I was looking through my archives, mainly to find this image, when I came across this post I wrote about the imperfect habits that make me, well, me.   And hell, I’m still imperfect.  And I love it.  Because they’re all part of what makes me, me.  (And I’m awesome.)  So I figured it was time to revisit that list, and talk about what makes me imperfectly me, part two.

1. I’ll leave dishes in the sink, or clothes on the floor constantly, but when Dave does it, I nag at him.

2. I clear my throat constantly.  Usually before going to bed, or reading, etc. I’m sure that’s annoying for people around me.  Wah wahhh.

3. I rarely wash my face before going to bed.  And I usually wear some form of makeup every day.  I = gross.

4. I will avoid eye contact with people I know on the train so I don’t have to make small talk.  Train rides to and from work = my quiet time.  (Sorry if you’ve been on the receiving end of that.  No one said I was nice.)

5. I’ll forget where I am/who I’m with and will belch in public – even before pregnancy.  Sorry!

6. Eye contact when I’m talking to someone is an issue.  I tend not to make any!  I feel awkward and like I’m staring the person down, so my eyes wander around, landing on them every so often throughout the conversation.  Is that weird?

7. I’m a blanket hog. I can’t help it, I “cocoon” under the covers and take them with me when I wrap myself around… myself.  I fear this has only gotten worse during pregnancy, especially with the pillow.

8. My legs are frequently left unshaved.  And by frequently, I mean I’m rocking the Sasquatch look right now.  Poor Dave. (He says he doesn’t care… but I think he lies.) – I totally included this in my last “Imperfectly Me” post… sad that it’s still 100% true!

9. Our dining room table is basically a catchall for coats/bags/mail/other various paraphernalia. I think we only eat at the table when we’re having company.

10. We clean our apartment maybe once a month.  I don’t know if this will get better or worse after the baby is here.

11. I leave clean laundry in the basket for days after doing the wash. And then the clothes get wrinkled. I ask Dave to help, but I don’t like how he folds my clothes so its a no-win situation.

12. I don’t floss.  My dentist hates me.

13. There are bobby pins all over our apartment.  I mean all over the place.  Bedroom, bathroom, my desk, end tables.

14. I get ahead of myself all the time. My mind will immediately go from something that’s a remote possibility to the 45 different paths it can take, and I’ll start planning for things that aren’t tangible yet – inevitably ending in disappointment when these things don’t work out the way I imagined.

15. If my hair has been straight for a few days – chances are I haven’t washed it since it was first straightened.

16. I always wish I was more crafty/introspective/into indie music/etc… but then I don’t want to waste the energy being that person that I’m not organically.  Still doesn’t stop me from wanting to be [insert whatever here].

17. Outfits, unless going somewhere specific or seeing the same people, are totally recycled during weekends.  This past long weekend I think I wore a variation of the same outfit all three days.  Gross, or green?

18. I become irrationally angry about small things.  The wrath usually passes within a few minutes, but it’s still completely and totally unnecessary.

19. I still harbor ill feelings towards certain ex-boyfriends.  While I should just get the hell over it, because I’m better off without them, happily married etc., every so often those thoughts pop up in my head.  Wish I could just send them an email or something telling them how sucktastic they are, and get it over with… but I’m going to go with that not being a good idea.

20. I’m basically just an ass, aren’t I?

What makes you, imperfectly you? 

These are just some things I ponder while I’m pregnant…

 
I wonder what it sounds like in there (utero) while I’m taking a shower.  Does it sound like it’s raining?

I have images of her floating around in the womb  like a stupefied Cornish Pixie, a la Harry Potter, even though I know it’s not the case.

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Why do strangers think its okay to touch your stomach? I’ve only had one encounter so far, that wasn’t even really a complete stranger, but still. No me gusta. I don’t mind at all when people I know touch my stomach, but otherwise, if I don’t know you well – NO TOUCH.

Do you think the doctor would mind if I started blasting 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” right when she’s born?

“Go, go, go shorty
It’s your birthday
We gon’ party like it’s yo birthday
We gon’ sip Bacardi like it’s yo birthday…”

and the last two lines are irrelevant because I just discovered it say “And you know we don’t give a f*ck it’s not your birthday”.  All these years… not a clue that those were the lyrics.

For some reason I’m convinced that Baby Bean is going to have brown hair (like me) and blue eyes (like Dave).  If she comes out blonde, which can definitely happen from Dave’s side of the family, I’ll be shocked. I know its a huge possibility, but I’ll still be shocked.

If people heard me talking to her in the womb, would they think I’m weird? I talk to her all the time.  Mainly I say things like, “Hiii baby girl!”, or “WHAT are you doing in there?”, but is that strange?

People really need to learn that hearing, “Oh you’re so small” isn’t necessarily good.  Same goes for “Oh you’re so big!’.  Either way will make us preggos feel like we’re doing something wrong.  If people just said, “Oh, you look great!”, all would be right with the world.

Not gonna lie – I totally wonder if Baby Bean has an internal dialogue like in Look Who’s Talking (1 and 2 only… 3 blew major chunks). But not with Rosanne Barr’s voice… I’d like to think she’d have Ellen Page’s snarky tone.  Or maybe the whimsical nature of Amy Adams.  Well, since she’s my kid, it’s probably more on the Ellen Page side (a la Juno, of course).

I hope you guys enjoyed the (killer) tofu recipe last week! I’ve been having dreams about it, I enjoyed it so much! Hopefully some of the meals we have planned for this week will be just as dream inducing!

Rachel posted this recipe for Slow-Cooker Sausages With Sauerkraut and Potatoes on her own Menu Monday post last week, and I printed it out faster than you can say… well, “Slow-Cooker Sausages With Sauerkraut and Potatoes”, I guess?  I may substitute rye bread for pumpernickel, but that’s about it.  I am SO EXCITED for this recipe!  Just sad I can’t enjoy a good, German beer with it.  I’ll have to just settle for living vicariously through Dave/shoving my nose into the beer bottle in the meantime.

Chicken Jambalaya – I’m excited to make this again since we just stocked up on chicken breasts (I use that cut of chicken for pretty much all recipes), and I only needed to buy maybe one or two additional ingredients.  Woot!! This is still the only Sandra Lee recipe I’ve made – my opinion of her making things out of other things unnecessarily to cut corners still stands.

And for a little something healthy – Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes.  AKA – more reasons I LOVE Pinterest!  The recipe is from A Big Mouthful, which I suggest you check out just for the stunning food photography.  Dave has made something similar to this before from his Heart Healthy cookbook, with cucumbers and olives I think… I wasn’t a huge fan of that one, so we’ll see how this goes! I may also make this the day before so it’s ready to eat cold.

Do you have a go-to healthy recipe?  While I don’t usually sub out ingredients for healthier alternatives – because what’s the fun in that – I do try to incorporate at least one healthy, non-meat meal a week into our menu.

We bought a house!!

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That’s right, as if having a baby weren’t enough of a life change, we went and signed the contract to buy a house!!  We’ll be moving to Long Island, and I can’t wait!  I lived there when I went to college, so I am pretty used to it, but it’ll be a little bit of an adjustment for Dave, who has never left the Bronx!!

3 bedrooms, 1 and 1/2 baths, huge backyard, brand new kitchen and it’s on quite possibly the cutest block you’ve ever seen.

It’s all so exciting/scary/nerve wracking/awesome!!!

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you didn’t get that Doug/The Beets reference… I don’t know if we can be friends anymore.  Really, please familiarize yourself with all things 90s Nickelodeon cartoons before you continue.  Thank you.

For awhile now I’ve wanted to try cooking with tofu.  I love it in Asian-style foods, and it’s a great source of protein with low calories to boot!  I was a little afraid of it, kind of like my fear of baking with yeast, (I WILL conquer this!) but once I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I thought it would be perfect first tofu recipe experience.  Now, the recipe seems rather long at first glance, but really the steps are simple, and as long as you have your mise en place, you’ll be good to go.

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu with Wok Steamed Collards and Rice
Recipe from Vegan Yum Yum (best name EVER)

Ingredients
- 1 Block Tofu, extra firm, 14 oz

Sweet Chili Lime Sauce
- 3 Tbs Sugar
- 3 Tbs Reduced Sodium Tamari/soy sauce
- 1 3/4 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice
- 1/2 Zest of the Lime (I just used bottled lime juice, omitted the zest)
- 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes (or 1-2 fresh hot chilies, minced)
- 1 Clove Garlic, pressed, optional {we LOVE garlic, so we added more)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 4 Mint Leaves, chiffonaded (omitted, not a fan of mint)

Rice – now the recipe is originally for quinoa, but we didn’t have any and I didn’t feel like making it when we had rice in the house already. See the original recipe link for the full quinoa instructions
- 3/4 Cup brown rice
- 1/2 Zest Lime (omitted)
- 2 Bruised Cardamom Pods, optional (we actually had these, I was shocked)
- 1 Tiny Stick of Cinnamon (a broken piece of a larger stick), optional
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 1/3 Cup Water

Wok Steamed Collards
- 1 Bunch Collard Greens, middle veins removed, washed (We got this pre-chopped/bagged at Trader Joe’s)
- 2-3 Tbs Water
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1 tsp Lime Juice

Phew, seems like a laundry list of ingredients, right?

Instructions – they seem suuuuuper long, I swear they aren’t! It’s just very… detailed.
1. Combine all the ingredients for the rice (or quinoa) in a pot that has a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, then turn off heat. Do not open lid. Let steam for 10 minutes before serving.

2. While your rice is cooking, prepare the sweet chili lime sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together until the sugar and salt is dissolved.

3. Drain tofu and cut it into small triangles. Take a look at the original recipe for her instructions on how to cut the tofu into shape, if you need them. I followed it, having never worked with tofu before, but I’m sure little squares would suffice as well. Just cut the freaking tofu. Also, don’t worry about having a “fancy” tofu press to drain the tofu block. Dave put the tofu on a plate, covered it with a paper towel, put a Tupperware lid on top, and then used our mortar and pestle as a weight. Worked fine!

4. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. In order to properly “dry fry” the tofu, you’ll need a pan the tofu won’t stick to even without any oil. Spread the tofu out in one layer in the pan. Using a spatula, press the tofu. The liquid will squeeze out and boil away, and the tofu will begin to turn golden. The more water that evaporates, the sturdier the tofu will be, so be gentle at first to prevent the tofu from breaking up. After several minutes, flip the tofu over and press the other side. After about 10 minutes of dry frying, you can turn off the heat and set the tofu aside for finishing later, or proceed to adding the sauce.

5. To finish the tofu, bring the pan back up to temperature if it’s not already very hot. You want to heat the pan and the tofu over high heat, making sure the tofu is hot all the way through. Add the sauce and stir to coat the tofu. Turn off the heat. The sauce will bubble up, reduce, and form a glaze. If it isn’t bubbling up and forming a glaze, turn the heat back on high and cook until the glaze is.. well.. glaze-y.

6. If you didn’t buy pre-cut collards, stack the collard leaves on top of each other, 3-4 at a time, and chiffonade them. Cut across again if you want to make smaller pieces. Add them to a wok with the water, lime juice and salt. Cover with any lid that will contain the collards and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes until the collards are steamed and tender.

7. For plating, arrange the collards atop of a bed of rice or quinoa. Add tofu over the top, drizzling any leftover sauce over the dish. Garnish with lime slices and mint leaves (if you’re fancy… we’re not). Serve.

I SHOVED this in my mouth. Literally ate it like I was a seagull, ramming it down my gullet without chewing. As I told Ben, it was “OMGF*CKING GOOD”. Dave liked it, but wasn’t enamored with the meal like I was. Not that I cared as I greedily packed the leftovers up for lunch the next day.  I think there could have been a little more sauce overall, but I loved it.

I will also admit that Dave had a large hand in making this meal happen, due to the NYC transit system throwing me a commuting curveball the night this was on the menu, and he did a lot of prep work for me. Thanks hun!

Have you incorporated tofu into your cooking? Any successes/failures? I’d LOVE to find more recipes!

How far along are you?: 28 weeks – aka 7 months aka HOLY CRAP I’M OFFICIALLY IN THE 3rd TRIMESTER!!!!

Baby Bean - 28 weeks!

Before I get into the pregnancy nitty gritty, I figured it was time to share Baby Bean’s name with the masses. Are you ready? Come May, little Sadie Faye will be joining our family. She’s named after both of my grandmothers (using their first initials). Don’t know about your family, but in mine (and what I thought was Jewish tradition but maybe I’m wrong on that one?) you name babies after the family members who have passed away, using their first initial. For example, I’m Lacey Danielle, named after my great-grandmother Lillian and great-aunt Dorothy. Sadie will be after my grandmothers Shirley and Florence. We LOVE her name. Well that’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? We wouldn’t name her something we didn’t love!  Anywho, moving on…

Total weight gain: I’ll find out next week at my doctor’s appointment, but I assume between 15-20 pounds total.

How big is baby?: She is the size of a head of a rutabaga! That makes me laugh – because really? A rutabaga? This means she’s approximately 1.5 to 2.5 pounds and measures about 13.6 to 14.8 inches.

Maternity clothes: Maternity tanks are my favorite!!  I need them for the length.  Also maternity leggings.  Basically I live in maternity clothes from Old Navy.  Cheap!!

Stretch marks?: Nothing on my stomach, but I don’t even want to talk about my chest.

Sleep: Still has been pretty good, although I’ve been waking up on my back more recently.  Don’t know why that’s changed all of a sudden.  Weird.  And getting up about once or twice a night for a bathroom run.

Best moment this week: Getting my baby shower sorted out with my mom – invites go out next week!!  We picked this invitation style from Etsy:

Movement: There’s definitely a baby dance party going on in there.  She’s constantly on the move!  I love it.

Food cravings: There’s a newly opened Panera by my office now – “You Pick Two’s” for everyone!!  And I’ve been hitting them up for breakfast for their yummy chocolate chip bagels.  Mmmm.

Food aversions: Nothing new or exciting.  Guess I’m pretty lucky with that!

Labor signs: Nope!!

Belly button in or out: Ughh it’s barely there, but not an outie!

What I miss: BEER.  Superbowl was SO HARD without beer.  I want a beer.  BEEEEEEEEEER.

What I’m looking forward to: My next sonogram in a few weeks!!  I love seeing her!

Milestone: Ummm… revealing her name to the public?  It’s been a slow two weeks I guess. 

Other random thoughts: I think I may be starting to waddle when I walk.  SADS.  We work on the 2nd floor, and my boss and I were going out to talk and he purposely took the elevator, thinking I shouldn’t walk down the stairs.  I AM NOT AN INVALID!!  Although it was a cute thought.  I really need a haul ass over to Pea in the Pod and get bras that fit.  I wore a cute outfit today and got complimented on it, which was funny because I definitely could not comfortably button this jacket, haha: