Here is a diversion from pregnancy-related news. These recipes were particularly yummy. This food is a bit heavy but it is the depths of winter here. I love cooking, and it's actually fun have the challenge of doing this on a somewhat restricted budget (compared with pre-kids days, anyway). Other restrictions include Geoff's extensive list of allergies and Cassie's fickle and finicky preferences.
Wintry Chicken Stew (Makes 6-8 serves)
Why? Because Peter L and Sally came for dinner, and the mushrooms needed using up.
Butter or olive oil, for shallow frying.
1 onion, coarsely chopped.
3 large chicken breasts, coarsely diced. (approx 1.1 kg)
2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
750 mL chicken stock, hot
¼ cup white wine.
1 desert spoon of rosemary (I used dried).
1 desert spoon of thyme (I used dried).
500g mushrooms, quartered.
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Approx 1kg mixed chopped veggies (carrot, celery, green beans, zucchini)
Juice of 1 lemon
Small amount pure cream (75 mL).
1 egg, beaten.
Fry the onion in the oil until it has softened, remove from pan.
Seal the chicken breast pieces by lightly frying, then remove from pan.
Make a roux of flour and butter in the pan.
Gradually add about half of the hot stock and whisk until smooth.
Add the chicken and onion, then add the wine, herbs, lemon zest and mushrooms.
Add more stock so that the food is mostly covered.
Simmer gently covered for about 40 mins to 1 hour.
Add the rest of the veggies and lemon juice. Add more stock if needed and simmer for another 20 mins to half an hour till the veggies are cooked. Leave it uncovered if you need to reduce.
When it is done, turn off the heat and add the cream.
Add the egg, stirring continuously.
Serve on mashed potato or rice with chopped fresh continental parsely or other herb to garnish.
Better if cooked the day before and reheated, so the flavours can develop.
Italian Sausages with Apple-Cabbage Sauce (serves 3)
Why? Because Italian Sausages were on special for $7.99/kg at the Jamison Deli...mmm-mmm.
1 onion, roughly chopped.
2 cloves garlic, crushed.
Olive oil, for frying (I used garlic-infused oil from Milawa).
¼ cup white wine.
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced.
1 teaspoon brown sugar.
¼ largish purple cabbage, chopped.
1 cup chicken stock.
A handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped.
6 thick Italian pork sausages.
Parsley to serve.
Sweet potato or ordinary potato for mashing.
Shallow fry the onion in oil until softened.
Add garlic.
Fry for 30 seconds or so more then add wine and apples. Cook for 1 minute further.
Add cabbage and sugar. Stir for 30 seconds or so until the sugar until the sugar is all mixed in.
Add the chicken stock and sage. You don't need too much liquid.
Simmer with the lid on for 5 to 10 minutes until the cabbage is cooked and apple is soft.
Meanwhile, grill the sausages and prepare some sweet potato or ordinary potato to mash.
Serve sausages on mashed potato. Top with the apple-cabbage sauce and some fresh chopped parsley.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
25 Weeks - Dedicated to the Magic Tuby-Grip
This blog is dedicated to the Magic of Tuby-Grip. Tuby-Grip is a wide, elasticised stocking-bandage, about 25 cm diameter when unstretched. It stretches a LOT, as it is now wrapping all the way round my belly, from my chest to my hips.
I need it because my abdominal muscles separated badly last I time was pregnant (about 3 finger-widths apart). Despite occasionally diligent tummy-squeezing excercise, I only brought them back to 1 finger-width separation before getting pregant again. This puts a lot of strain on my back, especially with a 2 year old whose favourite words seem to be "Up cuddle" and "Carry"! (Putting her in the car seat is a particularly horrible torture for me. While she is able to get in herself, she's not often willing).
Anyway, when I mentioned this to the Midwife Victoria, she promptly arranged for two lengths of Tuby-Grip to be delivered to my house. I resisted wearing it for a little while since it's uncomfortably tight at first, but now I'm wearing it all my waking hours and it's helped my back soooo much.
What's Baby up to?
Baby has been kicking quite a lot for the last few weeks. She(?) seemed to particularly enjoy the Justine Clarke concert that I took Cassie to last Friday - I'm sure she was dancing. Like Cassie, she seems to have active days and quiet days. I try not to get too paranoid on the quiet days, but maybe some degree of paranoia is inevitable for many parents, including me.
Speaking of which, I've also recently experienced the first Braxton-Hicks contractions. This is worrying, as I never really noticed any at all with Cassie. But according to my pregancy book, they can start as early as 20 weeks. Several people have mentioned to me how your body responds more quickly to the hormones the second time around. Maybe that's one reason why I'm finding this pregnancy physically harder than last time, with generally more back ache and pelvic pain.
Trying to stay fit.
I've been making an effort to recover my fitness since getting over the morning sickness.
Unfortunately, my resolution to emulate Geoff's 40-something-year-old colleague and keep riding my bike up until 38 weeks gestation has already fallen by the wayside. I've taken Cassie to daycare in the bike trailer twice in the last fortnight, but I've now decided that towing the trailer is just too hard. It's up-hill all the way home and even empty, the trailer is pretty heavy. I kind of wish we had have spent the extra money to get the lovely, lighter, streamlined Chariot. Instead, we have the cheaper, stodgy-but-reliable Croozer. But I think Geoff's colleague had an advantage because she lives in the flat inner-North. And she wasn't towing a toddler. Anyway, it's not a competition...
I've also given up badminton as of this week. It's just getting too uncomfortable to lunge and change direction quickly. Picking up the shuttle is hard too! And my doubles partners probably feel more like they're playing singles.
On the positive side, I'm still managing to do a lot of walking, although I'm really feeling the effort when I push the stroller up-hill, espeically when it's laden with Cassie + shopping. I weigh nearly 60 kg now, about 10 kg more than usual. I can't believe how much difference this makes. I wonder if overweight people feel like this all the time, or if the pregnancy is making it worse. I hope to keep walking for the rest of the pregnancy. Actually, there should be more opportunities for walking when I go on leave in September.
Good-bye to tracky-dacks, hello e-bay bargains.
I felt a bit depressed a few weeks ago when I realised I had been wearing tracky dacks nearly every day for 2 months (since my jeans got too tight). Unfortuantely, my maternity clothes from last time aren't really suitable since they're not warm enough for this time of year and they were horrible anyway. My local Australian Breastfeeding Association runs a maternity clothing pool, but apparently their stock starts at size 14 and up...maybe that's what I would need next time, if there was a next time.
So I looked on e-bay, and picked up a bargain with 7 lovely tops and 3 pairs of trousers for $74! What a great buy. I have hardly worn my trackpants at all since these new clothes arrived, very liberating.
Unfortunately, all the buttons popped of my coat last week. My mother-in-law came to the rescue with two coats for me to borrow. It's nice to be warm again, although it is a bit strange to see myself wearing her clothes (Geoff thinks so too!)
I need it because my abdominal muscles separated badly last I time was pregnant (about 3 finger-widths apart). Despite occasionally diligent tummy-squeezing excercise, I only brought them back to 1 finger-width separation before getting pregant again. This puts a lot of strain on my back, especially with a 2 year old whose favourite words seem to be "Up cuddle" and "Carry"! (Putting her in the car seat is a particularly horrible torture for me. While she is able to get in herself, she's not often willing).
Anyway, when I mentioned this to the Midwife Victoria, she promptly arranged for two lengths of Tuby-Grip to be delivered to my house. I resisted wearing it for a little while since it's uncomfortably tight at first, but now I'm wearing it all my waking hours and it's helped my back soooo much.
What's Baby up to?
Baby has been kicking quite a lot for the last few weeks. She(?) seemed to particularly enjoy the Justine Clarke concert that I took Cassie to last Friday - I'm sure she was dancing. Like Cassie, she seems to have active days and quiet days. I try not to get too paranoid on the quiet days, but maybe some degree of paranoia is inevitable for many parents, including me.
Speaking of which, I've also recently experienced the first Braxton-Hicks contractions. This is worrying, as I never really noticed any at all with Cassie. But according to my pregancy book, they can start as early as 20 weeks. Several people have mentioned to me how your body responds more quickly to the hormones the second time around. Maybe that's one reason why I'm finding this pregnancy physically harder than last time, with generally more back ache and pelvic pain.
Trying to stay fit.
I've been making an effort to recover my fitness since getting over the morning sickness.
Unfortunately, my resolution to emulate Geoff's 40-something-year-old colleague and keep riding my bike up until 38 weeks gestation has already fallen by the wayside. I've taken Cassie to daycare in the bike trailer twice in the last fortnight, but I've now decided that towing the trailer is just too hard. It's up-hill all the way home and even empty, the trailer is pretty heavy. I kind of wish we had have spent the extra money to get the lovely, lighter, streamlined Chariot. Instead, we have the cheaper, stodgy-but-reliable Croozer. But I think Geoff's colleague had an advantage because she lives in the flat inner-North. And she wasn't towing a toddler. Anyway, it's not a competition...
I've also given up badminton as of this week. It's just getting too uncomfortable to lunge and change direction quickly. Picking up the shuttle is hard too! And my doubles partners probably feel more like they're playing singles.
On the positive side, I'm still managing to do a lot of walking, although I'm really feeling the effort when I push the stroller up-hill, espeically when it's laden with Cassie + shopping. I weigh nearly 60 kg now, about 10 kg more than usual. I can't believe how much difference this makes. I wonder if overweight people feel like this all the time, or if the pregnancy is making it worse. I hope to keep walking for the rest of the pregnancy. Actually, there should be more opportunities for walking when I go on leave in September.
Good-bye to tracky-dacks, hello e-bay bargains.
I felt a bit depressed a few weeks ago when I realised I had been wearing tracky dacks nearly every day for 2 months (since my jeans got too tight). Unfortuantely, my maternity clothes from last time aren't really suitable since they're not warm enough for this time of year and they were horrible anyway. My local Australian Breastfeeding Association runs a maternity clothing pool, but apparently their stock starts at size 14 and up...maybe that's what I would need next time, if there was a next time.
So I looked on e-bay, and picked up a bargain with 7 lovely tops and 3 pairs of trousers for $74! What a great buy. I have hardly worn my trackpants at all since these new clothes arrived, very liberating.
Unfortunately, all the buttons popped of my coat last week. My mother-in-law came to the rescue with two coats for me to borrow. It's nice to be warm again, although it is a bit strange to see myself wearing her clothes (Geoff thinks so too!)
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