Recipe: Egg Mess

I know, I know, this breakfast doesn’t have the most appealing visuals or title but I assure you it is always incredibly delicious. For the new parent, feeding yourself takes a back seat to feeding your baby, and—if it wasn’t before—your fridge becomes the place where produce and good home-cooking intentions go to die. To save you from throwing out sad old bits and bobs, or reaching for yet another granola bar in the morning, I’ve written out my formula for a tasty scramble that uses up everything and anything you’ve got. It’s so easy a sleep-deprived parent can make it, and it’s perfect for those days where you’re trying to eke out a few more meals before resigning yourself to finally going to the grocery store. And when you do go, make sure to pick up an extra few veggies for your next egg mess.

feeds 1-2 people*

Ingredients

oil/butter/cooking spray

~1/4 cup breakfast meat (bacon, sausage, cubed ham)

~1/4 cup chopped veggies (onion, bell pepper, mushroom, corn, cooked potatoes)

~2 big handfuls leafy greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens)

3 eggs

salt and pepper

~1/8 cup cheese (shredded mozzarella or cheddar, goat cheese, feta, boursin)

instructions:

1. Place a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in meat and cook until done or heated through, depending on if it’s raw or already cooked leftovers. Remove from pan and drain on paper-towel lined plate (if needed).

2. If meat released fats while cooking, leave them in pan. If not, add a splash of oil or pat of butter. Add in chopped veggies of choice and sauté until soft.

3. While veggies cook, crack eggs into a bowl and scramble. Season with salt and pepper.

4. When veggies are almost done, add leafy greens and cook until wilted. Add meat back into pan. Shake or stir to evenly distribute.

5. Pour scrambled eggs into the pan and stir frequently until they are almost cooked but still glossy. Add in cheese and turn off heat, stirring to incorporate and melt.

6. Plate and top with more cheese, fresh herbs, hot sauce, avocado, or sour cream as desired. Enjoy with toast.

notes

*This recipe is easily scaleable and portion sizes will depend on exactly how many and what fillings you’re using. Feel free to throw everything in the pan and then add as many eggs as you would need to bind it all together. There is truly no wrong way to make an egg mess so get creative!

Book Review: Nurture

If you’ve been in the online birth world in the last few years, you’ve probably seen Nurture recommended over and over. I decided to check it out myself and was not disappointed. My first impressions: the comprehensiveness of this book was immediately apparent, which makes it a great choice for anyone who’s not super into reading up on everything, or who only has a little time to prepare. Though I do think there is a benefit to getting it at the beginning of a pregnancy and following along because of the structure.

Cohen starts with pregnancy, dedicating a chapter to each trimester, and within each of those chapters breaking it down month by month. Each month she describes what you might be feeling, what your baby is doing, and things you can do to facilitate healthy growth and parenting preparation. She outlines the tenets of mindfulness, journaling, movement, natural remedies, and nourishment in the beginning and then applies them to each month in turn. So already in the first third, this book is full of helpful information (journal prompts, exercises, recipes) relating to the physicality of pregnancy as well as the emotions and psychology of the reader as a pregnant person.

Part three is about preparing for birth and is as much about mindset shifts as it is hands-on coping techniques and information on interventions and complications (similar approach to the Birth Partner but this book is written for the birthing person). At one point, Cohen writes “the most positive births are experienced by [people] with strong convictions rooted in the utmost flexibility. Know yourself, know your limits, and be open and curious about what’s to come. Release yourself from your own expectations of your birth experience.” I have seen this at play many times and agree that going into birth confident in yourself and your team, as well as staying an active participant even as things might go off script goes a long way to building positive associations with the birth. Cohen also covers practical measures like birth preferences, how to interview and build your birth team, labor signs and stages, and comfort measures, which all contribute to more positive birth stories.

The final third transitions into postpartum, focusing first on the physical and emotional healing (with similar advice in the form of journaling prompts and recipes for sitz baths and hot beverages). Then into nourishing and nurturing a baby now that they’re here. This focuses heavily on feeding (breastfeeding, pumping, formula, how to tell if and when they’re getting enough, you’re making enough, etc.) before covering appearance concerns (there’s a surprising amount of blemishes and colorings babies can have and you can rest assured most are perfectly harmless and temporary!), clothing, diapers, soothing, sleeping, bathing, and other infant care basics. It’s really as thorough as it sounds.

There’s also extensive back matter including links to resources and baby products (this book was published in 2017 so beware of link rot), plus sample birth plans and some other takeaways. As far as childbirth and parenting books go, this is one of the widest ranging titles out there, and if anyone is going to buy just a single book, this is a good option. I still believe in reading a few throughout pregnancy to collect and compare and make personal decisions, but owning this and using it as a periodic reference is a good way to get the most out of it.

Recipe: Rhubarb Simple Syrup

When we moved into our home in 2020, we inherited a very mature rhubarb plant from the previous owners. All I knew about rhubarb beforehand was that I had always passed on the strawberry rhubarb pies at family barbecues growing up, it was having a “moment” recently in cocktail bars, and my mom was deathly allergic to it. But my mom doesn’t live with us and we didn’t want to completely scrap it, so when it grew back the following spring, I looked into what I could do with a lot of rhubarb all at once. Because it can only be harvested once a season, and it comes in early (April-May), I liked the idea of a simple syrup that can capture its full essence and natural color. Below is the recipe (more of a formula) that I’ve used the last few years, followed by a few of my favorite uses!

yields 6 cups

ingredients*

2 pounds of rhubarb stalks

4 cups of water

2 cups of sugar

instructions

1. Trim dry ends of rhubarb stalks, keeping green sections intact if desired (they’ll cook down just the same and won’t dilute the color). Wash thoroughly and then slice into small pieces.

2. Add rhubarb pieces to a pot or dutch oven and enough water to cover (usually about 2 cups per pound of rhubarb). Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Drop to a simmer and cook until rhubarb has lost all its color and broken down into pale fibers (20-30 minutes), stirring occasionally and continuing to skim foam as needed.

3. Using a fine mesh sieve, scoop out all the rhubarb from the pot, or pour contents from one pot into another through a sieve, to remove all fruit remnants and isolate the water. It will be bright pink or red.

4. Add sugar and bring water to a boil again, stirring frequently to dissolve. Lower to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes to let the sugar fully dissolve.

   • If you want a thicker syrup, keep it on low heat until it has reduced by almost half, or has thickened to a maple syrup consistency. This is a great topping for pancakes, yogurt, or ice cream. As written, this recipe will create a consistency perfect for mixing into drinks (see below).

5. Set aside to cool completely. Once cool, pour into your preferred jar or container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks (you may need to give it a shake to redistribute sugars before use).

refreshing rhubarb mocktail

2 oz rhubarb simple syrup

6 oz carbonated drink of choice**

splash of fresh lemon juice

instructions

1. Fill a collins glass with ice.

2. Add simple syrup.

3. Top with sparkling beverage and lemon juice. Appreciate the ombré effect for a second, then stir to combine. Enjoy.

rhubarb gin cocktail

2 oz gin

2 oz rhubarb simple syrup

1 oz fresh lemon juice

optional: lemon peel garnish

instructions

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.

2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Shake vigorously to combine.

3. Pour into glass. Fancy points awarded for lemon peel garnish. Enjoy.

notes

* This recipe is almost like a formula that can be scaled to whatever amount of rhubarb you have. If you want a smaller or larger amount, keep in mind these ratios: each pound of rhubarb needs 2-2.5 cups of water to cook in. The amount in pounds of rhubarb correlates to the amount in cups of sugar you will add to the water in step 4. For example, this year’s harvest was 4 pounds of rhubarb. It took 10 cups of water, and 4 cups of sugar to make 12 cups of simple syrup.

**I like making this with plain sparkling water, but you can also use mineral water (like Topo Chico), tonic water, club soda, or even flavored sparkling water. I’d recommend lemon, lime, strawberry, or watermelon flavors to complement the rhubarb!

Book Review: Transformed by Birth

I did come into Transformed by Birth somewhat skeptical at the beginning because of how anti-structure and control Bushnell was when it came to birth. I think she was trying a little too hard at the beginning to do the whole “whatever you think you know, throw it out” schtick. She made a lot of bold claims at the beginning, that once she actually explained her philosophies ended up not being as extreme as I thought. For example, she pooh-poohed birth plans and I was worried she was going to try to throw them out completely, but it turns out we share pretty similar views on them as a list of preferences rather than actually reinforcing the narrative that we can control our birth story and outcome just by writing it down.

I haven’t read a ton of parenting books, but this one does feel pretty different and focuses much less on the physical markers of pregnancy/birth/postpartum and more on the emotional and relational aspects that will change (i.e. transform you). I appreciated the acknowledgment that expectant parents will be reading other books, and should be reading and gaining knowledge, but that not everything is meant to work for everyone and every situation. The emphasis on trusting intuition (and building that as a skill first) and nurturing in the ways and spaces you already are familiar with, is likely more important than some of the tangible advice in other books. If I had to sum up the field: there are parenting books that are meant to build competence, and those intended to build confidence. This is certainly in the latter group, which makes it a great unexpected recommendation for the to-be parent who’s already read all the familiar titles.

The parallels with mythology and the heavy use of allegory and allusion at times helped Bushnell frame her narrative more clearly, and at other times held her back. Even though the book was highly structured, a lot of the same thoughts and phrases kept returning chapter after chapter and I wonder if it was meant to reinforce recurring themes or if she was being needlessly redundant. I did especially love the comparison of Artemis and Apollo as they represent the conflicting worlds of labor/birth and Western society. In an Apollonian world, we learn how to be “professional” and how to meet societal expectations and to feel guilty when we don’t or can’t. In labor and birth, all those rules are thrown out the window in order for us to get in touch with our primal, or Artemisian, selves. The way she explains this dichotomy makes so much sense, and I love sharing this example with clients during prenatal sessions because it’s such a solid way of understanding a change laboring people go through without much control but which can be very overwhelming if they don’t expect it.

I will say, things got a little self-congratulatory towards the end, especially when talking about her relationship with her husband. Maybe there are really strong marriages and co-parent relationships we can learn from. It just felt a little woo-woo with the eye contact rituals and stuff. But like she said before, take what you want and skip what you don’t in these books. I first read this book for full-spectrum certification over a year ago, and since then I will say it has grown on me a lot more and has become a favorite. Maybe we can all make some room for more woo-woo stuff in our parenting and childbirth education. You never know what’s going to be the thing that resonates with you the most when you’re in the thick of it.

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I love blended soups for early postpartum meals because they cover all the important principles of postpartum eating: warm, well-cooked, nourishing, easy to digest. And they’re usually a bit more interesting than broth, so the whole family can enjoy together. Speaking of, my main complaint about blended soups is that they tend to have a rather small output (recipes will say 8-10 but if you’re a big-bowl-of-soup-as-the-meal person like me, its more like 3-4). My secondary complaint is that my favorite type of blended soup is butternut squash, but most recipes leave it at just that (and some onion). I’ve recently found a great recipe that includes extra veggies and flavors, and have written it below as a double batch so there’s plenty to go around plus leftovers to freeze.

makes 10 big bowls of soup

ingredients

2 large butternut squashes

4 carrots

6 stalks of celery

2 large onion

12 cloves of garlic

14 sage leaves*

10 sprigs of thyme (stems removed)

4 sprigs of rosemary (stems removed)

1 teaspoon cayenne red pepper powder (or less, if you do not want a little kick)

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

8 cups vegetable stock**

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lay out two large roasting pans.

2. Prepare your veggies, splitting the amounts of each between the two roasting pans. Peel, deseed, and chop butternut squashes into 1-inch cubes. Peel and chop carrots into 1-inch rounds. Chop celery into 1-inch chunks. Chop onions into large pieces. Peel garlic and lightly crush or keep cloves whole.

3. Add herbs to pans. Sprinkle cayenne, salt, and pepper over everything, then add oil (about 2 tablespoons per pan) and toss to coat.

4. Roast for one hour, flipping pans halfway and mixing up veggies as needed. It may take up to 90 minutes total for all veggies to become soft and tender (carrots will be last).

5. Remove from oven and blend according to your kitchen equipment.

   • If you have an immersion blender, add all pan contents to a large stock pot, along with 6 cups of vegetable stock, and blend in the pot.

   • If you have a traditional blender, add 1/2 of a pan’s contents and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock to the blender at a time, pureeing for 30-45 seconds until relatively smooth. Pour blended soup into a stock pot, and repeat for remaining veggies until done.

6. In the stock pot, bring soup to a simmer and check for consistency, using remaining vegetable stock to thin as necessary, 1/2 cup at a time.

7. Enjoy immediately with bread.

notes

Because everything gets blended together in the end, feel free to experiment with other vegetables and fruits! Additions or replacements include: bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, apple, and pear.

*Dried herbs can also be used in place of fresh herbs. Use 1 teaspoon each of dried sage and thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary.

**This soup is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free but feel free to garnish with cream or coconut milk, or use chicken stock instead of vegetable.

To freeze, let soup cool to room temperature, pour into airtight food containers, and place in freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.