Friday Faves

Hi friends! 

In case you missed it, check out Wednesday’s 37 week pregnancy update blog post – it includes my maternity leave plans and what to expect on the blog this summer in terms of posting frequency and content!

It also includes baby’s position, our current birth “plan”, and some pictures of the baby’s room, if you’re interested. 🙂 

And now, let’s get to some Friday favorites/things I’m loving lately! 

1) I got a haircut! 

Very exciting stuff, I know. But I realized it had been since last July, and it was getting a bit ratty at the ends – plus I know that getting out for appointments like this will get even harder once baby #2 is here! 

I just got a little trim but it feels lighter and will be nice to not have it be so heavy come summer when I wear it up a lot. 

I’m going back for balayage (highlights) next week so long as baby doesn’t come first… I haven’t had color done in almost 2 years now so it will be really nice to brighten it up a little bit before summer! 

2) Smoothies!

It has been getting pretty hot here recently so Riese and I have been enjoying making smoothies together as an afternoon snack.

She loves helping me put everything in the blender!

We usually do variations of my Banana Spinach Smoothie – the one pictured above was that recipe as the base, and then I also added half an avocado and a tablespoon or two of chia seeds for some healthy fats.

Plus an extra splash of milk so it wasn’t too thick! It came out quite yummy. 

3) Asian food. 

Asian food and I are having a moment, which is interesting because for awhile it was a no-go for me during pregnancy!

I’m still not super excited about sesame oil, so we’ve been swapping that out for olive or canola oil when cooking at home, but I’m REALLY into soy sauce right now and any sort of savory noodle or rice dish, which has worked out perfectly because my ongoing sponsor Blue Apron is currently doing a cool partnership with an Asian chef, Roy Yamaguchi!

Blue Apron typically partners with guest chefs about once a quarter to mix up their menu and infuse some new flavors and techniques in their recipes, and it’s always fun to see what themes they go for. 

Chef Roy grew up outside of Tokyo, and the Sweet and Sour Chicken with Ramen Noodles you see pictured above was inspired by his childhood love of ramen. 

It was crazy delicious and it’s on the Blue Apron menu for the week of May 17 (I got a sneak preview), so I HIGHLY recommend you give it a shot. 

I’m excited to get to have it again because I selected it for our meals that week, too! 🙂 I’m looking forward to trying Chef Roy’s Togarashi Scallops which are also on the menu that week – haven’t had those yet! 

Chef Roy’s recipes are featured on the Blue Apron menus for every week of May, so be sure to give them a shot! His recipes also feature Hawaiian influence since he spent many childhood summers there with his grandfather. Very creative, unique flavors! 

As for some other meals we’ve enjoyed from Blue Apron lately, this Peanut Noodles with Chicken was super yummy and very comforting – I always love a good peanut sauce. 

And we loved these Honey and Chipotle-Glazed Chicken Thighs with Vegetable Farro and spinach, too! Really flavorful and delicious sauce and very juicy chicken.

Chicken thighs > chicken breasts in my opinion nowadays – they are so much juicier and have more flavor, too!

If you’re ready to give Blue Apron a shot and haven’t yet, here’s my affiliate link for $80 off over your first 4 boxes (which don’t have to consecutive, by the way – you can skip weeks anytime you need/want to).

Sign up now so you can try Chef Roy’s recipes this month! 

4) Cecily the Cicada book. 

For those of you who are near DC and therefore also about to get hit with cicada mania, this book is a super cute way to introduce the whole situation to a toddler! 

We’ve been reading it nonstop the past few weeks, Riese is obsessed. And it’s based in DC which is fun, too. 🙂 

Thanks to my mom for getting the book for us – such a good find and I’m hoping it will make Riese a lot less freaked out when the invasion begins!

5) Papaya

This is random but I’m obsessed with papaya right now!

It’s not normally a fruit I think to buy, but a friend had it when we were hanging out in their backyard recently and it reminded me how delicious it is. Yummm.

I just eat it straight out of the peel with a spoon!

I hope you have a nice weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday for one final lifestyle blog post/weekend recap before I go out on maternity leave and my pre-scheduled recipe content begins!

Of interest from around the web:

• How to Parent When You Are Exhausted — very relevant for me right now 🙂 Lots of great ideas for games that mostly involve you lying down while your kid runs around you. I can’t wait until I feel up for being more fun and active again with Riese, but for now, I’m doing what I can!
• Easy Coconut Granola — this sounds sooo good. Really into the granola or cereal + yogurt + fruit combo right now as an afternoon snack, so refreshing.
• Traveling to Bald Head Island — Matt and I took a vacation on Bald Head way back in 2011 (<- that’s part 1 of the recap and part 2 is here – we look so young and well rested, lol) and have wanted to go back ever since; it’s such a beautiful place and I love that no cars are allowed, only golf carts or bikes! My friend Kath wrote a really helpful, comprehensive post with tips if you’re looking to go there – thought it might be helpful as you plan any potential summer trips! 
• 5 Tips for Better Workout Recovery — great reminders in this post!