Vegetarian Chick'n Salad

Are you ever confused when/why vegetarians title a non-meat food item a meat title? I certainly was, however I realize since vegetarianism is still not widely popular, certain tastes and textures for food are best described with a meat title. For example I don't love this chicken salad because it tastes like chicken, however I do enjoy the chicken-like TEXTURE in the Gardein Chick'n used in this recipe. The meat titles are a matter of texture and presentation for me.

Vegetarian Chicken Salad
Source: Adapted from Food Network Magazine, September 2011 Issue
Serves 3

Ingredients
1 2-pack of Gardein Chick'n Tuscan Breasts *without the sauce*
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/4 onion, diced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon all seasons salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
pinch paprika
Freshly ground pepper
Whole Wheat Wrap
Lettuce (for topping) SS: Tomato would go well also, but I don't like tomatoes on my sandwiches

Directions
1. Combine the chick'n, celery, carrot, red onion, mayonnaise, mustard, all seasons salt, granulated farlic, paprika and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Mix until combined.
2. Serve the chick'n salad on a wrap with lettuce.

I vegetarianized this recipe, originally it was meant for 1 cup of rotisserie chicken, so feel free to adapt if you eat meat! Serve this with nuts, chips, or pickles - your favorite sandwich accompaniment. Make this vegan by substituting regular mayo with vegan mayo.

6 Weeks

Holy smokes folks! My maternity leave is up and today is my first day back at work. While I have a ton of email to catch up on, I have a ton of updates about my little bear! First, I think I missed out on one of many firsts: rolling over. I'm so upset that I missed this, and that I'm not sure whether or not I missed it. I woke up yesterday morning, and laid her down on her belly for "belly time" in the center of her playmat. I turned around for about 10 seconds to grab something from my bathroom and when I looked back at Naja, she was on her back and halfway off the mat! I was confused when I first saw her. I thought to myself: Did I put you this far away off the mat? Did I put you on your back? WTH, did you just ROLL OVER?!?!? What just happened!?!?!?

I then did what any parent would do - I put her back on her belly hoping to see this great "roll over" feat again. To my dismay, she did not roll over again, instead, she hung out on her belly, lifting her head until she was ready to do something else. Totally the pits!

Another thing - Naja is FASCINATED with my hair. She started focusing in on things (with her eyes) last week. You can tell she really is looking at you now! Well, she seems to stare look at my hair more than my face. I know this because when I move, she moves, but she's not looking at my face. She only does this with me, and it's hilarious. If I had to caption her facial expression when observing, it would be something like:

"What is that on your head? That's different...haven't seen that look on anyone else...seriously, that is SOOOO interesting..."

Naja is learning more and starting to interact more with everyone, and I'm loving the growth! It's crazy how quickly they change from week to week at this age. What an amazing thing to watch.

Banana Bread

Those of you who know me know that I like to eat tasty, healthy food. I'll also indulge myself with something delicious with little to no nutritional value on occasion also. Regardless, taste is very important to me! This banana bread is tasty and very, very nutritious - I was SHOCKED! I've made other healthy sweets that didn't make it to the blog because I didn't like it, thus I simply wouldn't suggest for anyone else to make it. However, this banana bread is packed with nutrition and taste. Give it a stab before you look at the ingredients and say "HECK NAW!"

Banana Bread
Source: Adapted from never(home)maker
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter, softened (or 1/3 cup Earth Balance), plus more for greasing pan
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 banana
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup almond milk
1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup garbanzo beans
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 handfuls chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Then, lightly grease a bread pan. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and maple syrup. A couple of minutes should do.
3. Then add in the vanilla, almond milk, garbanzos, peanut butter, and banana. Mix on high with the flat beater attachment until everything is smooth - 5 to 7 minutes.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until well moistened.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Pour the mix inside.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, then check for done-ness. Then add another 10 minutes to the bake cycle and keep an eye on the bread so it doesn't over-bake.
9. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Say WHAT? Whole wheat flour, no sugar AND GARBANZO BEANS!?!?! Yes, yes and yes! Surprisingly the garbanzo beans only change the texture, and I really like what they did. This can easily be veganized by substiuting butter with Earth Balance.

I've made this twice since discovering it. I would suggest that you ONLY make this if you have an electric mixer...or super strong arms, but preferably the former. Additionally, I found I got the best texture with the beans using the flat beater instead of the wire one. I tried both, so trust me on this one. I'd love to hear if any of you make this, please let me know what you think!

Nurse the Baby

I decided I wanted to nurse Naja as soon as I knew I was expecting. Naturally, I thought nursing would be easy. I thought my child would latch on to my breast like it was second nature, and the milk would flow like a faucet...while some of my assumptions were accurate (ex. faucet flow), others weren't. Below are some speed bumps I ran into with nursing my baby.

1. WTH - my child is slightly jaundice, won't wake up, and I'm having problems with her latching! When Naja was firstborn, the nurse tested her for jaundice, but found her to be negative for it. Naja was EXTREMELY sleepy during the first week. The child would not wake up! One week later her doctor informed me that she probably was slightly jaundice. One way to tell if a newborn is jaundice, is to observe the skin and check if it's slightly yellow. While the nurse did check her for it, I guess she missed the yellow on my baby's brown skin. Anyway, because she was jaundice, she was sleepy and didn't wake up often. Since she didn't wake up, she didn't eat much. Therefore, she lost a lot of weight in the hospital (more than normal). Finally, since she barely had any food in her system, she didn't have the energy to latch on (take my breast). Thus, I was waking a sleepy, but hungry baby every two hours,  feeding her my milk through a syringe with my finger, and pumping afterwards to make sure I had some milk for the next feeding AND to protect my milk supply. I was a VERY TIRED mommy the first week! Thankfully, Naja took a liking to my breast when she was 4 days old, and all of the above issues resolved themselves shortly after!
2. So nursing hurts, and Lanolin will be your BFF. My nipples were very sore the first 2-3 weeks of nursing. The best analogy I can provide is one of musicians who play string instruments. When I started playing the guitar, my fingers would become very sore and start to callous because my fingertips weren't accustomed to the strain applied from the strings. However, after some time, my fingers toughened up, and I no longer had calluses. Well, the same ideology applies with nursing. I apply Lanolin after every feeding session, and it helps a lot!
3. I'm a working mom, but I still want to give my baby my milk. As a working mom, choosing to nurse my child puts a couple more tasks on my list of things to do. For starters, I need a pump, and pumps are expensive. The good portable ones cost about $250. Thankfully, a family friend gave me her pump, so I simply purchased new accessories. Second, you're going to need some time out of the work day to pump. My lactation specialist suggested pumping when baby would normally eat - for me that's every three hours. I'll let you know how this goes when I return to work.

Those were my nursing speed bumps. I hope this helps gives inquiring minds a heads up. All in all, I can say that nursing is very rewarding. I feel like it has strengthened the bond between Naja and me, and I know it's best for her health.

Curried Rice and Quinoa Pilaf with Pistachios and Prunes

This is just a little something I put together for a quick meal a couple of weeks ago. Note that I could not find cooked lentils, so the meal took much longer since I had to cook them. However, I definitely think this can be finished in under 30 minutes if you buy the pre-cooked ones.

I know some of you may read this title and think, "Wow, that sounds like a lot!" It is a lot, but the flavors mesh fairly nicely. The curry adds a nice savory flavor, paired with the sweet prune flavor, and the pistachios add another nice salty flavor. I'm sure you could also substitute prunes with mango. I've already proven that curry and mango pair nicely together!

Curried Rice and Quinoa Pilaf with Pistachios and Prunes
Source: Adapted from Vegetarian Times, September 2011 Issue
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (~1 cup)
1/2 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup red quinoa SS: I just used regular quinoa, the red quinoa has the same flavor, however the color makes the dish more appealing I suppose
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 cup finely chopped pitted prunes
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

Directions
1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add rice and quinoa, and cook until rice beings to turn opaque. Add curry powder, and cook 30 seconds. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, add bay leaf, season with salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 to 18 minutes, or until grains are tender.
2. Remove from heat, and stir in lentils. Cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Fold in prunes and pistachios.

This dish would be a nice side dish alongside any main protein (Ex. chicken or salmon). I would suggest a rosemary-olive oil rub on whatever protein you chose. I ate mine with a side salad.

She's Alive

Dress, hat - Urban; Shoes - Target; Earrings - Frank & Myrrh; Watch - Fossil

Date: Saturday, August 20, 2011

Hey everyone, I haven't posted any pictures of myself in forever. I know that's extremely vain, but this blog is part-style, so vanity is kind of a part of the whole deal. I will have A LOT of updates some time soon. For now, this outfit was worn for a family fun night. BONUS - two of my line sisters came to visit me, I love those girls :)

Zucchini Fritters

Have you all noticed that I like zucchini? I've made 2 types of zucchini cakes here and here, a zucchini lasagna, and a zucchini roll-up appetizer, just to name a handful. Yep, it's definitely a veggie that I like to cook with. Ironically, I don't like this vegetable raw, however I love it's taste in all of these recipes! These cakes had a surprisingly lovely creamy taste (courtesy of the ricotta), and a refreshing subtle lemon taste. All in all - these are great snacks, and I'm sure you could make a meal out of them, but you would definitely need something else to accompany them!

Zucchini Fritters
Source: Food & Wine Magazine, August 2011 Issue
Makes about 15 fritters *Could make more or less depending on the size

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded
2 garlic cloves
4 large scallions
3/4 cup ricotta
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 cup all purpose flour
Olive oil for frying
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, garlic, scallions, ricotta, eggs, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir well, then stir in the flour just until incorporated.

2. Line a large baking sheet (or a plate, or colander) with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil until shimmering. Working in batches, add 2-tablespoon mounds of the zucchini batter to the hot oil, spreading them to form 3-inch fritters. Fry over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain the fritters on the paper towels and serve right away.

4 Weeks

WOWZERS, my little bear is already 4 weeks old!!! I can't believe it, the time has literally flown by. This past week I took Naja out alone (just the two of us) for the first time. On Sunday, I planned for us to go to church and the grocery store. I think my plans were a little too ambitious for Naja...

First, I had to switch the car seat base and move it to my car. Have any of you tried to secure a car seat base? I think it should belong on a list of "Top 10 Hardest Things To Do In Life." Seriously, I broke a sweat trying to get the base securely clamped in the car, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined. This unforseen challenge also made us run late for church. I secured the car seat base, we got in the car, and 10 minutes into the ride Naja started crying. When I woke up on Sunday, I tried to time everything so that she'd be waking up right around the time we got to church. With my clock pushed back, this was a #epicfail situation. I drove for a couple more minutes, and I could tell she was not going to stop fussing. I pulled over into a parking lot, nursed her, changed her, and Naja went back to sleep. Unfortunately, by this time we were 40 minutes late for church, AND we still had another 15 minutes or so to get there. I decided to nix church, and head to the grocery store. The remainder of the outing went well - I just kept her in the car seat, and she stayed asleep the entire time.

My mom and I also took Naja out shopping. For this outing, I carried her in my Moby Wrap. She was an ANGEL! So much so, we felt comfortable hitting the mall 2 days in a row! She did wake up once, and I nursed her, but she went right back to being content and quiet. My only pieve with the mall trip was that some woman (a stranger) kissed her...on her cheek! I didn't know how to react. "Whoa lady - back up off my child!" I know I looked uncomfortable as she approached us, but I didn't know people would invade your personal space and privacy like that. I mean, she wasn't creepy - she was a mom in her 60s, and she didn't speak much English. Thus, I kind of chalked the gesture up to a cultural misunderstanding.

So that was our week. I got my first taste of going out with a child. As for Naja, most of my updates about her surround the topic of nursing, and I've been debating whether or not I should discuss that on the blog. I think I will, but I'll save it for next week!

Grilled Lasagna

WTH? You can grill lasagna? Yes, obviously you can now! I had no idea these two food wonders could ever join as one, but alas, they have. I will admit, lasagna never photographs well IMO, however I can promise you that the taste of this lasagna was right on par. The Parmesan, mozzarella and garlic mixture added a new tangy flavor to garlic. The sliced tomatoes and spinach added an additional fresh "just-picked" taste that left my taste buds very satisfied.

Grilled Lasagna
Source: Adapted from The Food Network Magazine July/August 2011 Issue
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1-pound ball fresh mozzarella, halved and thinly sliced

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

3 large tomatoes (2 thinly sliced, 1 grated)

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

8 cups baby spinach (about 5 ounces)

⅓ cup low-fat ricotta cheese

⅓ cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, mint and/or parsley) SS: I forgot to get herbs, but would use them next time!

Directions

1. Preheat a grill to medium. SS: I used a grill pan. Combine the mozzarella, parmesan, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and all but ¼ teaspoon garlic in a bowl; drizzle with olive oil and toss. Season the sliced tomatoes with salt.

2. Lay out 4 double-layer sheets of nonstick foil. Drizzle each with olive oil, top with 1 noodle and sprinkle each noodle with 1 tablespoon water. SS: When you put the water and oil on the noodles, be sure to spread them both across the entirety of the noodle to prevent the noodles from sticking to the foil packets. Divide half each of the spinach, sliced tomatoes and mozzarella mixture among the noodles. Repeat to make another layer of noodles, water, spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella mixture. Finish each stack with a noodle, 1 tablespoon water and a drizzle of olive oil. Bring the foil together and crimp tightly closed to make 4 flat packets.

3. Grill the packets, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the grated tomatoes, a pinch of salt, the reserved ¼ teaspoon garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Open the packets and cut the lasagna in half, if desired. Top with the tomato mixture, ricotta and herbs.

Bon apetit!

Smile

Three things from my week that made me smile...

1. A handful of new hand-me-downs from my good ole cousin. L to R: Tracy Reese Dress, Anthro Dress, J. Crew Glitter Skirt, Banana A-Line skirt.

2. The Ultimate Merger with Toccara. If you follow me on Twitter, you know this is my new SAUCE! I caught up on all the episodes this week. Toccara has me cracking up, and there are some real cuties on the show too, OW!

3. Challenging and comforting blog posts from Cup of Jo. One post covered "How to talk to Girls." Normally, when we approach lovely little ladies, we compliment their looks, the post poses the challenge to ask them about what books they're reading for a change. Another, was a nice reminder that moms everywhere have it tough. It's nice to know we're all running around like crazy for the love of our little ones.

3 Weeks

Guess what? You all aren't the only ones asking for pictures of the little one. Right now, my blog is a great way to update people on what's going on. So here ya go...This past Sunday, I took Naja to my parents church because my cousin was preaching. We all met up at my grandparents house afterwards. Naja enjoyed being held, and the family was happy to see the newest addition!

Naja and I went for our first real walk yesterday, and I think she enjoyed it - I know I did! I got my first taste at power-walking with the jogging stroller. I feel the need to give a shout out to the women who run regularly with strollers, talk about added intensity. When I got to the hilly sections, I was WORK-ING! Naja hung out in the stroller, and dozed off ~10 minutes into the walk. The weather was beautiful, with a lovely breeze!

In other news, Naja is a growing little bear! She passed 7 pounds this week, which is great considering that she dropped quite a bit from her birth weight of 6 lbs 6.5 ounces while in the hospital. Finally, we're introducing the bottle to Naja now to ensure she's ready for my transition back to work. I still plan to nurse her at home, at night and on the weekends. However, she'll have to use a bottle while she's at daycare. Mimi (my mom) tested her out with the bottle (with my pumped breast milk) yesterday, and she took it like the trooper she is! She fussed a little, but she ate everything and was satisfied. I will say, I do think I will miss nursing her. It's so special, I really enjoy it, and the idea that she gets her nutritional needs filled from mom...it's remarkable. Seriously, I get teary-eyed. I can see why it's hard for some women to go back to work. Speaking of, I have less than a month before I return.

Cheese-Stuffed Portobello

This meal definitely should make my list for Top 10 dinners in 2011. It was tasty, quick, and not totally unhealthy. While not wholly apparent by the blog, I actually love cheese. I just don't end up cooking with it much because I find that it's best if I consume it in moderation. This cheesy stuffed portobello is packed with a variety of cheeses, and I added a "secret ingredient" to add another punch of protein to the dish. Even my dad liked this dish, and he's Mister "This needs some meat added to it!"

Cheese-Stuffed Portobello
Serves 7
Source: Adapted from The Food Network Magazine, June 2011 Issue

Ingredients

Cooking spray

7 6-inch portobello mushroom caps SS: I scooped out the gills with a spoon

6 cups spinach, chopped

100 grams extra-firm tofu

1½ cup breadcrumbs (preferably panko)

1½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 shallots

2 small tomatoes, diced

4 tablespoons grated pecorino romano cheese, plus shaved pecorino for topping

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Mist a foil-lined broiler pan with cooking spray. Put the mushrooms gill-side down on the pan; broil 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toss the spinach, breadcrumbs, mozzarella, chopped shallot, tomato, tofu, 3 tablespoons each pecorino and olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.

3. Remove the mushrooms from the broiler and turn them gill-side up on the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Mound the spinach filling on the mushrooms and top with the ricotta. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon pecorino and broil until the filling is heated through and the ricotta is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

The icing on the cake with this meal is the swiftness that it took to make it. Dinner in 30 minutes? Done and done!

Cucumber-Radish Wrap with Tofu Spread

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs. The wrap is accompanied by a tasty tofu spread. The spread by itself is delicious, and would easily go well with a number of wrap choices. The awesome thing about it - tofu = protein!

Cucumber-Radish Wrap with Tofu Spread
Source: Adapted from The Healthy Foodie
Serves 2

TOFU SPREAD

Ingredients 

200g extra firm tofu 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

2 tsp lemon juice 

2 tsp Dijon mustard 

½ tsp salt 

¼ tsp black pepper 

1 tsp Todd's Dirt SS: Original recipe called for zaatar, which I couldn't find, Todd's Dirt is like Old Bay

2 green onions, finely chopped 

¼ red pepper, finely chopped

Directions

1. In a food processor, add tofu through zaatar and process, on pulse, until well blended and somewhat smooth. You want the spread to still have a bit of a texture to it, so be careful not to overprocess it.
2. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add bell peppers and green onions and mix in with a spatula, until well combined.
3. Use immediately, or keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
4. I don’t know how long this will keep for, I haven’t tested it yet, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t keep for anything less than a week.

CUCUMBER/RADISH WRAPS

Ingredients

2 whole grain soft tortillas 
½ seedless cucumber, sliced paper thin 
4 whole radishes, sliced paper thin 
¼ cup alfalfa sprouts 
1 tofu spread recipe

Directions

1. Divide the tofu spread between the tortillas and spread evenly.
2. Top with slices of cucumber, making sure to leave a little bit of space all around to allow for movement when wrapping the tortillas.
3. Add radish slices and top with alfalfa sprouts
4. Roll as tightly as you can without ripping the tortilla. Hold in place with toothpicks if you have to.
5. Cut in half diagonally and serve immediately.

The tofu spread lasts up to a week. This is a great substition for mayo, and makes for a quick and easy lunch to go, try it with your favorite veggies.

Smile

Three things from my week that made me smile...

1. My 25th Bday celebration with my family. Pictured Godmother, Me, Lil Bro, Dad Naja, Mom.

2. The Glow. This awesome website showcases stylish moms and their gorgeous babies. I absolutely love the photography, art, and inspiration for families. One of my favorite quotes that I can definitely relate to is from Ana Lerario-Geller: "Take naps whenever you can, drink enough water, and accept that you look tired (and that’s not necessarily bad).”

3. New shoes from Anthro! Ok folks, let's just say these are another bday gift. My mom and godmother got me Anthro gift cards for my bday, but I will try to spread them out so I don't get everything all at once!

Farfalle with Roasted Tomato Sauce

What the heck is farfalle? It's a fancy word for bow-tie...as in bow-tie pasta. I had to do a google search to confirm that the farfalle ingredient was both affordable and attainable, and it obviously is.

I love making tomato sauce from scratch during the summer months. Summer time denotes the season of sprouting tomatoes and they have some of the best flavors EVER! This recipe didn't have a lot of active cooking, it's a nice weekend meal to toss in the oven, then kick back a bit while the tomatoes roast.

Farfalle with Roasted Tomato Sauce
Source: Vegetarian Times, July/August 2011 Issue
Serves 4

Ingredients

2½ lb. tomatoes (6 large or 9 small)

8 cloves garlic, peeled

3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

2 Tbs. olive oil

½ tsp. Piment d’Espelette or pinch cayenne pepper

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

10 oz. mini farfalle

2 Tbs. finely chopped parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill large pot or bowl with ice water. Bring 4 to 6 quarts salted water to a boil in large stockpot. Score a small ‘x’ on bottom of each tomato. Boil 2 to 3 tomatoes at a time, 10 to 30 seconds, or until skin starts to peel back from each ‘x.’ Transfer all tomatoes to ice bath with slotted spoon, and let cool 3 to 4 minutes. (Because tomatoes only get blanched on the outside, they cool quickly and do not need to be cooled in batches.) Drain and peel tomatoes, then cut in half.

2. Coat 13-x 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Tuck garlic cloves into tomato halves, and place face-down in dish. Scatter shallots over tomatoes, and drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with Piment d’Espelette. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 1 hour, or until tomatoes have shrunken and edges are browned. Transfer contents of baking dish to bowl of food processor, and blend until smooth. Stir in balsamic vinegar.

Publish PostThis pasta would go well with shrimp, or grilled chicken atop. Additionally, I'm sure you can easily replace the farfalle with your favorite pasta. I think I will double the amount of balsamic vinegar, and add some red pepper flakes the next time I make this. The more heat, the better!

A Quarter

Top - Anthro; Skirt - Anthro; Bracelet - Anthro; Watch - Fossil; Shoes & Earrings - Borrowed from mom

Date: Wednesday, August 3, 2011

So today is my birthday - I'm 25! This age is supposed to be kind of a big deal. You know, the whole "quarter life" thing. This time last year I had plans of a HUGE party, with lots of dancing, friends and fun. Funny how much of a difference a year can make! I will be spending my day with my family, which is one of my favorite things to do. I'm sure I'll share a picture from today's celebration in my Friday 'Smile' post. Til then, can I just mention that I love how these colors came together - blue, yellow and green is going to be my new favorite color combo.

2 Weeks

A lot of friends and blog followers are asking me about Naja. While I'm sure some of you don't care, I know others do, so here's a brief update on my little bear and me.

Naja is two weeks old today, and this is a real-time picture! She is a sweet baby who doesn't cry much - she cries when she's hungry, needs to be burped, and when she's getting her diaper changed. I can already tell she's going to be a character. She makes these grown up facial expressions that crack me up - wrinkled forehead and everything! Recently, she has found favor in sticking out her tongue, trying to lift up her head, and sucking on her fist. Yes - note that I wrote FIST - it's like her thumb isn't enough.

For me, I have spent most of my time feeding her, changing her and giving her some mommy chest time, which she LOVES...OK - me too, she lays right on my chest, and goes right to sleep, it's like she's right where she wants to be and I love it! She eats every three hours, but time flies in between! I've been spending my down time visiting with family, cooking, and getting an occasional nap in also. She wakes up twice at night, so this mama bear is a little bit sleep deprived, but that's to be expected. All in all, it's been an experience unlike any other, and she is truly a blessing.

I will probably do monthly updates on Naja moving forward, I hope you don't mind getting a little peak into our lives. *PS - sorry for the crappy pictures, maybe I'll actually pick up a photography how-to book while I'm on maternity leave...maybe.

Milk

Top - Urban; Skirt - Urban; Sandals - Borrowed from mom

Date: Sunday, July 31, 2011

I'm nursing Naja. Nursing adds an entire extra dimension to being a mom. When you do this, you pretty much lock yourself in as the baby's designated provider of food ("experts" suggest you hold off on giving nursing babies a bottle until they are 3-4 weeks). This new designation affects my dressing in a way I wasn't expecting. Basically - I need to have easy access to her food source, and her food source comes in heaps and bounds at times. I translate this to mean I will not be wearing anything that does not easily lift up or unbutton, and all fine materials where milk will generate a stain are also off limits. Nursing pads are my BFFs right now. And I thought I would get my entire wardrobe back because I was no longer expecting...

PS - This is the first post-preggo picture I'm showing on the blog. At ~2 weeks post-delivery, I've lost the bulk of my belly. Now, I just need to lose some inches, and work on tightening things up to get back to my pre-preggo size. I can't wait until the doc gives me the "go" to get back to some intense workouts!!!
PSS - I LOVE exposed zippers!!!