Monday, March 30, 2009

Out of a drug induced haze...

I feel that I am more coherent. There are no longer things crawling on my walls (that i can see anyway) and I'm slowly emerging from the fog that has been my life for the last few days.

I have a picture of the incision. It's gross but I'm totally posting it one day this week. It's still covered in steri-strips though. The Husband changed my dressing this morning so we gave it the once-over.

I stopped all my pain meds except for Tylenol. Sunday was a complete haze for me with the remaining anesthetic wearing off and my painkillers taking their toll. I think I'm okay to remain on just tylenol for now and hope that it does the trick. I'm not in that much pain anymore - stiff from being in bed so much but today I got in my first walk down the street. It's going to be a long recovery. I am not the greatest at remaining sedentary by any stretch of the imagination. And, while I'm enjoying very much the first season of Gilmore Girls and have high hopes of scrapbooking my kids' lives up until now, I think that by day 5, I might be going stir-crazy.

I can only hope that the temperatures remain above freezing and continue to melt this winter ice castle around us so I can breathe in the amazing spring air as I walk. The Boy came on our walk today and we compared footprints. We decided that daddy's footprints were giant and his were small. I'm not sure where mine fit in but I love the mind of a 3 year old.

And so, I am now ready for a snooze. Maybe I'll crack open my first issue of Delight Gluten Free magazine or read some of Eat Pray Love (great booK!!) before I drift off...

Saturday, March 28, 2009

7 things and post-surgery

I feel like I've been kicked in the back by a large horse. I've never actually been kicked in the back by a horse before but I imagine it feeling rather similar to this. The surgery went well and i have no pain in my leg for the first time in over a year so this is a big step. I haven't seen the incision yet as it's covered by a rather large dressing but that needs to be changed on Monday so I'll see it then. And I'm going to have The Husband take a picture too. I might as well scrapbook a page about this right? :)

Anyway, Wendy over at Celiacs in the House tagged me to come up with 7 random things about myself and I've been thinking about this so here it goes:

1 - I co-own a baby store and information site online. It's based out of Alberta and is a year old now. It's a culmination of BFF-N (my partner in business) and my favourite things for our kids. www.naturalurbanmamas.com

2 - I loathe ironing. I cannot tell you how much I hate this appliance. I have owned 1 iron in my life and it was a gift. I think I've lost it. I'd rather wear wrinkled clothes than iron.

3 - I am just about an accredited La Leche League leader. I have 3 more classes of sorts and my preview and then I'm done. I should be officially accredited in early May.

4 - I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I have a computer science degree that I don't use at all and don't plan to use again. I write here and there for different things and was really loving my job in sales before kids but given that I don't plan on going back to work for a while, I think I have some time.

5 - I am a perpetual worrier. I worry about everything. I worry that I've upset people with my open thoughts. I worry about my kids. I worry about my husband. I worry about people in other parts of the world who might be suffering. I have a difficult time disconnecting myself from things and I'm working on it.

6 - My pain meds make me hallucinate. I've seen a lot of really crazy stuff over the last 24 hours. Most things crawling on my walls. It makes me laugh and certainly makes me aware that I am not yet ready to drive, or go back to my normal life just yet.

7 - I have insane obsessions with kicking the winter dirt off of wheel wells. You know that sludge that builds up behind the tires that's a combination of snow and dirt and ice? I have to kick it off our cars all the time. And I have to seriously resist the urge to kick other people's cars. I have thought of starting a self-help group for people like me but feel it might not be seen as a true issue..

And that's that. :)

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Surgery

I'm nervous. Or downright scared - I don't know which. Friday morning at approximately 9:45 they will be removing a part of a disc that is pressing on my sciatic nerve and has been causing great amounts of pain for about 17 months now. While I'm looking forward to the pain relief, I'm nervous about the surgery and the impact it'll have at least temporarily on my kids.

Plus, I've packed my own food in case they don't have good celiac friendly options for me.

All this to say - if anyone can spare good wishes Friday morning I would great appreciate it.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

It's been a yummy week so far..

I really like food a lot more than I used to. I used to pretty much hate food to be honest. I ate it because I absolutely had to in order to stay alive but other than that, I didn't see the point. Nothing tasted good to me, nor did it feel good afterwards. I can pinpoint one of my celiac flare-ups to my late teens. I also battled depression at the time, but I literally could not keep anything in my stomach. I dropped 20 pounds in a month and my weight dropped dangerously low. Looking back on that time makes it shocking to me that I actually LIKE food now. I don't feel terrible after eating it and I can enjoy cooking it as well as eating it as a result. It's a whole new way of life.

This week food has been yummy. Our pork tenderloin was fantastic on Sunday night. Monday's Artichoke Pork was not the same as the chicken - both The Husband and I agreed that we liked the chicken better, but the pork was also incredibley good. Tonight we had a vegetarian friend over for dinner with her 2 year old. We made a lovely spaghetti dinner. I threw together an impromptu veggie sauce which turned out to be wonderful. I finely chopped (try Pampered Chef's food chopper! It really makes it much easier to finely dice things) carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and roasted peppers, added some crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, lots of spices (sugar, paprika and cumin are wonderful in sauces), and tossed in some fresh spinach. YUM! It was perfect over our brown rice pasta.

Tomorrow night will be pizza night and Thursday night will hopefully be the moose meatloaf. our fridge is getting full but it should work out that leftovers are there for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Husband will start cooking again on Monday but I want to get us through the weekend without having to cook. Some friends have offered to bring food as well post-surgery so I think that will be a big help.

3 days and counting..

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Cake


I meant to post a picture of the Boy's cake. A GF cake (Glutino white cake) in which I added white chocolate chips and some lemon zest. I made the icing myself, and the spikes are white chocolate dyed orange hand done by me too. He loved it!

Gluten Free Menu Swap

It happened. The Boy turned 3. I'm not sure how three years have already gone by but they have. And, just like 3 years ago, this weekend was filled with a snowstorm. Oh how I love living in Canada sometimes.. this time we're only supposed to get 20cm or so, but still. It's nearly the end of March.

Anyway, this is my first time participating officially in the Gluten Free Menu Swap, hosted by Weird and Suprisingly Good. Her theme for the week is Latin food but I went to my cupboard and thought our theme should be "food you already have in the house" so I scrapped Latin and went with my own. And, I might add, that the only things we need to purchase for this week's menu are: a bag of spinach and some mozzarella. Everything else we have in the house.

So here we go:

Pork Tenderloin with Maple sauce, rice (leftovers), carrots and peas - we had this tonight and it was fab. I kept dipping into the maple sauce. Mmm. The Husband = very good cook.

Brown Rice Tinkyada Spaghetti with Pasta Sauce already made in the freezer.

Moose Meatloaf with peas and potatoes - we've had this moose meat in the freezer for a long time and seriously need to use it up. If I don't have enough, I'll combine it with some ground beef.

Pizza (Pamela's crust) with onions, leftover meat, and whatever else we have in the frige.

Spinach Garlic Soup as a starter followed by leftovers.

Artichoke Pork with Broccoli and Rice or Potato

And finally.. leftovers :) We have to have at least 1-2 nights of them or else we waste food which is not the point of menu planning.

My surgery is on Friday so I'm guessing that leftovers will be Friday/Saturday this week.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Memories of Three Years

It's as though a tidal wave is overcoming me today. The Boy turned 3 today. He's now a "Big Boy" (even with potty training issues he's still a boy now, no longer a toddler). I can't believe how much life has changed in three years and how much I've gone through personally.

Three years ago yesterday I went into labour 4 weeks early with a baby who was breech, feet down. Three years ago early this morning I had a cesarean to remove said baby. Three years ago this morning The Boy was transferred to a different hospital without me because he wasn't doing very well. He had been recusitated and couldn't keep his own oxygen levels up. Three years ago this evening I was finally transferred to the same hospital after the head nurses at the 2 hospitals went behind the doctor's back and transferred me. Three years ago tomorrow my baby came to live with us in my room after being released from Intensive Care. Three years ago tomorrow I fell in love with a new man and three years later I still feel that love and can't remember life before him as being much fun.

I went through post partum depression, surgery recovery and more after that day, and yet still, I wouldn't change a thing. The Boy is challenging every day and yet each day, I laugh out loud at least a dozen times by his actions and words. That kid cracks me up. Like tonight when he told his Grandma that he got lots of tiny presents.

It's the day of 3s here.. 3 months ago I started my new diet and 3 months later, I feel amazing. I almost never have sour stomach anymore, I'm pain-free, and my digestive system might actually be working. It's been amazing this diagnosis.. I can't even imagine what the next 3 months, years and further have in store..

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Menu Planning

I'm going for week two of menu planning and I'm quite excited. Here's what we have on tap:

1. Pasta - a staple in our house. It'll be Tinkyada Fetuccini this week.
2. Polenta with sauted onions, peppers and maple sausage, covered with provolone cheese.
3. Artichoke Chicken with Carrots and Baked Potatoes
4. Coconut Mango Chicken
5. Leftovers
6. Burgers
7. Meatloaf

This is the last week before my surgery so I wanted to make it a big cooking week for me.

We start on Saturdays so I've already made the Polenta - taken from Wendy's Celiacs in the House on Saturday night. The Husband was skeptical - we've never had Polenta before and it was SO good!!! I added some pasta sauce that had to be finished and this gave it a nice flavour too. I think it would have been good without but mmm. The Girl inhaled hers (which is big given she refuses to eat most things these days). The Boy actually ate sausage (he typically doesn't eat meat) so overall I think it's a meal we'll totally repeat.

We also made Artichoke Chicken and it's amazing as usual. It's a mix of mayo, artichokes chopped up, garlic, and parmasean cheese. Coat the chicken in a rosemary seasoning, and fry the chicken until basically cooked. You then put the artichoke mixture on the chicken and broil it for about 5-10 minutes (until it's golden brown). It's so fantastic.

I'm excited for most of the meals this week but I'm not sure what to cook on Tuesday. I know it's St Patrick's day but it's also The Boy's Birthday! He's going to be 3 - how did that happen already???

Friday, March 13, 2009

14 more days..

Two weeks to surgery. 5 weeks until The Girl's surgery. hopefully this will make our summer much healthier than winter has been.

It was leftover night here tonight. I *LOVE* leftovers. I can't rave enough about leftovers. They're just so yummy - all of the great food you make through the week needs to be consumed before garbage day and mmmm.. it's just perfect! So tonight we finished up the Shepherd's Pie (which, by the way in french is Pate Chinois - or Chinese Pie.. how does that translate properly??), most of the potato chickpea curry, and the scrumptious corn-coated chicken nuggets I made last night (even The Boy eats these and he generally gags on most meat products)!

I'm planning next week's menu.. I know for sure it's going to include Polenta something because I'm wanting to try it, and the Mango Coconut Chicken that didn't get made this week.. and hopefully a slow cooker recipe or two.. hmm.. time to peruse the cookbooks!

On another note, it's above zero here!!! We hit record lows on Monday and Tuesday (Mondays' new low was -42.7C - in MARCH!!!) so seeing +9C out there today was bliss - the kids got soaked with all of the snow melting (and given that they're big fans of playing in the sandbox in the middle of winter, it was wet sand stuck to their snowsuits) but they had a blast. Now what should we do in the +3C weather tomorrow..? I feel like we need to take advantage of this weather in case it goes all crazy here again!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Menu for the Week

What a week it's been. It's Thursday and I'm just getting around to posting my menu for the week - but, we've followed it! IT made grocery shopping.. well, somehow i still spent a ridiculous amount but I also bought our tax software for this year, an outfit for The Boy and new sippie cups. So I guess realistically looking at it, I did pretty well and spent about $140 for the week.

Anyway, we decided to do:
Pasta 2 nights
Rosti with Ham, Sundried Tomatoes and Provolone cheese
Leftovers 2 nights - this will be switched to 1 night
Shepherd's Pie
Chicken with Corn coating
Mango Coconut Chicken with Rice

The Rosti was amazing although I don't recommend cooking it in a pan that isn't very non-stick. I ended up switching pans halfway through just to make sure it wasn't a total disaster..

The Shepherd's pie was also wonderful - a new variation than what I'm used to - I added some tomato paste and carrot to it but it was so delicious and has served many lunches this week with its leftovers.

Tonight is corn/chicken and I'm looking forward to this. For years I thought I was allergic to corn because I seemed to react to it. Well, since diagnosis and diet change, I can totally consume corn again without any reaction, so we're taking full advantage of this.

I got a call from my GI's office for a followup appointment which means I'll also have to go for my followup blood work. It's going to be a busy few weeks.. I have surgery at the end of the month on my back, The Girl has surgery to put tubes in her ears April 17, the Boy has a sleep study April 1, and then a followup with the ENT on April 30. Whew! We'll survive and then at least it will be spring!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Menu Choices, More Reviews

Well I'm in a bit of a funk right now to be honest. It's been so well, BLAH this winter. It was beautiful well into October (the Boy was running through the sprinkler October 1 - Unheard of in these parts!) but then november hit and it's been downhill from there. I'm really in need of some spring though our temperatures for the week certainly don't indicate that's happening any time soon.

I'm having surgery March 27 on my back so I'm trying to get some things in order before then - some meals prepared ahead of time so our temporary nanny or The Husband can heat them up easily, the house cleaned (that's a losing battle these days), books set up to read during recovery, and an exercise plan for afterwards. So far the plan consists of: walk as much as I can and when given the okay, start running again.

I also go towards the end of the month for my first set of blood tests since diagnosis - I'm anxious to see the bad levels come down and the good nutrient levels go up. I think I had a "stupid" moment on Sunday and ate hot dogs which made me rather ill.. they didn't say they contained wheat - only that they might so really, I should have known better.

The Girl is just finished her 6th round of antibiotics after another ear infection. She's having tubes put in her ears in April.

And now:
Riceworks Chips Thai Curry flavour - I just don't like them. I think other people will but I just didn't. I like the Salsa ones and that Chili ones though!

Nearly Normal Flour - I think we've found a winner here. We've used it as a substitution and also in Jules Shepherd's own recipe. It's been wonderful.

Glutino Pretzels - Holy Hannah. These are better than any pretzel I've ever tasted. WOW.

I have a couple of other new products I've tried and loved that I'll have to review on when I'm downstairs and can see the labels which I've saved.

And the Gluten-Free Menu Swap people always intrigue me with their menu plans so the HUsband and I decided to give menu planning a bit of a try.

Tonight: Artichoke Parmesean Chicken with leftover spaghetti squash, corn and leek risotto.

Other nights this week:
- Steak & Onions with Rice & grilled veggies
- Potato & Chickpea curry (stolen from Celiacs in the House) but I will add chicken or pork to it served on rice.
- And reheats. Our fridge is way too full of leftovers right now and we're just wastign too much food.

Now if anyone has tips on potty training a rather stubborn 3 year old who can go for days without an accident and then decide he just doesn't FEEL like using the potty anymore, that'd be great. Speaking of the almost-3 year old - I registered him for preschool yesterday and soccer! How is my baby boy so grown up already???