Meals as a Mrs. ~ Low Carb Egg Breakfast Muffins

I made these a couple weeks before Charlotte was born and froze them so that we would have these handy in the days following her birthday for company and as quick breakfasts for Adam and me.  It's only fitting this breakfast recipe is from Charlotte's grand entrance to the world given that I craved breakfast foods during the early part of the pregnancy.  :)

The recipe was supposed to yield a dozen but I wound up with 18 muffins.  Below is copied and pasted from the source:  www.hurrythefoodup.com. 

Low Carb Egg Breakfast Muffins (25 Minutes, Vegetarian)

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

23 mins

Author: Hurry The Food Up

Recipe type: Vegetarian

Serves: 6 muffins

Ingredients

• (To go 12 muffin full throttle, just double the batch)
• 1 bell pepper (your favourite colour)
• 3 spring onions
• 4 little cherry tomatoes/one normal tomato
• 6 Eggs
• A good pinch of salt (about ¼ to ½ tsp)
• 12 slot muffin tin
• Optional - these all go great. Add whatever you fancy!
• 2 slices cheese; around 50g (eg. cheddar)
• Handful spinach/green leaves
• 2-3 splashes of hot sauce or curry powder
• 2 tsp of sambal oelek
• Baking paper or muffin cups (only if you don't have a nonstick muffin tin)

1.  Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 390°F.

2.  Wash and dice the pepper, onions and tomatoes and put them in a large mixing bowl.

3.  Add the eggs and salt and mix well. Pro tip - crack the eggs separately before adding. That way if you get a dodgy one, it won’t ruin the whole meal.

4.  Optionally add some hot sauce, curry powder...whatever you like. Hot sauce is great!

5.  Grease the muffin tin with oil and kitchen paper/baking brush and pour the egg mixture evenly into the muffin slots. (If you think they might still stick to the pan use some muffin cups or cut out some baking paper and to use as cups - definitely saves time on doing the washing up.

1. If you’re so inclined then layering some cheese over the top of each muffin before they go into the oven is a delicious addition! You can also mix in the cheese to the batter.
2. Pop the tray into the oven for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch.
3. Bon Appetit!!

Notes

EQUIPMENT:
Please make sure to use a non-stick muffin tin. That way you won't have to scrape around after your baking session. You can get a good one for around 10 bucks, easy.

IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE: Try out one of our other recipes - if you’re in an eggy mood then this Perfect Omelette is ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This Quick Eggy Bread is a real time-saver too!

I would recommend using the food processor rather than chopping by hand since my veggies I chopped by hand were a bit too big for this recipe.

Look at that yummy goodness!

I wound up baking these for 37 minutes at 200 degrees then an additional 20 minutes at 400 degrees which was a far cry from the 18 minutes cook time as outlined on the recipe.  Again, I think had I used the food processor to create smaller pieces of vegetables I don't think I would have run into the long baking time.

Tonight's scripture reading is Proverbs 24:5:

The wise are more powerful than the strong,

and the learned, than the mighty.

Reflecting on this scripture and applying it to marriage makes me think of how it takes time to learn about one another and to grow in wisdom in our interactions with our spouses.  I love that we are working to learn more about each other with each passing day of our marriage and still embrace one another in spite of our flaws.  Last night, Adam made a comment about my sensitivity to which I replied, "Yes, folks have said I take things too personally since I was a child....but you already know this about me."  He said, "Yes, and I love you for it."  Thank God for that!  I hope I never grow tired learning more about my husband.  What can you learn about your spouse or others with whom you come into daily contact in your lives today?

Meals as a Mrs. ~ Bacon-Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese

With February right around the corner, I can't help but reflect on how excited we were when last February rolled around in 2016.  There was something almost magical about the start of the last full month before we would meet our baby in early March.  Heading into the home stretch of pregnancy, we knew the next time we flipped the calendar that it would be our child's birth month!!  So it was with anticipation and excitement that we said farewell to January and embarked on February and all the fun that comes with that month.  Below is a picture with Ashley, my best friend from young adulthood and former roommate from my YoPa days, who had come to visit us with her boyfriend in mid January.  I think this was one of the last photos taken of me pregnant.

In this photo, I was 33 weeks along with 7 more to go until Charlotte's birthday!  I remember, at the time, feeling ginormous and thinking I looked so huge when I saw the picture we snapped before Ash and Vaughn departed....now I would give anything to be able to experience pregnancy one more time especially after seeing some glowing gorgeous pregnant mamas at church this morning.

It's so easy to go down the road of wishing that can lead to the road of pitying but each day I am constantly trying to get off at the fork in the road and deliberately place myself on the path of being present and working to joyfully embrace reality and "what is".  As we heard in the homily this morning, blessed are they who mourn, but I am choosing to tweak that and also say, "Blessed are they who pick themselves up and keep attempting to embrace the good with the bad".  Speaking of embracing the good, I would give this out of this world delicious Bacon-Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese a hug if I could.

Seriously.  It. is. that. good.


Then again, how could it not be when it comes to us from none other than chef extraordinaire Emily Stimpson Chapman?!  When she shared this recipe on her blog, I knew I just HAD to try this for myself.  Doing so required me to experiment with ingredients I had not tried before and took more time than I am used to when it comes to mac and cheese but oh was it so worth it!!!  Visiting Emily's blog is reminding me that I want to get her new book that shares the title with her blog.  Hmm...future birthday gift perhaps?! 

If you are a regular reader of the Meals as a Mrs. blog postings, it is no secret I have fallen behind (the last one was posted in August - oy vey!) so for some of these meals, I have to blow the dust off the recipe and scroll through the pictures to remind myself of when I made the item, recall if we liked it, and are there any notes I need to share about it?  Not this one though!!  This meal was not only scrumptiously delicious but it was the last meal I cooked before going into labor!  Yes, you read that right!  At 10:15pm on Friday night before Charlotte was born on the following Monday, I had JUST taken a seat at the dining room table to relax after cleaning the house and putting things away, baking cookies for us to take to the hospital and give to the nurses, AND making this dish....when the contractions returned from a few days prior in full force!   


This recipe yielded a LOT and we had plenty to share with my Mom and Dad who arrived the next night.  In the chaos that was Charlotte's Birth Weekend, I didn't think to take an "after" photo of the Bacon-Jalapeno Macaroni & Cheese scooped out on the plate but trust me, we all liked this creamy goodness!  Guess I need to make this again to take the "after" picture.  Who knows?!  Maybe it will become a birthday tradition for Charlotte Annie...hmm!

Look at those fancy cheeses!

This was my first time cooking with these noodles and they were delish!

There was something strangely cathartic standing over the stove stirring this pot.  Everything was still yet the moment was full of anticipation...not only for the cheese to melt and thicken in this mixture but also metaphorically speaking heading into the last weekend before we would meet baby!!

This picture doesn't begin to do this dish justice. Go take a look at Emily's photos on her blog as they are much better!  Better yet, make the dish and see for yourself!  : )

My word for 2017 is "Family".  Each night before going to bed, I reflect on the Holy Family and like to pray this prayer (see below).  For all those reading this tonight, may you always have a place to lay your head, food to eat, and someone to call family.  Pax!

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, like you we are members of the Father's family. We pray that our family love may reflect his love on its openness to all people. May we forgive even when not forgiven, and be patient with others' weaknesses.

Jesus, give us peace, unit and strength to meet the difficulties of daily living. May we use our family resources to improve the quality of life for ourselves and all people. Let us show joy in serving, for whatever we do for others, we do for you.

Mary, inspire us, that our love may be strong but not possessive. Let our willingness to give depend on the needs of others rather than on the cost of giving.

Joseph, help us to be attentive to the Father's will. Let us be ready, as you were, to act whenever he calls us.

Charlotte Ann is ten months old!

Charlotte has entered the double digits at ten months old!  She is finding her own voice through her constant babbling, varying intonations of "ooohhhh" and "ahhhhh", and growling (guess she is around the pups too much!), loves exploring toys and objects using both hands, is still obsessed with the taggie on anything, and enjoys her cloth books more than anything at this point.  She eats fruits, veggies, and sometimes unwillingly meats nearly every day.  We have tried introducing puffs to get her to practice chewing with her 3.5 teeth but she has shown zero interest in this snack at the moment so we have been sneaking the puffs into her veggies or fruits much to her surprise each time. 

She still sleeps throughout the night with her arms in a victory pose and indicates she is ready for a nap or bed by sticking her one arm in the air and looking like she is trying to lick her armpit when she is really feeling her teeth in her mouth.  It is the funniest thing.  Lately she has been flicking her wrist in a twisting movement almost as if she is waving and loves to shake her head, "no", back and forth back and forth back and forth.....!  She still likes to make eye contact with others by twisting her head and almost putting it in front of others when they are talking to try to insert herself into the conversation. 

Charlotte also has begun to demonstrate separation anxiety at times when Adam or I leave the room but for the most part she is still her cheerful loveable self!  At her pediatrician appointment this past week, she weighed in at 16 lb. 13 oz. and is 26.26 inches long.  The doctor said she is on the small side but that it doesn't necessarily mean she will be short and we're not too concerned with it.  He also expressed surprise over her lack of crawling or attempting to walk and expects her to be doing this within the next two months as she turns one year old.  Again, we're not too concerned but will continue with tummy time and encouraging her to reach for objects when playing.  She will do these things when she is good and ready.  :)

Surrounded by pups by the Christmas tree!

"Tricking" her into doing tummy time by having her examine my ring while being on her tummy....!

The things my parents make me do.....

Almost...but not quite!

Multitasking = playing with toys with her feet, relaxing with her furry brothers, and drinking from her bottle

We enjoyed ourselves at the Nutcracker Village in our town in mid-December!

 

Helping Mommy make Christmas cookies one cold winter night!

This is how the pups cuddled with one another during a road trip to my twin's holiday party.

Have I mentioned how much Charlotte Ann loves to twirl her burp cloth?  Future Steelers fan on account of the Terrible Towel like action she likes to engage in these days??!

Perhaps we need to find a different book that reads, "Dusty Cuddles"   ; )

 

Working her way on to the naughty list at the work Christmas Party!

Always reaching!

Playing with toys by the Christmas tree side by side. 

Charlotte took an interest to noses, mouths, faces, and anything else she could get her hands on this past month.

~ Peaceful nights under blankets of snow and amidst twinkling lights ~

Love these holiday nights with my girl!

Exploring newfound freedom in a restaurant thanks to Aunt Wendy and Uncle Tim's Christmas gift of a portable high chair!

Love our new Advent Wreath a from a friend!!  It brought many peaceful nights of prayer.

Her legs are so long now compared to when she first started using the exersaucer over the summer!

This was placed on our tree by one of the kids over New Year's...how sweet!

Ringing in the New Year with one of my favorite little girls!

So busy playing with some of her new toys!

I think she thought these teething stacking rings from Aunt Alicia and Uncle Mark were hand weights based on how she played with them!  ; )

She was not a fan of the sippy cup of water.  We'll have to try with a different cup to see if it makes a difference.

I wish I could freeze moments like these forever.

We had ten days' worth of Christmas cards and photos to go through upon our return to Ohio after the holidays.  Charlotte helped me read them and inspected every single one.

Charlotte Annie got to break in her snow suit early in 2017!

Playing with Dad's badges before returning them to his work on the last day of his job.

Helping Mommy grade final exams at the end of the semester!

Charlotte is starting to show a slight understanding of the word, "no", when Adam or I say it by acknowledging the tone of our voices.  She is also resisting when she doesn't want to do something by pushing a hand or arm away, by shaking her head no, by grimacing, or by closing her eyes.  She loves to look at herself in the mirror and will often smile at the baby staring back at her or at whoever is holding or carrying her at the moment.  She continues to be a social butterfly enjoying her interactions with others and especially being drawn to other children and babies.  One of her favorite things to do when out in the community is to people watch.

She definitely is a little explorer in wanting to examine whatever she can get her hands on and grabbing for things.  She spends quite a bit of time analyzing every object she can reach often moving things from one hand to the other or side to side.  She is beginning to gain a sense of object permanence in remember she chucked a toy behind her and turning around and searching for it after it is out of sight.  She also looks to wherever she hears a pup scurrying throughout the house or toward the office when she hears Daddy cough.

She enjoys being in the same room as Adam or me.  She likes to sit in her high chair as we prepare a meal or being held as we check email or get some work done in the office.  In the living room, she is quite content to play with her toys most of the time as long as one of us is near by and she can see us.  If she is really engrossed in her activity, then we can slip out of the room but not for long.  In the bedroom, she enjoys trying to view what is on the television if it is on and also continues to like listening to her musical CDs.

She recognizes the words, "eat", "milk", and "all done!" and continues to sign the word for milk and also now shakes her head, "no", both in and out of context.  For what Charlotte lacks in desire to be mobile, she seems to make up for in wanting to be engaged with others and be involved in communication.  She is very expressive and definitely likes to feel as if she is part of the conversation.  Babbling-wise, she is able to say, "da, ga, & ba".  A few times it sounded like she said, "Dada", and she lights up every time she hears that word...could she know Dada is Daddy/Adam??  :)

When playing with her toys, she likes to bang them together or have one toy in one hand and a different or another toy in her opposite hand.  Lately, she has figured out how to tilt her head back so she can continue to hold her bottle and drink from it all at the same time.  She is also able to grasp at objects with her fingers instead of using her whole fist or hand.  Each day it seems she makes these small discoveries as she moves closer and closer to her one year old birthday (in just two months!).

 

 Happy ten months to our Sweet Charlotte!!!  <3