I picked up some nutritional yeast at Whole Foods (breaking my no shopping rule until Feb1, but that was all I bought) to try, and here is what I made:
1 - popcorn with nutritional yeast - tasted like cheese popcorn. I really liked this!!!
2- Mae inspired pizza on a flat out wrap with broccoli, avocado, lentils, chick pea patties, and some cheese with Mae's humnut sauce (hummus, nutritional yeast and water). Now I'm looking for more recipes to use this nutritional yeast, next up- Mae's Pumpkin Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream! - but in the meantime here is what I've found out about it:
Nutritional Yeast great for vegetarians - B12 and B6 it comes in flakes described as a nutty, cheesy flavor 2 tbs = 60 calories = 7g protein=70% vit B12, 23% vit B6, 3g fiber +tons of amino acids use in place of parmesan cheese
If you have any experience with it - pass it along!
The last 2 mornings that the alarm has gone off to go swimming, I have lay in bed dreading getting up. One of the reasons that I have been getting up is to get another workout in for the Healthy Lifestyles Program - I'm towards the end of the 120 that you need to get a reimbursement. Another reason is that I don't get nearly as good a workout when I swim by myself. I lay there and think about the reasons I should go and try to motivate myself not to go back to bed. It's worked - but sometimes it doesn't. For the early risers, what gets you out of bed to workout? For the afternoon/after work workout crew, how do you motivate when the day is coming to a close? I always like to get ideas of what to think about when I'm trying to get out the door or onto the treadmill.
The knee. When I kneel - do it alot more than normal now when getting down and up to play with Nick - I have this shooting pain right below my kneecap of my left (bad) knee. It feels like there is a black and blue mark there and hurts if I touch it. Yesterday I was holding Nick right after his nap and kneeled down to sit down on the ground and OUCH! I just said OW OW OW OW OW OW OW and Nick started scream/crying - I think post-nap I scared him. I was trying to look up some things and came across Runner's Knee or Chondromalacia patella. I can't say it hurts when I'm running though. Anyone have knee things going on or does this sound familar at all?
Do you know what my life has been devoid of? Peanut butter - almond butter- nut butter. Either I overdid it or this baby isn't into it. I ate peanut butter everyday with Nick and he LOVES almond and peanut butter. I'm going to have to start digging in - but I'm not dying for it or even craving it in anyway. Weird huh?
MEAL PLANNING This week meal planning has been going well. And I went into trader joe's today bought bananas and left - Does that take some kind of strength? I love shopping there - Nick gets a balloon at the end. He loves it!
Here were the meals for this week so far:
Monday : Planned eggplant bake and starting peeling the eggplant and it was brown. That night was lasagna that was in the freezer from Christmas. Tuesday: Chick pea burgers with avocado sauce. Bill said he didn't want leftovers for lunch today, but they were pretty good! We have different tastes. I edited a recipe from Angela over at Oh She Glows to make these- see below. The sauce was silken tofu with avocado, kale and cilantro. Yum!!
CHICK PEA BURGERS
1 cup cooked chick peas
1/2 cup kale or spinach washed
1/2 t dill
1/2 t dried basil
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 egg whites
Directions: Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with oil). Place all ingredients into a food processor. Process until mixture is blended well, stopping to scrape sides if necessary. Shape patties and bake for 15 mins at 375F, flip and bake for another 10 minutes.
Makes 12 big BALLS!
Wednesday: Bill not home for dinner - I have the easiest time making things for myself - I can throw anything together - but normal people probably wouldn't like it. Tonight I just had beans and tomatoes.
Thurs night plan - Costco Spinach Quiche (egg whites ! this stuff is so good!) with beans
Friday night - pita pizzas!
Saturday - out to dinner using our gift cards!
Sunday - not planned yet.
So far, so good! We have tons of food here, I just need produce!
Catching up: My ankle - kind of on and off - weird, but run-able! I forgot I hadn't said anything about it before.
Thanks for the tips on the baby dinner ideas. Now, I could probably give him what we are eating, but before, I would put something together after he was in bed! He eats dinner around 5. We eat around 7:30/8!
Do you like to write ? Do you want to make some extra cash? Consider becoming an examiner for your local area!
I was referred by my cousin to become a running examiner last year. I write articles about local running and running in general. Check out an example of one of my articles: here
Last year I made over $500 from writing articles - you earn money by page views. Some of the things that I will write about are results from big marathons, places to run locally, running & pregnancy, etc. If this seems like something you might be into (and it doesn't have to be running - there are tons of topics - healthy eating, vegetarianism, gluten free, food examiner... check it out!)
I have a widget on my blog on the sidebar to view my articles as well.
The other thing I was looking at was printing out Nick's baby blog into a book. Has anyone done this? I found 2 websites so far, but wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations!
What do you know about nutritional yeast? Not only does it appear in Super Baby Food, but it also appears on several food blogs that I have been reading. A nutty, cheesy taste and vegetarian supplement?? Why have I not heard of this before? I want to try it out, but don't want to buy in bulk just yet. Anyone have any info?
This time around, I started out slower(pace), I'm out of breath still (early 2nd trimester), have to go to the bathroom often, and less motivated, but trying to hit my goal of 30 miles / week. The only way that I make my goal is making up miles on the weekend. My goal is to shoot for 10 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays and make up the last 10 on the weekend. I split up the Tuesday/ Thursday one to morning/afternoon - try for 7 in the morning before Nick gets up and 3 in the afternoon when Nick goes for a nap. My pace is around 9:30. My pre-Nick pace so you can get an idea was around 7:30/8 for my daily runs, my pre-#2 pace was around 8:30 to 9.
Monday is my "off" day where I do yoga and some circuit training (Jillian trouble zones). Wednesday and Friday I try to go swimming, and make it at least one of the days.
So far, body wise, I remember feeling this with Nick - I feel like I have back fat. Besides having an expanding belly (not going to gross myself or anyone else out with pictures this time), I feel like I have a tube around my waist. I am going to see how the weight gain is going at my appt on Thursday. I think I've gained around 3 pounds so far and it's very early on. Everything else is good - I'm tired but it seems to be letting up as I approach 15 weeks, but no sickness or any complaints. I'm still having a hard time getting in my veggies but trying to make an extra effort!
Nick's meals - I'm good for breakfast - grains,beans, veggies, fruit, and lunch - yogurt and fruit, but dinners I am always scratching my head. What do you give your infant for dinner?
to have a second child? Is it just like having your first baby? you are never really ready but your clock is ticking, or you want to start a family but there are lots of unknowns. I've been reading alot of blogs of yours who are unsure whether to start trying - questioning waiting till this season is over, etc. I'm glad the decision was made for me without having to plan it out because I probably would have gone nuts.
I know I was a resentful pregnant person with Nick (why do I have to be pregnant? why do I have to give up my body?) and didn't want anyone doing me any favors, I wasn't going to be taking elevators or sitting on the couch because I was pregnant - I wanted to be treated like everyone else. This time around, I am somewhat the same, I wouldn't say resentful because I think it is pretty amazing what our bodies can do, but I am in denial. I am not ready to gain weight and try to get back to where I want to be again - my body, running. I don't want to talk about the pregnancy - I haven't fully accepted it yet. I will look at baby name books, but I don't really want to think about it, and I'm not really keeping track of how many weeks have passed and how many to go. I'm in a state of denial. And I know in a few years it will be a cool thing to have 2 kids close in age.
I haven't left Nick for the night yet, which is probably sad, but the first 11 months were nursing related and now I just don't have a reason to. I know that I will be anxious for the first time leaving him, but I'm sure it will get easier. My mom had to mention yesterday that she'd watch him when we were in the hospital. I didn't want to think about that - I already feel terrible for the little guy losing his solo time - ugh!! I was not happy. I am very hard on my mom but she has 400 things going on at once, and I feel like Nick would be unsupervised and fed whatever they were eating. I'm sure it wouldn't be terrible but the first time with my parents is going to cause me a ton of anxiety. We left Nick with them this weekend for about an hour and a half and had one direction - bottle at noon, warm it up 20 seconds. We came home at 1:15 and he hadn't had his bottle yet. My mom also says things like, what is this horrible stuff you are eating Nick? (greens, grains, beans - things I probably never ate as a baby). That makes me so mad!!
But back to the topic, you don't know what you are getting into, you are just settling into life with 1, and then, BAM! back to square 1? I'm not ready for this! (Reading this you could be thinking, well, you dumb***, you should have been more careful... ) I am just starting to feel like I have some personal time, he's on a great schedule, I can tutor, we can go places and he's good! And soon he'll walk and it could be even easier taking him places and he can hold my hand!
Thanks for the ideas on budgetting and your experience with the supermarket. I never even thought I should cut out Whole Foods but maybe I will! I do think their grains are cheaper than packaged? What do you think? I don't buy too much of their crazy priced things. Necessities: Duplex cookies (2.50), grains, coconut oil ($ most places), and now I want to look for nutritional yeast. Have you had it?
We'll start with milk - do I have enough milk? I have a milk thing when I'm pregnant (am I really pregnant? Still in denial) and just love milk. The new thing is milk with DHA for brain development. I have some of this for Nick (he is on whole milk now) and the soymilk for me. I mix it up between skim milk, soy milk and almond milk. What's your favorite milk?
Cake Testing - I made 4 different cakes today for trials for Nick's birthday in 2 weeks - 1 day.
Nick put his hand on the cake and started licking his fingers. It was so cute. First I tried the gingerbread with flax eggs and it was way to dense, and about 1 inch thick. Tasty though! Then I tried it with eggs and it rose! Then I did the vanilla one and had leftover and made a chocolate one for fun (not for Nick!) I think I am going to make the vanilla one with cream cheese icing from Katrina (GFG).
Gingerbread cake with squash cream cheese icing :)
Vanilla in the back and first gingerbread (w/ flax eggs in the front)
I'm psyched about the cakes.
Challenge:
I have been stressing about money - it is especially hard when I am not working, although I am making some money in tutoring, writing articles and doing online math grading. The amount coming in is not even close to what it used to be and we have more expenses with the little guy! Our food shopping bills are WAY WAY WAY too high each month. Buying organic and healthy food is not cheap. In an effort to decrease spending, I am going to try to do meal planning each weekend. I don't know how long it will last (a week?) but it is going to be my challenge for a month starting tomorrow. I make way too many trips to the supermarket, then add on Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Too much! I have been keeping track and spending around 400-500 a month on groceries. This month we went to Costco and spent over 200 which added on to our 400-500! So, rule #1 - I do not want to go to the grocery store the rest of this month, and I want to use what I have here for meals as long as possible. We rarely go out to dinner, and when we do, lately we have gift cards which is great. Other expenses are gas, baby things, clothes on occasion, 4 pairs of running shoes (?!) Starting tomorrow, until Feb 28, is my challenge. I want my Feb food bill to be in the 200-300 range if that is possible.
How do you save? Do you meal plan? What is your monthly food expense?
Tomorrow we are headed for our first hotel stay since Boston: 9 months ago! Nick is bigger now and I am anticipating a night of little sleep. We'll see if he surprises us. We'll be reading books in dim light by 7pm - ha! We're meeting friends that have a 6 month old that we haven't met yet so I'm pumped. And! We're going to the Brazilian steakhouse up there. I LOVE that salad bar. VEGGIES! I hope I like them tomorrow - I am that place's moneymaker as a vegetarian.
Travel and food for baby?? Nick's food routine is pretty regimented - breakfast is grains and veggies and fruits, lunch is yogurt, dinner is usually finishing lunch or more of breakfast or hummus sandwich - I've also tried pasta, scrambled egg... anyway, for traveling, I bought some jars of earth's best since we are staying in a hotel w/o a refrigerator. It's only one night so that should be fine but - what do you do for travel and food in this case?
Party Planning! About 2 weeks to go
Nick's shirt - I just have to sew this on. I have the Carter's birthday boy shirt in case of a mishap/alternate outfit, and I'm wondering if I can just hot glue this on? hah. I know I'm going to screw it up attempting to sew it. Thanks shellyrm for the blue background all around idea!
3 tiered cake holder, wahoo. The middle things don't look awesome but I couldn't figure out what to cover the blocks in. This idea came from Chari and was a great one - I couldn't find what I needed and wanted to do cupcakes on the bottom 2 layers and Nick's little cake on top. I hope it doesn't tip over!
It is made out of 3 circles of styrofoam, covered in scrapbook paper (top) and wrapping paper (bottom) and the sides were covered with ribbon. Add in 2 boxes between layers (also styrofoam) and cover them in wrapping paper.
Airplane theme taken too far: Arrival sign for door coming in. Departure sign for door leaving.
On the to do list: Make Nick's cake to test (no sugar) Bring invite to bakery to get them to match airplane for guest cake Balloons Make cupcakes CC Cookies for parent favors Finish Nick's shirt Hang up signs Buy more plates, party cups, and order food!
I want a vitamix. They sound so cool and everytime I see something made from them it looks super creamy and good. I have a new blender and it is an upgrade from the one from college but I wish I could win a vitamix! Does anyone have one? How much better is it from a blender?
Today I went to whole foods and picked up tons of grains, fruits and veggies - was totally low on all! Nick was in the cart and happily chewing on his teething giraffe when he started reaching for fruits. He got a pear and I was thinking of the old toothless days when I saw that he was biting into it -haha. The pear kept him happy the whole shopping adventure - which took forever! I let the lady know to ring me up for it but a mom bagger worker said Don't worry about it! Whatever keeps them happy! aww.
I picked up AMARANTH. It sounded good but it was the worst grain I've EVER tasted. And I love grains. Anyone had this before? It was awful! Bitter! What to do with it! I think I was thinking AMARetto and that sounds and tastes good.. don't think they come from the same plant.
After the WF trip, I did some cooking today - I made Salsa Chicken for Bill and some coconut curry for me with veggies. The recipe called for fresh ginger - I had no idea what I was doing and the flavor BLEW ME AWAY. And Bill too - omit next time! Have you used fresh ginger?
1.5 cup salsa 1/4 cup agave nectar 1/4 cup honey 2 Tbs. soy sauce 4-8 Tbs. (¼ – ½ cup) chopped fresh ginger (I was told to omit next time or food process)
4 chicken breasts
DIRECTIONS:
Combine picante sauce, honey, soy sauce and ginger in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.Place chicken in shallow baking dish; cover with sauce mixture.Bake @ 350 F for 25-35 minutes.Serve with your favorite veggie!
This is what I encountered when trying to cook during playtime...
Next up - curry. I took 2 TBSP coconut oil, 1 28 oz can tomatoes, 1 tbsp curry and 1 tsp ginger for this puppy - then I added in my veggies (mushrooms, broccoli and then some beans). I got in my veggies today, woohoo!
I happened to check out my email from Running Warehouse and they had top shoes of 2009 for $59.99! It was my special day, because my top shoe - Mizuno Wave Rider was on there! I ordered 2 in each color they had! Was that nuts?? Usually I pay about 90 bucks and I always order the same shoes so I'm pretty thrilled. Free shipping and free return shipping. I love that place!! Check out the sale here.
I've been hearing from alot of pregnant runners lately and I wrote some articles back in the summer about the trimesters - do you have anything to add? These are on my examiner site.
Thanks for the thoughts about the headaches of yesterday's post. It is so funny because if someone puts an idea into my head then I think that is what is going on. So right now I think it is hormones and that they will level out soon enough. I had a great run this morning, after taking off yesterday and doing some light yoga. It was good to sleep in and take the day off. I slept in all weekend (till 7:30/8) - remember when sleeping in was like 10/11 am? Hah - the day is half over! I can't wait for spring and warmer weather!
Does this look tacky? Should I just go with the carter's BIRTHDAY BOY shirt?
I've been getting headaches! I think that I am thinking too much. I am really good at causing self-induced headaches and I've been getting them everyday.
I keep thinking - what would it have been like if it was just the 3 of us for 2 or 3 years? Now that I'm on top of Nick's schedule and finding ways to have some time to myself, and getting the hang of everything, wouldn't that have been nice for a while longer? (But at the same time, I know then it would have been a hard decision of whether to take the 2nd year off from work with Nick or save it for later).
Do people that go back to work have it all? Or are they even more torn for time and all over the place (for instance, I find time to scrapbook, workout, and blog - could I do this if I was working?)
Are cravings in my head? I cannot deal with vegetables unless they are cooked by someone else with olive oil/butter - so that they don't even taste like vegetables. All I want to eat is crap and carbs!! Potato chips (which I NEVER eat) are now in my house, I've been having ice cream almost every night! I could eat pasta, bread, butter and cheese at every meal (besides the cheerios for bfast).... What is WRONG with me!
I was looking back to when I was pregnant with Nick, and obviously I had more time on my hands, and I went into the pregnancy being much faster, but I was running more miles and hadn't started sucking yet!
I AM EXTREMELY TIRED. The only signs of pregnancy that I have are that I am super super tired, have weird aversions to things I eat all the time, and feel bloated/ +5 pounds all the time. I don't remember being this tired with Nick but by 4pm, I am ready to pass out. Makes it hard to get up to go swimming but I'm determined to do it 2x a week.
The last thing I'm thinking about is rejoining my old gym. I did yoga there and pilates, and they have a so/so daycare. I'd feel comfortable going for about 1/2 hour? Maybe build up to an hour? There is just one large woman watching all the kids - so maybe when Nick starts walking and getting around on his own? Hmm. We belong to the Y but my membership is free since I teach the swim lessons, so I wouldn't mind picking up my old gym (3 minutes away instead of 15 for the Y) as another way to get out and work out!
I guess I didn't get enough protein yesterday. Inspired by this recipe, I made vegan (minus the chocolate chips - not gluten free I don't think with oatmeal and ww flour?) chocolate chip cookies.
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES Recipe: 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup ground oatmeal 1/2 cup wheat germ 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup agave nectar 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 Tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup water 1/2 c carob chips (or chocolate chips if you aren't worried about the vegan part).
Mix wet with dry - dough is dry
My first dozen could have well been raw chocolate chip cookies. The batter was really super good and they were easy to roll into balls. I felt like it needed more liquid - it easily broke apart but wasn't crumbly at all. For the second dozen, I added one flax egg (1 TBSP ground flax + 1/4 cup water) and they came out much more soft and chewy. These were very lovely!
First batch on left and second with flax on the right If you like crispy and flat, omit flax!
I liked hearing about the different ice creams most people enjoy. I almost bought the edy's slow churned but I'm nuts about the ingredients!! See below:
Food shopping from this week gave me a few things to share.
1 - picked up Breyers Smooth and Dreamy ice cream - well, I know it says 1/2 the fat, but it also says EXTRA CREAMY - that's not the case in my view. When you take a scoop it kind of breaks apart. So booo for this and I wish I bought the regular all natural! I have been an ice cream nut this time around.
2 - Stacy's Bare Naked Pita Chips. We got a huge bag of these at Costco and they totally looked strange to us - doubled up and very crunchy and dark. We found out that Costco Stacy's pita chips are different from elsewhere - they use doubled up pitas to make them! I like them. 3- The supermarket had THIS! Oikos Chocolate Yogurt! It was a 4 pack of 4 oz for $4. I thought it was 4 normal sized ones but they are smaller by 2 oz. I wasn't a huge fan of the chocolate but love the vanilla flavor and had it with some almond butter.
Today I went out for a "long" run outside with a friend. I hadn't done a run outside in about a month and it was so refreshing to get out there. I'm already slow and feel like I am slacking for this early on, but it felt like a pretty good run. We did 9 miles and I did 2 more in the afternoon inside. I hope the weather sticks around but it isn't looking good. I can't wait for warmer weather - 55/60 would be perfect! Post run I think I am going to be sore tomorrow, my ankle is bothering me, and my hips are kind of sore. I feel like my ankle has been deteriorating lately. Some days it hurts and other days it is fine. It didn't hurt in the morning run but I didn't know if I would make it through the 2 miles in the afternoon. I'm not sure what is going on with it. Anyone have ankle issues? It is the inside of my left ankle right below the big circle bone :)
I saw a picture in Today's Diet and Nutrition Magazine for these bad biscuits - as in, not healthy! They were REALLY good.
Recipe: (adapted from TD&N magazine) 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup bread flour 2 TBS baking powder 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 5 tbs cold butter 1 cup skim milk
Sift flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut butter into flour until it is crumbly. Add the milk, then form dough into a ball - it will be dry. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead 3-4 times. Cover dough with a kitchen towel and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425. Roll dough out into 1 inch thick - cut into circles using an inverted glass. Place on cookie sheet 12 minutes or till brown. Yum! Makes 1 dozen
The birthday preparations are coming along well - I have a bib, made cupcake toppers, made the favors (to be pictured later on the last two things), made a sign, and bought a shirt. The colors are going to be blue and red, with the airplane theme. So I'm going to pick up red and blue balloons and everything that I've made is one of those colors.
Here's where I need your help. Well first I want a 3 tiered cupcake / cake stand so that I can put Nick's mini low or no sugar cake on top and cupcakes on the bottom 2 layers. Anyone seen a good one?
Second, his shirt. I have seen so many cute shirts on Etsy but not one that I love. I want to make it myself so I picked up this shirt from Old Navy and somehow I want to get at least a 1 on it real big, but also maybe his name? I have blue, red and cloud fabric. The placement of the truck here kind of stinks but I could not find a plane shirt like this. Any ideas for placing the one (maybe with a background) or finding a shirt just like this that has no truck? The colors match the I AM ONE party hat that I got him and I like how they are blue to go with his eyes.
Here's the stuff I tried and then bought or fantasized about buying it:
Amazing Grass chocolate powder - using this now daily in my protein shake. My only question is how many servings of fruit and veggies (if any) is in one serving (scoop)?
Greens Plus Chia seeds - these lasted forever and I need to order more. They weren't some crazy tasty product just have fantastic nutritional info so I loved adding them to everything! WrightSocks - they are all I use now. Lazy Baker Cookies - I tried the oatmeal spice one but I ordered chocolate chip, brown sugar pecan and double chocolate as christmas gifts - lucky them!
Nuttzo - good stuff - loved all the seeds in the nut butter GoLite bag - have been using it ever since I got it.
GU: Something with GU and being pregnant for me - I have a problem. I use GU no matter if I am running 3 miles or a long run or on the way to swim. Pom blueberry chomps & Vanilla gingerbread - faves.
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2nd place - Dave's Killer bread - awesome but all the way across the country so I can't get it Boomi Bar/Prana Bar - totally into these but eat too much nut butter as it is
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My favorite baby products of the year:
Levana Video Monitor- privacy isn't an issue (you won't see another baby in your crib due to a crossed signal), it is clear and does a great job.
My Bob stroller (ironman) - next up - the dualie?? I think I'm going for the revolution this time so it can be my all around stroller Graco Blossom High Chair - love it!
So today, I definitely would have had more nice looking things to photograph for my meals! Lunch was a delicious veggie burger from Costco which I shared with Nick and a falafel ball from there too! and some leftover bulgar and lentils with tofu. Dinner was broccoli /cheese egg white quiche from Costco - we hit that place up today! Breakfast - Cheerios, snacks were basically the same! :) Maybe I'll do another day of photographing food soon, but really, who has time!?
Some of the blogs that I read show what they eat everyday. Oh my gosh - this is not easy! I tried it and missed a few things Nick and I both had Cheerios this morning. I could drink a 1/2 gallon of milk a day right now - I picked up some soy milk in addition to regular skim.
Breakfast was 1 cup cheerios and soy milk (unmeasured)
snack: 1/4 c cranberries and some water
Made Nick some saltless almond butter
Pre-lunch I had a Luna Bar - really into these right now
Lunch was leftovers - veggie crumbles, eggplant and beans with tomato sauce Looks gross.
Post afternoon short run - protein +amazing grass shake w/ almond and soy milk
After we took Nick swimming - Dr Praegers. Dinner: 2 slices of tofu and lentils with bulgar. Yum!!
Other things I ate - handful of pretzels, dove chocolate (1) and a cookie from the pepperidge farm holiday mix box, juice Later I might have to have some Whole foods duplex cookies and maybe (?) a scoop of ice cream.
Stats: 2030 calories 73.5g of fat (32%) 254.9g carbs (47%) - a bit high 108.7g protein (21%)
A little high on the carbs and fat - but met my protein goal! Not going for a certain # of calories - just eat when I'm hungry and try to make smart choices!
Reflecting on the day - had too much almond butter when I made it (tasting!) more veggies needed! green tea! (I lose interest in tea when I'm pregnant. weird) Lunch was thrown together - would rather have something more square. Pepperidge farm cookies need to go and pretzels - better snacks: FRUIT!
I challenge you to photograph one day of food and track your stats! (I used fitday but sparkpeople is pretty cool!)
Last night Nick went to bed late - he has a cold and has been having a hard time drinking his bottles and doesn't want much food. Well he was starving at bedtime and went to bed around 8:30 (usual is 7/7:30). He slept in till 8:15 so I layed in bed and decided it was a yoga/off day and slept in till 7:30. Nice!! I am so tight. I have not done yoga in a long time - probably since the summer which is VERY bad! I used to go to a class at my old gym every Monday which was good for me, but we switched to the Y. I'm thinking about going back to the old gym, I loved that class! I am horrible about stretching and it is so key! I did yoga and some Jillian today and called it a day. It was fantastic to sleep in!
How often do you do yoga? Do you stretch every run/workout?
The whole weaning process- which I did not do well - really messed me up! I was just reading that if you stop abruptly - which I kind of did, your hormones go nuts and you experience depression. No wonder I have been a basket case lately! I think I stopped way too abruptly, and it made me a mad woman. I'm pretty sad still about the whole thing. I NEVER thought I'd get attached to the nursing but man, it is such a nice thing, and the way I stopped just didn't allow me to slowly get used to it. I guess I kept trying to feed Nick in the mornings, until he wouldn't do it anymore (right around his 11 months birthday). I was pumping but getting about 1 oz if that. So I just stopped pumping, and then the next day I was sore - I pumped out 4 ounces that afternoon and tried to pump again the next day and got nothing. So I just stopped pumping. Fast forward until today and I don't want to get an infection so I pumped and got less than 1 oz.
How did you wean?
PANCAKE SUNDAY
Today I made pancakes using an edited recipe stemming from here. PANCAKES FOR ME: I used:
1/2 cup spelt flour (use any flour)
1/2 t cinnamon
1 scoop aria protein powder
1 scoop amazing grass chocolate powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 c milk
Unfortunately for the first 2 batches, I used baking SODA instead of powder and they tasted like baking soda - inedible. For the third batch, I omited the soda/powder and went with a flax egg.
Batches 1 and 2- horrible
PANCAKES FOR NICK I made these for Nick:
1 cube zucchini (pureed) I cube squash 1 cube apples 1 TBSP flax + 1/4 cup water - mix and sit 5 minutes and add 1/2 c spelt flour 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (added last)
And the protein thing - totally onto something. Since I've been monitoring my protein intake, I have not wanting to bake and eat sweets 24/7.
Nick's were good, I broke them up into pieces and he liked them.
Wow, I was floored with the number of comments and people that came out of the woodwork to share experience or say Congrats! Thank you!
I found out about this pregnancy 2 days after I did an 8.4 mile race in Philly with my sister. I could not keep the pace and my sister was running with me easily (usually I am too fast for her). I was dying and thinking I hate running the whole time! Then I had random heartburn so I took a test and woila - positive. This was the week of the Philly marathon! I went to the dr immediately and asked about running the marathon and he said it would be fine. So this peanut ran a marathon with me in his/her early days :) (we won't find out this time either - that was definitely fun).
So far, the 1st trimester has been the exact same as with Nick. I am so lucky - I have no sickness, no symptoms to the point where I was definitely shocked to see a little fetus on the ultrasound. I mean, I am tired and feel like I already have a gut but I never lost the last few pounds with Nick so that plus starting over - I'm already psyched to get back in shape at the end of the summer! I have the same weird cravings - bag the oatmeal or bulgur for breakfast - bring in the cheerios and milk. I have to have it. Veggies make me nauteous - mostly greens what I usually love - kale, broccoli, spinach. I can do mushrooms, tomatoes...and I'm trying to be creative. Lots of beans. I could eat pizza every night. And ice cream. I wish my sister never brought me to that Sprinkles place! Toast, butter and cheese are what I crave. And every night, I have a whole foods duplex cookie. One night I woke up in the middle of the night and I needed duplex cookies. I definitely went through almond butter overload, so I don't need it everyday (but Nick does!)
Exercising has SUCKED! I just don't feel like doing it but I know I want to stay fit throughout, so I have been forcing myself to do something everyday. Running has been very blah - treadmill and forcing down the miles. But I do have to say that my pace has stayed consistently in the 9s which wasn't too much slower than my fall times. Next fall I'll work to get my speed back - or spring 2011. Swimming - since I moved to the slower lane - feels great! I am burnt out from running but I'll keep doing it because it is the easiest thing to do before Nick wakes up (with the treadmill in the basement). The day goes by so quickly and is so busy w/ Nick so I have to get it done first thing anymore.
My milk supply decreased right around the time I found out I was pregnant. I could not find anything about that happening online though!
I'll keep you updated! Those moms out there with two - was your second pregnancy just like your first?
There was this one day in October that I was very crampy and spotting, but it only lasted a day - that was apparently a warning sign and my period - but I didn't think much of it or track anything. 12 weeks later and here is Nick's little sibling due July 24th - which happens to be Bill's 30th birthday! Happy Birthday Bill!
Yep, they'll be pretty close in age and since I already look like I aged 10 years from this year, I'll be pretty gorgeous by the end of 2010! A little earlier than we would have planned, and I'm still adjusting to this whole thing - in the end it should be fun (in about 10 years)?
I had a FANTASTIC swim this morning. We had to go for the ultrasound so I didn't have to get out early, and I got in the whole 3300 yards and swam in a slower lane. It is so much better swimming back in the slow lane, going first and being able to work on my stroke. In the fast lane, I was swimming like a splashing machine and my stroke was all over the place. It was horrendous and not enjoyable. I think I can get back into swimming.
Yesterday I broke out the crock pot on Bill's request and made some beef stew with herb biscuits on top. Not my kind of meal, but it sure did look good! Bill liked it! Hearty winter meal!
Today, I followed a recipe from a cookbook my mom gave me for Christmas for a sweet potato layered dish. It was ok...
Cut up sweet potato (one big one) very thin slices (1/4 inch). Use cream of celery soup (I used evaporated milk - that was all I had close to it) - one can and mix with 1/2 cup sour cream. Take 3/4 of this mixture and toss with sweet potatoes and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Add spinach to the rest of the liquid mixture. Layer 1/2 the sweet potatoes, the spinach then some cheese (whatever amount you want or omit if you want) then repeat the layer of sweet potatoes.
Cook for an hour and a half at 350 or till sweet potatoes are tender.
I'd change this up next time - try the cream of celery or something else to mix in - I could not find cream of celery at the store.
Nick had this for dinner cut up. I'm not into him having cheese but every now and then he does.
I was able to do 6 miles this morning and 2 in the afternoon. I try to run in the morning as long as Nick can be in his crib playing (about 30 min after he wakes up) and finish during his afternoon nap. I need to get outside though, the treadmill and basement are killing me!
According to runner's world, 1.0 to 1.6 grams per kilogram a day (or .45 to .72 grams per pound) of protein is sufficient for runners.
"Protein accelerates muscle growth and speeds recovery by helping rebuild muscle fibers" - RW
How do you get your protein?
As a vegetarian(but not vegan), my protein is likely to come from: protein shakes milk cheese egg whites (on occasion) quinoa almond butter /nuts high protein cereal (kashi go lean) protein bars
Bread has protein - pick a good one with high protein content. Oatmeal has protein. Most grains have a nice amount of protein.
Over the past 2 days I tracked protein and tried to be aware and had right around 100 grams which is at the max end for my weight. I was not getting that much, maybe 60-70g without thinking about it.
What is your attitude towards working out?
There have definitely been times where I have looked forward to a long run (with friends), a swim, or a race. When I am done working out, almost all the time, I feel great. That high is what forces me out of bed to workout. However, I would say the majority of the time (lately) I feel like I HAVE to work out - if I don't workout, I feel guilty about it and I don't feel entitled to have a smidge of ice cream or a few cookies. I definitely work for that high that comes mid to late workout, and the feeling that I get at the end, but for the most part, who really wants to work out? Would I rather lay in bed and sleep? yes. But 2 hours later I'll be pissed that I did and not have the high for the day... what are your thoughts?
Thank you for the support and ideas of my post from yesterday. Some favorites : eat more protein (probably definitely a problem!) - lack may cause you to crave sweets, take a break since you have been forcing yourself to workout for so long (true), and those that let me know that it could/would be an emotional rollercoaster with stopping the nursing. I feel like I've been weaning for the past month with a drop in supply and mainly pumping so I think I've been on a rollercoaster for a month! It continues. It is nice to hear from other moms.
I'm getting right on the protein thing, the workouts, I just can't seem to take the time off with how I feel right now, but I never really could. My build is that if I don't workout, I will gain the weight in 5 seconds. For protein - here's my new thing. HEAB has posted a protein ice cream recipe. It's totally not ice cream (in the sense that ice cream is bad) and I decided to milk shake it.
Here are my ingredients:
1 scoop amazing grass chocolate powder (I bought it at the store last week after wanting it for months) 2 scoops aria protein powder 1 cup skim milk or soy milk 1/4 tsp xanthum gum(a thickener) a handful of ice whipped cream
The more ice you add, the colder and more frothy it is. It's delicious! I've also kept luna bars with me for when I'm out somewhere and just become starving in about 2 seconds.
Yesterday I was just all into my ranting and raving that I forgot to talk about 2010 or my goals or anything besides what was going on in my head!
I don't have any resolutions - I feel like I have so many things to improve, I don't even want to write them down. Instead, I thought of any easy thing to work on : Drink more water. It was easy when I was working and we had a water cooler and I feel like I drank constantly, but now I feel like I'm dehydrated all the time! So that is my great thing to work on!
BLACK BEAN "SLIDERS"
15 oz jar black beans 1/4 cup wheat germ or bread crumbs 1 egg white 1/4 cup colby jack or cheddar cheese (omit if you want) 1 tsp cilantro 1 tsp cumin Process away.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil - cook 3-5 min per side. Great with pita and hummus or in hamburger slider rolls! with your favorite dip.
Yesterday I decided I was done pumping. It had come to the point where I was pumping less than an ounce in about 20 minutes and it seemed futile. I was only still nursing Nick in the mornings, but I have a feeling that might just end up drying up. I've kind of been sad/emotional about it, even though I made it far, it takes some work, etc etc etc, I'm disappointed and feel sad about it. I have been giving Nick formula 2 times a day already, and used to pump enough for his nighttime bottle (6oz) - from all day's pumping, but it started to decrease each week/day to less and less.
Soul :
Overall, I've been emotional and can cry at the drop of a hat. I think my hormones are all over the place. I'm finding it hard to be home and be alone with Nick all day even when I plan things for most days. I just got a group of friends together for a playgroup that hopefully will be good for both of us, but I quit gymboree in the new year. Staying at home is definitely isolating. Tutoring is something that I look forward to, but it is during Nick's nap, which takes away my free time that I feel that I have little of as it is. My main focus has been his birthday which has kept me going but I get bored very easily and need projects to keep me busy.
Body :
Do you ever wish you were one of those people who didn't have to work out and could eat whatever they want? I do almost every day. I love the feeling working out gives me but I feel like I have to do it and if I don't do it, that I'd be very unhappy with my body. It's a deadly triangle and I think it sucks feeling like I have to exercise everyday so that I can eat what I want. I haven't tracked my calories/eating and definitely need to. Running has been going ok, last week I missed my 30 miles/week goal by 2.7 miles that I just couldn't push myself to do!
I keep craving things and wanting to bake. It's horrible because I really just want to eat my fruits and veggies and stop eating anything junky. Today I really just wanted Naturally Nutty - the butter toffee flavor. So, I took my almonds and coated them with butter and sugar as per a recipe I found online, and made my own version of the nut butter. IT was delicious but somehow their version has the same nutrition facts as regular peanut butter, which I know mine does not with butter and sugar in the mix. I'd break down and order it if they didn't say they were sending me samples and then I never heard from them again! Booo!
It is the last week of HBBC and I have to say that I was 10x more motivated last year when I was at the end of my pregnancy with Nick!
