It's Burger Season... Veggie Burger Season?

Just around the time this unseasonably nice weather hit Ontario the "burger" section of the grocery store seemed to be strangely bare. My first thought was that everyone was firing up their BBQs at the same time and the purchaser didn't plan for that much demand, but no - Ontario was the victim of yet another beef recall. 

I can't say I'm a firm vegetarian. For me if meat is humanely-raised and -slaughtered and is fed proper foods, I am okay to eat it in moderation. That's why I have an order for a certified organic, grass-fed 1/2 cow coming in next week (hurray!) But for those backyard parties that you're not too sure about or if invites tell you to BYOM (bring your own meat), I'd recommend keeping a box of veggie burgers in the freezer.

Recently I tried Sol Cuisine's original vegetarian burger. The stats are jaw-dropping: gluten/wheat free, vegan, low fat, 12 grams of protein, only 100 calories, lots of fiber/calcium/iron, kosher, halal... the list goes in. In fact look at these ingredients:

Filtered Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Sunflower Oil, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate, Onion, Modified Cellulose, Tomato Powder, Sea Salt, Garlic, Spices, Caramel Colour.

Everything is verified to be non-GMO. Very impressive.

For the group of us that dug into the tasting (my semi-vegetarian sister, my strict-paleo/whole-foods sister, my meat-loving former-chef husband, and myself) we found with a little creative condiment-adding, the burger was pretty good. Perhaps not as juicy and "meaty" as real beef, but an honest substitute and easily the type of thing you can add ketchup or mayo to for your liking (or homemade tomato jam! or vegenaise!) I look forward to trying more of Sol Cuisine's products in the future.

As it continues to get hotter, I definitely recommend branching out and giving vegetarian burgers a try. Because - hey - you can't get mad cow disease from vegetables. ... can you?

Life Update: Returning to Work

I don't think I'm the stay-at-home mom type. Not naturally, and for a few reasons:

• At the end of a day at home - despite trips to the park, long hours of learning and discovery, and wonderful memories - I lack a sense of accomplishment. I feel like I don't deserve to spend 8 - 9pm in front of the TV because I haven't "worked" yet. Perhaps a load of laundry or two would help this, ha ha.
• I have a real need to be around adults. I'm not even outgoing or talkative, but I love to be a quieter contributor to social situations. Going to mommy groups didn't quench this for me.
• I have crazy guilt about passing up amazing job opportunities. Like the following:

After much discussion, Calvin and I decided that I would accept an exciting job offer I was given by the YMCA, after months of volunteering with them while on maternity leave. To make this happen, Calvin is going to stay at home with Oliver for the last three months of our parental leave. In August he will return to TD and we'll need a new plan.

My first day was yesterday, and the shift itself was thrilling and wonderful, but leaving the house at 8:30am was as close I've gotten to bawling my eyes out in the past 24 years (watching the show Intervention also comes close). I suddenly felt like I was abandoning the family. I had pictures of Oliver screaming and clawing at the front door. I felt the weight of a thousand stay-at-home moms' judging eyes fall on me. It was hard.

But luckily, I was only gone until 1pm. Calvin did a great job of changing Oliver, bathing him, letting him play outside and with his indoor toys, feeding him and even getting a ton of house chores done. Apparently neither of them cried the whole time. So it's going to be okay! I had a double-electric breast pump and a son who doesn't mind "reverse cycling" (look it up) so we'll be okay.

But that's my update.

Have you been in a similar situation? Tell me your thoughts!

How to Lose the Baby Weight - The Easy Way

I was at a wedding on Saturday and a few friends commented that I looked "thinner than ever" which actually hasn't been an uncommon observation over the past while. In fact, since Oliver was born 9 and a half months ago, I've been blessed with tons of positive feedback about my post-birth appearance. I'm glad to say it has nothing to do with calorie restriction - I think weight-obsession and body image issues are some of the ugliest challenges out there, and trying to eat less than an ideal amount never ends up pretty - if anything I probably have a reputation for eating a lot, and often. No, I have some easy tricks to getting back after the big push. Here are a few:

1. Gain the right amount during pregnancy. My midwife recommended the upper end of 25 - 35 lbs, for my pre-pregnancy weight. I gained 30. It comes down to indulging in healthy choices (for you and your babe) and not using pregnancy as an excuse to eat an entire ice cream cake. Or as an excuse not to get up and take a walk. If you gain a healthy amount of weight, it will be less of a trick getting rid of it, and you won't be left saying "Okay, there's my 8 lb baby, now where is the other 45 pounds?"

The next 3 are actually constituents of the attachment parenting philosophy. I may or may not have just finished reading "Beyond the Sling". I will list them in order of obviousness, from most to least.

2. Wear your baby. I don't suggest dusting off the dumbells or returning to the gym right after giving birth, but carrying a baby around most of the time is a nice, gentle way to ease into exercise. The nice thing is, your "weights" keep increasing in size, so in 6 months from now you'll be lugging around 18lbs instead of 7. Not bad. Think of yourself as still pregnant, and your moby wrap is your skin - keep your baby on you often (while you do errands, while you cook, while you do your makeup).

3. Breastfeed. Nursing your newborn burns an average of 500 - 1000 calories a day, which is equivalent to going for a 20 hour walk (I've been close). Or, put differently, you can lose 2 lbs a week without changing anything else. Not a bad diet strategy - and it's nature's way of helping you lose the weight without eating less (because why skimp on all the beautiful nutrition you're taking in?) and, really, without even trying. Every time you nurse it's like you got on the treadmill - did half an hour - and miraculously cooked and served a healthy meal for your child too. Well done, mom.

(On a side note, I was a little creeped out today to find that the ingredients in the frozen dessert topping, Cool Whip, are almost identical to infant formula. Milk, sugar, oil... the main difference is that infant formula has fake nutrients like iron added to it. So if someone makes a vitamined version of cool whip we can give it to babies?)

4. Co-sleep. It may not be the sexiest suggestion I've made on here (probably most of my suggestions aren't) but allowing your baby to sleep in your room allows for everyone to get more sleep. A well-rested mother burns calories more efficiently, and probably is more awake to make better eating decisions too. When you're exhausted your body is flooded with the stress hormone, cortisol, which makes all of your other hormones (including the ones that are supposed to keep you at an ideal weight) out of whack. So for the first while when your little one is surviving on a whole lot of breastmilk, let the boob be close for him or her, and every one can get some shut eye.

I hope these suggestions help! It's been nice for me to not have to buy any new pants...

My baby garden 2012

The soil is prepared, the seedlings are sown and the rain barrel is already in use: it's gardening season!

This year I have a bevy of plants ready to devour. They are as follows:

Purely ornamental plants: euonymus, cedar, maples, hostas, lillies, tulips, grasses, larch, some succulents, lilac

Fruit: raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, rhubarb, watermelon

Herbs, etc: mint, basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, dill, lavender, Echinacea, rosemary, green onion, chives, garlic, sunflowers

Vegetables: lettuce mix, kale, spinach, carrots (4 types), orach, purslane, snap peas, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, corn, beans (3 types), tomatoes (4 types including cherry), eggplant, broccoli, zucchini, cucumber (regular and pickling), pumpkin, squash (butternut, acorn, kabocha, and another that I can't think of)

Is that everything? I think maybe. I grow a lot, and it might be because I hate money and prefer the bartering system. (If you have a service or item you'd like to trade for fresh, organic produce this simmer do tell.)  This, and the organic beef shipment that our farmer is delivering next week - we'll be eating like kings. Which is great because, we have more news -

Our family will be hosting a Brazilian student this summer through the London Language Institute at which my friend, Chris is an English teacher. We'll have a little experience in their culture as we are spending a week in the mother-land (believe it or not all 4 of my grandparents are South American citizens - I'm the whitest, smallest-bummed Brazilian you'll ever meet) and my 2nd cousin has agreed to host us in Curitiba as we witness my Grandpa marry his fiance, Ruth.

A somewhat shorter travel plan coming up tomorrow is the Overflow convention in Kitchener, which Calvin helps run. His band is also playing on the Saturday night on the tent stage.

Then starting next week he will be playing the role of stay-at-home dad while I return to work.

So, over all lots of new and exciting things going on. Thank you for continuing to read as my posts become fewer and further between. If you haven't already, check out my wildly unfinished homepage - www.amyjoyharrison.com and also http://mybabybump101.blogspot.ca to follow Bethany's journey through pregnancy and home birth!

More Homemades from Amy

Try some of these at home!

Deodorant
This is awesome...
Freeze a hunk of coconut oil with 15-ish drops of essential oils in it (I suggest lavender). Grate the hunk into a food processor.
Add equal parts baking soda and cornstarch. Pulse.
This can be applied to armpits with excellent results. 

Baby Powder
1 1/2 c arrowroot
1/2 c baking soda
1/2 c chamomile flowers
1/2 c cornstarch
20 drops lavender

Sunburn Cream
Heat up:
3 oz aloe
3 oz mineral water
Cool down.

Rash Lotion
1 c apple cider vinegar
1 c green tea

Sugaring Solution (for "waxing")
Heat the following to 250 degrees F:
2 c sugar
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c water
Cool to use. Apply with cotton fabric and then tear off.

Sunscreen
Melt:
3 oz sesame oil
2 oz sweet almond oil
1/4 oz beeswax
4 oz water
2 T zinc oxide
When cool, apply.