Feelin a little hipster!

Last night my husband was craving all sorts of things..krispy kremes....dunkin donuts...sonic...you name it! WELL, since I'm the one thats pregnant and not him I made sure I had it MY way! (which usually never happens because I always cave in to him) I wanted shaved ice! And what better place in Texas to get shaved ice other than Bahama Bucks! On our way out, I grabbed a beanie because 1) I didn't have any make up on...2) My hair was a hot mess...and 3) It was 10 pm! So I had my reasons...Daniel said he was feelin hipster and searched for his snowboarding beanie. He tried to explain to me how hipsters wear their beanies and I just rolled my eyes! haha..for those of you that knows my husband, he thinks hipsters are awkward/weird folks...like he's not.... :) His decision to make it a Saturday hipster night made it pretty awesome! We laughed all night that I almost snorted several times and almost pee'd my  pants! LOL. It almost felt like we haven't laughed like that in a while...My adventures with this man is sometimes always random, but definitely always fun! ALSO, baby Platt was very happy to finally get a taste of that tigers blood shaved ice! Late night cravings not only satisfied daddy and mommy, but also the little one growing inside my tummy :)

Cravings...? What cravings??

Who's whose?

Most of you may think that pregnant women crave the weirdest and unhealthiest things...did you ever consider their husbands being a part of those unhealthy cravings? For the record, I have been a very good and healthy pregnant woman...it's my other half that gets me in trouble! You see those bowls of fruits up there? YUP, those are mine! Fruits and veggies are what I mostly snack on during the day meals. Most of you know that I was a devoted health freak...weight lifting, cardio, clean eating, and more weight lifting. Not much has changed, except that I'm pregnant now and is always soooo tired! Before I had this little seed growing inside of me, it was the "no excuses" lifestyle. Now, I try to find any excuse to not go to the gym and sleep! However, that almost doesn't ever happen...Hubbs helps motivate me to stay fit while pregnant so the little nugget can be healthy and smart. Of course we know who the bags of popcorn belongs to. I have to admit, I had to get the jalapeno and cheddar one after Daniel made an order to 6 cups of CHOCOLATE SEA SALT popcorn! You see what the other half does to you? In a way, I don't  ALWAYS regret that he triggers my sweet tooth...And the foodie adventures still continues with us! Stay posted!

Little bump on the road before baby

With my medical history of heart problems, we had to take all the precautions. At the beginning of 2013, we had the serious "baby talk". Husband thought it was best for me get the old ticker checked before we went further with any decisions.

Because I wanted to get the ball rolling, I did what I agreed to. Met with the cardiologist and he said things looked great, and gave me the go to get pregnant! He also wanted me to get a second opinion from a congenital cardiologist who specializes in caring for adults who were born with heart defects...so I went with it.

It was probably somewhere between March/April before I was able to get in with the congenital cardiologist. At this point, the ball is barely moving. I tried to convince the hubs that things were fine, but he insisted to be absolutely positive. 

Doctors appointment finally arrived and I was there for 5 hours! Of course I didn't think anything was wrong. A normal check up appt for me normally took 2-2 1/2 hours. This one just required a lot of waiting. After running the normal tests I typically did, doctor came back in to give me the test results...

I was not ready for what was to come. She said that I was not getting enough oxygen throughout my body and that the leakage I had in my heart that was fully repaired 15 years ago, had more leakage to it. 

....Then it clicked... 

Everything came together. Even though I was living fit for the last few years weight lifting and daily cardio, I was experiencing fatigue everyday. Anyway, long story short...the decision was made to go through with the surgery. This time, it was different. The only way to repair the heart valve EVER in history was through open heart surgery. Doctors told me that  it was a great thing I was active and worked out normally. With today's technology, I was able to replace the valve through catheter. Even though this procedure is fairly new (only 3 years practiced in the US), we thought that we'd give it a try. Surgery scheduled for July. Things were moving so fast I couldn't even process it all. Not every person can qualify for the surgery. When do you know you are qualified for the surgery, you might ask?...when you're PASSED OUT on the surgical table! They have this special equipment that will determine how much room you have between the two arteries in your heart. Of course I had to make the call and sign a booklet of papers to ok the procedure if things looked well. This was the first time I would go under without having both my mom and dad there. 

IT.WAS.SCARY.

Although they couldn't be here in Texas, I had the hubbs and my mother in law by my side. Surgery went well and they were able to do it ALL. I was discharged from the hospital the next day (the upside to having this procedure done). Upon the discharge, the surgeon and cardiologist gave me the green light to start the baby making sesh after 4 weeks...

Too soon, don't you think?

Well, we decided to do a little more waiting. We didn't know how long we'd wait, but now that we have passed the little/big bump on the road, we knew the biggest and hardest thing was out of the way. 

Wait...did I forget something?

Did I forget to mention...?

YUP! And she couldn't be more excited! 

Baby Platt at 9 weeks 5 days! (1/24/14)

Update!

I know, I KNOW! I have not been very good at blogging. Every time I attempt to commit to add something new to my blog, I don't normally follow through. I blame it on the demands of everyday life...a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! But this time, I'm going to try my best to let you in my amazing-wonderful life! :) I guess I should update you on what's been going on since my last post...which was our little Puppy's first birthday! Even though she may be full of energy and sometimes TOO snuggly, I can't but help enjoy her company when I'm suffering from a hard days work...who doesn't enjoy a little puppy love, right? Plus, she's great with little kids so I know we trained her well :)

For Thanksgiving 2013, Daniel and I had the opportunity to visit/stay my sister in Richmond, Tx for the weekend (Houston area). Of course she made me do all the cooking, as always...But I don't mind it because I love spending time with her and her family! Great food, great company! We especially LOVED spending time with our three little rugrats (left to right) Taylor, Emma, and Jacob! It was a long weekend, but not long enough...wish my sister lived closer!

For Christmas 2013, we went to sunny California with the Platt family! We spent most of our time in Newport Beach and LOVED the warm weather. Nothing beats Christmas in California! Even though we were only 5 hours away from my parents who lived in the Northern part, we didn't get the chance to drive up because we basically had almost every day planned. That's ok, hubby promised to take me on a little vacation sometime next year (which is now this year)...Ok, back to California...A California trip isn't complete without a trip to Disneyland! THE happiest place on earth! Felt like a little kid again. WELP, that pretty much summed it all up...not really, I'm just pretty tired...ha! Night world! Will post more pics later!

Butters turns 1!

We cannot believe that our little puggle is already one years old! It was just 9 months ago when we were official owners to this cute 5 pound puppy! We both grew up with dogs and it should be obvious that we both wanted one eventually. As I got older, I wasn't much of an animal person anymore! My husband did some convincing and we added this little munchkin to our small family! Our little family of 2 became a little family of 3! She is definitely a huge responsibility and most of all, she taught us how to be more patient! SO for her birthday I made "PUP"cakes for her! She absolutely loved it and so did all her little fur friends! She was totally mesmerized by the candle on her pupcake...intently thinking of her one simple wish! Happy birthday little one!

 All regular ingredients that you can find at the grocery store...and you might already have some of it in your pantry! ***Although these ingredients are safe for pups to digest, please be sure to only give them moderate portions.

Carrot PUPCAKES with Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup shredded carrots

Frosting

1/2 low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tbs honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in cupcake pan.

In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients for the cupcake batter. In another bowl, whisk the egg, honey, peanut butter and vegetable oil until thoroughly combined. Stir in the dry ingredients and then the shredded carrots. Spoon the cake batter into the liners until they are 2/3 filled. Bake the cupcakes for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on racks.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Whip the cream cheese, peanut butter, and honey together until light and fluffy. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Top with extra shredded carrots for the "sprinkles".

Pepper Chicken with Caramelized Onions

Can you say, Delicious?! This recipe is packed with flavor! The only big whoops that I made was substituting 2 tbs McCormick's Grill mates Steak Seasoning for 2 tbs McCormick's Grill mates SPICY seasoning!! The original recipe asked for the regular steak seasoning. OH MY GOODNESS! It burned straight from my throat to my stomach. I've gotta say though, I kind of liked it! haha! Well, that's coming from someone who LOVE spicy foods! No but seriously, it was REALLY spicy! SO do me a favor, don't make the same mistake I did...reason being? Even though you may like the extreme kick, others around you may not--->  like my husband. He hasn't had any yet, but I can already hear the words coming out of his mouth! lol. My advice, if you want a little kick just make sure you adjust it to your liking. Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless chicken (cubed)
• 2 tbs olive oil (divided)
• 2 onions (sliced thin)
• 2 tbs McCormicks steak seasoning, or spicy (if desired)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ginger (paste, grated or powder)
• 2 tsp garlic (paste or grated)
• 1 cup celery stalks (finely chopped)
• chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions

	Heat one tbsp olive oil on med-high heat. Add 1/3 sliced onion and saute about 4 minutes until dark brown. Add ginger, garlic and saute 2 minutes.
	Add chicken chunks and the steak seasoning and cook uncovered about 10-15 minutesor until all the liquid as evaporated.
	Meanwhile in a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on med-high heat. Add remaining onions and cook until it get soft brown and caramelized. About 6-7 minutes.
	Add 1 tsp fresh pepper, paprika, salt to the chicken mixture and cook another 2 minutes on med heat. Add chopped celery and remaining caramelized onions and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
	Serve hot with rice or in lettuce leaves to make lettuce wraps!