From the Kitchen...

Good cooking this week.  I got a new pizza crust recipe (I'm always searching for a keeper), and this one is a good one!  Crispy crust, relatively easy to make, and delicious!  Andrew made his into a perfect circle and mine turned out like blobs. 

 

I also recently made Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps from the Pioneer Woman's blog.  They were yummy and what really put them over the top was an easy-peasy peanut sauce I stirred up to go on top (I can't remember where I got the recipe but it is similar to this one). 

Five Month Bump

Time flies when you're, 'er, having fun?!  Not sure I can say my whole pregnancy has been fun but I can say that everyday is better than the last - filling with anticipation to meet our little one, preparing for labor & delivery (I can handle it!), starting to work on the nursery, and shopping for the necessary goodies to care for a baby.  Our family will be THREE before we know it!

 

 

I do believe I'm going to have to get a new t-shirt for next month!

Relaxing Minnesota Vacation

We enjoyed a relaxing vacation in northern Minnesota at my folks' cabin on Leech Lake over 4th of July week.  Although we were without power for 3 days due to a massive summer storm, we had a great time eating walleye, swimming & boating, partying with the 70 year olds and daily napping!

A calm part of the boat ride in Roosevelt Canal

So many beautiful sunsets - view from the beach

 

 

Celebrating with the 70 year olds!  My mom hosted a party and we had fun decorating and baking the cakes.  I hope I look that good when I'm 70!

another sunset - I will be printing these out and hanging the prints in our house

Andrew's first being towed behind a boat and he made it up on the knee board!  Next year, slalom skiing.

 

Dad caught a 21" walleye - too big to keep so had to throw it back

another gorgeous sunset - I think this is my fav

Wouldn't be a trip to northern Minnesota without a visit to Paul & Babe

Bump Update

Now strangers can tell I'm pregnant!  I definitely FEEL more pregnant too as I have an obvious bump, I can feel the little Muffin in the oven kicking/punching/flipping, and I'm eating A LOT more.  My goal is to buy no maternity clothes - I am way too practical A) they're expensive, B) I can re-wear clothing I buy now later on.  I do need to find a dress to wear to the Church-Stoll wedding in September where I'll be almost 8 months pregnant - wish me luck!

Better Appetite, More Cooking!

I certainly haven't been cooking as much as I want to the past couple of months.  With a combination of triathlon training and feeling nauseous/having food aversions, I guess cooking hasn't been as fun :(  Well, I'm not exercising as much anymore and pregnancy hormones at bay are allowing for even the richest foods to be more palatable! 

I threw some things together this weekend, that I intend make again...

Homemade Peanut Butter - I have made this previously and did not turn out so good.  Last time I added oil, this time NO oil!  I just put about 1.5 cups of dry roasted peanuts in my food processor and LET HER RIP for about 3 minutes.  When I walked away I there were peanut crumbs, when I came back to check on it, PEANUT BUTTER!  It's pretty smooth and tastes just like the fresh peanut butter I get at the grocery.  I usually go through a jar of peanut butter a week so hopefully I'll keep making this.

Energy Balls - I've been meaning to make these little gems for awhile.  Finally.  They taste pretty much like a granola bar and I'll label them as 'healthy,' despite lots o' sugar.  Found the recipe on Pinterest.  Very easy to whip together - used homemade peanut butter ;)

Homemade bread - Andrew bought me the cookbook Make the Bread, Buy the Butter for my birthday this year.  The author breaks down each recipe by cost & "hassel" factor if one ought to make or buy the food.  "Everyday Bread" is the first recipe in the book - "Can you stir?  You can make this bread."  The first time I made it I think I overcooked it and it came out a little too crusty & hard.  The second time I made it I upped the yeast from 1 tsp to 1.5 tsp which made it more fluffy and I didn't overcook it!  Too bad you can't smell-o-vision homemade bread or else I'd post that too ;)

Here's to a better appetite to fuel more cooking!

Baby Bump

By the fact that I can barely button my work pants anymore, I'd say I have a baby bump!  Andrew and I began taking profile pictures from when I was 1 month pregnant to most recent, just after 3 months pregnant.  It's exciting to see that someone is growing in there!

*disclaimer - bump looks bigger in person than it does in picture *

I wish I could say that I'm not nauseous anymore, but I am :(  Hopefully it will be getter the farther along I get into pregnancy.  We had our 3rd doctor's appointment on Friday, and we are very impressed with Dr. K as he spent approximately an hour with us answering questions and just having good conversation.  The heart beat sounds great (according to him) too!  He is very down to earth and open to using a doula and letting us choose how we want to handle the birthing process.  Now I just have to read the 3 books I recently ordered on Amazon to figure out how to get this baby out when the time comes!

Shout-Out to Andrew

Andrew survived the first trimester!  This post is an ode to my patient, kind, & nurturing husband.

What he has pleasantly tolerated during the first 3 months of my pregnancy...

Listening to complaints about bodily changes/nausea/fatigue
Cutting down on his beer intake
Increasing his chore list
Missing his new favorite vegetable, Brussels sprouts (makes me gag!)
Learning all about female reproductive anatomy & physiology
Watching me vomit on the side of the street
Cleaning up Smokey's vomit (which if I would have...would have made me vomit)

Thank you for being you, Andrew!