Waiting

Well I have technically and officially never been this pregnant before. Two days shy of 39 weeks that is. Because I had Al early I was thinking I would have #2 around the same time. But I guess I thought wrong. So now we wait. For a Type A, planner and organizer, like myself, this is driving me crazy. I will admit that I like to have control of most (if not all) situations. So when God hands me things that I have no ability to influence it is a deep personal challenge/struggle. I have had everything ready for months as that seems to help me feel better about the "unknown". So I have nothing left to prepare. (Literally, "the easter bunny" filled all the eggs with treats this morning and the basket has been ready for weeks). The bags are packed and in my truck, everything and anything is washed and put away and the nursery has been finished for weeks. I am taking the opportunity to enjoy playtime with my little guy but with the weather being as sour as it has we are both going a little stir crazy. I've kept play dates relatively minimal as I am worried about having to cancel a whole pile of plans if I go into labor. But when I don't make plans to get out of the house I get so bored and frustrated with this waiting game. 

The whole reason I felt inclined to blog about this was not to whine and bore you with trivial details of my last few weeks of pregnancy. It was more so to say to other mama's I feel your pain and this is totally normal to feel this way. I have come to realize that with pregnancy (much like with a lot of other exclusively female experiences such as menopause and periods) there is a ton of myth and stigma surrounding the topic. We are made to feel that because pregnancy is such a blessing and divine event that is is glorious and wonderful and feels fabulous for every woman. I don't think that we should always necessarily hold up this illusion. I do appreciate this gift from God but I can sincerely tell you I much prefer the prize at the end to the actual getting there. My friends often laugh or freeze in horror when I tell them fun little facts about my pregnancy. Probably shocked because they have never heard these things before. I think it is important we "keep it real" and be truthful about what we go through. Why? Because when we glamorize it and hide the facts about the real experience of pregnancy we isolate one another. We make each other feel like we are the only ones who feel this way or have these thoughts. What I mean is I don't enjoy pregnancy. But now that I just said that I feel apologetic, like I should take it back and sugar coat it and say its not so bad. As if I have broken woman code and am ruining the progress of Women's Rights leaders or something. But the truth is that doesn't make me a bad mother, it makes me human. It doesn't make me weak it just means that this is an experience that challenges me and forces me to find the positive in it. I wanted to write all this so that other woman can feel comfortable saying the same thing and not feel any less a Woman or Mother. 

Basically I will be singing praise when Baby arrives and I can: sleep on my tummy, see my own crotch, read a story to my son without losing my breath, enjoy my body all to myself, stop taking heartburn medication ahh the list goes on. Anyway power to you mama's out there. Hold on you are almost there. And if you need any cliched advice about waiting for babies arrival I'm sure you can turn to the nearest stranger in a supermarket and they will have it for you!

On the Menu

We've been baking and cooking up a storm lately. And thanks to a friend I have a new website I am completely addicted to for delicious recipes. Great for those who are Gluten Free or Vegan, but equally as awesome if you aren't either of those! You must check it out Nutritionist in the Kitch. 

Today we tried out a Peanut Butter Honey Muffin recipe. They were probably the simplest recipe I have tried and so tasty!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar free peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the peanut butter and oil and mix with a fork until crumbs form.
3. Add the milk and honey and mix until just combined. Do not beat.
4. Pour into muffin tins (about 3/4 full) and bake for 10-12 minutes, until tops are golden brown and spring back when you touch them.

Mmmm seriously divine. Another recipe we gave a go tonight was Pesto & Cheese Stuffed Chicken. If you are anything like me and completely useless at cooking any meat other than salmon and chicken, this was a great recipe to spice things up. Although still chicken, it took away from the same old boring "chicken and veggies" dinner. 

You can steal the printer friendly recipe here or copy it from my blog

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese
(Makes two servings, but recipe can easily be doubled or tripled; recipe created by Kalyn in 2005 and adapted again in 2011.)

Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T Basil Pesto with Lemon or your favorite commercial pesto
2 T low-fat sour cream
2 T grated mozzarella cheese
(I used heaping tablespoons of pesto, sour cream and cheese) 
2 eggs, beaten (or if they're large eggs one will probably be enough)
3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 T almond flour (or almond meal, but almond flour is better for this because it's more finely ground)
black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.  Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray. Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it.  Don't worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.

In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella.  Use a rubber scraper to spread a thin layer of this mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken (so it doesn't run out so much as it cooks.)   Roll up the chicken breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks.  (I roll them so the finished piece is as thin as I can get it so they will cook quickly.)

Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg and the other with the grated Parmesan-almond flour mixture, seasoned with black pepper to taste.  Dip each chicken breast roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so the chicken breast roll is well-coated with the mixture. 

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned.  (Start checking after about 25-30 minutes; total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.)  Serve hot.

We've also been big on smoothies lately so here are a few of my favourites that I have found

Iced Coffee Smoothie

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

Coconut Raspberry Smoothie

• ¾ cup fresh raspberries – note that you can also use ½ cup frozen raspberries if you cannot find them fresh
• 1 can coconut milk – this is a 15 ounce can
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or light honey
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon – this is based on preference
• Water – depending on how thin or thick you like your smoothie

Maternity Photos

I just received our maternity photos for baby #2 in the mail today. Love them!

Melissa was a fabulous photographer, and definitely very patient with our uncooperative "big brother".

I seriously love her editing style, so soft and creamy. Makes me think of Vanilla. 

Check out more of her work here. 

Mud Room Project

My husband spent a couple hours over the past week working on a house project for me. A few weeks ago I finally decided I was fed up with our system at the back door. By 'system' I mean the way we were storing our jackets and children's winter gear. Everything seemed mismanaged and I was sick of having my hubby's work jackets piled on top of my nicer smelling jackets. So naturally I began to peruse Pinterest. This pinterest thing paired with nesting is a very bad idea. We have a very large mudroom that enters through our garage and carries through the pantry, but the space was just not being utilized. Plus we have a large coat and shoe closet, but coats rarely seem to ever get hung up on their hangers. We needed a more convenient and quick way to stash away our 'stuff'. These are the ideas I found:

simple and efficient and we liked
the idea of two rows of hooks
(one for adults one for kids)

these colours go well with our home, and again
a very simple idea, although probably wouldn't use
our storage space for decor

slightly more complicated but a nice
polished look, plus the bench cushion is cute

Loved this one for the use of the corner space
which is exactly what we were dealing with

 

A nice one piece unit

Liked the idea of the overhead cabinets

We talked about the pro's and con's of each idea and came up with three possible options. 1) We built a unit ourselves. Probably more cost efficient but maybe wouldn't be as professional or polished looking 2) try to assemble something ourselves from pre-built pieces such as good ol' Ikea. Again relatively cost effective but would it be durable and reliable for such a dirty and "lived-in" space. 3) Hire a woodworker or carpenter to custom build a unit for us. Least cost effective but would result in a beautiful addition to our home. 

Being pregnant and indecisive we went back and forth and finally settled on doing nothing at all. After allowing some time to pass my husband suggested he give it a whirl. He is not a woodworker by trade but anyone who knows my darling hubby, knows that he can pretty much tackle anything. He is a hands-on kind of guy and is awesome at every project he takes on. From car building to plumbing, to deck building to tree and flower planting, he is seriously amazing! Anyway we decided to go with a shelf row of hooks, followed by a lower row of hooks, followed by a bench. We designed it to have space for baskets on the top shelf as well as under the bench. 

I dont know how he just knows this stuff, but it turned out awesome. I am so pleased with our mudroom now and feel so much more organized. With a second boy on the way I know we are going to need lots of room for muddy boots, hats, winter gear and coats. It is perfect. 

working away with Dad

The mirror that used to hang where

the shelves are now

The finished product.
Still needs a bench cushion but we will
see if I get around to that before baby