What Can I Make with Zucchini?

My mom's famous zucchini casserole
serves 6
(recipe found in Rockford Register Star)

2 lbs. (6 cups) of zucchini, sliced
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup shredded raw carrots
1 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon instant chopped onion
1/2 cup melted butter
1 package Pepperidge Farm herb crushed seasoned stuffing mix
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken
3 stalks of celery

1. Wash and slice zucchini and celery. Do not peel. Cook in boiling water 4-5 minutes, drain.

2. Combine soup, shredded carrots, sour cream, and instant onion. Fold squash and celery into mixture.

3. Add melted butter to stuffing mix. Reserve 2 cups crumbs and spread the remainder of crumbs in the bottom of a 12x9 inch pan. Spoon vegetable mixture over crumbs. Put diced chicken over vegetable mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese on top. Top with remaining crumbs.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Karl's reaction: "I can't believe you haven't posted this recipe yet. I love this!"

My take: This is usually a hit with guests. They always ask for the recipe! I suggest you try it at least once!

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Almost through Month Two - Month Two

written September 4, 2011
seven weeks

The ups and downs

Me again. Dealing with hormones. So mad at them. Nothing too crazy different going on here. Yesterday was a rough day where I was confined to the couch. I started off the day making homemade waffles and cleaning up clutter around the house and thirty minutes later my body told me to cool it. Before I knew it I was feeling worn out, nauseous and ready to hit the couch like my life depended on it. And that's where I stayed most of the day.
Karl's BFF Root and his girlfriend Missy came over to all go to the Minnesota State Fair and to see Weezer in concert. I stayed behind. I felt really bad about it because I'm usually up for anything. Karl calls me his social butterfly but all I wanted to do was relax on the couch. Again I felt like my skin was crawling as I sat- I'm usually up for a run or doing something fun, but nothing. I wish I was more okay with relaxing. What is wrong with me?
Last night I made sure to eat a lot of protein and this morning I woke up feeling really great. The weather is really cool right now (66 degrees and windy) and Karl and I decided to go for a nice walk. I've done more chores around the house in a long time so I actually feel like I'm making progress. Finally! I have my moments though. I get really tired and I want to take a nap. Friends ask me to hang out and I'd rather not. It just seems like so much work. Then I start worrying about it. Will my friends think I'm a bad friend? Will I gain more weight because I'm not working out as much as I used to?
Thankfully my awesome friend Jaymie sent me an email the other day that made me sit back and go, "ah ha!" I want to share just a little piece of it: "but, i just want you to know, everything is going to be just as it should be. and it will be wonderful. if your body tells you to lay on the couch and watch tv, honor it! your body will be constantly working its ass off day and night for the next 9 months. you are building a human. hello. if that's all you do all day, that is more than you've ever done."

Perfect words of advice. And almost one more week to go until our ultrasound!!!

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Give me Peanuts - Month 2

written August 31, 2011
week seven

Baby is the size of a blueberry today!

I've been reading three books since I became pregnant:
1. What to Expect When You're Expecting
2. I'm Pregnant (super cool pictures)
3. Healthy Baby, Healthy Mom (and Journal)

In What to Expect When You're Expecting, the author suggests eating a little bit of trail mix every time I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Yes, seems weird. I didn't even snack that much in college...well, okay, I'd basically eat a full order of cheese breadsticks before bed, but who's counting? And I already can hear my dentist screaming at me. But you know what? I'd rather feel normal and was willing to try anything.
Think about it: eight hours of no food and of course the stomach is acid-y. No wonder mornings are rough. Without any trail mix in the house, I found an expired package of lightly salted peanuts and put them on my nightstand. I decided not to eat any at 12:30 a.m. or 2:30 a.m. when I took a trip to the water closet but opened it up at 4:15 a.m. and ate more when my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. A little salt and crumbs on my pillow won't hurt anyone.
The peanuts worked! I felt more like myself than I have in a long time. Then I remembered how my body has always craved protein over carbs. Everyone is wired differently and I'm an athlete. Athletes and their muscles need protein. Saltine crackers just weren't doing the trick for me. Just like when I used to eat cereal or oatmeal in the morning. I was always hungry by 9:30 a.m. But give me eggs and some meat and I'm good until the afternoon. I've been reading that when you're preg, the average woman needs like double the amount of protein. Things are starting to become a lot clearer. Finally.

New cravings:
1. Popsicles - OMG...there are now Jolly Rancher Popsicles out there that are sooo good. And there are jokes on the sticks.
2. Coca-Cola - I swear this stuff is magic. I gave up coffee so I figure a little bit of caffeine will be okay every now and then. And I'm used to drinking Jack with my coke. It kind of tastes good on its own!
3. Pickles and banana peppers - thing is, I've ALWAYS craved these but they just taste extra good.
4. My homemade pizza - is it bad if I'm at work just dreaming about this all day long??
5. Nectarines - they are sooo sweet and perfect right now.

On another note, I totally did something crazy during my lunch break. I went to Old Navy and checked out baby clothes. I know it's still early but I couldn't stop myself. There is such cute stuff out there!!!!!! And I realize how nice and easier it would be if we knew the sex of baby, but it's kind of fun not knowing. It adds to the surprises. I wonder what you're going to be baby blueberry. I always pictured having a boy just because I had an older brother and I liked how he always protected me and watched over me. He's such a leader, but girls can be leaders too - I know that all too well working in a male dominant work environment. But everyone (Karl for one) keeps saying they think we're going to have a girl. Of course I just want a HEALTHY baby. That's all I ask. Okay...and maybe if the baby could have Karl's ears, thick hair, his laugh, smarts and sense of humor... and our dimples!

I personally think it's awesome Karl has an app on his cell of the size of our baby. Every Monday he wakes up all bushy tailed and grabs his phone and checks out where baby is. I can't help but get all warm and fuzzy inside. This is really a special experience.

Back to Old Navy... I sort of bought a few things. There was an outfit for $.49!!! How could I resist? Man...baby is going to be tiny! Those little clothes are just so adorable and small. And soon a body will be filling those!!! So yeah, that was too much fun. And I started to get super excited for my ultrasound!! What if I start crying or something? Oh well, I'll worry about that then. I pray everyday that baby is healthy and everything works out.

And, yeah, still biting my nails. Damn!

Everyone was meant to share God's all-abiding love and care; He saw that we would need to know a way to let these feelings show...so God made hugs.

- Jill Wolf

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Mother Truckin' Hormones - Month 2

written August 29, 2011
week 7
The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry. (info from www.babycenter.com)

When the going gets tough...

Weeks 1-5 = feeling awesome
Week 6 = feeling not the best but I survived
Week 7 = holy man...not good.

Every day seems to get progressively worse and this freaks me out. Karl insists it's anxiety, but he's not carrying a lentil bean in his belly right now and I try to remind him of this. I'm not so sure "anxiety" is really what is making me feel nauseous. I've never been prescribed anxiety meds or have been told I have anxiety... I call it "morning sickness". But then again, Karl's never been pregnant.

I thought things were getting better Friday into Saturday. I even agreed to go to Karl's parent's cabin for the night. I made him stop at Buffalo Tap in Savage on our way and I got some delicious buffalo bites (yummy) because when I get hungry, I need to eat. Saturday I woke up feeling great. I had a couple crackers since I know Karl's family eats a lot later than I normally do and thank God I did because we didn't eat until 11-something. I went on a walk with my mother-in-law, sat around the fire, read a couple magazines, went fishing with Karl and for a boat ride later - I felt really good. The weather was gorgeous.

Then Sunday came. As soon as I got up, I felt like crap. The entire day I felt awful. I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup around two and some of a steak salad around dinner time, but it was all force fed. Enter Monday morning (today): oh boy. I purposely ate a bunch of crackers as I was waking up because it's a work day and, well, I need to get to work and I need to be feeling good and I didn't want to chance anything. The crackers did not help. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I dove back into bed. I forced myself to go downstairs where I stared at the TV and prepared a shoulder roast in the slow cooker. I raced back upstairs and snuggled up in bed. Ugh. I seriously thought I'd start crying. I can't stand this. I can't live like this. I so take my health for granted!!!

I knew I couldn't be late to work again without my coworkers catching on (last Tuesday I came in late due to a pounding headache) so I forced myself to put some makeup on. I barely dried my hair and quickly put on clothes. I grabbed some crackers and seltzer water. On my drive in to work I realized I needed food if I planned on getting through the morning since I felt incredibly dizzy and light headed. So I stopped at McDonald's and got a Coke and an Egg McMuffin - my saving grace. The Coke immediately perked me up and tasted like heaven. I started feeling really good and devoured my Egg McMuffin and now think I'll survive the day.

I just hope this doesn't last the entire time because I don't know how I'm going to handle feeling this way or how my teeth or baby is going to appreciate a Coke every single day for the next eight months. But if it makes me feel better....

Other things I've noticed:

1. I'm feeling incredibly stuck
This makes me nervous because I shouldn't be feeling this way. I knew this "becoming-a-parent" moment would be coming, but I guess I figured things would be different. I always thought I'd be a stay-at-home mom - that I'd have the luxury to stop working, but I'm about 95% so sure this won't be the case. With health insurance and short term disability and all the bills coming in...this little dream I built up in my head isn't working out. I need a new car soon, Karl just got one, and Karl has student loans and is going back to school and he'll have bills coming our way - even if his work is paying for it, there are little things that add up (a new laptop, flights out to the school, his books, etc). And this freaks me out. I hate debt. Ever since I put my hands on a credit card, I've always paid in full. If I didn't have the money, I didn't need the item. With that said, we're both going to have to work and there really is no other way around it. Someone else besides me is going to have a hand in raising our child. Akkk! Can I really pass on our child to some stranger to watch while I'm working all day? This is when I really wish I lived closer to my parents.

2. I've lost a lot of my drive
I always have an abundance of energy and drive. And I feel like it's all gone. I really don't care about dust in the house and the piles of laundry and the toothpaste gunk building up in the sinks. Okay, I do care about it - a lot more than usual - but I don't care about cleaning it up. I don't care if I don't make dinner or if I don't finish a project on time. I just want to relax when I get home. As a woman, I feel like I was born to be the caregiver. I'm so in for a treat, aren't I? But at the same time I'm tired of worrying about it so I just need to let go.

3. I don't want to write (at least right now)
Me? Doesn't want to write? I started a new book and I can't seem to get to it. I have the time, but most of that time is spent napping or talking myself into feeling better. The last thing I want to do is try and focus on words when I feel so crappy. How can I be a writer if I don't even want to write??? Please tell me this will pass.

4. I have to talk myself into everything  
The couch is my friend right now. I literally have to cheer myself on to go to work, to go for a walk, to go to the grocery store, to go to the gym, to fill my car up with gas, to get new windshield wipers. What is with that?? I love exercise. I love the outdoors. I love doing new things! Last night I forced myself out the door and it was the best decision I could've have made. The weather was perfect and the fresh air felt great. I knew the walk would work miracles, so why is it so hard to do?

So in my head I keep telling myself, this too shall pass. It has to!!!!! I want to be excited and happy and my ol' bubbly self.
Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting...thank God for it.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Fresh Tomatoes? Now what? Salsa!

Best salsa ever!
serves as many as you want
(recipe given to me by church organist - Karen Daniels)

1 jar of already made salsa (garden fresh - she recommends Pace)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
3 green onions chopped
as much cilantro as you like
1 garlic clove, minced
pepper to taste
salt to taste

I had a bunch of fresh tomatoes lying around from our deck plants so I decided to make mine from scratch.

6 large tomatoes (chopped and ground up)
2 cartons of grape tomatoes chopped and diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/4 tsp cumin
1 jar of black beans with jalapeños, drained and rinsed
3 green onions chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried onion
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
cilantro to taste
2 limes (squeeze lime juice)

My take - We had a work salsa competition and I made this. It ended up tasting very close to how the recipe from already-made salsa tastes like and the best part is this one is super fresh. I had lots of good feedback on mine! I'll be making this again because it can go on everything!!

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Cherry-Chipotle Chili

"Cherries are rich in anthocyanins, which can jump-start your immune system and mop up free radicals."

Cherry-Chipotle Chili
serves 4
(recipe found in Self Magazine August 2011)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
3/4 tsp salt (preferably kosher)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups pitted black cherries (fresh or frozen)
2 canned chipotle chilies, diced, plus sauce
2 bay leaves
1 can (15 oz) white beans (such as cannellini or navy), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup nonfat plan Greek yogurt (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-heat. Cook turkey with salt and pepper, stirring, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add carrots, onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder. Add tomatoes, cherries, chipotles, bay leaves and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil.

3. Reduce to simmer; cook, stirring once or twice, until chili thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Add beans; cook 2 minutes. Flavor with chipotle sauce to taste.

4. Remove bay leaves. Divide chili among 4 bowls. Top each with 1 tbsp yogurt and garnish with cilantro, if desired, before serving.

Karl's reaction - "Whoaaaaa, this is hot!! Mouth is on fire!! Burn. Burn. Burn. It's different babe. I think if the spice was taken down a few notches, it'd be real good."

My take - Yeah, I went a little wild with the chipotle chilies. I never cooked with them before and didn't realize how hot they really are. Also, the grocery store didn't have frozen cherries so I had to take the pits out of fresh cherries, which was a HUGE pain. This tasted really good heated up the next day!

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Rolled Lasagne

A delicious Italian dinner

Rolled Lasagne
serves 4
(recipe found in Fitness Magazine May 2011)

Rolled Lasagne

8 lasagna noodles
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 12-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 large leek, white part only, chopped
1 3/4 cups slices cremini mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ounces low-fat mozzarella, grated
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
I also used Jennie-O turkey Italian meatballs to give Karl his meat!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon pasta water.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes; cook 15 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese until combined. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add the leek; cook 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms; cook 10 minutes. Add the asparagus; cook 3 minutes.

4. Turn heat off; add 1 1/2 tablespoons goat cheese and mozzarella, reserved pasta water, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Add the mint and basil, reserving 1 teaspoon of each.

5. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon 1/2 cup vegetable mixture onto each noodle, roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Drizzle with remaining tomato sauce; crumble remaining goat cheese on top. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the Parmesan and reserved mint and basil; serve.

Karl's reaction:  "Mmm, this is pretty good, babe! This goat cheese really adds a zing!"

My take - I really made a mess of our kitchen making this recipe, but I really liked the unique taste of this. Really good!

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