Brussels sprouts

Before this week, I had never had Brussels sprouts. I always imagined them to be the slimy slugs of the vegetable  world, and I didn't want any part of that! As I've mentioned in previous posts, I’m slowly cutting meat out of my everyday menu, and as a result, I am eating more veggies. I saw a recipe online for “Roasted Brussels Sprouts,” and after a bit of tweaking, I am obsessed with them! I've made them three times since yesterday!

Brussels Sprouts

Here is what you’ll need:
Brussels sprouts
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Salt
Garlic (garlic powder or fresh minced)
Balsamic Vinegar

 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise & put them in a bowl. Then add just enough olive oil to lightly coat them, and give them a little toss to make sure they are all coated nicely. Next, sprinkle with the garlic, salt and pepper, and give it another little toss. Now add about as much balsamic vinegar as you did olive oil, and give it a final toss. Place sprouts flat side down on a non-greased baking sheet (I use my baking stone) and roast 30 minutes (turning them over after 15 minutes).  These are so stinking delicious!

Juicy!

Meagan here, As moms, we all try to make healthy choices when we are pregnant and nursing. I try to make sure my toddler gets lots of fruits and veggies and we try not to let her have a lot of junk. As I mentioned in my intro, I’m semi “granola.” I love killing plants with my brown thumb and even had a nice garden last summer. As much as I would like to garden again this year, I just don’t see that happening with a toddler and a new baby  I’ve derailed… I have been juicing for a while and have recently watched the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” and I LOVED IT! It got me even MORE excited about juicing. It talks a lot about juice fasts (which I plan to try after I’m done nursing). I also watched one called “Forks Over Knives,” and it really has changed the way I look at food (don’t watch it unless you are ready to give up meat and dairy). I am trying to find ways to cut back on the meat we eat in our house, and being married to a “meat and potatoes” man won’t make that easy. He and I have very different eating habits, and he is going to take some work. But with the girls being so young, I’m hoping it will be easier to teach them about making healthy choices now instead of waiting until they are older and have poor eating habits. My toddler has been helping me at the juicer and really gets excited about it! She asks for juice quite often, and I love giving her juice that doesn’t have added processed sugar and preservatives! This morning she helped me make some with 3 Oranges, 1 carrot, 2 white nectarines and a handful of raspberries… we both sucked it down! It was delicious! We also love Spinach, kale, celery, carrot, cucumber, kiwi and apple juice. It’s green and doesn’t look like it would taste good but it is wonderful! She calls it “Hulk juice” because it’s green and makes you strong like the Hulk. I have a glass of fresh juice in the morning with/for breakfast and usually at least one more glass with lunch or dinner. It’s nice knowing I’m passing nutrients on to the baby in my breast milk. Eventually, I want us to be at least a semi-meat-free home but that will take some time.

A prayer for my children

Most nights I lay in bed and pray for my family. I pray for my husband, for his health and safety. I pray that I am a good wife and mother. I also pray for my girls.

I am laying here tonight and felt the urge to type my prayer out.

God, thank you so much for all the blessings you have given me today. Each laugh and giggle from my precious babies is so beautiful and special. Thank you for their health. Thank you for the bond we share. Thank you for the cuddles I got after doctoring a hurt finger today. I hold those moments so dear to my heart.

Lord, please continue to bless us with health and happiness. We may not have much in earthly possessions but we are truly a happy family! Dancing to oldies and making play dough are memories I hope to have forever.

Help me to raise my girls to love you and respect you by respecting themselves. Help them to be shining examples for you.

Help their father and I to be great parents. Help us to love one another more and more every day. Help them to see the love we have for each other and know that it takes love, commitment and work to make a marriage last (Help us remember that too).

Help me to be like my mother, someone my children can come to with anything because they know I will help them and love them no matter what. Thank you for the example I had with my mother (and grandmother).

Thank you for all that you have given me, Lord. You knew my heart’s desires better than I did. Being a mother is something I wasn’t sure I wanted to be until it happened and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Thank you.

Amen 

Oh the guilt!

Let’s talk about guilt shall we?

Sometimes as a mom we experience what I like to call “Mom guilt”. I experience this when I am feeding my 3 month old and my older daughter (almost two) is crying for me to come play with her or when I put little sister in her Rock n Play and big sister in her high chair so I can run to the bathroom while they both scream their heads off. Mom guilt comes a lot more often now that I have two daughters to split my time with. I have a laundry list of things that need to get done around the house that never seems to be empty and I find myself staying up late so I can fold laundry and unload the dishwasher.

I have friends that either don’t have kids, just have one or have older children and either don’t know or don’t remember how busy a mom with a new baby AND a toddler really is! I don’t always have time to call and text like I use to. I feel so isolated sometimes. Friends will say “I never hear from you anymore” and I apologize but a little part of me is thinking “I don’t hear from you much either”. I feel like a bad friend because I can’t keep up with everyone like I want to and so now I have “Friend guilt” too.

It’s hard to get out of the house with two girls under the age of two. We have different nap times and somebody is almost always hungry. Friends want to go to the mall or to lunch and I want so badly to go and spend time with people my own age but I just can’t. A girlfriend came by to hang out a few days before my birthday because a sick 22 month old kept me home when we were supposed to have a fun birthday lunch with friends. It was so nice to have a friend over! My house was a mess and I hadn’t showered all day but I didn’t feel judged at all. IT. WAS. BLISS. I had felt so awful for having to cancel my lunch plans and was so disappointed to miss out on girl time so it meant a lot to have her come to me!

I’m just having a hard time meeting everyone else’s needs and still finding time to eat and sleep. Sometimes I get overwhelmed when I’ve been doing things for everyone else all day (laundry, dishes, errands and such) and I have a toddler begging for cookies right before dinner and a baby crying to be nursed while I’m trying to get dinner ready. I feel like I’m losing my mind at times!

I don’t want a break from my kids or my husband, I want a break from cooking, cleaning and everything else. I want a personal assistant, a maid and a chef please! 

If you have a friend with a new(ish) baby and she hasn’t called in a while, give her a call and tell her you love her. Offer to bring lunch and a chick flick over one day and let her know you still love her (even though she may not currently be nurturing your friendship like she used to).