23 Weeks and Counting!

My 2nd trimester has been a breeze. I've had my energy and appetite back (despite the lack of recipes, truly, I have). I felt baby girl move for the first time at 18 weeks and love feeling her kicks throughout the day.

Valentine's Day- 18 weeks

I'm definitely on the small end (yay!) and haven't gained very much weight. AlthoughI to me, the weight I have gained is HUGE and we laugh at the size of my bulging belly. Really, it may not look like it in the pictures, but I definitely have a baby bump!

22 weeks

My clothes are starting to get a little tight- the dress in this picture barely had room for me to breathe. Maternity clothes are not all that flattering and I'm trying to find things with elastic waists or flowing tops so I don't have to venture into the maternity department. 

23 weeks

Pregnancy is definitely the reason for my lack of new recipes. It's harder to menu plan when I don't know what I'll be in the mood for. I've had a massive sweet tooth lately, which you'd think would provide me with more blog content, but before I can snap a picture most of what I've made is gone! And pregnancy brain really does exist. I forget to take pictures if I've made something new all the time now.

We are so excited to meet baby girl!

Bacon Mushroom Honey Dijon Chicken

Bacon and I have recently become BFF's.

BLT's are a huge pregnancy craving of mine. So much so that I ran home during my break one day to make a one and ate it back at work for lunch. I'm throwing bacon into salads, or rather, huge cobb salads that I'm also having a fling with. Bacon is in pasta. Bacon is in any wrap or sandwich I make. I heart bacon!

What I'm sharing with you today is by far my favorite thing that I've made with bacon. It tastes like something you'd get at a steakhouse, all smothered with cheese, mushrooms, bacon...with a slight hint of bbq sauce (even though no bbq sauce is used in this recipe). I'm obsessed with it and could eat it regularly if I allowed myself. It's quick enough to have on a weeknight, as long as you've marinated your chicken that morning or the night before. Make this, you won't be disappointed! As it cooks you can slice your mushrooms and fry up your bacon. I did make one change- my chicken was fully cooked before I topped it with everything. I let it hang out in the covered skillet so that the cheese could melt, heat on low.

Source: Mommy I'm Hungry
Serving:  2-4

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
4-1/2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dash paprika
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
8 bacon strips, cut and cooked
2 tbls sliced green onions

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey, 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and lemon juice. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken. Seal the bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2 hours.

Drain and discard marinade from chicken. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in remaining oil on all sides. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Remove and set aside.

In the same skillet, saute mushrooms with cooked bacon until tender. Remove to set aside. Add chicken breasts to skillet, top with mushroom and bacon then cheeses and green onions.
Cook over low heat, covered for 15-20 minutes until juices run clear.

Chocolate Banana White Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's been a while since I've made a good batch of muffins. Now that I'm in my second trimester and things are tasting, smelling, and looking good, I'm finally enjoying sweets again. I didn't want to have anything to do with them in the beginning- so unlike me!

Now I feel great and I love being in the second trimester! We've gone baby crazy and have started our registry and I've bought a few things for our baby girl. I haven't been this excited for anything in so long, it is such an amazing feeling.

As for these muffins, I knew I had to make them the second I saw them on Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts. Her blog never disappoints. I've had them for breakfast as well as a "snack" to hold me over from one meal to the next (which is getting harder and harder to do, I'm always hungry). They are sweet without being too sweet, have just the right amount of chocolaty-ness, and I love the pop of using white chocolate chips.

Source: Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 over ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or liners.

In mixer bowl combine butter and sugar.  Beat until creamy.  Add eggs, banana, vanilla, and mix until well combined.   In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Add flour mixture to banana mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips.  Pour into muffin cups.

Sprinkle remaining chips on top.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through.  Cool for a few minutes in pan before serving.

Chicken Pomodoro

Crispy Baked "Fried" Chicken

Life could not get any better right now.

We just found out baby is a little girl (big fat YAY), food is tasting a-mazinggg to me, and I made the crispiest chicken ever.

Hubby and I are not football fans, but I made this on Superbowl Sunday to "celebrate." In an effort to sort through the junk and clutter living in the nooks and crannies of our home I've been purging through old cooking magazines and tearing out recipes long forgotten. They're on top of my kitchen counter right now in a pile, but at least I was able to get rid of a considerable mountain-sized stack. This crispy chicken awaited among that stack.

It is time-consuming, but I promise it's actually really easy to make. Crumbling up corn flakes and rolling chicken through a bowl is fairly simple, it's the prep time and cook time that eats up your time. Make this on a weekend when you do have the time or as a fun Sunday supper.

Source: Food Network Magazine
Serves: 4-6

8 chicken pieces (I used 6 pieces, 2 legs, 2 breast, 2 thighs)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups cornflakes
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground sage

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rack in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet. 

Rinse the chicken in cold water; pat dry. In a wide bowl or on a plate, season the flour with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge each chicken piece through the flour so it's fully coated, tap against the bowl to shake off excess flour and set aside. Discard the flour.

Crush the cornflakes by placing them in a big resealable plastic bag, carefully pressing the bag to push out the air. Seal up the bag (with as little air inside as possible) and run over the flakes with a rolling pin. Open the bag and pour the crushed flakes into a wide bowl or onto a plate.

In a large bowl (big enough to dredge the chicken pieces), mix the buttermilk, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika and sage. Give each floured chicken piece a good buttermilk bath and then roll in the cornflake crumbs.

Arrange the chicken pieces on the rack and place in the hot oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. The juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife.