Roasted Brussel Sprouts

After a couple missteps, I feel like we have finally mastered the brussel sprout.  I'll admit, I never ever thought I would like these little cabbages.  And my husband pretty much loathes them as well.  But I kept seeing appetizing pictures crop up on Pinterest, so I was inspired to try them again.

Our first batch was not so good...we didn't roast them long enough and they turned out dense and slightly soggy.  Not appetizing in the least.  We found the key is to dress them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and then roast the crap out of them in an oven at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  They should be charred and crispy.  Like, really crispy.  That's the key.

From there, you can choose a variety of different ways to dress them. Add in some cloves of garlic, throw in a dash of balsamic vinegar, or sprinkle in some pine nuts.  The options are endless.

So tell me, do you enjoy brussel sprouts?  And if so, how do you prepare them?!

xo natasha

PS...I added a little "Schue Love" button to the sidebar...feel free to grab it!

Baby Ethan: 28 Weeks

Weight: Ethan weighed in at 15 pounds 6 ounces at his 6 month appointment this past Monday!  He's actually on the chart now, which is awesome!  And he is 26 inches long!  :)

Health: Baby boy has been battling some dry skin patches, which it turns out is baby eczema.  So we've got some oatmeal bath and we're slathering on some intensive baby lotion morning and night to help it out.  We'll see if it helps! 

Sleep: Just as I pulled out "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" book and had confirmed with the doctor that he was old enough and heavy enough that he should be making it through the night, just like clockwork, he randomly slept great one night, only waking once and going right back down.  Then the next night he did the same thing.  We'll see how he does from here on out.  I would be THRILLED if he only woke up once a night for a quick feeding.  Fingers crossed this is a new trend.

Social: Ethan got to spend some time with Ryan's dad's side of the family this past weekend.  Oh and we had our first night without dad!  He had an overnight trip and it was just the two of us!  Luckily we did just fine...whew!

Diet: Breastmilk and formula during the day, nursing in the mornings and nights.  And we've been feeding him baby oatmeal and butternut squash puree this week. We tried sweet pea puree from the Plum Organics line and baby had a severe reaction to it.  His cheeks got really red and then he started vomiting about three different times.  Luckily, he was fine through it all, or I'm sure I would have freaked out more.  So we're skipping peas for now and avoiding Plum Organics for a little while.  Next up, is pear puree and banana puree!  Yummm!

Clothes: Officially in 9 month jammies, but he's still wearing 6 month onesis and pants.

Baby Gear Love: Ethan has fallen in love with his jumperoo all over again.  He can finally touch the ground without needing a pillow and he bounces and bounces and bounces a ton!  He just loves it!  It's so fun watching him!  We also got some more teethers for him.  He likes everything in his mouth.

Crying: Pretty much non-existent except for when he wakes up.  His nanny even commented on how he never cries.  Love that.  He didn't even cry during the vomiting episode!

Likes: He loves to move...whether it's jumping in his jumperoo or rolling on the floor.  He also loves music more and more every day!

Postpartum: Starting to notice a little more weight loss lately, which is nice.  And I *think* I'm done shedding.  Now I have these lovely baby hairs growing in at my hairline.  

Milestones: Let's see, first aversion to food, first night without dad, and he's rolling back to front as well!  

xo natasha

My Pregnancy Book

As many of you know, I tracked my pregnancy each week here on the blog.  I posted weekly updates, highlighted the gender reveal party, my baby showers, maternity shoot, and nursery over the 9+ months I was pregnant {you can see all the fun here}.  I am so glad I stayed on track each week because I now have this beautiful story documented...well, digitally documented, that is.

While I love this blog for keeping me accountable, it's not exactly easy to flip through and I wanted to make sure to get a hard copy of my pregnancy to share with Ethan one day and to be able to go through for future pregnancies.  

So I created a pregnancy book {via Shutterfly} and could not be more happy with how it turned out!  It took several days and lots of hard work, but I am so glad I took the time to do it.  And you know I'll be doing something similar for Ethan's First Year.

Isn't the washi tape and chalkboard background fun?  I posted a picture of my bump on the left and the weekly update on the right.

Here's the gender reveal party!

And a spread from my baby shower.

I included pictures from his nursery...still so proud of how it turned out!

And of course, my gorgeous maternity photos {via Artyard}

Last, I made sure to include Ethan's birth story.

Even though it was a lot of work, I am so glad I took the time to do this...and if I was smart, I would get started on Ethan's first year book NOW.  The templates were pretty easy to use...the hard part is just going through all of the pictures and text to upload.  It was tedious, but well worth it.  Now it sits proudly on my coffee table and I can reference back to it anytime I want.  Love!

Have you documented your pregnancy in a special way?

xo natasha

PS...Happy 2nd Birthday to my little blog!  I seriously cannot believe it's been two whole years since Schue Love was born, but I am so grateful to be here and want to thank you all for reading!!

Sweet + Salty Bacon Pancakes

This is not exactly the "healthiest" breakfast to kick off the new year, but that's what the fruit is for!  ;)  I had bacon waffles a couple years ago and thought the salty bacon with the sweet pancake and syrup was pure perfection.  Now, we don't have a waffle maker, so we decided to whip up some pancakes instead...and they were just as good, promise!

The key to this recipe is to make some super crispy bacon bits.  We used thick-cut pepper bacon and cooked it in its own oil until super crispy.  

From there, make your pancakes {we used the Krusteaz brand} and add bacon right before flipping.  You know it's ready to flip because the batter bubbles up.

Enjoy with some fresh fruit and a latte {preferably from your new Nespresso machine!} and you're all set!

Hope you enjoy!

xo natasha

Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays