This Year's Garden, and Thoughts About Baby Food

Our garden failed last year, in Nick's words.  But I beg to differ.  We did end up with about twenty butternut squash and.....well, ok, it failed other than that (although check out the handful of delicious butternut squash recipes I came up with on the right side of my blog, who knew butternut squash was so versatile?!).  Nick is pretty sure he disrupted the whole nitrogen balance when he bought an electirc tiller and tilled the crap out of the soil before planting.  This year he did a little less tilling and a lot more research online.  But this garden still seems to be giving him a lot of stress (he's constantly going to the kitchen to open the blinds and look outside to make sure the plants are "ok" and growing).

The view from our kitchen.  A few weeks ago it actually got so cold we had to cover the plants to protect them from the frost!

Ready for the great "BlogSpot" font change?  Yes, I can't control it, sorry, I'm not sure why it does this....

I bought some rosemary and mint at the store, and we planted it right away (rosemary and mint in summer salads? Yes, please).  Pretty soon we'll be planting basil, which is actually my favorite summer herb.   The garden has been ready for a few weeks now and pretty soon it will be taken over by delicious plants, and you better believe I have some serious recipes in mind for this year (come on, you know you're excited, right?!)  That is, if the rabbits and bugs don't eat them (this is Nick's constant fear).  

It's ready!!  The only issue?  We found a huge bees nest in this area last night.....

Here is what we are growing this year;

In addition to these we are growing broccoli and bell peppers.  Nick is taking this very seriously.

At first we talked about growing some food that may be good to cook, puree, and freeze for baby food (since we plan on having a baby one of these days...maybe sooner than later?  We'll see what mother nature has in mind) but when I posted on my facebook page (The Candid RD) a question about making baby food, someone responded with this link about something called Baby Led Weaning.  The concept, in short, is that you don't use pureed baby food to feed your infant but instead you sort of let your baby start eating whole foods, with their hands, while you're close by watching and encouraging.  Boy do I have a lot to learn!  I'd never heard of this concept, but I think I like it.  Then there was this recent article about parents feeding their babies solids too soon.    I'm starting to realize just how much there is to learn about....babies, but I'm excited to learn more about the food aspect because as a dietitian I need to know the latest and greatest evidence-based ways to feed and nourish a baby and child (I'm starting to see more and more mothers and pregnant women for personal consultations).  I can actually still remember feeding my little brother when I was 13 years old.  I'll never forget the look on his face when he took his first bite of solid food, it was classic and I wish I had the photos to share!

And here is another topic to consider; Organics.   This article was interesting; Is organic baby food really worth the extra price?  Is it really necessary?  The article explains that there really aren't any difinitive answers, and the current evidence says it's not really necessary, nor worth the premium price.  What are your thoughts?  I'm on the fence.  I can still remember reading this article from today's dietitian a few years ago, and it's stuck in my head.  Since then I haven't read about the issue much, and I haven't been buying organic unless it's from the "dirty dozen" list.  My focus has always primarily been on feeding both myself and Nick nutritious foods, then I think about organics, GMOs, pesticides, etc.  But now that I'm thinking about getting pregnant...things have changed a bit.  Yes, we still have a budget, and yes, I'm still not a hardcore organic believer, but I am also not 100% convinced that future research isn't going to support the use of organic foods for pregnant women and young children.  Anyway, more on my lifestyle changes and pregnancy preparations later (I've got a lot to discuss and can't wait to hear your thoughts), for now, let's get this garden going!

QUESTION:  What are your thoughts on organic foods for baby? Have you ever tried baby-led weaning??

Nick has added a fence to block the rabbits from eating our bounty. I hope it works! It also blocks the garden in the back.

QUESTION: What's in your garden this year?  If the answer is nothing, what are you most looking forward to finding in your supermarket that is local and fresh? For me it's zucchini, corn, and eggplant!

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

In The News; Biathlon, Garden and Other Stuff

The biggest news of the week is that tomorrow I will be doing something I've never done before...a biathlon! Yeah, you read that right. If you've been reading my blog for a while than you are fully aware that a) I do not run on a regular basis and b) the only time I bike is to work, which is about one half a mile away. Needless to say, I'm terrified! The race is 30k on the bike and then a 5k run. The full race is a triathlon, but my friend and I opted out of the swimming part because honestly the bike and run will be hard enough. I'll try to take some pictures of this monumental event, and post them sometime next week. I've been "training" the last couple weeks, but not quite like most of you train....... The one thing I have on my side is that I know how to fuel my body and eat/drink right the days before and the day of the event. Last night I did some "carb loading"......

I mean, come on, beer is full of electrolytes, carbohydrates, fluid, and B-vitamins. It was the perfect choice! Obviously tonight, the night before the race, I will stick to water and sports drinks :)

For my dinner last night I had grilled shrimp and loads of fresh vegetables. We went to dinner with some of our good friends, Cathy and Rob. We always have a blast when we go out with them, and we always eat tasty food. This was no exception.

Tomorrow before the race I'm going to have a small breakfast. I know how my bowels work when I'm nervous so I'm going to be careful not to eat too much and especially not to drink too much coffee. I plan on having some of my granola, a small banana, and a cup of coffee. I am going to pack a sports bar for the ride, as well as a sports drink of some kind (to replenish the electrolytes I lose via sweat).



And in other news, check out our garden!


The cantaloupe, spinach, and kale have not survived, most likely because of the overgrowth of our butternut squash (yes, we planted a few too many). We're still learning the keys to a successful garden. We have about 15-20 butternut squash, so far. Once they are ready to be harvested we plan on roasting them and then freezing them so we can enjoy delicious butternut squash throughout the fall and maybe even into the winter.

We also have several tomatoes, which will probably be gone within a few days after harvest, because we both love fresh tomatoes. Who doesn't?!

Ok, now it's time for the REAL news of the week!

Restaurants Cut Back on Salt, But They're Keeping it Quiet
(This is brilliant. We all know that most people will automatically assume that anything containing "less salt" will likely taste bland, so why not keep it quiet?! )



McDonald's To Make Happy Meals More Healthful
(The plan is to add a serving of fruit to each Happy Meal. They are also decreasing the portion of fries.)



Fortification Drives Consumer Definition of "Healthy"
(Looks like fortification of food products are creating more and more health halos in the aisles.)


Senators Urge FDA Action On Gluten-Free Labeling
(It's about time! Now, let's follow through with this....)



Designing a Better Food Label
(We all know that our current food label is incredibly outdated, and still very confusing. Now there is a new website that is asking for your ideas on how to make it better!)



QUESTION: What are your weekend plans? Have you ever done a biathlon or triathlon??

Let The Gardening Begin!

On the first day of Spring Nick and I took the first step in preparing our garden for the year. Last year the right side of our garden didn't grow (picture below). We think it was because that side receives less sun than the left side (we're so smart!).

Because of this we planted the right side crops early this year, indoors (kale, spinach, cantaloupe).




The rest of the seeds will be planted outside later in the Spring.





I hear conflicting information from gardening gurus all the time (for example, some say plant spinach in cold weather, others say don't...it's confusing). I decided to order a gardening magazine this year just so we have some reliable information, rather than using word-of-mouth and the internet all the time. Hopefully we receive the first edition soon!





We're hoping our garden will be more successful this year, since we are starting earlier. Last year we didn't even move into our house until May, so our garden didn't get planted until late May, early June...too late! Considering what the garden looked like when we moved in (picture below) I think it was pretty impressive that we were even able to grow anything.




This year Nick is even researching how to grow blueberries. I think that's going to be more work than he can imagine...




This year we're also writing everything we do in our "gardening journal". This way we know when things were planted, we know when they should start to grow, and we can go back to read our notes next year in case we need to make changes or do something the exact same way.



QUESTION: Are you planting a garden this year? What will you grow? If no garden, what's your favorite produce to buy at the summer farmer's markets??

I'm most excited about the tomatoes we are growing this year. Last year we didn't grow tomatoes (what were we thinking?!) so I'm looking forward to some tomato and mozzarella dishes this summer!

From Supersize to Superfoods

To super STUD!

Yep, that's my man. This guy was eating burgers and fries for dinner, and using tobacco products three times a day when I met him over five years ago.

Now he's growing his own produce.






And eating one of these every morning.

Yep, that's right, a smoothie with 1 banana, 1 cup of nutrient-packed spinach, 1/2 cup of antioxidant-packed pumpkin puree, and 1/4 cup cancer and disease-fighting blueberries. Missing from this picture is the unsweetened chocolate Almond Breeze that I add to the smoothie. It's fortified with vitamin D, which is incredibly important for all of us now that we aren't getting as much sun.


Who says you can't change a man? I sure did. I think his dad's stroke at age 60 may have also played a role. Not to mention the fact that Nick is actually one of the smartest people I know (ugh, I hate to admit that he's probably smarter than me in many respects). And yes, he is also tobacco-free these days, and hopefully forever.



I even got him to change his mind about salmon.....

Ok, I'm lying, he wouldn't eat this if I told him it was his last meal, ever. Not even with a nice layer of blueberry preserves on top.


Maybe because it looks like this when I take it out of the oven.



What are those? Boils? No, they are just globules of fat oozing out of the salmon. Don't scrape it off, it's good fat...right?! And good salmon. He's missing out. But hey, at least I convinced him to take a fish oil pill every day.

What a stud.

Question: Do you have any advice on getting loved ones to eat healthier?