Posts filed under 'Food'
One of the best things about living in our college town is having access to college sports. If you know me well, you know I’m a born & raised Aggie, but now that I have kids of my own, I’ve been enjoying getting to expose my kiddos to the Aggie culture.
This football season Colby and I went to one game (Kansas), and Kevin went to 2 games (OSU & Texas). Kevin’s company also had a big tailgate for the Idaho State game back in September. So, the 5 of us rode the Aggie buses to the Quad and then walked to Kyle Field so we could eat barbeque at 4 pm. Because tailgates can last all day, but not really with kids. (We didn’t stay for the game.) It was a lot of fun because it turned out to be in the Aggie practice field, so while the kids weren’t technically allowed to play with the equipment, there was nothing our kids could really “destroy” out there.
I took the stroller with us, but that turned out to be a big mistake because the kids ended up fighting over it more than using it. Other than that, it was a great day in Aggieland.
December 7th, 2011
Carlee, taking care of her baby [doll]. She has already claimed that the baby in my belly is “hers”.
How far along: 30 weeks in pic, 31 weeks now. I really should stop taking pictures at the end of the day, when I look exhausted! I promise that I put on make-up every day and actual clothes, most days.
Size of baby: 3.3 pounds & 16.25 inches, or the size of 4 navel oranges (according to my app. shaking my head.) Although, yesterday I measured at 36 weeks – my ob says if the baby keeps growing at this rate, I’ll have a 9 pounder, a month early. Stay tuned.
Maternity clothes: I really thought I was going to get to break out my cute winter stuff – we had approximately 2.2 days of cooler weather, followed by consistent 90 degree temps. Again. I think maybe another cold front might be coming through tonight, although I won’t hold my breath. I’ll survive with whatever I’m wearing, it’s just hard to dress my kiddos appropriately.
Movement: Yes, still lots. My doctor told me to watch and make sure I have 10 kicks in an hour, and I told him it wasn’t uncommon for this baby to have 10 kicks in 10 minutes. But the movements are definitely slowing down a bit – not the jerky movements anymore. I’m also having quite a few Braxton-Hicks, which is exciting and very painful, all at the same time.
Sleep: Getting more and more uncomfortable. I am still snoring, I am still tossing and turning, and I am still in need of regular chiropractic adjustments and prenatal massages.
Cravings: Not too many now that I’ve been cutting down on sugar and grains. I do like HEB’s vegetable crackers (which actually have like 0 vegetables?) and HEB’s honey wheat pretzels. Both of those I could probably eat the entire box or bag, but I do limit myself. I also still like milk and will drink a small glass each night before bed.
Symptoms: HOT. Mostly due to the weather, but I have to have my fans on all the time. Kevin has started growing his hair out, instead of buzzing it, mostly because I think I’m freezing him out. [I'm reminded of that scene in Father of the Bride 2, when Steve Martin's wife AND daughter are pregnant in the middle of summer. They've cranked the a/c on full blast, and Steve Martin runs around wearing blankets and mittens...]
What I miss: Other than sleep? Really, nothing. I am in the phase of realizing how little time is left of this pregnancy, knowing it will be our last, and enjoying being a punching bag for this baby’s kicking. I am truly wondering how much more my belly is going to grow, but in the end, it will all be worth it.
Favorite Moments: I think we have decided on her name! It’s a very recent discovery (as in, the past day or so?) and like all our girls, we don’t have a middle name yet. We’ll take suggestions, other than Faith & Joy, which Kennedy & Carlee already have. So far, I have thought of “tax deduction”, “Christmas gift”, and “the grand finale”. Colby has suggested “Judges” or “Ruth” – because of course in the Bible those come after Joshua, which is his middle name.
October 27th, 2011
Take a look at what I’ve been eating for lunch lately.
Lettuce
Sliced cheese
Lunchmeat
Avocado
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cracked Pepper
Yum.
October 26th, 2011
This recipe gets its name because we first had it on our trip to Colorado this summer.
For 4 pounds of meat, mix together in a plastic bag -
3 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp black pepper
3 tsp brown sugar
2 T minced garlic
8-9 T soy sauce
Grill for 20 mins. on one side, then flip and pour the sauce on the meat and grill the other side for 20 mins. longer. Let meat rest and then slice, like so.
I can’t think of an easier way to make grilled pork tenderloin and I was so excited that I already had all of the ingredients on hand. Plus, the meat was only $1.99 per pound this past week… I bought 3 more and froze them in plastic bags to eat when baby gets here.
Coincidentally, Colby has now decided that the baby’s name should be “Colorado”. Wonder if she likes her pork loin?
October 18th, 2011
I went in for my 3-hour glucose test on Thursday, and I was really nervous, considering I “flunked’ my 1-hour test… by 71 points… So, after all the help you all gave me, I could see that I needed a major diet change. My goal was not to try and trick the test (if that was even possible), but to make sure that I was eating the absolute right foods for me.
When I went in, my baseline glucose reading (after fasting) was an 88. A normal reading is somewhere between 90 & 100, and if I had had between 90 & 100 in the 1-hour test, then I wouldn’t have had to take the 3-hour test. Then I drank the lemon-lime-sugar-coma-inducer… Last week I chose the orange-crush-of-death… and after an hour, my glucose level was at 151, which was better than the 165 level I needed to stay under. And after 2 hours, my reading was down to 130, and they were looking for me to be under 145. So, I passed, with flying colors.[insert big sigh of relief]
So, what was my ’secret’ for eating better? I majorly cut back on sugars & grains in my diet. That little step was so much harder than I ever thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I still ate 1-2 things per day that I considered “no-nos”, but for the most part, cutting back on those 2 things was my secret. And the best part? I had more energy than most days when I was pregnant. I didn’t snap at the kids as much, because I wasn’t always crashing on sugar highs or lows.
The day of my glucose test, I made these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with the kids (they were super yummy!) and had no regrets about eating a few. I could definitely tell, after not eating things with flour and sugar all week, that I didn’t want to eat too many, for fear of the sugar high. ”Everything in moderation”, right?
And what do I eat the most of? Meat. Veggies. Nuts. Cheese and plain milk, even though most people who follow this plan might cut dairy out completely. I’m not even tired of salad, and we’ll have an entire garden bed of lettuces, spinaches (sp?), and swiss chard in a month.
Now, I think my challenge is convincing the kiddos that this change is a good thing… that we can eat healthy foods that don’t have sugars and still enjoy them. Any tips?
October 17th, 2011
It looks like this baby is apparently sweeter than originally thought, because I failed my 1-hr. glucose test and now have to take the 3-hr. test next Thursday. If I fail the 3-hr. test that means I probably have gestational diabetes, which I’ve never had a problem with in previous pregnancies. So, my doctor has suggested I cut way back on my carbs and sugars (which of course I’m craving now) in order to do well on this test, and so I can see what my ideal diet should be while pregnant. (PS – my doctor suggested that because of my liver issues last summer, my body might be processing sugar a little bit differently. It also seems like this is his big “soapbox issue”… I’ll find out next week for sure.)
So, here’s a little mini-menu of what I have planned to eat for the next few days – can you help me figure out if I need to cut out even more carbs and sugar? And, what should I replace it with? There’s only so many days I can eat salad… Plus, what about fruit? I’ve been wanting fruit, which has the “good” sugars… should I go all out and eliminate those too? I put a (+) on the items I know have pretty high carbs or sugars (or both) but how’s a pregnant lady supposed to eat?
Friday:
B – baked oatmeal (oats, 2% milk, brown sugar) (+)
L – chef salad (lunchmeat, cheese, low-carb dressing), frozen grapes
D – beef roast ragout with whole wheat noodles (+), green beans & fruit
S – cheese stick
Saturday:
B – baked oatmeal (+)
L – turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread (+) with cheese and mustard
D -
S – cashews and craisins (+)
Sunday:
B – toast (+) with peanut butter
L -
D – chili with chickpeas, a veggie & a fruit
S – cheese stick
Monday:
B – scrambled eggs
L – chef salad
D – pork chops, baked sweet potato fries
S – peanut butter apples
October 6th, 2011
I made a few trips to Walgreens last week – there seems to be one one every corner in this town, and not every one had the pads that were free after RR. I figured I’d stock up for when Baby Lightning Jesus (or whatever her name is) gets here.
I spent a little over $3 out of pocket for all of these items, and I still have $2 RR left over. My kids were excited about the gummi worms, and I loved that they were free!
(Anybody else besides Tiffany get paid for the Brita pitcher? By Friday, I couldn’t find one. Carlee also pulled the [empty] shopping cart over on top of her, so I was a little distracted that day.)
October 5th, 2011
Wow, I look really tired…
How far along: 27 weeks in pic, 28 weeks now.
Size of baby: 2.2 pounds, or the size of a Chinese cabbage, according to my pregnancy app. A week ago the baby was the size of a hothouse cucumber. What in the world is a hothouse cucumber? How is it different from a coldhouse cucumber? Why the need to differentiate it from a plain old cucumber? Is it related to Larry the Cucumber? So many questions.
Maternity clothes: Shorts are mostly elastic/athletic shorts, as I can’t really fit into my maternity shorts *yet*… the bottoms (jeans & dress pants) from previous pregnancies fit but it’s still too hot outside to wear them. I have about 6-7 shirts that I really love and wear pretty often (for instance I wore that same blue shirt today).
Movement: Tons. I feel like a punching bag sometimes and I can really tell when she moves from one side to the other. Getting easier to recognize body parts (knees, back & bottom, elbows). I’ve heard that an active baby in utero will be really smart. This girl will be a genius.
Sleep: Not too many hours in a row. I have mastered going potty a few times before climbing into bed, but I still wake myself up… snoring. Either that, or Kevin is kicking me to roll over. One day I swear I’m going to wake up and find he has put one of those Breathe Right strips on my nose.
Cravings: I have been wanting milk a lot more lately, also have been wanting a snack before bed – either Oreos or chocolate chips top my list lately… she’s finding her sweet tooth, this baby. And it seems like ever since my doctor said, “You might want to consider cutting back on carbs & sugar before your glucose test” which is this Thursday, it seems that has been what I’ve been craving… like the elephant in the room….
Symptoms: heartburn, tired. See above.
What I miss: My brain cells. I used to be so good with remembering people’s names. In Kindergarten choir, I’ve been calling one kid by his dad’s name and another kid by her sister’s name…. What was I saying again?
Best moments of the month: Realizing I have less than 3 months until she’s here! I can really tell I’m in the 3rd trimester, so even though I’m tired, I’m also nesting.. cleaning out the closets getting Kevin to take care of some honey-do projects. I still need to finish up my Christmas shopping well before Thanksgiving… put in your requests early.
PS – I’m going to post-date my Four for Four pic this month… you’ll see why later this week.
October 3rd, 2011
I have 3 kids. This means I have a wide variety of appetites to please. If I try a new recipe for dinner, it’s a pretty good bet that none of the kids will like it but Kevin and I will love it.
This recipe, all the kids loved, except Colby didn’t want the tortilla. Here’s what I did.
I used these spices on top of about 1 lb. of tilapia filets.
Then I wrapped each piece in foil.
And put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
It turned out super yummy on top of flour tortillas, with shredded cabbage and sour cream mixed with guacamole. Wish I had taken a pic of that too!
September 25th, 2011
I am a perpetual list-maker. If it’s on the list, I’ll do it; otherwise I forget. Sometimes I make a list, either on paper or my phone, just so I can cross things off – such a feeling of accomplishment.
I got a lot of things done today. But Colby & I wrote this on a day when I really needed some happy.
pic taken March 2011.
September 15th, 2011
Told you I got bigger. And wow, my hair is getting long.
How far along: 23 weeks in that pic, at time of posting 24, almost 25 weeks.
Size of baby: 1.3 pounds, “about the size of a small melon” according to my Pregnancy app on my iPhone. I look like I’m carrying a small melon, don’t I?
Maternity clothes: My XS shirts are starting to show my belly! I have started wearing some of my M (bigger) maternity shirts because they’re really cute and I’m tired of the XS stuff anyway. It’s been so hot that I’ve been sweating buckets, which means I get to change clothes a lot.
Movement: Tonight Colby felt the baby kick his hand a couple of times. I thought the look on his face was so precious because he realized what was happening! I’ll have to get it on video… he is so sweet.
Sleep: Eh. Not so good. I’ve been using a couple of different pregnancy pillows and have finally just settled on my 2 king pillows – one in front, one in back. I have no idea if Kevin is still sleeping in the same bed as I am.
What I miss: being able to run, bike, & otherwise exercise like a non-pregnant person. I saw a billboard advertising the first-ever B/CS Marathon & 1/2 Marathon. It will be on Dec. 11th. There’s always next year.
Cravings: still don’t like sweets all that much, but (again) since it’s been so hot I can’t drink enough water. Iced tea is a possible craving. I got a new(to me) bread machine for my birthday and I made 2 loaves of homemade bread last week. Guess I should lay off since my glucose test is in 3 weeks?
Symptoms: Heartburn! Started taking medicine daily (just 10 mg.) and it’s definitely worse when I go to sleep at night. I’m trying to go to the bathroom twice before I get in the bed, so I can save myself a trip in the middle of the night. And tired. Very tired.
Best moments of the month: I hinted at this last week, but we are excited to share IT’S A GIRL! Colby was pretty crushed he wasn’t having a baby brother, but I am not worried at all about him loving this baby. Plus, Carlee has already laid claim to this baby (“MY baby”). Kennedy is having too much fun at dance and pre-K. :)
We don’t have a name picked out yet, although I’m trying to convince Kevin of a name I really like. He has turned down pretty much every name except for this one, so I’m holding out for it…
September 12th, 2011
This pic was taken when I was 18 weeks along. I have a dear friend who does monthly pregnancy updates, which I think is cute and I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m copying her idea! I filled this out back in July, so when you read my 23 week update a few days from now, you can see how things have changed.
For this pic, I used an app on my iPhone called Snapbucket – I think this filter is called Lomo.
How far along: 18 weeks & change
Size of baby: 1 pound
Maternity clothes: I love that all the things I bought when I was pregnant with Carlee still fit for this pregnancy. I have tons of clothes – maternity and not maternity.
Movement: Yes. Mostly in the evenings, during prayertime/storytime and when I’m getting the kids to bed. (Hoping this is not a sign of things to come when the baby gets here.)
Sleep: pretty good! I have to get up 1-2 times to go to the bathroom but still only sleeping with 1 extra pillow under my head. (no pregnancy pillow) I am taking a 30-45 minute nap each day.
What I miss: soft cheeses. I squeak around the “no lunchmeat” rule by nuking it in the microwave. Don’t know if the same rule applies to things like feta, blue cheese, etc., but I’ll have to look into that.
Cravings: meat. bread & butter. potatoes. still an aversion to sweets.
Symptoms: finally feeling not quite so sick now. I’m able to get out with the kids more and enjoy our last days of summer. Haven’t had much heartburn, which is such a change from Carlee & Kennedy.
Best moments of the month: People don’t have to guess whether I’m pregnant or not – you can definitely tell! The kids are excited about finding out what the baby is later this week…
September 5th, 2011
Okay, okay, I know I haven’t updated the blog in almost 2 months… I keep reading all these blogs of mamas who blog every day and have ridiculously large traffic numbers. I think about 41 people read our blog, and roughly 2/3 of them are family members who don’t care about the number of times I update, as long as I put pictures up. Well to that I say, “phhhhhthththththththt”
Lately, people keep asking me, “what have you been up to lately?” and I get this faraway look in my eyes and try, for the life of me, to actually remember what I’ve been doing. Then I’ll start to point to my belly and my born(e)? children and tell them to figure it out themselves, and I’ll remember that not everyone understands my preggo brain. Heck, I don’t even understand my preggo brain. [Did I just say "heck"? How old am I again?]
Speaking of which, I had a milestone birthday about 10 days ago. Yes, August 20th is my birthday and I turned the big 3-0. Or, as I like to put it “my first anniversary of my 29th birthday”. :) No, 30 hasn’t been so bad – I figure it’s just another year, and 29 was probably the hardest and most stressful year of my life…. let’s see – 3 foot surgeries, 4 grandparents passing away, 1 parent’s open heart surgery, 1 heckuva flu virus (there’s that ‘heck’ again..), and 1 positive pregnancy test [whom we're naming "surprise!: the sequel".]
To celebrate my birthday, Kevin invited some of my [local] friends over for hamburgers and cookie cake . Cookie cake is my absolute favorite kind of cake, from the Great American Cookie Company. My mom & dad ordered one of the large rectangle ones for us (Thanks, Mom & Dad!) and even with 40+ party guests, we still ended up with half the cookie cake left over. But i wasn’t complaining – Kevin, the kids, and I polished it off the next day! Good thing birthdays (and subsequent cookie cake!) only come around once per year!
The other part of “what we’ve been doing lately” has revolved around trying to stay cool in the 100-degree heat we’ve had in Texas. It’s been ridiculous. I think every day in August (save 1 or 2) has been 100 degrees OR HIGHER. So, we’ve been swimming at least twice a week, as I’ve been teaching water aerobics at least twice a week, and we rented quite a number of [free] movies in the past month – when we need to stay indoors because it’s been too hot to play. Also, our recent trip to Colorado with Kevin’s extended family a few weeks ago (pictures hopefully soon!) was a welcome addition to our summer.
I will also mention that Colby started 1st grade last week (sniff) and Kennedy will start pre-K next week (sniff sniff). So we’ve been buying school supplies and snack supplies and lunch supplies and all the other things that go with preparing for school to start. Oh and stocking my pantry for when the Aggies come to town because it’s hard to drive anywhere with new Aggie parents who don’t know where they are going and are caravan-ing with a U-Haul full of stuff! :)
Kennedy spent this past week being sick. Actually, it was only the past 2 days, but to me it felt like a week. She only wanted me to hold her while she tried to get comfortable in my lap (so hard to do on a pregnant mama). The only symptom she had was a high fever, but that’s enough to make anyone miserable. Kevin and I are on opposite ends of “sick” remedies – I hate throwing up, where Kevin wants to throw up because he knows it will make him feel better. But Kennedy is on my side on this one – she and I know that the pain (and the anxiety) of throwing up is far worse than the relief that will come when it’s done. So, we wait it out! We’ll take the Tylenol to make us not hurt for a little bit, and try to keep food down – Kennedy has taken my affinity for salty things while sick – but throwing up is a “last resort” option. Colby and Carlee are even more different than Kennedy… who knows.
So, there’s the past 2 months in a very long nutshell. I think after this you’ll want me to blog more often so I don’t go off on tangents so much. Or, maybe I’ll go to bed. Which is another thing I’ve been doing lately. Good night, Mary Ellen. Good night, John Boy.
September 1st, 2011
Tim turned 21 on Friday. He has told us many many times that his favorite food is meatballs. So, for every special occasion [and sometimes just because], we’ve made him meatballs – after he and Kelsey got engaged, during parents’ weekend when we had Kelsey’s parents over, etc. etc., and now for his birthday dinner.
This is the beginning shot of the video Kevin took, which I don’t know how to upload to the blog. The kids are singing Happy Birthday – Carlee practiced singing to Tim all day. The kids also made him birthday cards and in the midst of folding them up like cards, they taped the papers together so the cards ripped a little in the process. Sad face.
The meatballs were yummy and Tim really liked the brownies we made him. Usually I make brownies from a box but I found this recipe for Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies. I had all the ingredients on hand, and I don’t know if I’ve ever made brownies before. My not-pregnant self would absolutely love them but this pregnancy I’m not a fan of sweets OR chocolate – I know, gasp!
Happy Birthday, Tim!
July 10th, 2011
My favorite holiday is July 4th. I might have mentioned that before. This July 4th there’s a burn ban, so no fireworks for us this year, except on tv. But I have been enjoying one of the tastiest crops of watermelon this year. Each one I’ve picked has been sweeter than the last. (My favorite place to get them is at Sam’s – they’re big, seedless, and less than $5.) So, this weekend, we’re planning for said watermelon, a few times to go swim, barbeque eating, and homemade ice cream. I think that should about do it. Anyone else have plans for the 4th?
July 3rd, 2011
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