Chicken Salad

I honestly can't remember if I ever posted the chicken salad recipe I used for London's baptism, so I apologize in advance if there are now two chicken salad posts on this blog. Blame it on pregnancy brain, and the crappy search feature that blogspot uses. I've been craving chicken salad and finally got around to making it - yum!! I made about enough for two decent-sized sandwiches (Ben doesn't care for it) but you could obviously modify the recipe based on how much you need. 

Ingredients 

Two small cans of chicken, drained

Two stalks celery, finely diced

Salt and LOTS of black pepper 

1 tbsp lemon juice

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

1/4 medium tomato, diced

1/2 green onion, diced 

2 tbsp (more to taste) mayonnaise 

Directions

Mix everything together, making sure to really mash up the chicken

Taste; add more Worcestershire, pepper or mayo to your liking

Serve on lightly-toasted honey wheat bread, or rolls, or as a lettuce wrap - the possibilities are endless!

This is a great one for parties because you can make it ahead of time! Might also be a nice choice for a new mom; everybody brings dinner, but this could be lunch for several days for her. 

Banana (and strawberry) Muffins

We are big muffin eaters in this house, mostly because our mornings are busy and Ben & I aren't big breakfast eaters. I've been buying mixes & adding my own fruit, but decided to give this one a try (found here via Pinterest: http://www.welltraveledwife.com/2012/09/oatmeal-banana-breakfast-muffins.html?m=1 ). You can easily adapt this to make it gluten-free if that's your thing!

This is a great recipe to modify to your liking. The "(and strawberry)" is because I only had strawberry Greek yogurt in the house, but you can use plain or any flavor you like. You could add chocolate chips. You could throw a few fresh strawberries into the mix (I chickened out but now wish I had tried it!). It's pretty easy and definitely something I'll be making again. 

Ingredients

2 1/3 cup instant oats

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 container (6oz) strawberry Greek yogurt

2 ripe bananas

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or use liners (makes 12 muffins)

Put all ingredients in blender (I added the oats about a 1/2 cup at a time) until totally mixed

Pour into muffin tin - they will be pretty full

Bake 15min (check with a toothpick around 13, may need as long as 20; my oven cooks pretty hot)

Remove from tin immediately and place on cooling rack

I recommend storing these in the fridge because there's yogurt and fresh fruit in there!

Third trimester!

Where has the time gone?! Can't believe I have 12 weeks (give or take) left of being pregnant with this little (err, big - more on that later) man. It's true that second pregnancies just fly by and we have a ton to do in the next few months, but I'm thankful and excited to meet this sweet boy. We had a good doctors appointment after our follow-up ultrasound this morning so all is well in babyland. 

How far along?: 28 weeks

How big is baby?: 2 lbs 9 oz according to the ultrasound. He's in the 73% which means they had to have a little chat with me because he's measuring big, but there's so much room for error and time for all that to change, so I'm just glad he's healthy. In the grand scheme of things, it's awesome to know that he'd be 2 1/2 lbs if he was born now!

Weight gain?: I *think* I saw the number on the screen, and I think it was 16lbs or so, so I'm feeling good about it. I'm just going to pretend that's what it is regardless. 

Stretch marks?: nope

Maternity clothes?: I bought some hand-me-downs and a new maxi dress so I'm feeling like my wardrobe is refreshed!

Sleep?: not great, between allergies and frequent urination and heartburn

Best moment last week?: today, finding out the placenta previa has completely resolved itself

Food cravings?: nothing to note

Symptoms?: I have pubic symphysis diastasis which basically means it feels like someone kicked me in the vagina. Apparently it will only get worse and the only resolution is to have the baby. Yay!

Exercise?: prenatal yoga is going well and I'm excited to be cleared for all stretches & positions (bring on the squats!)

Gender?: still very much a boy, she confirmed today!

Movement?: often, but still not painful or annoying. So far he's breech but they don't worry too much until 34w so I have plenty of time for him to swim around. 

Belly button?: sort-of in ... Barely

What I miss?: beer

Labor signs?: lots of Braxton hicks but that's it

What I'm looking forward to?: *hopefully* date night tonight to celebrate all our good news

Eating for two

I'll admit it: although I am not, nor have I ever really been, 100% happy with my body - I honestly don't give it too much thought. I've never had to work out, eat what I want, and can always find clothes that fit (even if I'm not totally thrilled with what size). My height works to my advantage, so 5lbs here or there doesn't even register. I don't get on the scale at home, so pregnancy is the only time I am acutely aware of changes (read: increases) in my weight. And it. is. hard. 

I know I'm growing a human. I know the old adage "eating for two". I know the baby weight fell off after London was born, due largely to breastfeeding. But I can't help but freak out a little as the numbers on the scale continue to creep up. Maybe creep is not the right word ... JUMP might be more appropriate for the rate which they are climbing. 

They say no two pregnancies are the same, but as a second time mom, I expected to know what I was getting into. And gaining almost as much as I did during the whole 40 weeks with London, with 13 weeks to go, is not what I expected. Especially after starting out 10+ pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with L. Especially after an emergency room visit, a hyperemesis diagnosis, and a very concerned conversation with my obstetrician about my weight loss at my 16 week appointment. Not what I expected at all. But then again, I didn't expect the placenta previa thing either. This little boy is keeping me on my toes, that's for sure. 

I've learned, and it has become more apparent during this pregnancy, that I am an emotional eater. I eat when I'm upset, bored, sad, angry, not feeling well. Pretty much all the time. And while I'm not always making unhealthy choices (I've been drinking tons of water and eating lots of fruits and veggies this pregnancy, plus fixing plenty of healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner - a luxury I didn't have with the last pregnancy), sweets are my weakness. So, if nothing else, I'm making a concession to this kid (and my doctor) and saying goodbye to my nightly bowl of ice cream. Not to say I won't still have some now & again, but three scoops a night is helping no one. 

Farewell dear friend, we had a good run. 

That, and I'm really hoping the placenta previa will be cleared at next week's ultrasound so I can at least walk or something for exercise. I mean, I've never exercised regularly before, but I'm sure I can figure it out, right?

25 weeks

How far along?: 25 weeks

How big is baby?: the size of an eggplant: 1.7lbs and 9in long

Weight gain?: I don't really feel like we need to discuss that. Ha, let's just say it's coming on fast!

Stretch marks?: none, thankfully

Maternity clothes?: went an bought a few things at Walmart of all places (not maternity) to help stretch my current wardrobe a little longer. The biggest problem is finding shirts long enough!

Sleep?: wake up around 6:45 or 7 bc of the sun coming in. Maybe someday my husband will put up our curtains!

Best moment last week?: sweet friends of ours surprised us with a membership to the local kids museum. Such a generous and thoughtful gift, and one we will certainly put to good use!

Food cravings?: egg salad (finally made some!) and chicken salad

Symptoms?: a little bit of spotting (normal, according to the ob) and I've recently been having these horrible sharp shooting pains down low! Hoping they don't stick around for too long. And the heartburn. Good Lord, the heartburn. I'm taking Pepcid in the morning and sometimes again at night, plus tums. Good news, ice cream helps! I do think my skin is a lot better this time than it was London - maybe the old wives tale is true and girls do steal your beauty!

Exercise?: starting my yoga class Monday! London and I have been to the park a few times and went swimming earlier this week, which she loved.

Movement?: he moves the most when I'm relaxing, so mornings and nights are fun. Nothing too painful or waking me up yet. I do think I felt hiccups for the first time. 

Belly button?: getting shallower by the day! Won't be long before I have an alien belly. 

What I miss?: sleeping on my right side 

What I'm looking forward to?: my best friend / London's godmother is coming to visit this wknd! Looking forward to some girl time with her. 

This is actually 24w but close enough.