Thanksgiving in London

We started our Thanksgiving morning with a hearty and very cheesy omelete with spinach, peppers, and cheddar cheese.

I can't make omeletes myself but I sure can enjoy them!

After a quick clean up, I got ready for class, and then at the last minute changed my mind about going. What about the Thanksgiving holiday screams going to class? Heck no! The baby wanted to stay home and cook :-)

T made these pumpkin pies the night before. I highly suggest prepping, and baking the day or night before so the day of can be that less stressful. *our day still was a bit stressful* but isn't Thanksgiving meal prep always a tad bit stressful?

T was in charge of the bird, mashed potatoes, rice stuffing, and pumpkin pie.

He seasoned this bird with his dad's middle eastern recipe with lots of earthy spices.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/southern-biscuits-recipe/index.html

I was in charge of:

• Southern style biscuits- Thank You Alton Brown. His recipe is amazing! I made these 3 hours before everyone came but I highly recommend doing it last minute so they come out hot and buttery. Yuum.
•  Green bean casserole- I used everything besides the French's fried onions. I found a so-so UK substitute. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/campbells-green-bean-casserole/detail.aspx
• Stove top stuffing
• Sweet potato casserole

da bird!

Now that's a tasty bird!

and we have lots of leftovers!

the sweet potato casserole was a hit as well. I followed this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/yummy-sweet-potato-casserole/Detail.aspx

classic stove top stuffing. Simple and delicious.

 

I got lazy and forgot to take a picture of the other table. Who can really blame me with all this delicious food around.

my huge plate of a little bit of everything.

I of course had leftovers this afternoon and probably for a long time to come. That's what I love about the holidays: good eating, and great company. The only thing missing this year was my family, but I've been used to that for 2 years.

Tarek also made us turkey bagel sandwiches on top of that huge plate of food I fixed for myself. I ate half the sandwich and left the potato salad, which wasn't very appetizing after all that homemade food.

all that gooeyness is red leicester cheese (pasteurized of course!)

and why didn't I notice this before? Someone brought us a HUGE bottle of champagne..

compared to the regular sized bottle, this one looks humongo! Maybe we can make use of it after the baby is born, hehe.

Cream of Mushroom casserole

I was really craving a chicken sandwich for dinner last night, and thankfully, we had most important ingredient in the house: mini chicken filets. Phew.. I haven't been in the mood to leave the house lately, so I'm not sure what I would have done without having a stocked fridge!

The chicken was seasoned w. salt and pepper and cooked on the stove top with a bit of EVOO. The sandwich had a butt load of spinach, mayo, and siracha. YUM! I love me some spicy chicken sandwiches :-)

a side salad on the side with ranch dressing- gotta get more veggies in!

T made a cheese and spinach omelet this morning. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the delicious, yet processed Kraft American cheese in the middle.

the cheese made the omelet extra soft, and gooey.. mmm..

I used a recipe I found online to make a cream of mushroom casserole. I omitted the white wine and mushroom slices.
http://mgwhite.hubpages.com/hub/Cream-of-Mushroom-Soup-Casserole-Recipes

• chicken breast fillets
• 3/4 cup dry wild rice
• cream of mushroom soup 
• 1 can water
• 1 cup sour cream
• salt
• pepper

I layered the casserole and baked it for 1 hour at 175 degrees C. It turned out pretty tasty..

I wouldn't recommend putting this on a bed of spinach since it muddles the flavors of the casserole, but the babes needed the extra veggies!

Someone is in the dog house and had flowers delivered to our flat this afternoon.

why hello flash! If only flowers could make one forget. sigh.. they are beautiful though..

List

Things I really miss right now (most of these will relate to food since this is FOODIE in the UK!!)

• taco bell- of all friggin things, I could really use 3 hard tacos right now from TB
• sushi
• oysters- is it weird my mouth seems to be watering at the thought of 6 raw oysters with shallot vinaigrette :-)
• The last time I ate deli meat, I got violently ill with a stomach bug, and was later reminded that I shouldn’t be eating it in the first place. Doesn't mean I still don't miss it! Blergh..
• Chicago
• Corner Bakery- on top of that deli meat, I really could go for either corner bakery's cobb salad (amazing!), and any of their soups/sandwiches. 
• Portillo's- Enuff said!
• my cats- I've thought about them passing away a few years ago about 2 times now during my pregnancy and had a really good cry about it.
• energy level- this mostly because I want my fitness level back. I used to feel such a high either running, weight lifting, kickboxing, or doing something simple like pushups. Lord knows all I've done these past few months is just shuffle food in my mouth.
• dancing- Yep, in addition to not having worked out, I've pretty much shoved dancing to the side as well. I did put on some Marc Anthony while doing the dishes today and attempted to dance. Now that's what I call multi-tasking!

Things I can't wait for

• Baby dancing in my tummy. I think I'm supposed to feel flutters at first, but that doesn't even come until 16 weeks or later. I'm only at 13, going on 14!
• Shopping for baby EVERYTHING. Is there nothing cuter than clothes the size of your head? Adorbs!
• Decorating baby room- not sure where we're going to move to, but we're definitely not staying in our flat when the baby comes. 
• My belly flab turning into an actual belly. Right now it just looks like I ate two overstuffed burritos!
• Christmas, New Years, my birthday, because it means I'm that much closer to meeting this lil bean. 
• Finding out the gender- We have a private gender scan scheduled for December 19. Can't. Wait.
• 2nd trimester glow- everyone keeps talking about how much better they feel once they hit the 2nd tri mark and all I feel is more tired and I've been having these awful headaches for the past 2 days. Boo!! 

Back to the weekend's eats

She's got a crazed look in her eye as if she'll be getting some of this!

Man, I love my smoothies! I also added in some fun toppings like sprinkles and chocolate covered candies.

On Saturday, we ordered some Thai food and I caught up on episodes of American Horror Story. I love that the show has everything I love about horror movies, yet it is on every week!

Thai takeout @ Thai Aubergine.

duck wraps

T's plate O' food.

lek tom yum- rice noodles, and seafood

I mostly ate this soup since curries make me sick, and I wasn't in the mood for anything else that night.

lamb curry

best chicken pad thai eva! I had some leftover Sunday night after watching Breaking Dawn Part I. I dragged T to go see it with me, and I'm not going to tell you who enjoyed the movie more! O-b-v-i-o-us!

I've been trying to get my green on for breakfast lately. This time I had some roasted broccoli with my scrambled eggs and toast.

lunch was a medley of vegetables sauteed in dark soy, sea salt, evoo, and black pepper.

Yum! My seabass formed a really nice crust in the oven. I used olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne pepper to season it.

Time to lounge on the couch!

Aunt Jemima

aaaand we've reached the 2nd trimester! Woo hoo! Eggs, hummus, and toast. Perfect com pow!

Perfect breakfast to start my day. Funny story- I had a small cup of coffee later that morning prior to doing an in class essay, and since I hadn't taken any caffeine in ages, I found my brain racing a mile per minute! It may not have been good for my essay, but I really needed a pick me up that morning. I actually don't remember what I wrote, I just remember writing way too fast... oops!

lunch after class. It's the leftover's that just keep on giving!

oven roasted turkey breast, leftover jap chae, and green bean casserole..

 

had a random afternoon craving for cereal and cold milk.

definitely. hit. the. spot.

lunch after class on Friday

minestrone soup with a tuna sandwich and salt and vinegar chips. I made the sandwich with canned tuna, mayo, and dijon mustard on whole grain bread.

the sandwich was simple, but satisfied my tuna craving. For anyone that has wondered whether tuna is safe to eat while pregnant: it is!
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/nutrition/foodsafety/tunaexpert/

Bored and stuck at home with a headache on a Friday night, I did what was necessary; I made rice crispy treats.. YUM!

I followed the recipe on the back of the Jet's marshmallow pack

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 package marshmallow 
• 8-9 cups rice crispy cereal

Aside from my fingers being incredibly sticky, these were buttery and delicious, just how I remembered them to be.

I may or may not have messed with my appetite with dessert first ;-), so I made some simple whole wheat pasta with sauteed mushrooms and bottled sauce for dinner.

I hate that my Friday's have consisted of being couch bound and in bed by 9. I honestly don't remember my life ever being this mundane, but I'm trying to take it all in stride. :)

I woke up this morning with a pretty meager fridge, only two eggs, and no bread so I decided to roll with some pancakes. Aunt Jemima is the best! So glad we were able to order a box from the American Thanksgiving shopping list online.

buttery and soft.. mmmm.. Is it possible to sleep 10 hours and still want a nap? Why yes!