Quinoa Mac n Cheese

I've seen this recipe floating around on Pinterest for quite some time and today I decided to try it! I will post a link to the original post at the bottom but here is my rendition:

Ingredients:

3/4 c Quinoa

1 1/2 c Water

Vegetable of Choice

3/4 c Cheddar Cheese

2 cloves of Garlic

Simmer the Quinoa and water for 15-20 until cooked through.

Meanwhile, saute your vegetable with the minced garlic.

After the Quinoa and your vegetable are cooked, combine them in a baking dish with the shredded cheese. At this point you can add some seasoning like garlic salt, red pepper flakes etc. The original recipe called for milk and egg mixture but I have an aversion to eggs right now. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and put in 350 degree oven.

Remove after 15 mins or when the top looks golden brown.

I topped mine with fresh avocado and some garlic salt. YUMM!!

It is so yummy! I definitely recommend adding the milk/egg mixture to give it that "creamy" texture but if you don't eat or like eggs it is pretty delicious just like this.

Here is the link to the original post:
http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html



Enjoy!

31 Weeks

Well this week has certainly been interesting! It turns out those mild cramps I had been feeling were contractions. My hubby convinced me to call the Dr. who told me to get checked out at the nearest hospital. Well, we were already on our way to a hospital since his mom was in the ICU in New Braunfels so we got checked out there. They told me I was having contractions about 15 mins apart but I wasn't yet dilating. I was released but told to go to the closest hospital if they got closer together or stronger.

About 8pm that night my sweet hubby was helping me time the contractions. The app I was using was showing them 2-3 mins apart so we called the hospital and they told us to come in. They verified my contractions being a few mins apart and checked me again. I still wasn't dilating so they gave me some sleeping medicine and released me.

The next day I had an appointment with my OB, he checked me (AGAIN) and prescribed Procardia to try to stop the contractions. When they hadn't eased up 24 hours later, I had to get the swab test to see if my body would be going into "active" labor soon. The test was negative!! Yayy!!!

Since then, the contractions have spaced out more and become less painful. So I feel confident that lil miss isn't arriving right away. We've been so blessed to have so many people praying for us and offering to help!

How far along?  31 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss?  28-30 lbs
Maternity clothes?  Definitely!
Stretch marks? None, thank goodness! fingers-crossed
Sleep? Still getting up 4 or 5 times a night but feeling more rested.
Best moment last week? Getting the call that the FNN test was Negative!
Movement?  Oh YES! All the time!
Food cravings?  Cereal is my new one for the week
Gender? GIRL!!
Labor signs? Contractions
Belly button in/out? Still and INNIE!
What I miss:  Being comfortable. I feel like I can't breathe!
What I am looking forward to: Moving to our new apartment so I can set up her nursery!

30 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm already at 30 weeks! Where has the time gone? This pregnancy has been very easy for me and apart from the usual annoyances, everything is going great! We've had a family emergency this week so I've had a little bit of cramping (I am guessing from stress??) but it's gone now. We had a Level 2 Ultrasound done at 29 weeks (my dr. forgot to order it at week 20) and Avelyn is measuring larger than expected. From what I have seen the expected weight for her age is a little over 2 lbs and she is estimated to be 3 1/2 lbs. I have a feeling she is going to be a big baby!

How far along?  30 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss?  28 Lbs, YIKES!
Maternity clothes?  Definitely!
Stretch marks? None, thank goodness! fingers-crossed
Sleep? I sleep pretty well aside from waking up to pee every couple of hours. I try not to drink too much water in the evening but I wake up so thirsty. I figure if my body wants water, I should listen!
Best moment last week? There were a few...my whole tummy moves around now and its fascinating to me!
Movement?  I feel her a lot at night and in the morning. She doesn't kick, mostly just wiggles around. She is still breech and most of her kicks are aimed at my bladder.
Food cravings?  I have been craving a lot of fruit and yogurt this week. Thank goodness its healthy food for change!
Gender? GIRL!!
Labor signs? None.
Belly button in/out? In, I think. It is still sunken but the middle of it has popped out. Very strange looking!
What I miss:  Being able to get dressed without any problems, sleeping through the night, coffee (w/ caffeine)
What I am looking forward to: Moving to our new apartment so I can set up her nursery
Milestones: None this week that I am aware of... 

Wimberley Baby Shower

We had another baby shower in Wimberley (my husband's hometown)! This shower was so special because Brandon and I could share it together. One of his good friends  (and one of mine too) Melissa hosted and it was amazing!!

Her nursery is a Parisian theme so we got to keep all these cute decorations to put in there!

It's kind of hard to see but she took some maternity pics of us and hung adorable little clothes up with them!

I am absolutely in LOVE with this lil tutu!

We got to keep this wreath to put on our hospital door!

The cake was homemade and CHOCOLATE...mmmmm...so good!

The dress in the middle is vintage and handmade by a grandmother, I just love it!

This diaper cake was made by Brandon's friend Nicole and it came out so lovely!

Baby Shower!!

This past weekend my best friend, Holly, threw me a BABY SHOWER! It was so beautiful and perfect! The theme was Paris and it was so classy and chic!

Shannon brought me the gorgeous roses in the middle and this food was DELISH!!

How cute are these roses?!

The guests signed this little book! What a cute idea!

Holly and I!

Shannon and I!

It was so great getting to spend some time with all my girls! I received such lovely things for Avelyn and it makes me THAT much more excited for her arrival.

Baby Doucet!

After returning from our GLORIOUS 10 day honeymoon in Hawaii, I found out I am pregnant! I really had no clue so it was a huge shock for me. I waited until my hubby came home from his hitch to tell him. I surprised him with a belated birthday gift. Inside the bag was a cute little onsie and a positive pregnancy test. We were both SO HAPPY right away! It's amazing how you love someone as small as a mustard seed without even seeing them! I wanted us to wait until around 10 weeks to tell people but neither of us are good at keeping secrets. :)

We found out we are having a GIRL and she is due December 30th!!!

We have decided to name her Avelyn Kai :)

Smiling!

Yawn