Nursery

Hubby and I agree on how to decorate the nursery and haven't made too much progress since we decided what we were going to do.  We aren't going to paint until the weather is a little nicer so we can open up the windows (paint fumes + pregnancy = no good).

Since this is my second baby I don't get a baby shower; however, my mom wanted to buy something for the baby for Christmas.  So she gave us the money to buy the perfect crib and that's exactly what we did. The crib arrived a few days ago and Lovey couldn't take it any longer, she *needed* her baby brother or sister's crib put together immediately.  Hubby surprised me and put the crib together in about an hour with minimal frustration.

Please excuse the blurry picture.  The lighting was bad and I was trying to take a quick picture when Hubby wasn't exactly too excited about it.

One part of the nursery down and only a dozen more things to do.  Good thing we have some time.

Bisquick Chicken

Bisquick Chicken

I don’t like to eat fried chicken.  Well, don’t get me wrong I like the taste of fried chicken, but I don’t like how I feel after I eat it.  All the grease makes me sick afterwards, so this is my alternative to fried chicken (adapted from the official Bisquick recipe).  It’s 1000x healthier than fried chicken and is gluten free (I eat gluten but I know many people don’t).

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons melted butter (margarine)

1/3 cup Bisquick mix

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 chicken boneless chicken breasts (you can leave a whole breasts or cut into pieces)

Zip-lock bag

Directions:

Grease baking dish (I used a 13x9) with melted butter

Add ingredients to zip-lock bag and shake until the chicken is coated

Bake at 425 for 35 minutes.  Turn chicken and bake for another 15 minutes.

Tip: Don’t put the pieces of chicken too close otherwise it messes up the browning process

Grape Salad

Grape salad is one of the *best salads* ever created.  Not only is it delicious but I never have any leftovers.  Ok, so this isn’t exactly a salad per say, but hey no one has ever complained that instead of something leafy green they got this instead.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. red seedless grapes
1 (8oz.) pkg. of cream cheese
1 (8oz.) container of sour cream
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Almond slivers (optional)
1/4 cup Brown sugar (optional)


Directions

Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar(s) until smooth

Wash grapes and remove stems

Gently fold grapes and almonds into cream cheese mixture

Refrigerate about an hour before serving

16 weeks

How far along? 16 weeks
Baby’s size? About the size of an avocado (4 ½ inches long and weighs 3 ½ oz)
Total Weight Gain: lost 3 lbs
Stretch marks? No
Maternity Clothes? Yes…but only 3 bottoms. I’m not ready to commit to maternity clothes
Sleep: …ugh- that should say it all
Miss Anything? Soft cheeses and wine
Movement: fluttering
Food cravings: fried foods- wings, onion rings, pickles
Anything making you queasy or sick: Raw meat and seeing blood.
Symptoms: Fatigue, ligament pain, colon issues, and now spotting
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy

I started spotting today :(  I’m so thankful I have such a great doctor’s office and got in pretty much right away.  The nurse checked the baby’s heartbeat and it was fine, then I got an internal exam, and finally an ultrasound.  The results from my internal exam aren’t going to be available right away, so I’m doing my best not to worry- much easier said than done.  So bed rest it is....

Happy New Year!

I'm still covered with the itchy rash :(  and last night I unknowingly scratched myself raw.  Thankfully it's a small area and it's already starting to scab up.  My New Years' resolution is to not scratch- I really don't want any scars.

We decided to officially announce the pregnancy since it's obvious to anyone who sees me that I have a baby bump (I'm 2 days away from being 16 weeks).

Please excuse the lounge wear (aka our pajamas)

Easy Pasta Salad

Easy Pasta Salad

As a child my mom never made pasta salads, so after entering the adult world I was clueless about them.  When it was my turn to bring a pasta salad I always went to the deli and got something ready-made.  After realizing how popular they were (and how much I liked them) I decided it was time to learn how to make pasta salads.  Although it’s easy it’s a classic that everyone is sure to enjoy.

Ingredients:

8 oz of spiral pasta, cooked and drained

2 1/2 cups of assorted blanched vegetables (broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, pea pods, cauliflower, onions, etc) 

Tip: I usually just buy a package of frozen vegetables and cook according to the package

1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese

1 to 1 1/4 cup of Italian dressing

1/3 cup pitted olives (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except Italian dressing in a large bowl.

Add dressing and toss well.

Serve chilled or at room temperate

Tip: When serving chilled use 1 1/4 cups of Italian dressing

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes because it really doesn’t taste like chicken.  Like most of my recipes it’s really easy to make and always a hit at pot lucks or get-togethers.  I’m going to give the recipe for the bigger batch, but if you want the smaller one just ask.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of boneless chicken (usually 6-8 chicken breasts)

Tip: Make sure your chicken is completely defrosted.

1 large onion, cut into chunks

1 can (20 oz) Crushed Pineapple, drained

Tip: For a sweet BBQ sauce add no more than ½ cup of pineapple juice

1 bottle (18-20 oz) of your favorite BBQ sauce

*Kaiser rolls, hamburger buns, King's sweet Hawaiian buns, or over white rice 
**I use crock pot liners, which makes clean up a breeze.

Directions:

Place your chicken in the bottom of the crock pot.

Cover the chicken with onions.

Pour the entire bottle of BBQ sauce in.

Then pour over your crushed pineapple.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-6.

About an hour before eating shred chicken using 2 forks

Tip: You can take the chicken out of the crock pot if needed

Stir well to combine everything.

*Serve on Kaiser rolls, hamburger buns, King's sweet Hawaiian buns, or over white rice