The Lemon

Let's catch up on this past week since my job has controlled my life lately... Boo!

We reached 14 weeks! Yay for Lemons!

It's really weird, because some days I can see the pregnant belly look, but somedays it's not really there. I swear! Is this normal??? And this whole losing my flat stomach and muscle definition has been incredibly hard for me. Mentally, I'm just not there yet. Will I get any better?

I still haven't told any of my coworkers either... I must be really awesome at hiding the mini bump! I want someone to ask, and then I'll say "What? Are you saying you think I look fat just because I've gained a few pounds?" That would be really awesome and embarrassing- haha!

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Posers and Irish people celebrate St. Patty's while drinking green beer and getting crazy. Cajuns celebrate by having an impromptu Crawfish boil! So we did this->

They turned out pretty good! I was impressed. I bet it was because of my awesome stir-skills! ;)

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And then we had an Indian-themed birthday party for our awesome friend- We had a blast. I got my first legit Henna Tattoo as well.

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Lastly, when Sebastian goes missing, don't forget to check the laundry room.

Doesn't our sweet buddy look so Cute?! He LOVES watching the laundry in the wash spin. 

Any answers/suggestions to my previously mentioned questions?

It's really weird, because some days I can see the pregnant belly look, but somedays it's not really there. I swear! Is this normal??? And this whole losing my flat stomach and muscle definition has been incredibly hard for me. Mentally, I'm just not there yet. Will I get any better?

Lucky 13

This week I started the Brazilian Butt Lift 6 day challenge with my friend. I figured since I can't have a six-pack or flat stomach, that the least I can do is have a rockin hiney! It's good to change things up every once in a while as well. The tummy growing is totally weird to me, it's awesome, a miracle, but something I'm having a really hard time getting used to. It's just awkward. However, I'm thanking God that I will NEVER look like Jessica Simpson did on Jay Leno!!!

I cannot believe that she's gone from this:

To this:

Completely unrecognizable!!! Clearly she'll be shopping for a Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers deal. I just don't get how one can obviously indulge themselves so much! I can feel all of my organs starting to squeeze up and together, and I get full much quicker now than ever before! I don't get it Jessica. 

Now that I'm over my tangent, here's Week 13--->

We had our "First Trimester Screening" which screens for chromosome disorders. We chose to go to this appt for nothing other than to see our baby via ultrasound and to gather the doctor's infinite knowledge of what the gender of the baby might possibly be (he's very credible and well-known for this gift).

The results- the baby is healthy, looks great, no disorders, heart is pumping perfectly, its dancing moves were very well coordinated and we couldn't have asked for a more wonderful experience! Praise God! We did find out the gender, and this was a guesstimate. We will confirm via a 3D/4D sonogram at 16wks (a little over 2wks from now). We will share the gender at a Gender Reveal Party/Open House on the evening of Good Friday.

This is my very first try at video editing, and I hope you all enjoy our video! (gender parts have been edited out to keep the secret safe). In case you might not see the video below, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC_MpSaspok

Pinterest Recipes

Yep, I'm one of those... I'm a "Pinner" and I just love "Pinning!" I create my own projects, copy others projects, pin things like home decor, cute animals, gorgeous shoes, summer fashion, gluten-free meals, funny quotes, things that are PiNK and the list continues.... I've made several recipes that I have recently come across on Pinterest and wanted to share my thoughts.

First up: Quinoa Pizza Bites

These were AWESOME! Like so Yummy! I used mini turkey pepperoni, and the funny thing is that I really don't like pepperoni at all. These were like awesomeness in your mouth, tummy and all the way down :)

Makes ~40 bites

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 cup chopped pepperoni slices (~1/2 of a 7 oz bag) 
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried crushed oregano
• pizza sauce for dipping

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix together all ingredients, except pizza sauce, in a medium mixing bowl.

3.  Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each), and press down gently to compact. 

4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Nutritional Information for 5 bites per My Fitness Pal: Calories - 175, Fat - 10g, Protein - 9g, Fiber - 2g, Calcium - 10mg, Carbs - 12g

 Next- Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Crustless Quiche

Photo Credit

I did this differently from the recipe. First off I used goat cheese instead of feta (because that's what I had on hand), and it was AMAZING!!! Actually I'm confident in saying that this is 100 times better with goat cheese. I also used fresh spinach and pre-sliced mushrooms. I did not cook this like a quiche, but instead I cooked it like a frittata. I let it cook on the stove for a bit, and then put the pan in the oven on broil until it was cooked through. This is much faster than cooking for an hour.

INGREDIENTS		COST
8 oz.	fresh mushrooms	$1.99
1/2 tsp	minced garlic	$0.06
as needed	non-stick spray	$0.02
1 (10 oz.) box	frozen spinach	$1.09
4 large	eggs	$0.83
1 cup	milk	$0.39
2 oz.	feta cheese	$0.87
1/4 cup	grated parmesan	$0.39
1/2 cup	shredded mozzarella	$0.50
to taste	salt & pepper	$0.05
TOTAL		$6.19

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If your frozen spinach is not already thawed, thaw it in the microwave. Empty the box into a colander and let it drain while you begin to prepare the rest.

STEP 2: Quickly rinse the mushrooms and slice them thinly. Place the sliced mushrooms in a skillet coated with non-stick spray, add the minced garlic, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-high and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet (5-7 minutes).

STEP 3: Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Squeeze the rest of the water out of the spinach and spread it out on the bottom of the pie dish. Next add the cooked mushrooms and crumbled feta.

STEP 4: In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until fairly smooth. Add the milk, parmesan, and another small sprinkle of pepper. Whisk to combine. (This step can be completed while the mushrooms are cooking) Pour this mixture into the pie dish over the spinach, mushrooms, and feta.

STEP 5: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet for easy transfer into the oven. Place the quiche into the preheated oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. Every oven is different but this should take between 45 minutes and an hour. Slice and serve!

 Then I made- Mexican Lasagna

Photo Credit

This was pretty good, but nothing extraordinary. I loved that it's gluten-free with corn tortillas rather than lasagna noodles! I just felt that it needed a bit more flavor, like a spicier salsa or something. It needed a kick.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 large onion, halved and cut into thin wedges

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

2 cups (16 oz) fat-free ricotta cheese

1 cup (8 oz) reduced-fat sour cream

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 cups Muir Glen® organic salsa, any flavor

8 corn tortillas (6-inch diameter), cut in half

1 1/4 cups shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese (5 oz)

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

• 2 Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove to a medium bowl. Wipe skillet with paper towel. Spray with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add to chicken in the bowl.

• 3 In another medium bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, green chilies, cilantro, cumin and salt.

• 4 Spread 1 cup of the salsa across bottom of prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the tortillas evenly over salsa. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over tortillas. Top with half of the chicken mixture. Top with 1 cup of the remaining salsa and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tortillas, ricotta mixture and chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup salsa and 3/4 cup cheese.

• 5 Bake 30 minutes or until heated through. Loosely cover with foil if the cheese browns too quickly.

  This is not a Pinterest recipe, but it was REALLY good! - Honey Coconut Salmon
  
  
  
  
  
  This is an Allrecipes.com recipe. I used probably 1/4th of the sauce/marinade that the recipe called for. Coconut Oil can be substituted for butter and agave nectar for brown sugar. This was really tasty! I paired this with a salad consisting of spinach, mango, red onion, unsweetened shredded coconut, red wine vinegar and agave nectar. Loved this dinner!

  1 1/2 cups butter
  3/4 cup honey
  1/4 cup brown sugar
  3/4 cup flaked coconut
  4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
  
  Directions
  Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and mix in the honey, brown, sugar, and coconut. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Cool slightly, and transfer to a large bowl. Place the salmon in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  Spread enough of the marinade mixture in a baking dish to coat the bottom. Arrange the salmon in the dish, and pour some of the marinade over the top, being sure to get some of the coconut on the top.
  Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade, until the salmon is flaked easily with a fork. Discard any leftover marinade, or bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, and spoon over salmon.

  
  
  Have you tried any Pinterest recipes? 
  What are your favorites?

12 Weeks: 1/3 of the way Done!

My first trimester is over. I can't believe it! It's gone by crazy-fast! We still haven't purchased anything for the baby. For whatever reason I've convinced myself that there's no point in buying anything until we find out what we're having...

I was trying to match the plum by wearing my purple LSU shirt, but it looks really dark. The handsome B.Flo is sporting one of his recent Nordstrom Rack purchases. He bought a whole bunch of T-shirts from there for $12.97 each! Why don't they ever have any deals like that on stuff for me?!

My hips started hurting pretty bad last week. I'm not sure if they're expanding, I exercised too much or what, but I did take two days off from the gym. I've been back in full force this week, and haven't been hurting much. This blasted plantar fasciitis in my right foot continues to annoy me- ERRR! I had that prior to pregnancy. I won't be discussing weight gain at all throughout this experience, as I've always been very self-conscience and feel like it's a personal topic that never needs to become a public conversation. I fit into all of my clothes still, no problem.

Cravings... I want to say that I really don't believe in them. I think it's a mental thing that one should be able to turn off. However- I have been eating this (see below) several times over the last few weeks. I say that I'm reminiscing my fave childhood eats ;) Both are gluten-free, no nitrates or nitrites, all natural. Needless to say, I've convinced myself that this is a "healthy" combination, haha!

Did you have cravings? Anything crazy?