weeknight wonder: kitchen sink cobb salad

Why, hello there!  Hope that you had a lovely weekend.  We were insanely productive...  The car got inspected, closets got cleaned out, garage sale finds were washed and placed in the nursery, photo sessions were snapped and edited, recipes were tested, groceries bought, cleaning done... On top of that, Jason worked, Lady got spayed, and we went to a base ball game with friends.  Needless, to say, I'm am exhausted. I need a weekend to recover from the weekend... or at least a second cup of coffee.  Ever feel like that on Mondays?

So tonight, we will probably have something easy like this kitchen sink cobb salad. It's pretty simple.  Bake some bacon, boil an egg or two, and then toss in whatever veggies you have in the fridge. Easy to throw together, but it's a super fresh dinner that is still filling thanks to the eggs and bacon.  The recipe below lists the veggies I used for this exact salad, but usually I don't follow a recipe.  I chop and toss really whatever we have in the produce bin into this sucker.  I do like adding berries cause I like a little something sweet and unexpected.  I used a sprinkle of cole slaw mix to give it some crunch, but you could substitute nuts or croutons. Cracked black pepper gives the meal a finished touch. 

Super simple.  Enjoy and happy Monday!

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pack your man better lunches

Lunch is one of my favorite meals.  (Let’s be real, I’m pregnant.  Any meal is pretty much my favorite… ) On workdays, it a tiny respite that signals that I’m halfway through and I’ll get to relax soon.  On weekends, it usually means a lunch date with Jason or after church grub with friends.

Recently, Jason has been working 10-12 hour days and he asked me to beef up his lunches a little.  A turkey sandwich, veggies, baked chips, and an apple won’t always cut it when you are at the office from 6AM-6PM.  His food options at work:  vending machines, a fried chicken truck, and a greasy cafeteria… not the healthiest choices. At first, I tried to pack his lunches based on how long he thought he would be there.  But that turned out slightly chaotic.  Some days he didn’t have to work as long, others he had to work late unexpectedly.  So, instead of basing his everyday lunches on what he thought his schedule was, I decided to just pack him a big bag of non-perishable food to keep at his desk.   I still pack him a basic lunch every day, but now he has options when work is crazy.  It’s worked great.  He has plenty of food and the snacks are much healthier.  This really isn’t a recipe, but below are a few of the foods I send with him.  (This isn’t a sponsored post; just a list of products we like and that are on the healthier side.) I usually have to send a bag of goodies every two weeks.  I even started taking a few of these products to my office just to have on hand if I missed breakfast or couldn’t take a lunch break.

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23 Weeks

It's just about time for an update on our little tyke. We made it through the 20 week ultrasound without finding out the sex, so I think we might actually make it to the due date. This being surprised stuff takes a ridiculous amount of self control. 

How far along: 23 weeks yesterday!  I can't believe we are almost 6 months along.  CRAZY!!!

Weight gain: 19 whopping pounds! In spite of working out nearly everyday, eating less than 1800 calories a day, AND drinking a kale smoothie every morning.  When we went for our 20 week ultrasound, they told us that we were having a big baby.  He or she weighed 1 pound already.  Still, that doesn't make me feel much better.  This pic however does.  Look at that little nose and those sweet baby feet. (Heart melting...)

Clothes: Now that it's a bit warmer, lots of sun and shift dresses.  I'm still in my jeans in spite of the weight gain.  I can button everything but my skinny jeans.  I've been using the DIY rubberband trick on those and I have one pair of maternity skinny jeans. 

Purchases/Gifts: My mom and mother-in-law surprised us by delivering our crib and changer to the apartment.  My little sis helped me clean out the spare room and Jason set up the crib.  Even though it's still pretty bare, it's nice to walk in there in the mornings and see the sunlight speckling the white crib and think that in just a few months we'll have a baby. 

Health: This baby is running circles in my stomach.  I feel little flutters all the time. I'm glad.  It makes me feel like the baby is healthy.

I'm getting over bronchitis, so I'm not at my greatest but I'm grateful that my body has been able to beat it so far without medication.  Vick's Vapor Rub and cough drops have been my best friend.  Sleeping ok, good appetite, and still able to work out.  I do Jillian Michael's Yoga and 30 Day Shred a few days a week. On  Saturdays, I do the old faithful Cindy Crawford workout.  Say what you will but this is 75 minutes of toning. Jason thinks Lady is a little too rambunctious for me to walk alone now, but I usually walk with them a few days a week.

Cravings: Cuties, Apple Jacks, coffee, and toast with jam.  

Emotions: Still a little messy, but much stabler than they were a few weeks ago.  I think the excitement helps.  

Hopes and Dreams: I can't wait to see what kind of personality our tyke has... Will they be chill like Jason or enthusiastic like me?  Will they be a morning person or like to sleep in?  Will they have a sense of humor?  So many questions... Who is this little person going to be?