KATELYN HILBURN, SANTA FE, NM
“What can you let go?”
My husband and I went to a birthing class over the course of my last trimester. Right before the very last class we had a check up with my OBGYN and were told a cesarean was very likely. I never envisioned birth ending in a c-section and I was furious at my own body. At the time, I thought it wasn’t doing its job. Directly after the appointment, we had to rush to our last birthing class. I was seeing RED. My husband tried to politely get us through the class but knew I was steaming. Our teacher handed out a worksheet to each set of expectant parents. It was a chart with three columns:
1) What cannot wait?
2) What can wait but still is needed?
3) What can you let go?
My husband quietly slid me the paper and looked up at me. It was like his eyes were saying, “This exercise is for you.” I was still so angry, but in time, I gradually learned all about number 3. From simple things like how your task list is going to go from what seems like Super Women to I didn’t even brush my teeth, to letting go of all the chatter that filled my head of why having a c-section was somehow a disservice to my daughter. “What can you let go?” It’s still a question I ask myself frequently when a day is getting ahead of me or plans are blowing up in my face.
“I don’t want to bounce back.”
This piece of advice actually came to me in a sort of word vomit moment I wasn’t expecting and didn’t even know I felt until one day, it all just came up. Before having my daughter I had a past of being an athlete. I was young, fit, and perky everywhere you’d hope to be. During my pregnancy, I overheard two women talking about how large my body was getting and going on and on about how hard bouncing back would be. At the time, I kept quiet. I didn’t let it be known that I had overheard them or that it ate at me until the day I gave birth. Then I had Violet and she was absolutely PERFECT. And literally in that moment I was freed from all the voices and all the chatter, all the boiling down of a person we can do. This perfect human chose me, and then my body nurtured her. It’s as if she knew every part of my soul and was telling me, even though I didn’t know it yet, that I was going to feel stronger, more beautiful, more everything than ever before from this point on. I saw those two women again, months after giving birth. I listened to their surface level conversations and vain concepts of what women should be, and quietly had the realization: “I don’t want to bounce back.” I don’t want to ever NOT know my power, my strength, or even my utter vulnerabilities.
KATELYN’S SIMPLY NOURISHING BROTH…
because broth is best crafted eclectic and scrappy!
Consider using your local farmers market to source ingredients or scraps from your own kitchen. When possible source grass fed/ grass finished bones and organic, non-GMO produce.
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. miscellaneous animal bones (the more variety cuts from your protein of choice, the better. Ex: a combination of chicken bones such as neck and feet make a delicious broth, or if you want to go beef look for variety there too with marrow bones, knuckle bones!)*
1-2 onion variety (leeks, yellow, purple, sweet, scallions, shallots - don’t worry about peeling).
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
Water (fill your stock pot about two inches over all the ingredients)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons sea salt (I always start with less then add more to taste at the end)
1 tablespoon herbs and spices of choice (turmeric, bay leaf, coriander, star anise... the list goes on and on, pick your favorites and play from there!)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bones on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet and roast for at least one hour.
For easy clean up and straining later, layout cheese cloth and place your ingredients inside. Tie a knot and place in your stockpot. Add sea salt and vinegar.
Fill your stockpot with water, at least two inches of water should be above all ingredients.
Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and place lid over your stockpot. Cook this way for at least 4 hours, but you certainly can continue to cook it for even longer if desiring a deeper gradient. If having digestive or gut issues, shorter broths and stocks are more beneficial and gentle to the system and you can work your way up as you heal.
Turn off heat and with tongs remove your cheese cloth sock of ingredients.
Strain liquid through a fine mesh colander.
Sip broth from a mug or spoon from a bowl, and store remaining in an airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.
KATELYN’S MAMA’S GOLDEN MILK
This drink is a great way to get your daily dose of good fats, protein, and anti-inflammatory aid. Warm it up for sipping, or drink over ice in the summer. Make what you plan to drink over the next three days and store in the fridge in airtight containers. This recipe makes approximately 2 servings.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup almond milk (For raw, fresh almond milk, soak 1 cup raw almonds overnight. Peel skins the next day and blend with appx. 1 cup water, then strain through a cheesecloth).
1 cup milk (I love raw cow milk or almond milk. I’ve had other friends that love raw goat milk or macadamia milk - your preference here!)
2 Tbsp. ghee
Raw unfiltered honey to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Blend ingredients together and store in airtight containers. Warm over the stove top for sipping, or drink cold over ice in the warmer months.
*Peeling the almonds may seem tedious, but is well worth it. In a pinch, you can use blanched, peeled almonds (soak in hot water for 10 minutes to soften before blending).
Katelyn Hilburn was a co-founder of Madre Foods, a home delivery service that originated from a legacy of mothers cooking for their families, nurturing the people they love. Her background is in community action and partnership facilitation. After having her first born, Katelyn became painfully aware of the needs of postpartum mothers and new families. Weaving this knowledge with her past food journeys of high performance athletics and illness recovery, she set out on a mission to pass down the legacy of her family's foods to anyone looking to be nourished and perform their best.
Posted February 1, 2019