Sticky & Sweet Asian Meatballs

Happy Friday!

I know it's been forever since I have updated my neglected food blog. It has been a few hectic weeks and I'm finally getting caught up here. We recently celebrated Elena's 1st year birthday and baptism, and I plan on sharing some of my favorite birthday pictures next week. And more importantly, cupcake hasn't made an appearance just yet, we have 10 more days to go until my scheduled c-section on May 13....unless cupcake decides otherwise. I'm almost near the end of my second pregnancy and finally ready for cupcake to join our growing family.

Then I had the worst luck of them all and my computer crashed and I lost some precious photos from the past year and other files on my computer. Some stupid Windows update had malfunctioned or something, and my computer refused to cooperate. I usually back-up my data on my external hard-drive and it was on my agenda of things to do this past week but I never got to it. It was a tough lesson learned and I can't stop kicking myself in the butt for it either. Thankfully, Eric and I have been able to recover many of the lost photos but it's taken all of this week to configure everything back onto my computer. It's been very time-consuming and this time around I'm making sure that I back up everything.

PF Chang's Spicy Chicken

Well, 2013 you sneaked up on me. All of my Christmas decorations are finally put away, and Valentine decorations have gone up, too. Yet, I'm still trying to fathom how it's been 10 years that I have graduated college. For reals? And more importantly how is it that in four short months, Elena will be a one year old and soon after that we will be welcoming her baby brother in 5 months! Oh.my.goodness. Time is ticking fast, and I'm already gathering ideas for Elena's 1st year birthday and cupcake's Lego-themed nursery before it's too late.

I'm not jumping on a resolution bandwagon due to my pregnancy self because I might be bound to bake a batch of brownies for myself or visit my favorite waffle sandwich shop for fried chicken and waffles. But I do partake in healthy eating and moderate exercise because I'm setting the path for Elena. We want to be healthy to watch Elena and cupcake grow up, get married and see our future grandchildren and great-grandchildren someday. Having a child sometimes gives you perspective on what's important in life.

Thankfully, my second trimester of my pregnancy has been awesome so far. I have been cooking more meals lately, prepping lots of baby food for Elena and chasing her all around the house. We squeeze in some outdoor walks when it's not too cold and she watches mommy do yoga in the living room. This scrumptious meal easily came together because Eric and I used to frequent PF Chang's during our college years for many of our dinner dates or nights that we never made dinner. I modified the original recipe by baking the chicken instead of frying it thus making it a slightly healthier version. I served this over a bed of basmati rice and a side of steamed broccoli.

Delicious way to enjoy sweet and spicy chicken at home!

PF Changs's Spicy Chicken
Adapted from Epicurious
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Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

Most weekends at our house are quite busy because we run a million errands, clean house, grocery shop, and try to spend some family time together. Or sometimes we do nothing at all, and those are the best weekends of all. One of our many places to grocery shop is at Costco. We like to buy staple items in bulk, stock up on various proteins/cheeses/frozen items, and sometimes peruse the sample stations (if they aren't too crowded). I highly suggest shopping on a full stomach because sometimes you tend to eat all the samples and purchase some of them, too. It's sometimes impossible to not spend more than $100 when shopping at Costco!

Whenever we are there, I always try and check out the fresh fish section because it's one protein that we don't eat enough. This past summer, I have made a couple batches of ceviche or prepared our favorite fish tacos. Both of these dishes use a white flaky fish like halibut or tilapia. Most times I have to purchase fish that isn't too "fishy" because Eric's tastebuds are a little picky when it comes to fish.

I came across a small inexpensive cut of salmon fillets, just perfect for the two of us. That is always a gem to find because Costco always has large cuts of salmon available to purchase. I found a fantastic recipe on my friend Jessica's blog, and knew that this meal would be fantastic. If she loved it, I knew we would, too. This quick to prepare meal came together in less than 30 minutes. The pineapple teriyaki glaze is a perfect addition to the cooked salmon and just bursts in your mouth.

Simply phenomenal.

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

Adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego
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{Printable Recipe}

General Tso's Chicken

Happy last Friday of July!

Like seriously? WOW. I could have sworn Fourth of July was just the other day, but another summer month has come and gone. You know summer is almost over, when you spot school supplies already being displayed at the stores. Luckily, I am still home on my maternity leave and enjoying every minute of it with my sweet Elena.

I was delighted to participate in Sarah's Blogger's Choice Swap this month since the last time I participated was back in September which was around the time I had found out that I was pregnant. My food choices were slim pickings back then, and food blogging had come to withering halt. I was happy when I got assigned Katie's blog, So Tasty, So Yummy because there have been a number of recipes that I have bookmarked from her blog, and this swap was finally the kick in my butt to make something from that bucket list. Coincidentally, Katie and I have recently connected playing Scramble with Friends (AHEM - she's majorly kicking my butt!) so it was like kismet that I got her blog.

I had bookmarked this recipe ages ago for General Tso's Chicken when it was all the rage last year or so. It's a popular Chinese takeout dish that everyone loves, and Eric and I love our good share of Chinese food so we knew it was worth a taste. Thankfully, this dish came together in less than thirty minutes or so because I was dealing with a very hungry baby. You simply coat the chicken pieces in an egg mixture and quickly stir-fry the chicken until cooked and slightly crispy. Then you add the sauce to glaze it and top it off with the green onions. Dinner in a flash is always a winner to me!


Nothing like Chinese fakeout at home. 

General Tso's Chicken
Adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy 
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