NFP: Going Green

You've likely noticed, across the blogosphere, that this has been National Natural Family Planning Awareness Week.  I had hoped to post something (several somethings, really) earlier in the week... sed nunc infantulum habemus, et non somnum.  Oh well.

Some people would say that having had a baby before our first anniversary automatically disqualifies me from promoting NFP's effectiveness.  While I disagree--NFP provides you with information, and it is up to the couple to determine how that information influences their decisions--I'm happy to leave the technical explanations and defenses of the different methods to others in the interest of keeping this post short so that I can hopefully grab a quick nap while the baby is still asleep.  If you are interested, CatholicMom.com has an excellent collection of information and resources here. 

A guest post on Caffeinated Catholic Momma yesterday about NFP and feminism reminded me of another missed connection, if you will, that has always confused me: NFP and the green/environmentalism movement.

NFP is environmentally-friendly.
When you don't introduce anything artificial into the marital act, there is nothing left over to be discarded.  I know, the first rule of the tautology club is the first rule of the tautology club. 

• NFP doesn't create litter.  There is no latex or polyurethane to be sent to the landfill or to work its way through the water system out to lakes and oceans.
• NFP doesn't contribute to chemical pollution.  There are no extraneous hormones to disrupt ecosystems: mounting evidence shows that the surplus of estrogen from hormonal contraceptives is contaminating our water supply.  Researchers link the heightened levels of estrogen to consequences ranging from gender mutation in fish to the possibility of an increased risk of prostate cancer and decreased sperm production.  
• NFP's environmental impact continues to shrink.  With the burgeoning number of websites and apps dedicated to NFP systems, there is an ever-decreasing need for paper in charting fertility cycles.

NFP is healthy for women.
If you are looking to make healthy lifestyle choices, why would you choose something artificial over something natural?

• NFP is organic.  There is nothing artificial going into the woman's body: no chemicals, no hormones, no foreign materials.  By not requiring the woman to purchase contraceptives manufactured by pharmaceutical companies, it fits the locavore lifestyle.  By not introducing artificial chemicals and hormones into the woman's body, it fits the vegan lifestyle.
• NFP doesn't interfere with the body's hormonal balance.  The International Agency for Research on Cancer links estrogen-progesterone hormonal contraceptives, which significantly elevate the woman's levels of these hormones to mimic pregnancy, with increased risk for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and liver tumors.
• NFP allows the woman to understand her body's fertility cycle, rather than suppressing it and treating a normally-functioning reproductive system as a problem.

Whether a woman is trying to live a "green" lifestyle for the sake of the environment or for her health, NFP offers a very viable option, in many ways more in line with her objective than artificial contraception.  Why, then, is artificial contraception still the default option for the majority of these women?

Attack of the Monster Rhubarb

I mentioned a few days ago that we have been blessed with a steady influx of produce recently from friends and family with gardens.  Over the past few days, it seems that everyone's rhubarb has suddenly, simultaneously, reached the critical must-be-picked-now point.  We are so grateful for their generosity, but I am becoming overwhelmed by the sheer size of the stalks appearing on our doorstep!

On the right, you see a normally-sized slice of rhubarb.  On the left, a slice from one of the monstrous rhubarb stalks that seem to be becoming the norm, as everyone's rhubarb grows more quickly than it can be picked and processed.  (In the center, of course, is a quarter).  Some of these immense stalks have been so unwieldy, our largest knife has had difficulty getting through more than one at a time.

Note:  This is not the tender, hothouse-variety rhubarb you may be used to seeing at the grocery store.  This is your entire daily requirement of fiber (and then some) bursting out of its allotted anthocyanins.  We are still a few weeks away from the state fair and accompanying largest-vegetable contests.  If the rhubarb doesn't slow down soon, I can't imagine what this year's winners will look like!

Rhubarb Season

We know it's July when the produce starts piling up, and this week the rhubarb has really come into its own.  Our apartment doesn't offer anywhere to plant a garden, but we have been so blessed by generous friends and family with large rhubarb patches: our freezer is filling quickly!  I spent a recent evening chopping up another two gallons, which came from one of my father's friends from church.

Last winter it was disappointing to open the freezer and not have any home-grown produce; it is reassuring to already see fruits and vegetables starting to build up to get us through the coming winter!

Rhubarb is technically considered a vegetable, although it is generally cooked as a fruit.  Because of this, a New York court officially ruled rhubarb to be a fruit in 1947.  It grows well in Alaska's temperate, sunny summers, and is harvested from June through the first frost, usually in September.  If you can get past the tartness, rhubarb is very healthful:  Just 3.5 oz of rhubarb provide 28% of your daily vitamin K, 10% of your vitamin C, 9% of your calcium, and 6% of your potassium.  The leaves are poisonous, though, so be careful to remove them and wash your hands before working with the stalks.

Many Americans seem to know rhubarb primarily through pies--it was commonly known as "pie plant" throughout much of the country during the 19th century.  When I was growing up, it seemed like rhubarb made its way into everything in my mother's kitchen: from rhubarb cookies, to blueberry-rhubarb jam, to rhubarb upside-down cake with warm milk, rhubarb was synonymous with dessert, and can likely take much of the credit for my continued love of sweet-but-tart foods.

Before the dawn

The old adage holds that night is darkest just before the dawn.  With an infant in the house, particularly one who seems to have his "day" and "night" backwards, most nights I've spent wondering whether dawn is really coming.  (The sun is rising here around 4 am these days, and set just before midnight last night, but you know what I mean.)

Looking down at the baby, finally asleep at 7 o'clock this morning, it struck me that God has a lot of graces to offer parents with a new baby:  After spending all night rocking, bouncing, singing, feeding him, changing diapers, etc., the expected response to seeing him finally sleeping now that I had to get up would be frustration, but all I felt was love for him and gratitude that he is a part of our family.

Unfortunately, my brain is still fogged from the lack of sleep and I don't have the wherewithal for a whole post today, but I wanted to be sure to share this excellent post about Catholic parenting at Truth & Charity in case you haven't had a chance to read it yet!

Pardon the delay...

The past week and a half have been a blur of crazy days and sleepless nights; our son was born last Thursday (July 5), came home from the hospital Sunday afternoon, and has consumed our every moment since. The dear little boy has his "day" and "night" mixed up, and we haven't been accomplishing much more than just making it through each day! Right now, we are hoping to continue posting at least once a week, more often if possible, until he settles into a better schedule. I should have a photo up soon!

Chicken Provençal (or, French food for the 4th of July)

Before anyone pulls out their cannons of righteous indignation at the idea of cooking a classic French dish the evening we celebrate American independence, I hasten to remind you of two things:  Firstly, the colonists were fighting for independence from Great Britain, not France; it's not as though we had bangers and mash.  Secondly, the French unofficially began helping the colonists in 1776, and they entered into a formal alliance with the signing of the Treaty of Alliance and the Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1778.  Many scholars believe that the colonists' defeat of Great Britain would have been much less likely if the French had not taken part.

Not to mention the fact that chicken provençal is, no matter what day it is, a delicious dish.

This is my mother-in-law's recipe; she typically serves the dish over rice, but we opted for pasta tonight, and are talking about trying it with a nice rosemary-basil focaccia next time.

Chicken Provençal
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
Black pepper
Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
0.5 c chicken broth
0.25 c dry white wine
15 oz diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
2 Tbsp kalamata olives, chopped
0.25 c fresh basil, chiffonade

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Season both sides of each piece of chicken with black pepper and cook until browned, about three minutes on each side.  Remove to a clean plate and tent with foil to keep warm.  Add onion and garlic to olive oil and saute until onions are translucent.  Add chicken broth, wine, and tomatoes; cook until slightly thickened, about six minutes.  Reintroduce chicken and simmer until chicken is fully cooked, about four minutes.  If necessary, add reserved tomato juice (we didn't find it necessary).  Just before serving, stir in olives and basil.


UPDATE:  Just in case you're still concerned about the French-ness of our meal, we did finish the evening with a classic, all-American apple pie. :-)

Happy 4th of July!

However you and your family are celebrating our nation's birth this year, we hope that you have a wonderful (and safe) day!  With baby so close to the due date we will be sticking close to home, hopefully taking a short walk and throwing some rocks in the river this evening.

Although today wraps up the Fortnight for Freedom, the bishops of the United States encourage all faithful Catholics to continue praying and working for the preservation of religious freedom.  The USCCB's website has more information.

Here is a brief snippet of Archbishop Chaput's homily for the closing Mass of the Fortnight for Freedom, delivered earlier today at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC:

Today, July 4, we celebrate the birth of a novus ordo seclorum - a “new order of the ages,” the American Era. God has blessed our nation with resources, power, beauty and the rule of law. We have so much to be grateful for. But these are gifts. They can be misused. They can be lost. In coming years, we’ll face more and more serious challenges to religious liberty in our country. This is why the Fortnight for Freedom has been so very important.

The entire homily is definitely worth reading!  You can find it over at God and the Machine.