Food & Drink!

{I titled this Food & Drink....think I've been watching a little too much Wheel of Fortune lately!? Probably...}

Finger prick, meter strip, wait a sec...and BAM, I thought I was doomed to having to prick my finger 4x a day and continue eating the strict, yet healthy diet of gestational diabetes. Based on my fasting numbers, the phlebotomist thought I was doomed as well. So there wasn't much hope! That is, until I received a call the very next morning. Quick turn around phone calls like that usually signal bad news, right? Isn't is usually no news is good news in the medical world? Who knows...but that call was good news! I passed the 3 hour with my numbers in completely normal range. Yesssss!

So I celebrated with a giant chocolate cake topped with extra sprinkles and whipped cream. No, I'm kidding, I totally did not ;) {Not saying I wouldn't have loved to} But I'm still going to try and eat better for myself!

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I hit the 29 week mark yesterday, so a chalkboard update post is coming soon. Don't fret ;)

In the mean time, just wanted to share a few randoms with ya!

1. A recipe I tried out
2. My drink of choice, especially good during pregnancy
3. An amazingly delicious-looking recipe
4. A peek at our baby girl's face

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I was making shredded chicken pitas for dinner and wanted to attempt homemade tzatziki sauce. It was yummy..and pretty healthy..you should try :)

Tzatziki Sauce Recipe:

• about 8 ounces plain greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber - peeled, seeded, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• lemon juice
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano (or dill)
  
• 1 1/2 cloves garlic, peeled

Combine cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano (or dill) and garlic in a food processor or blender until smooth. In a seperate dish, slowly fold cucumber mixture into yogurt. Add seasonings as necessary and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pita Chips Recipe:

• whole wheat pita pockets
  
• olive oil
  
• salt and pepper
• dried basil
• whatever other seasoning you want :)

Cut pita pockets using a pizza cutter into small triangles. Combine all ingredients in small cup and brush onto pitas. Bake at 400 for about 5 mins or until desired crispiness.

Enjoy!

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Onto my drink of choice! If you're in the fam..you already know this.

La Croix, baby!

On one of the pregnancy sites, many girls were asking opinions on what to drink aside from water (since doctors try to steer you away from caffeine/soda/juices loaded with sugar). Luckily, I've been a La Croix lover well before I was pregnant and it's been wonderful!

Zero everything. No sugar, calories, sodium, artificial sweeteners, etc. Zilch, zero, nada!

{How our fridge looks when they are on sale}

I'll be honest and say that a lot of people who try it, don't like it very much. But I think they are just trying to compare it to some delicious caffeine/sugar filled Cherry Coke or something ;) It sure ain't no Cherry Coke, but it beats water when you're just not in the mood, that's for sure!

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That delicious recipe I spoke of before? Check it out!

Oh yes, you read that right. Peanut butter PUDDING cookies! Click for the recipe.

I WILL be making these this fall, you can count on that ;)

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And I'll leave you with a sneak peak of Baby B's face. I love being able to see her during an ultrasound!

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Happy Friday!

lately...

The ever present gloom that's lingered over us for weeks has me itching for a quick transition into Spring. Hey Mr. Groundhog, please emerge from your burrow to ensure us that Spring is surely on its way. I'd appreciate that :)



In the meantime, I have been un-inspired -- and for me, that's a sad, sad thing. This gloomy winter weather with gray skies, mist-filled air, and cool howling winds has left me lacking any desire to create. I never knew my inspiration could be drawn from weather. I guess I've always been used to decent weather, where regardless of the current season, I know I can be outside when I want. Apparently closed windows, lack of sunshine, and wet grounds is not where I draw my inspiration from and when I realized last week that I've been completely uninspired, I decided that needs to change. I finally went to Hobby Lobby -- it had been a while -- and bought a few things to start creating again. The outdoor photography has been slacking lately as well. Seems as though I need me some nice weather to get back on track.. so please, Mr. Groundhog, abide by my desire!

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Lately, J has been studying like cuh-ray-zee. And my work has fallen into the same category. But it hasn't stopped me on the weekends. Weekends were made for fun! Over the past couple weeks since we've been back in Georgia, we had a date night in Atlanta one night, and I've had nights out with the girls as well. Luckily, suffering from the winter blues in the creation department hasn't stopped my desire to enjoy a little time out on the town.



Fat Matt's still has yet to fail us. BBQ and live blues puts us in the right mood! Especially when followed by beer accompanied by salt and vinegar popcorn at a rustic bar in Little Five Points -- The Porter Beer Bar -- it's highly recommended by J and I!









When days out in Atlanta turn into nights out in Atlanta, I have no room for complaints. Good times with great friends -- definitely no room for complaints! And a little visit from the sister-in-law adds a nice twist in the mix!











And while not venturing out to explore unique hole-in-the-wall establishments, we've reverted back to our guilty-pleasure run-of-the-mill restaurants. Oh, Chili's and Cracker Barrel, you rarely disappoint!













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While cooking at home, we've found a new recipe we greatly enjoy -- Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches topped with grilled pineapple -- yummy!



Recipe:

• 1 lb. chicken
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/3 c. Heinz 57 sauce
  
• pineapple rings
• buns

Place chicken in the crock pot. Mix Heinz 57 with honey and pour over chicken. Put crockpot on high for only a couple hours or low if you have longer. Shred chicken with forks while in crockpot and mix around. Add more sauce in there if you'd like. Meanwhile, grill pineapple rings in a grill pan to your liking. I also grilled the buns a little. Enjoy!

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Best of luck to my husband on his tests tomorrow! And here's to hoping Mr. Groundhog, or should I say Punxsutawney Phil, gives us some good news this week!

easy homemade peppermint bark gifts

Looking for a homemade gift idea for Christmas?! I made a couple of these for my bosses and they were so easy. Follow these instructions for easy peppermint bark in a mason jar :)



You'll need:

• 12 ounces (about 2 cups) of chocolate chips


• 12 ounces (about 2 cups) of white chocolate


• candy canes


• mason jars


• cute fabric (optional)

Note: I made 2 trays -- 1 using premium white chocolate chips, and 1 using vanilla almond bark. The white chocolate chip batch tasted better, but broke apart from the chocolate very easily. The almond bark was much easier to use, stayed melted/easier to spread longer, broke apart cleaner, and stayed connected to the chocolate layer.

Point is: If you're looking for less frustration, go with the almond bark!

1. Place candy canes in ziplock bag and crush them into small pieces

2. Melt the chocolate chips according to the package

3. Place foil on a cookie sheet and spread out melted chocolate

4.Place in refrigerator while preparing white chocolate (it hardens quickly)

5. Melt white chocolate according to package (I realized the hard way that white chocolate melts much quicker than milk/dark chocolate)

6. Spread melted white chocolate over the chocolate layer and immediately sprinkle candy cane pieces over

7. Set in the refrigerator for a little while and then break it into pieces

I cut squares of fabric and placed them under the lid, then tied twine around.

Enjoy! (or give as a gift to co-workers, teachers, etc.)

thankful

I am so thankful for all the blessings I have in my life. It hasn't always been an easy ride to get to where I am now, but I must say I have been blessed with all my family and friends surrounding me throughout my life. So thank you to all of you who have made an impact on me somehow :)

I was especially thankful last week to have my mom and grandma come in town to stay with us for Thanksgiving. We weren't planning on doing anything (aside from cooking dinner for ourselves) since we both had work/school on Wednesday preceding Thanksgiving and we were not up for joining the thousands beyond thousands of cars taking a little stroll on I-85 through Atlanta the night before Thanksgiving. When I found a cheap flight for my mom and grandma to come visit, I was thrilled. I hadn't spent Thanksgiving with them in about 4 years so this was a treat for all of us :) And my brother joined as well!

When we have much to be thankful for, it's easy to forget those who don't have as many blessings in their life. So Thanksgiving morning, J and I decided to volunteer at the Thanksgiving event for seniors in need that I helped coordinate at work. It was nice to see how happy they were :)



Around noon, we came home to spend the rest of the day with family. We all helped out somehow in the kitchen, and J cooked his first turkey. Go J..haha :) Thanks to Mom, Grandma, and Bill for helping to make this Thanksgiving a great one for us.



The table was set...


Grandma even gave me the classic Thanksgiving salt and pepper shakers!

There were delicious drinks, lots of food, and good times all around.



Dinner time came and everything was tastyyy... (every Thanksgiving, I look at my full plate thinking, "I don't want this to end!"...it's as though I don't even want to get started because I know I want it to last a longgg time..is that just me?!)

my favorite..sweets and apples!

His first turkey was a success...


Shortly after turkey comas set in, we got back up to indulge in pies, ice cream, and even a little birthday celebration for my love :)


And after a nice, relaxing, calm, delicious food-filled holiday, we spent the night with friends in the garage - playing darts, what else?!


Not to mention, we had a tired pup from all that turkey.

Thanksgiving 2011 was wonderful and it was nice to just spend time with each other, our family, friends, and pup...we have much to be thankful for!