Here I am, here I am!!!

Look! I didn't lie! Here is it, Saturday night, and here I am at the computer writing a post. Hurrah!
Okay, so here's a quickie life update before we get to the food. I'm afraid I have mislead you.... we haven't actually moved yet!!!! Eep! We leave in 3 weeks, and my absence up 'til now has been a combination of many things:
1. Getting our house "move ready". This includes getting rid of tonnes of crap. Our new place is way tinier than our current house, so we had to do some serious downsizing, as well as cleaning, deciding whether to sell or rent this place, finish up some lingering renos....the list goes on.
2. I took a doula course, which consumed a bit of my time. But, I'm a doula now, so yay!!!
3. My sweet sister was very very very sick, and was in the hospital (we're talking ICU) for over a week. But she's better now, so hooray! We love you, Janet!!!!! xo
4. I've been sewing baby slings for a friend of mine. Or, trying too. I'm a terrible procrastinator (as you all well know), and sewing/ ironing around curious babies is just a bad idea. So.
5. I went on a couple trips (Kelowna to visit the in-laws, and Vancouver to visit the new house.... I'll do a post on the great Vancouver veg-restaurants after we move), and we are heading our to Hamilton, ON in less than a week...we will be heading to Toronto for a couple days, so if anyone has any great veg/kid-friendly restaurants, I'd love to hear your suggestions!!!
6. I started organizing a rally to fund midwifery in Alberta, and ended up passing it on to someone else, because my brain was about to explode. I still went to the rally though, which seems to have been successful, since it looks like midwifery fuding is finally underway!!! See, all my busy-ness resulted in positive outcomes. :)
I think that's all. Anyways, I've been busy. And will probably continue to be busy for, like, ever. But I digress. Back to the food! I have a month and a half (!!!) of stuff to post about, so I'll start on some dinners.

First: V'con's Chickpea cutlets & Caesar salad, with ED&BV's Lemon Broiled Asparagus and Polenta Croutons. Yum!!!


A brown rice and split pea dish from.... I don't remember where. Whoops. And Sweet-Potato Spelt Biscuits from the Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook.

Traditional Mac 'n' Cheese (I think) from the Uncheese Cookbook, with peas and broccoli thrown in.

ED&BV's Polenta Casserole. Quinn's new favorite meal.

Simple salad with homemade croutons, and ED&BV's "Honey" Mustard dressing. This dressing blows my mind, and I am totally in love with it.

V'Con's Chickpea Cutlets (these things are delicious, and so freaking easy to make!!!), and ED&BV's Popcorn Fries (looooove!!!!) and Lemon Broiled Green Beans.

And, to bring you up to speed on Baby Teague's wee eating habits, he has now had non-gluten grains, lentils, almonds (ground), hemp seeds, sunflower seeds...lots of new things that I can't remember. He also refuses to eat baby food, or be spoon fed, so I have oodles of baby food in my freezer that I have to get rid of in 3 weeks. Hmmm. Anyways, he will only eat finger foods, so he's been eating a lot of rice pasta, peeled and cubed cucumbers, melon, banana, apple...etc.
His new obsession is pulling my cookbooks out of their little bookshelf in the kitchen (behind him in the above picture). A little foodie already. ;)
I hope this will tide you over for a little while, and I promise promise promise that my next post will not be in a month and a half.
xo

Gahhh!!!

Okay, kids. I promise a post this weekend, with a full update. Promise promise promise. That's four promises. Now I have to do it. That, and Monika K has been holding her breath for like, a month, waiting for me.
Okay. Give me three days. I'm going to put pressure on myself and say Saturday night. There. I said it.
I have about 8 million things to post about, so prepare yourselves for a longie.
Thanks for the patience, lovelies!
xo

Around...

Yo!
I'm around, but engrossed in moving right now. We've bought a house in Vancouver, which makes the move officially official. Yikes!
Expect a post soon, but don't hold your breath!
xo

Tag! You're it!

I've been tagged again! This time by VeganDad.
Y'all know the rules by now, right?

1. I went through a phase in college where I was obsessed with Iris Murdoch. I have a tattoo of her quote, "If one doesn't have words, how does one think?", on my back.

2. Also during those wild, Iris Murdoch-obsessed college years, I had dreads! Not for very long. They totally destroyed my hair, and I had to cut it all off. I've been trying to grow it back ever since. That's obviously not going well, since it's been 5 years, and my hair is barely chin-length.

3. My first job was at a Burger King, believe it or not. I was the only employee who would try the veggie burger when it first came on the market. Ha!

4. The first night I met my husband, I took him back to my place, and we watched Three Men and a Baby. Yup. I own the sequel too. What?

5. I really don't like weddings. I used to work at a bridal boutique, and that is likely a huge contributing factor.

Anyone out there who hasn't been tagged with this meme yet? If so, I tag you!

The little post that could...

At last! The long awaited infant nutrition post! Here goes....

0-6 months
Breast milk is all baby needs for the first six months of life. Human milk is perfectly formulated for human babies, and will ideally be babies only food for the first half of their first year. Although breastfeeding can be challenging, help is readily available. If you are having problems, contact your local La Leche League leader, a public health nurse, or even a friend who has breastfeeding experience. Some great resources are The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, The Breastfeeding Book, and any Jack Newman book.

If breastfeeding is absolutely not possible, then the baby should be fed formula exclusively for the first six months. At this time, I do not know of any vegan infant formulas, as even soy formulas contain lanolin, a derivative of sheep's wool.

6-9 months
Beginning solid foods is a very exciting time for parents and babies! It is best to wait until the baby is 6 months old before starting solids, but some babies can start earlier. If you think your baby is ready to start foods earlier, discuss it with your naturopath, or pediatrician.

The best foods to start with are fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are structurally similar to breast milk, and are easy for baby to digest. These foods will also help baby develop a taste for healthy foods. Juicy fruits and vegetables are best to start with (such as cucumber and pear). Lightly steam, then puree each food before serving, mixing with breast milk or water to thin, if decided. A handy trick is to make large batches of a particular item at once, and then freeze in ice cube trays, making perfect baby-sized portions that are easy to thaw and gently heat.

It is common to give baby a fortified infant cereal at six months, but grains are harder to digest, and can be rough on baby's sensitive tummy. The reason that infant cereal is often suggested as a first food, is that baby's iron stores begin to deplete around six months of age. If you are concerned about iron, steamed and pureed greens (such as kale, spinach, and chard) are great iron-rich foods.
Note: Tomatoes, strawberries, corn and citrus are common allergens, and should be avoided until 1 year of age.
Note: Foods should be given in a 3-day block, meaning that after each new food is introduce, do not introduce another new food for 3 days, to see if baby has a reaction. This holds true for all new foods, not just fruits and vegetables. Some reactions may include rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, irritability, congestion, eczema, and diaper rash. Consult your naturopath or pediatrician if you have a history of severe allergies, or are concerned about your babies reactions to certain foods. Do not mix a new food with any other foods until you are sure that the baby does not have any allergies or sensitivities to the foods.

9-12 months
At nine months, it is safe to introduce lentils, split peas, non-gluten grains, and nuts and seeds.

Lentils, split peas and grains (non-gluten grains include rice, quinoa, amaranth and millet) should be cooked, and pureed until baby seems ready for different textures.

Nuts and seeds should initially be ground, and mixed with breast milk or water to create a paste. Always use raw, unsalted nuts, such as flax seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds. If your family has a history of allergies, you can delay the introduction of nuts and seeds until 18 months or later. Peanuts are a common allergen, so their introduction should be delayed until at least one year of age.

Around 10 months, once baby has a few teeth, he/she may be interested in trying finger foods. Finger foods should be soft enough for baby to "gum". Good finger foods include small pieces of banana, avocado, or steamed, cooled fruits and vegetables or gluten-free pasta. Kamut and rice puffs are easy to eat, and are still a favorite for Quinn.

12-18 months
Once baby is a year old, it is a good time to introduce legumes, soy, and gluten grains, as well as the allergenic fruits that were avoided at 6 months.

Although it might be tempting to treat baby to a sugary birthday cake, it is best to limit the intake of sugar. A quick internet search will lend you plenty of sugar-free cake and treat recipes that are easy to veganize.

Other important points:
- Babies are much more sensitive to toxic pesticides than adults, so it is important to buy organic whenever possible.
- Breastfeeding should continue until at least two years of age. If it ceases before that time, it is important to supplement with DHA fortified formula, or integrate a DHA oil into the baby's diet.

Some good resources for feeding infants and young children are Raising Vegetarian Children, the New Vegetarian Baby, Disease-Proof Your Child and the infant feeding section found in Vive le Vegan.

If I left out anything, or you have a specific question, please feel free to ask in the comments, and I will try my best to answer as soon as possible.
xo

Tagged (aka. procrastinating....)

Okay, infant feeding post coming soon....yada yada yada.
Until then, I've been tagged by Michelle to reveal 5 things about myself, then pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

So. Here we go. This is tougher than it seems. All I can think of writing about myself right now is how sleepy I am...

1. I have naturally curly hair (just like that bratty girl in Charlie Brown, but with much less attitude).

2. I'm a total birth junkie, and plan on becoming a doula - holistic nutritionist.

3. I'm super-close with my family, and my mom and sisters are my best friends.

4. I online shop. Like, a lot. Well, not a crazy addictive amount that puts our family in debt or anything. To be fair, I mostly window-shop online. I don't know what you'd call that. Etsy.com is my most favorite place.

5. I've been so stressed out lately because.....we're moving! To Vancouver! Scary. Well, scary for me. I'm going crazy over here! I don't know anyone in Vancouver! Ahhhh! More on that another time. Sigh.

Okay, so I tag Katie, VeggieGirl, VeganMomma, Paulina, and Monika K.
Rules:
Link to your tagger and post these rules.
Share 5 facts about yourself.
Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Now go forth and reveal yourself!

I suck...

... at this blogging thing lately. Big time stress at our house right now. Details to come.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for an infant nutrition post in the next few days.

Later gators!
xo