VitaCake Giveaway

OK, I lied, the post AFTER this will be a nursery tour. This one is a giveaway I keep meaning to do from the great people at Vitalicious.

They have volunteered to give one of my readers a case of their 50 Calorie VitaCakes and have them delivered right to your doorstep!

I wish I could say I've eaten them, but they're not gluten free, so I couldn't try these beauties. =( I did used to love their VitaTops, especially the chocolate flavors, before I was gluten free.

Also, my husband, friends and coworkers all loved the VitaCakes when I handed them around for them to try with the samples Vitalicious gave me.

I had one co-worker who kept saying, "Can I have just one more of those??" Glad he liked them!

Anyway, if you would like to enter to win a case of these VitaCakes, here's how:
1. Be an official follower of this blog
2. Tweet about this giveaway mentioning me (@AlexaTC) and Vitalicious (@vitamuffin)
3. Leave a comment saying why you want these delicious cakes!

Leave a separate comment for each entry (so up to three total).

All entries must be received by Sunday, October 21, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. eastern, and once I announce a winner they have 48 hours to e-mail me their mailing info to: AlexaTaleof2Cities@gmail.com

** Open to US Residents Only.. Vitalicious provided me with a case of samples of Vitacakes to try, but did not compensate me in any other way for this post.


UPDATE: The random winner is #3, Emily at A Nutritionist Eats. Congratulations Emily!
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What I've been cooking, baking and eating (and not eating)

I've been in total, make it, and freeze it mode as we prep for Baby's arrival. Maybe because nearly everything else is done, birthing class and infant CPR are both complete, drawers are full of washed clothes, car seats are in place. So now, we wait...

Lucky for me, I've been busy at work to keep my mind off the impending event (most of the time, sometimes I just can't avoid thinking about it when I feel like my abdomen is a big ball of pressure) and then my weekends fill up fast as I try enjoy our last few weeks as a family of two (plus Cooper).

Recipes I've been making to freeze include:
Apple Crisp (Can't find the recipe anymore online, I'll write another post with it soon, it's so easy and delicious!)
Chicken Enchiladas
Three Bean Chili
Quinoa Chicken Chili
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

I also recently made these (you could freeze them, but they're probably best fresh) Cheesy Chicken Crunchers.

 Photo Source from: More Than Just Dessert

Oh. My. Goodness. These were delicious, like an adult version of chicken tenders, and my husband who has a taste for simpler foods (he's a mac and cheese, burger & fries, steak & potatoes, etc. lover more than anything) loved them as well.

Last night, I also made these simple baked apples from Healthy Tipping Point. They were great with a scoop of ice cream last night, and on my oatmeal this morning. 

People keep asking me if I've had particular cravings during this pregnancy, and I guess I can't pinpoint many. What made me take a pregnancy test in the first place was wanting to eat Mexican food everyday for about seven days straight and realizing after about the fifth day that that was a little odd. During my first trimester, I was sick with nausea and throwing up for about eight weeks straight, and my food choices were little. During that time I did crave Edy's Slow Churned Rocky Road Ice Cream and Ore Ida Tater Tots (we were going through at least two bags a week for awhile) because they were one of the few things, besides Rice Chex and Crackers as well, that sat well in my stomach.

The one thing I have not been able to stand this entire pregnancy is ground beef. During the first trimester, it was any meat all together, but now it's just ground beef. The smell and taste of it leave me gauging.

I cannot WAIT to eat certain foods again. Specifically soft cheeses. I know some are comfortable eating them if they're pasteurized, but I just was too paranoid.  So, I'll be having some goat cheese pasta and brie with jam, along with a glass of wine or a cold beer as soon as I can.

After this weekend, the final touches of nursery should be done, so in my next post I'll give you a little tour with links to the products we purchased. Stay Tuned!


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End of September Thoughts

I have a million things racing through my brain, so here's a random post for you all that lists them.

1. Recipes. I'm in total cook and bake mode. Some of the items being frozen for when Baby Cush arrives to enjoy, some being scarfed down immediately. My next recipes on the list: Iowa Girl Eats Starbucks Imitation Pumpkin Scones, Confessions of a Gluten Free Mom Muffins, and my Chicken Enchiladas and Cottage Cheese Pancakes. I'm now noticing that three out of those four are breakfast pastries.
2. Packing my hospital bag. After our tour yesterday it's top of mind. So far I have: two outfits for baby, including hat and socks, swaddle blanket, miracle blanket, last blanket my grandma knitted (I came home from the hospital in one she knitted), basic toiletries, tooth brush for Ben, change of clothes for Ben, extra blanket for me, bathrobe, two changes of clothes for me (both comfortable and oversized), medications recommended by friends (and just in case other clueless first time moms read this, I'll tell them too, Tylenol and Stool Softener, don't act all grossed out, it's reality). I also have a few things to pick up to add, like I want to find some really great gluten free shampoo to treat myself with after the birth, tennis balls for back massaging during labor, a birthing ball and nursing bras. Oh, and snacks for Ben as well.
3. Our nursery. It's nearly finished, and I put a sneak peak on twitter (@AlexaTC) if you want to check there. Still a few things to get to make it complete, but I just love it! There were some changes to the original plan I blogged about previously, but overall it's the vision I've had since about ten weeks. 
4. Finding a gluten free pumpkin beer. Is there one? Google hasn't helped me much, one possibly in Michigan? Post Delivery I want to have a few of my favorite beverages I've been missing, like sweet wines (I have a bottle from Northern Vineyards I bought in June put away to toast with after birth), a Moscow Mule, and a Gluten Free Pumpkin Beer. Of course I'll have like half a glass of any of these and probably be tipsy. 
5. My great and generous friends and family. We've had one great shower here in DC, have another one coming this weekend and my friends from afar have participated in a virtual shower that's had a package on my door step nearly everyday for the past two weeks. I'll leave you with a few pictures of some of the great items we've received! (BTW, I am not some weirdo who takes pictures of all of their gifts, part of the virtual shower was taking pictures of them and posting them to the evite).

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For the Love of Etsy

Lately, Etsy has had quite the great finds for me. I love this website, because I am not crafty, but these people are, and they make cute things, at a more affordable price, and I love them.

I've found these that I think will be a great way to decorate the baby's room for our owl and bird theme, and you can order them in various colors. We also won't have to commit to painting something on as well, as these are easily removable.

Once I have the room set up and can see where these would go on the wall, I'll order either one or both of them.

I was also in love with this completely over priced J Crew Bubble necklace, but there's no way I would spend $150 for what's basically costume jewelery.

Well, wouldn't you know it, found nearly the exact same necklace on Etsy for $18! $24, with shipping; a fraction of the J Crew price.

 J Crew Version

Etsy Version

I found the perfect bridesmaid jewelery on Etsy. I've bought holiday gifts on there. It's so great to find such personalized items, that you know are handmade, and be able to get them at an affordable price.

And payment is easy and secure as well.

Also, a recipe I forgot to note in my last post I tried recently and LOVE. I'll surely be making them again. These, Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

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Welcome to August

The month of July has been a whirlwind. From a trip to LA for work, to a train ride to Connecticut for a family wedding, and a visit from my parents, it was one thing after another and I've loved this summer, especially since its our last summer of truly being carefree

And now that August has hit, we're packing up our apartment and moving in ten days; I can't wait! We decided to ditch our two bedroom apartment and are renting a bigger townhome for at least the next two years. I can't wait to have a garage, a little backyard, a deck with a grill, and two family room areas.

Since I can't do much as actually moving things, I've been packing like crazy (thank goodness for my parent's visit and all of their help) and plan to be the delegater at the new house when the movers are bringing stuff in, telling them exactly where things go.

Once we are moved in, we can also finally start working on the baby's room!! At nearly 28 weeks, I'm more than ready to start nesting and creating our child's room. I'll for sure provide photo tours of the baby's room.

This weekend we're going to purchase a dresser from Ikea and order the glider from Pottery Barn Kids.

 Ikea Dresser

The coveted Pottery Barn Glider. This is my push gift, will serve me much better than jewelery!

We've been registering for everything under the sun (registered at Target, Land of Nod and PB Kids) so that we can at least complete the registries with the 10% off. I can't wait to really start nesting and getting things ready for Baby Cush. If my growing belly didn't already make things very real, having a room prepared for it's arrival sure will.

To avoid the comments, yes, you can prepare a room when you don't know your child's gender! I find it laughable the people who think you can't put together your baby's room if you don't know their gender. Before 1990ish, most couples didn't know their baby's gender at all and they survived. And, I'm personally not a huge fan of gender specific decorating. We don't do it as adults, why do kids need do it? I love the bedding we picked out from Land of Nod that's yellow and gray and would have picked the same one had we known our baby's gender. 

So excited about this bedding and the birds & owls theme!

I had to share some recipes I tried over the last month that I recommend for all. Of course I made them gluten free (ask me if you have questions as to how), but seriously, check these out!

• Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Skinny Enchilada Lasagna 
• Spicy Stewed Beef and Cheddar Grits (this gave me heart burn for two days, but tasted great going down. That said, I'll probably never be able to eat it again!)

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Gluten Free at Panera

 For my gluten free readers out there, I wanted to let you all know that I got an updated Gluten Free list from Panera that I had to share. Now, I know many of you think, "how can you do gluten free at a place called Panera BREAD??" But, you can. 

Tell them about your allergy, order gluten free things, and frankly, I've never had an issue there.

I was mainly wondering about their cream cheeses, as I recently bought some gluten free bagels that need some good shmear, and I got more than enough of an answer. Below is what Panera wrote back to me:

Dear Alexa,

Thank you for contacting Panera Bread. I have included below a list (including cream cheese) of our menu items that do not contain gluten-containing ingredients. However, because we bake fresh bread daily in our bakery-cafes and bread is core to our menu, we simply cannot ensure that there has been no contact between these items, or any other menu items, and gluten.

Not all of the items listed are currently on our menu and some new menu items have not yet been evaluated for the purposes of inclusion on this list. However, you can find complete ingredients listings for current menu items on our website. (When you choose a menu item in our online Nutrition Calculator, click on the "ingredients" link for ingredients information for that item.)

Please note that nutritional information on our website is updated periodically. New products may be available in our bakery-cafes before a periodic update of this site. In addition, some menu items may be available only on a regional, test or seasonal basis. Nutritional information about these menu items is available at the participating bakery-cafes. Tests of new recipes of existing products may be conducted from time to time in certain markets. These new recipes may contain different/additional ingredients, including allergens, as compared to the original version. For the most update-to-date information, please call or visit your nearest bakery-cafe to speak with a manager.

Thank you again for contacting us. We appreciate your business and value your comments.

Sincerely,
Casey
Customer Comment Coordinator

PRODUCTS WITHOUT GLUTEN CONTAINING INGREDIENTS- Panera Bread **
**Although we try to meet your special requirements, we cannot ensure that these items have not come into contact with gluten in our bakery-café.
** Gorgonzola and bleu cheeses are commonly made with mold incubated on wheat. Some may choose to avoid these cheeses for this reason and you may substitute another cheese if you prefer. Items containing these ingredients are indicated below with (G) or (BC).
Salads: (including the salad dressing) (source of modified food starch is corn)
• Greek Salad
• Caesar Salad (without croutons)
• Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (without croutons)
• Asian Sesame Chicken Salad (without Won Ton noodles)
• Classic Cafe Salad
• Fuji Apple Chicken Salad & Roasted Turkey Fuji Apple Salad (G)
• Chopped Chicken Cobb Salad & Chopped Chicken Cobb with Avocado Salad (G)
• BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad
• Seasonal Fruit Cups
• Chopped Steak & Blue Cheese (without crispy onions) (BC)
• Thai Chopped Chicken Salad (without wontons, vinaigrette, and peanut sauce)
• Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad

Salad Dressings:
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Caesar
• Greek/Herb Vinaigrette
• Asian Sesame Vinaigrette
• White Balsamic Fuji Apple Vinaigrette
• BBQ Ranch
• BBQ Sauce
• Cabernet Sauce
• Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
• Light Buttermilk Ranch
• Fat Free Poppyseed Dressing

Soups:
• Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean
• Creamy Tomato (without croutons)
• Low Fat Chicken Tortilla with or without the tortilla strips
• Vegetarian Summer Corn Chowder

Beverages:
• Coffee- all varieties
• Juice, both apple and orange
• Lemonade
• Milk
• Soda, fountain and bottled
• Brewed Tea, tea bags, Chai Tea (hot & iced) and green tea
• All lattes, espresso drinks & Frozen beverages
• Low-Fat Smoothies
• Hot Chocolate

Spreads:
• All Cream Cheese Spread flavors

MISC:
• Panera Bread Potato Chips
• All meats (including roast beef, ham, turkey, roasted turkey, salami, bacon, ABF citrus pepper chicken, smoked chicken, Salmon [seasonal], Lobster [select areas only], all natural sausage patty).
• All cheeses (see gorgonzola and blue cheese reference above)


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Back with a little extra baggage

Hello loyal readers. I've taken a hiatus that wasn't planned, it just happened. I've enjoyed a breath of fresh air, and am ready to connect with you all again on the interwebs.

The biggest reason the hiatus started was because, I found out I was pregnant! I didn't know how to write about running, when running has become impossible for me while pregnant, or healthy eating, both of which I normally write about on here, when I could barely keep down anything for eight weeks and was living on crackers, ice cream and ginger ale.

But now that I'm at 21 weeks (due Nov. 1) and the morning sickness has subsided, I'm ready to blog again.

I also wasn't sure how I would handle parenthood on the interwebs because so many people are judgmental of other moms online, and frankly, I could give a crap what anyone else thinks of how I'm going to parent. If I want someone's advice, I'll ask for it.

That said, I also had to think about my baby's exposure on the internet. I chose to have a presence on the web, not them, therefore, I want to keep them somewhat anonymous, as it wasn't their choice to have an outspoken mother. Sure, there may be random pictures, or a mention of their name (still trying to decide if I will tell their real name on here once they are born, or give a little nick name to maintain anonymity like some people do, like Liz and her "baby goat."

Anyway, I'm still trying to be healthy now. Taking walks, doing  yoga, eating healthy (ish), but still enjoying what my body is craving. So, although a big focus of this blog will become my pregnancy and prepping for baby, as that's the biggest part of my life right now, it will also still be me, being me, as I've never wanted to be a person who loses their entire identity in their child.

Also, I won't be posting "bump" pics. There may be pictures of me on here that relate to posts where I happen to be pregnant, but unless you're putting pictures up of the progress of your bloated vs. unbloated abdomen, you don't need to see mine. Plus, besides parents, grandparents, close friends, etc, who really freaking cares how my stomach area looks? When women put pictures like that up, I want to say, "oh, you got wide in the middle while you were pregnant?! What a concept!"

Anyway, glad to be back!

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