Bump Pics!

Happy Birthday Weekend! Rocking my favorite maxi dress from TJMaxx, belt and cardigan...plus a girls gotta have her accessories. Heart Mini is this weekend, can't wait to tell you guys about it!

Bump Pics!

Been slow in posting, here's 18 weeks. Stretching out my clothes for a little bit longer. Baby is the size of a bell pepper, we are feeling some movement!

Operation Lemonades

The tale of the pregnant cookie monster

Given it is a rainy Monday, the day after day light savings time…I’d say we all need a good laugh.  Honestly, I really wish this story was not about me. This weekend I took pregnancy cravings to a whole new level, ironically after my honey badger group and I ran 6.4 miles. Let’s start at the beginning. Two weeks ago my bestie Helene had her gallbladder removed. Inseparable since we were seven, I was quick to get a copy of her dietary restrictions, so I could bring her meals for her recovery. During my visit she sweetly offered me some of her un-opened Girl Scout cookies.

I have been fortunate to not fall in love with any specific Girl Scout cookies, I see them at the grocery every year in there little green outfits and occasionally I will pick up a box of peanut butter patties for Trav. Well my cookie fortune was about to change, Helene mentioned a very unknown type of cookie called Lemonades, she said “Hardly anyone knows about then, and they aren’t as bad as some of them.” I looked on the box and thought, why not. Little did I know the series of events that would unfold. These cookies where A-MAZ-ING! I had to mentally say “The serving size is two cookies, that’s all you get!” to prevent my self from stealing these adorable little cookies away from my best friend. I made it two days without thinking about the little iced pieces of perfection and then on Tuesday, the madness began. I found myself searching on the Internet for where the Girl Scout troops where selling cookies. After finding none, I began texting friends and neighbors. I learned most of the troops have ceased sales, since the end of the season was near and Mother Nature was not cooperating. My sweet neighbor Karen felt bad and actually brought me over a few that snowy evening, borrowed from her husbands stash. Saturday I felt the cravings come on again during my run. I mentioned to my fellow honey badgers how these cookies where the best thing since, sliced cookies! My sweet friend Brea called me hours later, “I was at the store and saw the Girl Scouts, they said that the northern Kentucky troops still have Lemonades”.

She couldn’t have had better timing, because moments later I was passing the NKY Girl Scout headquarters right off I-75, admittedly who I had tried calling earlier that week. I got off the exit, pulled down the picturesque drive way and walked in. A lonely little old man sat at the table, surrounded by COOKIES. He looked at me rather odd and asked “Can I help you?”, I replied, “Yes, sir I would like to buy some cookies”. I could tell by the look on his face, this was not a common occurrence. 

I explained my new infatuation Lemonades, and how I was 18 weeks pregnant and after a long run today couldn’t think of anything else. I then said “I have cash, check or credit card…can I please buy some cookies.”, he looked at me and smiles and said “Yes, of course”. He then explained how he remembered when his wife was pregnant (all three times) how she would get crazy cravings. It made me feel better. Since he had no machine or way to log a check, he prefered cash. The icing on the cookie, since he had no change....I ended up with $21 of Lemonade cookies (6 little boxes). Of course some of these will be gifts, but for now I think its safe to say the cookie monster is gone.

Ironically, after all that effort I have only had 2 of those little lemon iced beauty’s. To my fellow pregnant friends, if you get a crazy craving, please know you are not alone.

With Love –

PS – This week is full of hard workouts, including training the Heart Mini 15k this Sunday…hopefully this balances out my new obsession.

Southern Banana Bread

Sometimes a girl wants to up her game. As many of you know, my husband is the chef, and I am the avid baker. When I was 15, I worked at a small bakery in my hometown of Frankfort, KY. (FYI, that’s the capital). While working at Magee’s Bakery, I learned two very important lessons: how to get up and the crack of dawn and the comfort of baking something with love and real ingredients. Yes, this is where I fell in love with using the good stuff: butter… cream… sugar. While I am a fitness enthusiast and love eating healthy, I was born in the south y’all! Sometimes you need to fill your house with the aroma of home.

My baking skills have blossomed since becoming a Mrs. In fact, I wrote a cookbook for Christmas a few years back, and half of it was baked goods. While I was very proud of most of the recipes in the book, my banana bread recipe was mediocre at best. After the most recent unsuccessful attempt, I vowed to find another way. Two weeks ago, my friend and co-worker Emily (author of Half Assed Homemaker) deserved a “thank you for being awesome: gift, so I tested out a new recipe… Sweet goodness, did I hit the jackpot!

May I present the best recipe I have EVER found on Pinterest: 

Southern Living Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread
***Makes 2 loaves***

• 3/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour ( I did half white flour/half wheat.  It was the least I could do given all the bad stuff in this recipe!)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next three ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla. Spoon batter into two greased and floured 8x4 inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. (I found that after one hour, my banana bread wasn't completely cooked through. I ended up baking it for an extra 20 minutes.) Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Slice, serve and savor!

Happy baking, sweet friends.

Bump Pics!

17 Weeks, preparing for a growth spurt!
Repurposing this bathing suit cover-up as a tunic,  I think it worked?!?

Bump Pics!

16 Weeks - If you missed the Gender Reveal....it's a BOY!
So happy I could fit into my White House Black Market Dress!