Category: Here and there

Sometimes, something magical happens in the kitchen and I make something truly delicious. Really. Some kitchen magic happened earlier this week, all because of a spaghetti squash and left over cream cheese. Wanna know what happened? Okay, I’ll share with you.

 

Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole

-1 medium sized spaghetti squash (of course it’s best if it’s organic but it doesn’t matter too much since you don’t eat the outside and the inside is nice a protected).

-2-3  16 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I WISH I  had fresh ones)

-1 cup of cream cheese

-1 cup of chicken stock (or broth)

-1 small zucchini chopped

-1 whole sweet onion diced

– 1/4 cup of flour OPTIONAL (I used wheat and gluten free but I’m sure any will work since it’s just used as a thickener if you think you need it)

-1 cup lightly steamed broccoli

(here is where it gets intense but you gotta stick with it, I promise you’ll love it. In case you could’t tell, I swear by the spices in my cooking)

-1 t. basil

-1 T rosemary

-1 t. oregano

-1 T garlic powder

-1 t. thyme

– 1 t. sage

-1/2 t. fennel

-1/2 t. savory

-1 t. pepper (teaspoon! Not tablespoon! Or more if you want I guess….)

– 2 t. salt

– 2 cups of cheese (I recommend anything white. I used an italian cheese mix.)

*Note: this is NOT an allergy free meal, but it can easily be made so. I was just being bad and cheating because I didn’t want to waste our left over cream cheese.

 

Directions:

Take your squash and slice it in half length wise. Put it on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 min, really that time is “ish” because some people’s ovens take 30 min, mine takes 40, really it is done when a fork and get into the middle easily. It should look kinda like this: (ignore my gross pan, its just doomed to be that way, I’ve tried everything.)

That white stuff in the middle is just bubbly water from the squash.

NOW, while that is cooking, throw everything else (EXCEPT THE CHEESE)  into a big pan on the stove and heat it till it’s bubbly. It should look something like this:

 

If it DOESN’T look like this, thats fine, feel free to tweak the ingredients till it does. The veggies can be different, but I’d really try and go for that creamy reddish color. That what makes it so savory. And feel free to tweak the spices, but I LOVE very, very flavorful food as does Brownie and Husband.

Now, while that is getting all bubbly, your squash should be done. Take it out  (use hot pads to hold it since it will be hot to the touch) and take a fork and scrape out all the inside till it yields a couple cups of delish spaghetti looking “noodles”. These noodles will be crispier than regular noodles ( try some plain, they are super good!).

 

YUM.

Once you have all your squash ready and your mixture is all hot, mix the two together in a large bowl and combine in a casserole dish. It should be a tiny bit runny so don’t worry if it’s not all solid (think lasagna consistency).

Cover the top with the cheese.

Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

If you want a slightly crispy top ( I know I do), put the oven on broil for two-three minutes before you pull it out.

Dish and ENJOY!

 

…Luckily, Lil’ Man is already VERY easily distracted. Unless he wants the computer or into the dishwasher, then there is very little to be done except tolerate the one minute rage fest that ensues when either is denied him. In one of our more brilliant moments, Husband and I decided to make a sensory board for our very, very hands on little dude. This was in part to just make his room the little-boy-dream-come-true-playland but also to help with the recovery of his surgery, for which he in being encouraged not to move much (something that is almost impossible for him).

Before I even saw ideas on Pinterest, Husband had come up with the idea of using zip ties and a board with pre-punched holes, from Home Depot. Pure genius. That way, the sensory board can be changed out with different items really easily and grow right along with Brownie’s ever-expanding intelligence level. We got the board, husband cut it, and we came up with a list of things we thought would best capture Caidoc’s attention. We already had zip ties, so we only had to make a trip to the dollar store and then assemble it! Husband and I had SO MUCH FUN making it!

We have put a good amount of toys in Caidoc’s room, but luckily, we have really figured out how to utilize wall space, like with the felt board, so we just plunked the sensory board right next to his door (the door still closes, yay!). It has already been a showers taking/meals cooked/cleaning done savior! Haha! Caidoc loves to keep those little fingers busy. The board has really helped with keeping him in the house and relatively still while he heals. You should really make one of these boards if you have a busy toddler!

 

The finished product…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi! As promised, here is my post all about my families’ fitness and health. Since our little Brownie developed his egg allergy, we have completely eliminated eggs from our diet, that means in all baked goods and everything. In the early stages of his allergy Caidoc was also very sensitive to wheat, gluten, dairy, and soy. We have since worked those back into his diet but we kinda miss eating totally allergy free, it makes the body feel to light and happy! So, we have decided to re-commit to a allergy free eating lifestyle, at least at home. The best product’s I’ve found that are a necessity for allergy free living are:

Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats

I use these in lots of baking as a flour substitute, I simply blend the oats into a fine powder. Be careful of the recipe you pick, it’s best to use recipes that are already allergy free by design. I also get these oats in bulk from Cash and Carry, MUCH cheaper!

Egg Replacer

My sister in law introduced this to me and it changed my life! This makes baking without eggs unnoticeable.

Almond Milk

Husband and I tried rice milk for awhile but this is so much better, AND we get it from Costco which is about half the price of the stuff on Amazon.

Applesauce

This is the best and most simple replacer in baking ever! And it’s much better for you.

Chips

Okay so these aren’t totally “healthy” but MAN they are good and also fit our diet restrictions. YUM.

Those are the main staples I can’t live without in our allergy free eating. I’ll keep you posted on anything else cheap and easy I find! As far as health goes we like to keep VERY active. Husband has soccer once and week, we walk every evening together as a family, and I try and keep active with running four times a week and doing some strength and ab work three times a week. Sometimes I feel like I need to make more time for husband to work out since he loves it as much as I do. One thing we have started doing as a family is running 5K’s together. We did our first one when Caidoc was only 7 months old! We love it. This October I’m running a 5K with one of my friends and I’m very excited about it!

My advice for staying fit and healthy is by doing it as a ritual. It’s our families’ ritual, rain for shine, to go for a walk in the evening. Caidoc now asks to “go on an adventure” which is his way of saying that it’s time for a walk. Another ritual we have is by eating healthy, we love discovering new things to eat while having a couple handy “go-to” recipes for when we feel weak and want fast food 🙂

How do you eat healthy? How do you like to stay active?

One of my biggest woes with being a mommy is not being able to work out as much as I used to. I used to work out and diet like CRAZY, and I find that so difficult to do with a little one running around who loves to be involved with everything I do, and (what seems like) endless housework, paperwork, cooking, and job work to do. I know so many people just say, “make the time!” “get someone to babysit!” “trade off with your husband!”, well I do a lot of those things. I go running and walking with Caidoc in the stroller, and I workout in the afternoons, and I walk in the evenings with Husband and Caidoc as a family. We also don’t eat fast-food, or eat out much in general, and we get a lot of our food from our local farmer’s market. So it all sounds good right? What’s the problem?! With running three days a week, core and arms four days, and some yoga on days I’m feeling are particularly “Om-ish” , I’m not sure what’s the problem! Some people say running is the problem, but let me stop you right there. I can’t, and won’t stop running, not until it’s physically impossible for me to do so. I ran when I was nine months pregnant, and I ran when I tore some cartilage in my knee. Its not smart, but I do it anyways. The Oatmeal knows how I feel.  Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s not the running…

For some reason, I’m just not getting the same results that I usually always got doing the same type of works that I did in college. I still have 25% body fat and can’t wear my cut off jean shorts without wincing at my reflection. It’s one of the most aggravating things. I’m still nursing so I feel like I cant diet like I used to. I am determined to do infant led weaning and Caidoc has no intention of stopping anytime soon which is just fine, but I think causes me to think that I still need to eat like a pregnant woman, so really I wonder how much of my woe is self inflected. Ultimately, I think age is finally starting to take it’s effect and I’m not burning calories like a freshman anymore and I’ll just have to figure out how to do something different . Oh, the woe of getting old.

To deal with this woe, I developed a semi-alterego named Fat Abby. I say “semi” because it’s not a real alter ego. It’s just someone I refer to when I am being particularly lazy or indulging ridiculous cravings, example: ” ERMYGWAD I love Coldstone!! GOTTA HAVE IT! NOM NOM NOM”, “WHAT? One slice of pie you say?! NAY, TWO SLICES OF PIE, I SAY. PUT IT IN MY MOUTH! NOW!”.You’ll know what I mean if you follow me on Twitter, Fat Abby and I have battles occasionally, sometimes it’s not even a battle, it’s just a pathetic surrender. Sometimes she come out all of a sudden, “THAT PICTURE OF AN APPLE MAKES ME WANT FRENCH FRIES, DON’T YOU WANT FRENCH FRIES?! I LOVE FRENCH FRIES, GO GET FRENCH FRIES NOW!”

Anyways, Fat Abby has given me the ability to joke about my woe without becoming too introspective or whiney. She gives me the ability to openly admit that I am being bad, which usually keeps me from being AS bad as I probably would. Anyways, I can appreciate that side of Fat Abby, the other sides of her though (and there are many…) are my down fall. Either way, she is there. Perhaps she is some manifestation of my childhood nickname, Flabby Abby, given to me so lovingly by my older brothers. Or maybe she came from the massive weight gain I had when I was pregnant, or that I’ve always just gained weight reeeallly easily. Who knows? How she got here is not important. What IS important is that she’s useful at times, and for that I am grateful.

Now I think I’m gonna go have a glass of….water.

 

I cannot remember what I used to do with all my time. Oh wait, yes I do. I watched entire seasons of shows in a couple days. Gross. I can’t believe I was such a Jabba-the-Hutt. Yes, I just used a Star Wars character as a verb. ( You know you liked it.)

Since having Caidoc, I think time has become so much more precious to me. I can’t imagine wasting one second of his time, of his life. I want everything for him, all life has to offer- all the experiences, feelings, desires, and goals. When I look at him I see so much potential and so much wonderful, fleeting time ahead of him. It’s so EXCITING!

I don’t think my time, my life, is the priority anymore- his is. To be honest, I like it that way.  I’m going to do everything in my power to make it the best life possible for him. I have a feeling he was brought here, to me, for the very reason that I need to stop being so introspective and preoccupied with me, myself and I. Here everyone thinks he needs me, but really, I need him. 

I’m realizing that more every day.

Tell you what, I never, in my wildest dreams, thought caring less be so incredibly freeing.

Since I joined the Parenting Club on May 17th, 2012, I’ve had some of the most difficult and unexpected experiences of my life. I’m not talking about trials and joys raising a baby,  I’m talking about the Club that’s shaping me as a parent. The minute you walk out of the hospital, you’ve joined a new group of people and whether you like it or not, you’re in it for life.

It’s not as morbid as I’m making it sound. The benefits of being surrounded by help and advice and over flowing generosity is truly an incredible thing. I guess my pre-conceived  notions are to blame for any negatives I’ve found. I figured that once you have a baby you are a grown up, (of course I thought that once you got married you were a grown up, ‘course I figured that one out pretty quick ;). The fact of the matter is, having a baby doesn’t make you act like a grown up, and I’m finding out most people I assumed were “grown-up” because they had kids aren’t “grown-ups” at all. And it’s depressing.

What do I mean by “grown-up”…Let’s see. I guess I figured that the petty personal competition, selfishness, drama and obsessive behavior was given up at the hospital once you left and you came out being the best version of yourself (or at least trying your upmost) for the sake of the new little life you are responsible for. I’d like to say that I’ve fundamentally changed since I’ve had a baby. I think I have. I hope I have. Some people, haven’t. And now that I’ve joined the Club were I thought we’d all be trying to be our best selves, I feel let down- because that’s not the case.

I know it’s not fair to expect so much of others, and I know by the measure I judge others I will be judged, and that’s okay with me because I expect it and probably need it. I guess I just feel disillusioned. That’s okay though. Not all that glitters is gold.

 But some things are…

 

And they make everything else worth it.

Here I am again. Finally! I can’t believe it has taken me this long to get back to my blog.

I could say that I had a baby, my beautiful little boy Caidoc (KAY-doc) and I was so busy wrapped up in being a new mommy that I let Conundrum fall by the wayside.

(He sure is adorable eh?)

I could say that I was working at home and that was taking up a lot of my time and energy. But none of that would be the reason I wasn’t blogging. I think the reason was, that I felt I had nothing positive to say, and I didn’t want to be blogging if I was only going to complain. I know, kinda pathetic. There it is.

But I’m back. And I have a lot to say.

Generally, I don’t buy into the “New Years Resolution” game. I find it discouraging when, by mid-February, all the grandiose resolutions have been given up. So, I’ve given it a lot of thought (clearly, since it almost IS February, maybe I could just make Valentines Day Resolutions…) and here is what I have come up with: I resolve to try. Deciding to give up coffee or lose 15 pounds or read 20 intellectual books in a year or only go of Facebook once a week…to be honest, those would NOT happen no matter how hard I “resolved”. Call it weak will if you must, but I like to call it over-commiting. 2013 will be different because I am going to do what I do best: try. When I try something, I try it HARD. So, even I don’t accomplish something, at least I tried. And here is my list:

In 2013 I am going to at least TRY to do all these things.

1. I want to read more books. If I want my son to be a reader, I need to keep up with my reading. We are off to a good start, I treated myself to the new series by Veronica Roth, Divergent and Insurgent. They are more juvenile for someone my age but ya gotta start somewhere (can I admit that I am THROUGHLY enjoying them without sounding like a teeny-bopper?!). Caidoc is doing vey well too, he read books with me for a good 20 minutes the other day with rapt attention. For an eight month old, I’d say he’s ahead of the curve…even if the only book he wanted to read was a baby book of himself. *Ahem!*
2. Pre-pregnacy body. Yes, I know we all want it, but I WANT it. I desperately need to be back in shape in order to keep up with my little boy. He’s already tiring me out and he isn’t even walking. Also, I can barely do 20 sit-ups. That’s mortifying for me.
3. Cut the self-depreciation. I do it too much, it is not healthy and using it in humor can’t be the only way I make people laugh. I can be more creative than that.
4. No more “Latte Factor”! Recently, Chris and  I revisited David Bach’s Smart Couples Finish Rich (I highly recommend it) and it was motivating..and discouraging. To sum up, a “Latte Factor” is a seemingly small expense you regularly indulge in. Most of the time, these little expenses add up and over the course of a life time, $4 a day can end up being a half a million dollars. I am ashamed to say I have several “Latte Factors” . It’s not a daily thing, but it’s still bad.
5. Be a better wife and mommy. This is a day to day-er for me, and always can be improved on.

 

Disclaimer! This post might contain some positive reinforcement along with some mushy moments. I blame this entirely on hormones and promise to return to my usual dry/sarcastic humor once the wee one has been evicted and my hormones have been rearranged. Until then… enjoy this hiatus from the norm. 

Remember when I wrote The Things They Don’t Tell You About Pregnancy (Part 1)? I know, it was a long time ago, and I feel bad about that. But, I didn’t want to write Part 2 until I had something REALLY worth saying, and until I was further down the path of pregnancy knowledge. Now that I am close to popping, I thought I could finally write down those things that happen in later pregnancy that “they” DON’T tell you. Here goes..

For some reason, “they” (being doctors, parents, friends, random people on the street, web blogs, Yahoo chats….whatever…) do not tell future moms what it is REALLY like to be pregnant. I’m here to do that. In my last post about pregnancy I talked about the crap that happens that is absolutely and TOTALLY not given the gory credit it deserves. Well, I’m here to say; good things happen during pregnancy. Yes, I know. I said it. If you know me, you know I’m not the type to be without morbid curiosity and humor. So, to willing admit something positive has happened in the past couple months is a big step for me…especially when I’ve been whining and moaning about pregnancy. But, since there ARE good things that happen during this trying time, and most people either don’t want to hear them, or simply do not believe me, I am going to write it down. It’s the Truth people!

1. First things first….how can I put this…you will become more of a …woman? Hmm, no that’s not right. Okay, well, you can expect your boobs to enlarge to porn star status. Yes, I know that was blunt. If you are like me and been small chested your whole life, this is a welcome change. Although it can be painful, that does stop and for the rest of pregnancy they are just sit there…being the gloriously large bosoms you have always wished for.

You might say.. “Uh, Abby I know that… my mom told me that..” or ” Yeah, duh, that’s obvious.” BUT! Did you know that (if this is the first baby at least for me) that those things grow BEFORE you get your tummy? SO. In other words, you get a whole couple of months to feel what it is like to be Pam Anderson. At least breast wise. And folks, despite what I might say…it is pretty freakin’ fantastic.

2. Along with that upper chest ego boost, your, how shall I say this…your libido also shoots through the roof, and when I say shoots through the roof, I don’t mean baby conceiving libido, I mean, LIKE YOU HAVE NO IDEA LIBIDO (no, seriously, you have no idea, and trust me, I thought I used to “have an idea”, but you don’t until you experience pregnancy).

After the horrific death march that is the first trimester, the second trimester rolls around flaunting its boobs and libido and you think it can’t get ANY better than then…

3. YOUR METABOLISM GOES UP! Yes, the perfect trifecta, the mystical and rumored trifecta. Boobs, libido, metabolism.

See people, this is the brief moment in time when your skin is perfect, you have no baby bump, you have porn star boobs, you have no pesky period to deal with, you and your hubby are in seventh heaven, AND, on top of that, YOU CAN EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT. And, THIS HAPPENS ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Impossible?! No sir.

This is what I would imagine Victoria’s Secret models experience. All the time. At least that’s what it looks like in magazines.

So, if that was a little mind blowing for you, well, good. Because pregnancy isn’t all horrid and somethings are worth mentioning or we can expect to go extinct.

 

However, if you are one of those people that like to wallow in the grossness and difficultly that is pregnancy and constantly remind pregnant women that “their lives are over” and, “those things don’t happen to everyone” (oh yeah, these types appear EVERYWHERE once the bump comes out and love to suck the joy out of you like a fungus) you can go ahead and keep doing your thing. But, I for one, I’m going to enjoy the goodness endowed to me, and go flaunt myself to my husband whilst I still feel so inclined.

Cheers!

Everyone has a sub-conscience list of importance based on what they consider “important” at that give time in their life. Usually, this list changes with different priories. For some people it never does. I have come to the conclusion that some people’s lists coincide at varying points in their lives with lists of other people that they would not suspect (or maybe they do, who knows).

(Any given thing of “importance” is rated on a scale that specialized for each person (also based on what they find important) and let’s say that scale is the simple 1-10 category, 1 being the lowest priority or importance and 10 being the greatest.)

Example 1:

Fourteen-year-old girl full of teenage-y angst: 1 being something super not important like homework and 10 being returning the text of a cute guy that if she doesn’t return IMMEDIATELY (with the proper emoticons so that her her deepest emotions are clear) the world will, like, LITERALLY explode.

Same example…but different:

Thirty-seven-year-old woman that is a self-proclaimed Twi-hard, goes on blind dates with men she meets on Craigslist and has five cats with rhyming names: 1 is something super not important like volunteering time to charity and 10 being returning the text of a cute guy that is she doesn’t return IMMEDIATELY (with the exact right wording so she doesn’t seem desperate) she might miss out on her SOUL MATE.

Example 2:

Nineteen-year-old male: 1 is homework and 10 staring at the text from a cute girl for three days trying to figure out what to say.

Same example and…not so different.

Twenty-five-year-old male: (See above but substitute “homework” for “work”.

Example 3:

Twenty-year-old pregnant woman: 1, make-up and skinny jeans. 10, food and sleep.

Thirty-year-old pregnant woman: (see above).

Forty-year-old pregnant woman: (see above).

New-born: (see above).

Thirteen-year-old male: (see above).

Neanderthal: (see above).

Eight-seven-year-old male: (see above).

 

Conclusion? Pregnant women, contrary to popular belief, are the most easily pleased and most relatable category of persons.