What Went On in February

Despite being well and truly over the cold weather by this point, I enjoy February, probably because my birthday falls at the end of it, so I have something to look forward to! Here’s what went on in February for me.

Remember I told you guys that at the beginning of the year I started weekly meal planning and shopping for the week? Well, I’ve actually been keeping that going (I’m as surprised as you are), so I’ve been cooking a lot more. Here’s a look at what I’ve been making and cooking this month:

Clockwise from top: Muffins and more muffins! I’ve been experimenting a little, since discovering if you keep the basic measurements the same, you can go a little crazy with the add-ins. This month I did carrot zucchini, banana walnut, and chocolate chip variations. I make them mini-size so they can be a treat for Roman and I don’t feel bad about having two! 😉

I cooked up the chickpea burgers from the Cook&Go event I went to a year ago – they’re still an easy staple in our kitchen.

I also revisited the baked cod packet with olives, onion, feta and tomato recipe.

On a particularly cold night I made a chicken curry and packed it with spinach for some extra veggie power.

Cupcakes for Valentine’s Day! This is about as much as we celebrate the occasion.

I ‘pantry shopped’ one night when Fran was out and threw together cannellini beans, olives, basil, mushrooms & bacon. Pretty yummy!

And we cannot get enough of this potato and leek soup recipe. Fran teases me that every time I make it and he says how delicious it is, I recount how easy it is to make (it really is the easiest thing in the world).

All that delicious food has been fueling my workouts for the month:

I’m still running! Treadmill when I can’t make it outside, but it still feels good and comfortable, at 34 weeks now. I take some walk breaks and my max is about 30 minutes at a time, but I’m still enjoying it. I’ve also been getting some strength training in and I think you know how I feel about my weekly prenatal yoga! 😉

I also had a super fun workout with Gabrielle Reece, at an event hosted by Balance Bar in the city. It was so much fun! It was in Chelsea, not far from my very first apartment in NYC back in the summer of 2000, so it was kind of a trip down memory lane as I made my way from the subway. Gabby was demoing her new workout she’s rolling out in gyms this year, which is like HIIT circuit training. It was a great workout and she is really lovely and friendly, plus a good instructor. And TALL. I also got to see the lovely Nellie there, so we had a little catch up.

It’s somewhat of a miracle I’ve been getting outdoors to run as much as I’ve been able – this winter has been brutal again. I guess this is the new normal? Luckily I’ve become a pro at layering. And then we have one day out of nowhere that’s 45 degrees and it feels “warm”.

With a three-year-old in the house, it’s meant I’ve become creative with trying to keep him occupied and entertained when it’s too miserably cold to brave the outdoors. Check us out, being all crafty-like:

But really, all Roman ever wants to do is go outside and play. He hates getting all bundled up, but once he’s out in the snow, it can be tough to drag him back home. He renamed the sandpit at our local playground the ‘snowpit’ and actually I think he’s thrilled he doesn’t have to have any stand-offs with other kids over toys and sharing.

Okay, back to food, because, well, I’m pregnant and it’s a very important part of my life right now! In February I shared a couple of recipes with you, one for a Southwestern Sweet Potato and Corn soup, which is so good you should probably make it immediately. The other was a mocktail, but throw some rum in it and everyone will be so impressed you know how to whip up a mojito – Grapefruit and Mint Faux Mojito.

I also have to share this awesome recipe I found on Pinterest, for Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese. I think I’ve mentioned before that one of the foods Roman inexplicably likes (when he loathes so many staples of most people’s diet) is any kind of olive. So when I saw this recipe, I decided to give it a shot and see if we could get more than a few bites at a time into him. He INHALES this. It’s gone before the steam has dissipated. I’ve tweaked it a couple of times in terms of ingredients, but only if I don’t have everything I need on hand (for example I’ve used pesto instead of fresh basil when I haven’t had it), but it really is such a great recipe. It’s not THE healthiest thing you’ll ever cook, but if you keep the portion size small it’s not terrible.

In February I featured four amazing mother runners on Fit Mama Friday. Three of these women, Laura, Angela and Michele, are currently training (and oh-so-close now!) for the Boston Marathon! I can’t wait to track their progress and see how they do on the day – it’s so exciting! The fourth fit mama, Crystal, I kind of want to be like when I grow up. 😉 She is a pregnancy running machine. I am so impressed with her drive, her attitude and her dedication to setting a good example to her kids. Please check them out if you missed any of their stories, because they are all truly inspiring.

Speaking of Fit Mama Friday, it so happens that the winner of the For Two Fitness giveaway was a past Fit Mama Friday herself! My client and friend Emma was the lucky winner of a workout top of her choice. As you can see, we are almost exactly as far along as each other, in a second pregnancy for us both! It’s been so fun to train her while we go through all the same things at the same time. This was us at a goodbye party a couple of weeks ago for one of our book club members who moved to Chicago:

Our book club read Jenny Offill’s Dept. of Speculation for February. There were three camps in our group – those who loved it, those who hated it and those who thought it was masterfully written but didn’t like it anyway. I fell into the hated it camp. Has anyone read it? Did you like it? I read some reviews after I’d read it and made up my mind, but it seems like nearly all the reviewers would have been in the loved it group if they belonged to out book club! At least it was short which meant I also managed to read another book, The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriaty this month. It isn’t spectacular, but it was a fun page-turner – it’s been sitting in my Kindle forever and I couldn’t even remember what had made me buy it, so it was one of those fun surprise books where you have no idea what you’re about to read.

I dusted off my blender this past month and have been trying to make smoothies a few days a week. Honestly, the first time I did it was because I had bananas that had seen better days, but then I realized Roman loves them, so if I can throw some spinach or kale in there it’s just another way to sneak veggies into his life. Another way I tried to trick him into eating a vegetable he insists upon hating is by moulding some mashed potato into Olaf from Frozen. He thought it was so awesome, but point-blank refused to eat any of it. What kind of kid hates potato? And mine actually really doesn’t – he eats my potato and leek soup happily, because he has no idea that’s the main ingredient.

And then the end of the month rolled around and my birthday with it! Turning 37 while 8 months pregnant doesn’t scream crazy party, but I did have a lovely day. It started with Fran taking the day off, chocolate croissants for breakfast, my yoga class, a quick lunch with my boys, then I took myself off to Bliss Spa for a prenatal massage. Also, check out the cake Fran and Roman had made for me, with winged sneakers! How cute is that?

Other things I was into this month: The NY Rangers are having a stellar season and despite setbacks like their goalie, Henrik Lundqvist (who is also perhaps one of the most handsome men to ever walk the planet) being out for an indefinite period with an injury, they are well on their way to the playoffs. So I’ve been loving watching them play! I am sad, though, that Downton Abbey has ended for the season and it will be a whole year before it’s back on air.

So, tell me about your February – what went on for all of you?

What books did you read this month?

Is everyone over winter?

Any fun events or celebrations?