What I’ve been nibblin’ on!

Hey y’all! I just remembered that I promised to let you all know a tiny bit of what’s been in my kitchen cabinets and fridge lately (for the soon to be mamas who care). Like I said in the last post, I’ve been keen on being a lot more healthy this trimester now that my love for nutritious food has returned! I feel like baby Potuck is wondering why all the yummy junk food went away. It’s for your own good baby!

So, here goes! :

**I’ve been loving the eggs from Willow Egg Farm in Summertown, TN. I pick them up at the local Whole Foods or Turnip Truck. They’re a family owned farm, and the hens are completely free range. The little hennies can even eat bugs if they want to! MMMmmm…more protein! I literally eat an egg every day. Whether I scramble or boil it! Gotta get that baby it’s protein and good Omegas 🙂

A little more about them? click on ME

**I have been a big Trader Joe’s fan this pregnancy. It’s inexpensive food for a healthy minded human. My fave’s from there? 

The Fresh HOT salsa. It’s super chunky and is made pretty darn fresh. It goes bad fast, but I eat it faster than that!  I dip thickly cut cucumbers in it a lot these days, and well…tortilla chips too!

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I’m loving on almond butter with sea salt. I don’t add much salt to my diet, but for this it’s needed. I hate almond butter without it! I add this on my Ezekiel bread in the morning or dip little baby carrots and celery in it for for a protein filled snack!

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And the Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel bread is my jam! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

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I usually eat these with whatever burger bun I can find that is HUGE and FLUFFY. I am not picky about buns when I eat a burger, probably seeing as I don’t eat them often. I just need them to fit the burger, and not get soggy. Without further adieu …I love these Trader Joe’s Turkey burgs! Nummy!

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Onto another Trader Joe’s YUMMY in my tummy snack. These bad boys are a little indulgent. Sometimes I reach for the raw unroasted almonds from TJ’s, but most times, I reach for these…

TJs Sesame Honey Almonds

Steering away from Trader J’s….

THIS might be one of my fave non-guilty preggo foods..

Spark of Life (an awesome nashville based company) that creates raw dishes/desserts has a raw apple pie that I eat a couple times/week. Chopped Fresh Apples tossed in their own Applesauce with Chopped Medjool Dates, Organic Raisins, Local Raw Organic Honey (humanely harvested), Ground Flaxseed, Fresh Lemon Juice, Vietnamese Cinnamon and Organic Vanilla Extract. OMG! There’s more!  The crust is very similar to the Great Balls of Fiber recipe and the topping is an Oat-Crumb mixture made with our Raw Sprouted Cranberry-Almond Granola, then sprinkled with Chia Seeds.  Can you believe a dessert like this can actually be GOOD FOR YOU?!  Believe!  Check out where to buy this and other foods I love from this company HERE

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Besides the certain brands mentioned above, I’ve been digging on veggies chopped up and tossed in white balsamic vinegar. I leave it to soak overnight and then munch on them throughout the following day.

And salads…LOTs of em!!!!

I hope all you pregnant mamas are enjoying your sweet time being pregnant, and trying to be mindful of what baby is getting to eat via YOU!

Staying in shape while growing a human..

Is this even possible?

I laugh at myself after what I now consider a “workout”.  But you know what? I do it. I have to remember that healthy momma equals healthy baby. Also, I want it to be easy for me to bounce back into pre-preggo shape faster than a microwave minute.

So what am I up to these days in the fitness department? Well, I’m not going to lie, I can be doing so much more (came to this conclusion after googling images/blogs of super mommies on the internet…don’t do this to yourselves).

Here were my health stats PRIOR to finding out that I was going to be a vessel for human life:

Weight– 120lbs at 5′ 4″. I am always teetering between 115lbs and 120lbs…I was on the “heavier” end (haha) because I got pregnant during food season a.k.a. Holiday Season!

Workout routine: I had a membership to my local YMCA which is now been terminated due to baby budgeting. I was at the gym seriously 5 days a week. I always made time for at least a quick 30 minute workout. I was an elliptical machine freak. If anyone decided to ellipticize near me, well, let’s just say  that I made a competition out of it. Pathetic, I know. I loved seeing people look at me like I was crazy (or about to fall off from going too fast).  2-3 times a week I did medium weights and leg workouts. Basically, I was what doctors considered pretty darn fit.

Diet:

I am a health freak, but not vegan/vegetarian/anything that requires LOTS of attention haa 🙂 Sorry Veggie friends. It just seems like A LOT of slicing and dicing.  My daily diet consisted of salads and lean meats and fishes galore! I live right near a Whole Foods, which has the biggest and best salad bar in the world!  I always made a huuuge salad that last me throughout the day until dinner. I always included lean meats/fish on it. I never use salad dressing. I’m weird and love the taste of greens. Sometimes I’d splash a bit of white balsamic if I felt “crazy”. I love fruit and eggs and normally for breakfast would have a variation of that with some Ezekial flourless bread as toast. My dinner was sometimes another big salad or some kind of protein/veggie mix. I was undoubtedly a health nut. I still loved my desserts, though. I always had to have SOMETHING sweet. Mostly dark chocolate or black licorice..mmmm!!! But, that was my diet, y’all. NOT anymore haha.

So there’s that.

Oh- P.S.  Darren and I were super social bugs. We drank out 2-3 nights a week. Not anymoooore! 😦 Well, no cocktails and wine when we are out!

**I’ll post a couple before baby photos for y’all to see where I was comin’ from, and where I plan to get back to after baby and before summer 2014**

OK….So that was BEFORE and this is now! :

Weight: 122 lbs as of last OB appt. Gained 2 lbs first trimester! I’m certain as I type this that I’ve gained another couple lbs. I would put money on it. I’m supposed to gain 25-30 lbs over the course of the pregnancy. I should be catching up this trimester! I FEEEEEL like I’ve gained 10 lbs however. It doesn’t feel pretty y’all.

Workout Routine:  Hahaha. Routine. What a funny word that escapes me. At least it did the first trimester. I have been gaining my energy back the last 2 weeks, and now my friends, I am feeling like I might be starting a “routine” this month. The first trimester all I did was like three 30 minutes walks/week. Without my Y membership, I kinda lost my mojo. I did weights..never. I lost that. I was fearful of hurting myself. I wish I didn’t worry so much that first tri. I would have jogged instead of walked! New mammas are so uninformed. I thought slight jogging could hurt my baby. Well, this last week I started very light jogging again. Still, mostly a walk/jog situation. I do this 5 times a week now, and about 45 minutes each time. I now lift weights 3 times a week…lightly. I do less weight. 8 lbs instead of 15lb weights. Smaller sets, too. AND GIRLS!!….I’ve been lunging like a crazy fool. Leg lunges and lifts all day everyday. haha. I am trying to keep my appendages in shape since I can’t control the middle section. OH, and kegals. Tee hee hee.

 Diet: Compared to what I ate like before I found out I was preggo, I feel like I’ve just lost control. Again, the first trimester is tricky. You have to give into your crazy cravings or else you will just…want to die. I don’t know how else to put it. Darren always made sure I was taken care of. Poor guy. I ate lots of eggs and fruit for breakfast, and then throughout the day I would derail into an abyss of junk, sugar, starch, and transfat. Which is why I am surprised I only gained 2 lbs. Those little walks must have helped some. Well, let me put this out there : I never ever ever ever eat fast food. I have on road trips and that is it. So that helps me out. I did drink a fair amount of water,too!

The second trimester I’m gaining some clarity and losing the cravings. My aversion to salads has gone away. I am back to salad heaven, but I’m still managing my slight cravings for sweets. Diabetes runs in my fam, so I’m extra mindful. My diet consists of any of these …eggs/fruit/nuts/greek yogurt/granola for breakfast. Salads and veggies with avocado dip for lunch.  Almonds/pistachios/pretzels for snacks. Water. LOTS OF IT. Dinner has been on and off healthy. Some nights we get lazy and order something..anything. But, we have been at home cooking a whole lot more. So, lots of lean protein/quinoa/some fish/veggies for dinner. We’ve been mixing it up. Like I said,  3 nights out of 7 we are NOT caring about healthy and we have just whatever we want.  Desserts…..slowly cutting them out (minus figs and dark cocoa and frozen yogurt)!

I hope that this helps preggo babes like me feel like there is a light at the end of the first trimester tunnel. I also am adding another post after this of my fave brands of food that I’ve been munching on. Just remember..you’re normal. Everything you’re doing is *hopefully* normal 😉

Remember- only 300 extra calories/day is all baby needs! That’s like..a banana and a yogurt! Perspective..ahhhh! Keep a food journal if you must.

And stay active somehow. Those little walks can help tons!

xo

Here’s me the summer before baby!photo-36 photo-35

I’m now over two months…and I feel…..

How far along – 9 weeks

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Total weight gain- 2 lbs

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Maternity clothes?- Not yet. Although I feel like in the next few weeks I’ll be considering just stretch pants. My regular jeans fit everywhere except for my belly….guess I’ll have to start using those silly bellybands everyone claims do the trick.

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Stretch marks?- No! Thank goodness. I bought Mustela cream and Bio Oil. I use both every night and after every shower! Fingers crossed! Stay strong skin!

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Sleep?- Some nights I still stay up late. I am such a night owl! I get this from my mother 100%. But I feel like I get up at 5am every morning to take the longest pee mankind has ever known. I’m told this gets worse. LOVELY.

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Best moment this week?- Finally going number two. Seriously! Out. Of. Control.

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Miss anything?-  WINE!!!!!!!! omg. Normal bodily functions. My body has complete control over when I should and should not use the bathroom. Other than that..I’m eating like a cow. It’s insanity.

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Movement?- Nope. I’m not supposed to feel a baby for another few months. So if I feel anything, it’s um…somethin’ else.

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Food cravings?- ORANGES! Apples and peanut butter.

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Food aversions?- Sadly…my daily salads. I want to barf every time a healthy green leaf touches my lips. This baby is on a mission to destroy my eating habits.

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Gender- Not yet known. I feel like it’s a boy, though. Everyone except our friend Jessie say its a girl. Even my mom! Mom’s are so good at this. BUT- I totally feel it’s a boy. So far.

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Symptoms- Sore boobies, Cranky then happy, Nausea like crazy (now controlled by zofran)

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Wedding rings on or off? ON. I hope my fingers don’t get swollen for awhile…cause that means other things will be swollen, too.

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Looking forward to- February 19th! Second ultrasound. Can’t wait to see how the little nugget is cookin’ 😉