Food and Personal Goals of the Month - November 2010

November...time for the holiday madness to begin :P  And snow?  This month my main goal is to start getting back into the swing of things as I gradually feel better.  And adjust my eating as I transition into the 2nd trimester.  Bring on the meat! :)  There are plenty of repeats from previous months.  But some new stuff too.  I'm particularly excited about the potential for getting raw milk...starting this month!  I'll give more details below.  Overall I'm just excited to be on the upswing.  Here's what I've got planned for the month.

FOOD

1. Eating for pregnancy, specifically the 1st and 2nd trimester.  Now that I'm transitioning from the 1T to the 2T there are some different foods I need to emphasize.

Essential nutrients throughout pregnancy:

B Vitamins - meat, poultry, lentils, whole grains or Brewer's yeast
Vitamin C - fruit and vegetables or raw juice
Vitamin E - olive oil and nuts or vit. E supplement (Dr. Ron's)

Essential nutrients during 1T (vitamins - organs and limbs are made up of vitamins and need them to develop well):

Vitamins A and D - butter, eggs, pork, seafood or cod liver oil

Essential nutrients during 2T (bone and muscle formation):

calcium and protein (meat, fish, poultry, milk, cheese, eggs or whey)

2. Reduce grains.  As I start feeling better I want to cut back on grains again.  Give my gut all the help I can.

3. Eat in season - apples, pears, pumpkins, squash, root veggies.

4. Food preservation - Possibly can more applesauce, dry fruit, bake/freeze.  I need to do some major restocking of my freezer.  I already started yesterday with a large batch of chewy granola bars.  Hopefully there will be plenty more baking to come.

5. Chewing - continue to try to chew my food more thoroughly.

6. Raw milk - A few days ago I got an email from the local dairy that I'm on the waiting list for.  They have open shares for the winter since they don't make cheese in the winter.  So they have shares available Nov. - Feb. 14.  Justin and I need to discuss it and decide in the next couple days.  Honestly it sounds like an ideal situation.  I'm feeling better now, so I don't have to worry about being too sick to pick it up.  I don't have to make a full commitment to a cow share since it ends in Feb.  And it will be done before the baby arrives (when I may not be able to pick up milk anyway).  Plus it would be so healthy for me and the baby right now.  Especially since milk is a great food for the 2T.  I still have to look at all the details, but I'm hoping it will work out.

HEALTH

1. Continue my healthy eating/lifestyle series. Potential topics - microwaves, nitrites/nitrates, artificial ingredients, aluminum, soy, phytates, nuts, gluten/grains, sugars and dairy.

2. Research topics

a. digestive process - I need to do this to continue working on my OCD. My perspective of what's normal has gotten skewed over the years, especially since my colon surgery. I think learning the details about digestion and what really goes on will really help me. Learn what healthy digestion really is and how our bodies use what we eat.

b. pregnancy and childcare - learn more about natural care during pregnancy and for raising children (i.e. nutrition, cloth diapers, first foods, etc.).  I also need to start making a list of everything we'll need to buy and do before baby #2 arrives.

COST REDUCTION

1. Continue recording spending and sales.
2. Food budget - go down to $120/week now that the farmer's market/fresh summer produce is done.
3. Continue to plan meals based on sales/what we have on hand and on what's in season.
4. Continue to make as much food as possible from scratch.
5. 2nd hand shopping when necessary.
6. Simplify - continue to minimize where possible.

FAMILY/PERSONAL

1. Sewing machine - I really would like to get back into sewing. I haven't done it in years. And I think it would be a great way to save money. And a good skill to teach Rebecca some day. I loved having homemade clothes growing up. Hopefully I can do the same for my kids. My first step is to figure out how to work my sewing machine :P It's my grandma's old machine. Nice, but confusing.  Maybe if I set a small goal for this month I can accomplish it...just figure out how to thread the machine!  If I can get the bobbin in/threaded I'll be all set.  Then I can look for a beginner project.  And fix the pile of clothes sitting next to the sewing machine :P

2.  Be creative - Not sure what this is going to look like, but I feel like I've just been getting through each day for a while now.  And need to get back into doing creative/fun stuff again.  It really is one of my passions...to be creative.  And I have not had a chance to do it for quite a while.  I haven't decorated a cake since April.  I haven't done any hand work (blankets, etc.) for years.  I think it will be great for me personally.  And I want to get Rebecca's creative spark going too.  So here are some potential ways to be creative this month: cake decorating, sewing, drawing, baking, cooking, photography, decorating the house (Rebecca's room, baby's room, etc.), crafts with Rebecca.  We'll see what I come up with.

3. Activities

a. Kindermusik
b. nursery cmt (meeting Nov. 15, nursery duty Nov. 14 and 21)
c. Little Lambs (Rebecca's class at church. I help on Nov. 28)
d. MOPS (meetings Nov. 5 and 19)
e. Start Christmas shopping
f.  Do some more thorough cleaning

4. Fun stuff.

a. CAO concert? - There is a Calvin Alumni Orchestra concert on Nov. 13 that is geared towards kids.  We might take Rebecca.
b. cloth diapering workshop? - There is a local store that has a cloth diapering 101 class that could be very helpful for me.  The only problem...it's the same day and time as the CAO concert.  So I can't go if we decide to go to the concert.
c. WI for Thanksgiving - We'll be visiting Justin's parents for Thanksgiving this year.

5. Rebecca - some things to do with Rebecca this month:

a. Keep working on potty training
b. Keep working on letters, numbers, spelling/sounds, counting, math, etc.
c. Teach her a little more about babies
d. Keep working on her new room - find a dresser.
e. Start transitioning her to a toddler bed for both night time and nap time.

6. Memorize scripture - still have to figure out which passage to work on.

7. Long term goals.

a. Overcome OCD
b. Stop using miralax

I'm looking forward to feeling better, getting back into the kitchen, cleaning my house and being more creative this month.  And as always to see what God has in store and how he wants to use me, my passions and my talents.