Menu Plan In Reverse

I always enjoy reading Menu Plan Monday posts, it is inspiring and helps me plan our meals.  I've never posted my own though, because my menu plan is not quite set in stone.  I generally make a list of 6-7 meals and buy ingredients for them.  What I make on which day depends on if Ross is going to be home late, what I remembered to take out of the freezer to thaw, or how well behaved my kids are that day (meaning: are they going to let me cook a more involved dinner or should I just do something quick?).  This week I decided to write down our meals after the fact and post them, doh!  Of course by posting these, I can always look back and have a ready made meal plan whenever I need one.  :)

I started with Tuesday:
B- oatmeal topped with blueberries, yogurt, and brown sugar
L- homemade pizza (had soggy crust, needs to bake longer)
D- scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage, ranch potatoes, and smoothies (pineapple, orange, banana, yogurt)

Wednesday:
B- pumpkin donuts (leftover from our field trip Monday!)
L- whole wheat muffins, apple slices
D- chicken tortilla soup, topped with sour cream, cheese, and avocado chunks, tortilla chips

Thursday:
B- bread with butter and honey
L- macaroni and cheese (with hidden carrot juice), grapes
D- BBQ meatballs, mashed potatoes, corn

Friday:
B- granola bars
L- pretzel crisps, cheese, pickles, orange slices
D- baked zitti (with more hidden carrot juice), salad (lettuce, carrots, peppers, radishes)

Saturday:
B- toast with almond butter and honey
L- scrambled eggs, potato pancakes (with leftover mashed potatoes)
D- leftover baked zitti, green beans

Sunday:
B- toast with almond butter and honey (I'm all out of eggs!)
L- bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwiches, smoothies with kale, apple, and raspberries
D- pepper chicken, quinoa, and salad

There, are you inspired?  :)  Check out Menu Plan Monday for more inspiration.  and here too.

Undercover Mama

When I nursed my first baby, I wore the nursing tanks from Target constantly.  They covered my tummy when I nursed, but there was not much support in them.  I ended up looking kind of really flat.  Since then I've tried various nursing tops, but I usually end up getting frustrated with the baggy look and all of the layers.  I've enjoyed wearing belly band type things under my normal shirts, but then I'm still fiddling a bit to be sure the band is pulled all the way up before I lift my shirt.  I tried a milkshirt, but felt dorky and the seam kind of showed through my shirts.

Enter: Undercover Mama!  I recently got to try one of these out and really liked it.  Undercover Mama is a nursing shirt that attaches to your normal nursing bra.  When you unhook the bra to nurse, the tank unhooks right along with it, keeping your tummy covered of course.  I enjoyed being able to wear my regular nursing bra with this.  The shirt is just a bit stretchy and a great length.  A size small fit me well.  The top of the Undercover Mama shirt did show at the neckline if I was wearing a V-neck top, but that's fine.  I was worried the back of the shirt might fall down since it only attached at the bra strap in front, but it actually stayed in place just fine.

I used the loop to attach to my bras, but there is also a hook option on each shirt, making it quite versatile.  Having a couple of Undercover Mama shirts allows me to continue wearing my normal tops and eliminates the need for an expensive nursing wardrobe.  I'll definitely be purchasing at least one more before the new baby comes.  I think I need a pink one!  ;)

Would you like to win one?  To enter, do any of the following and leave one comment for each, being sure to include your email address so that I can contact you:
- follow my blog or email subscribe
- like Undercover Mama on Facebook
- follow Undercover Mama on Twitter
That's a total of three possible entries.  The giveaway will close November 7 at midnight and the winner will be contacted by email.  Happy Nursing!  :)
*Giveaway closed.*

Nursing Break

Esther is done nursing.  Around 13 weeks into my pregnancy it was just really uncomfortable.  While I loved being able to nurse her, I knew that we were at the end of our nursing days.  I cried and was upset, not because I love breastfeeding (I was ready for a break.), but because I felt bad for Esther, she's still my baby!  She actually did really well with stopping, and just needed a few extra snuggles with Daddy in the evenings when she was used to nursing to sleep.

Although I do not fit in it anymore, one of my favorite tops is this V-neck from Boob Nursing Wear.  I absolutely love the opening, so easy and no extra layers of fabric to mess with.  I've ended up getting rid of most of my other nursing tops in favor of this simple style.  (Just lift up the overlap part and nurse.)  I enjoy feeling like I am wearing a normal fitted shirt instead of baggy layers that many other nursing tops have.  The length on this one is also great, just a bit long, which is nice.
                                   
I posted about my nursing hoodie last fall - it was probably worn several times a week and it still looks great.  The fabric has held up perfectly.  (I'm going to cry... Esther is so tiny in that post!)  Both the hoodie and the v-neck shirt are size small.  The shirt is more fitted than the hoodie, almost tight, even before my belly started growing, so you may want to choose a size up in that one.  I'm sure these tops will be getting tons of use once our new little one arrives in a few months.  :)  Boob Nursing Wear is a great, high quality, functional choice for a nursing wardrobe!

I received the nursing top pictured above for review.  All opinions expressed are my own of course.

Notes From My Kitchen

Sometimes my kitchen feels like a farm!  Feed the kefir, feed the sourdough, feed the worms... oh wait, those are in the basement thankfully.  The kitchen tasks never end, but I do enjoy cooking and baking for my family.  Here are some random notes from my kitchen lately:

- I'm on sourdough starter #2.  My first one was bubbly and happy, but I didn't feed it often enough and it started growing some mold on top.  Since it was still young I decided to toss it and start over.  This time I signed up for GNOWFGLINS and am working through the sourdough course.  Lots of interesting stuff there, but I hardly have enough computer time to get through it all.

- I've had my dairy kefir grains for several months now and have successfully kept them alive!  I do tend to put it in the fridge from time to time if we end up with too much kefir.  I use my kefir in smoothies or in recipes that call for buttermilk.  Tammy's Recipes has some great posts about kefir.

- Our worm composting bin is surviving.  I brought it in to the basement, where it still chilly, but they seem to be doing okay.  I just give them a bit of food every week or so.

- My blender broke recently and I ended up purchasing a Vitamix.  Best kitchen tool ever!  I'll be posting more about this soon, along with a code for free shipping.  :)

- I am always trying new recipes, some fail, others make it into my recipe book.  Spaghetti squash casserole was a big hit the other day.  The picture above is Esther sobbing because we told her there wasn't any more casserole left for her to eat (after she had gobbled down plenty of it)!  I'm still trying to get my hummus recipe just right, it tastes bland no matter what I put in it.  Whole wheat crackers were a success, but no one liked the lemon poppyseed bread I tried.

- On my "to do" list are making bagels, trying homemade yogurt, and several other recipes that I have printed out and ready to try.

What's going on in your kitchen lately?