Almost 26 weeks and a healthy(ish) dessert

Tomorrow I’ll be 26 weeks.  I think my stomach shrunk a bit after coming back from California!!  I’m eating  a fraction of what I ate when I was there so I guess it’s possible.  I think the baby likes to be in very tight spaces.  I’ll lay on my left side and can feel her kicking away right where my stomach meets the bed then I’ll turn to the right and she’s moves there on the right side!   Anyway, she is just moving constantly all day long. I am at the very end of the second trimester.  Baby is the size of an eggplant; 13.6- 14.8 inches long and 1.5 – 2.5 pounds.

We really haven’t been up to much lately.  Christian’s dad and brother-in-law, Jacob, were here this last weekend and they bike some major mountain passes.  I just waited for them to come home and served them food. 🙂

Christian, Jakob, John

I’ve been busy planning my decor for the nursery.  I ordered some custom crib bedding from etsy which will be ready in about 8 weeks.  I also ordered a rug which is out of stock for about 8 weeks.   In addition to decorating the nursery, we have a crazy long list of boring things we need to do.   I used to be a procrastinator, but not anymore!  I want to do everything now!  Poor Christian, many of the things we need to do are actually things he needs to do. Haha.

I was looking for a lighter dessert (so I wouldn’t feel so guilty after I uncontrollably ate it) and this one is just what I was envisioning.  The cake itself is light and not too sweet and then you put the cream cheese frosting on top. Yum! Who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting?!!?

Carrot and Zucchini Cake Bars

From Better Homes and Gardens

ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups shredded carrot
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded (1 cup)
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts  * I did not add because I do not like almonds in desserts
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 recipe Citrus-Cream Cheese Frosting

directions1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together eggs, carrot, zucchini, brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, oil, honey, and vanilla. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Spread batter into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.2.Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Frost with Citrus-Cream Cheese Frosting. Cut into bars.3.Makes 36 bars4.Citrus-Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium mixing bowl beat one 8-ounce package softened cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. If desired, stir in 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel or orange peel.

nutrition facts

• Calories125
• Total Fat (g)7
• Saturated Fat (g)2,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)2,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)3,
• Cholesterol (mg)19,
• Sodium (mg)44,
• Carbohydrate (g)16,
• Total Sugar (g)11,
• Fiber (g)1,
• Protein (g)2,
• Vitamin C (DV%)1,
• Calcium (DV%)18,
• Iron (DV%)1,
• Other Carbohydrates (d.e.)1,
• Fat (d.e.)1,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Week 24

I am feeling great lately, besides the jet-lag that forces me to wake for the day in the middle of the night.  I welcome the long awaited increase in energy with open arms as I have so much to do; many shopping trips, touring hospitals, setting up insurance, etc.  This week the baby can live outside the womb with significant medical help.  She is the size of an ear of corn or two mangoes. I also noticed, I can not only feel kicking from the outside, but see it as well.

I’ve just finished my first homemade baby project.  A play mat/ tummy time mat!  I bought some fabric online a while ago for a home decor project but strongly disliked the actual colors when I saw the fabric in person. But I think the fabric works great for this cause. I don’t have a sewing machine so I sewed it by hand.

side 1

side 2. I stitched down the middle so the filling would stay in place during washings.

Here are a few of my favorite purchases from the US

Diaper bag

And Clothes!

California

Oh Wow!  We had such a great trip to California!  I was so sad to leave and it will take about a week till I readjust to Switzerland. I really really miss living in the US. Our trip was composed of 4 mini trips.  We stayed three nights in Healdsburg (Sonoma Valley), four nights in San Francisco, three nights driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, which included:  Monterey, Pebble Beach, Carmel by the Sea,  Big Sur, Hearst Castle, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo, Solvang (The Danish Capital in the US) and Santa Barbara. Finally, with the last three night in Los Angeles visiting my three wonderful brothers! Unfortunately, I lost my camera on the first day.  I grabbed it from the hotel room to take on our trip to the Armstrong Redwood Forest and when we arrived at the forest, the camera was no where to be found. 😦

The Highlights of the trip…

• An eight course tasting menu at the the 2 Michelin Starred Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg.  Christian and I are no strangers to tasting menus but this one far surpassed any others we’ve had.
• The redwoods. Walking between these huge trees was so peaceful and surreal. I could’ve stayed there for hours.
• Alcatraz.  I usually bore quickly on tours but this self-guided audio tour held my attention the whole time.
  

  Mom and Dad before our Alcatraz tour

• The Pacific Coast Highway and Big Sur.  I had no idea this drive would be so consistently beautiful for such a long distance.  And the beauty was much greater than I had anticipated.  I think every American should make this drive.
• The Hearst Castle. Wow.  
• The Magic Castle.  This is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had.  The Magic Castle is a big castle, consisting of winding corridors and nostalgic magic themed memorabilia.   You can eat dinner there but the main attraction is magic.  There are many different magicians performing throughout the evening, at different times, in different rooms.  It is a members only club. Luckily, my brother, Chris’s girlfriend is a member.    http://magiccastle.com/
• Tchaikovsky spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl with fireworks. This was such a beautiful night. We had a picnic under the nearly full moon while being moved (some of us to tears.   No, not me 😉  ) by the beautiful orchestra.
• Huntington Botanical Garden in Pasadena
• A hike with Greg and Christian at Runyon Canyon Park
• Immense amounts of baby shopping!! Including my Uppababy Vista Stroller!!!!
• Chris, Eric and Christian also enjoyed a bike ride at the Manhattan Beach. They seemed to really enjoy themselves and came back all smiles!  I of course, had to refrain.
  

  Christian, Eric and Chris before their bike ride

• Dinner at Lucques the last night.
• Christian and I were also asked to give some of our opinions on who should do the chores around the house in a marriage for the Dr. Phil Show.  That was wildly unexpected and who knows if it will ever air or if they will twist our words around 😉
• The BEST part of the trip was spending time with my family (minus Sherri, Joe, Greta and Miles).  We all wish you could’ve been there!

Eric, Me and Christian getting Donuts!

Here’s a photo of my Uppababy Vista. I’m only slightly obsessed with it.  It also has a toddler seat but I won’t be needing that for a while.

The Best Homemade Chicken Enchiladas

I’ve tried many and this is the best.  No other chicken enchilada recipe has even come close to this one.  This should be made for guests to impress them with your mad Mexican culinary skills.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

adapted from Tide and Thyme, orginally from America’s Test Kitchen

• 
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 3 medim cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
• 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• salt and ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onin mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don’t like the crunch).

Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese (I use a bit more ). Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.  Sour cream is a must!!

Wall decor for the nursery

I’ve begun the long, tedious, yet fun task of planning the nursery decorations.  I honestly think it would be much easier if it were a boy. There are not as many options of colors I would like for a boy.   I’ve come across lots of cool wall art that could be used (in most cases) for either genders.

I really want this poster found on a sale at zulily.com but I got to it too late and they are all sold out.  I also went to the suppliers website with no luck.  A google search was fruitless 😦

When at the suppliers website, chidreninspiredesign.com, I found these cute wall cards.  They come in many languages (pictured in Swedish) but not in Danish. However, I think I could fix that with a little creativity.

The following poster can be made for a boy or girl

These alphabet cards are free at the handmadehome.net. I need to first buy some cards for printing. I don’t think I would hang them up but they’re free and cool!

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

I love this stuff! I eat a spoonful (for protein!)  every morning mixed in with some low-fat chocolate or mocha flavored yogurt, oats and flax seed.   We’ve only just recently bought a food processor so when I am able to make it, more on that in a second, we go through this stuff like crazy!  The almonds are first roasted in maple syrup and all the stores in Zug have been out of maple syrup for weeks now.  It’s a little strange. So we picked some up in Zurich this weekend.  I did try and make the almond butter without first roasting the almonds in maple syrup and it did NOT taste as good.

There is a weird reason why I love this nut butter so much.  I have a fake memory from my childhood – I know it’s fake because I asked my mom about it- of this cinnamon flavored peanut butter that we kept in the refrigerator.   I loved this cinnamon peanut butter so much!   Maybe it was a dream…. Anyway, this Maple Cinnamon Almond butter tastes just like my fake memory’s nut butter.  Hmmmm…..???

(From Edible Perspective)

INGREDIENTS:

( I double the recipe and it first perfectly in an empty peanut butter jar)

1 cup almonds

2 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees.

Measure out 2 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup and stir it into your almonds. Lay out the almonds on a non stick baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (no foil or wax paper!!)  Roast your almonds for 15 minutes total, but stir after every 5 minutes, making sure they don’t burn. Once 15 minutes is up, remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Ashley says you want to process the almonds when they are warm, so make sure you can make the butter after you let them cool.  After 5 minutes, place almonds into your food processor and process for the next 10-15 minutes, scraping the sides down as needed.  Keep processing past the ‘ball stage’ until very smooth.

  Measure out the cinnamon and salt and add it to the mixture. Process it for a few more seconds until it’s incorporated.

Christian is amazed out how liquidy it is  without the addition of any oil or water.

Pregnancy week 20

 I’m at the halfway point and hopefully my belly is halfway done growing, too. But I severely doubt it!  I’ve gained 3 kilos or 6.6 pounds which is just under the average of 10 -13 lbs but I know I’ll catch up once I’m in California 😉  The baby is the size of a cantaloupe or the length of a banana.

Ugh, I'm in the awkward stage where it looks like I've been eating sweets non-stop for a month.

I’ve spent the last few days enjoying the warmth and sunshine. Maybe there were a few other things I should’ve been doing but when the sun is shining here you must drop everything and enjoy it because it may be a month before you see it again!

I was a little sad because I did not feel baby K moving since Saturday, even though it is completely normal to go several days without feeling anything.  Yesterday, when I was watching tv my stomach kept making these movements that felt like stronger twitches (like you get in your eye)  in different areas in my stomach,  I could even feel a few of them from the outside.  I realized that was the baby, it just got stronger  where I was looking for these little flutterings  it was making much larger movements.   Today, the little flutterings are back and very active!

For lunch today we had Manicotti. It was probably the best one I’ve ever eaten. The stuffing is ground beef, ricotta cheese and spinach, covered with white and red sauces! This manicotti has everything!

Manicotti Alla Romana

from allrecipes.com

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• salt to taste
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (12 ounce) package manicotti shells
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Saute garlic for 1 minute and stir in ground beef. Cook until well browned and crumbled. Season with salt and set aside to cool.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti shells and parboil for half of the time recommended on the package. Drain and cover with cool water to stop the cooking process and prevent the shells from cracking.
3. To the ground beef mixture add the cooked spinach and ricotta cheese. When the mixture is cool, add the beaten eggs. Spread 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Gently drain the manicotti shells and carefully stuff each one with the meat and cheese mixture;

1.  place shells in prepared dish. Lightly cover the dish with plastic wrap or a clean, damp towel to prevent shells from cracking.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and chicken bouillon. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble. Stir in half and half and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Pour or ladle the sauce evenly over the stuffed shells.
3. Stir the basil into the remaining spaghetti sauce. Carefully pour or ladle spaghetti sauce over the white sauce, trying to layer the sauces without mixing.

1. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes more.

Next time you are craving Italian, make this!

Pros and Cons of Switzerland

We are going to Denmark this weekend and I am very excited. It’s been a  very long time for us since we’ve left Switzerland. Two months!  We usually leave once a month. Switzerland is really a great place to visit but after four years, I don’t think it’s a great place to live if you’re coming from the US.  If you were raised in Russia, I think it would be great. But I wasn’t raised in Russia.

Here are some advantages of living in Switzerland:

• It has one of the highest standards of living in the world
• It is extremely safe
• It is extremely clean
• It is breathtakingly beautiful
• Christian has a great job, therefore, we are extremely lucky that we do not have to worry about money
• Everywhere we travel, is cheaper than Switzerland!  And we are at such a great location to travel the world.
• There is hardly any fast food. It is hard not to be healthy in Switzerland.
• Christian gets many weeks off for vacation each year

There are also some cons:

• People are rude
• People do not laugh out loud or smile in public
• People follow ALL the rules too closely and are too quick to point out the ones you may not be following. Such as yelling at you as they drive by in their car for walking on the grass on a public road instead of the icy sidewalk.
• There are too many unnecessary rules.  Such as; do not flush the toilet past 10pm,  You can not mow your lawn, vacuum or do laundry (including hanging clothes to dry), wash your car or recycle on a Sunday,  A man can not pee standing up after 10pm
• The weather is atrocious!  Too much rain and too cloudy.  There are approximately 2-3 weeks a year where I am not cold.
• The weather really does bring you down.
• I can’t find anything I want! from cooking ingredients, to fabric to furniture. Their style is from the 1990s.
• Everything I buy is 2-3x more expensive than in the States and not often at the same quality
• The stores are not open past 6pm or on Sunday
• The restaurants are extremely expensive and the food is not good! No flavor and low quality ingredients. As a foodie, this really makes me sad.
• The parking places are too small 😦  When  my pregnant tummy grows bigger, I will not be able to get in and out of the car in any parking lot, including our own garage.
• They are shockingly racist
• You make friends only to have them move away after one year, thus a never ending circle of trying to make new friends.

Posters from a political party

After four years, the cons eat away at you more and more and considerably outweigh the pros. By roughly 6 tons. I am so excited to go to Denmark today where we will be surrounded by friends and family who smile and laugh.

Even though I would much rather be living in another country (USA), I am happy with my life. I have a perfect husband (don’t let that go to your head :P) and I do an abundant amount of traveling each year and that is all I’ve ever really wanted to do.

I am 19 weeks pregnant today. I still get extremely tired and I’m beginning to doubt that will ever go away. I am pretty active with hiking on the mountain, prenatal yoga and doing a prenatal toning/aerobic dvd. I think my arms and legs will me more toned than before I got pregnant, but yesterday as I was walking back up the mountain to come home my leg muscles were overly fatigued and my arm was tired from carrying my purse. What?!?!!! That NEVER happens to me. I guess I really do have take everything slower.

Poppy Seed Bread

Poppy seed bread is and always will be one of my most favorite foods things. It is so moist and sweet, it really should be called poppy seed cake. The recipe my mother uses is most definitely the best in the world.

I am so happy my mom gave me this cookbook with the poppy seed bread recipe in it. The cookbook is an accumulation of recipes by ladies  ( I think there are  few recipes in there by men, too)  from my Grandma Hain’s Catholic church.

I’ve used this cookbook a lot. There are so many recipes in this cookbook that my mother made while I was growing up.

Unfortunately, today I could not make this recipe because I did not have any pudding mix in the house.  Or instant cake mix.  So I found a recipe  with a picture that looked very similar.

Before I  post the recipe I used, look at these bread pans I have to work with. No, I can not find the normal bread pan in Switzerland:

They are in two pieces, magically held together by who knows what.

I always wonder when they will drip batter out of the bottom. Well, today was my lucky day.  The batter leaked out and burned, leaving the oven and the whole apartment a smokey mess 😦 .  I quickly transferred one pan of batter into a cupcake tin and wrapped foil around the other.

Next time I’ll bring some proper bread pans back from the US!

Orange Glazed Poppy Seed Bread

From: afarmgirlsdabbles.com

for the bread:
3 c. flour
2-1/2 c. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 T. poppy seeds
1-1/2 c. milk
1 c. + 2 T. vegetable oil
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 tsp. almond extract

for the glaze:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice (I like to use freshly squeezed.)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray two 8-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and poppy seeds. Stir on low, just until combined.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients – the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer on low speed, beat until incorporated. Then raise the mixer speed to medium and beat for one more minute.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

While the bread is baking, prepare the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients and whisk until incorporated. When the baked loaves are removed from the oven, immediately brush the glaze over the warm bread tops. It will seem like alot of glaze, but it will soak in and make the bread ultra moist and flavorful, with a bit of a sugary crust once cooled. Cool loaves about 20 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the pans before removing bread from pans.

This recipe definitely comes in number 2 of all time best poppy seed bread recipes!

***Warning, it is extremely difficult to stop eating poppy seed bread!***

I can’t resist a sale

H&M has adorable baby clothes and has been having an incredibly long sale. It has been going on for weeks and weeks. I have been watching the baby clothes, picking out what I would choose to buy if I had a girl  (The boys’ clothing is just not as pretty or interesting).  There was one dress I loved and it was only 5 chf!  I went back today and all of  the dresses were gone 😦  The sale inventory was diminishing.  I thought, two different times the doctor said she ‘thought’ it was a girl and that’s good enough for me! Now, time to take advantage of the sale.

I did my math.  All the summer clothes I bought are sized 4-9 months.

I could have bought everything in the store. It was extremely hard to stop.

Of course I kept the receipt just in case. Or else, we’ll have a very feminine boy.  I’m only kidding, Christian. 😉

Tonight for dinner we had Buffalo Chicken Burgers and they were good!

I found the recipe on foodgawker.com and it comes from howsweeteats.com

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

makes 4-6 burgers

1 lb ground chicken breast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning

1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce ( I used Frank’s, thanks Sherri!)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

bacon ranch dressing + buffalo wing sauce for topping

4-6 whole wheat buns (fried)

Preheat grill or skillet.

In a large bowl combine ground chicken, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, parmesan and buffalo wing sauce. Mix until just combined. Form into patties.

Grill or pan-fry patties until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, place 1/2 ounce of cheddar cheese on each burger.

I'll use the better camera next time!

Place burgers on whole wheat buns (fry the buns!)  and top with a drizzle of bacon ranch and buffalo wing dressing.

I also added red onions but we could not taste them, this burger has that much flavor!