Cilantro Turkey Sloppy Joes with Watermelon Feta Salad

I was so excited when I took a huge bite of this sandwich because not only is it healthy, but it's also delicious!! The cilantro mixed with the cumin adds something so amazing and perfect for these sloppy joes. If you haven't caught on yet, I am pretty much obsessed with anything that has cilantro and/or cumin.
I have been looking for meals that I can prepare now and freeze to be eaten when Ben and I are changing diapers/feeding/never sleeping in a week or two (ahhh!!). Now that I know how yummmmy these sloppy joes are, I am definitely going to prepare a batch of this meat and put a bag of hamburger buns in the freezer so they're ready to go! The cool juicy watermelon feta salad is perfect for a hot sunny day--especially if you are 37 1/2 weeks pregnant!

What are some of your favorite meals to make ahead and freeze?

 

Cilantro Turkey Sloppy Joes with Watermelon Feta Salad

Recipe adapted from the Fresh20

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cilantro, chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons honey or pure maple syrup
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
• 1/2 head green leaf lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 3-4 pound watermelon cut into 2inch cubes
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 6-8 leaves fresh basil, shredded
• 1 pound lean ground turkey (can substitute beef)

 

Cooking Directions

 

1. Heat an extra large sauté pan over medium-high heat; once hot, add in oil, onion, and carrots. Saute vegetables until translucent, 3-5 minutes.
2. Add in ground turkey, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt & pepper. Saute over medium-high heat until meat is browned, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together tomato paste and water until combined.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, add tomato paste/water mixture to pan, stir to combine. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Stir in cilantro and honey (or maple syrup) and toast buns in the toaster.
6. Fill each sandwich bun with meat and a handful of shredded lettuce.

For watermelon feta salad:

1. Toss watermelon cubes with feta and basil. Serve cold.

Makes 3-4 servings.

 

Pregnancy Update--3 weeks to go!

Taken at 35 weeks by Starla

How Far Along: 37 weeks yesterday! Jack can come anytime in the next 3-5 weeks!

Size of Baby: Jack is the size of a bunch of swiss chard--that's the best babycenter can give me! He is about 19 inches from head to toe and weighs about 6 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Only a handful of my maternity clothes still fit--shorts/pants are getting very uncomfortable and the shirts don't cover the entire belly anymore! 

Stretch Marks: Still don't have any--have been using coconut oil and my handmade lotion bars (post coming soon on these) after every time I shower. I have heard that sometimes women get them in the last few days or even after having the baby--either way, I will be okay if they suddenly appear! Not too worried about them...

  

Sleep: I am still enjoying my sleep! Getting in/out of bed is becoming a little more difficult, and moving around in bed is pretty much out of the question. The only thing interrupting my sleep as of now are trips to the bathroom.

Best Moment of the Week/Past Month:  Getting to hear Jack's heartbeat (and see the look on Ben's face) is definitely the best part of the week! Still amazes me that there is a living human being growing inside of me!!

Movement:  Jack is so low that every movement feels like he is squeezing my bladder. I've seen limbs stick out of my belly at least an inch or so--but still haven't been able to make out a hand or a foot....patiently waiting for that! 

Cravings: ICE CREAM! Ben is really happy about this one--I used to never be a big ice-cream person, but it seems like I can't get enough at this point!!

Belly Button In or Out: Out!! So far out! I was wearing a band-aid every day to work to cover it, but I am now just displaying it proudly due to laziness/not caring anymore.

Wedding Ring on or Off: On--the only swelling I've experienced so far has been in my ankles/feet. 

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: All of my food aversions have disappeared--although the 'getting sick' part has randomly appeared a time or two in this last trimester. 

What I Miss: Not feeling like I have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes! 

What I am Looking Forward to: Meeting Jack!!! Seeing Ben as a dad. 

Labor Signs: If Braxton Hicks contractions count--then yes! Have been having them like crazy the past month or so--although I've noticed they do slow down when I am consciously drinking water non-stop all day.

Nursery: Organized and clothes cleaned! 

Emotions:  Feeling more and more 'ready' with each passing day! Still very nervous/anxious about labor--not knowing what to expect is the worst part. Getting the nursery ready and all of Jack's things organized has helped me feel ready to meet him.

Thank you Gratefully Inspired  for the post idea!

How to tell your boss you're pregnant after only working there for 1 month..

If you found this post by googling the above title, you may want to stick around for a while because you and I are definitely two peas in a pod.  
I found myself doing exactly that, on the morning of December 5th after receiving the call from my doctor, "Congratulations! You're going to be a mom!" To which I nonchalantly glanced at coworker #1 sitting to my left, and coworker #2 sitting to my right, and responded, "Oh, wow. Ok, thank you. Bye." and hung up. My first day on the job was November 5th...I had been there for exactly 1 month.
I had so many thoughts running through my mind, excitement/fear about the baby growing inside me, nervousness about the reality that I was going to be a mom, anxiousness about telling my coworkers that I would be leaving soon after I just settled in...so I stepped outside to get some fresh air. The first thing I did was walk next door to the convenience store and out of the 10 cards they had, found one that said, "Congrats! Woo-hoo! You did it!" (Which by the way, is the same card my coworkers gave me on my first day of work) and I wrote something like "I'm pregnant! Love, wife". 
The second thing I did was return to my desk and google the above blog post title. All of the articles that I found online can be pretty much summed up by this: You have the right to wait to tell your boss until you want to. There were also a bunch of articles going through the nitty gritty of maternity leave. I'm not sure what I was looking for, maybe a script of exactly what to say, but I found that nothing I came across seemed helpful. And then to add to my nervousness, I had a realization that I work for the government and they are probably tracking my google searches and have probably already told my boss that I'm pregnant and planning on quitting! Great!!

Maybe you're confused as to why I even had anxiety over telling my boss, so let me explain:

• I knew 100% for certain that I had no intentions of returning to work after having Jack
• The company and coworker #1 had spent a lot of time training me, and I wouldn't even work for them for a full year
• I know how awesome of an employee I am and how hard it would be to replace me ;)
• With sequestration and budget cuts, it seemed highly unlikely that they would be granted the funds again to even hire for my position

So after the internet failed me and the government stalked me, I finished out my work day and headed home. When Ben walked in the door, I handed him the card and said, "Look at this weird Christmas card we got today"...he read it, looked at me, re-read it, looked at me again, and then with a really red face, he hugged and kissed me (Marines don't cry).

We decided that it would be best if I put off telling my work for another month so our families would be the first people we told while we were home for Christmas. We told my family on Christmas morning by having my mom open a bib that said "I love my grandma" while webcamming with my brother and sister-in-law. It was a bit confusing because she first thought the bib was from my brother (he has 2 little ones), but then when I said "It's from me and Ben!!", she still just responded, "Aw thanks guys, I'll bring it when I visit John & Beth" (brother and sister-in-law). I finally had to say, "I"M PREGNANT"--and then everyone was shocked/excited.

We told Ben's family over dinner at the favorite local pizza place. The night we came into town, Ben's sister announced that she was expecting, so over dinner, Ben said "Hey mom--Bek is not the only one!!" Everyone again was confused and didn't really believe him, but after we kept insisting that we were not kidding, hugs and congrats were passed all around.

After a great vacation home with both of our families--I returned to work the first week in January and decided it was time.

I asked some of my close friends and family for advice on my task at hand, and I think what sunk in the most came from my cousin. She said, "Nikki, I know you're awesome and that you are a great employee. But everyone is replaceable. Everyone. Even you." With that in mind, I asked coworker #1 (my counterpart) if she would step outside with me. We sat on the benches and I told her my news, to which of course she was super excited and said how happy she was for me. With renewed confidence, I then walked into my bosses office, asked if I could close the door, and shared my news of being pregnant and not planning to return to work. My boss was incredibly supportive and shared in my excitement.

And that was it!!  So if you are nervous about telling your boss that you are pregnant and not returning to work, my advice is to just get it done and over with as soon as possible so you can start using the "I'm pregnant" excuse to get out of almost anything! Seriously, it works great!! 

Last week was my last week at work, and while it was extremely bittersweet, I am so thankful for the time I had working there and wouldn't have changed a thing.