Meal Planning

Mommy friends of mine practice meal planning so I decided to give it a try at the turn of the new year. I preplan what to cook the whole week. I don't necessarily write down the whole recipe at that time. Some spontaneity is preserved, and I can look up recipes revolving around the theme or protein/ingredients I chose for the day. It's been working wonders. We don't waste as much food or end up making a rash choice to get take out for lack of making a decision on what to make for dinner. I can also utilize leftover roasts or hunks of meat and incorporate them into meals on other days. If there aren't lists or a schedule to follow, it's difficult to focus with so much goings ons.

Some people can really save money doing this by buying only what's on sale and using coupons then planning the meals around the sales. I wish I had time for this or really a clue on how to do it for Organic and natural living. It doesn't help that I can't see the coupons from coupons.com on my browser either. We shop at Wholefoods and BJ's, and it breaks the bank on our already tight budget to buy all Organic products. Our health is uncompromisable though so we still do it.

I'm saving a repertoire of meals in a folder on my computer so I can pick out and rotate meals. Personally I get sick of having the same dishes too often, and my son does too. Although he goes on these kicks where he wants the same thing for every meal or every day, but that's a whole other blog. Finding things that everyone in the family likes is difficult. Honestly my preschooler usually eats something totally different or just parts of the meal. It feels like this will change soon since he's slowly been trying new things. So my meal repertoire will be constantly changing with two young palates. I used to cook so complicated, but it's so difficult with the two now. Easy, nutritious and slightly gourmet is what I like. I try to mix up some inspiration from around the world into the menu too. Latin, Asian, Indian, Italian, and on and on.

The internet is great for new recipes and ideas. I google most of my recipes instead of using cookbooks these days. Sites that I frequent are food network, epicurious, all recipes.com and even Betty Crocker. However I modify most of the recipes and always omit or substitute things like "powdered soup mix" or "hamburger helper powder" for natural options. We don't use things like that in this house since they might contain harmful preservatives or food coloring. Any chemicals or artificial whatnot aka poison is consumed as little as possible in this household.

I also have a ban on hydrogenated fats, although occasionally they find themselves in the house in the form of Reese's Pieces or Peanut Butter Cups.... Velveeta isn't allowed in this house..... EVER!!!!

Feel free to comment with a good recipe especially delicious crock pot dishes. Also tips for good planning is welcome too. Juggling the new family additions into the mix with all of the regular duties has been exhausting. Thankfully as time goes on I'm figuring out what makes it all run smoothly for us.

Tattoo mom of two

Life as I know it has changed with the new addition. Time for me dwindles more and more. it's been interesting finding the rhythm of everyday life as a mom of two. Now that work has been thrown into the mix, it becomes more challenging. I can have my time in the car on the way to work or if they both simultaneously sleep and I happen to be awake, which is rare.

I'm typing this one handed while I breast feed and cuddle my newborn and balancing my computer on my side.

My everyday task workload has multiplied by two. Keep both of them fed, clothed, bathed, napped, and stimulated. Then there's myself. If I can check off two on that list for myself then I'm doing well for the day. Then add up the household chores such as clean the house, cooking meals, and doing laundry.

Then there's my paying job as a tattooist. When Joslyn was 5 weeks, I had to go back to work. As a self employed person, if you don't work then you don't get paid. Hence the shortened maternity leave. Just because I'm in the studio two days doesnt mean I sill don't work everyday. I'm constantly answering emails, booking my appointments and consultations, and drawing and researching for tattoo appointments. The emails have been flying in at warped speed. Some days I've gotten 5 requests in one day. My iCal and iCloud aren't syncing properly or it's really just me. It's so difficult to keep up with all of the emails and booking things without putting a name to a face. The other junk emails come in, and I lose contact occasionally. Please bear with me if I haven't gotten back to you for a few days, and contact me again.

If you want to get tattooed by me, you must come to me in NJ. No more traveling. No night appointments either. I'm booking into May for Fridays and June for Saturdays. You can come in for a consult sooner.

Holy cow... Thank God most days I can harness my inner super hero and utilize my special mom super powers. Thank God for coffee and my husband. He's been a huge help. AND little J sleeps for most of the night so far. Knock on wood.

I've attempted to write about the pain med free birth more than once. It still sits in my files as a draft. Perhaps I'll find time to finish and post it, but for now it hangs in cyberspace purgatory. Someday it will appear here for you to read.

I feel guilty writing when there's so much work to be done. I have three drawings due this week. I could be folding laundry while they nap, which she's been doing 99% of the time for most of Talon's nap time. What a relief.

Check out my little bebe....

40 weeks 1 day

Now overdue, my anxiousness is constantly winning me over at this point. It's reassuring yet somewhat frustrating to see people that share the same due date go early. There have been two our of 5 ladies to go so far. I'm so happy to see them have their little ones, yet I'm insanely jealous and bummed out because I feel as if I'll be the last in line to go into labor. Time will tell. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but time inches by when you're so uncomfortable.

My negative thoughts are fueled by my first birthing process. The last gestational period lasted almost 41 weeks, and it was induced by pharmaceuticals due to low amniotic fluids in the womb. With Talon, I wanted to have an all natural water birth. That wasn't an option. There was one whirlpool tub in the unit we went to. I chose the hospital for its lower C section rate since I wanted to avoid surgery as much as possible. I believe that this country cuts women at birth way too often (but that's a whole other blog), and one medical intervention leads to another.

It was serene floating in the bath while listening to relaxing music and enjoying the ebb and flow of the contractions. The shit hit the fan after I was kicked out because someone else wanted to use it. Then I demanded for drugs and was given them. They put the epidural too high, therefore there was only 3 hours of relief in the middle of the laboring process. Once I started to fully dilate, I could feel everything including the crowning and every push. With 3 hours of relief from a 30 hour labor, drug free is how I want to go. Therefore I asked my husband to deny me the pain meds in my weakest moment this time around. Although it doesnt matter since my midwife doesn't administer epidurals. The tub, breathing, and relaxation will have help me through the discomfort.

Unless there's another surprise in our future, this will be my last birthing experience. Hence, my ultimate goal would be to begin labor spontaneously and have the baby n the water. We're considered a low risk brith so this is possible. Without getting into detail, let it be known that it's quite uncomfortable in this state. It can't happen soon enough.

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Happy New Year!!

Well the newest addition to our family still hasn't made her presence. I've been hoping for an early arrival, but who doesn't want their baby to come early?! 40 weeks or more being pregnant is no fun especially when you know at 4 weeks pregnant. As you get older, time speeds up because there's so much responsibility except when you're pregnant. Then time slows down when you want it to fly by because you're excited to meet this little one, and get your body back.

I'm pretty much done with work at the shop until after the short lived maternity leave of 4 weeks after our little girl is born. I'm still drawing for upcoming pieces and might go in if I feel up to it for ongoing work. However it's all tentative in my 39th week of pregnancy since I haven't been feeling up to it. I'm booking appointments for February and on, but require a cash or Paypal deposit to hold spots.

During this time of year, everyone writes about New Years Resolutions. I'm going to follow suit. Of course the same ongoing goals apply. Lose the baby weight, exercise more, eat more healthy foods, save more money, read more, and become more organized. These are things I always aspire to do so why bother on elaborating on my blog. Two of my specific resolutions that I'm pretty excited about are:

1. Utilizing a weekly dinner meal plan. Making the haste decision at the last minute about what to cook can get us into trouble. We ending up getting take out or forgetting to use leftovers because we're too hungry to make a decision. At least if I have a plan, then I have a guide to stick with. Also it's a good idea to plan ahead on what to do with leftovers and what to put on my weekly shopping list. When you have a shopping list and stick to it, then you're more likely to buy only what's on the shopping list and avoid frivolous spending. I'll have to look at the weekly sales at Whole Foods to help my meal plan decisions in order to save more money.

2. Sketch a day. Even though I only did one on 12/30 and missed the past two days, this is an important "me" activity that I want to stick to. I suppose I can count that first one for Jan 1, and I'll have to promise myself to have make up days if I miss any. It's so difficult to find any "me" time to do these things, and at this point we still only have one child. I'm creative with my job everyday, but I deserve to draw for my own personal satisfaction. There re so many ideas in my head that it makes it difficult for me to focus on one idea once it's time for me to draw what I want.

Feel free to share some of your resolutions with me especially if we share some similar ones.
Hoepfully next time I post, it'll be to share pics of our daughter.... C'mon Baby!!

Great pics

These artistic photographs aren't the usual mugshots I take at the shop. It makes me really thankful to work on some really inspiring people, and that I can have an impact on their lives and vice versa. Just because I'm the one marking them indelibly, they usually make an invisible mark on my memories. This lady is a superwoman! From what I learned, she truly lives by the quote tattooed on her side, which I can't take credit for. I can take credit for everything else around it, though.

31 weeks

It's been weeks now that life has been pretty uncomfortable in this pregnant body. It's unbelievable that some women enjoy being engorged with a growing baby in their bellies. The only thing that's been nice is that I haven't been sick the whole time I was prego. Of course I jinxed myself and came down with a stomach bug Friday night through Saturday. It's not like I sleep these days anyway. The massive round ball attached to my midsection doesn't allow a good nights rest.

Anyway I despise missing work especially since my time is limited until the short maternity break. I was so bored being cooped up in the house, although I did catch up on lost sleep throughout the day. Even though I still didn't feel right, I was determined to catch up on cleaning (its debatable if that's ever possible with two dogs, a toddler, and two adults) and make a nice meal. Before the sickness hit me, I took some baby back ribs out of the freezer since I was planning on making a huge Southern feast today. It's been too long since we fired up the smoker, and I kept the plan.

On the menu for tonight:
Low and Slow Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Creamy Mac n Cheese
Cole Slaw
Corn bread
Baked Beans (from a can... the only unhomemade dish on the menu that I had to have)

Here's the corn bread recipe since my son and I have already tried it, and it's good!!
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 20- 25 minutes was long enough for us. We like it more moist than dry!

Cole Slaw

Ingredients
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 large carrot, chopped
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cabbage head
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (recommended: Jane's Krazy Mixed-up salt)
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Directions
Using a food processor, gently process the bell pepper, onion, carrot, and parsley, being careful not to over process. Cut 1/2 of the cabbage into chunks and place in the food processor and process lightly, making sure the cabbage doesn't become mushy. Slice the remaining cabbage thinly. Mix the cabbage together with the processed vegetables. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together and allow to stand for a few minutes. Combine the mayonnaise mixture with the vegetables and toss. Chill for 1 hour.

Creamy Mac N Cheese

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
3 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cup (about 10-ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8 ounce box isn’t quite 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Add eggs. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.