Chicken Burgers with Caesar Pesto

Many people are asking for baby bump pictures.  I have trouble taking them because I just feel weird.  I tried to take some of myself and this is the result:

Awkward.

I look like I'm pushing the belly out here but I wasn't.  I really don't know what I was doing.

Not looking the cutest but there's the bump.  This is at week 17. 

Anywho, I should probably write a food post.  You all could be getting a little tired with the pregnancy updates.  But that's really all I got going on so meh.  It's my blog after all.

Just a quick story.  M cancelled his current gym membership because he signed up with a better one.  To cancel the old gym, you have to mail in your cancellation notice.  They will not take it for you at the gym nor can you fax or email it.  The best part: it had to be mailed to a PO Box in the town we live in.  So we had to go to the town Post Office, mail this stupid thing certified mail to a box that was IN the Post Office we went to.  AND it cost $3.40.  The absurdity was astounding.

Back to the food.  I have actually been really digging carbs lately.  Before the pregnancy, I could do without the bread basket, I did not like thick bread on sandwiches, and I only liked thin crust pizza.  Now, I want some bread.  So I guess you could say that's a craving.  I have been really liking the idea of sandwiches lately and I came across this recipe for Chicken Burgers with a Caesar Pesto.  Dude.  So good.  I got some nice chewy rolls and chowed down.  M ate two and a half of them.  Shh.  Don't let him know I told you that.  They really tasted like a Chicken Caesar Salad.

I got rolls that were bigger than the burgers. hehe

Chicken Burgers with Caesar Pesto

Adapted from Rachael Ray

For the Pesto:

1 cup romaine lettuce leaves, chopped plus four whole leaves reserved for the burgers

Handful grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Juice of one lemon

1 garlic clove, chopped

Pepper

Handful of walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor.  Add half the olive oil and pulse into a thick sauce.  Stream in a little bit more olive oil while pulsing to get a nice sauce.  Reserve until ready to use.

For the burgers:

1 lb ground chicken

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/tsp dried thyme

extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 garlic clove, minced

Crusty or chewy rolls

Shredded Parmesan cheese

In a bowl, mix the ground chicken, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, coriander, sage, marjoram, and thyme all together.  Form 4 patties.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add a coating of olive oil to the pan.  Cook the burgers until cooked through, about 12 minutes total, flipping over once.

While the burgers are cooking, melt the butter and add the garlic clove.  Split open the rolls.  Brush with garlic butter.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Place in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes until bread starts to toast and cheese melts.

Serve the patties on the cheesy rolls with pesto and lettuce leaf on top. 

Optional: You may also add some sliced onion on the burger.  M did.



17 Weeks

This past weekend, M and I went out and purchased two new TVs.  That sounds like unnecessary purchases especially with a baby on the way but it's not.  M came into a few unexpected dollars from a previous work position so we didn't have to take any of our savings (aka, baby budget).  Why I'm telling you  this is because we were in the store for 2 hours.  Talk about unnecessary.  The first two TVs we wanted, they didn't have in stock or in their warehouse.  Then finally there was this one they did have in their warehouse and there was only one left.  We said OK, we'll have that delivered.  Then we said no wait, we'll take it home tonight.  The salesgirl asked a sales guy how to switch that around so he showed her.  Then said sales guy walks away after our salesgirl went to the get the TV in stock and he shows up with said TV and GIVES IT TO ANOTHER COUPLE!  Needless to say, we were a little miffed.  End of the story - we're getting the TV delivered which was our original intention but it was still annoying that guy gave the TV to someone else when he clearly knew we were taking it.

Worst part of all - this all happened between 5:30 and 7:30pm and we hadn't eaten yet.  So I was tired, hungry, and hormonal.  Not a good combo for this pregger.  I'm sure I was rocking a crazy bit*# face.

Going on this week:

Baby is now the size and weight (5oz) of a turnip.  Odd vegetable choice.

I like turnips.  M does not.

The baby's skeleton is now turning into bone and the umbilical cord is growing thicker.  Baby's sweat glands are also starting to develop.  So is the baby now sweating in me along with the peeing?

There was also a paragraph on how dreams during pregnancy could be quite vivid.  I am definitely having some crazy dreams.  I remember some, some I don't.  Some I tell people, some should not be repeated.  Nonetheless, I'm dreaming ragtime.  I did dream several times about what gender of baby I'm having.  I won't say yet but it will be very interesting if that dream comes true.  Every time, the baby has been the same gender.  We'll find out next week.  I can barely wait!

How I'm feeling:  Loving the fact that I feel the baby move more and more!  I am beginning to also feel it on my hand when I place it on my belly.  Baby is definitely getting stronger! 

Pregnancy notes: My hair has never been so shiny or grown faster.  I like it.

A couple nights ago, I came home from work and fell asleep on the couch at 5:30pm.  Enough said.

Food cravings and notes: I ate a bunch of grapes this week and the baby went mental.  I had not felt that much movement at one time.  It was pretty amazing.  This could mean either the baby likes grapes or hates grapes.  Either way, the baby will be getting more because Mama likes grapes.

I've noticed that I don't always know what I want to eat but I certainly know what I don't want to eat.  If something is mentioned, I usually have a pretty strong "no" reaction if I don't want it.  But if you ask me what I do want, expect a blank stare.

16 Weeks

I need to stop asking friends and family how their deliveries were.  I know mine will be a unique experience but I like to be informed about all the potential possibilities but then I just get frightened.  One tells you it was wonderful, one tells you it hurt like hell, one tells you that you'll be puking your brains out, one tells you her friend had her baby on the kitchen floor, and another tells you that the drugs didn't work.  OMG!  Stop telling a first time mom these wretched things!

My fault for asking though.

And I may have felt the first baby flutter the other day!  I couldn't be sure though.  Things I've read said I could start to feel it but also that it still might be too soon to feel the baby and of course, I've never felt it before but there was a definite flutter.  Could have been something else though.  Ahem.

My skin is also extremely itchy.  Doesn't matter how much lotion I put on.  I just feel the stretching.

And why in the name of all that is mighty does the cocoa butter lotion have to SMELL SO BAD?

Going on in baby's water cave this week:  Baby is now the size of an avocado!

The legs are longer, the head is more erect, and the eyes are closer to their normal position.  And, there are now toenails!  That's a little bit alarming.  Don't scratch me, little one!


How I'm feeling:  This week, the heartburn and acid reflux seemed to have subsided a little bit which is great.  I am having some soreness in my abdomen which is just the stretching and pulling to make room for the baby.  Itchy skin.  On and off dizziness as well.

Pregnancy notes: Baby stores are dangerous and I could spend hours in them.  I still haven't bought anything for the baby.  Nope, that's a lie.  I did buy a book.  Remember the Biscuit books?  The cute little puppy?  I couldn't resist. 

And I'm starting to crochet a baby blanket.  I hope I finish. 

The bathroom visits are also getting ridiculous.  I would love to sleep through the night. 

And I tried to squeeze myself into non-maternity pants this week.  Big mistake.

And my brain stops working sometimes.  M got my car washed and detailed this weekend.  On Tuesday morning, I was like where are my gloves?  They were in the car.  M was like I don't know.  I was like great they must have gotten thrown away or the car people stole them.  I ended up finding them in my purse.  Oops.

Food cravings and notes: None.  I have been doing a lot of Crock Pot cooking lately.  M got me a new one for Christmas.  The one we had cooked things to a rolling boiling while on the warm setting so there were many a burned dinner.  So awesome to come home to dinner already made.  I made a beef stew the other night and Maddux was going crazy when I got home.  Poor little guy had that smell teasing him all day.  I don't blame him.  It was delicious.

I also had chicken tacos from Chipotle.  I love tacos.  I was also hoping that perhaps the pregnancy would make me like cilantro.  No luck.  Still tastes like fertilized grass.

Doctor's Visit: Check up.  Extremely boring and uneventful.  I have gained 6 more pounds, 10 in total.  That was the biggest news of the appointment.

15 Weeks

Weekly post on the progression of the baby?  I don't know.  Do you care?

Every week, I get an email from babycenter.com (great website, by the way, and recommended by my doctor) that tells me what is going on with the baby growing inside me.  It's very interesting and I look forward to it every week.  It also gives a size estimate based on a food item.  Every week it is a little frightening to discover just how big the baby is now.  Some seem like a significant leap in size.

This week the baby is the size of an apple.  But what kind of apple?  Some are varying in size and depending on when the fruit was harvested, it could be smaller or larger.  I am thinking too much about this aren't I?  I can't help it.  It's in me, remember?  I shudder to think what's coming in vegetable or fruit comparison.  I do not look ahead.  I like the surprise of it all.

Recap of baby size by week (none for weeks 1-3 as you're technically not 'fertilized' yet):

4 Weeks - Poppy Seed
5 Weeks - Sesame Seed
6 Weeks - Lentil
7 Weeks - Blueberry
8 Weeks - Kidney Bean
9 Weeks - Grape
10 Weeks - Kumquat
11 Weeks - Fig
12 Weeks - Lime
13 Weeks - Medium Shrimp (huh?  Lengthwise maybe?)
14 Weeks - Lemon


Also going on this week

The air sacs in the baby's lungs are beginning to develop and the legs are growing longer than the arms.  The eyelids are still fused shut but the baby can sense light which is pretty cool.  And, taste buds are forming.
Much better than last week when the email told me that the baby was now peeing inside me.

Moving along.  Let's talk about my biggest fear related to labor and delivery.

It is not the pain.

It is not the recovery.

It is not having 14 different people looking at your area.

No.  It is the pooping.

I know this is a food blog (original intention anyway) and here I am talking about a disgusting bodily function.  It has been said that every laboring women falls victim to this humiliation.  That scares me more than the pain.

I have always had a high tolerance for pain so I guess this is why I'm not scared of that.  I will not be a screamer.  I am pretty stoic when it comes to pain so I don't believe I will be one whose cries and obscenties will be echoing across the entire hospital unit.  I do realize that once the contractions hit, my bravery will be quickly squashed with one swooping pain through the abdomen and I will be thoroughly humbled.  But until then, I need to believe I can handle it. 

I will never believe I can handle the other indecency referred to above.  Another thing I've heard is that you will never know you did it because you can't feel it and no one will tell you.  I don't believe that either.  Someone will tell me.  Probably M - and only because I will ask him.  That I can guarantee.  Perhaps I should put a plea out there early - when I ask, please lie to me.  The only straight out lie that I will tolerate and accept.  I would have suffered enough immodesty and embarassment at that point so save a girl the knowledge of one horror of birthing a baby that she most certainly will commit.

How I'm feeling:  No more nausea!  But heartburn and acid reflux are brutal.  Which is difficult since I'm more and more hungry.  I'm also a complete scatterbrain which has also been an adjustment.  Still feeling a little tired too.  Certain other tummy issues too.  Lots of kiwi and hot water with lemon.

Pregnancy notes: I did not get a Snoogle pillow nor did I get a body pillow.  But, I have recently been sleeping with an extra pillow between my legs and it does seem to help.  I am a stomach sleeper so it's been tricky to try and stay on my side.  The pillow seems to help.

Food cravings: None.  I kind of wish I had some but alas, I don't really.  I did want orange juice this week so I got some (never drink the stuff).  Figures there was an issue with contaminated juice this week.  Several weeks ago I wanted a Wendy's cheeseburger and fries so very badly and I never eat that kind of food.  But I gave in and it was the most delicious cheeseburger ever.  I'm glad I hadn't seen Fast Food Nation yet at that point...  And, I still cannot eat spinach.  Loved it before the pregnancy, makes me gag now.

Doctor's Visit: None.

Let's Talk Food

Pregnancy is tough; not going to lie.   I'm 14 weeks into this with 26 weeks (give or take) left.  Seems like forever but I know it will be here before I know it.  And now that I'm finally feeling better, bring it on!  Like the "baby bump."  It was a surreal realization.  One day, there it was and it's like holy moly, there IS a baby in there!  Kind of freaked me out a little.

The first 9 weeks or so were bad.  The nausea was excruciating.  But you have to eat.  And what do you eat?  I would go into the grocery store and absolutely nothing was appealing.  I had no idea what I wanted to eat.  M would ask what we should get and I just said whatever you want, I'll choke down what I can.  And so it was for 9 weeks.  People told me it would get better but while you feel that way, you don't believe them.  You want to shout "Liar!  I will have 31 more weeks of this!"  But then you feel better - eventually.  Which is good because I was basically a hermit for those 2.5 months.  I told M there is no going out.  Most days I wanted to be like Maddux, hiding under a blanket.

One bad aspect of having my first trimester during the fall was I essentially missed out on Thanksgiving dinner.  This is one of my favorite meals of all time.  And I could hardly eat any of it.  Probably due to my poultry and vegetable aversion I had going on.  Or it could have been my brother in law's awesome cheesy salsa dip he made as an appetizer.  That was something that actually tasted good so I loaded up.  I was also able to get dessert down too so I guess I didn't miss out completely on the holiday.

Then there's the food I can't (or am not allowed to) eat.  Like deli meats, pepperoni, salami, certain fishes, under cooked meat (shoe leather steak, anyone?) and unpasteurized dairy.  I was like, no problem.  I can live without those things for 9 months.  Except when you're told you can't have something, you want it all the more.  I told M that after the baby comes, this is what I want for food:

• An Italian sub (all time favorite sub)
• Pepperoni pizza
• A steak cooked to medium perfection (a glass of wine would be nice here too)
• A Turkey Club Sandwich
• Anything with some feta and/or bleu cheese (where it's not cooked until it's bubbly)

I'm typically not one for turkey sandwiches, but I want one now.  Another thing you can't have is bacon.  BACON!!  WHAT?!  I was like how can I live without some bacon?  Then the doctor said, it's the nitrates.  If you can find nitrate free bacon, you can have it! 

I now fall to my knees in gratitude at Whole Foods who supply nitrate free bacon.  I just had a BLT for lunch today.  I love me a BLT.

Anyway, I will get through this and I will once again eat all the foods I love.  26 more weeks, 26 more weeks....

Good Things in 2012

Well hello!  I realize 5 months have passed.  Eh.

I was so unmotivated and uninspired to do anything.  I was essentially broken, defeated, and in a constant state of blah.  M had been searching for a job for well over a year, I was feeling unsatisfied in my work, and it seemed that everyone around me was moving in amazing directions and mine just stayed static.  To be honest, I was just having a straight up hard time with where my life was at the moment.  I tried to focus on all the good but there comes a point where you just don't have the energy for that anymore.  I was desperate.  Desperate for life changes.  Desperate for my biggest dream to come true. 

And wouldn't you know it, it's true what they say - good things come to those who wait and come around when you least expect it.

I had been waiting for a long time but finally, it's here!

Drum roll..........

I'm going to have a baby!!!  Look at this little love.

I can't believe I am finally saying (or writing) those words.  I am ecstatic, thrilled, overjoyed!  Oh yeah, M is too.  My biggest dream is coming true.  In 6 and a half more months, I will be holding my baby in my arms.  And I couldn't ask for more right now.  Maddux is excited he's going to be a big brother too!  Doesn't he look thrilled? 

I am also scared.  This is huge.  Big change.  Not only with my life but with my body too.  It's a little freaky to know that a person is growing inside of you.  But when you see that little baby on the ultrasound screen and hear that strong heartbeat, all your concerns and worries fade away.  That little nose and those little shadowy hands on the screen turn you to mush.  It's all I've ever wanted - to find a wonderful man to marry and to be a Mom.  The first part came true 8 and a half years ago.  The second is now.

So, good things will be coming in 2012.  And now that I'm finally feeling better, more cooking has been happening in our house because for about 3 months, there was no cooking.  Right, didn't even mention the food stuff and here we are in A Homemade Kitchen.  The thought of food made me recoil so I couldn't be smelling it either.   Poor, M.  There will be food posts but for certain, there will be baby posts too.  I wrote in my initial welcome page that a kitchen is about family and my family is growing so this little blog may morph into other topics but there will be food.  Oh, and perhaps baby food.  Homemade baby food anyone?  My sweet little niece certainly loves it.

The sun is rising onto a new year.  Here's to dreams coming true in 2012!