Sesame Chicken Pasta

I thought I'd post one of our favorite recipes around here. I found it online a while back and have added and eliminated things over time, so here's my version. It's super easy, especially if you do your prep ahead of time so when dinner time rolls around it takes about 15 minutes to throw together. Plus, for the 4 of us (3 that eat solids!) we end up with leftovers for lunch the next day. It's really good hot or cold!

Sesame Chicken Pasta

1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 16oz. package of spiral rice pasta (or whatever you like)
1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. gluten free soy sauce (or regular, if you can eat gluten)
1/3 c. brown rice vinegar
1 t. sesame oil
3 T. sugar or sugar substitute (honey, agave, stevia)
1/2 t. ground or fresh ginger
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1 pound cooked cubed chicken breast
1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1 1/2 c. shredded carrots
2 c. sliced sweet peppers (green, red, orange, whatever you like)
(optional) Any additional veggies of your choice (bok choy, pea pods, water chestnuts, etc. are all good options) -If you add a lot of extra veggies you may have to make a little more of the dressing.

Directions:
1. Heat skillet over med-high heat and add sesame seeds. Stir frequently until toasted and set aside.

2. Cook pasta, drain, and set aside in a large bowl.

3. Add shredded carrots, peppers, and any other veggies you'd like to the skillet and saute with a little oil until lightly cooked but still crisp. Add to the pasta.

4. Combine oil, vinegar, soy sauce, spices, sugar, and sesame seeds. Shake this up well.

5. Pour the dressing over the pasta/veggie mixture and mix gently. Add cooked chicken, fresh cilantro, and green onions. Serve and enjoy!

The Bumps

I thought I was doing really well with two kids and that the transition wasn't really as hard as I had imagined it would be. I started internally tallying all the things I had mastered doing with one hand while holding a baby who didn't want to be set down while awake. Things like, pealing an egg, cracking eggs, making eggs, actually anything egg related, getting dinner prepared, folding laundry although not very neatly, putting laundry in the washer or dryer, getting Emery dressed, and well the list goes on. Then I impressed myself with the ability to do things while nursing. Walking was first, then getting Emery breakfast, helping her on the potty and getting her cleaned up afterwards, even disciplining if need be...while Declan remained latched! Pretty impressive, I told myself.

Then this week came along. Things changed. Emery got a cold last week, then Dustin got a cold, then I got a cold and none of us were feeling so great. This Monday was definitely the downfall though. I didn't think it was so bad when I woke up (after waking a few other times in the night) at 3am, then 3:30, then 4, then 5, then 5:30, then 6 to a fussy gassy baby. It wasn't horrible realizing that my head cold had turned into a chest cold and cough. The challenge came when Emery walked out of her room, looked up at me and began vomiting all over herself, the carpet and me. When I had to rush her to the bathroom, peal off her clothes, my clothes, bathe her, clean up the hallway, put the load of puke covered clothes in the wash, AND care for a wailing baby boy who somehow was starving after only nursing an hour earlier. Yep, at that point my lists and pride went out the window.

I obviously hadn't learned my lesson Monday though because Tuesday I had similar sleep/gas issues with Declan and then as I was desperately trying to get 2 more minutes of sleep as he lay propped up against my side, he proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach all over me. My pride faded even more as I felt the oozing curdled spit-up soak through my shirt, pool into my neck, and reach either side of me and sink into the freshly cleaned sheets. Of course Emery woke up right then to announce that she "was hungry, mama!" I knew then that I would be going on day 3 of no shower.

I recently read "Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches" by Rachel Jankovic. A fabulous book and inspiration for anyone with little kids...plus, a ridiculously quick read, which is vital at this point.  In it she says, "You know those pain scales at the hospital, where they rate your pain from one to ten? Well, pretend that you are screaming, "Thirteen, thirteen! Fifteen!" What that should tell you is that it is time to restart the whole thing, stop screaming, and just deal with the fact that this is now the new "one." Start over, and accept the new "normal."

I think God was laughing at me for acting like I had things handled. It's so easy for me to think I have all things under control, the laundry done, folded, dinner prepared, Em somewhat clean, and all one-handed, lol!! I always took pride in the fact that I could take on a big load and would try to go out of my way to do more. I'd pick the thickest and toughest book to read for our optional book report in high school, take 28 credits at two different schools in college, take 34 credits in grad school while planning a wedding for the day after finals...
Then God used little things like vomit and spit-up to show me just how ridiculously out of control I am. When I have to let go of clean, let go of everyday showers, of clearly defined 'me time', of a beautifully prepared meal every night, of my reading goals, to let go of babies who never cry and little girls who never have emotional break-downs. Because these things are a part of life. My new normal.

Of course, everyday isn't hard and there are actually many really easy days, and it's only been 2 years with one little one and 1 month with two of them. It's those trying days though that bring me back to the reality that God is in control. He wants growth and if those hard days get me there, bring me closer to Him, lead me to prayer, and falling on my knees asking Him for more help, more patience, more time, more, more something to get me through... then I pray for more hard days.

Declan at One Month

I can't believe my baby boy is already one month old! He has been such a joy in our lives thus far and the transition has gone pretty well with a few bumps along the way (more to come on those!).

It's been so much fun to watch Emery being a big sister. We always knew she'd be great at it, but I really can't say enough about how good she is with Declan and how (for the most part) gentle she is around him. So far she thoroughly enjoys kissing him every chance she gets, bringing him toys, putting socks on his feet...and taking them off and putting new ones on, bringing him his pacifier and getting it into his mouth as best as she can...sometimes stuffing it in until he finally gives in and takes it, holding him, and I've even caught her lying on the floor next to him softly whispering in his ear or singing him songs. :)

Some updates for the month:

Declan is growing fast! As far as I can remember, Emery (although a pound lighter than him at birth) fit in her newborn sleepers until she was about 3 months old. Declan on the other hand has already grown out of his newborn onesies and most of his sleepers. Even some of his 0-3 month clothes no longer fit. At his 3 week check up he was 22 inches long and 9 Ibs 12 oz (up 26 oz from his 1 week check).

We've caught at least a dozen smiles out him that weren't just while sleeping, he is very strong and has been able to hold his head up really well since birth, he can stand up and support all of his weight for at least a few minutes before getting bored or tired, and today he was almost doing push-ups with his arms on daddy's chest!

He seems similar to his big sister at this age as far as temperament. I have a pretty fast let-down, so he tends to gulp lots of air and gets pretty gassy these days. He'll usually have a couple pretty fussy hours in the day when he tries to get all his gas out. It used to be later in the mornings and then it moved to evenings, but lately it has been from about 3-6 am, which has left me pretty exhausted since nursing is the only thing that helps calm him, but of course this only causes more gas so it's a vicious cycle. The rest of the day he's a pretty happy baby though, as long as he isn't left to sit in his bouncer for too long and gets to eat every 2-3 hours. All in all Declan is our little cutie and we are so overjoyed that he is a part of our family.

Happy one month birthday to our little Declan man!!

Birth Story: Declan James

I'm finally getting Declan's birth story up even though I wrote it the afternoon that he was born. I guess you could say things have been a little crazier around the house with the addition of another one! 

As most of you know we chose to have a home birth this time around for a number of reasons, and we're so glad we did. Everything went so smoothly, the timing couldn't have been more perfect, and our birth team was amazing. 

So on Friday, March 30th (at 38 weeks, 6 days pregnant) Emery and I met my sister-in-law and two nephews at the mall to do some walking since it was too cold and rainy to go outside. I was trying to do as much walking as I could this past week to get things moving along and our little guy in position. During this pregnancy I've had tons of Braxton Hicks since around 20 weeks, but this day I began having bouts of Braxton Hicks that seemed to be time-able.  These weren't painful at all, but I had a very vague feeling that something was different. Funny thing too, my sister texted to ask what our plans were for the weekend and I texted her back, "Well, tomorrow I'm having a baby but not sure what our plans are for Sunday yet." LIttle did I know, ha!!

In the middle of the night, at about 12:30am, I woke up (after going to bed 2 hours earlier) to contractions that were somewhat painful and coming every 5-6 minutes. This time they definitely felt like the real deal so I woke Dustin around 1:00am and told him to start filling the tub. We started getting things set up and labored for about an hour longer before calling our midwife to inform her that labor had started. She called her apprentice and told us to call her back when we felt we wanted them to come over. During this time contractions weren't horrible, I needed to stop talking, moving, and breath through them but they were really manageable. Dustin helped by putting pressure and a hot pack on my low back during a contraction to help relieve some of the low back pain I was having, since this is where most of the pain was concentrating. 

At about 4:30am contractions were about 1.5-2 minutes apart and lasting between 40 seconds to a little over a minute, so we called our midwife again and told her it was time to come over. We also texted my parents to be on standby to pick up Emery when she woke up for the morning (usually about 7:30am). We all figured she would wake up long before our little guy was born, and knowing her and how empathetic and emotional she is, we wanted my parents to take her during the hard part of labor. 

Both of our midwives came by about 4:45-5:00, set up, and we continued laboring with contractions getting stronger. Around 5:45am I hit transition and began having very painful contractions, began throwing up, and started feeling a lot of burning and pressure in my cervix.  I could tell I wasn't far off from the pushing stage. 

I wanted to do most, if not all, my laboring outside the tub because I felt better being able to walk/move between a contraction and I really liked the pressure and hot pack on my low back during each contraction. I was hoping to use the tub for the pushing stage when need be. Well I hit that stage with a vengeance! At about 6:30 I started feeling the urge to push and I really wanted to sit on the toilet before getting in the tub. While on the toilet I had two pushing contractions. These were ridiculously painful and I felt my body completely take over almost without my help. With the help of Dustin and my midwives I then made it to the tub. After about 4-5 really REALLY strong painful pushes our little guy's head was out. I had one more extremely painful push to get his shoulders and body out. In between his head and shoulders coming out I kept saying, "I don't want his head going back in there, I DO NOT want it going back in there!!!" Of course, Dustin and my midwives thought this was hilarious because, obviously, he wasn't going back inside! I think I was just expecting his body to follow immediately like Emery's had during her birth, but he made things a little harder of course. The pushing stage was much harder and more painful than it had been with Emery, so I am so thankful that it didn't last very long! 

Everything went fast (as it did with Em), but I had no tearing, no swelling, and very little blood loss. I can't even believe how much less post-pardum pain I had with this birth compared to Em's birth. I think birthing in the water, with our small birth team, and in the comforts of our own home and bed made this birth so much better all around. 

Declan James was born on Saturday, March 31st, at 6:58am (at 39 weeks), chunky, pink, and crying! He was born with a full head of dark hair, which we could not believe because Emery was basically bald at birth with a few blonde wisps. He weighed 8 pounds 4oz and was 20 inches long (the same length as Emery but a full pound heavier).

Of course, we were so blessed that Emery didn't have to leave at all and woke up about half an hour after Declan was born and was able to meet her baby brother right away. Dustin went to get her and brought her to go potty. While in the bathroom she heard Declan crying and asked Dustin, "baby brother crying in mama's tummy?" When she was brought in our bedroom to see him she just kept kissing him and repeating, "he came out of mama's tummy!" 

We chose the name Declan because it is Celtic (I come from a mostly Irish family). Declan means, "man of prayer" or "full of goodness." James is a family name, so we wanted to carry on the tradition. It was Dustin's grandpa's middle name, his dad's name, and it is also Dustin's middle name. James is Hebrew and means, "supplanter." 

God is so good and we are so thankful to Him for our precious little boy! "Behold, children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward!" Psalm 127:3

My two new favorite recipes

I've been trying some new recipes out lately, using vegetables I don't normally use, and trying out some different kinds of flours. For those of you who don't already know, I can't eat gluten so certain recipes can be challenging and I've had some trial and error in the process. I just made both of these in the past week and I think they passed the test! Dustin even dubbed the shepherd's pie as his new favorite meal. Emery loved it too! :) I thought I'd pass them along.

Shepherd's Pie (I edited it to make more of it, so I'll include what I changed)

5-6 large potatoes, cubed (skin on or off) (I used about 16 really small ones)
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 (approximately) pound chunked sirloin steak (I ended up using 1.7 pounds)
1 red onion (I used a really large one)
2 cups sliced white mushrooms (I didn't add these)
2 leeks, chopped (I used 1 large one)
2 large carrots, chopped (I did 6 small ones)
2 parsnips, chopped (I chopped 3)
1/2 cup tomato puree (I did 1 cup)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 cup cheddar cheese (obviously, I increased the amount on the rest of these too)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
chives for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Boil cubed potatoes until soft (about 15 minutes). Set aside.
3. While potatoes are boiling, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Season chunk steak with salt and pepper and add the steak to the skillet. Cook the steak until medium rare, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove the steak from the skillet and place in a 9 X 13 casserole dish. In the same hot skillet, place onion, mushrooms, and leeks and saute for 4 minutes. Then add carrot and parsnip. Cook, stirring, for 5 more minutes. Add tomato puree, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix. Turn off the heat and let sit while you mash the potatoes.
5. Drain potatoes, mash, and add butter and milk.
6. Into your baking dish, spoon mixture from the skillet over the steak. Then, spoon mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top and put in the oven for 14-16 minutes to allow the carrots to soften, the meat to cook a little more, and the cheese to melt.
7. Garnish with chives and serve hot.

My two new favorite flours to use are almond flour and coconut flour. Almond flour is a little pricey, but it's made from a super food so it's full of nutrients unlike pretty much all high carbohydrate, nutrient deficient white, wheat, rice, or potato flour! Good fats for you, lower cholesterol, smooth texture, and bakes up really nicely. Also, coconut flour is full of fiber, is super nutritious for you, won't spike your blood sugar, and tastes yummy!

So for dessert, some not-so-bad-for-you cookies! Don't let the healthy ingredients fool you, these are delicious! We brought some to our small group not long ago and they passed the test for 7, 9, and 13 year old boys!

Cranberry Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Makes 36)

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, toasted (I used raw almonds, not toasted)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
3. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, agave, and vanilla
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry
5. Mix in cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips
6. Form dough into 1/2-inch balls and press onto parchment-lined baking sheet
7. Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes
8. Cool and serve

YUM!! If you haven't ever baked with agave nectar I highly recommend it. A lower glycemic sweetener that doesn't make things taste "healthy."

If you have a recipe you love or have recently tried and recommend, feel free to post!!

Bye-Bye! (A Video)

Here's a little clip of Emery playing with her toys the other day. Lately she enjoys dropping them on the floor and saying "bye bye" every time she does.

Sorry for the poor video quality, it was taken on my cell phone. I'm still trying to figure out how to post videos so hopefully I'll be able to put up more soon with a better camera.

Lent and the Season of Easter

Dustin and I wanted to lay out a plan for scripture reading and activities as we approach Easter, so I put together some information and reading based on the New Testament accounts of this time as Jesus' death approaches. 

Lent: Old English, “Lengthen.” Days are getting longer with spring approaching. Lent is a good time to reflect and pray, giving thanks to God for sending us a Savior who gave His life for our sins. Fasting is closely associated with this time as a way to express our dependence on God. Of course, it is done with a heart change, expressly to give God our time, to meditate on Him and our need for Him. After prayer we may not feel led to fast during Lent and that's okay. It is a good time, however, to remember the forty days of fasting that Jesus did in the wilderness, to soberly look at ourselves and consider the depth of our sin and the height of God’s love for us, and to ask God for forgiveness.

Noel Piper says, 

“Lent is a season of waiting. In that sense it is like Advent. But while Advent waits eagerly for the appearance of the Savior, Lent waits, with heavy responsibility, for his death. The light of Advent candles grows brighter as we approach the Savior’s arrival. In Lent all grows darker as we draw nearer to the unthinkable – the death of God.”

Good scripture reading for each Sunday leading up to holy week of the accounts of Jesus’ last days:

Matthew 21-28

Mark 11-16

Luke 19-24

John 11-21

Holy week:

Palm Sunday

Jesus’ triumphal entry as King and Messiah into Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. He rides on a donkey (signifying humility) and is greeted with “Hosanna” and the waving of palm branches, though the people will soon disown him. Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-28; John 12:12-19

Monday

Jesus preaches in the Temple and cleanses it by chasing off the moneychangers and vendors. Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48

Tuesday

Jesus and the Pharisees dispute in the Temple, where His authority is challenged and He confronts them. He leaves for the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. There he delivers the “Mount Olivet Discourse.” Judas agrees to betray him to the Jewish priests for 30 pieces of silver. Matthew 21:23-46, 24:29-51, 26:14-16; Mark 11:27-12:12, 13:1-13, 14:10-11; Luke 20:1-18, 22:1-6

Wednesday

Holy, or Spy Wednesday.

Thursday

On Holy or Maundy Thursday, at the Passover Feast, Jesus and his disciples share the “Last Supper.” It was a time for goodbyes and preparation for separation. Jesus blesses his bread and wine as his flesh and blood and shares it with his disciples. He informs them that one of them will betray him. Jesus and his disciples go to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays and his disciples desert him, first by falling asleep and then by running away. Matthew 26:17-29, 36-46; Mark 14:12-31, 32-42; Luke 22:7-23, 39-46; John 13:1-30, 36-38

In the middle of the night, Jesus is betrayed by Judas’ kiss and arrested. Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-50; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11

Friday

At sunrise, he is denied three times by Peter. When brought before Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, and his Council, he is condemned. He says that he will rise from death after three days. Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:12-27

They hand him over to the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate, who sends him to Herod (Antipas, the son of Herod the Great). Then Pilate asks the crowd who he is to pardon: a murderer, or Jesus? The crowd condemns Jesus and he is sentenced to death. Matthew 27:1-26; Mark 15:1-15: Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-40

Jesus carries his cross to Calvary, where on the “third hour” (9 am) he is crucified. He is mocked as he hangs between the two thieves. On the “sixth hour” (noon), darkness covers the land. Jesus cries out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:32-49; Mark 15:16-41; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:16-27

Jesus commits his spirit to his Father and dies. An earthquake destroys the Temple. Many understand now that Jesus was the Son of God. His body is taken down and anointed, then buried by Joseph of Arimathea. Matthew 27:50-61; Mark 15:37-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:28-30, 38-42

Saturday

The Jewish Council remembers his vow to return and has the tomb guarded and sealed with a heavy stone. His disciples wait; thinking all was over and lost. Matthew 27:62-28; Luke 23:56

Sunday

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary see an angel roll away the stone in front of the tomb. The angel tells them Jesus is already resurrected and is on his way to Galilee! On their way to tell the others, Jesus appears to them. Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20-21

The Lord is risen!!!

I Peter 1:3-5

I hope and pray that this may be helpful for you. I give thanks and praise to my Lord Jesus Christ who died so that I might live!