Breastfeeding a one year old; Are we weaning?

     So finally I'm writing a mom post. I can say that hands down being a mom is the most wonderful thing I have experienced in my life. Being a mom is amazing, and I love it. It has provided me with so many opportunities that I never imagined I would get to experience, and breastfeeding is one of them. Breastfeeding allowed me to bond with my baby so much. I have been lucky. Breastfeeding has always been really easy for me. It was quite painful in the beginning but nothing I couldn't handle. Around month seven or eight, I was feeling pretty tied down with it and considered quitting and feeding formula instead, however, I stuck with it and I am glad I did. We have never used a single drop of formula. Now, as my daughter is a year old, almost 13 months actually, I find myself missing breastfeeding so bad. I always thought that I would be so excited to wean at a year, but now I think the health benefits of extended breastfeeding are totally worth it. More than anything I just want her to be a baby again so we can experience everything all over again!! Can anyone else relate? Our journey with breastfeeding seems to be coming to an end though.. Not starting all over again. She will feed once in the morning and for one or two minutes at night. Tonight after I put her down for bed I sat down and pumped for about thirty minutes, but my body has never responded well to a pump after she was six months old. I kind of want to see if I can start pumping again or taking fenegreek to see if I can increase my supply and feed her the pumped milk in a sippy since I know its more healthy than cows milk, which is what she drinks most of the time. I guess what I am saying is, stick with it mamas. I know it is hard, but it's worth it. You'll look back on all of those frustrating memories and wish you had them back.

Easy Lasagna

     This is an oldie but a goodie. A few years ago I was looking for a fast easy way to make Lasagna without going through all of the trouble of boiling noodles, making sauce, etc.

What you'll need:
1lb of ground beef or ground turkey
1 67oz jar of Prego Traditional Italian Sauce
1 16oz container Ricotta Cheese
1 Box of regular lasagna noodles
Apprx 4 cups Mozzarella cheese
1 Tablespoon minced garlic, (I use the kind in a jar).
Garlic Salt, Season Salt, Pepper

     Season the ground beef with garlic salt, minced garlic, season salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan. Add the entire jar of sauce to pan. Simmer for a few minutes to meld the flavors. Now your going to layer the dish. I use a 9X13 but really a larger pan would be better. Put a good amount of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of uncooked noodles. Spread a layer of ricotta cheese on top of the noodles. You can spread them with a butter knife, drop them in globs. You can mix the ricotta with a little bit of milk in a bowl too to make it easier to spread. No matter what you do it will spread out evenly when it cooks. After you spread the ricotta, add more sauce. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese. Follow that order, Noodle, ricotta, meat, mozzarella, until you are almost to the top. Place a layer of noodles, add meat sauce, and sprinkle mozzarella on the top. Cover with foil and put in the oven at 375F for 1 hour. If you want the top to be crispy/crunchy, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking! Enjoy! I usually serve this with a crisp romain salad and garlic bread. We top our lasagna (on our own plates) with cottage cheese. 
   
  This meal freezes really well and is a good and easy one to make ahead and freeze or take to someone when they are in need of a hot meal. Just write the cooking instructions on the foil. 

Cool Creamy Banana Smoothie

Since I am on summer break from school, I thought I would share a nummy recipe of mine I recently discovered. Last night I was feeling a little under the weather. I really wanted a chocolate shake or some sherbet but it was almost bedtime for my little one and I didn't want to drive anywhere. I looooove Banana Cream Pie shakes. This reminds me of those, but these pack a lot less calories because they don't have ice cream in them. Here is what I used:

2 very ripe bananas (because this is what I had, they don't have to be very ripe)
1 & 1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons of vanilla
1 ice cube
and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar (optional)

You have two options here with the bananas. You can either freeze them before hand, or you can just add two ice cubes after mixing to "shake" with your smoothie. I have one of those cheap mixers and I didn't have time to freeze the bananas so I just stuck two extra ice cubes into my mixer cup (or a mason jar) and shook my banana smoothie martini style to get it more chilled. I have to have my drinks freezing cold haha.

Take one ice cube and blend it in blender with milk. Add 1 sliced banana and mix. Add 2nd sliced banana and mix until smooth. Add in vanilla and sugar and mix again until smooth. Serve in glass, over ice if desired. Cinnamon is also a wonderful way to add variety, (just a sprinkle). I love cinnamon.
This is one of my new favorite recipes. This was so creamy and delicious, it coated my upset stomach and made me feel a little bit better. Because there is so little added sugar in it, I didn't have to feel guilty about consuming it either. I can't wait until I buy more bananas so I can make this again!


First photo was taken by Emily Baron 03/12/2011.  I accessed this photo on 06/01/2013. This photographer does not endorse myself, this blog, or any manner of use of this photo. This photo was taken from www.flickr.com. The second photo was taken by Marja Flick-Buijs. It was published on 05/11/2011. I accessed the photo on 06/01/2013. This photographer does not endorse myself, this blog, or any manner of use of this photo. This photo was taken from www. rgbstock.com. 

Being a Community College Mama

     Going to college is hard. Being a mama is hard. Doing them both together, especially if your also working, is really hard! I have been in college off and on for almost five years, and I have been a mother for one year now! Now that I am a little older, I'm making some goals for myself and I want to help other moms along the way. In the last year I have learned some tips and tricks for making college life and mama life a little easier. I want to share what it is like to be in college as a mom. I also have a bunch of recipes that I plan on sharing as I go.