moments with melissa

 

Another family fave recipe coming your way! 

I don't know about you, but anything pasta is always a major hit in our home! With that being said, it is the best time to try and throw in as many veggies and other goodness because it could be easy to hide! This creamy mushroom & pea pasta is super easy - which is the number one MUST in any recipe or meal we cook - but so delicious. As well, it is good for your toddler and even baby-led weaned baby!
 

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Ingredients 

• 3 cups of frozen peas
• 2 garlic cloves; or minced garlic equivalent; alternatively, to taste
• 2 ounces of prosciutto, diced
• whole wheat pasta of choice; alternatively rice pasta (this is my fave) we love fusilli
• cremini mushrooms, sliced; 2 cups or to your liking
• 1/4 cup of white wine
• 1/4 cup of whipping cream; I use the lactose free one
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• olive oil
• 1 table spoon of all purpose flour or any alternative 
• salt & pepper

Steps

1. Off the hop, get your pasta cooked! A tip is to boil your water first, add some salt and then throw in your pasta & peas! Remove and rinse in cold water once cooked to your liking. 
   
   
2. Dice your prosciutto, chop your cremini mushrooms & garlic if you are using cloves. Measure out our peas, white win, whipping cream & chicken broth.
   
   
3.  In a large nonstick skillet add some olive oil & add in your prosciutto, cooking it got about 4-5 minutes, or until it starts getting brown. Throw in your garlic for half a minute and then add in your mushrooms. Mushrooms should release some liquid but if not, add in a bit of water so things don't dry up. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add your flour over the mushrooms, stirring to coat. Add in your white wine & let it simmer for a minute. Finally, add in your broth, allowing it to simmer again; approximately 3 minutes. I also like to add a little bit of the pasta water in here about 1/4 of a cup. Remove skillet off the heat and stir in your whipping cream & pepper. 
   
   
4. Strain your pasta & peas and toss it in with the cream sauce! 
   
   
5. Now you're ready to serve! You can always top with some cheese & voila! 

 

This dish is the easiest and it was a total hit in our house! 
We are all about easy meals that are quick but delicious! And something that the kiddos will eat too! 

Monday nights are usually our Taco Nights, but sometimes we like to change things up! So, we decided why not just put together a burrito and layer it like a lasagna! 

Easy prep, little to no dirty dishes but delicious!

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Ingredients

• 1 white onion
• 1 garlic clove or 2 tsp of minced garlic (jar)
• 1 can of refried beans
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (10z can)
• 2 pounds of desired protein (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, whatever you fancy)
• black olives (as much or as little as you'd like)
• approx. 10-16 soft tortillas depending on size of 
• approx. 2 cups of shredded cheese
• green chile peppers; I usually add them at the end because of the kiddos
• taco seasoning or sauce
• sour cream
• cilantro
• salsa

When you think of the words "good mom" what are some things that come to mind? 

In the past - especially with my first - I believed and felt that to be a good mom meant that I had to produce enough milk supply for my daughter and be able to breastfeed. I did get caught up in the "breast is best" mindset. Actually, I believed that was the best so much so, that I didn't even think about how hard it would be. How emotionally, mentally and physically draining it was. Once I experienced this - along with so many other factors that impacted my milk supply - my mindset around breastfeeding versus bottle feeding changed! I called this mindset...the "breastfeeding = better mom" syndrome.

Breastfeeding truly is the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. Emotionally it had me crying when I couldn't produce for my first and she was crying out of hunger. Physically I felt I had to watch everything I did to try and rule out what wasn't work, plus when emotionally you are strained, there will always be a physical impact. And mentally it really put me in a dark place. I constantly questioned my ability as a mom, I questioned if I was doing enough, if I tried enough, etc. So, in short...breastfeeding with my first was the determination of whether or not I was a good enough mom.

The reality is this, postpartum hormones are real and there is so much guilt, question and doubt like ALL THE TIME! So first step for me was to normalize these feelings and reassure myself that they were okay to feel and express. Once I was able to accept that, I was able to accept that breastfeeding wasn't easy and that it may not be the journey I was destined to take with my first. 

Now, with my second, the experience was different. I got to experience the other side of things. Breastfeeding was going well. My baby latched very well, and things just flowed as they were meant to. It felt amazing to be able to provide for my daughter, but I still was not by any means an over producer so I had to top up for some feeds. Now, fast forward to when my dear baby was 5 weeks old, I got sick with COVID and that impacted my milk supply as my daughter was not wanting to nurse as often. And then just when I thought we would be back on track and I would go out to seek some support, our baby was positive for COVID and ended up in the hospital. At first, I wasn't even allowed to have been at the hospital

Baking plays a big part in my life. It is something I spent a lot of time doing with my mom and grandma for many occasions, or just because! This is something I want to continue to do as Emilia grows up. Plus who doesn't like a little sugar after dinner!  

Reality is this, we are trying to cut out some sugar and choose healthier options because we definitely consume more sugar than we actually need. So this of course contradicts my love for baking! Will I quit...heck no! Just means I need to get creative. 

I love easy recipes, that could be adapted to a variety of things like having a 16 month old who wants to be fully involved - no complaints here! 

Ingredients

 

It has been a tough, long week and my Crock-Pot has been my saving grace. I have come to really appreciate and learn how to make full dinners in one pot and coming home to a ready-made dinner! No more stress of rushing to figure out what to make and instead, just enjoy family time with a delicious meal!

This meal was simple, with little to no prep time and was super tasty! 

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Ingredients 

• 4 chicken thighs
• 1.5 - 2 lbs of potatoes diced (I really like Yukon)
• 1 - 1.5lbs of green beans or asparagus
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 tsp of salt or to your liking
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 
• Chicken broth

Nothing says "new normal" like finding some cute crafts to do with your family for Halloween. It doesn't all have to be about the candy! But you can always pair a bowl of your favourite treats while crafting!! 

Halloween might look different this year, but maybe look at that in a positive mindset that you possibly have never looked at before! How special is it to spend Halloween with all your fave people instead of just a select few! Hop on a video call with your family near or far and do this craft together! Might as well make the best of it and it'll definitely go down as the most memorable Halloween yet!

This craft is super easy and really you can make it your own! 

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What you'll need for this cute little ghost!

• frame (choose whichever frame you'd like) 

• white, red and black paint (be sure to at least have a chalk and acrylic white paint the rest can be acrylic)

• brushes 

• pencil 

 

Steps: 

• take the backing off your frame and paint it white to get a base coat. The photo above has a blush pink background by mixing white chalk paint, some white & red acrylic. The chalk paint is just thicker but by mixing it with the acrylic it's not too lumpy giving you a nice smooth finish. 

• let completely dry. Next draw on the ghost ! Paint white using same technique as above with acrylic and chalk. 

• let completely dry. Trace the outside of your ghost, add the eyes and then use a thin brush to brush on the black lines with paint. Let dry and then so a thin layer of white again over some parts so the lines aren't too defined. 

 

That's all! Display in your favourite place! 

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XOXO

Let's talk vitamins! I personally have always been a big vitamin person because I see the benefits and prefer the natural means of finding equilibrium in my body versus being dependent on medication. Biggest thing is finding the brand's that offer what you need and that you know you can trust! Especially when it comes to your kiddos! 

When Emília was born, I was sure to ask the doctor all the questions around vitamins, the benefits of taking what when and of course did a bit of my own research. I had come across AllKidz vitamins and appreciated firstly that they are a Canadian company! Secondly, I really loved that they focus on age specific products so there's no guessing and of course they use nothing but natural ingredients and are completely transparent about it. As mentioned above, AllKidz focuses on age specific products because they value and understand that at each stage, kids require different supplements and nutrition to help support their growth and development. They explain that, "As fellow parents, we at allKiDz® know that you’re looking to provide the exact nutrition that your child needs, nothing more and nothing less. That’s why we strive to give you products with ingredients you’re familiar with – ingredients you can pronounce." (AllKidz About Page). And this is a thousand percent true, which is why I gravitated towards them. You can read more about their ingredients here.

Some of my other favourite things about AllKidz:

• They have a variety of products from multi-vitamins, probiotics, vitamin D and more!
• They're gluten free
• No artificial colouring or flavours
• And they are Health Canada-Approved formulations

Side Note: To all my Vegan friends, you're in luck I know it might often be hard to find Vegan products, but AllKidz actually offers Vegan options which is amazing! 

My Favourite Products: 

Living in Alberta this was the number one thing that was recommended to us, since our winters are so long. It also helps with building strong bones and teeth and is usually recommended by doctors starting from birth. The dropper it comes with makes it super easy to administer to your kiddos. And again, they are labelled with the age so you're not left with question or how much and how long you should be giving this to your kiddo. Here's the Vegan option.

This was another supplement suggested to us because Emilia had a lot of bad tummy pains as a baby and still struggles with some digestion now. Some foods really upset her belly and she become super gassy and uncomfortable and often very constipated. I notice a big difference when she does not take her probiotics! 

Now that Emilia is a year old, this was something I started to look into. It still has the vitamin D within it, which is great. However, along with this, it also has calcium, vitamin A (great for vision & skin), vitamin B (supports metabolism which my babe definitely needs as well as supports mental development), Zinc and Vitamin C (immune support). It's an amazing blend and is specialized specifically for babes aged 1-3! It comes in little packets that you just mix with water. If you don't like this, they also have them in drops! Once your babe is old enough, you can transition them to the Multi Gummy Bears Vegetarian which provide a set of vitamins appropriate for ages 4-13 and the Multi Gummy Bears which are for ages 6 and above.  

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Where to buy

Luckily there is a large variety of places, and a lot of them are all online which means you don't have to worry about leaving your home! You can find AllKidz supplements at: 

• Walmart Canada
• Amazon
• Well.ca
• BuyWell
• VitaRock
• Healthy Planet

What you'll need

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
•  2 cups of spinach
• 1 cup of flour (wholemeal, whole-wheat, gluten free, etc. whatever works for your family)
• 1 tsp of coconut oil
• 1 1/8 cup of Milk (or preferred, we use 3% for her right now)

• ProFi Pro Health Protein Booster 
• This protein is safe for kiddos and you can put it on anything. It is a Vegan product and made from pea protein. It is unflavoured too which is a plus! It is so easy to mask into things. We also add it into our meatless pasta sauce! 

• Take all your ingredients and place them into a blender. Once items are fully dissolved it will look like the texture of a smoothie - just a bit thicker because of the flour.
• Be sure to spray your hot pan, cook over low heat to allow time to fully cook without burning.
   
• Serve, and enjoy! 

What you will need
- Cup (I like using a mason jar)
- 1 Cup of Milk of choice; I use Silk Vanilla Oat
- Ice - whatever amount you like
- 1 Tbsp of instant coffee; I use Nestle or Hasty Coffee
- 1 Tbsp of brown sugar; this is my preference
- 1 Tbsp of water
- Whisk
- Bowl
- My Touch: Chocolate/Vanilla Pudding Mix Powder


Let's get to it! 

1. In a bowl, place the 1 tbsp of instant coffee, 1 tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tbsp of water. Depending on how strong you like it, you may want to double up the ingredients. I always do double as I found the ratio of milk to coffee wasn't enough for me.

2. With your whisk, you will mix the ingredients for about 2-5 mins depending on how fluffy you want the coffee to be. I usually don't do it too long as I find in the end it is a bit difficult to mix afterwards. So I usually just eye it, and check to see the consistency and once I am happy with it I stop.

3. Put desired amount of ice in your glass and add the cup of milk. At this point, this is when I would add a little bit of vanilla or chocolate powder. I don't measure this amount, I kind of add until I feel I met the flavour I like but usually about a teaspoon or two.

4. Add the coffee mixture to the top. Snap a photo! haha And then if you would like you could mix it a bit otherwise I find I am just with the straw drinking the milk or coffee foam on top.

At Healthy Birth Choices we were told to have water near by during the first stage of labour. It is important to keep hydrated between contractions in order to keep your bladder active so that it does not stay full which could actually become a challenge when you are in labour and trying to push the baby out. Many times, women can go into an emergency c-section because the baby does not seem to be progressing into the canal. There have been cases where women actually have had a full bladder which caused a block and the baby was unable to get things progressing in order to start the descend. By drinking water after every contraction (like a few sips from a straw) and then trying to pee, it will keep you hydrated and help maintain an empty bladder!



Ener-C Drink & Popsicles
Once you are in active labour, drinking water on its own won't do much nor will you have the desire to be drinking water. During this time however it is still important to keep hydrated but also important to remember you will be burning energy. By this time, you will not by very interested in food either so having some water with Ener-C mixed in or making some Ener-C popsicle sticks will assist in keeping hydration up as well as giving you a little boost of energy.



Red Raspberry Leaf Tea & Evening Primrose
At about 34 weeks you could start drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea  and at about 36 weeks you could start Evening Primrose. Both of these methods are encouraged by Midwives and always be sure to confirm with your midwives and other healthcare practitioners when it is safe with your pregnancy to take these items and/or if recommended. Everyone is different and therefore may require different timelines and guidance. The timelines above were given to me by my midwives, and I am sure based on my appointments with them. The red raspberry leaf tea is good to drink as it actually helps to prepare your uterus for birth. You may experience some contractions - not real ones! - as this tea will get your muscles moving. If the contractions are too strong, then of course either refrain from drinking (if you're only doing one cup a day) but you could drink up to 3 cups a day. I actually pre-made a bunch and had it in the fridge. I added a little bit of honey to sweeten it a little and it was nice especially when it was super hot!

With the Evening Primrose, you ingest one pill in the morning and in the evening you poke a hole in the gel capsule and insert the pill vaginally. This will help to soften your cervix and start preparing your body for birth. This helped me tremendously, and helped to soften my cervix even leading up to delivery. When I went for my appointment at 38 weeks, I was already about 1 centimeter dilated already! During delivery I believe having done this really helped speed the process for me with dilating and maintaining a soft cervix. Again, make sure to speak to a health practitioner about both these products before using!


EZ Birth 
So, EZ Birth, so much I could say about this product, and so much others have said. All good of course! This item was also recommended to me by my midwives. I had heard about this product before my midwives had recommended it as I had a number of friends who went with midwives. This item also helps prepare your body for labour and allows for labour. I have nothing bad to say about this product as I do find it helped and probably played a big part in the positive experience I faced with labour.

Eating is Actually Important!
My midwives and many moms who took the midwifery route actually discuss and express that eating until you lose the urge to do so - usually when you're in active labour - is actually good because you will have an energy reserve that you will definitely need when you're delivering the baby! I have to share that while in first stage of labour, I ate an entire meal consisting of chicken, salad and some sort of carb! It was glorious and actually never tasted so good! In my mind I think it was thinking or knowing it would have been my last real meal before learning to scarf down food once the baby was in the picture! With this mindset, think quick, easy and something that is still tasty! My friend Lucy gave me a recipe for some energy bites which I ate during labour as well as after delivery as a snack whenever I was hungry.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
• 1/2 cup almond butter 
• Alternatively; I used 1.5 cups of Nuts for Nature: Nut & Seed Butter
• 1/4 cup raw honey (when you're in labour it is totally okay to have this as well as post delivery)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut + extra for coating
• large handful of dates (I would have the dates sitting in warm water for a few minutes first I found this helped when putting them in the food processor)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup organic coco powder
• 1/8 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts