Recipe- Winter Kielbasa Stew

I made the best recipe last night, so I decided that I absolutely HAVE to share my recipe. I found the original idea for the recipe here, but substituted and changed several ingredients I had from my CSA share to make my own recipe. It is delicious!

Winter Kielbasa Stew

Ingredients

4-5 cups Kale- Chopped
2 Large Sweet Potatoes- Cubed
1 1/2 cups Carrots- Sliced
1 lb Fully Cooked Kielbasa
1/2 tsp Basil- dried
1/2 tsp Thyme- dried
1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
32 oz Chicken Stock (or Veggie)- unsalted

Directions

1) In a stock pot, combine the Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Kielbasa.
2) Add the Basil, Thyme, and Ground Pepper.
3) Add the Chicken Stock (or Veggie) and stir to combine
4) After bringing to a boil, cook on low heat for 1 hr or until potatoes are tender.

Now, you could fix this in a slow cooker and cook it on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. I wouldn't recommend much longer than that though because the sweet potatoes will get all mushy.

I fixed this last night when the kids were going to bed with the intention of having it to eat this week. It makes about 8 cups, so I am counting that as 8 servings since it is easy to measure.

It was certainly delicious. The little bit of spice from the kielbasa and kale was nicely balanced by the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. It was quick and easy to make. And I have already had some from lunch today. Best of all, I was able to use the Carrots, Kale, and Sweet Potatoes from my CSA share, which really helped me use up my kale before it deteriorated. Enjoy!

Basic Nutrition Info
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 243
Carbs: 20g
Total Fat: 14g
Protein: 11g
Sodium: 579mg



***This recipe is the creation of Naturalized Mainstream Mama***

Welcome 2013

Welcome, 2013!

Before we continue, I need to add a disclaimer.
I am not yet finished with 2012.

I still have the RACK 2012 post to get out.

I want to post our Christmas pics.

There is a litany of birthy and parenting topics that I have fabulous ideas on to do posts.

And yet....



Yep. Crickets.
They are all up in here, messing in my business.

But, I did get a new computer from Hubby for Christmas! So hopefully in the next week or so I will have it set up and that will make it easier to do things from home. :-)

I just wanted to pop in and say Welcome to 2013!

New Year, New You! Right?

Or in my case, I am striving for a continuation of the resolutions I set last year.

I have joined a local CSA, which is awesome. I have a half-share of the combination shares for the Winter season, so I am picking up fresh organic veggies, apples, a loaf of bread, a dozen cage-free eggs, and fresh cheese each week. All GMO free and as organic/natural as possible. I hope to do a post on the benefits of the CSA in the near future also. I am so pleased that I hope to do a full share during the summer season. Given that I cannot get Hubby to work with me to find an appropriate place in our yard for a garden where it will get enough sun and not get in the way, this is a good second choice to our own garden. I still hope to do some growing at home, probably different herbs and easy plants to supplement the CSA options.

I am also working toward weightloss/getting healthy. The CSA is helping with that. I'm back on MFP, aka MyFitnessPal. Actually, I logged back in on Sunday and it was the first time I'd logged in to the site in over 7 months. *hangs head in shame* But, I have renewed motivation and energy, so we are working in that direction again.

I'm not even going to try to renew last year's resolution to blog daily. We all know how that went. I think weekly is a more attainable goal. And it will start after I get my computer up and running. ;-)

As far as organizing, I am in a better place than last year. And have made leaps and bounds in the last few weeks, including joining a "Dustbusters" group on FB that a friend created for us to use to bounce cleaning/organization ideas off one another and lend support. That has helped me come across some really good ideas. And of course, Pinterest helps a lot.

And I have been more socially active in the last year. Mostly concerning birthy stuff, like going to birth socials and workshops hosted by Mama*ology. I am actually the Board President of Mama*ology this calendar year, so I am excited for that opportunity and the things we will be doing this year.

So there you have it. My non-resolutions resolutions for 2013. Which will be begin after I finish 2012.

Processing the Connecticut Tragedy while Hugging My Babies

I had plans for today. I woke up to what I thought was going to be a wonderful day.

Knowing that the day would be filled with gratitude and happiness as the employees at our office received the Christmas bonuses.

Knowing that we would be ordering lunch from what is quickly becoming one of my favorite local places.

Knowing that I would be attending an Origami Owl party, carefully selecting charms and lockets for each of my daughters for Christmas.

Knowing that when the kids were all nestled snug in their beds that I planned to finish up the RACK 2012 Part 1 post that has been pushed to the side as my family fought back a nasty viral cold during the last week.

Today is not that day.

30 Days of Gratitude and December Announcement

Hey everyone! The holidays are always such a busy time of year. Family, friends, eating, traveling, decorating, eating, shopping, cooking, eating.

One of my favorite things about Facebook? When November rolls around, people start posting 30 Days of Gratitude. Seeing the daily posts detailing what people are thankful for, from the big to the small, is awesome. It gives me warm fuzzies. And it is a nice change from some of the people that usually post their every move, the latest relationship drama, angry arguments, or woe is me updates. Facebook gets a little brighter, a little more uplifting, and a little more fun. Which is the perfect way for the holidays to kick off if you ask me.

Now, most people give thanks for their spouse, children, health, family, friends, etc. Some also include small things that might seem trivial, such as a favorite dessert or an extra hour of sleep. For me personally, I think I have a good mix. So I have been posting daily and this post will summarize my own personal 30 Days of Gratitude. And did I mention a December announcement at the end? See if you can guess what it is.

Dream: Unassisted Footling Breech Homebirth by Surrogate

Sleep deprivation can do some very strange things. Including give you a homebirth.

WHAT?!

Yep. Sleep deprivation gave me a homebirth the other morning. With the biggest twist EVA!

I'd been up late the night before, as in all night. I caught about 2 hours of sleep after getting the kids off to school with Hubby and woke up from the most vivid, realistic dream I think I've ever had.

So what did this dream involve?

An unassisted homebirth (no midwife or doctor).
In someone else's home, not mine.
Oh, and baby was a footling breech.
And did I mention that I was a surrogate for my long-time friend, Ashley?

Let me walk you through the weirdness that is my subconscious:

Dream: Unassisted Footling Breech Homebirth by Surrogate

10 Parenting Principles I Wish I'd Known: Episode Nine

10 Parenting Principles I Wish I'd Known: Episode Nine

As a parent, we are supposed to teach our children right from wrong, instill good morals, teach them kindness and compassion, and the list goes on and on.

But we often get so caught up on the daily grind of what we need to teach them NOT to do that we forget what we ARE teaching them to do.

For example, repeatedly explaining to Sassy that she is being disrespectful and not effectively communicating when she rolls her eyes or sighs heavily. That is VEEERRRRYYYYY frustrating. I spend so much time dealing with Sassy's "tween" behaviors right now that I forget things that she IS doing right. And, as children often do, it only takes a moment to put it all back in perspective, slow down, and admire what your children are growing up to be.

9) You Will Teach Your Kids Well

Gratitude List: To Prevent Flipping Your Shit

The last few days have been a rollercoaster. Mostly things I cannot control, yet rain down chaos and frustration from the heavens. I have had several not-so-proud mama moments. I have yelled. I have given mean looks. I have threatened. And I even flipped my shit exactly once.

I went through something similar to this a few years ago. It was not pretty. I did not like the person I was during that rough patch, let alone the parent I was. But I managed to soldier on and learned a lot from it. Namely, the warning signs that shit flipping was imminent so that I could head it off at the pass. Trust me, that is a HUGE deal. If not for me knowing those signs, I might be curled up somewhere quoting The Mad Hatter. You know, after flipping my shit...times infinity.

One of the things that has stuck with me a lot lately is this:

I have calmed the storm in my mind by thinking of these words. I do need to focus more on what is going right than wrong, especially in times like this. It leads to less shit flipping, as previously stated.

I remember in 8th grade English class that we did a project in November where we kept a list and wrote 5 things daily that we were grateful for. At the time, I was dealing with crappy family situations and the death of a close friend. I truly NEEDED that daily list, it helped me through.

The teacher kept emphasizing the importance of recognizing these things in our life that we were thankful for because it was good for the mind and soul. My first few days were filled with "typical" things: parents, siblings, home, friends, food. But it evolved to more: the cool crisp in the air, the warmth of the autumn sun, the acrobatic leaves swirling through the sky. Focusing on the mini-blessings helped to ease the burden of the big picture.

As I have struggled the last few days, I have found my soul reminding my heart of little things that have had a positive effect, even if minute. Hopefully listing them will help me lift my spirit a little further out of this funk and maybe help someone out there in the Interwebz.

So here is my handy dandy Gratitude List (TOO much Blues Clues lately, it is affecting my handy dandy vocab) from the last few days, in no particular order.