** This is a paid promotion. All opinions are my own and based on my honest feedback of the product.

Well, it’s finally happened. At 33 weeks pregnant, I’ve had to start moving over to decaffeinated coffee. This pregnancy (my third) has been my most difficult pregnancy to date. Things that normally don’t make me feel ‘yucky’ have started to make me feel yucky. During my first trimester, one of my biggest aversions was coffee. Just the smell of it would send me running for the trash can, which was a shame because I am 100% addicted to caffeine. Due to this aversion, which lasted roughly 3 months, I think I slowly started weening myself off of caffeine. Hear me when I say, this wasn’t on purpose. I have been a 1-cup-of-coffee-a-day gal since I started working post-college (waaaaay back in 2002). I was not a coffee drinker in high school and didn’t touch the stuff in college but boy, oh boy, once I started in the working world, I leaned into coffee . . . and I mean hard. At first, my coffee need was purely for the caffeine and morning warmness (I love that hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning). However, the need as developed into an actual love of the taste of coffee.

My taste for coffee has evolved over the years as well. It used to be that I needed my coffee to be so strong it could punch you in the fact. Now, however, I live in a space where my heartburn and stomach can’t handle the acidity of really strong coffee. Instead, I need a more mellow flavor that will go easy on the stomach and the heart burn. What’s more, the caffeine, even a little bit of it, is starting to make me feel sick at this stage in my pregnancy so when Chad Polski, the owner and developer of Blue Spruce Decaf Coffee Co. reached out to me to see if I would review his new decaf coffee, I was game.

Here’s the thing I want you to know about Chad: He’s lovely. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Chad found himself out of a job a little over 6 months ago. So what did he decide to do? He decided to start a small business focusing on developing really good decaffeinated coffee that is truly organic, ethically-sourced and truly sustainable and I celebrate him for that. First things first . . . did you know that decaffeinate coffee is typically produced from leftover beans that are deemed “not worthy” enough for the traditional caffeinated brewing process? No? Me either! Chad taught me that! He also taught me that one of the things that makes his coffee truly unique is the process with which the caffeine is removed from the beans. All of their coffee is decaffeinated using the all natural 100% chemical free Swiss Water Process. The Swiss water process uses pure water to gently remove caffeine; it is 100% chemical free and one of only two methods that is certified organic. 

It is required in North America for decaf coffee to be a minimum of 97% caffeine free, the Swiss water process is 99.9% caffeine free. If you are sensitive to caffeine or just choose to avoid it in your coffee, the Swiss water process is as close as you can get to being 100% decaffeinated and this is just what I need to get my coffee flavor fix, my warmness-in-a-mug fix without that feeling of sickness that caffeine’s been giving me as of late. Make no mistake about it, just because the beans have had their caffeine removed via a 100% chemical free process does NOT mean the flavor has been removed. My husband and I both loved all three options Chad sent us. I especially loved the espresso, which was still bold with a flavor that still held up when mixed with my favorite frothed almond milk. 

And, of course, since this is a kosher food blog, Blue Spruce Decaf Coffee Co. is certified kosher (hooray!) and participates in some incredibly ethical business practices, like sourcing their beans directly from the growers at Paradise Mountain Organic Coffee Farms (which, by the way, is now my dream location for retirement).

Now, since Chad and the rest of his team at Blue Spruce Decaf Coffee Co. are such lovely humans, they’ve decided to offer Jewhungry readers two options for some kick-a** discounts on their amazing coffee. The codes and what they will net ya are detailed below. I mean, seriously, you can continue to have your gut rotted out by big chain coffee companies, are you can support an incredibly ethical small business that just happens to also produce some incredibly delicious, smooth coffee. It’s really up to you but just in case you want to support small business while drinking amazingly delicious coffee, go to https://bluesprucedecaf.com and check out the merchandise. Your coupon codes are as follow:

Code 1: JEWHUNGRY

1. Valid for two weeks(If post goes out on Feb 26 then the code is valid until March 12).
2. This entitles the user to free shipping on any order placed within the two weeks.(It can be used multiple times).
3. Valid on all purchases including subscription.

Code 2: JEWHUNGRY10

1. Valid for two weeks(If post goes out on Feb 26 then the code is valid until March 12).
2. This entitles the user to 10% off of any order over $50 which is already the minimum threshold for Free shipping(Can be used multiple times).
3. Valid on all purchases excluding subscription.  Subscription purchases already receive 15% off all orders.

So it’s officially summer though, to be honest, I wouldn’t know it. I’m knee-deep in teaching summer school health. It’s actually not as bad as it sounds. While I’d REALLY LOVE some time off, I rarely get to be in the classroom teaching students subject matter that I’m so passionate about. I mean, what’s not to love about spending 2 hours a day, 5 days a week talking to high schoolers about topics such as consent education, mood disorders, and sex education!? Fun, right!?

In the midst of all of this, my husband has been out-of-town for a week and a half (half a week to go!) and while I’m really loving having all this time with our girls, mama is in need for a little ‘me’ time. As it is, I’ve been getting up at around 5am just so I can enjoy a hot cup of coffee and a fresh episode of The Great British Baking Show before the girls get up and it’s ‘go’ time. I don’t know about you, but as a parent, I struggled with anxiety when it came to the weeks leading up to being alone with the kids for an extended amount of time. When Eden was just 4 weeks old, husband had to go to Miami for a few days in order to complete some research for his PhD and if anyone is a proponent of exposure therapy for anxiety, it is me as that time alone with an infant and a 3 year-old truly taught me that I can do it. Now that the girls are older and Eden is at one nap a day, I’m able to actually enjoy my alone time with the girls. We can get out, explore this great city with my little buddies and, dare I say it, have fun. Our absolute favorite activity is to head to the beach with sand toys and picnic in hand. I’ve been trying to up our picnic game as lately it’s been day-after-day of pb & j sandwiches and cucumbers. Therefore, I put a call out to some food blogging buddies and the result is the recipe round-up below, which is chock full of vegetarian and vegan options for your summer picnics! I hope you enjoy and don’t forget your sunscreen!

Kosher ‘Krab’ Cakes with Zoodles and Avocado Crema from Jewhungry

Broccoli Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing from The Roasted Root

Kalyn’s Tabbouleh with Almonds from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Arabic Potato Salad from Persnickety Plates

Chipotle Hummus-Stuffed Potato Bites from The Lemon Bowl

Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad from Food Faith Fitness

Mediterranean Deviled Egg Recipe with Roasted Red Pepper and Hummus from Two Healthy Kitchens

Lentil Quinoa Salad with Golden Raisins and Lemon Dressing from Noshtastic

California Cowboy Caviar from Fork and Beans

Lentil Hand Pies with Walnut Pesto from Delish Knowledge

Israeli Couscous Recipe with Chopped Veggies, Chickpeas, and Artichoke from The Mediterranean Dish

All-Natural Carrot Dogs from Healthy Slow Cooking

Falafel Feta Salad from Jewhungry 

Happy baby shower to Emily! I’m so so so so very honored to be sharing a sweet little recipe in honor of Emily of The Pig & Quill and her upcoming piglet! When I got the email inviting me to participate in this little virtual celebration, I knew I had to dust off the camera and break out the food blogging. Who doesn’t love celebrating new life?! And especially for Em!

Now, I never had a baby shower cause it’s not something we EXTREMELY paranoid and superstitious Jews do but I’ve been to one and man, it was nice. The food was nice. The atmosphere was nice. The present-giving was nice. I mean, what a lovely time. Also, folks really seem to go all out with themes when it comes to throwing baby showers. The creativity is really something special.

If I had to pick a theme for why I chose a milkshake for this post, it would be ‘cravings’. Currently in my 14th week of pregnancy with my 2nd kiddo, it’s been a rough ride. That being said, once I got over my weeks of morning sickness during both pregnancies, the cravings came on . . . strong. The one craving I’ve had with both pregnancies has been for milkshakes. But not just any milkshake, mint milkshakes. I believe they’re know as Shamrock Shakes in the non-kosher world. Anywho, I’ve wanted buckets of them. I mean, put a mint milkshake in a Big Gulp, gimme a straw and I am good to go (please note, I do not actually ingest that much milkshake. I want to, but I don’t).

So, I thought, why not bring something delicious, refreshing and totally in the theme of pregnancy cravings to a virtual baby shower! And since Em has confessed to loving ice cream and Ranch dressing, I feel like she’d be cool with showing up with milkshakes to a party.

I wish Em and Chris so much love and goodness and sleep and health and happiness as they are about to enter this huge new phase in their lives. I remember bringing home our new baby girl like it was yesterday. I remember being scared sh*tless. I remember sweating profusely for like 4 weeks straight (hormones). I remember thinking, “I can’t believe they sent her home with us!! ‘They’ trust us with a baby!?!” I also, most importantly, remember not knowing what the heck I was doing but thanking my lucky stars I had beloved girlfriends and a sister-in-law who I could call on at any time for help or just for a hormonal cry (it’s gonna happen. Just go with it). So here’s my unsolicited advice:

1. Find a few close friends who view the world as you do and make them your parent-advice go to.

2.  Invest in those Yes to Carrots! Baby Face wipes. They were/are the greatest necessity on the planet. I would wipe myself down after a nice night sweat session but could also use them for the kiddo.

3. Make no excuses for living in your pajamas and yoga pants for at least 6 weeks. You be you, girl. You. Be. You.

4. Oh, and get yourself (or register for) some of those nice button down jammies you can get from Vickie’s Secret. Great for hospital visits and you feel like a lady.

5. Finally, whatever you do, don’t forget to take care of yourself as well. Ask for help. Take a shower now and then, even if there’s laundry to be done and dishes to be done. They’ll get done. No worries. You get an excuse to be a little selfish. Own it.

Checking in for our induction. We had an AMAZING birth experience . . . induction, epideral and all. Oh, I’m totally faking the pain here. There was none.

Match Mint Milkshake

Ingredients (for 2 milkshakes):

3 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream
4 tbsp matcha tea powder
1/2 tsp peppermint oil
3 cups of milk of choice (I used almond because it’s a bit thicker)
Whipped cream
Maraschino cherries

Directions (this seems obvious but I’m posting anyway):

Place all ingredients except for whipped cream and cherrry into blender. Blend well. Pour into glass of choice and top with as much whipped cream and cherries as your heart desires.

Also, please check out the recipes from the INSANELY TALENTED BLOGGERS who are also ‘attending’ and ‘cooking’ for Em’s little piglet party. One day, I’d really love to go to an actual real live party with these folks and eat their real live food. Yes please. Enjoy!