Prepping food for a busy day

So, because I pick up my car tonight, I am relying on Chris to get me to work and appointments today, still.

He's picking me up after work, bringing me to a tailor's appointment for my bridesmaid dress, then a half hour north to pick up my car. So neither of us are going to be home until the later evening - which means we won't have enough time to put together an actual cooked dinner.

And we both are trying to stay on track, which means eating real food! So we talked about it yesterday and decided it wasn't a good idea to pick up something on the go tonight (especially since we made plans to bring pizza over to our friends tomorrow, they just had a baby and that was their request). I am trying to stick to the "eat really well 6 days a week, have an indulgence on the other day" kind of rule. It's been working really well for me.

So, last night, we cut an acorn squash in half and roasted it up. Tonight, all we have to do it fill it with our patented "mix" (usually a lean protein cooked up with a variety of vegetables, like onions, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes), heat it up in the microwave and we'll have dinner on the table very soon after coming home.

It didn't take a lot of time, thought, or planning. Just a little bit of knowing the next day's schedule and prepping for it.

We had gotten out of these type of healthy habits in my first trimester (we were both overwhelmed and I was just basically sleeping all day, leaving Chris to handle everything - now that I have the energy to pitch in again, we're back to normal). It's easy to forget how actually easy it is to make these good decisions - when life gets crazy, worrying about food often slips down the priority list. But a healthy, well-fed body is much better equipped to deal with this crazy life.

Even though I haven't been posting a lot, I am back to my old self (mostly - aside from this wiggly little creature inside of me!). And, so far, I am having a really healthy pregnancy. I take the glucose test at the end of August, so even though I am expecting it to come out fine, you never know with gestational diabetes. But fingers crossed that my body is working fine in that regards :)

That's all for now. Namaste, friends <3

New(ish) car, keeping it together, how I'm eating

So, first things first - I found a new-to-me car over the weekend and I am going to finalize and pick it up on Tuesday! I am excited :) It's a Nissan Versa (so pretty darn affordable) and I've wanted one for a while. It's a 2012 with less than 30k miles on it, brand new tires, brakes, etc. Here's hoping it will be a reliable and safe car for my new little family for a while to come!

I think I did a really good job last week keeping it together last week - though things seemed to be falling down around me (in my life and in the lives of those I love). I definitely cried a few times and snapped at Chris a time or two (sorry!), but overall, I maintained a pretty even keeled physical presence, because I didn't want to physically stress the baby out. I took the time I needed to decompress and chill out before dealing with any of the problems that popped up. Obviously, having Chris (and other family/friends) around to help me deal with things helped immensely. Chris did a lot of the leg work with selling my Jeep and arranging appointments to look at new cars, etc. It gave me the time I needed to deal with others things in my life and not get overly stressed. So, very lucky there.

I've been eating very well - and staying moderately active - lately. I seem to have one day a week where I really indulge on foods I normally wouldn't (for example, that day last week was Friday when there was a pizza party at work - I ate past fullness and felt like a glutton) but the rest of the week was really on point. Lots of veggies and proteins, healthy dinners (made by Chris - again, thank you!).

Last night we had pork chops and roasted cauliflower for dinner - no starch but I made us really lovely banana-strawberry smoothies with coconut milk and cinnamon for dessert. I was pretty full (the baby is taking up a lot of room in there and I need to snack a little more than usual because I can't eat huge meals right now).

Lunch was a turkey burger with veggies in a lettuce wrap, breakfast was toast and eggs and turkey bacon.

Saturday was pretty similar.

So, limiting the sugary snacks and focusing on more nutritious stuff. It's been good and I feel worlds better! We just did a huge grocery shop (as we were eating fridge leftovers on the weekend) and have lots of lovely produce for the coming week.

Just a little update. Trying to practice what I KNOW is right - taking care of mind and body for the health of me and my baby. Doing it even when it would feel better to lose control (mentally freak out and physically indulge in a bunch of junk). But knowing that won't get me where I want to be.

Hope everyone's week is off to a good start. I hope mine goes much better than last week!

Updates

Had my 6 month check up today: I'm healthy, baby is healthy and growing right on track with a strong heart, my blood counts increased back into the acceptable range, and I gained 2 pounds since my 5 month appointment! All is well and totally on track :)

My doctor was pleased (since I did my "bulk" gain the previous month) but said I'll do some serious gaining in the next 3 months - averaging a pound a week, especially as the baby grows from 1ish pounds to 7-8 pounds!

Eating really balanced lately - lots more nutrition than I was getting in my first trimester, that's for sure. Also getting my muscles back on track, because I want to be strong enough for the birth and post birth times.

Other things are rough: the transmission died on my car, we're selling it and starting the process of getting a new (used) car - not that we can afford it! But whatever, I've accepted the situation and haven't let myself get so anxious herb set that it is affecting me physically.

Having a bunch of other stupid life problems (insurance and crap like that) and also worrying about several friends going through a hard time, regarding their health. It's scary.

Despite the stress, my BP was 94/64- low as always!

So just busy - busy writing my dissertation, busy dealing with this car and financing, busy clearing out my brother's old room then putting the nursery together, and busy just trying to live the rest of my life! I'm tired :)

So that's what's up with me in case anyone was wondering. I'm still reading blogs and following social media to distract me during the day at times, but haven't had a ton of energy to write my own.

Namaste <3

Sorry I haven't been posting...

I'm just a little sad and overwhelmed right now, and doing my best to do some self-care during this time.

My physical health is excellent however, and the baby is doing well. So there's that :)

Will try to do an actual post soon <3

Treat Night

Chris came home from traveling all week today, so we treated ourselves to an easy night - he picked up Chipotle for us and brought it home, so I can have dinner right after work.

I got a salad with chicken on it, fajita veggies, salsa and sour cream. I constructed it off their online menu, see you can actually see the different calories of things as you build your meal. That was really helpful, to help me avoid picking every single high calorie item on the menu! The sour cream was my splurge :) I skipped the vinaigrette, opting to use the sour cream as the dressing.

The coffee shop down the street from us just started selling ice cream too. As a promotion, they were giving away free scoops of ice cream today. Free ice cream, no-brainer for me! Especially since my eating has been spot-on this week again (been back on track and feeling good!). 

Obviously, since it was free, it was a nice reasonable portion. I got peanut butter fudge, and I am more than satisfied :)

It's been really nice to be back to normal, to have five or so days of eating moderately and healthfully with A focus on nutrition, and then indulging in a little treat. I wrote that blog post some days ago about treats being treats, not the norm. And it was a good reminder. It's been nice to get back to that, because that ice cream tasted better than if I had been having ice cream every day! And no guilt at all for eating it, which is also nice. There shouldn't be guilt surrounding food like that.

I have my brother's fiancée's bridal shower on Sunday, and it is in New Jersey, so I have a bit of a long day that day. But it will be nice to see my family and her family again!

Enjoy the weekend.

Namaste <3

Staying Active Throughout the Day

I've been having some really great step counts lately. With the nicer weather, it's just been so much easier to get out and get moving, especially now that I'm feeling better.

Chris is away, so I'm walking the dog first thing in the morning. I have three breaks during the day that I take walks during. I also walk around right before my shift starts.

Once you're in motion, it is a lot easier to stay in motion!

When I'm sedentary too much, I find it very hard to find the motivation to get moving throughout the day. Inertia!

Also, I've been reading that it is beneficial to stay active throughout the day (not just be sedentary for most the day, have an hour so where you are really active, and go back to being sedentary). 

Mission accomplished!

Today was a little tough - I started to get overwhelmed with all the things I have to do when Chris is gone. Got momentarily stressed. But I managed to get my house chores done, write a couple pages of my dissertation, take the dog out to the pet store, buy myself some Ferrero Roché (ate two truffles and saved one for tomorrow!) and settle in for the night calmly.

And I am tired, especially after being active all day - another benefit! So goodnight <3

Belly Pic!

So that's me, 5 1/2 months pregnant :) Just in case anyone had lingering doubts that I am gaining enough weight for the little one! I'm not totally in love with my body at the moment, but I don't mind the belly :) The butt and upper arms could stand a little more trimming up. But hopefully I'll get back there eventually now that I am back in the world again and eating much better!

But that pregnant body got me and the baby up a mountain, so I can't complain too much - I felt on top of the world in that moment :D

Hiking while Pregnant

My blood pressure issues have definitely settled down to a normal range and my energy is back. And I have been missing the mountains something fierce lately. So I told my husband that I was ready to hike in the High Peaks again. I picked one that was only 6 miles round-trip, and has one of the less steep ascents (the climb is spread out - not so vertical).

And I had an amazing day!

The hike went well, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we ended up getting the summit to ourselves for 45 minutes (rare on a beautiful busy hiking day!).

I relaxed on the summit and felt my baby move - was so excited to be able to carry it up the mountain safely with me! I made sure to hike at a much slower pace than normal, keeping my heart rate slightly elevated but always even, and my breath calm.

I was so happy that day - elated, really. I forgot how much I gain from hiking and being in the wilderness.

I slept in the car on the way home, though :) Definitely tired me out!

It's going to be a hot week here, hope everyone has a great start to their week <3

When are treats treats?

Last night, our group of friends flocked the recently bought house of another of our friends. To flock someone means to cover their lawn in pink plastic lawn flamingos :)

It's always fun, and our friends expect it now (which is why sometimes we wait six months or more to do it! Just to get a little bit of a surprise in), and it becomes a fun group activity.

After flocking, about a dozen of us stormed a local ice cream parlor and got ice cream. I've been super on point with my veggies and protein this week and keeping portions moderate, so I decided I would definitely have ice cream with them. I got a small peanut butter and jelly cone, and it was totally worth the splurge!

And then I walked into work this morning and there were donuts for everyone, and there will be cupcakes later.

I had to remind myself that a treat is only a treat if you have it once in a while. And I don't want donuts, cupcakes, and ice cream to become my norm! 

My doctor actually reminded me of this at my last appointment - saying keep treats moderate so that my weight gain doesn't continue at the pace it was (I was having nightly treats for months after getting pregnant! The doctor didn't think I had gained a dangerous amount of weight, but wanted me to slow it down).

I'm consuming a decent amount of sugar every day - it is the season of awesome fresh fruit! So I've been eating blueberries, cherries, strawberries, various melons and more throughout the week. That sates my sweet tooth plenty.

Typing this out helped reinforce to me that I won't have the donuts this morning or the cupcakes this afternoon. I was waffling a little on that (I'm weak - I love sugar!!!) but I know what is best for me and this baby. Got to focus on more nutritious stuff and leave the sugar to the fruit and occasional treat. I have a bridal shower I am throwing this weekend which will have lots of SUPER awesome treats, so I want to save my treat-eating for then :D

Everything else is going well with me. I started my new position and I like it much better than my old one (other than that they made my schedule later so I get home later, boo). But, otherwise, I enjoy my days a little more than I used to.

Baby is moving all the time, now. It's crazy and I'm not used to it at all! It's really special, though and I've been enjoying every second :) I can't wait for he/she to wake up in the morning so I can feel him/her and say good morning!

That's all for now. Namaste <3

Eating, Moving, My Belly

We went up to the Adirondacks this weekend, and had an awesome time! I slept well in the cold mountain air, walked over 14,000 steps every day, and ate a lot of delicious food (no BBQs though!).

I had a salmon dinner on Saturday that was amazing!

And I got an omelette with toast at the town diner this morning!

Chris and I didn't do any big hikes, but did a lot of little walks around the area to get to some really beautiful places.

AND it became quite clear to me that, no matter what I wear, my belly is visible to everyone, so I have to start embracing it and stop hiding it so much.

It was a restful weekend - though active! - and I ate well, but didn't go overboard. I think I am pretty much back to my old way of eating, I'm not having crazy hunger pains and feeling out of control, so other than the reintroduction of some grains and dairy, I'm starting to feel like my old self as far as eating goes!

Just started week 21 of the pregnancy. Time is flying!! We ordered the crib and will buy curtains and a rug soon, too. Getting very, very real. Enjoying feeling the baby move more and more, too <3

Enjoy your week - take care of your hearts and bodies!

5 months

And a very healthy baby!

That's all that's important in the end!

I'm up to 144 - so an 18 lb gain from conception. Yikes! I thought my weight gain had slowed hahaha but the baby is a pound, now, and the right size, so that's great :)

Other things are not awesome (they changed my schedule at work to a later shift, grrrr) but I'm starting a 3 day weekend right now and hoping to relax!