What I'm Reading ...

The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer

A very old copy (published in 1993) but a very interesting read none-the-less. 

Who would have thought that in 1977 Papua New Guinea would have a formula by prescription only policy? More info here.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

I've read this so many times but keep coming back to it. We are trying to incorporate more recipes from it in our daily eating - soaking grains, sourdough bread and baking products, lacto-fermented vegies etc etc

A big pile of workbooks and assessments for me to study. I'm completing a Certificate IV in Breastfeeding Education (Counselling) with the Australian Breastfeeding Association.

A Fabulous Recipe Book

A while ago I borrowed Nourishing Traditions out from the library. Unfortunately the Fraser Coast Libraries don't have a copy in their system but they inter-library loaned it for me from Mackay! How awesome is that! The unfortunately bit is that because it is an inter-library loan it takes ages to organise and there is a limit to how many times I can borrow the same book. The plus side is that I have been dropping hints to Matt left, right and centre about this book and a certain birthday that is coming up in a few months.


This book is right up my alley, real food! It is basically a different way of looking at nutrition and food with the focus being on 'old fashioned' food from many different ethnic backgrounds, most of which have lots in common despite being from different corners of the globe. The thing that struck a chord with me most is the use of wholegrains in different ways, in particular the soaking of grains before cooking. The author advises soaking all grains in whey, yoghurt or lemon juice for several hours before cooking to start to breakdown and partially 'digest' the grains so that it is easier for our bodies to digest and process.

As I had been wanting to eat more brown rice instead of white, I tried the soaking before cooking, what a difference!!! We've had brown rice a couple of times before but I never knew how to cook it properly and I obviously never cooked it for long enough either. Following the recipe in the book I soaked 2 cups of brown rice in 4 cups of warm water with 4 tbls of lemon juice. I just put it all in the same saucepan that I'd be cooking it in later. They say to soak it for 7 hours, but I just put it on to soak in the morning and then cooked it at about 4ish in the afternoon. To cook it is simply a matter of bringing it all to the boil and then turning the heat right down and leaving it to do it's thing with the lid on for 45 minutes to an hour. It is just as easy as the rice cooker and makes much yummier rice! The two cups from the recipe is way too much for one meal for us so I divide it into three and freeze the other two for later meals in soup or fried rice. I cooked it again yesterday but had run out of lemons and the only whey I had was frozen in 2 cup packets so I just soaked it in plain water. It still cooked up beautifully, but wasn't as soft as when soaked with the lemon or whey.

Because I had to return the book and our library hasn't gotten it's own copy yet (despite my asking ;) ) I had written down a couple of recipes when I had it out. But the other day I was googling and found this great blog by a lady who is cooking and blogging about every recipe from the book! Awesome! She gives the recipe and her little tips and tid-bits along the way. So far she has cooked 53 and has 720 to go!

I'm hoping that someone is picking up on my hints and the book will magically turn up under my pillow on my birthday morning. If not I'll just have to buy it myself, there goes my secret squirrel savings again!

Oh, the other thing I love is the cover art, beautiful wee pictures of traditional women from around the globe. I know the old saying, but I completely judge books by their covers!

Musical Books!

For those of you who read my post Musical Dinners here is a follow on, Musical Books!

I've always wanted to join a book club, opening up to a whole new world of books and authors that normally don't cross my path. When we first moved I thought about it as a way to meet a few people but Archie was really dependent then, feeding every 1-2 hours, wanting me to be there all the time. Leaving him at a set time was just impossible as every day was different. The few times I did leave the house without him were completely spur of the moment and I spent the whole time watching the clock. One day I was so desperate to get my hair cut I rang the hairdresser and told them I couldnt' book an appointment but if they could fit me in right now I'd be there in 2 minutes. Luckily they could fit me in! Anyway I digress.

About 5 months ago, Archie was finally in a much more predictable routine and in a moment of pure serendipity the library posted a sign about starting new book clubs! Yipee! I chose to join the evening group as I could leave the kids with Matt and have an hour or two of just grown up time out. As it turns our evening group has to be a 'late afternoon' group as we have to be out of the library for them to shut at 6pm so we meet from 5 - 6 which works so well as I generally get home to dinner on the table! Win win! Sorry, digressing again!

Anyway, we've read some really great books, and so far, one dud. But that is the luck of the draw. We meet on the last Wednesday of the month, so have a month to read the allocated book. I generally give myself the last two weeks before the meeting to read the book club book, and read a book of my own choosing for the rest of the month. Herein lies the musical book issue. If I'm not finished my 'personal reading' book, I have to put it down, read the bookclub book and then take it up again when I'm finished bookclub!

I haven't found it to be too much of an issue, except at the moment my 'personal' book is Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and it's taking me an age to finish. I really enjoy it while I'm reading it, but I'm not overly drawn to read it, if that makes sense. You know when a book just captivates you and it's all you can think about, all you can do to stop yourself snatching a moment here or there to get another paragraph read. I think I've read three bookclub books all while having Mansfield Park on the backburner. I've just finished the bookclub book for this month and I read it in about 4 days. It was fantastic, but I'll do a separate post on it later.

So, I'm back to Mansfield Park. I've got a while before I'll have to put it down for the next bookclub read, please let me have finished it by then!!!

Oh as an aside, about joining to meet people ... I'm the youngest of our group of five by about 30 years! So if you live around Maryborough and feel like joining a book club, let me know!