Happy Sunday, happy June, and happy beginning of hurricane season (ok, maybe not that last one).

Today is full of relaxation and inhaling the aroma of Mark’s delicious spaghetti and meatballs, but yesterday was pretty busy (despite the rain).

Earlier in the day, I went with my mother to a cousin-in-law’s (if that’s a thing?) wedding shower. I’m glad I decided to go; I have a huge family that I barely know, and it was nice meeting the bride and talking with some cousins.

While we were at the shower, my dad and Mark went to pick up Baby M’s crib. It’s gorgeous, but unfortunately the back piece has a chip in the stain. While we probably could fix it ourselves, they went back to Babies ‘R Us and had another one ordered so we can replace the back piece. Now we have to wait another week or two. 🙁

We did a little grocery shopping and managed to dodge the rain downtown to catch 2 of the 3 food trucks in town for The Great Food Truck Race competition on Food Network.

Apparently the crowds in Mobile have been the biggest so far (because we’re awesome).

Mark and I shared a chicken shawarma from The Middle Feast and a blackened shrimp and bacon sam from Let There Be Bacon. We didn’t get to try out the Lone Star Chuck Wagon unfortunately.

As much as I love Middle Eastern food, the bacon dish was a bit more flavorful. It included blackened shrimp, bacon, pickled red onions, slaw, and tomato inside of a romaine leaf. It was messy but tasted fabulous.

The chicken shawarma was cooked perfectly (very tender), and while the sauce was tasty, I wish there had been just a bit more spice. Then again, I’m a spice junkie (not that kind of spice, but the culinary kind!).

While waiting in line for the shawarma, I got a glimpse of host Tyler Florence. The picture’s blurry, but I got to say “hi” to him (the people in front of me got to shake his hand).

After that long re-cap, let’s get into some recipes and articles I found interesting this past week. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

 .Recipes.

Double Chocolate Crispy Frozen Dessert Bars via Oh She Glows

These look so decadent and rich—heavenly.

Mojito Chicken Salad via The Wholesome Dish

Mark and I have an old standby chicken salad recipe we make, but I like the lightness in this from the lime, mint, and Greek yogurt. We may have to try this soon!

Vegan Mint Chocolate Ice Cream via Minimalist Baker

Oh my goodness, this sounds amazing. And—guess what? We have an ice cream maker!

Thai Mango Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing via Home Sweet Jones

I love the flavors of Thai food (and need to eat it more often!), so this will be no exception.

Jalapeño Pretzel Dogs with Cheddar Beer Sauce via How Sweet It Is

Maybe it’s pregnancy talking (since I’m not a huge fan of hotdogs), but I kind of want these right now. They sound all sorts of amazing, particularly the pretzel and cheese parts.

.Reads.

Top Ten Reasons Hot Yoga Rocks via Healthy Helper

These made me giggle—and miss Bikram!

American Teens Are Becoming Even Wimpier Than Before via NPR

This is really sad; I was in the best shape of my life as a young teen. This is why Baby M will be active in sports of some kind—even if he does it solely for fun and not for competition or future scholarships.

Guilt vs. Goal – this is MY style via fitswisschick.com

Although I think she may be overlooking that many of those comments are well-intentioned (or maybe they’re not?), it is a shame how often people who live and eat healthfully are judged and put down for their choices. Just because somebody chooses a salad instead of a hamburger does NOT mean he/she is behaving in a disordered or restricted manner. There are honestly times where I just don’t want dessert (though they’re rare!) or truly crave the healthy alternative. It’s just a shame we live in a world where everything (diets, workouts, etc.) is the extreme—and anything moderately healthy appears to outsiders as the complete opposite. It’s one thing to have good intentions and want to help if red flags are flying, but it’s entirely another if you’re passing your own insecurities onto somebody else!

So I’ve Gained Weight via The Lunchbox Diaries

Reading this post left a huge smile on my face. Bravo!

You’re Allowed To Love Your Body via Snack Therapy

Love it (and it’s true). Although I wish the rainbow unicorn horns were real…

Body Image During Pregnancy via Itz Linz

This post is from February, but it’s still a good one. I’ve been thinking a lot about body image the last few weeks (now that I’m truly showing), and it’s amazing how confident I feel rocking the bump. I’m sure I’ll talk more on the subject in my own future post.

The recent pediatric study every pregnant and new mom should know about via Mama Seeds

This is interesting and something I might mention to my doctor (and later, pediatrician) once we get closer to the big day. I will say that the inclusion of probiotics was one of the big criteria I considered when choosing prenatal vitamins.

The Campaign for Junk Food via The New York Times

First Lady Michelle Obama shares an op-ed about the small (but significant) successes of her Let’s Move! campaign and the threats of Congress to turn back some of these measures.

Saving Poultry’s Gene Pool via National Geographic

I’ll admit I’m too lazy/poor/whatever to buy anything other than standard poultry (when we do cook chicken or turkey, which isn’t that often), but I do think this is very important. It does bother me that chickens raised for food barely resemble their “natural” ancestors, which is part of the reason I just don’t eat that much of it (mostly it’s because of antibiotics and the fact that any time we cook chicken, it’s dry and flavorless). I’d love to be able to afford a heritage breed turkey one year for Thanksgiving.