Baby Update: 33.5 weeks

How far along?  33.5 weeks (6.5 left to go)

Baby's size:  We had a sonogram at the doctor's office yesterday and they said he is about 4 lbs 11 oz. The sonogram tech estimated that he will be around 7 lbs at birth if he keeps growing at the same rate.

Symptoms:  Restless legs, heartburn, shortness of breath, mild cramping, round ligament pain, some back pain, and thirsty.

Sleep:  Most of the time not so great but sometimes I sleep through the night. This is mainly due to having to go to the bathroom and restless legs.

Movement:  Since he's getting bigger his movements are much more intense. I can usually tell if it's his feet, bottom, or hands. He's usually really active every other day (I guess he needs to rest a day???).

Labor signs: Not yet, thank the Lord!

Anything make you nauseated?  Nope!

Food cravings: Nothing in particular. I really like bread...super healthy I know!

Best moment this week:  Getting to see our little guy yesterday, his cheeks have definitely gotten chubbier!

Looking forward to: Baby shower on Saturday....Can.Not.Wait!

Exercise: I work out about 5-6 times/week. This usually consists of walking/jogging (mostly walking), strength training classes (2x/week), cycle (1x/week), and the elliptical machine. It's definitely harder to work out now that I have an almost 5lb human inside of me but I feel much better afterwards and hopefully it will help with labor and delivery!

Things done this week to get ready for baby: Scheduled appointment with pediatrician, washed all the baby clothes we already have, and working on setting up newborn photo shoot.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon of canola oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 4 oz. can of green chilis
• 11 oz. can of corn, drained (I used Green Giant Chipotle White Corn)
• 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Blend
• Ground black pepper
• 1 rotisserie chicken, white meat only, skin removed
• 1 package of corn tortillas
• 24 oz. jar of mild salsa verde
• 1/4 cup of light sour cream
• 8 oz. of reduced-fat Mexican style shredded cheese
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place shredded chicken in a large bowl and set aside.

3. Heat canola oil over medium-high heat and add the diced onion. Cook the onion until lightly brown and soft. Next, add the green chilis, corn, and tomatoes and stir until well incorporated. Season with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, Mrs. Dash, and ground black pepper. Let simmer for about 7-8 minutes.

4. Add the vegetable mixture to the large bowl of shredded rotisserie chicken and stir to combine all of the ingredients. Set aside.

5. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and salsa verde. Set aside.

6. To assemble the casserole: Add about 1/2 cup of the salsa mixture to the bottom of a large glass casserole dish (spread so that it covers the entire dish). Next, spread about half of the chicken/veggie mixture on top of the salsa. Next, sprinkle about 1/3 cup of the shredded cheese on top. Lastly, layer the corn tortillas on top of the cheese (they should slightly be overlapping each other). Repeat in the same order except top the cassserole with the cheese insead of tortillas. (salsa, chicken/veggies/tortilla/cheese.)

7. Top with fresh cilantro. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!!

Light French Toast Casserole

 

This recipe is adapted from Paula Deen's baked french toast casserole. Her recipe of course had lots of rich ingredients so I lightened it up a bit to make it figure friendly!

 

Ingredients:

 

Casserole:

• 13 oz. of whole wheat french bread (about 3/4 of a loaf)
• 5 whole eggs
• 7 egg whites
• 1.5 cups of fat free half and half
• 1 cup of skim or 1% milk
• 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of Splenda
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Dash of salt

Topping:

• 1 stick of light butter
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of chopped pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Blueberries (optional for garnish)

Directions:

 

1. Grease a large baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the french bread into cubes and layer the cubes in the baking dish.

2. Next, in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients for the casserole and whisk together until smooth. Pour this mixture over the top of the bread, making sure all the bread is covered (you can press the bread down with a spatula to get all the bread soaked in the mixture). Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl add the butter (make sure this is softened, if not place in the microwave for about 30 seconds), brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix together with a spoon or with your hands (hands work best) until well incorporated. Sprinkle on top of casserole right before baking.

4. Bake the casserole for about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh blueberries and light maple syrup. Enjoy!