, my son has been a very independent baby boy and lately he has no interest in sitting for 10-15 minutes to nurse. He is just such a curious and active boy that breastfeeding has become a challenge for both us.

Now, when I decided I wanted to wean him, I took to the internet, and researched many, many ways to do it. I cannot tell you how many articles are out there about the subject. It was quite overwhelming but, I decided to go the "gentle weaning" way. What does "gentle weaning" means? Basically, you just take it slow. I do not understand how any momma out there will do cold turkey on breastfeeding...hello Dolly Parton or Pamela Anderson!!! I really did not want to have my breast feel like two pounds of potatoes in a one pound bag...no offense to anyone that has done it this way. At the moment my son is feeding anything from 6 to 8 times a day, so I decided I would take from 6 to 8 weeks to wean him. So, aside from the fact that it is gentler for my ladies (boobies), I feel like I will give my son 8 months of liquid gold.

So, this week was the first week that I used formula instead of a nursing session. I chose the last evening feeding, the one before his bedtime routine/nursing (I am still nursing him to sleep).  My son has already weaned most of his nighttime feedings. He only wakes up once, although sometimes he wakes up more than once, if he is sick or has had a rough day. During these coming weeks I will work on gently weaning him from those too, but not replacing them with a feeding, since our pediatrician said he really doesn't need to nurse at night, he is mostly comfort nursing. 

So far so good. It went smoothly, and he seems to enjoy Daddy giving him a bottle and some extra cuddles while I do some work around the house. I haven't felt engorged or anything, which is good, since I am really scared of it. (I've only been engorged once, at one of my best girlfriends wedding, were I had to hand express milk, since I forgot my pump and could not handle the pain). What I have noticed is that I am missing it more than my son is. In my opinion, weaning is tougher on the mom than on the baby. I felt weepy, and get quite sad about the future and not nursing him, but I know that the bonding we have created will not vanish just because I am not nursing him. He still needs mommy for nourishment and cuddles, even if I am not giving him the breast. Next week I will give up the second morning feeding (the feeding after his wakeup nursing session) Bedtime feeding and wakeup feeding will be the last ones to go. I will see you next week for a Weaning - Week 2 update. 

Hugs, Frances

Thursday, January 28, 2016

RECIPES: SLOPPY JOES



Back when I started dating my husband, he told me that one of his favorite things to eat in the entire world, and one of his most cherished childhood memories was eating his mother's version of Sloppy Joes. I told him that I would love to make them, and so he asked his mother to send us the recipe.

When I got the recipe from her, I only could laugh! I had never met my husbands mother, but her email was a glimpse of her personality, something I will always remember. To this day every time I read it her email I feel like I can hear her voice explaining it. It brings warmth to my heart, especially since she is no longer with us. But her recipe will be passed on generation after generation. This recipe came from my mother-in-law's mother. She was German and her dad was Dutch/German. I will spare you the long version of her recipe, she was very detailed about each ingredient and dedicated a small paragraph about them (she would described where to buy it, what brand, and why she preferred that brand, explaining most of the times she liked their "politics". 

So, for my first recipe blog EVER, I am honoring my mother-in-law, Alice, whom I miss every day and try to make her proud with everything I do. I love you Alice!!!!

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lbs (approx) ground beef 93% 
  • (Sometimes we replace it with ground bison. This stuff is YUMMY)
  • 1 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup Ketchup  
  • 1/2 green pepper, cubbed
  • Salt and Peper
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil (omit if using ground bison)
  • Hamburger Buns






Directions:
  • On a large frying pan, heat up olive oil on medium heat.  
  • Season ground beef with salt and pepper to taste.

  • Brown ground beef on medium/high heat. Stir frequently, breaking the beef clumps, until brown, crumbly and simmering in the pan. Pour off fat/juices (if using bison there will be a lot more juices than beef).
  •  
     
     
     
     

    • While the meat is simmering, add 1/2 green pepper to cook with it. 










    • Simmer for about10 minutes, then add tomato sauce and about 1/4 cup of ketchup, stir and simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Serve with a bun. (You can make this low cal by using lettuce leafs instead of buns)
    Who am I kidding, I eat this with chips! I will excersice this tomorrow!!! It is 
    worth it!!!
     

    Wednesday, January 27, 2016

    BECOMING A MOTHER

    MOMMY BLOG: BECOMING A MOTHER



    This year I started the most exciting and nerve-raking "job" of my life, and my new "boss" calls me mommy! Yes, this year I became a mom! Follow me on this journey called parenthood. I will try to share my experiences and some little advise I wish I knew when I had my beautiful baby boy! Stay tuned!