Monday Night

Posted in Liz's Life by

Yesterday evening I got home from work around 5:45 pm. I took a photo of this gorgeous Aspen tree outside our front door and then immediately went inside and changed into a comfy nightgown and robe.

I laid on the couch and rested my back while I waited for Luke to come home. He arrived at 6:10 with two bags full of groceries for the week and a kiss for my forehead. He asked me “how does lamb sound for dinner?”

Yummy. He grilled the lamb while I cooked up some swiss chard. We ate at the kitchen table and talked about our day.

Then I had a bit of deliciously crisp white wine someone gave us as a hostess gift at our football party this weekend. Luke chose red wine. We shared the couch and watched two of our favorite shows – Dexter and Homeland.

For dessert we indulged in a few scoops of peanut butter ice cream. I can’t resist ice cream right now.

We got ready for bed and read for 20 minutes or so on our Kindles. Luke rubbed my back, like he does each night lately.

Then Lila got the hiccups. We both rested our hands on my belly and felt her little, rhythmic movements for about five minutes.

Right before we turned out the lights, I turned to Luke and asked with a smile “do you think we’ll always be this happy?”

After a quick kiss he said “Probably even happier.”

Pumpkin Dream Cake

Posted in Sunday Supper Series by

I have been craving a pumpkin dessert recipe and when I saw one for “Pumpkin Dream Cake”  on Pinterest, I decided that was it! Unfortunately, this recipe used ingredients we don’t eat like Cool Whip, pumpkin pudding mix and flour. So I decided to make my own healthier version using real cream, canned pumpkin and a coconut flour/pecan crust.

Paleo pumpkin cake

This cake is ridiculously yummy. Fluffy, soft, with a delicious taste of fall pumpkin flavor.

The Crust:
The original crust was made with flour and pecans to taste like a pecan sandie, so I was excited to find a very similar grain-free pecan crust recipe on Paleospirit.com.  I didn’t make any changes to this recipe and thought the crust came out great. Very sturdy, moist and a slight pecan flavor.

Ingredients for a 9×13 pan:

  • 1 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 3/4 cup toasted pecan halves
  • 4 large eggs
  • 8 tablespoons chilled pastured butter or coconut oil (I used butter)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (I just used powdered sugar)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

 Directions:

  • Combine the coconut flour, 1/2 cup pecan halves, fat (either pastured butter or virgin coconut oil), coconut sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until combined and pecans are finely chopped
  • Add the eggs and pulse until a dough is formed. If your dough isn’t “wet” enough, try adding another egg
  • Spread the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of a greased 9×13 inch pan and top with some powdered sugar (optional)
  • Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes or until crust is set
  • Cool completely (I put mine in the fridge while I made the other ingredients)

grain free pecan crust

Cake Layers

Ingredients:

  • 3.5 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 16 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
  • Two cans pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling. You want the unsweetened stuff)
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or some cinnamon, nutmeg and clove
  • 1/2 – 1/5 cups powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like it. I used minimal sugar and thought it was delicious)

Directions:

  • Beat heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar (or however much you want for taste) until smooth and creamy
  • Place whipped cream in a separate bowl
  • Beat cream cheese and 1.5 cups whipped cream until smooth. Add some powdered sugar if it’s not sweet enough for your taste.
  • Spread cream cheese mixture on top of the crust. Make sure the crust is totally cool or the heat will melt the whipped cream.
  • Next, mix the two cans of pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup whipped cream and spices until smooth. Spread over cream cheese layer. (here’s what the canned pumpkin we use looks like from Trader Joe’s)
  •  For the final layer, just top the cake with the rest of the whipped cream until smooth and top with a sprinkling of nutmeg for looks.

We really enjoyed this dessert and will be making it again soon. It went too quickly! (probably because Luke took an entire row to work for his lunch lol).

Check out the original recipe on sweettreatsmore.com. 

Happy fall!

A Living Record

Posted in Kids, Liz's Life by

People ask me sometimes why I decided to blog. Motives to blog are different for everyone. Some do it to build their personal brands in the hopes they get famous & rich. Some do it so they can get sent free stuff by brands. Some do it because they are terrific writers and want to use the blog as a way to eventually write a book.

For me though, it’s simply about having a living record of my life. It’s a way for me to journal my thoughts and feelings so one day I (and my family) can look back and know exactly how I felt during each time of my life. I do it publicly on a blog because without the element of having readers, I doubt I would keep up with it. I also generally love to tell stories and share my experiences with other people.

That being said, I was thinking last night that I haven’t been keeping as good of a record of my thoughts during this very special time as I’d like. So here are some things I want to get down on paper so I remember them in the future:

– People keep asking me if I’m scared to become a mom. I don’t really feel any fear though. I think I’ve just always wanted to be a mother and if anything, I feel like finally I’m going to get to experience what I’ve always dreamed about.

– The one thing I am afraid of with becoming a mom though is loneliness. Isn’t that weird? I’m adding a person into my life and yet I’m worried about feeling lonely. I think it’s more about having this beautiful thing to celebrate, but being far away from the people in my life I want to share it with most.

– I’m not sure if this is hormones, or a normal thing mothers feel, but the other night I was daydreaming before bed about holding Lila in her rocker when she’s a newborn. She was so small and warm. Then I immediately burst into tears because I realized that she would only be that small for such a short time and that moment would be gone. (I’m tearing up now as I type this).

– I’m worried about the amount I am worrying about things. Will I always worry like this?

– I feel an intense amount of pressure to get everything in my life just right. My job, my family, my house, my friends, my health. Maybe it’s because I don’t want anything to distract me from my new role as a mom. Or maybe it’s that I want everything to be perfect for Lila.

– I think I am one of those women who loves being pregnant after-all  I am so proud of my body. I feel beautiful, healthy, vibrant and almost goddess-like (is that a weird way to describe it?).

– I have an overwhelming sense that my life is falling into place exactly as it should. That everything I did up until this point was designed to get here … and that I knew it all along. Where I went to college, where I lived after school, my career, my choice in a husband, my faith, somehow was all designed to bring me to this point.

– I really, really, really want to be a good mom.

Thanks for letting me share my life with you.

Baby Girl’s Name Is …

Posted in Kids, Liz's Life by

I know a lot of parents these days opt to keep their baby’s name a secret until birth, but given I have zero capacity to keep a secret and I’ve already told most people I see day-to-day our baby name pick, I figured why not share it on the blog!

But I’m going to make you read a little more back story first. :)

I’ve been literally thinking about baby names for my future children for, oh, roughly eight years now. It’s a slight obsession. Before we were even engaged, I used to ask Luke what he thought of baby names. It’s a miracle I didn’t scare him away right then!

When I found out we were having a baby, and especially once we found out it was a girl, I was excited to REALLY get into the baby name game with Luke. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to indulge too much because the name we landed on was one of the first ones I brought up.

Me: “Luke, what do you think of the name <insert chosen name>?”

Luke: “Like it.”

Me: “Me too.”

Luke: “Good. Glad that’s settled.”

Lol. Seriously though. That’s how it went down. No “his and her” name lists to compare. No fretting over our decision. The name just fit and felt right from the beginning. Everyone we’ve told has said they love it too, which means a lot to someone who tends to be a waffler like me.

So without further adieu … the  name we picked out for our little girl is:

I’m in love with the name Lila name for several reasons:

– It’s unique but not weird
– It can fall into the “classic” and “throw back” categories
– It is short and easy to spell/pronounce
– It is lyrical and phonetically fun to say
– It’s cute for a little girl but sophisticated for an adult
– It is soft and contrasts nicely with a masculine last name like Batman

Kate was chosen to honor my late grandmother, my Dad’s mom – RoseCatherine. And I just adore the way Lila Kate goes together. Short and sweet. People can either call her just Lila or Lila Kate.

The meaning of the name Lila appealed to me too. It has a lot of various meanings, but all made me smile.

Hebrew Meaning: “You Are Mine.” One of my favorite songs to sing at mass is called “you are mine” and the lyrics are beautiful:

Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

This song has always reminded me of my other grandmother, my mom’s mom.

Persian Meaning: “dark-haired beauty” Given that both Luke and I have dark hair, I think this one will probably ring true for our little girl.

Sanskrit Meaning: “divine play” The definition I found along with this meaning was  “the universe as a playground of the gods.” I thought this was a pretty neat concept.

Swahili Meaning: “delicate, good” I’m not sure given how tall both Luke and I are, that she will be “delicate,” but I think “good” is a sure bet.

Latin Meaning: “symbol of purity, innocence and beauty” Isn’t it every mother’s dream that her little girl will embody those three adjectives?

The only downfall to the name Lila that I have come across is we’re getting into dangerously close to being the “All L Names” family. Luke, Liz, Lila. Nothing against those who choose to do that, but it’s not what we’re shooting for. We’ll just have to make sure our future kids have a different first lettered name.

It’s been really fun knowing her name so far in advance. It’s made getting to know her even more personal as we can call her by name, get some things embroidered and just think about her as her own little person. I can’t wait to meet her!