happy spring!! aka STRAWBERRY SEASON! our farmers market has been overflowing with strawberries the last couple weekends and they are so good. dark red, sweet, not crunchy… berry perfection. i have been eating them just plain, adding them to yogurt, and slicing them and topping them on toast or an english muffin with some trader joe’s raw almond butter (my latest obsession).
of course, they are also delicious in a mocktail — my fun drinks to concoct during pregnancy, and in cocktails too! my other pregnancy craving lately has been GRAPES. so yummy and crunchy and sweet. love them. today baby is the size of an eggplant and i felt baby move for the first time last night!! so special.
chicken and broccoli alfredo tortellini bake
i made this simple and delicious recipe for a friend to have in her freezer postpartum, and she reported back saying it was delicious! it couldn’t be easier, and with the mix of chicken, pasta, veggies, and sauce, it’s a one-pan meal that ticks all the boxes — veggie, carb, protein!
ingredients:
one box of chicken tortellini
one bag of frozen broccoli florets
1 15 oz jar of alfredo sauce
1 6-8 oz jar of pesto
1 cup of shredded mozzarella or italian cheese blend
1/2 stick of butter
make it:
bring a pot of salted water to a boil and preheat oven to 375.
take the bag of broccoli out of the freezer and let it sit on your counter to defrost just a bit.
add the tortellini and cook 1 minute shy of package directions.
empty your broccoli into a strainer, then strain the tortellini over the top of the broccoli. this will lightly steam the broccoli and get it warm to mix with the pasta.
in a 9x13 baking dish, dump the pasta and broccoli.
pour the jar of pesto over and mix well, the pour in the jar of alfredo and mix again.
season with salt and pepper.
mix through 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.
cut the 1/2 stick of butter into 4 tbsp. squares and place the pats in each corner of the dish.
bake for 15-20 minutes, covered.
then uncover, top with remaining cheese, and broil for 3-5 minutes until cheese is browned and bubbly.
magical orange cake
ok, this is not my recipe. i read it in the Olivia Mack McCool newsletter, but it’s originally a food52 genius recipe. genius is the only word i have for it because never in my wildest dreams would i have 1) boiled oranges and then blended them or 2) made a cake without butter, oil, or some kind of milk / water. to be honest, i made this cake after reading the recipe because i just really wanted to see how it turned out! you do need at least 2 hours to boil the oranges. this can be done a day or so ahead of time, but build it into the cook time.
NOTE: the cake will brown A LOT. you will think maybe that you’ve burned it. you have not. just trust the magic process. the result is a soft, moist orange and almond cake that is just the perfect amount of sweet.
ingredients:
2 whole oranges (preferably organic since you are eating the skin)
6 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/4 cups of fine almond flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
make it:
bring the 2 whole oranges to boil in a large pot, covered with water. simmer for at least 2 hours. you will need to keep adding water to the pot as it evaporates. (you can put the oranges in a ziploc and store in the fridge overnight or until you’re ready to bake)
once the oranges are boiled and cooled, blend them on high until they are a smooth, pulpy orange mixture.
preheat oven to 400.
in a large bowl, whisk 6 eggs. then add the orange puree, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2 tsp of almond extract.
once mixed well, add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
oil a 9x9 or 8x8 baking dish with butter or cooking spray, then line with parchment paper.
pour in the cake mixture.
bake for 45 minutes.
remove from oven when a knife comes out clean from the center of the cake (you may have to keep baking in 5 min increments). i usually end up doing somewhere around an hour, but ovens vary!
TRY to let it cool before you cut into it.
serve it with some vanilla yogurt, whipped cream, or fresh strawberries. enjoy!!
mocktail time
cranberry juice and pineapple juice have been my favs lately, with a splash of club soda for fizz. wil also made a batch of virgin pina coladas which were delish! this weekend i am going to try a little mint / strawberry smash mocktail since our mint is so healthy!
have a wonderful weekend! the weather in bham is supposed to be sunny and gorgeous. i am so excited for the warmth and all the delicious produce that comes along with it. next time i’ll give you guys a little garden update!
xoxo, lauren & baby :)