Random Pictures and a Breakfast Casserole

I'm bit low on cash this week so I decided to make a breakfast casserole and some crockpot oatmeal for the week for Ben and myself. (I use steel cut oats, brown sugar, dates, and cinnamon).

I used a variation of Kalyn's kitchen: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2005/07/broccoli-cheese-breakfast-casserole.html

I changed it a little bit - for example, I only used 9 eggs, I used chopped broccoli, and I added garlic and oregano.

It was delicious, although I think because I used less eggs it was a little flatter than the one in Kalyn's pictures. :)

Videos :)

What kind of mom are you?

I belong to a parenting website that I joined a few years back that has helped me to sort of "define" myself as a mother in the sense that it has allowed me to develop views on things that I never would have even thought about before.

For example...who would have thought that I would grow up to be a non-circumcising, extended rearfacing, co-sleeping breastfeeder?! That's seriously not what I pictured myself being as a parent, I thought I was going to be much more...I don't know. Laid back, I suppose....but I'm not. I'm fiercely protective and anal about my children and I never thought I would be.

Anyway, I find in reading the website that I'm on that people tend to stick themselves in various catagories and I always wondered why...ex: "I'm a crunchy mama". I think it's possible to to define yourself in ways more than a parenting choice, if that makes sense (when talking strictly about parenting).

What kind of mom are you? Do you define yourself a certain way?

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Chop the following into large chunks and then pulse in the food processor:

1 lb container of strawberries
2-3 peeled kiwi
2-3 peeled apples

Voila! Fruit Salsa.

Serve with cinnamon chips:

Take one package of flour tortillas and cut into wedges (fairly small). Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spray with butter flavored cooking spray and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 until they look done (about 5-10 minutes).

Um, wish me luck with this one

So last night i took out stew meat to make beef stew today in the crockpot. Well I must have been smoking crack because I have NOTHING I need to make the stew I normally make. Sooooo....I put the stew meat, a can of cream o' mushroom soup, some marsala wine, and a packet of dry onion soup mix. I'm thinking.. Beef Burgandy, over egg noodles. Anyway, wish me luck. We'll see how this goes!

I have a question

What do you think is an appropriate budget for three people for groceries, for the week? I find myself spending about $100 and I'd like to cut some corners.

This weekend I shopped at Aldi and I liked how cheap it was- I've been pleasantly surprised at how good the food is, but i won't eat the meat. For some reason, it just didn't look good for me. So, any tips as to how I can cut costs on meat?

Also, does anyone here watch The Soup with Joe McHale? Last night I made chicken tetrazzini and all I could think about was the chicken tetrazzini clip. Lol.

Lame blog post? Yes. Help me out though :)

Herbed Orange Chicken with Olive Couscous

*Recipe adapted from e-mealz

For couscous:

One package of Near East plain couscous
chopped olives (at least 1/4 cup, but can add more)
Chopped parsley (at least 2 Tbsp, but as much as you like)
1/4 cup of chopped almonds
2 garlic cloves, chopped

Boil 2 cups of water (I always add olive oil, eyeballing about 2 Tbsp, otherwise the couscous can come out dry). I throw in the garlic before it starts to boil. After it boils, I throw in the olives, then add the couscous and cover. Let it sit for five minutes, then fluff with a fork and add the parsley and almonds.

For the chicken...

3 chicken breasts
Juice of two oranges (w/ pulp)
1-2 shallots, diced
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic, chili powder, honey, thyme

I coat the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. No exact measurements, sorry :( Then I add olive oil to the pan and heat (you can also spray with cooking spray) and sear the chicken for three minutes on each side. I remove it to a pan on the side (do NOT let it cool down, keep it warm). Then I add the shallots, cooking for approximately one minute. I sprinkle with chili powder and saute for another 30 seconds. I add the orange juice which deglazes the pan, add some honey, allow it to boil and then reduce till it thickens slightly. Place the chicken in a glass pan, pour the sauce over it and allow it to cook 20-25 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken) at 375. (Oh yeah, pre-heat your oven).

Serve over couscous with plenty of sauce, salt to taste. :) Super simple, very delicious!!

Saturday Morning

I'm here with the two Spawn, Ben has the stomach flu and Nate is busy being adorable as usual :)

Anyway, I wanted to write about two things this morning while Ben is eating his yogurt and Nate is fascinated by his new discovery, Feet. My boy's a genius y'all, ya hear?? ;)

Anyway, the first is a website called BeFoodSmart.com. It was started by a software engineer and it's a good place to find information about food additives and their potential risk. The Carter household has been making an effort to eat more natural foods since Ben's birth almost two years ago, so I've been buying a lot of fresh fruit, organic crap, etc etc. But, like anyone, I have a weakness for processed foods. Who doesn't? Anyway, it's a great website for looking up additives that you have no idea what they are.

The other thing I would like to share with whoever is reading this is my favorite food blogger.

This is her website:

http://www.kaylinskitchen.com/

Here's a picture (Ok it's actually up top because blogger SUCKS) of her recipe for West African Peanut and Chicken stew that I make on the reg. Delicious AND cheap to make. How can you not love that?!

Nate Nate bo Bait, banana fana fo fate, me mi mo Nate....Naaaate

I just want to pinch his little cheeks!!!!!

Back to work tomorrow :(

I'm sad to leave my boys to go back to work tomorrow. I have one month of working Monday - Friday 7 -3, and then I start school. I'll be in school 7-2 Mondays and Tuesdays, and then working from 3 -8, then 7 -5 Wed, Thur, Friday. It's going to fucking suck. Sorry, I don't know how else to say it.

I've been breastfeeding Nate and things are going so well in that department....my heart is breaking at leaving him at home. He is the sweetest baby, so snuggly and just wants to hang out with me. I'm really the only one that can comfort him, seeing as I've been pretty much the only person to take care of him 24/7 since he was born.

I have Sadz :(

It's been a long time!

Sorry it's been a long time since I last posted. I've been busy :)

Nathaniel Robert was born on May 12th, 2011 at 8:36 am by c-section. He weighed in at 6 lb 10 ounces. I was so scared to have my second c-section, I cried on the way to the hospital. Damien came with me to check in at 4:30 am, and he left at 6:30 to drop Ben off at daycare. I remember hugging my Ben and wondering (somewhat selfishly?) if I had room in my heart to love the way that I loved Ben. I remember I had asked my Mom the same question.

I had a panic attack after they put my spinal in, I jumped when the needle went in, I was so scared. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Nate came out and immediately started crying, I was so relieved. They took him over to the corner and worked on him for what felt like forever, he cried the whole entire time and it just broke my heart...but I was so happy I started crying. The nurse wrapped him up and brought him over to me and held him up to my face. "Hi baby," I whispered, and he stopped crying. His eyes popped open and we locked gazes. HE KNEW ME :)

Breastfeeding has been a breeze this time, and Nate has been an extremely happy and content baby, I am happy to report. I love my boys so much :)

On a side note, I have The Fats. I am SO fat now, so one goal I would like to do (if I can squeeze it into my schedule) is to blog about dieting. I have to be careful about dieting due to my past struggles with an eating disorder. I am far too hard on myself...but right now I am NOT healthy. I am 5'4 and I weigh 180 pounds.There, I am out! LOL! I have stretch marks and my stomach is saggy. I just want to be able to run around with my little man without getting out of breath. Plus, I am hoping that eating well will give me more energy.

So... Cheers, here is to my journey to getting healthy!! :)

Sooooo....

Sometimes I feel insane. I work fulltime (averaging 50 hours a week) and I take 9 credit hours. I'm working towards my BSN right now and then I'll be proceeding with my NP. I also manage to pay all my bills and am raising a tiny little person, who occupies all my time. In May, I am adding to my brood with Baby X (otherwise known as He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named...well, at least till birth). Anyway, I try to stay as organized as possible but in the last two weeks I have deviated from my meal planning/couponing. Consequently, yesterday my son ate hot dogs and cinnamon bread for dinner (which I sheepishly admitted to my good pal Sabrina today). ENOUGH! I need to get back on track.

I'm trying a new grocery store for the next couple weeks, it's called Aldi's. It's owned by the same people that own Trader Jo's, but they get companies to make a single generic product for their store, thus cutting costs down. I'll let you know how that goes!

My meal plan for this week (running Wed-Wed) is as follows:

Wed: BBQ Chicken, pesto potatoes, and corn.
Thur: Pork Tenderloin, couscous, fruit cups (for The Ben)
Friday: Rigatoni shells, salad, texas toast
Sat: Chicken soup w/ corn muffins
Sun: Sausage Saute, wild rice, garden salad
Mon: chicken and dumplings, salad, peas
Tues: Beans and rice, cantaloupe
Wed: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Cheesy Broiled Tillapia

SO SIMPLE :)
I got the idea from emeals, but adapted the recipe because theirs sucked.

2-3 tillapia fillets
1 lemon
2 Tbsp of butter
Parm Cheese
Spices you like (I chose garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme)

Preheat oven to 400

Place tillapia fillets into a shallow dish, squeeze half the lemon over the fillets. Bake for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Squeeze the rest of the lemon into the mixture, add parm cheese (as much as you want), and spices that you like. Spread over tillapia fillets, bake for 15 more minutes.

I served with steamed broc and some browned dinner rolls. Delish and easy!

Meal Plan for 1/15 - 1/21

Just in case anyone is interested :) Thanks to David Ramsey and ezmeals :)

Saturday: Turkey Meatloaf, Rice, Cauliflower

Sunday: Cheesy Broiled Tilapia, steamed rice, broccoli, dinner rolls

Monday: Sausage & Chicken Gumbo, cornbread

Tuesday: Cheddar Broccoli Quiche, Fruity Salad, dinner rolls

Wednesday: Sausage Sandwiches w/ mustard sauce, orange slices

Thursday: Breakfast Pie, hot cinnamon apples, biscuits

Friday: Pizzer! (That's how my mom says it).

I'm going shopping tomorrow armed with my coupons and my list, I'll let you know what the bill total is, but I am projecting $50! :)

New Pics

And Miles To Go Before I Sleep...

I feel as though I just had a very Robert Frost-esque moment, lol.

I took the dog out for a quick walk, and I was just so struck with the scenary. The snow has stopped, it is quiet...and the stars are so brilliant in the sky. I actually stopped with the dog at the edge of the woods and watched the patterns that the bare tree branches made against the winter sky. It's definitely cold out, but it feels refreshing. Then a cloud passed and the moon came out. Fenway and I were both still and I just watched my breath come out. I felt extremely connected to nature.

Then it struck me.

My life is not perfect, by any means, and God knows how many mistakes I've made. But...the feeling that i had outside was one of quiet contentment. I think, I am finally, at peace with my life and self. I love Ben. I love the child inside of me. And everything is going to be just fine.

I would love to share a poem that has gotten me through many hard times in my life, and is dear to my heart. It's called "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver.

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile, the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes
over the praries and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you liek the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
Over and over announcing your place
in the family of things

Adventures in Cheap Cooking From An Extremely Busy Mom

So as part of my plan to cut down on grocery expenses, I am trying to come up with cheap, cheap recipes. Unfortunately today it snowed hardcore and my one hour plus commute to work did not leave much time for me to make my chicken in the slow cooker.

Anyway, I got home this afternoon and looked in the 'fridge to see if Demonian had defrosted the chicken breasts I had asked him too. He defrosted chicken thighs, which I had bought in bulk because they are so cheap. This is fine, but he defrosted them ALL so I need to make chicken thighs for two days. I rearranged my meal plan to accomodate my cream cheese chicken ($5 meals for 4 people, so one night + one lunch) and I decided fuck it, I'm going to make up my own recipe tonight.

Currently I have four chicken thighs marinating in the refridgerator in a mixture of lime juice, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I'm going to marinate them for another hour, then throw them in the oven at 350 for about 40-45 minutes, cool them, and then slice them. I'm going to boil up two packets of ramen noodles (NO SAUCE PACKETS - GROSS) with some asian style frozen veggies (courtesy of birdseye - on sale at Walmart this weekend) and a honey soy sauce I'm going to make, then toss with the chicken. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Winnipesaukee Chocolate Bars

On a summer weekend in 2006 I decided to go to my parent's lake house in New Hampshire to visit them. They picked me up at the bus stop (which I would take from South Station). On the way home my mum and dad decided we would go to a wine tasting at a local shop.

We entered and the wine store owner asked me if I was over 21. "Of course she is," my dad joked, "She's 25!".

"Actually Dad, I'm 23".

My mom, who was distracted said, "Sharon, give her your ID".

"my name is Jenn" (Sharon is my mom's sister, my mom calls me by her name often).

The whole situation was HILARIOUS. Anyway, after having a glass of wine I perused the shop and stumbled upon Winnipesaukee Chocolate Bars. They are absolutely delicious. Please check them out :)
http://www.winnipesaukeechocolates.com/pages/Winnipesaukee%20Chocolate%20Bars.html