A Fail?

Last night I used coconut flour for the first time. I was a little nervous cause I heard it can be tricky to cook/bake with. It absorbs a lot of moister and you have to get the correct measurement or else it will fall a part or taste nasty.

I wanted to start slow.

I decided on Zucchini Pancakes.

I got the recipe from here.

Looks simple enough, right?

So I shredded my Zucc's and cracked my eggs. I made two batches of this so I just doubled everything.

Added the coconut flour, then added some salt and pepper.

I also added some cumin. I thought that would taste good with everything.
not a lot cause its pretty potent.

Here is what my consistency looked like.

Next, I heated up my skillet with some EVOO. 

I knew they needed to get brown and a wee bit crispy on each side, so I watched them like a hawk! Making sure they didn't burn. I tend to do this more often then not. 

This would be my, " I'm nervous about cooking new things", face.

I think it was about 3 minutes on each side. Flip 'em over and cook the rest of the way. 

They turned out way more egg-ie then I thought. I think next time I'll add less eggs. It came out almost like a frittata. Which isn't a bad thing. It just wasn't what I though they were gonna be. 

Next time I make 'em, I'll add more veggies and seasonings. They were a little on the bland side. I get so nervous about over seasoning that I tend to not add enough. Especially on something you can't taste test before you cook. You know I love eggs but I'm not a fan of salmonella poisoning. :)

Notice the healthy, grain free dinner with a jar of candy corn in the background?

Here's the finished product. Plated up with alfalfa sprouts and gorgonzola cheese. It would have been really good with a type on sauce on it. Or if you are like me, add some Ketchup. The gorgonzola cheese got all soft and somewhat melted over the pancake. YUM-O!!

So, it might have been fail if you look at the original recipe.
I'm not gonna say it was a complete fail cause it turned out pretty good.
Next time, they will be even better!
Onions and basil and garlic maybe? That sounds really good!

'Till next time
BB

Midwife Thursday!

If you haven't read my previous post, updating you, person I may or may not know in real life, on my life.

You would have missed that I am knocked up.

I'm with child.

A bun is in my oven.

My eggo is preggo.

Baby Bryant Number 4 will grace us with HIS presence January 2015.

I would have never thought in a million years that I, Brittany Bryant, formally known as Brittany Williams, would be the one to get married young and start a family so quickly....BUT I LOVE IT!
I would not trade it for all the gold in the world. Now, if someone offered me all the chocolate in the world, that's a different story. ;)
For real though, life can take you on a ride you never though was possible.

Why this post is called, Midwife Thurday is because I choose to use a midwife, rather then an OB/GYN. Some of you may have never heard of a midwife before. Like me, before I got knocked up with my first. I never heard of one. Is that like a sister wife or something?
Nope, they are not sister wives.
Midwives are trained professionals that have schooling and training on prenatal care and labor and delivery for mother and baby. They can work in hospitals with OB's or they can have their own Birthing Center, like the midwifes I use.

Free standing birthing centers like, Fruitful Vine Midwifery Center care for low risk pregnant woman who want a natural birthing experience. You have the option to birth at their birthing center or at your home.
I had my first son, Ezekiel, at their Birthing Center and LOVED it! I knew I wanted to have a natural birth. No interventions or drugs. That includes an epidural too, if you are wondering :)

My husband was a little on the nervous side to deliver out side of a hospital. He said, "That's just what you do. You get pregnant and you have your baby at the hospital."

Why?

Why do we HAVE to have our baby at a place that is for sick people? I'm not sick. I had a healthy, normal, low risk pregnancy. I was going to give birth. Not have an operation or deal with some type of sickness. For me, the hospital was not a place I wanted to have my baby.

Delivering at their center was like a happy medium for my husband and I. It has a very homey feel to it. Not like LL Cool J but like it's your very own home. Their Birthing rooms are set up like bedrooms. Queen size bed with a quilt and REAL pillows! No plastic covered things that deflate in two seconds once you lay your head on it. A night stand, where you can have your CD player or iPod playing sweet labor music for you. Birthing balls and birthing stools, that provide options for different positions while you labor and push your baby out. Windows with real curtains hanging up, A birthing tub with candles and other relaxing things around to help you focus on the task of bring your babe into this world. Pictures on the wall that have encouraging sayings or woman in labor doing exactly what you are doing. Reminding you that what you are doing is beautiful and strong. You can do it! You will fight for your babe. You will survive this race to meet your child.
It's just a beautiful and relaxing setting to have a baby in. No monitors beeping or nurses checking on you every 5 seconds. No IV in hand or arm  You can eat and/or drink while you are in labor.

WHAT?!?

Yup, that's right, no ice chips, unless that's what YOU want. And by drink, I mean water or tea or gatorade, not Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale or a jack and coke. Although that does sound good right now. :)

Food is energy! You need energy to labor and push that babe out.
I ate while I was in the birth tub, 8.5 cm's, about to push. I needed the energy. I didn't eat a lot but I did chomp on some oranges and drank a ton of water. I wouldn't have been able to do that in a hospital setting.
Everything they would do or have at a hospital, they have with them at the Birth Center. Or, if you are choosing a home birth, Like I did on my last two pregnancies, they bring it with them. Which I am VERY thankful for. I had some bleeding after Evey was born that was only stopped by Pitocin.  They injected it into my leg and my uterus started contraction right away.

They use Pitocin in hospitals mostly to induce labor and/or to get your contractions longer and stronger. Your body natural makes Oxytocin. Pitocin is a synthetic version of that.

I'm thankful for it cause it helped me stop bleeding. If I was in a setting that wasn't prepared, it could have been bad. BUT my midwives were prepared and ready to take action. They are always looking out for the well being of mother and baby. If something starts to look weird or they are noticing signs of distress, they have no problem transferring to a hospital where mom and baby can be closer examined. That brings me to my next thing.

I do NOT think hospital are bad places.

I am VERY thankful to have them. Both Midwives AND hospitals (OB/GYN's) need to work together. Because there are those times when an induction is necessary. Emergency Cesarian sections are needed. Having a problem with baby after delivery does happen sometimes and a hospital is the best place for that baby.

I choose to use a Midwife.
I choose to birth my babies at my home.

Is that a little crazy to some people? Yes.
Is it completely foreign to them? Yes.
Is it ok to birth in a hospital? Yes
Is it ok to know you options? Yes
Is it ok to pick what is best for YOUR family? Yes.

Research! Research! Research!

You have options.

Don't feel bullied into what everyone else thinks is best for you. Figure it out for your own family. That's all that matters. If you feel confident in that choice, then I say suck on a lime everyone else! It's your family. Not theirs.


On to my Midwife/Pregnancy update with Bryant #4.

As of today, I am 23.5 days pregnant. It is going pretty well, I think.
My baby boy is a whole pound now! About the size of spaghetti squash. YUM squash!

I have gained a total of 8 pounds. Which is REALLY good for me. Over half way there and I'm not a ballon yet. :)

I have to go through the holidays pregnant and that's when I'll load up the lbs.

Turkey, stuffing, squash casserole, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, ham, mash potatoes, gravy, rolls, more sweets and pies and deliciousness!! Oh my, I can feel my legs getting bigger by the second!!

Baby Kudos is moving like a crazy person and I LOVE it!
We haven't picked a name yet, so Kudos is a nick name right now. :)

Baby movement is something only I'll experience with this babe. Yes, people will eventually be able to see my belly move and even feel him move but only I can truly feel every movement. Blessing!

I have the normal aches and pains that come with pregnancy. Everything starts sooner with each pregnancy. Some things I'm experiencing now I didn't get until the very end with Zeke. Crazy!

I'm planning on doing a home birth again. Water birth if possible. It's just amazing laboring and giving birth in the water. It helps you relax and takes a lot of pressure off the belly. You become very buoyant and that makes your belly float too. :)

My next midwife appointment is the glucose test. One thing I LOVE about my midwife, is that I don't have to drink that nasty drink to test my glucose levels. We eat a specific breakfast two hours before, then they prick your finger. That's it! I love doing this test.

Next Midwife/Pregnancy Update I'll be 26 weeks!! AHHH!

Is it flying by to anyone else cause I feel like I just found out I was pregnant!

 Zeke in the belly

Evey June in the belly.

Scarlett in the belly.  I think Evey and Scarlett's belly pics are closer to 25/26 weeks pregnant the more I think about it. Close enough. :)

Baby Kudos.
Bellies are all around the same size, I think.

What a blessing it is to care this baby boy. Can't wait to meet your face to face, sweet little man. You will be welcomed with open arms.
Cue the Creed song, Arms Wide Open. ;)


'Til next time.
BB