I have a couple of go-to meals I use when I’m trying to use up what’s in our fridge and when I don’t have a lot of time to prep.  We had quite an eventful weekend around here, complete with a trip to the ER to tend to Munchkin after he suffered a febrile seizure.  Those of you with experience or medical training probably already know that these seizures are not uncommon.  But, however commonplace they may be, they are no less terrifying!

I was actually getting ready for a dear friend’s baby shower (picture me in my bathrobe with a towel around my head) when I heard Hubby calling to me, “Babe, what’s he doing??”  Hubby carried Munchkin in his arms to me, and his little body was just twitching away.  I calmly said, “He’s having a seizure,” and then proceeded to enter complete panic mode.  My first instinct was to call our pediatrician’s office, but I got the automated message.  At this point, Munchkin had stopped seizing and was now just laying limp in Hubby’s arms.  We both tried to rouse him, but he was unresponsive.  Breathing, but he wouldn’t open his beautiful eyes.  I dialed 911, and waited.  For what felt like an eternity.  In the meantime, Hubby said he would just take him to the hospital.  We literally live less than a mile from the nearest hospital, and although it’s not a children’s hospital, in the moment he decided any medical attention was better than waiting on an ambulance.  Like I said, complete panic mode.  I watched Hubby pull out of the driveway, told the 911 operator who had FINALLY answered that we no longer needed assistance, and scrambled to put clothes on.  I grabbed jeans and a sweatshirt, slipped on my slippers, and pulled my wet, un-brushed hair into a ponytail.

The ER doc and nurses were wonderful, and although they are not used to dealing with babies, they kept us all calm.  I really appreciated the doctor taking the time to explain everything to us but also not rushing to worst case scenario.  He and the nurses were also honest about their limitations and assured us that they would consult with our pediatrician and the children’s hospital as necessary.  After about five hours in the ER, we were discharged, and ALL of us were exhausted.

For those of you not familiar with febrile seizures, they are caused by a sharp increase in temperature in a short amount of time.  We knew Munchkin was warm and not feeling well when we woke up Saturday morning.  We took his temperature and got a reading of 100°.  We usually let fevers ride so that they can fight whatever needs fighting in his little body, so we decided to just watch him throughout the day.  About 45 minutes later, Hubby noticed his little body twitched a couple of times.  He registered that that may not be normal, and then Munchkin began seizing.  The actual seizure lasted for probably a minute and half, which felt like an eternity but apparently is not too terribly long for a seizure.  (Some febrile seizures can last up to 15 minutes!  I cannot. even. imagine.)  Thankfully, we were able to rule out any serious cause of the seizure, but we were also left with practically no explanation as to what caused his fever in the first place.  Most likely a virus of some sort.

We visited our pediatrician today to go over Saturday’s events and to make sure nothing else was going on.  They worked us in, right in the middle of Munchkin’s usual nap time.  He was a trooper, but he passed out as soon as we got home and ended up sleeping a lot longer than I thought he would.  I also found out at his appointment that he had the beginnings of an ear infection.  After all of the weekend excitement, our doctor prescribed an antibiotic to keep us out of the ER.  😀  I spent the afternoon researching gut flora after antibiotics.  Such a fun topic 😉  This is Munchkin’s first round of antibiotics, so I’m hoping to avoid any nasty side effects.  He’s also gotten a little finicky about taking his fermented cod liver oil, so I also looked at recipes for vitamin gummies.  I found some great ideas for gummies and popsicles that will hopefully get us back on track quickly!

At any rate, I did not have time to menu plan this afternoon, and after Munchkin woke up from his nap, I was running out of time to get something on the table.  That’s when I thought of one of my favorite scrounge meals: Frittata!  We almost always have eggs in the house, especially now since they make such a great breakfast for Munchkin.  Frittatas are also a great way to use up any veggies that may be on their way out.  Because you’re sautéing them, you won’t notice if they aren’t the freshest.  Serve with a side salad and a baguette for a complete meal.  Or, embrace “breakfast for dinner” and serve up a fruit salad and maybe a buttermilk biscuit 😉

Veggie Frittata

Ingredients

2 TBS EVOO

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 zucchini, quartered lenthwise and sliced

8 oz mushrooms (my local grocery store often runs “manager specials” on mushrooms that need to be eaten pronto; this is a great use!)

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes

1 handful kale (I had some in the freezer that I threw in; no need to thaw!)

1 large pinch herbes de provence

Salt

Pepper

1/4 cup white wine

4 oz goat cheese

8 eggs, beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Heat EVOO over medium high heat in an oven proof skillet.  Add garlic.  Cook for about 30 seconds, then add onion.  Cook for a couple minutes, then add zucchini and mushrooms.  Add salt, pepper, and herbes de provence.  Cook until mushrooms, zucchini, and onions have softened.  Meanwhile, lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add cheese.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow to cook down.  Add the kale and tomatoes, and cook until warmed through.  Add the egg and cheese mixture and reduce heat to low.  Once eggs begin to set around the edge of the pan, place in the oven to finish cooking for about 10 minutes.

Veggie Frittata

Bon Appétit!