Food for littles: Popeye muffins and sweet potato mac

Today I ate myself silly on Mexican food, followed by a hungry-girl piece of delicious cake, and later in the evening too much (and not enough!) s'mores muddy buddies. 

See, that's the weirdest thing about parenthood. I know that I shouldn't eat half the stuff I eat, but I do it anyway. But I won't feed it to the kid. No, it's fruits and veggies for her. I'm so conscious of how many servings of fruit and veggies she gets each day, and whether she's had protein, and blah blah blah. I try to make every bite she takes have some kind of nutritional value.

So I love recipes that pack a punch - yummy to eat, but full of good things. My favorites are the ones that Hans and I love to eat, too, so I can make one meal that we all enjoy.

These are two of our favorite recipes and make a great dinner. The sweet potato mac and cheese is all the comfort of mac and cheese with far fewer of the calories. It replaces much of the butter/milk and cheese with all the added benefits of sweet potato (mad amounts of Vitamin C., plus calcium, folate, potassium and beta-carotene!) Em will eat the same size portion that Hans and I will, and it makes for great leftovers the next day.

And these spinach muffins are delish. I made mini-ones for Punkito and Hans and I liked them so much that we had to make a full-size batch for us to eat. These taste like a basic applesauce muffin, but have puree spinach for added iron and that beautiful green color. These also freeze really well so make a big batch and defrost as needed.

Sweet Potato Mac (adapted ever so slightly from Cookin' Canuck)

1 lb. sweet potato
13 oz. whole-wheat elbow pasta
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 1/4 cups milk
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 T grated Parmesan cheese

1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 375.

Poke holes in the sweet potato to vent - really go at it with a fork! Wrap in a wet paper towel and microwave for 5 minutes. Turn it over and microwave another 5 minutes. You may need an additional few minutes, it should feel soft and squishy to the touch. Cut open the potato and scoop the insides into a bowl and mash until it is smooth.

At the same time, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta for 6-7 minutes, until it's almost cooked but still slightly crunchy. Drain and rinse and return the pot to the stove.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil on medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook another minute or two. Stir in the flour briskly, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. It should form little clumps with the onion. Stir in the broth and milk and bring the pot to a low boil, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens. Reduce the heat and add in the sweet potato, cheese, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the pasta and stir to coat.

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray and transfer the pasta to the dish.

In a separate bowl, combine the panko, parmesan cheese, and 1 T olive oil. Sprinkle evenly over the pasta. Bake about 20 minutes and then chow down!

Popeye Muffins (adapted very slightly from Weelicious)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup fresh spinach, packed
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini-muffin pan with nonstick spray. 

Puree the spinach in a food processor (or blender) until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, applesauce, sugar and oil. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined. Don't overmix or they will be tougher! We want light and fluffy :) Fill the muffin tins and bake for 12 minutes. Makes 24 mini-muffins

Spiritual Thought: Motherhood and Faith

Social media can be so interesting sometimes. Over the weekend, with Mother's Day and all, it was neat to see so many old pictures, sweet moments of friends with their mothers. Many videos and blog posts about motherhood and what it means to each person.

A friend wrote a very personal blog post about how she felt that motherhood has not come natural to her. She talked about how it seemed that those around her were enjoying it more than she was and that was quite a struggle for her.

My heart went out to her because I know a similar feeling. And I suspect a lot of people do. We are told to "enjoy every moment" but that's so hard sometimes when you feel like you're losing yourself in the day-to-day. And it's hard, too, when it seems that other moms have perfectly curled hair, beautiful makeup and nails, are back in their skinny jeans, and their kids are quietly eating vegetables without spilling a drop on themselves.

Today, I didn't change out of my pajamas until 5:45 pm. Let's not talk about showering. My kid ate "lunch" at 4:30 p.m. because that's when we got to it, and even then it was a cheese stick and bunny grahams. Oh, and a few strawberries that I prayed she didn't drop all over her dress because we were meeting friends for dinner. She screeched through dinner (that's a fun new trick) and dumped water on one of our friends. And then bedtime. Oh, bedtime. She cried and cried and cried and we took turns rocking and singing and letting her cry and cycling back through again. She finally fell asleep close to 10. Today was a rough day.

During the rocking and singing for hours on end, I had plenty of time to reflect on my own feelings about motherhood. I don't feel like motherhood has come easy to me either. It's definitely gotten better in recent months, but there was a time in there where I felt like I'd really lost myself.

But I can also see how much I have learned, especially in relation to the Gospel. Since my personal conversion, I have been committed to living the Gospel but have at times become too comfortable and too lax in my practice. Since Emma was born, I find that I pray more, all the time. I think often of the quote from Elder Packer, "There are few things more powerful than the faithful prayers of a righteous mother." And I do pray for her. For protection while she sleeps, for relief from pain when her teeth hurt, for a healthy appetite to grow strong, for intelligence, for strength. It's brought me closer to my Heavenly Father as I feel my own inadequacy. As much as I can do for her, I can't protect her from everything. I can't help her with everything. I need Heavenly Father to do those things that I can't.

Not only do I pray more, but I have an urgent desire to live the Gospel more carefully each day. We are always told that we are "lights on a hill," that others observe us and learn from our example. Nothing drives that home like a toddler. It seriously *shocks* me how much she watches and imitates me. We didn't even realize until she started doing things we had never taught her. Like picking up a brush and rubbing it on her head. Trying to put socks on her feet. Or one of my proudest moments, the night we said "Ok, time for prayers!" and she immediately folded her arms and looked at us expectantly. She is watching. She is learning. From everything I do. Does she hear and see me pray, with our family and alone? Does she see me read my scriptures and bear my testimony? Does she see me being kind, patient and forgiving? Or does she see anger, selfishness, judgement, laziness? I'm so much more aware of the things I do now, knowing that she is watching and learning.

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father organized us in families. Man, that guy. He knew what he was doing. I reflect often on the love I have for her that fills my heart. That makes me want to do anything for her, to help her, to teach her, to comfort her. It has taught me so much about my relationship with my Heavenly Father and how he must feel about me, as his daughter.

Elder Neil L. Andersen said in a 2011 conference talk: “Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.” No, Motherhood has not been easy. But it has also been wonderful. I am so thankful for the privilege of being a mother and how it has strengthen and grown my testimony and grateful for the wonderful little spirit that has been entrusted to me. I may not have enjoyed every minute, but I am eternally grateful for each minute I get to be a Mom.

Grandpa visits and Mother's Day

We have had such a fun and busy week! My dad has been in town and Em is in heaven. Grandpa is her best friend. He left Sunday while she was asleep and Monday morning the first thing she did was ask me "Ba-Pa?" Broke my heart. But we will see him again tomorrow for a couple days, so that's good. I just love to see them together.

We read so many books and Grandpa helped with bathtime. Punkito just wanted to give him kisses all weekend. It was so sweet.

On Saturday we went to the Austin Zoo! We have never taken Em before. I had some reservations about the Austin Zoo because I know it's not a "traditional zoo" - it's more of a sanctuary for rescued animals. They have a lions, and tigers, and bears (oh, my!), monkeys, and a lot of smaller animals - deer, goats, llamas, kangaroos, birds, reptiles, turtles, pigs, and a bunch of wolf/dog hybrids. There's no big animals like elephants or giraffes, though. We still had a good time! I'm not sure Em really understood that these were animals. She liked the monkeys because they moved around and made a lot of noise. I don't know why, but she stood there and yelled at the bear. "Move," maybe? It was hilarious. The zoo was bigger than I expected and not too crowded. It was a hot day, but there was plenty of shade. I know there was a train you could take that shows some behind-the-scenes, but it was time for Em's nap so we headed home. I think it was a perfect first trip to the zoo to keep things fairly quick and simple. I'd recommend it for younger kids, but I think older kids might not be too impressed.

 

Other than the zoo, we just kind of relaxed together. We did a little shopping - my little girly girl LOVES shoes, bags, and jewelry. She is not getting that from me. She loves to drape necklaces on and parade around.

And no trip to Texas would be complete without an outing to Chuys. Our sweet girl even made waiting for our table fun. It was a beautiful night and we sat on the patio and Punkito ate a huge meal. It was a perfect night.

And then it was Mother's Day! My sweet husband and dad really made it feel special. I got some beautiful roses and funny cards and they cooked me a delicious meal of steak and salad with peach cobbler for dessert. I feel totally spoiled and loved. I am so grateful to be a mom (more on that tomorrow :)).

 

We went on a long walk around Town Lake and had lunch at Whole Foods downtown. It was a little warm and sticky, but we had fun anyway.

Totally cracks me up, especially Hans' card in the middle.

So glad Ba Pa could be here and can't wait to see him again. I hope all you beautiful ladies had wonderful Mother's Days - Thank you for all you do.

Look Whooo's One Party

This post may be two months overdue, but this blog didn't exist back when Em turned one and I worked SO hard on her party that I want the chance to brag on it a little bit ;)

Some of her favorite toys when she was littler were plush owls so we really wanted to go with an owl theme. I designed a birthday package for all the paper goods based on an owl on one of Punkito's onesies. I made the invitation, a paper banner, cupcake topper, water bottle wrappers, cupcake wrappers, and food signs. It was a bit tedious to work on as I've never done a project like that before, but I think I've got the hang of it now and eventually I want to start designing other themes and offering these packages for sale. Let me know if you're interested in a specific kind ("hole in ONE," "little man," etc!) and I'd love to work on it.

I tried to work on party preparations a little bit each week - making a tissue paper pom here and there, browsing target and hobby lobby for decorations, printing and cutting, wrapper water bottles, etc. I definitely didn't realize how much time would go into this - I'm not sure I'll do a party of this scale again! But I'm definitely glad I spaced it out over several weeks otherwise I would have pulled all my hair out.

We tried to keep the food simple and easy to prepare: we had ham and cheese sliders, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (cut like owls!), caprese skewers, fruit skewers, and yogurt topped with granola and honey. We also had white almond cupcakes with strawberry buttercream and strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream, and a smash cake for Emma! I was particularly proud of my little fondant owls, made with the help of my cake-genius friend, Erin.

The best part of her birthday was looking around the room and seeing so many people who love our little girl who came to celebrate with us. We are especially grateful for our family that traveled from Provo, San Diego, Houston, and San Antonio to spend the special day with us. We couldn't be more proud of our sweet, smart, wonderful girl and loved every minute of celebrating her first year.

I'm including my source list below if you're interested in planning an owl-themed party, too.

• Tissue paper - Amazon, pink and peach 
• Table cloth - Amazon
• Martha Stewart cake stand - Amazon
• Streamers - Amazon, pink and light pink
• Fillable ornaments - Amazon
• Grey owl candles - Target (clearance!)
• White owl vases - World Market
• Ceramic Owls - Oriental Trading Co.
• Jelly beans - strawberry cheesecake and tangerine, HEB
• Jewelry tree (used for favors) - Target
• Sugar cookies - a gift! I'll have to find out what bakery they came from.
• Gumpaste (for owl cake toppers) - Hobby Lobby
• Water bottles and mini-mason jars - Walmart

Freebie Friday: Mother's Day cards

I think about Mother's Day much the same way I think about Valentine's Day - it doesn't need to be a whole production, but it is nice to acknowledge the day, even if only in some small way. In case you forgot, Mother's Day is this Sunday (it seems early this year!) and if you're still in need of something for Mom, try one of these free printable cards for her. And say thank you to all the moms out there (including all of mine!) who do so much for all of us. Happy Mother's Day

Download
*This one was made with free hand-drawn circle graphics from We Lived Happily After. It's a lovely set, be sure to check it out for your own projects

Download

And, of course, we have to cover all our bases - so this card comes catered for Grandma, Oma, or Mimi!

Download

Download

Download

Love list: Books, dancing, and clothes

1. Baby lit
Have you heard of these? They are classic books made over into simple board books for babies. I've been wanting one forever and finally ordered one this week. It's my favorite - Pride and Prejudice - and I think it's just darling. It doesn't really give much of the story, it's just a counting book. One English Town, Two Gentleman, Three Houses, Four Marriage Proposals... Ten (thousand) pounds a year. I think the illustrations are really cute. Emma's mildly interested in it - I'm pretty sure I like it more than she does. There's several others, so we will definitely be expanding our library soon!

2. My child's got rhythm
This cracks me up. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb is one of Punkito's favorite books (thanks, Ollie!) and we read it several times a day. This past week she has started bobbing/nodding her head in time to the cadence of the book. Every time we read it! Hilarious.

3. Breast feeding 
Ok, I'm always thankful for breastfeeding so this one isn't exactly new. But I'm particularly grateful this week because as Punkito was sick (and for a good bit afterward) her appetite has been non-existant. Seriously, for 2-3 days we couldn't get her to eat anything at all. She's just now starting to get it back. I asked the doctor about it and they said it was fine as long as she was still getting plenty of fluids and having wet diapers, which she is. But I've been deeply comforted by the fact that she still nurses four times a day, and that didn't seem to decrease at all while she was sick, so I feel confident that she was still getting plenty of nutrition. I know some people think it's a bit odd that I'm still nursing a 14-month-old four times a day, but I'm so thankful for breastfeeding for so many reasons and this just adds one more.

4. Shopping my closet
One of the greatest things about losing a ton of weight is that I'm discovering a bunch of old clothes that I can all of a sudden wear again! Some of these I haven't worn since 2008 and 2009. It's like a whole new wardrobe without spending any money!

5. Allegiant
I finally finished the Divergent series. The first two books only took me a couple nights each, but the last book took my a couple weeks. I accidentally stumbled upon a spoiler for it that made me not want to read it, but I wanted to see the series through. I have some pretty mixed feelings about how it ended. On the one hand - I hated it. It's not very uplifting and I had to say goodbye to some characters I really liked. On the other hand, I was surprised by how much I liked the writing. I often feel like YA books are so sappy and idealistic (I'm looking at you, Twilight). But I felt like this one was refreshingly real. It has great messages without feeling moralistic with a heavy hand. In particular, I liked what it had to say about sacrifice and love. And in a weird way, I kind of like that the ending wasn't all resolved and happy. It wasn't really an ending, because life doesn't just end - certain stories just do. So even though I didn't love the book the same way I did the first two, I'd say I'm satisfied by it and it was worth reading. I have that sense of sadness you feel when you're done with a good book and just wondering... "What now?" Anyone have any good recommendations?

Spiritual Thought: "Seriously, Dude?"

"Are you new in our ward?"

"Er, no. Just...have a teething child."

I think I had that conversation five times this past Sunday. Punkito has molars coming in and she cried a good chunk of Saturday night/early Sunday morning. She finally fell asleep soundly a little after 7 am. We, her very tired parents, looked at each other and without speaking knew that 9 am church wasn't happening and we turned off the alarm.

We did manage to make it a different ward for their testimony meeting and two things made a big impression on me: 1) how many children they had bear testimonies. It was really sweet! I love hearing the simple and sweet testimony of a child. I especially liked the darling boy (maybe age 8) who helped his little brother (maybe 4) bear a testimony. So sweet.

2). One guy's testimony was both funny and eerily accurate at the same time. He talked about his little boy who is currently battling a serious addiction to chocolate. {I  feel your pain, little man!} They try and hide it from him but he has become quite adept at scaling the pantry shelves spiderman-style to find the precious bars. He said one night he went into his son's room and could see the boy's form under the blankets and hear foil wrappers crinkling. He said he chuckled to himself thinking, "seriously, dude, come on" before pulling back the blankets and seeing his son's guilty face covered in chocolate. As we all laughed, he said he wonders if our Heavenly Father ever feels like that about us. Sometimes we know better, but we do it anyway and we make a feeble attempt to hide it. Heavenly Father must just look at us and think "Seriously, come on, who do you think you're kidding?"

It was a great image and I'm pretty sure that next time I do something I know I probably shouldn't, I'll hear this guy's voice saying "Seriously, dude?" And maybe, just maybe, that'll help me put down the chocolate and walk away.