Breast Milk

I know that we have posted about this before but I have so much to say about breastfeeding. I can't tell you how thankful I am every single day that I am able and choose to nurse my babies. The benefits are through the roof in terms of their health! I think my favorite thing about it though is the comfort that I can provide to them. My youngest had a minor health scare and was taken to the hospital for some pretty invasive testing. He was so upset but I knew that as soon as I could get him on the breast he would be soothed, happy and content. I was so grateful that I was able to do that for him.

I also just had someone ask me if they could "borrow" some of my breast milk for their pink eye. Did you know that if you squirt some into the eye it heals pink eye? Amazing, huh?! There are literally 1000's of thing that you can do with breast milk...I am not sure how long I plan to nurse the baby but I see no end in sight at this point:)

Elderberry

I cannot say enough good things about elderberry syrup for boosting the immune system. I learned about it during flu season and Lila & I took it daily to help our immune systems. Since then, if I've ever suspected any of us were getting sick I up the dosage (2-3tbsp) for a few days and it WORKS! A few weeks ago, Lila had a runny nose (clear, but still runny) so I gave her some elderberry for a few days and she never got sick. My Mom was visiting and was sneezing & had a runny nose. She took elderberry 2x that day and the next day she was perfectly fine! This past Friday, I was feeling under the weather... throat/ear pain & just rundown. I took 3tbsp during the day on Friday and 1tbsp on Sat and by Sat afternoon I was feeling perfect... never got sick. I swear by this stuff! I can give it to Lucy now too (by syringe or spoon). Here are the brands that I buy:

For adults: Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry http://www.vitacost.com/Gaia-Herbs-Rapid-Relief-Black-Elderberry-Syrup
For kids: Nature's Way Sambucus http://www.vitacost.com/Natures-Way-Sambucus-For-Kids

I highly recommend Elderberry for a great immune system & an immune system booster! You can google it and find tons of info on how great it is for the immune system!

Coconut Oil

Do you know all the benefits of coconut oil? Check out the link below for all of the benefits!

I've been using coconut oil on my skin as my "moisturizer" for months now. I love the smell and the way my skin feels. Also I use it for : cooking, diaper rash, bites, and anything else I think it may help with!

Here's a great site on the benefits of coconut oil!

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

Panko crusted Chicken Fingers

I cannot claim this recipe... I found it on another blog, but I made them last night for the girls and they were yummy! They both liked them a lot. I actually only used 1 chix breast, about 1/4 cup of panko crumbs, & just whatever spices I felt like using. I also did not do nugget sized, I did chicken finger size.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into nuggets sized cubes
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbs. Sesame Seeds (optional but yummy)
Seasonings (salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, Lawry's seasoning salt... whatever you like)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat over to 375.
Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Submerge each nugget in the beaten egg, then roll through the bread crumbs to fully coat. Place on baking dish.
When your baking pan is full, lighly spray the nuggets with your cooking spray... this will help them to get nice and crispy!
Bake for 30-45 minutes until both sides are brown and crispy! I flip them about half way through.

Jen's Meat Veggie Mac & Cheese

Whenever I cook I always remind myself that the possibilities are endless. I add anything I think "may" be yummy or healthy to the dish.

Today I threw together a "healthy" mac & cheese. I fed the girls the meal for dinner and froze the rest into 1 meal packets. Remember, the possibilities are endless so change everything as you want.

-1/2- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
-whole grain pasta cooked, I used ziti
-2 cups of veggie puree (I used frozen organic broccoli & mixed veggie mix- steamed in water & then pureed in blender)
-1 sweet potato-cooked & blended with the veggie puree
-1 cup cheddar cheese
-1 cup velveeta cheese (not the most healthy, but oh well :))
-1/4 cup parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup marinara sauce
-italian seasoning & garlic powder to season

Mix all ingredients and bake covered at 350 for 30mins.

Other options.... add peas, finely chopped spinach, or fresh herbs.

My girls LOVED it... I even loved it and at what they didn't finish.

Cow vs Mother

This post is a spin-off of the post about cow's milk a few days ago.

Come on Moms/Moms to be.... can you honestly tell me that it makes ANY sense to wean a child at 12 months and begin feeding him/her milk from a mammal that weighs approx 400-1600lbs, is fed primarily corn, given antibiotics & steroids to "thrive", and is mistreated in a slaughter house? If you can honestly tell me how this makes any sense I would love to hear about what you have to say.

When I was pregnant with my 1st, I could not wait to experience breastfeeding. The first 4 months were great, but as she became more aware, distracted, and I became pregnant our breastfeeding relationship came to an end at 6 mos. I could not wait until she turned a year so she could start drinking milk... yummy, it does a body good! 7 months later we eliminated milk because of night terrors.

When I was pregnant with my 2nd, I was determined to make breastfeeding work (at least to a year). It's been a completely different experience this time around. Lucy is a boobie girl. She starts jumping up and down when I enter the room, smiling and giggling and cannot wait to come and eat. Too cute and melts my heart.

In the past 2 years, I've realized a lot about what I want for my family and myself. I've researched and learned so much about what I can do to benefit my children and I believe that breastfeeding is pretty high up on the list. I will not wean Lucy at 1 year because that is what the AAP says is acceptable. I will wean her when she is ready or if I have a strong desire to wean her. I have no idea when this will be.

I know friends, family, and strangers will criticize and judge me for this decision of extended breastfeeding because for whatever reason it is not widely accepted in our country. Will I let that bother me or sway my decision? Absolutely not.
If anyone can tell me how it makes any sense to wean a child and start feeding him/her cow's milk I will listen, but until then please keep your comments / feelings to yourself.

Come on people.... this is the natural thing to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ETA- I hope this didn't come off as a rant post..that was not my intention. What really triggered it is my curiosity as to why and how nursing your child for an extended period of time has become so "strange & gross" in this country. I really am curious as to why that is.

I Second That

I totally cut milk from my oldest when his night terrors were out of control. I noticed that one night after he had ice cream it was the worst! He was about 2 then. Now he is 3 1/2 and he ok with dairy and no more night terrors but we really don't consume much.

When my baby was born about 6 months ago he was miserable! He would cry non stop, the nights were the worst and he seemed to constantly be uncomfortable. This was so new to me, my other kids weren't like this. So I took him to the pediatrician and she said it was reflux. She, of course, gave me a medicine for him. I didn't notice much difference and I couldn't stand my one month old being on meds. I exclusively breastfeed and someone told me about eliminating all dairy, caseins and whey from my diet. So I did it and within a week, my baby was "cured." He started smiling and sleeping and seemed so much more relaxed. I figured that the whole family should pretty much go dairy free so we did. Now, five months later, I am easing my way back just so the baby has some exposure to dairy. He seems to be fine with it.

My husband and I are going to remain pretty much dairy free. The kids occasionally have cheese and they do eat a lot of yogurt. They don't drink cows milk, we don't even buy it. They love almond milk (you can get it flavored vanilla) and coconut milk. I miss food like pizza and grilled cheese but I don't think I will go back:)