This is a twist on last week’s Quinoa, Bean, and Greek Yogurt Muffins. The recipe format is basically the same, but this is a yummy Spinach and Artichoke flavored mini casserole!
Spinach and Artichoke Greek Yogurt Muffins
Ingredients (for 12 muffins):
2 cups cooked brown rice (I used thawed frozen Trader Joe’s rice and it made this recipe a snap)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 generous cups spinach
1 cup 2% Greek Yogurt plain
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 12 cupcake tins.
After draining artichoke hearts, press in between a clean dish towel to remove extra moisture. Chop artichoke hearts.
Chop spinach and cook on stovetop in oil until it wilts.
Combine artichokes, spinach, cooked rice, yogurt, cheese, eggs, and spices in large bowl.
Pour mixture into cupcake tins and bake covered with tin foil for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 5.
My New Year’s Resolution is to read a book every single week for the entire year – that’s a grand total of 52 books. So far, I’m on track – although I occasionally end up “cramming†on Tuesday and Wednesday nights! However, I have managed to read four books in four weeks. And it’s been awesome. I’ve learned so much. I have experienced truly relaxing downtime. And I actually have interesting topics to discuss with other adults! Wahoo.
If you look at the side of my blog, I have a shortcut link to my Book a Week page if you want to see my reviews of the books that I’ve been reading!
Since starting this challenge, the comment that I’ve heard most often is “But how do you FIND THE TIME to read?!†In fact, I’ve heard this so much that I thought my response was worthy of a blog post.
Here’s how I find the time to read a book a week!
1) I read really fast. This makes reading a book a week a lot easier. I have always been a speedy reader. I read a lot of books when I was a kid – I can remember tearing through Sweet Valley High in one summer! I have heard that there are techniques to increase reading time, but I just read this way naturally.
2) I read in small doses. You don’t need an hour of devoted reading time to read – you can read in ten minute increments. Or even less! I carry my book with me and read during “waiting†moments, like in the car in the preschool parking lot. I also usually read for a bit while I pump a bottle. Henry likes to sit and play in the bathtub FOREVER, so after chatting with him for a bit and soaping him up, I sit on the floor of the bathroom and read until he’s ready to get out.
3) I read instead of watching TV. We used to watch hours (HOURS) of TV every night. Now, I only actually watch the TV shows that I follow. If the Husband is watching a movie, I am reading a book.
4) I occasionally ignore my kids to read. Wait – WHAT? Yup. I’m a firm believer that kids shouldn’t be entertained all the time. This is, obviously, a little hard with a toddler and a newborn – two of the neediest, most look-at-me type of people in the entire world! The reality is that I’m home with my kids all day long, every single day, unless Henry is at school. They get more than enough attention from me. So usually, once a day, I will sit on the couch and read a book while Henry plays with his trains. If he tries to interrupt me, I gently tell him it’s mommy’s reading time and I need privacy. Sometimes, it doesn’t work – but occasionally, it does. I think it’s a good lesson for him regardless.
5) I read while my toddler watches TV. Henry watches TV almost everyday. I use the hour or so to work, clean the house, do food prep, or read. I really like reading next to him on the couch while he watches TV. I can’t do it every day (because there are so many other things to do), but it’s really nice when it happens.
6) I make it a priority. When Henry was a baby, I tracked every 15 minutes of my time for an entire week – the results were super interesting.
The upshot is most of us do have wasted time in our schedule. Yes, some people are completely rammed with highly necessary tasks. But not all of us. Most of us screw around at night, watching TV or playing on our phone. Or we roll around in bed for 20 minutes instead of getting up when the alarm goes off. In short, we all have wasted time. And I’m not saying that wasted time isn’t nice – but if you want to do something like, say, read more or exercise or cook… there is probably time in your schedule. You just have to find it and change your habits!
It’s been a really wonderful two months! A friend asks me how I was feeling about going from one kid to two, and my response is that I feel like Claire just slipped into the fray. It’s like she’s always been here.
Let’s do a quick “me†update and then I’ll do a Claire update!
Mind After Baby
Like I said, I’m doing really well. I don’t feel overwhelmed and nutty like I did after Henry. I know how to do this baby thing, and I think I can do it pretty well, so we’re surviving. Also, the lack of sleep isn’t impacting me like it did last time. I was CRAZY SLEEP DEPRIVED after Henry. This time – not so much. Sleep deprivation does terrible things to your outlook and mood, so I’m thankful.
The hardest part of my day is doing bedtime with two kids when I don’t have other adult help. That really does me in. Henry becomes a typical needy toddler at bedtime, and Claire usually has a screaming fit, and I end up feeling pulled in two directions. That’s the worst feeling – when I can’t comfort anyone and everyone ends up upset.
(Henry made us all necklaces!)
The other thing that I’m struggling is a life-work balance. I’ve always felt like that phrase was total bullshit anyway, but now I’m really struggling to find enough space in my schedule for all the work that I want to do. I can cook, clean, exercise, or even read a book while being “on†but I can’t work. We don’t have additional childcare for Claire at this point but it may be necessary at some point. I feel perpetually behind!
Body After Baby
I’m really proud of the things my post-baby body is doing! I’m back to running and even did a 4.0 mile race. I feel pretty strong and capable. And I’m really, really enjoying having that ‘me time’ again. It’s also a great no-kids social outlet for me because I occasionally run with my girlfriends.
I’m still breastfeeding, although I actually breastfeed half the time and do pumped bottles the other half. I do this for all the reasons that I exclusively pumped with Henry – I find public breastfeeding awkward, I need the ability to leave Claire with a bottle, I still have to use a shield because of flat nipples, and – quite frankly – I just don’t love it. I’m owning all those feelings (instead of feeling bad and guilty about it like last time) and just rolling with it. It’s nice to be able to breastfeed in the privacy of my home – I actually enjoy it and appreciate how much easier it is than pumping. But pumping works for me, too, and I appreciate all the benefits that pumping allows. I don’t feel as hostile about pumping as I did after Henry, and I’m just trying to chug along until the end date that I’ve set in my head.
As far as post-baby weight loss goes… it’s going! I’ve lost about 25 pounds since giving birth, which means I have another 15 or so to go. I’m trying to eat mindful portions and not go nuts on the chocolate and wine, and I’m losing about a pound a week. Slow but steady progress.
And a Claire Update
Okay – the fun part!
Gosh, I love her SO MUCH. She is terribly adorable and so sweet. She is incredibly easy. I feel very blessed to have such an easy kid (I prayed really hard for a good baby!). She LOVES to smile and cracks a big grin whenever she sees me, the Husband, or Henry. She’s also started to coo and squeal and will “talk†to you. She’s getting better at tracking people with her eyes and will turn her head to watch you leave the room.
She is CHUNKY and I love it. Henry was always a skinny kid per the growth charts, but Claire is a chunker. She’s busting out of her 3 month clothes and has all these amazingly awesome rolls on her inner thighs. I die.
Henry v. Claire:
She is an award-winning sleeper, too! She wakes up about twice a night to eat – at 1:30 and 5:30. Then she does a light sleep until around 7:30 (so I end up being woken up a few times, but it’s not a big production to console her). She goes down easily, and I’m trying to implement some ‘pre-sleep training’ techniques (like not always rushing to her immediately and patting her stomach v. picking her up to calm her) to try to move the process along even faster. The twice-a-night wake-up thing isn’t TOO bad but, obviously, I can’t wait to sleep through the night again.
Henry is LOVING Claire, too. He is a great big brother. He sings to her and gives her pacifiers and like to pet her head. He has even given her a few bottles!
Once, he asked me if we could leave Claire at home while we went to the playground, and I died laughing before explaining that, no, we can never leave Claire alone at home. He looked disappointed but quickly rebounded. That’s the only real sign of jealously that I’ve seen. It’s been much, much better than I expected overall.
But quickly realized that we lack the knowledge required to play such a game and switched to Monopoly. I lost.
I bought this lovely body cream. It smells like a vacation.
I also bought these black jeans! Target has some really nice jeans, actually.
I’m over wearing maternity pants, and I’m two sizes away from my normal clothes but refuse to feel frumpy any longer. Yay for clothes that fit! Worth every penny.
Speaking of clothes, I went through my closet and did a MAJOR purge. I clean it out regularly but I tend to hang onto stuff I never wear thinking I may, actually, wear it again.
This time, I donated everything I haven’t worn in the last two years for real. I’m left with a ton of room in my closet. BLISSFUL.
And last, but not least, I’m about to go meet Brandi for a run. I’m hoping to do 4.0 miles. That means…
This Week’s Workouts:
Monday: 2.2 mile run
Tuesday: 1.5 mile walk pushing Claire in the stroller and wearing Henry on my back
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 2.2 mile walk pushing Claire in the stroller and wearing Henry on my back
Just to celebrate Friday, I have a great giveaway for you from White Plum, an online vintage-inspired boutique filled with fun, affordable clothing.
I’ll called White Plum leggings “the perfect leggings,†and I really mean it. Comfy, thick, and stylish – I absolutely love their fleece leggings. But their printed leggings are just as awesome! If you win the giveaway, you can pick $100 worth of leggings (or something else!) you’d like to receive. You can also use coupon codeHTP25 for 25% off until January 30! I think these styles are super cute…
What this photo is missing is Henry doing frantic jazz hands and screaming, “I’m a model tooooo! FASHION SHOW! FASHION SHOW!†while the Husband juggles a camera in one hand and Claire in the other. It was pretty awesome.
Oh, and I’m wearing this shirt in all the pictures – it’s super soft.
Giveaway time – I’m giving away a $100 White Plum gift card to one lucky reader. Use the widget below to enter! As usual, I’m closing the comments on this post so there is no confusion on how to enter.
