Bobbie Cooks for Four

WHOA-

Blast from the past! three plus years of no blogging, and going through my Google account one day I come across this. Wow.

Three plus years and two kids, purchase of a house, and new job later, hey! I'm back! Its funny, just the other day I was thinking, I should really blog again. And reading through these old posts I think yes- its a good idea. Its fun to see how I have changed in three years- cooking, lifestyle, etc.

Time these days is eaten up by bodacious boys who are rambunctious and little firecrackers. Our house stays messy and full of love. There is ALWAYS something that needs to be cleaned.

Meals are simple. Compromises abound. And I am satisfied with that.

The progression of a nursery

I'm excited to say that our nursery is almost done, after much hard work on the part of J. There are still certain things we need and plan to work on, but they are mostly finishing touches at this point.

We started our development of of the nursery with no real direction. All I knew is that I didn't want the nursery to be in pastels, or feel very "baby-y", if that makes sense. We started with items that were handed down to us by friends and coworkers:

Crib, mattress, sheets, bumper: all hand me downs!

Then we made a list of things we still needed, and decided to re purpose items from around the house to meet the rest of our needs:

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This ratan sofa doesnt fit anywhere else in our small house, so we stuck it in the baby's room, for now. To keep it in good condition, I sewed felt covers for the cushions. I still need to make covers for the pillows. A fleece blanket covers the back to make it softer for long feeding times. The boppy pillow was bought second hand for $8 by a family member! 

 This quilt rack is a great addition to the room, and will hold plenty of warm baby blankets.

 BUT- we still needed a changing table. We didn't have one of those hanging around to re-purpose, so we decided to do the next best thing: build one.

Building...

J has skills. The best part? When the baby grows out of diapers, we can modify the changing table by adding drawers and turning it into a dresser.

Sanding...

 I chose this green because it accented the crib nicely, and by choosing a color that is not a pastel, it can last longer and grow with the baby through his younger years.

Painting

11 weeks to go, and it feels great to be almost completely done!

Pear Sauce

Apple sauce is just so mainstream, right? Pear sauce is, like, hip. And fresh. Right? Right.

You can eat it plain. You can mix it in oatmeal. You can substitute it in applesauce bread. Best of all, its super easy to make.

You will need:
6 pears, diced, skin on
1/2 cup sugar

Yield: 3 cups

Combine the sugar and pears in your crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours. Turn off crock pot, allow to cool.  Scoop the pears into a blender and whirl until smooth. By leaving the skin on the pears, you are increasing the amount of fiber in the sauce.

Store the pear sauce in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for use later.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is an easy addition to any fall or winter repertoire! You can make it ahead and freeze it, and you can put any vegetables or type of meat you like. Ingredients are interchangeable.

Filling:

1 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of milk

1 heaping tablespoon of flour

1 cup shredded chicken

3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables

1 potato, diced small

1tsp garlic salt

pepper to taste

Biscuit topping:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 heaping tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter, cold, diced small 

3/4 cups milk

1 tsp parsley flakes

 In a large bowl, mix all filling ingredients. Spread into an 8x8 baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Easy enough, right?

For the biscuit topping combine flour, baking soda, parsley, and diced butter. Stir in milk. Spread over the top of the filling mixture.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.

Goals for October

I don't think I've posted a goal post since April. Yowza! Between then and now my goal has mainly been not to lose my mind. :)

Goals for October

Household:
Clean windows
Shampoo Carpets

Baby:
Finish nursery

Cooking:
Continue making breakfasts for the week on Sunday's
Try a new soup recipe
Keep our grocery budget under $150

Financial:
Pay off a credit card!

Gardening:
Till garden and put down landscape fabric

Lately.....plus how I really feel about being pregnant

Wow, has it been a while, or what? I just kind of fell off the face of the planet. No, wait, I've just been busy growing a human being, working full time, and preparing myself, husband, dog, and house for the biggest change of our lives. Thats all!

We have been steadily working on the nursery for baby's arrival. I will post pictures when it's ready. I have not been very good at taking photos of my pregnancy, and I'm really not sure why. I guess that even though it feels real, it also feels surreal....like I'll believe it when I see a crying pink baby kind of surreal.

I am entering my third trimester next week and I am slowing down a lot. This past week has been wrought in uncomfortableness: swelling, sleepless nights, and random aches (which I am told is all "normal"). I also feel like I am on fire! I cannot cool my body temperature to a comfortable level unless the entire house is set at 65 degrees. I dont know how the woman with the 20 kids and counting has managed to do this so many times without completely losing her mind.

I do not do well with slowing down. It's not in my nature. I work full time, and I give 100% when I'm there. Weekends are my time for outdoor projects, cooking like a maniac, and enjoying the great outdoors. I haven't been able to do these things nearly as much as what I would like. I feel limited. And I tell Josh often that this is what it must feel like to be obese: shortness of breath, needing to sit down a lot, even getting off the couch is starting to be a struggle. I can't just hop up anymore and go about my business.

Of course, it's all for a great cause. I think pregnancy forces you to see yourself for what you really are, though: a human. And quite frankly, I needed that little dose of reality. My life is going to change now...my priorities are completely different. And that's scary. And exciting. And horrifying. And wonderful.

Well, that's all for now. I am off to enjoy some Spiced Pear Baked Oatmeal for breakfast (recipe to come!) chug like 60 bottles of water, enjoy my ONE (damnit) cup of coffee, and savor this gorgeous fall day!

What pregnant chicks eat, volume II.

A-ha! The appetite is back! Woo hoo! It has taken several weeks, but I am finally (knock on wood) feeling like my old self (well, just a rounder, more bloated version anyway...). The last few days I have been enjoying the fruits of the season! Cherries, strawberries, peaches, yum! Things are looking up, especially after a few good meals in your tummy....

greek yogurt with strawberries and granola

Today I had a pretty overwhelming craving for Ruby Tuesday's salad bar. Random and weird, yes? So, we went, and I ate. And ate. And it was marvelous. And then I paid dearly with heartburn. Worth it! Oh, and I know you aren't really supposed to eat at salad bars. But whatever. I wanted it, and we've never gotten sick there before so I took a risk.

Pregnancy is fascinating. One day all you can eat is egg muffins, and the next you can't stand the sight of them and wonder how you are going to eat the remaining 10 that are in your freezer.....hmm.

The garden is starting to produce!

lettuce and spinach

We had a pizza with some spinach from the garden this weekend....the peas are coming in now, and it wont be long until we are enjoying tomatoes! I can't wait!

pesto pizza with dollops of tomatoes and spinach

Dealing with pregnancy cravings on the cheap

This is our first baby, so I must say that pregnancy do's and don'ts have been a learning curve for me. I don't generally find out I'm not supposed to do something until after I do it....hmm. You mean I'm only supposed to lift 25 lbs? So carrying that 50 lb bag of dog food around Sam's Club was a bad idea?

I say the human body is stronger than we give it credit for. Of course, I'll be taking J to Sam's Club for all my future dog food carrying needs from now on, though.

Anyways, on to the point of this post, shall we? Food!

I have been craving some strange things....for breakfast I could seriously eat egg McMuffins like, every day. So, in order to save money and make it slightly healthier, I made a bunch of them homemade and stuffed them in the freezer for easy morning access. No drive thru line required.

I'm going to just say a few things for any expectant mothers or women who might become one someday: when you are pregnant, cut yourself some slack. Normally I would have made my own English muffins, but I'm tired, darn it! While I spent a little more on buying them, I'm still spending less than going to McD's every morning. Another piece of advice: invest in some paper plates, because you won't want to do dishes. Promise. Sometimes spending a little money saves your sanity.

Egg and Bacon Muffins:
12 eggs
12 pieces of bacon, cut in half and cooked until crisp
12 whole-wheat muffins
12 slices of cheddar or American cheese

Grease a standard muffin tin. Crack the eggs into the tin, bake @ 325 until the eggs are cooked through (10-15 mins).

This is the easiest way to cook all of the eggs at once, and makes the process super quick (which is great if looking at food makes you queasy)

Assemble your sandwiches!

Garden progress!

The garden is booming right now with growth, and it wont be long until the we are starting to roll in fresh produce. Lets take a look!

Spinach!

I love this color!

Dill!

radishes. blegh, only J eats these.

red potatoes are flowering :)

Hydrangeas. This will soon be a huge blue flower.

lettuce galore!

sunflowers are 2 1/2 feet tall already...

tomatoes: celebrity, hungarian heart, lemon boy, cherry....surrounded by red onions :)

What pregnant chicks like to eat

I'm sure you have noticed my hiatus in the recent weeks....and I'm sure you can guess why by the title of this post!

What do pregnant chicks like to eat? Lets find out....

Pad Thai. Lots of it. And you wont find a lot of pictures to document what I've been eating, because the answer is not much.

I've been quite queasey. When I am eating, you can find me enjoying like, a piece of cheese. Or a cracker. Or mac n cheese. Basically, if it involves cheese, I can stomach it. Or pad thai, oddly enough. My appetite comes and goes. Often, something sounds good, then I bite into it and it tastes awful. Or, I force myself to eat something that looks unappetizing and it ends up tasting like gold.

 I have started putting up food for the year, though! Woo hoo! We went strawberry picking this weekend (we picked 20 quarts!)and I put up 12 jars of jam, a freezer bag full of frozen berries for smoothies, and left a few to eat fresh. I feel like a chipmunk, storing things away for winter, so I will be prepared for my baby.

Bread mixing in the machine. This machine has been a life saver, fo realz! Fresh bread (with cheese??) is a god sent on a flip-flopping stomach.

Hopefully next weekend I will be back to my regular posting :) Thanks for all the patience!