Weekend Recap

What a wonderful weekend it was. The weather cooled down to an awesome 60 something and we got rain all day on Sunday on and off. I know that doesn't sound great, but it was a really nice change of pace.  It also made for a good excuse to snuggle in, be quite and enjoy each other.

On Saturday we ventured to the fairgrounds to check out the animals and see what else was going on for the Nevda State Fair (now called the Wild West Territory Fair or something silly). I love checking out what the FFA and 4Hers are doing. Plus you can get up close and personal with most of the animals, which is totally fun for the Kid-O.  We had heard there was civil war reenactments, among other things happening so we thought we would check it out.

We got there pretty early so not many people were there (nice), but we also had to wait around for some of the booths, food stalls and other things to open. O is still a little small to go on any of the rides, but next year I can see us getting a wrist band and having a blast. There were all sorts of characters wandering around, which made for good people watching and snapping. I was glad I put my 'big lens' on while sitting at the food court area.

On Sunday we got up, went to breakfast at a local diner and then hung out around the house. Daddy-O and O. built forts and tunnels in the living room out of the lawn furniture cushions, I made cupcakes, I sewed a little hobo sack for the ever growing matchbox car collection in our house and then we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner.

They decided to help us celebrate O's 2nd birthday since we haven't really planned anything- Deuce's due date is only 2 days prior to O's birthday and I haven't quite been able to figure out how we were going to plan a party that we might not be able to attend. The cupcakes I made on Sunday are going into the freezer and I will ice a few on Monday (O's actual birthday) and sing happy birthday to him. Unless I am in the hospital and then we will do it when we get back home and have a double happy birthday!
At any rate, O had a great time playing with his cousins all evening. His cheeks were so rosy from all the playing.

He got a little shy as we sang happy birthday to him, but got right down to business when it came to blowing out the candle (all by himself) and gobbling down one of his favorite things, "Happy Cake". He also didn't flinch at the present opening gig this year- though we did have to talk him into coming back to the table to open the rest of the gifts.

I think birthday 2 is a bittersweet celebration. #1 in some ways, maybe because that first year is all about survival for mom and dad and that is what the first birthday part is all about. But with the 2nd birthday they start to get it a little bit more and you watch this little baby actually becoming more of a big person. To say I didn't get a little choked up would be a total lie. (pregnancy hormones much?)

Who knows, this could have been our last weekend as just three!

We are so excited to meet this new baby- it's all about anticipation and patience now.

39 weeks

A Blessing (not in disguise)

Blessings don't always have to come in disguise. Sometimes they are right there, plain and clear and fully within reach, grasp and hugging distance.

This weekend was proof of that. I have some amazing women in my life and on Sunday they gathered to help me celebrate becoming a mama of two.

I laughed, I got teary eyed, I ate amazing food, I had my belly painted with henna and my feet soaked and washed with loving hands. What a special day.

(I wasn't the only one getting a little henna)

There was a lot of talking about being a mom, about our men-folk (and the daddy-day care that was going down at my house as we hung out at my best friend's place). We laughed at potty humor and potty training, and watched as Deuce did a dance in my belly just to show off that he/she knew they were all gathered because of the new life it is about to bring to us.

Thank you ladies, each and everyone one of you. Not only for yesterday, but helping to weave the web that supports, honors, and shares this wide world of mine. You all have no idea how special you are in my life. To have you in one room was pretty fantastic.  

As you can tell, I wasn't shooting these photos- So thanks to the gals for taking over my camera and capturing the process as Kim did her magic on my belly.

the pebble 'tunic'

Hey look! I finished a knitting project. Remember waaaay back when I started blogging and it was all about knitting. yeah. well. things change, but I do still love to knit and this project has been in the works pretty much all summer. Squeezing in a row here and there when I could.

I am glad to have it off the needles and on this little dude, even if it is a bit bigger than I had anticipated. (I don't quite get customizing size for knitting) It will fit him for a year or two, so that I'm cool with that. We are thinking that with a belt, a helmet and a pair of boots and sword this will make a swell Halloween costume, King Arthur anyone?

He didn't want to take this off after I slipped it on him last night to see how it fit- a good thing, right?! I haven't blocked it and need to find the rouge button that I thought I had for the shoulder, but couldn't locate once I sat down to sew them on to the piece.

ravelry details

37 weeks

37 weeks down (actually 38 tomorrow, but who's counting?). 3 or 4 (or maybe less?) to go.

I am still feeling pretty darn good. Though it would be nice to be able to not grunt and groan as I try to pick something up off the floor or wipe up a spill that I (or someone else, *ahem*) has made. My morning sickness (just the nausea part) has come back and I have to take my morning food in at little intervals-actually it seems all food right after I eat makes me queasy. My right hip is still giving me a little bit of an issue (this started during labor with O and I am really hoping it doesn't give me issues this time around) and I am tired again, like really, really tired. But for the most part I am enjoying this time of *growth* and all the wiggles, stretches and blows to the internal organs I am getting from this strong baby inside.

Here is the run down from today's doctor appointment yesterday...

I have gained just about 25-30 lbs

My blood pressure is good, 'perfect' says the nurse
Baby's heart beat sounded right on track and healthy
And I am measuring, or the baby bump is measuring, just right for where I am at.

I am dilated 1 cm, the same as last week. Baby is still pretty high, but is head down.
Who knows, things could get started today or wait until 2 weeks from now.
Back next Friday to check progress.

This weekend I am having my belly hennaed (henna-ed?) and I can hardly wait.

Kim is an amazing artist and having her decorate and bless my tummy is so special. This photo was taken while Kim did her work on my friend J's belly a few months back. 

We are getting so anxious to meet this new little person. Daddy-O is ready for me not to be snoring so loudly every night next to him in bed. (this is the hardest part on him when I am pregnant, I SNORE super-duper crazy like...sorry dude). MrO keeps saying he wants to meet his new sister (I keep wondering how much this is JoJo's influence since she is rooting for a girl, tee hee). So 50% chance he is right on that one.

We have a few things on the check list left to do- mostly get our insurance stuff and phone numbers in the 'to go bag' and also get O's records from his current pediatrician to the one we are switching over to. Oh, and figure out who is going to watch the dog while we are at the hospital...

(Jojo snapped this as I was dropping O off the other day at her house before work)

I let daycare know that there are a few more people on O's pickup list that he can go home with should the baby decide to come and our usual pick up schedule is thrown. (We are lucky enough to have lots of family around and I just want to be ready should one person or another be off doing something when we head in). We are also going to move him to one day a week at school for the 6 weeks Daddy-O is home on paternity leave with me. I think it will be really wonderful to have us all home for those first few weeks. Plus, it will help save a bit of money in daycare too!
I think we have names picked out, but just last night I was skimming thru the name book again and found a few that I liked. I have one or two girl names that I wish Daddy-O would budge on, but I don't see it going down (booo). It seems like the middle name is hanging us up on a few of our choices, do we go with a family name or a combo of two names we just really like? Jeeze, it is such a huge task to give someone a name they will carry with them for the rest of their life. (and you know they will probably end up with some wack-a-doodle nickname and not get called what you choice anyway).
Maybe next week, for the full moon Deuce will decide to show up to the party???

his floor

um yeah.

This is the second time in less than 24hrs I found his room like this.

seriously, when is a mama bear supposed to be able to pee and not worry about the insanity that is going down while she takes a second...

He told daddy-o later, "I help mommy with laundry"

yes, yes you did, little man.

So instead of getting ticked, I just got my camera and captured the crazy.

And tried really hard not to let him see that I was actually laughing my arse off at the whole thing.

Because really, tossing stuff around is pretty fun.

the sweet stuff

So I can't possibly put all that savory, yummy food in the freezer without doing a little bit of time with chocolate and butter and vanilla, can I? Since I put an APB (all points bulletin) out on the facebook for some local zucchini I had to test out Krista's recipe for her zuc brownies. So that is exactly what I did this weekend...  I shredded and mixed and made oooie-gooie yum brownies with that hint of healthy. It was good. really good.

Here is the recipe for the Zuc Brownies... um, yeah. Don't say I didn't warn you once you pull these bad boys out of the oven you will find them hard to resist. Oh, and I made these on Saturday morning and today, Wednesday, they continue to be 'just taken out of the oven' moist and chewy. I love. (um, I sort of can't believe they lasted thru Wednesday!) I never quite got to making the frosting for these, and though it probably makes them that much more 'over the top', I really like them without it! So if you just can't wait, don't worry about the frosting.

Inspired Zucchini Brownies

(thanks to Krista for the original recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I kept these out)

ICING

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup butter

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini. At this point it is going to seem like you forgot something- but you didn't just stir until everything is mixed and moist. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

12 of 52: the worker bee addition

So I realized that this little blog has been full of food lately, I hope you all don't mind! it's just where I am at right now. But what else is going down you ask? Here's a little look.

Last week moved into a new office. It was only a move next door to my old office, but it has a window (that opens) and a door that shuts/locks. It is amazing how different I feel in there- just that bit of fresh air and natural light does a girl good. The locking door is a bonus. When I go back to work after maternity leave I will be back to pumping about 3x a day- last time around I had people walking in on me during this process left and right, ignoring the large sign I posted on the door (or just not knowing what 'pumping' was)- let's just say they were more than surprised to find me scrambling at getting myself hidden! 

I am really getting excited to be done with work for awhile and off on leave... Just don't know when that will start. Oh the anticipation of a new baby is the craziest thing. I like my job, but it has been a turbulent 7 months or so with layoffs and reorganization. Over half of the department I am part of was cut, including our director. Lots of really good people are gone and it is sad. I some how managed to keep hold of my spot and my co-worker's spot. I hope after I come back, refreshed, in the winter I can really get down to business and show them why the work that I do is so important and why they need us around. Right now I am burnt out and more frustrated than anything.

Freezer Food Friday (on a Monday)

Sausage, Kale and White Bean Stew

This dish became one of our favorites in late winter and throughout our very cool spring season this past year. It is crazy quick and easy to make and has a fantastic flavor. We have tried out several different kinds of sausage in it and haven't quite settled on one we like more than another. My only recommendation if you know that the sausage you are using is a little more on the greasy side, you may want to cook off the sausage in a separate pan and drain the grease so that your soup isn't an oil slick. This soup could easily be converted into a vegetarian dish by using a veg-head sausage.

I think we usually add a little bit more lemon juice than the recipe calls for once we are at the table and great a little parm cheese on top for fun. I like the side of cheese bread to dip in the broth as well - but plain 'crunchy bread' with butter would be yummy too.

 I can easily make this soup on an evening after work (something I have done several times in the past) as it is super quick, even with the chopping of the greens and opening the cans of beans :).

Cannellini Stew W/Sausage and Kale

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

• 4 (2-ounce) sausages of your liking, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (above in the picture I am using a chicken sausage)

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

• 2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

• 4 cups bagged chopped kale

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

• 6 (1-ounce) slices French bread baguette

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sausage; sauté 1 minute. Add water, broth, and beans; bring to a boil. Stir in kale, black pepper, red pepper, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

While soup simmers, sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese over each bread slice; broil 1 minute or until cheese melts. Serve toasts with soup.

If freezing, poor soup into a heat resistant bowl and place in the fridge until cool. Transfer to a zip lock baggie, squeeze out extra air and place in the freezer. To thaw, place in fridge (placing the zip lock bag in a bowl just in case there are punctures in the bag) and then reheat on the stove.

Freezer Food Friday: Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

The butternut squash is such a pretty color in this dish, what a wonderful pop of orange! Surprisingly, I followed the recipe on this one. It comes from an old Cooking Light and I can't believe I never gave it go before. Between the smell of roasting butternut squash and rosemary and then the bacon in the oven a little later; I had a grumbling and hungry tummy by the time these were heading into the freezer. I wound up using three tin foil 'cake' pans to hold all the past this made instead of the single dish that is instructed. And I have no doubt that each of those will be perfect for feeding Daddy-O, MrO and myself for dinner when the time comes.

As before, I wrapped the pans with plastic, pressing out as much air as possible then covered in tin foil (with written instructions on how to prep) before putting them into the freezer. I am going to guesstimate the cooking time here that will be needed when we go to re-heat. probably between 15-20 minutes w/ the foil on and another 5-10minutes with the foil removed. I did remember to spray the pans down this time prior to filling them... easy to forget when you aren't throwing them directly into the oven.

~~~

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Ingredients:

¾ tea salt, divided

½ tea dried rosemary

¼ tea fresh ground black pepper

3 cups (1inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

Cooking spray

6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)

8 ounces uncooked mini penne

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 cups milk

¾ cup shredded sharp provolone cheese

1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. (I actually gave the 'baking the bacon' method a try here and I think I am a convert. I lined the baking sheet with foil, placed my cooling racks on top and then lined the racks with the bacon. Set the oven at 400 and let cook for about 10 minutes. I flipped the bacon over at that point and cooked for another 5 minutes.) Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. (see my instructions above for how I froze and will reheat. I will update once I have given one of these a go in the re-heating process to get you all a more definite time for this part).

Presto-pesto

We heart pesto in this house. MrO will eat more pasta then you think is manageable for such a little dude when it is covered in the yummy green stuff and Daddy-O and I could probably have it at least once if not twice a week and be okay with it. Over the weekend we were visiting Daddy-O's sister and she had a ton of basil that needed trimming in her yard. We cut a bunch and brought it home with us.

After a good washing and plucking the leaves off the stems, I placed the pile (probably about 2 loose cups full) of the basil into my food processor along with 2-3 cloves of garlic and a pile of shredded Parmesan cheese. I gave it a good whirl while slowly pouring in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil and made the green paste that we love.

I placed the pesto into ice cube trays, covered them with plastic wrap and put them in the freezer. Once they are solid I will pop the cubes out and put them in a zip lock bag for later use. I don't use any nuts in my recipe (often pine nuts are used in pesto recipes) due to the fact that we have some nut allergies in the family and I just don't really like the flavor it gives. I also don't leave out the cheese even though I am freezing it. I have read that freezing with the cheese makes the pesto bitter, but this is the way my mom always made it and I have never noticed a bitter flavor before.

Enjoy over pasta, spread on a sandwich or drop a cube of pesto into your soup or risotto- yum!

the last thing on the list, is the list

It needs an update from the last go around when I originally drew it up. This time I have to pack for MrO so he is ready to go to Auntie and Uncle's house while we are at the hospital. I am re-thinking the amount of food I insisted on having on hand last time since half the stuff I did bring went to waste and Daddy-O went to the cafeteria to get food instead of eating what I brought. (he has still not lived down those horrible and stinky cafeteria french fries that he brought back to the L&D room. I don't care HOW nice he thought he was being by offering me a few, that greasy stank put my laboring, mommy nose over the top).

I don't have my wide leg lounge pants anymore- a huge rip in them from over use happened and they are in the re purpose pile now-so a comfy alternative is in order.

wow! 25 more days until my EDD, 25 people.

Mushroom Madness Monday

A Triple M Monday for you- this week is a veg head friendly set of recipes or at least a bit more friendly to those who don't eat red or ground meat. Next week's installment of Triple M will be anything but vegetarian friendly, as I take you down the Meat Madness road with (meat)loaves and (meat)balls, stay tuned...).
This week though, this weeks Triple M is all about Mushrooms-
Mushroom Pasta Bake and Mushroom and Chicken casserole.

I must say that my house smelled amazing this Sunday morning as I made these two dishes that I am going to share with you today.
A-maze-ING.

I can hardly wait to dig into these. My freezer is getting pretty full and I think I maybe nearing the end of my cooking spree- but I like that I have been able to crank out quite a number of meals for us and I might have to make a habit of doing this in the future. So satisfying.

I think I might be confusing MrO though, since Saturday morning, as he ate his requisite 'two-berries' (blue berries) and butter and jelly toast he was watching me chop and saute and said, "Dinnnnnnner TIME". um, well.... sort of kid.

So are ya ready for the Mushroom madness?

 I will start you off with Mushroom and Chicken Casserole.The original recipe is from a Thanksgiving issue of Cooking Light and calls for turkey (as a means to use up all those t-day left overs). But since I only had chicken around I swapped it out, poultry for poultry, I figured. I used a canned turkey gravy that I happened to have stashed in the pantry (from who knows when) and I really like the Farmhouse brand rice (we use the Mexican and Spanish rice all the time) instead of Uncle Ben's. Pairing this with the recommended cranberry sauce when serving sounds just about perfect. Next time I might add in some artichoke hearts or something fun like that.

Mushroom and Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice (such as Uncle Ben's or Farmhouse)

• 1 ounce French bread or other firm white bread, cubed (I used pre-made bread crumbs, about 1/3-1/2 cup)

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted and divided

• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

• 1 cup turkey gravy (I used canned)

• 1/2 cup 2% low-fat milk

• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage (omitted this ingredient because I didn't have it handy)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Cooking spray

• 3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°. (if you are making this to freeze you can skip this step)

Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting fat and seasoning packet. Set aside.(I left the seasoning in...)

While rice cooks, place bread in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Add 1 teaspoon butter to processor; pulse until combined. Add cheese to processor, and pulse until combined. (skipped this step since I was using pre-made crumbs)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of butter, onion, garlic, and mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in chicken and next 7 ingredients (through pepper). Add cooked rice; stir.

Spoon rice mixture into a 1 1/2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.

If freezing cover in plastic wrap and press out as much air as possible. Cover thoroughly with foil and make sure to put prep instructions either directly on the foil or on a note along with contents of the baking dish for later reference. (Thaw completely in the fridge, remove plastic and replace foil. bake covered for 30  minutes and remove foil cook until bubbly, 10-15 more minutes)

If making for eating right away, bake at 325° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with cranberry sauce.

The second recipe I am going to share reminded me of making a basic mushroom risotto, but instead of using the risotto pasta I used regular noodles. This recipe could probably be added to, zucchini, artichoke hearts, or asparagus, for instance would all be a really good fit. You could probably add in chicken, I had some extra cooked bacon that needed to be used so I chopped that up and tossed it in- ruining the vegetarianism of the dish, but....

This will be really good with a green side salad and some crunch bread I think. Again, I must thank Cooking Light for the original recipe.

Mushroom Rigatoni Bake

8 ounces uncooked gigli or radiatore pasta

2 teaspoons butter

1/4 cup sliced shallots

8 ounces sliced shiitake mushroom caps

4 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1 cup (4 ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided

Cooking spray

Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. Set cooked pasta aside.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 tablespoon thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Place flour in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring mixture to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until melted. Add pasta and mushroom mixture to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine.
Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
If freezing for later, cover in plastic, cover in foil and mark accordingly.
To prepare frozen casserole, thaw completely in fridge. Remove plastic and replace foil. Bake for 30minutes covered and 15-20 minutes uncovered.
If baking off right away, place in a 375° for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

36 weeks

36 weeks. wow. they went by oh so fast. This baby is moving and a grooving as I type. wiggling and hic-upping away to it's own little dance party. I am feeling good, but getting ready to meet this new person in person. If you have been reading along the past week or two you will know that I am into the nesting stage. Which for me equals kitchen time. I am going to try to channel some of these nesting instincts towards organizing the craft room and getting MrO's clothes sorted and some of the basic baby clothing into the drawers for Deuce. Since we don't know the sex, I will pull out mostly the simple onsies and 'neutral' colored stuff... most of which I have anyway because we had no idea what O was going to be either. I might have to go and buy something pink to take to the hospital, just in case.

My energy is here, but sometimes when I stand up I get the shooting pains into my pubic bone. I have also been getting a lot of braxton hicks, or practice contractions the past couple of days. Things are definitely on the move downward and outward. I am really looking forward to my next doctors visit (on the 13th) to find out more about if I am progressing yet or not, where the baby is positioned and all that jazz. After this apt. we are in the once a week visit mode- let the count down begin!!!

We have been working on narrowing down our names list and I think we have a couple for the boy and a couple for the girl settled. Such a hard thing to choose. This week we spent a lunch break eating sandwiches and crossing names off the list, discussing middle name options and the like. We looked at our names list from last go around and realized that many that we liked before had popped up again and a couple that we really like last time had been forgotten and resurfaced (like wise we laughed at some of the choices and wondered what we were thinking!).

Daddy-O has been approved for paternity leave this time around and I am so excited to have him around for the first 6 weeks as we settle in as a family of 4. We are also thinking about taking O out of school for all but one day a week to have him around as well- I think it could be a really special family bonding time for us all. Not to mention having all my lovies around me would be pretty awesome. I will be taking the full 12weeks of FMLA (Family Leave Act) that my work allows- sending me back to work sometime around Thanksgiving.

Just getting excited and am so amazed that I will be a mama of two babies soon!

Freezer Food Friday: Breakfast Casserole

The original recipe for this came from cooking light. I modified a bit according to what I had in the fridge- I think you could totally add veggies and leave out the meat or add bacon if you didn't have sausages around etc. I also didn't have enough white bread to make the four cups so I cut up some wheat bread heals I had been saving for bread crumbs and added them to the mix. I think it will work just fine (I hope!).

~~~~

Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups 2% reduced fat milk

1 cup (4oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped basil (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup green onions, I think you could sub in or add mushrooms shredded zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts...)

1/2 teas. dry mustard

1/4 teas. salt

1/4 teas. fresh ground pepper

8 large egg whites

4 large eggs

2-3 large sausage links (I used Italian Pork - we grilled it off since we were already grilling dinner and then I sliced it small)

4 cups (1/2 in cubed) white bread (~ 4.5 oz) This is where I used about 2 cups whole wheat bread heels and about 2cups crunch french bread.

Cooking spray

PREP:

(If you are going to just make these and not freeze preheat your oven now to 350)

Combine the milk, 1/2 cup cheese, basil/green onion and what ever veg you want to add, and next 5 ingredients (through eggs). stirring with a whisk

Divide sausage and bread evenly between 2 (8x4 inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray (ACK! I think I forgot this step... ut-oh). Poor egg mixture evenly between pans. Top each with 1/4cup cheese.

(if baking off now) Cover each pan with foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare thru step 3. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in Freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw completely in fridge for about 24 hours, Preheat oven to 350 . Remove foil; reserve. Remove plastic wrap; discard. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350 for 40min. Uncover and bake an additional 50 minutes or until bubbly.

* I like to write on the foil what the contents of the pan are and how to prepare - you could also add this on a little note. This is especially important if you are gifting these meals to someone else. They are going to need to know what to do with it and how to properly prepare the food you have so graciously made for them.