Sunday Swimming, Eggplant, and Boston!

Here's a recap of our very busy, fun, and productive day...

Surprise! Last minute trip into Boston tonight for dinner! I cooked a ton today and had a lot of extra food, so last minute, I called Chrissy and Linds to see if they would be up for some visitors. Sure enough, they said yes. SO we basically took over their apartment and their roof deck.

But first, we started the day with swim lessons. Here we are in the waiting area waiting for the swim lessons to begin. Caden left, Conor right.

My mom stopped by the YMCA and watched the swim lessons for a bit. She was able to snap some awesome pics for us. Since we are both in the water with a child, we usually don't get any action shots. :)

On our way home, we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some stuff for the week. I also grabbed an eggplant because I was craving some homemade eggplant rollatini. I've never made them before, but they are one of my absolute favorites. They were simple to make, just a few different steps. First, I sliced the eggplant, salted it and laid it out on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes. I wiped off the excess moisture. I then drizzled some EVOO, salt, and pepper and baked for 25 min at 350 degrees. This is what they looked like...

While they baked, I made the ricotta mixture - pictured above. It was ricotta cheese, fresh basil, scallions, salt, pepper, romano cheese, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and one egg. I mixed it up and then put a spoonful in the cooled eggplant after it baked. Below.

I rolled them up and placed them in some marinara sauce in an oven-safe dish. My corningware is my favorite!!!

I then topped it with some fresh mozz cheese and some more fresh basil. I baked it again at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

I am so sad I didn't take an after pic. I packed it in a hurry to head into Boston to meet Chrissy and Lindsey. But it was so yummy and gooey and delicious. It was a perfect little app to have on their roof deck. I paired it with some "baked spaghetti" which was basically the remaining ricotta mixture, some marinara sauce and spaghetti. I baked it in the oven while the eggplant was cooking. It was simple and a good addition since there wasn't much eggplant for four people.

Oh, and I also made some brownies because you know....why not?

We brought my mom's rocking chair over from her house...a good addition to the nursery.

Jim also surprised me with this adirondack set for our front yard. He also bought some mulch from Home Depot - it's in the background - which we still need to spread. Hopefully we have some good weather this week! I will take the labels off these chairs soon, promise.

Here are a few of my fav shots from dinner in Beacon Hill. Con and Cay with the John Hancock tower in the background. Funny story about the John Hancock tower. Conor and Caden have some pretty sweet ties to it:
1.) My maternal grandfather's last name is Hancock
2.) Jim's paternal grandfather worked at the John Hancock building many years ago.

Digging in their grapes! I made them chicken with a sesame/honey marinade, corn straight from the cob, some of the "baked spaghetti", fresh fruit, and yogurt. And guess what they ate? The yogurt, the grapes, and tons of mini eggs and brownies. SWEET.

I'll close with a [rather exposed] 31 week belly comparison -- left pic was me with the twins, and the right pic was taken before swim lessons this morning. Yep, rocking the two piece because my tankini doesn't fit anymore and I refuse to wear a t-shirt. Any gender guesses now????

Have a great week everyone!
xo,
Shaz