"Preparing" for Baby - Make-Ahead Meals

Welcome to the 2nd installment of "Preparing" for Baby! As promised, I have put together a couple recipes I made today and froze for after our baby girl decides to grace us with her presence. I plan on making a couple more, but for now, this is what I made...

First up, Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken (link to original recipe, here)

What you'll need:

•  2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used about a pound)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
• 1/2 large can of pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (from can)

What you'll do:

Put all ingredients in a freezer bag. Label the bag, adding directions. I label the bag first, while I'm getting my ingredients together. When you're ready to cook, just throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours (high 4-5 hours). Shred the chicken and serve over rice.

 

The ingredients. Most of these you probably already have!

 

Everything in the bag. Now in my freezer.

Pretty simple and straight forward. Took me no time at all to put together! I haven't tried this recipe before, so here's to hoping it's not terrible!

Onto recipe numero dos: Meaty Baked Ziti (original Rachael Ray recipe, here)

What you'll need: 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed (I omitted this, mostly because I didn't feel like buying fennel seed)
• 1/2 pound ground beef (I used a pound and omitted the sausage, it's pretty impossible to find 1/2 pound of ground beef unless you go to the butcher's counter and that sounds an awful lot like effort)
• 1/2 pound sausage - sweet or Italian (I omitted this and used more beef, see not above)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons rosemary, chopped (I used dried because I already had it on hand)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry red or white wine
• 2 28-32 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes (Kroger never has these, so I just settled for regular old tomatoes)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 pound ziti
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into chunks
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (I just used Parmesan) 

What you'll do:

Heat EVOO in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add fennel and beef, and season with salt and pepper. Add sausage and brown and crumble both until caramelized, breaking meats up into small bits. Add rosemary, onions and garlic and cook partially covered about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally to soften the onions. Deglaze the pan with a little wine, add stock and tomatoes and simmer 30 minutes.

Cook pasta about 6 minutes, shy of al dente. Toss pasta with sauce and place in casserole. Top with cubes of mozzarella and sprinkle with parm. Bake from room temperature at 400ºF until cheeses melted and bubbly, 20 minutes. If cooking from refrigerated or frozen, after pasta comes to room temp, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes then uncover to lightly brown, another 10-15 minutes.

 

The ingredients. A lot. See note below.

Finished product (well, almost finished; frozen before melting the cheese). Now in my freezer. Oh, I covered these with aluminum foil and labeled them with directions.

Couple notes on this 2nd recipe:

1. The sauce is pretty good, but honestly, you could just use whatever spaghetti sauce you like. If you have a recipe you like, or if you like a jar, save the time and effort and just use that.
2. I froze this recipe in 2 8x8 pans so I can get 2 dinners out of this. No need to make one huge casserole dish for just the hubs and me. 

I am planning on making chicken lasagna on Friday and freezing half of it for later use! I'm also going to get a pork shoulder to make BBQ and freeze it in a bag with a homemade vinegar based sauce to throw in the slow cooker after baby.

If y'all have any other make-ahead meals you've tried and love, please feel free to post them! I'm always up for more dinner ideas!!

 

33 weeks!!

Holy crap it's March. That means next month (NEXT MONTH) Paul and I will be welcoming our Baby Girl! Seriously. HOLY. CRAP.

I still remember when I told Paul we were pregnant. I had taken a test earlier in the day and I hadn't waited long enough to check it, so I just assumed it was negative and went about my day. After dinner I went for a run. For some reason when I got back from that run I decided I HAD to take another test. I ran out to CVS and got another test and sure enough, it was positive! Paul was at his hockey game, so I had to wait for what seemed like decades for him to return. I could hardly wait to tell him when he got home. Looking back, he says he knew immediately because I was just sitting on the bed grinning like a fool. And now here we are, the month before our little Butterbean makes her debut!

Now I'm not one of those women who loves being pregnant. I just don't. I had to stop playing basketball, drinking, and eating like every food I want (sushi, rare steak....). This heartburn is killer and I've never been so uncomfortable in my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be carrying Baby Girl, it's just, I'll be more thrilled when she's here. However, there is one side effect of pregnancy I do love and had no idea I could expect.

Apparently, some women cry uncontrollably over nothing, or get irate over seemingly insignificant things. Me? I handle my uncontrollable emotions in another fashion. I laugh hysterically at nothing. To the point where I'm in tears and I feel like I just did an ab workout. Seriously, I look drunk. It's amazing. I had no idea this was a possible side effect until one of Paul's hockey buddies mentioned his wife had these same bizarre laughing episodes when she was pregnant. So, if you're pregnant, pray you get this side effect.

Anyway, here's this week's belly picture:

 

For those who are wondering, Layla was in the room, she just wasn't standing guard. But don't worry, she doesn't often miss picture-time.

So there you have it. 33 weeks. Almost there! I go to the doctor's this week, so I'll find out how much weight I've gained then. Should be starting up weekly appointments soon. I can't wait to spend even more time in the doctor's office! {sarcasm}

Also, I had mentioned on the last post that I would be doing a post on make-ahead meals for my second installment of "'Preparing' for Baby." I plan on making a few things later this week and I'll post the recipes then! Check back for those!

32 weeks!

And here we are, at 32 weeks! In just 5 short weeks I'll be considered "full term," meaning our little girl could make her debut quite soon! Really, sometime in the next 5-9 weeks we should get to meet her! I'd like her to stay in there a little while longer, though. No need to arrive too early.

I've decided to make this a short post, as I posted yesterday with the first installment of "'Preparing' for baby," today's post will be just a quick update with a belly picture!

Speaking of the belly picture ...

And here we are. I tried to get a little better at not blocking the chalkboard. Honestly, I really have no control over this belly. Over the past week, I have bumped it on just about everything and almost slammed it with the car door a few times. Already working towards that "Mother of the Year" award. (Wait, what? There's no award?!)

Anyway, clearly I'm ginormous. I couldn't tell you how many added pounds = ginormous, because I have stopped weighing myself. I only check my weight at the doctor's office. Nobody there has said anything, so I must not be gaining too much. Baby Girl isn't really helping in this regard, as she's making it increasingly difficult to exercise and causing me to crave nothing but desserts and sweet tea. That's right, I'm already blaming my short comings on her! :) Tonight she's craving fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and of course a big glass of sweet tea!

Everything is still going well. Uneventful, really, which I'm more than OK with. However, over the last week, I've had some intensifying pain in my sciatic nerve. Some mornings I wake up unable to walk. This is already getting old. Prenatal yoga helps some with this and every other pain.

Oh, I've also discovered I'm addicted to buying baby clothes. Oops. It's hardly my fault when Baby Gap has the cutest stuff in the world. Seriously. Check out Baby Girl's new bathing suit for this summer:

I know! I really have a problem...

There's a kid's consignment shop in town I went to yesterday. It's OK, not great, but they do carry a lot of handmade stuff from local artists. Stuff you might typically find on Etsy. Baby Girl got a new navy headband with an orange bow. She needed something to wear while she watches UVA football this fall with her Daddy... :) (Paul says I need to learn the definition of "need." Right. I'll remind him of that when he suddenly forgets how to say "no" when it comes to his little girl...)

Yeah, this was supposed to be a "short" post. My bad. I've never proclaimed to be to-the-point about anything. Actually, I'm quite long-winded. You're welcome.

"Preparing" for Baby - Registry

So far, this has been one hell of a journey. While I've been able to ask a lot of people for advice and what they found helpful during pregnancy, I've been getting most of my information from websites/blogs and books. As a result, I feel like I've discovered a lot of useful information and have tried to put it on this blog to help people out. Continuing in that vain, I've decided to do a few posts over the next couple of weeks entitled "'Preparing' for Baby." (Preparing is in quotes because I know you can never fully prepare, but I'm trying to do some things to help put my mind at ease at the very least.)

This first post under this category will be on creating a registry. When Paul and I were getting married, registering for that was easy. I knew exactly what I wanted. (Yes, what I wanted. Paul couldn't care less if we got a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Bless his heart.) Registering for a baby, however, was a brand new ball game. I had no idea what I would need or want, or what would make things easier on us. To be fair, I still have no idea, but I do feel a little more prepared for her arrival. A little.

First, we'll start with some of the bigger items...

Starting from the top left...

Graco Duo 2-in-1 Swing Bouncer - I've mentioned this before, so I won't go into a lot of detail. Basically, some babies love swings, and some don't. You're probably gonna want a swing to find out, though. We chose this one because it's a swing and a bouncer, and we're all about maximizing space!

Graco My Ride 65 Car Seat - Do some research to find what car seat will fit your needs the best. Graco consistently gets great safety ratings, which was highest priority for us! This is a convertible seat. We do not plan on using it immediately, but rather once our baby girl outgrows her infant seat.

Infant Seat Graco Snug Ride Travel System - From what I have heard, it's best to go ahead and get a travel system. When you're out running errands or whatever, you don't want to have to lug a car seat around. Apparently, infant car seats can be pretty heavy. Again, we went with Graco just because the safety ratings were high! I know Britax also gets great ratings, but it's a little more expensive. Also, a friend recommended we register for a second base for this car seat (which we did), so you don't have to constantly change out the entire unit every time you ride in a different car.

Aprica Playard - Some sort of playard/pack-n-play will be necessary. We read about this one and it got great reviews. After assembling it (which was super easy), we found it to be pretty sturdy. There have been a lot of recent articles examining the dangers of collapsing playards/pack-n-plays, so we were really concerned with this being sturdy. It comes with a bassinet as well, so we can use this right away. Aprica also doesn't use any flame-retardant chemicals during manufacturing, so that's nice.

Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker Napper - Again, I've mentioned this before, so I won't go into a lot of detail. We wanted something for Baby Girl to sleep in next to our bed for the first few weeks. This fit that bill perfectly. I honestly am in love with this thing and have never used it. It sits at 3 different incline levels from flat to almost sitting straight up. It rocks, it vibrates, and it has a mobile. What more could you want? Seriously can't wait to use this.

Graco Trekko 3 Wheel Classic Connect Stroller - Yup, mentioned this before also. Definitely wanted a jogger and my parents got us this one. It's great. I like that it's solid black. It maneuvers easily, but not too easily where you have to fear losing control. The seat here also reclines and can go into a completely flat position. Also, it fits some infant car seats, including the Graco infant seat we have. Obviously we haven't used this yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. It collapses easily as well.

A couple other big items I didn't put on here:

Breast pump - If you plan on breastfeeding, that is. Check your insurance!!! Say what you will about the Affordable Care Act (although I'd rather you not say it to me....), insurance companies now cover breast pumps, so see which one your insurance covers. It'll save you about $300!

Video Monitor - I've been doing A LOT of research on this recently. I think we have finally settled on the Samsung Wireless Video Monitor (there are a few different versions available). I have heard good things about the Summer Video Monitor as well as the Motorola Video Monitor, but both of these had a much smaller working range. It was important for us to have a long range, so if we need to be outside with the dog, we can still have the video monitor to keep an eye on Baby Girl.

And now for some of the smaller stuff...

Boppy pillow - We have 2 of these actually; one will stay upstairs and one will stay downstairs. But these are great for so many things: feeding, tummy time, helping baby sit up. I think any mother will tell you to register for one of these. Get yourself a couple covers, as well.

Bumbo with tray - Great for helping baby sit up. I like the tray too for eating and playing. Again, I think this is a must on most registry lists. One of our friends really recommended it to us, so we registered for it.

ErgoBABY carrier with infant insert - Really, any carrier you like. I know some people like the Mobi and the K'tan. After talking with recent moms, however, this one kept being recommended. It's easy to put on, and lightweight and breathable. We got the infant insert as well, so we can start using this immediately. I know some people are against baby carriers like this, and that's your call. Do what you think is best for you and your baby. Another plus on the Ergo, is it's not too feminine, so Paul may even feel comfortable using this! (Maybe...)

Healthcare Kit - This is the one we registered for, but they're mostly the same. Just want to have a thermometer and nail clippers and such. So really, look around and find which one you like! This one comes with a "travel kit," so we can just throw it in the diaper bag to bring with us.

Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer - So I know you're supposed to take baby's temperature by, um, other means... but I love this thing. We had one of these at the daycare where I worked and I used to play with it all the time. It's amazing. It's so quick and easy to take a temperature. You just hold the button and swipe across the forehead. Really, that easy! I love this thing. I'm not looking forward to using it, however. :(

The First Years Sounds for Silence Premium Sound Machine - I think you're probably going to want a sound machine or a fan in the nursery to produce some background noise for baby. We went with this one because it has a lot of great settings: white noise, lullabies, and even your own MP3 player! That's right, our little girl will most likely be drifting off to sleep to the sweet, sweet sounds of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I mean what better way to fall asleep than to the Boss?!

Some final tips on registering:

Don't register for clothes. People love buying baby clothes and couldn't care less about what you register for in that regard. Don't worry, you will have enough clothes.

Register for lots of blankets, especially swaddling blankets if you're going that route. From what I understand, you can never have too many of these. If you only have 3 of them, they will inevitably all be in the dirty clothes at the same time.

Not all babies like all bottles and pacifiers. Register for a few different brands and find which one your baby likes. For bottles, it's best if they fit the breast pump you are going to use.

Obviously there are some other things you'll need: changing pad and covers, crib sheets, maybe a sleep sack, bath time things (e.g., tub, toys, soap), but these are the big things. Hopefully this was helpful for someone.

Next week I'll do another segment of "Preparing" for Baby. I'm planning on getting together a list of make-ahead frozen meals for the time after baby makes her arrival!

Valentine's Day!

This past week was Valentine's Day. Hubby sent me flowers and took me out to an amazing four-course meal at The State Room, located in The Kellogg Center on Michigan State's campus. Recently they've had some renovations, so it no longer looks like a restaurant in a hotel, but a restaurant that could stand on its own. It was amazing! And I got to have lobster tail. Any food that comes with a dish of melted butter is OK in my book.

Now I know some of you don't celebrate Valentine's Day. I've seen your tweets/Facebook statuses about how your girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife doesn't need a special day to make you feel loved. Bully for you. In our house, we celebrate it. Don't get me wrong, my husband is great at showing me he loves me throughout the year; he takes me out to dinner and randomly sends me flowers, and I never leave in the morning without a kiss. But I'll take any excuse to throw on heels and a dress and go to a fancy dinner! Now I know, Valentine's Day is obnoxiously commercialized, but what holiday isn't?? If you really think Easter is about a bunny who brings baskets of Cadbury eggs, we need to talk... With as hectic as our lives are, I see nothing wrong with a day dedicated to making sure those we care about know just how much we love them.

And look! I remembered to get a picture of us all dressed up!!

For those who are concerned, don't worry, Layla is right next to Paul.

I can't wait for Valentine's Day next year, when I'll have one more person to shower with love! Plus, have you seen some of the cute outfits for babies on Valentine's Day?! Add this to the list of holidays I will be decorating my child!

Now onto this week's belly picture...

Yup, me and my large belly blocked half the chalkboard in this week's picture. My bad. The chalkboard says "baby girl weighs more than 3 pounds!" Should be pretty obvious, as she is making me ginormous. Yeah, she is doing that, not the dessert I feel compelled to have with every meal! Anyway, she's definitely over 3 pounds this week, and probably closer to 4 pounds. We're now down to single-digits when counting the weeks left. That is absolutely terrifying.

Heading back to the doctor's this week to get measured and hear Butterbean's heartbeat. Can't believe this journey is getting closer to being over! So ready to meet our baby girl!

30 weeks! Plus, an artichoke dip recipe!

Here we are, 3/4 of the way through the pregnancy! Only 10 weeks until Baby Girl's due date. Almost time to start packing a hospital bag! Oh good gracious, that's terrifying. Apparently around this time, it's fairly common to start feeling the baby move a little less. At this point, she is getting bigger, with not a lot of room to move around. I only mention that because for me it was pretty terrifying when I realized she was less active than before. After talking to other women who are pregnant, I found it is pretty common, and completely normal. Don't worry, Baby Girl is still moving around more than enough to be healthy! Luckily, Mama is only a phone call away to ease my fears!

Anyway, onto other things. The other night we had a progressive dinner with our graduate department here. For those who do not know, a progressive dinner is when the dinner moves from house-to-house for each course. Appetizers were at one house, followed by dinner at another, and then finally dessert at the last house. Luckily, we have a lot of great cooks in our department! We also have quite a few international students, which has allowed me to try some different things!

I helped by making an appetizer. I found a recipe on Pinterest for a Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip. It turned out pretty good! I'll include the recipe here, to break up the monotony of me blabbing away...

Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of salt
2 14-ounce can artichoke hearts packed in water, well drained, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup Italian cheese blend

Preparation

Combine 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, onion salt, and garlic powder in medium bowl. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts. Transfer mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle dip with remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, Italian cheese and paprika. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake dip until heated through, about 25 minutes (about 35 minutes if chilled). Preheat broiler. Broil until cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes. 

If you want to make this dip ahead of time, just stop after you've mixed in the artichoke hearts and put it in the fridge! The next day, you can finish it off.

I served this with those saltine crackers you bake with ranch dressing seasoning and red pepper flakes. Delicious. Could also serve it with pita chips or baguette pieces. Or really, whatever else your little heart desires. Next time I may add red pepper flakes to the dip itself for a little added heat. Or just serve with some hot sauce! But that's just me ...

Today we ran in a 5K on campus. The temperature actually got up to mid-30's today!! Of course, it was still pretty grey and dismal outside. But running wasn't too bad, temperature-wise. Baby girl has decided, however, I am not to do anymore running. A mile into the race I started experiencing some tightness and cramping in my abdomen. By mile 2, I had to walk. I think she just weighs too much at this point. I guess being able to run for 7 months of my pregnancy is enough! I'll stick to walking and the stationary bike from here on out!

And now... the "belly" picture!

 

All dressed up with my Valentine's Day socks for the Heartthrob 5K! 

Layla was here to help out with the picture this week! Went to the doctor's this past week; I'm up about 26 pounds. I don't get used to seeing the number on the scale go up so high... I'm also measuring at 31 weeks, so maybe Baby Girl will grace us with her presence a little early! (Hey, one can dream!)

Layla can be so sweet sometimes. She occasionally likes to hug her sister. Although I'm not sure she actually knows her sister's in there, I think she just likes the added "fluff" to cuddle!

That's it for this week! If you try the dip, I hope you like it!

Updated Nursery

This past week our dresser for the nursery finally arrived! Which gave me a place to put some of Baby Girl's stuff that has been piled up on the guest bed until now. The nursery isn't complete, but it's just about done. I still want to add a few touches here and there, but for the most part, it's ready for viewing! So here's a tour of the nursery!

 The guest bed and glider.

 Baby Girl's new dresser! Where the Boppy pillow is, we'll be putting a changing pad (once we get it). I also plan on adding a few more details here, but haven't gotten around to it just yet!

 Another angle looking at the dresser and the guest bed. I'm so happy with how the tree looks over the dresser!

 Baby Girl's crib. Two things about the bumper: 1) I know bumpers are dangerous, she won't be sleeping in her crib right away, so this is mainly just for looks. 2) I realize it's on backwards, but I like it better this way. Otherwise it's harder to see all the owls because the crib sides block them.

 Another angle of the crib and glider. She better like owls, or else we're totally screwed.

 View from the doorway. I realize this picture doesn't show a whole lot, but I was just trying to give people some perspective of where everything is.

 Crib, with the owls overlooking.

Baby Girl's closet with her clothes and library. I should say some of her clothes. The dresser is pretty full, as well.

I tried to take some panoramic pictures, to give a better idea of orientation. They make the room look a little funhouse-like, but you get the idea!

 

So there you have it! That's Baby Girl's nursery as it stands right now. Like I said, I'll be adding some details, but it's pretty much done. I like it because it doesn't look like a cliche nursery. It's also bright and fun. (And hopefully not terrifying for Baby Girl; like seriously, she better like owls...)

Now, here we are, at 29 weeks! I can't believe how fast it's going, although sometimes it does feel like it's dragging on. Anyway, here's this week's belly picture...

 

Layla wasn't as interested in being a part of the picture this week. Everything's still going well. Just massive hip pain and not sleeping great. Started prenatal yoga and got a massage yesterday, so hoping that helps a bit! Our little girl weighs about 2 1/2 pounds at this point! Or at least that's the average, but after seeing her picture the other week, I think her cheeks might weigh 2 1/2 pounds on their own.

That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed the nursery tour!