In the ten months leading up to Zane’s birth, I spent quite a bit of time reading about pregnancy, labor, and delivery. I loved learning about the physical process my body was going through and hearing everyone’s unique birth story. As his due date approached, though, it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t put much thought into the aftermath of labor and delivery: You know, like, taking care of a baby. In retrospect, I’m not sure my ill-preparedness was such a bad thing, because if nothing else, I did not enter parenthood with a false sense of confidence. They tell you it’s going to be hard. They tell you it’s going to be beautiful. But no words can make you feel the revolution that overtakes you through caring for your newborn; you can only understand from experience.

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My baby turned one year old over the weekend, and I am overjoyed and heavyhearted in one breath. It’s been a hectic few days so I haven’t had time to collect and articulate my thoughts, so I’m here to share something much less serious than an analysis of how I’ve changed as a person since becoming a mother.

Muffins.

If there’s one thing I did to prepare for the first month of Zane’s life, it was stocking the freezer with meals and snacks. I really did it right – we had lasagna, tomato sauce, soups, and homemade energy bars all ready to go for those first few challenging weeks. I found that snacks, especially those eaten with one hand, were particularly appreciated in conjunction with continuous nursing, pacing, and rocking.

These spinach muffins were part of my freezer stash. They are an adaptation of Green Kitchen Stories‘ spinach and carrot muffins, which David and Luise maybe not-so-coincidentally posted just one week after the birth of their daughter. My version is also gluten-free, but swaps out the carrot for sun dried tomato and includes oregano, making them a bit reminiscent of pizza. The ingredient list is packed with nutrition, spinach in particular being loaded with vitamins and minerals. They freeze well and – although they aren’t all that pretty to look at – taste great!

Spinach Muffins
adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

1 c buckwheat flour
1/3 c corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
3 eggs
1 c yogurt
1 bunch spinach (about 200 g), roughly chopped
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 c pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas) or sunflower seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease or line a 12-muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, corn flour, baking powder, salt, and oregano. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and yogurt.

2. Pour the egg-yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and onion and mix until combined. Pour batter into the prepared muffin tin and sprinkle with seeds. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.