CasaCullen

Recipe of the Week: No Bake (Almost Organic) Vegan Peanut Butter Refrigerator Cookies

2013-05-05T19:45:30-05:00

I mean, come on, who doesn't love a good peanut butter cookie? Plus it's vegan. Plus it's almost organic. Plus it hit the spot when it comes to my crazy nut cravings this pregnancy. Seriously, I have surely already eaten my body weight, and then some, in nuts!

These are super duper nutty. Mega rich. So know that a little goes a LONG way. Nash is a huge fan. Our neighbor Glenna took him for a walk and I had these waiting for them upon returning. Glenna was also ooohing, ahhhing and mmm'ing too! Walt gave them an ok, but it's because he thought I was making 'real' peanut butter cookies. Once I told him what was in them he was a bit surprised and grabbed another one.

I foresee these as being my perfect grab and go snack during warmer weather. They'll keep well in the fridge so that'll be a plus, as I love cooler treats as the temps start warming up. I can't take credit, the recipe is adapted from Tia Tofu's version HERE.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted, unsalted organic peanuts

1 1/2 cups organic dates; pitted

1 cup organic oats

1/4 cup ground organic flaxseed

1 tbsp organic coconut oil

1 tbsp local honey

Directions:

Process the peanuts in your food processor until it turns into a creamy peanut butter.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor. Process for a few minutes, until everything is finely ground together. You may have to stop and scrape the sides a couple of times.

Roll the mixture into about eighteen 1" balls. When you squeeze the crumbly mixture together, it should get oily and bind easily.

Place the balls onto waxed paper and press flat with a fork.

Put the cookies in the freezer for 20 minutes (or in the refrigerator for an hour) to harden before eating.

Store the leftovers in the refrigerator.

My sweet boys had a pint sized picnic outside while I was finishing up this yummy batch of cookies...just had to share the cuteness!

Recipe of the Week: Easy Baked Eggplant Fries

2013-04-30T19:25:58-05:00

Delish and easy and only a few ingredients. Made these tonight for the fam and Walt and Nash loved them. We gave Nash his own dipping bowl of ketchup and that boy went to town. We paired them with Boca meatless chicken tenders and an orzo pasta. Yes, it was my preggo carb heaven.

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 eggs whites

Olive oil

1/2 tsp of dried oregano and basil

salt & pepper

Directions:

Directions: Preheat the oven to 450°.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil.

Cut ends off the eggplant. Slice eggplant in half, then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lay each slice on the cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Be sure to cut all the strips the same size so they cook evenly. Place eggplant strips in a bowl and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, oregano and basil in a bowl, and egg whites in another. Dip a few strips of eggplant at a time into the egg whites, then into the breadcrumbs. Remove eggplant from crumbs and place on the baking sheets.

Bake 10 minutes in the middle rack. Turn over and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.

****

Recipe ingredients adapted from Skinnytaste's Baked Eggplant Sticks HERE! She gives very detailed picture by picture instructions so make SURE to check them out and follow her on Facebook. She has some stellar recipes!

PS - Instead of just posting recipe links to Facebook, I figured this is an easier way for y'all to search my recipe database. I must get ten messages a week asking me where my zucchini chips recipe is or how do I make my rum cake again? This way, y'all can just head over to the site and search whatever recipe you're looking for. And you no longer have to inventory my pics on our Facebook page only to find a recipe link! Any recipe I use I usually also pin over on Pinterest too, just fyi!

Personal Peek: Entertaining - Gender Reveal Party for Our Baby Girl

2013-03-24T09:51:45-05:00

So I think there is some confusion about our gender reveal party. I keep getting emails that say, 'Ok, wait...you and Walt had no idea what you were having either? I don't understand how you pulled it off! Excited to hear the details!' Let me explain. We had our appointment for the anatomical screening on a Friday morning. At the appointment, we kindly asked the technician to place the gender of our baby in one envelope titled HEB (clearly writing the word boy or girl) and the pictures in another envelope for us to see later. We had to close our eyes during that portion of the screening. It was quick, I'm not gonna lie. That had me thinking boy even more than I already did. Walt just merely looked away so he could keep an eye on Nash, who was racing around the room like he owned the place.

Later that morning, we delivered the 'boy/girl' envelope to our local grocery store (HEB) and asked them to make a cake for our party the next day. I sketched out a quick and simple chevron pattern for the top for them. We decided to do the interior icing either a pink or blue, depending on what the verdict was. That way, when we picked up the cake, we didn't risk 'seeing anything' and having to hide it, etc. It was actually a pretty easy process and quite seamless too. Then we had some of our close friends in Austin over for a big chili dinner and we all found out together that this sweet bundle of love is totally TRICKY TEAM PINK! Here's some of the details I feel are worth sharing with y'all!

Outdoor Fun = Happy Kiddos!

It was a gorgeous Austin afternoon so we borrowed a few extra chairs from our neighbors and moved much of the party outside. There were about 15 children attending, so we knew they'd be itching to run in the grass and play. We set up the same little ball pit that we had at Nash's first birthday (more on that HERE) and made sure to have some seating options that included chairs and a picnic blanket. We also borrowed a corn hole set which the kids had more fun playing with than the adults.

One thing I can't believe we forgot to do is set out more chairs. We had more but we just didn't get around to it and we both feel really bad because there were a ton of adults standing when they could have been sitting and relaxing. Ugh, sorry y'all! Even though we started the party prep at about 8am for a 4-6pm party, we still forgot to do this. So even the most mundane thing like setting out all possible chairs will be written on my to-do list next time. Doh!

Drinks/Apps = Nearest to the Guests!

Since our dining room table is in the front of the house and much of the party was happening out back, we decided to move the appetizers to the breakfast nook table (more on how we constructed that HERE) which rests right inside the back door. Most of the action was in our tv room, kitchen, breakfast nook and back yard. This was a great plan as I think the appetizers might've gone un-touched had they stayed on the dining room table. Plus we made sure to use our big buckets to serve ice cold beer and juice pouches. I love how our parties now include kiddo sunscreen and juice pouches. Oh how the times have changed...and I love it!

And how about the kiddo friendly apps above that a guest brought? Perfect! Obviously not super kid friendly for our toddler and under crowd, but the big kids loved these skewers and were able to grab and go!

Rock the Vote!

On our kitchen chalkboard wall (more info on that DIY right HERE) I let our guests vote for which gender they thought the baby was. We also told guests we'd love if they'd wear blue or pink/red too. I'm not going to lie, our house was a virtual sea of blue. I think this little lady had quite a few of us very, very surprised! And yes, that was my best rendition of a moustache and puckered lip, ha!

Easy, Peasy Decor!

Seriously, I might've gone a bit overboard with Nash's first birthday party decor, so I kept it super simple this go round. I repurposed some of the Chinese lanterns from both Nash's party and the pink lanterns are from a shower/sprinkle I co-threw for my friend Heather (more details on that HERE) so those didn't even cost us a penny. We also ordered a trio of pink and blue balloons to have at our entry point with two tiny chalkboards that said Boy and Girl. In addition to our chalkboard voting tally above, that's it for decor! Easy peasy and I loved every second of it.

PS - My friend Heather gifted us the sweet plant you see on the table above. It mentioned both a boy and a girl and she said to just remove the non-gender winner! Too cute!

Quilt, for the Win, Again!

I used this same idea at Nash's party and it was perfection. There's something about laying a quilt out (even over carpet) that sort of allows your guest to discern a space. We piled all of Nash's toys around the quilt in our tv room and it was super obvious, this was where the kiddos could play. Also, if anyone were to spill something, we can just whip the quilt up later and wash it. No big production for carpet spray, etc. Try it, a sure fire way to accommodate all the little people and their parents at your next party.

The Main Course!

So again with the laid back and easy peasy approach, we opted for chili for our main course. I love, adore and could eat daily THIS RECIPE of my Mom's. Seriously, try it. My only change to this recipe is I added a pound of chorizo, in addition to the pound of ground beef. It was some meaty lovers chili. I also made a kid friendly version where I used half the beans (pureed) and used only 1 pound of ground turkey. I also cut the spices way down and did NOT add any chilis/jalepenos. Nash was munching on that for days!

My good friend April was such a God send. She offered to make a pot of chili and when the evite count came in at more than 50 people attending, I wrote her an email and she offered to MAKE TWO POTS of chili! What a gal, that April. And yes y'all, this is the same April that hosted my baby shower for Nash (more info HERE) at her home. She (and her awesome hubby Steve) have been such a blessing on our lives. Their generosity, love and support have always overwhelmed and humbled us. We'd hang the moon for them!

So April and Steve arrived about 30 minutes early and I'm so thankful for that. She swooped in and was like a fairy godmother of party prep. I hadn't even started the hot dogs and I needed to put the chili topping and hot dog condiments out. She helped with all of that. I didn't get a picture of the hot dogs but I saw this great idea at a recent baby shower. Just cut a ton of hot dogs in half and pop them in a slow cooker on warm. Cut the buns in half and put them back in the package. It's the perfect bite size app and then the kiddos don't have to waste HALF A DOG either. So we served chili and hot dog halfsies.

April's chilis were the bomb diggity diggity. She also made two chilis: a mild and a spicy version. But per her uber creative usual, she aptyly named them, 'Mild Child: Green Chili Turkey' and 'Wild Child: Black Eyed Pea, Turkey and Chipotle.' I think I had a full bowl of each and I'm hoping she's willing to share her recipes with us because so many people were talking about the Wild Child Chili. That's April in the black shirt, talking to our close friends (and one of my all time fave couples ever) David and Lauren Romero. We put all the chili fixins' on the island in the kitchen. That was a good call too!

In our evite we asked our guests to bring either a chili topping, appetizer or dessert to share. It was the perfect way to help lighten our load for such a huge party. And of course we so appreciate all the yummy goodness our friends arrived with!

We also ended up just making the dining room table a dessert table. Ok how hard was it to have that cake staring at us for TWO ENTIRE HOURS? Yeah, hard. Haha! Also I just have to touch on those cookies you see way in the background. They sort of look like small quiches. My friend Heather made them and they are the BOMB! They are basically a chocolate chip cookie baked in a mini muffin tin with nutella scooped in the middle. I re-pinned them HERE from one of Heather's boards. Seriously y'all. Seriously. Awesome!

The BIG REVEAL!!!!

I seriously do not know who was more excited. Me, Walt, our guests or the cutie kiddos in attendance. A few of them asked me, 'When do we eat cake?' Haha! And the adults kept me totally on the clock and let me know when it was 10 minutes till 5:30pm. That was our proposed cake-cutting time via our evite. Also, my parents wanted to Facetime in to join in the fun! We corralled everyone into our living/dining room and that's when the perspiration and nervousness hit. I literally started pouring out sweat (yeah I know, totally gross, sorry Mom) and my hands started shaking. Ridiculous and hilarious, I was a nervous wreck.

Here's a quick video right before we cut the cake. Everyone is chanting, 'BOY!' or 'GIRL!' depending on their vote...ummm, LOVE IT! And how about that sea of blue? Trickster baby girl, love her already, so much!

Either way, our healthy sonogram the day before meant a huge blessing on our lives. It was truly just EXCITING! That's the only way I can describe it. Exciting...beyond...measure. I had to put my hand on top of Walt's hand in order to not shake, ha! I sort of felt like I was cutting our wedding cake almost seven years ago, ha! My good girlfriend Chris was facetiming with my family, so you'll see her up close with my iPhone in some of the pics. So thankful she was able to do that! Enjoy the pics below. The cake cutting, surprised faces and total excitement over Team Pink!

Gaw, what an awesome and profound moment. People keep asking us if we enjoyed the party and the idea of a reveal. I don't even get a chance to answer. Walt immediately says how awesome and amazing it was. I think it was the fact that we also had NO IDEA as I looked at a ton of pinned gender reveals where the couple already knew the news. Which I do think is totally cute but the reactions our friends/family saw were absolutely genuine. It was so much fun, y'all. Loved every second of it.

The Cake

And one last description about the cake. Nash totally enjoyed the few bites he had. And we even shared the leftovers with our neighbors the next day. We got the cake at HEB (our local grocery store) and opted for the whip cream icing and NOT the buttercream. It's the same type of icing that was a huge hit on Nash's cupcakes at his birthday party. Seriously, I cannot suggest it enough. The whip cream icing is the bomb and you just can't beat the cake price, under $30 for a half sheet which feeds about 50 people a 2"x2" slice.

What a day! What a party! What a girl! What a blessing!

Personal Peek: Entertaining - Nash's First Birthday Party

2012-12-01T07:10:00-06:00

To say that this little nugget of goodness had a 'good' time at his first birthday party is the biggest understatement ever. Nash partied like a rockstar and had a blast. We're so glad for this although we did prepare ourselves for potential baby melt downs and crying fits, just in case. He was actually the most pleasant, attentive, laid back and observant little fella. And how about the man of the hour wearing an ensemble that totally matched the decor...love it! Those suspenders (below) killed me, ha! Even Zola was in her party attire, a sparkly puppy sweater!

Although it saddens us to think he'll never remember the 'details' (or this party in general) we still attempted to spare none and kinda went all out. Ok, we did. We went all out! But not in the budget category, I feel like I have some goodies to share about how I lessened the load involving that. Read on for all the tips and tricks that I think really helped the day run smoothly and kept the cost pretty low.

I'm so indebted and thankful that my dear friend Amy over at Agape Photography was able to capture a hand full of these images. Her son is only hours younger than Nash so I made sure to repay the favor and snap as many pics at his party as I could. We both agree this is a great way to sit back and enjoy the party without having to work a photographer's pricing into your budget. What a blessing!

Decor

So let's start with the front of the house. We bought the most hilarious blow up birthday cake at Garden Ridge for $25. Even though it's tacky and hilarious, we thought we could use it year after year to celebrate Nash's big day. Maybe, as he gets older, he can sleep with it in his room all lit up on his birthday eve. So we thought this was money well spent to start a tradition. We were all excited to show it to him the morning of his party and then guess what happened. He freaked! He was so scared of his giant blow up birthday cake, ha! We also grabbed those gorgeous yellow mums at Whole Foods for $9 a pop and I think they really jazz up the entrance too.

Here's the layout about the food/buffet table. I took some plain white canvases that I use for numerous crafty/photo projects ($9/two at Hobby Lobby) and I covered them with fabric and used the same design technique as the trio of adorable handmade felt owls in Nash's nursery HERE. We just spray painted the letters and grabbed some bright green ribbon and bam, some large wall art to commemorate the BIG ONE! I framed some of my favorite recent and newborn pictures of Nash, thanks to the amazing talent that is Mel Cole over at I Heart Photography. Some fresh lilies in my maternal grandmother's statement making vase and we're ready to rock!

PS - Make sure to read in tips and tricks way below about my process of scoring and designing around this gorgeous brown/white fabric.

So I wanted something really AWESOME to showcase Nash the second our guests walked in the door. This is one of our favorite pictures of him so I originally had it blown up as an engineer print at Staples for around $4. When I went to pick it up, it had huge streaks through it and looked hideous. I spoke with the copy center manager and she actually offered me the full color enlargement for the $4 engineer print price. Though that meant coming back to Staples a day later (we all know how much fun that can be with a tot in tow) I knew it would be worth it. We just covered up a framed print we already had hanging there so it was a super simple change. And guess what? I think we'll just leave it. It makes me happy!

As for the banner, I'm forever grateful for my friend Christy who came over on a 'school night' and helped me Cricut a few things. She was such an angel to help me and guide me because even though I'm familiar with a Cricut, it's all new to me. I hung each banner letter on some twine with tiny little clothespins (50 for $2 at Walmart) and we just tacked it into the wall. Easy peasy! Oh and that can of 'wipes' is actually Nash's guest book but I'm saving that project for a subsequent post, just fyi.

We displayed all of our favorite pictures by using more of that 'favorite' fabric and attaching the pictures to twine we ran across via more tiny clothespins. Easy peasy and we just covered a painting we had hanging there and will easily remove all the staples and be back to normal in no time. Yes, this is still hanging pretty in our tv room. Nash loves to laugh at all his pictures so we just can't bring ourselves to take it down yet.

We had to share some of his 'watch me grow' pictures since I really was so good about taking them monthly and weekly. The top row is Nash laying on the panda bear that my parents made him (more on that HERE, holy smokes how tiny was he?) and some of those pics are downright hilarious! The bottom row is his monthly pics that I shot in addition to our monthly family picture. HERE's an idea of what I'm talking about with his monthly pics.

The simplest (and cutest) wine glass markers you've ever seen. More info on how to make those right HERE! Instead of magazines we obviously used pictures of Nash.

So I have to take credit for this one. So many of the Moms at the party stopped me and said, 'Ok that was genius, did you find that idea on Pinterest?' And I'm just being honest that this 'idea' came right out of my own Momma Bear noggin. What's so special about the above layout? Well, I used some of our fabric that carried through all the decor and just tacked it onto a wall, along with eight balloons. I then (stay with me, this is the good part) laid down an outdoor tablecloth (one side is wipe-able and the other side is white and fuzzy...it even has a zipper with a hole, similar to THIS) and called it a day.

It was a cooler day so I knew I didn't want to stage Nash's cake smash outside, though I've had a ton of friends just pop the bebe in their highchair outside and that works find too. But I wanted to dress it up a bit and get that perfect shot (or two) with easy and quick clean up. While Walt grabbed up cake smeared Nash and took him back in our room to clean him up, I just picked up that wipeable tablecloth off the floor and headed outside with it. Two seconds to clean up while the party was still going on was GENIUS. Ok, maybe I'm overdoing it with the genius talk, but it was really nice to get right back to our guests after the mega cake smashing fun!

And even though we asked everyone to please NOT bring presents and the evite even stated that 'your presence is your present'...a ton of close friends told me you just can't resist bringing a gift to a first birthday party. So we decided to wheel out this amazing wagon that was gifted to us by our good friends the Cotters (their older kiddos got many good years of usage out of it before they handed it down) and we used this as a present corral. PERFECT!

I made sure to wrap a few of our presents to Nash and plop them in there so it didn't just look like a random empty wagon inside our front door. Ya know, just waiting for a child to climb in and scoot around in. And I strategically placed it between the couch and a chair, so it would be really hard to maneuver out.

We gave little bath squirters as favors and my Cricut friend Christy helped me cut these little tags and I just stamped them with my thank you stamp. I think they took about 10 minutes to throw together and seriously, what child doesn't love a new bath toy?

Menu

As we were planning the menu for Nash's party, we started to realize things could get really expensive when feeding the possibility of 50 people and their kiddos. Uh oh, what to do? We started to think about how we wanted the party to be 'all about Nash' so I decided to do all his favorite foods. Although sauteed greens, pureed zucchini and avocado are his top three...those wouldn't be a huge hit at a party. So we opted for his party friendly faves. I made sure to write a little note to our guests so they wouldn't wonder about the random assortment!

What did we end up serving? Pizza (it was on a huge white platter right there in that empty space and we made sure to get each slice cut into thirds so it was kiddo friendly, a GREAT idea), cheetos, Pirate's Booty Smart Puffs, hummus with goldfish, cut up grapes in cupcake wrappers and bananas cut into thirds for smaller hands to easily handle.

So about these here Smart Puffs. I wrote Pirate's Booty and just told them that Nash absolutely loved their puffs and they are an all around family favorite that we consider the perfect 'treat!' And guess what they did? They sent us about 40 individual bags of puffs for the party. How sweet is that? Had to give them a shout out for their generosity and yummy snack options!

So I'm not going to lie, I was sort of stressed about the idea of making so many cupcakes. I love to bake and I even asked my sister for her number one cupcake recipe and just looking at it made me quiver. Why? I just didn't want to spend the entire day before in the kitchen. My parents were going to be here and I just really wanted to enjoy the time with them and not feel stressed, at all. So I started shopping around for cupcakes and although there are so many great bakeries in Austin, I couldn't say no to the deal HEB offered me. $7/dozen and guess what else they throw in? A free smash cake for any first birthday. Whaaaat? So bam, done and done. And HEB is the grocery store that's literally within walking distance of our home. Score!

And here's his sweet little smash cake. They asked me what my 'colors' where so I told them brown, turquoise and bright green. Although the colors weren't spot on, his cake certainly was cute and you can't beat the price tag: free! So I splurge and purchased a sweet little bunting at Hobby Lobby for $4 and just added some cake pop sticks and baker's thread and we had ourselves a celebratory tiny man smash cake.

Tips and Tricks

Since we had children of numerous ages in attendance at Nash's party, I also added some party hats and a couple buckets filled with punch balls and kazoos (thanks Lauren for the hand me downs) for the older kiddos. I might've thought through this a bit more because the kazoos did come apart into a smaller white piece and was probably a choking hazard. Thankfully, no babies were harmed in the making of this party, ha! I did see the older kiddos having a blast with all three options though.

For the little guys, I actually laid down a big quilt in our tv room surrounded by ALL of Nash's toys. I think this was a great way to sort of 'define' the space for playing and it also meant no freaking out if something was spilled, etc. Whenever I'm at someone's house I know there's a natural flow that they're used to, but it's hard to discern when you don't live there. The quilt idea surely helps. Plus, I just popped that sucker in the wash when the party was over and that was that.

I made darn sure that I fed Nash at his usual lunchtime. Although the house was buzzing with 40+ people, I wanted to 'serve' my sweet birthday party boy all his favorite foods. An empty belly baby is a cranky baby in our house so as soon as that munchkin had a full tummy, he was off to the races again, having so much fun with all his buds!

Yep, we had a ball pit in one corner of our tv room and it was AWESOME! As you can clearly see, all ages were enjoying the 'pit' and having a blast. I scored the balls used from a friend with older kids and then I added a few more bigger balls to the mix. The pool was one we got a few years back for our good friends, The Rileys, when they came to visit with their two twin boys. It was such a hit, I can't suggest it enough for an indoor party with different ages of kiddos.

We also made sure to have a little sitting area outside, complete with a pint sized adirondack (don't laugh) for the little folk. Some of the older kids were throwing the football with the Dads and others were just racing around the backyard, as kiddos do. Having an outdoor 'area' was a last minute idea and I'm so pumped Walt scored these chairs last minute.

On our evite we specifically put 'your presence is your present' because Nash clearly needs no more toys. But our generous friends and family showered him with so many awesome gifts that we would've never thought of. We didn't plan on opening gifts when everyone was there but a few of the older kids asked us if Nash had opened his present yet. As the party was dying down, we actually took some time to open those gifts that the older kids had had a hand in and it brought me so much joy. Those sweet angel kiddos that love on our Nash at their age just amaze me. I hope one day our boy is just as generous, sweet, kind and loving towards a tiny little one year old nugget friend!

Now for the fabric. So I was really having a super hard time wrapping my head around a direction, theme or colors. I went to Hobby Lobby for a few hours one day and found a stunning chevron print and I fell in love with. But it was almost $9/yard and we would need about 6 yards to be safe (tablecloth, covering the O-N-E canvases, the yearly faves picture display and lastly his cake smash backdrop) so I didn't want to splurge all of our budget on fabric. I kept looking. Low and behold I stumbled upon this gorgeous 'outdoor' fabric in the clearance bin at Joann's for, get this, $4/yard. Bam, done and done. I went home with 7 yards and got to work. I think it really helped pull everything together from room to room.

Here are the thank you cards we sent out to those that generously gave/sent Nash a present. I'm sure there were many eye rolls but we absolutely loved them and Walgreens did a great job with the print and mail system. I wanted them to be on matte paper and Walgreens had them to us in just a few days.

Finally, I really do want to thank my Mom. There is no way I could've pulled all of this off without her help. She flew into town the Thursday before Nash's party (it was on a Sunday) and immediately and generously helped me for days. She was such a trooper and I still wasn't feeling great at all (more on those crazy hormones HERE) so it was almost imperative that she was here. My Dad arrived on Saturday afternoon so it was absolutely awesome to have them here in Austin for the big event. We can't thank them enough for all they did to help with the party...including my Dad, as he was on 'Zola duty.' He held our sweet tiny angel the ENTIRE TIME! We absolutely love y'all!

And just in case you were wondering how Nash's cake smash went, he was such a champ! And yes, he even stepped in it at the end...SILLY GOOSE!

Personal Peek: Momversation - How to Possibly Beat PPD/Baby Blues While Weaning

2012-11-06T12:40:44-06:00

*DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor, I'm not a specialist, I'm not an herbalist, I'm not a psychiatrist. This is only what I've read, experienced and taken that already seems to be helping. PLEASE consult your Doctor/OBGYN before you add any vitamins or herbs to your daily routine!!!!

So I've been MIA. I'm sure you've noticed. But I have my reasons. It's been a hard, really hard, last few weeks. Maybe even a month. I've been meaning to do the second post for the second half of our trip (Portland HERE, still have LA to do) out west. But haven't. I've been meaning to post about our first year of cloth diapering. But haven't. I've been meaning to post about our sleep training and where we are with that. But haven't.

You know what, I've been meaning to do a lot of things. But they just aren't happeneing. Why? Because I have to focus on me right now. For the first time, in a long time, we're all focusing on me. I have to get 'me' back in a way. So what the heck is going on? Read on. I'm really kind of scared but also really ready to share. I know I'm not alone. I know it. And if this post can help just one other woman know she's not alone...then my job here is done. All the other posts are sub-par to this one, in my mind, right now.

Soooo, where to begin. I've had a few greyish Motherhood blips on my radar of pre and postpartum baby life. Usually I'll be a bit down when family leaves or when we've returned from a trip seeing either family. After about a week, I realize that our life in Austin is amazing, we're so blessed in friendship/support and I get over my own pity party and move on. So that's the extent of my 'baby blues' thus far. Missing family, that's it. Seriously, that's it. I love mommyhood and I'm enjoying 99% of my time with Nash. Because let's be honest, there is that 1% of the time when Walt gets home and I'm like, 'TAKE THIS BABY!' Those are usually either teething or bad napping days, ha!

I've also loooooooved nursing Nash. LOVED! I got all those feel good hormones and we both got that 'milk drunk' feeling after many sessions. But I knew at about 10 1/2 months that I was done. He was showing signs of disinterest and biting too. So we started the weaning process. Super slow, we were at five daily feedings at that time and we slowly removed one about every week or two. After a month (where we are now) we only have the two feedings left. One right when he wakes up and one right before we start his bedtime routine. My body (well, boobies) have adjusted physically with very little issue. But my overall health is having a really hard go with this.

I tried to hide it from Walt but I'm sure he wondered what was going on. I've been super irritable, really angry, easy to snip, easy to criticize and just an overall bear to be around. I haven't been smiling at much of anything and I've been cancelling playdates and outings, left and right. I'd mention it to close friends and hope they'd come over and see me...or reach out. But I don't think they realized how bad I was feeling. I've been insanely tired and lethargic. Let me make this clear: INSANELY TIRED. I've even had thoughts of putting Nash and me on a plane and just heading to Florida so my Mom could watch him and I could rest. All day. For days.

Y'all...this is SOOOOOOOOO not me. And I'm proud that I am on the right course to nip this CRAP in the bud. It took a few weeks to sort of come out of this 'fog' and truly realize this isn't 'normal' behavior, thoughts or feelings for me. I'm the world's most upbeat, positive, optimistic woman...FULL OF GOD GIVEN JOY. No really, ask my husband. Ask my friends. Ask anyone that knows me. I'm a happy, happy lady! But this was all going on in the midst of sleep training, then Nash got croup, then more sleep training, then Nash got an upper respiratory infection, then more sleep training. Sooooo, life was also a bit rough too. Nothing felt peachy keen.

I spent some time this past Saturday morning really researching weaning, PPD (post partum depression), lethergy and the good ol' baby blues. There are a few great articles out there floating around but only a few really give concrete examples of how to combat unbalanced hormones in a more holistic and less 'pop some anti-depressants' manor. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not against anti-depressants. I'm just super sentitive to medication so I'd rather beat it with herbs and vitamins. And not even go that route.

I'm on day 3 of taking a whopping eight different supplements and I already feel MUCH, MUCH BETTER! I'll share those with you below along with any other pointers I think might help you tackle this big beast. If you are feeling blue and are in the process of weaning, know you're not alone. You're not. And I really am here for you!

Things you might want to do:

Reach out to your local La Leche League as they're a wealth of info and support.
Create a Facebook page/email group of Moms you know and share what's going on. I've created a Facebook Moms group chock-full of all my Mom friends so when I posted what was going on in our group I was surprised to hear that other Moms were going through/have gone through the same thing.
Confide in a good girlfriend (or two) who is wise and will check in on you. Or a Mom. (Hi Mom!) Or a sister. I haven't wanted my Mom to worry but my sister has been such a rock for me. Love you, Britt!
Tell your husband. I held it all in thinking it would pass and when I finally came clean...I could tell he had an 'ah ha' moment of clarity, seeing as how I've clearly not been myself. Make sure your husband/partner checks in on you daily to see how your day is going. Each day is different, it's just nice to know someone cares and is thinking of you in your journey to feeling better.
Take a long hot steamy shower. My aesthetician said that when your hormones are out of whack and some women get really emotional (not me this go round, but I know this happens) it's actually your body trying to release toxins. Take a long, steamy shower and SWEAT!.
And if a steamy shower isn't your thing then get out and do some exercise. I just did my first 'jog' yesterday since becoming a Mom and it felt good to sweat.
Drink more water than you ever thought humanly possible.

Things you might want to take (and should research before doing so):

Omega 3's
Evening Primrose Oil
Bach's Rescue Remedy
Magnesium Citrate
B vitamins
Vitamin D
Quality (whole food) Multi vitamin

Some of my personal symptoms:

Hello break outs! I don't think I would've made the connection at all with my moods/hormones until I went to get a facial that Walt so kindly gifted me. She asked me what stress I was under and I mentioned weaning and she said, 'That's why you're all inflamed and have breakouts in this area!'
Tiredness/lethargy
Mood swings
Irritable/angry
Edgy and anxious
Wacky sleeping patterns (overly tired one day, can't sleep the next)

Think you're alone? Think again. Check out these great articles I've found/friends have sent me with tons of info on hormone imbalance and nursing/weaning: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Again, I think time is really the only true 'cure' for these crazy a$$ hormones...so I'll just hold out. But it makes me feel good just sharing what I've learned as this whole thing hit me like a 20 ton mack truck. I've had relatively no huge hormonal shift except right when Nash was born, but that only lasted for a few days. My heart goes out to any other Mother dealing with this...just know you're not alone. HUGS!

If you have any other pointers or added insight, please leave it in the comment below. I want this post to serve as a 'catch-all' for suggestions that have worked for other women. We women, we Momma Bears, we have to have each others backs. We have to rally and support. We just have to!

Personal Peek: West Coast Field Trip Part 1 - Portland, OR

2012-10-09T08:10:56-05:00

Recently, Nash and I spent a few days in Portland, OR with my older sister and her family. We had a freaking blast! It was so amazing to see Nash and his cousin Minnie laughing and creating memories. Well at least Minnie might remember. Minnie was WONDERFUL with Nash too...such a great big cousin. She was sweet, gentle and a pretty darn good sharer for a four year old. We did lots of outdoor activities and also hit up a few great spots for grub. Nash and I took this trip solo so THESE flight tips really came in handy. We met Walt in LA, CA after this leg of the trip. We'll be sure to post pics of our LA stay soon.

Thanks Collins family for hosting us! We love and miss y'all already!

What to Buy Now: Product Review - BABYBJÖRN's Travel Crib Light 2

2012-10-08T09:31:50-05:00

Every once in a while you find a product that you absolutely love and adore as parents. This has happened a few times in our (almost) first year of parenthood and two of the products are actually by BABYBJÖRN. One of which is their high chair (more info HERE) and that's something we could go on and on about. Seriously, it rocks. We've had friends that have wee ones that literally HATE their high chairs and they've sat in ours for 30 minutes and longer. It's really a great, great product.

Of course we also loved their carrier that we toted Nash around in since his first few months of life. But that chunker quickly outgrew it and I could no longer feasibly lug him around. So it had a rather short shelf life at CasaCullen. We opted for an Ergo at about 5 months and I still use that product religiously to this day.

But last week we mentioned some tips for travelling with an infant (HERE) and we wanted to follow that up with one of our FAVORITE PRODUCTS for traveling...the BABYBJÖRN's Travel Crib Light 2. This thing is frickin' pimp, y'all! They sent it to us to try out and I thought Why? Let me count they ways...

Top 10 Reasons We LOOOOVE The BABYBJÖRN Travel Crib Light 2

1. The ENTIRE thing weighs only 11 POUNDS (yes, eleven!)

2. The ENTIRE thing can fit in a suitcase! No need for your pack-n-play to count as a checked item any longer.

3. The mattress is incredibly pimp, almost tempurpedic like...Nash slept like an angel the first night. And it's hypoallergenic. And it has a waterproof, machine washable mattress cover for accidents, leaks. Actually all the fabrics are removable, washable and free from chemicals. Gosh, I love this company.

4. The whole thing is super light and compact. It'll be great for flying and perfect for car trips too.

5. It can literally be set up with one hand.

Are you sold yet?

6. It can literally be packed up with one hand.

7. It has this cocoon like feel meaning baby feels safe and secure.

8. The fabrics used are durable without being rough. Soft and tough is my best explanation.

9. It doesn't take up as much space as a normal pack-n-play but is still spacious.

10. It just looks cool. You know how we love well designed products that are functionable. This is one of those!

So if you're in the market for a pack-n-play or have a ton of flying/car trips coming up this holiday season, this product gets a huge stamp of approval from us!

How to: Top Ten Tips for Flying Alone with an Infant

2012-09-25T17:52:43-05:00

Chillin' with my mister man, pre-flight at our gate...clearly expending some baby energy! Nash and I have flown quite a bit his first (almost) year of life. I think we have six round trip flights with over half of them being JUST THE TWO OF US. He's my great little traveler and I cherish the hilarious moments we've shared together already. My hope for Nash is that one day he'll have an innate love of travel and exploration, just like his parents. - Mo

1. Don't scrimp with your carry-on

Ok, seriously...I have a checklist the size of Alaska with me for each trip. And I keep them all. They are labeled with the name of the location and date on the top and are on a clip on the side of our fridge. As Nash has grown/changed, I'm able to still reference my old checklists but add new items that are more age appropriate with each flight. So don't throw those lists away. They're like gold if you're an avid traveler like us.

I'd start making the checklist about a week in advance. I also like to use the 'notes' function on my iPhone if I'm not near my list at home. Anything and everything I thought I might need, I added to that checklist. Granted some things ended up in my luggage and others in my carry-on, but that was beside the point a week in advance. If I wanted to take it, I'd add it to the list. Also, I lay out a suitcase about a week before a trip and I start throwing things in it that I want to take but might not need until we arrive. This alleviates having to pack it all last minute. I hate packing, like mega hate it.

As for the carry-on specifics, don't scrimp. Some people say, 'Travel light, you'll have a baby to juggle!' I don't agree. I'd rather lug a jam packed carry-on around (which, for the most part, I just hang on the stroller and don't even 'have' to carry) and be prepared for any curve ball. I've found that this calms my worries and I've actually needed some 'over the top' backup items a few times too.

Things I like to pack in my carry-on(s)...which yes, are exploding:

Copy of birth certificate/my ID (yes, Mom brain can attack at anytime, these are on my list!)

2 bibs

Extra shirt/nursing tank for me (just in case for spit ups, throw ups or blow outs)

Extra outfit and jommies

Enough diapers/wipes to get you through a 'lost luggage' debacle (lost luggage usually arrives 24 hours+ after landing so plan accordingly)

A few NEW toys from the dollar store or some 'new to baby' toys...something to hold his attention for a bit that he's never, ever seen before

3 of his favorite (and easy to carry-on) toys or books...just 3!

Tons of snacks (for me and baby)

3 food pouches (I've been so hungry and been rushed on a layover that I sucked a pouch down, so pack three of more)

Sippy cup or a bottle...however your child takes milk

A full water bottle...TSA allows you to bring in water bottles when you're traveling with a child so pack one, no need to purchase.

Nursing cover (I use an Aden & Anais blanket and believe me, you are going to flash someone, so just go ahead and plan on it!)

Anything your child needs to sleep at night (teething tabs/tylenol if they're teething, a lovie, etc...just IN CASE your luggage gets lost...have those key items with you if your flight arrives close to bedtime!)

A few gallon size ziploc bag(s)...you never know when you'll need one.

2. Pre-purchase bulk items for destination

If you are staying with family/close friends then you might want to ask them to head to Target and grab you some diapers, baby food, formula...and anything else you use in bulk. It's so nice to arrive with diapers waiting than to have to pack them and take up tons of space in your suitcase. I've done both options and the only reason I'd say that packing them is also good, is because then I know I won't be over the limit on the way back because the 'used' diapers have freed up some pounds, ha!

3. Call ahead to ask about open seats if you haven't purchased one

So here's a great little trick I've learned. The day you're flying out you can call the airlines and ask how many empty seats are open on you flight. I think the rule is, if there are 10+ empty seats, they will allow you to BRING ON your carseat. Now, I don't know about you, but Nash loves his carseat. So if there's room we absolutely bring it on. He naps better in his carseat and it also frees up my arms for a bit too. If you fly during peak travel times, you might be out of luck as far as this is concerned. We have the luxury of usually flying midweek so I've had numerous open seats all around me and my happy little camper got lots of down time in his car seat.

You can also ask at the gate (nicely) upon checking in. The flight attendants can check the count for you and let you know if you're car seat with fit, or not.

4. Wear your baby until you get to the gate

If you're a baby wearer, I highly suggest popping that cutie in your carrier the second you get out of the car at the airport. We've done this every...single...time. It works beautifully. But Nash loves his Ergo. If you're baby doesn't like the carrier, make sure they are situated where they are most comfortable (stroller, car seat) because sometimes they won't really move at all for an hour (security, etc) and you want them to be content.

Then I load up the stroller with his carseat and our carry-on(s).

5. Arrive with plenty of time to spare if you aren't familiar with your airport security

So we live in Austin. Austin's airport rocks. Like, knock your socks off...awesome. Security is a breeze, everyone is super friendly and parking is a cinch. Other airports, not so much. Give yourself PLENTY of time if you're unfamiliar with your airport or your flight on the way back.

Nash and I have literally RACED through airports, scrambling to our gate, because we just 'assumed' that all airports are as efficient as Austin. Not true. They aren't.

6. Purchase flight times that optimize napping

This rocks for us. Obviously there are some flights you just have to take the flight time because of ticket costs or where you're heading but if you can plan around your nap schedule, then go for it.

7. Nurse/snacks during takeoff and landing

It's for their ears. And comfort. Just do it. Juice, bottle, water or nurse...get them swallowing to clear their ears.

8. Know which plane bathroom (usually the front) has a changing table

Ask this question as you board. And don't save a diaper change for when you get on the plane. The bathrooms in the airport are much more efficient. But KNOW which bathroom has the changing table just in case you have to make a mid flight run for it. Hello blow outs!

9. Have family/friends walk you into airport and even wait at gate then have people waiting at baggage claim to help you with luggage

This is awesome. I've had Walt and my sister do this with me. It doesn't seem like it would be a huge help, but it is. This was something my good friend Mel told me about when we flew to FL (pics HERE) as she had her Mom walk in. It's a huge, huge help. You can grab a bite to eat, go the bathroom (hands free, ha!) and just prepare everything for the flight.

10. Fly during the week and avoid layovers on shorter trips

This is where we've gotten super lucky in our travels. We've flown mid week quite often which means we have a greater chance of not only bringing the car seat on board (see item 3 above) but also just having room around us. One of my worst flights was a 3 1/2 hour flight from Austin to San Jose, CA. It was jam packed because Nash and I flew on a Saturday. Granted we had Walt's help at the gate in Austin (since he wasn't at work and was able to hang out) but I surely would've traded a comfy flight for that help, honestly.

My last bit of advice, stay calm and don't be shy about asking for help. These nuggets feed off our energy for sure and people around you would rather you ask for help than hear a screaming child. Flight attendants, other passengers and complete strangers have been so helpful on my travels. Sometimes you do just have to ask for what you need. Aka: can you please open this gate check bag so I can hoist my stroller in while juggling my child!

Last, but not least, I want to know YOUR TIPS below in the comments. But a stiff drink, pack super light, a certain type of clothing or even don't travel alone. No judgment here! We have another flight coming up and I'm so curious what your take is on this. Until Nash is 2 years old...we'll milk it for all it's worth flying him for free. So any more tricks of the trade? Share away!

Recipe of the Week: Momma's Six Ingredient Apple Crumb Pie

2012-09-05T12:10:33-05:00

Love my Momma's apple crumb pie. We recently had a few organic Braeburn apples that were super tart. I'm talkin so tart that our lips puckered when we ate one. You should've seen Nash's face. We knew right away these apples weren't for eating, they were for pie making!

So Walt set out to the store on Monday afternoon for a pie crust and some vanilla ice cream and we had quite the Labor Day dessert. Apple picking season is upon us to bookmark/pin this recipe to try. With only six ingredients needed, this a real crowd pleaser for sure.

Momma's Apple Crumb Pie

5-7 apples (Momma suggest Macintosh)

9" deep dish pie crust

1 cup sugar (divided in half)

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup flour

1/3 cup softened butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lay pie crust in pie pan. Peel, core and dice apples into chunks. Arrange in uncooked pie shell. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and all cinnamon together. Sprinkle over apples. For the crumb topping; mix remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, flour and softened butter with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake 40 minutes until tender. Serve alone or with ice cream. Momma also suggest drizzling warm caramel sauce on top too! Enjoy!

My two fave guys, busy bees in our kitchen. Walt was dicing up the apples (you can also used thinly sliced but Walt prefers diced) and Nash was obviously on the search for his 'pup pup' Zola!

Diced apples being loaded up in the store bought pie crust.

Cinnamon and sugar topping has been added. We used turbinado sugar because we were all out of the plain old stuff.

And now for the crumble!

Fresh outta the oven...delish!

So yeah, we're a bit heavy handed when it comes to slicing up pieces. Now really, is there any other way?

And per our usual, we like ours à la mode!

Recipe of the Week: Two Ingredient Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

2012-08-31T11:09:36-05:00

I love easy recipes. Don't you? Especially those that can be made in a jiffy. I think we started these last night at 8:15pm and had a scrumptious treat by 8:40. I can't take credit for this one (thank you Beth Pemper for sharing it) but I did add a few additional ingredients to her original creation. If you want to keep it simple, just do the canned pumpkin and cake mix recipe below. I opted for a 1/4 tsp of both vanilla extract and pumpkin spice for a bit more flavor. Verdict from Walt? Two thumbs up!

I can't wait to make these again and add some walnuts or craisins into the mix. I also think a cream cheese frosting would be DELISH too. You'll have to try this recipe asap as it's a perfect weekend treat for the coming cooler weather on a fall weekend. Who am I kidding. This won't be until November here in Austin, ha! Pair these delish muffins with my Pumpkin Spice Latte (recipe HERE) and let's just go ahead and call this my own personal heaven. Enjoy!

Two Ingredient Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

1 package vanilla or white cake mix

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

Directions:

Mix both ingredients together with a mixer.

Place in muffin tins and bake for 20 min at 400 degrees or until a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean!

Our recipe yielded 12 large muffins.