Easy -- And DELICIOUS -- Broccoli Casserole

On my first visit to North Carolina to visit my mother-in-law, oh about 6 years ago, she made us a wonderful Christmas dinner. I left that visit with three recipes that have now become tradition with my family as well. In fact, I have many friends that have requested those recipes after having joined us at one of our holiday meals. By that far the most popular is this Broccoli Casserole. And the best part -- it's super easy!

Casserole Ingredients:

• 10 oz. package frozen broccoli (or I use two bunches of fresh broccoli)
  
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the reduced fat Campbells)
  
• 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar (I usually double this :p)
  
• 1/4 cup milk
  
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (low-fat works great)
  
• 1 egg, beaten

Topping Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter (Start with this and add more if needed. I usually end up using a whole stick! For reducing the fat, try Smart Balance 50/50)
  
• Ritz crackers, crumbled (Enough to cover top of casserole. I crumble one pack in a zip lock bag and gradually add to the melted butter. And yes, there is a Reduced Fat version that is just as tasty.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
   
2. Cook broccoli according to directions, omit salt (or steam to crisp/tender if using fresh broccoli). Drain well and put in 10" x 6" casserole dish
   
3. Mix all remaining ingredients (except Ritz cracker mixture) in large mixing bowl. Pour over broccoli.
   
4. Melt butter over low heat and add crumbled Ritz crackers. Top casserole with Ritz cracker mixture (make more if you need to).
5. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (you want topping to be golden brown).
   

If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!

Five Month Belly!

Five months -- can you believe it? Next week, Thanksgiving... then soon after Christmas... next thing you know I'll be posting baby pics! Okay, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, I know. But I just can't believe how fast time has flown by. My mommy friends all tell me to enjoy this, because the last month craaaaaawls. So I am!

Let's see... this month the belly ring had to come out. I took a straight-on shot so you all can see that it looks like my belly button will probably pop out. I'm pretty dang close. Tripple is a little freaked out by it, but I think it's cute.

I think I'm huge already, but my mom's last reaction was, "Is that all?". I didn't gain any weight the first week of my fifth month, and then only half a pound the second week, but I quickly made up for it and gained 4 pounds total this month. I've really been into baking lately, so the cookies have probably helped. :) And late night hunger started this week, so I'll need to stock the fridge with some quick and easy snacks for midnight munchies.

Baby boy is very active. I feel him moving around all the time, particularly when I'm getting ready to eat (demanding baby already!). Tripple and Auntie Nay both have felt light movements! I can't wait for Tripple to feel him like I feel him (well obviously not exactly how I feel him... just more strength to those little kicks).

We started work on the nursery this month. We're at least getting the painting done before my mother-in-law arrives on Sunday. Tripple is almost done, actually. Just another coat and touch-up. It's frustrating not being able to help, but there are plenty of other things for me to do.

Baby boy is spoiled already! My mom and dad bought him his first present -- a fully functioning collectors train set. Auntie Nay bought baby a super cute turtle that lights up the ceiling with constellations. My friend Desiree's daughter Zoe picked out his first teddy bear. And I hear my mother-in-law has been doing some shopping out there in NC (no surprises there :p). Not only are we blessed with this wonderful gift of life, but our son is already blessed with such kind and generous family and friends! How fortunate are we?!?

So here it is -- the five month belly:

112# and 33"


Baby has stretched to the size of a spaghetti squash, weighs almost a pound, and is nearly 11 inches.

PHOTO: BabyCenter

My progress:
One Month: 100# and 24"
Two Months: 101# and 25"
Three Months: 104# and 31"
Four Months: 107# and 31.5"
Five Months: 112# and 33"

I Heart The Shiba Inu Puppy Cam.

This might very well be the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

Introducing Autumn, Ayumi, Amaya, Aki, Akoni and Ando -- the cutest Shiba Inu puppies EVER (as they proclaim, and I undoubtably agree with). The Shiba Inu Puppy Cam streams daily, and is officially my new obsession.

YES WE CAN!

I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones, or that fact that we took part in history yesterday, but my God I was moved last night. During the campaign I never really thought about Obama being the first African American president because, well, he never emphasized it. I thought of him as bringing the change we needed in this country. I thought of him being the Democrat in office that I have wanted for the past eight years.

But after they announced the win in Ohio, this historic occasion started to hit me. And then even more during John McCain's speech. Now, regardless of what you think of this man or his political party, you can't deny that was one of the most powerful concession speeches in recent memory. 

And then it was Obama's acceptance speech, where out in the crowd you saw the emotional faces of Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, and numerous African American people. 

And then his words -- I was breathless. Chills even. 

Now I know this doesn't mean puppy dogs and rainbows (wait, I guess it does mean at least one puppy dog!), but it does mean that change is going to come. As Obama said himself, 

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

President-elect Obama, yes we can.

A huge virtual hug to all the red-to-blue states that helped make this happen (is North Carolina officially a blue state now?! Hooray!).

Halloween Costume 2008: Juno

So this year was another throw something together at the last minute. And being four months pregnant limited me a bit. So I figured, why not integrate the belly. :p

My sister actually suggested the Juno costume idea about a month ago, but as always, Halloween snuck up on us. So after a trip to Target last week, I thought I would cruise the mall and see if anything popped out at me. I stopped in at Hot Topic, and as I was looking through the clearance rack, found Bleeker's T-Shirt from Juno -- on clearance for $8. Sweet. Costume decision made.

So for the rest of Trip's costume, he found the yellow shorts at a discount shop for $6 (which I hemmed). I then found the socks at Big 5 for about $5, along with the wrist bands and headband for $1 each. Those were white, so I ran over to Michael's for some yellow dye, and that took care of the rest of his costume. (If you know Trip, you know he has a million sneakers, so I made him work with something he had. Which, of course, was a pair of sneakers with yellow on them, that matched his outfit perfectly.)

As for me, on that same shopping trip at the mall I went into Forever 21, where I found the orange stripped shirt for about $6, and the skirt for about $15 (both of which I can work into my wardrobe later on). The jeans, hoodie and sneaks were mine. 

The only other added additions was the orange Tic Tacs for Bleeker (you can see them tucked into Trip's socks), and the Big Gulp I carried around with me (filled with water of course). Oh, and I used some Bumble black hair powder to cover my blond chunks. And there you have it.

Okay, so there are some obvious differences here. 1.) I'm not nearly as far along as she was in the movie poster. 2.) Bleeker isn't covered in tattoos. 

So this is the Johnsons' interpretation. :)

How To Buy Organic and Not Go Broke.

Trip and I went shopping at Trader Joe's on Sunday, and noticed a few of our staple items had gone up in price. We usually buy all organic, but with the ever increasing prices of produce, we've had to put some items back on the shelf.

Well, no need to skip the bananas. Just skip paying the extra dollar on organic. Vegetarian Times recently had an article on "How To Buy Organic," with a list from the Environmental Working Group of the 12 most pesticide-laden conventionally grown fresh fruit and vegetables. So here's the list of the produce items where you shouldn't penny-pinch (buy organic):

1. Peaches
   
2. Apples
   
3. Bell Peppers
   
4. Celery
   
5. Nectarines
   
6. Strawberries
   
7. Cherries
   
8. Lettuce
   
9. Grapes (imported)
   
10. Pears
    
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes

In general, thin-skinned vegetables that grow underground can absorb pesticides and heavy metals, so organic is best. So fruits and vegetables such as avocados, bananas, mangoes are okay to buy nonorganic. Also, there are quite a few fruits and vegetables that do not appeal to pests and are rarely treated with pesticides, thus have low pesticide residues (if any): asparagus, broccoli, corn, eggplant, garlic, onions, rhubarb, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes (domestic), grapefruit and watermelon. These are all okay to buy nonorganic.

As for dairy, it's best to always buy organic. In particular, organic milk contains no hormones or antibiotics, so is highly recommended. I know, $7 for a gallon of milk seems ridiculous. But trust me, there is a huge taste difference (I drink milk all the time now! Could also be the pregnancy thing, but it really does taste better.)

Another thing to keep in mind is buying local. According to Vegetarian Times, not only do some farmers claim that after the food industry took over the "buy organic" philosophy they often ignore traditional organic values such as sustainability and a connection to the local economy, but there are certain highly perishable foods whose flavor and nutrients are so dependent on freshness that it pays to buy local whenever possible. So hit up those farmer's markets! Even if they are not certified organic, they can be a great way to put the freshest, tastiest food on your plate while supporting your local economy and helping the environment. Who wouldn't want that!

We're Having a Boy!

As I mentioned in my Four Month Belly! post, we had a little scare last Monday that prompted a visit to the doctor. To make sure everything was okay, she did an ultrasound. During the ultrasound the doctor said, "I think I know what you are having..."

"Can you tell us?" I asked.

"Well, I think you're having a girl. I can't be certain, because baby is straddling the umbilical cord, but see that..."

[She points to some blurry image that apparently made up girl parts.]

So of course Trip and I translate "can't be certain" as "you're having a baby girl!" So all week we had it in our heads that we were having a girl. Trip bought a book of baby names and we didn't even look in the boy section. We were already disagreeing on the shade of pink we would paint the nursery.

Fast forward to Friday, our second trimester ultrasound. Now, our OB had warned us that some technicians can be pretty testy, perhaps even a bit cold. But we were so fortunate -- our technician rocked. She was definitely all business in the beginning, but just thoroughly explained what the process was going to be, and said her main concern was our baby. She asked us if we wanted to know the sex, and that she would tell us during the warm and fuzzy family part at the end of the exam, after about 30 minutes of seriousness. 

So during the important, serious, technical, don't-talk-to-me-because-I-am-concentrating exam, she says, "Well, I know what you are having. Quick, tell me your guesses."

"Girl."

"Girl."

"Girl, huh. Well, you're wrong. It's a boy. See, there's his wiener."

(Apparently the important, serious, technical term is "wiener".)

A boy. Oh my goodness, a boy! Of course we were both shocked at first, only because we were so certain we were having a girl. But that quickly faded for both of us as soon as we thought of our beautiful baby boy. We can't wait to meet him! I must have cried five times that day thinking about him...

Tears of joy for our Baby Boy Johnson.

(Or, "Baby Boy with a Johnson" as our technician proudly joked. Did I mention already how much we loved her?)