Yet here I am, spitting apple juice across the living room laughing at the person I used to be. "I was such a moron," I'd say from the couch, kissing the hair of the sleeping toddler pressed against me while balancing the weight of a twitchy infant on my other shoulder. Then I'd turn my sleepy eyes to "The History of the Papacy" sprawled across my lap and, with one free hand, attempt to turn the page without shaking anyone awake.
I was selfish, thoughtless, vain and egotistical, quite the far cry from the person I've become - the one who forgets to eat while she cooks delicious healthy meals for her daughter, the one who sacrifices taking showers on a regular basis so she can be readily available should her kids need her, the one who gets up by 8:00 a.m. every morning instead of finally getting to bed at 8:00 a.m. A lot has changed, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and all for the best.
Yes, on Easter 2012 I became a mother of two. Each of the 24 hours in a day are stretched even more thin as new responsibilities have been tossed into my already-full hands. I don't mind; this is my life now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Okay, I wouldn't mind being able to nap during the day like I did when I only had one kid, but that's the only thing I'd change. Oh, and I'd get to take that daily shower I so desperately miss. But that's it.
As you can imagine, this has left me with very little time to cook, nonetheless blog. All my free moments are spent catching up on social networking sites where I hope to have that one adult conversation I'd get of the day - discussing politics instead of bugs, for instance, or debating religion instead of trying to talk a toddler into not chewing on the couch.
My son, August, has his crabby moments where he must be held or we all suffer the consequence of his very healthy cry. Being the kind of person who appreciates a little silence when she can get it, preparing an extensive meal like I used to for Evelyn is not in the realm of possibility anymore as it would require putting Gus down for longer a time than he can handle. (Also, having my children "cry it out" is absolutely not an option as far as I'm concerned.) I've had to start getting creative, and it helps that Evelyn can handle a lot more as far as texture goes.
When I need to prepare a meal quickly, this is the sort of list that goes through my head. It's the short list of what I can prepare quickly that my daughter will enjoy. Because we've apparently done so well getting Evie hooked on real food, she is extremely picky when it comes to the overcooked, flavorless prepackaged junk marketed to toddlers. This is a blessing for obvious reasons, but a curse as well since it makes those crabby days hard - I can't simply pop something in the microwave, shovel it in her mouth and move on. Not that I want to do something so horrid anyway. Really, who does?
So, here are some ideas for moms with extremely limited time:
Omelets. Eggs are so great. Not only are they nutritious and cheap, but they cook up pretty quick, too. When it seems I don't have time to cook anything for Evelyn, I always have time to cook eggs. While I could easily just scramble them, I prefer to make omelets because they offer more as far as texture goes. If you time everything right, making a spinach and cheese omelet can take as little as five minutes.
Prepare More. Don't ever prepare "just enough." Prepare enough for a few days. When you have time to cook brown rice, noodles, bake a chicken, boil eggs, etc., make enough so you'll have it in the fridge for the next few days for when you don't have time. Buying a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store is a great way to have chicken on hand without ever having to actually cook it yourself.
Soup. When in doubt, make soup. Keep your pantry full of various noodles and frozen homemade chicken stock or cans of chicken stock (keep an eye on the ingredients and avoid any with preservatives or additives like monosodium glutamate) and your freezer full of vegetables. Boil the stock, throw in some prepared chicken, various veggies and noodles and let it cook. In the seven minutes it might take to cook noodles, you can have a flavorful chicken and vegetable soup without watching over it all day. For some extra nutrition, and to cool it off to an edible temp, stir some milk in before serving.
Prepare More. Don't ever prepare "just enough." Prepare enough for a few days. When you have time to cook brown rice, noodles, bake a chicken, boil eggs, etc., make enough so you'll have it in the fridge for the next few days for when you don't have time. Buying a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store is a great way to have chicken on hand without ever having to actually cook it yourself.
Soup. When in doubt, make soup. Keep your pantry full of various noodles and frozen homemade chicken stock or cans of chicken stock (keep an eye on the ingredients and avoid any with preservatives or additives like monosodium glutamate) and your freezer full of vegetables. Boil the stock, throw in some prepared chicken, various veggies and noodles and let it cook. In the seven minutes it might take to cook noodles, you can have a flavorful chicken and vegetable soup without watching over it all day. For some extra nutrition, and to cool it off to an edible temp, stir some milk in before serving.
Soup is so versatile. Today, I made Evelyn a chicken, vegetable and noodle soup. To chicken stock, I added a handful of small bow tie pasta, a mix of frozen vegetables - zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, green beans and lima beans, some kale I diced into small pieces, some cooked chicken cut from a rotisserie chicken I had in the fridge from yesterday, and a little salt, pepper and garlic powder. Before serving it, I splashed in some whole milk. Evie loved it so much that she was slurping the broth off the spoon once all the delicious chunks were gone.
Finger Foods. This saves you the time of having to sit down and feed your toddler if you have other things to do. I keep the high chair in the kitchen, so I can clean bottles and still keep an eye on and interact with my daughter while my son hangs out in the mobile bassinet. There is never just one of us in the kitchen. Cooked and cooled pasta shapes, steamed soft vegetables, hard-boiled egg, small chunks of cheese, pieces of banana or orange, and a grilled cheese sandwich cut into small squares are all great mix-and-match ideas. Make a plate based on what your kid likes that features at least a whole grain, a protein source and a vegetable, and let them do it themselves while you use that time to get something else done.
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