Eating All Day Long

Food takes on a whole new meaning when you're pregnant. For the first 3 1/2 months I couldn't stand being in the kitchen plus I was hungry and nauseauted at the same time. The queasy, hungover feeling still creeps up occasionally but not nearly as often. Now, I like being in the kitchen again but I have to eat while I'm cooking...I feel as though I'm eating all day long. My husband laughs at me because my food for the day doesn't fit into my old lunch bag anymore and I have to pack a grocery bag instead. I'm on target for weight gain though so I'm not too concerned except that some of my cravings are really calorie packed. I'm talking milkshakes, muffins from Starbucks, birthday cake, and crispy tacos. Oh tacos, I could have one every hour. Thankfully my hubby likes Mexican food and doesn't mind going out A LOT.

I recently joined The Dish and they sent me a sample of Bakery Shop pudding. So delicious and perfect right now since I crave sweets after every meal (and sometimes in between meals). You don't have to refrigerate these but I recommend it. I like pudding super cold.

Apple, Swiss, Dijon Panini

I've been eating apples and cheese together since I was little. Usually apple slices topped with a hunk of cheddar and sometimes with peanut butter slathered on. I love the sweet and salty combination. Melty brie with apples and pecans is one of my favorite things during the holidays. The other night I had no idea what to make so I started pulling random ingredients out of the fridge and I came up with my new favorite panini- apples, swiss cheese and a little dijon mustard on french bread. So delicious.

 Ingredients you will need. I also use canola oil spray on the bread before grilling and then I add a little unsalted butter to the pan.

 Spread a little mustard (just a little as dijon is really strong) add a slice of cheese, top with thinly sliced apples, add another layer of cheese then top with another piece of bread and cook in a little butter on medium-high heat until desired doneness. I like mine really toasty. If you're making a lot of them, place the already cooked paninis in a warm oven until you're ready to serve.

 Mmmmm....I wish I had one right now. I served a mixed greens salad with cucumbers and radishes on the side drizzled with balsamic vinagrette.

How do you like to eat your apples?

Baby Girl!

We're having a girl! I was completely shocked. We were both so sure our baby was going to be a boy that I was dumb-founded when the doctor said "100% girl." I even asked, to nobody in particular, "what am I going to do with a girl?"
The shock has worn off and now I'm so excited. We registered for a good mix of pinks and other colors. I don't want it to look like a princess fairy threw up in her room and since my husband is determined she'll be a sports fan we might have a few "boy" toys in there too. We spent over 2 hours at Babies R Us only to have them lose our registry. I'm still hoping they find it because I really don't want to do it all over again. I'm think I'll just fill it out online if I have to. I've been picking up a few things along the way and we're getting our crib this week. Having a baby has opened up a whole new world of shopping for me LOL

Here's our baby girl sucking her thumb. She was so active during the ultrasound. I couldn't believe I couldn't feel her kicking and squirming. I'm supposed to feel the flutters any day now. I can't wait.

For all you mommies out there, is there any product you can't live without? All the bottle choices and stroller brands... way too many choices and my head is already spinning from reading so many reviews.

Beach House Tacos, Ventura

I've had a subscription to Sunset Magazine ever since I've married thanks to my husband's aunt. She renews it for us every year and throughout the years I've made some delicious recipes and found some new places to visit in the area. Recently, Sunset featured Beach House Tacos in Ventura and since I hadn't been in too long and my hubby had never been, we made a trip for yummy tacos last weekend.

Beach House Tacos is located on the Ventura Pier and all seating it outdoors (although there is a covered patio). I saw lots of people getting to-go orders but I like to sit and enjoy the beach view.

These are what taco cravings are made for. The ground beef crispy tacos are beyond delicious. The ground beef mixture has sweet plump raisins in it which you wouldn't think would taste good but it soooo does. I don't like lettuce on my tacos but they normally come with it. I ordered a side pico de gallo to go with them since I love tomatoes. As you can see, the picture had to wait before I took the first bite. For $3 a taco, you can't beat the price.

Since, I can't have beer even though I desperately wanted one, I had horchata. Sweet, cinnamon rice milky goodness. It's homemade and delicious. I recommend you try it unless of course you're not pregnant like me and beer is calling your name.

I couldn't find an actual website for Beach House Tacos, so here's a link to their yelp page http://www.yelp.com/biz/beach-house-tacos-ventura
Let me know what you think if you visit.