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A little help?
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Well, our major move was completed a little over a month ago…we started our first week of school this week, and it went fabulously! My little guy (who has sensory processing disorder, for those who weren’t aware) is showing SO much improvement with more structure and goals to accomplish. I think the CM approach is going to be amazing for him, especially since over the past several months (I don’t know why I didn’t figure this out earlier…possibly because I am a highly visual learner and have a hard time thinking outside that arena), I have realized he is an auditory learner…he can pick ANYTHING up if he hears it, usually even once. He is really good with filling in word-gaps by memory in stories, poems, and nursery rhymes, and is loving the wider variety of books I’ve been introducing. So this makes me happy. 🙂
I digress though. Less than two weeks ago, I found out we are expecting our second child!! We are very excited, but I am a little overwhelmed, since Hubby is due to deploy next fall, when the baby will be about six months old and DS will be starting another school year. I know we will manage though.
The problem is that I seem to be having a horrible reverse morning sickness…it hits late afternoon, just as I am ready to start making dinner! I am NOT used to this, as I had no nausea at all with DS1. This is the third night this week that I have been about to start dinner and have not been able to. One of the nights, the boys ate leftovers, one night we went out and I watched them eat, and tonight we had eggs…which I felt awful about when I remembered that DS had had eggs for breakfast too. ): We are on a gluten-free diet, strictly whole foods, and don’t eat a lot of meat (maybe local humanely-raised chicken once a week, if that). So I guess my question is…within those perameters, do you have any great suggestions for SUPER easy meal ideas I could keep on hand that Hubby could make on his own without much time or trouble? I am feeling terribly guilty about this, but I really can’t seem to face cooking in the evenings as usual. And Hubby’s job will not allow him to come home for a main meal at lunch.
Also, thanks to Jacquleen (sp?) in another post for her suggestion about asking DH what his “top three” chores would be that if completed would make his evening more relaxing. I have been super exhausted for some reason this time, and struggling to get everything done. Turns out he is not really worried about vacuuming or toys everywhere…dishes in the sink are the only thing that really bothers him! 🙂 And here I have been fighting to get every single chore done every day. Ha.
Have you consider putting some meals in the freezer? Then all you have to do is pull them out and pop them in the oven. Use some salad in a bag as a side or some frozen veggies and you have a nice little meal. AND here’s my friend’s blog that has great recipes…
http://www.thrivingwithout.blogspot.com/ Gluten free and free of lots of other stuff too!
Freezer cooking is a great idea. I have to admit though that it is new to me…and I know that a lot of people do casseroles, but my son has texture issues that include him not tolerating foods mixed with any “creamy” substances. *sigh* Any non-casserole freezer ideas would be welcome though. 🙂
And the blog looks GREAT! Thanks! I am always on the lookout for inspiring new food blogs.
crock pot and plug it in outside if you can if the smell gets to you.
my “morning” sickness is wicked. with my first i would get up in the MIDDLE of the night to potty…and have to hold the garbage can while i did…then stumble back to bed. It was all day sickness for me: but after all the miscarriages, I would hug that toliet so sick and pray thank you Jesus thank you…cause I knew morning sickness also meant good hormone levels! Praise God!
God Bless,
Jo
Also – can hubby cook at all? (skill, work times, etc…) If he is willing and able to do that for you while the morning sickness is a problem it would sure help…. but I know not all men can.
The crock pot is a brilliant idea…thanks. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that. 🙂
And yes…Hubby can cook, some. His anxiety stems from the fact that we have only been on the gluten-free diet for about four months, and he is worried about the changes that would make in his small repertoire. 🙂 He is certainly willing, just not sure how to go about it.
I do a lot of freezer cooking… Let’s see, no meat, no casseroles or mushy textures, gluten free so… back to coming up with some easy ideas for your husband to prepare!
Oh dear, I hope you found that funny, I couldn’t resist! I’m going to have to dig up my recipes and see if I’ve got anything for you, our meals predominantly contain meat – the ones that don’t are pasta which would likely be considered casserolish or contain gluten? I am really unfamiliar with glutenfree, but we do try to eat whole foods for the most part. I think Jo may have the best idea with the crock pot, but then you’re getting into creamy/mushy territory again.
So, MY best suggestion is to email my friend whose blog I sent you. She should be able to direct you to some recipes that are freezeable. And again, I’ll take a peak and see if I’ve got some recipes that might fit your needs or at least some things that freeze well that you could find your own recipes for… example – sweet and sour chicken is SUPER good out of the freezer, but my recipe contains naturally fermented soy sauce (gluten??) All you have to do is simmer it on the stove or pop it in the oven to warm once it’s defrosted and everyone loves it… use lots of veggies and you could get by with very little chicken. Meatless Ziti is also very good (can you find gluten free pasta).
I’ll keep looking.
Rebekah
Congratulations to you on the expected spring blessing! How exciting it is to see all of the baby blessing that are popping up around here. 🙂
A suggestion as far as the nausea goes… I had it all day long for 4 – 6 months with my pregnancies. With my last pregnancy, the OB/Gyn told me to take a B vitamin and a Unisom. Oddly enough this helped. NOW, I’m not suggesting that you take the Unisom, BUT, what if you tried drinking some Emergen-c in the early to mid afternoon to see if that helps? It has B vitamins in it which may also help your fatigue a bit and it has Vit C which is good for both you and the wee one. If it helps, *terrific*! If not, you haven’t really lost anything, and you could always ask about adding the Unisom in if you desire. (If you add it, take it before bed. In my muddled PG brain, I thought I needed to take it in the morning to get it to workall day long to fight the nausea. My OB/Gyn just shook his head when he found out.
)Rebekah–no worries! It is kind of funny in a discouraging kind of way. It was a lot easier for Hubby to help out or me to do crockpot stuff, etc., when we weren’t on the gluten free diet and didn’t have a child with texture sensitivities. Ah well. Actually, pasta is great. DS loves pasta (as long as it’s not *too* sauced), and we have found a few really good rice and quinoa varieties that are gluten free.
I think it is possible to find gluten-free soy sauce. Thank you for thinking so much about this. 🙂 I am definitely going to look some more at your friend’s blog, and see if I can get some help from her.
I do have a couple of great crockpot cookbooks from my mom, so I am going to sit down with those and see which recipes might work or could be adjusted for everyone.
@Blue J–Thanks for the congrats! We’re still getting used to the idea, and are all very excited. And thanks for the excellent idea. I am going to try to make it to the store today, and will look for the Emergen-C.
Well, funny in a discouraging way isn’t very funny – is it?
– me with my foot in my mouth – SORRY. OK, me thinking again… maybe you could ask for help. I have a friend that had twins and a two year old and she just couldn’t get everything done, she called me and asked for all sorts of things, and I was MORE than happy to help her, especially because most things just required an hour here and there – it made ME feel great to be able to help her – I bet some of YOUR friends would feel great if they could help you, but they probably don’t even know you’re going through this or if they do they may not know HOW to help you.
It can be intimidating to cook for people on a special diet, BUT if you supply recipes and give them 3 or so to choose from it makes it much easier and a great way to serve you. If you’re not comfortable asking for yourself, maybe you can ask an outgoing friend and see if she can set up some meals for you. If you supply recipes that can be frozen, you might even ask if they can double it, then you could have a hot one that they bring and another for the freezer (you might even be able to divide that into three since your family is small).
I’ll dig up my sweet and sour chicken recipe and post for you. You know, another great idea is stirfrys. You can cut up veggies at the beggining of the week and put them in bags and hubby can just throw them into a pan when he gets home – I’d even measure the water out for rice and put the pot on the stove and have the rice measured in a cup next to the stove to make it super easy. (You can also buy frozen veggies mixed and ready for stirfry). A rice cooker would probably be a good investment for you.
And silly me – I forgot about beans – a GREAT crockpot meal and also very freezeable. My family hates beans so I often overlook that.
And, while you’re tired and sick you may want to do some things you normally wouldn’t to simplify – I’m very cheap and HATE spending money on paper products, but when I was expecting my fourth child, I decided to just buy a big stock of paper plates. I also bought some food we wouldn’t normally eat – like frozen lasagnas and frozen chicken nuggets from Costco. If you’re able to spend a bit extra for those prepared meals it may NOT be ideal, but it might help get you through on the really rough days. How blessed you are to have a husband willing to help and content with just the dishes being washed! (Those paper plates could make fulfilling that wish a very easy task) $15 can buy a HUGE stack of very durable paper plates from Costco.
Ok, I’ve got to run, but I’m going to be praying for you – specifically that you’d have some friends come along side you to help and encourage you and I’d like to encourage you that if someone asks how they can help – you make sure to tell them what you need! If they are asking it’s because they WANT to help you, if you’re shy, just give them a couple of ideas and then they can choose.
Rebekah
Please forgive my ignorance are texture sensitivities a medical issue or a preference issue (akin to picky eating)?
For meal ideas – homemade stocks are easily done in the crockpot – MYO chicken soup – provide cooked chicken meat (can be prepared earlier in the day or rotisserie chicken from grocery store), veggies, hot stock and rice(love my rice cooker).
MYO Nachos/tacos – ground meat can be prepared using the crockpot – again, offer an assortment of add-ins (beans, guac., sour cream, lettuce, salsa) over corn chips or corn tortillas (I believe they don’t have gluten – I have a friend that does gluten-free) or even rice.
MYO chef salad – lettuce with offerings (hard-boiled eggs, sliced ham, lots of other fresh veggies)
Cheesy rice – rice + yogurt(plain) + shredded cheese + frozen veggies (brocolli, carrots, peas, etc…)
Breakfast for dinner – dh makes egg scramble when he gets home – the foods can be prepped in the morning and refrigerated so that he can do the final step when he gets home.
Quiche with rice crust – prep in the a.m. bake in the evening
Put together a simple menu plan – identifying what can be prepped in the morning, when you feel better – with minimal time for finishing.
Have meal starters on hand – chicken that has already been cooked and is waiting for you in the freezer in portioned quantites can be helpful – so that there is always something in the house to eat. I used to do this with leg quarters – I would get them on sale (now I buy them by the case), bake the chicken (20lbs at a time). Pick the meat off the bones – the bones, skin and cooking juices go in a pot with other veggies(celery, carrot, onion, plus eggshells) and water and a splash of wine or cider vinegar – cook down for hours – then you have stock, too!
Oh dear, I hope you found that funny, I couldn’t resist! I’m going to have to dig up my recipes and see if I’ve got anything for you, our meals predominantly contain meat – the ones that don’t are pasta which would likely be considered casserolish or contain gluten? I am really unfamiliar with glutenfree, but we do try to eat whole foods for the most part. 
)
– me with my foot in my mouth – SORRY. 
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