What I ate during confinement

 So the nanny has left. Despite having a bad impression over her naggy ways, she left a deep print in the kitchen. One reason why we decided to engage her was due to the fact that she was a Cantonese. I knew she will cook stuff to my liking as I'm Canton too. And we Cantonese are known to whip up great dishes. At least the older generations..i'm still working on it! 

Really miss her meals. Every meal was a feast and it was such luxury to have 3 dishes and a soup as opposed to when I did my first confinement (done by the mil), i only had a dish and plain rice. Yup, And i thought I was the most blessed daughter-in-law on earth. Moving forward, meals are definitely going to be a challenge. Cooking is not going to be easy with a toddler hankering for attention and an infant, well, wailing for some reason every 15minutes. That apart, how am I to visit the market with two in tow? Research has pointed me to a certain website which delivers fresh fish/ seafood to your doorstep though -- SongFish Pte Ltd. It's getting me really excited as they've got lobsters, scallops, crayfish and of course fish! But delivery is only free if you spend above $150. not difficult if i get a couple of lobsters, but it's definitely not a long term plan and my fridge might not be able to hold that kind of quantity. Anyone living in the East, wanting to spree on fish? haha..new generation of auntiness!

Anyhoots, here's to share what I had for confinement:

 

Ginger Ginger Ginger. That's what they believe will rid wind from the tummy. Especially after a csec, the woman is thought to have heaps of wind in the womb. Thankfully this time i wasn't forced to eat the ginger! The nanny said having the taste in the dishes is good enough. Phew. Indeed after almost every meal, I was a farting machine gun! The hub commented the bedroom smelt perpetually of shit! haha

 

During confinement, not all vegetables could be consumed. The "cooling" ones like melons and kang kong just to name a few, should be avoided. Safe ones would be Kai lan, potato leaves which is believed to be a breastmilk booster and spinach which is iron-fortified are known to be good.

The top left dish is marmite chicken. Not quite a confinement dish but the nanny thought it'd be nice to add variety. N yums! it gets my thumbs up! Note to self: need to try the recipe some time. 

 

 

URGH! should have avoided those broccoli! Apparently, apart from legumes, broccoli is another lethal vegetable which causes gas! I was farting till no end  even the little one was farting like a machine gun!

On most days, the soup would be brown or black. Finally i see a clear soup! I honestly don't know what i'm drinking mostly, but i suppose they are all good for me!

 

 

This has got to be my FAVOURITE!!! Congee for breakfast! Cantonese style! Love the sticky texture as opposed to the watery Teochew type. According to my MIL though, that confinement ladies aren't suppose to eat porridge as it contains "wind". Utter rubbish says the nanny. Yeah, says the mommy! :P. there was smashed ginger in it, so i guess i'm pretty safe. Also, according to some old foggies, salt/ soya sauce (dark or light) are a no no. I've always wondered why. With dark/ light soya sauce, i reckon it is due to darkening of the scar should you have a csec. A bottle of chicken essence was also a must in the morning. I hate the taste, but since it's supposedly good, I had better pinch the nose and gulp it down. however, some believe that it will keep the infant awake if the mommy breastfeeds. Again, no scientific proof. The TCM physician did advise against it though. Reason being the commercial ones ain't pure and they probably added preservatives. Best to DIY.

 

 

i'm suppose to finish all these?? Peanut soup with pig's trotters. Another milk booster. I'm not a fan of pig's trotters but soup, i'll gladly drink. And Cantonese soups are Da Bomb! By the way, some old foggies warns against eating fish during confinement too. I don't get this. Fish = Omega = good no? According to the nanny, who is pretty open minded when it comes to food, it's due to the fact that those old stuck in the mud, unscientific fools as she calls, thinks by eating fish, you will get your erm vagina area to stink.

 

 

Pig's stomach soup. Another essential during confinement it seems. Maybe because of the pepper it warms the womb and rids wind. Other than that, my TCM physician actually urge me not to take any innards. Reason being, innards are dirty, contains heaps of weird bacteria. Thankfully, i'm not a fan. Another important dish not featured here, is the vinegar pigs trotters. Again, I'm not a fan of vinegar or pig's trotters, but forced myself to eat a little of the lean meat when she cooked. The hub took all the rest! haha..i think he enjoyed the confinement food more than I did. Anyways, some believe that vinegar helps clean the blood but my physician warns against it, stating that it may thin the blood and blood is very important to a woman. Well, everything in moderation i say.

 

 

The food at the hospital were a far cry from the homecooked food. The vegetables were bland but well, they score points for presentation. :)

 

 

I thought something soupy for breakfast will make my tummy happy. I was wrong! The soup was so tasteless I could have sworn they simply placed macaroni in hot water and served! I was also told by my physician that one should not take carrots as it will cancel out any nutrients the mommy has taken.

 

 

Tea time was however something I looked forward to. Their pastries were pretty nice in my opinion. Nothing fancy.

 

 

YUCKS! the most tasteless porridge ever! n watermelon for fruits? I thought it's considered a "coolin" fruit? Once again, if you have to take fruits, take the unrefrigerated ones. Durian is known to be one of the most nutritious fruit, but it shouldn't be taken in the early part of confinement.

 

AHhhhh this is what i call dessert!! Friend G visited and as if telepathy, she bought me these mini cupcakes from Twelve cupcakes. Aint' a big fan of sweet stuff but somehow, these little minis were a big welcome after all the boring plain stuff!   

Hope the above items didn't leave you salivating! Happy Weekend! :)