My new BFF - Kale

Kale is seriously my new favorite super-food ever ever. I have to say that since I've been consuming kale at least 5 times per week for the past 3 weeks, my postpartum anxiety has subsided and I just feel better. There are so many nutrients in kale that if you eat it regularly, it can only do good for your body. The magnesium, in particular, has amazing properties that help with anxiety and depressive tendencies - so eat your greens!

So far, I've only used kale in my morning smoothies. I haven't yet ventured into the world of kale chips and salads (the chips I could do, the salads I'm a little wary of because the texture of the leaves still freaks me out a bit). 

Here's the kale breakfast smoothie that  I'm currently digging: 

Almost-Piña-Colado Super Smoothie

(Makes 10(!!!) servings to freeze!)

1 bunch of kale, chopped (Trader Joe's also offers bagged, chopped kale for $1.99 a bag and one bag is enough for 10 smoothies - whatta deal!)

2 bags frozen pineapple chunks (Trader Joe's is also awesome for this - 2 bags at a cheap price!)

10 tbs chia seeds

10 tbs coconut oil

2 1/2 cups coconut water

5 cups almond milk

Each bag will get 1 cup of kale and 1 cup of pineapple chunks - freeze these and they are ready to go in the morning!

In the AM:

Blend - 

1 bag frozen kale and pineapple chunks

1 tbs chia seeds

1 tbs coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut water

1/2 cup almond milk

Make sure you blend this really well, or you will get yucky kale-chunks, and no one wants that. 

Enjoy! 

i'm a guest blogger!

My recent failure at cooking has been noticed! My BFF Melissa asked me to do a guest post for her blog and I was more than happy to oblige - nothing like getting noticed for your sucky cooking skills, eh?

So check out my post on her blog, Nailed It or Failed It and don't forget to take a peek at all of her recipes, craftiness and home improvement projects (most of which are "nails" because she's awesome)!

the low down on the "down low"

Yay! I'm finally writing a blog post that I had promised (unlike the updates of Avery's room, etc. oops!)! We FINALLY started using cloth diapers a few weeks ago! It took so long to get started because baby girl is so teeny - she started off wearing preemie disposables (!!!) so needless to say, the newborn-sized cloth diapers we bought just didn't fit her...and we weren't really anxious to deal with any messy blow outs. So far, I LOVE cloth diapering our baby. It's not only environmentally friendly, it's cheaper than disposables, super easy, and I'm not running out every week to buy more diapers! It's also addicting - have you seen some of the diapers out there? So cute! I want 'em all (but at about $18-$25 a pop, I'm not likely to get them all lol). 

I wrote a post prior to Avery's birth about which items we were planning on purchasing to start out our cloth diaper stash. Well, they've been put to good use already! 

So cute, right?! I know. 

Here are the diapers that we've been using (and loving): 

The prefolds and fitteds that we purchased (from Green Mountain diapers) had been washed and dried 5 times prior to use. This helps ensure proper absorption - you don't want poo or pee rolling right off of the diaper! Our covers were washed and hung dry once prior to use. 

The covers that we have include: 2 Bummis Super Brite newborn wraps, 2 Thirsties newborn wraps and 5 Rumparooz newborn covers. The wraps are all aplix (Velcro) and the covers are snaps. My favorites are the Thirsties wraps with prefolds during the day and the Rumparooz covers with a fitted for nighttime. I like the Bummis too, they work just fine, but I prefer the others. I also prefer snaps over Aplix - I think they will last longer and are more secure. If we are going out, I will sometimes use a fitted diaper with a snap cover - they hold more pee so she can stay in them a bit longer and it makes going out a lot easier (not that it's all that hard anyway). 

Fitteds are pretty self explanatory - you snap it on then put a cover over it. Here are the 2 prefold techniques that we are using: 

A pad fold: just fold the prefold on the folds, fold down the back (for girls) or front (for boys), center it in the cover or wrap, and insert baby! Super easy because you don't need to use any fasteners! I was a bit wary of using this fold because I wasn't convinced it would hold everything in, but it's really the only fold we use (and hubby likes how easy it is too). 

The other fold we use is a combo: 

Using the same pad fold as above, I place my newborn prefold (the tan one) inside of a bigger prefold (the white one). Fold the front edge of the bigger prefold over the front edge of the smaller, insert baby, and do a jelly roll fold with the bigger, using a snappi or pins to fasten. A jelly roll fold involves rolling the edges in, pulling the front of the diaper up over baby, then bring the back corners up front and fastening. We use this for heavy wetting days mostly, but I've found that this is much better for containing poo and I can use my covers a lot longer this way (poo doesn't touch the cover!). 

We wash the diapers about 2-3 times per week, depending on how much Avery goes and how often we change her (no more nighttime changes with fitted diapers though!). 

Here is our wash routine: 

Wash #1: cold wash, no detergent, no extra rinse

Wash #2: warm/cold wash, Rockin' Green detergent, extra rinse

Dry: prefolds and fitteds in the dryer, covers hang dry.

Super easy and because they are such small loads, it really doesn't take long at all.

Cloth diapering is so easy that we've convinced our moms (Avery's grandmas) that its no big deal and they are willing to use them when watching baby! 

We've slowly been building our stash of one size pocket diapers for after Avery outgrows her newborn stash (that may be a while). Right now we are stocking up on bumgenius brand diapers - recommended by our friends Ashley and Trevor (I've mentioned their blog in previous posts). I also want to get a few Rumparooz one size diapers because I love the covers so much.   

Before Avery was born, I discovered Modern Natural Baby in Ferndale. It's a natural parenting store with tons of cloth diapers and other goodies. If you are interested in switching to cloth, I highly recommend stopping by there - the amount of advice and support they can give is endless! The owners are awesome (a wife and husband) and are more than willing to help out newbies. They also offer classes! I just stopped in over the weekend and picked up 2 new bumgenius diapers as well as some pail odor remover. A testament to their great customer service: I paid for my odor remover and left it at the store, not noticing till I got home, called the store and they are shipping it to me free, no questions asked and happy to serve! I'm totally not being paid to advertise for this store, I just am in love with it! So go there!

Also, if you read my blog and have any questions, always know that I'm more than willing to help out! Just ask :)

Happy cloth diapering!!

Avery is 2 months old!

Wow! I cannot believe that my little chickpea is TWO MONTHS OLD! Two months! Time seems to have gone so fast, yet it seems like much longer since my belly was huge with only a 5 pound baby. 

Being a mom gets more amazing every day - just seeing her new little smile lights up my world, and I can't imagine my life any differently. Although going back to work has been easy for me, that doesn't mean that I don't miss being with Avery every second of the day! My mom watches her (and brother Auto) during the week and she sends me pictures of my little one throughout the day! 

Avery had her 2 month check up at the pediatrician yesterday - and she's still such a little peanut! 

9 lbs 5.5 oz (under the 25%)

23 inches long (in the 50% - tall girl for her weight!)

14 3/4 in head circumference (between the 25% and 50%)

This doctor visit was pretty intense - Avery got her shots and mama cried with her! Poor baby got 3 shots in her sweet little leggies and cried harder than she ever has before - even harder than when she came out of me! Though that was hard, I'm really happy to know that she is right on track with everything and is happy and healthy.

Here's what's new with out little sweetie pie:

1. Smiles! Avery started smiling about 2 weeks ago. She knows mommy and daddy and smiles when we come into a room and when we boop her nose! 

2. Kisses! Avery gives "kisses" (really she's just trying to eat our face, but we like to think its kissies!) and we love them, even though they are slobbery!

3. Avery takes showers with daddy - and LOVES it! We tried to give her baths, but she loves the water so much that she wiggles a bunch (and wet babies are HARD to hold onto) and gets mad when we are (all 3 of us) slipping and sliding all over the place. A shower is SO much easier and Avery loves the water beating down on her itty bitty tushy!

4. Our bedtime routine has finally figured itself out: starting at 9pm - shower (only twice a week right now) or wipe down, night time diaper (big ol' booty), jammies, reading time, bottle, and snuggles. Avery sleeps from 10-2:30/3 in her crib then from then until 5 in her swing (or crib again, but rarely). Seth and I switch on and off nights and its been working out great!

5. Cloth diapers finally fit that little booty! We've had to try a few different techniques, but they work and we love them! It feels so much better to not be spending money on diapers every week and the laundry load is totally manageable (2-3 times per week)! During the day, Avery wears a pad-folded prefold in a cover (sometimes with another, larger prefold jelly-roll wrapped and snappied over the pad-folded one if she's having a heavy wetting day) during the day and a fitted cloth diaper with a  rumparooz snap newborn cover (LOVE these) at night - we don't need to change her at night because the fitted works so well!

6. Our morning routine is going well! Since I've gone back to work, Seth and I wake up at 5 and Avery gets up between 5 and 5:30. Seth dresses her and feeds her while I get dressed, then we all kiss goodbye and he takes her and Auto to gramma's house for the day. I pick them up after work.

7. Avery can hold her head up pretty well and her new favorite game is "standing" - she pushes up with her legs off of our bellies and stands up...then slowly lowers herself back down after a minute or two.

8. Avery loves to sit up and look out like a big girl! 

9. Avery still fits in the newborn hold in our wrap, and loves to cuddle with mama in it. I can put her in there and she will snuggle in and fall right asleep!

10. She is such a good girl when we go out! 

11. Avery is still wearing newborn sized clothes (and some preemie pants lol) but can fit into a few 0-3 month sizes (but I'm pretty sure I shrunk those when I prewashed them).

12. The tongue. Avery has discovered it and is so amazed that she can stick it out! She looks like a little puppy dog with her tongue hanging out all the time (not to mention, she pants like one too!)

13. Avery loves being naked! Every time we put her on her changing table she gets so excited - kicking her legs all over the place! She just loves to be a nakey baby!

We love our little peanut so much - happy two month birthday, baby girl!

busy bee

Now that I've been back to work for a week, I have finally realized how much I like to be busy. Yes, I do love sitting at home and I do love being alone at times, but having a (pretty much) filled up schedule helps me tackle the not-so-fun things I need to get done (like cleaning the house). I think I've done pretty well adjusting to my new schedule as a working mom - Seth is having some trouble with the adjustment (he had to get up earlier to take Avery to gramma's house every morning), but he's working on it. 

One thing that I'm sure has been helping me out so much is having my lunches and smoothies for the entire week made! This was probably one of the best ideas I've ever had, and I don't know why I didn't do it before (maybe because I didn't have a baby?).

Yesterday was an interesting day. I babysat Grace, one of our BFF couples' kids, at my mom's house while the boys were at the Tigers' game. It wasn't so bad. We only had 1 fit thrown and 1 extremely-nasty-not-from-this-planet super poop (I was laughing so hard at the nastiness that came out of Gracie, that I stopped breathing - it was intense). So, all in all, a good day. After dinner, I did my weekly grocery shopping, then headed home and whipped up this savory-sweet recipe for lunch during this week at work:

Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad (adapted from a recipe at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice)

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped*

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

2 green apples, diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup feta, crumbled (leave out for a vegan option)

6 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tbs lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook quinoa according to directions and set aside to cool.

2. Add 1/2 cup of the walnuts, olive oil, and 2 tbs of the lemon juice to a food processor or high power blender and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. To a large bowl, add quinoa, apples, cranberries, green onions, feta, and the rest of the onions and toss with the remaining 1 tbs lemon juice. Add the walnut dressing and toss again, making sure to evenly coat all ingredients. 

*the actual recipe calls for the walnuts to be toasted prior to processing. I said F that because I'm lazy, but do what you want.

honestly...

Ok. I'm just gonna throw this out there. 

I loved going back to work. And I'm not ashamed.

It seems, to me at least, as if there is this intense pressure on moms to feel guilty for going back to work. People are like, "oh my gaaaaaawd, you're leaving your new baaaaaaaby, how awwwwwwful, don't you wish you could just stay home and snuggle all day?"

Bitch, no! I don't wanna stay home and snuggle all day. Been there, done that. I LOVE my daughter. I ADORE her. My not wanting to stick around at home all day has NOTHING to do with her. It's all about me. And if I've learned anything at all from being a new mom, it's that you need to do what's best for yourself so that you can do what's best for your child. 

Now, this totally all depends on what type of person you are. Some people would be fine staying home all day and getting things done around the house, plus caring for children, plus activities, plus more. Props to y'all. Me? If I have too much time on my hands, I don't know what to do with it. I don't do anything. I WILL sit on my ass all damn day and be exhausted from the effort of doing absolutely NOTHING. The thought of getting out the vacuum will make me yawn. Dishes will pile up. I. Am. Useless. Needless to say, my house isn't too pretty after 7 weeks of this. 

I NEED to work. I never thought I would say that about myself, but it's true. Without the daily routine of getting up, going to work and coming home, I am just a bum. I need that routine to get me going enough to do things like clean my house and make awesome lunches (see previous post). 

So - going back to work was awesome. I've never been happier to sit in a back room, alone, with a giant pile of papers to enter into databases. I missed Avery and our snuggle-naps, but there will be ample time for those on the weekends. It's like, now I have the best of both worlds (Hannah Montana, anyone? No? Just me?) - I can go to work and feel like I'm DOING something (and actually be doing something productive) AND I can come home to my sweet little chickpea and snuggle her all up. It's a win-win. 

back to the grind

I'm going back to work tomorrow. Yay. It's almost like I can't contain the excitement (note the sarcasm). 

I lie. I'm not completely devastated to be going back to work - if I could stay home with my little one, I would, but I gotta do what I gotta do and I am looking forward to having a daily schedule again...I definitely don't hate my job. 

(But seriously, I wish I could spend all day just hanging with this cutie patootie)

In an effort to be extra healthy (and lose that extra 20 (!!!) pounds in baby weight), I took the time today to prepare my lunches for the whole week (as well as green smoothie packs and a snack). I need to try to walk on my lunch break too - we'll see how that goes, I have a LOT of work that needs to be caught up on, 7 weeks' worth. 

So I've been doing my research and (you know all about it if you follow me on Pinterest) I've found tons of recipes for simple, healthy lunches that I can make up on Sundays to last me the entire week. Here's what I came up with for this week:

Black and White Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa

1 can black beans (drained/rinsed)

1 can white beans (drained/rinsed - I used great white northern, you could sub navy or chickpeas)

1 cucumber (diced)

1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)

1 small red onion (I omitted this because Kroger didn't have any...I know, whaaat??)

Dressing: 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

2 tbs lime juice

2 1/2 tsp chili powder (courtesy of my friend Ashley - I didn't have any. Thanks, Ashley!)

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 tbs Italian seasoning 

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa as directed.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Add beans, veggies, and cooked quinoa and mix thoroughly. 

This made about 6 cups - the perfect amount to cover my entire work week!

In addition to this yummy lunch, I made up green smoothie freezer packs - enough for 10 (!!!) smoothies! That means I have 2 weeks of smoothies ready to go!

Here's what you need:

5 green apples (peeled and diced)

5 bananas (peeled and sliced)

A bunch of kale (destemmed/chopped)

A bunch of parsley (chopped)

Each bag will contain:

1/2 apple

1/2 banana

1 cup kale (tightly packed)

1/4 cup parsley (loosely packed)

These can be thrown in the freezer until you're ready to use them! Just add to the blender with about a cup of water (im sure your fave nut milk would work too) and blend! 

Oh! I made a snack too (I was definitely on a roll today)!!

Garlic Roasted Chickpeas 

1 can chickpeas (drained/rinsed/dried ~30 minutes)

2 tbs olive oil

1 clove garlic (minced) 

2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After chickpeas are dry, add them to a bowl with other ingredients and toss to coat thoroughly. Spread chickpeas out evenly on a cookie sheet and bake until crunchy.