Hiding vegetables in baked goods

Gideon does not like anything green or orange or vegetable-like. At this age and level of communication, we can't coax, force or reason him into eating them. So, I hide vegetables into the things he will eat. Here is one example, I just made these today and they are pretty yummy!

I started with this recipe and made it my own.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flaxseed
1/2 cup almond meal
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine in a food processor
1 cup spinach, chopped in a food processor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put liners in the muffin tins.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 
Whisk the wet ingredients together in a bowl. Add the carrot and spinach and mix well. Add the wet to dry and mix until just combined.
Bake for 20 minutes. Mini muffins only need 10 minutes.

These came out very yummy though for some reason, are sticking to the muffin papers. Not sure how to get around that. Next time I'll probably just do them in a loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. You really can't tell there are vegetables in them and Gideon gobbled them up.

These Carrot Apple Muffins were posted a couple years ago on my blog and they are another tasty way to get some fruit and veggies in too. And, of course, there is always zucchini bread and banana bread. I try to replace some of the flour with oat flour or whole wheat flour too. And add in nuts. Replace oil with applesauce. It makes me feel a little better about Gideon eating a slice or two every morning for breakfast.

37 weeks!

Our 37 week appointment went great. Dave and I ran around that morning cleaning and getting the last of the things together that we needed.


My blood pressure is still a little higher than Nancy would like, so I'm continuing with the exercise, lots of greens and protein and I've addded several herbal teas that are supposed to help. I sure hope there is a difference at the next appointment tomorrow! Thankfully my blood pressure is fine when taken lying on my left side- it shows that the high blood pressure is not true hyper tension.


Nancy dropped off the birth pool so we have it halfway blown up leaning against our dining room wall. Thankfully we don't plan on having dinner guests before baby arrives! We have the liner for the pool (to keep it sanitary) and all the necessary attachments for filling it up. The hard part will be emptying it after the birth- Dave is a little unsure of how to go about it. But, I figure this isn't the first time the midwives have faced this question, so they'll figure it out!


The rest of the appointment was talking about the birth, when to call, what to expect, etc. It's SO weird to be at that point now! I feel ready for the most part though...


Our freezer is stocked with plenty of healthy, filling food for the week or so after the birth before my mom arrives. A sample of what I've frozen: Three lasagnes (small size, enough for dinner and lunch the next day), enchilada casserole (we'll probably throw this in the oven right after the birth for everyone - depending on the time of day he's born, of course!), taco meat, sausage cabbage soup, vegetable hamburger soup, Swedish meatballs and lots of muffins and banana bread. We're also going to make sure whenever we run out of something important (i.e. milk, cheese, bread, eggs), that we buy it right away. We don't want to go into labor on Friday night and have nothing in the fridge because we were planning on getting everything Saturday morning!


His clothes and diapers have been washed and organized, just waiting for a tiny little body to put them on! The infant car seat is installed in the car and Dave is taking it to be inspected this week. We'll install the convertible in the truck soon and get that inspected as well when we get the chance. We've got a a little cosleeper for our bed for him to sleep in those first few weeks until we get the crib and can sidecar it to our bed.


I've been having contractions all the time now. They aren't painful or even very uncomfortable, but there have been a lot of them. I thought about trying to time them, but then read an article recommending against timing them until they demand your attention. Makes sense, otherwise, I would have been timing four days worth of contractions with nothing to show for it!


Baby is still kicking up a storm in there. Probably trying to find more room. Carpal tunnel is still annoying me. I think the only thing that will help it now is having this baby. My hands are almost constantly numb and if they aren't numb, they are all tingly feeling.


Oh, and my stomach is officially too big for all my maternity shirts! Only the long tank tops barely cover it. So, I went out and bought some of those short dresses women wear over leggings or jeans- making sure to find the high waisted and very stretchy ones. I might shorten a few of them since I'm not a fan of that look but at least my stretch mark covered belly isn't hanging out anymore!

On having a midwife

I started looking for midwives in the area as soon as we found out we were pregnant. I'd decided I wanted a natural birth and the best way to do that was to have a midwife. I assumed I would hire one who would be with me at the hospital. Well, lo and behold, midwives in Idaho aren't given hospital privileges.

So, I found two midwives who both practiced about 40 minutes away. I looked at their web sites and realized that in order to have a midwife, I was going to have to birth at home. I'd already looked into the possibility so decided to book some appointments with the midwives to decide who I wanted as my primary. They usually assist each other during births as long as one of their own clients doesn't need them.

After I decided on a midwife, we scheduled prenatal appointments. Because Nancy had three clients in Lewiston, she scheduled all of us for the same day, around the same times. So, all my appointments have been done at my house on Tuesdays during my lunch hour. Which means I've missed very little work because of the pregnancy and I don't have to travel very far!


The appointments last about an hour and include blood pressure and pulse checks, urinalysis, listening to the baby, feeling baby's position, measuring my uterus, checking for swelling, going over dietary needs and then talking about any concerns or questions I have.


I had one obstetrician appointment this pregnancy. Nancy requires that her clients meet with an OB in their area in case they have to transfer care. That one appointment was THE MOST stressful doctor's appointment I think I've ever had. Even Dave felt stressed and pressured and she wasn't even talking to him! The doctor pushed the HIV test even after I had told her twice that we didn't need one. She told me that there were some people in Texas who had contracted HIV from their dentist... (if I could do an eye roll emoticon right here, I would.) Her eyes practically shot out of her head when I said I didn't want an internal exam.


I know there are people who have natural hospital births with an OB. But they are never guaranteed. And I didn't want to have to fight at every.single.appointment for a natural experience. Doctors don't like it when you decline internal checks (internals increase the risk of infection and can cause premature rupture of the water bag, also, they don't actually tell you anything about the progress since things can change SO quickly in real labor), decline the gestational diabetes test (that sugary drink cannot be good for mom or baby, there are other signs that can warn of GD), decline using a doppler at every appointment or getting more than one ultrasound (ultrasound waves have NOT been proven safe for use during pregnancy), etc. Decling all these things has to make the doctor feel like they aren't "managing" the pregnancy. Which is exactly what I didn't want a doctor doing!

I didn't want to have to fight over every aspect of my birth plan- no constant fetal monitoring, the ability to walk and move during labor, no pain medications offered, being able to eat and drink as I wanted, having the lights dimmed, having as few people as possible come into my room, not having internal checks, etc. And, then, after fighting over all that in the office before birth, having to fight with every single nurse who came in thinking she/ he could examine me whenever they wanted and fight with whatever on call doctor I end up with about not breaking my water, not doing internals, not having monitoring, being able to birth standing up, etc.


It was wonderful when I asked Nancy, "How often do you do internal checks?" and she responded, "I prefer not to do them and won't during labor unless you request one." When I decline a procedure or test, she says okay and moves on. It's wonderful when I can tell her that I looked into the eye ointment or Vitamin K or circumcision and decided against it. She doesn't try to scare me into having these things done. She doesn't try to push anything.


She's only been adamant about one thing. She said she will not waiver on this one point except in the case of an emergency. She requires that the mom hold the baby skin to skin for the first two hours after birth. :) Which I am completely okay with! This is wonderful bonding time and encourages breastfeeding, it also ensures that baby's body temperature regulates (did you know that a mother's body temperature changes to accomodate her baby's? i.e. if baby has a fever, mom's body temperature will cool down and if baby is cold, mom's body temperature will go up). Those hospital incubators can't do that!


Midwives give the birth experience back to the mother and families. Nancy will be there to assist and help in case she is needed. More than likely, Dave will be the one to pull our little boy out of the water and hand him to me. More than likely, he'll be the one cutting the umbilical cord (after the cord has stopped pulsing- another decision we would have to fight for in the hospital.) I will be able to give birth where I feel most comfortable- no one will be telling me that I need to lie down and put my legs in stirrups (which, according to studies, -and common sense- is the WORST way to give birth.)

During the birth Nancy will check my blood pressure, pulse and listen for baby's heartbeat intermittently. She'll make sure I get plenty of fluids and food to keep my strength up. She'll do a newborn exam and make sure I don't bleed too much. She'll make sure the placenta comes out in one piece and is healthy. She'll stay for at least three hours after the birth to make sure breastfeeding is established, things are cleaned up and that mom and baby are still doing well. In the six weeks following the birth, she'll come for at least four checkups to make sure things are still going well. She's a lactation consultant so she'll be able to help with any breastfeeding issues we have.

Needless to say after this massively long post, Dave and I are very happy we've chosen a midwife.

Protein, protein, protein

A few studies have shown that adequate protein while pregnant can prevent pre-e. So, I'm under strict instructions to get 80 to 100 grams of protein a day. Yeah, that's a lot of protein. I tried protein shakes and there is no way I'm getting that or keeping that down.

Well, I discovered an awesome recipe for Cottage Cheese Pancakes that has an obscene amount of protein. The batch makes about 6 pancakes and has 50 grams of protein in it. I was able to add an extra 1o grams to the batch with ground flax seed and toasted wheat germ. And, while the name may be a turn off, give them a try. They are very moist and even fluffy.

1 cup cottage cheese
3 eggs
1 cup flour
2 Tbs. ground flax seed
2 Tbs. toasted wheat germ
Pinch of salt (I usually leave this out)
3 Tbs. melted butter

Directions: Mix all ingredients except butter in bowl. Pour melted butter over and mix in. Cook on preheated skillet until dark golden brown, turning only once.

Simple as that! 10 grams of protein per pancake. I usually eat three for breakfast along with an 8 ounce glass of milk. So, I start my day with 38 grams of protein. I think the only other way you can get that is by drinking one of those disgusting protein shakes.

I have topped mine with honey, syrup, apple pie filling or blackberry syrup. The apples help get in a daily fruit but I think the blackberry syrup is my favorite. It was home canned by my grandma and has the perfect blend of sweet and tart. It's almost like eating a blackberry pie for breakfast!