This meal is great for when you're standing in front of your fridge after a long day thinking, "What the $%&# are we going to eat?!" Also excellent for entertaining guests over brunch. You can completely customize it to your tastes and it's pretty hard to screw up. If you can scramble an egg, you can make a frittata. It looks and tastes way more impressive than scrambled eggs, too.
So throw on your apron and let's get crackin'! Literally. Because you need to crack a lot of eggs.
Here is what went into my frittata last night.
Ingredients:
10 eggs
1/2 c. whole milk
1 T. butter
1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced
6 strips of uncured bacon, chopped into bite size pieces
1 large tomato, diced
Handful of fresh spinach, chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk eggs & milk together, season with salt & pepper, set aside.
- In a saute pan, cook your chopped onion & bacon together until soft/crispy, drain on a towel and set aside.
- In a deep saute pan (or an "everyday pan"), melt your butter, then pour in your egg mixture.
- Add everything else into the eggs: onion, bacon, tomatoes & spinach. Top with a generous amount of cheese and let everything cook on the stovetop for 5 minutes.
- After the sides have set, put the whole pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the center is firm.
- I opted to add more cheese in the final few minutes of cooking. Because I really like cheese.
- DIG IN!
IMPORTANT: if your entire pan is stainless steel, you're fine. If your pan has a coated or plastic handle, wrap it very well in tinfoil before it goes in the oven. It's not a very high heat and it won't be in the oven for that long. There are also ways to cook a frittata where you cook it entirely in the oven in a casserole dish and skip the stovetop step. You'd have to google that though!
Everyday Pan - perfect for frittatas!
Other yummy ingredients to add or substitute: mushrooms, sausage, salsa, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese, green pepper, ham. It's a great meal to clean out the fridge.
Throughout my pregnancy, I've been asked "So which hospital are you giving birth at?" One person actually went on to list a handful of local hospitals without giving me a chance to respond first. "Paoli? Bryn Mawr? Chester County?" It's always assumed that I will give birth in a hospital.
And then I break the news. Well, actually, we're going to a birth center. Cue total confusion...
So I launch into my spiel (I've got it down by now). It's a stand-alone birth center right across the street from the Bryn Mawr hospital, and I'm under the care of midwives, but in the case of an emergency, I am transferred to the hospital. Then I like to add, it's a little hippy-ish, but I love it! For some reason, people get this. In truth, it doesn't have anything to do with the hippy movement of the 1970's, except that that's the decade when women returned to using midwives and wanting births with as few interventions as possible. Before hospital births became popular in the 20's and 30's, almost all women had their children at home under the care of a midwife.
The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, PA
In many European countries, there are far fewer hospital births than in the United States, and these countries actually have lower infant mortality rates. As of 2010, the U.S. was ranked 34th for infant mortality rate, which means that 33 countries have fewer infant deaths than we do. Sweden, Denmark... even Cuba beats us. CUBA!
Additionally, I knew that if I went the traditional hospital route, there would be almost a 1 in 3 chance I'd have a c-section. That is the national average for all hospital births, regardless of the mother's health. Up front, I knew I wanted to avoid being part of that statistic. Who wants major surgery? No one.
On the other hand, the birth center we are going to has an 8% c-section rate. They also don't offer epidurals or pitocin (except for after childbirth, if pitocin is needed to expel the placenta). So if I were to want/need either of those drugs, I'd be transferred to the hospital. They believe that the body works best without these interventions and they offer tons of natural pain management methods instead (there have got to be about 100 of them). We already learned about them in our childbirth classes, and I have a handy packet for home use when labor starts. It's like my new bible.
Then there are the misconceptions. That midwives aren't trained properly (false, they receive the same training as nurses, plus additional training in emergency procedures that can arise during birth). That only a doctor can deliver a baby (clearly not true if women in other countries have such great success with midwives and if women in the U.S. were successfully having children for hundreds of years). That drugs are 100% safe (no drug is completely safe). That there is one "best" place to have a baby (again, in looking at other countries, maybe we're the ones who've got it wrong). Ay yay yay. Whenever I hear these things, I just roll my eyes. Throughout my prenatal care and childbirth classes, I've felt so safe, comfortable and confident with their methods and attitudes towards birth. I refuse to let other people's narrow-minded opinions about my birth choices deter me.
I don't feel scared or nervous because I know there will be a wonderful team of women helping Tim and I every step along the way. Not to mention, it always helps to feel in control of the situation. I've never been pressured into any kind of testing and we're even opting out of a few post-birth procedures (antibiotic eye ointment & the hep b vaccine) and doing so wasn't an issue. Having your decisions supported and trusted is truly empowering.
Do I sound like a hippy? Okay, maybe I do. Afterall, I wasn't drawn to those tie-dye tapestries in college for no reason. But I don't think it's a bad thing. Some people I've spoken to act like I'm being wreckless. But why? Because they've never heard of anyone else going to a birth center before? Talk about fear of the unknown.
Wherever and however you plan on giving birth, being 100% confident in your choice is key. There aren't wrong choices, just different choices. I've really enjoyed educating people on my choice, and I can't wait to tell Baby Annan's birth story in a few weeks. In GRAPHIC DETAIL. Haha... just kidding... kind of.
I'd also like to give a shout out to my awesome husband who has supported every one of my choices, attended hours and hours of childbirth classes with me, and who gives one hell of a prenatal massage. He's going to be a counter-pressure rock star when I'm in labor!
See you soon, little one! And please don't cause problems, mm k?
This title implies that I had any summer flings to begin with. FALSE. I am a happily married lady. I meant it more as a metaphorical fling with summery things, like flip flops, strawberries and fireworks. Example) me and a bag o' limes got together and had a ball in the kitchen last night.
I have been having serious citrus cravings throughout my pregnancy, so when I came across this recipe on Martha Stewart's website, I started drooling and hit "print".
Ingredients
9-10 graham crackers
2 T. plus 1/2 cup sugar
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 can (14.5 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lime juice (4-6 limes) or bottled lime juice
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
Lime zest garnish (optional)
Meg's Notes: I bought a premade graham cracker crust, and therefore, skipped the first 3 ingredients except for the 1/2 cup of sugar. I used fresh squeezed limes, and recommend buying 8-10. Not all limes have the same amount of juice in them, and you definitely want to have enough of this key ingredient! Warning: if you decide to squeeze all those limes, your hand will be deformed for a good 5 minutes afterwards. But I think it's worth it.
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you need directions to make a homemade crust, see the link to the real recipe above. If you're taking the easy way out like I did, read on.
2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar and salt. Whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into crust and bake until filling is set around edge but slightly loose in the center, 20-25 minutes.
3. Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
4. Serve and garnish with zest, if desired.
Meg's Notes: Don't use a broken whisk. It just complicates things. Also, it's about the same consistency as a pumpkin pie when done (a little jiggly in the center). I was so eager to try mine, that I popped it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Mmmm... simply subLIME.
So go have a summer fling of your own... with a dessert.
Less heartbreak. More deliciousness.
Baby's can be very expensive... if you let them. I'm personally not going to let my greedy infant nickel & dime me for the first few years of his life. The jig is up, kid.
Don't let Babies 'R Us and their lively, purple circulars lure you in. 15% off of $179 is not a good deal for a baby swing. It's practically criminal. Your baby is going to use that swing for what, 6 months? Sometimes baby's don't even like certain swings, and by the time you realize that, it's too late to return it.
Yes, you'll have a baby shower, but in my experience, most guests spend around $50-$75 (unless it's grandma, then the sky is the limit!). So while your friends & family step up to shower you and baby with love, they're probably on a budget just like you.
If you've never experienced the thrill of scoring deals in consignment shops and on Craigslist, you're missing out, friend. From the time I announced I was pregnant, my Mom and I have been tirelessly scouring the internet and local high-end baby consignment shops... and we made out like bandits.
I didn't keep track of all the clothing we got because frankly, there was just too much of it. However, it seemed like every day my Mom would text me a picture of some brand new set of onesies or an adorable sleep sack that she found for $3. We also ended up with a huge moving box packed with newborn, 0-3 and 3-6 month baby boy clothes fo' free, thanks to a generous family at my parents church who recently had twins. Then, there were a few things I found on Craigslist, like a fuzzy brown Columbia jacket for $1, pants that were 3 for $1 and a few more sleep sacks for $1 each. Everything was used for maybe 3 months (tops) and in fantastic condition. Considering these things *new* would have been $10-$20 each, we were pretty pumped, and often said aloud, "Why don't more people do this?"
What We Got & What We Paid
(Everything listed below was either new or gently used.
Nothing smelled weird, had stains on it, and everything was in working condition.)
First Years bottle warmer ($5, Craigslist)
Crib mattress cover ($5, Craigslist, never opened)
Changing pad ($1, Craigslist)
JJ Cole Bundle Me ($10, Craigslist)
Kolcraft Crib Mattress ($20, Craigslist, used 2 times at Grandma's house)
Fisher Price Bouncy Seat ($15, Craigslist)
Graco Swingomatic, 6 speeds, plays classical music ($5!! Yes, FIVE BUCKS, Craigslist)
Graco Pack n' Play w/ bassinet, changing table, mobile, vibrates, plays nature sounds & classical music ($51, Butterflies & Blossoms Consignment Shop)
Giant Box of Baby Clothes(FREE; also included receiving blankets, prenatal workout DVD's, hats, socks, shoes, an infant head/body support, picture frame & changing table organizer)
Then, because I'm lucky enough to have two awesome sisters-in-law who are done having kids and like savings things, we received/will receive the following items:
Childproofing accessories & baby gates
Baby Bjorn carrier
Car mirror
Changing pad
Swaddling blankets
Crib sheet
Hooded towels
High chair
Boppy
Dishwasher basket
Baby spoons
Exersaucer
2 different play mats
Bouncy seat
Clothes
Toys/Stuffed Animals/Teething Rings
Books
We even ended up with doubles of a few items (like changing pads, bouncy seats & play mats). They are going to my Mom's house for when she babysits.
Additionally, my sister-in-law (who conveniently lives 10 minutes away) literally has a small toy store in her basement and gave us the okay to "shop" there anytime.
Sweet deals, right? I still can't get over the five dollar swing. I love sharing the joys of thrifting and hope it catches on!
If you're interested in making a nursing cover, you're probably not just going to do it for fun. You're planning to breastfeed! First things first, read up on your state's breastfeeding laws. Yes, the act of a mother feeding her child in public was at one time considered "indecent exposure" and laws had to be passed to protect the rights of nursing mothers. Crazy, right?
I still see articles (like this one) pop up now and then about a woman being asked to move into the restroom of a public area because the act of nursing her child was somehow perceived as indecent. (Using what God gave us to feed our babies? Oh, the horror!)
Of course, not every mom feels comfortable just whipping out a boob, so nursing covers are a nice way to feed your hungry baby wherever & whenever without getting uncomfortable stares from passersby.
You can buy brand name nursing covers and Etsy is loaded with cute ones, but I found a tutorial on one of my favorite crafty blogs and decided to make my own. It was surprisingly simple and also cost less than buying a pre-made cover. All you need is 1 yard of fabric, a pair of metal D rings, and a 14" piece of boning (which is a stiff, curved thingy to make the rounded semi-circle at the top of the nursing cover, enabling you to look down & see what your baby is up to).
Taking the day off on Friday was heavenly. Indy was scheduled to be neutered, so I dropped him off at our vet's office around 9am (I was a little emotional leaving my baby there... is that weird?) I got home & the house was completely silent... ahhh... peace. Did I take this opportunity to relax? Of course not. Like any pregnant, nesting woman I cleaned the crap out of that house! The crevice tool on my vacuum cleaner got an extensive work out. I even vacuumed the couch cushions & throw pillows and did a couple loads of laundry.
Around noon, I realized I hadn't eaten anything yet. Must have been running on pure cleaning adrenaline. So I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich with some carrots & hummus and sat down at the kitchen table to do some vaccine reading. We had just met with a pediatrician (and loved him) a few days earlier, so I wanted to thoroughly research the 3 immunizations he strongly recommends. I won't go too far into that because it's a very touchy subject. But I will say this... we're not following the CDC's guidlines. 'Cause we're rebels like that.
I called the vet after lunch and was surprised to hear that Indy was already out of surgery, awake and had been out on a walk & fed. So much for getting anything else done... but I kinda missed my pupsters and was excited to pick him up.
This was Indy for a few minutes on the ride home. And then he was up & sticking his head out the window for the rest of the drive like nothing even happened. Seriously, dogs (especially puppies) are resilient. Stitches on my privates? What stitches?
We went to our favorite breakfast place on Saturday morning, Penn's Table, and got a table outside since we brought Indy (they love pets). It was 65 degrees, sunny and the briskness felt fab. It's sweater weather!
On Saturday afternoon, Tim got to work assembling strollers and installing car seat bases. Indy helped.
Sunday marked Indy's 6 month old birthday. We are at times completely aggravated by this dog, but just love him to pieces.
This week, I'm entering week 35 of pregnancy.
Maternity leggings are officially my favorite pants to wear.
On Sunday, we watched the Eagles lose at my brother's house (but got to see 4 of our adorable nieces, so that's an automatic win!) Back at home, we flipped on the Phillies and I'm the only one who could stay awake. But I'm glad I did because I got to see this. Adorable.
Well, almost free. I spent $6, but you might be lucky enough to have the materials on hand. I have been seeing paint chip wall art projects (click here and here) floating around the internet and thought it looked easy enough for a non-artist like myself to try out. And when I say non-artist, I mean that my drawings look like I just entered kindergarten and I am incapable of coming up with artistic ideas... like this cool project.
Materials:
16 x 20 frame = $0 (leftover from our wedding, it held the seating chart poster)
White mat = $6 (A.C. Moore, forgot my coupon, darn it!)
Paint chips = $0 (Home Depot, Martha Stewart Collection) Total Cost = $6
First, gather your materials. I had no idea how many paint chips I would need, but Tim and I knew what color scheme we were going for, so we just started grabbing whatever caught our eye. We ended up with just 1 extra. (Don't worry, no one looks at you weird when you walk out of the paint section with handfuls of these guys, they are meant to be taken!)
I layed the mat over the inside of the frame backing and traced around the inside so I would know where to line up the paint chips. (Tim would like to add that he thinks they are not called paint chips. Paint samples? Paint cards? I'm still calling them chips.)
Next, just start trying different layouts. Again, I am not an artsy person, so I just did what I thought looked cool. I ended up making 4 rows of 6 paint chips, going light to dark, keeping the color groups relatively together. Didn't snap a pic of it, but I laid them out first before taping them down, and was glad I didn't just dive in with the tape because I ended up rearranging a few.
I didn't do much measuring, because I think it's time consuming and annoying. Some architect I would have made! When I had all of the paint chips taped down, I trimmed the excess off the bottom, laid the mat overtop and framed it up.
As you'll notice on the left, my non-chalant attitude towards measuring probably wasn't the best one to take, because the first column is slightly more narrow than the rest. Oh, well. It doesn't bother me, and it's hanging in our bedroom, not an art gallery. I also thought about gluing down each paint chip, but I kind of dig the slightly raised/3-D look that it has with them being popped up a little bit. And I also love that the names of the paint colors are still showing. "Darkening Sky", "Plum Pudding", "Sea Glass"... that Martha Stewart comes up with some awesomely accurate names for her paint colors.
Our bedroom is officially on it's way to being (somewhat) decorated. The blandness has been bothering me lately & the baby's room has been consuming most of my interior design budget, so finding a quick & free art project like this is exciting!
First, I'm currently loving the show Up All Night (Wednesday's, 8pm, NBC). Anyone else a fan? Christina Applegate & Will Arnett as hip, new parents by surprise. Maya Rudolph playing a cross between Oprah & Tina Turner. I can't get enough of it.
Second, does anyone else ever pay attention to the background of TV shows & movies, specifically, the interior design elements of the set? I can't help but notice them all the time. Sometimes to the point where it distracts me from the actual show (thank goodness for DVR).
I was re-watching the last episode during my lunch break (on Hulu, not HuluPlus, 'cause I'm too cheap for that) and I couldn't get enough of the curtains! Is that weird? In any case, I took some crappy screenshot pics with my iPhone because I loved them sooo much.
You can't really tell, but these are dark brown (seen in Ava's office). I lurrrve that geometric pattern. I've been scouring all the home goods websites I can think of (Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Ikea, Anthro, Urban Outfitters) but still can't find them. I found some Waverly fabric that was close, but do I have time to make 84" curtain panels? Nope.
These are Ikea curtains that I have loved for a while now. Neutral colors make a bold print totally do-able. I'd love them in my living room, but $60/pair is a little steep for my budget. We'd need 6 panels total for our giant windows. Sigh. I guess I'm stuck with my Overstock.com curtains for now.
I'm pretty particular when it comes to making *major* purchases. It has to be exactly what I want, at the price I want, or fugghetaboutit. I'm not going to spend my hard-earned cash on something I don't absolutely love. And that's final. I'm also thrifty, so a $1,000 crib was completely out of the question (yeah, Oeuf cribs, I'm talking about you).
Naturally, I knew I'd have a hard time picking out a crib because of these factors, so I started researching and scoping them out early. Like... pretty much as soon as I found out I was pregnant (which was back in February).
It's now almost October and I was finally able to commit. But not without drama and endless mind-changes. Because that's just how I am. (Side note: I'm actually starting to wonder if I make things more difficult for myself on purpose so my life isn't boring. Wouldn't that be terrible? Knock it off, Meg!)
Up until a few weeks ago, I was dead set on a particular crib from Ikea. It was a rockin' lime-green color, only $99 and I was telling everyone about it. So fun. So unique. It was mine. I was sure of it. Then the worst thing ever happened. The dreaded "Ikea Crib Recall of 2011." My lime-green dream was shattered. I obsessively checked Ikea's website for months to see if they were back in stock yet. No such luck.
Devastated, I knew I had to move on if I didn't want my infant sleeping in a dresser drawer.
I looked at cribs from Target, Wal-Mart and even Overstock.com. However, I didn't like white, natural wood, dark wood, or oak. Yeah, I'm THAT picky.
The Baby Mod collection at Wal-Mart had my favorite styles, but I wasn't thrilled with the color selection. That is, until I discovered this little number. For some reason, it never popped up during the first few searches I did on their website, but I kept digging and it magically appeared. (In reality, I probably thought it was black at first and skipped over it).
The Baby Mod Modena 3-in-1 Fixed Side Crib in Navy
Cue "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder. 'Cause that's how I felt when I discovered her.
Modern lines, four mattress positions, converts into a toddler bed, non-toxic finish, and most importantly... made of "sustainable pine wood from New Zealand." SOLD! Haha. Just kidding. At $199, I figured we better just go for it. I was tired of waiting for Ikea to get their butts in gear.
Because I'm a cheapskate, I opted for the free "site-to-store" shipping which takes a little longer, so it's set to arrive next week. I can't wait for the nursery to actually look like a nursery! Stay tuned, because I'm eventually going to post a complete breakdown of everything in Baby A's room: price, source, inspiration, etc. We were on a tight budget, but it's coming together beautifully and I can't wait to share photos of the finished product.
Oh yeah, I have a blog... totally forgot about that! Just kidding. I didn't forget. Blogger's format got all screwy and I couldn't figure out how to do anything and I've been super duper busy. It's still weird, and I don't even know how this post is going to look, but I just wanted to let you know I'm baaaaack. Let's see. Still married. Still pregnant. Still have a dog (who is HUGE, btw). Due in less than 2 months. INSANITY!
I'm so excited to blog about being a mamacita and all the parenting decisions we're making (at least the semi-non-personal ones). We're working on the baby's room, taking childbirth classes and I've even started packing my bags for when we head off to the birth center! Well, hopefully to the birth center, if Baby Annan cooperates. I can't wait to spill the beans on his name as well! So many fun things lie ahead. But first, I need to grab a snack because it's 11am and that's the official universal pregnant-lady snack time.
My grapes & pretzels await!
At a wedding in September with my cutie pie husband
Instead, we're just going to keep torturing our family & friends until November.
Here are some of the names we considered, but ultimately didn't go with.
William
Oliver
Ryder Colin
Taylor
Cameron
Benjamin
Brody
John
Don't get me wrong, these are lovely names! And who knows, if we have another boy down the road, he could very well have one of them. But we picked something unique & uncommon for our first little love.
