Favorite Recipes

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not much of a cook.  It stresses me out, I hate cleaning up afterward & I just don't like it much.  Luckily, Michael is an amazing cook!  But he's not keen on having the responsibility every night, so I try to help.  I've gotten better & actually don't dislike it as much (most of the time).  Years ago, I would watch 30 Minute Meals while I was on the treadmill & it motivated me a little to branch out from Hamburger Helper.  But really it's been The Pioneer Woman's website that has really helped me.  I love her step-by-step pictures.  I'm a visual learner & I always feel like I'm doing something wrong, so it makes a big difference for me to see the process from start to end.  Pinterest has also been a great resource for new recipes.

I have a few guidelines when contemplating if I'll attempt a recipe:

-Too many steps or too many ingredients = not for me
-I don't mind chopping one or two ingredients but I'll pass on anything with too much chopping
-I hate onions & will leave them out of every recipe even if I know I won't taste them in the end - I just won't do it.  

Here are some links to a few of my faves & go-to recipes.  I usually half or quarter the recipes since I'm only cooking for two (Alex usually eats earlier than we do).

Beef and Bean Burritos - we make this probably about every other week.  It's quick, easy & good.  Great go-to recipe when you don't feel like cooking.

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp - super easy, not a lot of ingredients, spicy & delicious!  I serve over rice.  After adding the final tablespoon of butter to the sauce, I've found it takes more than a few minutes to thicken up - like around 10-12.  Maybe I don't have the heat high enough, but eventually it gets there.  Just be patient (unlike I was the first time - I followed the recipe exactly & ended up with runny sauce - it was not nearly as good).

Mexican Chicken & Rice - super easy & yummy (of course I omit the onion).  I change up the ingredients sometimes & add green chiles or black beans depending on what I have on hand. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa - I LOVE this recipe (again, no onion).  It's a little more work than some of the other recipes but so delicious.  The green salsa makes this dish.  Make it first, so you can munch on it with chips while you make the enchiladas.  Instead of heating the tortillas in the skillet, I spray both sides with PAM, put them on a cookie sheet & pop them in the oven.  A friend suggested it on her blog & I agree it's the way to go.

Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package - easy & good.  I don't always have the parsley but it still works without it.

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas - not a lot of ingredients & oh, so good.  Michael's friend makes BBQ sauce, so we always have some on hand.  I'm always tempted to drown the quesadillas in sauce.  I've used canned pineapple before & just threw it in the quesadillas without grilling it & the end result was still yummy.

Green Chile-Chicken Casserole - I've only made this once (not too long ago), but I plan on making it again.  Yummy & simple.  I used a rotisserie chicken like I do with the Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa.  Maybe I'll make it again this week...

Baked Pesto Chicken - I've only made this one once too, but it was good enough to make again.  Super easy.  I served it with quinoa, but rice or pasta would work well, too.

Quesadillas de Camarones - these were SPICY.  We love El Pato sauce.  I remember this recipe being a little more intensive than I usually prefer but now that I'm re-reading it, I'm not sure why.  It doesn't seem like a lot of steps.  Maybe it's because you have to chop veggies (no onions!), the shrimp & grate cheese.  Maybe I'm just lazy - ha.  But the quesadillas were very yummy & filling.

Anyway, just thought I'd share these in case you happen to be like me & are not a natural in the kitchen.  I promise - if I can make these, ANYONE can.  I'm always looking for more easy, delicious ideas so let me know if you come across any!

Throwback Thursday

Has it really been a month since my last post??  Oops... 

December 5th, 2010 was the last date I actually entered anything in my pregnancy journal.  I know I was busy those last five days, trying to get everything wrapped up at work & at home.  But I think I can wing it...

December 6^th

My last week of work before I start maternity leave (whether the baby has come or not!)  It’s going to be really odd to be gone for three months.  My longest time away from work to date was two weeks in Europe.  Got a pedicure after work – it was much needed!  I don’t want those nurses staring at my chipped polish.  Ha.

December 7^th

Got my hair done today.  I was a little worried I’d have the baby early & not be able to make my appointment but luckily I was ok.  This was my last official check box of things I wanted to do before having the baby.  I’m nervous about taking care of an infant but I can’t change that now, so let’s get on with it!  We had our work team dinner to celebrate the holidays.  We usually go to a restaurant but decided to do it at my boss’s house because he has a phenomenal entertaining house & was happy to host it.  We brought drinks & had food delivered.  It was really nice to be able to talk to everyone & not feel rushed at a loud restaurant.  Everyone kept telling me not to go in labor at the party - ha.  It was a fun evening but I was worn out by the end of the night.

December 8^th

My favorite number is eight, so I was really hoping to have the baby today.  No such luck…

December 9^th

Had a doctor appointment in the afternoon.  Since it was later in the day, I wasn’t planning on going back to work afterward.  My doctor asked how I was feeling & if I wanted to induce.  I said I was ok.  I was ready to have the baby but didn’t want to force it if my body wasn’t ready.  She did the ultrasound & said the baby was measuring at 8 pounds, 8 ounces.  She said she didn’t want him to get much bigger than that & recommended we go ahead & induce.  She said I was already dilated some & she didn’t think inducing would increase my risk of needing a c-section (I guess if things didn’t progress fast enough).  She said she was on call all weekend, so we could do it tomorrow or Saturday.  I was in shock & just kind of nodded.  She left the room & called the hospital.  She came back a few minutes later & asked if I was ready to have a baby tomorrow.  She told me to be at the hospital at 5 am.  Again, I was just sitting on the table stunned.  I knew I could go into labor at any moment but I wasn’t expecting to go into my appointment & come out with instructions to be at the hospital in a little over 12 hours.  I wasn’t upset – just surprised.  I didn’t really want to be induced but that was more me not wanting my doctor to schedule it early to be convenient for her (I think some doctors do this).  I had asked her at the beginning of my pregnancy how she felt about inducing & she said she didn’t really like it for first time moms unless there was a medical reason to do so.  I trusted her & knew she made the recommendation due to the baby’s weight – not because she didn’t want to be inconvenienced later.  I walked to my car & called Michael.  I asked him if he was ready to have a baby.  He freaked out a little.  Excited but nervous, like me.  I was getting ready to head home & he asked if I was going back to work.  Then I realized I needed to go back to wrap up any loose ends & tell everyone.  Most of my stuff was done, but I wanted to set my out of office, etc.  I told everyone I wouldn’t be working my last day because I’d be having a baby.  They were really excited (especially my friend Teresa because if I had the baby on the 10^th, she’d win the baby pool we did).  The one thing really nice about getting induced is having time to wrap everything up & not be doing stuff in the middle of contractions.  I finished up & told everyone bye & headed home.  Michael & I called our families & told them the news.  Then we went out to dinner to enjoy our last meal with just the two of us.  At home, I showered, washed my hair, shaved my legs & finished packing my bag.  Again – it was nice to take the time to do everything I wanted.  I went to bed a little early but I knew I probably wouldn’t get much sleep.  I ended up waking up around midnight or 1 with back labor.  OUCH.  It felt like a cramp in my back but it didn’t subside after a few minutes like a regular contraction would.  It was painful & nothing seemed to give me relief.  I was paranoid that it meant I was in labor & should go to the hospital now but I googled it on my phone & figured I was ok.  Finally after about an hour, I got on my hands & knees in a yoga pose & the pain went away.  I got a few hours of sleep before my alarm went off at 5.

Here's a picture of me that morning.  My shirt was pretty baggy, so I'll even show you a picture of my bare belly.  It's the only one I took.  Well, that's not entirely true.  Once right before I took a shower, I took a picture of myself doing the Demi Moore Vanity Fair pose.  Solely for laughs & I deleted it right away.

It just doesn't seem possible that my stomach was really sticking out that far - so weird. 

Coming up next...  My birthing story.  But don't worry - I had a great experience & I won't be sharing any yucky parts.  I'm not big on that stuff anyway & I either averted my eyes or wiped it from my memory later.  I did have an interesting encounter with a popsicle, though.  Stay tuned!