Blondies

I made these blondies. I thought they were very good, but pretty much the same as a big 13x9 chocolate chip cookie cake... not quite sure what makes them a blondie.  The only change that I made was to double the chocolate chips, and that was perfect for our taste.

Sausage and Potato Casserole

Sausage and Potato Casserole

This is such a nice, lazy dinner. You chop and drop everything and then let the oven do the work. It's full of flavor, nutrition and color.

-1 lb red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
-2 colored bell peppers, diced
-1 onion, diced
-1/2 lb carrot, diced
-1 cup chicken broth
-4 Tbsp olive oil
-4 cloves garlic
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
-1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
-1 lb Italian turkey sausage links
-6 Tbsp balsamic vinegar


Whisk together chicken broth, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Place potatoes, bell peppers, onion and carrots in a greased 9 x 13 dish. Pour broth mixture over vegetables and stir well. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

While vegetables bake, brown sausage in a pan over medium heat. It doesn't need to cook all the way through, just mostly. Once sausage is cooked slice into bite sized pieces and set aside.

After the vegetables have baked 30 minutes remove foil, stir sausage into the pan and bake and additional 20 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic and serve.

Korean Beef

Korean Beef

This is one of our absolute favorite recipes.  It is quick, easy and delicious!!!!  I was inspired by this recipe over at Izzy Writes but then made a few changes of my own to the ingredients and the process.  We like ours on the sweet and spicy side so I use the max ingredients for red pepper flakes and brown sugar, but adjust as needed to suit your taste.  We always serve this beef over rice, sprinkled with scallions and with a bottle of Sriracha sauce for squirting on top.

-1 Tbsp sesame oil
-1 red bell pepper, diced
-1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and diced
-1 pound lean ground beef
-4 cloves garlic, minced
 -1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup soy sauce
 -1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness)
 -1 bunch green onions, sliced
-cooked rice
-Sriracha sauce

Heat sesame oil in large skillet, over medium heat.  Add bell pepper and ginger.  Saute 5 minutes, until it begins to soften.  Add beef, cooking until brown, breaking up with a spoon while cooking.  Drain beef/ veggie mixture and return to pan.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce and crushed red pepper flakes.  Continue to cook until the flavors come together, at least 10 minutes.  Serve over hot rice, sprinkle with green onions and top with a squirt of Sriracha.

::this week::

praising:  God's victory over sin, death, and satan.

praying:  for a few needs/ desires for our ministry.  the needs/ requests/ desires of those around us.

thankful for:  to be feeling better and returning to my routine.  beautiful weather.  healthy, diverse, delicious, colorful food.  technology, computers, and the internet.  spring and summer flavors... including two of my favorites at a certain coffee chain; Cool Lime Refresher and Passion Tea Lemonade.  for an easy/ healthy pregnancy.  worship music, and the way it sets the atmosphere in my house during the day.

reading:  Job, Psalms, Ezekiel, Your Power in the Holy Spirit by John G Lake

cooking:  fish tacos, refried beans, salad with cilantro lime dressing, blondies, pizza, whole wheat blueberry pancakes, mango coconut smoothies, avocado egg salad, black bean corn and rice casserole, salad with ginger peanut dressing

doing:  hosting a few friends and couples for dinner.  gym and coffee date with my love.  lunch and coffee dates with friends.  dinner with J's folks.

pondering:

Job 1:20-22  Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

That Job's immediate reaction to overwhelming circumstances was to praise and worship God... oh that I should be so faithful!

Avocado Egg Salad

Avocado Egg Salad

After seeing lots of versions of this across the internet I decided that I had to give it a try myself.  I've seen several versions with chopped celery, diced onion, and/ or lemon juice mixed in, and I'm sure those are all great, but I went plain and simple for mine.  The recipe as listed should make 2-3 sandwiches, but I think this would also be great served in lettuce cups or stuffed in tomatoes.

-2 Tbsp light mayo or greek yogurt
-2 Tbsp dijon mustard
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-4 hardboiled eggs, diced
-1 avocado, diced

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately... I enjoyed mine on whole grain bread with spinach leaves. 

Ginger Peanut Salad Dressing

Ginger Peanut Salad Dressing

I seem to continue to recreate recipes for Oriental Pasta Salad, and Oriental Slaw.  They are all very similar in flavor and ingredients, but different enough for their own recipes.  Whichever one I'm eating at the moment is always my favorite.  I served this dressing over spinach, shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots and peanuts.  Some edamame, cashews, bean sprouts, cucumber, or pasta would also be great in here though.

-1/4 c honey
-1/4 c olive oil
-1/4 c rice vinegar
-1 Tbsp soy sauce
-1 tsp sesame oil
-1 Tbsp peanut butter
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp sriarcha
-1" chunk ginger, peeled
-1 clove garlic, peeled

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until thoroughly mixed.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
 

31 & 32 weeks

Here is what is going on with Elisha this week according to babycenter.com;

31

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Many women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Often lasting about 30 seconds, they're irregular, and at this point, they should be infrequent and painless. Frequent contractions, on the other hand — even those that don't hurt — may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have more than four contractions in an hour or any other signs of preterm labor: an increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge (if it becomes watery, mucus-like, or bloody — even if it's pink or just tinged with blood); abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping; an increase in pressure in the pelvic area; or low back pain, especially if you didn't have it before.

32

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.

If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.  Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

As for me, I'm doing good, no real changes.  Still feeling and seeing Elisha move a lot.  It's hard to believe that he'll be here in under 2 months now.  This pregnancy has flown by!  I'm still able to lift weights and do cardio and am confident that this has contributed to me gaining a significant amount less weight than my last pregnancy, and I'm assuming this well greatly help me to get back in shape more quickly post-pregnancy also.  Still sleeping well at night and having no major pregnancy side effects other than my largely growing belly and the fact that it's getting hard to get my socks and shoes on (or pick up items off of the floor, or close my car door, or get out of bed...).