Strawberries & Cream Dessert Squares

It's strawberry season! Well, it's been strawberry season in SC for a while now and I have definitely had my fair share of them. We recently discovered a local farm that has U-Pick strawberries. They also sell already picked strawberries, as well as so many other fruits and vegetables. My mother and I both have made multiple trips out to their farm to buy strawberries. They're a little off the beaten path, but it's so worth it! I made a trip out there yesterday to replenish my supply and I had this dessert in mind when I was out there.

This is a combination of a couple of different recipes. It takes a little bit of time to make since you have the different layers, but it's worth the time and effort that you put into it. Addison had her end of school program this evening, so we just had some pizza for dinner and I wanted to have a dessert for everyone, too. I've been wanting to make this again for a little while and tonight was the perfect excuse for it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Here's the recipe:

STRAWBERRIES & CREAM DESSERT SQUARES
adapted from Betty Crocker
Servings: 16
Points+: 7



Crust:
1 pouch sugar cookie mix
1/2 c. light butter
1 egg

Filling:
1 container Fat-Free Cool Whip
8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 T. Splenda

Topping:
4 c. sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. Splenda
2 T. cornstarch
1/3 c. water
10 - 12 drops food color, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 15x10x1- or 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In medium bowl, combine Cool Whip, cream cheese and 2 T. Splenda. Blend until smooth. Spread over cooled cookie crust.

In small bowl, crush 1 cup of the strawberries. In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in crushed strawberries and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in food color. Cool 10 minutes. Gently stir in remaining 3 cups strawberries. Spoon topping over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set; serve within 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.



So I'm still not getting any exercise in these days. I'm just pooped by the end of the day and have been experiencing some swelling in my legs lately, so I've been trying to take it easy these days.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I think we are starting Operation Baby Eviction this weekend. We'll see how it goes! My dr. says that it really doesn't matter what you do, that baby will come when he's ready, but it can't hurt to try!

So long for today...

37 Weeks

Happy Mother's Day! I am officially 37 weeks pregnant today. That means that even though I'm not due for another 3 weeks, I am officially considered full term! This guy can come any time he wants to now and they won't stop labor! To me, this is the most exciting time of pregnancy. It's all about the anticipation of the unknown. When will labor start? How will it start? Where will I be and what will I be doing?

I have to admit though, I am ready for this guy to make his debut. I'm uncomfortable most of the time these days and I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore. My mom gives me a hard time about it and tells me I should enjoy this time, but my enjoyment of pregnancy is over. Everything has just become such an effort these days and I'm ready for my body to be my own...well for the most part since I am planning on nursing the little guy.

I think we have everything ready for him...FINALLY! My sister was nice enough to throw me a surprise Dress the baby Shower. Although, it's hard to pull one over on me and I ended up finding out about it ahead of time. We all had a great time and we got so many adorable things! So now, the only thing we can do is wait. I just hope it's not for too long!



How far along: 37 weeks

Percentage Complete: 92.5%

Baby is as Big as: The size of a a stalk of swiss chard or a winter melon...between 6 1/3 and 6 1/2 pounds and between 19 - 22 inches long.

Maternity Clothes: Most of the time, althought the shirt I'm wearing in these pictures isn't maternity!

Sleep: What's that? I wake up about every 2 hours to pee and if not to pee to switch sides because my back hurts or my arm has gone numb. Fun times!

Best Moment This/Last Month: We started weekly appointments and I also had another ultrasound. He's a little chubster!

Movement: He moves CONSTANTLY and gets the hiccups a few times a day and usually at night, too.

Food Cravings: I'm not craving anything really, but vegetables aren't at the top of my favorites list these days.

Gender: Boy oh boy!

Wedding ring on/off: Still on. - most of the time. My hands are usually swollen first thing in the morning, but the swelling eases off throughout the day.

What I am looking forward to: The end is in sight! I'm looking forward to meeting our little guy soon!

Days until my next appointment: 4 days - Thursday this week.



I hope you all had a great weekend and can make it through the work week ahead!!

So long for today...

Birthday Waffles

So we have had a pretty busy last week or so. Addison turned 4 on Monday. These last 4 years have flown by a lot quicker than I would have liked them to. She is such a sweet little girl and I love her more and more every day! We had her birthday party on Saturday. The weather wasn't the best, but it could have been a lot worse. The important part is that she had a great time. We really are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends that take time out of their busy schedules for events like this. We went out to dinner with family for her actual birthday on Monday, so I didn't get to do what I had planned for her birthday dinner, but I made up for that Tuesday night.

For dinner Tuesday, we had birthday waffles. They were really just the regular Bisquick waffle recipe with some sprinkles added in and then a glaze that I made to go over top of them. She didn't want the glaze, but TC and I enjoyed it. I think that you can make most any dish special just by adding sprinkles to it...well, I guess that would depend on the dish, too. But we all really enjoyed these waffles. Here's the recipe:

BIRTHDAY WAFFLES
Servings: 12
Points+: 3
adapted from Betty Crocker

2 c. Heartsmart Bisquick Mix
1 1/3 c. milk
1 egg
2 T. canola oil
1/2 c. sprinkles

Heat waffle iron. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Stir ingredients until blended. Pour onto center of hot waffle iron. Close lid of waffle iron. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Carefully remove waffle.

Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

Drizzle glaze over waffles just before serving. Add additional sprinkles if desired. Enjoy!

I hope you're all having a great week. I will be 37 weeks on Sunday, which is considered full term. So the baby could be here literally any day now! I'm hoping he holds off until at least the 18th, but I realize that I don't have a lot of control over that. Ha!

So long for today...

5 for Five

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. As always, mine was too short, but other than that, it was very nice. We were able to get a lot of things done around the house and I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with this pregnancy. We only have a few more things to do until I will feel 100% "ready" for him to come. Hopefully, I can get all or most of those things done this week and next weekend, but we'll see what comes up between now and then.

It's Monday, so that means it's time for another 5 for Five. Here were last week's goals:

1. Stay off FB in the evenings until Addison is asleep. - Well, I almost did this. I did it every evening except for Friday. I was so engrossed in the whole Boston drama, I couldn't put my phone down and may or may not have jumped on FB at one point or another.

2. Get my hospital bag packed. Done and done!! Feels good to have this one done.

3. Start a new book. - Nope. Didn't start a new book. I opened one up, but didn't really care for it and never found another one. Maybe this week...

4. Find the Boppy or exhaust my resources looking for it! - We have two of these and I didn't find the one that I was looking for, but I did find the other one, wash the cover for it and put it in the car with my bag. So that counts, right?

5. Add another meal to the freezer for after little man arrives. - I didn't get this one done. We've been trying to get ready for Addison's birthday party and I was too busy working on that to get a meal in the freezer. Although, my mom did make us one, does that count?

So only 2 out of 5. Not the best record. Hopefully this week will be better. Here are this week's goals:

1. Stay off FB in the evenings until Addison is asleep. - Yes, it's here once again!

2. Make a dentist appointment for Addison and myself. - We are both overdue for a trip to see the dentist!!

3. Start a new book. - I am determined to start a new one!!

4. Make the hot dog chili for Addison's birthday party. - I want to have this done ahead of time and put it in the freezer so that I will have one less thing to do that week.

5. Walk or workout at least 3 days. - I have been lacking in the exercise dept lately and really need to try to get even a little bit in.

So there they are. I am going to do my best to get all or most of these done this week. Wish me luck and don't forget to check out some of the other ladies that have linked up this week!

So long for today...

33 Weeks

I can't believe that I haven't done a pregnancy update since 26 weeks. That was 7 1/2 weeks ago! Wow! Seems like such a long time. I feel like we are starting to get into the home stretch now. I am 33 1/2 weeks right now. Full term will be at 37 weeks. So in all actuality, I could have a baby in as little as 3 1/2 weeks. That definitely doesn't seem like very far away and I still have so much to do! The nursery has been set up since we never disassembled it after having our daughter. We just moved her into a different room and kept the nursery as it was since we were planning to have another one. Plus, the crib made a great time out spot for her. Not that she EVER needed it! Ha! This past week, I have really started trying to check things off of the list to pack in the hospital bags. I have three bags that I am working on...mine, the baby's and Addison's, since she will be staying with my parents. TC needs a bag, too, but he is on his own there. Someone (besides me!) really needs to tell him that he needs to get started on it. I don't think he realizes that things may go quicker (I know, I know, that isn't always true, but I'm going with the odds.) this time around and we might be a little more rushed when the action starts. No time for showers and packing bags this time!

I am feeling pretty good. I'm dealing with some back pain, but I'm learning to live with it. I have been telling myself not to push myself so much. We had a cookout last weekend and I was exhausted by the end of the day! Braxton Hicks are getting more frequent and a little stronger, so I know there is some stuff going on. But they're not regular, so my dr. isn't concerned with them. I had a dr's appt on Monday and everything looked good. I get to have another ultrasound at my next appt to try to determine size and position of our little man, so I am really looking forward to that. The last time we saw him, I was 21 weeks along and he was about 12 oz. Definitely sure he has grown since then! Ha!



How far along: 33 weeks

Percentage Complete: 82.5%

Baby is as Big as: The size of a pineapple or large jicama...between 4 1/2 and 5 pounds and 18 to 20 inches long.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, definitely yes. Although, yesterday I wore some gauchos and a shirt that were non-maternity. For some reason, that made me pretty happy!

Sleep: Still waking up 3 - 4 times a night. Not much fun.

Best Moment This/Last Month: I've been going to the dr. every 2 weeks and will soon switch to weekly appt which means that we're getting serious!

Movement: His kicks and punches are getting pretty strong. So fun to watch my belly move when he moves!

Food Cravings: Nothing in particular, just whatever comes to mind.

Gender: BOY!

Wedding ring on/off: Still on. I'm pretty sure I had already taken it off by this point with Addison.

What I am looking forward to: Getting another ultrasound at my next appt. Can't wait to see our little man again!!

Days until my next appointment: 13 days

Here's a side by side from my last post to this one. Just a little bit of difference, huh? :-)

EXERCISE:
This has gotten less and less lately. Between being just plain exhausted and swelling a little bit, I've been trying to take it easy. Somedays I will get an energy burst and go for a walk, but not very often.

I promise to give another update in less than 7 1/2 weeks this time! Promise!!

So long for today...

5 for Five

Hey SLY friends. Sorry for being MIA lately, last week I finally broke down and went to the doctor for my cough/cold. I ended up having a sinus infection. Unfortunately, I found out that they are a lot harder to kick when you're 8 months pregnant so all of my energy went into trying to get better. I still have a little cough, but its so much better than it was last week.

So it's time for another 5 for Five. Here were my goals from the last time:

1. Stay off FB in the evenings until Addison is asleep. Met it!!

2. Work out at least 3 days. I did meet this one, I started getting sick towards the end of the week...

3. Start a new book. Nope, didn't get this one either.

4. Get my garden planted. Yes! Got it planted, plus some containers of strawberries, too!

5. Get at least one more meal done to put in the freezer. Yes, got this one done, too!!

So 3/5 for the week. Not too bad, but still room for improvement!


This week, I wanted to change some things up, but keep a couple of other ones. Here's what I came up with:

1. Stay off FB in the evenings until Addison is asleep. - still very important!!

2. Get my hospital bag packed. - I have been working on this for a few weeks and need to finish it up.

3. Start a new book. - Still need to find a new one to start.

4. Find the Boppy or exhaust my resources looking for it! - I have looked for it a little but haven't found it yet and really need to...soon.

5. Add another meal to the freezer for after little man arrives. - Still trying to add to the stockpile!

So there are this weeks goals. Getting away from some of my usuals, but I have some things that really need to get down. Hopefully, if I put them on here, it will happen.

Don't forget to check out some of the other blogs in the linkup to see what some of the others are up to. And check back next week for my results from this week.

WIAW

Well, look at this! Another post this week! I know I have been lacking in the blog post department lately and I have no excuse other than I am just lazy these days. I promise I will try to do better in the future. I thought I would do another What I Ate Wednesday post for you. Some of my foods have changed from the norm, and I thought I would share. Here's what I had today...

BREAKFAST:
Breakfast was one egg and one egg white and a sandwich thin with spray butter and homemade peach preserves.


SNACK:
For my morning snack, I had a smoothie that I made using vanilla almond milk, greek yogurt, a scoop of Designer Whey and some frozen pineapple and mango thrown in. Very yummy!

LUNCH:
Lunch was a white turkey hot dog with cracker chips and some grapes.


SNACKS:
This afternoon, I had some cocoa roast almonds, some frozen cherries and then a Light Mini Babybel with some strawberries.


DINNER:
Dinner was Tater Tot Casserole with some green beans.


DESSERT:
Dessert was a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles...yummy!


It may not have been the healthiest day, but it could have been a lot worse, too! I also got in some strength work tonight. Not too bad overall if you ask me!

So long for today...