Balsamic Roasted Vegetables and Sausage

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted a recipe (mostly because these days I'm not trying anything new!) But I have a great one for you today! I made this the other night and the husband and I both really enjoyed it. This was originally a recipe that I found on Pinterest but I tweaked it a little. Thanks to the husband who went to the store (twice) for me to get things I'd forgotten in order to make this. And thanks to whoever decided to build a Publix right across the street. It's super convenient for my forgetful pregnancy brain these days! Here's the recipe!

What you need (adapted from KayoticKitchen)

- 4 sausages (funny story about what I used below)
- 4-5 potatoes (I used red)
- 1 C baby carrots
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 small onions
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 T oil
- 1/2 C chicken broth (or veg. broth)
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 4 T balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper

Directions

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees

- Cut all your vegetables however you like and place them in a roasting pan

 - In a small bowl, combine the oil, broth, vinegar and italian seasoning

- Pour the vinegar and spice mixture over the vegetables and stir well

- Season liberally with salt (the potatoes need it!) and pepper

- Roast for 40 minutes

- When the vegetables have about 10 minutes remaining, cook your sausage.

*Story time: I had bought organic chicken sausage for another recipe that I didn't end up making so I froze the sausage until later. Once I thawed it out it was in the fridge for a couple days before I went to use it for this recipe. Now, I don't know if it was actually "bad" but it sure smelled kinda funny to me (thank you pregnancy super nose) so I threw it out. Thus my husband's 2nd trip to the grocery store to get some more. This time around we got beef kielbasa and it was delicious. But feel free to use whatever you like and whatever smells good to you! *End story time.

- Once the sausage is browned, add to the vegetables and roast for 3-4 minutes. This allows the sausage to soak up some of the vinegar sauce.

- Remove and let cool a bit before serving. Stir well to get all the juices up from the bottom. 

- You can easily add other vegetables to this. Broccoli, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash...whatever you like!

- Enjoy!

25 Weeks

Josh and I have definitely grown this week! In comparison with last week's pictures my belly is definitely more out there! We are at 25 weeks and 2 days right now...3 weeks until my 3rd trimester and only 15 weeks until we meet our guy! We can't wait!

This week has been pretty good. I was having a really hard time sleeping a few nights in a row. I'm getting to the point where I can't get comfortable on my side because of the pressure on my stomach. No matter what side I try to lay on, Josh always starts kicking on the side I'm on. Hard and powerful kicks. I love kicks, but not when I'm trying to sleep! Jon has been really understanding and has given up our bed the past few nights so that I'm able to stretch out and not worry about disturbing him. Sleep has been a lot better the past couple of nights so I'm hoping it stays that way for a little while longer! I've also noticed some slightly painful twinges and pangs in my abdomen, which may be stretching but could also be the beginning of Braxton Hick's.

I'm finishing up my job at my dad's office in the next few weeks as well. I'm looking forward to having time to organize the house and "nest" for a while before our little dude comes along. Jon and I are also taking some time the first week of May to have a "babymoon" - which is a vacation before the baby comes. Instead of taking the time and money to travel and stay somewhere, we decided to stay home and do things locally that we haven't done before or that we won't be able to do once Joshua comes. We're planning on a beach day, eating out at nice restaurants, and possibly going to a show or concert. We are really looking forward to spending uninterrupted time together!

Here's some pictures from this week!

Feeding my Italian Ice craving! Mmmm!

How far along: 25 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: + 11 lbs
Maternity clothes: I'm loving maternity jeans! I had a moment the other day when I was trying to find a shirt for work and NONE of them seemed to work. Time to get some bigger sizes!
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: A few really rough nights this week (sometimes I wouldn't get to sleep until 3 or 4 am) but the past couple of nights have been better
Best moment this week: Jon seeing Josh push my belly out with some big kicks. So fun!
Miss anything: This week I've missed sleep!  
Movement: Lots and lots of kicks all over the place. I've felt him move up near my ribs this week too which is new.
Food cravings: Italian Ice (thank you Jeremiah's!), cranberry juice, and crushed ice :)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Heartburn and acid reflux are definitely in full force these days so sometimes I'll feel a little queasy if it's really bad. But cold water and tums seem to help take the edge off for now
Have you started to show yet: Yes! 
Gender: BOY!!!!
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: Occasional upper back pain (rib area), heartburn, and possible Braxton Hicks
Belly button in or out: In (but barely!)
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I was emotional this week because of my lack of sleep. Last night Jon got take out for dinner and as soon as we sat down to eat I didn't want it anymore. Like was literally repulsed by it. I felt so bad that he had spent money on something I didn't end up wanting that I broke down in tears. He made me a PB&J and then everything was fine. LOL! My husband is awesome.
Looking forward to: My last few weeks of work and planning our babymoon. Also scheduling our 4D ultrasound to get a peek at our little guy!

Weeks 23 and 24

So I'm a little behind on posting this so I decided to combine weeks 23 and 24. I'll try to be better about updating each week (and taking a picture).

Our little dude is about the size of a cantaloupe now! I definitely know he's growing in there because his movements are stronger and more pronounced. I've only seen him push out once but I can see kicks more and more. Jon is able to feel him all the time and both of my parents got to feel him this past week as well! He's moving all over now but still seems to like my left side the most. The other night while watching Batman I felt him do a roll from one side of my belly to the other. It was so cool! He's definitely a little copy of daddy already enjoying the superhero movies!

Jon and I also went out and registered for most everything this weekend. My goal was to pick out all the bigger items (crib, stroller, car seat, packnplay, bouncer) and we got all of that and then some! It was SO much fun picking out things for our little guy!

Registering at Target. I love the scanner gun!

I had another checkup the other day, my first since finding out he was a boy. Everything looked good! Our little man is making mommy fat (I've gained 10 pounds so far) and they started measuring my belly. I'm at 22 cm which is on the smaller side for being 24 weeks but they said as long as you are within 2 cm of your week that it's nothing to worry about. For now I'll enjoy the "smaller" part because I'm sure that won't last for too much longer! Other good news is that my blood pressure is normal (it has been high each time I've gone in) so I'm really relieved about that as well. I'll do my glucose tolerance test at my next appointment in May (yuck) so here's to hoping I'm gestational diabetes free!

The past two weeks I've been feeling pretty good except for some really painful back and rib pains. Sometimes they last all day and other times they are come and go. Yesterday I was in so much pain that I couldn't sleep and ended up staying home from church. Tylenol and a heating pad helped some though! My doctor said it's all totally normal and especially since this is my first pregnancy, everything has to be stretched for him to continue growing. So, it's a good sign but OUCH!

Here's me and the Josh man at 24 weeks (yesterday):

How far along: 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: + 10 lbs
Maternity clothes: I'm wearing my maternity jeans all the time now and I also bought a maxi skirt and am still trying to make most of my shirts work. I'm going to have to get some bigger ones soon though!
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: I'm still waking up usually once but it's more if I have back or rib pain. Sometimes I can't go back to sleep until I eat and drink something. 
Best moment this week: Hearing Josh's heartbeat again and having fun registering with Jon.
Miss anything: I've really missed steaming hot baths this week! 
Movement: Lots! Some days I feel him more than others but he's usually really active when I first wake up and when I'm about to go to bed.
Food cravings: Not really anything in particular this week. Although the past couple days I've had a hankering for Italian Ice!
Anything making you queasy or sick: As long as I eat consistently I usually do fine. I ate eggs the other day for the first time since being pregnant! (not my favorite but they went down!)
Have you started to show yet: Yes! 
Gender: BOY!!!!
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: Rib, back and hip pain, some abdominal crampy feelings, and heartburn. 
Belly button in or out: In but stretching!
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy mostly, but I still have moments where I'll randomly cry at something sweet on tv or if I don't feel well I get pretty moody. My poor husband!
Looking forward to: Finishing our registries and planning our babymoon!

Easy Lemon Chicken Cordon Bleu

Even though the husband and I try not to eat meat super often (usually only once or twice a week) we both REALLY love chicken. My husband will usually pick a steak over a chicken dish if we go out but since beef is expensive and a little more challenging for me to cook well, we do a lot of chicken at home. This is a recipe that I have made a lot and it is delicious! It isn't the traditional chicken cordon bleu (usually coated in breadcrumbs and accompanied with a mustard sauce) but we both love it, especially the husband who hates anything with mustard in it.

Unfortunately since we found out about our little guy on the way, I haven't been able to cook (or even look at) raw chicken. I wasn't even able to eat it without gagging a little until a month ago. I can eat it fine now if I don't have to prepare it, but if it's raw forget about it. Thus, there aren't any step by step pictures to go along with this recipe because I didn't actually make it recently. But...I HAVE made it in the past and it's quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but also turns out well as a freezer meal. I hope you guys enjoy it and I can't wait to make it again after our little dude is born!


What you need (original recipe from canyoustayfordinner.com)

- Chicken Breasts (1 for each person), butterflied
- Thinly sliced ham (1 for each person)
- Provolone cheese (1 for each person)
- 1 lemon, sliced thin
- Coconut oil (or olive if you prefer)
- Seasoned salt and pepper
- Dried parsley


Directions

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

- Butterfly each chicken breast to look like this

(picture from canyoustayfordinner.com)

- Season the inside of each butterflied breast with salt and pepper

- Place a piece of ham and a piece of cheese on on half of the butterflied breast. You may need to tear the ham and cheese a little so it doesn't extend over the edges of the chicken

- Fold the other half over and secure with a toothpick

- Brush the top of the breast with oil and generously season with salt, pepper and a little dried parsley

- Put a lemon slice on top of the chicken bundle

- Repeat until all the chicken breasts are filled and seasoned

- Bake for 20 minutes and serve!

(picture from canyoustayfordinner.com)