Jeremy's Healthy Breakfast Bowl + A Birth Story

That was...rough
Facebook status. 9:58pm, July 7th

-Rewind-

7:25pm: Eleanor Hope MacGray is born

7:15-ish: I look at Jeremy between contractions and tell him pushing feels different this time. It's harder. It's taking a longer time. She must be big like they thought, I say. I'm very aware which was my goal, but I'm not sure I like it.

-Rewind-

4:50pm- Leave the house for the hospital. Contractions are anywhere from 1-4 minutes apart. Some come within 30-40 seconds of each other. On others a few minutes pass, but they are getting much more intense.

4:25pm: I pack my hospital bag because I haven't yet. I like to live dangerously.

5:00pm: Checking into the hospital. Does your stomach get bigger if your baby is bigger? That's my theory because, never, never, has it been *this* ginormous before. Hello!




5:30-ish pm: 5cm dilated

6:20pm: Jeremy tells me I've been in the tub for 45 minutes. I am shocked. It feels like 10 minutes. Again, I have no concept of time.

6:40pm: I am unable to talk much between contractions. I lay my forehead in my arms over the tub. I haven't needed to throw up yet (sorry) which worries me a bit since I have during transition during my other labors which, in my mind, is 7cm. Was I not there yet? How could I not be at 7? I am silently dreading each contraction and telling Jeremy how it's not restful between them even in the absence of pain. I can't articulate why that is. I am hot. I need cool wash cloths draped over my shoulders and sips of ice water every few minutes.

7:00pm: Sitting in the hospital tub telling Jeremy to get the nurse. Feeling lots of pressure.

7:06pm: 9cm dilated and my water just broke. I'm back in the bed, having transferred from the tub. Everything is intense. They tell me I'm close and that it's all happening so quickly. I am shocked. It feels like an eternity, not quick. They tell me I've only been out of the tub for 5 minutes. I have no concept of time. I notice the doctor dressing for delivery. Seriously? Is this happening now? They check me again. Paper thin I hear. I think I hear complete. They say I can push with the next contraction. With each subsequent contraction and push I think and say "oh, no." 
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At 1:00pm that day I sent Jeremy on a 2hr mountain bike ride. I had contractions but didn't say anything to him  becuase I wasn't sure if they would slow down and stop or keep progressing. Plus, I knew that either way we'd have time. Earlier that day my sister sent me a text asking me if she should stay in town where she had been visiting just in case I went onto labor that day, or make the 2 1/2 hour drive back home. I sent her off, assuring her I felt fine and was convinced this baby had no intention of coming. Then, around 11:30am our little family left the house to get the car washed and purchase our diaper bag. Good thing to purchase since I had three contractions on our 10 minute drive home. I needed to start paying attention. Truth be told, I had my first contraction while eating Jeremy's breakfast bowl around 10am but didn't know it was the start of labor. Later, when I realized I was indeed in labor and that she'd be coming that day, I was super excited. I felt good.

Jeremy's Breakfast Bowl - My last meal before baby


I started to time my contractions at 2:10pm while I edited my last blog post on why I want to have a drug-free natural delivery. It's intimidating to edit such a post while you suspect you are in labor and about to face everything you've written about. Although, it did help get my head in the game. From 2:10pm to 3:00pm, contractions went from ten minutes apart to six minutes apart.

Like I said, it was rough. Fast and furious, but rough. It took hours for my body to really get going, but once it did, it kicked into high gear. I tried my best to keep up. I knew it would be this way, as it has been for all my labors, but this one was quicker still towards the end. I checked into the hospital at the perfect time. I was still perky enough to walk in and change from my black Lulu Lemon ruffle skirt and aqua blue workout top (I had "big plans" for walking that day) into my hospital gown. Then I answered all of my nurses questions, greeted the doctor, and got my IV, all with smiles, stopping only briefly to quiet down and breathe with each contraction which by now, were progressively getting worse. I didn't know from that point it would only be two hours until I had myself a baby.



And you guys? I did it. Drug-free and natural, just like I hoped! I was also pretty present throughout the experience which made time move at a strange, inconceivable pace and everything seem just a bit more surreal. I was very, very aware. This was my goal and I was completely resolved to taking it one contraction at a time, but it was getting tough. I had to keep refocusing on the present and getting through the contraction at hand and not think about what was next. When the time came for pushing, I didn't want to, which caught me off guard. I had wanted to with Jeremiah. But this time, It didn't bring relief. It felt unnatural even though there was immense pressure and the need to do it, all which bothered me. Something about pushing was harder this time. I told Jeremy that something didn't feel right, and it was very hard work, so "she must be big." Ellie was big, with a big head to boot, but she was also POS (face up) which makes pushing much harder. They told me this after she was born, but I knew something was up. I was just so...there. I can't say I liked it. And since I've been saying so, people have been responding with "but at least it was really quick." This, I've decided, doesn't mean anything. Had it not been as quick, it would also not have been so intense. Quick doesn't equal easy, lets just get that straight. Mmmmkay?



After she was born they placed her on my chest. They kept remarking on how big she was, but she looked itty bitty to me...until later when she suddenly looked gigantic and I wondered how in the world she had fit in my belly to begin with. You know the part after you have the baby and you think all is good until, like, two minutes later when all the cramping, stitches, teeth chattering shakiness, cold, soreness and flu like symptoms rush in? Well, being my fourth baby, they were all supremely heightened this time. I know these after effects notoriously get worse with each child a woman has, but still, I was quite in shock over the intensity of it. I had to keep asking if it was normal. I also was losing a bit more blood than expected and when they got me up to switch rooms I almost passed out twice. I guess you could say my body was ready to rest and recover already. I slept like it was my job that night...after pizza. My husband totally went out at 10pm and got us pizza from our restaurant.







Big brother and sisters coming to see the baby for the first time




So did I like natural childbirth? No. I didn't like or enjoy natural childbirth. But then again, I didn't expect to. Childbirth is -hard.freaking.work.- It's hands down the hardest thing I've ever done. I knew I wouldn't "like" it. I wanted to embrace it. And I did. That's what changes everything. I was able to embrace and face something that was taxing and brutal, with intentional boldness-battling my fears along the way, and came out victorious. Childbirth like this is the most exhilarating and terrible thing I've ever experienced. Although, ask me about it the same night and I'll tell you it was only terrible.  :) Overall, I was much stronger and in control this time around than with Jeremiah's natural birth. I had a sense of- you got this- in my head. I did have to battle my fear of being able to handle the pain with each contraction, and not get too far ahead with the what if's -What if I can't take the pain thirty minutes from now? What if it gets worse?- And that was my biggest mental hurdle.




Eleanor Hope MacGray was born at 7:25pm, on July 7th 2013, weighing 8lbs 7oz, measuring 20" long, and screaming. 

Eleanor: Shining Light

Hope: "Hope" is the thing with feathers -

             That perches in the soul-

             And sings the tune without the words-

             And never stops--at all-

             Emily Dickinson

Ellie didn't settle down for quite a while. I was worried I had a cryer on my hands. I was even more worried an hour later when she still hadn't stopped. She's still so new and tiny but I can already tell she is the sweetest thing I've ever laid my eyes on. I think she's an old soul. She's very alert and listens intently when you talk to her. She has me completely smitten. I quickly declared she was my "plump chicken" which sounds weird if you don't already know that I call each of my kids some sort of animal (Isabella's my lamb, Jeremiah -much to his dismay- is my pig, and Olivia is my dove. Although, most recently she gets called "dragon" for her guttural yells, plus she sleeps "in the dungeon" which is really just dramatic speak for "downstairs." It's a loving name, I swear.)

The kids came to see their sister about an hour after she was born but only stayed a few minutes since she was still crying at that point and I needed to feed her. Jeremiah was especially attentive to her, wondering aloud about her, gushing with pride. Olivia, surprisingly, seemed to know exactly what was going on and who the baby was, like she had been expecting her. She remains curious about Eleanor and wants to be right up next to her wherever she is. For the most part she knows to be gentle which is amazing. Livy seems older to me now. Isabella held her right away and couldn't wait to celebrate her arrival. In typical Isabella fashion, she walked right up to me in my hospital bed, eyes wide with anticipation, a sly smile on her face and asked rather excidedly and bluntly "so, did it hurt?"

Um...yeah, I guess you could say that.

Jeremiah, in his typical fashion, was more compassionately concerned about me. He made sure to check on me a few times during his brief visit to make sure I was okay. I smiled and assured him I was. 

My Grandma, me, my Mom, and Grandpa

In my last post I wondered what change I might see in myself for having chosen this process. I have no doubt the revelations will keep coming, but I've already noticed a instilling of one of life's greatest lessons. I knew and understood this logically before but now I can feel it as well. I know it. In a nutshell? This life is hard. And in this life we will have trouble. Somedays can feel like a marathon to get through, and other times I feel like a complete failure. --Hold up people, I'm about to get deep-- During my contractions I found myself singing this song in my head. It goes like this :"Lord I need you, oh, I need you. Every hour I need you" Then I would get annoyed and angry at the lyrics and think to heck with that! Every minute, every second, I need you in this particular case. The same is true in my everyday life. Sometimes you are not rescued from the storm. Rather, you are made strong enough to weather it. It's in how you handle these times that count. I will not always be rescued from the woes of my life. But I will be met in them. I don't have it all figured out, by any means, and I still fail at times - epically- but I have learned to find some amount of comfortableness by just sitting in the midst of the hard stuff and being able to take it in, feel it's weight, and fight the temptation for a "quick fix" in lieu of the "real fix." I've learned to take it one second, one minute, one hour (one contraction) at a time and wait for clarity or strength in the midst because I trust it will come. I can also battle any anxiety about the future when I'm able to just meet each moment as it comes and learn to trust that I am always a work in progress, but have faith that I'm working towards something good. I don't think it's about being able to "like" or "enjoy" natural childbirth or any pain for that matter, but rather, for me, it's about being able to be vulnerable enough to be taught and changed by it even though that often hurts. I don't need to run from the hard stuff. With help, I got this. 

Coming home from the hospital

First family picture

Big daddy, little baby

And? The wisdom tooth surgery I've been putting off for years because I'm too scared about being put under (I've never had surgery). Yeah. That's gonna be cake now. And, honestly? Like magic, I'm...wait for it----------not. even. scared. 

Boom!

I just blew my own mind.

My friend Kel  came to the hospital and took a lot of these pictures for us. She's the best. 

Hey, wanna have what I had the morning Ellie Hope was born? Let me answer that for you, because it is so, so good. Yes, you want what I had.





This is Jeremy's Healthy Breakfast Bowl. We decided to name it that since it reminded me of the polar opposite of Garth Brook's Breakfast Bowl, which consists of bacon, eggs, sausage, cheddar, tater tots, and cheese tortollini, and is probably the worst possible thing to fuel up on in the morning, at least to me. In contrast, Jeremy's breakfast bowl consists of a fried egg, refried beans, fresh salsa or tomatos, a sliced avocado half, sautéed spinach with onion and garlic, and a dollop of Greek Yogurt. A squirt of lemon, a sprinkling of garlic flakes and sea salt, and it's heaven! I love savory breakfasts and this one fills you up with tons of vitamins and minerals, fiber and protein. Sometimes Jeremy sprinkles some diced pickled jalapeño over his bowl to spice it up. Any way you do it, it's delicious. We even found a way to only dirty one pan and one bowl for the whole process. First you sauté the onions and spinach in a pan, then remove it to a bowl until you need it. In the same pan, fry your eggs and move them to the side when done (or into your serving dishes. Next, warm the beans through in the same pan while you slice your avocado and lemon. By the way? You need the lemon and garlic flakes (we use McCormick brand) and sea salt. It's not optional since it brings all the flavors together.

Jeremy's Healthy Breakfast Bowl
serves 4

1 5oz package of baby spinach, or one big bunch or regular spinach
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
olive oil
butter, for frying eggs
4-8 eggs (I like one per person, but you may like two per person)
2 avocados, sliced
1 can Amy's refried black beans (this brand tastes so much better than others)
fresh salsa, like pico de gallo or chopped fresh tomatoes
Greek yogurt
lemon wedges, for serving
dried garlic flakes (spice isle)
sea salt

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic cloves and sauté another minute. Add the spinach and cover with a lid until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and transfer to another bowl.

In the same saute pan, fry your eggs over medium heat in a bit of butter until done to your liking. I like them over medium. Transfer your eggs to individual serving dishes. 

Warm the beans through in the same skillet used to cook spinach and eggs over low heat. While beans are warming, slice your avocados and divide them up between bowls. When beans are warmed, divide a scoop between the bowls. Next, add a dollop of Greek yogurt and scoop of salsa to each bowl. Squeeze lemon wedges over the spinach, avocado and yogurt. Sprinkle the entire dish with garlic flakes and sea salt. 

I try and get a little taste of everything in each bite.

Why I Want a Drug-Free Natural Birth

Because food is not on my brain since I'm 7 days past due...Forgive me.

Birth of Jeremiah

When people find out I actually have the desire to do birth drug-free, and have had another child the same way, the reaction is usually the same. Why in the world would I want to do that? Why would I put myself through the pain when it is unnecessary? Some people look at me like I'm crazy. Modern medicine is there for a reason after all, so why wouldn't I take advantage of it? In a nutshell, people in general do not understand why in the world someone would pick the hard way when there is a much easier way. 

I am not a masochist. I don't love pain. If I have a bad headache I take ibuprofen. I'm not against drugs to help alleviate pain when I am sick. It's just that a woman birthing a baby is not sick, she's in labor. I think that might be the difference for me. Honestly? I think there's a lot of needless confusion and fear about giving birth ( I recommend renting "The Business Of Being Born" for more on that).

I've had a drug-free natural childbirth before when I had my son, and if I'm being completely honest, my reasons were less than noble. I did it because my husband wanted me to and I wanted him to be proud of me. He saw the value in the experience back then. I didn't fully, but still I wasn't opposed. My need for approval can be great. It makes him sad to know that's why I did it now because we both know his love for me is unconditional and I don't need to prove anything to earn it. Ah, human flaws! I went in blind, trusting there was some value to be had somewhere, but not really understanding what or why. It was...hard. I remember gritting my teeth and barely getting through the whole thing. At the end I felt accomplished, like I had achieved something to be proud of, but just didn't know what. I was proud of my natural childbirth for years but I couldn't fully articulate why. I didn't feel superior to anyone else for having done it, but a part of me felt sad for the women I knew who didn't have the desire or get to experience the same, but I couldn't tell you exactly why.

I have an tendency to get very curious about certain things in life. When it happens, I become very well read on whatever it is and seek to understand it fully. Childbirth is one of the things I got passionately curious about. I like this about me. To me, it means I am alive and finding my own way in life, instead of living and doing things the way someone else says I should. For me, it allows for living life intentionally and purposefully which takes effort and work but also means I have a real reason and understanding for making the decisions I do, which I think is responsible. Sure, I can live life more passively and not ponder the questions that arise when I get curious, but that's not for me. I want to know why. I want solid reasons and belief for doing the things I do. So, why would I pick the hard way instead of the easy way in childbirth? Because it's worth it.

Because deep down, I believe I can do hard things. And I think going through life's hard stuff is what shapes us as people. Character if you will. Can I trust and be brave and strong enough to get through them? And if so, how well? What was the condition of my mind, body, heart and soul throughout the process? How scared was I? Did I need to be? I think these questions are worthwhile. It's one of the questions in my Christian life that gets raised again and again. I think embracing childbirth for all that it is (scary, hard, messy, beautiful, work, unpredictable) is a rare opportunity for growth. Because when things get hard down the road, when it really hits the fan, I can be confident in knowing, really knowing I can do it because I've already overcome in my hardest moment. That freedom and confidence throughout my life is totally worth it to me. In natural childbirth, every woman faces their darkest hour. You get to a place where you'd just assume die than go through with the rest of it. To choose to trust your body and endure, be steadfast, surrendered and determined is crucial. If you can do it then, in that moment when you're at your weakest, taxed and tested to the very depths of your soul...you can do it anytime you need to thereafter. That's pretty bad ass I think.  Personally speaking, the only person I cheat in choosing the easy way is myself. 

Feeling it with Olivia before the epidural

Is this for everybody? No, probably not. And any woman who has taken the time to evaluate what is most important for her at that time in her life has my utmost respect with her decision. Twice I've decided I just didn't have what it took to birth naturally and that's okay. Sometimes, being humans, we are just plain tired and our road has been too weary or we're not ready for such a thing. For my first baby, going au natural wasn't even an option. I would have not seen the point just like all the people I mentioned in my first paragraph. I didn't know the value to be had yet, and that's okay. I was twenty years old. Had I been forced to birth naturally back then, I can't say I would have been able to translate the hardness into anything beautiful or beneficial. I had to first be aware of the value to be had which came with time and life experience. As time went by, I started to see more clearly what exactly I had gained through my natural childbirth with Jeremiah. 

A few years ago I had to do a two-month long sugar cleanse (basically vegan, no wheat, dairy, fruit, or anything that turns to sugar in the body). For a foodie like me, with no prior experience with limiting any particular foods, it required determination, steadfastness, endurance, trust that I was doing what was best and a will to choose to stick with it day in and day out and not give into temptation and no-no foods. It seems lame to compare a cleanse with childbirth but I'm telling you, each day on that cleanse I was tempted to eat something I shouldn't and would get discouraged thinking about how long it would be before I could have normal food again (two months is a long time!) I felt very defeated, so I would tell myself this: Don't think about tomorrow or how long this will last, just focus on today and this meal. Determine to choose the right thing today and win this particular battle, and eventually, before you know it, you'll win the war. Dramatic? Yes. Effective? You bet. I realized at some point that I probably wouldn't have had the willpower to see the cleanse through had I not gone through the experience of natural childbirth. If I had, it would definitely have been a lot harder with many more "cheats". As the years have gone by since then, I've experienced and been put in several situations where I can directly correlate how successfully I handled myself or had a victory over something using what I learned I could do in natural childbirth. The list is endless. I've had enormous benefit even though I initially went in not knowing what I would come out with. And? At my husbands suggestion we gave our son the middle name Ethan, which means strong and enduring, after me in childbirth. Pretty nice perk if I do say so myself. 

I chose an epidural with my third baby, Olivia. I went into labor not knowing if I wanted to do it naturally or not and that's ultimately what sealed my fate. When I arrived at that do or die moment, I wanted relief. You'll always choose relief and comfort if your not determined otherwise, and you know what? That's okay too. There's no point in doing something hard for no good reason at all and at that point in life I was tired. 

If everything goes my way, this baby will be the first time I choose to go into a drug-free birth knowing exactly what I am doing and why. Barring any complications, I'm glad I get the chance. 

Jeremiah

I am really curious as to what I'll learn going into it willingly this time. I plan on taking it a step further and not just trying to "get through it" but be present and not shaken as well. My body is able to deliver a baby naturally and women everywhere have been doing it for centuries. The calm and control it will require will almost bury me, I'm sure of that. But I'm determined to take it one contraction at a time. One small win at a time...and eventually, I'll win the war. In the end, it may not be as gracefully or as picturesque as I see it in my head, but that's okay. There are lessons to be learned everywhere and places to be revealed to grow and I welcome that. My goal is to do the best I can with what I have. That's all anyone can hope for, right?

Grasshopper Pie

A little while ago my little man tore out this picture in a magazine and ran up to me with eyes wide "Mom! We have to make this!"



I filed it away with promises of getting the ingredients at the store, but weeks went by and I never did.  Finally, last week he saw me making my grocery list and ran to get the recipe from my drawer "Oh, mom? Are you forgetting this?" So I piled the cart with ingredients for grasshopper pie, stuff like marshmallows, milk, whipping cream, green food coloring and Oreo's, all to Jeremy's dismay and much to the kids delight.

I was very glad to be able to make this with him before the new baby comes and my time will be even more limited. He was very proud of his green pie and loved that "grasshopper" was part of the name. He toted it inside my grandma and grandpa's house last week for a family get together and took the first piece come dessert time.





Cool and fluffy, green and minty, sweet and milky, grasshopper pie is a classic and should make an appearance on your table this summer if you have kids. We used a recipe from a kids magazine so it called for mint extract and coconut extract for flavorings instead of the usual creme de menthe and cream de cacao. I don't recommend this as my first choice because it tastes better using the liquers, and there is not enough in the recipe to hurt children. Made with the extracts it was a little sharper tasting and my daughter thought it was a bit too much like the flavor of toothpaste (but in all fairness she uses a fresh mint Tom's toothpaste, so it probably did). So, use the liquers if possible for a more sophisticated flavor.



Well, I'm officially two days past my due date. I had an ultrasound and non-stress test yesterday and all is well and I am fit to carry this baby a little while longer. But...They are pretty sure this baby is big. Like, 8lbs 7oz big, and putting weight on rapidly by the day. This is by far my biggest baby. Isabella was 7lbs 15oz, so we know I can deliver an 8lb baby, but my doctor is a little concerned with it getting too big if I go a week past my due date. We'll at least wait until I'm a week past my due date to even consider inducing, and then we'd only consider that if the baby was getting too big. I'm generally against inductions unless there is an emergency or the baby is in danger. However, if I let the baby get too big I risk having to have an emergency c-section so I have to weigh what's worse.

Hopefully it doesn't come to that and she just decides to make an appearance before then. After all, my original due date was June 24th before they moved it to the 30th based on ultrasound measurements. Come on baby!!!



Grasshopper Pie
adapted from The Pioneer Woman, by Ree Drummond and Family Fun Magazine
makes 1 9" pie

• 17 whole Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (we used Oreo's)
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• 24 whole Large Marshmallows (or Container Of Marshmallow Fluff)
• 2/3 cups Half-and-half or whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons Creme De Menthe Liqueur (more To Taste)
• 2 Tablespoons Creme De Cacao Liqueur
• Drop Or Two Of Green Food Coloring (I think we used 3)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Extra Cookie Crumbs, For Sprinkling

Throw the cookies and melted butter into a food processor and pulverize (or, if you have some aggressions or energy to expend, you can crush them in a large Ziploc bag.) Pour into a pie pan and press into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set aside.

Heat marshmallows and half-and-half in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as it's all melted and combined, place saucepan in a bowl of ice to cool down quickly. (Stirring occasionally will hasten this process.) Or put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Once cool, add creme de menthe and creme de cacao. Taste and add more creme de menthe if needed. Add one to three drops green food coloring. Place back in the refrigerator to cool for another 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff. Pour cold marshmallow mixture into the whipped cream and fold together gently. 

Pour filling into chocolate crust (note: you might have a good 1/2 cup filling left over, depending on the size of your pie pan!) Sprinkle extra chocolate crumbs over the top. Place pie in the freezer and freeze until very firm, at least two hours.

Remove from freezer ten minutes or so before you want to slice and serve.

Pasta with Zucchini Wine Sauce

For someone who likes to cook I eat out a lot. I go to breakfast twice a week on average and one of the things this means in a small town is it's a bit like Cheers. Everybody knows your name, and you know theirs.

I wrote about really wanting a quilt for this new baby a while ago. I wrote how I wanted every special person in my life to pick a fabric for a square that I could use. I really wanted not only my family and friends, but the people I interact with on a weekly basis at my favorite restaurants to be represented on this quilt. I knew it was a long shot. It's quite the undertaking to start such things. Someone would have to care very much. And besides, it's quite awkward to ask businesses for quilting fabric, yes?

For whatever reason (maybe because she's the sweetest woman on earth) Kristy Fox who owns Freshies restaurant here in Steamboat decided to kick this off for me. Soon, I showed up at Winona's for breakfast and was greeted with a gift bag of fabric from the owner...Kristy had spread the word. The next week Creekside sent Jeremy home with fabric for me as well. You guys. I seriously cried that people who were not in my immediate family or circle of close friends cared. And because of Kristy starting it -bless that woman-, word got around and at my baby shower on Sunday (it was mostly family who was visiting from out of town who were here for my sisters wedding and a few friends...I kept it small since my family is so big!), I received several swatches of fabric and I've been told there are a few more in the mail! I'm thrilled and blessed and so excited to have this quilt made. I sat on the deck eating perfectly grilled wild salmon that my grandfather had brought and my new brother Patrick (the chef) had cooked (and I learned how to get grill marks on the flesh side of fish! While it's cooking skin side down spray the top with a bit of oil so it won't stick and flip over. Make sure the grill is perfectly clean before you begin.) There was also kale salad, Asian pasta salad, caprese salad, watermelon, guacamole, punch, beer -not for me- peach crostada, cupcakes, vegan gingersnaps...I mean it was awesome to just be able to relax and talk over great food.



Special thanks to Cindy my Mother-In-Law for hosting my shower. I am 39+ weeks pregnant and full in every sense of the word...in a good way. I had my doctors appointment today and I'm still at zero station and have been for two weeks, but I'm also 1 1/2 cm dilated and 70% effaced! I'm so excited because I've never dilated before I actually went into labor. Any. Day. Now. Let's just let the reality of that statement settle in a minute.

It feels like I haven't been in my kitchen in forever. With the wedding and family and events we've just been eating out, but yesterday we stocked our fridge once again and I'll be playing with a few new recipes this week unless I have a baby, I guess. I made this zucchini and wine pasta right before it started to get crazy around here, and I've been really excited to share it with you. It's so good. The zucchini gets cut small and cooked in wine. Everything reduces and the zucchini melts a bit and becomes a sauce. Fresh herbs, Parmesan cheese, a bit of butter and pasta water to thicken at the end just seals the deal. I made this with 100% whole wheat pasta to up the health factor. This one is easy but decadent. We sat outside one night with a coolish breeze and slurped down our bowls. I was asked multiple times to make this again. Oh, I will, probably next week.



Pasta with Zucchini and Wine Sauce
adapted from Nigellissima, by Nigella Lawson via Health Magazine

serves 4

Salt and Pepper
16 oz penne pasta
8 scallions, thinly sliced 
4 Tablespoons garlic-flavored oil (I just added 3 cloves of garlic to the oil and cooked for a minute)
2 lbs zucchini, finely diced
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring a pot of water to a boil; add salt generously. Add penne and cook per package directions. Before draining, remove a cup of cooking water.

In a heavy-base pan that has a lid, cook scallions and oil over medium heat, stirring for 1 minute. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add wine letting it bubble up. Add a handful of parsley. Season generously with salt, lower heat, cover with a lid and cook until zucchini is gorgeously tender, about 10 minutes longer. Taste and season with salt again (this dish needs quite a bit of salt because of how many vegetables are used).

Tip drained pasta back into it's pot. Add zucchini sauce, the rest of the parsley, the grated cheese, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Combine throughly and taste, adding pepper, and more cheese, salt or cooking liquid to get the consistency you want. I only needed a bit of salt for mine. Stir in the butter until melted and divide between 4 bowls.

Artichoke and Mushroom Quiche

Fun things happening around here lately so that's why I've been a little MIA. Sorry, friends, although I do plan on posting regularly, I may not be on my twice a week schedule like usual for a little bit.



My sister came up two weekends ago had her hair and make-up run through for the wedding. Then, I hosted her Breakfast at Tiffany's themed wedding shower the next day for brunch. I usually make most of the food I serve at my parties from scratch but being that I was 37 weeks pregnant at the time I decided to cut myself some slack. I ordered the Meadows salad from Freshies, one of our favorite breakfast spots, and some biscuits and gravy from Creekside, one of our other favorites. My sister loves biscuits and gravy. Loves. Then I picked up some cake donuts from Milk Run in lieu of a cake. The only thing left to do was assemble a fruit platter and mimosa bar and bake up a few of these delicious artichoke and mushroom quiches.









I've been doing a lot of things I love lately which makes me happy. It's a celebratory time here with the wedding and maid of honor duties, plus the upcoming arrival of our baby girl. All this while the flowers are blooming, the weather is warming and the sun is out in full force marking the arrival of summer in just a few days. But to top it all off? I am huge. Officially now. Even I'll say it. Jeremy took this picture of me the other night and I thought Oh, I actually don't look that big. Maybe it's all in my head. 



But then this picture was taken the same night and I'm pretty sure I look like my stomach is photoshopped to be bigger than it actually is. I assure you it is not. It looks like I'm holding an enormous pillow or all-white beach ball or something. Just keeping it real.



Luckily, I wore black to my sisters shower, which was entirely appropriate being Breakfast at Tiffany's theme and all. Black is much more forgiving. She on the other hand wore white lace. Stunning white lace. Isn't she the prettiest?





This quiche is packed with ingredients which is how I like it. The egg part just sort of holds everything together. It's not the cleanest slicing quiche in history, just because of the chunks of artichoke and onions, but it's guaranteed super delicious.

Artichoke and Mushroom Quiche
adapted from The Pioneer Woman by Ree Drummond

makes two quiches

• 3/4 pounds Thick Cut, Peppered Bacon
•  5 tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Onion, Very Thinly Sliced
• 2 boxes (4 Oz. Each) White Mushrooms, Washed And Sliced
• 1 can (14 Oz.) Quartered Artichoke Hearts
• 2 pie crusts ( I used Marie Calenders brand from the frozen section)
• 7 whole Eggs
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Grated Swiss Cheese
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Optional: Fresh Parsley, Fresh Chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside. Pour out excess grease but don’t clean the pan.

Melt butter in the same skillet. Add onions and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and artichokes and cook for a few more minutes. Salt mixture to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with cream. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper, and set aside. (Add cayenne pepper if you’d like a little kick.)

With a slotted spoon, add mushroom mixture into egg/cream mixture. Use your judgement with this. If it seems like it's way too much vegetable mixture for the amount of eggs, don't use it all. I know this is a vague instruction, so for reference, I ended up not using about a whole cup of the veggie mixture and reserved it for an omlette the next day. It's just that you can't half the ingredients or you won't have enough filling, so just make the whole batch. Stir together. Add bacon and stir. Add parsley or chives, if desired.

Pour into pie crust and press to submerge ingredients. Cover loosely with foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 45min-1 hour. Bake for slightly longer if quiche is overly jiggly.

Remove from oven and allow to set for ten minutes before serving.