Mommy Mondays Week 22

I'm filled with mixed emotions about my pregnancy flying by! I really love being pregnant, and I know I'm going to miss this feel good part of the second trimester. But at the same time I really can't wait to see my baby girl, and sometimes I wish I could fast forward time to meet her.

Mommy Mondays Week 21

It's hard to believe I am officially more than halfway through my pregnancy! I really feel like time is flying by, although I doubt I'll feel this way when I'm huge. I've watched a ton of Vlogs on YouTube, and I love the way women answer the same questions every week about their pregnancy. I've decided to pick a few to answer. Because I'm starting out a little later, I'm going to skip things like gender (she's a girl), morning sickness (already had it), and whether or not I'm in regular clothes (trust me, I've definitely outgrown them). I will also include a belly shot every week, they're so much fun!

The Nursery

Good news! I can finally start planning the nursery now that I know what we're having . . .

Mommy Mondays

The secret is out! My husband and I are expecting our first baby, due February 4, 2014! I've been wanting to announce this on my blog for quite some time, but life kept getting in the way! I've been working full time, pretty much, since April. It's been exhausting. We found out we were expecting in June, and I've been completely exhausted ever since!

I'm attempting to commit myself to 2-3 blog days a week. I can do Mommy Mondays, maybe a recipe on Wednesday, and something else on Fridays? It's hard setting aside the time. I work, come home, watch Netflix, eat something that can be heated up, and then go to sleep. Rinse and repeat. And basically sleep all day and run errands on the weekends. Luckily I'm 5 months along now, and feeling much better! I have energy and motivation again, something I've been lacking for a while.

So if there is anything in particular you would like me to blog about, let me know in the comments below! I am also open to doing YouTube videos, if that's something you're interested in. I can definitely do a baby haul soon, we are getting so much cute stuff from grandma(s) already! I think it's easier to share in video form. Although I'm extremely nervous about that! Can't wait to update more about the pregnancy. My weeks roll over on Tuesdays, so tomorrow I will be 19 weeks! ^_^

Dairy Free Coconut Flan

  Without a doubt one of the best parts of the flan, besides the velvety rich texture, is the caramel syrup at the bottom. I love sugar, but my body does not! I've recently rekindled my love affair with agave nectar (organic and raw) and decided to give it a shot in place of the caramel syrup. Agave is already a thick luscious syrup, all I had to do to thicken it up a bit more was place it in the fridge. I hope you find this recipe as satisfying as I did. I highly recommend toasting the coconut before you add it in, it just creates another wonderful layer of flavor in this dessert.

Creamy Chicken Fettuccine

  Unfortunately I had trouble getting good pictures of this dish, the above shot was the winner. This was one of those meals where you could eat a giant bowl, and then go back for more. So I recommend making this for a crowd; save yourself from those extra pounds!

Throwing a Casual Tea Party, Part 3 of 3: The Food

  This is the most delicious part of the tea party series, food! Luckily when throwing a casual tea party for friends, you can make the food as simple as you'd like. I recently co-hosted a tea party for a few close friends; M and I decided to keep the food pretty casual and simple. I made chicken salad on croissants, and she made delicious BLT's with avocado on white bread; no crusts, of course.

Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna

  Oh my goodness. This. Was. Good.

 We love Italian food, especially the stuff heavy on the carbs. However, me being me (aka high maintenance) I am currently eating low carb/low sugar. It just seems to work best for me! Hubby wanted lasagna, so I decided to ditch the noodles and use zucchini.  Not only does skipping the noodles cut the carbs, it cuts the calories significantly. So you can have more cheese. Because really, isn't that what life is all about? More cheese? Maybe that's just my life.

Throwing a Casual Tea Party, Part 2 of 3: High Tea

  Welcome back for part two of how to throw a tea party. Today I will discuss how to host high tea. Many Americans associate high tea with something very fancy and regal; however, in other countries it's thought of as meat tea, or simply: dinner. 

Throwing a Casual Tea Party, Part 1 of 3: The Buffet

 Hello all! Life has been crazy lately. I was sick three times in the first three months of this year, and one of those illnesses was the flu. Yuck. My husband started a new job, I was in the process of being interviewed and thankfully also started a new job! We have been busy bees, and cooking has been on the back burner. Our meals have consisted of pre-made salads, quesadillas, and crock pot meals. Something that has been a constant in my day to day is tea.