Friday, October 29, 2010

15 Weeks


Not much change since last week.  Still feeling better everyday.  I am not as tired but I still sleep a lot at night, or I try.  I have been having an issue with sleeping.  I keep waking up at night, so then I have to reposition and fall back asleep.  It gets a little old after four or five times a night.

I am still waiting for an actual bump to start showing, which should happen in the next few weeks.  I am still wearing my normal clothes which is nice since I haven't had to buy a lot of new clothes.  

I am hoping that since I feel better I will start being more active.  I need to start walking more, stretching, doing some prenatal yoga, etc. 

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Baked Potato Soup

So first off, this soup is probably the best soup I have ever made.  It is so delicious.  I think a lot of it has to do with replacing two cups of milk with homemade turkey broth.  We also made some Irish Soda Bread and broccoli along with the soup.  But you should definitely try the recipe sometime.  It takes a little time but it is not too hard. 

serves 8
Ingredients:
4 baking potatoes (2 1/2 pounds)
2 Tbs butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk whole milk
2 cups turkey broth
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided( we just added all into the soup)
10 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled ( we just added this into the soup and not on top)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.
Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Melt butter in a large dutch oven. Add flour, whisking to combine with the butter. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Add additional salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle each serving with cheese, onions, and bacon.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Two Year Anniversary

Wow, it has already been two years since Jeff and I got married.  I feel like time has gone really fast, and it never is going to slow down again.  But I am looking forward to the many years to come to see what life brings us, besides a child in April. 

So for our anniversary we went to dinner at one of our favorite places in Denver- Solera.  And it was delicious as usual.  I had a spiced sweet potato soup and white truffle macaroni and cheese with scallops.  We also shared a brownie with peanut butter ice cream.  It was all very delicious.  We also decided to take a family photo!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Kettle Corn

I have a new obsession with popcorn.  I have made it three times in the past week.  Today I made some kettle corn to take over for football watching, GO CHIEFS!  And we preceded to eat all of it in about 30 minutes.  The great thing about popcorn is it is super easy!

So if you feel inclined, here is the recipes for this awesome popcorn.  It is taken from Joy the Baker.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Green Follow Friday



It is Friday again, so time for Green Follow Friday!

Baby items to buy

Okay so I typed up this big long list of items I need to buy before the baby is born that we need to slowly start working on.  So look it over and let me know if you think there is something I am missing or something that is really not necessary.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

14 weeks

On Monday we went to the midwife again.  We heard the heartbeat which was super fast and exciting.  Blood pressure is still really good.  For weight, I think I gained back that one pound that I had lost but that is it.  I also got my flu shot which actually hurt and made my arm sore.  At the next appointment we have a chance of screening for down syndrome but we aren't going to do that testing.  And I cannot believe that the big ultrasound is only six weeks away!  And no we will not be finding out the gender, we are waiting until the baby is actually born.  Which means we need to come up with two names which is kind of a an issue right now because Jeff won't really decide on anything. 

Friday, October 15, 2010

13 weeks

Not much change... bloat is more manageable.  Still impatiently waiting for the next appointment on Monday.  I am technically into the second trimester which is good news as long as everything goes well on Monday. 

On a side note: a picture that the cats will deny forever.  But it is real and they were both laying on my lap this morning. 

Friday, October 8, 2010

Thursday, October 7, 2010

12 weeks

So 12 weeks, not much different I guess.  Went and bought a new bra last week, I cannot believe the size it is and that it will only keep growing for a while.  I also got some awesome sweatpants.  I am pretty excited about these since I can wear them to work.  I can still wear my regular clothes they are just a little tighter.  Which is surprising because I feel huge most of the time.  Nausea is getting better and I am feeling less tired.  Still not showing and probably won't for another month or so, right now it just looks like I have been eating too much. 
My biggest issue right now is my crazy worries and fears getting the best of me.  Worrying if everything is still fine with the baby.  I know we saw the heartbeat on the ultrasound and so chances are low, but they are still there.  I am really looking forward to the next appointment, which is still a week and a half away, so we can hear the heartbeat on the doppler and I can know for sure everything is all right.  But until then I am going to keep worrying.  I am sure the worry will continue for other reasons after but right now it is getting the best of me.  I usually have a lot of irrational fears and worries but I keep those to myself knowing they are irrational.  But this I don't feel is irrational with the rates of miscarriage out there.  I keep trying to talk myself into everything is fine and going to be okay but each day I think about the worst.  So hopefully I can stop this fear and get on with the pregnancy.  This is the last week in the first trimester, next weeks marks the start of the second trimester which is exciting.  

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

School Update

So school in in full swing now.  Busy with tests, projects, readings, etc.  I am getting to know some of my fellow classmates which is always nice.  There are not a ton of people in my program which is also nice, so most of my classes have the same people.
In seminar, professors are making their way through letting us know their research projects and what they are interested in.  I have found a couple of professors that have similar ideas as I do, which is exciting.  I think I am going to focus on environmental education.  So now I have to start thinking about a thesis idea, so that at the beginning of next semester I can lock down an adviser and begin the thesis and its many components. 
Other exciting news is there is a funding opportunity for next year that I have found already.  It deals with education and I would get a very good stipend on top of funding for my actual school costs.  I am pretty excited about it and will soon start the application process, since the application is due at the beginning of next year.  It is somewhat competitive, but hopefully I can still have a chance.  So we will see what happens.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Chile Rellenos

I have been wanting to make chile rellenos for quite sometime, then pregnancy happened and not much sounded good.  But this past week they sounded okay and I knew the time period for poblanos was getting short, so it was now or never.  So we made chile rellenos and our own green chile sauce with some roasted green chiles our friends gave us.  The rellenos were really good, the chile was a little too spicy for me but it was still really good.  We also made some amazing cornbread that didn't make it into the picture because we ate it so quickly, but when topped with honey it was even better.  So if you are in the mood for a little southwest cuisine, you should try these recipes. 
The recipe for the rellenos was taken from CookEatShare. We cut this recipe into a third of the original because we only had 4 peppers.
  • 12 Poblano chile pepperschile peppers, seeded and membranes removed.
  • 3/4 lbs Cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp canola oil
  1. De-seed and membrane the peppers and quickly char on high heat on the grill (turn multiple times while charring). Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix milk, egg, 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oil.
  3. Slice your cheese into strips (1/2 inch thick) and sprinkle with cumin. Place 1-2 strips of cheese inside each pepper.
  4. Heat (on medium) a heavy bottom fry pan and pour enough oil to cover about 1" of the pan. While heating, dust the peppers with remaining flour (1/2 cup), and dip into milk / egg mix.
  5. When hot, fry your peppers 3-4 at a time for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Should turn a nice brown. Serve hot! Top with green chile. 
The green chile recipe was taking from ThatsMyHome.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or lard
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (we used vegetable broth)
1 cup (or more) chopped green chiles  1 large clove garlic, finely minced
Salt (optional)
Dash ground cumin

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft. Stir in the flour and the broth until mixture is smooth. Add chiles, garlic, cumin and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, adding salt if desired.

Yield: 2 cups. 

Friday, October 1, 2010

11 weeks

Not much change from last week, but when I try and suck in the flab I can only suck in about half.  So there is actually a little bump there under the bloat.  Nausea is getting better.  For food, the best thing to eat right now is anything cheese and disgusting items are anything meat. 
I am looking forward to getting out of the first trimester, hopefully it will ease some of my worry.
My jeans are starting to become tighter and tighter.  I am had to move my belt a notch down so my pants are not too tight, but in doing that I cannot get them situated right so they keep falling down.  I am thinking I need to make a trip this weekend for some new pants.  My bra still fits fine but it is getting to the point that it is about time for a new one also.  Acne is somewhat getting better, hopefully it will keep getting better as hormones aren't as crazy as I get further along. 
I have also been having to deal with a cold this week.  I haven't had a cold in over a year and it sucks.  I definitely think my immune system is a little weaker because of the pregnancy.  Last winter many cold went around at work and I didn't get one.  This is the first one this year and I got it.  Hopefully this is not how it will be all cold season.  And I think that is all for now.