The 'New' Me

Alright, maybe not. I still swear, love wearing my ripped sweat pants, I watch Dazed & Confused once a week & love eating cheese... But overall, it feels like the person I was in January is no where to be found. How can things change so quickly?

Molly has been a huge learning curve for me. Having 2 kids is unbelievably hard. I heard it was and 'they' were right. It seems I had enough love, but not enough attention to go around. And Miles is getting jealous. I know I'll get the hang of it. When?

Oh! And Molly is doing fine. She doesn't sleep much (here is a picture of the rare occasion) but she eats well. And she finally got some furniture in her room so now it feels like she is here to stay.

Being at home has been hard. I know that there are thousands of women out there who would love to be able to stay at home.. I was one of them. But it's harder than I thought. I miss talking to adults. I miss grabbing a coffee while I'm 'out'. I missed having goals & accomplishments that have nothing to do with diapers or bottles. So I went looking for new ones... and they seem small and insignificant (even pointless & thankless) but I have a feeling that's just part of being a mom.

I have decided to use this time at home to hone my cooking skills. I grabbed yet another cookbook (I have already devoured Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet). So now I am working my way through Jamie's Food Revolution. I've never had a Jamie Oliver cookbook & you know what? I love him. This book is great. It's exactly what it claims to be. Simple. Delicious and affordable (And I saved $10 off the cover price by picking the book up at Home Sense!).

Last night I made a chopped Salad (pg. 120). It was FAB. So, for those of you who don't have the book, here it is (but seriously, go buy the book):

4 Scallions (I used green onions as well)

1/2 a cucumber

(Thanks to Jen & Tom Weisgerber who brought us fresh cucumbers on Easter! They were amazing!)

Handful of Basil

2 ripe avocados

1 Butterhead Lettuce ( I didn't have this so I used Kale & Arugula)

Handful of Alfalfa

2 ounces Cheddar Cheese

EVOO

Red Wine Vinegar

English Mustard

Salt & Pepper (I skipped the salt)

* Chop Scallions & Cucumber. Slice Basil. Mix it all together. Halve avocados and chop. Add chopped lettuce & alfalfa. Crumble in cheese (Optional. We used super sharp cheddar. I loooove sharp cheese.). Mound the salad into the bowl and make a well in the middle. Drizzle 6 tbsp. of EVOO & 2 tbps of red wine vinegar (Okay, I cut these two ingredients in half because I light salads with very little dressing. Also, I find the oils in avocado contribute to the texture.) Add teaspoon of Mustard and S&P. Mix well. Enjoy!

I also grilled up some shrimp to top it off (Brian has a hard time only eating salad for a meal.) Toss thawed pre-cooked shrimp in whole wheat flour. Heat some EVOO in a pan. Drop in the shrimp. Add a pinch of S&P and some Paprika. Grill until golden brown. Done!

So my goal is to cook 4 kick-ass meals a week.

I also want to scrapbook more frequently (I did 2 pages this morning & finished journaling another half dozen). I'll post them as soon as my camera battery is done charging :)

And I want to start blogging again.