The comfort of routine

I am a creature of habit. Or I guess, more accurately, routine. One of the hardest things for me during the first few months of the Chicklette's outside-of-my-body existence was the fact that everything was so unpredictable. It was impossible to create a routine. And it drove me NUTS.

Now we've got a routine in the Chicklette's life (with a few curveballs like, oh, CRAWLING thrown in here and there), but the rest of life is a bit of a mess. I'm on the road a LOT for work, and my marriage....well, you know. There are good days and bad days. And certainly very few ROUTINE days.

So today, rain tapping on the skylights, I decided it was good day to insert a bit of our old (as in pre-baby) routine into life. With the Chicklette in her Bumbo on the kitchen floor chewing on a plastic spoon, I pulled out the Crock Pot -- dusty from about a year of disuse -- and put together a pot roast. I'd hastily pulled the ingredients off the shelves during yesterday's grocery run, and I think I did OK. We'll see in about 8 hours.

Tonight at 5, we'll sit down at the dining room table (one of us in a high chair), pour a glass of red, light a fire in the fireplace, and have dinner. It won't solve everything, but it feels like it might be a good start.

I can't wait.

Bring on the smelly pee!

Thanks for all of the kind comments on yesterday's post.....I'm feeling much better today. Except sometime between last night and this morning, I lost my voice. When I went in to get the Chicklette this morning and croaked "Good morning!," she looked at me, like, who is this prepubescent boy and what did you do to the lady with the boobs?!?

Anyway, so today's post, if the title didn't clue you in, is about asparagus. Asparagus soup, to be exact. It's one of the tasty concoctions I've been living on lately as part of my fabulous foray into Weight Watchers land.

I can't say enough good things about WW. It's the perfect plan for me -- she who likes wine and carbs and appreciates being able to eat whatever I want (although not necessarily in the quantities that I want, of course). I've lost something like 45 pounds since I had the baby -- about 20 of these on Weight Watchers. I'm now down to my pre-IVF weight, and have another 25 or so to go to get me back to where I was when I started my two year infertility self-pity binge.

Anyhoo, the soup. I make a lot of soup, and experimented with this one last weekend. I thought I'd post the recipe since it's asparagus season and it's ridonkulously easy to make. And of course there's the added smelly pee bonus.

Happy weekend!

Springtime Asparagus Soup

2 big bunches asparagus (or two bags of frozen from Trader Joe's)
6 cups chicken or veg broth
1 TBSP butter
1 large onion
1/4 cup fat free half-and-half (or fat free sour cream, if that's more your thing)
salt and pepper to taste

Chop onion and asparagus into manageable chunks (you'll be pureeing later, so no need to be too fussy). Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat, and add onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add asparagus and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 20-25 minutes or until asparagus is very tender. Puree soup with a hand blender* (or in a blender in batches), add half-and-half, and salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is awesome with a sprinkling of croutons and parmesan cheese on top, and keeps in the fridge for a few days. I didn't try to freeze it, but I'm sure it would be just fine. I'm planning to try this recipe with a bunch of other veggies in the coming weeks.

* One annoying thing about this soup is that the strands from the asparagus can get wound around your blender blade. Be prepared for a few extra minutes of asparagus extraction during the otherwise very low-maintenance cleanup.

Still no baby, so we eat!

Yeah, so, still no baby. Lots of contractions, many false alarms, and enough spicy-food induced heartburn to keep a Tums factory in business.

I swing between being totally zen (she'll get here when she gets here, this is our first taste of our plans not being our own, etc.) and completely despondent (she'll never come, something is wrong, I am a FAILURE because my body apparently DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, etc.). I'm also not thrilled about being induced, but not because I'm worried about the induction itself. I just don't want to wait until Wednesday!

Anyhoo, so we've been trying to take advantage of the quiet time, since I finished my Christmas shopping and nursery prep weeks ago. Movies, walks, sexy time (not that it's that sexy, but it's probably the best we're going to get for a while), dinners out and random puttering around the house. It's kind of nice in a way. We've also given up on calling anyone unless absolutely necessary, because we get the breathless "IS THERE A BABY YET??" from everyone -- including, oddly enough, the cat groomer, who apparently my mother has on high alert.

Tonight we decided to relish our little remaining adult time by having a modified version of the Christmas Eve dinner that, one way or another, I won't be in any shape to cook this year. I come from a large extended Italian family, so Christmas Eve is all about seafood. Normally, I make a dinner with a bunch of courses and appetizers, basically squeezing in as many kinds of fish as possible. Since there are lot of fish that I probably shouldn't be eating, and my stomach capacity is about the size of a walnut right now, we're just going to go with our favorite course -- Linguini with White Clam Sauce, served with hot crusty bread. Yum. Because I can't be bothered to deal with cleaning or prepping live clams (plus, no need to screw around with potential food poisoning right now), I'm doing the ultra-easy version. Recipe is below for anyone who's interested.

Of course, this probably means I'll go into labor tonight, puking clams and garlic all the way. But it would be SO WORTH IT.

Merry early Christmas Eve!

Linguini with White Clam Sauce (Serves 2 as a main course)

4 6.5 oz cans minced clams (I'm partial to Snow's brand)

4 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of a small saucepan

Small handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped (you could also use a couple of tablespoons of dried)

Juice of one lemon

Splash of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio, but whatever dry white you like to drink would work)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil at medium high heat in bottom of small saucepan. Add garlic, saute until golden. Add clams (with all juice in can), lemon juice, wine, parsley and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes or so, then add salt to taste. Sauce can be made early in the day, and reheated, or served immediately over linguini with warm crusty bread to sop up the juices.

Can anyone say....nesting?

Since I've been "working from home" for the last week, I have been in a bit of a frenzy. Packing the hospital bag, tweaking the nursery, doing baby laundry, wrapping Christmas presents, assembling baby seats and swings and monitors....you name it, I've done it. When coupled with all of the baby-eviction activities, it does seem to add up to quite a lot of busy days.

But what is the most scary is the cooking. I have an irrestible urge to cook and freeze. And cook and freeze some more. Here's what's been cooking so far:

Split Pea Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Bolognese Sauce
Meatballs (triple batch)
Pesto Sauce
Chicken Soup
Quiche (actually, a friend made this, but it's in there)

Every day I evaluate the freezer to see what else I can fit in. The little stacks of Gladware containers are so pleasing to me -- it's got to be pathological somehow. But it is pleasing, right? RIGHT?

Tomorrow I'm thinking of trying one more recipe....

Or maybe two.

Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt

Since my daily activities have pretty much been reduced to nesting, cooking, freezing said cooking, and eating said cooking along the way*, I thought I'd return to my early blog roots and do a good, old-fashioned food post.

(*Yeah, yeah, I'm also "working from home," but you can probably tell by the quotation marks how that is going.)

I have never understood the obsession with chocolate. Not the pre-period cravings that I've heard about, not the "death by chocolate" desserts, not the dark v. milk debate. I mean, chocolate's nice and all, and I won't turn away the occasional Snickers or scoop of ice cream, but it's never really done it for me. I've always been more of a second-helping-of-carbs-in-lieu-of-dessert type gal.

Until recently. I don't know what has come over me (well, I guess I do, but anyway), but I am all about the sweets. ESPECIALLY chocolate. There's a See's Candies right downstairs from my office, and every day for the last few weeks I've been nipping down there after lunch to buy a couple of milk chocolate caramels, plus of course the free sample(s) they give you along the way. I never pass up dessert when out to dinner. It's gotten a little disgusting. I feel like I'm always scrounging for chocolate like a pig snorting for truffles. It doesn't help that I'm starting to resemble a pig, either.

But, to continue the unfortunate pig metaphor, sometimes I choose to revel in my slop. As was the case this weekend, when I used the excuse of Thanksgiving + another chocolate-loving family member to create the most resplendent (yet simple) pure chocolate dessert masterpiece, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. I command every chocolate lover out there to click through to the recipe and bake this cake IMMEDIATELY.

I wish I had taken a picture, but I was too distracted by the glossy, beautiful deep brown frosting cascading over the sides of the cake. Oh, and the moist, fluffy insides....I am drooling at the memory. And it really wasn't that hard to make....and trust me, I can count on one hand the number of things I know how to bake (including items that come from a Duncan Hines box and/or a premade cookie dough log).

The chocolate-loving family member loved the cake, and graciously agreed to take the leftovers so that I wouldn't put myself into a chocolate coma. Instead, I now must contemplate where the closest See's Candies is to my house. Or it's going to be a very long afternoon of "working from home."

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone!

Weighty issues

It's two days before my next OB appointment, also known as The Day I Officially Begin To Dread the Weigh In. For anyone who's ever been on Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem or the like (I've done all 3 at some point -- do I get a prize?), you know the feeling. Please God is there anything I can do to miraculously drop 5 pounds in 48 hours?!?

OK, so I'm not in full-on panic mode. I realize that porking up is part of this whole pregnancy thing, and I'm almost done so I know that hopefully things will be headed back in the other direction soon. But I am Hermione -- the annoying eager beaver who always wants the A+ from everyone -- so I desperately seek approval from my doctor on all fronts, including my weight.

But I haven't been getting it lately. I've gained a little too much -- not WAY to much -- but enough that I am not sporting the "cute pregnant chick" look. And it's totally my own fault. I love food and have given into the cravings.

And here's where the food dysfunction really sets in. As much as I can't wait to lose the shelf that is my belly (and the convenient receptacle for dropped food it has become), I am a leetle beet heartbroken to have to give up the lovely food habits I've adopted: McDonald's hamburgers (with extra ketchup), morning lattes (baby needs calcium!), sweets of all kinds (a new thing for me), nightly desserts (since I can't have wine....), morning AND afternoon snacks, and a complete lack of guilt about carbs.

All good things must come to an end, I suppose. But will I ever be able to get any sort of food discipline back?

Time will tell. Stay tuned!

Yum....and yuck

I'm in Chicago this week for work (yay! love me some Chicago) and just capped off a 2.5-hour delay + 4-hour flight + rush hour traffic + 100 unanswered e-mails with two pieces (slices? slabs?) of deep-dish pizza. Mmmmmm, so good. The chicklette apparently thought so too, since she unleashed a giant kick right after I swallowed my first bite. (Or maybe she was saying "Maaaaa, stop clogging my arteries already" -- we'll never know.)

Except now I have what feels like a 10 pound cheese baby strapped to my front. Attractive, no?

Not going to lie....I'll proabably be back for more tomorrow night.

What not to eat

Apologies for the lack of posting -- I've been on a hell week of work and business travel, and don't have much to report other than that the baby either loves or hates L.A., since she started kicking the crap out of me as soon as the plane landed and didn't let up for a few hours.

I do have one little tip, for those of you who might have reason to be at LAX in the morning with a craving for a breakfast burrito. You might want to avoid Baja Fresh. This is, apparently, what their breakfast burrito entails (wish I had been paying better attention when they were making it): one giant tortilla, a pile of eggs, potatoes with red peppers (agh!), cheese and 2 jumbo sausage patties (double-agh!!). Let's just say that I was burping peppers and sausage for the rest of the day, and I think the baby went into food coma because I didn't feel her move again until the next morning. Sorry, baby. Sorry, gastrointestinal tract.

I hope to have more exciting things to say this week. We go for another scan tomorrow, since the baby was too small at our 18 week anatomy scan to see all they wanted to see of her heart. Hopefully we can get some extra confirmation of the whole "girl" thing, too, before we start the serious baby gear spending this weekend.

Although really, what little boy wouldn't want to be scooted around town in a pink carseat?

FabFooFri: A Loaf in the Oven

Now that I seem to be past the "hangover without the cocktails" phase of this pregnancy, I'm actually getting kind of fired up about food again. And not just food that comes via a drive-thru, which counted for a much greater percentage of my first trimester intake than I care to fully disclose. But all sorts of healthy stuff -- protein, veggies, things with calcium in them -- that are supposed to be good for the kiddo now actually taste good.

Earlier today, I tried to replicate one of my favorite meals discovered on a recent business trip -- basically, a mixed green salad with meatloaf on it. I know it sounds gross, but this little takeout place near my LA office makes the most delicious mixed green salad with carrots, cukes, hearts of palm and strips of turkey meatloaf, tossed in a lemony vinagrette. And the meatloaf is WARM. Yum.

So, today I rustled up some meatloaf leftovers (recipe below), cut it into fat strips (kind of like the size of chicken strips on a chicken caesar salad), and tossed them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Then I took a bag of mixed greens and shredded carrots (didn't have any hearts of palm on hand, sadly), tossed those with some balsamic, EVOO, salt, pepper and oregano, and then laid that nice warm meatloaf on top. And sprinkled a little parmesan on top for good measure.

Oh, it was so good. I'm totally making bigger meatloaves from now on.

Wishing everyone a weekend of good eats!

Barefoot's Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef or turkey (I usually go super-lean, but it obviously tastes better with more fat in it)

1 large egg

1 cup (or so) of breadcrumbs

1/2 cup (or so) grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T dried parsley

1 T dried oregano

1 pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste (you don't need much salt with the cheese in there)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together, adding bread crumbs until mixture is just barely moist. Form into a loaf, place in loaf pan, and bake 35-45 minutes until cooked through. I usually leave beef meatloaf a little pink in the center, not so much with the turkey. (Of course, I cook everything until it's a briquette these days, under the watchful, nagging eye of the Mr.)

Sometimes, if I'm feeling like a juicier loaf, I'll add another egg and a bit more cheese and breadcrumb. Meatloaf is a very subjective thing! 

FabFooFri -- taking the week off

As thinking about, much less eating, most foods this week has been a dicey proposition at best, I'm afraid I've got nothing fabulous to report. I've been subsisting on smoothies, bread and things with bread in them, and fizzy water. It's weird -- I'm hungry, but very few things sound good.

I have to admit, though -- I did eat both a burrito and McDonald's this week. On the same day. And the McDonald's wasn't a salad -- it was a full-on burger and fries par-tay. Which, I guess, was fairly fabulous.

We've got another ultrasound scheduled for Monday, so I'm sure I'll spend most of the weekend stressing about that. Wishing a happy weekend to everyone -- and pay no mind to Sunday's holiday-that-shall-not-be-named (aka OMG You Rock! Day).

FabFooFriday #6: Pho

It's raining here in Northern California, and tonight we're lighting a fire, putting the family iPod on shuffle, settling into the recliners, and digging into the ultimate takeout comfort food: Pho.

For those of you who've never had it, Pho (pronounced "fuh," as in, "what the fuh?") is Vietnamese soup -- lots of spicy (or not, if you don't like the spice) broth, lots of rice noodles, and meat. The meat is usually beef, although you can get chicken, and if you're really adventurous you can get things like tripe or tendon. (Ugh, just typing that brought a nice little wave of nausea -- but pretty much anything does that these days.) I usually stick with brisket and sometimes a meatball or two. You garnish this deliciousness with some combination of bean sprouts, cilantro, and hot peppers.

Oh, it's so good. I didn't discover it until about two years ago, and I can't believe I lived the first 30 years of my life without it. It's such a great meal in that it fills you up and warms you up, but doesn't make you feel disgusting like, say, eating a whole pizza might.

And tonight, when nothing sounds good except ginger ale and bread, I've discovered a meal that I'm actually looking forward to.

I'll take it!

FabFooFri, Round 5, and some other stuff

For those of you new to the blog, I usually talk about food on Friday. I call it Fabulous Food Friday, which is not original but does use a lot of Fs. Today, I'm going to digress a bit, since I'm pretty much trying to avoid pungent smells or any thoughts of pungent smells these days.

But first, a couple of updates. I know you all are dying to know how my boobs are doing. In a word: bigger. It's unbelievable. The Mr. is enthralled; I am disgusted. I guess the silver lining is that they are distracting the world from my stomach, which is a little pooch-a-licious right now.

The other piece of fantastic news from yesterday's appointment is that I got the all-clear to start working out again. I'm not supposed to go crazy, but I can walk, bike and swim, which makes me so very happy. I went to the gym this morning for the first time in weeks, and I feel so much better today. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up my pre-IVF 5-6 day-a-week regimen, but I think even half that will help me combat fatigue, bloat and all of the other fun things that are going on right now.

So, FabFooFriday. Or in this case, FabBritFriday. The "Brit" is Ms. Britney Spears, whose concert I attended on Wednesday night, somewhat against my will. I have to say, though, that the show (and the fans) were very entertaining. My take-aways:

1. If you are a single guy (because I'm sure there are loads of you reading this blog), get yourself to a Britney concert ASAP. It will be like shooting fish in a barrel. Squealing, stampeding fish.

2. The fashions that Britney sports do not work for the average person. Seriously. I mean, I donned my share of crucifixes and black lace during the Madonna era, but no one over 18 (or under, for that matter) needs to wear hot pants unless you are a certain kind of professional.

3. Speaking of Madonna, hasn't she already done the whole writhing on a bed while simulating self-stimulation thing? Does another generation of young minds really need to be subjected to this sight? If Wednesday night was any indication, apparently so.

4. I am now somewhat terrified that my unborn child(ren) will spring from my loins as huge Britney fans. The sound system was so effing loud, I'm quite certain "If U Seek Amy" is now part of their genetic makeup.

And finally, because it's FabFooFriday:

My hot dog and soft pretzel were delish.

Trifecta (and FabFooFri #5)

Despite my ever-expanding chestal region, I have to admit I've been feeling a little anxious the last couple of days about symptoms. I've been feeling tired and a little queasy, but it's been weird adjusting to long periods of no information after weeks of constant IVF updates. I actually managed to work myself into a little tizzy last night.

But this morning I woke up (after having a bit of an improper dream involving Dr. Gregory House -- WTF?) to the trifecta -- nausea, headache, and fatigue so extreme that I'm pretty sure I nodded off standing up in the shower. I am struggling mightily at work today -- TGI frickin' F -- and am so excited to get to sleep in a little tomorrow and have some serious weekend nappage.

Oh, and I actually did briefly trap a cat under one of my boobs last night. He survived, but I'm pretty sure he's sleeping on the Mr.'s side of the bed tonight.

Aaaaanyway, it's Friday. And it's the first Friday after Lent. So not only can I talk about food, but I can talk about beef. Tasty, tasty beef. It's shaping up to be a beautifully warm weekend, so I think we're going to kick things off by barbecuing up a flank steak, with a kick-ass marinade that I adopted from Epicurious (I think). It's really simple and really really good.

Flank Steak (or other grillable beef) Marinade

2 c. red wine (doesn't have to be great, but shouldn't be dreck. Cabs and Shirazes seem to work best)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 T olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (fresh is waaaay better than jarred)
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/2 t dried oregano
1 t dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add meat, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Grill and enjoy!

FabFooFri, Round 4

Thanks for all of the kind words yesterday. I am still in shock, and honestly would be willing to believe I dreamt up the whole thing were it not for the 3 sticks I've peed on in the last 18 hours. I couldn't help it -- I've never ever seen 2 lines on anything but an OPK (and even that was a rare occurrence). I tried to take pictures but failed miserably, and then the Mr. told me to stop because isn't it kind of gross to be so fixated on something you've peed on?

Um, no?

Anyway, I'm still holding my breath for tomorrow's second beta, so am back to my usual distraction topic -- food. Unfortunately, today being Good Friday and all, it will not be a particularly fabulous day in the food department. But I am already plotting and planning for Sunday, when I will at long last be able to enjoy the wonders of bread and parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, our favorite pizza joint will be closed on Easter (I already encountered that heartbreak last year), so we may have to improvise. Oh, and the Mr. gave up booze, so he wants to make the rounds so that he can have a couple of martinis.

I guess I will be the designated driver!

Fabulous Food Friday

Despite the fact that I threw up in my mouth a little bit yesterday and I've already had to trash a completely wonderful cup of coffee this morning, I am inexplicably looking forward to lunch today. That is because I am headed to my very favorite soup place. Will it be Smoky Split Pea? Southwestern Corn Chowder? Tomato Bisque? This is my major decision of the day, and quite frankly probably all I can handle in my current mental state.

I love soup. I could eat it and salad every day. OK, and maybe pasta. But I do really love soup. It amazes me that people don't make homemade soup more often, because it really couldn't be easier. Even if you use canned or boxed broth, it's still a million times better than prefab soup. In pretty much constant rotation in our house is chicken noodle (made with a rotisserie chicken or that "Just Chicken" stuff you can buy at Trader Joe's), split pea with big chunks of turkey bacon and carrots, minestrone (made a different way every time), and a new favorite -- escarole and meatball (otherwise known as Italian Wedding).

Because I'm an HTML dunce and don't know how to hide part of my post, I'll post one of my favorite easy soup recipes in the comments for anyone who'd like to get souped up this weekend.

Happy Friday!

Not-So-Fabulous Food Friday

I've been trying to think of something exciting and fabulous to write about today, but am coming up empty. I'm sick of protein, I can't eat my two favorite foods (parmesan cheese and bread) because I've given them up for Lent, and I've heard that the PIO shots can clog the plumbing. So, it's veggies galore for me today.

I know I probably shouldn't, but I think I'm going to treat myself to a nice glass of wine tonight (or, let's face it, this afternoon since I'm working from home today). Probably this.

I hope it goes well with broccoli.

Baa! (and a Day 10 update)

Thanks to everyone who's been leaving encouraging comments -- it's so great to know that there are people out there rooting for my follies! I'm incubating away today, and waiting to hear back after my ultrasound and bloodwork this morning whether we're triggering tonight or tomorrow. Curiously, the Mr. opted to join me again for the wanding today. I can't figure him out sometimes. Maybe he's done reading all of the magazines in the waiting room.

Anyhoo, the acupuncture doctor tells us that the Mr. is supposed to eat lots of lamb this week before he gives his, um, specimen. Why? I don't know. I made a batch of lamb meatballs on Sunday (yum!) and we're planning on grilling up some lamb chops tonight. I'd actually never cooked lamb before this week, and I'm not entirely sure what I think. I always feel a little queasy about lamb -- it tastes good and all, but I can't ever seem to get this Simpsons episode out of my mind. ("Liiisssa, I thought you loooooved me. Looooved me!")

Sigh. Something tells me I'm eating vegetarian tonight.

Fabulous Food Friday, Round 2

Tonight we are substituting one ritual for another -- sushi Friday for the Family Birthday Ritual. Well, at least my side of the family. We're headed here:

Ah, Benihana. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1

fruity drink in a Buddha

2

smoking onion volcano (and yes, we've tried this at home)

3

unlimited quantities of ginger and spicy mustard sauces,
always guaranteed to throw you into a sodium coma

4

a pile of lobster, scallops and shrimp for $32.95

I think you can get the picture. I am an unabashed lover of all things Benihana.

And I can't wait until 8:00!

Fabulous Food Friday

In an effort to lighten things up a bit around here, I thought it might be fun to start a little Friday tradition. I'm going to call it Fabulous Food Friday because, well, I like alliteration. I can't promise that I'll only talk about food on Friday because, well, I eat every day and I really love to do so. More than I should. Like, 20 pounds more than I should.

But I digress.

I can feel my mood lifting as I type because I know I'm just a few short hours away from our Friday night (particularly during Lent) tradition:

YAY SUSHI! Of course, our order usually ends up looking more like this:

.....causing the waitress to inevitably comment about "what good eaters" we are or something vaguely derogatory like that. But we kind of deserve it.

I love our Friday sushi ritual. We always go to the same little place in the strip mall next to Safeway -- it doesn't look like much but the food is so tasty and fresh and it's not quite as highway-robbery-ish as the more scene-y sushi places in town. I know we're going to have to adapt the ritual soon enough -- mmm, avocado maki -- but I'm planning to enjoy it tonight. And I might even have a beer. So crazy!

Anyone out there with their own Friday night (or any other night) food tradition? Dish about it (har har) in the comments.

And happy Friday!