Steel-cut oats are my new best friend
I was at Costco last weekend and I happened to notice that they are now carrying organic steel-cut oats for a pretty reasonable price. I grabbed a bag because I've eaten them a few times before and I liked them. Then I remembered that I had seen this recipe just the day before so I decided to try it for Monday morning. It turned out quite well; even though I put them in the crockpot at 11 pm and woke up at 7, they were a bit overdone and crusty around the edges. However, most of them still had a great taste and texture and I think the overcooking issue was more a function of my crockpot than the recipe (I often have that problem because it's an oversize pot and more wide and shallow than most--the lid is also broken so I'm planning on replacing it). I also liked the recipe because the added brown sugar and maple syrup added just enough sweetness that I didn't need to add any more sugar to my bowl.
The oats were tasty on Monday morning and it was great to wake up to oatmeal that was hot and ready, but I've enjoyed the leftovers even more for the last few days. I've discovered that when I eat a big bowl, I really don't get hungry again for at least three or four more hours. Tuesday morning I ate some oatmeal at about 7:30, and then had to work all morning. I didn't feel hungry or shaky until about 11:30; it was great. So, steel-cut oats are my new best friends. I probably couldn't eat them every day, but they are a great addition to our breakfast routine (baked oatmeal is another favorite of ours).
I've been trying to eat more fiber and cook breakfast more often because I'm always on a quest to get more fiber into my diet, and because lately we've realized that Little Dude really needs more fiber too. A month or so ago he started having some blood appear when he went to the bathroom. I hesitated taking him in to the doctor because I couldn't imagine that he was constipated, since he'd never complained about it hurting him to go or being difficult. But, the doctor noted that he did have a tear and that he needed to start using Miralax in order to soften things up. Our doctor did talk to Little Dude about eating more fiber, particularly fruits and vegetables, and drinking more water. I gave him Miralax for a few days, and then we were having trouble coping with the results so I cut back on it.
Then I read this article and realized that it totally describes Little Dude. In fact, I think I need to go get the book and read it in depth. He was very difficult to potty train, has control issues, goes for long periods during the day without using the bathroom, and is never, ever dry at night. This week I've been more agressive with the Miralax and I've been forcing him actually sit on the toilet for longer periods of time (and that is actually producing results). Potty training him was so difficult and caused so many power struggles that I've really backed off on monitoring his bathroom habits for the last year or so, but after putting together a lot of the pieces in my head I really think he has some of the issues outlined in the article and that his system is messed up and needs to be 'reset'. I'm debating how agressive I want to be; I don't know if I'm ready to march him down to the doctor for an x-ray of his colon or if I'm ready to give him enemas, but I'm also tired of the fact that he pees every single night and I'm pretty sure his body needs to be retrained in more regular bathroom habits. Plus it's hard to do anything systematic when I'm not here half the time to really follow up on things. So for right now I'm trying to get things moving through feeding him more fiber (he's not a big fan of veggies, but he does like fruit, oatmeal, whole-grain bread, and beans), trying to get him to drink more water, and getting him to run around and exercise more. We don't have video games and he doesn't watch TV, but he also doesn't go outside and run around much either. He did just start soccer again and he's excited about it so I hope that will help him out too. We'll see what happens; I admit that after reading the article and reviews of the book I actually feel kind of excited to think that he really could stop wetting the bed. If I have to deal with some poop to get him to that point, I think it will be OK.
The oats were tasty on Monday morning and it was great to wake up to oatmeal that was hot and ready, but I've enjoyed the leftovers even more for the last few days. I've discovered that when I eat a big bowl, I really don't get hungry again for at least three or four more hours. Tuesday morning I ate some oatmeal at about 7:30, and then had to work all morning. I didn't feel hungry or shaky until about 11:30; it was great. So, steel-cut oats are my new best friends. I probably couldn't eat them every day, but they are a great addition to our breakfast routine (baked oatmeal is another favorite of ours).
I've been trying to eat more fiber and cook breakfast more often because I'm always on a quest to get more fiber into my diet, and because lately we've realized that Little Dude really needs more fiber too. A month or so ago he started having some blood appear when he went to the bathroom. I hesitated taking him in to the doctor because I couldn't imagine that he was constipated, since he'd never complained about it hurting him to go or being difficult. But, the doctor noted that he did have a tear and that he needed to start using Miralax in order to soften things up. Our doctor did talk to Little Dude about eating more fiber, particularly fruits and vegetables, and drinking more water. I gave him Miralax for a few days, and then we were having trouble coping with the results so I cut back on it.
Then I read this article and realized that it totally describes Little Dude. In fact, I think I need to go get the book and read it in depth. He was very difficult to potty train, has control issues, goes for long periods during the day without using the bathroom, and is never, ever dry at night. This week I've been more agressive with the Miralax and I've been forcing him actually sit on the toilet for longer periods of time (and that is actually producing results). Potty training him was so difficult and caused so many power struggles that I've really backed off on monitoring his bathroom habits for the last year or so, but after putting together a lot of the pieces in my head I really think he has some of the issues outlined in the article and that his system is messed up and needs to be 'reset'. I'm debating how agressive I want to be; I don't know if I'm ready to march him down to the doctor for an x-ray of his colon or if I'm ready to give him enemas, but I'm also tired of the fact that he pees every single night and I'm pretty sure his body needs to be retrained in more regular bathroom habits. Plus it's hard to do anything systematic when I'm not here half the time to really follow up on things. So for right now I'm trying to get things moving through feeding him more fiber (he's not a big fan of veggies, but he does like fruit, oatmeal, whole-grain bread, and beans), trying to get him to drink more water, and getting him to run around and exercise more. We don't have video games and he doesn't watch TV, but he also doesn't go outside and run around much either. He did just start soccer again and he's excited about it so I hope that will help him out too. We'll see what happens; I admit that after reading the article and reviews of the book I actually feel kind of excited to think that he really could stop wetting the bed. If I have to deal with some poop to get him to that point, I think it will be OK.
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