tasty thursday

Whole Foods Chicken Salad

• Dressing
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 5 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 
  
• Salad
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
• 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• romaine lettuce (or any type of lettuce you like) 

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.

Enjoy! 

Thanks for walking with us,

 JL

It's a Girl!

It's a ..... GIRL! 

We are over the moon to announce that our little family will be gaining a BABY GIRL on September 2, 2014!  Her name will be Madeline Grace Peters and she will go by Madeline (pronounced, Ma-duh-lynn).  Her entire name is a family name and we are so in love with her already! 

History of her name: 

Madeline (Jackie-Lane's maternal grandmother's sister, or Great Aunt, who was named Joy Madeline Lane)

Grace (John's younger sister's middle name, Caroline Grace Peters)

Peters (carrying on the legacy of her daddy's strong heritage as a Peters)

We had our detailed anatomy exam yesterday at 19w1d (which is the "gender reveal" appointment).  Rather than finding out on the spot, we had our doctor seal the surprise in an envelope which I delivered to a friend soon after the appointment. 

19w1d

19w1d - how sweet is that little profile?

4D picture - 19w1d

Our friend that I delivered the envelope to baked us a beautiful "gender reveal" cake which held the secret inside in the color of PINK or BLUE icing.  It was so hard waiting for John to get home from work yesterday - the minutes have never gone by slower!  Once he got home and changed, we cut the cake to reveal PINK icing and M&M's that spilled out of it.  It was the most adorable cake and fun way to find out our news!   

We had reservations at a nice restaurant in which we left to go celebrate over a fun dinner soon after! We both couldn't be more happy to welcome sweet baby Madeline in just a few shorts months; it'll be here before we know it.  

Thank you for praying for our little girl; she is already weighing in at a solid 11 oz :) 

Thanks for walking with us,

Jackie-Lane, John and Madeline

bumpdate

Just a few bumpdates for you!

15w6d

18 weeks

18w5d

G-r-o-w-i-n-g by the day over here at 19 weeks tomorrow!  Can't believe that we are HALF WAY DONE next week! It blows my mind.  I am one of those crazy people who has absolutely loved being pregnant.  Above are a few bumpdate photos to update you on baby Peters making his or her appearance these days! 

Speaking of.....TWO DAYS UNTIL WE FIND OUT THE GENDER of our little bean!  TWO.MORE.DAYS! I can't wait.  Wednesday morning we have our detailed anatomy exam at 19w1d.  Boy or girl? Last chance to cast our vote!  What do we think? Really, neither way.  I guess we both have "boy" tucked way back in the back of our minds just because that is a majority of people's guesses.  But really - we aren't convinced either way (either way, we just want a healthy baby - boy or girl!) We are thrilled 150% either way.  Stay tuned for an announcement later this week!

This is the first week I have felt our little baby and it truly is the most amazing thing I've ever felt.  The little flutters really do take my breath away every time knowing that the Lord is knitting our baby together in my womb every second of every day.  Perfect in His image.  What a gift!  John and I pray everyday that He will continue to grow our baby healthy and that we will remember that this is HIS child, all the days of our lives.  That we may train up our child in the way he should go; to Love the Lord our God with all of his/her mind, heart, soul, strength.  

Cravings? Yes. McDonalds cheeseburger and fries (I have to battle this one on a daily basis).  Pickles of course.  Pound Cake (so yes, I made a chocolate chip pound cake yesterday - such a good mom already.  I mean....baby called for it and i jumped on it!) :) The list goes on......

Stay tuned for a GENDER ANNOUNCEMENT (and NAME!) later this week! 

Thanks for walking with us,

JL

Tasty Thursday

Chicken Piccata 

Sauce
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces, divided
2 Tbsp finely chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1⁄3 cup Pinot Grigio (I used Cavit)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
pepper
1/4 cup capers, rinsed

Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or use cutlets)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup flour
Salt and pepper
olive oil

8 oz angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

Chicken
1. Cut the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. 

2. Pound chicken pieces with a meat hammer to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Dredge chicken cutlets in the flour mixture, until well coated.

4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken and brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. 

5. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.

Sauce
1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds.  Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. 

2. Reduce the heat to its very lowest setting. Slowly whisk in butter, one piece at a time, letting the first addition melt before adding more butter. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in capers. 

To serve: Place cooked pasta on plate or pasta bowl.  Top with chicken and spoon sauce over chicken and pasta.

Enjoy! 

Thanks for walking with us,

JL

tasty thursday

Bolognese Sauce over Angel Hair

1 vidalia onion; chopped

1 lb ground beef

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tbsp red wine

1-2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 jar tomato and basil bertolli suace

2-3 tbsp of heavy cream

angel hair pasta

1. Saute onion, beef and garlic together.

2. Add red wine, crushed red pepper flakes (1-2 tbsp depending on how much "kick"/spice you like), and jar of salsa.  Let simmer together to absorb all flavors for atleast 30 minutes.  

3. Pour sauce into a blender and puree sauce/pulse to the texture you like (chunky, medium, or pureed completely).  Pour 2-3 tbsp of cream into blender and blend some more.  

4. Serve sauce over angel hair and top with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Thanks for walking with us,

JL

goodbye first trimester!

I am officially into my second trimester of pregnancy and have said "so long" to the first trimester!  I must admit, I had a breeze of a first trimester (which is supposedly the roughest) besides a couple of rough weeks in the beginning.  We went on a cruise the first week of January - and let me just tell you....6 weeks pregnant mixed with the motion of the sea is a recipe for DISASTER.  I threw up the e.n.t.i.r.e trip and felt miserable.  It was such a bummer.  Although, there was still a lot of fun to be had and we made some great memories - it truly was a stink to be nauseous and/or throwing up all day everyday.  Once we got back, I threw up a few times (with my equilibrium adjusting back to being on land).

Cruise - January 2014.  6/7 weeks pregnant

After those two weeks passed, (week 6-7), I felt great with no nausea or any issues from there on out.  I am convinced that had I never been on the cruise in the first place, I would've never messed with any nausea at all.  Who knows!  The only first trimester symptom that I am so looking forward to going away is extreme fatigue and being tired.  Let me just tell you that I.do.not.get.tired.  I can be on my feet all day doing one thing after another and I just don't stop until bedtime.  ENTER PREGNANCY.  I was exhausted.  From the time I got out of bed (or dragged myself out of bed) to the time I fell asleep, I had to struggle to keep my eyes open.  I could've fallen asleep wherever, whenever. It is a type of tiredness/fatigue that I've just never felt - so miserable.  But, it was easy to push through and smile knowing that my body was growing a tiny little baby 24 hours a day.  I have already started getting more and more energy back as the days pass and I am in the second trimester.  So happy about that.

We had our 12 week sonogram/NT testing and everything is measuring just on track and our baby looks very healthy.  We have a very sleepy little bean in there, as he/she did not want to move for the doctor so they could look at his/her features, etc.  They had to push my stomach from all sorts of angles, make me drink water, do some jumping jacks, and lay on my side.  The baby would flip around and immediately go back to sleep.  It was so stinking cute.  That being said - we got to watch the baby on the sonogram for a good hour which was such a treat! Crazy how different the ultrasound looks from week 8 to week 12 (in just 4 short weeks).  Already, the baby has doubled in weight from last week (week 13) to this week, (week 14)!  Doubles in weight in just a week; so crazy!  It is mind-blowing has fast the baby is growing and developing just day by day and week by week.

thumb sucker? 12w1d

3d looking down - 12w1d

all stretched out with legs in the air! 12w1d

before our 12 week appointment 

 

12 weeks 1 day

We have just 5 short weeks until we find out the gender of our little one! We are so excited we can barely stand it.  The nursery is golds/cremes/and whites so it is very neutral (hence, why it's basically finished before we've even found out the gender!)

Facts as of Week 14:
Bump? Nope, nothing visible yet!
Cravings? Pretty much anything but the second it hits my mind, I must have it!
Boy or Girl? Not sure...no inkling yet - but 98% of people are saying boy so we will see!
Nausea? Nope! Feeling great.
Facts: Let me just tell you....the "vivid dreams" thing is so real.  I have had 4 nights in a row with the most vivid dreams ever.  Sometimes I have to really sit and think if it was a dream or it really did happen.  So detailed, specific and real.  It's crazy - I've never had anything like it.  Also, I pee 24/7.  I used to sleep straight through the night no problem, but since being pregnant I'm up 2-3 times a night going pee.  It is very annoying - hard to get any good solid sleep around here already!  I don't even want to wonder how often I'll be up once the baby is big and pressing on my bladder!

Growing a tiny little human is the most humbling experience ever.  Everyday I smile as I wake up knowing that the Lord has given us one of HIS children to grow, birth, and raise to know and love Him.  How humbling.

Thanks for walking with us,
JL

first comes love, then comes marriage...

Then comes a baby in a baby carriage!

John and I are SO excited and thrilled to announce that our family will be growing come September 2nd, 2014!  We are blessed beyond measure and couldn't be more happy.  We announced to all of our friends and the public on Valentine's day with the following announcement:

We have a little Valentine, although it's still brand new.

You'll meet our BABY valentine, in September when we're due!

We found out we were pregnant on December 20th, 2013 (right before Christmas) and it has been the hardest secret I've ever had to keep! I called my family soon after we found out (since we would not see them for Christmas) and shared the news over the phone.  We told the Peters Family on Christmas eve since they were in town and staying with us - but beyond that it was top secret until Valentine's day!  I am currently in the third month of pregnancy, measuring at 12 weeks along.  We plan to find out whether our little peanut is a boy or girl in early April and can't wait to share the news!  

Christmas Eve, the night we told The Peters Family

The nursery (which I've planned to be gender neutral for a long time - cremes, golds, and whites) is already underway and over halfway done. (I know, no one is surprised here).  Pictures to come once our glider comes in (we ordered a few weeks ago) and our crib is set up!  It is so fun putting the nursery I've dreamed up for years into reality.  

I have waiting my entire life for this day and I've never seen my husband light up more than the day we found out and I told him we were expecting.  We have so looked forward to this time in our lives! 

The day we found out, December 20, 2013. 

Our first sonogram on January 22nd, 2013; 8 weeks 1 day

God is good. God is faithful. We are blessed beyond measure.  

Thanks for walking with us,

JL