Oh, Hi! Milk Bath Maternity Photos!

I can't even begin to tell you all how EXCITED I am to share these photos!  

I could not have asked for a better experience with the photographer, Christa O'Brien!  

She was AWESOME, SO easy to work with, came to me, and brought absolutely everything we needed to make this shoot happen! 

Could NOT be happier.

Check a sample of them out below!!!

(OFFICIALLY ADDICTED to MILK BATHING. ha!)

Oh...and don't flip out.  Pasties were used in the making of these photos. xoxo

Looking forward to welcoming this little girl into the world VERY soon!

I will also be posting a "What I Used From My Hospital Bag" and "Labor and Delivery" blog hopefully in the next week or two!!

I've spent SO MUCH TIME watching Youtube videos, reading blogs...etc, so I just can't wait to contribute to the conversation!!

Oh, Hi! Maternity Photo Glam and 38 weeks Pregnant!

I have to say....prepping for maternity pics may be my favorite prep of all time. For any other photo shoot, I definitely would not have pre-gamed with a Rice Krispies Treats milkshake....and for sure wouldn't have attempted to handle my own glam.

I was truly so happy with how it all turned out, and can't wait to share photos from the shoot!  

Also...we're officially 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant and officially in the 9 day countdown until our little princess is due to make her first appearance!

I've been a little hesitant to blog about the pregnancy, maybe I'm a little superstitious and didn't realize it until now!

We feel SO lucky to have had the experience we've had so far, and I will be posting a full pregnancy / delivery / postpartum journey blog once she's here!

I've definitely hit the point where I am just SO READY to meet her, and we've tried the whole Eggplant Parmesan thing, eating pineapples and kiwi...and today we took a nice long walk and I played Dance Revolution on the Xbox ....yepp, sure did.

But looks like this kiddo is just going to show up exactly when she feels like it, regardless of how we feel....shocker!

Hopefully we will get to update soon with a birth announcement, and we'll get back to a regular schedule on here!

Until then -- 

xoxo - A

Oh, Hi! GHD Air Blow Dryer!

Let me just admit something really fast. It takes me about 90 minutes to get out of the house on a day where I am doing full (everyday) makeup and doing a full blowout....that's right....an hour and a half.  At least.

About 3 years ago I had purchased the Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium Blow Dryer, after reading tons of reviews, and there's a reason I've had it 3 years.  It works.  I can get a really great, glossy, pretty blowout with it, no problem.  The only thing is, if I start with right out of the shower hair, which is usually the case, it takes me a good 45 minutes or so to get it done.  This reeeeeally eats into my weekend mornings, not to mention that keeping heat on your hair for that long is not ideal.

I've been contemplating finding a new dryer for a while...but knowing that in about 9 weeks my personal prep time is going to get severely cut down for a while (helloooo....baby is due at the end of JULY! What ?!?!?) I decided it was time to bite the bullet and splurge.  

I was between the Bio Ionic 10x Ultra Light Speed Dryer, the T3 PROi Professional , and the GHD Air.  I went with the GHD....and couldn't be happier!

WHY?

Because my blowout today literally took 15 minutes.  It almost dried TOO fast.  It didn't get super hot, there was no "steam" coming off my hair like with my Babyliss, and although some reviews mentioned that this dryer was a little heavy, it's literally nothing that I even noticed. 

Oh...and I didn't even have to pull out the flat iron to tame or bend pieces...15 minutes and done.

I have had one bad experience with a GHD iron dying after about two weeks, so I am going to proceed with caution and see how this thing works as time goes on....but so far, BLOWN AWAY.

Beyond excited that I made this purchase.  DEFINITELY recommend!

Oh, Hi! We tried those BROCCOLI TOTS so you don't have to...

Healthy.

Baked.

Broccoli.

TOTS.

Those four words should add up into something that my husband and I can really sink our teeth into.

We saw the video you all did...and thought these little healthy tots looked like heaven on earth and were totally in line with our lowfat, minimally processed way of eating (never mind the pregnancy cheats this girl has been giving into lately)

We followed the instructions exactly...

 Blanched the broccoli...

 Mixed up all of the ingredients...

 Formed the mixture into adorable little tots...

Plated them with some chicken wraps...

And then the husband took a bite.

And he made the same face he made the last time I burned a pot of split pea soup...

As you can imagine, he wasn't a fan.  His main complaint was that they were just really really bland, and not in the "we should have added more salt" way.  He even tried dipping them in ketchup and Sriracha, just to see.  NOPE.  

I didn't mind them....the first two I ate I was actually kind of pleased, but I also am a fan of the somewhat bland world of veggie burgers and brown rice.  After the first two though, I really didn't want anymore, and that's saying something, because at six months pregnant I will pretty much finish of anything in front of me.

SO, our verdict is....if you like bland "health food" taste, and are just looking for a fun way to get some broccoli in....you may be cool with these.

Otherwise...yeah...not recommended. Darn it!

xoxo-A

Oh, Hi! True Food Kitchen!

There's a really delicious little brunch and lunch spot at Lenox Square Mall that we haven't been able to visit in about 8 months...but TODAY we brought back our Sunday tradition!

(and it was fabulous)

True Food Kitchen - Buckhead

With a slogan like "Honest Food That Tastes Really Good" and a mission statement that begins with "You don’t have to be a die-hard Yogi to dine at True Food Kitchen. You need only a desire to give your body nutrients, and your palate something memorable...", one might start to worry that you'll be sitting down to an unpalatable menu of raw, bitter greens and flavorless tofu, despite their insistence that this isn't the case....

Although their menu is based on Dr. Andrew Weil's "Anti-Inflammatory" diet, the dishes at True Food Kitchen are not lacking anything when it comes to taste and presentation, while the decor totally supports their healthy living theme.

We do have our favorites on the menu, including what we had today, and I tried out a new yummy beverage that is getting added to the normal rotation for sure!

Our MAINSTAYS:

Edamame Dumplings

Quinoa Johnny Cakes

Shaved Turkey Wrap with Sweet Potato Hash

And my new addition to the faves menu...

Grapefruit Cinnamon Soda

Other items we've tried and really liked include the Street Tacos, Teriyaki Bowl, Chicken Chopped Salad, and the Turkey Burger.

Service is usually pretty killer, and we LOVE that you can see the entire prep and kitchen area while dining!

So happy to be back to our old Sunday True Food routine, and hope you get a chance to try it out too!

DETAILS:

http://www.truefoodkitchen.com/locations/atlanta/

Address: 3393 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone:(404) 481-2980

Oh, Hi! Gluten Free French Toast Pancake Roll-Ups!

Gluten Free French Toast Pancake Roll-Ups With Yogurt!

Growing up, anytime my parents served up pancakes at our house, syrup was never a condiment option.  We splurged on whole grain pancakes with yogurt on the side to dip them in!  I've taken the inspiration from those kid friendly breakfasts and spiced the idea up a bit, bringing in the Gluten Free side and pairing it with a delicious French Toast inspired flavor.  My pancake roll-ups were absolute perfection dipped in Liberte French Vanilla yogurt...but during non-pregnancy life I would be opting for a low fat / greek yogurt option for sure! (And yes...my Orange Juice is being sipped from a stemmed glass....give a girl a break, I can't have mimosas for four more months) Hope you enjoy this super easy, super fast breakfast / brunch!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup GF Flour (Try Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (Clabber Girl is Gluten Free)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 1 cup (organic) 1% milk
• 1 egg (organic/grain fed/ free range/ antibiotic free)
• 3 tablespoons melted Smart Balance Omega -3 butter substitute

How to Whip These Bad Boys Up:

1. Mix all dry ingredients (Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Cinnamon, Baking Soda, Salt) in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Melt butter
3. Mix Butter, Milk, and 1 Egg together in small mixing bowl.
4. Whisk wet ingredients together with dry ingredients. Set aside.
5. Warm medium sized non stick pan on stove on medium / low heat.
6. You know what to do from here....pour your preferred amount of batter into the pan, cook one side until bubbling in middle and lightly cooked around edges.  Flip, wait for batter to be completely cooked and pancake to be a pretty golden brown.
7. Roll each pancake and cut in half if you'd like.
8. SERVE with your choice of yogurt to dip the Roll-Ups in!

Yum!

xo-A

Oh, Hi! REVIEW: Guaco Joe's Vinings!

After a super busy day at our restaurant this past Saturday, we decided to grab a bite at a place close by.  We looked at the options in Vinings that were open after 3pm, and found "Guaco Joe's"...and here's what it was like:

Guaco Joe's is located in the Vinings Jubilee Courtyard, and has a fair amount of parking as well as an ample dining area (we went at an odd time, between the lunch and dinner hours, so we were one of maybe three or four tables in the whole place).

Admittedly, when I'm going for Mexican (or any meal where I KNOW I'm going to be kind of bad) I really, really enjoy low lighting and a darker room, because, like, maybe the calories don't count as much?? J/K...but one can dream.  This place for sure had that going for it.

We didn't order anything way experimental, but what we did chow down on was pretty delish.  Here's what we ate:

Black Bean Queso Dip: When ordering, I expected it to be a bit more black bean heavy, but hey, Queso is Queso and while it wasn't anything off the charts, it hit the queso craving spot!

Grilled Chicken Quesadilla: I was in the mood for a kind of basic dish - so I ordered a chicken, cheese, and sauteed onion quesadilla.  I will say that I was pleasantly surprised because they didn't overload it with cheese, so it really was quite palatable, and exactly what I wanted.

Shredded Chicken Tamales: This is the normal way it's served, COVERED in a ton of cheese - after we modified it and had it brought back to the table sans cheese, the hubs was thrilled.  He's a tamale connoisseur, and to get his stamp of approval means a BUNCH!  Way to go Guaco Joe's!

Mexican Street Corn: This was pretty good, but a little less flavor and a lot more onion was involved than expected.  

Roasted Cauliflower: This was the only item we ordered that we just were not into.  The seasoning they used was something we couldn't quite pinpoint, and even our waiter said that a lot of customers decide to pass on this because of it's unique taste that's totally unexpected.  

Shredded Chicken Taco Salad: This was DELISH.  I ordered it with a side of black beans and rice, and after I mixed that into the salad, it was perfection!  They give you a TON of chicken too, which was a great surprise. 

Shrimp Fajitas: Another dish that the hubs ordered, and was pretty darn happy with.  Portions were generous, and seasoning was on point! 

Bottom line:  

If you're looking for a satisfying, Mexican style joint with some unique offerings and a wide selection, as well as REALLY FRIENDLY service - we would definitely recommend Guaco Joe's if you're in the Vinings area!  As you can probably guess from the photos, we made two stops there, two Saturdays in a row, so obviously it kept us coming back!

The DETAILS:

Guaco Joe's

2950 New Paces Ferry Rd SE

Atlanta, GA 30339
770.801.0020

HOURS:

Mon-Thurs 11am-Midnight
Friday 11am-1am
Saturday 11am-1am
Sunday 11am-Midnight

xo-A