16
Jan 2010

steam veggies in rice cooker

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I don't remember where I learned this, but it's a neat trick for fast weeknight dinners. If you have a rice cooker, you can steam veggies in it while the rice is cooking. Cook the rice as usual and wash/cut your veggies while it gets started. When the rice is cooked enough to just have a solid layer on top, add the veggies and close again. Play with it a little; the veggies can cook more or less depending on how you chop them and when you add them. To take it up a notch, sometimes I toss the veggies with a light marinade or sauce before adding to the rice cooker. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Filed under  //   cooking   health   home   rice  
27
Jul 2009

oat milk

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I love oat milk. 

I've always been a fan of cow's milk and loved the creamy richness of pure, whole milk. When I was pregnant, I noticed the regular stuff would make me congested, so I switched over to raw milk mostly. But when Spice was born, she was sensitive to cow milk for the first nine months, and I was desperate for an alternative. 

I tried soy milk, but while the taste was alright, the texture was smooth, but had a odd, heavy mouth-feel. I've found that I can manage with the Asian-made ones with sugarcane juice as a sweetener to drink straight, but this wasn't a good coffee or cereal milk for me.

I liked the idea of rice milk, but could never get past the faint grittiness, no matter how many different brands I tried. 

Almond milk was a staple for a while. I loved the slightly nutty taste, and the texture was rich and creamy without being overbearing. Of course, everything gets an almond tinge, so  if you're trying to substitute milk in a recipe, you might be limited. 

Oat milk has fit the remaining gap nicely. It's got the same mouth feel as real milk, but without the lactose and without any additional tastes that might limit the cooking uses. I usually buy the slightly sweetened vanilla ones for breakfast uses and keep a plain one on hand for cooking. 

If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can try making your own. Just soak 5 parts warm water to 1 part oatmeal for 30 minutes. Blend until the mixture is white and strain into a pitcher. (For the sweetened version, add a tbsp or two of agave nectar when blending.) So simple, and so good.

Filed under  //   health   lactose   milk   recipes  
21
Jul 2009

wisdom teeth extraction recovery

I finally got my upper two wisdom teeth out. It's been overdue for literally years now, cavities in each eating from the inside out until they were virtually hollow. I don't know how they didn't just crumble and break, and they didn't hurt or feel sensitive. With less than a week to an eighteen hour flight with a one-year-old, and being out of the country for a month, now was hardly the best time to do this. Yet the fear of dental work in Malaysia, if they should crack on me, was terrifying enough to rush getting them out today.

 kellymom has some great resources on http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/dentalwork.html . Following that, I pumped and saved some milk (even though Spice isn't thrilled with bottles), and we talked to the oral surgeon about our general anaesthesia and post-op painkiller options. I tanked her up before we left and pump-and-dumped this evening. So far, so good.

 For recovery, I'm basically on liquids. I tried some thick hummus, but the effort of moving it around mouth kept causing some suction on one side where I have a hole to my sinuses, so I have to be extra careful not to get things stuck there or dislodge the blood clot forming. I made some yummy gazpacho, but it had a few coarse bits of cilantro, tomato, etc. that I didn't trust to eat yet for the same reasons.

 So "dinner" was two cups of creamy garlic chicken soup from a carton, and a few spoonfuls of vegan chocolate pudding that was also too thick for comfort but sooo good. :-)

 I read somewhere that the bromelain in pinapple juice was really good for healing mouth wounds. Pineapple juice is very acidic, though, and I imagine it would be painful on an open wound. I added 1/4 cup of light coconut milk to a glass of it and stirred it up to a cold, creamy fresh drink. Mmmm, yummy!

 Tomorrow, I'll probably try blending some oat milk, rolled oats and honey to drink and have the gazpacho for lunch. I'm also wondering what pureed pho or oxtail soup would taste like... might just have to try it!

Filed under  //   dental   health   life   recipes  
24
Jun 2009

pre-/post-natal chiropractic

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Towards the end of my pregnancy last year, I did some chiropractic and acupuncture at Berlin Wellness Group on Wilshire. I can't speak more highly of this place. Dr. Berlin is warm, funny and knowledgeable, and I firmly believe that it was his skill in part that helped us birth safely right around our due date when there was concern we might go over it. The staff are incredibly supportive, and make no secret of loving babies! Everyone there is so attuned to the needs (and fears) of pre- and post-natal women. Even if you're in perfect pregnancy health, a massage and adjustment here is a welcome treat in those last few months.
 
http://www.doctorberlin.com

Filed under  //   childbirth   chiropractic   health   prenatal