13 Weeks!

In addition to continuing to post recipes, I will also be tracking Baby Brown's growth (and mine!) on this blog. My goal is to do a baby update once a week with pictures and progress.

We have made it to week 13! Baby Brown (affectionately known as Squinky until we find out the sex) is the size of a peach! Lots of changes are happening this week and next - baby will double in weight, is growing vocal chords, fingerprints, and hair AND is continuing to develop reflexes. Some say baby will start to suck his/her thumb at this point too. So sweet!

This week I went back to work (back pain keeps me from being able to sit for too long so I'm only working half days for now), I cleaned the apartment and did laundry, and made it back to church! HUGE milestones for me after being practically bedridden for 5 weeks! So grateful!

So here I am at 6 weeks when we found out we were expecting! No bump at all (except for the pooch I started with!)

Annnnd here I am at 13 weeks and a few days! I still don't have a permanent bump but I definitely am noticing a rounder belly (most of which is probably still bloat at this point) and especially in the mornings when I first wake up or after I drink lots of water. The bump comes and goes!

I'm totally stealing this idea from my sister-in-law Stephanie (and Pinterest) but I figured it was the easiest way to let you all know what's happening!

How far along: 13 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: Not positive but probably around 2-3 pounds
Maternity clothes: None yet! My pants are still buttoning!
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: Sleeping has been harder to come by the past couple weeks. I am exhausted still but don't always sleep well or as long as I would like. Leg cramps or back pain will wake me up sometimes.
Best moment this week: Going back to church after 5 weeks!
Have you told family and friends? Yes!
Miss anything: I miss cooking and meal planning (and my husband does too!) Hopefully I will get back to it soon!
Movement: None yet! Should happen in the next month or so.
Food cravings: Now that my appetite is coming back I have different cravings each day. This week Squinky has wanted ham sandwiches with pickles, chocolate pudding, and sour gummy worms!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still can't eat eggs or chicken and certain smells make me queasy (like when the oven or stove is on).
Have you started to show yet: Not enough to call it a bump yet :)
Gender: Jon and I both think it's a girl, but we won't find out for another month. We would be equally happy with a boy too!
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: Nausea in the mornings before I eat, lower back pain, occasional cramps and migraines.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody! My poor husband! I've had a few meltdowns this week. He just lets me cry it out and tells me it's gonna be ok :) Now that I'm starting to feel better I'm getting more and more excited though!
Looking forward to: Feeling flutters and finding out the gender!

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

You may have seen a few pins floating around (if you're a Pinterest sort of person) about these oven baked fajitas. Well I when I was searching for new recipes and easy things I could make on my Freezer Cooking Day (I promise...that post IS coming soon) I decided to give this one a try.

The husband and I normally aren't very big fajita eaters. We prefer tacos or enchiladas but I wanted to try something different and I knew that the husband would like it as long as it was Mexican. This recipe turned out pretty well for my first crack at it! It was super quick and didn't require ANY cooking on my freezer day (score!) and when it came time to make them, everything was finished in 20 minutes. The seasoning wasn't spicy enough for the husband so I'll probably add some cayenne or red pepper flakes next time. Overall though, it was a greet weeknight meal and I will make it again!

What you need (adapted from Six Sister's Stuff)

- 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 1 can Rotel
- 1 small onion, sliced
- Bell pepper, sliced (I used 1/2 red, 1/2 yellow)
- 2 T coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Corn tortillas
- Additional toppings on serving day




Directions

- In a small bowl, combine the oil and spices. Mix well and set aside

- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, Rotel, onion and bell pepper

- Pour in the spice mixture and mix together well

- Place chicken mixture on a baking sheet or in a baking dish

- Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through

- Wrap in warm corn tortillas, add toppings and enjoy!

We had beans, lettuce, cheese, onions, salsa and sour cream as our toppings!

Freezer Cooking Directions

- Follow the steps until "place chicken mixture on a baking sheet." Instead, place chicken mixture in a gallon size freezer safe bag and store until ready to cook.

- When ready to bake, let the chicken thaw a bit before baking

- Follow same baking instructions. So easy!

Cinnamon Rolls

The holiday season is the perfect time for cinnamon rolls! Actually I think any season is perfect for cinnamon rolls but that's just me. I've been wanting to make these for a while so finally I hunkered down, cast aside my fear and made two batches of these babies. I made these during my Freezer Cooking Day (which I will be sharing soon!) so I didn't bake them. I simply shaped them, put them in aluminum pans, wrapped them well and stuck them in the freezer until we needed them. They were DELICIOUS!! I still haven't mastered the perfect frosting for them yet, but the actual roll itself was so good. Even the husband was impressed! I hope you enjoy them too!

What you need (recipe from The Gluten Free Homemaker - makes 8 rolls)

Dough
- 2 T butter
- 1/4 C sugar
- 2/3 C warm milk (I used almond)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 C oil (I used coconut)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 T instant yeast
- 1/2 C sorghum flour
- 1 C corn starch
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt

Filling

- 2/3 C brown sugar

- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/3 C chopped nuts (optional) *I did one batch without and one batch with*

Directions

- Using a mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix well

- Add the milk, egg, oil and vanilla. Beat well

- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture

- Beat on high until well mixed. The dough will be soft but should not have any lumps

*OK, this part can be a little tricky but it works! And makes clean up super easy!*

- Tape a piece of plastic wrap to your counter and sprinkle it lightly with sugar

- Place the dough on top and cover it with another piece of plastic wrap, sprayed with cooking spray

- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is a 13 1/2 inch square (or closely resembles one) 

- Take off the top piece of plastic wrap 

- Mix together your filling ingredients

- Sprinkle the filling over the dough, leaving a margin on one side (so you don't lose any filling when it's rolled up)

- Lift the bottom piece of plastic wrap off the counter and encourage the dough to roll. It should roll by itself after you get it started.

- Once completely rolled, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces

- Place in pan and either cover and freeze or bake immediately at 375 degrees for 20 minutes

- Make a simple glaze using powdered sugar, milk and vanilla while they bake

- Enjoy!

We have some NEWS!

Hi everyone! I am so sorry I've neglected this little blog for so long! I do have a GREAT reason though! (Or at least I think it's great!)

WE ARE PREGNANT!!!!

Our first baby is expected to arrive sometime in late July/early August and we couldn't be more excited! This is truly a miracle for us and a long awaited gift from God!

So hopefully that explains why I haven't been in the kitchen lately! We found out when I was about 6 weeks along (early December) and I felt GREAT until week 8. Then nausea and all day sickness (whoever named it "morning" sickness is a moron) hit and I could barely get out of bed most days. I tried everything from sea bands, pregnancy lollipops and ginger drops and never knew if what I managed to eat would come back up. We took a trip to Charlotte, NC to see my husband's family for Christmas and to tell them the news! My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are also expecting so these little cousins will be about 2 months apart (SO FUN!) The trip was rough and I spent most of it on the couch, away from the smells of the kitchen and a trash can always handy! My poor husband will get many, many jewels in his crown for the ways he took care of me and served me.

I am slowly but surely (fingers crossed!) starting to feel better. I am 13 weeks today and well on my way to the glorious 2nd trimester! We won't have another sonogram for about a month (when we find out the gender!) but we will hear the heartbeat for the 3rd time next week! I can't wait!

Obviously I have not been in the kitchen lately, but I DO have some recipes to share with you from Thanksgiving and my Freezer Cooking Day! Now that I am able to look at photos of food again as soon as I sort out the pictures and get organized I will put them up for you I promise. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures from some of the most exciting days of our life!

This is the only "belly picture" we have so far. I was too sick to stand for the others. We will get back on track soon!

The day first tested I took 6 tests just to be sure! They were ALL positive!

SHOCKED!

Had our first sonogram at 8 weeks. There's a little babe in there!

Due August 1st!

This is how I made the 10 hour drive to Charlotte. Laying down in the backseat with a trash can.

We wrapped these up as "Christmas gifts" for Jon's family to tell them our news!

Announcing Baby Brown!