The Lack Maternity Leave...

Most people know that maternity leave in this country is completely pathetic and messed up... women are given 6-8 weeks off and usually it is not paid. Anyone who has had children knows that that's an incredibly short time in which to recover, bond with your baby, get a routine or have any type of sleep before returning to work. In my opinion, forcing women to choose between their job and their newborn is driving women out of the work force and putting them at a severe disadvantage to their male counterparts who don't have to juggle what inevitably mostly falls on the female. If a woman decides to stay home then if they return they have lost all of that time, experience, raises... if they choose to return they are now struggling with  caring for another human at home and being as committed to their job. After 6-8 or even 12 weeks, not only are you healing from a major ordeal that is childbirth, but stereo-typically as you return to work you are often still the one taking on the brunt of the childcare when you are home let alone the laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. This is often referred to as the silent
"mental load" women carry... trying to juggle in your brain everything for yourself, the house, the children, your job and delegating tasks and appointments to your partner who is not carrying all of that in their brain. Women have to make the choice, often before the baby is even born, or soon after when their hormones are all jacked up, whether taking time and a financial hit is worth the time at home with your child. I can't speak for other professions, but as a teacher you would think the job lends itself to being a parent. I am not going to lie, when I first considered changing my direction in college that was one of the things that drew me to the profession. I would be able to spend summers with my kids, have their same school schedule and breaks, etc. I also thought that trying to plan kids around summer would be ideal... that way you don't have to take time off from work. Being a teacher and taking time off is far worse than just going to work. You have to create plans for someone else to do your job and control 30+ kids that know a sub means they don't know the norms of the classroom. I have had a summer baby, a fall baby and a spring baby and have learned quite a bit about maternity leave as a teacher. Not as great as I thought for a profession centered around other people's children when it comes to having your own...
What I didn't know when I was in college is that the districts basically punish women who take time off to have children. We don't technically get a maternity leave, we get an approved FMLA which is 12 weeks, unpaid, off for having a baby. I am allowed to use my sick days, if I have them, for the first 6 weeks... unless you have a baby in the summer... which in that case if the baby is 6 weeks old and you are cleared medically which you usually are, then you are "baby bonding" and sick days cannot be applied to FMLA and the 12 weeks goes completely unpaid... BUT I am constantly told I still can take that time, wow, thanks, I get to choose whether time with my child is worth the $15,000+ pay cut for the year, I feel fortunate now. What makes all of this even better is that you still have to make your plans for your sub... even though you aren't getting paid!... and I was even asked to find my own sub. So on top of the stress of being pregnant, I was scrambling to write day-to-day lesson plans and find someone to replace me, which is not as easy as it sounds since we are already on a teacher shortage and subs don't get paid very well. If you do get to use your sick days, then returning to work I really hope your child doesn't get sick because you have no more days to use.
I have been told by parents to plan my baby around the school year. First of all, I know from having Mack the week after school got out that isn't great. I am going back to work sooner than if I had a child during the school year because of the lack of ability to use my sick days for time off. Classic example of having to choose between money and time with my infant. Also, timing a pregnancy is great in theory, but the majority of people don't get pregnant when they want. Not to mention I have lost babies during pregnancy so I know full-well things don't always go according to plan. I have also had teacher friends been told by parents that teachers shouldn't have kids during the school year... I am sorry, I must have forgotten that teaching your child is more important than having my own.
I could obviously say more, don't even get me started on the pressure for women to breastfeed on top of work and everything else, but my rant is over for now. Hopefully by the time my daughters have children the United States has started to value women as working mothers, in the mean time you will find me, and most working women, burning the candle at both ends trying to do and be it all.

Crockpot Meatballs and Our New Arrival!

We have a boy! Mack Robert Lamberti was born Just before midnight on June 27th. He was a tiny little guy, only 6lbs 6oz, but never lost the initial weight babies usually do and has been steadily growing ever since. People keep wondering about the name because it isn't common. Robert is for Matt's grandpa, but Mack is literally just a name we liked. It isn't short for anything or named after anyone. :) We had a few options for boy/girls names, but weren't really settled on any. It is assumed since there are two girls already and two girl dogs that we wanted a boy, but even if he were a girl we would have been equally as excited- gender is one of the least concerning things, in our opinion, when it comes to having a baby. Mila has not really taken to having a brother, she loves to give him his pacifier and blanket and gets concerned when he cries, but also likes to tell us to put him down so that she may be picked up. Charlie is amazing... so helpful and I am so glad she is independent to a point. This summer is now going to be a lot less going places and a lot more low key activities around the area/house. So glad my little guy is safely out in the world. 

 I am saving most of my post-partum meal prep for when I go back to work. In all honesty I still have a decent amount of time right now to prepare dinner. Mila gives me about a 30 min+ nap in the afternoon and Mack can be "worn" or sleeps enough I can prep dinner. This one for sure will be going on the menu though... the meatballs can easily be frozen for a fast dinner in the future. In the summer so it is so nice to use the crockpot, not heat up the house/stand over the stove, to cook dinner. As with most of my recipes, I don't measure a lot! Eyeball it and save yourself the dishes. More meat just means more meatballs, you will have plenty of sauce! Same with the seasoning, eyeballing it is good enough. :)  Mila devoured these plain, the rest of the family had them over pasta with roasted broccoli. They would also be amazing on toasted bread as a sub sandwich! 

Crockpot Meatballs

(makes about 30 1" balls)
- 1-2lbs Lean Ground Beef
- 1-2lbs Ground Pork
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic
- 1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 2 24-oz Cans Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 8-oz Can Tomato Paste
- 1-2 Dried Bay Leaves
- 1 Tbsp Sugar 
- 1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning

1. Add the meat through pepper to a large bowl. Mix with your hands until everything is well combined. Form into 1-2" balls and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. 

2. Move your rack to the top of the over and turn on your broiler. Broil the meatballs until they are browned, flip and do the same to the other side (about 5 min per side.) While they are broiling, make the sauce....

3. Add one can of the crushed tomatoes to your crockpot. When the meatballs are done, add those to the sauce (they won't be cooked through and that's ok!) Add the other can of crushed tomatoes and the remaining ingredients. Cook on low 4-5 hours, taste for more salt/pepper... Enjoy! 

Overnight Waffles

Let the countdown begin! I am full-term now and just waiting on the newest member of our family to arrive. I feel like now and the beginning of pregnancy you pay attention to every little detail of your body... then because you are hoping you are pregnant before the test confirms it, and now because you are looking for signs of labor. I am still working out at least 5 days a week but have drastically slowed down. I am about 22 lbs up and showing signs that labor is *hopefully* soon. This week is bittersweet for me because, although I am excited to have a new baby, it is also the week Charlie is with her dad... yes, the week before my due date. Not ideal timing, but in the grand scheme of life and for the sake of being mature I didn't even say anything or argue. I don't need the cliche hospital photos anyway and it will still be a surprise if we add our new addition while she is away. We do plan on not announcing anything about the birth publicly until after she returns, however, so that it is a true surprise for her if it happens this week. :) Although this is the sixth summer, it never gets easier saying good-bye to your first baby. My only advice for those going through the same thing for the first time is to stay busy, make plans, and try to accomplish a task or something you haven't had time to do with kids around. Therefore, Mila and I are trying to stay busy this week and I am trying to enjoy my time with her since this is the last time she will be an only child when Charlie is away. The little stinker is probably not going to be thrilled with this new development! 

I am not going to lie, I don't make homemade waffles or pancakes very often. Kodiak cake pancake mix from Costco is a go-to as well as Trader Joe's who makes an excellent frozen version that is ready, without the mess, much faster than anything I could whip up before school! But on the weekends, or even now that it is summer break, making a homemade breakfast not only kills time with the kids in the morning, but is a lot more enjoyable for everyone since we aren't usually rushing off anywhere. These waffles are very old-school, often called "yeasted waffles." I found a very in a very old cookbook I was going through and made some changes. They are made the night before and placed in the fridge, ready to go when you are in the morning. The yeast makes them extra fluffy on the inside and you still get that amazing crispy-ness on the outside. Far superior to pancakes! I recommend making extra so you can freeze some yourself and pop them in the toaster in the future :) 

Overnight Waffles

(makes 8-10 waffles)

- 1 3/4 Milk (I used 2%)
- 4 Tbsp Butter (I always use Kerrygold)
- 1 Cup All-purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Whole-Wheat Flour (or all all-purpose)
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 1/2 tsp Rapid-rise Yeast (or instant yeast)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Cinnamon (optional)

The night before- 
1. Either in the microwave for 2 minutes, or on the stove, heat the milk and butter together until the butter is melted and the milk is warm. Let the mixture cool while you gather the other ingredients. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flours, sugar, yeast, salt and cinnamon. 
3. Add the eggs and vanilla, then slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture until smooth. 
4. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight... at least 10 hours. 

In the morning-
Your batter will have risen just like you and your children! 
Heat your waffle iron. 

When the iron is ready, remove the batter from the fridge and whisk. It will deflate. Pour the batter into the center as you normally would, close and cook until the waffle is golden brown. I usually use about 1 cup of batter for my square waffle iron that makes 4 at a time. 

Enjoy! 

Matzo Chicken White Lasagna

The end of the school year is upon us, at least in Michigan. I know a lot of schools are already out, but we don't get out until mid-June. This is the time of year the parents are forcing tired and worn out kids to go to school and keep trying, and teachers are trying to keep the kids focused just a little longer. With the idea that we will be starting before labor day in the coming years and still going to this time at the end of the year I can only imagine this will get worse. There is something to be said about quality over quantity of school days. The state keeps adding days... that's not going to fix the gap between low and high achieving students, nor is it probably best for students in general, but what do I know, I am just a teacher with 10 years of experience, not a law maker with none aside from their own schooling. 

This is also the time of the year I am running out of dinner ideas. I am sick of every thing and prepping ahead is getting more daunting. I have been watching Molly Yeh, among others, on the Food Network and she made a dish similar to this I thought I would try. Charlie doesn't eat noodles so I thought this would be a great idea for her, and I was correct, she ate four helpings the first night. It was also a big hit with the rest of the family as well. Since Passover just ended it is also a great way to find matzo sheets on sale, or use up any leftovers. I couldn't find sheets at my local grocery store, probably because I didn't know where to look and shopping with kids is incredibly distracting, but my best friend Rena's mom came to the rescue with an extra box she had from Passover... yay! This dish could easily be made vegetarian like Molly did, just leave out the chicken. 

Matzo Chicken White Lasagna

Sauce: 

1/4 Cup (4 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour
2 Leeks, chopped and rinsed
4-6 Green Onions (scallions), chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Chicken (or vegetable) Stock
1/2 Cup Peas, frozen is fine
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped
Salt and Pepper

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and leeks with a pinch of salt. Saute until very soft- 5-7 min. 

Add the garlic and onion powder and cook another 1 min. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is thick and clumpy- about 1 more min. Add the milk and stock slowly, whisking constantly. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. Stir in the peas, chicken
  

and a few cranks of fresh pepper. Taste for salt and pepper. Add more to taste. Set the sauce aside. 

Filling: 

- 1 Egg
- 1 15-oz Container Part Skim Ricotta
- 1 10-oz Container Frozen, Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed 
- 1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Cups Shredded Mozarella
- Salt and Pepper

9+ Sheets of Matzo (plain or lightly salted)

To make the filling, mix the egg through salt and pepper in a bowl. Reserve some of the cheese for the topping! About 1/2 cup of each kind. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

In a lightly sprayed 9x13 glass baking dish, spread 1/2 cup of the sauce. 
Next, start the layers... 
2 Sheets of Matzo
1/3 Filling
1-2 Cups of Sauce
....
another 2 Sheets of Matzo
1/3 Filling
1-2 Cups of Sauce
....
2 Sheets of Matzo
The rest of the Filling
The rest of the Sauce

Crumble the remaining sheets of matzo and combine with the cheese you saved. Sprinkle over the top. Cover with foil and bake 45 min. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15 until bubbly. 

You can also freeze this or make it in advance and bake it the next day! Bake, covered, for 1 hr 15-30min and another 15 uncovered if this is the case. My first attempt wasn't beautiful as you can see, but it was delicious! Enjoy! 

Sheet Pan Dinners... I'm back!

I'm back! Since October I had been debating stopping my blog altogether, turning it into a .com or continuing as is. As with most things, the longer you take not doing something the longer it takes to get it going again... couple that with us moving, getting a new puppy and finding out I was pregnant with baby 3.5 and life got in the way! I am now entering my third trimester, we moved our gym to our new garage, and Izzy, the pomskey, has been an interesting add to the family...  I have also still be taking pictures of food and writing recipes so I guess a small part of me knew I would start this up again. 

As with most things in my life food-wise I like to keep it simple and easy. This is something we make at least three times a month at home. It is easy and can be thrown together with whatever vegetables and meat I have on-hand. If you have a family larger than 4 I would recommend two sheet pans... you want to roast everything, not steam it by crowding the pan. Since there are already potatoes I don't eat it with anything else except hot sauce, but Matt being Matt likes it over rice :) 

Sheet Pan Dinners

(Vegetables can be changed for whatever your family likes- just try to get 5+ cups!)
- 2-3 Small to Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes (or red skin or one sweet potato)
- 1 Bunch of Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1"ish sections
- 2 Cups-ish Broccoli Florets
- 1/2 Onion (red onion is a great idea!)
- 1-2 Bell Peppers, cut into thin strips or 1" chunks
- 1lb Meat- I use smoked turkey sausage or kielbasa (for a lower fat option, use chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces)
- Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano*
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes*
*Optional 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Toss the vegetables/meat with a drizzle of olive oil and spread out on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Toss and turn the oven up to 425 degrees and roast for another 15 minutes.