Lazy gal’s herbed quinoa and mushrooms

Despite all appearances on this blog, I can assure you that some nights I find myself staring blankly in the fridge without a clue what to make for dinner. Throw in a long work day, an up and down pregnancy appetite, and the temptation to have a bowl of cereal instead of putting together a meal is ever present.

However, knowing that I am ‘eating for two’, I have made a conscious effort when these moments strike to delve into the crisper drawer and try to put together something a little more nutritious.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Back in the pantry went the box of cornflakes, and out of the fridge came a bunch of mushrooms.

Along with a bag of herbs, picked from a friend’s garden, and kindly donated to the BBB kitchen.

Into a pan, with a heaped spoonful of ginger,

And a pile of quinoa (that I had pre-cooked for 15 minutes or so, until fluffy).

Warmed through for a couple minutes, and this lazy gal's herbed quinoa and mushrooms was ready for the plate.

And, with the help of Mr BBB who was out on BBQ duty, our dinner was complete.

Herb-filled quinoa…

Served with a sausage and grilled zucchini.

And certainly worth the effort!

Delish!

What about you? What is your ‘fall back’ meal when the desire to cook is missing?

Our beachside getaway

After 4 days spent by the sea, I would be lying if I said that heading back to ‘the reality’ of work was not a struggle this morning.

For although I live in a landlocked city, I love the calmness and peace that hearing and seeing the ocean inevitably provides. And our recent beachside getaway proved no different.

Our trip away was everything that I had hoped it would be.

 

I traded office meetings for crosswords…

Paperwork for afternoons spent reading by the pool….

(ps this is a great book!)

And corporate attire for flip flops and a bumped up bikini (gasp!!)

 

Our evening walks around the suburbs were replaced with daily long walks along the beach...

And off the beaten track…

With coastal views being our reward.

My camera was all but retired for the trip away, although it did come out rather quickly when I saw a frangipani tree near our hotel room.

So very gorgeous!!!

And not a tree you see in the city!

And even though one day was a little rain sodden…

Meaning our picnic lunch had to be eaten in the car….

The others were nothing but sunshine!

Making for some spectacular views as we dined alfresco at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant - a fancy meal to celebrate Mr BBB's birthday!

 

No photos to offer, but I can assure you that the service was impeccable and the food was nothing but delightful. You’ll just have to take my word for it

And so we returned from our beachside getaway refreshed and relaxed. And finding it a little hard to believe that our next trip away will be as a family of 3!

What about you? Are you a fan of the beach?

Pregnancy Update – Week 34

Happy Sunday lovely people!

Mr BBB and I have just returned home after 4 glorious days spent close to the ocean. Our plan was to do a ‘whole lot of nothing’, and I am pleased to report that we stuck to that plan!

And, as we have just returned from our last holiday as a ‘couple’ before we become a ‘family’, it is rather timely that I’m due for another weekly pregnancy update.

How far along? 34 weeks, 4 days

How big is baby? This week baby BBB has grown to the size of a cantaloupe.

(I suspect it will be melon comparisons from here on…)

How I'm feeling? Confident enough (or perhaps it is indifference?!) to flash the BBB bump in all its blindingly white glory in a bikini while holidaying at a beachside resort these past few days. Here’s hoping I didn't scare too many beachgoers

 

 

Weight? No idea. And I have no intention of jumping on the scale after the indulgent few days we have just had.

How I'm changing? I am getting very excited now that we are most certainly in ‘countdown’ mode until we meet our baby girl. Now….if only we could decide on her name…..

What I miss? Shellfish! Dining at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant the other night was delightful – but I am certain that it was not as delightful as it could have been had I been able to indulge in the various shellfish dishes on the menu.

Symptoms? I am very aware (and grateful!) of the fact that I have had a relatively symptom-free pregnancy, compared to some people, with my major current symptoms being the fairly standard aches and pains associated with a growing belly.

So I thought this week I would look at the symptoms that most pregnant women report suffering from, that I have been lucky enough to avoid to any great extent thus far:

• swollen hands / feet. My wedding rings still fit. I for one am super surprised about this as my fingers had a tendency to swell before I got pregnant?!
• no nausea or morning sickness
• no real increased need to pee. I have heard that many women need to get up several times throughout the night, however I am able to sleep right through (most nights)
• no sleep problems. I have always been a very good sleeper, and am very grateful that aside from a couple episodes of insomnia (mainly when my brain wont switch off), physically I am still quite comfortable when sleeping.

Hmmm…..here's hoping I have now not jinxed myself for the next 6 weeks!

Cravings? Shellfish. See above!

Highlights this week? Spending 4 amazing days with Mr BBB near the beach, during our last 'pre baby' getaway. Swimming, reading, sleeping, walking and generally luxuriating. It was bliss.

Replay: Taste of Australia

Happy Australia Day lovely people!

While many Australians are gearing up for a day filled with BBQs, flip flops, eskies, beer, cricket and beaches, Mr BBB and I are on our way to spend 3 nights at a glorious beachside resort as our last getaway before Baby BBB arrives.

I think they call this a babymoon?

We have both been looking forward to this trip since November (when we booked it), and plan on doing a whole lot of nothing while away.

Nothing except for reading, sleeping, lying by the pool, swimming and eating. Of course.

So given we are most likely on the road by now, but in honour of Australia Day, let me re-share with you some of the “Australian” recipes that featured on BBB last year in my Taste of Australia series.

For Australia Day is also a great chance to get cooking and baking!

Part 1 - Kangaroo and Macadamia Salad

Part 2 - Vegemite scrolls

Part 3 - Lamington Cake

Part 4 – Damper

Part 5 - Homemade tim tams

What about you? What are you up to this Australia Day?

Baby things…

Slowly but surely, Mr BBB and I are getting ready for the arrival of our baby girl.

But, for someone who is rather 'type A', I have actually surprised myself by the lack of rush on my part to get everything in order. I suspect that perhaps given our pregnancy journey was not as straight forward as some, and with my anxiety levels remaining pretty high during the first 20 weeks or so, a part of me didn't want to jinx everything.

A little silly right?

But as my body and mind started to relax, particularly in the third trimester, I have certainly come to accept that there is a very good chance that we will be welcoming a healthy baby girl into our lives in the not too distant future. That nothing will go wrong. Or even if it does, it is not something that I can control.

And with it, has come a renewed desire to start getting everything in order!

Over the last couple of months, I have received quite a few questions about our choices of equipment. So, for those who are interested, here is what we have chosen for some of our 'bigger items'.

The pram

It was choosing the right pram that caused me the most grief during our baby preparations. I found the ridiculous amount of brands, options, styles and prices thoroughly overwhelming, and just didn’t know where to start. So Mr BBB and I spent quite a few hours discussing what we considered to be our 'must have' features when it came to the pram, and slowly but surely we got a better idea of what we were looking for.

On the list -

• Could be fitted with a car capsule instead of a bassinet when baby BBB is a newborn
• Could fit a car capsule and a toddler seat (should we be lucky enough to have another baby down the track)
• Was of good quality
• Was easy to use and fold

With these 4 'must haves' in mind, I was then able to go to our local baby store and drill the sales assistant for a good 1.5 hours until it became clear that the Baby Jogger City Select was the pram for us.

While it was rather expensive, it ticked all the above boxes, and we are hoping that this pram will be suitable in the future should there be further additions to our family.

The car capsule

To go with our chosen pram, we opted for the Maxi Cosi car capsule.

 

This capsule clicks straight into the pram (we had to also purchase an adapter in order to do this), meaning that Baby BBB can be transferred from car to pram without having to be taken out of the capsule.

(Our pram fitted with the capsule)

I won't bore you with how long it took us to realise that a part was missing from the box, however, in order to install the base into the car. Let's just say that after 2 hours, we were feeling rather flustered that we couldn't work out how to install the carrier. Turns out we didn't have all the pieces!

Carriers / wraps

While I am yet to purchase any slings, I have my eye on the Baby Bjorn active carrier as well as the Hug-a-bub sling. Mr BBB and I are hoping to get at least one sling / carrier that we can both use, although given he is 6'3 and I am 5'7 - this may be easier said than done.

Well comfortably at least.

Nappies

We are planning on using disposable nappies initially, while bubs is a newborn, but then hope to switch to cloth after 6 weeks or so. I have heard some glowing reviews about both Bonnibuns and Itti Bittis, so are looking at giving both types a try to see what suits us and baby BBB best.

So there you have it – some of the bigger items we have crossed off our list thus far. I am really curious to see how each item goes once bubs arrives – as the ‘baby item’ industry certainly seems to be a big one…there is so much choice (and so much ‘sales spin’)!

Now all that is missing is a baby to test them all out

Any ‘must have item’ recommendations for a first time mum?

Lemon meringue cheesecake

Mr BBB celebrates a birthday later this week. And, as we will be away on his actual birthday, we decided to hold a birthday dinner with his family a little early.

Our favourite local Thai restaurant provided the scrumptious main meal, but we headed home for dessert.

For we had birthday cake awaiting us. And not just any old birthday cake….

But a cake that was inspired by Mr BBB’s favourite sweet treat – lemon meringue pie. Adapted to be gluten free, and made into a cheesecake.

ie. a lemon meringue cheesecake!

The base was rather easy – owing to these GF biscuits I found at our local grocery store.

Crushed, and combined with melted butter.

Then pressed into the base of a lined spring-form pan.

Topped with the cheesecake layer – made with cream cheese, eggs, sugar and lemon rind.

Baked for 1 hour, and finished with a thick layer of lemon curd (store bought….I cheated).

And set in the fridge overnight.

On the day of serving, all I had to do was finish the cake with a layer of meringue.

Egg whites and sugar, whisked until firm, then piped on top the cheesecake layer.

Baked for a further 10 minutes until the meringue had browned slightly…

And our lemon meringue birthday cheesecake was complete!

Between the buttery base…

The creamy cheesecake and tart lemon curd centre…

And not to mention the fluffy sweet meringue….

This cake ended up being quite the lovely adaptation of an old classic.

Minus the hassle of attempting GF pastry!

The slices we served were certainly well received for dessert, so I am calling this baking experiment a win!

Although, can you really go wrong when lemon and meringue are involved???

I think not.

Lemon meringue cheesecake (GF)

• 250g GF biscuits
• 120g butter, melted
• 500g cream cheese, softened
• Rind of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup + 1 cup caster sugar
• 2tbs lemon curd (make sure it is GF)
• 3 eggs + 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Lightly grease a round spring-form cake pan, and line base with baking paper.
2. Process biscuits until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, and pulse until combined. Press the biscuit mixture into the prepared tin, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, beat 3 eggs and 3/4 cup caster sugar, until light and creamy.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and lemon rind until smooth.
5. Add the egg mixture to the cream cheese mixture, and continue to beat until smooth (do not overbeat!).
6. Pour atop the biscuit base, and bake for 50 minutes. Turn off the oven, and allow to cool in the oven with the door ajar.
7. Once cooled, spread the lemon curd over the surface of the cheesecake, and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
8. To make the meringue – beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1 cup of sugar, a little at a time, whisking until they become stiff peaks and the sugar has incorporated.
9. Fold through the cornflour, and spoon the meringue into a piping bag. Pipe rounds of the meringue onto the top of the prepared cheesecake, until the surface is mostly covered.
10. Place in a hot oven (220C) for 10 minutes, or until browned lightly.
11. Remove and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before serving.