Things that happen in a year

Oh blog - you have been sorely neglected for 10 months. 10 months where everything changed in my life! Let's see, I began doing course work for an instructor diploma, I took leave from my job to teach two classes (my first time ever doing courses from start to finish) and I had a baby! All very legitimate reasons for not having any time or energy to post on the blog. But now that our little one is almost 5 months old, I am in need of some creative outlets to remind me of the "me" part of myself that is not "mommy me".  mommy me is the baby tracker - for the first 3 months it was how often and how long baby fed. once eating was under control, it switched to how often and how long baby slept. Having a baby has been the most rewarding and challenging experience of my life. Nothing prepares you for a) the pain of labor b) the revelation that all that pain resulted in a beautiful baby c) this beautiful baby is helpless and depends on you for everything d) that you could love and worry so much about one tiny being and oscillate from being overwhelmed with joy and in the depths of despair (mostly due to the sleep deprivation) all in a one hour cycle.

Our little one at almost 5 months!

Also since I am very rationally/analytically minded, how much I need to turn that behaviour off with a baby because so much happens that is inexplicable! I have never been so superstitious as if I can just leave my shirt in the crib, have her on her left side, tip toe out of the room at 15 minutes, make sure the temperature is between 21-22 degrees F, ocean sounds playing at the appropriate level, etc then she will nap for longer than 40 minutes and be a delightfully happy baby when she wakes.

But back to food. Since I am now a full-time stay at home mom, it is incumbent upon me to provide sustenance for my family and even more so for myself to be eating as healthily as possibly (ignoring all the days of stress-eating of donuts, chocolate bars, and coffee......) and be able to make meals that are QUICK. or at least can be prepared and cooked in 40 minute increments as that may be all I have.

One of my current favorites is sushi bowls  (also known as sushi in a jar)! minimal cooking, minimal effort and very easy to prepare in steps. Plus it also seems like arts and crafts when you cut up the nori into strips.
Here is a link to the recipe I use:http://kristaandjess.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/jar-lunch-deconstructed-sushi/

I basically use whatever vegetables I feel like in whatever ratios I desire, but generally carrot, cucumber, radish, bell pepper and avocado are a lovely mix. I fry up some tofu or scrambled egg (in large batches) to add as protein on top, though you could also swap out the rice for quinoa and get a protein in that way.  Top with nori strips and some finely cut up pickled ginger along with some extra rice vinegar or low sodium soy sauce.  Usually I prep enough that we can get 3 days worth of sushi bowls out of it.

The other perk of making these bowls is you could easily just have a fresh veggie and rice bowl without nori and top with some miso gravy (or use the miso gravy with a roast veggie/rice bowl). This is a delicious recipe I have made 3 times in the past month:
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-naam-miso-gravy-is-perfect-for-your-thanksgiving-feast-and-it-s-gluten-free