By Nora Claire Donovan was born on Thursday, April 2nd, 2020. Seven pounds six ounces, nineteen inches, dark hair like her brother. She arrived at six-seventeen in the morning, three days past the due date, which is exactly the kind of decision-making I expected from her based on the months of practice she had making decisions I couldn't predict.
The hospital was different. The masks, the protocols, the absence of visitors—only Sean, just Sean, the way it should have been just us and was. The nurses I've worked alongside for years were there in full PPE, eyes above the mask, and I knew every set of eyes and they knew mine. I was the patient on Thursday and the nurse every other day and I hope I was as good for my patients as my colleagues were for me. I was in good hands.
Sean held my hand the same way he held it with Liam—full grip, present, not performing anything—and when Nora arrived he made the sound he made for the anatomy scan, for Liam's birth: the specific undoing of a man who is not easily undone. She screamed immediately. She made her position on the situation clear. Good.
We came home Friday morning. Liam was at my mother's—she came over Thursday in full mask and gloves, the first time I'd let her in the apartment in two weeks, because some situations override the precautions when carefully managed. She had Liam. He was fine. When we walked in Friday morning with Nora in the car seat, Liam came to look at her very slowly, very carefully, and then said "hi, Nora" in the voice he uses when something matters. She moved. He looked at me. "She heard me." She heard him.
We came home with Nora on a Friday and my mother had left a casserole in the fridge, which is the most loving thing a person can do for someone who just had a baby in a pandemic. I’ve made this one myself a dozen times since—for the week Sean went back to work, for the mornings Liam needed something real before school, for the days when I was running on three hours of sleep and needed a meal that had already made itself. It’s not a celebration recipe exactly, but it’s the recipe that holds you when celebrating and just-surviving feel like the same thing.
Healthy Breakfast Casserole
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup cooked turkey sausage, crumbled
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the onion and bell pepper in a small drizzle of olive oil for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the spinach and stir just until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Whisk the egg mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
- Assemble. Scatter the sautéed vegetables and crumbled turkey sausage evenly across the prepared baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 30–35 minutes, until the eggs are set in the center and the top is lightly golden. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.
- Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days—it reheats well in the microwave in 90 seconds.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 175 | Protein: 15g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 340mg