It's a BOY!

William Michael Moore arrived on June 9 at 8:02pm!!!! He is 9 lbs. 1oz. and 22 inches long! Little Will is healthy, beautiful and perfect in every way. We still cannot believe that he is here and that he is OURS. Our little family is so very blessed and we are feeling extremely overwhelmed with love this week. We are happy to be home and settling into life with our new little prince!

Oh, Baby!

It's officially baby month and we are (im)patiently waiting for our little one to arrive! My doctor thought for sure that I would not spend this past weekend pregnant but I'm still here with an almost 40 week baby bump- I cannot believe it! In the beginning, pregnancy seems like such a long, long time but looking back, these past 9 months have been some of the fastest of my life! I'm still feeling good and just cruising through these last days.

We have some major renovations going on at Casa Moore right now and thankfully, they will be done soon! Our little lovie's room is ready though! Here's a little sneak peak of some details of the room where our baby will have many sweet dreams. 

Once little mister or miss decides to come out and play, I have some gender specific details that I can't wait to add to the nursery. This room turned out perfectly and is my favorite in our house! 

Basic Marinade Ratio

It's officially grilling season!! Nothing says Summer cooking like firing up the Komado Joe! Mark does all the heavy lifting (grilling) and I have time to play in the kitchen and focus on fresh salads, sides and tasty cocktails! I came across some great marinating tips in the June issue of Cooking Light and thought I would pass them along. This marinade formula is what I typically stick to and results in perfectly marinated meat every time.

Basic Marinade Ratio

Cooking Light, June 2013, pg. 13

one part acid (vinegar, citrus juice or yogurt)

one part oil 

two parts aromatics (fresh herbs)

salt or soy sauce

sugar

The chef in Cooking Light recommended canola oil as a neutral oil but I always tend to use olive oil. For the sugar component, I like to use Grade A Maple Syrup or honey, but sometimes I leave this part out all together. I try to keep salt to a minimum and unless I am using soy sauce, do not salt the meat until right before it goes on the grill.

Happy grilling to all!

Pink or Blue!?

...we will find out soon! Little Lovie's due date is officially ONE MONTH from today- we cannot believe it! Time is flying by and it's hard to comprehend this new adventure we're about to be on. 

It's been a bit of a challenge to stock up on newborn clothes not knowing if our little baby is a boy or a girl but thanks to Baby Gap and Target, we have some sweet pieces to start off with. I also discovered the gem of all gems for parents who don't know the baby's gender- a reversible clothing line! TwoTara makes darling clothes that are pink on one side and blue on the other! I ordered this striped bubble gown and matching hat. Any of the cute pieces from TwoTara would make wonderful gifts for friends who may not be finding out! They would also make a thoughtful gift to give someone who has just announce that they have a bundle on the way.

Let the final countdown to baby's arrival begin!

Health + Fitness Friday: Staying Hydrated

It's time for another dose of Healthy + Fitness Friday with my good friend Jen! This week, I want to focus on hydration, because pregnant or not pregnant, making sure you are drinking enough water is so important. I drink tons of water normally and have found that during this pregnancy, I can't seem to quench my thirst enough! Like most people, I get "watered out" and some days it just doesn't go down as easily. I've found that adding fresh fruit to my water helps to mix it up a bit! The Ballantyne Hotel here in Charlotte always has ice cold fruit infused water in the lobby and after a spa day there several years ago, I was inspired to create my own infused waters. These are so easy to keep in a pitcher in the fridge-  Lemon, orange and lime slices are my go-to favorite, but lately I've been experimenting with other fruit infused waters! 

strawberries + mint

watermelon + strawberries

raspberries + oranges

pineapple + mango + mint

lemons + limes + oranges + grapefruit

cucumber

I'm also a huge fan of keeping a water bottle filled and with me at all times. I still use my trusty Nalgene bottle that holds 32 oz. of water, but lately, I have found that I drink even more water through a straw!! I'm convinced it's a mind trick. I keep my 24 oz. Tervis Tumbler filled with ice, water and a few slices of lemon. I pop a straw in the lid and I'm drinking water all day long. Much better than any sweet, fake, zero calorie drinks with artificial sweeteners and God knows what other chemicals.

Wine, Limearitas and Arnold Palmer's made with Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka are the usual suspects around 6pm this time of year, but since I'm still on happy hour lockdown, I've been enjoying the same fruit infused waters made with sparkling water! We got a SodaStream for Christmas and it's nice to have bubbly water to mix things up.

Drink your water, everyone!!

Now, as for my health and fitness goals for May...let's just say I'm more concerned about keeping this baby snug as a bug in my belly at least until 37 weeks! That counts, right? Other than that, I plan to keep up moderate activity like taking my crazy doodle pup for long walks and continuing with light strength training. Staying active has been so important to me while pregnant!

Enjoy your weekends, everyone!

Snickerdoodles

When you eat salads for dinner, you can have a cookie for dessert. It's all about balance, right? 

It rained ALL. DAY. LONG. on Sunday. Buckets of rain pouring down from the typically Carolina blue skies and although it was much needed, it made for an extremely lazy day at home. Something about a dark rainy day almost always calls for a treat, obvi.  Snickerdoodles to the rescue! I love the sugary crisp cinnamon coating of a giant Snickerdoodle with a center that still has just the right amount of chew. As I searched for a recipe, I noticed that so many of them called for shortening- yuck! I knew that there had to be an alternative and luckily, I came across a recipe on Smitten Kitchen that had a basic ingredients list.

Cinnamon and chocolate are equals in my book. I must say that these cookies just may give my beloved New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie a run for their money.

Snickerdoodles
recipe from Smitten Kitchen

2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
16 Tbsp. or 2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 and 3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in the top third and one rack in the bottom third. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat, and set aside.

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 and 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients and beat until combined. Chill dough for at least one hour or up to overnight.

Once dough has chilled, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Using an ice cream scoop, form balls of the dough (about the size of a small golf ball) and roll in the cinnamon and sugar. Place cookies about two inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are set in the center and begin to crack, 10-12 minutes. If you are cooking more than one sheet at a time, rotate after 5 minutes. (I cooked 6 to a sheet, one sheet at a time in the center of the oven). Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to the rack. 

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Roasted Salmon Nicoise Salad

I could live on salads. Dark leafy greens tossed with veggies, olive oil, balsamic and grilled protein is pretty much the perfect meal in my book. Mark doesn't jump up and down like I do over this "girl food" but after we eat salad for dinner, he always leaves the table happy and admits how tasty it was. Here's a healthy (and classic) dinner salad recipe to jump start your week.

Sophie, this one's for you!

Roasted Salmon Nicoise Salad
serves two

1/2 lb. fillet wild salmon
1 Romaine heart, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
6 spears asparagus, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
2 small red potatoes
Olive oil for drizzling
Dried dill
Salt
Pepper

Slice potatoes into small wedges and toss on a small baking sheet with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. On a separate baking sheet, place salmon and drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper and some dried dill. Place both sheets in the oven and turn the oven to 400 degrees. Roast for 25 minutes. Salmon should be flaky and potatoes should be sizzling and crispy. I usually leave the potatoes in the oven for an extra five minutes while the salmon cools off.

Meanwhile, toss asparagus pieces in a little olive oil and sautee on medium heat in a medium pan until bright green and tender. 

Assemble salad as shown above and top with Champagne Vinagirette or Mediterranean Vinaigrette.