Glowing on the Inside

I don't understand women that say they love being pregnant. With the exception of actually looking forward to meeting Mili-Mali and starting a new chapter of our lives, being pregnant is exhausting and unflattering. And I certainly don't feel as though I am glowing - I must be glowing on the inside.

I have not been able to eat the foods I love the most - dried meats, cheeses, shellfish, drink wine, etc. But most of all shopping for clothes has been painful - nothing fits right and the maternity clothing is just plain AWFUL.

So besides meeting Mili-Mali in a few weeks (hopefully sooner than later) I am really looking forward to getting back in shape and shopping for what I call the "real people" clothing.

The pregnancy must be coming to an end as I am starting to look at the "real people" clothing and building my wish list. Since it feels like summer these days in South Florida, I am really feeling the outfit below. Oh Tory Burch, how I miss you!!!

Yoga Night

Wednesday nights are yoga nights in the Faux Foodie Casa. One thing I have thoroughly enjoyed throughout the pregnancy is my pre-natal yoga class. It's been educational, calming and truly an activity I look forward to. But lately I have been having a hard time going since I am always so tired. But once I get there and get a good stretch, I am glad I got off the couch and made it to class.

Especially after attending the child birth class, I see that so many of the moves that we practice is something I will use in labor. So to say the least, I am getting good preparation as to what needs to be done once the real contractions come. So far, I seem to be experiencing a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions and they are getting a lot more regular and stronger. Mili-mali is telling me she is getting ready. Well Mili-Mali, we are too :)

As soon as I walked out of the class, I texted the chef to let him know I am on my way home and he texted back "I am cooking"...wow, 4th night in the row and we are eating exactly what's planned on the Weekly Menu. Wow, I am completely amazed.

On tonight's menu we had chicken and broccoli slaw salad. Originally we planned grilled chicken, but the grill is out of gas so the chef made my favorite - breaded chicken. It was really good tonight - extra salty, just the way I like it these days. I think because it was seasoned with Vegeta - a Croatian condiment which is a mixture of spices and various vegetables.

We were visiting our friends L &D this past weekend, and they served broccoli slaw salad at their picnic. I knew I had to have the recipe. It's really a great summer salad. I love the crunchiness of the ramen noodles, sunflower seeds and almonds, and the sweetness of the dressing is a perfect contrast to the salty breaded chicken. Thank you for the recipe L - it was really delicious.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 bag of broccoli slaw

Beef ramen noodles

--Dressing Ingredients

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp sugar

ramen noodle packet

Instructions:

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and let it sit over night. Mix all the ingredients and the dressing together and voila!!!

We are participating in a Cupcake Wars competition this weekend. Since I am the baker in the family (God help us!!!) I need to consult my three cupcake cookbooks and see what we will enter into the contest. I only have 2 days to practice, too. Oh my this should be interesting!!!! Wish me/us good luck - we will need it, that's for sure.

Complete Envy

I am envious of Rachel Zoe on so many things: amazing sense of fashion, fantastic condo, superb collection of jewelry, shoes and handbags, but most of all, the women was 9 months pregnant wearing 6 inch stilettos.

Have you heard, she gave birth to a baby boy named Skyler - congrats Rachel and Rodger!!!

Banana Sandwich and Flax Seeds Benefits

I must have been really deprived of bananas last week as this week I can't seem to get enough of them. I have had bananas for breakfast every single day.

I was in a bit of a hurry this morning, so I made a quickest breakfast known to a man: toasted Arnold wheat bread, with honey peanut butter, flax seeds and banana. I also chowed it down as fast as I possibly could. One thing I am finding out during my pregnancy is that I don't know how to eat slow and enjoy a meal. And it's really frustrating for the foodie in me!

I am addicted to adding flax to everything as well - I guess you can never have too much flax, right!!! According to the WEB MD, flax has some amazing benefits:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
• Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75- 800 times more lignans than other plant foods
• Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

Research indicates that flax’s possible health benefits include reducing the risks of certain cancers as well as cardiovascular disease and lung disease.

Mediterranean Succotash with Tomato Basil Chicken Sausage

I was proud coupon shopper this weekend. I had a $1off for the Al Fresco sausages and they were on sale at Publix. Usually they cost about $5.30, and I got it for $2.29 - now that is successful couponing!!!!

Anyway, I digress. I wasn't quiet sure what to make with the sausage. My original thought was some type of pasta salad but we just had pasta the night before, so I needed a new recipe. What better place than to visit the al Fresco's website and see if they have any recommendations.

I found a recipe called Mediterranean Succotash with Tomato Basil Chicken Sausage. Now this recipe really photographed well. Just look at those colors - green and red are my favorite. The chef decided to add jasmine rice to the succotash. As he was cooking it, he kept calling it the new kind of stir fry. Have I ever told you how much he likes to make the stir fry.

It was a really nice meal - quick and delicious. It will definitely re-appear on our menu again. The recipe called for lima beans, but we were out, so the chef used some green peas. He also didn't use the garlic (I can't seem to digest garlic these days) and the orange juice - he said he wasn't "feeling" the orange juice for this meal.

Ingredients:

12 oz. al fresco Sundried Tomato chicken sausage
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 fresh garlic cloves
1 cup sweet red bell peppers, chopped
2 cups frozen sweet corn
15 oz. mature baby lima beans
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black groound pepper
1 tbsp chilled orange juice
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Instructions:

Slice the chicken sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat a medium skillet with oil over medium-high heat, add the chicken sausage to the pan along with the garlic and peppers. Saute, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add corn and lima beans, and cook for 5 minutes or until vegaetables are heated throughout.
Season with the salt and pepper, them stir in parsley.Transfer to individual dinner plates or bowls.

Ungrateful diner

I'm the most ungrateful diner you have ever met!!!! Yes, I will be the first one to admit it and I have no idea why the chef puts up with me and my shenanigans!!!

On Monday's night menu we had shrimp and pasta - as unusual as it is, we actually stuck to the menu. When chef was done cooking and called me to set up the table, I took one look at the dish, and thought oh man we should have add some spinach for color or roasted peppers. And secretly I was saying this because I knew the bland colors don't photograph so well. Of course I proceeded to say all of this out loud. The audacity!!!!

The moment I said it, I felt terrible. Here is a man who just worked 10 hours, and is now cooking and cleaning as he cooks and I am complaining - my sincerest apologies chef!!!!! Needless to say the meal was awesome. The chef made wheat pasta with sauteed shrimp, mushrooms, onions and some type of a cheese sauce. It was so creamy - perfection!!!

The chef told me (very nicely I might add), next time if I want food to photograph well, I better be in the kitchen helping him out and not parked in front of the TV. Lesson learned my friends!!

Comfort breakfast

This morning I woke up craving comfort. My body is still achy, my feet are hurting, and I am still exhausted after 9 hours of sleeping, good eats and vitamins. All I could think of is granola, bananas and chocolate. And that's exactly what I had for breakfast.

I wasn't joking when I said I missed having bananas in the house. These bananas are perfectly ripe too. Oh did I tell you I like cold bananas only.

I didn't really bother with any berries (yes, I still have them from our last COSTCO trip). This morning they would have taken too long to wash and add to my bowl. I needed my food pronto - no waiting. I usually wait for the granola to get a little soggy, but not thing morning - it was a crunch fest. I did have some juice, which I believe is from the concentrate, but it's in the fridge and I will drink it and never buy it again.

As you can tell I was in the hurry to eat this morning, I didn't even bother getting the pretty bowl out of the dishwasher, so I used my old college hot chocolate mug...hey whatever it takes to feed the hungry momma :)

Oldie but Goodie

My beloved oatmeal is back. As well are the bananas. Gosh I missed having bananas last week so much.

I am still using the same berries I purchased a week ago in COSTCO - it's a bottomless bin of berries I swear and as you can see from the photos I am using them EVERY SINGLE day.

Yum, Yum, Yum

Have I ever told you how much I love eating pork chops?!?! Love'em!!! But you rarely see them on our menu as the chef is not a biggest fan of making them. Not sure why, but I try to persuade him that it's the other white meat (the man loves his chicken) and that it's good to have something different on the menu.

I am not sure what he used for the seasoning, I forgot to ask - but I could taste - salt, pepper, paprika... The bone-in pork chops definitely are superior to the boneless. Always choose the bone-in option if you can, they have so much more flavor. The mashed potatoes were my work of art - creamy and smooth, no lumps allowed.

The chef usually just steams the broccoli and cauliflower, but last night he did something different - he added a little bit of olive oil - such a flavorful touch. I am in love with the green color in my food - it always pops-up so well on the screen.

Dessert was - Haagen-Dazs Vanilla & Almonds Ice Cream Bar but I forgot to snap a picture. I am sure you've seen it a thousand times on this blog....Good night all, it's time for the Real Housewives of Orange County!

Weekly Menu

Since we are now exactly 5 weeks away from the D-day, we are staying put - no travels, no foreign adventures, no airports, no delays, no hummus dinners, well, can't promise that one... Which of course translates into regular weekly menus and the chef cooking. Sounds great to me :)

SUNDAY: Grilled pork chops + mashed potatoes + veggie medley

MONDAY: Shrimp pasta + spinach salad

TUESDAY: Grilled mojo chicken + broccoli cole slaw salad

WEDNESDAY: Yoga night - Chipotle

THURSDAY: Chicken sausage + pasta salad

FRIDAY: Leftovers - most likely frittata

SATURDAY: Date night - da Campo Osteria

P.S. There is a good chance you will be seeing variations on the theme, since we can never stay true to the planned menu. Oh and another very important announcement - we have the groceries for the week - YIPEE!!!

Baby Stuff Shopping is Exhausting & Breakfast Challenge - Day 7

Everyone is telling me rest now, because when the baby comes, you won't have time. But no one told me that preparing for baby's arrival is exhausting. So after 2:43 minutes of Baby's R USshopping, both the chef and I were starving, so we picked up some gyros and fries at the local Gyro Shop.

Amazing lunch!!! I am not sure if it was really that amazing or was I just incredibly hungry. I had a little feta cheese, which made a world of difference. I can't wait for the time I can eat anything I want - blue cheese, prosciutto, smoked salmon, oh the list is long.

We split the fries - a very good decision as the portions are really generous (read: HUGE). They were crunchy and salty, just the way I like them.

I spent the rest of the afternoon recuperating on the couch, reading, napping and doing much of nothing. As I am starting to feel better I want to be doing more stuff, but it's probably better that I am staying put..in bed. The best of all "Rachel Zoe" re-runs were on all day Saturday afternoon - perfection!!!

Aah, you thought I flaked out on the breakfast challenge, don't you. Well I kind of did. On our way to Baby's R US, I spotted a shop called "The Bagel Palace". Long time ago, i read somewhere that the said shop is owned by a former Yugoslavian family (I guess when you don't know which republic they are from, it's safe to call them former Yugoslavian) and I've been meaning to look for it, but somehow it felt of my radar, until today.

As we drove by it, I screamed - there it is - "The Bagel Palace". The chef wasn't quiet sure what was going on, so I proceed to tell him how I've been looking for it since we moved here and finally 4 1/2 years later, I found it. So obviously, on Sunday morning, still no groceries, we went to the Bagel Palace.

I had a toasted seasame bagel with vegetable cream cheese. It totally hit the spot. I am so used to eating bagel thins that eating a real bagel was a shock to my system, a good shock might I add.

The bagel had an abundance of vegetable cream cheese. I hate to admit it, but I still prefer D&D's vegetable cream cheese. The good thing about the cream cheese were the chunks of veggies - I bet there was a whole pepper and scallion cut up in one sandwich.

What you see is only a half, the other half was eaten in the car as I was starving and could not wait to eat like every civilized person at the table. I blame it on the pregnancy hunger - I mUST EAT NOW syndrome!!!

So, yes, I kind of cheated at the end of the breakfast challenge. But it's really due to the lack of groceries in the Faux Foodie casa. I had plenty of the ideas, but just no ingredients. So to make up to you all, I will continue with the breakfast challenge next week or as long as I don't run out of the ideas.

Breakfast challenge - Day 6

I had a specific breakfast in mind for today - it's a saturday, I have time and I am not rushed, but I had no ingredients. So I resorted to a slice of bread, veggie cream cheese and an assortment of berries.

I had a piece of toasted Arnolds Healthy Multi-Grain bread. I loved all the seeds and the crunchiness of a toast. But I wish it was a little more dense, though. My favorite cream cheese is veggie cream cheese. It has a perfect hint of green and red peppers and supposedly some other veggies, but I can't really taste them. I should really think about making my own veggie cream cheese...

The assortment of berries is never ending in the Faux Foodie cassia thanks to the Costco trip from last weekend. I am almost out of blueberries and blackberries, but the box of strawberries is never ending. Unfortunately these are not so sweet as the last batch I had, so I am thinking of using the rest of them in a baking project later today.

The chef is back so we are taking advantage of it and me feeling better to do some Mili-Mali necessity shopping - crib mattress, changing pad, sheets, bottles, boopies, etc. Wish us good luck!!! It should be an interesting trip...

Fortune Cookies

Do you believe fortune cookies? This one was from couple of months ago, actually just around the time when we found out we were having a girl. I got to say - this one was so true!!!

Since we still don't have any groceries, dinner was take-out. Chinese!!! The best part of dinner was the rice. I don't even want to know how much butter is in this rice, because it was divine.

I had General Tso chicken combination. I forgot to tell them that I didn't want it spicy. Oh boy, it definitely gave me some fake contractions. I guess spicy food is really not good for me right now. Perhaps in a few weeks when I will be ready to go into labor, this is one meal I will want.

Aren't the colors beautiful - for some reason it reminds me of an Italian flag. Oh yes, weird things come to my mind that's for sure. Any who - the chicken (when stripped of red flakes) was OK, the broccoli was great, but the rice was the best. If it wasn't for the red flakes this would make a good leftover lunch for tomorrow, but I don't think I want to experience those Braxton Hicks contractions again.

I got the real meds tonight so I really hope for a good night of sleep. I have grand plans of baby preparations for tomorrow. The fever and cough really need to come to an end. Good night my darlings...I have Mili-Mali books to tend to...

Breakfast Challenge - Day 5

The guest star of this morning breakfast challenge was Nature's Path Vanilla Almond Flax Plus Granola, ooh that was a long name. I absolutely love this granola. It's crunchy and sweet, and has beautiful clusters of almonds and hints of vanilla. On top of that, it has flax seeds - yes I am crazy about flax seeds and I add them to everything!

I recently introduced the chef to this cereal and since than the box doesn't last longer than a weekend in our house. I am only able to find this granola in the Whole Foods Market and since i try to avoid going there all the time, this granola becomes once a month treat. Perhaps that makes it more special.

As per usual I added all the berries I had on hand - strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. I am out of bananas, but they would have been a perfect topping too.

But there was also something new to my toppings selection - Macademia Nut Butter - you see the white blob - that's it. I got this nut butter awhile back, but somehow it got stuck in the back of the refrigerator and I haven't used it in a long time. Since my fridge is really empty, the butter made an appearance this morning.

I have to say I am not crazy about this butter. That's probably why it's been in the back of the fridge. It's not my favorite and I doubt I will be buying another jar of it. Perhaps it's a little too nutty, and it has some sort of an after taste. But in any case, I was excited to try something new and not everything can be a winner, either.

The granola by far was the best - like there was any doubt about that. I just finished the box, and by some miracle Whole Foods Market visit is planned for this weekend, that is if I feel better. I am not feeling any better, actually if not worst. Over the counter stuff that I am allowed to take is just not cutting it - it's time to see the doctor.

Cravings

I have to admit, I haven't had any crazy cravings during my pregnancy, with the exception of really loving watermelon, pineapple and oranges. But tonight, all I wanted was pizza.

I am still feeling bad, actually the worst so far - my cough is terrible, I can't stop sneezing, my whole body aches, but somehow I still have an appetite... All I could think of this afternoon was pizza. I was feeling too sick to go pick it up from my favorite pizza joint and they don't deliver, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and made my own pizza.

These photos are terrible! I will be the first one to admit - it doesn't even look appetizing, but it was so yummy. It satisfied the craving, that's all that really mattered.

Since my fridge has less items than any fraternity fridge, I did the best I could. I used the last of NAAN bread, pasta sauce, few slices of ham and three different kinds of cheese. I baked it on 350 for 10 minutes and it came out perfect. It was crunchy, salty and very cheesy. I actually don't remember eating it as I inhaled it.

Since I have no veggies in the house, I thought an orange will give me a bit of balance to my dinner. Yummy, yummy citrus - it makes Mili-Mali spin in circles - can't really tell if she likes it or not, but it certainly gets her moving!

You got to love Florida oranges at this time of the year - they are delicious!!!

Since I lacked on veggies for dinner, I certainly made up for it at lunch. My lunch was all vegetables. It was one of those kitchen sink salads with hummus and spinach pancake. Lately I am loving salads with hummus - no salad dressing needed.

Don't you just love the color of those tomatoes - they are so sweet and juicy. Absolutely amazing!!!

It's time for me to go to bed - some tea, cough medicine and plenty of water - all I am hoping for is a little bit of sleep tonight. Good night....

Breakfast Challenge - Day 4

Breakfast Challenge - Day 4 was well thought out - overnight oats. I've been meaning to make this breakfast for a really long time now, but timing has never been right. When I say timing I mean, I didn't think about the breakfast the night before to actually prepare it. Since I was on the culinary kick last night, and looking up recipes and baking, I decided to try something new - perfect for the breakfast challenge.

The overnight oats recipe comes from one of my favorite bloggers Kath Eats Real Food. If you haven't already, go check out her website - it's amazing - photos, recipes, adventures, organizing skills...You'll love it all, but than come back to the Faux Foodie Casa please :)

They were so moist, sweet (the coconut and white chocolate chips) and fluffy. It was such a simple recipe too. It took me about 2 minutes to prepare and when I got up this morning it was the quickest breakfast I have made in a long time. I see so many different variations to this breakfast that it just might appear again on the menu this week.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together the night before
• Stir well
• Set in fridge overnight
• Add topping in the morning

Toppings

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Goji Berries
• Coconut flakes

Now let's talk about the bowl...Since my shopping for clothes has been limited in the last nine months, I have focused on shopping for household goodies. And the best place to find affordable, functional and cute items - Home Goods. The chef actually hates to go in there with me because he knows I'll be there an hour at least, but who can resist all those aisles of amazing finds. So on my recent outing I ended up buying 3 different bowls in baby blue color. Isn't this bowl just absolutely the most adorable thing you've seen. Ok, probably not, but it caught my eye immediately and I knew it would serve its purpose well. Simple, functional, cute and cheap - that's what I call a good buy!

P.S. I feel like crap today. I have a cold and I barely slept at all. I think it's time to call my doctor and see if I can take anything. I can't seem to stop coughing, ouch....I need my mommy!