Spicy Chicken Stew

This is a brand new recipe for our family and already I see it making its way onto our Family Favorites list. We all loved it! It has the perfect mix of spices to make it delicious and interesting bite after bite. I found the recipe here and love how I can change it up each time by using whatever vegetables I need to. (In this case I didn't have carrots but needed to use up some celery and summer squash, to add to the frozen corn.)

The original recipe makes this in the crock pot, but could just as easily be made on the stove top. It would also be yummy without the chicken.

Depending on what's available I have served it with cheese, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, avocados, and tortilla chips.

Note on spiciness: For our family's tastes I have found that half the amount of spices is more than sufficient. If it ends up too spicy I add canned tomatoes and/or tomato sauce until it's more mild.

Spicy Chicken Stew

2 baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into chunks (3 1/3 c.)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen sweet corn
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (1 c.)
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (12.5 oz.) jar salsa
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, halved (about 1 lb.) and 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 10.5 oz.) (I used home-bottled chicken instead, which also gave me the broth I needed.)
2 1/2 c. chicken broth

Place potatoes, corn, celery, carrots, onion and garlic in slow cooker. Stir in salsa, salt, cumin, chile powder, and pepper. Distribute chicken evenly on top of vegetables and pour chicken broth over chicken. Cover slow cooker and cook stew on high for 4 hours.

Transfer chicken to a plate and shred with two forks into bite-size chunks; return to slow cooker. Serve warm.

Bean Salad Salsa

When a friend of mine brought our family some chips and this "salsa," I knew I had to have the recipe! Each of my kids even likes it--and they're not all fans of beans, bell peppers, or onions--so that really says a lot! Even though it's a new recipe for us, it has already made its way firmly into the Family Favorites category. I replaced the white sugar with honey, omitted the hot pepper sauce, and didn't have cannellini beans, but made no other modifications. My friend prefers to half the oils: I like it either way. The original recipe can be found at allrecipes.com.

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans (or another kind), drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. fresh lime juice
1 Tb. lemon juice
1 Tb. honey
1 Tb. salt
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 Tb. ground cumin
1/2 Tb. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder

In large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion.

In small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, honey, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Add chili powder and season to taste.

Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables. Mix well. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

"Do You Use Agave?"

I get this question all the time when people find out that I don't use regular refined sugar anymore.

The short answer is, "No."

A slightly longer answer is, "I haven't ever felt the need because I'm used to using honey, which we always have a supply of" (gratefully).

And here is the long answer:

Agave isn't as healthful as many people believe. For one thing, many types of bottled agave nectar call it "raw" when, in fact, it is heat treated and therefore does not still contain its enzymes and nutrients--unlike actual raw honey (which is what I use). And also unlike raw honey, agave syrup is not a “whole” food, but rather a fractionated and processed food. In fact, the way it is processed is similar to how High Fructose Corn Syrup is processed! (link)

The reason agave nectar is touted as "low glycemic" and therefore better for diabetics, is because of "the unusually high concentration of fructose (90%) compared to the small amount of glucose (10%)." Interestingly enough, "Nowhere in nature does this ratio of fructose to glucose occur naturally." This article lists 9 ways that fructose is actually bad for the body and can lead to serious health conditions, since it has to be metabolized by the liver (instead of by every cell in the body, like glucose is).

Even Dr. Oz, a year ago, retracted his endorsement of this sweetener for the reasons mentioned above (see article here) and urges consumers instead, "to use the smallest amount [of agave] possible."

This site even makes the shocking statement that, "Agave nectar may just be the unhealthiest sweetener in the world. It makes regular sugar look healthy in comparison… and that is saying something."

Indeed.

New Information on Daily Aspirin Intake

I just read this in the news and thought I'd pass along the information for anyone who missed it. The basic lowdown is: "Someone taking aspirin with a low risk for heart attack or stroke can cause more harm than good." If you are at risk, taking aspirin daily can improve your situation, but if not, don't take it daily. See the above link for details.

The Origins of the "35"

Last month I turned 35 and have been thinking about the origins of this blog, which began in 2010. It all started (as you can read here) when, in our lean Cincinnati years, people would learn that I spent only $35 a week on groceries (which often included other household items, like toilet paper or cleaning supplies) and wondered how on earth we, as a family of four, managed to survive on that. As I realized there was a genuine interest in learning to live and cook this way and that I might have a valuable thing to share, I finally accepted the challenge to blog about it. And thus Katrina's Kitchen (katrinaskitchen35.blogspot.com--note the "35") was born.

To be completely honest, it was a great relief and a joyful blessing when my husband finished graduate school, obtained a full-time job, and we no longer had to live like church mice. (It was much less stressful being able to spend even $50 a week on groceries, then, because I had so strictly adhered to the $35 for so long.) I joyed in thinking about not having to live quite so frugally anymore.

And then 2013 happened. And 2014.

So in 2013 we moved across the state to live with my parents and young siblings for almost a year and a half while we worked to get our feet under us again, and a few months ago we were finally able to buy a home of our own again. While that is a blessing for which we are very grateful, things are very lean once more. Because of our experience in Cincinnati, earning less than $1,000/month, we are hopeful we can do it again, however, even though we are now a family of six. And part of making that possible is reverting back to my $35 a week grocery budget.

So how do we do that? Once again we have WIC, which is surprisingly helpful, are able to get weekly Bountiful Baskets, and are using food storage. That's really all there is to it. I cook almost everything from scratch, buy according to what's on sale any given week (or don't buy much at all some weeks, when not much of what I use is on sale) and we eat pretty well. Nothing fancy, but nearly every recipe on this blog is made with ingredients from the above sources. So, lots of vegetables, supplemented with wheat, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and beans. When there's a good opportunity outside of my regular grocery stores for bulk items that are being trucked in, such as frozen chicken or ground beef, I take advantage of that, too, and stock up my freezer.

We would totally qualify for food stamps, based on our income right now, except that we have too much in savings. Since that money is in savings, we don't consider it available and forget we even have it. But the government can't overlook it, so we don't qualify for assistance. While that makes it difficult for us, it also forces us to be independent, which we prefer to be anyway. It just means we have to adhere more strictly to our budget, pray more, count our blessings, and hope for a more generous future while we keep moving forward with faith.

In Gratitude for Good Nurses and Modern Medicine

My new baby is now seven weeks old and as I think about everything that happened throughout my pregnancy and labor and delivery, I feel a great sense of gratitude. This was my fourth pregnancy and I thought I knew what to expect, but it ended up being the hardest and most complicated pregnancy I've had. Nothing major, as it turned out, but a lot of unexpected things. All those things made me grateful--again--for the blessings of modern medicine. I don't always agree with how things are done in mainstream medicine and believe it's important to educate myself about all things health related, whether Eastern or Western, herbal or pharmaceutical. But because of my body's inability to produce enough oxytocin--or whatever it is that prevents me from dilating naturally--I have to give birth in a hospital, hooked up to a "Pit" drip. (See a detailed post on this topic here.) Knowing how close to death my maternal ancestors came during childbirth who had this same problem, I am grateful for Pitocin every time, even though everyone tells me it makes the contractions much worse. Without it, I would not have been able to have otherwise natural deliveries. This is just one aspect of modern medicine that I am thankful for.

I am thankful, too, for another wonderful Certified Nurse Midwife (my fourth) who is so caring and respectful, knowledgeable, and experienced. I am grateful to have options in modern medicine and be able to decide whether I want an OB/GYN or a CNM to deliver my babies at the hospital. I have always had great midwives and OBs whom I can trust with my care.

There are also many, many good nurses out there who make a positive difference in the lives of their patients. Some of my favorite people are nurses, including one of my sisters, and I know how much they do--very often beyond the call of duty--for those in their care. Such was the case this time with my baby's nurse. After the baby's initial feeding shortly after birth, she couldn't seem to latch on again. I tried not to worry, as I remembered how sleepy my other three babies had been the first couple days after birth. And, just like them, this one had also swallowed a fair amount of fluid before she was born. In my experience this was all "normal." But her nurse didn't accept these normal problems. Not only did she work with me and the baby for quite a while to get her to latch on when she really preferred to sleep, but the nurse also worked with her in the nursery. Because I couldn't sleep with the baby in my room, since she coughed and spit up fluid about every 10 minutes, I opted to have the nurses take her to the nursery in between feedings. It was such a relief to be able to give my baby into their hands for a couple of hours at a time, knowing she would be well taken care of while I got some much needed rest. And while that first nurse was on shift, she worked with my baby in the nursery, getting her to spit up a surprising amount of fluid. Her theory was that because the baby's stomach was full of fluid she felt no need to eat. I think she was right. By the time her shift ended, my baby was latching on again and starting to eat as if she were hungry. And by the time we left the hospital, she was actually 2 oz above her birth weight, which has never happened before with any of our other babies. I attribute it all to this diligent nurse who took a personal interest in my baby and determined to figure out the problem and fix it if she could. What a blessing it was to actually have my baby latching on well and gaining weight as we returned home! I felt like that got us on the right track from the beginning, which has made all the difference. I will always be grateful to that nurse.

So here's to all the good health care providers who are invested in improving the lives of those in their care, and here's to all that is good and helpful about modern medicine.

Turning a Breech Baby

A couple weeks ago, when I was 36 weeks pregnant, I had a doctor's appointment and found out my baby was still in a transverse position--breech, to be exact. This is my fourth baby and I've never had a problem with positioning before, so I was discouraged. I was informed that my two options were to schedule a c-section or to set up an appointment at the hospital for an ECV--an external cephalic version. That decision was a no-brainer for me, as I want to avoid a c-section if at all possible. But later at home, as I read over the educational literature about ECVs, that wasn't something I felt totally comfortable with either. Although I know ECVs have been done for decades (and, in fact, my mom had it done during two labors), it seemed like such a harsh procedure and, even more disheartening, its average success rate is only 58%. I hesitated to put the baby and I through that to not even have it work, although I was willing to try it if that was my only way to avoid a c-section.

One friend sent me this link to a YouTube video of a lady who teaches a few different positions and exercises to use (and some to avoid) to help the baby turn. She has successfully turned all of her own babies and what she said made sense. I tried everything, though, and most of them made me either very sore by the end of the day, or very uncomfortable while I was doing them. I was willing to keep at it if it would help, but then I found out another option.

When a few friends recommended a local chiropractor, urging me to go see him because they knew how successful he was in turning breech babies, I agreed to give him a call. I set up an appointment and read up on the Webster Technique. Suddenly I was excited with the possibilities. I have a case of slight scoliosis and have seen a couple different chiropractors over the years for headaches, neck, and back pain. I knew that stress settles in my neck and shoulders, that pregnancy takes a toll on my back, that the strain of our recent move couldn't have helped the situation, and that it had been about a year and a half since I last saw a chiropractor. In other words, it was probably about time. And this particular chiropractor specializes in infants and pregnant women; definitely a plus.

As I learned more about the technique and thought about what chiropractic adjustments do and how they help, it made perfect sense. A lot more sense to me, in fact, than forcing the baby into the correct position when something is not right.  I understood why, if my pelvis was not aligned correctly, the baby would have a hard time rotating correctly. And, as it turns out, that was exactly the case. The chiropractor found out that the left side of my pelvis was not lined up with the right side at all, and a ligament on the left side was extremely tight. He helped that to loosen up and then adjusted me all the way from my neck, down my spine, to my pelvis. I certainly felt straighter after that! And I was encouraged to learn that my chiropractor's success rate is 95% for breech babies turning after the technique is done. That's a whole lot better than 58%! Plus, the chiropractor told me that many women experience faster, easier labors as a result of everything being aligned correctly. That makes sense too. I hope I'll be included among that statistic!

I was quite sore and achy the rest of the day, as expected, but felt good the next day, and within a couple days started wondering if the baby had rotated because I couldn't feel her head on the right side anymore. The next week at my doctor's appointment, my midwife (CNM) confirmed my suspicions: the baby had turned! I was so happy and relieved to know she is now head-down. Now I just have to see the chiropractor once a week until I deliver, so he can check to make sure I'm still aligned and to make any minor adjustments. This (the second) week I looked pretty good, so I don't anticipate any more major adjustments. And now that the baby's head is pressing where it should be, maybe my body will actually ready itself for delivery soon. Here's hoping!