Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

I was watching Tricia Yearwood one morning and she made these. I thought they sounded pretty amazing and they definitely were!! I took them to a CrossFit competition as an after work out goodie and then gave Stephen some to take to the football office- they were all gobbled up right away! I am not one to continue to make the same thing over and over, but I must admit I couldn't get enough of these :) Definitely recommend!

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

2 cups pretzel rods, crushed into crumbs

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup plus 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (I actually did 2 cups)

Directions: 

• Crush pretzels into crumbs (I just used my vitamix and pulsed twice)
• In a bowl, combine pretzels, butter, 1 cup peanut butter and sugar and mix thoroughly
• In an ungreased 9x13 dish, press the pb mix evenly. 
• In a microwave safe bowl, put chocolate chops and 1/4 cup peanut butter and put in microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir each time. 
• When chocolate is glossy and melted, spread over the pb layer
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour before cutting into squares!

Almost 39 Weeks & Home Progress!

Stephen and I had our 38+ week doctor's appointment today and stopped by the house to check on the progress. Its moving along- drywall is all up, stucco is up, it is getting pretty exciting!! Had to get our obligatory belly/house photo of course! Unfortunately, at this moment in time, baby is moving along as much - after the check I am not dilated at all yet - but I am measuring full term. Apparently, baby girl is completely content with where she is :)

38 Weeks, 5 days!

Little Baby Book

Made a simple little photo book to celebrate our little girl! Maternity pics, baby shower pics and baby shower WOD pics :)

Click Here

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

My mom ran across this recipe and we decided we had to make it... right away! We made it for dinner last Sunday and the boys and us included absolutely loved it! We made a few modifications from the original recipe here. So below is our version (and it was doubled from the original recipe)! We definitely recommend this recipe!

1 1/2 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup milk

1 cup grated white cheddar cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

Directions: 

• Cook pasta according to instructions, drain and don't rinse
• While pasta is cooking, put butternut squash in a bowl with a little water and microwave about 10 minutes. You want it to be tender before you add it to the pan. You can also use pre-cooked and frozen butternut squash in this recipe, but I prefer fresh. 
• When squash is tender, add to a large pan with the chicken stock, milk, cheddar cheese, parmesan and bring to a boil.
• Simmer and start to let the sauce thicken, breaking down the squash as much as possible. 
• When everything is cooked down, add the spices and then put everything in a large blender to make as smooth as possible. This is an optional step, but I found it made the dish WAY more creamy. 
• Pour the sauce back in the pan and add the chicken. Let it cook and get warm about 5-10 minutes. 
• Add the sauce to the noodles. 
• Garnish with parmesan!

Pregnancy Power Food

Just had to get a snap shot of the dinner we had tonight - sooo yummy!! Steak, sautéed asparagus and mushrooms with garlic and a delicious spinach salad with homemade honey Dijon vinaigrette!

Baby Log: Weeks 29 - 37

The final countdown... I am only 3 weeks away from meeting our beautiful baby girl and Stephen and I both couldn't be more thrilled. Hospital bag is packed, birth plan (eh a few little notes not really a plan) is ready, list of people to contact for Stephen, car seat is installed, we are ready to go!!

Food cravings: As always, toast and chocolate cake... darn those carbs!  Wine... is it acceptable to bring a bottle with me in my hospital bag?

Food Aversions: Still no zucchini...unless in the form of chocolate zucchini bread :) I am really hoping this goes away. Now the thought of it doesn't disgust me anymore... I did eat one piece when my dad made kabobs over Labor Day weekend, but that was about all I could muster.

What I am feeling: So much better than I ever imagined. I am more and more tired as the weeks go on, but I am still able to CrossFit a couple times a week and I am trying to keep walking here and there! I actually did go on an amazing hike on August 31. We hiked Avila Ridge, which is a pretty darn good hike. Never thought I would be able to do it at 36 weeks!

Looking down from Avila Ridge!

I am also constantly overwhelmed with thankfulness. Sometimes I sit back and wonder what Stephen and I did to be so incredibly blessed. We are surrounded by some of the most amazing family and friends we could ever ask for, and I am so looking forward for each and every one of them to meet our precious little girl. From the 2 amazing baby showers we were thrown, to the special cake and goodies at one of my "last" coalition meetings for work, to the insane number of homemade quilts and blankets we were given - we truly have been blessed by God to be surrounded by amazing people. Bring on the tears... they seem to flow extremely easily these days :)

Baby Movement: She is a little dancing machine! Always moving. Below are a few videos I got of her in action- they are pretty quick because she would always stop when I actually had the camera ready to go.

On August 18, Stephen really got to feel her in action before we went to bed. Sometimes I wonder what the heck is going on in there. I told him that her day consisted of "A marathon, 5 rounds of hiccups, kick boxing lessons, 1 more round of hiccups, a kettlebell swing seminar, and jazzercise" - this girl is SO active and I love every second of it. The moments she isn't moving, all I want her to do is give me a good jolt!

Video on July 28, 2014 at 9:09 pm

Baby Hiccups on August 25, 2014 at 10:43 am

Baby Roll on Sept 5, 2014 at 2:30 pm (Last day before maternity leave!)

Next Steps: I am now officially on maternity leave- nuts! I am really fortunate to get a pretty good maternity leave - off until mid January then part time until mid-March. It helps when I have tons of vacation and sick time saved up! I must say, this is the first time since I was 15 that I didn't have to worry about waking up for work - I am not sure what I think about it. Hopefully this little girl comes pretty close to her due date to give me some much needed time off before sleep as I know it is no more!

I am now also in my weekly doctors appointment phase! 

Baby Girl Pics from September 4

The beginning of our weekly doctors appointments! We had our last ultrasound before meeting our little girl face to face!!

Her little face!! The white circle near the right is her nose, darker areas next to it are her eyes
she is frowning :) 

Her little hands- giving "knuckles" already!

Belly is officially out of control!!!

It's official...

I have found a new cup holder :) I also must say, Red Dirt Coffee House is by far my favorite coffeehouse. Coffee and drinks are amazing with a Hawaiian flare you won't get anywhere else. Delicious food, and they start making my coffee when they see me walk in. I <3 them!

Sausage & Veggie Brown Rice Pasta

This dish turned out excellent. The broth was delicious, veggie mix was perfect, it was incredibly easy! I will definitely be making it again! My mom got the sausage from a local grocery store and it was fresh, I think that is what made all the difference in this dish, so if you have it available, get fresh sausage!! If you are looking for a similar recipe to this, I made a different Hot Italian Sausage dish back in January, it was also delicious and a bit of a change up from the below recipe.

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1 pound mild Italian sausage (can do all spicy if you want)

2 -3 cups cut green beans

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped small

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons minced dehydrated onions

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 pint mushrooms, chopped

Brown Rice Pasta

Baby spinach

Chopped mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Remove Italian sausage from casing and brown in a large pan.
• Add diced tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken stock, green beans, Swiss chard and seasonings and cook for about 15 - 20 minutes to let all the flavors incorporate and to let the Swiss chard cook down and green beans get softer.
• Cook pasta according to directions.
• Layer some pasta in a bowl, then cover with about a 1/4 cup of fresh baby spinach. Then cover with the sauce!
• You can also top with a few small chunks of mozzarella cheese, however if you are doing paleo, that is of course a no-no. 



Maternity Pictures!!

So in love with all of these photos! A HUGE thank you to Weston Neuschafer Photography for doing an amazing job, as always!!

Paleo Zucchini Banana Bread

Well the food challenge is over, but my family wants to keep going to some extent! My mom really wanted to make another zucchini bread so we had some healthy snack we could go to. However, we wanted to try a different one than the last time because although the guys loved it, my mom and I both thought it was a little too chocolatey :)  We got this recipe from a friend at the gym and make some of our own modifications/changes/additions. Here is the recipe we came up with and this yielded 2 loaves.

2 1/2 cups almond meal

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda 

4 eggs

4 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cup zucchini, grated

1 banana, mushed 

1 1/2 cups pecans (my moms idea and DEFINITELY a must!)

Directions: 

• Grate zucchini over a paper towel so that some of the liquid is soaked up
• Put dry ingredients (meal, baking soda, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts) in a bowl and stir
• Put all the wet ingredients in a blender, including the zucchini and banana, and pulse for about 10 seconds. 
• Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix thoroughly
• Put in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes until the bread is firm to the touch in the middle. 
• Enjoy!!

Building our Home

Stopped by to see the progress on the house today. Although from first glance it didn't seem like a ton of stuff had been done, all the electrical is done, drywall has been delivered and all the windows. They are working on the back retaining wall too! Stephen's brother Chris was there with us this time, so we were actually able to get a picture together! This picture is us standing in sort of the dining room - looking towards where the kitchen will be. Chris is standing in what will be the living room :)

Our little place coming together - 32 weeks!!

Beautiful Baby Shower

This past weekend my friends and family all joined to celebrate Stephen & I and our little nugget! It was an absolutely gorgeous shower. My mom did an insane amount of work to get the house ready, make gorgeous decorations, and make it a day I will never forget. A special thank you to my friend Alyssa who helped with the preparations and Doreen who got us a very cute cake for the shower!

Here are a few pictures from the day. I really was overwhelmed with the love that everyone showed us. There were several times during the day I had to step back and just think how incredibly blessed Stephen and I are to have such loving friends and family.

Sign in table - including the AMAZING homemade diaper giraffes my mom made!!

Shower favors :)

Can't wait to read all the fun notes everyone left when we are changing diapers.

Cute cake!

So many blessings!

Of course you need a man zone for the men to congregate

Baby girls first proposal - Mason made a "Future Mrs. Lewis"
onesie... complete with a ring pop!

My amazing husband!

Beautiful, loving and generous mama!

Sisters!!!!

Peggy & Kyle <3

Mama and Pops!

Wonderful friend Alyssa

The Hubby's Lettuce Burgers

These were SO delicious! Just look at the spread Stephen had for our burger night! Of course, no buns required (or allowed) so we used butter lettuce to wrap these babies up. The sauteed jalapeno and mushrooms were an amazing addition. Not to mention the side dish of BBQ broccoli and asparagus.

Ground beef or turkey

1 lb bacon (1/2 for crumbled inside burgers, 1/2 for stacking on top)

mushrooms, sauteed with garlic and clarified butter

red onions

tomatoes

salsa

sauteed jalapenos

butter lettuce

mustard

avocado

Babymoon!

With our insanely busy schedules, I am so so happy Stephen and I were able to sneak away for a little babymoon! We decided to keep it close and easy. We went to Monterey! We stayed at the historic Spindrift Inn on Cannery Row and visited Pacific Grove, Carmel, Big Sur, of course Monterey, and enjoyed some delicious food! Stephen and I were both a little bummed to come back to reality.

17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach

17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach

Gorgeous spot at the McWay Waterfall Trail at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur