I just read a report stating that the State of Texas has officially taken the nursing babies away from their FLDS mothers accused of abuse. This really breaks my heart. Nursing holds such a dear place in my heart, and I feel the pain of these other mothers, even though we are separated by serious theological differences. I became even sicker when I read some of the Court’s rationale:
Here are the judge’s reasons for denying breastfeeding mothers the right to stay with their nursing babies:
“But every day in this country, we have mothers who go back to work after six weeks of maternity leave,” she said.
“The court has made a determination that the environment those children were in was not safe,” said Walther, adding that there is a shortage of suitable placements for infants in Texas.
So now what is normative in society justifies ripping an infant from its mother’s arms? An infant who has known no other nutrition?
In my opinion, since the State has yet to prove any actual abuse {and I’m not even saying there wasn’t any, but I thought things had to be proven in this country}, the State’s actions are far more abusive than the actions of the mothers in question.
Nourishment begins and ends in the home. Nursing is the ultimate starting place for this mindset. Nothing packaged even begins to compare with the milk made by Mom. I say this, even though I have had to supplement with formula for each of my children. The world isn’t perfect, but I have always known that my milk, as much of it as I could give my children, was what was best.
In a country where eating out is well-accepted, we sometimes forget that home is the best place to make sure a child is truly nourished. As I have learned to cook GFCF for the sake of my children’s severe food allergies, I have begun to realize that only I can insure that my children are well fed. When I begin with simple ingredients, like fresh vegetables, raw meats, and freshly-ground gluten-free grains, I can know that the meals are truly GFCF.
And I can also save a bundle. Folks, there is nothing more expensive than packaged GFCF foods. I know that regular packaged food can actually be cheap {or free}, but getting GFCF in a package is something people pay a premium for, especially if you are also avoiding soy.
So here is this week’s menu:
Monday, April 21
Breakfast: Blonde GFCF Blender Batter Pancakes
Lunch: Baja Fresh, our Monday tradition with Granmama
Dinner: Breakfast foods {fried eggs, country potatoes, etc.}
Tuesday, April 22
Breakfast: Brunette GFCF Blender Batter Pancakes
Lunch: Homemade rice & beans at a friend’s house {YUM}
Dinner: Spagetti in a simple meat sauce, side salad featuring E.’s homegrown radishes {for GFCF, use Pad Thai rice noodles or brown rice pasta}
Wednesday, April 23
Breakfast: Blonde GFCF Blender Batter Pancakes
Lunch: Leftover spagetti & salads
Dinner: Lentil burgers and homefries dipped in GFCF catsup
Thursday, April 24
Breakfast: Brunette GFCF Blender Batter Pancakes
Lunch: Leftover lentil burgers & fries
Dinner: Savory cabbage & pork soup {Betty Crocker’s Slow Cooker Cookbook p. 22: Instead of pork meat I use nitrate/nitrite free kielbasa or nitrate/nitrite free chicken chorizo from Trader Joe’s. Watch for caseinate in those sausages! That is a common hidden source of casein and can totally undo your progress for a week, especially if you child is as sensitive as my older child. Also, if you are using the chorizo, cut out all the spices except perhaps the salt. Chorizo is very hot all on its own.}
Friday, April 25
Breakfast: Blonde GFCF Blender Batter Pancakes
Lunch: Leftover soup
Dinner: BBQ brisket over artichoke linguine {Eating for Excellence p. 147: use Pad Thai noodles for GFCF, and be sure to buy SAFE horseradish…please don’t give these kids sodium benzoate and/or EDTA.}
Saturday, April 26
Breakfast: Brunette GFCF Blender Batter Pancakes
Lunch: Leftover brisket dish
Dinner: Spinach frittata {Eating for Excellence p. 90: I use sheep’s milk romano cheese. Sheep’s milk contains casein. However, many sensitive kids are only producing antibodies to cow’s milk. Take kids completely off and then test sheep’s and/or goat’s milks once the children are clean. Do not try both milks at a time or you will be unable to determine which milk they had a reaction to if they end up being intolerant.}
Sunday, April 27
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and fruit slices
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Tacos with homemade seasoning blends, topped with lots of raw veggies, also vegetarian refried beans {if you are using canned beans, be sure to check those labels}
Monday, April 28
Breakfast: Blonde GFCF Blender Batter Pancakes
Lunch: Baja Fresh, of course!
Dinner: Leftover tacos & beans
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