Well guys, that time is coming up oh so quickly and I’m being forced to think about grown-up things like the future, insurance, and being a mom.  You know, normal things…but since I feel like I’m essentially a 21-year-old trapped in a 28-year-old body I get a little intimidated when it comes to grown up things.  But alas things are going to be changing in my life in a big way soon, and while I could not be more excited I’m also a little anxious about what that’s going to look like, how my days will change, and what the heck am I going to do about blogging?

Here’s the thing:  this little blog has brought about so much fun, love, friendship, and support that there’s no way on earth I’ll ever stop.  Nope, you guys are stuck with me!  But I’m not going to lie – since life is going to be changing a bit, I think it’s fair to assume that the blog will too.  Food always has been and always will be a big part of my life, but if I’m going to be fair to myself and my family I’m going to have to be honest about the fact that making up fun recipes is likely going to go on the proverbial back burner for a few weeks after delivery.  I’ll still be cooking, and I’ll still be sharing those recipes, but the extra little oohmph! that I normally put in there?  Well, it may be on hiatus for a while.  The thing is I don’t know what it’s like to have a baby so I can’t say for sure one way or another, but my hope and plan is to still share what’s going on in our lives and what’s going in our bellies.

What you can be sure to find, though, is a lot of thoughts about what in the world is happening in my life, how it’s changing my heart, my mind, and my body.  How being a mommy is influencing our marriage, our pups, and the free time.  It may be a lot, and it may be a lot of information that is weird or a little TMI at times, but I never said that this blog would solely be about food forever and ever amen.

Just most of the time

So in general you may find more or less of the same with more thoughts about being a mom, a predictably ridiculous number of baby photos and chats about feeding times, panic attacks and so on.  And you know what?  I can’t wait to take y’all on this journey with us!

Y’all.  Make this.  Just skip work, class, whatever you have going on and…make this.

I’ve been going through a huge mac and cheese kick lately where all I crave is the real homemade kind with breadcrumbs and toasted cheese on top.  The kind where creamy doesn’t even begin to describe the texture, and bacon?  Well, let’s just be honest here…who wouldn’t love a little bacon with anything they eat?

Exactly.

Funny story that’s not really funny, except for now it’s funny because I can laugh at myself.  But at the time it was a meltdown the likes of which I can’t say I’ve really ever seen myself have.

What happened?  Oh, I’ll tell you what happened:  I pulled this little crock of mac and cheese out of the oven, tried to place it on a trivet, and proceeded to somehow knock it over and it went all over the counter.  Not the floor or sink or other such things, but the freshly cleaned and highly sanitary counter. I honestly can’t say I’ve ever had the desire to say the ‘F’ word, but I almost let it drop as I hurled my oven mitts the whole 3 feet across the kitchen and screamed and told Nate to leave me alone.

And then I started sobbing like a child.  It’s true.  It felt very Julie and Julia, only that didn’t feel that great.  And then I stood and cried and apologized a bajillion times to Nate, picked up the mac and cheese and started over again with the breadcrumb topping.

The good news?  The mac and cheese is phenomenal and bacon has magical mind-erasing powers to where Nate totally forgot about the fact that I’m a big jerk and helped me eat this up anyway.  Thank goodness…

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH MELTED LEEKS AND BACON

• 1 lb short-cut pasta (I used shells, but penne would be great too)
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, sliced into half-moons and rinsed well
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup (6 oz) soft herbed cheese (I used Alouette, but Boursin would be great too)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp (or less) cayenne pepper
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to broil.  Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente; drain and set aside.  Meanwhile crisp up the bacon slices in a large skillet over medium low heat.  When they’re crispy remove from heat, reserving 2 Tbsp of the drippings.  Saute the leeks in the bacon drippings until they’re very translucent and extremely tender (i.e. “melted”), about 10-15 minutes.  It takes a while, but it’s well worth the outcome!  Sprinkle in the 2 Tbsp of flour and mix well with the leeks, cooking out the flour for about 1 minute.  Stream in the milk while whisking to incorporate everything well.  Stir in the spices and bring to a simmer over medium low heat until the mixture is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses.  Pour the pasta into the sauce and toss to coat.  Pour into a greased 9×13 pan.  In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs and olive oil, then sprinkle over the top of the pasta.  Broil until golden, about 3-5 minutes.  Chop the bacon and sprinkle over the top.

DEVOUR.

So now I’m wondering…that whole bacon thing?  I wonder if it works on husbands when you’re going through birth.  You know, like if I say something mean or get annoying…can I just feed him bacon afterwards and make it all better?

I’ll research that and get back to you

Don’t get scared…I meant to make something vegan for you today.

I know you’re probably wondering why on Earth I would be making something vegan.  I mean, I FULLY support using real butter in baked goods, I eat eggs on a daily basis, cheese is a staple in our house, and we have some sort of meat at every dinner.  So the vegan thing?  Yeah, I know…it doesn’t make sense.

But try this cake and suddenly you’ll see that OMG this vegan cake is face-rocking as it comes.  And I have big big BIG plans for making all kinds of crazy versions of it.  And may or may not be drooling just thinking about it…

Another reason I may make vegan baked goods from time to time is simple:  oops, I ran out of butter and eggs.  (blushing).  Hey, it happens…and thank goodness that there’s a way to still make this kind of magic happen even without butter and eggs because, well, a cake to snack on is clearly the cake for me.  And just so you guys know that this is REALLYREALLYREALLY good…I had to ask Nate to take it away from me yesterday so I wouldn’t keep eating it.

Don’t take that lightly…I think he was a little scared to do it at first.  But it was necessary!

VEGAN APPLE CRANBERRY SNACK CAKE

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 vegan eggs (2 Tbsp chia seeds OR milled flax + 6 Tbsp warm water, let it sit for about 3 minutes to gel)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened plain coconut milk yogurt OR unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour (or a combo of the two)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups grated apples (I used Fuji apples, about 4 of them)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 325.  In a bowl whisk together the oil and sugar until combined.  Add in the vegan eggs, yogurt/applesauce, and vanilla and whisk until well combined.  Add the flour, baking powder, and spices and whisk until combined.  Fold in the apples and cranberries until evenly mixed.  Pour into a greased 8×8 cake pan; bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.  Serve warm or at room temperature!

Seriously.  This cake.  There are no excuses…it’s practically health food!

Ohmigosh, can we please just chat for a second about how much I LOVE chorizo?

Now I know, I know, I KNOW what it is made out of traditionally and I know that hey, it’s not the healthier sausage choice for the world.  BUT it’s spicy and packs a ton of flavor and I don’t really feel the need to apologize for flavor, you know?

My first run-in with chorizo was in high school.  See, every Friday I would treat myself to breakfast out, which usually meant Chick-fil-A or Sunshine Donuts and a massive Diet Coke.  Which, by the way, all sounds INCREDIBLE right now.  Remind me to eat when I’m done writing this.  But there were days where I would stop at Josie’s (another local Lubbock joint) to get two breakfast burritos and a drink.  One day I ordered an egg and potato burrito and a sausage/potato burrito when I was informed that the only sausage they had was chorizo…and did I want that instead?  Not knowing how my life was going to change I said yes, got an extra thingy of salsa, and went on my merry way to school.

I sat in the parking lot and ate my first burrito, completely blind to the fact that I would never order just regular sausage from Josie’s again.  When I opened up the second I was a little scared about the bright orangey-red color from the chorizo, but I took a deep breath and dug in anyway.

FIREWORKS PEOPLE.  Fireworks of flavor.

It was spicy and salty and perfect.  Paprika-y, peppery, amazing.  In that moment I wished that I’d ordered 10 of them, although realistically my high school budget wouldn’t have been able to afford that.

I tell you guys that story to tell you this:  don’t be scared of the chorizo.  Embrace it.  Make it in a stew like this crazy easy one below, covered with goat cheese and steaming hot.  Just try it…and if you don’t like it?

Just send it to me

CHORIZO LENTIL STEW

• 1 lb chorizo sausage, cut into slices (if you really don’t like chorizo or can’t find it, spicy Italian – or regular Italian – sausage will taste great too)
• 1 15-oz can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can fire-roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup dried lentils***
• 4-6 cups fresh chopped spinach
• salt and pepper to taste

In a big stockpot brown the chorizo in a little bit of vegetable oil, stirring constantly, until almost done – about 5-7 minutes.  Add in the cannelini beans, tomatoes, lentils, and chicken stock and stir until combined.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the lentils are soft and tender.  Remove from heat and stir in the spinach; cover for about 5 minutes to let it wilt.  Season with salt and pepper to taste (I ended up using maybe 1/2 tsp of salt and no pepper).  Serve hot with goat cheese!

***If you would like to use canned cooked lentils then make sure they are rinsed and drained, then just bring the soup to boil and make sure the chorizo is cooked all the way through – no need to go the full 30 minutes if they’re already cooked!***

I’m telling y’all, a cold winter day + chorizo lentil stew = LOVE

Consider this a little horn-tooting, but this week I was SO honored to be featured on a couple of fabulous national blogs!

Fitness Magazine (pretty much the only fitness magazine I actually read and find relevant) featured me in their ‘Fit Blogger We Love’ series on their Fit Stop blog!  Want to know what I’m not ashamed to belt out in a workout?  Click here to find out!

AND

Want to know how to travel when you’re preggo?  Check out Baby Center’s Momformation Blog to find out my fail-proof ways to dress, eat, and move while traveling and pregnant!

I’ve loved having the chance to give my 2 cents to these two fabulous publications and hope to be able to write even more for them in the future!

Remember that one time earlier this week when I professed my love for all things vanilla?  And then just a few days later I made something screaming with dark chocolate goodness?

Because that’s now.

This is real life y’all – welcome to 38 weeks of pregnancy where everything sounds good the second you even so as mention it’s name.  Case in point:  dark chocolate.  FEED ME.  I WANT.  I NEED.

Gimme gimme gimme.

When it comes to cupcakes I have to say that I totally see the phenomenon.  They’re small, they’re cute, they’re perfectly little portioned sizes of cakey goodness.  Who wouldn’t want to partake?

P.S. When I was in high school and oh-so-mature my friend Julie and I listened to a story from her brother about a family in Hawaii he knew that called all of their kids Cakey and thus, clearly, we started calling one another “Cakey” all the time.

Now that I’m a significantly more mature 28-year-old (OMG.  This story happened 10 years ago.  Excuse me whilst I go sob a little…) I’ve come to realize that they called their kids “Keiki” which sounds like “Cakey” and actually means “child” in Hawaiian.  Therefore in all of our infinite 18-year-old wisdom we were wandering the halls of our school calling one another children.

Is this relevant?  No.  I just thought I’d share.  Because it’s Friday and we all need to partake in a little cakey/keiki goodness!

DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CUPCAKES

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil (vegetable oil or melted butter will also work)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pint whole raspberries, washed and dried

Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with muffin cups.  Whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and milk until smooth and completely mixed.  Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and whisk until the ingredients are combined.  Gently fold in the raspberries.  Scoop into lined muffin cups, filling about 2/3 of the way full.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Frost with your favorite frosting (I kept with the berry theme and topped them with the Triple Berry Cream Cheese Frosting, but pick your favorite frosting and go to town!) when the cupcakes are completely cooled!

Next week?  I may be detoxing from the sugar spree (granted I didn’t eat too much of this because of the gestational diabetes) with some pretty fabulous stuff.  Stay tuned!

I made something for you.  Well, for you and me.  There has to be two in the equation, you see…

I made the crust with Corn Flakes because honestly I didn’t have any Ritz crackers or graham crackers in the house.  The result?  Super crunchy and delightful…and a decision that Corn Flakes are now the new black.  Seriously.  I’ll probably never eat them for breakfast, but I suppose one can never say never, right?

Also, I kind of sort of lied.  On accident.  You DO have the bake the crust on this, but everything else is refrigerator-friendly!  Promise!

I remember once upon a time when I was a banana snob…as in I would only eat bananas in banana bread and I would only eat my mom’s banana bread.  It’s off the hook, really, and I didn’t think that bananas belonged anywhere else.  When I was in school I worked in a kitchen where the dessert that EVERYONE raved about was this bruleed banana monstrosity with extra whipped cream (don’t even get me started on that…OMG) and sugar and pastry cream and allthisotherstuff all.over.the.plate.

I refused to touch it.  I snubbed my nose at it.  I told people to just get that crappy banana crapola away from me.

Then one night we had extras.  I had hungry roommates.  So (with permission of course…I’m such a rule follower) I snagged some to take home.  When I arrived one of the roomies had already fallen asleep and I was tricked by pure peer pressure! to just grab a fork and eat the dang banana dessert while we all watched Grey’s Anatomy.

And y’all?  That monstrosity?  It won my heart that evening, what with its layers of gooey caramel and whipped cream and other crazy ingredients I can’t even remember.  And bananas and I were friends again once more.

NO-BAKE BANANA CREAM CHEESECAKE FOR TWO

• 1/3 + 1 Tbsp cream
• 1/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 very very very ripe banana
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/3 cup finely crushed Corn Flakes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  In a bowl mix together the Corn Flakes, melted butter, and 2 tsp sugar.  Spray a small ramekin (mine is about 5 inches in diameter and 3 inches tall) with nonstick spray.  Press the Corn Flake mixture onto the bottom and sides of the dish; be careful since it will be crumbly!  Bake at 350 for about 7-9 minutes until it’s golden and warm.  Set aside (and turn off your oven…no more baking!).  In a small saucepan whisk together the cold cream and gelatin and carefully let it warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved and the cream is starting to bubble around the edges.  Set aside.  In either a stand mixer or with a hand mixer cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and banana, scraping down the sides and making sure it’s all well combined.  Add in the vanilla and sea salt and mix again.  Now (and this is where a stand mixer is useful) slowly stream in the cream/gelatin mixture while beating the banana mixture.  Once it’s in the bowl turn up the speed and whip for another 2-3 minutes.  Pour into the prepared crust – you may have extra, which I just put in a cup and refrigerated alongside the actual cheesecake.  Let sit in the fridge for about 4-6 hours until firm; top with bananas, whipped cream, caramel, cinnamon, or whatever else you want!

Devour.

Ah yes, banana monstrosities are now one of my favorite things.  Never say never people!

…what labor will be like…
…how I’ll actually know I’m in labor…
…if I’ll really be able to do it without medication…
…what hearing his first cries will feel like…
…if breastfeeding will work out (Lord knows I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure it does)…
…what seeing my husband hold our baby will feel like…
…what it’s going to be like to look into our little guy’s eyes for the first time…
…if he’ll have my husband’s dimples…
…if I’ll just fall into holding and changing and feeding him naturally…
…what it will feel like to no longer be pregnant…
…how the dogs will react to their new human brother…
…how our world will change, how much sleep we’ll miss, and how much fun we’ll have…

What I don’t wonder is how much we love this little man and how much our lives will be enriched and filled with happiness because of his little breath, his little fingers and toes, his smile, and the fact that we were chosen and blessed to be his parents.  I can’t wait to be a mommy to him, to struggle through all the new things we have to figure out, and to see what God has in store for us!

We interrupt the oops-I-made-nothing-but-sweets episode of Valentine’s week to bring you this ridiculously easy, healthy, awesome recipe.  Get ready guys – it’s only a 2-photo post but I promise these will make your heart sing!

I have to be honest here and say that I didn’t actually plan on sharing this recipe with you guys.  Not because I’m feeling stingy, but because this was just a weeknight dinner for us that I happened to photograph and then decided that I was in love with.  All I’m saying is that if I find something good, far be it from me to keep it to myself – and these bad boys are delicious!  Besides that I’m in the middle of making a bunch of food to freeze for our post-baby eating adventures and, well, these are part of that.  Or if you’re not embarking on the craziness of parenthood like Nate and myself it’s a great way to get some portion control in your life.

Except for the potatoes.  OMG the potatoes.  I’ll just slap that “recipe” down here too…you know, in case you need something ridiculously easy to faceplant into alongside the meatloaf.  Like I said, far be it from me to hold anything delicious back!

MINI CHICKEN MEATLOAVES

This works well with ground turkey as well, I just used chicken since that was the only ground poultry in the store that day.

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 1 onion, shredded
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 zucchini, shredded and with as much of the juice squeezed out as you can
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1 whole egg
• 3/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray.  In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix together well…you can use two forks if you want to stay dainty or if you’re impatient like myself you can just dig in with your hands and wash them well afterwards.  Once all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed fill each muffin tin with about 1/4-1/3 cup of the mixture (depends on the size of your muffin cups, but ultimately you want it filled just to the top of the cup).  If you’re a ketchup person then feel free to add some to the top of each little loaf.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until the internal temperature is 165 Fahrenheit.  Let cool just slightly before removing from pan; serve hot!

EASIEST MASHED POTATOES EVER

• 3 Russet potatoes
• 8 oz Boursin or Alloutte herbed cheese

Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut into small cubes.  Cover with water in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 20 minutes until very tender; drain and add back to the pot.  Using a potato masher mash up the potatoes a bit and then add in the cheese…yes, all of it.  Mash together until as smooth as you want and add salt and pepper if desired.  EAT

This past weekend Nate surprised me with a little babymoon getaway, which means of course that he is a) the sweetest husband ever, b) very very sneaky with his surprises, and c) awesome in every way possible.

He booked us a room at The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center in Englewood, CO.  It was far enough away from home to be considered a trip, but still close enough that staying one night was an easy feat.  Besides, since I could *technically* go into labor at any point in time we needed to be close-ish to the hospital.  Just in case!

We got there Friday night and enjoyed the best burger I think we’ve ever had at one of the hotel restaurants, then promptly got to our room and passed out on the bed to the tune of an Old School marathon on TV.  We slept in (gotta get that rest while we can, right?!) and laid in bed and talked.  Now here’s where I have to interject something:  talking to my husband is one of my favorite things ever.  If I have the chance to lay in bed with no responsibilities, snuggle with him and talk about our lives then I’m a happy girl.  I was in heaven

Oh, did I mention the hotel made us this cute little dessert?  It was tiny and delicious and perfect!

Anyway, we spent the rest of the morning relaxing and eating breakfast, then around noon headed over to Ikea for a couple of last-minute baby things.  We did some maternity photos (I’ll share those later!) and just generally spent the day together, which was perfection.  Just goes to show that while a full-on vacation is great, spending time together for a little weekend getaway doesn’t have to be extravagant.  In fact, I’d say the less extravagant the better…I had the best time!

Nate, I love you and thank you so much for our little trip.  That time with you is something I’ll always cherish