Freezer Food

There's something about pregnancy that's got me prepping like doomsday is coming! I think it's the faint echo of the naysayers insisting that life is about to get 386.9 times harder as well as my own uncertainty! If there's the option to remove one decision, task or chore to let my future self get on with figuring out how to keep the tiny human alive then I will take it!

I'm not a huge fan of stews, one pots or casseroles which is what most freezer meal recipes consist of so I opted for sauces and marinaded meats as well as rubs and spice mixes.  I wanted everything to be extra nutritious as my worst-case-scenario head was whispering that my day's would be so hectic I might forget to eat until dinner. Yes it sounded unlikely even to me! But extra vegetables never hurt. We are totally prepared for baby!

With that in mind, I filled our freezer with delicious meals and sauces ready to be pulled out at a moments several hours notice!

1. Extra veg for pasta and chicken. I used this recipe and it tastes delicious.

2. A Standard Romesco sauce - 2 roasted peppers, 150g toasted nuts, garlic and a few tomatoes. The beauty of this is that it requires nothing more than a whizz in the NutriBullet. It's amazing with chicken, white fish or roasted vegetables.

3. Mojito Chicken - yes you read that right, make a mojito without the sugar and add a chicken fillet, voila.

4. Seville Chicken - this is inspired by the lazy citrus filled days of a summer in Andalucia. Juice and zest a lemon and an orange, add 1 teaspoon ground coriander, a little oil and some mint.

5. Spaghetti Bolognese - I swear by this recipe they call this the best ever Spag Bol and I've tried quite a few recipes as well as modifying this one, nothing beats it! Do what it says!

6. Apricot Chicken Curry - add steamed chicken fillets and tinned apricots to a simple curry base (onion, garlic, curry powder, natural yoghurt and lemon juice).

7. Black Salmon Rub - I love this! It tastes like you made an effort! 1 teaspoon each paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika and chilli powder. I made a pot of this, ready to be rubbed on some lovely salmon fillets and shoved under the grill.

8. Thai Steak - Strips of steak in lime juice, soya sauce, chilli and grated ginger. Not really a recipe but super tasty when stir-fried with broccoli, french beans and green pepper.

9. Hairy Bikers Curry - I love the Hairy Biker's Curry Book, its full of amazing recipes and tips! I made a few of their spice mixes which will require nothing more than yogurt, meat and a pot.

10. Chicken Kievs - for this instead of bread crumbs I used ground almond mixed with grated parmesan, garlic powder and dried oregano.

11. Breaded fish fillets - breadcrumbs, lemon zest and Italian Herb seasoning make a yummy crust, I also added some chilli flakes. Yum!


Freezer Tips.
For anything in a marinade I butterfly my chicken fillets before I freeze them so that they are quicker to defrost and cook. I also try not to overlap the meat for the same reason.

For the breaded dishes its important to freeze each piece of meat separately or you'll end up with a massive lump of meat which turns into a soggy mess when you defrost it. Just spread them out in a single layer for a few hours before bundling them all together in bags or boxes.

It's also worth having ginger root, chillies and an ice tray of lemon or lime juice in your freezer. It makes it so easy to make a stir-fry.

Lesser Spotted Pregnancy Side Effects

Lots of women think pregnancy is a wonderful time and gush over the special bond they feel with their baby and how they love that their body is becoming a cocoon for a new life. Hashtag vomit emoji. I'm not one of those women and I did not experience those feelings. Most of the time, pregnancy is uncomfortable and a bit weird. I also seemed to attract the strangest side effects, not a moment of morning sickness but plenty of other annoying ailments.

Without further ado, in order of appearance, I present to you "The Lesser Spotted Pregnancy Side Effects".

1. Dysgeusia. I really hated this one, it basically causes the most disgusting metallic taste to lurk about your mouth and spoil the taste of everything you eat and drink. It was like having morning mouth all day and no amount of brushing can get rid of it. Thankfully it only lasted a few weeks.

2. Attack of the teeth. My well behaved teeth decided to go rogue in the first trimester, I had three infected wisdom teeth which my dentist refused to treat on account of the pregnancy, instead I was gargling whiskey and praying they wouldn't form an abyss. Thankfully I discovered Anbesol Teething Gel, it is amazing and the only thing that numbed the pain even momentarily. Eventually the infections cleared up but not before many nights spent in a sobbing, rocking puddle of pain.

3. Heart palpitations. No you're not dying it's just your heart getting used to having 50% more blood to circulate. It sure does feel like you need to be panicking though! Don't! Elevate your feet (medical advice) and eat chocolate (life advice).

4. Sciatica. Pretty much present from the second trimester on. Nothing helps. Kim K crying face.

5. Groin pain. Or symphysis pubis dysfunction if you're feeling fancy. This is caused by the muscles that join your legs together loosening and relaxing to create the perfect baby exit. It's quite sore at the best of times and makes rolling over or getting out of the car ACTUAL AGONY. But it feels paralysing is you try to run, as I found out when I chased Holmes for about half a mile at 9 and a half months. Do not run!!! Warm baths and chocolate really this one.

6. Exhaustion. Constant exhaustion. I don't think I've had a full night's sleep since the second trimester. First I need to pee, then sleeping on my side numbs my shoulder and I need to roll over which necessitates reorganising the pregnancy pillow (which I have name The Enemy), then I'm thirsty, then I need a Gaviscon, then I need to pee again. And so we have a vicious cycle. If I do sleep, I snore, loudly. Poor husband isn't sleeping either, but then again, most of this is his fault with his romance and devilish good looks.

7. Carpal Tunnel. My hands have had the strength of a kitten for the last few weeks. And they hurt like hell! Something to do with extra fluid. Lucky me!

8. Cravings. I craved sponge and dust! At times I had to remove myself from the vicinity of the hoover because the smell of dust was so overwhelmingly delicious. As for sponge I limit myself to a few sniffs during the day and a quick chew before bed. I was often to be found in the cleaning aisle or personal hygiene aisle of our local shop just squeezing all the different types of sponge. Even thinking about it now I have a lump in my throat!

Baby's First Toys

During their first few weeks and months babies have vast amounts of growing to do - both physically and neurologically. Luckily, their brain is the fastest, most highly adaptable advance processing unit on the planet. So while baby looks like they are just gooing and gaaing and turning adults to simpering mush, they are in fact busy absorbing lessons on language, physics, geometry and psychology. (More information here). So the aim is not therefore to fill up a baby's head but to open it up, not through 'adult led' flash cards, Mozart or well reviewed apps  but rather by adapting the environment and materials so as to maximise baby's learning opportunities by letting him get on with his own natural development as efficiently as possible. 

Based on this philosophy Fred and I have decided to (loosely) follow a Montessori approach. There's a comprehensive, easy to read article here which covers the implications on the toy box, I'll summarise by saying it means will try to provide the child with open-ended toys made from natural materials that are developmentally appropriate and encourage creativity and independence. We will be avoiding plastic items with buttons and flashes and noises as these generally have one function and are over-stimulating for a baby who needs to concentrate on other things...like physics. 

Here's a quick break down of what we will be using and why.

Black and White - babies can't distinguish colours until they are a few weeks old (they start with red at 8 weeks and progress to the rest of the primary colours from 3 months). They need lots of bold patterns, preferably in black and white As this is what they can see most clearly. Developing baby's vision early will allow them to focus their eyes on you which will increase their communication abilities, it will also encourage concentration and develop their hand-eye coordination which will become essential once they start engaging with their surroundings in the coming months. The items we picked are all specially designed to make the most of baby's visual processing skills. More on that here.

1. Look! Look! Book. This is a monochrome board book that features a mirror 

2. Smart Noggin Noggin Rings. The reviews for this product have to be seen to be believed, I've also seen it recommended on so many baby blogs that we had to give it a try. It is colour appropriate and offers a range of sensory, social and motor skill development opportunities.

3. Taf Toys Clip On Pram Book. This book comes with clips so it can be stretched around the edge of a carry cot or folded up to form a book. I like that this is reversible so will entertain baby for a long time to come.

4. Manhattan Toy Wimmer Ferguson 3-in-1 Triangle. This is very similar to the previous item and also reversible It fits into the cot or play area. It's more tactile than the previous one and features different textures, flaps and shapes to engage a range of babies senses and processing skills as he grows. 

Technically you don't need anything to encourage this area, wearing stripes, printing geometric images, drawing out cartoons are all perfectly acceptable (and cheaper).

Clutching and rattling 

Babies are natural born grabbers! Having toys that easily fit their grasp allows them to build their strength and motor skills as well as practice their eye tracking. Objects with a variety of textures and low level sounds will also give babies a chance to develop their sense of sound and touch, while games with you will build their understanding of object permanence - an early form of critical thinking. More on that here. 

1. Clutching Toy Beetle. This toy technically goes against the Montessori ideals by representing a fantasy character but it's cute! It features various fabrics, cracking wings and an internal bell, it's very pliable and is small enough for baby's hand to fully close around.

2. Bell Rattle. This is more in line with Montessori thinking, the natural materials, primary colours and the visible bell as well as the contrasting sizes and shapes are all directly related to a baby's developmental phase. 

3. Bird Rattle. I love this rattle! Again it offers nice contrasts with fabrics and woods and the spinning ball will encourage baby to make smaller more deliberate movements.

4. Butterfly Mirror.  How cute is this wee mirror? Like the first item it has crinkly fabric and an internal bell. Mirrors are an endless source of fascination, basically from birth onwards!

Where possible I aim to shop ethically. Most of the products are made from sustainable resources and use toxin free manufacturing methods. If you're interested in doing likewise good places to start are Haba Toys, Plan Toys, Wonder World, Brio and Selecta Girali. For suppliers that are not multi-national, tax avoiding giants then check out The Toadstool, My Kid, Morleys and Babi Pur.

If you're thinking this doesn't look like a lot you'd be right! One aim of montessori is to minimise so I could blame that but in reality we've just started to gather baby's resources!