Well, I’m officially past my due date, and I’m still pregnant. Shock. Awe. Surprise.
Okay, not really. We definitely expected to go late (on average, first time mothers go eight days late, plus, we felt like the due date was set a little early anyway), so this isn’t any big surprise to us. People keep asking me what I’m doing to get her out—well, a whole lot of nothing. My philosophy is that she’ll come when she’s good and ready. And if she needs a few more days (or weeks) in my belly to develop and be the strongest little baby she can be, I’m all for it.
Although, ask me again when I’m pushing out a 10 pounder…
I’m also getting lots of questions about induction. Our midwives don’t even start talking induction until the 42 week mark, so that’s not on the radar at this point. I’ve had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, and as long as it stays that way, they are fine with letting it run its course (have I mentioned how much I love my midwives?).
One thing I am doing is pretty much living on iced red raspberry leaf tea. Partially because they say it’s good for my cervix, but mostly because it’s insanely delicious. And it’s hot out. And iced tea is awesome when it’s hot out.
While I’m patiently waiting for contractions to start, I figured I’d write up another post with some random odds and ends to tell you about. I have some exciting projects to catch you up on! Let’s get started.
Cookbook Update
Last month, I told you guys all about my second cookbook that’s due out early 2015—Cooking with Superfoods. Well, one thing I’ve learned in my limited time in the publishing industry is that you can always count on things to change, and it’s definitely changing around with this book!
After I submitted my manuscript, the powers-that-be decided to do some changing around with the book. The release date is still the same as is the content (lots of awesome information about superfoods), but the title, the size and the cover designs are all changing. It’s exciting because it means we’re actually moving to a larger sized book that is independent from the previous Cooking with… series. Apparently they think what I wrote is cool enough to stand on its own (which makes me a happy little recipe developer)! I’ll share more info once the title is finalized, and I know more information about pre-ordering.
An eBook (or two) in the Future?
I’ve pitched a lot (a lot) of ideas to my publisher for cookbooks. Some of them were accepted. Some of them were totally rejected (and for good reason, they were terrible—ha!). But there have been a handful that received a lot of reactions like this…
“That’s a cool idea, but we just really don’t think it’s ‘big’ enough to do a whole cookbook on.”
And I totally get it. They are a huge international corporation that pumps a ton of money and energy into every book they publish, so it’s important for the books they sign on to do to have the gravitas to put their weight behind.
But that doesn’t mean the ideas need to go into the trash can. So I’ve been thinking about self-publishing a few eCookbooks based on those types of ideas. But I want some feedback from you guys! I’ve, quite honestly, never bought an eCookbook before, so I’m not sure if it’s the kind of thing that a lot of people do purchase? Of course, it would be well-designed with beautiful photography and available on multiple platforms. I’d also try to keep them really affordable—probably under $5 depending on the number of recipes included. The recipes included would be never-before-seen dishes that aren’t available anywhere else on my blog or the web. And each book would follow a very specific theme (example: healthy comfort food or salads-in-a-jar). Is this something you would be interested in?
Spotted Elsewhere
I have a lot of projects to show off for you guys this month that I’ve been working on with my partners-in-crime. Like I’ve been mentioning the past few weeks, I worked really hard to get a bunch of content written and wrapped up before Baby J showed up, and now those posts are starting to go live for public consumption. Here’s what went up this past month:
Anytime Fitness Blog
I’ll still be posting to the Anytime Fitness Blog while I’m on maternity leave (well, more accurately, the posts were pre-written beforehand, and my awesome friends at AF will be posting them for me). So make sure you keep an eye out over there for some fun posts over the next few weeks. Anywho, here’s what I wrote for them this month:
Recipe: Slow Cooker Peachy Pulled Chicken Sliders: The slow cooker is the perfect summer-friendly option for keeping your kitchen cool and helping you get dinner on the table with time to spare. These chicken sliders are packed full of sweet, peachy flavor!
Excuse Busting: I Don’t Have Time To Eat Healthy: Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean you devote hours and hours every day in the kitchen. Here, I share my favorite tips for making healthy food fast.
Recipe: 5 Minute Easy Guacamole: By using pre-made pico de gallo, this guac comes together in less than five minutes. And I promise, no one will even know you didn’t spend all afternoon slicing and dicing.
Live Better America
I had just announced how excited I was about my new partnership with General Mills and Live Better America last month, and unfortunately, a few weeks later, us bloggers got the news that General Mills had cut funding to the LBA site and it was shutting down operations in May. Womp. Womp. I’m so bummed! I was so excited to work with all the awesome people there. They were still great to work with and let me finish up all my outstanding assignments and got them posted to the website before the team left. So you can still access them!
Recipe: Weeknight Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry: If you’re craving some Indian food but don’t have hours to devote to a slow-cooked recipe, this vegetarian curry is for you. It’s packed full of complex flavor, but comes together in about a half hour. Bonus: thanks to the use of coconut milk, this dish is 100% vegan—a great option to serve to mixed company! It also just gets better and better as leftovers.
Recipe: Vegetarian Black Bean and Chickpea Taco Skillet: This vegetarian taco skillet comes together in a flash thanks to a using a few Old El Paso products you can find on your grocery store shelves. By using whole grain pasta and two beans as a fiber-filled protein, you get a healthier version of the standard hamburger skillet comfort food. I served it with a little dollop of sour cream on top!
Recipe: Buffalo Black Bean Burgers: Just because you’re having veggie burgers doesn’t mean they have to be flat on flavor. These black bean burgers have the texture of real meat and a ton of blazin’ flavor thanks to a spicy mayo. These burgers are also awesome to freeze. Just make them up ahead of time and pop ‘em in the freezer before cooking.
Recipe: Quick and Easy Avocado and Tomato Salad: If you’re craving a light and healthy lunch, this adorable salad-in-a-shell is perfect for you. Flavorful cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, herbs and spices are mixed with healthy-fat powerhouse avocado to make a salad that is light, satisfying and totally tasty!
Recipe: Blueberry-Ginger Granita: Dessert in the summer doesn’t have to be heavy, and this vegan, gluten-free berry granita is a great example of how satisfying a light dessert can be! Tangy, sweet blueberries may seem like an odd combination with the zing of ginger, but it’s an incredibly interesting flavor combination that just screams “summer!”. Feel free to use either fresh or frozen berries (but I like making it with fresh for the biggest burst of flavor).
5 New Spins on Coleslaw: It wouldn’t be a summer barbecue without coleslaw on the menu. Instead of serving up the standard mayo-based slaw (which can clock in at upwards of 300 calories per cup), try out some of these healthified versions. You might just find your new favorite coleslaw!
Build Your Own Dry Rub: It’s the time of year to fire up the grill and cook yourself some super tasty summer dinners. Dry rubs are an easy way to impart a ton of flavor on your grilled goods without devoting a ton of time (or calories). Just mix up the spices, rub it on liberally and grill away!
What have you been up to lately?