I thought it would be fun to share a little pregnancy update today! I’m somehow already 34 weeks along – how crazy is that? Our little girl is very active and loves to kick and squirm around, especially after dinner when I’m relaxing. Apolinaras’ voice always seems to calm her down when he’s talking or singing to my belly though. I think she stops wriggling because she’s intently listening to him, and I’m hoping this will continue well into her teenage years, haha. I can’t believe we’ll be meeting her so soon!
We recently had our maternity pictures taken by the extremely talented Theresa Moore of Garnick Moore Photography. Apolinaras tends to just want to goof around during things like this, and both of us have a hard time acting natural in front of the camera, so I was impressed with all the amazing shots Theresa coaxed out of us. I will do my best to just share a handful!
We’re feeling pretty prepared for our little one’s arrival. We’ve taken all the pregnancy/newborn classes on our list, and our nursery is almost complete. The baby’s dresser is full with clothes organized by size, and we just have to get another lamp and finish hanging some decorations. I will try to share a picture soon!
I am having frequent heartburn now and keep a stash of Tums with me at all times, but I would much rather deal with third trimester heartburn over first trimester nausea any day! I’m also thankful to still be sleeping well and feeling energetic enough to exercise. I managed to jog until 29 weeks, but now that it’s way too hot for me to run outside, Apolinaras and I are taking long walks on cooler nights, and I’m still lifting weights and chugging along on the elliptical a couple times a week.
I also had two amazing baby showers. I had a lovely brunch shower at Gaslight Brasserie. It was just perfect – very relaxed with great food and friends. I got lots of advice since most of my friends are already moms or are expecting too – the main message was that every baby is different, and you just have to figure out what works best for your baby and family. My labmates also surprised me with a really sweet shower at work. They tricked me into thinking we were having a meeting and then it was really a shower – very sneaky!
The only food I’ve really been craving besides popsicles are French fries. I just can’t resist them whenever we go out to eat. And you know what goes perfectly with French fries – this CABLT sandwich (nice transition, huh?).
BLTs with avocado are pretty popular, but sometimes still leave my tummy grumbling, so I added a delicious pecan crusted chicken breast to the mix. I also mashed my avocado and spread it all over the tops of the buns so I could enjoy it in every bite. Our sweet little girl loved these – she kicked a ton after we enjoyed them for dinner. Just 6 weeks to go!
CABLT (aka Chicken, Avocado, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwiches
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
Crispy Chicken:
1/2 cup ground pecans (I pulsed mine in the food processor)
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into half lengthwise so you have 6 pieces of chicken
2 large eggs, beaten
For Assembly:
1 large avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 whole wheat sandwich buns, split
6 beefsteak tomato slices
6 slices lettuce
6 slices cooked applewood smoked bacon
Directions:
To make the chicken, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix ground pecans, breadcrumbs, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a shallow pan. Put the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge both sides of the chicken pieces in it. Place the beaten eggs in another shallow dish and dredge both sides of the flour coated chicken in the egg mixture; place chicken pieces in the pecan mixture and coat well on all sides. Place coated chicken on a large greased cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
To assemble the sandwiches, place avocado, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl and mash until smooth. Place chicken pieces on top of the bottom buns and top with tomato, lettuce, bacon. Spread avocado mash evenly on the cut side of the top half of the buns and top each sandwich with this bun. Makes 6 sandwiches.
Nutrition: 463 calories, 20.2g fat, 6.1g fiber, 38.3g protein per sandwich
Cost: $1.72 per sandwich