More of my favorite things...Thanksgiving Style!

And Yes, it's food again! Plus some things I've very thankful for in this 31-32nd week of my pregnancy.

Have left over Thanksgiving ham and turkey? Here are two yummy solutions.
My favorite (food) things, post-Thanksgiving Style

If you've got a leftover ham bone, make a big ole pot of pinto beans!!
Pinto Beans (serves 8)

Ingredients
4 cups Pinto Beans (dry!)
1 Ham hock/ham bone (or 4 slices thick bacon or a couple chopped up slices ham)
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1-2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Rinse beans in cool water; pour into a pot, cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer 2 hours, or until beans are tender. Add water to pot as needed. Beans should have a thick broth. After 2ish hours, add seasonings...taste...and add whatever else you want. They're absolutely delicious with this "best honey cornbread" recipe from moneysavingmom.com. (YES, you could just use a couple boxes of Jiffy mix, but this is so much more yummy!!!) Add a "dollop of daisy" and some fresh cilantro for garnish and you have a party! This is literally one of the cheapest things you could ever make and it's DELICIOUS! (recipe adapted from the Pioneer Woman: Beans and Cornbread)


This next one's not as cheap to make initially, but if you buy bell peppers and chop/freeze, wild rice, and orzo in bulk, you can make this recipe over and over again on the cheap with chicken! I promise it is worth it! I am making this for a COP Core Team Mtg this weekend and I. AM. SO. EXCITED. Even my super picky eater sister Breana loves it.
Turkey Orzo Casserole (makes 6-ish servings)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup green onions (I usually add more...love me some green onions)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1.5 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth (store bought or make your own)
1.5 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken
1.5 cups cooked wild rice
1.5 cups cooked orzo
1 cut grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons copped fresh parsley (again, I usually add more)

Melt butter in large skillet and  cook bell pepper and green onions until they're soft (about 5 min). Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir. Stir in broth, milk, and salt. Bring to simmer, and stir until mixture thickens, and then remove from heat. Heat oven to 350. Stir turkey, wild rice, and orzo into veggie mixture. Spoon into greased 11x7 or 13x9 glass or ceramic casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Bake 30-35 min or until bubbly and hot! If you're serving a large crowd, this recipe is incredibly easy to double, but I do suggest using the largest dish you have 13x9 or bigger (or just get one of those delightful disposable ones from the DollarTree!) and you make have to extend baking time, depending on your oven. **this recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until dinner time 

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My Favorite things about this pregnancy (besides the obvious miracle growing in my belly!


I'm in the last 25% of my pregnancy and am now finally to have a little bit of the achy back and definitely grumpiness and more tiredness in general. I'm sure part of this is that we just finished moving and we worked SUPER HARD, and then basically jumped in a car and drove to Houston for Thanksgiving and I'm recovering a little bit from all of that, but truthfully, I am pregnant and getting fatter each day (LOL) and that's okay.

I do, however, also have much to be thankful for about this pregnancy:

• I am thankful that I still have not had really any heartburn and have not experienced any annoying things that all the pregnancy websites said I would (like swelling, constipation, sleepless nights, etc...yeah yeah, TMI)
• I am thankful that I am able to move around and exercise like a mostly normal human
• I am incredibly thankful for for pelvic rocks and my prenatal pilates video because they literally make any lower back discomfort disappear
• I am thankful for normal weight gain and mostly healthy eating (haha to that statement for last week's Thanksgiving binge) during pregnancy. Something to note: I have not had any specific cravings at all.
• I am thankful for no sickness (other than morning sickness from 5-10 wks) and no need to take any sort of medicine what so ever during this pregnancy (I did take 2 tylenol about a month ago for a killer migraine, but that's it, I promise!)
• I am thankful that I am still able to sleep soundly (thanks, Calcium supplements!!!)  and that I have the TIME to sleep 8-10 hours.
• I am thankful for knowing to "tuck my tailbone in" when I stand/walk so that I don't have a horrible sway back, and thus, much less lower back pain.I think this is also why I don't "look" as pregnant--it's all in the posture!

Is it possible that at any moment one of these things could change? Sure. But for now, they make the very slight discomfort of pregnancy seem just that....slight. And for THAT, I am VERY thankful!

That reminds me....I've got some prenatal pilates videos to attend to :-)

**ALSO coming up this week: BIRTH BETS! Get excited.