mini apple pies

This past weekend I tried another new fall recipe: mini apple pies. They were yummy! And, being muffin sized, they're a perfect after dinner treat that won't totally ruin any healthy eating you've been doing!

 

 Here's the recipe [adapted from Little Bit Funky]:

Ingredients:

• 3.5(ish) lbs granny smith apples
• 12 tbs flour (I used 1/2 all purpose & 1/2 whole wheat--I'd recommend not using the whole wheat flour for this recipe)
• 1.5 cups Stevia 
• 4 tbs cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• lemon juice
• 2 chilled [not frozen] pie crusts
• 4 TBSP chilled butter, divided evenly 

Directions:

1. Peel & core the apples. Cut into 1/2" bite sized pieces.
2. Mix the apples with the flour, Stevia, cinnamon & nutmeg. *Make sure everything is coated well!
3. Add 1-2 tsp lemon juice (enough to give the mixture some moisture) & stir. 
4. Unroll the pie crusts and cut out circles. A mason jar lid (or something about that size) is perfect. I made 14 mini pies, so I used the left over crust for decorating the top of the mini pies.  
5. Spray your muffin tin, then line each muffin hole with 1 mini pie crust. 
6. Fill each crust with the apple mixture (pile it high).
7. Once each pie crust is filled with the apple mixture, add 1 of the pieces of butter to each mini pie. (I did not do this which may have contributed to the dryness of my pies...)
8. Cover as desired with left over pie crust. Brush with a little melted butter.
9. Bake at 400 for 18-22 minutes or until the crust is golden brown! 

38 weeks & a baby shower

How far along? 38 weeks + 4 days

Weight Gain: +17 pounds

Sleep: Counting my blessings and sleeping while I can!  

Best moment(s) this week: The sweet baby shower that Megan & Kayla gave me! (: Thanks ladies!!
Movement: We still have a wiggle worm 
Food cravings: notta 

Symptoms: thankfully everything seems to be better! (little to no heartburn and the nausea is gone) 

Gender prediction: no idea!

Labor signs: a few Braxton-Hixx contractions here and there 

Stretch marks: nope

Belly button in or out: outtie
Looking forward to: Seriously looking forward to Baby M's arrival!! Counting down! 10ish days (: 

Random facts about Baby M: According to the Bump, Baby M is the size of a pumpkin at 18.9-20.9" long and 6.2-9.2lbs! (How appropriate?!) (: 

Pumpkin Pecan Granola

Fall is in the air...well, right now it feels like winter is in the air, but you get the picture. I made this delicious new Pumpkin Pecan Granola recipe last night and our house still had remnants of my baking in the air when we woke up this morning. (:

Here is the recipe [adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen]:

Ingredients:

• 2½ tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ⅓ cup Grade B maple syrup -- **I didn't have any maple syrup, so I substituted honey
• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup roughly chopped raw pecans
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, salt, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree until smooth. Add in the oats, pecans, and sesame seeds and stir until well-coated.
3. Spread the granola evenly onto a large rimmed baking sheet, trying to keep as many granola clusters intact as possible. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until the granola is dry and golden-brown in color, stirring every 10 minutes or so by scooping the granola on the edges back into the centre and then spreading back out into an even layer. [Watch carefully! Mine didn't take the full 35 minutes and still had a few burned clumps...]
4. Let the granola cool for a few minutes, then stir in the dried cranberries. Allow to cool completely on baking sheets before transferring to an airtight container for storage. Finished granola will keep for about a week, assuming you don’t eat it all long before then.

And, here are the nutrition facts [from CalorieCount.com]:

NOTE: a serving size is 1 tablespoon [it's a great add in for yogurt or to eat with apples, but it is high in sugar, so don't eat it by the cup full!] (: 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 25 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 87 Calories from Fat 41

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.5g 7%

Saturated Fat 0.6g 3%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 48mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 11.3g 4%

Dietary Fiber 1.4g 6%

Sugars 5.0g

Protein 1.5g

Vitamin A 13% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 1% • Iron 3%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• No cholesterol
• High in manganese
• High in vitamin A

Bad points

• High in sugar

37 weeks

How far along? 37 weeks + 5 days

Maternity Clothes: some...but I've realized that I'm wearing a lot of Mike's comfy clothes (: 

Sleep: still sleeping like a champ 

Best moment(s) this week: hearing that everything is A-OK at our 37 week checkup!
Movement: Baby M is currently stretched the length of my belly - turning, rubbing, mashing everything 
Food cravings: notta 

Symptoms: my beloved friend, heartburn has returned with vengeance ... and I now am nauseous a good portion of the day 

Gender prediction: I had a very vivid dream that Baby M is a boy ... we shall see! (but 2 of my dear friends have dreamed in the same week that it's a girl!) 

Labor signs: I can definitely tell this baby has dropped and is now resting much lower 

Stretch marks: nope

Belly button in or out: outtie
Looking forward to: Baby M's arrival! 

Random facts about Baby M: Baby M is considered full term at this point. According to the Bump, Baby M is the size of a winter melon and is practicing inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping & blinking! 

babymoon day 2

Day 2 of our babymoon started with breakfast at our B&B, The Old Village Post House. Afterwards, we headed to the local Urban Nirvana for a couples massage. Needless to say - I don't think it'll be our last! We took the rest of the morning to explore some local furniture shops and did a little shopping before heading back to get cleaned up to head into Charleston. 

We lunched at the Queen Street Grocery, a local corner mart owned by a friend of ours brother. If you're in town, check it out! Mike had a homemade tuna sammie and I had the St. Helena crepe (ham, brie & raspberries). Seriously, delicious! With no real agenda in mind, we took to walking the streets of downtown. Multiple times throughout the day we commented about how nice it was to have no agenda and no place to be whatsoever. 

After spending the afternoon downtown, we took it to the [Post] House for a little rest before a movie and dessert-for-dinner date. We ventured back to Kaminsky's for one more round of dessert while we're here! This time we split the S'mores cake and Tollhouse Pie! (: 

babymoon part 1: a day of exploring

 

Our babymoon officially began today! One last vacation with no kiddos to leave behind - or to bring with us. Don't get me wrong...we're beyond excited about vacations with our kids - but we wanted to take advantage of having time just the 2 of us because let's be honest, who knows when that'll happen again without a total alignment of the stars being necessary?! Maybe I'm being dramatic? (: 

Anyway, the day began with a breakfast of Dunkin' and a trip down 17 towards Beaufort, SC. We ventured to Bindon Plantation where Mike's family spent many weeks of summer vacation when he was growing up. We walked the dirt driveway while Mike reminisced about these vacations and I simply enjoyed hearing a little more about a place and memories that are so dear to him. Many times throughout the day I wished Bindon was still in working order so we could bring our chil'ens to this place that's so special to him. We decided that we'd just have to find another place like it! 

After a few hours at Bindon, we crossed 17 to what I'd call a back road and passed a couple driveways that led to plantations that are privately owned today. After a short conflicted moment, we decided to drive down one of the driveways to see if we could explore (with permission). The worst they could say was "no." We started at Cotton Hall Plantation where we met BH (the property manager) who gave us the go ahead to look around the property. We were then given a quick tour and a history lesson about the house, property and family and access to the next plantation over, Tomotley Plantation. We drove around that property for a few minutes, but couldn't find anyone to explain who we were to so we decided to leave and head over The Old Sheldon Church Ruins. After taking some pictures and thoroughly checkin' out the place we headed into downtown Beaufort for a late lunch and some walkin' around. 

Here's to exploring old things and new things and to set aside time together! (: 

36 weeks & a wedding

How far along? 36 weeks + 3 days

Weight Gain: Total: 16.4 lbs 

Sleep: sleeping while i can & praying this babe is a good sleeper 

Best moment(s) this week: (1) our maternity shoot! (2) Tyler & Amber's wedding last weekend (3) our sweet couples baby shower (4) SEEING our babe at our 36 week appointment!
Movement: Baby M is a wiggle worm - I wonder if (s)he will be when (s)he gets here!?
Food cravings: nothing!

Symptoms: nothing except the occasional heartburn now AND I don't know how I've forgotten to mention the horrible CROOKED dark line that runs the length of my stomach these days

Gender prediction: still flip-flopping 

Labor signs: nothing

Stretch marks: nope

Belly button in or out: outtie
Looking forward to: Our Babymoon!! 

Random facts about Baby M: According to our ultrasound this week, Baby M is around 6 pounds already & is head down! The ultrasound tech thinks we're going to have a little peanut of a babe, but everything looked good! According to the Bump wee one can almost breath on his/her own, has a fully functioning liver and kidneys and its circulation system and immune system are basically good to go! Now we're just "steeping" as our friends have like to call it.  

*Photo credit: Alexa Moyer & Kayla Anderson