I think this title may have some sexual connotations, however, that isn't why I wrote it. The truth of the matter is my booty is getting big. My thighs are rubbing a little too quickly and often times are excusing each other as they "brush" past.
I need to face some facts. This is not how I envisioned my pregnancy to be. I'm pretty upset with myself right now and can't believe that I've let myself go. I may just become a regular Kate Hudson, with a 70 pound pregnancy weight gain, which isn't a fair comparison because my starting weight wasn't 90 pounds.
I forgive myself for October and most of November. I couldn't move and anything unrelated to the couch or my bed was too much to handle. But I feel SOOO much better these days. There is no excuse!
I was a work-out gal before this baby thing happened. Four to five times a week I had my little routines. Monday was running 2-3 miles and an hour long yoga class, Tuesday was my weight lifting class with either the elliptical or a yoga class before it, Wednesday was my running and yoga again, and Thursday was elliptical and weightlifting class. Don't even touch my Saturday mornings. It was a hardcore run or weightlifting class followed by the most intense power yoga class ever. I was in heaven everytime I left the gym at 12:00.
One would think that I weighed 120 pounds with this much exercise, but I'm an eater. I love food and ate enough to maintain a healthy weight around 133 pounds. Good enough, I thought!
Since feeling much better, I'm back to my lovely eating ways sans exercise. Whoops. I don't have that kind of metabolism to eat that much without some physical counteraction. I am mad at myself. I don't know what has been keeping me from walking through the doors of LA Fitness, but I have been terrified to go. It was like I had this new body. It wasn't as tone or strong. I couldn't get on the treadmill and start running at 6.0 like I used to, I couldn't walk into my weightlifting class and push myself as hard as before, and seriously, would a yoga class be that beneficial? I can't lay on my stomach or bend as well. Can I even do a push-up anymore? I didn't even want to find out!
Shame on me!! I know better than that! I was making up stinkin' excuses! I fell off the wagon. Even if there wasn't a baby in my belly, I would still have a thousand other excuses why I'm not going. I hate when this happens.
So I've worked out two days in a row today and they weren't filled with hardcore runs or weightlifting, but the elliptical machine and those dainty weightlifting machines I used to scoff at. I'm so proud of myself. It isn't about my thighs rubbing together or my butt getting big, it's about having a more successful labor and delivery and a more content baby. It's about not getting gestational diabetes and making it so much easier to take the weight off after the baby comes.
The reasons for working out before were probably a lot more vanity-driven. Now I need to shift paradigms and create new exercise routines for new goals these next few months. I bought a prenatal yoga video that I feel more comfortable doing that keeps those goals in mind. If you have any ideas that helped with your pregnancy, labor, delivery, or post-partum, leave me a comment. I need a new kind of help with my routine!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
You Can't Make These Things Up
This class makes me laugh. I can't say that enough. I will give my 2 favorite examples. This little boy below, we'll call him "Chris", was waiting for me outside on Monday morning wearing these glasses. After taking off his coat, he went into full Steve Urkel mode with the voice and the walk. You can't not take a picture of it. I had tears in my eyes.
Another day before a long weekend, I let the kids clean out their desks right before the end of the day. I gave them a Lysol wipe to clean the inside and top of their dirty little desks. I also have a feather duster that I brought out and told them they could use it. The girls love using the duster, there's something sort of domestic about a feather duster that attracts young girls, I don't know why. The kids finished cleaning their desks, picking up the floor, and stacking their chairs. They were ready to go home and I sent them on their merry ways. I went to do outside duty and when I returned this was left on my desk:
It says "Baby come back" from the Swiffer commercial. I died.
I believe that laughing is a must in teaching. It's hard to pinpoint what humor does for children, but I just love their sarcasm sometimes! It's not malicious or rude, just funny and....experimental.
One of my students came back from the bathroom yesterday told me that another young boy put up his middle finger by the water fountain. Now, I know that I could hunt down that first grader and let him have it, but I just nodded my head. One of my fifth graders supplied us with the punchline we were in need of: "He sounds pleasant." All the kids started laughing and I couldn't help but join them.
What else could I do? We all got over it in .2 seconds and went on with our afternoon. So much easier.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Really? A Decade?
It's amazing to think that ten years has passed. Well, my ten-year class reunion was a reminder that a decade had truly passed as a legal adult. I am going to copy a great idea from a friend of mine, www.mamanash.blogspot.com, and ponder my last ten years.
2000: I was making horrible decisions and "getting things out of my system" with a fake ID my second semester of freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. (Hey, I'm just being honest!) My sophomore year, I moved off campus to an awful dilapidated house with three other girls. OMG. How am I still alive?
2001: Moved into a big, beautiful, charismatic house my junior year with 6 other girls. It was quite the experience, but filled with some wonderful memories. I also decided that I did not want to go into journalism anymore and officially changed my major to elementary education.
2002: Met Casey and knew I was going to marry him. I worked at Holiday Home Camp on Lake Geneva, WI that summer. I decided that I liked the inner-city children, it was all so new to me!
2003: Had to transfer to St. Cloud State University in January to finish my degree. I was terribly depressed to leave halfway through my senior year. I had no friends and completely submersed myself in school. The long-distance relationship with Casey was never easy.
2004: Continued to work very hard in school, did several classroom experiences, and was accepted into the Urban Block program for that fall. I moved down to Minneapolis and was so happy to be closer to my friends and Casey. My student teaching in northeast Minneapolis was a wonderful learning experience.
2005: I finished my student teaching and graduated Summa Cum Laude. I was offered a 5th grade position at Evergreen Elementary School in Casa Grande, AZ. It was a whirlwind moving down to Phoenix with Carla, putting together my classroom, and starting my first year of teaching.
2006: I successfully finished my first year of teaching and soon after Casey and I were engaged. That fall they moved the fifth grade team over to a brand new school, Desert Willow, while they renovated Evergreen. I loved my new school and my class! I also started doing yoga and taking my health a little more seriously, thankfully!
2007: Before the school year ended I accepted a second grade position to stay at Desert Willow. Casey and I were married on July 21st, but bought our first house just three weeks before. It reminded me of that first house I lived in my sophomore year! We spent much of our time fixing it up. I also had an awful class that year and swore I never wanted to teach again. This was a tough second half of the year.
2008: Casey's brother, Tim, and got married to Steph. Now I wasn't alone with the Huberty last name! I finished that year of school and spent a lot of time that summer studying better ways to teach second graders. It paid off and I had a wonderful class that fall and I was much more prepared! BTW, we were still fixing up our house. The best part of that year came at the end when my niece, Colbie, was born.
2009: I finished that year of school floating on a little cloud. I was getting the hang of second grade! I had a great time being home that summer two different times. Then the phone call from my principal came offering me a position to teach a multi-age ELL classroom. I accepted the position with a lot of uncertainty, but it ended up being a blessing. Casey and I had our prayers answered in September when we found out we were pregnant! It was a tough couple months that I have literally blacked out, but now we are so excited.
2010: The first three days have already been perfect. As I sit here writing this entry, my wonderful husband is sleeping on the couch next to me, with our cat curled up at his feet. We have a cute little house to call our own, two jobs to go to tomorrow (as much as we sometimes don't want to go), food in our fridge, and a little baby in my belly.
I know that this year will probably be one of the most memorable years for us. It will probably come with its share of joys and heartaches. We know that our gift is not certain and anything can happen between now and June 1st. Each year that has passed we have become closer with our families, realized that our parents are our heroes, and decided that we need God for most everything. These things make life a bit more manageable.
Happy New Year!
2000: I was making horrible decisions and "getting things out of my system" with a fake ID my second semester of freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. (Hey, I'm just being honest!) My sophomore year, I moved off campus to an awful dilapidated house with three other girls. OMG. How am I still alive?
2001: Moved into a big, beautiful, charismatic house my junior year with 6 other girls. It was quite the experience, but filled with some wonderful memories. I also decided that I did not want to go into journalism anymore and officially changed my major to elementary education.
2002: Met Casey and knew I was going to marry him. I worked at Holiday Home Camp on Lake Geneva, WI that summer. I decided that I liked the inner-city children, it was all so new to me!
2003: Had to transfer to St. Cloud State University in January to finish my degree. I was terribly depressed to leave halfway through my senior year. I had no friends and completely submersed myself in school. The long-distance relationship with Casey was never easy.
2004: Continued to work very hard in school, did several classroom experiences, and was accepted into the Urban Block program for that fall. I moved down to Minneapolis and was so happy to be closer to my friends and Casey. My student teaching in northeast Minneapolis was a wonderful learning experience.
2005: I finished my student teaching and graduated Summa Cum Laude. I was offered a 5th grade position at Evergreen Elementary School in Casa Grande, AZ. It was a whirlwind moving down to Phoenix with Carla, putting together my classroom, and starting my first year of teaching.
2006: I successfully finished my first year of teaching and soon after Casey and I were engaged. That fall they moved the fifth grade team over to a brand new school, Desert Willow, while they renovated Evergreen. I loved my new school and my class! I also started doing yoga and taking my health a little more seriously, thankfully!
2007: Before the school year ended I accepted a second grade position to stay at Desert Willow. Casey and I were married on July 21st, but bought our first house just three weeks before. It reminded me of that first house I lived in my sophomore year! We spent much of our time fixing it up. I also had an awful class that year and swore I never wanted to teach again. This was a tough second half of the year.
2008: Casey's brother, Tim, and got married to Steph. Now I wasn't alone with the Huberty last name! I finished that year of school and spent a lot of time that summer studying better ways to teach second graders. It paid off and I had a wonderful class that fall and I was much more prepared! BTW, we were still fixing up our house. The best part of that year came at the end when my niece, Colbie, was born.
2009: I finished that year of school floating on a little cloud. I was getting the hang of second grade! I had a great time being home that summer two different times. Then the phone call from my principal came offering me a position to teach a multi-age ELL classroom. I accepted the position with a lot of uncertainty, but it ended up being a blessing. Casey and I had our prayers answered in September when we found out we were pregnant! It was a tough couple months that I have literally blacked out, but now we are so excited.
2010: The first three days have already been perfect. As I sit here writing this entry, my wonderful husband is sleeping on the couch next to me, with our cat curled up at his feet. We have a cute little house to call our own, two jobs to go to tomorrow (as much as we sometimes don't want to go), food in our fridge, and a little baby in my belly.
I know that this year will probably be one of the most memorable years for us. It will probably come with its share of joys and heartaches. We know that our gift is not certain and anything can happen between now and June 1st. Each year that has passed we have become closer with our families, realized that our parents are our heroes, and decided that we need God for most everything. These things make life a bit more manageable.
Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Don't Worry, Be Happy
Ha! No Sunday night blues for me tonight! On Friday afternoon I finished school and was able to leave almost immediately and enjoy my two week break.
Don't get me wrong, this didn't just fall upon my lap because I am so awesome. I had to stay late almost every day this week frantically correcting papers, entering grades, and putting together my report cards. On Thursday night at 6:45, I let out a loud "Whoo-hoo!!" to announce to the janitors that I was finished with my report cards. Too bad they were busily vaccuuming to relish in my great accomplishment. Oh, well, I would rub it in everyone's face the next morning at school.
Second quarter is thankfully one of the best quarters, littered with a week long fall break in the beginning, Veterens' Day, Thanksgiving break, and Christmas break. It's glorious! However, I felt like I was hardly at school this quarter. It was the start of my first trimester from you-know-where: I had a few doctor appointments, a three-day ELL conference, and I took a mini-vacation to San Diego with Casey. My students would ask me if I was going to be at school for the whole week and would groan when I would start my sentence with, "Wellll...."
Poor babies. Really, I felt terrible for not being there. I've always prided myself with being present at my job. It's far more annoying to put together sub plans than to just tough out a sick day, which I hardly ever was...although, I am guilty of a rare "mental health day," but who isn't?
From my out-of-character absenteeism and no energy after coming home, my stack of papers kept creeping higher and higher. Again, it wasn't like me to let this happen. I felt like a hoarder. My stack of papers was my embarassement and humiliation, but when I looked at it, it was almost too much. Where do I even start? Spelling tests? Vocabulary assessments? Writing was totally out of the question, way to overwhelming to pour over each paper. So there they sat, hidden in the corner of my room.
Then the email came from Ms. Sandy, the school's secretary. "School Master is open to enter your grades for report cards. Report cards are due to me on Monday, January 4th." OMG. I couldn't believe it, had I slacked the entire quarter only to find out the day we return from winter break I have to have everything properly graded and entered into the system? I never want to be the one that authority has to tsk, so I told Casey the last week of school not to expect me home until late each night. There was no way I was going to come in over my break and do this like so many other teachers were planning to do.
And I just did it. I sat there with my stack that started over mid-calf, I pulled out the easy things to grade and enter, then the things that take more time, then the writing, and finally reading centers. It took ten hours over a three-day period. But that Thursday night I was extremely proud of myself. I corrected things thoroughly, I entered them properly, and I even wrote very specific, positive, and constructive comments for each of my students. (This is actually a really big deal, there are some teachers that only write one or two sentences that are very generic. I always think about each child and their home..."How do I put this delicately?" is my ultimate question for those tough cases.)
Now I am happy. I am not worried. Bobby Ferron and I will sing his song together and I will have a huge smile on my face the entire time. I will listen to the Vikings as I type this, I will stay up late to watch some trashy shows on E!, and I will wait patiently for those sweet little kicks from Baby H. That's the only thing I want to worry about.
Did I learn my lesson? Maybe...sometimes these things happen and at least I know that I have a little fire in me to get the job done right, just not the way it probably should have been done!
Don't get me wrong, this didn't just fall upon my lap because I am so awesome. I had to stay late almost every day this week frantically correcting papers, entering grades, and putting together my report cards. On Thursday night at 6:45, I let out a loud "Whoo-hoo!!" to announce to the janitors that I was finished with my report cards. Too bad they were busily vaccuuming to relish in my great accomplishment. Oh, well, I would rub it in everyone's face the next morning at school.
Second quarter is thankfully one of the best quarters, littered with a week long fall break in the beginning, Veterens' Day, Thanksgiving break, and Christmas break. It's glorious! However, I felt like I was hardly at school this quarter. It was the start of my first trimester from you-know-where: I had a few doctor appointments, a three-day ELL conference, and I took a mini-vacation to San Diego with Casey. My students would ask me if I was going to be at school for the whole week and would groan when I would start my sentence with, "Wellll...."
Poor babies. Really, I felt terrible for not being there. I've always prided myself with being present at my job. It's far more annoying to put together sub plans than to just tough out a sick day, which I hardly ever was...although, I am guilty of a rare "mental health day," but who isn't?
From my out-of-character absenteeism and no energy after coming home, my stack of papers kept creeping higher and higher. Again, it wasn't like me to let this happen. I felt like a hoarder. My stack of papers was my embarassement and humiliation, but when I looked at it, it was almost too much. Where do I even start? Spelling tests? Vocabulary assessments? Writing was totally out of the question, way to overwhelming to pour over each paper. So there they sat, hidden in the corner of my room.
Then the email came from Ms. Sandy, the school's secretary. "School Master is open to enter your grades for report cards. Report cards are due to me on Monday, January 4th." OMG. I couldn't believe it, had I slacked the entire quarter only to find out the day we return from winter break I have to have everything properly graded and entered into the system? I never want to be the one that authority has to tsk, so I told Casey the last week of school not to expect me home until late each night. There was no way I was going to come in over my break and do this like so many other teachers were planning to do.
And I just did it. I sat there with my stack that started over mid-calf, I pulled out the easy things to grade and enter, then the things that take more time, then the writing, and finally reading centers. It took ten hours over a three-day period. But that Thursday night I was extremely proud of myself. I corrected things thoroughly, I entered them properly, and I even wrote very specific, positive, and constructive comments for each of my students. (This is actually a really big deal, there are some teachers that only write one or two sentences that are very generic. I always think about each child and their home..."How do I put this delicately?" is my ultimate question for those tough cases.)
Now I am happy. I am not worried. Bobby Ferron and I will sing his song together and I will have a huge smile on my face the entire time. I will listen to the Vikings as I type this, I will stay up late to watch some trashy shows on E!, and I will wait patiently for those sweet little kicks from Baby H. That's the only thing I want to worry about.
Did I learn my lesson? Maybe...sometimes these things happen and at least I know that I have a little fire in me to get the job done right, just not the way it probably should have been done!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
I Remember When...
..exactly one year ago I received a text from my brother at one in the morning, telling me that Trena was in labor and was going to have the baby around five. I quickly called my mom and dad and sister so we could pray, pray, pray for a healthy delivery. We were so excited for our "first" to be born. Not even an hour later a picture message came through on my phone and the most beautiful image of sweet Colbie swaddled in her little bassonette filled my tiny phone screen. I screamed and woke up Casey (who let's be honest, was possibly still drunk from going to the Vikings/Cardinals game). I was officially an aunt!
I love that I was one of the first people to hold her, that I got to see her second diaper changed, and that from the start I knew she was perfect! Colbie has brought so much joy to our family and we love her!
Happy first birthday to a precious little doll!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
My First Sorority: Baby Baby Baby
Look, I'm writing again! I just needed to give myself that pat on the back! Now that I can openly talk about the belly that I was once hiding like a celebrity, I feel like I have so much to say but I can't think of it all!
Life has been good. Creating life has not been so easy. From week 6 until week 11, I don't even know the person that I was. I was taken over by an alien. Seriously. I don't even know how I got through the day. Let's be honest, some days I didn't without a long nap and a good cry. Despite the fact that I could sleep on command, every type of food made my skin crawl and I constantly felt like throwing up, but awesomely enough, I couldn't do it! There I would sit with that feeling always sitting in my stomach every day and every night. Then I would wake up every once in a while feeling normal and get really scared that something was wrong and pray that I would feel like poo, so at least I knew I was still pregnant. I didn't even know if that was normal, but apparently it is.
Which leads me into my next thought. Pregnancy probably has not changed since the beginning of time: most women feel icky, some do not, some babies survive, sadly, others do not. However, since my mother gave birth to me, she had to rely on faith that her little baby was okay and that God was in charge, she just had to do her best staying healthy. She had no ultrasound, no Downs Syndrome tests or Trisomy tests, and she certainly did not have the latest edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting to check to make sure it was normal when changes were taking place.
However, one thing is for certain when someone new is having a baby: you are invited into a sorority of women who have shared the same experience.
I. Am. Profoundly. Lucky.
I am surrounded and supported by the most beautiful people, and it's really not limited to those who have had children, either. Before getting pregnant, I had heard stories of other women having all sorts of issues with unsolicited advice being given, jealousy amongst family members and friends, or scary stories of pregnancy.
I can say that none of that has been true. Despite the fact that I felt super icky, which was no one's fault, just normal hormonal changes, I have had the most positive pregnancy. To start, the grandmas couldn't be more excited. To feel like we are giving a gift to two women who do so much for me and Casey is a wonderful feeling. My sister-in-law Trena and I are a month apart with our due dates. One would think that there may be animosity and spotlight stealing (as read and heard about before), however, there couldn't have been more joy. We are a support system for each other and I rely on her to answer those weird questions for me.
During this time, I have found out that a few other close friends are due with babies around the same time. Too cool. Again, another group of women to talk and laugh about those funny things going on "down there."
I have wonderful friends that have had children and are another place that I find new advice, baby items, and maternity clothes (thank you, Jenny, Heather and Trena!). Even my friends with no babies are so excited and will do anything to help. My sister-in-law, Steph, loves to talk about all the parts of pregnancy and babies and I couldn't love her more for her excitement to be an auntie!
My mom certainly did not have the internet when she was having her babies. It seems like I can google anything and someone has felt it, questioned it or experienced it. One place that was surprisingly not-so-supportive, yet set up to be the ultimate source of support for pregnant women, was the Baby Center website. It was the site that was recommended to me by a few formerly pregger ladies. It is great for getting the week-by-week information and little newsletter posts about how to eat, why we need to brush our teeth, etc. Then one day I looked at the posts that people write or ask questions about their pregnancy or raising their children. Some comments and questions were the same things that I thought about, too. I didn't leave comments, but I would read other people's opinions. Today I decided to look at my next week's baby information and looked at the current postings that others left. I was horrified to read the entries and comments that these mothers left about any subject. Many were very confrontational and accusational in their tone. It was horrifying to read! I even read some of them to Casey, who just shook his head. Yikes!
I decided that I was too lucky of a girl to get myself wrapped up in that drama. One of the first pieces of advice that was given to me was to avoid stress and stay positive. You know my sensitivity issues, so that did not seem like a place for me to get involved. I would take the important information that the site gave me and call up the women in my life, who I knew would give me a loving and supportive answer to my question when I had one. Some answers a book or a website can't give me, sometimes I just need a good friend, a sister, or a mother to reassure me that everything will be okay and if it's not, they will still be there, too. I wouldn't call that place a support system, what I have is a support system...the most rock solid, loving, supportive system a girl could have. You all make me say, "Yay for babies!"
Life has been good. Creating life has not been so easy. From week 6 until week 11, I don't even know the person that I was. I was taken over by an alien. Seriously. I don't even know how I got through the day. Let's be honest, some days I didn't without a long nap and a good cry. Despite the fact that I could sleep on command, every type of food made my skin crawl and I constantly felt like throwing up, but awesomely enough, I couldn't do it! There I would sit with that feeling always sitting in my stomach every day and every night. Then I would wake up every once in a while feeling normal and get really scared that something was wrong and pray that I would feel like poo, so at least I knew I was still pregnant. I didn't even know if that was normal, but apparently it is.
Which leads me into my next thought. Pregnancy probably has not changed since the beginning of time: most women feel icky, some do not, some babies survive, sadly, others do not. However, since my mother gave birth to me, she had to rely on faith that her little baby was okay and that God was in charge, she just had to do her best staying healthy. She had no ultrasound, no Downs Syndrome tests or Trisomy tests, and she certainly did not have the latest edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting to check to make sure it was normal when changes were taking place.
However, one thing is for certain when someone new is having a baby: you are invited into a sorority of women who have shared the same experience.
I. Am. Profoundly. Lucky.
I am surrounded and supported by the most beautiful people, and it's really not limited to those who have had children, either. Before getting pregnant, I had heard stories of other women having all sorts of issues with unsolicited advice being given, jealousy amongst family members and friends, or scary stories of pregnancy.
I can say that none of that has been true. Despite the fact that I felt super icky, which was no one's fault, just normal hormonal changes, I have had the most positive pregnancy. To start, the grandmas couldn't be more excited. To feel like we are giving a gift to two women who do so much for me and Casey is a wonderful feeling. My sister-in-law Trena and I are a month apart with our due dates. One would think that there may be animosity and spotlight stealing (as read and heard about before), however, there couldn't have been more joy. We are a support system for each other and I rely on her to answer those weird questions for me.
During this time, I have found out that a few other close friends are due with babies around the same time. Too cool. Again, another group of women to talk and laugh about those funny things going on "down there."
I have wonderful friends that have had children and are another place that I find new advice, baby items, and maternity clothes (thank you, Jenny, Heather and Trena!). Even my friends with no babies are so excited and will do anything to help. My sister-in-law, Steph, loves to talk about all the parts of pregnancy and babies and I couldn't love her more for her excitement to be an auntie!
My mom certainly did not have the internet when she was having her babies. It seems like I can google anything and someone has felt it, questioned it or experienced it. One place that was surprisingly not-so-supportive, yet set up to be the ultimate source of support for pregnant women, was the Baby Center website. It was the site that was recommended to me by a few formerly pregger ladies. It is great for getting the week-by-week information and little newsletter posts about how to eat, why we need to brush our teeth, etc. Then one day I looked at the posts that people write or ask questions about their pregnancy or raising their children. Some comments and questions were the same things that I thought about, too. I didn't leave comments, but I would read other people's opinions. Today I decided to look at my next week's baby information and looked at the current postings that others left. I was horrified to read the entries and comments that these mothers left about any subject. Many were very confrontational and accusational in their tone. It was horrifying to read! I even read some of them to Casey, who just shook his head. Yikes!
I decided that I was too lucky of a girl to get myself wrapped up in that drama. One of the first pieces of advice that was given to me was to avoid stress and stay positive. You know my sensitivity issues, so that did not seem like a place for me to get involved. I would take the important information that the site gave me and call up the women in my life, who I knew would give me a loving and supportive answer to my question when I had one. Some answers a book or a website can't give me, sometimes I just need a good friend, a sister, or a mother to reassure me that everything will be okay and if it's not, they will still be there, too. I wouldn't call that place a support system, what I have is a support system...the most rock solid, loving, supportive system a girl could have. You all make me say, "Yay for babies!"
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A Dinner so Easy, a Caveman Could Do It
Up until about a year and half ago, I was not into cooking. But my mom told me a little piece of advice and it's stuck with me. I will let you in on her golden nugget because it obviously worked well for her: If you always have a good dinner waiting for your husband when he comes home from work, maybe he'll agree to let you stay at home all the time! In January, my mom just retired from working at Alexandria Technical College for about thirty years, so we can see how well this theory really worked.
However, I think cooking takes a little push from a few directions. My mom is an awesome cook, we had a family every dinner every night and still continue to have them when I am home. She made us eat all kinds of food and was definitely not a short order cook. If it was in front of us, we ate it. I thank her for making me open to all kinds of food, I am definitely NOT a picky eater. That is one thing I love about myself; have me over for dinner and I'll eat whatever you cook. I may not always like everything, but I'll always eat it. I can say the same for my sister and brother, there's not much we won't eat or at least try.
My other push came from my sister-in-law, Trena. Talk about an awesome cook! I love visiting their house; she has containers filled with yummy food that I gorge myself on. Trena loves cooking and baking and I love enjoying the things that she creates. She has always wanted me to get into cooking, too, but for many years I just couldn't get excited about it.
The final influence came from my other sister-in-law, Steph. When this girl got married and received all her kitchen gadgets and beautiful serving ware, she was pumping out the most amazing three-course meals! Her husband commented to us when she was busy making dinner that he thought she was such a good cook and everything she made was awesome. (I don't know if he relayed that information to you, Steph!)
After seeing the starry look in Tim's eyes talking about Steph's cooking, I decided that perhaps I needed to step up my game if I was going to keep Casey happy. I can't even remember what we ate before I started really cooking...turkey burgers? Spaghetti? Toast? Cereal? Salad? I'm seriously drawing a blank.
Last summer is when I really started cooking. I took down the 6 cookbooks that were given to me by Trena and my mom and made my list. I planned out 5 meals for the week and had a lot of crazy things that I needed to buy. $90 later, I was walking out a little stunned with the cost of some of these items. The spices, the fresh produce, the oils, the vinegars, etc. However, after being a "pro cooker" as I like to call myself, I found out that many of those things are only bought a few times during the year, not all at once!
It became a fun thing to surprise Casey with a new recipe each night he came home from work. He looked forward to coming home and would call me every time he left and asked what I was making. It would be waiting, piping hot when he walked through the door. Stuffed peppers, portobello mushroom burgers, baked ziti, and maybe a turkey burger (some food is always so good!).
At Christmas 2007, Trena gave me the Eat Clean Diet and the cookbook to go with it. Very enlightening book with lots of information on food and the kinds of food we should be eating. It made me re-think the way I was cooking and although I don't follow the book religiously, I am a lot more conscientious about the foods that I do eat. Tosca Reno would probably tsk, tsk some of my eating habits, but what's the fun in food, then?! Then this year at Christmas, my mom bought me a subscription to the Clean Eating Magazine (with a little push from Trena). It is awesome! It is filled with tons of recipes and every one is healthy and has lots of nutrients, fiber, and protein. It's food for all kinds of eaters. I have made meat and potatoes, pizza, potato and egg salads, pasta, desserts, and all kinds of interesting concoctions of food. The best part is that the recipes are pretty easy, fairly inexpensive, and totally delicious and nutritious. I highly recommend the magazine to anyone that enjoys healthy cooking.
Tonight I made something VERY yummy and it was really easy and there are lots of leftovers--wait, I just looked in the fridge, Casey must have dipped into it for another helping--I mean some leftovers! It's from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook and it's called Wild Rice Summer Salad.
Here's how you make it:
In a sauce pan cook 1 cup of wild rice. (Basically boil 2 c. of water, then add wild rice, cover and simmer for about a half an hour or until cooked, drain)
Cube 2 chicken or turkey breasts and cook in a little olive oil, salt and pepper in a pan.
Mix in a big bowl:
1 bunch of green onions chopped
1/2 c. cooked endamame (I just heated up the frozen kind.)
2/3 c. no salt added sweet corn
2 or 3 Roma tomatoes chopped and seeded
Then add the chicken and wild rice. Add either fresh or dried tarragon and basil--I do a few shakes of each and mix.
For the dressing mix and whisk in a separate container:
1/4 c. or so of light rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. or so of toasted or regular sesame oil
1 garlic clove pressed
Add the dressing and some sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. I added a little more rice vinegar bc I like mine a little more acidic, but that's just me.
Here is a picture of the leftovers:
It was so easy, in fact I talked on the phone with Stacy the entire time I was cooking it! It serves 6 and has only 202 calories per serving...so of course I had a little more. I am very full and satisfied. I just hate feeling like I want to eat more when I get done with dinner. It also gave Casey that starry look, which is always the goal! (No work, no work!)
I hope you enjoy it!
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