A low rumble roused me from my brief sleep.
My eyelids flew open and I jolted myself up, ready for action. Other than the strange rumbling sound, it was still quiet. I let out a long, silent sigh but the mysterious rumbling returned. It was a moment before I realized, with relief, it was coming from my stomach.
I needed food.
I paused briefly at the mouth of The Monster’s den and listened intently. The barely audible ‘shh, shh’ of The Monster’s breath was the only sound.
I crept silently and stealthy, avoiding the creaky steps with practiced precision. A small grunt suddenly pierced the silence.
The Monster was beginning to stir. I didn’t have much time.
I gathered up all the food I could find within reach: meat, cheese, bread. As I searched for something leafy, The Monster’s grunting grew louder.
I had less than two minutes now.
I pulled out a bundle of greens and barely stifled a curse as I noticed how damp and wilted they were and I had to throw them away.
The Monster’s grunts morphed into shrieks. Time was running out.
I piled the food together sloppily and crammed it into my mouth.
“I’m coming!” I called between chews with my mouth still full.
The Monster responded by shrieking and snorting more intensely.
Wiping my hands on a random cloth, I ran back to The Monster’s liar.
I was out of breath but ready; my hunger satiated, my energy restored. Thanks to the sandwich I’d thrown together and eaten in record time, I could resume my duties.
When The Monster saw me approaching, her snorts subsided and she reached out a pudgy hand towards me. Cooing instead of crying, a wide, gummy smile spread instantaneously across her face.
My Baby was awake and happy to see me, her Mom.
And then she realized she was hungry too…
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The above is a based-on-true-events story of some of my sandwich adventures as a new mom. In the past three months, I’ve made many a Throw-Together-Sandwich and it’s helped keep me going. It’s important to eat well and eat frequently while taking care of one’s baby. Since time between feedings, changings, and naps can be short, when you get the chance to grab something, DO IT!
I’ve said from the very beginning of this blog that the true beauty of sandwiches lies in how versatile and adaptable they are depending what you have on hand. A Throw-Together Sandwich is the absolute embodiment of this fact. Paired with other no-fuss snacks, like apples, bananas, dried cranberries, crackers, chocolate and potato chips, you’ve got a reliable standby meal in just minutes. And as my story shows, Moms sometimes only have minutes to refuel and recharge before getting back to their monsters.
I look forward to when I’ll have more time to make, enjoy and blog about sandwiches that are a bit more involved, but for now, I’m happy and thankful for fresh, non-wilted, non-gross sandwich ingredients, and for writing/blogging one nap at a time.
Some of my favorite Throw-Together Sandwiches are:
-Classic ham, cheddar, tomato and lettuce
-Salami, gouda and spicy mustard
-Leftover chicken, mayo, tomato and lettuce
-Turkey, any cheese and any vegetable; red and yellow peppers are great
Good luck to you all with your Throw-Together Sandwiches and a special shout-out to my fellow Mom Warriors on this crazy child-raising journey. We’re doing it, one sandwich, one nap, one day at a time.
PS. My husband and I refer to our girl as The Monster in a ‘My Pet Monster’/term of endearment way. She is a very content and generally sweet-natured girl…unless of course, she’s very hungry. :)
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| I cheated with the photo. These are not true Throw-Together Sandwich because no such photos exist. |
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