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Hungry Heart: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Goodbye House

Jerry worked his butt off helping my parents move this weekend.
When I asked what he wanted for dinner his response was grilled pizza and ice cream.
Fine by me!



Garlic, ricotta, and fresh mozzarella pizzas with some grilled corn.
And someone had a Mediterranean mojito on the side. (A regular mojito made with basil instead of mint).


It was sad saying goodbye to my old house.
But last night, as I sat in my parent's new living room eating my pistachio soft serve, I realized I really like the new place too.
Its going to be a great place to make some new memories.

So goodbye to a great house!


my bedroom :)


2012 has so many new things in store!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Moving Day

Its moving day!

My parents officially closed on their new house yesterday.
Now we have one day to empty a house my family lived in for 25 years.

So far, I have managed not to get too emotional about the move*
I assume I will shed a few tears today as we say goodbye to my childhood home.
To me, it is a little sad, but mostly strange that Baby T will have no memories of that house. The house where nearly all of my memories were made!

Despite the 29 degree weather when I woke up this morning, I decided a smoothie in a bowl was the way to go for breakfast.


In the mix: 3/4cup milk, 1/2 container of blueberry Chobani, 1/3 cup frozen blueberries, 1/4 cup rolled oats, and 1 tsp chia seeds.


This combo seems to keep me full for hours. I think its the protein/chia seed mix. Or the sheer volume of it.
I topped it with a little cereal for crunch, and inhaled this in about 5 minutes.

I guess it is pretty convenient that I am about to be 8 months pregnant, no one really expects me to do any heavy lifting today.
So I have been assigned to picking out paint colors with Mom!


*I spoke too soon. I cried for a solid 5 minutes while writing this post. This could be a very long day!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Dough Knots and Trader Joe's

It's been a week of fast dinners at our house this week.

Monday I was sick, so Jerry ordered Chinese food while I stayed plastered firmly to our couch.

He also helped my parents with a few last minute projects on their house. They are officially moving on Friday!

After another stop at my parents house on Tuesday, Jer and I made a quick run to the grocery store.
I came home and threw together an easy Indian dinner.


We stopped at Trader Joe's in New Jersey on our way home this weekend. I picked up this Masala sauce, and was excited to try it.

I sauteed onion, garlic, and red peppers, and then added a chopped potato and one cup of water.
After they simmered for a while, I added chopped chicken and the sauce.


This cooked covered for about 15 minutes. I threw in some frozen peas and dinner was ready!
(Thanks to leftover white rice from our takeout on Monday).

I really wish we lived closer to a Trader Joe's.
I'm not generally a fan of jarred sauces, but this was pretty good and very easy.
For my taste, it could have been a little spicier, but I would definitely buy it again.


Last night's dinner was equally as fast.
To be honest, dinner was fast because I was cranky.
I hadn't eaten since 2pm and by the time dinner rolled around 5/6 hours later, my blood sugar was way low. I had heartburn and nothing sounded appealing for dinner. So Jerry offered to make a salad.

I took out some pizza dough and made Dough Knots. (aka my family's version of garlic knots).


So we ate big salads with dough knots dipped in a pile of herbed ricotta cheese.
This random dinner tasted amazing to me. Jerry and I ate almost an entire pound of pizza dough.

I will be happy to share a recipe for Dough Knots soon.
Frankly, they are so special they deserve a separate post. And multiple batches.


Does anyone else love Trader Joe's?
Rumor has it Albany and possibly Rochester are getting stores. I sense a road trip in my future...

I'm brainstorming another quick dinner for tonight. We have our first childbirth class this evening!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Week 30 and Nursery Preview

10 weeks to go!


30 weeks

My 30 week photos were taken in a new location. The nursery!

We decided on white furniture and a pale green on the walls. 


Our new glider arrived yesterday. I love it! It is very comfortable and I love the green stripes.
(Thanks for the comfy place to sit, Nana!)


We put the crib in a dark little corner for now. We figured that would be ideal for sleeping.

When you enter the room, you see some windows and the dresser and changing table.

view from the door

view from the chair
We may do some furniture rearranging. Maybe switch the chair and the dresser?
I think the changing table will look excellent in my dining room when we are done using it in the nursery.

Her closet is to the right of the changing table.
And already getting full!!!


Her newborn/3 month clothes are on the bottom. Everything else is on the top. People have been so generous with clothes. And we haven't even had the baby shower yet!
Jer and I have managed to only buy 2 or three things, and probably won't buy anything else until after the shower.
I am looking forward to seeing the nursery once it is all put together. A lot of the accessories are pink, and I think it will look nice, but not too girly with the green and white.

Baby T:
This week baby is approximately 15.7 inches and weighs almost 3 pounds.
www.babycenter.com compares her to a head of cabbage!
She wiggles all day, and still feels very low. Occasionally I feel like she is dancing on my bladder. Hiccups are still a regular occurrence, and still adorable.
Jerry still sings to her every night, and I swear she is starting to respond to his voice.

Me:
I am tired. I also caught another cold, which hasn't been helping matters.
I think I have gained about 22 pounds. I have been pretty consistently gaining 1 pound per week for the last few months.
I pretty much have heartburn from the minute I eat breakfast until the minute I fall asleep.
I am pretty sure last week's belly weirdness were Braxton Hicks contractions. Luckily they haven't been back.

I am very excited for our doctor's appointment tomorrow. We have our 3D ultrasound! I can't wait to see our little peanut. The bigger she gets, the stronger of a bond I feel with her. I hope she shows us her little face! I'm getting very anxious to meet her.

I can just picture myself holding her now!



Monday, April 23, 2012

Jersey Pancakes

Happy Monday!
Jer and I made a quick visit to see Lauren and Brett in Jersey City this weekend.

Here are a few quick highlights:

I made pancakes Saturday morning while everyone was out for a run.






His: with sausage and maple syrup

Hers: maple yogurt, strawberries, and candied walnuts

We took a ferry into the city and walked around and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.



And ate some tiny little cupcakes.





 Came home and enjoyed some seafood!



Seafood stew so large we had to put it in two bowls. Mussels, clams, calamari, and cod in a delicious tomato broth.

Served with a bowl of crispy kale and prosciutto.


And what better to wrap up the weekend than more pancakes?


Caramelized banana pancaked with berries and whipped cream.
Lauren declared these the best pancakes she had ever had.

It was a great trip to Jeresey, and probably our last as a family of two!
Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Marathon Recovery

On Tuesday night Jerry went out to dinner to celebrate his marathon.
We went to The Huddle on Main, one of our favorite 'fancy' restuarants.

We started with crab cakes.


I got the 'New England Hot Pot'.






A buttery broth with potatoes, sausage, clams, mussels, and haddock.
The broth was delicous, and I loved the mussels. The sausage added a good flavor, but wasn't my favorite. And the potatoes were actually a little undercooked.

Jerry's steak was my favorite.


While it was a little over done (he asked for med-rare and it was definitely medium), the sauce was incredible. It was an Ancho-Chile/Berry/Pinot Noir reduction. Yum!
After dinner we came home and I promptly fell asleep on the couch. At 8:45. And then I slept all the way to 6:30am!  Apparetnly Jerry running a marathon really tires me out.

Remember that my parents are moving?

Well their closing date keeps getting moved. So my poor Mom packed up her kicthen weeks ago, and is still living in it!
Yesterday Jerry and I brought dinner to them.
A London broil, a mozzarella/tomato/bail salad, and grilled portabellos.



I had my salad on top of my grilled mushroom, along with a little arugula.
So yummy!
Mom roasted potatoes on the side. I am still craving ketchup, and they tasted were wonderful and crispy.
I inhaled this and then managed to eat a little steak, too. Also covered in ketchup.


The whole meal tasted very 'summery', and I am glad grilling season is here again!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

29 Week Update

He made it!


Jerry finished the Boston Marathon!
It took him longer than he anticipated due to the heat, but he seemed happy just to finish the race.

He said it was his hardest marathon yet! (He has run 4). I am a very proud wife.

And of course, he is already planning his next.


Meanwhile, the third trimester seems to be kicking my butt.

20 Weeks
29 Weeks

Baby T: 
Weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is just over 15 inches. She is the size of a butternut squash!
Her bones are also starting to harden, and her lungs are continuing to develop.  Source
She still moves regularly, and it is still my favorite part of pregnancy! She also gets hiccups almost every day. Its adorable.

Me:
Most of the time I still feel pretty good.
Heartburn is pretty rough. If I don't take 2 Pepcids a day, I most likely will throw up.
I'm also noticing I can fit less and less food in my stomach at a time. I must be running out of room in there. I've taken to grazing frequently throughout the day.
According to my home scale, I am up 20 pounds. (Not bad after helping Jerry carbo load last week!)

I've also had issues walking lately. The past two weeks, whenever I take a walk, my belly tightens so the whole thing is rock hard. It is very strange, but doesn't hurt. It just feel like a lot of pressure and is pretty uncomfortable. It usually stays hard for 3 or 4 hours, and feels better when I lay down.
Google hasn't given me any answers, most people chalk it up to Braxton Hicks contractions. But these don't come and go, it is constant.
I'm not overly concerned, but I may call my doctor to see what causes this and if I should continue walking.

Other than that, I am very excited to hit the 30 week mark!
Our nursery glider should be arriving this week (after being accidentally shipped to Texas?) and we have a 3D ultrasound coming up next week.

Exciting stuff!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Marathon Monday

Its Boston Marathon Day!

It is very quiet in the Tylutki house this morning.
Jerry is probably headed to the start of the marathon right now.
I'm already nervous for him. He has let go of any time goals due to the heat, but I still hope he manages to enjoy a race he has trained so hard for.

I have been in a bit of a breakfast rut. Its been nothing but oatmeal and peanut butter for weeks now.

So I decided to whip a smoothie in a bowl (SIAB).


In the mix is 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 6 oz Greek yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup milk, and a scoop of Amazing Meal.
I crumbled a blueberry/zucchini/flax cookie on top. Our local health food store makes them, and my Mom brought a few over on Saturday. They are a favorite of ours.



I had a cup of coffee on the side (2/3 decaf, 1/3 caf) in a special mug!
If I drink out of Jerry's mug this morning, he will have a great race, right?

If anyone wants to track Jer's progress while he runs, check out this info at the bottom of this post.

Good luck to my Speedfreak, my father in law, and all the other marathoners today!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Forecasts and Banana Bread

The forecast for Monday keeps getting worse and worse.
By worse and worse, I mean hotter and hotter!


Jer seems pretty disappointed that he trained all winter for a marathon, only for it to be 81 degrees when the race starts. One forecast has the temps hitting 90.
He has adjusted his goal from trying to run his fastest marathon, to running in 26.2 miles in 3 hours.
Still a speedy goal!

I'm trying to distract him from weather forecasts by continuing to stuff him full of carbs.

Last night's baked ziti tasted amazing to me. Maybe because we covered it in about 1/2 pound of mozzarella.



I ate two servings this size, and probably could have eaten more.
Jerry ate his pasta with two pieces of garlic toast. He is taking the carbo loading very seriously.

This morning I made him a big stack of homemade whole wheat pancakes with blueberry sauce. I was too busy making more pancakes to get a picture.

But I did have this is in the oven while we ate pancakes:


Daily Garnish's Blueberry Greek Yogurt Banana Bread.

I chose this recipe because it was low in fat, and high in carbs.




I stole a piece while it was still a little warm. I'm not a huge fan of banana bread, but this was surprisingly good. It was less dense than traditional banana bread (I assume because there isn't a lot of fat). It had a nice spongy texture, and I really loved the blueberries. Next time I would add an extra half cup. 

I'll pack some up for Jerry to take on the road with him tomorrow. 
I am staying home while he is in Boston, and I am having serious anxiety about it. I hate to not be there when he runs.
But is is going to be a long day, and not to mention incredibly hot. I guess it is better that I stay home. 
Plus his Dad is running the marathon also, so he won't be alone.

And there is a nice feature on the Boston Marathon website, that lets you track athletes by entering their name or bib # .
You can even get text message updates sent when a runner crosses certain checkpoints.

If anyone is interested, Jerry's bib # is 1812, and the race starts at 10am!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Weather Stalkers

I must confess.
I am failing miserably at preventing Jerry from checking Boston's weather for the 16th.

That is because they are currently predicting the weather to be in the 80s! I've seen forecasts from 78-84 and sunny. Not ideal marathon weather.
Do you think he'll notice if I delete the weather app from his phone?

Actually, that wouldn't help. I keep emailing him updates whenever I see a forecast that has a lower temperature.
I am such an enabler!

Since I can't control the weather, I might as well try and control the food.

Chicken fried rice was on the menu last night.


I made this for Jerry one day before a half marathon, when all I could find in the fridge was some leftover pork and an egg. Add some rice and some frozen veggies and you have yourself a meal.

I cooked up 4 servings (1 cup) of brown rice on Wednesday.

Last night all we had to do was chop a few small carrots, 1 large onion, a large chicken breast, and tons of garlic. Everything went into a hot wok with some canola oil to cook. Then I added some soy sauce (about 1/4 cup) and some freshly grated ginger.
Next I added one cup each of frozen corn, peas, and broccoli.
Once it was warm I stirred in the already cooked brown rice.
Finally, Jerry stirred in 2 beaten eggs.

Before we knew it, we had a mountain of food in under 30 minutes.



Topped with a little Sriracha, of course. Jerry added a little extra soy sauce, as well.

I love the texture the eggs give this rice at the end. It makes the dish almost kind of creamy.
If you prefer little pieces of cooked egg in your rice, don't stir right away. Let the eggs set a minute or two and then stir into your rice.
Leave out the chicken or add some tofu and this would be a great vegetarian meal, too.
You know me, I love meals where ingredients can be swapped out or substituted for whatever you have on hand. 

In addition to leftover rice, Jerry will be eating 2 bagels, a Chobani yogurt with granola, an apple, and a Clif bar today.

Dinner tonight is a pasta favorite of mine; baked ziti!

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