THE BLOG LADY

We need to talk, guys. This pandemic has made me re-evaluate almost everything- and there’s something I need to let you in on that I can’t be silent about anymore. It’s big and I’m not done learning about it but I also can’t wait until I feel like I’m “done” learning to start talking about it. Because April is basically here and when you start posting “autism awareness” puzzle pieces, I’m gonna have a fit.

Before I even start talking about “it,” I need to state how important it is to not just include, but hold paramount, the perspectives of people you are making policies about, making treatment plans for, and/or making awareness campaigns for. Also – when people of whatever community/affiliation/culture/identity/etc ask that you refer to them a certain way, you must listen to them. Why wouldn’t you? If you claim to want to support/help a group of people, I would think you’d care about what they have to say and honor their preferences when it comes to what to call them.

So, when you want to participate in April’s “Autism Awareness Month,” I implore you to please seek out and listen to the perspectives of autistic people first. I say “autistic people” because, from the many accounts I have read/encountered, the majority of autistic people prefer “identity-first language.” If you’re someone who works with autistic people, you may have been taught to use “person first” language and say “person with autism” or “person on the spectrum.” This “person first” language comes from the 80’s campaigns to destigmatize people suffering from AIDS- to separate them from their diagnosis. Other examples of “person-first” language- person with diabetes, person with cancer, person with arthritis. Because it would be jarring to be referred to as a “diabetic person,” a “cancerous person” or an “arthritic person.” Diabetes, cancer and arthritis are diseases people suffer from.** Person-first language implies a condition for which a cure is needed/desired.  Autistic people see autism as part of their identity. Autism is not something to be cured. You wouldn’t refer to a gay person as a “person with homosexuality” unless you think there’s something wrong with homosexuality (which you don’t right? Don’t be an ignorant ass, please. If you’ve gotten this far, you must be part of the choir to which I’m preaching, yes?).   

April has been “Autism Awareness Month” since the 1970’s. You will recognize the puzzle piece symbol and also possibly remember the “Light it Up Blue” thing where they put blue lights on buildings at night to “increase awareness.” The Autism Society claims the puzzle-piece ribbon as their trademark and the creation of Autism Awareness Month. The autistic community has MANY things to say about April. The first of which is that it, at the very least, needs to be renamed “Autism ACCEPTANCE Month.” The push for this on social media has been so strong that the actual Autism Society that came up with the whole idea has released a statement that they’re renaming the month. They’re asking you to take the note. “Awareness,” like person-first language, implies a problem-to-be-solved- a disease-to-be-cured, an undesirable/unacceptable condition. “Acceptance” implies something you make accommodations for. “Acceptance” implies we see our fellow humans’ differences as just that- differences, not symptoms to be eliminated. “Acceptance” also means we see differences we can celebrate and value as a community.

I have a lot more to say about this and I’m planning on writing more- but I wanted to get at least this part out there before April hits. Please, please, please, if you do nothing else for Autism Acceptance Month, search any of the socials for the hashtag #actuallyautistic and wait for your mind to be blown wide open. This is a marginalized community of people that is on the verge of what I think will be a gigantic revolution. If you have more time and want to educate yourself about this perspective, check out these websites:

Autistic Self-Advocacy Network: https://autisticadvocacy.org/

Neuroclastic: The Autism Spectrum According To Autistic People: https://neuroclastic.com/

Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism: http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/

**EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that diabetes is not a condition that has a cure- and there is an emotional toll that comes with the general society thinking it’s a condition which was brought on by one’s behavior and something that can be eradicated. The question of whether to use person-first or identity/condition/diagnosis-first language when referring to diabetic people / people with diabetes is a subject of debate among those that have it. As a universal rule, you should use whatever language a person prefers to refer to themselves no matter what. This post is about the message I’ve received from the online autistic community to use identity-first language as a default and only switch if the person in question asks you to do so.

Spaghetti with bolognese sauce is my favorite meal. I could eat it several times a week and not get sick of it. My go-to recipe for it at the moment is Martha Stewart’s. I’ve made this with all ground beef and also with ground turkey (because you gotta be flexible when the store’s just randomly out of one of those things…) and all versions of it have been delicious. I’ve also liked doing the America’s Test Kitchen recipe which takes 4+ hours… but it’s also delicious and kind of fun to have a pot on the stove you get to taste all day while you clean your apartment. I must have done that before I had my 2nd kid… anyway… 

 

The Martha Stewart recipe makes a big pot and enough for another meal’s worth of leftovers (after feeding a family of 3.5) which you can easily freeze and/or use for another recipe like these awesome lasagna-stuffed peppers. The stuffed pepper recipe is great for anybody who’s not doing carbs or has other issues with pasta- but it’s also heavenly with pasta. It cooks the peppers perfectly and, bonus, it also looks fancy. I’ll make it for you when you come over after coronavirus is gone in like 2-10 years. What month is it? 

 

Another thing I might serve you is shrimp over broccoli (or pasta if you do that) with this Keto alfredo sauce. Holy crap it’s delicious… I stumbled upon this recipe when I had planned to buy ready-made alfredo sauce and the grocery store was out of EVERY SINGLE BRAND of it. Where are the alfredo-hoarders at? 

 

The menu plan this week doesn’t include alfredo, bolognese or lasagna peppers, but I’m going to share it anyway because that’s what I feel like doing! 

 

Here’s my current menu plan:  

 

Thursday: Thyme Garlic Pork Chops  (grocery store was out of rosemary like the recipe calls for)+ Greek Salad (halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, feta cheese, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt + pepper). We had this last night with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and it was ridiculously good. This was so easy and will probably be my go-to method of cooking pork chops from now on. 

 

Friday: Salsa Chicken (Chicken in the instant pot with broth, taco seasoning and salsa then shredded, served over sliced avocados with sour cream and lime juice) + frozen brussel sprouts dressed with butter, garlic salt and red wine vinegar 

 

Saturday: Balsamic Pot Roast + mashed potatoes / froz mashed cauliflower + roasted asparagus- This instant pot recipe is very easy and very yummy

 

Sunday: Shredded Chicken Tacos / Taco Salad (using leftovers from Friday dinner)

 

Monday: Marinated thin-sliced chicken over spinach salad – I will most likely use the Italian Herbs marinade from this website. 

 

Have you discovered any new recipes or kitchen hacks while on lockdown? 

Here’s my actual meal plan for this week:

Friday (last night): Rotisserie Chicken + Salad (from a tub) w/ chopped cucumber and radish with homemade ranch dressing + strawberries and cherries.

Saturday: Bolognese sauce from America’s Test Kitchen *& spaghetti + Salad (from the tub) w/ chopped cucumber and radish with the same batch of ranch dressing

*(I will be making a double-batch and freezing half of it. This recipe takes 4 hours to make but it’s my favorite thing pretty much ever and has ruined meat sauce for me at most restaurants…)

Sunday: Chicken Parmesan (trying this keto recipe for the first time- no idea if it will be good or if it will work at all, fingers crossed) + steamed broccoli *using spaghetti sauce from Saturday’s recipe to top the chicken parm

Monday: Gazpacho w/ a cheese plate. The internet tells me a cheese plate is an acceptable summer dinner plan so I’m going with it. Ours will be salami, cheddar, havarti (I will be cutting presliced slices into 4’s) roasted almonds and ciabatta bread

Tuesday: Garlic-Lemon Tilapia (trying this recipe) + salad (from the tub and dressing if there is any left- otherwise we’ll use olive oil/vinegar)

Wednesday: Chicken (trying this recipe- don’t know how it will be) + brussel sprouts with bacon

Thursday: (or another day we’ll swap out) We’ll probably be out on a day trip so dinner will be out.

 

And here’s my commentary:

I’m putting my commentary AFTER my content because I’ve been so frustrated sifting through recipes on the internet and having to wade through all their pop-up ads and stories about their dogs just to get to the ingredients list. I’ve toyed with the idea of actually printing out recipes like it was the early 2000’s- it’s gotten that bad.

This meal plan above took me like 2 hours. I don’t feel good admitting that. I get so frustrated with how much time and mental energy it requires to come up with meal plans every week. My husband’s on keto so everything I do has to at least have a no-carb option (he’s eating a bowl of the sauce w/ cheese for the bolognese night…).  Keto eliminates most casseroles, all pasta dishes, and most soup (he can’t eat carrots… or beans… it’s ridiculous). We get very bored with the same thing over and over again. I’ve been especially frustrated with cooking large amounts of meat just to have them be kind of bland and dry and then we have to eat them for leftovers later? We get so bored we end up getting take-out instead and that defeats the entire purpose of meal planning.

What I’d really love is a place where actual people- not chefs or food-bloggers or whatever- post their actual meal plans. I’ve looked for this on the internet, and of course, the chefs and food bloggers and whatever have optimized themselves to be at the top of search results for “meal plans by actual people” so I just get more food bloggers. But pretty much EVERYONE meal plans… you ALL have to eat something and you have been succeeding in feeding yourself somehow. I want to know how you do it- especially if you’re very happy with how you’re doing it.

So I’m throwing up a Facebook page. I’m keeping that wording because that’s all the energy I have at the moment: Actual Meal Plans that Actual People Use. Please join it and share your knowledge with us. You can always also post comments here.