HOW!?!
Seriously, how do SAHM / bloggers do it?
I’m only 3 days into Kyle’s 10 days out of town and pretty sure I’m going to turn into an almond by day 5 at the rate I’m pounding through this Costco tub of roasted nuts. And I haven’t written a single new post aside from this one I’m working on now. Which may or may not go live before Kyle returns.
Suffice it to say, I’m not exactly excelling in either the cooking or the blogging area. Hopefully I’m doing better in the mom department, but I’m not so sure. P is now totally sick of the pack n play and I’m totally sick of the music on his entertainment center. We are at an impasse.
Or at least we were…until I decided to put him on the floor to “play” and let Sesame Street assist me in distracting him. I feel like a totally horrible mom for admitting that (tv and media screens are the devil right?). But omg I’m really impressed with Sesame Street! And I’m not alone – my little monkey is all about it, too. I guess there’s a reason they’re on their 40th season. Bless you Netflix. Bless you PBS. Bless you Elmo. Thanks to you I can actually eat food in peace. The rest of the day’s entertainment is on me.
This coffee is frothy because I made my own almond milk. Not by choice. We ran out and I didn’t have the energy (read: I was in PJs and looking like a hot mess) to go to the grocery store for more. So I added a few tbsp of marcona almonds and water to the magic bullet, whizzed away until it was as smooth as it was gonna get, and strained it through a sieve right into my mug.
Overnight oats + chia seeds. Blank canvas.
First comes love, then comes marriage peanut butter, then comes raisins.
Then comes the spoon!
Lunch was this plate x3 because I was grazing while parenting. Is it just me or did something change about Daiya’s wedge cheddar? It was softer than I remember it being in the past and tasted different somehow. Not sure.
The strawberries from the farmer’s market are insanely juicy. I can’t believe how good they are. I’m ruined from all other berries now.
Speaking of produce straight from the plant…
Last weekend on our walk, one of our neighbors hooked me up with a TON of arugula and swiss chard from her garden. You can’t tell by the photo but it was a lot lot lot of greens. So nice having neighbors with green thumbs! Her garden is really amazing, so I’m pretty stoked.
Anyway, I already had a lot of greens in the fridge, so in order to keep these fresh I used this cool bag.
I thought the concept sounded bizarre at first – you wet the bag and wring it so it is just damp before adding your freshly washed veggies in the bag. Then you just store them in the refrigerator (keeping the bag damp by sprinkling it every few days).
There’s something about the humid environment that keeps the greens hydrated without getting slimy. And it really works!
I didn’t get around to using the chard until almost a week later and they were still crispy and looked the same as the day they were picked from the ground!
Holler for the vejibag.
I started prepping the chard before I really even knew what I was going to do with it.
P was napping so I was taking my time, but of course the second I poured the olive oil into the pan he woke up. Figures. So my dinner got sidelined while I changed and fed him.
But afterwards, I made myself this beauty.
This isn’t so much a recipe as a process…so I’ll just tell you what I did.
First I added a couple of tbsp of olive oil to the pan along with cherry tomatoes. Then I added in the chopped chard and cracked three eggs on top. My intention was to let it wilt a bit and then scramble it all together. But instead, I placed the lid on the top, turned the heat down real low, and waited for the eggs to barely turn white on top.
No stirring at all.
Once the egg whites weren’t clear, I slid the whole pan full onto my plate.
Added a dollop of plain lactose free yogurt on the side.
Since discovering I tolerate goat’s cheese I’ve been eyeing other products to test on my gut. Green Valley makes lactose free kefir and yogurt, plus they are local and sustainable and a really awesome company. Happy to report this didn’t affect me negatively at all and I had zero symptoms. Mind blown. As you can see above, the ingredients are completely clean and pure and FODMAPs friendly. Win!
This dinner was legit. The chard was soft and flavorful, with a crispy underside thanks to the olive oil. The tomatoes gushed hot seedy yum. And the yolks were perfectly runny. With an accent of yogurt, it was a doozy of delish for my mouth.
I snacked a little more later on.
These Blue Diamond chips are decent. They taste like a cross between a corn nut and a rice cake, if that makes sense. It’s confusing for my taste buds, but I would probably buy them again. They were on sale (I’m a sucker for the displays at the end of the aisle) so I thought why not.
I’ve checked out the other GF Blue Diamonds products (namely their crackers) and they all have this weird butter flavor ingredient in them. Total turn off. These, however, have a nicer ingredient list with only things I recognize.
After I did bath time, story time, and nursed P to sleep, I went to the kitchen to try to get ready for the next day.
I made a strata (recipe coming), prepped overnight oats, and set up the coffee maker with decaf. It’s nice to make a massive pot for me while Kyle’s gone, as opposed to using the French Press.
My recent dessert plates look like this (and rarely get photographed for some reason).
Chocolate + nuts + fruit.
In the fruit department, frozen grapes and oranges from the neighbors tree are on rotation. Although I just bought a cantaloupe, so maybe that’ll be a new addition.
I’m worried I’m going to OD on nuts because I snack on them ALL. DAY. LONG. Like there is literally a 1 cup minimum in my daily diet. I’m obsessed and they are easy to munch on while I’m doing stuff with the PAC man. So I tend to eat fewer nuts at night because I prefer treating myself with other things, like chocolate.
The Bissinger’s bar is going fast (it’s probably gone by the time you read this). It was a Valentine’s Day present from Kyle when I was in the hospital. It must have gotten lost in the post-partum shuffle, but I found it after our move and it’s really good. Just the right amount of cacao for me (aka a person who prefers milk chocolate but doesn’t tolerate dairy and therefore uses dark chocolate as a crutch).
I’ll leave you with a photo of my cutie pie. 🙂
Loving on his monkey.
Day three! Well done, it’s a busy life when you are the sole baby carer! The chard/egg dinner looks great, a bit like my lunch today (we are growing kale and silver beet, and I fried those with mushrooms and eggs). I think nuts would be great for nursing, lots of good oils and protein. And Sesame Street didn’t do me any harm 🙂
I love your snack plate. What kind of crackers are those?
I don’t know if you have heard about “Your Baby Can Read” but it is a set of DVD’s that teach reading at an early age. I got this for my son when he was 6 months old and now at the age of 4, he can read a whole book! They are roughly 30 minutes each and you just put one on, place the baby on the floor, in a bouncer, etc and let them watch(or listen). By 18 months my son knew all the words on the flash cards (there is over 80) and by 2 years old he was reading words off of buildings, signs, etc. The DVD’s have music and poems on them as well. It might be a little way for you to catch a break, as well as assist in your son’s reading 🙂 They also have a series called ” Your Child Can Discover”. My son is using these now and knows all of his letters, numbers and shapes. I laugh when he tells me a $1 is 100 pennies. He has been ready for kindergarten for over a year but I still have to wait for him to turn 5 before he can attend. Good Luck 🙂
Reading this post quietly, then let out a gasp, and Lucy the Lab jumped from her sleep – baby pic! Hello P! Gosh he is adorable!
Honey you are doing great 🙂 I had my two boys by myself from the 2nd being just on 12 months & the other was a toddler, was finishing Uni, and had a full time job – ummmm I would have pitched myself out the window without Seasame Street! And the bonus now is I can still do The Count’s voice (One! Ah ha ha! Two! Ah ha ha!) and freak young peeps out at work 😉
You are doing great xx
Cheers
Lori
marys gone crackers
oooo! thanks for the rec dolly. im all about it. 🙂
me either, so i guess theres hope for him yet. 😛
This chard & egg concoction looks delicious! I am going to have to try it out asap. And, that vegibag looks amazing. It would be soooo nice to have a way to preserve veggies more efficiently. Thanks for the post!
I love all the concoctions you make for yourself! And I’m going to look the Vegibag up on Amazon. Oh, and we have the Sesame Street- Old School dvds for my daughter. I remember it all from the 70s!
My “baby” is 15. But working out of the home fulltime and being a single mom is still a challenge. Instead of feedings and diaperings, there’s driving to rehearsals and events. Makes me a bad blogger! Especially since my meals end up being snack plates.
I totally had that Chard combo for breakfast today. Thanks for the super idea and it was a good way to use of the starting-to-go-bad Swiss Chard sitting in my fridge. Having it shipped to Canada, and displayed at the grocery store, and mishandled by me doesn’t do much for its attractiveness, but it was very yummy when cleaned up and combined as you demonstrated–so good–and a great way to get vegetables for breakfast without a lot of fuss and muss. Cooked itself on low heat once I got it started. I’ve also inquired at Vegibag to see if I can locate those things locally, or what the shipping costs will be to Canada if I purchase online. This might save the life of many vegetables out there. Told them I’d heard about it on your blog. Thanks Elise.
Your fodmap free seitan is amazing. I am in love. I never knew how amazing seitan was until this blog. I had a bite once and made my hubby BBQ seitan but they were not good. After reading your blog I checked out upton’s and then made my own since the brand has onion, wheat and some have garlic.
Thanks so much. I love love love it!
Hang in there! Solo parenting is hard stuff! (And a little sesame street won’t hurt, I’m sure!).
I have a question, if/when you get a minute. I’m just realizing that I need to do the FODMAPs elimination diet (I’m pretty thick-headed; I’ve been reading your blog for a while now but I never thought this was my IBS cause, but now I’m pretty sure it is). Is coffee allowed? I know you drink coffee, so I’m hoping that there’s no need to go off it. Beans will be hard enough – I will weep copious tears if beans turn out to be my problem.
Coffee is not high in fodmaps. Be careful of what you put in it though-no cream and agave nectar. Stick to lactose free milk or almond milk and sugar, maple syrup or stevia.
Beans are really good to build good gut bacteria and what I have heard is that you should try and build a tolerance for them unless they are totally making you sick-building a tolerance means eating one spoonful a day for a week and then doing two and so on. I have found that a small amount of red beans is okay for me but I cannot eat any other fodmaps with it like avocado.
Elise,
I think I am going to try the 4 R plan. Is there a specific diet plan somewhere online? I did not see it.
I wonder if quinoa is okay since it is a seed.
I have noticed that starchy veggies or too many carbs in a meal are not ideal for me so I think there is something to what he is saying. I also wonder if kombucha is okay since he mentions yeast. I guess it is important to know the cause of your malady.
I are he says to limit fruit. I definitely cannot handle more than one serving at a time but especially with the summer and heat, I love that refreshing cold fruit. I tried cutting it out though and was constipated too. I have found that drinking one cup of a smoothie with ground chia seeds and spinach helps.
I am ready for this challenge!
What an awesome neighbor!! I am jealous! The dinner that you made looks fantastic, too!
And I am super excited for that strata recipe..yum!
Thanks! I’m a black coffee drinker, so that’s not a problem. (I do put soymilk in tea, though, so I hoped I wouldn’t have to switch to that!). I eat beans daily and have done for years. That’s why I feel like it “can’t be” beans, as I should have a perfect tolerance for them. But something is making me hurt, so I don’t know what to do other than try the elimination-challenge diet. We’ll see!
If it is fodmaps, you will be amazed that certain symptoms you did not even recognize as fodmap symptoms were. And I was born in a Caribbean country and raised on rice and beans but eaten then bloats me, makes my stomach churn, have constipation or what is terms incomplete elimination. I think I can tolerate a small amount but it is hard not to overdo them. Too much fruit is definitely a big problem too which sucks:(. Hope you feel better!
I have up soy milk too and switched to almond which I think I am tolerating much better.
thanks kathleen. i did drink coffee on the low fodmaps diet pre-pregnancy. i only stopped then (and now) for pregnancy and breast feeding.
soymilk is technically ok for fodmaps (depending on the brand) but a lot of people w IBS have issues w soy anyway. good thing you take it black.
almond milk is the way i go w either maple syrup or stevia.
similar to kathleen, certain fodmaps i can eat ok solo but in combo w others its a no go (hummus and wheat bread – nope). beans on the other hand ive increased a tolerance to since doing fodmaps. still not great (in that i cant have a ton and they have to be separate from other fodmaps), but better than nothing.
im unsure about where quinoa falls in the no grain thing.
im so inspired by you being ready to take this on. if i recall you have a little one that youre breast feeding too right? i think that was you…im so overwhelmed w solo parenting right now its hard to imagine starting the elimination over again. plus i read something about the die off (of bacteria from the gut) being bad for babies if youre breast feeding bc it releases toxins into your milk. i think? hmmm…
anyway, i do want to do this to try and re-est my gi tract. i already got these in anticipation:
http://www.drbvitamins.com/products/Betaine_HCl_Pepsin_Gentian_Bitters_120C.html
i think kombucha is good for the fermentation phase when you are restoring good bacteria. same w kefir.
yay! makes me so happy 🙂
thats awesome susan! 🙂
better a bad blogger than a bad something else right?
Hmm let me know how you like this. I did look into the floraverse Dr. Gant recommended but did not see how to buy it on the website. I have probiotic in my fridge but noticed it has no go fodmaps in it so I have to find another one. I never found a probiotic to help but maybe I do not have the right one.
Yes I have a little boy who will be 5 months old on Wednesdsy. He is a little over a month older than your son.
The doctor I am working with recommends eliminating certain foods to heal your gut strictly for 3 months and then introducing them one by one. She says however that some foods are so nutritious that even if they are high in fodmaps, they help heal us like beans or greens. For example she told me to eat steamed kale since I do not seem to tolerate it too well raw. She also would like us to eat 1/2 cup of lentils of we can tolerate it otherwise stick to tempeh or sprouted tofu. Her list of foods we need to ban for 3 months include:
Cherries, apples, pears, fruit juice, dairy, fried foods, wheat, dried fruit, watermelon, peaches, plums, mangos and I think this is it.
Other foods as tolerated.
I was totally ignoring the wheat one last week and my stomach was rock hard and bloating, I was so fasts and miserable but I did not care. I ate a seitan cheesesteak with peppers and onions on wheat bread and then had vegan cake two days in a row. I am done with this. Feeling sick makes me so miserable and also not a very nice person. I went back to work 2 weeks ago but I have my son all night long alone and my husband works at night and I am a solo parent then which I agree with you is extremely hard.
Maybe you can eliminate the list I mentioned and consume the fermented foods instead of eliminating grains since you seem to tolerate them so well. The dr is Dr. Mullin and she specializes in gastro issues and plant based diets. She has seen people heal 100% following her regimen. I of course knew about it for 2 months but have not been able to get serious. I am now though and am encouraged by the new info on cocoa, coffee, fennel and chamomile since since I was eating all of them.
So the kombucha is to be consumed once you are in the 2nd phase?
It is so good just cold out of the fridge or crisped up in oil in a pan. And it gives me no symptoms, yeah! I am trying to get more serious about including more plant protein and so now I have another option. I think I totally should have doubled the recipe though. Oh well it was so easy to make anyway.
Hi Elise!
From the “Seriously, how do SAHM / bloggers do it?” I take it you are staying at home? Did I miss a post about that?! How exciting for you and your family!
i havent shared my plan on the blog, so no and no.
Yes, I guess this will be a long journey of figuring out just what items and combos “do it” for me. Yuk. I love fruit and beans, and I’m realizing just how important they are in my diet now that they’re restricted! Blargh. Thanks for the support, though!
I asked my doctor what she thought about a grain free, reduced fruit diet to increase healing. I also asked about the pepsin and will report back. I do not take a probiotic because I found that they were not helping me but also just learned that the probiotic I was using had fodmaps. I would like to start vsl#3 again.
I went without sugar yesterday-I think it flairs up my son’s eczema or chocolate does, not sure.
I wish I had known about fodmaps in my pregnancy. I would eat pizza and ice cream and be laid out and sick on the couch thinking I overate and not realizing it was the fodmaps.
cool, definitely report back on what your MD says.
i still dont understand this cocoa vs chocolate thing.
She said that some people have to strictly limit grains and fruits for short while but this is not long term. She also said that staying with the low fodmap diet for a few months generally makes a significant difference over time.
I am going to limit my grains and fruit but not eliminate them. I am going to also up my protein and start eating some eggs. I have ibs-c too and find that drinking a smoothie with 2 tbsp ground chia seeds, small handful spinach, and 1 cup of fruit keeps me regular. I am also going to avoid the list of foods she recommends too.
I love your approach to vegetarianism. It does not have to be all or nothing and ultimately it is about benign mindful of your food choices. I am the same way in terms of preferring to say vegan even if I eat wild salmon occasionally because I will not eat the junky cake at work or junk meat or seafood.
What do you think about juicing? My doctor said it is okay. Obviously I would not juice fodmap veggies or fruit though and the juices are primarily green for healing.
thanks kathleen, thats great info.
according to patsy catsos juicing is okay as long as you arent using fodmaps fruits or veg. so im sure your mixes will be fine.
I am excited and hopeful about it. I was thinking the diet is hard but I have had these gut issues for at least almost 10 years and I cannot remember before that. I need to heal already. My husband is a scientist and has not read anything about this but he said almost the same thing as the dr.-intuitively it is like an invasion and you would have to do a mass killing of the bacteria and then bring in all of the good guys. In terms of eating fermented stuff now he said likely there would not be a big benefit until the bad guys are killed but he is not sure.
I am starting tomorrow with the new plan. I will miss fruit but am going to do the one smoothie with no more than 1 cup of fruit and give any extra to my husband.
THANK YOU for mentioning Sesame Street. I have been so anal about G not having any screen time (like making Matt turn off a football game because G kept craning his head) until the last couple of weeks…it’s just not realistic. Obviously it’s not a babysitter but uh, I need to make dinner somehow, and a squirmy crawling 9 month old makes it nearly impossible to do that without a little help! I feel a lot better about G’s occasional (age appropriate!) screen time now 🙂
yay! go you! i wish you had a blog so i could follow your adventures.
me too! i feel SUCH guilt every time i put it on too…ugh. but seriously, kyles been out of town for 10 days and counting and i can only do so much! its REALLY freakin hard.
that said, im so anal about cell phones. not only are they disgusting (kyles parents think im an ocd nazi about hand washing but they are ALWAYS on their devices), but i also dont want P around the screen from day one. theres plenty of time for him to be ruined on sugar and touch screens in the future. i just have to try and hold it all off as long as possible. but yeah, compromises on the daily…
YES, I am a total freak about the cell phone too! I don’t even like it near his head because of the radiation. G has never even held our phones which is a big accomplishment considering how much we are on them 😉 I did break down on a recent flight and show him some Play School thing on the iPad but he wasn’t even that interested. He was more into freaking out. LOL.
And I don’t know how I could manage 10 days alone. You’re a superhero.
barely holding it together. ill prob burst into tears when he walks through the door. i need to make some friends in davis stat.
Lol me too. We will see, maybe it would make me somewhat accountable but like you the time would be an issue.
Of course I failed miserably at grain free today and had tons of sugar at night. Ugh I have been eating sugar to excess over every night after doing a challenge for 8 weeks with only fruits and dried fruit as the sugar when ironically that seems to be a lot worse for me than table sugar!
dried fruit is hard on me too. dates and raisins are okay though. and dried cranberries. but i am fine w fresh fruit (fodmaps free fruit i mean).
we all go through those evening sabotage periods. its hard being a new mom too so cut yourself some slack.
if you dont have time to do a blog, just journal to keep yourself accountable.
you can do it!