Freezer Meals Round 2

We did another round of freezer meals about a month ago. We wanted to try a different group with a better mixture of tastes. So far, they've been great...and by that I only have 1 left in my freezer and I am ready to go again!

We again doubled the list to make a batch for me & a batch for my mom. We spent under $200 & made 24 meals!

Here's your grocery & recipe list!

6+ months coffee free

Yes, it's true. The girl who typically drank from a coffee mug as big as my head hasn't had coffee in over 6 months. The day I discovered I was pregnant again, I had poured myself a cup of coffee and an hour later it was still just as full because I couldn't stand the taste of it. Then as the pregnancy progressed the smell of brewing coffee made me gag. So lucky for me, I didn't have to go through the caffeine headaches as I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey & lucky for the baby, they don't have to deal with the jolt of the limited amount of caffeine I could have had from coffee.

In the fall, the 1st thing I wanted after my miscarriage was a hot steamy coffee, something I had missed over those 9 weeks. It was the the symbol of the end of the pregnancy. I could have coffee.

This pregnancy, I'm good leaving it alone. At first it was easy, but as I started to feel better and it didn't make me gag, I was like I could have a decaf. But I've held out, I don't need it to survive, and to me holding out is now the symbol of the healthy and continuing pregnancy I am going through.

Will I need it after the baby is born? Will it even taste good anymore? I don't know. I'm sure I'll need caffeine at times, but hey it may be something that changes.

Mother's Day Brunch - [Recipe]!

I wanted to something different for my mom & mother-in-law this Mother's Day becuase it is the last one before they are grandmas. So I had this French Toast bake at a friend's house a few weeks ago and then discovered it came from one of my favorite blogs & knew it was what I needed to make them.

So I planned a Mother's Day brunch a day early so they could celebrate with our grandma's on Mother's Day. It was a hit & fun to have our moms over for brunch!

Blueberry French Toast Bake

Ingredients
1 loaf of french or sourdough bread
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (I added a bit more)
1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

Directions
Grease a glass baking dish and line the sliced bread. Layer the bread so it overlaps just slightly, but not so much that it doesn't cook evenly. In a small bowl, mix together egg, milk, vanilla & cinnamon. Pour over bread evenly. Sprinkle blueberries on top, cover & place in fridge overnight.

To bake, remove cover & place in oven at 350 degrees for about 40 mins. You'll want to check it towards the end so it doesn't get overly crispy.

Dress with a dusting of powdered sugar & serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Why I Don't Care to Know the Gender

As my little brother says, "with technology these days, why wouldn't you find out the gender?"

Short Answer: I don't want to, it won't change if I have the baby or not or if I love them or not. Same with the genetic testing, I don't care, and I don't need to know.

Long Answer: Why does it matter that I know?

It doesn't change how I carry the pregnancy, I still have a baby growing inside of me, it's kicking, I've been sick, I go to my appointments, I follow the diet, I grow out of my clothes, etc.

I don't plan to paint my nursery pink or blue, I want it to be neutral. I plan to have more kids, so why would I want a room I am going to have to paint over & over again?

I don't want to have a shower where I get 57 headbands for my little girl. I want to have a shower that would provide me with things I actually NEED to have a kid and kids in the future.

I don't want my kid defined by their gender color, pink or blue. I am not a big fan of pink, so I don't want them dressed in their gender's commercially assigned color. I want to have it open, let them decide if they want to be a princess or an outdoorsmen on their own.

I don't want to have a name picked out that I am calling the unborn child, sure we have names we like but maybe they just won't fit when I see the new baby. I don't want to be calling my stomach, Shania or Jim, Baby O. suits it just fine.

I like the sense of not knowing, it doesn't change how I am feeling through the pregnancy, the unknown is just part of becoming a parent. How they will behave is unknown, how it will change me is unknown, why not just relax and live with the unknown.

My love for them will not change if they are a boy or a girl, Greg's love for them will not change. We enjoy the mystery and don't think we'll change in the future either.

ADDITION: This came up on my Facebook feed this morning, I fully agree with this post: http://www.scarymommy.com/not-find-out-boy-or-girl/

[Recipe] Honey Chicken

A quick 30 minute recipe that has become an easy go-to for us over the last few years. (Sorry not picture this time, you'll just have to trust it tastes good!)

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes)
1/8 cup ketchup
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, put into a baking dish (that has a lid).
2. Season the chicken with the salt & pepper. Mix to help cover the pieces. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic & pepper flakes. 
4. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken.
5. Bake at 350 degrees, stirring every 10 mins until the chicken is cooked through. It typically is 30 mins, but based on the size of chicken pieces we have had to go to 40 minutes.

Life Changes Quickly

Well, as quickly as life shuts a door another is opened. While drinking a cup of coffee in December that I could barely gag down, I realized I may be pregnant again. I didn't know what to do, I was still freaked out and emotions were still whacked by the miscarriage. As the weeks went by I finally was able to step out of the denial of being pregnant again enough to call the doctor's office to make an appointment.

I have switched offices, and let me state from the 1st appointment on, I have felt more welcomed, comfortable and informed at my new office than I did at the last one. This time we actually told our family members earlier, I wanted to have a support system around me if anything happened again, I didn't want that alone feeling.

We had our initial ultrasound and the heartbeat was very strong, I just wanted to keep listening. It was such a change compared to the last ultrasound I had seen. The weeks continued, my stress level between appointments remained, those 4 weeks in between were tough because I didn't know what was happening. The one thing I could find ease in was being nauseous and sick for 15 weeks, I knew if I was sick, things must be continuing to progress. While I no way enjoyed it, I found comfort in it.

Just before we hit 20 weeks, I started to feel the movements, another great ease in my mind. Probably more ease than the monthly appointments listening to the heartbeat, because this could be felt daily. Then the 2nd ultrasound made it more real with new measurements and images.

As the weeks progress and we long to meet the little one in August, I find comfort in the kicks that keep me awake. And treasure the exhaustion more than I may have before.

[Recipe] Blueberry Muffins

I've been wanting blueberry muffins, but not boxed, they didn't sound appealing. So I started the Pinterest search to find the perfect muffin, 5 pins later I picked one that I had all the ingredients for and went for it. And they were great, hubby liked them, little bro liked them & my mom liked them. So we'll flag it as a success.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients
2/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
1 cup blueberries (or as many as you feel you need to put in)
White sugar to sprinkle on the top

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine the sugar, egg, oil, milk & vanilla. Mix well.
3. Add the flour, baking powder & salt. Once mixed well with the liquid ingredients, add in the sour cream. Mix and then add the blueberries.
4. Fill in the muffin tins, should make about 8-12 regular sized muffins. Sprinkle sugar over the top if you want it.
5. Bake for 25 mins.