Chocolate Hazelnut Peanut Butter SMORES

I know I'm supposed to go on a diet, but I could not resist this recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  I'm not trying to justify my shameful act, but being at home and breastfeeding kind of pushed me to be a couch potato... ha!  And I'm only either tuned in to E!, TFC, HGTV, TLC, or Food Network.  And on Food Network, my favorite shows are Pioneer Woman, Chopped, and Diners, Dive Ins, and Dives.  I know, it's dangerous for a woman trying to lose the pregnancy weight!  But heck, I was very pleased with Ree's latest sweet creation - it was so easy, and I had all the ingredients!  Here's a photo - not the most photogenic, but heck was it good!  I tried making a variation by using Speculoos, but quickly realized that there's nothing like the real peanut butter!

I'll be a good girl in the next few days. :-)

Wednesday Slob

Staying at home due to my extended leave has its perks of course (Madi at the top of the list), but sometimes I feel like such a big slob that I have to drag my whole body to do something more productive.  Besides, this kind of life will not be for long - I'll be back to work in less than two months.  Ugh.  Help me God.  Anyway, yesterday was one of those days.  I have this routine of browsing this daily deals shopping site, Zulily, starting at 8AM when they refresh their stuff.  The featured deal yesterday was TOMS shoes, and OMG were they cheap!  Definitely cheaper than the usual retail price!    So practically the whole day, if not breastfeeding, I was lying on the couch, browsing and shopping away!  The thing with this site, you have to be super quick as items sell out just when you're about to add them to your basket.  And since these were shoes I was eyeing, it's almost like I was playing habulan with other buyers as sizes come and go so I had to be extra vigilant and go back and forth to the styles I wanted.  At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I ended up buying six pairs of shoes and feeling so guilty as I felt so unproductive and yup, such a SLOB.  I had to create something.  I whipped up a baby headband in thirty minutes.  Another post on that.

I also had my daily walk, and this time to the grocery store so I can buy ingredients for two dishes I've been planning to cook since a month ago?  Haha.  Hubby and Madi joined me.  Here are products of my couch potato-ing on food network.

Barefoot Contessa Lobster Salad

(Recipe here)

I used Farfalle instead of shells.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

(Recipe here)

I used fresh red bell peppers instead of canned pimiento.

I went to bed not feeling like a slob anymore.  Thank you God for helping me get on my feet and turning my day around.  And more importantly, having this kind of life where "turning a day around" was not really such a big deal.  I feel so blessed.

Our First Walk in the Park

I've finally gotten the confidence to walk alone with Madi around our neighborhood! Yahoo!  It was just a short 25 minute walk because it was still too hot, even at ten in the morning.  I thought I'd give my baby a healthy dose of vitamin D and myself an exercise (in line with my MLW goal).  I almost procrastinated (again), but I thought the weather was nice and forced myself to get out of my PJs and do some walking!  It took me probably 10 minutes to prepare, in my fear of laziness settling in, ha!

Here's my baby with her summer outfit.  I just bought her shorts last week and I'm now thinking, I should've bought some more... ugh.  Isn't it just too cute?  And yup, I just had to match it with a headband which I lovingly made myself.  My baby should always look fab (like mama) even during these short walks.

We actually just went around the park and didn't sit on the benches as it was way too hot and sunny.  I noticed that a lot of mothers and old ladies walked around at this time.  And they had smiles on their faces - it's almost like they're welcoming me to their secret club. :-)

Madi fell asleep towards the last few minutes of our walk.  She was a good girl.  I'm lucky.  She even held my hat as my forehead was getting so sweaty hehehe!

What to Do with Leftover Ketchup Packets, etc.

When I was on my third trimester of pregnancy, laziness and exhaustion ended up in food delivery and takeouts too many.  Grubhub was my best friend as it was so convenient - Chinese, American, Thai, Italian, Mediterranean, Vietnamese - name it, we ordered it!  And along with the food were too many condiments - ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, salt, pepper, etc.  Excessive really.  I never threw them away, knowing that one day I might use them, but it took me a few months to finally do so!  We had a good stash I kept in a plastic container - just see below!  Last weekend, I thought I'd make my own barbecue sauce out of these little packets of goodness.

Barbecue Sauce Ingredients for 5 Chicken Thighs:

- 12 packets of ketchup (any kind)

- 2 packets of soy sauce (usually from Chinese/Thai restaurants)

- 1 packet of hot mustard (Chinese)

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 tsp chili powder (or 1 packet of hot sauce)

- 1 tbsp of sugar

- 2 tbsp vinegar (I used cider)

- Salt and Pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients until barbecue sauce consistency.

2. Marinate 5 chicken thighs with the sauce for at least one hour.

3. Bake in 400 F oven for 45 mins to an hour.  Brush with sauce every 15 to 20 mins.

4. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.  Also good with chimichuri, but good as is.

I did this also with baby back ribs - unfortunately, I was only able to take a picture when there was only 1 rib left!  Husband loved it.