All Things Supercinski

I found a recipe some time ago for these make-ahead burritos. I just whipped up another batch, and boy, are they good! I thought I’d share the recipe with my adaptations since they are an easy, quick meal (or filling snack for the ravenous pregnant lady.)

Make Ahead Burritos
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1.5 cups quinoa, found in rice aisle, and 3 cups water (or 2 cups rice & 4 cups water)
4 cans black beans
3 cans pinto beans
~2 cups frozen corn (or a can of corn)
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
4 cups pepper jack cheese (or if you don’t like much spice, 2 cups pepper jack and 2 cups colby jack)
about 30 tortillas
optional: cilantro, juice of 1-2 limes

On stove, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa turns translucent on the edges–about 10-15 minutes. I add some taco seasoning to the quinoa while while it cooks as it gives more flavor. While that’s cooking, heat some butter on the stove and cook your chopped onion and bell pepper. Add the frozen corn when it’s almost finished and let it thaw a bit. Drain and rinse all your beans. Combine everything–beans, cooked quinoa, onion/pepper/corn, diced tomatoes and cheese in a HUGE bowl. Mix. Scoop into tortillas. I prefer the “made in store” normal-size wheat tortillas for this recipe as they don’t have the artificial flavors and preservatives of the cheaper, bread-aisle tortillas. Fold tortilla up and wrap in plastic wrap (I wish I could find a less waste-producing alternative, sorry). Store wrapped burritos in a freezer bag in your freezer. Depending on how big your tortillas are and how much filling you put in them, it should make between 20 and 30 burritos. Have 30 tortillas on hand just to be safe.

When you are in need of a quick, high-protein vegetarian meal or snack, take one out, unwrap it, cover it with a moistened towel and heat in your microwave for about 2-3 minutes. They are delicious! I send a bag of these with Thomas to his office for lunch. Trust me, they are much better than a Hot Pocket.

In case you missed our little announcement in the previous post (I was curious if anyone really does read those updates), I am indeed with child. We are joyfully awaiting the birth of our second child due in early June. The current infrequency in posting is in fact due to early pregnancy nausea and fatigue, as our astute friend Aurelie guessed.

An older, wiser woman at church who noticed my bulging belly a few weeks ago summed it up well when she said, “The balloon blows up quicker when it’s already been aired up before.” This has been true for me, and I am already outgrowing many of my clothes. I’m much bigger now at 11 weeks than I was with Josiah at 18. This picture is from tonight, at 11 weeks:

My nausea is coming and going and I’m still throwing up in the morning and occasionally at night. However, it is all worth it, and it is so nice to have a tangible example of that following me around all day!

I love this quote from one of my favorite books, Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss upon the birth of her third child:

Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!

My apologies if you are more than just an acquaintance that reads our blog and this is how you are finding out. Seriously, I realized yesterday that there are three dear friends finding out this way! I will blame the nausea. Again.

This one is a little late–sorry, Grandparents! Josiah has been so much fun this month. He’s learning so much and talking all the time. He is such a chatterbox, and he repeats himself over and over and over again until you acknowledge what he is saying. He does this also if he wants something but can’t have it for some reason. However, it is not so charming then. (Here he is watching Daddy at his softball game.)

Josiah loves to read books lately. He will sit still for half an hour while you read books to him. Often, when the book is through, he tells you to, “read it ‘gain.” Thankfully, we’ve found some good ones at the library lately, or I think Thomas and I would go crazy. Another of his favorites is his “Bible Book.” We read through this book in just a few days. I am trusting that he is gleaning things from it since we have read through it so many times already. (This picture is when we painted “pum-pees” at a playdate–he is obsessed with pumpkins lately!)

Josiah also loves playing outside–helping water the garden (he gets a bucket to dump), dig in the dirt with his sticks, throw rocks, dig in his sand, sweep the sand, and follow Daddy wherever he goes. It’s nice that he is enjoying outside time so much at a time of year when the weather is ideal for outside time.

This month, Josiah decided that he wants to sleep with this small, stuffed cat. He couldn’t care less about Cat any other time of day, but at nap and bedtime, Cat is in his arms, snuggled up and ready to go. While he is playing, he wants an audience and he finds one in his toy people or animals. He will run around doing all kinds of things to “show man” or “show elephant”. He insists on sharing his meals and snacks with the trucks and toys he brings to the table. I think he’ll make a great big brother next June.

No video yet, I’ll try and get it edited and together next week. We have so many funny clips of him, but you’ll just have to wait.

We Supercinski’s don’t plan to do much Halloween-ing, however, we were persuaded to dress up the boys this year. Thomas’ work had a costume contest, so he decided to get in on the action. Not bad for starting it at bedtime the night before! Under his face it says “age progressed photo”.

On Halloween morning, Thomas asked me at breakfast if I planned to bring Josiah up to his office for trick or treating. I had completely forgotten about it, and we had no costume. Later that afternoon, I was putting away Josiah’s clothes, and I saw a possible costume on a hanger! Several months ago, Pa and Gigi had given Josiah an overall set similar to a traditional train conductor, with a matching hat. It was a size too small, but I put it on him and it was close enough. Since it was so warm out, I opted for the no-shirt look.

Surprisingly, he knew exactly what a train conductor does (according to old school Thomas the Train videos), and requested a flag to wave. I made him one, he waved it, and with little prompting, yelled, “All aboard!” over and over and over again.

We made it to the trick or treating at the office, along with all the other tots. Josiah didn’t understand what to do with the shiny wrappers everyone kept handing him, but we took care of those after he went to bed. He did know what to do with the cookie someone gave him, at least the part he didn’t drop in the parking lot.

I found this many months ago and intended to write some commentary, but alas, time has not permitted. The post gives some great insight into the issues facing those who value stewarding the earth well.

Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward: WITTs, YOYOs, and Why Americans Don’t Go Green

Having trouble wading through all the possible presidential candidates? Take this little quiz, it was right on for me. Click on it, and let us know if it helped you at all.

Select a Candidate 2008 Quiz

It’s pretty amazing that our society has reached a point where the effort necessary to extract oil from the ground, ship it to a refinery, turn it into plastic, shape it appropriately, truck it to a store, buy it and bring it home is considered to be less effort than to just wash the spoon when you are done with it.

from Bring Your Own.