Hi, I'm Rachel.

A few years ago I could barely boil water.

True story.

Determined to be a kick ass wife, I developed a love for football and learned to cook in my tiny Jersey City kitchen. I spend my days working in Manhattan, my nights and weekends chasing after a rambunctious toddler, and the hours in between cooking with my husband and feeding my TV habit...oh, and I blog about it all! 

Welcome to my world!

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The Pantry

Entries from October 1, 2012 - October 31, 2012

Friday
Oct052012

Five {or Six...or Seven} Things Friday

Well we made it through the first week in October. And somehow it's like um...80 degrees in NY/NJ today?! Crazytown. I'm excited for temps to drop this weekend, I'll tell you that much!

This time of year, all I want to do is cook and bake. I wish I had an endless supply of free time to test out a zillion pumpkin, apple and butternut squash filled recipes...and an endless supply of stomach space (without an expanding waistline) to try them all. 

This weekend, I plan to get some serious baking done and it got me thinking about all of the truly delicious Fall recipes I've come up with over the years. So without further ado, here are five {or six} of my favorites to date. If you are looking for something yumilicious to make for this holiday weekend, I highly recommend one of the below!

 

Pumpkin Pie Trifles

 

Black & Orange Queso Dip (for Halloween!)

 

Caramel Apple Cider Shake

 

Maple Syrup Cupcakes

 

Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars

 

And though it's five things Friday, I couldn't not mention my two other favorites... 

 

Old-fashioned Apple Pie 

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

 

So that's what I'm crushing on today! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

What fall recipes are you jonesing to try this season?

Tuesday
Oct022012

21 - 23

I'm a little behind on doing a bump update. I know that I say this every week but time really is flying by so quickly! I'm already early in week 24 of my pregnancy and this week, our little girl is the length of an ear of corn. Over the last couple of weeks, she has also been the size of a banana, spaghetti squash and a papaya. She's growing strong every week!

at my cousin Veronica's bridal shower!

I get so nervous about proclaiming this, but in general, I have been feeling really great. Every time I say that, I worry that tomorrow I'll wake up and feel like I got hit by a truck. But so far so good!

A few things:

Lower back aches. Ugh. Sitting on a soft surface (like the couch) or laying down (even on my side) causes some serious lower back stiffness.

Perpetual glasses-wearing. One side effect of pregnancy that I did not expect is that I'd have such a tough time wearing my contact lenses! They feel like little razor blades in my eyes. Fun. I can usually get away with wearing them one day per week, so I try to pick a day when I have some fun plans or something. Otherwise, it's glasses for me!

Bending down/shoe tying days are numbered. I've definitely been struggling with this one lately! I can still reach things, however, it's just straight up uncomfortable to bend down or forward with an expanding midsection in the way.

Stairs are getting harder and harder to climb. I have a number of stairs to climb out of the Path station every morning (I counted about 60 the other day), followed by a 1/2 mile walk to the office. Though I've done this walk for years, now I find myself seriously huffing and puffing through the stairs part. I wonder how that will be 2 months from now! Eek.

These are the things I've been noticing, but I really can't complain. Knock on wood, I still feel incredibly lucky to have had a great pregnancy thus far. Here's hoping that continues!

Meanwhile, Baby Girl has been on the move like it's nobody's business! It's still hard to feel it on the outside of my tummy, but she pretty much kicks, punches and somersaults all day long. I can't wait for Shaun to officially be able to feel her little punches! Any day now, I hope!

Baby's First 5K

On Sunday, we walked a 5K in north Jersey. Admittedly, I was a little nervous about this one! I haven't been great about exercising in general (my daily stair climb + 1 mile walk to and from the office has been the extend of my working out time per day), so I was wondering how I'd do with a healthy 3+ mile walk. I'm happy to report that it was great! I felt really good. Though I was definitely ready to take a seat after it was over, I was pretty proud that the papaya and I made it through. Afterwards, I napped and Shaun made me pancakes. Now that is a Sunday morning I can get used to!

Monday marks my 6 month appointment and I have my glucose test. Eek! I'm a little nervous about this one, but I'm doing my best to eat very healthfully this week in preparation of the gestational diabetes test!

Some other stuff:

Rings: Still on!

Bowls of Raisin Bran consumed: many (at least 1 per day)

# of seats given to me on the train: usually 1 per day

Sleeping: Yup! On my left or right side, with my upper leg swung over in front of me

Most comfortable: Sitting straight up in my chair at work. My lower back likes this one!

Most uncomfortable: Standing for long period of time or sitting up in bed with no back support

Resources I'm loving: My What to Expect app, Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week book (a gift from my sisters!)

How I spend the evenings: Watching all the great TV that has started, falling asleep on the couch, and having Shaun help roll me off the couch to move to bed

Cooking: Been doing more of this lately! More energy = happy Rachel

Home projects completed: Some! I'll do a full update, but we moved and organized a bunch of things over the last week and I'm pretty psyched to really start getting Baby's room ready!

I think that's about it for the last couple of weeks. I'm feeling so good and really just loving this whole process. Seeing my body change is truly incredible and feeling my baby girl moving around has just been pure joy :)

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Monday
Oct012012

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Happy October 1 everyone! Though weeks and months seem to be blowing past faster and faster, I'm happy to say a big hi! to October. October through December marks my favorite time of the year and this morning welcomed me with a cool breeze coming through the window, the sun shining and the opportunity to wear my leather jacket. 

Oh, and to eat some pumpkin pie oatmeal for breakfast. 

We can't forget about the food at times like these.

I have been waiting for the perfect time to break out the pumpkin-oatmeal combo for the season, and what better day than October 1?

This warm and hearty breakfast came together in a snap this morning. It was filled creamy, oaty, cinnamony goodness and I just adore the happy orange color. I topped it with a handful of sliced almonds for a bit of crunch.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

(serves 1)

1 C milk of your choice

1/2 C old fashioned oats

pinch of salt

1/4 C pumpkin puree

pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

sweetener of your choice (I used a little brown sugar)

Heat the milk and salt over medium-high heat. Once starting to boil, add the oats and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. While cooking, stir in the pumpkin puree. Stir frequently so the oats don't burn. Toward the end of cooking, stir in the pumpkin pie spice and sweetener. Top with sliced almonds. Enjoy immediately.

 

And I did :D

How are you kicking off October?

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