need ideas please

Hi Granolamom,

I agree that concentrated butters are pretty rich. However, the quality of nuts, particularly almonds, changes dramatically when they are soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed…going from acidic to slightly alkaline.

My husband makes us smoothies for breakfast each morning using only soaked almonds, dates, fresh mango, a drop of alcohol-free vanilla, ice and water. It’s the yummiest thing on the planet and if you want, I’ll ask him for exact proportions. You have to make it in a Vitamix though for it to turn out right.

I also love root vegetable soups, using any roots except potatoes, i.e. burdock, carrots, rutabaga, turnip with onions, garlic and herbs. Roots contain complex carbs, but are also a good source of protein.

We just finished enchiladas (corn tortillas with a dab of goat cheese and finely chopped red onions, rolled up and baked very briefly) with a slightly warmed (raw) green chili sauce (soaked pumpkin seeds, dried green chili, dried onion, dried garlic, oregano and salt) and a bowl of black bean soup and salad.

Bean spreads are a good alternative to nut butters, like white beans with dried tomato, garlic, olive oil and oregano; and, of course, hummus.

Another favorite spread is equal parts of black olives, soaked walnuts, and fresh basil. Add enough water to blend smooth.

Add raw sesame and dulse (ground together in a little electric mill) to whole grain rice or pasta to provide good fat, protein and trace minerals.

Just a few thoughts….

Christine

I should probably qualify that...how about "modest" amounts of protein. Really..."good" amounts vary widely amongst dietary preferences/requirements.

Hi Christine

What's the problem with potatoes?

Louise

Potatoes are known to have a very high “glycemic index” or tendency to increase blood sugar levels. It’s a very different soup/stew when potatoes are added. The same is true of lentil soup...I never add potatoes for the same reason, although I love them and do eat them occasionally - usually baked.

if you must have potato - you can mash cauliflower. It really is good- my kids don't know the difference. And just to be argumentative....potatoes are a great source of folic acid- so if you are prego eat up - but eat the skin cause that is where the good stuff is.
Granolamom- so far I have just eaten what I wanted- and when the baby was gassy I just nursed more.....after a few weeks of gas- they kinda just stop having a problem with it. I think unless it is truly an allergy their tummies adapt to the gassy foods-
Now this is coming from a mom who let her baby throw up for 8 months straight with out going to the pediatrician ( I figured he was a happy little puker and that it would resolve- and now it has, thank goodness I was so sick of being covered in baby puke.) so when I say just eat what you want- that is just what I do. It is so hard to find out what makes them gassy and even harder for a breastfeeding mom to find good protein that isn't an animal source. Besides....at 3 months or so they get over the gassy phase- or at least mine did.
I always had trouble with beans and broccoli- not nuts so much.
Another thing I did besides nurse more for gas was to wear the baby on me and go for walks- seems to settle a gassy baby-
Other wise I guess you have to up your other protein sources....you could get the omega 3 eggs and eat one everyday-

the truth is - I don't think we need so much protein. so a little hummus every day (you can make your own with out seed oil)- some eggs- some fish- some beans- and unless you feel like you are dragging you should be good to go.
How is that little baby anyway- growing fast? Our baby is so old now- I joined this site after his birth and now he is pulling up on furniture and making his way around.

Hi Granolamom

Oh, I had forgotten about all that. My heart goes out to you. My gut feeling on this is to eat as varied a diet as possible, so that it is not to heavy with anything in particular.

I am a meat eater, there I have admitted it!

But meat is far from the main part of my diet. Fruit, veges, grains, dairy, nuts etc beat meat hands down. I am not suggesting that you radically change to my type of diet but once you have lots of variety in your diet (which you probably already have) without one particular category dominating you can start cutting out potentially troublesome candidates one by one and *not change your diet radically, which may compound his fussiness*. For example it may only be one type of seed.

On the other hand I think babies are pretty robust, even if they do have a little difficulty getting used to being babies instead of foetuses. If he is gaining some weight, and sleeping for at least 9(?) hours in 24 (he won't sleep well if he is in pain) it may not be a problem. I think some babies are just fussy, and yes, I agree that they get over it. You just have to be able to survive his fussiness along with all the other stuff that goes with having families!

You are an experienced mother. Don't let this throw you. It is hard knowing that your baby is not happy and frustrating not being able to crack the solution. I think your instinct will tell you if there is anything really wrong. If in doubt get him checked with a health professional.

Keep us posted.

Cheers

Louise

My ethnic mother in law has an excellent lentil soup recipe. It's really simple, I can post it if you want.

...don't seem to affect my blood sugar the way regular potatoes do. I'm sure the American Diabetes Association has that information.

I couldn't live without Potatoes, I am such a fussy eater and they are one thing I don't moan about lol

And they may be high on the Index but they don't seem to 'run out' in the body as other 'fuels' high do - Like Baguettes are also high and you eat a bit and feel like you ate nothing unless you could eat a whole Baguette lol

Sue

Look into the eyes - They hold the key!
http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/img/maddy544x150Banner.jpg

Hi GranolaMom

I think you have your little boy sussed out better than anybody, and I am so glad he is not fussy all the time. It can rob both of you of so much joy.

When you reintroduce nuts, you might like to try increasing the amount slowly. He may tolerate a small amount, but not the quantity that you prefer to eat. Also, introduce one type at a time so you know if there is only one type that causes him problems. I hope it works so life can be a little smoother for both of you.

Cheers

Louise

My mil is serbian so they eat tons of this, along with stuffed cabbage /peppers etc. out of the garden. It's really good. You could adjust it however you want, it always seems to turn out good.

1 pound of lentils
8 cups vegetable broth(chicken etc.)
4 tablespoons Paprika
A few shakes of Ground red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and drain lentils. Put all ingredients above into a large pot, bring to a boil and reduce to med/low for 35 minutes.

2 Tablespoons Flour
2 Tablespoons Oil
2 handfuls small dot noodles or Pastina

While lentils are cooking, in a small sauce pan, mix flour and oil together and cook over medium heat until medium brown in color. Add to soup and cook small noodles until tender.

Christine, where do these recipes come from, is there a book? They all sound yummy. Can you post the proportions? Do you make your goat cheese? I have tried-got a book from the library, but it never came out right.

Ann (thinking about those enchiladas...):)

Hi Ann,

I finally corraled my husband and made him sit down to write out exactly how he makes our morning mango smoothie. I actually came up with this concoction (minus the mango) many years ago, but because he measures things carefully his always come out perfectly delicious while mine are a bit hit and miss...hence, he's the drinkee maestro in the family. It's rather corny, but even our adult children call it "drinkee".

I do not make my own cheese, but we have a very clean and good goat dairy in the mountains east of the city.

Mango Drinkee

1 C raw organic almonds
12 medium organic dates
1 medium to large ripe mango
dash alcohol-free organic vanilla extract
water
ice

1 Vita-mix blender (a regular blender isn’t strong enough)
1 wide mouth quart jar with tight fitting lid

The night before, place the almonds in the quart jar, fill with good water, cap, shake and put in the fridge.

In the morning, shake the almonds again, drain, refill the jar with water, shake and drain again. Place the almonds in the Vita-Mix.

Pit the dates and add them to the almonds. Peel the mango and carefully slice the fruit off the seed. Add the fruit to the Vita-mix.

Fill the quart jar with ice and add to the Vita-mix. Add the dash of vanilla extract. (Note: regular alcohol based vanilla has a hard-edged flavor and is not recommended. If you can’t find the alcohol-free Frontier brand at your local health food store, I’d leave it out.)

Fill the quart jar with good water and add to the Vita-mix. You might want to reserve a bit of the water to adjust the thickness of the smoothie. The amount of almonds, the size of the mango, how large or small your ice cubes are will all affect the thickness. You should add enough water so that the Vita-Mix will blend smoothly but not so much that it loses that smoothie consistency. Be careful not to over or under blend. If you under blend it will have little chunks of date and almond. If you over blend it will get warm. It takes a little practice to get it all right, but the results are well worth it.

Enjoy!

Can't wait to try it!! :)