My kind of meal

I'm up writing a blog post which means, yep, you guessed it...no baby yet! Hans said it best the other day when he said "every day past our due date is like Christmas Eve. You know something really exciting is about to happen but there is nothing you can do to make the time go any faster." It's now starting to feel like the Christmas Eve that will never end! So, in the mean time we are keeping ourselves on the go so we don't have time to sit around and think about it. Well ok, truth is Saturday we sat around and did absolutely nothing but nap and watch movies. The only activity we got was getting out for our daily mile long walk to the mail box and thank god for that or we may have gone crazy. We decided from that point on we needed to stay busy doing something to preoccupy ourselves.

Since Saturday was such a lazy day, I had to continue the theme with that nights dinner. Actually, I am all for any night that I can make a healthy dinner that is quick and easy and this one is just about as good as it gets for 5 minutes of prep time.  It's so tasty that it has become one of the staples in our house so I figured I would share it all with you! I wish that I had some fancy official recipe name to give it but nope, it's just plain Sausage and Vegetables. Hans calls it the Crystal Goulash but that really doesn't sound very appetizing so we are going to just leave that one for him. 

Sausage and Vegetables

Ingredients:

Large green bell pepper

Large red bell pepper

2 medium red potatoes

Medium red or yellow onion

1 or 2 Jalapaneos

1 zucchini (sadly I did not have one in the fridge so we had to go without)

1 package smoked turkey sausage

olive oil

black pepper

garlic powder

seasoning salt (I used Johnny's)

Rice of choice or quinoa

6 basic ingredients, doesn't get easier than that!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Slice up all ingredients with a knife or if you really want to make quick work of it, you can use your food processor like I do. I literally takes me longer to set it up than it does to slice everything. Once finished, throw all of the vegetables into an oven safe casserole dish. Drizzle the veggies with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season according to taste with spices. I tend to go pretty easy on the seasoning salt though due to the sodium content of the sausage and we would rather taste the "real" flavor of the vegetables than covering them up with to much extra.  Once seasoned, toss the vegetables to cover with oil and spices and then add in your slices of sausage.

A little word of wisdom is to keep the slices of your potatoes thin so they cook at the same rate as the other ingredients

Cover with foil and add to preheated oven.  
Once in oven, start to prepare your rice or quinoa
Stir vegetable/sausage mixture at 20 minutes, re-cover and cook for another 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  If you like a little crisp to your vegetables you can now uncover and set under the broiler for 4-5 minutes.

We are loving this Tru Roots  organic sprouted rice and quinoa blend from Costco right now.  Perfect texture and taste!

Finally, top your rice with the vegetables and sausage and enjoy your perfectly balanced dinner of protein, vegetables, and whole grains. Yum!

Doesn't look half as appetizing in pictures but trust me, it tastes oh so good!

No time for breakfast? Ya right!

I constantly hear people say "I don't eat breakfast." Excuse me...what? Haven't you heard a million times that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? I usually hear people say "I don't have time for breakfast", "I'm not hungry", "It upsets my stomach", blah, blah, blah.  Seriously guys, it's the most important meal of the day and let me tell you the top three reasons why.

     1. People who eat breakfast consume more vitamins and minerals over the course of a day, and they eat less fat and cholesterol as well. 

     2. Breakfast eaters have better concentration and are more productive throughout the morning. Researchers believe this is due to replenishing glucose, the brain's main energy source.
 
     3. Eating breakfast helps people maintain and even lose weight. Eating breakfast reduces hunger later in the day, and it causes eaters to choose less dense foods at later meals.

Have I convinced you to start eating breakfast yet? Well if you are one of those people who say "I don't have time for breakfast," I am about to call your bluff. Even if you are someone who wakes up starving like myself and can't wait to eat something, you still would like a little more time in your morning routine right? Good news, these little gems are going to be perfect for you!

Whenever I have excess veggies in the fridge or I know I have a busy week coming up I like to make these Mini Egg Fritatas. They are so quick to make and you can whip them up once at the start of the week or weekend, wrap them up, grab them out of the fridge, and go.  There is no real need to measure anything and you can pretty much throw any type of vegetable and/or breakfast meat into them that you would like. For those of you who like a more exact recipe, here is what I used this morning.

I diced up 1 green pepper, 1/2 a red onion, 2 jalapenos, tore up a large handful of spinach, and chopped up some cilantro. I also had a few slices of turkey bacon left in the fridge so I diced up 4 slices of that and added it to the mix.  Spread the veggies/meat evenly throughout GREASED muffin tins (I had enough to fill 18). You could also use cupcake wrappers. Trust me, you will want to use something because these will stick like crazy if you forget to grease the pan.  

Next fill the muffin tins with egg whites. I used up two 18oz cartons of egg whites but you could also take the time to crack your own eggs and separate them. Season with whatever seasoning you like. I just sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Now put them into a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the egg has set.

Eat a few right away because they are to yummy not to right out of the oven and the rest you can seal up in tupperware or ziplocks to eat in the following days. These are also great if you need a quick healthy snack.  

Burgers, Beer, and Baby Talk

WooooHoooo, the photos that I was far to busy to even attempt to take have come in (courtesy of Maddie Richards and Pat Moser) which means I finally get to share with you all the highlights of the MOST adorable baby shower ever! Once again we are going to live this day through pictures and captions because if I start going into detail, everyone will lose interest a quarter of the way through.  I will however say that a million and one thank you's is not enough to show Olive's Aunt Kate, Uncle Sean, Pop, and Grams how much all of their planning and creativity means to us. In typical Kate style it was WAY over the top but in the most loving and fun way. I have no idea how they planned a party of this magnitude living in Philly but they did. We would also like to say thank you to every single friend and family member who traveled from near and far to come show us and Olive how much they love us!

The perfect combo of girl meets boy. Flowers and beer bottles.

Late night diaper laughs will be greatly appreciated

Aunt Kate and Uncle Sean obviously had 9 months to shop. There were outfits hanging from clothes lines everywhere we looked!

Of course I cried like a baby once I got home and read all the sweet messages that were written.

 "Olive You" favors  and ice cold beer. I think the beer was the only way to convince a bunch of men to attend a baby shower.
It's hard to believe that just two years ago this very same yard was filled with all these people for our wedding.

 Showing up 10 minutes late. It seems to be a trend lately. I think I forget that this big belly makes me move a little slower than normal.

                            I think this is my favorite photo. It's going to be framed for sure!

                                    A very manly Daddy with his very girly beer stein.

Food, food, and more food! I thought that the appetizer table was extravagant so I was really shocked to see those cleared and a main course of sliders being brought out. Guests feasted on elk patties as well as salmon patties topped off with all the fixins. Then dessert showed up and my mind was blown. Cupcakes made to look like burgers, are you kidding me??? Burgers, beer, and baby talk...I should have known that even dessert would be kept in the theme.

Since my not so tiny 9 month pregnant self could not handle walking around all day in the hot summer sun, I was able to sit back and really take in all the candid moments of the day. It was so much fun seeing all the people we love come together and have a great time.

Pop said it perfectly when he said "you are going to need a bigger house for all this stuff!" He was right! I have a feeling this is just a sneak peek into how spoiled our little girl is going to be. We were blown away at how many thoughtful gifts she received. Not only was our registry just about finished off but the handmade gifts were mind blowing. There is some serious talent out there in our guests. Unwrapping gifts took about four times longer than usual but Hans can't help playing with everything. It actually made for some pretty good laughs. Olive had better have a great sense of humor or else her father is really going to embarrass her once she hits teenage years. 

 There has been an on going tradition that every baby that has slept in this antique cradle gets their name added to a plaque and attached to the cradle. Here are just a few of the cousins who have plaques and as you can see not only will Olive keep that tradition going but John and his wife Maddie are expecting their little girl just 3 weeks after Olive. It's so neat that Olive and her cousin Talin will be able to grow up together at such a close age. 

Last but not least, no baby shower would be complete without games. A few willing volunteers had to chug/suck beer out of baby bottles. It was obviously more difficult than it looks because there were a lot of complaints about sore jaws once they were done. In the end, experience came out on top and Pop won the battle. Maybe it was just that missing tooth that gave him a little extra edge. HeeHee!

Thank you again to everyone who came out to celebrate Olive with us. We can't wait to see you all again and next time we do you will finally be able to meet this beautiful little girl.  All that is left is for Olive to hurry up and come into this big new world. Your Mommy and Daddy can't wait to meet you! 

Olive Update

 The Little Miss seems to be pretty cozy in this big belly of mine!

Hans and I have been so honored by the flood of text messages and emails that we get on a daily basis from people who are on baby watch and checking to see how we are doing that I decided I should probably give everyone more of an update than just "no baby yet."  Trust me, at this point I REALLY wish that I had something to report because each day is feeling like an eternity at this point!

Full term is considered any time between 38 and 40 weeks however statistically something like 40% of first time moms go well into their 10th month and deliver at 41 weeks or later. Dear God, please don't let that be us!!!  We will official hit our due date on Tuesday August 20th but also statistically, only 5% of babies are born on their actual due date. Sigh.....

Although we are dying to get this show on the road, we need her to stay put for just a few more days. Our Midwife is out of town in San Francisco for a conference until Sunday and after spending almost a year of meeting with her, we would really like her to be the one to deliver Olive rather than a complete stranger. That was the whole reason we went with a midwife in the first place. She did have a few incredibly wise words of advice for us on Monday before she left though. The very first thing out of her mouth when walking in was "Ok...I need you to keep your legs crossed, no sex, and drink lots of wine this week to keep that baby from going anywhere."  Um....OK! I can honestly say I think that is the first time I have ever had the doc tell me that before. However, doesn't wine usually lead to the other things??? Ha ha...Joke!  Now before anyone goes and freaks out about the wine consumption, she wasn't talking about downing a bottle a day or anything. She was talking about a half a glass here and there throughout the week. Apparently alcohol slows down the labor process and at this point we are out of the woods for fetal alcohol syndrome.  She informed us that up until the 70's doctors used to give alcohol through IV's to pre term mothers to slow their labor. That however caused a few cases of FAS and they decided it probably wasn't such a good idea after all. Hmm, you learn something new everyday I guess.  In any case, you don't have to tell me twice about kicking back for a taste or two of wine!

How am I feeling physically you ask?  All I can say is every day is something different. One day I will feel great or as great as a woman can for being this far along and the next I will be so wiped out that it is hard to do much of anything. I have on and off contractions and back aches and there have been a few nights where I thought tonight is the night for sure but I go to sleep and wake up to nothing. Some nights I have been sleeping soundly and others I have been up every hour to use the bathroom, rearrange the fortress of pillows around me, or stare at the ceiling. Well that is a lie. Anyone who follows me on Pinterest knows I have been pinning like a fool and I can blame that on the nights of no sleeping. I am desperately waiting for the day when I am back to my normal body and I can reward myself with some new clothes. I honestly plan on burning every single piece of maternity clothing I own! I am full speed ahead in the nesting department as well. My amazing mother in law Terry came over and helped me paint the dining room the other day. It's amazing how a coat or two of paint can transform an entire room, Even Hans said "this room does feel so much more relaxed." That is a pretty big deal because that man could care less about paint! I also literally scrubbed the dining room and kitchen floors five times the other night and I am feeling overwhelmed by the hundreds of other things I would like to get done before she gets here. I have been so obsessed that it will bring me to tears at times but I know that it will never be enough so I am forcing myself to try to relax or ignore it. Taking a long walk with Hans and the dogs tends to be the best way to help get it off my mind as well as wear the dogs out. They have been a little neglected with me not feeling up to par lately and have not been getting even half of the exercise they should be getting. Good news is that as SOON as Olive gets here we will be out hitting the pavement or in our case gravel every single day at least once a day. Did I mention I can't wait to get this baby weight off???  My plan is to exhaust everyone in the family so we have no choice but to sleep well at night. Wishful thinking right? Overall though I really can not complain about how I am feeling and I am grateful for that. I have not had any of the really bad pregnancy symptoms you hear about, my weight has stayed pretty much under control, and I haven't swollen to the size of a blimp...yet.

So for now all we can do is sit back (with my legs crossed of course) and wait until she decides it's time to come join us which hopefully will be any day after Sunday. The countdown is on!

For anyone interested in a more details about what is going on with momma and baby at 39 weeks, you can check out this link from The Bump.com  http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/39-weeks-pregnant.aspx?MsdVisit=1   It has been a cute way to update our family each week on her progress plus we get a good giggle at the different fruits and vegetables she has been compared to. This week she's a watermelon and believe me, it looks like I have swallowed one!

Crockpot Jambalaya

 (I've come to the conclusion that no food cooked in a crock pot comes out pretty in pictures. More like a pile of slop but it's the taste that matters and after 7 hours of slow cooking I can assure you the flavors of this have all mushed together perfectly)

I have been trying to make it a point at least once a week to cook up something that can be pulled out of the freezer for an easy dinner option once Olive is here and we are just to tired to cook a meal from scratch. This week I decided to go with a big batch of Jambalaya. Hans is a huge fan of anything that involves a little heat and some Cajun Seasoning so I knew that it would make his day when he saw that it would be a dinner option not only for dinner that night but for several more to come in the future. Usually I would make it on the stove and let it cook all day but this girl loves her crock pot and since I had doctor appointments and errands to run, it was going to have to do. Plus at this point in the pregnancy I LOVE me some shortcuts. 

This version is medium hot. Just the way I like it. If you like yours a little more on the tame side you can cut the cayenne pepper in half or if you like your mouth to be on FIRE you can double it or just throw in a jalapeno or two more. Also, feel free to use meats of your choice. I had some chicken and turkey sausage in the freezer so that is what I went with but feel free to use shrimp, hamburger, beef sausage, etc...

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast (I used both breast and thighs so it didn't get to dry) cut into 1" chunks
1 lb. smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 28oz jar/can or diced tomatoes with juice. (if they are not home canned, make sure you use low sodium to keep it more on the healthy side)
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
your choice rice (I used around 1 1/2- 2 c. brown rice)

Throw everything except the rice into the crockpot, cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.  When ready to serve, cook your rice as directed and add to either the crock pot or bowl and then top with the soup mixture.  

ENJOY!

Whoa...What a crazy couple weeks!

I know, I know, I am way behind in writing a post but let me tell you, these last two weeks have been a whirlwind. A whirlwind of the best kind (well other than the food poisoning/stomach bug we came down with at the end of it) and we were having so much fun that pausing to write even a sentence was just not an option.  If I wrote about all our adventures, we would seriously have a book on our hands so we are going to relive these amazing times through a little photo journalism. Heck, now that I think about it, there is so much that I am even going to break it up into two entries. Auntie Kate and Uncle Sean threw us such an amazing Baby Shower that they need an entire blog post to cover all the details (It also happens I was so taken with what they had done and by all the guests that came to celebrate that I could not even bother with taking photos. Luckily we have two family members that are amazing photographers and will be sending us some shortly). 

Hope you can keep up!

 Yay..Kate and Sean are in town from Philly for a whole week! Let's see how much we can cram into that week, shall we?

 Cheers! Starting off with a trip to Bandon on the Oregon Coast for a wedding reception and a little/a lot of partying.

 Shared a HUGE house with the always entertaining Donegan family. There was never a shortage (yes, pun intended) of laughs.

 Found some time to kick back and enjoy some of the simple things in life. Some days all you need is a good cup of coffee and some beautiful scenery to make you remember how beautiful life is.

 Mr. Christenson and I at the wedding reception we attended. Congrats to Robbie and Dana Orr!

 Christenson gals and Frances, the hostess with the mostess. Their beach home was such a beautiful place to have their son's reception. They should really think of renting out their home for anything wedding related. It was that perfect!

 Uh oh, they got caught. Trouble is bound to happen when these two get together!

 Fellow tattoo enthusiasts comparing their work.

All married couples were asked for a wedding photo which was displayed for everyone to see. How sweet is that? We felt so honored.

 Simple done right...the scenery was so beautiful that it didn't take much decor wise.

 Back on the farm now. Family photos are easier said than done with us! There is going to be more goofing off than serious smiles.

 The Braddock family who we love with all our hearts make it down for their annual Camp Christenson week.

 Introducing the kiddos to oysters...

 You can see how that turned out!

 Thanks Michelle for taking such a cool pic of all of us up in the barn.

 Food, food, and more food! Homemade Ciopinno for dinner is just one of the feasts we had.

 One of our favorite lunches. Homemade margherita pizzas. So simple and so yummy.

Pop spent all day making jerkey. Both the elk and the goose were amazing!

He also filled the smokehouse with racks of salmon. Soo good!

July 30th we celebrated our 2nd anniversary. A string ring may not be diamonds but it means just as much!

Just two years ago we were married in front of this very tree in front of all our family and friends. My how the time has flown.

I didn't know it took five people to give two dogs a bath but it was pure entertainment to watch. The dogs were very good sports about it.

Game night! I always forget how fun a simple game night with friends can be.

There is no such thing as getting bored on the farm. Get out and go for a walk (or in my case a waddle). You are bound to find something to entertain you.

Putt putt and wine tasting? Why didn't they think of this sooner?

 Brooke and Chris made it down from Gig Harbor, Wa to come spend the weekend and celebrate Olive at the shower. Are you blinded by that rock on her finger? I know I was. Congrats you two, we can't wait to celebrate in Hawaii next summer with you!

After 9 days of company, the house is finally quiet. Dad and the boys are taking some time out to recover.

We want to thank everyone who took time out of their busy lives to come hang out with us! There was lots of love and many memories made. Looking forward to the next time we all get together! Stay tuned for...

Burgers, Beer, and Baby Talk