Earthquake?

A few days ago there was that 6.0 earthquake in CA... no, we did not feel it or even wake up.  Earthquakes are not exactly a big deal for most native Californians who live near fault lines.

There's a clip that Ryan showed me a while ago of a news reporter who freaks out when he feels some tiny shaking whilst on the air, and says stuff like "Earthquake!  We're having an earthquake here!  Earthquake!  Earthquake!?"... so of course that became the joke of the day.

Stormy is convinced that "earthquake?!" is a new command, but she has NO idea what it is.  She tilts her head to the side in confusion every time we say it, even 5 days later.  It is hilarious, and we can't stop!  I am about to try training her that "earthquake?!" means "tilt your head."

Humans are so weird.

Freezer Meals: The Costco-Based Slow Cooker Meals x20

The Plan

Full disclosure:  I found this Costco-based freezer meal plan online, and have only altered it slightly.*  This previous post talks about my reasons for doing it, actual cost, and the rest of my meal planning for postpartum.

There are 10 recipes that serve 4 people, and each of them is doubled.  I'm not going to show the actual recipes since they do not belong to me (just visit the first link at the top!)... the purpose of this post is just to show you how easy it was to make these 20 meals at once, and to record changes for myself so that I'm better prepared next time.  So... what's involved?

The meals:

1. Chicken with apples and rosemary
2. Pork chops with apples and sweet potatoes
3. Sweet potato chicken curry
4. Italian chicken
5. BBQ chicken and potatoes
6. Sausage, peppers, and onions
7. Italian stew roast
8. Beef stew (I'll add a Guinness to these when I cook them)
9. Chicken tortilla soup (I cut this in half since the original recipe serves 8)
10. Chicken and sausage stew

The general instructions:

• To assemble:  toss all ingredients in a ziploc freezer bag, and remove as much air as possible.  Freeze.
• To cook:  thaw in fridge overnight, or in warm water for 30 min.  If partially thawed, cook on low for 8-10 hours.  If completely thawed, cook on high 6 hours or low 8 hours. 

Easy, right?


The Process and Timing:

2 hours:  Driving, running miscellaneous errands, driving, slowly meandering through a packed Costco, driving, a quick Safeway stop, driving, and putting groceries away.

30 min, for fun:  I made a cheat sheet of each recipe's basic ingredients and amounts, labeled and dated the ziploc bags, made up a taco seasoning blend, and set out all the ingredients and tools I'd need for a "before" photo.

That's a lot of food. 

3 hours 40 minutes:  Weighing, recording, chopping, dividing up the ingredients, and cleaning up at a rapid pace.  40 minutes of that was spent just removing skin from and de-boning the thighs, since that was the only type our local Costco was selling.  Is the cost savings of getting bone-in chicken thighs worth it?  Probably not, unless you really really want to make a bone broth.
 

4 cups each left over:  fat/skin and meaty bones.

I spaced the bags out across the counter and then did one ingredient at a time, so that I could divide extras evenly amongst the recipes that called for said ingredient.

Multi-tasking:  all the meats done first.

20 min:  Sealing the bags like a perfectionist, photographing them, and arranging them neatly in the available freezer space. 

So... 6.5 hours total, but if I hadn't wasted time out shopping and hadn't bought chicken thighs on the bone, it is really only 4 hours of work.  12 minutes per dinner!


The Results:

Ta da!  I present to you the 80 servings of slow-cooker freezer food, at $1.88 per serving.  The plan is to pair the dishes with basmati rice, salad, or smaller versions of my favorite homemade rolls (which are half-baked and then frozen for perfect freshness).

Impressive, no?

Of course, I had to weigh it.  All that food is a total of 82.83 pounds... 23.2 lbs of meat, 51.75 lbs of fruit/veggies/beans, 7.88 lbs of added liquids. 


I still have other freezer meals/snacks to make, but this puts a HUGE dent in what's left to do in preparation for baby time.  It's a great feeling to be so prepared food-wise... well, as prepared as a clueless first-time mom could be. 



Conclusion:  You should try this too!

I spread the work out over a whole day since my hips were begging me not to stand for so long at once, but under normal circumstances I could see myself easily doing the whole thing in a half day.  A half day's work in exchange for a month's worth of effortless weeknight autumn/winter-appropriate meals?  Do it!

Recommendations:

• Bring a buddy.  Chopping gets old right around the 2-hour mark.  You could split the costs and meals and end up with no meal repeats.
• Put the meat in last, it's not that great to let it sit out for 4 hours if you're alone (except maybe add the pork chops first, they were huge).  I was glad I partially froze stuff.
• To make it far easier on yourself:  get skinless/boneless chicken thighs and bring out the mandolin and apple/corer/peeler gadget.
• In the photo of all the meals, there's an extra bag... if you keep the best cuttings from onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, a few apple skins, and the thigh bones, you have the makings for 6 quarts of yummy chicken bone broth/stock (although I concentrate mine down to 2 quarts and dilute them later).  Just add a splash of apple cider vinegar (to leach minerals from the bones) and stick it all in a slow cooker for at least 24 hours.

As we taste the meals, I'll let you know what I think... or more importantly, what the man of the house thinks, because he is much more picky about his meats and leftovers.


*Alterations to the plan:

• Chicken and veggie amounts are slightly increased (most packages are divided evenly amongst the recipes)
• Organic full-size carrots (chopped) instead of baby carrots.  Instead of using 2.5lbs, I used 5lbs
• 8lbs sweet potatoes is twice as much as the recipes need
• Organic chicken broth (instead of the MSG-containing regular one)
• Organic stewed tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes
• Organic Kinders BBQ sauce... Costco was out of stock for any other BBQ sauce, plus Kinders rocks!
• Added chopped garlic (in bulk from Ranch 99) to recipes in place of garlic powder
• I made my own taco seasoning blend
• Basically doubled the spices for each recipe

Freezer Meal Mania

Part of the postpartum plan is to have at least a month's worth of freezer meals stored away. 

There are 4 different types of freezer meals I'm going to put together, and it's looking more like it should last us 2 months at least.

1. 20 4-person slow cooker meal kits (everything in a ziploc bag that I can just toss into the pot in the morning).
2. 10 4-person dishes that are ready to heat/reheat like lasagna, meatloaf, chili, black bean taco salad
3. 30+ microwaveable and quick 1-person lunch things like burritos, pizza muffins, calzones, spring rolls (depending on open freezer space)
4. (Whatever freezer space is left) Snacks and side dishes like half-baked bread rolls, lactation cookie dough balls, and stir-fry veggies.
5. Bonus:  An inventory of the meals and instructions for each one.

The obvious benefit to filling the freezers to the brim with easy healthy foods is that we won't have to cook or eat out!  I haven't done the baby thing before, but I am already pretty sure that I will really not feel like taking the baby out by myself to get groceries or answering the "what's for dinner?" question for several weeks.


So today I began the slow cooker meal shopping!

I ran across this "20 Gluten Free Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150" meal plan, and it looked darn easy because it gives you 10 (x2 meals each) 4-person recipes plus a shopping list.  There's an option to buy the plan for a few bucks, but I just opened each individual recipe on the website to record the recipe.

Recipes are all meat-based (a must for my husband!) and extremely easy to put together, usually taking just 6 ingredients... they're also a little bland-looking, so I'm planning to spice them up a bit.  They are mostly meant to be served with side-dishes of bread or rice, which is perfect considering my bulk purchases of flour and rice a few months ago.


And now I need a break.

After lugging around giant sacks of veggies and meat for a few hours at 8 months pregnant, my separating hip joints are more than ready for a break... even though my brain is clawing its walls in desperation to get started on the 20 freezer meals.

I will post results by tomorrow, complete with progress photos for your viewing pleasure.  The lady claims it can be done in 2 hours, but I will let you know how long it actually takes me as a first-timer.

Here's a sneak peak at all the ingredients...

SO.  MUCH.  FOOD.
(I removed all the extras from the photo besides 1/3rd of the yellow potatoes, 3/4th of the carrots, and 1/2 of the frozen veggies to the right... because I may add more of these into the meals)

How much did it all cost?

I was absolutely sure that it would come out to be more expensive than $150 as is stated in that website's plan (or $162 - $20 in unused food + $8 worth of coconut milk, extra tomatoes, and spices).  Our local Costco didn't have the sweet potatoes so I had to get them elsewhere for $10 more, the amounts of meats were not quite the same (16.5lbs of chicken instead of 12lbs, for example), and I switched out a few items for organic or MSG-free ones (like the chicken broth, BBQ sauce, veggies). 

The plan also leaves you with extras that aren't counted toward the total, like extra broth, potatoes, and BBQ sauce.  I already had the coconut milk, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, extra home-canned tomatoes, spices, and fresh rosemary on hand.

It actually ended up being exactly $150 ($161 at Costco - $26 in leftover food and ziploc freezer bags + $15 at Safeway)... I have no idea how this ended up being perfectly accurate with all my upgrades, except that the chicken broth from the bottom of the cart is mysteriously missing from my Costco receipt. 

Average cost per hearty meat-based 4-person meal:  $7.50, or $1.88 per person.  Not bad!


I've done "once a month cooking" on a much smaller scale before, just 10 or so meals... this'll definitely be an adventure.



Have you ever made freezer meals in bulk?  Are there any recipes you want to share?

A Nesting Panic

Ryan says I'm nesting.  I am not sure where he got that crazy idea.  I am just on a frantic mission to get prepared for baby time, that's all.

Nesting is probably just another word for panic.  It hit me that I have just a bit over 6 weeks until due-date time.  If the baby were to come as early as my brother did, that could be just 2 weeks away!  EEP!


A baby-stuff spree ensued.

We are so lucky to already have a huge amount of baby stuff thanks to the amazing generosity of family and friends.  But nesting dictates that I complete the collection.

Last week we made the final round of baby purchases...

• With Amazon Mom 15% off baby registry completion discount:  random stuff like diaper pail liners, milk freezer bags, another crib sheet, baby monitor, etc.
• With Target 15% off baby registry completion discount:  glider, thermometer
• Cottonbabies.com bulk purchase:  24 cloth all-in-one diapers
• Amazon stuff that didn't qualify for the completion discount:  manual pump, flannel wipes
• Still to get once prices come back down or we've researched more:  moby wrap, diaper sprayer, nursing pads, camera

All the "needs" (essential for life:  car seat, diapers, place to sleep, clothes) are taken care of.  All the major "wants," meaning that they make life with a baby significantly easier, are covered.  I mean, it's not everything.  There are still a lot of optional and cool things out there like jogging strollers, holiday-themed outfits, swings, and toys... but that can definitely wait until later, if at all.

But wait, there's more!

There is so much more to nesting than baby stuff.  In the past week or so I...

• Developed a week-by-week calendar/plan to get everything baby-related done in time. 
• Finished all but one of my childbirth and prenatal classes, plus went on the birth center tour.
• Stocked up on non-perishables:  toilet paper, laundry soap, dish soap, dog food, etc.
• Installed car seat bases... that was a little harder than I was expecting, since I didn't realize there are special bars in the car made specifically for installing the seats.  Now it seems so easy!
• Visited old coworkers to show them the giant belly, since they knew how hard the fertility journey has been.  Travel leaves me pretty exhausted now, so I probably won't be making many more trips to see people.
• Organized the baby room:  waxed the antique dresser drawers, sorted all clothes and items, filled the dresser space, and moved 6-month-or-older items to the garage.
• Talked in depth with someone who's had 3 babies at the same birth center I'm using, and got some tips.
• Made a final list of hospital bag items to pack next week, and developed a birth plan.

Today I also finalized the details for a postpartum meal plan that I'll start on tomorrow... stay tuned!  I am darn excited to get started.  Ryan is pretty happy about it too, since it means we won't have to do much cooking for the first month or two after the baby arrives, and we can mostly just enjoy the time off we have together.


Did you ever nest when you were pregnant?  What was it like?

A Social Experiment

Social Interaction Weirdness

My first single-session prenatal class was kind of an eye opener... but not for the reasons one would think.

Out of an entire room full of people, another woman and I were the only two there without our husbands.  When we had to introduce ourselves, she said that her husband was "overseas in the military" and she got nods and smiles.  I didn't really feel like speaking about my husband's job even though he was also out of the country, so when it was my turn I said he was "at work" and people looked away and down.

I dismissed it, thinking it was my imagination.  I couldn't dismiss it for long though, because once we were broken up into groups (men vs women), I noticed that none of the other women would look me in the eye.  When I was asked my occupation I said that I was currently a stay-at-home wife, and the effect was amplified.  They showed no interest in what I had to say besides that extremely minimal obviously-fake politeness that women do when they don't want to talk with you, and their body language was pointing away from me.  Once we went back to our seats I noticed that the other partnerless woman now had people sitting near her, while I had a ring of empty seats around me in an otherwise full classroom.  As an aspie, I've had to train myself to notice these indicators to gauge how a social situation is going.  The social situation was obviously going straight down the toilet, almost to the point of ostracization. 

Maybe it was just me, and I was having an "off" night... it happens, I'm totally awkward.  Maybe it was the group of ladies, and they just were drawn to the other woman for subconscious reasons.  Maybe pregnant women are randomly bitchy because they get no sleep and are in constant pain (heck, I don't blame 'em, I'm right there too).  I didn't think much of it after expressing to a friend how weird the encounter had felt.


A Normal Event

For the next 3-session class, my partner (husband or mom) was able to come to each meeting.  Everyone had a partner.  The class was average, everyone equal, nothing of note to report.


The Experiment Unfolds

This week I had a different single-session prenatal class by myself, and I decided to test things.  Again, there was one other woman in the entire class besides me who was alone.  She described her husband as "at work" and received some mumbles and shuffling of papers.  This time I said mine was "overseas" (not a lie, but the implied "military" part wasn't exactly true) and noticed commiserating smiles and tilted heads.

When we came back from break, I noticed that the other lady had a halo of empty seats around her, and I did not.  Her husband then appeared right before we broke into groups, male vs. female again.  This time, instead of being left out and feeling socially shunned, the ladies were including me, specifically asking me more questions than any one else.  When I was asked my occupation and mentioned that I was a stay-at-home wife, the effect was amplified.  I was unanimously decided to be the group leader (against my socially awkward will and polite protests, I might add), to write down the group's game results, and then also to read out the results to the guys' group.  Any dumb joke I made was met with encouraging laughter and I felt like I had a laugh track.  I had become... the life of the party? 

When the game was over, the other single lady whose husband had arrived mid-class was no longer sitting in an empty halo, no longer untouchable.



The Remaining Question

This behavior confuses me quite a bit!  A stay-at-home wife with a military husband is welcomed and encouraged and made a group leader.  A stay-at-home wife of a husband who works odd hours and can't get time off is ignored and shunned and might as well not be a part of the group.  A woman is mildly socially shunned when her "at work" husband is absent, but is then on equal standing with the group when he arrives mid-class.

As you can see, there are a few potential variables here:

• Absent husband vs. present husbands
• Long-distance husband vs local husband
• Military vs. civilian
• SAHW vs. working wife

So... WHY?  I have results from the experiment, but no real conclusion.  Humans are so difficult to understand.

The theories:

1. People feel sorry for a pregnant woman who is physically separated from her partner for longer periods of time, so they give her preferential treatment to make her feel better?
2. A military man is of higher standing than a man who works a regular job with weird hours, and this reflects on his wife's social worth?
3. It is more socially acceptable to be a pregnant SAHW of a long-distance military guy than a civilian?
4. Pregnant women are hormonal and want to take it out on others, and a single woman is an easy target... unless her husband's in the military, 'cause he's badass and might beat them up?
5. There is no excuse for an absent husband (and his wife bears the social stigma) unless he's out of the country?  
6. The area is pretty affluent, so perhaps it's easier for wealthier people to get time off work... so a local husband not able to get out of work for a prenatal class implies that the woman is poor?
7. A single-yet-married woman in a room of couples is somehow a threat to the other couples... unless her husband's out of the country?
8. People socially gravitate toward similarity, and a military SAHW is more like a couple than a civilian SAHW?

None of these actually make sense to me, because I would not shun or gravitate toward a woman in my class based on her job or her husband's job/location.  I suppose this is where my aspie brain has issues! 

Why do you think this phenomenon exists?

Puppy Training: The Pool, Part 2

For Part 1, see this post.

Here we are at Attempt #2.

Stormy will love water.  She WILL.  Even if it takes half her lifetime.  I am just as stubborn as my grandpa, possibly more, and I'm declaring this to be a war against water phobia.  We will do this even if we have to start from the most basic of basics.  This method is so basic that it is primordial. 

The kiddie pool and hot dog method.

The theory here is that the dog doesn't know how to breathe properly in the water, and so she gets water up her nose and panics thinking she will drown.  This method teaches her to be comfy in shallow water, and how to breathe out while her face is underwater.  It makes sense because the first step to water fun and safety with toddlers is to get them comfy with putting their face in the water and learning how to blow bubbles.

Here are the steps I am to try.

Phase 1:  The easy part, intro to the pool.

1. Blow up the kiddie pool, let her get used to its presence.  Reward any approach toward the pool. 
2. Sit in the pool and convince her to come in with me.  Reward heavily.  This one is kind of a big deal since she is afraid of blow-up rubber anything because they move slightly on their own (the yoga ball, balloons, etc).
3. Teach her the command "get in the pool."  This shouldn't be too hard... she already knows the pointing hand motion that says "go there" which quickly taught her the verbal commands such as "get in the car/bathtub" and "go on the lawn/in the house" and "get off the couch" and "back up."
4. Teach her the command "get out."  Also easy for #3's reasons.
5. Have her sit in the pool.
6. Have her lay down in the pool.

 Kiddie pool = cheese consumption.  Anything for shredded cheese.

The cheap kiddie pool arrived last night, and I am happy to say that ALL of Phase 1 was completed!  Step 1 took a few minutes, 2 took maybe 2 minutes, 3 took 2 attempts, and 4-6 she got on the first try.  After some more practice, she appears very happy to get in there.

Phase 2:  Getting wet.  (steps 3-5 may be done concurrently)

1. Add 1/2 inch of water to the pool, let her get used to its presence, and then convince her to go in using command.  Reward heavily, this is a big step.
2. Make small round slices from a hotdog, and throw them into the water to retrieve.  The hotdog slices float, but when touched with her nose will sink and bounce around a bit, forcing her to learn to breathe out while her nose is underwater if she wants to get the treat.
3. Add another 1/2 inch of water (or 1-2 inches if she's doing really well) each day until the pool is full (about 9 inches), continuing with the hot dog retrieval and the "go in the pool" command.
4. Have her sit and lay down in the pool at various water heights.
5. Add dive toys (I already purchased balls that sink that have floaty soft tails on them) and tennis balls, teach her to retrieve them until she is comfortable.
6. Play with her in the pool, splashing more and more each time until she is comfy with being splashed in the face and finds it fun.  Fun play for her is actually a bigger draw than a food treat... but it has to be her version of fun.  (She already thinks it is the funnest game ever to play with sprinklers/hoses, so a hose will probably be involved.)
7. Add the dog life jacket, and repeat steps 4-6.

Phase 3:  The hardest part.  (Use her life jacket for this phase)

1. Use the "get in the pool" command with the large pool.  Reward for approaching and sniffing the pool, and for understanding that the little pool and the big pool are both pools.
2. Toss a hot dog slice in the kiddie pool to retrieve.  Then toss a larger hot dog slice in the big pool to retrieve.  Reward extremely heavily for entering the pool, since this is the biggest step of all.  Keep sessions extremely short and don't keep her from escaping the pool immediately after eating the treat.  If this doesn't work after a few days:
1. Gently bring her into the pool on the shallowest step, have her retrieve 1 hot dog piece and then let her out.
2. Slowly increase distance of tossed hot dog until she is willing to jump in from the top step.  (She is already willing to jump in from that step to come to us, as she sees us being safer than the step.)
3. Attempt to get her to enter pool from outside again.
3. Attempt to quickly transition rewards from floating hot dogs to hand-feeding treats and fun stuff like ball retrieval or retrieving dive toys from the shallowest step.  (The goal is to keep her from ingesting too much of the pool's salt water.)
4. Practice and play until she is comfortable and her swim stroke is effective.

Phase 4:  Bonus round.  (Remove life jacket for this phase)

1. Remove life jacket, and repeat all of Phase 3 until she displays proper control in the water and minimal discomfort.
2. Progress to deeper dive toys, and practice and play until she is comfortable.  (I expect this step to take at least the entire next summer.)
3. Expose her to other bodies of water until she's having fun... a full bathtub, a shallow pond, a lake, mild ocean waves. 
4. Profit?  Profit looks like:  Stormy enters pool on command, doesn't panic, doesn't try to climb us, and exits successfully in and out of our presence before she tires herself... and I feel complete comfort leaving her outside unsupervised alone around the pool.  
1. Bonus points if Stormy joins us in the pool of her own volition and enjoys playing in the water.

Well, there you go.  The most ridiculously slow method for introducing a dog to a pool that I can come up with, which has up to 31 steps.  I will update as major milestones are passed or if I have to drastically change the plan.

Wish us luck.

Puppy Training: The Pool, Part 1

The pool is Stormy's worst enemy.

When she was in her "phobia development period," I was walking laps with her around the pool whilst on the phone.  She fell into the cold water just a few feet from the exit, and the look of horror, desperation, and "FIX THIS PLEASE" was the most emotion I've ever seen on an animal's face.  I called her to the steps a few feet away and she was able to jump out.

Of course, when summer arrived and we tried bringing her into the pool, it was all terror.  I decided it was most important that she learn how to exit the pool so that I could trust her outside by herself, so the focus that summer was to hold her in the pool until she calmed down, give lots of praise and treats, then let her get out on her own.  After doing this all summer I was pretty confident in her ability to exit, so one day I tipped her into the pool and ran inside to watch from the kitchen window.  Despite probably a hundred successful exits while I was in the pool with her, she managed to panic to such an extent that she went the wrong direction and just clung to the edge of the pool, crying and tiring herself out.  If that happened while I was away, I would come home to a drowned puppy.

Now it's her second summer.  

She is even more terrified of swimming than before... and she's stronger.  She sees the humans in the pool as safety rafts, so she will go to the nearest person and claw at them in a panic to climb them.  Her heart rate goes out of control.

This is a huge problem.  1), she could easily drown a child.  2), she could easily drown herself.  3), she's a poodle, a freaking water dog!  4), I want her to enjoy playing in the pool or lakes with us, it is excellent exercise especially when she becomes elderly. 

Something has to change.

Attempt #1

We bought her a dog life jacket.  It is pretty awesome.  It keeps her floating, and even has a piece under the neck to keep her head further out of the water.  It even has a handle on the top so you can grab her easily or guide her in the direction you want.  This will be so useful if we take her kayaking or out in public!

The theory behind this plan is that if a dog has to work too hard to float, then she panics and can't focus on developing the swimming technique that gives her control in the water.  So you take away the possibility of drowning, and her anxiety lessens, and she learns to use her front and back legs in a coordinated manner that makes swimming far more effective.

Please, please take this off.

This didn't work at all.  She is completely unaware that the life jacket is helping her out and that she doesn't have to work so hard to float.  I believe that she is panicking even harder when she's wearing the life jacket.

Stay tuned for attempt #2...