What I've been wearing lately (two days to due date!)

I took these photos on June 30, two days before my due date of TODAY. I'm really glad to have them as a souvenir of the end of my pregnancy. For the past couple of weeks I've been happy to listen to my doctor's advice about slowing down my active lifestyle and getting plenty of rest. We've seen some signs of early labour but it's still a guessing game when our little one will arrive. We're excited to meet him, but as long as he continues to grow and keep up his wriggles and kicks, I'll happily continue to cart him around on the inside!

Clothing at the end of my pregnancy has been all about flat footwear, maxi dresses and comfort above all. Flair comes in the form of bold jewellery or bright colours. I've bought a couple of maternity pieces, but I've been grateful to my mom and fellow mamas for lending me some dresses to get me through these last few weeks. 

xx 

{My coworker took this picture when he spotted me transferring my nesting instincts to a clean-up of our office fridge.}

Dress - Tart Maternity

Necklace - Thrifted

Jacket - Saks Off Fifth

Pants - Motherhood Maternity

Tee - H&M Maternity

Cardigan - Veronika Maine
Necklace - Claire's
Earrings - Gift
Sandals - Ann Taylor
Watch - Cole Haan

{It's a teething necklace!}

Dress - Tommy Bahama, on loan from my mother

Necklace - Chewelsbytrink via Etsy
Flip flops - Walmart

{A non-maternity top that still fits...just!}

Tank - H&M 

Pants - Motherhood Maternity

Necklace - Laura

Sandals - Ann Taylor

Dress - Majora, on loan from a friend

Cardigan - Neiman Marcus outlet

Shoes - Vince Camuto

{I repurposed this thrifted tunic as a bathing suit coverup (seen here on our honeymoon), and now as a maternity shirt.}

Tunic - Vero Moda, thrifted

Tank - The Bay

Pants - Motherhood Maternity
Earrings - Banana Republic
Sandals - Ann Taylor

Dress - 5/48, on loan from my mom
Bracelets - Aakriti Designs
Earrings - Gift

Dress - Rebel Sugar, on loan from a friend

Jacket - Paola Prata, consigned

Necklace - Ardene
Bracelet - RW and Co.

Salmon-and-dill and zucchini fritter burger

The salmon patties in this post were inspired by this recipe. I made a couple of tweaks, substituting lime for lemon, ginger for garlic and adding lots of fresh dill. I also swapped out the avocado topping for zucchini fritters. Fish burgers are lean but they can be on the dry side, so the crispy-on-the-outside-moist-on-the-inside fritters and spicy aioli were terrific accompaniments. 

They cooked well in a skillet but I can't wait to try them again on the BBQ come summertime. 

xx

To make the salmon patties:

Start with 1 lb cooked wild salmon fillet. Cut off 1/4 of the salmon, finely chop by hand and set aside. Place the rest of the salmon in the food processor and pulse until slightly gluey.

De-core and finely dice 1 yellow pepper. 

Finely slice 2 stalks green onion. 

Chop 1/3 cup fresh dill. 

Peel and grate 1T ginger.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the salmon, pepper, green onion, ginger and dill. Add 6T Panko breadcrumbs, 1 lightly beaten egg, the juice of 1/2 lime, 1 tsp soya sauce and 1/4 tsp salt.

To make the zucchini fritters:

Using a food processor, grate 2 cups of zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander for 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess liquid. In a mixing bowl, combine grated zucchini with 1/3 cup flour, 1 lightly beaten egg and 1/4 tsp pepper.  

In a large skillet, heat 1T oil over medium heat. Rather than shaping the fritters ahead of time, I packed them into round silicone molds for poached eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes

To assemble:

Top one half of a toasted burger bun or English muffin with a salmon patty and a fritter. Add any kind of spicy aioli (I used a jalapeno-lime one available at Costco) and a small handful of fresh cilantro. 

Mexican everything salad

This recipe was a case of throwing together random ingredients from the fridge, with awesome results. The taste is similar to a loaded Taco, but lighter because of the high veggie ratio and lack of cheese. The 'dressing' takes the form of commercial pico de gallo and a can of refried beans. What could be easier?

I hadn't planned to blog about this dish and anyways, I was too busy chomping away and feeling pleased with myself to take a picture the day of. So this snap is from the next day when the greens were a little less perky.

Come summertime, if you find yourself with some leftover chicken, make this dish and spare yourself standing over a hot stove! This dish serves four.

xx

To make, wash and shred 1/4 head of green cabbage and 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce. 

Peel, de-core and dice 1 ripe avocado. 

De-core and dice 1 red or yellow pepper. 

Finely slice 1 small bunch of green onions. 

Steam 1 cup of green beans until tender-crisp, then cut into 1" pieces. 

Shred 1-1/2 cups cooked chicken (I used leftover roast chicken). 

Finely dice 4 Piri Piri peppers (or substitute 1 jalapeño pepper). 

Wash and chop 1/2 cup cilantro. 

Place cabbage, lettuce, avocado, pepper, green onion, green beans, chicken and Piri Piri peppers in a large mixing bowl. Toss with one can refried beans and 1 small container of pico de gallo. 

Before serving, add the juice of two limes and 1-1/2 cups crushed Tostitos. 

Pumpkin-cinnamon French toast with sautéed apples, cottage cheese and maple syrup

So this recipe reads like autumn. Yadda-yadda-yadda. I'm pregnant and ALL I was thinking about the freshly-tapped maple syrup I'd get to pour over top. Credit for the pumpkin French toast part of the recipe goes to Laura of lauraemphemera. My changes to the original were quite minor. This recipe serves 2-3 people. 

xx

To prepare the French toast:

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling, 2T pumpkin spice latte syrup, 1T almond extract, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/4 tsp allspice. 

Dunk thick slices of brioche bread into the egg mixture, then sauté in butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side, until well-browned.

To prepare the apples:

Peel and core 3 apples, then cut into 1" pieces. Tart varieties like Granny Smith work well for sautéing. Heat 1T butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the apples. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top, then cook for several minutes until starting to brown, turning regularly. If the apples aren't softening, you can cover them with a lid for a minute or two to build up steam. 

To assemble:

Spread cottage cheese over the toast and top with a generous scoop of sautéed apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup.

We served this with turkey breakfast sausage sautéed with maple-caramelized onions on the side. The sweet and savoury fix carried us through the better part of the day. 

What I've been wearing lately (early 3rd trimester, part 2 of 2)

As we move into early spring I've been integrating more colour into my wardrobe, like a sunny yellow cardigan paired with navy and white stripes or rust-coloured elastic-waist trousers. My off-duty wear runs a little more boho. Low-heeled suede booties deliver major comfort and a wide-brim fedora balances out my growing belly. 

In other news, I've been thinking about the future of my blog and have decided to wind it down after our baby arrives. It's been my OTHER labour of love for the past five years but not one I have the heart or time to keep up. I'm truly grateful to those - particularly friends and family - who have been loyal readers and supporters of a second glance, clumsy attempts at photography and all :) My love of fashion and food will not wane, and I'm still weighing options for a more low-maintenance and lower-frequency social media presence. Thoughts are welcome!! 

All that being said, I'm still aiming to do one more set of 3rd trimester pregnancy photos. I've also got some yummy recipe posts lined up for the coming weeks, including my latest weekend brunch fix. So don't go anywhere yet...

xx

Jeans – H&M Maternity

Stretchy tank – The Bay

Knit tank – Dynamite

Shirt - Gap, thrifted

Booties – Aldo

Hat – Rag and Bone

Bracelets – Hand me down

Dress – Laura, on loan from my mom

Blazer – Deane and White via Winners

Shoes – Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth

Earrings – Hand me down
Ring - Winners

Tank – BCBG outlet

Cardigan – Talbots via Winners

Pants – Motherhood Maternity

Shoes – Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth

Watch – Cole Haan

Ring – Winners

Necklace – Claires

Top - Jones New York, on loan from my mom

Jeans - H&M Maternity

Hat - Rag and Bone

Shoes - Aldo

Bracelets - Hand-me-down

Top - Dynamite

Skirt - Banana Republic, on loan from my mom

Earrings - Thailand market

Shoes - Coach outlet

Blouse - Brand unknown, on loan from my mom
Pants - Vero Moda

Blazer - Banana Republic
Shoes - Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth

Earrings and ring - Hand-me-down

Top – Calvin Klein, on loan from my mom

Leggings – H&M Maternity

Boots – Aquatalia

Earrings - Witchery

Ring – Winners

Jeans – H&M Maternity

Nude tank – The Bay

Blouse – Louben via Winners

Blazer – H&M

Shoes – Aldo 

Ring – Winners

Dress – Ann Taylor, consigned
Scarf (worn as belt) - Thrifted

Boots – Aquatalia
Ring - Winners

What I've been wearing lately (early 3rd trimester, part 1 of 2)

 I just entered my third trimester and I'm still feeling pretty great. Since we found out we're expecting a little boy (awwww) we've been busy talking and reading to my bump and planning a nursery in hues of sage green, grey, ecru and espresso. We're getting pretty excited to meet this little one!

It hasn't been practical to take photos in real time, so I did a blitz of outfits I've worn in the months since my last post, split into two posts. This one covers late winter and the next early spring. I'm 28 weeks pregnant here, or 7.5 months. 

My pregnancy uniform has included more black, flats and lower heels, layering on top, and cinching or detailing just below the bust. 

Check back in next week for part two!

xx

Top - RW&Co outlet

Poncho - Majora, thrifted
Pants - Old Navy Maternity
Shoes - Aldo
Earrings - Hand-me-down
Ring - Winners

Sweater - DKNY outlet

Pants - Motherhood Maternity

Jacket - Paola Prata, consigned

Shoes - Anne Klein via Saks Off Fifth

Earrings - Ardene

Bracelet - BHLDN

Ring - Winners

Leggings – Gap

Top – Motherhood Maternity

Cardigan – Rebecca Ruby, thrifted

Scarf – Consigned

Boots – Aquatalia

Earrings - Gift

Ring – Winners

Jeans - H&M Maternity

Top - Bylyse, on loan from my mom

Ribbon - from RW and Co sweater

Blazer - H&M

Shoes - Coach outlet

Watch - Cole Haan

Pants - Theory via Saks Off Fifth

Belly band - Old Navy Maternity

Tank - Motherhood Maternity 

Cardigan - Twik, on loan from a friend

Shoes - Coach outlet

Earrings - Gift

Ring - Winners

Pants - F21 via clothes swap

Tank - H&M

Blazer - Banana Republic

Shoes - Aldo

Necklace - Le Chateau

Earrings - Hand-me-down

Long-sleeved tee - RW and Co outlet

Tank - Lululemon via clothes swap

Leggings - Gap

Shoes - Cole Haan

Dress - Blumarine, consigned

Vest - Calvin Klein via Winners

Tights - H&M Maternity

Shoes - Coach outlet

Bracelets - Aldo accessories, Toronto boutique

Tank - Pea in a Pod Maternity

Blouse - Larry Levine Signature via Winners

Pants - Theory Saks Off Fifth

Shoes - Aldo

Ring - Hand-me-down

Earrings - Gift

Tank - RW and Co.

Pants - Old Navy Maternity

Blazer - V.O.K.

Necklace - Road Trip

Shoes - Aldo

Earrings and ring - Hand me down

Turtleneck - French Connection

Skirt - Ann Taylor, on loan from my mom

Boots - Aquatalia

Tights - H&M Maternity

Earrings - Le Chateau

Top - Trf via Laura 

Pants - Motherhood Maternity

Shoes - Aldo, thrifted

Earrings - Moon Rocks

Bracelets - Aldo accessories and Toronto boutique

Ring - Winners

Dress - Jacob

Cardigan - Neiman Marcus outlet

Tights - H&M Maternity

Boots - Aquatalia

Necklace - Aakriti Designs