Seasons Change and So Do I...

I've been having a difficult time not only falling asleep lately, but also staying asleep. We have about a month until Baby #3's due date and I'm up to hourly bathroom trips whenever I lay down to try and rest. The falling asleep portion, that's new though. It's not my hips anymore keeping me up. Chiropractor work really helped that. It's my mind. I'm not even thinking of baby stuff. Not even worrying...much.

Mostly thinking about projects I'd like to immerse myself in this upcoming year. I just turned 29 last weekend, so it's time to think about how this next year should unfold for myself. I know a great deal of it will be adjusting to being a parent of three and taking care of our newborn/drinking insane amounts of iced coffee/trying to sleep when everyone else sleeps (how the heck is that going to happen)?!

So much change, but what would life be without it?

Yesterday I listened to the latest Rob Bell podcast on Seasons. There was so much comfort for me in hearing about the topic of life changes from someone else. At one point he said something along the lines of "Change is hard because it is always a loss." 

We don't like loss in our world. Even if we receive something new afterwards. We cling to the residuals of our loss. I'm going to lose out on the way being the mom of two boys feels, just like I lost out on the way being the mom to one child was...and there is no shame in mourning that with a small piece of my heart. But what we are gaining will be met with such joy. I'm so torn up that her Ama won't be here to meet her and that her knowledge of someone I love so deeply will only be told through me and other family. The change of not having her here to greet my daughter will be hard. It will remind me of my losses, but, still, the season will be new and lovely, as the birth of a new child always is. And I can't forget that in the midst of all the other chaos in my heart.

This is also the time of year I start to think about preparing myself for the long Michigan winter. I adore fall and could bask in the beauty of it for an entire year, but I cannot be distracted entirely, for after the season of autumn comes the season of winter that always wants to wrestle with my emotional and mental well being until I am exhausted and begging for it to release us all from the torment. So, I start early with a game plan to stay busy. I pin a lot of recipes to make, activities for the kids, and stockpile books for myself. This year I have a book called Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder to read and wield against my nemesis. I'm trying to spin winter positively in my mind as a time where we have to lay low and rest. This year that sounds rather appealing, but I know around Jan-Feb I will be restless and feeling caged in by the monotony and feet of lake effect snow.

So, what exactly are my plans for the upcoming months? What are my plans for this space, which has been neglected in the past month?

• I'd like to write an article about an experience I had earlier this year attending a weekend Goddess Retreat and how it was a transformational experience that I would recommend regardless of your religious affiliation (or lack thereof). 

• I am planning on keeping up with the "what we are eating" type posts--I am waiting on one picture before I can publish the article from last weeks meals.

• About one year ago I started to explore my intuition and methods for tapping into the collective unconscious that worked best for me. I have gained so much and believe that I do have a gift to eventually share, but right now, I am working on a personal index to help me with that work. Eventually I hope to offer services online or in person. 

• Continuing to learn and grow as a parent. We are going to be entering the world of Preschool in the next few weeks and the excitement is building! Mr. Two will have some alone time with me for a week or two...and then, baby sister should join us!! Deep breathing for all the new challenges ahead...

• I want to continue to be there for friends, helping out however I can. We have been really showered in blessings this year from so many different sources and I have tried to give what I can when I can to others and it makes me feel so connected to do so. This is definitely an area to continue to be open and improving in. I think this is the first time I've really realized what the phrase "building community" is all about.

• Keep a look out in your mailbox later this year because I decided I'll be writing one of those hokey Christmas newsletters for our family :) So many new people to keep in touch with and I also realized that it would be a lovely way to share Orion's amazing artwork with friends and family...

• Crafts and yarn work. Oi!!!!!! I have three works in progress on knitting needles, a pom pom mobile to complete SOON, a daily journal I try to jot notes in regularly, pictures that NEED to be changed out in all our frames, a wrapped twig project for the nursery, and a photo album to caption by this upcoming Saturday. Then there are projects I haven't even started buying materials for...and to imagine last spring I thought I would knit all the kids sweaters for Christmas. HA HA HA. Maybe next year...

Favorite Things to Make with Common Leftovers

Image from: Rachel Levit

Reducing food waste is a really crucial step in managing a grocery budget and helping to better care for our resources and planet. Below, I've listed some recipes and ways we use common leftovers up in our house. Thanks to Stephanie for the post idea :)



Spaghetti- Store leftover spaghetti or noodles in a separate container from any leftover sauce. Sauce can be used for english muffin pizzas for lunch, regular pizza for dinner, or an easy dish of eggs baked in tomato sauce for breakfast or a quick lunch. Use leftover noodles/spaghetti to make a  delicious pasta fritatta. The best thing about a fritatta is that it is the perfect vehicle for using up really any small bit of ingredients--feel free to add leftover cheese bits, chopped veggies, or meat.

Rice- I personally try not to keep leftover rice in the fridge for more than a night, as I once read somewhere it is a food that spoils quickly...so usually, the next day after having rice, I make one of two things. If we didn't have the rice with an Asian themed dish the night before, either Mike or I will make fried rice. If fried rice doesn't sound good or was too close to the previous meal, I'll usually add the rice to a soup OR I will make crispy rice cakes. Somehow, I always think the kids will like these for lunch. Somehow, I always end up eating tons of rice cakes that they won't touch. A kid friendly thing my mom used to serve us was leftover rice heated up with a bunch of shredded cheese stirred in. Comforting and easy.

Fruit (especially bruised or slightly mushy fruits)- I freeze bananas after peeling them for use in smoothies. Same with other fruit after it is washed and cut, like berries or nectarines/peaches. I also like to take imperfect fruit and use it to make a simple sauce to put over pancakes or waffles. You can hide bruised fruit in muffins or a cobbler/crisp as well.

Herbs- use leftover herbs to make a green sauce, add to a marinade for meat, use in your juicer (parsley especially), or blend them with olive oil and freeze in ice cube trays. Once they are frozen you can pop them out and store in a Ziploc for later use in meals. Also, don't forget, with lots of herbs, the stems are perfectly edible! Don't waste them!!

Leftover Chicken- I absolutely love roasting chicken and if I need some shredded chicken quick for a recipe, I'll buy a whole rotisserie chicken instead of chicken parts (it is cheaper around here). This always results in leftover chicken. Some of my favorite things to do with leftover chicken are: make chicken salad, chicken packets (an old Once a Month Cooking Meal my mom used to make...so you can freeze them! And kids love them! We never used croutons on them growing up, but I have made them that way, as well as using crushed Ritz crackers instead. Both were tasty), making soup in the winter, and throwing it into quick chicken quesadillas.

If this was helpful at all, I'd be more than happy to write up a "Round Two" with some more common leftover ingredients. These were just the top items that came into my head as things we are good about re-purposing.



Oh...and before I sign off:

An AMAZING book that talks about using what you have to make delicious meals & figure out what to do with "scraps" is An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler. I would highly recommend buying or renting a copy. The book isn't your typical cookbook, but more of a helpful navigation tool and is beautifully written (the link here is NOT an affiliate link. I don't have any idea how to even do those).