With so many varieties to choose from, yet I haven’t met an olive I didn’t like. Although I still think my most delicious olive memory were the warmed Castelvetrano olives we ate at Shalom Ya’ll restaurant in Portland. Not only were they the tastiest, but the way we got them was the best. In an extra klutzy moment I tripped over my feet, or was it just air? Not only did I fall, but I fell in front of the restaurant. In front of people. On a busy street in downtown Portland. And we may have already been drawing attention to ourselves because we were dressed for the ’80s dance party cruise and we rode in on bikes. And how cool that the restaurant felt bad and rewarded my klutziness with olives!

80’s Portland Adventure. Hike, Bike, Dance, Yoga

Okay, back to our olive babies. Green olives are about 1 inch long, the same size as a 9 week fetus and as the pregnancy websites say, “hold the martinis please.” But when I think of olives, I think of Mediterranean food. The most appetizing food, the food that I never tire of. So, of course, my mind went there. That’s when the lightbulb went off. Stop it, I said off, not out!

Olive Falafels

• 1 box Trader Joe’s falafel mix
• 1 jar Castelvetrano olives
• Olive oil for frying

This really can’t get any easier. Mix falafel mix according to package directions and chop up the olives and put into the mix. After it sits for the designated time, fry up those falafels!

Just for funsies I saved 1 whole olive and wrapped the falafel mix around it. Kinda reminds me of a Scottish egg. Maybe I’m onto something…. a Mediterranean egg.And next week, double digits baby!

According to Wikipedia, raspberries are described as vigorous and invasive; much like the little parasites when you’re pregnant. I joke.

Raspberries are about 3/4 inch big, similar to an 8 week fetus. I always love seeing babies at 8 weeks on ultrasound, they remind me of a Gummy Bear; round head, round belly with little arm and leg buds that wiggle.

Because we’re into our 2nd month now, I know, I can’t believe it either, you might start to wonder how you can stay comfortable on the job…(thanks Baby Center)

1. Take breaks (show movies, naps)
2. Keep moving (play hopscotch, dance breaks, bike rides, post office yoga)
3. Dress comfortably (crazy tights,fun socks)
4. Stay hydrated (infused water)
5. Don’t skip meals (keep an emergency snack bag)
6. Reduce stress (breathe: in for 4, hold for 7,out for 8)

Once again, Trader Joe’s to the rescue with their freeze dried fruit. I kinda love you Trader Joe’s.

Raspberry Chocolate Bark

Ingredients :

1/8 cup coconut butter, melted

1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries, pulverized… Just like the blueberries from last week

100% dark chocolate bar

85% dark chocolate bar

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1/8 cup unsweetened coconut chips

1/4 cup dried raspberries (kept whole)

Process:

Line pan with parchment paper

Melt the two chocolate bars together

Mix the pulverized raspberries with the coconut butter

Spread the melted chocolate onto the paper

Top with the pistachios, coconut and raspberries

Drizzle the Raspberry coconut butter over the top

Shake it a little to get all the pieces to settle

Place in freezer

Easy peasy

Once frozen, break off pieces and enjoy😋

I also found it slightly amusing that I was freezing freeze dried raspberries. Go figure!

If there is one fruit that I absolutely cannot stop eating is the blueberry, which is why they’re so fun to pick; one in the bucket, five in my mouth. You get it. Blueberries are only about 1/2 inch big but have many health benefits packed into their small size. Good things come in small packages (that’s not what she said) because that little blue ball can help fight aging, lower blood pressure, combat disease and even boost memory.

Now the babies, at 7 weeks, they are very clearly seen on ultrasound with a heartbeat! So, I felt like this was a good week to peek 😂 I think we have the cutest blueberry babies ever, first pictures for their baby books!

Now the food, I searched for recipes using dried blueberries, because you know, the 1200 miles north they have to travel to you. I found this unique recipe and then tweaked it to suit us. And as an extra fun fact, in the middle ages, when Balsamic Vinegar was first reported, it was also thought of as a miracle drug… even helping cure labor pains–how ironic!

www.wildlyorganic.com – Blueberry Balsamic Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper

1 3/4 cup almond flour

1/3 cup dried, powdered blueberries (I just put the bag of dried blueberries from Trader Joe’s in the food processor)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Mix the above ingredients together

In a separate bowl, emulsify

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup monk fruit sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Chia egg (I used a real egg, but wasn’t sure of your egg situation, so I sent you Chia seeds) 1 Tbsp Chia seeds mixed with 3 Tbsp water, let sit for 10 minutes

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together

Drop batter onto cookie sheet, made 15

Bake for 12 minutes

Let cool on wire rack

Enjoy! A low carb cookie, staying healthy for our fake pregnancy ❣️ ❣️

Peas. Fresh. Canned. Frozen. Steamed. So many options, yet this week stumped me because of the necessity for the recipe to be shelf stable for the weekly package delivery. Gotta keep the Hyder post office hoppin’. Plus I’ve gotten such a kick out of making these recipe boxes for you😊.

And then, of course, it was staring me right in the face the whole time. Mushy peas. This may have something to do with the fact that I was in England at the time and I was seeing it on many menus.

So the babies are going international. One disclaimer; traditional mushy peas are made using dried marrowfat peas, which are substantially bigger than a sweet pea. But, our babies are obvious overachievers and when you are fake pregnant, carte blanche!

There is not a lot going on with the traditional mushy pea, they are rather bland. Just salt and pepper for flavor. Which also means this package wasn’t going to be nearly as exciting to open as the others; no speciman cups or syringes. 😉 So I added in some extra fun!

While the recipe is even on the bag, I followed this one.

Mushy Peas – www.thespruceeats.com

You just need to plan for the 12 hour soak with baking soda.

After the soak, it’s a quick 30ish min stove top boil and simmer to achieve this.

And pretty amazing how this small bag from England can turn into this in Oregon and Alaska! United by food 😍

If you don’t have the quintessential fish and chips to go with it; you could put them in an omelette, spread them on toast, or since we’re pregnant… Ice cream topping 😜😜

PS Fun Fact. Did you know these are also the peas used to make wasabi peas?

Til next week ❤️