kevin and jenna [dot] com » Food

Aggie Game Day

Jenna — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:47:14 +0000

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.

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Pregnancy Update: 31 weeks.

Jenna — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:49:38 +0000

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.

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Lunch.

Jenna — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:08:29 +0000

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.

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Colorado Pork Loin

Jenna — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:25:45 +0000

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?

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Glucose update

Jenna — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:11:51 +0000

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?

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Need a little [less] sugar.

Jenna — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:30:34 +0000

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

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My trip(s) to Walgreens last week.

Jenna — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:13:29 +0000

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.)

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Pregnancy Update: 27 weeks

Jenna — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 03:42:16 +0000

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.

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Fish Tacos

Jenna — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:47:41 +0000

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!

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To-Do List

Jenna — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:23:40 +0000

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.

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