As I have attempted to put the pen to paper (or finger to keys) I found myself with a case of the very familiar writer's block. Or maybe a more fitting description would be, "I have 8 million thoughts and don't know how to organize them or make them cohesive and the chance they are actually interesting for this blog are slim..." It is both tempting and easy to just tell you about my day or what I did this weekend. But quite honestly, that is already happening on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. I don't care to tell you about the inter-workings of who Mike and I had dinner with and how I felt about waking up 5 times last night to pee (yes, that happened) or what my latest pregnancy emotion is; that could be a new blog post twice a day! ;-) So you'll forgive me when a little time goes by with no post, as I think on meaningful things to include here. Or at least, meaningful to me :-)
It seems I have taken on the underlying theme of "seasons" on the blog. Over the past couple weeks it has felt to me that I am again transitioning into a new season. One that has married the practice of reflection with the emotion of anticipation.
Yesterday I was 35 weeks pregnant, with 5 weeks to go until life as I know it will never be the same. Mostly this brings more excitement and joy for me than anything else. All I can ever remember wanting to be when I grew up was a mom. Of course that answer isn't acceptable for the fifth grade school project or your high school Spanish teacher, so I came up with a few "professional" answers and went to college and then became a nanny. I loved it. (Well, except for one family I worked for that confused the meaning of nanny with house slave.) But there is a sense in which I feel like I finally get to do what I've always wanted and my senior-itus can only last for 5 more weeks. In just 5 weeks I will have graduated and gotten my dream job. For me, that means the dreaded for some of you. Those 4 little controversial words that our society is so conflicted over, that moms are so conflicted over, that I have dreamed about: Stay at home mom.
**Very important side note: do not mistake my dream for an opinion. We are all different and have been gifted in a variety of ways. This is MY dream, not my opinion regarding the ways all mom's should raise their children.
With all this anticipation has come a great deal of reflection, too. As I think forward to what my son's life will be like, I hope and pray that in some ways it will be similar to mine. Abounding in great thankfulness, I can look back at the 25 years that make up my life and see that God has been good to me. I have not faced much suffering or hardship. I have known and felt without a shadow of a doubt that I have been loved every second of my life, despite my shortcomings or mistakes. All that I have ever needed and more has been provided for me. Sure, there have been seasons of difficulty and pain and minor hardship, but compared to what so many endure, I can see that I have been blessed. I am confidant I will face these times ahead, as the complications of life only increase with age. However, this is a reflection of the past, not a looking-glass into the future.
And so, as I continue to anticipate the future and reflect on the past, I am met with a myriad of emotions: Thankfulness, gratefulness, joy, eagerness, anxiousness. It is by God's grace alone that my reflections are met with a perspective that life is full and sweet. And it will be by God's grace alone that my anticipation will also be met with fullness and sweetness.
With Love,
L
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
Menu Monday: Butternut Squash soup w/ Brie and Apple Grilled Cheese
Once again, Happy Monday! If you're reading this than you already got through the hardest day of the week and are hopefully cuddled up on the couch with warm cider or a glass of wine. So let the unwinding continue as I tell you about our super yummy (always in my opinion) dinner tonight!
I'm not sure if naming it "Butternut Squash Soup" actually does this soup justice. It really is a medley of fall favorites including sweet potatoes, pumpkin and apples! If you are looking for your traditional Butternut Squash Soup then look away, this is not it. It is, however, one of my favorites! I first cooked this soup last fall and have since lost and forgotten much of the recipe. What I could remember, though, were the main ingredients. So tonight I experimented and I think it was a winner! To go with the soup I made a brie, apple and (turkey)bacon grilled cheese. Sooo gooood! Would have been even better with real bacon...
Butternut Squash (and sweet potato, pumpkin and apple) Soup
Ingredients:
Cut squash in half and roast flesh side up for 40 minutes at 400. Make sure flesh is soft when done, otherwise keep baking. At the same time, bake sweet potatoes wrapped in foil. While those are roasting, chop onion, garlic and apples and saute in olive oil (butter would be better!) until apples are soft. Scoop flesh of squash and sweet potato and add to the pot with onions and apples. Add butter and cook for a few minutes. Add in stock and stir. When mostly combined add brown sugar, milk and thyme. Cook 3 more minutes. In food processor or blender blend in batches entire pot of soup. Soup will be thick, transfer back to pot. Add in beer and bay leaf. Salt and Pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, crumbled bacon, or whatever your heart desires!
Do you have any tried and true butternut squash soup recipes? This recipe made a huge batch, so we will have it for dinner on Wednesday night, too! If I have leftovers after that I will freeze it in individual batches to pull out for lunch. Enjoy!
With Love,
L
I'm not sure if naming it "Butternut Squash Soup" actually does this soup justice. It really is a medley of fall favorites including sweet potatoes, pumpkin and apples! If you are looking for your traditional Butternut Squash Soup then look away, this is not it. It is, however, one of my favorites! I first cooked this soup last fall and have since lost and forgotten much of the recipe. What I could remember, though, were the main ingredients. So tonight I experimented and I think it was a winner! To go with the soup I made a brie, apple and (turkey)bacon grilled cheese. Sooo gooood! Would have been even better with real bacon...
Butternut Squash (and sweet potato, pumpkin and apple) Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash, halved and roasted and seeded
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, baked
- 1 can plain pumpkin puree (could just buy a pumpkin but I was getting lazy)
- 2 granny smith apples- peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground Thyme
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup beer (I used Sam Adams Boston Lager)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 bay leaf
Cut squash in half and roast flesh side up for 40 minutes at 400. Make sure flesh is soft when done, otherwise keep baking. At the same time, bake sweet potatoes wrapped in foil. While those are roasting, chop onion, garlic and apples and saute in olive oil (butter would be better!) until apples are soft. Scoop flesh of squash and sweet potato and add to the pot with onions and apples. Add butter and cook for a few minutes. Add in stock and stir. When mostly combined add brown sugar, milk and thyme. Cook 3 more minutes. In food processor or blender blend in batches entire pot of soup. Soup will be thick, transfer back to pot. Add in beer and bay leaf. Salt and Pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, crumbled bacon, or whatever your heart desires!
Do you have any tried and true butternut squash soup recipes? This recipe made a huge batch, so we will have it for dinner on Wednesday night, too! If I have leftovers after that I will freeze it in individual batches to pull out for lunch. Enjoy!
With Love,
L
Friday, October 4, 2013
Craving Confessions
Do you know anybody who is pregnant? Are you or have you been pregnant? Then you most likely know what I mean when I include in the title of this post, craving confessions. I have no doubt had my fair share of cravings in my first pregnancy. I would even say that as the weeks go by, the cravings have become stronger, more intense, give me what I want right this second! Like the time I bought chocolate milk while grocery shopping and was so impatient to get home and pour a glass that as soon as I got to my car I sat in the trunk and chugged a bunch right there in the parking lot! Things really hit the fan at the 32 week mark. The exact day I graduated to 32 weeks Mike and I were on the way home from my doctors appointment and I demanded a McDonald's chocolate dipped cone. This was my first official pregnancy demand. Later that night I found myself experiencing a bout of insomnia. This insomnia led to another first in my pregnancy... middle of the night snacking. The peanut butter cheerios that I had discovered at the store earlier that week were calling my name. It was 2am. I was tossing and turning and those darn cheerios kept calling my name. So I did it. I got up and ate a big bowl of peanut butter cheerios. I almost look forward to waking up in the night again to eat a bowl of those cheerios. Food tastes so much better at 2am.
Did you have any crazy or weird cravings while pregnant?? Here are mine!
First Trimester:
Coconut, Scooby Doo Snacks and fruit.
Coconut: I don't know what it was about coconut, but it was one of my sister's cravings too! I wanted coconut yogurt, coconut ice cream and popsicles, almond joys and coconut sweetener in my latte. It even got to the point where I was putting coconut extract in anything I could imagine.
Scooby Doo Snacks: they look like dog bones and I felt slightly salty eating them in public. However! They are basically graham crackers in the shape of dog bones only 100 times better than graham crackers. I carried the whole box in my purse for like 15 weeks!
Fruit: no fun stories here. I just wanted fruit all the time. Especially coconut ;-)
Second Trimester:
Chocolate Malts, Jalapeno Poppers, Almond Milk shakes, anything sweet!
Chocolate Malts: On any normal day of my life, I usually can't eat ice cream. I have some tummy issues and frozen yogurt will have to suffice for the rest of my life. BUT for whatever reason, while pregnant, my tummy struggles have ceased and I have been able to indulge in some of the foods that I can never normally eat. (ie, ice cream!) I come from a malt kind of family. Forget the milkshakes, we do malts. Chocolate malts to be exact. This summer Mike and I were in Atlanta for his work and I think on two different occasions I made the couples we went to dinner with drive us around to look for chocolate malts. Y'all, they are hard to find in the south! When I decided that I should stop consuming chocolate malts on a regular basis I went to the store and bought malt powder. I tried to make a healthier version of a chocolate malt using frozen greek yogurt but Mike requested I never make it again. Just as I did with the Scooby Doo Snacks, I also carried the malt powder around in my purse. I would order vanilla bean frappuccinos from Starbucks and have them add malt powder. Major props to Starbucks for being so accommodating!
Jalapeno Poppers: To be clear, cheddar jalapeno poppers. Might as well throw cheddar cheese curds in the mix too. Another type of food I normally cannot consume, so I have been thoroughly enjoying the downing of jalapeno poppers with no stomach ache end game. Normally I am a sharer. If I really like something I order I want everyone to try it. I do not share my jalapeno poppers!
Almond Milk shakes: Often times my friends and I share food ideas with each other, especially when we start to feel like we're cooking/eating the same recipes all the time. My friend Rachel recently shared this recipe and I have been making this shake at least 4 times a week!
1 cup almond milk
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup peanut butter (or almond butter, or whatever kind of ....butter you use)
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
a handful of ice cubes
That's it. Blend it up and you have yourself a yummy, protein packed lunch! I have seriously been obsessed!!
Third Trimester:
Entenmann's Cheese Danish.
No need to crave anything other than this sinful treat. It takes every ounce of self control not to eat the whole thing, honestly. Who needs homemade baked goods when you can find the most delicious tasting food in the world at almost any grocery store or gas station?
Just so nobody thinks I am neglecting the health of my baby, I should probably include that in addition to these cravings I eat a well balanced diet almost every day! I can't get enough roasted broccoli these days!
With Love,
L
.JPG) |
| 32 week picture, also modeling my awesome new snow boots :-) |
Did you have any crazy or weird cravings while pregnant?? Here are mine!
First Trimester:
Coconut, Scooby Doo Snacks and fruit.
Coconut: I don't know what it was about coconut, but it was one of my sister's cravings too! I wanted coconut yogurt, coconut ice cream and popsicles, almond joys and coconut sweetener in my latte. It even got to the point where I was putting coconut extract in anything I could imagine.
Scooby Doo Snacks: they look like dog bones and I felt slightly salty eating them in public. However! They are basically graham crackers in the shape of dog bones only 100 times better than graham crackers. I carried the whole box in my purse for like 15 weeks!
 |
| hey look, they're whole grain! |
Fruit: no fun stories here. I just wanted fruit all the time. Especially coconut ;-)
Second Trimester:
Chocolate Malts, Jalapeno Poppers, Almond Milk shakes, anything sweet!
Chocolate Malts: On any normal day of my life, I usually can't eat ice cream. I have some tummy issues and frozen yogurt will have to suffice for the rest of my life. BUT for whatever reason, while pregnant, my tummy struggles have ceased and I have been able to indulge in some of the foods that I can never normally eat. (ie, ice cream!) I come from a malt kind of family. Forget the milkshakes, we do malts. Chocolate malts to be exact. This summer Mike and I were in Atlanta for his work and I think on two different occasions I made the couples we went to dinner with drive us around to look for chocolate malts. Y'all, they are hard to find in the south! When I decided that I should stop consuming chocolate malts on a regular basis I went to the store and bought malt powder. I tried to make a healthier version of a chocolate malt using frozen greek yogurt but Mike requested I never make it again. Just as I did with the Scooby Doo Snacks, I also carried the malt powder around in my purse. I would order vanilla bean frappuccinos from Starbucks and have them add malt powder. Major props to Starbucks for being so accommodating!
 |
| thanks ebay, for the picture! |
Jalapeno Poppers: To be clear, cheddar jalapeno poppers. Might as well throw cheddar cheese curds in the mix too. Another type of food I normally cannot consume, so I have been thoroughly enjoying the downing of jalapeno poppers with no stomach ache end game. Normally I am a sharer. If I really like something I order I want everyone to try it. I do not share my jalapeno poppers!
Almond Milk shakes: Often times my friends and I share food ideas with each other, especially when we start to feel like we're cooking/eating the same recipes all the time. My friend Rachel recently shared this recipe and I have been making this shake at least 4 times a week!
1 cup almond milk
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup peanut butter (or almond butter, or whatever kind of ....butter you use)
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
a handful of ice cubes
That's it. Blend it up and you have yourself a yummy, protein packed lunch! I have seriously been obsessed!!
Third Trimester:
Entenmann's Cheese Danish.
No need to crave anything other than this sinful treat. It takes every ounce of self control not to eat the whole thing, honestly. Who needs homemade baked goods when you can find the most delicious tasting food in the world at almost any grocery store or gas station?
Just so nobody thinks I am neglecting the health of my baby, I should probably include that in addition to these cravings I eat a well balanced diet almost every day! I can't get enough roasted broccoli these days!
With Love,
L
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