i can't sit still!

ugh i'm going nuts today.  the last two nights i haven't slept great at all, so needless to say i'm tired.  i have no plans and nowhere i need to be, yet i can't sit still.  i should be basking in my giant pregnant lady glory and lying on the couch all day, but all i can do is clean and cook.  nesting, if you will.  and then i vacuum and make meals and then my whole body hurts.  oy. 

welp, my restlessness means more recipes for you!  i made this cajun beef casserole as another make-ahead freezer meal.  i don't have an "after" picture since i haven't made it yet, but here's my "after" picture of the orange-rosemary chicken i roasted last night....

yum.

 

here's what you'll need for the cajun beef casserole:
(it's super easy, i don't even need to look at the recipe again because it was so simple. and i'm soooo smart.)

-1 lb ground beef
-2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained
-1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
-2 cups frozen veggie medley, thawed
-1 to 2 tsp cajun seasoning (i used 1.5)
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1 or 2 green onions, chopped
-1 (8.5 oz) box corn muffin mix

1. start by making the muffin mix according to the directions on the box (for me this meant 1/3 cup milk and 1 egg. stir milk and egg into mix.)

2. grease a 7x11 casserole dish and pour batter evenly into it.

3. in a large skillet, brown your ground beef; drain.

obviously not fully brown yet. i cooked it all the way, i promise.

4. add tomatoes, veggies, cajun seasoning and tomato paste.

5. mix until blended and let come to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes. spread beef mixture over cornbread mixture.

6. top with cheddar cheese (apparently you're supposed to put the onions on after you bake it, but i didn't read that part until now. woops.)

7. bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

ok, you caught me. i did have to refer back to the recipe to check for baking time since i haven't actually baked mine yet.  sorry in advance if it sucks! it was just too simple to pass up. i'll let you know how it was once i bake it.  (actually, i will probably forget. just being honest.)

very productive. (i think its safe to say i've started nesting).

as i sit here with ellen on in the background, this chicken cooking in the oven...

orange-rosemary roasted chicken

this make-ahead meal cooling off in the fridge....

garlic chicken with orzo and wilted spinach

these nursery-themed homemade shelf bookends drying...

 and this ninja baby kicking my innards...

i'm feeling very productive.  and super housewife-y. (its a word). 


i figure a quick baby update is in store.  well, to be honest, its not so much of a baby update as a whiny pregnant lady update.

let me just start by saying, i absolutely love being pregnant.  the fact that i am growing a human being inside of my body is completely mind-blowing.  i watch this miracle play out and wonder how people don't believe in God.  seeing my belly contort and wiggle because my active, strong and healthy baby girl is playing around in there still amazes me.  BUT.  there are definitely some less glamorous "side effects" that come with the joys.  i'll share just a few of the things i've been experiencing as the weeks quickly count down to the big day (keep in mind i'm only sharing the pg side effects. you're welcome):

-apparently i snore now.  i used to snore when i was little.  and when i was little, i was tiny. like, a tiny skinny person. but apparently i had a MEAN snore.  my parents room was down the hall and they would wake up to my snoring.  at 5 years old i got my tonsils removed, for numerous reasons, and the snoring ceased.  fast forward 20 years and i now saw logs again in my sleep.  jon made me aware of this about a month ago but i didn't believe him.  he spent the next week trying to videotape my snoring in the middle of the night, but i guess every time he would start the video i would stop.  of course this made me believe him even less. well after about 4-5 attempts, he caught me.  touche babe.  those snores are no joke.

-my heart burns.  i had never experienced heartburn before, and honestly, i hope it promptly leaves when makena does.  it is awful.  i pop a zantac 150 before bed and sometimes a few tums, but nevertheless i'll wake up a few nights a week with burning acid in my throat.  it feels like i need to burp but its just liquid in my throat and burrrrrrrns. my stomach is smooshed up to my neck practically, so it makes sense. but that doesn't make it pleasant.  i'll leave it at that.

-i am a human heater.  jon and i aren't that cutesy pukey couple who snuggles up in each other's nooks as we fall asleep and just hold each other through the night.  we usually sleep back-to-back with a few inches of space (or a dog named kona) between us.  well, now that the weather is a lot colder and i radiate heat, jon loves to snuggle up to me.  he really just needs to put his feet up to my feet, because its enough to warm his whole body.  cute right? not really. i already have an extra person inside of me, my body is pumping 40% extra blood and i am freaking roasting.  the last thing i want is someone else sending more heat through me.

i usually wake up sweating. most of the time its in the middle of a crazy weird dream, usually about labor. then i realize i have to pee. so i waddle out of bed. then my burny acidic throat starts to bother me.  and then my moving around wakes makena up and she starts practicing her kickboxing.

look, i know motherhood is going to be extremely challenging (especially in the first few weeks/months) but i do have to say i'm getting excited to not be pregnant anymore.  i can't wait to meet our sweet baby girl and kiss on her chubby cheeks! 

sidenote: i went to my regular ob this morning and everything looks good.  i've been noticing my belly button rise up and down consistently for a few minutes every few days and i found out that its makena practicing her breathing.  a very good sign!!  i now will have weekly appointments and they will start checking me next week to see if i'm dilating.  one of my best friends ashley is coming to visit on saturday for a week while jon goes to newport beach, ca for a service meeting.  so excited!  next wednesday is my last appointment/ultrasound at the high risk ob.  excited to find out how she is measuring and what she is weighing at 36 weeks.  check back next week for the deets!

maternity pictures!

we decided to roam craigslist and see who we could hire for cheap to take some maternity photos of us.  i came across a girl who lives in the area who is 18 and charged $45 for a photo shoot and editing. um, yes please!  i wasn't too picky about amazing editing, just wanted to make sure we were able to get these pictures before it was too late.  she did a great job and i couldn't be happier.  (well, i would probably be happier if my face wasn't as fat, which i realize now because of looking at myself in 50 pictures. but that comes with the territory, right??)

here's the majority of them, my favorites :) 34.5 weeks pregnant!

One of my favorites!

BIG belly.

Admiring baby girl

SOOO cliche but it had to be done.

Another one of my favorites

just belly :)

another favorite. such a cool editing trick!

Comparing bellies. I win.

Roping me in!

What?? Have a put on a few pounds??

Love!

DOUBLE love!!

Makena's chubby cheeks are rubbing off on Mommy.

Peek-A-Boo

Beautiful background.

Kisses for Kena

a food post! and it's a good one.

on today's menu: pf changs lettuce wraps

its been a while since i did a food blog. i have to admit, i've been spending my time getting baby stuff ready and was busy through the holidays.  but now its mid-january which means time is crawling while awaiting the arrival of makena so i'm back to filling my days with recipes and cooking.  i've made this one before and they are delicious! as far as i remember, they are very similar to the real version but are tasty nonetheless!

here's what you'll need:

Chicken Mixture

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup water chestnut
• 2/3 cup mushroom
• 3 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 -5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon hot mustard
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar   

 1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.

 2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.

 

  3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.

  4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well (Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.)

 5. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.

  6. Remove chicken to a plate to cool.  Keep oil in pan hot.  As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.

7. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.

 8. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.

 

 9. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil. dd chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.  

 

  10. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes.

  11.  Serve in lettuce cups, top with sauces as desired.

Enjoy!!

Here's a tip after just enjoying this yummy meal.  Jon and I ate all of it between the two of us.  There was a ton of extra sauces but the chicken mixture ran out.  Remember, its a very light meal so if you two are starving or if you are feeding more than 2 people, i would double the chicken mixture. 

 

 

I got this recipe from http://www.food.com/recipe/p-f-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps-15865

fat fingers, part 2.

well, i'm sad to report that my rings are still attached to my finger.  i went through a lot this weekend all in hopes of sliding these little tokens off but i lost that battle.  here's what i did:

-went on a strict diet. 
my meals both days included hard boiled eggs, arugula salads with either plain chicken breast, salmon or tuna, naked juice, fresh squeezed juice, bell peppers, and garbanzo beans. ZERO SALT.

-went to the gym. haven't done that in a month. 
i walked a mile and a half on the treadmill and then spent the rest of the days off my feet.

-iced my hand multiple times per day.
did this to try and keep the swelling down.

-drank 64+ oz water each day. 
sounds weird to drink water because it seems like you would retain it, but apparently when you drink a lot of water it flushes it out of your body.

-didn't mess with my fingers.
i tried to leave my hand alone so i wouldn't aggravate any more unnecessary swelling.

ALL THIS, for nothing. 

this morning is when i decided to try the final removal, because i noticed my fingers seem slightly less swollen than at night.  so i started with the elevating of my hand over my head for 20 minutes...

then moved on to some ice.  then i tried wrapping my finger with thread, dousing it in windex and slowly turning and sliding up. 

nada.  the problem isn't my knuckles.  its underneath my knuckle.  so no amount of windex, oil, vaseline or soap is gonna make a difference.  its the fatness of my finger that i can't get over, not the knuckle.  after a couple of tears (of discouragement) and angry words, i realized these rings aren't coming off unless its with a sharp object.

take my advice and do NOT be as dumb as me.  take your rings off right away.  i'm so mad at myself for letting it get to this point.  i know its really not a huge deal but i don't want someone cutting my ring :( ugh.

now to research jewelers...

fat fingers, part 1.

as i sit here with a numb left hand, i decide its a good time for an update...

about a month ago, jon asked me if i was planning on taking my rings off before my fingers start to swell.  i didn't think my rings would become impossible to take off so i said no.  plus i just hated the idea of not wearing a wedding ring, AND my sister in law kim had no problem with her rings so i figured i was good to go.  boy was i wrong. 

a few weeks go by and i start realizing that my fingers are indeed pretty swollen.  i attempt to take my rings off but to no avail.  i sort of ignored it, hoping that my fingers won't get any more swollen, but the more i read about it, the more i realize i need to get these bad boys off.  apparently your fingers swell a ton during labor and even after birth. i would like to keep feeling in my fingers and NOT have to get them cut off (the rings, that is). 

so of course i start googling ways to remove rings.  i grab a bowl of ice water, the container of olive oil, and bundle up and have a warm cup of coffee in my right hand.  ready, go! i dunk my left hand in the bowl and holy hell, that is cold!  (and i have to go through LABOR!??) i force myself to keep it submerged for about 3 minutes.  when i start losing feeling i figure its a good time to give it a shot. i take my hand out of the water and rub it down with olive oil.  i twist and i turn and.....nothing.  honestly it wasn't even close.  now i have no feeling in my hands except for the pain i'm experiencing in my ring finger.  after another ice water attempt and more twisting, nada. 

frick. this is cold.

 now my finger is twice as swollen as when i start and i'm slightly panicking. 

no success. and double swollen. damn.

i get back online and put a post on babycenter about it.  after lots of suggestions i realize windex is supposed to do the trick.  if that doesn't work (which i guarantee it won't) then the last thing to try is the string technique.  you basically tightly wrap your finger from the tip down and wedge the string under your ring.  then you slowly untwist the string and it should slide the ring up and over your knuckle. SHOULD.

i'm gonna wait it out a few hours and then give this a try. WISH ME LUCK! i'll report back with the results. stay tuned!

this is what my days consist of now.  oh am i gonna have another thing coming in a few weeks!

humor me, people!

i clearly have too much time on my hands.  something that i am taking full advantage of for the next +/- 7 weeks.  pretend you are as interested in this stuff as i am k?

things to know:
-estimated due date is 2/23
-31 week u/s showed her weighing 4lbs 13 oz (+/- 12 oz)
-she is in the 66th percentile for growth
-she's a girl!

whoever wins getsssss....

bragging rights! woo hoo. k go vote!

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