"We should totally just STAB Caesar!"

Sometimes food makes me think about Mean Girls, which means its probably time for me to watch it for the 9,456,567th time. So before I have my "hump day treat," I'll fill you in on what I just whipped up for dinner.

Now that we are back on track with our meal planning, I've been trying out a few new recipes...while still keeping them easy peasy in case I need to stop to grab a crying baby or retrieve a paci that never seems to stay in Avery's mouth (no matter how much she wants it there). 

Today's dinner was both easy and delicious. Seth loved it (he tried to put mustard on it before trying it, but I stopped that nonsense before it happened...he loved it without the mustard). 

Easy Chicken Caesar Sandwiches 

3 chicken breasts

1 cup Caesar dressing (I just used Kroger brand)

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

Hamburger buns

1. Boil the chicken breasts in a pot of water. They will float to the top when done - who knew?! I didn't! This is an amazing thing to me!

2. When chicken is cooked, remove from water (discard water) and shred chicken. Put chicken back in pot after shredding. 

3. While on low heat, add pepper, parsley, dressing, and cheese. Cook on low until cheese is melted and chicken is warmed.

4. Slap some on a bun with some lettuce and eat it!

Easy, yummy...we will definitely be making these again!

Fiesta!

I'm at my mom's house today just hangin' around. Since everyone here is napping except for me (she babysits 2 little girls), I thought I'd do a food post since they've been few and far between lately. 

On a side note: Caillou is SUCH a little bitch. I hate that show so much and I'm being forced to watch it right now. He has NO clothes to wear! Dude, you are like 4 years old. You wear what your parents give you. End. Of. Story. Gawd. 

Anyway, I raided my parents refrigerator and pantry looking for something edible for lunch. Nothing really exciting there. So I remembered my healthy days prior to getting pregnant - I used to be good at throwing a random healthy meal together! Here's what I came up with (used to be a staple at my house when I couldn't find anything else for dinner):

Fiesta Scramble

2 eggs (you can use more if you want. This was for lunch so I only used 2, but for dinner would use 3-4) (tofu for veggie option!)

1/2 can Trader Joes Cajun style back beans, drained and rinsed (you can use more if you use more eggs)

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

1/4 cup salsa 

1 tbs butter (or Earth Balance or coconut oil for healthier options...neither were available today)

Salt and pepper to taste

(You could also add spinach, peppers or other veggies to this)

1. Scramble your eggs - I usually add a little water to make them fluffier...like a tbs at most.

2. Heat your pan and melt butter in pan. Add your scrambled eggs and beans to the pan, along with any other veggies you choose to use.

3. After eggs are thoroughly cooked, remove from heat and add cheese, salt and pepper.

4. Once the eggs are on your plate, add your salsa of choice, mix it up, and scarf it down!

I love making these scrambles because there are so many different combinations and you can use pretty much whatever you have lying around. Avocado would be yummy with this recipe also. Use white beans, tomato, basil, and Parmesan and Italian seasoning for a Tuscan style! Ooooohhhhh! I need to make that one next time ;)

EAT ALL THE COOKIES

I just made these cookies. I'm gonna eat all of them. Right now. I totally could. Don't doubt my abilities. 

I stole this recipe from my BFF Kelli. I have no idea who she stole it from. It's yummy. 

Healthy cookies (a better name is required - I'll think about it)

1.5 cups quick oats

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup chocolate chips

(Hey! Use dark chocolate or carob chips to make these vegan...you're welcome.)

Just mix those delicious ingredients on a bowl, plop 'em on a cookie sheet, and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Then eat all of them. 

(Also, for those of you who are
breastfeeding - add some brewers yeast and use rolled oats and you'll be golden...and have milkilicious boobies.)

stats? s/w/1month

Hey so because I posted yesterday about Avery's one-month-iversary, I didn't have her current stats - you know, single, white chick, livin' in the 'burbs with her 'rents. Haha jk jk. She just got measured 'n stuff at the doctor today.

Avery is the size of a real kid now! Like, she's average newborn size, which is still pretty scrawny for a one-month-old. 

Here's her latest stats:

7 lbs 11.5 oz (10th %)

20 3/4 in (50th %)

14 in head circumference (25th %)

Oh, and she's pretty normal according to the doc. Except for her toe. The weird one. Doctor said that's fine too - just weird...unique. 

one month

Avery is 1 month old today! You know what that means? Yes, we've kept a kid alive for exactly 1 whole month! Also, she hasn't been dropped, or lost, or forgotten in the house or car! Success!

Our little stinky princess has grown so much in the past month...she can now wear newborn size clothes! Which means we still have like, 2 outfits she can wear. This is really annoying seeing as how she has a million and one outfits in the 0-3 month size range that are super cute and  are super huge on her. 

Avery is pretty strong - she can hold her head up for quite a while (20 seconds is like, a half hour in newbie time) and likes to push herself up with her legs...while she is eating...which is a little annoying, but hey! strength!

Avery has peed on me exactly twice. Once was today. Happy Mother's Day to me!

Neck cheese. It's gross. It's stinky. Avery likes to store rotten milk in her neck folds. Yum. If we wipe her folds then slap some baby powder in there, she smells alright.

Baby girl thinks its cool to snack throughout the night. Like, eat a half to one ounce, sleep for 45 minutes, then eat a little more. Snacks. Not so cool at 3 am. 

She toots a lot. It doesn't bother her. She gets hiccups every night. She sometimes doesn't mind them. When she barfs, she just turns to the side and does it. It ain't no thang. 

Avery likes really loud Disney music. And when mommy makes a fool of herself singing and dancing along. 

One month has gone by too quickly. We love our little sweet pea and can't wait to see what month #2 brings! Fingers crossed we do as good a job keeping her alive this month as we did last!

the truth

The past month has been really eye opening. In addition to learning that some things don't go as planned, I've learned that in order to take care of others, you need to take care of yourself first and that no one is perfect. Aside from this - I have a perfect, healthy and happy little girl! Avery has already brought so much joy to my life and even though I'm still facing some issues, she is a constant reminder that although I'm not perfect, I am enough. 

Anyway, this post is going to be about the truth - the truth about childbirth and motherhood (so far) based on my experiences. A little sneak peek for the moms-to-be who read my blog (if there are any of you put there). So here's a disclaimer: don't continue reading if you don't want to know about girl parts and poop and if you don't like obscene language. Okay?  So now that that's taken care of, I'll begin. I think this would be easiest in list form:

1. Planning is just that, planning. Plans are not set in stone, so don't expect them to be. When I say that nothing I planned for my pregnancy, delivery, and even after that has gone as planned, OBVIOUSLY I'm exaggerating. But did most of my plans work out? Hell no! Was/am I disappointed? Of course! But I'm slowly getting over it. Things that didn't end up working out as planned for me: a healthy, problem-free pregnancy, a natural delivery, breastfeeding. In my book, these were HUGE things. I'm still dealing with a little bit of stress/anxiety from quitting breastfeeding. But everything worked out in the end and a healthy, happy baby is all that matters.

2. Childbirth hurts. I mean, it FUCKING hurts. I had a freaking epidural and I still wanted to rip out my uterus with my bare hands. All the blah blah blah about forgetting the pain and it all being worth it may be true, but don't let anyone kid you into thinking that it won't fucking hurt so bad...because it does.

3. Some women poop when giving birth, I'm assuming this happens when they are pushing. Did you know that you can shit yourself the entire fucking time you're in labor? I didn't. I do now. 

4. Ice chips are your friend. Eat them. Even better, have someone feed them to you. Your throat will still dry out completely and you'll have cotton mouth from breathing so hard you might burst a lung. But at least you can think about chewing ice for a second. 

5. After you birth your bundle of joy, you actually don't feel the doctor messing around in your junk, stitching it up and whatnot. People actually got that part right. Your baby will be all you see at that point - it's magical, I mean that (the baby, not the stitching of your junk).

6. I never knew a vagina could swell up so much. Maybe it was because I was bedridden, but seriously. It felt like I had ginormous balls between my legs when I finally stood up. But don't freak out - it went down a lot after that first day.

7. Your vagina WILL go back to normal! Yay for normalness!

8. Breastfeeding is HARD. Like, really. I had way too many issues so I made myself quit - it was best for both me and Avery. But don't get me wrong, if you can provide it, breast milk is best for your baby. 

9. Sometimes I go an entire day without knowing what I did all day. Seth will come home and be like, "what did you get done today?" And I'm all like, "I kept the kid alive, what more do you want from me?!" Seriously. I will have a pile of dishes and laundry undone and will not have turned on the tv all day, yet I still felt like I did ALL THE THINGS. It's weird.

10. Baby don't give a shit what you want. For real - they don't know and they don't care. You are there to serve them, and it's ok because baby snuggles. Duh.

11. Post partum depression is real. It's not a joke. It's why I had to give up breastfeeding - I noticed myself acting differently, I wasn't bonding with my baby, I cried more than one night per week, alone, holding my baby. I noticed this soon enough that I could fix it myself.  But if you have thoughts of hurting yourself, your baby, or anyone else then please, please, please seek professional help. 

12. Motherhood is the greatest gift. Do what you need to do in order to enjoy every second with your little one. If that means changing your plans so you can be happy, so be it. There is nothing more precious than the time you have with your little one.