I’m catching up on old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and slowly recovering from Thanksgiving and the craziness of prepping for the holiday season. Whew! At 35 weeks pregnant, I’m beginning to accept that I need to start to slow down a little bit and start my full on nesting.
Truth be told, I’m prepared mentally, but not physically for the baby. We still don’t have the nursery done, nor enough clothes, diapers, etc. But you know what? Even if I don’t get it all done, he’ll still be perfect in our eyes and have all the love in the world from his mom and dad.
And I think that’s the best attitude to have. To stay sane, anyway.
This past week: Abra and I worked incredibly hard on our holiday gift guides, so if you haven’t checked them out yet, please do!
I took a few much needed days off to prepare for #AKCookieWeek 2019 (starts TOMORROW!) and to prep for hosting Thanksgiving. What I’ve realized about hosting or entertaining is that it’s easier to prepare as many things ahead of time as possible. But to be completely honest, this mama is exhausted. I feel like all I want to do for the next few weeks is lay on the couch and relax before this little man comes, but I know I need to get things done and prep for what’s to come.
By the way, he’s due at the end of December/early January. Our due date was originally January 3rd, but he’s measuring a little big, so we’ll see! Funny thing is, my birthday is December 22nd & Tony’s is December 27th. Any guess dates?!
Thanksgiving dinner
This month: BUSY BUSY BUSY! Our friends threw us at baby shower at the beginning of the month and it was so much fun. We had our food catered by Food by Fare and donuts thanks to Stan’s.
If you haven’t check out our baby registry yet, you can see it here.
Tony and I also decided to try and do more date nights to enjoy time together before the baby comes, and it’s been fun. One of my favorite places we’ve gone lately is Mott St and enjoyed their burger, which is supposed to be one of the best in Chicago. Guess what? It totally lived up to the name. INCREDIBLE. JUICY GOODNESS. Highly recommend.
And if you’re not in the mood for a burger, they still have an incredibly delicious menu to check out.
We also recently went to Avec for our 2nd anniversary dinner. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Everything is ALWAYS amazing, flavorful and well done.
Another fun thing we’ve done lately was go to Second City for a comedy show. If you haven’t been, it’s a MUST.
Recipes from November
Cheddar Broccoli Cauliflower Gratin: cheesy perfection that’s absolutely delicious with grilled chicken or salmon. It’s also a great way to get kids (or adults) to eat veggies.
15-Minute Homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce (naturally sweetened!): the best cranberry sauce ever.
Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna with Garlic Tahini Tofu Cream: perfect for vegans and the best way to use up seasonal winter squash.
Lightened Up Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Oat Streusel: my most popular Thanksgiving recipe!
How to Make the Perfect All Butter Flaky Pie Crust: the best pie crust ever!
Autumn Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad: a great salad to make and take to work. Add chickpeas or chicken to make it a well-rounded meal.
Best Ever Healthy Pumpkin Pie: creamy, delicious, naturally sweetened!
Balsamic Herb Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables: SO GOOD. Amazing when paired with chicken, salmon or your favorite protein.
The Best Creamy Garlic Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes: creamyyyyyyyy goodness.
Tony’s Very Favorite Dutch Apple Pie: so many of you made this over Thanksgiving, which made me ridiculously happy.
The Best Cornbread Stuffing Ever (gluten free!): LOVE this stuffing. It’s really good with apples and bacon or sausage too!
Chai-Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins with Salted Honey Glaze: these actually are my favorite muffins as of lately.
Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy BBQ Cranberry Turkey Meatballs: the perfect appetizer or main.
Lightened Up Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes (with a slow cooker option!): these taste like dessert!
Delicious Recipes to Use Leftover Turkey: if you still have turkey, then these recipes are for you!
Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies: ONLY THE BEST COOKIES EVER.
Personal posts
This month I shared a few personal posts for you to check out!
Pregnancy Workout Q&A with Personal Trainer Rae Reichlin
Things we loved in November
Here are some of my favorite things from this past month!Â
My friend Angie recently sent me one of these gorgeous handmade French style rolling pins and I love how high quality it is.
Peanut Butter Stirrer: so many of you suggested this when I told you how much I despised stirring my peanut butter jar. Another recommendation was to store the jar upside down, which has been working well for me!
Justin’s White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups: how are these SO good. I keep them in the fridge and they make the most perfect stocking stuffer.
I recently realized that these hand juicers are WAY better than the other juicers, even for lemons and limes. Using a hand juicer gives you 10x the amount of juice I swear.
These Cat Hand Towels because yes, I am indeed a cat lady.
KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor: I just got a new food processor and this one is perfection!
I recently got this black dress and it’s been perfect for wearing to weddings, holiday parties, hosting, date nights, etc.
All Day Underwear from Lively. Because every lady needs new underwear sometimes.
Joan Sorel Boots. I’ve been crushing over these boots non-stop!
I recently ran out of my favorite facial oil so I switched to this Cocokind Repair Facial Oil and LOVE how hydrating it is. I wear it at night and under makeup too.
Since I’ve been getting leg cramps at night, my doula recommended taking magnesium to help. Guess what? It’s perfect for leg cramps, muscle relaxation and even constipation.
new moon, save love Playlist: something to listen to that hopefully you’ll enjoy while you bake some AK cookie recipes.
I just bought a couple of these lululemon long sleeve tops for working out.
Tony recently got these lululemon Men’s Classic ABC Pants and they’re his new favorite because he can wear them as casual pants, but also dress them up. And they’re super comfy. Highly recommend if you are looking for a guy’s gift.
Exercise Birthing Ball: the latest and greatest pregnancy purchase to get ready for birth.
LOVE this Anita Layered Necklace — I’m wearing it in the pic with my black dress.
I’d love to hear anything you’re loving this month! Leave a comment below and let me know. xo!
Thank you so much for the shout out about our French-style rolling pin!! We are so glad you liked it and appreciate the recommendation! We absolutely love following your Instagram feed – especially your amazing recipes!
Of course! They’re amazing and the perfect gift, too 🙂 Thanks for your note!