i'm baaaack!

okay, it's time. i think an almost 6 month sabbatical is e-nough. don't you?

three big life updates:
1. in january, we found out we are moving to the midwest at the end of the year.
2. april 27th, stephen & i celebrated 6 months of wedded bliss. (it really is blissful being married to your best friend.)
3. may 23rd, we entered our THIRD TRIMESTER of the baby growing business!

...that's right! we are pregs!!

she's a she, & she's kicking with excitement as we speak, because mommy is back on the blog train.

we are thrilled! we love her to pieces, & at a whopping 3 lbs, she already has daddy wrapped around her little finger.

i have been doin' it old school style, writing in a belly book instead of documenting pregnancy on this bad boy, BUT i can say...i love being pregnant.

i'm not overly concerned with weight gain. i can proudly say that i have already put on a healthy 35 el bees in 29 weeks. the back pain is...tolerable. the having to tinkle every 20 minutes is...annoying, but expected since i'm practically drowning in h2o. on the plus, people are SO nice to pregnant ladies. i get to park in super special VIP preggo parking spots. everyone offers to help and tells me how cute i look. (which is the nicest thing to hear when i feel like a blimp carrying a whale on an ocean liner.)

anyhoo...i won't overdo it this first time back, but i have a TON of things to share, so stay tuned.

(photos compliments of the amazing ashley livingston photography)

menu monday | december 3 - december 9

it's solo menu monday! that's right...hubs is TDY for a few days, so i'm cooking solo.
this means a SEVERE lack of motivation.
meal planning & cooking take work, so, let's be real...when you only have to feed yourself, a bowl of cereal for dinner starts to sound appetizing.

monday | cheating...ordering pizza with my mom.

tuesday | black bean tacos with pico & guac

wednesday | grilled cheese & tomato basil soup

thursday | grilled salmon & asparagus

friday | spinach tuna melts
saturday | breaded chicken; steamed broccoli; mashed potatoes

sunday | beef stew

menu monday | november 19 - november 25

it's monday, again, already?!

not only is it monday, but it's one of those monday's that is JAM PACKED with to-do's.
so, first on the list...

monday | baked pasta with roasted red pepper sauce

tuesday | beef tacos

wednesday | grilled chicken; roasted root veg + asparagus

thursday | happy turkey day! turkey + all the fixin's

friday | thanksgiving paninis! (i have been waiting 364 days for these!)
saturday | banking on more leftovers/lazy

sunday | testing out some ugly sweater party recipes... (to be announced, if and only if they are delicious.)

homemade applesauce

there is nothing scary about making your own applesauce.

it is so easy.

it's almost easier than opening a jar of store bought apple sauce.

side note: making applesauce this time made me get really excited about making baby food someday. [no i'm not pregs, yet...i don't think.]

applesauce

3lb bag of apples, peeled, cored & sliced

3/4c water

1/4c white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

add all ingredients to a large pot. bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. cook until apples are soft. [20-30 mins.] pour contents into a blender & pulse until it reaches your desired consistency.

i know it seems like there are 438 types of apples at the store OR your local orchard. [i miss living around one of those.] i think the best for applesauce taste & texture are gala or fuji. go get cooking!