22 weeks and Feeling the kicks

So my baby boy is kicking quite a bit now and its just a little uncomfortable but also comforting to know that hes doing well.  I have been watching (maybe addicted is a better word) to the Food network channel as background noise while I work and I was hoping that one of the food network stars would put out a show like the old Robbin Miller's Quick Fix Meals (which reruns often enough). 

Her show focuses on what to do with leftovers or how to minimize your time in the kitchen.  It made me think about my plans to minimize stress - with a new baby on the way.  I want to plan my menu for the week - I did this for a while when my daughter was little, but I made the mistake of cooking every day.  I think this time around - a much wiser me - would like to cook one or two days a week and have enough food to quick-fix throughout the week so I minimize stress and work.

So I started to experiment.  On Monday I cooked only 3 cups of basmati rice, an entire bag of dried red beans and just a few pork cutlets.  I had a few empanadas in the freezer pre-made for a rainy/lazy day and I decided to add a little pesto to the leftover rice and bake the empanadas for lunch.  On Thursday I purchased 1.5 pounds of ground sirloin and I sauteed it with onions, yellow peppers, garlic, basil and chili and added the beans and some chicken broth to make a chili.  I think Im getting the hang of this.

The following meal doesnt leave leftovers so its hard to experiment, I hope you love it as much as we do, its my take on asian noodle salad and its absolutely our favorite meal.

Red Pepper Sofrito and Asian Noodle Salad

Ingredients

1 package soba noodles (preferably Annie Chun www.anniechun.com)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup hot chili oil (reduce for less of a kick)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 heeping tablespoons of Red Pepper Sofrito (separate recipe)
1 carrot, thinly sliced or julienned
1 cup of thinly sliced red cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced or julienned
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes sliced in half
Garlic Sesame seeds (Chemical free)

Directions
In a medium stock pot, boil water, add salt and cook noodles. Drain, add a little olive oil so the noodles don’t stick and place noodles in an ice water bath or fridge to cool. Set aside

Red Pepper Sofrito: In a chopper/grinder or food processor add 1/3 of the chopped red pepper, 1/3 of the red onion, olive oil, cilantro, fresh basil, and garlic. You can make as much of this as you like and reserve it but for this recipe you only need about 4 heeping tablespoons.

In medium bowl combine sesame oil, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, hot chili oil, red pepper sofrito and extra-virgin olive oil. Mix thoroughly and then combine all vegetables with noodles.

Entertaining for my daughters birthday at 20 weeks.

At 20 weeks I’ve finally gained some necessary weight, but I feel as though I’m still transferring weight which is a plus.  I’m up from 157.5 to 159 and stable for one week.  I feel good and I know that I don’t really have a choice in the weight I gain but I do have a choice in eating too much or too little.   

My daughter turned 17 last month and I didn’t want her to think that having a new baby would suddenly change routines and traditions that we had for so many years - as just mom and daughter in the house.  I planned a family party (her favorite kind) and served all of her favorite dishes. This of course, meant that there wasn’t a lot that was going to go together but it was her day and thats all that really mattered.

On the menu: Lamb Curry,  Puerto Rican Rice and Beans, Pasta Salad, Lentil Soup, Chicken Wontons, A Cheese Tray, Hummus and Chips w/ Bacon and Cheddar and her favorite cake/ice cream Mint Chocolate Chip.

Because I like the idea of having meals that work together, I decided to put things out in a particular order.  The Appetizers: A cheese tray with hummus and home fried tortilla chips, Homemade Potato Chips with Shredded Cheese and Bacon, and Chicken Wontons.  For the main course: Lamb Curry and Puerto Rican Rice, Pasta Salad and Store bought Garlic Bread and for dessert Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Wontons, and her favorite candy - White chocolate pretzels and frozen mini Reeses peanut butter cups.  I set all of these up on different tables so that no one would question the eclectic menu :)

I’m only going to share some of the simple recipes today and I’ll get to the others on another day when I blog again.  I think it’s important to keep it simple during this time and not over extend yourself in the kitchen but cook like you've never cooked before, because I’m finding that if my food lacks flavor I’m hungry again.

Easy Lamb Curry

4 tbsp Olive Oil Butter or Olive Oil

1/4 cup Onion

1/4 cup Yellow Pepper

1/4 cup Red Pepper

Curry shortcut  - Kitchens of India : 2 packages of Paste for Lamb Curry - 100 % Natural/No Preservatives http://www.kitchensofindia.com/globalpresence_usa_currypastes.asp

2 Boxes Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper

2 lbs Lamb (We used every kind as it was really difficult to find enough lamb to feed the family)

Heat a large Spaghetti pot on medium and add four tablespoons of butter.  Add onion, yellow and red pepper until slightly tender.  Add the 2 packages of Lamb Curry Paste (I used two because I had about 1.5 lbs of meat, you can use 1 paste packet for 4 chops and reduce the liquid by half) mix very well and add the Chicken broth.  Allow the liquid to get very hot but do not boil. Salt and pepper the lamb and add to the liquid.  Cover and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.  The longer you cook this the softer your lamb comes out and the less of an after (lamb) smell you will deal with.

Fried - Chicken Wontons

Sesame oil or Olive Oil

2 cloves chopped Garlic

2  - 3 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 splash of Modena Red Wine Vinegar or Rice wine vinegar

2 tsp Grated fresh ginger (use sparingly)

1 cup shredded or sliced carrots

3/4 lb of ground chicken

salt and pepper

1/2 cup of chicken broth

Toasted sesame seeds

Egg Whites

Wonton Wrappers (thawed)

In a pan heat oil, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and carrots.  Add salt and pepper to chicken and add to the pan, 1/2 cup of Chicken broth cook until all flavors are combined.  Simmer until liquid is reduced then continue to sauté until fully cooked. 

In a chopper/grinder add all of the mixture and grind until all ingredients are mixed.  Put all ingredients in a bowl and add sesame seeds (mix them in).

Heat a deep skillet with oil.  Take each wonton wrapper brush corner and sides with egg whites and add a teaspoon of the mixture to the middle press one corner to the other forming a triangle and add to the oil. 

Remove and dry on a paper towel. 

These chicken wontons were a hit but the kids loved them most.  The kid in all of us loved the Nutella Wontons

Fried Chocolate Wontons

Oil

Nutella Chocolate

Egg Whites

Wonton Wrappers (thawed)

Heat a deep skillet with oil.  Take each wonton wrapper brush corner and sides with egg whites and add a teaspoon of Nutella to the middle press one corner to the other forming a triangle and add to the oil. 

Don’t put wontons in plastic over night, just put a paper towel over them and keep them out or put them in a cookie jar that can get some air.  They will stay crispy for days.

Pregnant & Hungry

I’m 39 and I am having my second child. A blessing I thought I would never have experienced again. Still, it was unplanned and I have fought with my weight (at 27% body fat) for over 6 years now. I was determined in my pregnancy as in my first to gain only the necessary weight to keep my baby healthy.

In my first pregnancy, 17 years ago, I had a beautiful baby girl. At the time I was 102 pounds and had to gain 40 pounds according to my doctor. My final pregnancy weight was 142. This year my daughter and I are applying for universities all over the country, something that makes me sound crazy - a new baby on the way again after so many years with one on the way to college (YIPES).

The personal concerns I have are put aside while I concern myself most with how to keep my baby healthy and keep my pregnancy weight down as this time I actually shouldn’t gain more than 15 pounds the entire pregnancy. I hope you will join me on my little journey, with my pre-pregnancy weight at 156/157 for the last 6 years and my current weight at 157.5 after 17 weeks.

I eat three meals a day or I eat 5 small meals, I am blogging for comfort and memory and hope I can share some personal thoughts that will help other moms with similar concerns. Enjoy and write back, it will help me network about other things I am experiencing.

Lentil Soup For Days

I love lentil soup - it’s really the only soup I like, but I force myself to eat other soups because the warm liquid is great to help digest and either a soup or salad at dinner time help to keep your weight stabilized.


I make a lot of lentil soup and then package and freeze it for several days of yummy goodness. If you can get to a whole foods and pick up Melissa's Lentils (Melissa's lentils and other products can also be found at the URL http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Steamed-Lentils.aspx).


2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 quarter cup chopped yellow pepper
1 cup chopped red onion
Salt & Pepper 
1 can chopped fire roasted tomatoes
2 boxes of broth
1 box Melissa's Lentils
2 tbsp of Trader Joes Habanero & Lime Salsa*

*Optional

In a large pot, pour in olive oil. Add garlic, yellow peppers and onion and cook until onions are translucent. Salt and Pepper. Bring heat to a low and add the fire roasted tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring heat to medium and allow to slow boil.

Add the box of Melissa's Lentils, make sure you separate it, these lentils are steamed and stuck together, so do your best to separate chunks. For a little spice and be careful with this (we are pregnant after all) add a little of Trader Joes Habanero & Lime Salsa (I don’t care for a lot of spice/heat usually, but I’m craving flavor in this pregnancy) after several experiments with my lentil soup and other spices, this has been the best result.

Cover and cook at medium/low heat for 40 minutes. Super Simple and Enjoy!