So there are a lot of things I haven't been really great about this pregnancy, and eating super well has not been one of them. With both of my pregnancies, my first trimester has been all about the carbs. Second trimesters I've been pretty balanced. But this third trimester I have been feeling pretty exhausted (read: lazy). I would definitely say that I have been lacking in the department of a well-balanced diet - thank goodness for vitamins! 

But a couple of months ago, local Miami chef and author Lauren Arboleda of Food from the Heart sent me a copy of her book Pregnancy from the Heart. Her book is really great because it talks about how to keep yourself healthy during pregnancy, along with tips for staying active, and preparing for baby's arrival.

​Last week, I was feeling a little yucky with some of the food choices I had been making, and I was really craving an açaí bowl. So I opened up the book to a page I had bookmarked, with the recipe for homemade granola and an açaí bowl. While I didn't have all the ingredients for the granola, I mixed together a few of the ingredients I DID have, and then made the açaí bowl. It was exactly what I needed - it was filling, and it made me feel like I was at least getting some veggies and lots of vitamins and antioxidants in! Read below for the recipe, along with what else I've been loving from this book! 

Acai Bowl 
recipe can be found on page 121

Ingredients
1 frozen package of açaí (no sugar added) [Trader Joes has, I also found at Publix]
1/2 banana
1/2 cup pineapple
4 cups kale (I actually subbed for spinach because I didn't have kale)

I also added a tablespoon of peanut butter since this was my lunch and I wanted to add a little more protein. 

1. Add everything to the blender and blend until smooth. 
2. Pour in a bowl and sprinkle granola on top. 
3. Add anything else you would like - I added fresh strawberries and drizzled with a little local Orange Blossom Honey that we picked up at the farmers market a few weeks ago. 

Something else that is different from my pregnancy with Caleb - with Caleb, I made the time to go to prenatal yoga at least once a week during all of my second and most of my third trimester. This time, I never got around to it. But, Lauren has included a section in her book that has all the yoga poses you will need to help with all the typical pregnancy ailments. So I have actually been doing some of these yoga poses to help alleviate heartburn and back pain! 

I've also jumped around the book checking my list with hers for how to prep for baby's arrival and what to pack for the hospital. 

It's a beautifully illustrated book, and a great resource for a healthy, holistic pregnancy. I think it would make a beautiful gift for anyone you know who has recently announced their pregnancy, or even as a gift for yourself! You can buy it by following this link, or on Amazon, or at Books & Books in Coral Gables (my favorite bookstore ever and actually where I held Caleb's baby shower!). 

Keep it cool, mamas! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

We are home from our two week stay at the beach! We enjoyed ourselves so much, but if you have ever spent a day at the beach, you know how hungry you can get - and let's just say that we ate heartily! I got groceries yesterday and decided to whip up some acas bowls for breakfast this morning, in an effort to get some good nutrients in and to fill our bellies with yumminess. 

This is a breakfast that is easier to make than it looks. Just pick your ingredients and toss them in the blender! The fancy toppings are just an extra, and you absolutely don't have to spend a lot of time on that! I don't really measure the ingredients, I just do it based on what we want that morning, so I'll give you an estimate, but feel free to change it up and add what you like! Frozen fruits are always best to use in these, they make the bowl less "soup-y" and more custard-like.  

Peanut Butter Acai Bowl 

1 packet frozen acai puree (I get this at Trader Joe's)
1 cup kale 
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 banana
1 cup frozen cherries

For toppings: 
Chia seeds
1/2 banana
blueberries
granola

1. Blend together first 6 ingredients until smooth. 
2. Transfer to a bowl. 
3. Top with blueberries, 1/2 sliced banana, chia seeds, and granola. 

​Enjoy! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise 

If you know anything about me, you know I am all about ease. Whatever makes my life easier, I'm all about it. So why would I be any different when it comes to making meals for my family? 

When it comes to cooking, the less I have to prep, the less I have to dirty, and the less I have to clean, the better! Which is why I absolutely love these Aidells All Natural Chicken Meatballs. They are tasty and I can read every single ingredient in the ingredients list. They come fully cooked, so all you need to do it heat and eat.  Best of all, Caleb and Eddie love them too! I actually always have two packs on hand, for nights when I forget to pull something out or plan a meal or just in case we end up with last minute company, I can always throw these on the frying pan and have a delicious, easy, and healthy dinner. 

This combination is one of my favorites because it's tasty, and the colors look gorgeous together, don't they? It's also a one-pan meal, so there's that, too. 

I buy a packaged butternut squash at Publix, it already comes chopped (again, all about easy) and vacuum sealed so it will last longer in your fridge. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

Thanksgiving is a few short weeks away! I know this seems a little early to post a Thanksgiving recipe, but we had a Friendsgiving on Saturday and I made this stuffing and I wanted to share it with you in case you were on the hunt for a yummy side dish to take to a Thanksgiving potluck. 

​Thanksgiving is actually my favorite favorite holiday. I have very fond memories of having a late Thanksgiving lunch with my family sitting around one big table at my parents' house. Afterwards we would all sit around in a food-induced coma and play board games. Those were some of the greatest afternoons we spent together. 

Two years ago, my maternal grandmother (who is 99!) moved to a city 4 hours away to live with my aunt, my mother's only sister. We went up to visit them the week before Thanksgiving and my aunt made this amazing stuffing.  Since I hosted Thanksgiving last year, I asked her for the recipe because I definitely knew I wanted to make this. The original recipe didn't include carrots or parmesan cheese, but I added those in because I felt like the color would just make it so much better and because, well, cheese. 

I'm pretty sure that the simplicity of the ingredients in this recipe is what makes it so good. It uses fresh ingredients and the flavors all melt together beautifully. I feel like this is a dish I'll be making for many years to come when Thanksgiving rolls around. It was a hit last year and it was a hit at our friendsgiving celebration. 

Classic Bread Stuffing
(makes 10 cups)

Ingredients

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves (from inner celery ribs)
• 1 lb firm white bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and dried overnight (or in the oven)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups turkey broth (or chicken broth)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. In a big skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in onions, celery, carrots, and celery leaves.
3. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden (about 8 minutes). 
4. Scrape the vegetable mixture into a big bowl. Mix in the bread cubes, parsley, parmesan cheese, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. 
5. Gradually stir in about 1 1/2 cups of broth, until the stuffing is evenly  moistened but not soggy. 
6. Transfer stuffing to a lightly buttered casserole dish. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of broth and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes (if you like it crispy, remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking). 
7. Serve warm and enjoy! 

 

A couple of months back, Caleb, my usually amazing eater, decided he was going to get picky on me. He boycotted anything green, which started to give me a little anxiety. I took to Pinterest (you should go follow me!) and started looking up recipes for picky toddlers.

I tried a few and most were delicious, but I was unsuccessful in getting him to try them. I finally came upon a recipe for easy whole wheat banana muffins and I was able to sneak some spinach and carrots into them. They are so easy to make, and I make them mini, so his little hands can grab them. I'm including the basic recipe here, but know you can add chopped spinach, shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, and loads of other goodness in there to up the nutritional factor.  

​These travel well (store in an airtight container) and keep for about 5 days. 

I've already expressed my love for fall. One of my favorite things about not so hot temperatures is being able to have soup without feeling like you are burning from the inside out. I love soup, especially homemade soup. And I really enjoy making soup myself. A few weeks ago, we had a bout of bad weather and it was raining all day every day. It was still hot as hell, but it was definitely soup weather to me. I had also started feeling like a cold was coming on. Last winter, my dad made a carrot ginger soup that I couldn't get enough of, so I decided I would make that, but then I realized I also had butternut squash, so I decided to add that into the mix as well. 

The result was a savory, hearty soup with the nice kick of fresh ginger. It was so yummy. I was a little worried Caleb wouldn't like it because of the kick of the ginger, but he loved it as much as I did, and kept asking me for was (more). 

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did! 

I'm a big breakfast person. I could skip dinner every night (or have a bowl of cereal lol), but I couldn't skip breakfast. When I was working, I always had a few breakfast items in rotation that I could grab and go or that I could eat quickly before I left the house (depending on how late I was running hehe). But now, being home with my little guy has let me step up my breakfast game. Most mornings, we aren't in a big rush to get anywhere, so I can take my time with what I make, I can be creative, and I don't need to eat it in a rush. This makes a great weekend breakfast, too. It's filling, but it's also not heavy. It's loaded with good ingredients, and it pretty much tastes like ice cream for breakfast. Who can beat that?

I'm also not a recipe girl when it comes to basic, everyday cooking, which is why you probably won't see a whole lot of recipes on here. But luckily, this is a dish that doesn't need a recipe, not really. You can add or sub ingredients as you like or see fit. After I was done with this I thought I could have added nuts, or shaved coconut, or any number of additional ingredients. I'm going to give you a general idea of what I used, but again, it was mostly by sight. 

I hope you enjoy this breakfast bowl as much as we did! 

Ingredients 
[serves 2]

For the bowl: 
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (we used whole fat)
frozen banana
1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp peanut or almond butter
3-4 ice cubes

For the toppings:
2 strawberries, cored and sliced
banana, sliced
10-12 blueberries
1/4 cup granola
cinnamon 
chia seeds 
honey (optional)


Directions

1. Blend yogurt, banana, blueberries, peanut butter, and ice cubes until well blended. The consistency should be thicker than that of the yogurt (you can add more ice or more frozen fruit to achieve that consistency). 
2. Transfer to a bowl. 
3. Sprinkle granola over the yogurt mix. 
4. Top with fruit. 
5. Sprinkle cinnamon and chia seeds and drizzle honey if desired. 
6. Enjoy! :) 

See? So easy!