Most of the morning I let Tommy and Ben run wild while I lie on the couch on the verge of vomit, and finally I mustered up the strength to get the boys hats, mittens, and jackets on and head out into the cold to run our errands.
Grocery shopping was not fun. All the smells and the bright lights were super painful. I hid under my hat and hoped the produce man would not be too chatty today. Surprisingly, we finished our shopping in just a half an hour, regardless of my very slow stride. I realize now that I forgot a few things, but we survived and that was all that mattered.
After picking up Joe I quickly fed the boys lunch, let them play for a little while, and then shipped them off to bed. The rest of my afternoon was spent back on the couch.
But after my guilty feelings over not making enough home cooked meals over the last couple of weeks (due to my super nausea) got the better of me I pealed myself off the couch and began preparing dinner.
And you know what I did? I smushed together raw ground beef, onions, ketsup, and rice WITH MY BARE HANDS. Something I never enjoyed doing even when I wasn't plagued with nausea. Every few seconds I would turn my head to the side, bury my nose in my shoulder, and breath deeply. I rolled the concoction together into balls and threw them in a roasting pan with a can of diced tomatoes on top. And I made it! I made it through! Whew! I am awesome! I am amazing!
And that is why I deserve an award.
Or maybe not. Because after thinking about it for a minute now I'm sure that is something every mommy in the world has done before. This job is not for the faint of heart. And the kids are hungry regardless of how mommy feels. The show must go on, right? Fine. I'm not that amazing.
Plus, I really am getting an award when this new little munchkin joins our crazy tribe. And truth be told, no matter how sick I get I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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So what was I making? A recipe of my mom's that I actually would eat as a picky kid. And my boys love it simply because of the name. So here is my recipe for my mother's porcupine (named because of the way the rice sticks out after cooking) balls:
PORCUPINE BALLS
1lb ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsps chili sauce or ketsup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsps garlic salt
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
Mix uncooked rice, meat, onion, ketsup (or chili sauce), salt, and garlic salt. Shape into 12 balls. Place in casserole dish and cover with tomatoes. Back 60-80 minutes at 350 degrees. For the last 10 minutes uncover and let balls get crispy on the outside.
I usually serve with roasted potatoes or even french fries.
Enjoy!
62 comments:
Oh! I used to make porcupine balls all the time! I must try those again.
You poor thing! You do deserve an award--or at least a good chocolate bar!
Awww! I hope the nausea is just a phase and passes soon!!! And.....you are amazing, girlfriend!!!!
Thanks for the recipe, too! I haven't heard of it before, but can't wait to try it! It looks and sounds YUMMY!!!! (You are posting recipes for the rest of us when you are sick!)!!! Amazing!!!! :))
Feel better soon and have a good weeek!!! Any dr. appts. anytime soon?!!!
The nausea is not great...however a great sign that all is well! It will pass...so worth it as you know:) Thanks for a new/simple, yummy looking recipe!!!
Mmm, a recipe. Thank you. It sounds yummy.
I think you are amazing and totally deserve an award. It is hard, isn't it? I think it's easy to forget how hard later. I hope the nausea eases soon, very soon.
Take care and be good to yourself.
It figures this would be the year you would get all the snow...that must be hard too. Hang in there.
Kat, you totally deserve an award!!
WOW!
And yum on the recipe!
You should link this to the mouthwatering monday post so more people can relish in it's deliciousness.
Hope you get better soon honey!
yummy!!
i'm going to have to make that for my kids...i think they'll LOVE it!!
feel better!!
I'm tired for you.
Congrats on making dinner! That's more than I would do. : )
That is so funny, because when you listed the things you mushed together, I thought "sounds like porcupine balls!" And so it was.
I give you a hearty pat on the back (or maybe a gentle one would be better) for putting together a meal for your family. I think my kids *lived* on grilled cheese when I was nauseous. Onions? No way.
Hope you feel better soon! -MM
Yup, you definitely deserve an award.
Hoping you get your energy back soon!
Bravo for you! You DO deserve an award. I had to resort to medication for my nausea before I even attempted to cook. And it was *so* fun that my then 1 year old would mimic my hurling sounds, which in turn would make me vomit more. Poor you. Hope you get over it soon!
I am seriously impressed. Onions? I couldn't come near an onion for weeks when I was first pregnant. And the whole on-the-couch-all-day thing? Yeah, I lived on the couch in a small ball for weeks and let my kids positively run wild. I honestly couldn't do anything about it. That's how they got so self-sufficient in the kitchen, a thing I'm STILL trying to get them to stop. :)
The idea of rolling meatballs, makes me feel sick... and I am NOT pregnant! lol You DO deserve an award! :)
Oh honey. I am so sorry you are so sick. I think you ab-so-lute-ly deserve an award. Getting up & forcing yourself to keep going is tough. When you are feeling vile? Doubly tough.
No, you definitely deserve an award. The grocery store (full of nasty smells), raw meat, and the smell of meat cooking? That would have put me over the edge in pregnancy.
It's making me queasy right now.
You're an awesome mom. Now, go lay back down on the couch. :)
Your porcupine receipe looks way better then mine! Yummy.
Hope you are feeling better soon, this first part is rough isn't it.
I remember the cooking and gagging way to well...no fun. I could smell nasty smells from miles away when I was pregnant, I swear!
The grocery store was tough for me when I was pregnant..even smells I normally liked made me gag. You do deserve an award! I haven't made porcupine meatballs in a long time; those sound delicious. I hope you feel better soon.
Y'all are very kind.
Just looking at the pic I posted is making me sick. Man, that looks nasty. But I promise it is good. My boys (and Todd) really liked it. I didn't try it. Obviously.
Now I think I'm going to see if I can choke down some grapes quick before I go to bed.
Wish me luck. ;)
Those look and sound *so* good! I hope you are feeling better soon, and I definitely thing you deserve an award. I don't know how moms do it. Seriously.
What a great recipe!! I have to try this! Adding it to my grocery list...
You do deserve an award! Seriously!! I hope you feel better soon!
Raw Beef and nausea!!!! You get my
award for keeping it together!
Never heard of this recipe before...
Hmmmm must try!
You DO deserve an award, I don't care what anyone says. I know your pain!
Those porcupine balls look yummy and I think my kids would crack UP over the name. Yes, they're at 'that' age. lol!
Reading this makes me think and realize just how darned lucky I was in that I had No morning sickness, no nausea at all, with any of my three kids. Thank my lucky stars for that!
But when I read what it was that you cooked -well there, I had to laugh because Porcupine balls is something I think I have made twice. I thought they sounded good, tried a recipe for them on the kids and they disappeared -no complaints at the time of the meal. So a few weeks or so later, I made them again. After the second time, I had a bit of a rude awakening when I discovered all kinds of bits and pieces of porcupine balls under the table. Upon questioning the kids, they informed me they hadn't liked that particular offering at all and had been feeding their portions to the dog under the table. And, funny you should blog about this now too because yesterday, I was teasing my son about what to cook and I suggested maybe I could do some "Porcupine balls" -just to see if it all registered with him. It did and he reminded me there is no longer a dog here to feed food to under the table and the two little grandkids make a big enough mess as it is, even with food that they like!
But I still liked the darned things myself!
You DO deserve an AWARD!
Are you taking anytihing to help calm your symptoms? I did not for the first 2 (well, 3) pregnancies and then for Madigan caved in as dealing with the two toddlers and being sick 99.999% of the time was no fun at all...how you are doing it with 3 little ones, I do not know!!! My doctor respected my desire to not be on meds and prescribed a very low dosage and confirmed with me that it was OK for baby and OK for me...and it really, really helped. I started feeling pregnant and not sick, I felt normal not worn out.
There are lots of options.
Take care of yourself and the little bean.
HUGS HUGS HUGS!
Yep, you deserve an award!
BTW, my Mom used to make those and your brought back some memories, I am now going to make them for my kiddos!
You ROCK! I made the worlds most bland things during my first trimester. I couldn't stand raw meat!
But your porcupine balls look yummy!
I'm totally trying this...I think my husband would love it! Anything involving meatballs sounds good to him.
I feel awful for your nausea. That is the WORST feeling in the world for me. I can handle just about any other symptom. But that? Kills me. And I am a baby about it. So I think you certainly deserve an award!
oh honey, the exhaustion, nausea and smell sensitivity excuses you. grocery shopping, handling raw meat and doing a homecooked meal was a herculean task.
that does sound yummy too. i think i need to try that recipe with venison! thanks for sharing.
rest up.
My boys would LOVE that recipe. I'll have to try that.
You DO deserve an award. I don't think I could have managed the grocery store feeling that sick. You rock. And then to cook with raw meat too.....Awesome girl!
Hang in there, this will pass soon!!
preggo nose SUCKS. I hated the queasy stuff. Hope it goes away for you soon...
And we ALL deserve awards.
Oh man...I sure don't miss those first few months of being prego!! Hang in there...hopefully it will pass soon.
My mom use to make porcupine balls all the time when we were kids. I may have to try them with mine. I do hope you feel better soon. The joys of pregnancy! :)
That looks so good.
Of course you deserve an award! I think you should get one everyday! I mean being pregnant and raising the other boys, well that in itself takes a lot of strenght and energy. You're doing great! Those meatballs look divine! And may possibly make it onto my recipes to try list. I have a picky eater which is never any fun. Take car and feel better!
Sounds yummie..
You TOTALLY deserve an award, Kat! I was having a REALLY hard time with smells and even the LOOK of some foods so basically dinner was made by my hubby AND he had to make exactly what i wanted, otherwise I wasn't able to eat it. LOL But I'm happy to say the nausea is dying down for me! And food is all smelling GOOD again! I ate Chinese food last night (beef and broccoli) something that about a week ago would have made me plug my nose and run for the hills!
I give you a lot of credit being able to take care of your boys WHILE feeling so crappy!!!
P.S. My biggest issue right now is brushing my teeth. I constantly gag while brushing my teeth (not even my TONGUE, just the FRONT of my dang teeth!). I have only puked twice so far and both times was during a tooth brushing session. Yuck!
My mother used to make these--you are courageous to face raw meat in your condition!
My mother used to make these--you are courageous to face raw meat in your condition!
I'm going to try this one... sounds more interesting than 'meatloaf' tomorrow.
First of all, you DO deserve an award.
And secondly, YUM to the balls! Ahem, you know what I mean.
That sounds great!
I always mush my meatloaf inside of a plastic baggie. Otherwise I'd totally gag. Even without being pregnant.
Hang in there you can go back to being super mom when the nausea stops.
oh I hope you feel better soon!!
I might have to try that dish for my picky eaters!!!
Hang in there darling! This is the roughest part....well until it is 100 degrees out and you are 9 months pregnant, but you will get through that too! :) HUGS!!
Okay - you really do deserve an award! Seriously - if it had been up to ME to feed my kids the past 6 weeks, they would have been eating M&M's and spaghettios. Thanksfully hubby comes home at lunch to feed the troops, and we don't eat again until he's home for the night to cook dinner. He is my life saver these days....not to mention the kids. So kuddos to you! You deserve a BIG award. Seriously. I'm impressed.
sorry your sick the good news is that means you have a very healthy pregnancy, lots of human growth hormones. Try frozen grapes and frequent small meals.
I'd give you an award, what would you like?
you deserve an award. handling raw meat when feeling like that deserves an award!!! you should break out the crock pot and put in frozen meat and frozen veggies (smell free) and turn it on.
my family loves porcupine meatballs too!
Who Hoot! You do deserve an award!! Oh, and your porcupines are healthier than mine... I might be changing.
I hope this passes quickly for you-- not the wonder of carrying the little life and feeling her/him move, just the nausea part.
oh, i thought you'd like to know...your recipe inspired dinner last night AND part of a blog post. maybe i should apologize ahead of time....
I agree you deserve an award! Oh, and I'm totally steeling that recipe!
Yep, you deserve an award! I'm not pregnant and raw meat often makes me gag.
Thanks for that recipe! I'm going to try it with my monkeys.
Oh, the days when I fed my poor children crackers because I was too nauseous to make them something remotely nutritious - ha ha! Hang in there!!!!
I came over from Lime's and these balls look yummy!!! :) I might just have to try them! I hope the nausea gets better! Congrats on the new little one! :)
Yep, you totally deserve an award!
I think you deserve an award but the real question is did you eat it? I could get through making a meal but I hardly ever was able to eat it. So I made my family a meal then my hubby had to make me something different. It was terrible.
You absolutely deserve an award, Kat. I can't believe you made ground beef (and smooshed it up yourself!!). That smell and cooking chicken smell made me hurl every time.
Pregnant Mommy of the Month for sure!
Your porcupine balls are right up my alley but for all to enjoy them in this household, I would need an alternate for the tomatoes!!! Hubby doesn't like them! Any suggestions?
Those do look really good and hooray for doing it while feeling so yucky!
Speaking of awards...I did give you one over at my blog so come on over and grab it! I hope you are feeling better.
You definitely deserve an award, carrying around precious cargo and keeping other feed is a tough job. When I really need a break I would tell my husband I needed to res because I was working on a kidney, liver, spine etc.
That always got me a few minutes.
That recipe looks delicious! Will definitely have to try it. They do look like little porcupines..lol
I wanted to come back and let you know I made these last night. Such a great taste for so few ingredients! Thanks for posting that.
Also, I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I did read all your posts I missed and am completely caught up. I hope you feel better soon and it goes away after the 1st trimester is over!
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