preparing for winter. In the month of September, I have canned 16 pints of diced pears, 8 pints of pear jam, 10 containers of strawberry preserves, 3 pints of spinach, 2 pints of applesauce, and 2 pints of grape jelly. I have 18 pounds of pork in various loin and chop cuts in gallon bags in the freezer, coated in their marinades and veggies. I have 12 pounds of chicken divided into 1 and 2 lb bags and a few larger packages. I have 9 pounds of cooked italian sausage in small packets in the freezer. I have 6 pounds of asparagus, 10 bell peppers and 2 pounds of baby spinach in there as well.
I don't know if it's my way of handling the impending doom of Dowlan's unemployment ending in the next few months while we are both yet without new careers. Maybe it's just my way of nesting--making sure that, whatever else goes wrong, we will have no shortage of foods.
Maybe it isn't even that complex--I am controlling one of the few things in life that I have control over right now: my kitchen. I can't be there in the evenings while Dowlan and the kids eat their supper, but I can make sure they are well supplied.
Today, we're starting Charlie on a gluten-free/casein-free diet. We're easing into it, by starting the CF portion, which means absolutely no dairy in any of it's forms. After two weeks, we will also remove any wheat products (or any other grain containing gluten).
While there are a ton of products out there that we can buy to simply substitute and emulate the things he can't eat, I think it would be better to start off by just eating the things he can. A diet of fresh fruits and vegetables aside grilled meats couldn't hurt anyone, right?
Of course, this means changing the diet of the whole family. You can't simply eat things in front of a three-year-old that he cannot have. I suspect more protest from the girl chicks than from the boy.
Fortunately, everything I have squirreled away for the winter is Charlie-friendly.
2 comments:
Way to go! TI is opening a new plant in Richardson. I have no idea if Dowlan could work there but he might want to check. It would be a big move for the family. Wish I squirreled more away. Joshua loves bread& cheese but I've been a little tempted to see what would happen if we limited those things for a while. Luckily he also loves fruit & veggies. Good luck with the diet.
You can do the diet! We have been GF/CF, egg free and peanut free for about 4 years. It is hard at times, but it gets easier and my kids are now the healthiest eaters I know. We saw huge improvements with our son almost immediately when we pulled the dairy. Good luck!
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