Perspective

It's been one of those days. Nothing tragic, just you know. A bad mommy day.

 I've had to change three times, twice for baby food being flung at me and once for being thrown up on. 

I've felt particularly frumpy and insecure about my post baby body after listening to some pretty tactless remarks about having children and what it does to womens' bodies. 

I've battled for naps and one more bites and cleaned the kitchen with a small child trying to bite my ankles the whole time. Really. 

It's one of those days that I doubt whether or not I'm cut out for this stay at home mom world. I doubt whether or not I'm selfless enough to be a good mom because I'm not enjoying every single minute. Today I'm not enjoying any of it really. 

Then as I lay in the floor (because I'm that tired) and play with him, waiting for the blessed hour when daddy gets home, he looks over and giggles at me and I remember.

I remember how badly we wanted this precious boy and how much we prayed for him. 

I remember how sometimes at night when he snuggles with me at bedtime, I weep because I love him that much. 

I remember that this is the hardest and absolutely most joyous experience I've ever had. 

I remember that this is also the most sanctifying process. As I pour into my son there's hopefully less of me, more of Christ.

 I remember there is no where else I want to be but here because I don't want to miss a single second of the spit ups, the bumped heads, the nap battles, the feeding struggles, the hugs, the milestones, the kisses, the snuggles. And even on days when it's hard and monotonous and overwhelming, God blesses me with little glimpses of the wonderfulness of being a mom. I wouldn't trade a single stretch mark or baby food stain. 

This is definitely the best thing I've ever done.

Udi's Gluten Free Saves Christmas Morning

Last week I got this box of goodies from Udi's Gluten Free in exchange for writing about a favorite holiday recipe made gluten free with the help of their products.

I was pretty excited! I've been using Udi's products since I went gluten free a few months ago and then recommitted my allegiance after realizing that gluten could be contributing to my struggle with Restless Leg Syndrome. 

Now let's be honest here. There are some gluten free products, which will remain nameless, that kind of fall apart in your mouth. I'm so happy to say I have not had that problem with Udi's. 

Side note: Their Double Chocolate Muffins are A-MA-ZING. Really. You can't tell they're gluten free and they taste kind of like brownies mixed with chocolate cake. Now if you're still on your post baby diet, you may want to limit the intake. They come in at around 300 calories, but pair that with some good protein at breakfast and a long walk and it shouldn't hurt too much. 

Since I've been married, my husband and I have had the tradition of doing french toast on Christmas morning. Well you can imagine the sadness I felt at not being able to have it gluten free, BUT I have good news for you.

You can still have french toast and be gluten free. I know. Crazy, right? But, yes. It's true!

To update our normal Eggnog French Toast, I used Udi's White Sandwich Bread and Vanilla Granola as my gluten free options.

This recipe uses eggnog to soak the bread. I mean. YUM. Now, read very carefully. You can't just use any old sub-par eggnog. I mean you can, but I don't think you'll get the same results. My husband is obsessed with this Organic Valley Eggnog. We really recommend using that. 

First, melt the 1 tbsp of butter and let it cool to room temperature. 

While you're waiting, toast six slices of Udi's Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread in the toaster on low. 

Mix together 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup of eggnog, one egg yolk and a pinch of salt. Pour mixture into a shallow dish that you can dip the bread in.

Put the granola on a plate for coating the bread.

Soak the slices of bread in the liquid mixture for ten seconds on each side of the bread.

Next, dip the soaked bread into the granola. You may want to use your hand to pat in some extra granola because it can fall off pretty easily. 

                           

Melt one tbsp of butter on your griddle or skillet and cook the granola encrusted slices for about three minutes on each side until they're toasty brown. 

At this point your whole house will smell delicious and everyone will be standing, waiting, salivating.

Serve with maple syrup, some bacon and fresh fruit and you are the gluten free hero of Christmas morning!

Granola Encrusted Eggnog French Toast (Gluten Free)

Serves 2

6 slices of Udi's Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread

3/4 cup Udi's Gluten Free Vanilla Granola

2 tbsp butter 

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup of eggnog

1 egg yolk

pinch of salt

maple syrup

1. Melt 1 tbsp of butter and let cool to room temperature.

2. Lightly toast bread in toaster on low setting.

3. Mix cinnamon, vanilla, egg yolk, 1 tbsp melted butter, salt and eggnog. Place in shallow dish for dipping. Spread out granola on a plate.

4. Soak bread in liquid mixture for 10 seconds on each side. 

5. Dip soaked bread in granola on both sides. Use hands to pat in more granola than you think you need. 

6. Melt 1 tbsp of butter on griddle or skillet. 

7. Cook each slice for about three minutes on each side until granola is toasty brown. 

8. Serve with maple syrup. 

I have to give major props to my hubby who helped create and test this recipe. He's a culinary genius.

I'm linking this to JoLynne's Gluten Free Recipe Round Up. Be sure to check it out! I'm sure there will be lots of delicious gluten free options! Yum!

Wiggly Legs, Sleep Deprivation & Gluten

When I was pregnant with our little Sam, I started having restless leg problems (Restless Leg Syndrome or RLS). I thought it was just a pregnancy complication. Well, unfortunately it came back to haunt me about two months ago. After several nights of sleep deprivation and several days of grouchy sub-par mommying, I asked my doctor about it. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug to take at night only when I need it. It's like prescription strength Aleve. I took it for a few nights and it really did help. I was able to go to sleep faster and I was very thankful.

Then I remembered that, in studies, NSAIDs have caused stomach bleeding. So let's just say I wasn't too enthused about having to take this medicine a few times a week for the rest of my life. Not to mention, you can't take it while pregnant and we are hoping to have more kids. 

So one night, while up late because I couldn't keep my legs still, I started researching diet changes to help restless leg syndrome. I came across this website and was really intrigued by what I found. 

The website said that there are several things in our diets that cause inflammation and restless leg syndrome is, in part, caused by inflammation in the nervous system. To me, it makes sense and even confirms this that my anti-inflammatory drug would help. So I set out to see how I could reduce the inflammation in my body.

Then I remembered that a few months ago, I listened to this podcast of the Dr Lo Show. The discussion was largely about how even if you don't have Celiac disease, the gluten we eat today causes inflammation in almost every body. So even if you're not having horrible stomach issues, there is probably inflammation somewhere in your body because of gluten. After listening to that podcast, I tried to go gluten free. It worked for about a month. Then Thanksgiving came, and of course I wasn't giving up dressing. I mean come on. Let's be real. Well, after a couple of weeks of a gluten bomb, the RLS got MUCH worse.

All of this to say, I am back on the gluten free train in hopes of clearing out the inflammation in my body. The diet to reduce inflammation also includes cutting out sugar, artificial sweeteners, MSG and caffeine (I know. Tragic).

And to answer the question, why wouldn't you just take a pill for the rest of your life? 

Well, I'd rather change my diet in a way that's probably better for me anyway and find a natural, long term solution to this problem than have to take a prescription med that could cause stomach bleeding or ulcers when I'm older. 

I used to be super afraid of going gluten free and while it is a challenge, it's not as hard as I thought it would be. There are so many awesome gluten-free products out there now that you really don't have to sacrifice much. Some of my favorites include: Udi's Gluten Free, Lara Bars, Glutino Crackers and did you know that all of Boar's Head's products are gluten-free? 

Next week I'm planning to write a post on making a holiday favorite gluten-free. I'll be using Udi's Gluten Free bread and granola. 

I've also had a lot of meal planning help from JoLynne's Gluten Free Meal Plan linkup. These have all been delicious meals. 

I can already tell a difference in my legs at night and I'm hoping it continues to improve. 

Recipes to come! Until then, check out my G FREE board on Pinterest!

Menu Plan Monday 7/30-8/3

Let me be honest. I hate having to sit down weekly and plan out meals. So I started planning monthly after seeing some other smart mamas doing that via the Internet. It's such a relief to have the next four weeks planned out. I'm still going to the grocery store once a week, usually on Mondays to get what we need for the week, but it's usually a quick trip for just a few fresh ingredients.

I have to say all of this meal planning is saving us a LOT of money. It makes a huge difference when I plan what we're eating and just get what we need for those things each week. Usually I don't have to buy every single ingredient. We buy beef in bulk and freeze it and we keep a good supply of frozen chicken breasts around as well. Then there's things like pasta and some frozen veggies that we already have around. This is so. much. better. than shopping willy nilly and hoping we come up with some recipe ideas throughout the week. How did I ever get by without doing this??? Well I guess I didn't. My husband did all the cooking back when I was teaching full time. My feet always hurt too much. Now that I'm venturing into stay-at-home-momdom, I have more time to plan and cook and I'm loving it!

Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday: Chicken with green beans and red potatoes

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Girls Night Out! (First one post baby!)


Thursday: Pasta with mascarpone, chicken, spinach and sun dried tomatoes

Friday: Bunless burgers and sweet potato fries

Saturday: Greek Chicken with pita in crock pot- I used chicken breasts for this and they  turned out great. This could be done over rice for a gluten free option.

Sunday: Moe's or pizza

Thank goodness for Pinterest. Am I right? 

Check out the awesome gluten free meal plans at Musings of a Housewife. I'm linking up my mostly gluten free plan there.





Happy Eating and Olympic watching this week!!!

Hard things

"All noble things are difficult."- Oswald Chambers

I hate doing difficult things. I mean I really hate it. I just want life to be a ride of one fun, easy minute to the next. I know that's kind of an immature way to be, but it's how I am. I really resist difficulty in any area of life. I guess in some ways, that comes from a desire for things to be like they're supposed to be. I don't think God intended for life to be difficult. I think pain and difficulty are a result of falling from what we were intended to be, and I can't wait to see what it's like when we're made into who we really are, perfect in Christ and completely whole.

Growing up when I would protest about doing something difficult, I would often say, "Ugh this is hard," or "This is too hard." My dad would always respond with, "Stephanie, you can do hard things." What a blessing of truth from the Lord straight out of my dad's mouth. I don't think God meant for things to be hard for us, but I think He has equipped us to do difficult things. And I think He teaches me the most through struggles.

C.S. Lewis once said, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." And I really believe that's true. Moments where I have felt Christ the most have been moments of grief, sorrow or serious wrestling. And when you think about it, God spoke the most through the most difficult thing ever: his son dying on a cross to save every single human being from sin. He must have known that would have to happen when he first created humans and yet he did it anyway. The redemption of his creation was worth sacrificing his son! I just can't wrap my brain around that, especially now that I have a son. It really is mind blowing.

Usually when I get through the hard thing and God has taught me something really valuable, I know it was worth it. And I think for the most part, God allows us to go through difficulty because the pain of it will be worth the purpose he wants to accomplish through it. I have found that to mostly be true in my life.

So when I'm facing pain, sorrow, grief, difficulty I try to look for Christ in the midst of it and I pray I don't miss what He's trying to say to me. Sometimes it's, "I love you." Sometimes it's, "I am with you." And sometimes it's, "Stephanie, with my help, you can do hard things."

It's Ok Tuesday

I just found this link to It's Ok Tuesday and I LOVE it. Very grace giving and we all need a little grace.

This Tuesday it's ok...

-to watch The Bachelorette instead of cleaning. Who do you think she'll choose? I'm thinking Ari.

-to not care very much about the Katie and Tom thing. Did anyone really think that was going to last anyway? Really. Who's surprised?

-to take a break from make up and still feel beautiful! Here's the post that inspired me. There's a Facebook group too that's so encouraging!

-to have two cups of coffee as you feed your baby because it's just that important to get it in your body!

-to not do crazy things to lose weight. Anyone seen the 6 Weeks to OMG book? Seriously? I'd have to be pretty freakin desperate to take cold baths and skip breakfast. I am more and more convicted to adopt a lifestyle of health that is sustainable. No one can sustain that plan for very long and actually feel good.

-to look through Gilt every day and dream of buying all the designer stuff even though you can't afford it even on sale. Le sigh...

-to stay home and cancel plans when your sweet little man is sick. :( We're not doing much this week hoping he'll recover from his first ear infection.


Go see what else is ok at Airing My Dirty Laundry. It will make you feel better.

Menu Plan Monday: 7/9-7/13

Has anyone else heard of Food on the Table? I love this site and they have an app. Apps make me happy. Mostly I love it because I can see all the sales for my grocery store for the week and add needed items and recipe items to my grocery list in the app.

The recipes from this site are great too. I always love finding new recipe ideas because I tend to get in a rut. I really enjoy trying recipes for the first time. It keeps cooking more interesting. This week I'm trying two recipes from Food on the Table.

I found a link on a blog I was looking at, (can't remember which one) for a code to join Food on the Table for a year for free. The code was SUMMERFREE. Not sure if it's still valid, but it's worth a shot!

If I could change something about this site and app I would like to be able add in your own meals or recipes as part of the weekly meal plan. I'd also like for them to show meal plans in a chart or grid form for days of the week. I just like looking at it that way better.

Here's what we're having this week.

Monday: Saucy Crock Pot Chicken Thighs (I would link to it, but I think you have to join Food on the Table) and steamed veggies

Tuesday: Pot roast with mashed potatoes and veggies. I'm trying this recipe from Jo Lynne.

Wednesday: Korean Beef- Had this week before last and we loved it so much we're having it again.

Thursday: Italian sausage bake-also from Food on the Table and salad

Friday: frozen pizza, I know, healthy. But by Friday afternoons, I'm usually pretty exhausted and just don't have it in me.

Saturday: Probably Moe's and something Andrew cooks.

Sunday: Leftovers

I don't usually plan meals for the weekend even though I probably should. I feel like I need a break from planning and cooking all week so we usually have frozen pizza, leftovers, something my husband comes up with or take out. I'll probably start planning them soon, I just need to feel like the weekends are a break right now.

Happy eating this week!

I linked to Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie and Menu Plan Monday at Musings of a Housewife.

More than cravings...

So I was looking around on Facebook and saw this post, which I completely loved, and then clicked around more on her blog and found this post, which I also completely loved and totally identified with.

I need to feel pretty...
I had a really hard time after Sam was born and my body and face didn't look exactly like they had pre-pregnancy. I really mourned the loss of how I used to look and even hated going out in public sometimes because I felt so insecure. It hit me then that I was maybe a little too dependent on feeling thin and pretty.

We all want to feel pretty...
I understand that as women, one of our core desires is to feel beautiful. I think God made us that way. I also think He created us beautifully and we should trust Him that how He made us is enough and stop comparing ourselves with others. Dealing with a more than planned for pregnancy weight gain has helped me wrestle with how I see myself and how much stock I put into what others think. I think I'm still wrestling, but I think there has been progress.

When it's more than cravings...
I have also really wrestled with the fact that during pregnancy, and at other times in my life, I have used food as a coping mechanism. When I was pregnant I was teaching high school. Let me say that again. When I was huge and carrying around a baby, I was also spending 7 hours a day with 200+ teenagers. Ok I can move on now. I love my job, but it's just extra difficult while pregnant. So I got a little tired and a little frustrated and a little ready for it to be over at the end. And then I started drinking way more soda and eating way more candy than is necessary to sustain anyone. Essentially, I used food to get me through the work day every day.

Let's call this what it is...
Towards the end of my pregnancy and afterward especially, the Lord (gently) convicted me of what this really is. Idolatry.

If you could picture the Christian life as an image, we are meant to be looking straight up to Christ for everything we need. When we take our eyes off of Him and bend down into something else to get us through, we are practicing idolatry. And yes I do this with food, music, my husband, make up, my appearance, reality tv oh reality tv. Instead of looking to Christ for what I need, I get my fulfillment (or comfort) from something else. It's not much better than a modern version of the Israelites with a golden cow.

So I'm really working on not using food to make me feel better when I'm struggling. I think that's the key to having a healthy relationship with food. We should be using it for nourishment, not for comfort when we're sad or stressed.

I understand that we have pregnancy cravings, and there is nothing wrong with that, or eating more because you're growing a person. I just went way beyond the cravings and started using food for more than it was intended.

Since then, I've cut way back on the sugar and started to eat because I'm hungry and because I enjoy good food (which I think is ok, why else would we have taste buds?), but when I'm sad, stressed, angry, hurting, I try....I try to take it to the cross and hurt in God's presence instead of hurting with a brownie.

So back to what got me thinking about this, Fresh Faced for 40 Days. I am so inspired by this. I will not be completely fasting from make up because let's be honest. Most days, I'm in yoga pants with no make up anyway, but I did want to share this post and let it encourage others because yes, we should all love what we look like naked.

And here's my naked face