hun.gry.

Otis, swaddled

Praise the Lord, the morning sickness seems to be a thing of the past. I haven't puked in six days which is a record. But what seems to be normal for the second trimester is this nearly insatiable hunger! I'll eat and feel full—a bagel for breakfast, for example—and then an hour or two later feel like I am starving! So several small meals throughout the day works best, though it feels like I am constantly eating. I complained to Nate and he said he'd trade places with me. (Sure, now that I'm not standing over the toilet every morning.) I read that Baby Jones only needs me to eat an extra 300 calories a day, which isn't hard. Fortunately I have some room to catch up on weight gain after a rough start.

I mentioned in my last post that I am loving Starbucks' "Everything with Cheese" bagels (and plenty of cream cheese). Now that the weather has turned cold, I am also loving their hot chocolate. But Nate doesn't work a lot of early mornings, and if I'm not getting his discount or my drink for free, it gets expensive. I Googled and found a recipe for a copycat Sbux hot chocolate online and tried it out this morning. It took less than three minutes to make, and it satisfies that sweet craving on a cold morning.

Starbucks Hot Chocolate at home
2 T. sugar
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c. water
1.5 c. milk
1/4 t. vanilla extract

Put the sugar, cocoa powder, and water in a 16 oz. cup. You don't need to stir it, I think. I tried and it really didn't mix cold. Just stuck to the spoon. Microwave it for 30 seconds and stir to form a chocolate syrup. Then add the milk. I have a ceramic travel mug from Sbux so I just filled the rest with milk. Microwave it for 90 seconds. Add vanilla and stir. Then you could top it with whipped cream. I didn't have any, but I wish I had. It was very good! Very similar taste to what you get at the store. (And so easy.)