FALL FOOD!!!

Well, if you couldn't tell by the lack of blog posts, life has been super busy since school started.  Our weekday routine is crazy, but I am so thankful to have many coworkers in the same situation.  

Me and FIVE of my coworkers, all pregnant last January!

To all of my friends who read this blog who are not my coworkers, thank you for your patience with me.  I really love, value and cherish you so much and am trying to get my act together so we can hang out! I have been leaving Ky at daycare for the entire time it is open because I cannot keep up at work :-( Everyone told me you just need to put as much effort into teaching once you are a Mom, but I cannot figure out how to do it... help!!!!!

We have, of course, been eating dinner... and it's my second favorite culinary time of year... PUMPKIN AND APPLE SEASON!!!!!!!!!!! (the fresh produce of summer/grilled everything is in first place.)

With one 29 oz can of pumpkin puree, on separate occasions (pumpkin keeps in the fridge!), I made:
Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Bread
I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices in both of the above recipes.  
Pumpkin French Toast Bake (I halved the recipe and used pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin butter)
Pumpkin Chai Latte



With my second can of pumpkin of the season, I made:
Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage (and we add in spinach)

Other fall dishes we have made and loved:
Apple Crisp
Sweet Potato Burritos (I halve the recipe and use one can of black beans instead of kidney beans)

pumpkin patch with my boys

my little koala :-)

Menu Plan Monday 8/13

School starts (for me not the students) next Tuesday, August 21, so this is my last week of summer. One of my sisters will be in town Monday and will be watching little Ky on Tuesday for my first day back at school, so I am excited I don't have to drop him off at daycare on that first day back.  It is going to be rough though- I have been letting him dictate his schedule in the summer, whereas when I was back at work after maternity leave, it was very much based on my work schedule... so he is no longer going to get to go back to bed after his morning feeding.  We are going to be introducing solids soon too, and I think he may be teething?? Lots of changes.  This summer was full of giggles (yes, giggles, that's one of the perks of having a baby around 24-7... if you figure them out, there can be just as many giggles as tears.), but I am slowly turning back into an emotional wreck as I think about being away from him for at least 10 hours each day. I am trying to choose joy as I go back to school.  It truly has been an amazing summer- although it has gone way too fast and there are too many friends I feel I barely got to see :-( 

Here's my last menu plan (most likely we will return to "easier" meals and since I am working, one night a week out if necessary): 

 Sunday: Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs, Israeli Couscous, Green beans... and Virgin Pina Coladas (use coconut milk instead of regular milk to make them more authentic- the reason I searched for a recipe like this one was because I had some coconut milk leftover from the curry I made last week) 

Monday: Orzo Stuffed Peppers, garlic bread & salad

Tuesday: Mexican Stuffed Shells, Chips & salsa ("stuffed" items are more work... and since school starts next week, now is the time to try out some new recipes!)

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers with baked Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday: Greek Salad with Oregano Marinated Chicken, Pita Bread

Friday: leftovers
 
Saturday: Date night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (aka, Grant's parents are going to watch the little guy either Fri or Sat for a few hours so we can go out!)

for more menu planning ideas go to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday 8/6/12

Sunday: buffalo chicken wraps, garlic buttered noodles, carrots

Monday: sausage, peppers, & potatoes skillet

This was inspired by my great friend Katie.  She made me her family recipe of this for lunch one day last week and it was delish.  We both used kielbasa instead of italian sausage and didn't take the time to bake it.  Thanks Katie for the yummy lunch and the inspiration!

Tuesday:chickpea and vegetable curry, naan 

Ok... we love naan... but often I buy it from Trader Joe's (which is delish), but since the summer is rapidly coming to an end I'm making as much as I can from scratch.  Except since the curry was in the crockpot at 1pm, I forgot I wanted to make naan, hence the recipe sans yeast.  And I'll also admit, the 10-15 min rest time for it was definitely 5 minutes, because well, I was hungry.  Still, it was a good bread! 

first attempt at homemade naan

Wednesday: French tomato tart, spinach salad, cantaloupe

Busted out my tart pan to use some tomatoes and basil from our garden and the rest of the chevre. I used my mini food processor to make the dough. Much easier than making it by hand.

homemade tart dough

the ingredients from our garden

plus the goat cheese

after baking... yum

even Ky wanted some!

Thursday:Dijon and Thyme Roasted chicken and leftovers

sidenote: I bought chicken thighs and legs... scandalous, I know?! I got 8 pieces of chicken for the price of like 2 chicken breasts.  This is an interesting read...to sum it up if you don't want to read it, it's super easy to overcook chicken breasts because they are so lean, so these "fattier" pieces are a little forgiving in that sense... and point #2: dark meat has 1/2 a gram of fat more than white. Yeah... I think I'll indulge every once and awhile.

Friday: frozen pizza

Saturday: going to Cincinnati to visit some friends from college and meet their new little ones!!! 

Got Basil? Make Pistou!

When I lived in Provence one summer, we had soupe au pistou one night for dinner.  It's a vegetable soup and you stir the pistou in before you eat.  For the longest time, I thought pistou was something super special and would be difficult to make... well, turns out it's actually super cheap and easy if you have your own basil. 

While I have no plans just yet to make soupe au pistou, I figured I had to do something with all the basil I had.  Pistou is simply pesto sans pine nuts. Which although delicious, are ridiculously expensive.  Here's the recipe I followed to make pistou.  I think I used less olive oil than they did... you can always add more in when you make something with it! Also, I froze it immediately in two 1/2 cup containers, with a piece of saran wrap smushed on top of the pistou to prevent freezer burn.  I am of the belief that if I ever get a new fridge, freezer burn will be a thing of the past.  Right?!?!

Basil from my garden! (and some from my parents!)

The other ingredients... my cheats: already minced garlic, lemon juice in a fake lemon and grated parmesan cheese

two 1/2 cup portions of pistou

Menu Plan Monday(s) late July- Early August

thanks for helping me make the pizzas!! I love you!!

What we've been eating lately:

Pizza on the grill, but using this dough. Sidenote: If you have a kitchenaid mixer, it's super easy to make dough with it.  We made our favorite pizza of goat cheese, figs & caramelized onions, along with a pizza margherita and a basic pepperoni this past time.  My parents were in town, so it was super fun to be in the kitchen with my Dad :-)

Vegetable Lasagna (lasagna noodles, followed by garlic alfredo sauce (I cheated and used one from a jar :-/ thinned with some milk), ricotta cheese mixed with spinach and parmesan, and then a mix of zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, red onion, carrots, spinach, and a layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. 

Vegetable Enchiladas: I cheated again and used jarred sauce... and I used zucchini, yellow squash, black beans, corn & tomatoes as the veggies. 

Homemade Salsa (modifications: used canned diced tomatoes (canned tomatoes really do make good salsa when you are waiting for yours to ripen), added a splash of lime juice, didn't use the vinegar, didn't add cumin even though it's my favorite... just like anything else you cook, the key is to taste while you go... just use clean utensils each time/a new chip if you are making it for others!)

"Unbelievable Chicken"... let's just say there once was a time I thought I was helping out with our church's version of VBS and had Grant grill 6 chicken breasts to use for easy meals all week, only to find out it was the next week.  I'll blame it on "mom brain." Anyways, this chicken really was good... I didn't have any coarse mustard, so I just used Dijon and it was still delicious. We ate most of it plain, but I also made a few wraps for lunch.  

Calzones- again, use your stand mixer to make the dough! I used mozzarella with the ricotta instead of chedddar... but any combo of cheese would work... I like foods that involve "dipping," so this is fun with the tomato sauce on the side. I made four calzones out of this dough, and they were still pretty large, so you probably make eight or make 16 "mini" calzones.  I didn't bother to brush it with egg or olive oil and they were still great.  

Menu Plan Monday 7/9

Here's what we are eating this week, starting on Saturday, because well, we were on vacation, so my grocery store day was set by default.

Saturday: Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans (the crock pot typically gets more use in the winter around here... but with these temperatures in the 100s, it was SUPER nice to have dinner without the whole house heating up or asking my husband to grill in the extreme heat)

Sunday: leftover chicken, salad with Zesty Avocado Cilantro Buttermilk dressing (a pinterest find... healthy & delish!)

Monday: Rice & bean burritos(modified to serve 2), guacamole & chips

Tuesday: Grilled Turkey Burgers, grilled veggie kabobs (zucchini, yellow squash, onions)

Wednesday: Rosemary Rubbed Pork Chops (a favorite from last summer), Antipasto Salad

Thursday: Southwestern salads with avocado cilantro buttermilk dressing

Friday: Pizza Margherita (our basil is growing like a weed!! If only my cilantro would do the same.)

Saturday: going to a wedding!! woo hoo!! 

for more menu planning ideas go to  http://orgjunkie.com/2012/07/menu-plan-monday-july-912-giveaway.html

Menu Plan Monday (aka what we've been eating)

Well, it's safe to say it's been almost 4 months since I've written one of these posts. Perhaps there is some correlation with the fact that Kyler is also almost 4 months old...

Anyways, I did not plan out meals while I was on maternity leave (March and the first two weeks of April), and then I attempted the next two weeks to do so but will admit that I have some AMAZING friends who brought me meals AGAIN once I returned to work, and my husband and I decided that if I am working, we might as well take advantage of my income and get takeout at least once a week. Which was nice, but I honestly did miss cooking. There is just something satisfying about knowing what is actually in what I'm eating.  And I think in general, I eat healthier when I cook versus when I select something off of a restaurant menu.

MENU PLAN FROM MAY 2012

In May, I started menu planning again, but as I was trying to just survive the school year, I never posted about it.  I used the "Once a Month Mom" Whole Foods May 2012 menu and selected a few dishes off of it and as her recipes suggested, made a double batch.  

So in the month of May, we had these dishes twice: 

1-Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps (I actually made these again tonight with turkey instead of beef, and I cooked 1/2 cup of quinoa and added it to the mixture to stretch it a bit farther- you don't even notice it's in there- yum!... oh and I also left out the peanuts, used red pepper flakes instead of the sriracha and used many more green onions)

2- Sesame and Cilantro Vermicelli Salad (again, left out the peanuts)... and I made this again tonight as a side with the lettuce wraps

3- Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce

4-Summer Vegetable Chicken Enchiladas

My thoughts: I really liked having meals in the freezer while I was working... I wasn't a fan of the way the vermicelli thawed- it tasted too watery, but the rest of the stuff froze beautifully.  I don't have a need to do once-a-month cooking right now, but I'm sure I will again once school starts.  I think selecting just even 4 dishes off of a menu like the ones on that amazing blog can be a huge help! 

Other things I've been cooking: 

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins- These were Grant's birthday treat!

Virgin Mojitos- I made a mint-infused simple syrup and then added fresh lime juice, more mint leaves, sparkling water & ice... yum!

This week's Menu Plan

Mon: Pizza with Grant's parents and cousin

Tues: Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps (see above), Sesame & Cilantro Vermicelli Salad (see above), strawberries

Weds: Goat Cheese, Pesto & Red Pepper Pizzas with Tomato, Watermelon, Tomato & Mint Salad

Thurs: Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos (I roast onions and sweet potatoes and then half the ingredients-they sound weird but totally work- from this recipe)

Fri: leftovers

Sat: leaving for vacation!

Sun: vacation!

Have a good week!!

Lessons Learned: Random Thoughts Part 2

14 weeks into parenthood, here are some of my thoughts/questions. I don't even know who/ if anyone reads this blog anymore since I stopped writing for a few months when I returned to work, but if anyone is out there (I know you are K.L., and thank you for being my faithful audience! You too hubs!!), feel free to answer my questions! (however some are simply rhetorical...)

1- Why do they put the sayings/ prints/ etc across the front at the top of a onesie? I know that's where it belongs, but due to the bib(s!!) my little guy is always wearing, you will never know that he is "the smallest OSU fan," a "party pooper," a "Miami baby," "mommy's little tiger," etc unless I take the bib off for a picture. Perhaps they should put such sayings in a different place.

2- Why is it that whenever we are trying to rush out the door, the magical angle of the car seat makes him poop? Never seems to happen when I'm not in a rush.

3- How do you convince a baby that is super hungry or super tired that if he stops screaming he can eat or sleep?

4- I wonder if the reason so many moms "let themselves go," aka stop caring about their appearance is partially due to the reality people will only glance at you but will stare at your baby forever until you start to walk away?

5- Why doesn't every retail business have a drive thru? It would be so much easier to get errands done if I didn't have to get him out of the car. Starbucks at Morse and Hamilton, please consider this. It's pretty easy to convince me I deserve a treat these days. However... My secret wish is that I lived somewhere where I could walk everywhere... Like a small city in the south of France, perhaps?

6- How is it that we think it's so cute when babies have chunky thighs, chubby cheeks and multiple chins, yet we spend so much time and money trying to avoid these things? (I am NOT pro-obesity or anything, I just find this humorous!)

7- Why are the cup holders on my stroller so shallow? Is it a scheme to get me to buy the extra one that attaches on that I have yet to figure out how to install? If I never had to maneuver thing over any bumps perhaps that shallow one could work.

8- Why don't adults smell as good after a shower as babies do after a bath? Is it the products or do babies just smell better?

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the cute pics of my little man... One with a bib, one without;)

Three months!!

The little babe is not so little anymore. Weighing in at 12 lbs, 13 oz (as of last Weds, so it's probably more now), he is nearing the end of his time in 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers.

The past two months have been CRAZY trying to balance working full-time and still loving on him as much as possible. His daycare providers love him but it still breaks my heart that he is there for 9-10 hours a day. Can I say we were thriving as a family these past few months? No, but we love being parents, and we have been surviving. Looking back, if I had a choice, I would have taken a bit more time off of work.

One of my love languages is quality time, so naturally when I'm with Ky I want to be 100% engaged, not multitasking. As soon as we walk in the house we have mama and Ky time, where I put him on my lap facing me with his back resting against my legs. Until it is time to feed him, we talk and sing... Ok, I sing, and we both talk, gazing into each other's eyes. It is one of the highlights of my day. He loves songs with motions, like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," (which we sing in English and French) and "If you're Happy and You Know It." He smiles all the time and every now and then he will giggle and it is just so sweet.

We still have him sleeping in our room, which was part of the survival plan until summer break... But tomorrow is the last day of school so we may be transitioning him fully to his crib. He had been napping in it on the weekends. Speaking of sleeping, he now will lay his head on your shoulder. Melts.my.heart. I had the privilege of nannying for my nephew five years ago over the summer, and I still remember how sweet he was when he would do that when he was tired... It's even better when it is your own kid. Love my cuddly boy.

He rolls onto his left side all the time, grabs onto toys and loves to suck and chew on his hands... I just can't wait to watch him grow and develop this summer!

Lessons Learned: random thoughts part 1

Disclaimer: I downloaded the blogger app... So I'm typing this on my phone. I don't have time to sit at the computer now that I'm back at work so unless I stop giving assignments that need graded, this blog will only get updated if I can multitask and blog while feeding Ky.


In the 65 days Ky has been in our lives, I have learned a lot:

The Emotional:
1- I never knew it was possible to love someone this much. I love my husband so much it's ridiculous but this love is different.
2- having a child makes it easier for me to understand how much God loves me, which is also ridiculous.
3-a lot of people told me I wouldn't work as hard at work and I'd be running out the door to get him as soon as the bell rang. While I did that on day 1, I've been working 6:45-4:20, picking him up, coming home and feeding him and then working again for an hour or an hour and a half at night. I have the desire not to work as hard but I can't bring myself to do so (and I'm not sure I even know how). So for as long as I'm teaching, I'll be giving it my 100%.
4-picking him up from day care is worse than dropping him off. It's then that I realize I am paying someone to watch him while I watch other people's kids. (ok, I am teaching them French, not babysitting, but when you teach classes with large amounts of freshmen boys you spend a good portion of the period on classroom management.)

The practical/not as serious:
1- I want to hold him all.the.time. This means I quickly learned the value of wearing your baby (currently using and love the Moby Wrap), having a device that has Internet access that I can easily access (I think I've used our real computer like 3 times since he was born)
2- taking a meal to a new mom is one of the best things you can do. I have been taking new moms meals for the past four years but never realized how much of a blessing doing so is. I am so thankful to all of you who bought us gift cards to restaurants or made something. And a huge thank you to those of you who brought me a second meal to help me survive being back at work.
3- I was right when I suspected that if I wasn't a napper before having a baby, I wouldn't become one after having one. Sleep when the baby sleeps... Ha. Props to those of you that are good at napping. I am an accidental, not an intentional napper. Put me in a car or in front of the tv and I might just fall asleep. When Ky does sleep, I do things I can't do while holding him. Makes sense to me :)
4- The iPhone is the greatest invention ever for a mom.I feel like it is my own little robot. From this device I can: call, text, take great pics and videos and easily share them, play my family and friends in scrabble and draw something, listen to my music, read my daily devotional, check and answer my work emails, surf the web, create Facebook albums, update this blog, renew the library books I don't have time to read, google whatever is freaking me out about Ky to find out if it's normal... And the list goes on. Let me just say that when you spend 1.5-3.5 hours of your day feeding your kid, it is awesome to be able to accomplish a few things. When I'm not using it, I am praying. Another good (actually a better) use of feeding time.

March 1, 2012 :-)

Baby boy was due on February 25, 2012 but decided he was not ready just then. I went in on Monday, February 27 for a non-stress test, and after being told by my doctor that there were no medical reasons for me to stop working just because I was overdue, I sucked it up and went to work. She did schedule an induction for the following Sunday, but I was praying he would come before then.

I worked all day Tuesday (no signs of labor) and Wednesday was such a toss up. I did not want to go to school because it would be a 13+ hour work day- I arrive at around 6:30am and we had parent-teacher conferences after school until 7:30pm... but also if I went into labor that day, I would have a leap year baby... which though it would be cool, part of me felt sad thinking that our little guy would only have a true birthday every four years. Well... he didn't want to come on Wednesday, so I had a delightful (ha) 13 hour work-day. I even stayed a few minutes after 7:30 because I was madly grading essays written that day by my French 4/5 students so my sub would not have to grade them. As I had done the past three weeks, I left with everything ready in case I was not the one teaching the next day. 

I arrived at home completely exhausted and went to bed at 9 pm... only to wake up at 12:05 am with lower back pain and I felt really hot and sweaty. I remember thinking "I don't know if I'm going into labor, but baby boy, I love that you waited until 5 minutes after leap day if this is really the start of your entrance into this world!" A little while later, I had a contraction with pain that wrapped around the front and back, which was completely different from the contractions I had been having for pretty much the whole month of February. After hearing so many stories of "false labor" I decided I would just lay there... so I downloaded an app on my new phone to track my contractions and basically lay in bed wide awake all night. Grant got up at 5:30 (I did not wake him up because he said he had a sore throat the night before and I did not want to have a baby with a sick husband!), and I was like "sooo yeah I was up all night having contractions but I don't know if they are real." I had non-stress test #2 scheduled for that day (so I wasn't planning to go to school anyways, but was thinking about going on Friday if the baby still had not arrived), so I figured they would tell me at the doctor's office if I was really in labor. 

I ate a small bowl of cereal before my appointment (this is one change I would have made had I known I was going to go into labor...) and then did the test. We both did awesome again, and you could see that I was having contractions on the print out... I asked the nurse if this was the start of labor and she was like "well, I can't say you are in labor for sure, but I do think you will not make it to your induction date." So basically, she told me nothing. I drove home and decided it would be smart to do start like 5000 tasks around the house since I had the day off. The contractions continued and they hurt but I still didn't think I was really in labor (looking back, what was I thinking?!?) so I started like 5000 tasks around the house... started being the key word. By lunch time, nothing I was doing was making the pain any better and the thought of food made me want to vomit, so I didn't eat. 

My Mom called me via Face Time and I quickly told her I would not face time (again, looking back, the fact I didn't want to be on camera?!?) but would talk on the phone. My friend and neighbor Katie called and said I could come over but I figured I was too much of a mess, and again didn't want to be around people. She wisely advised me I should probably try to eat something because I would need the energy if I was really in labor... so I chocked down like two crackers. Then tea sounded good so I made some... had a sip... and my water broke around 2:30. I decided finally I should tell Grant to come home (he had been calling every hour but I kept telling him I was fine and didn't know what he would do if he was here anyways), and by the time he arrived I was even more of a disaster and could barely get my last few things in my hospital bag. 

My wonderful husband drove as fast as he could to the hospital (most miserable car ride of my life) and we went up to labor and delivery... where the woman basically told me she wasn't sure my water had broken, so I was left there in triage while they "looked for the house doctor" or something. The contractions were awful by then, and finally I was like GRANT, I've had enough. Get someone. The nurse came and checked and said "oh you are about 6 centimeters, so we can go ahead an admit you." Thanks. By this point, I knew I wanted meds. They gave me a few bags of fluids plus an antibiotic and then probably an hour later I got an epidural... which was amazing. 

praise God for my epidural :-)

 After not sleeping and not eating, I just needed to rest a bit. They only had it at 50% strength so I still had complete control of my legs and felt a lot of pressure. They checked me immediately after they inserted it and I was already at 8-9 centimeters! I'll leave out the rest of the details for blog world (but just ask next time we talk if you want to know!), but after some pushing, some resting and letting him move down on his own and then some more pushing, Kyler Lane was born at 11:10 pm on March 1, 2012. He weighed 7 pounds 9.6 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. And is completely adorable.

just a few minutes old

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Menu Plan Monday 2/27

Still here... 40 weeks and 2 days... meaning 2 days overdue.  I went to the doctor today for a non-stress test to see if the baby is still doing OK in there, because sometimes when one is past their due date, conditions start to deteriorate and the baby stops thriving.  In my case, both the little guy and I are doing great.  So great that my doctor couldn't write me a note to stop working because she had no medical reason to do so.  So PRAISE GOD for our health.  However, if this test was for the mama's stress, I might have failed it after hearing I needed to return to work tomorrow.  I am generally up from 3am-5am, which is not cool when you get up at 5 for work, and I've been having back pain from standing all day.  But my blood pressure looks good and I feel pretty good, so back to work I go... until I have NST #2 on Thursday! 

I do have an induction scheduled for Sunday evening/Monday morning, but I'm really praying he comes before that.  Would you please pray for that? Merci :-) 

I'm doing all I can to make him come out on his own.  I am not really a fan of this whole "nesting" business.  I am not a cleaner in general, so I wondered if I would ever have the urge... and the answer: not yet.  I like to organize though... and cook... so I figure since I spent a good 6 or so weeks working like crazy at school organizing and planning to be gone for maternity leave, that may have been my way of nesting.  I honestly don't care if my kitchen floors are clean.  My husband is the one who does a lot of the cleaning, so perhaps that is why?  I however, have been very concerned about making sure we have enough food and household products to last us for awhile... because you know, we live oh so far from the store?? (hah.)

Perhaps I nested today by cooking?  I made chicken salad for lunches tomorrow, a casserole for dinner tonight and then I used the rest of the cake mix from my funfetti rice krispie treats to make these cookies: 

"ghetto" Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

(used yellow cake mix & added sprinkles to the batter... et voila, "funfetti"). 

Oh, and we got a new camera... I don't really know how to work it yet, but I still think the pics came out ok! 

 I made my own icing though, using the Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Buttercream frosting recipe.  I cut it way down, using 1/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups or so of powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and about 4 Tbsp milk.    

Here's what we are tentatively eating this week (hoping the little guy will show up!)

 It's a fiesta at our house... lots of SPICY Mexican food to try to get this little man to come out!

Sunday: Tacos & Mexican Rice, chips & salsa

Monday: Green Chile Chicken Casserole, salad

Tuesday: leftover tacos

Wednesday: leftover casserole

Thursday: more leftovers or omelettes (mine will be with salsa to make it spicy)

Friday:  Ravioli, Salad & Garlic bread

Saturday: frozen pizza

39 weeks and waiting :-)

I love a good three-day weekend. While I wouldn't have been upset if baby Miller decided to come super early, it has been SO nice having these past two weekends to hang out, just the two of us.  We had a great weekend of dates, spending more money than normal since we know we will be in our house for at least the next few months.

Friday night, we had dinner at Lola's, a little hole in the wall Italian restaurant Grant's coworkers recommended.  It good- but I think I still like Mezzo at Creekside and they are comparable in price.  We then went and saw Gahanna Community Theatre's production of Mame, which was ok.  Not my favorite show ever, but we love supporting GCT and the local arts :-)

Saturday, we slept in (ok, more like I woke up at 6:45 and chose to stay in bed for an hour). Grant made me banana pancakes for breakfast, and then we headed out to have a coffee date (used a gift card). I got a half caf latte, which is my current pregnancy guilty pleasure.  

During our coffee date, I was reading Isaiah, and I come across this verse: "Woe to those... who say 'Let God hurry, let him hasten his work so we may see it...'" (Isaiah 5:19a)  Ouch.  Definitely not the verse you want to read when you are 39 weeks pregnant, wanting to meet your little one!! Anyways, it was a good perspective changer, so I am going to continue to pray for patience and just trust that as always, God's timing is perfect.  Even if I go a week past my due date :-)  Five different people have told me I have dropped based on the picture Grant put on facebook... and I definitely feel like he is verrry low... but it could still be awhile.  

again, I'm a whale.  or "large and in charge," as I say at school.

We followed our coffee date by a lunch date... and then saw "The Iron Lady," the movie about Margaret Thatcher (thanks Laura for the AMC gift card!).  It was definitely a good film (though I don't need to see it again) but was also sad as it showed her struggle with dementia.  I cried at one point (darn pregnancy emotions) because I felt sorry for her husband and kids because she was so busy working all of the time.  I admire her though, as a woman in politics, and think a lot of what she said was ahead of her time... my favorite quote was: "It used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone."... so true about politics today.  We walked around Easton afterwards & then came home for frozen pizza and caught up on The Office and Modern Family...and ate some ice cream.   I did have contractions every 10 minutes for a few hours, but they weren't painful and they were only in my stomach... but then they stopped.  And clearly, I'm still pregnant.  

Anyways, thanks GLM for a wonderful weekend of dates!! ILY :) 

Menu Plan Monday 2/20, Tortellini & Italian Sausage Soup Recipe

Happy President's Day :-) I love having a Monday off.   I went to jazzercise, then Target (honored the presidents by spending some money), then spent some time reading/journaling at Starbucks inside of Target, crossed a few things off of my to-do list... I just keep thinking how easy it is to just do what I need/want to do and how in a matter of days my needs/wants will not be coming first. 

Thanks to Pinterest and my inability to get a dessert out of my mind once I've decided I want it, I made these Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats yesterday: 

Here's our menu plan this week:

Sunday: Tortellini & Italian Sausage Soup (see below for recipe)

Monday: Chicken and Rice bake, green beans

Tuesday: I have a (free!) breastfeeding class at the pediatrician's office... so if Grant & I are going to eat together, it will be dollar menu date night between 5:30 and 5:50pm :-/ 

Wednesday: Ravioli, garlic bread & veggie

Thursday: Parent-teacher conferences... I won't even get home until after 8pm... sigh...

Friday: pork tenderloin, pierogies & green beans

Saturday: Baby's Due Date!! If he hasn't arrived, we are going out.

Tortellini & Italian Sausage Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium sized onion, diced

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

 1 lb Italian Sausage

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sage

1/4- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tsp parsley 

1/2 tsp sugar 

1/4 tsp black pepper

8 cups chicken broth

1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed. 

1 bag dried or frozen tortellini (I used the tri-colored dried kind from Trader Joes)

Parmesan cheese 

In large soup pot, heat olive oil.  Add onions, green pepper and salt.  Saute until softened.  Add sausage and cook until browned.  Remove from pan and let mixture drain on paper towel-lined plate.  Meanwhile, using the same pot, add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sage, red pepper flakes, parsley, sugar and black pepper.  Stir in frozen spinach.  Add 8 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to directions on the package.  When tortellini is almost done, add the Italian sausage back into the pot.  Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese on top. 

Note: this soup absorbs a lot of the liquid so you may want to add extra broth before reheating the leftovers. 

for more menu planning ideas, head to www.orgjunkie.com

38.5 weeks!!

Well, I fully intended to write an update a few weeks ago... but then weeks 28-35 went really fast and like I wrote in my previous post, I have been at school ALL the time and we have had super busy weekends.  However... I am FINALLY ready for my maternity sub to take over at school.  Lesson plans are done/typed/posted to my website from now until spring break, all materials are in their appropriate binders... I have created a ridiculously organized binder of helpful materials for her... so come on baby boy!!!!

freaking huge... this was also taken later on in the day, whereas most of our weekly pics are in the morning... and I "grow" throughout the day.  I'm hungry, ok?!?

How far along? 38 weeks and 4 days... he could come at any time!!

Total weight gain/loss: right where I "should be," in the 25 lb range, based on my pre-pregnancy weight.  I will say that I have definitely been enjoying my desserts since I passed that glucose test.  But I am still going to jazzercise, so hopefully that is balancing it out. 
Maternity clothes? You know it.  Same outfits all the time.  I wish someone would have warned me this winter would be ridiculously warm, because I have pretty much been teaching in the same short-sleeved shirts throughout most of it.  (With the exception of yesterday, which was actually cold.)

Stretch marks? On my belly, sigh :-(

Sleep: Waking up every night between 2:30 and 3:45... sometimes a few other times.  Sometimes I fall back asleep, and sometimes, well... let's just say more of you need to post stuff on facebook and pinterest in the middle of the night!  

Best moment(s) this week: Grant getting me a pint of Haagen Daas Caramel Cone ice cream (one of my favorites), going to meet the pediatrician and finding out they are moving 2 miles closer to our house in June, and finishing my lesson plans from now until the week after spring break!  Oh... and our Valentine's Day date! 

Movement: He's still very active... it's a little freaky because you can see random limbs poke out of my stomach

Food cravings: Three weeks ago, the baby wanted cinnamon gumdrop hearts... the past two weeks- fruits and vegetables.  Also... last week, I wanted ice cream on Sunday and Banana Muffins on Thursday.   

Gender: Boy.

Labor Signs: I told the doctor today I have been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions...she informed me since I'm past 37 weeks, these are actually contractions.  Awesome.  

Belly Button in or out? Still in.  It does poke out a little, but it has not turned out.

Wedding rings on or off? On

What I miss: Wine... and fully caffeinated drinks from Starbucks!

What I am looking forward to: meeting him!!!!!

Weekly Wisdom: The long hours I put in at school the past month were TOTALLY worth it.  It feels amazing to know I can leave my job in the hands of another awesome, capable French teacher who is still in need of a job. 

Milestones: Hospital bags are packed, car seat installed, nursery is ready, met the pediatrician... but other than the contractions, no signs of labor yet.

Menu Plan Monday 2/13

It really is weird making a menu plan on a Saturday wondering if you will actually end up eating the things you put on the menu.  We waste very little food in our house because of menu planning, but that is usually because we follow what is on the plan.  Therefore, with this little man scheduled to make his appearance any day now, I am planning meals with as few ingredients as possible that would perish if we couldn't make them for awhile.  I am 38 weeks and 4 days today... still hoping he will decide to make an early appearance just like his momma did.  (Ok, this is mostly because parent-teacher conferences are next Thursday (2/23) afternoon & evening, after a full day of teaching and that makes for a 14 hour work day... which will NOT be fun when I am 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant. So preferably, he will show up before then... or winter will finally hit us full force and give us a nice blizzard.)

Here's what we are eating: 

Sunday: white chicken chili (used 1 tbsp cumin, only 2 cans of beans, extra chicken, forgot to buy chilis or jalapenos, reduced cayenne to 1/4 tsp) & cornbread

Monday:potstickers, TJs Harvest Blends Israeli couscous, egg rolls

Tuesday: Manicotti Alla Romana (left out the ground beef, used cottage cheese instead of ricotta, milk instead of half & half... still was delish) ,green beans, garlic bread

Wednesday: Western omelettes, hashbrowns & fruit

Thursday: leftover manicotti

Friday: Chicken & rice bake, green beans

Saturday: either a frozen pizza or we will have another date night out... perhaps something spicy, followed by a nice car ride on a bumpy road??

sidenote for Katie about the manicotti: this time I soaked the noodles in hot water in a pan while I made the filling and it worked well/still were easier to stuff then they are when they are fully cooked.  However...I think the best way is still to make sure you have a good layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan and then just stuff them uncooked and make sure you cover the pan tightly with foil.

Menu Plan 1/30-2/10 & Banana Oat Muffin Recipe

The game plan for the past two weeks (and probably the next two-three as well): plan meals that do not "have" to be made... in other words, meals using ingredients that will be good for a few days or can be frozen.  Also... meals that can easily be prepared by my wonderful husband, since I have been working late, going to the doctor every week and also trying to go to my 4:30-5:30 jazzercise class a few days a week, which puts me home at 6pm.  

So we've been eating...

the "easy stuff": 

- French toast & fruit

- Grilled cheese (with the addition of some raspberry preserves on the top... thank you to Grant's coworker Tom for sharing a delicious family tradition!) and tomato soup

- Chicken sandwiches & mac & cheese

- Linguine and meatballs

- Black bean veggie burgers

- whole wheat penne with some evoo and the artichoke tapenade from TJs

- pizza & carrots

the "more" complicated stuff: 

- our favorite potato & ham soup (minus the celery)

- tacos and mexican rice with homemade tortillas, because I intended to have tacos as taco salad but we didn't have enough lettuce :-/.  You MUST try making homemade tortillas.  If you have kids, it could be a fun/easy cooking project b/c the ingredients are simple and you have to roll them out super thin... and they still taste good even if they are not perfect circles.  I wanted to use whole wheat flour... but a certain man of the house (not the one growing inside me) said he'd prefer white flour.  Seriously though, these are sooooo soft, chewy and amazingly warm... I might decide never to buy them again.  How cheap is flour+water+salt+olive oil?!?

- Banana Oat Muffins (see recipe below)... as I was driving home from jazzercise, I had the thought "I want a banana muffin NOW." So of course, after we had dinner, I made these.  I LOVE nuts, but my husband is pickier about them... well, turns out he likes them on banana muffins, so I threw some on the tops.  Délicieux. Thursday night has to be the best night ever to bake something... I took one to school Friday morning and enjoyed it with my coffee before I started my first period class, got to enjoy one this morning with my cup of coffee.. and I'll have another one tomorrow morning before church. Yum. 

Banana Oat Muffins (modified from all recipes)

•  3/4 cup all-purpose flour
•  3/4 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 mashed bananas
• walnuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients (flours, oats, sugar, baking powder & soda & salt) in a large bowl.  In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients (egg, milk, oil, vanilla, bananas).  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly.  Spoon batter into 12 lined muffin cups.  Sprinkle walnuts on top if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 17-20 minutes.