Saturday, July 02, 2016

What I've been wearing lately (two days to due date!)

I took these photos on June 30, two days before my due date of TODAY. I'm really glad to have them as a souvenir of the end of my pregnancy. For the past couple of weeks I've been happy to listen to my doctor's advice about slowing down my active lifestyle and getting plenty of rest. We've seen some signs of early labour but it's still a guessing game when our little one will arrive. We're excited to meet him, but as long as he continues to grow and keep up his wriggles and kicks, I'll happily continue to cart him around on the inside!

Clothing at the end of my pregnancy has been all about flat footwear, maxi dresses and comfort above all. Flair comes in the form of bold jewellery or bright colours. I've bought a couple of maternity pieces, but I've been grateful to my mom and fellow mamas for lending me some dresses to get me through these last few weeks. 

xx 





{My coworker took this picture when he spotted me transferring my nesting instincts to a clean-up of our office fridge.}

Dress - Tart Maternity
Necklace - Thrifted
Jacket - Saks Off Fifth






Pants - Motherhood Maternity
Tee - H&M Maternity
Cardigan - Veronika Maine
Necklace - Claire's
Earrings - Gift
Sandals - Ann Taylor
Watch - Cole Haan

{It's a teething necklace!}




Dress - Tommy Bahama, on loan from my mother
Necklace - Chewelsbytrink via Etsy
Flip flops - Walmart



{A non-maternity top that still fits...just!}


Tank - H&M 
Pants - Motherhood Maternity
Necklace - Laura
Sandals - Ann Taylor




Dress - Majora, on loan from a friend
Cardigan - Neiman Marcus outlet
Shoes - Vince Camuto


{I repurposed this thrifted tunic as a bathing suit coverup (seen here on our honeymoon), and now as a maternity shirt.}



Tunic - Vero Moda, thrifted
Tank - The Bay
Pants - Motherhood Maternity
Earrings - Banana Republic
Sandals - Ann Taylor






Dress - 5/48, on loan from my mom
Bracelets - Aakriti Designs
Earrings - Gift




Dress - Rebel Sugar, on loan from a friend
Jacket - Paola Prata, consigned
Necklace - Ardene
Bracelet - RW and Co.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Salmon-and-dill and zucchini fritter burger

The salmon patties in this post were inspired by this recipe. I made a couple of tweaks, substituting lime for lemon, ginger for garlic and adding lots of fresh dill. I also swapped out the avocado topping for zucchini fritters. Fish burgers are lean but they can be on the dry side, so the crispy-on-the-outside-moist-on-the-inside fritters and spicy aioli were terrific accompaniments. 

They cooked well in a skillet but I can't wait to try them again on the BBQ come summertime. 

xx

To make the salmon patties:

Start with 1 lb cooked wild salmon fillet. Cut off 1/4 of the salmon, finely chop by hand and set aside. Place the rest of the salmon in the food processor and pulse until slightly gluey.

De-core and finely dice 1 yellow pepper. 
Finely slice 2 stalks green onion. 
Chop 1/3 cup fresh dill. 
Peel and grate 1T ginger.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the salmon, pepper, green onion, ginger and dill. Add 6T Panko breadcrumbs, 1 lightly beaten egg, the juice of 1/2 lime, 1 tsp soya sauce and 1/4 tsp salt.


To make the zucchini fritters:

Using a food processor, grate 2 cups of zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander for 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess liquid. In a mixing bowl, combine grated zucchini with 1/3 cup flour, 1 lightly beaten egg and 1/4 tsp pepper.  

In a large skillet, heat 1T oil over medium heat. Rather than shaping the fritters ahead of time, I packed them into round silicone molds for poached eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes

To assemble:

Top one half of a toasted burger bun or English muffin with a salmon patty and a fritter. Add any kind of spicy aioli (I used a jalapeno-lime one available at Costco) and a small handful of fresh cilantro. 




Thursday, May 12, 2016

Mexican everything salad

This recipe was a case of throwing together random ingredients from the fridge, with awesome results. The taste is similar to a loaded Taco, but lighter because of the high veggie ratio and lack of cheese. The 'dressing' takes the form of commercial pico de gallo and a can of refried beans. What could be easier?

I hadn't planned to blog about this dish and anyways, I was too busy chomping away and feeling pleased with myself to take a picture the day of. So this snap is from the next day when the greens were a little less perky.

Come summertime, if you find yourself with some leftover chicken, make this dish and spare yourself standing over a hot stove! This dish serves four.

xx

To make, wash and shred 1/4 head of green cabbage and 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce. 
Peel, de-core and dice 1 ripe avocado. 
De-core and dice 1 red or yellow pepper
Finely slice 1 small bunch of green onions. 
Steam 1 cup of green beans until tender-crisp, then cut into 1" pieces. 
Shred 1-1/2 cups cooked chicken (I used leftover roast chicken). 
Finely dice 4 Piri Piri peppers (or substitute 1 jalapeño pepper). 
Wash and chop 1/2 cup cilantro. 

Place cabbage, lettuce, avocado, pepper, green onion, green beans, chicken and Piri Piri peppers in a large mixing bowl. Toss with one can refried beans and 1 small container of pico de gallo. 

Before serving, add the juice of two limes and 1-1/2 cups crushed Tostitos. 


Monday, May 02, 2016

Pumpkin-cinnamon French toast with sautéed apples, cottage cheese and maple syrup

So this recipe reads like autumn. Yadda-yadda-yadda. I'm pregnant and ALL I was thinking about the freshly-tapped maple syrup I'd get to pour over top. Credit for the pumpkin French toast part of the recipe goes to Laura of lauraemphemera. My changes to the original were quite minor. This recipe serves 2-3 people. 

xx

To prepare the French toast:

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling, 2T pumpkin spice latte syrup, 1T almond extract, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/4 tsp allspice. 

Dunk thick slices of brioche bread into the egg mixture, then sauté in butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side, until well-browned.

To prepare the apples:

Peel and core 3 apples, then cut into 1" pieces. Tart varieties like Granny Smith work well for sautéing. Heat 1T butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the apples. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top, then cook for several minutes until starting to brown, turning regularly. If the apples aren't softening, you can cover them with a lid for a minute or two to build up steam. 

To assemble:

Spread cottage cheese over the toast and top with a generous scoop of sautéed apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup.

We served this with turkey breakfast sausage sautéed with maple-caramelized onions on the side. The sweet and savoury fix carried us through the better part of the day. 



Friday, April 22, 2016

What I've been wearing lately (early 3rd trimester, part 2 of 2)

As we move into early spring I've been integrating more colour into my wardrobe, like a sunny yellow cardigan paired with navy and white stripes or rust-coloured elastic-waist trousers. My off-duty wear runs a little more boho. Low-heeled suede booties deliver major comfort and a wide-brim fedora balances out my growing belly. 

In other news, I've been thinking about the future of my blog and have decided to wind it down after our baby arrives. It's been my OTHER labour of love for the past five years but not one I have the heart or time to keep up. I'm truly grateful to those - particularly friends and family - who have been loyal readers and supporters of a second glance, clumsy attempts at photography and all :) My love of fashion and food will not wane, and I'm still weighing options for a more low-maintenance and lower-frequency social media presence. Thoughts are welcome!! 

All that being said, I'm still aiming to do one more set of 3rd trimester pregnancy photos. I've also got some yummy recipe posts lined up for the coming weeks, including my latest weekend brunch fix. So don't go anywhere yet...

xx



Jeans – H&M Maternity
Stretchy tank – The Bay
Knit tank – Dynamite
Shirt - Gap, thrifted
Booties – Aldo
Hat – Rag and Bone
Bracelets – Hand me down




Dress – Laura, on loan from my mom
Blazer – Deane and White via Winners
Shoes – Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth
Earrings – Hand me down
Ring - Winners





Tank – BCBG outlet
Cardigan – Talbots via Winners
Pants – Motherhood Maternity
Shoes – Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth
Watch – Cole Haan
Ring – Winners
Necklace – Claires




Top - Jones New York, on loan from my mom
Jeans - H&M Maternity
Hat - Rag and Bone
Shoes - Aldo
Bracelets - Hand-me-down




Top - Dynamite
Skirt - Banana Republic, on loan from my mom
Earrings - Thailand market
Shoes - Coach outlet




Blouse - Brand unknown, on loan from my mom
Pants - Vero Moda
Blazer - Banana Republic
Shoes - Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth
Earrings and ring - Hand-me-down





Top – Calvin Klein, on loan from my mom
Leggings – H&M Maternity
Boots – Aquatalia
Earrings - Witchery
Ring – Winners



Jeans – H&M Maternity
Nude tank – The Bay
Blouse – Louben via Winners
Blazer – H&M
Shoes – Aldo 
Ring – Winners




Dress – Ann Taylor, consigned
Scarf (worn as belt) - Thrifted
Boots – Aquatalia
Ring - Winners

Friday, April 15, 2016

What I've been wearing lately (early 3rd trimester, part 1 of 2)

 I just entered my third trimester and I'm still feeling pretty great. Since we found out we're expecting a little boy (awwww) we've been busy talking and reading to my bump and planning a nursery in hues of sage green, grey, ecru and espresso. We're getting pretty excited to meet this little one!

It hasn't been practical to take photos in real time, so I did a blitz of outfits I've worn in the months since my last post, split into two posts. This one covers late winter and the next early spring. I'm 28 weeks pregnant here, or 7.5 months. 

My pregnancy uniform has included more black, flats and lower heels, layering on top, and cinching or detailing just below the bust. 

Check back in next week for part two!

xx




Top - RW&Co outlet
Poncho - Majora, thrifted
Pants - Old Navy Maternity
Shoes - Aldo
Earrings - Hand-me-down
Ring - Winners



Sweater - DKNY outlet
Pants - Motherhood Maternity
Jacket - Paola Prata, consigned
Shoes - Anne Klein via Saks Off Fifth
Earrings - Ardene
Bracelet - BHLDN
Ring - Winners



Leggings – Gap
Top – Motherhood Maternity
Cardigan – Rebecca Ruby, thrifted
Scarf – Consigned
Boots – Aquatalia
Earrings - Gift
Ring – Winners




Jeans - H&M Maternity
Top - Bylyse, on loan from my mom
Ribbon - from RW and Co sweater
Blazer - H&M
Shoes - Coach outlet
Watch - Cole Haan





Pants - Theory via Saks Off Fifth
Belly band - Old Navy Maternity
Tank - Motherhood Maternity 
Cardigan - Twik, on loan from a friend
Shoes - Coach outlet
Earrings - Gift
Ring - Winners




Pants - F21 via clothes swap
Tank - H&M
Blazer - Banana Republic
Shoes - Aldo
Necklace - Le Chateau
Earrings - Hand-me-down




Long-sleeved tee - RW and Co outlet
Tank - Lululemon via clothes swap
Leggings - Gap
Shoes - Cole Haan




Dress - Blumarine, consigned
Vest - Calvin Klein via Winners
Tights - H&M Maternity
Shoes - Coach outlet
Bracelets - Aldo accessories, Toronto boutique




Tank - Pea in a Pod Maternity
Blouse - Larry Levine Signature via Winners
Pants - Theory Saks Off Fifth
Shoes - Aldo
Ring - Hand-me-down
Earrings - Gift




Tank - RW and Co.
Pants - Old Navy Maternity
Blazer - V.O.K.
Necklace - Road Trip
Shoes - Aldo
Earrings and ring - Hand me down




Turtleneck - French Connection
Skirt - Ann Taylor, on loan from my mom
Boots - Aquatalia
Tights - H&M Maternity
Earrings - Le Chateau



Top - Trf via Laura 
Pants - Motherhood Maternity
Shoes - Aldo, thrifted
Earrings - Moon Rocks
Bracelets - Aldo accessories and Toronto boutique
Ring - Winners



Dress - Jacob
Cardigan - Neiman Marcus outlet
Tights - H&M Maternity
Boots - Aquatalia
Necklace - Aakriti Designs