Blogging Break

Hello friends. I realized that I have taken an extended blogging break without letting you know. Things have just been a bit crazy here lately. I have lots of fun posts that I'm tossing around in my head and can't wait to share them with you. I'll be back at the beginning of 2013. Things will be mixing up a bit in that I'm going to be posting about other things than just food - I'm going to be discussing adventures in motherhood and fun tidbits that I find that I think you'll enjoy.

Oh and I'm also glad that the end of the world didn't happen today... not that I was really worried ;).

Whole Grain Peanut Butter Pancakes

Occasionally I deviate from my planned menus to make a craving or satisfy my 3 year old's desire for food he will eat. It seems he eats most of the same foods every day! I always make sure we're stocked on bread, crackers, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, yogurt, apples and bananas. He seriously doesn't touch his veggies. At his 3 year check up I mentioned this concern and I was told to keep offering them but not push them on him and eventually he may just eat them. (Oh and to give him a multivitamin every day.)

One night I asked him what he wanted to eat and the answer was, "Pancakes". I can do that, and since I do not like being a short order cook, I decided to just make them for all of us. He typically does not eat whatever I make for dinner (unless it's a boiled egg, pancakes, waffles, boxed mac & cheese, you get the idea...) I wanted to make sure we were getting some protein as we hadn't had much that day, so I decided to make peanut butter pancakes... I think these turned out pretty well ;).

Whole Grain Peanut Butter Pancakes

Postpartum Depression

I previously mentioned that I had postpartum depression. However for some reason I felt the need to write a bit more about what it is like to have postpartum depression. It is different for every person who gets it, so this is only what it is like for me... 

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole - Freezer Meal Style

This is part of my freezer meals series... or how we survive the first few weeks after we have a baby!

I know I've shared this recipe before, but I made a couple of minor changes for the freezer version... The linked recipe on the bottom however is not updated.

When I made this to freeze, I actually did 2.5 times the recipe and made 2 to freeze and 1 to eat the night I made it (after all I was pregnant and didn't want to cook anything else that day!) The only thing different would be that the corn tortillas were a little bit soggier in the freezer meal (but I would prefer soggier tortillas in this casserole to most frozen dinners you can buy in the store! Well there are more expensive frozen meals I actually enjoy, but they're more expensive...)

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

I found this recipe on Eat Good 4 Life and had to try it. However I don't know where their nutrition information came from as I could not get the same numbers in any recipe calculator I used (however if I used Raw Sugar instead of normal sugar it did not calculate ANY additional sugar so something was a little off and maybe that's what happened to that nutritional information). 

The other thing I loved about these brownies is that they use black beans - which help regulate blood sugar because of their high protein and fiber content. So these shouldn't cause as much of a spike in blood sugar! Something we all can live with ;). Black beans have more benefits you can read about here.

I have made a few changes and included some ingredients you can add in as well... and thanks to my son who saw me writing this post, I now have a batch of brownies in the oven that I can smell and they are almost done baking... I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

 Black Bean Brownies

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole - Freezer Meal Style

This is part of my freezer meals series... or how we survive the first few weeks after we have a baby!

I know I've shared this recipe before, but I made a couple of minor changes for the freezer version... The linked recipe on the bottom however is not updated.

When I made this to freeze, I actually did 3 times the recipe and made 3 to freeze and 1 to eat the night I made it - after all who wants to make 4 dinners and then make another one ;). This pretty much turns out exactly the same whether it is fresh or frozen - gotta love that! As far as veggies served with this - I stocked up on frozen veggies when they were on sale and used them, or I bought a packaged salad to eat with it. It is really nice to not have to really prepare dinner when you're exhausted from taking care of a newborn ;).

Cordon Bleu Casserole 

Teriyaki Bowl - Freezer Meal Style

This is part of my freezer meals series... or how we survive the first few weeks after we have a baby!

This is one of those recipes that was adapted in the process... I made two of these freezer bags to start and after the first it was clear that it needed to be changed! So you'll see some pictures that illustrate what not to do! ;) Also I have to admit I did not take a finished product photo (that whole survival for the first few weeks after a baby comes - I forgot to take the pictures...) So this photo comes from the original Teriyaki Bowl post that I made. But it looks similar ;).

 

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken 

Cranberry Onion Chicken

This is part of my freezer meals series... or what keeps us eating in the few weeks after we have a baby!

I can't remember where I found this chicken recipe (nor did I keep the link with it - I hate it when I do that!), but after searching for the recipe... it looks like the origin is actually from kraft foods... I loved how simple and easy this recipe is. It only has 4 ingredients! How much more simple can a recipe get?!? I also love that it is a slow cooker recipe - not hassle (at least not if you get a slow cooker liner... yep tried them for the first time after having our baby and it makes clean up so much easier. They may not be as environmentally friendly, but they did help keep my sanity for the first few weeks!)

I have to admit that I had some reservation when I made this - I didn't expect it to taste very good... but I was surprised! It actually is really good despite the interesting combination of ingredients.

Another interesting tidbit - this is the first time I've used onion soup mix in cooking. I had a bugger of a time trying to find it in the store (silly me - it was on the soup isle ;).

Cranberry Onion Chicken

Apricot Swirl Cheesecake

About a year ago (actually a year and a month, but who's counting?) I decided to try making an apricot cheesecake. Partly because of some canned apricots that needed to be used up, and what better way to use the apricots than to make a cheesecake? So I searched for a cheesecake recipe that had apricots, and you know what I found? A lot of cheesecake recipes, but either it was a plain cheesecake with an apricot sauce or a cheesecake with chunks of apricots in it. I'm not such a fan of chunks of fruit in my cheesecake... But that's my own preference... 

So what's a girl to do? I made my own version. Tell you what, it was perfection the first time through. However, I only took pictures of the final version not the process. (Sad day.) And I waited to make it again... guess what, I still haven't made it, but I can not keep this from you for another day, it is delicious and while I haven't made it since - it is on my list. I probably won't make it for a while though since my time is consumed keeping a baby fed, diapered, clothed and also keeping up with my 3 year old son! So this is just going to be a recipe post... no step by step tutorial - yet.

The difference 1 hour can make...

Yesterday when my husband came home for lunch this is what I looked like...

I know, aren't they great photos... totally flattering (or not!)

One hour later when I returned home so my dear husband could get back to work. Something was different...

We've been keeping busy...

So besides staring at a cute baby (photos at the end...), and trying to spend some time with my other son, what has been keeping me away from blogging? Well, I'll tell you. Let's start with the fact that the first 4 weeks of our little one's life have been eventful! We've been to the doctor every week since he's been born!

PCOS and Pregnancy

That joyous moment has arrived - the pregnancy test is positive (whether it is the first test you've taken, or the tenth...) If this is your first pregnancy, you likely buy a book about pregnancy that details everything that happens, scour the internet for information or sign up for a weekly email to find out what is happening inside you. Perhaps you do all 3! If you have PCOS, you may also research how PCOS affects pregnancy, or you may have already done that while trying to conceive... 

What you find out is not encouraging... 

PCOS and Infertility

So you've reached that point in your life when you decided to have a baby. You and your significant other try and try and try to have a baby, but to no avail. Month after month the pregnancy test comes back negative... you may or may not have a visit from 'Aunt Flo', because some of you have never had a regular menstrual cycle in your whole life (at least not for more than a few months at a time!) Finally, you decide to go see a doctor. During that first visit or maybe a few visits down the road, you are given a diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Honestly, you probably have not even heard of PCOS, or you may know a friend of a friend who has been diagnosed with it, but haven't really given it a second thought.

You get home from your doctor visit and scour the internet for information about what this thing you have really is... The more you learn the more you realize that all these seemingly unrelated symptoms actually relate! You also may learn that you may be able to have a baby after all. 

Shredded Pork Enchiladas

When our first son was born, I had made some pre-made freezer meals - you know, just pull out and bake. Mainly because I'd heard it was a good idea... also because hubby and I don't particularly like the pre-made store bought frozen meals (except the really expensive ones that were out of the budget as he was still in grad school!). So I knew I needed to stock up our freezer this time as well... and may have gone a bit overboard, but I am enjoying spending time with my two sons instead of cooking every day! ;).

We left the hospital Sunday afternoon and were home by mid-afternoon. We pulled this out of our deep freeze so it could thaw a bit (and not have to cook as long). I was so glad to have home-made food instead of the hospital food that they gave us! Let's just say, I'm not a fan of hospital food... although with our first son, the hospital food was better (and they had a menu in the room so I got to order what I wanted... not so much this time - of course the whole in-patient part of our hospital here would fit in the Family Birth Center in the first hospital!) These enchiladas tastes absolutely divine after 2 days in the hospital!

(And just in case you're wondering, we're all doing well. A little sleep deprived, but that's to be expected!  Most of this post was finished before our son was born... with the exception of the baked product photos and the previous two paragraphs.)

Shredded Pork Enchiladas 

Labor Take 2-Part 2

After our last experience in going to the hospital, I'd had a few more times where I was almost ready to go... actually Tuesday (24th) I stayed up until 1:30ish (okay so that was the 25th - technically) and decided that it was actually labor and got pretty much everything ready to go and that's when the contractions started to die down, just a bit. However I decided that if I laid down they'd either go away or get stronger again. 2 hours later I woke up and decided that they were dying down. We had an OB appointment that day and I had actually dilated another centimeter, so perhaps those contractions the night before were the reason. Our doctor said that they'd have kept me if I would have went in the night before... However I'm glad that I got some sleep that night!

Again if you're not into birth stories, seriously skip this post!

Labor - Take 2, Part 1

We're home from the hospital now... we got home yesterday. Here's part 1 of how our second child came into the world... Part 2 will come whenever I get it written.

Labor - Take 1

So I thought I'd give the story of my first labor (since I started this blog after my oldest was born) before I actually get to the most current one... So if you're not into birth stories, seriously skip this post!

When you read this I may or may not have had my second baby... I scheduled this to post today - last night (Thursday) so that it would actually get posted! So at time of scheduling I only know that I'm being induced tomorrow morning - hopefully they'll just have to break my water (unless I actually go into labor before getting to that point.) However, if you're reading this on Saturday - there should be a baby... I'm hoping not to repeat how long my first labor was! Oh, and here's that story...

Confession Time

I think I have just realized (or re-realized) one of my idiosyncrasies... when I'm going through a hard time, or just not happy in my state of life I tend to withdraw from pretty much everything. (Notice a distinct lack of posts lately... yeah that's part of it!) So nothing terribly wrong is going on in my life right now... I've just been having contractions. Every. Day. For almost 5 weeks. Most of them are simply Braxton Hicks and don't do anything. Which I think is the most aggravating part of having them! I mean if they were actually doing anything it wouldn't be as frustrating, right? But if they were doing something I'd have had a baby by now... I know some women have a lot worse time during pregnancy than I am having now, but for me this is bad enough. I also know that there are plenty of women out there who would just love to be pregnant and have to go through what I am dealing with. However, everything I've been dealing with has been hard for me. (Oh yeah, and I pretty much haven't been cooking lately so that is another reason why posting has been limited!)

Murphy's Law of Parenting

Happy Friday the 13th Everybody. I hope your day is going great and nothing unlucky has happened (or will happen!)

Since it's Friday the 13th, I'm going to share a list with you... Murphy's Law of Parenting (specifically the under 5 age group!)

Biscuit 'Sandiwches'

When my husband and I were first married, we could get biscuits super cheap... and being the poor college students we were that was a great motivating factor to buy them and try to stretch them into a meal! I'm about to share one of the ways we enjoyed eating the biscuits (that seriously we got for like a quarter per package of 10 biscuits)... I'm not about to say these are the tastiest little things ever, but I have since learned that children love them! I still make them on occasion - especially when we have a lot of little mouths to feed! These go quickly when there are little hands and mouths around ;).

Biscuit Sandwiches

 Ready for the ingredient list: 1 package of biscuits, lunch meat and cheese.

PCOS Diet posts

I am not completely still as strict at keeping with my PCOS diet, but I am still sticking closer to it than before... However, for the next little while I will not be posting what I've been eating every day. I just feel the need to take a break from this feature. I may decided to replace it or I may continue it in the future... we'll see what happens in a month or so.

Stocking up...

I learned very quickly after the birth of our first son that cooking with a newborn is just not going to happen (or at least not every night or even most nights)! I honestly felt like a sleep-walking person for much of the first two weeks (maybe also had something to do with a 39 hour labor)... I was glad we had a few meals I'd prepared ahead of time, but sincerely wished we'd had more. Luckily we lived in a college town and there were plenty of places we could eat at when the freezer was depleted... This time however, I know that we have a limited number of places to eat (mostly fast food - burger/greasy type joints... unfortunately) and I wanted to be prepared. I may have overdone it a bit, but at least I know we won't be starving for the first month of our son's life!

Egg Toast

 I hope you all had a great 4th of July. We watched fireworks - first time with the kiddo and he loved them!

Growing up my dad would occasionally make us breakfast. Most of the time for breakfast we had cold cereal as my parents both had a lot to do in the mornings to get my siblings with sever disabilities ready for school and my dad out the door for work. This meant that when we had something besides cereal for breakfast it was usually on the weekend (or holidays)... and not always then - it just depended on how hectic life was at the moment! 

My dad was really great at making fried eggs. One of the ways we loved our fried eggs was in Egg Toast... I know this dish has a ton of names, but I'm calling it egg toast. It is simple and easy, but I have so many fond memories of watching my dad take a mason jar and cut a perfect circle in the slice of bread, placing the bread in the pan, and carefully making sure the egg went into the center of the circle. (Have I mentioned my dad was pretty much a perfectionist!?) I couldn't wait until it was finished cooking so I could devour this delicious creation. 

Funny enough, I don't make this dish hardly at all... maybe because in my memory only my dad made it. (I honestly can't remember my mom making these, although she could have!) So I may have some gender role issues with this dish... However, sometimes when I get a craving for them, I do make them myself.

Egg Toast

Anxious and Waiting

Yep it's true, I'm anxious and waiting not anxiously awaiting! A week an a  half ago I wrote about thinking the worst... in which I discussed the very real fact that we could have had a baby 6 weeks early. However everything worked out and I simply had to do kick counts! 

Now exactly 2 weeks after getting the AFI done and learning everything was fine, I'm back to wondering how early my baby is going to come... we went to the OB on Wednesday and while I am not dilated at all the doctor was surprised I wasn't at all dilated. Mainly because our baby's head is so low in my pelvis. I also learned that his head being this low is giving me worse back pain AND occasional cramps. 

I think my husband and I have both reached the point where we pretty much are sure that this baby is not going to reach 40 weeks. (Child #1 was born at 40 weeks and 1 day.)  I am more inclined to think that this child is coming whenever he wants and is being particularly annoying about it! I've pretty much had contractions every hour (only 1-3 typically) since Saturday (when I had contractions 7-10 minutes apart for 4-5 hours). However for the last few days I've had a at least an hour of them anywhere from 5-10 minutes apart for an hour or so.

So needless to say I'm a little more anxious that this baby will be coming sooner than later (although I do realize that he could still come closer to 40 weeks than 36 weeks - where I'll be tomorrow!) I was told by my OB to 'take it easy' so now every time I start getting a few more contractions I feel obligated to not cook, clean, or do anything that isn't absolutely necessary (so much for that nesting instinct that should be kicking in sometime soon!) However it makes me grateful that I was being overly prepared a few weeks ago and actually have an entire month's worth of meals in the freezer because now I don't feel like I actually have to get those ready for that first month after baby is born! It also makes me grateful that I'm not on bed rest... I don't know how all you who have had to deal with bed rest handle it! It would drive me nuts - sometimes just 'taking it easy' drives me nuts...

I know with each day that passes my baby is growing a bit more and will be better able to survive in the outside world. But each bout with contractions makes me wonder just how much longer he is going to stay inside! So here I am anxious and waiting... anxious that baby will come today... waiting for another day to come without giving birth. 

Cocoa Rolo Cookies

So I have to say that this post has been a bugger to write... not because it was particularly hard, but because every time I sat down to write it my son decided he needed to sit on my lap (and I don't particularly like typing one handed!) I do have to say that I don't blame him as he's been sick since Monday... and it's always nice to have a mommy's lap available when one is not feeling well (and is still small enough to actually sit on mommy's lap!) So this post has literally taken DAYS to get through! True to every other time I decided to write, I now have a little boy on my lap... so here I'll leave you (so I can enjoy snuggling with my son)!

I went to my mom's house a few weeks ago and she had made these cookies. I thought they were so heavenly that I had to (a) share them with you and (b) make them for myself to consume in quantities that I shall not mention... nor do I really want to admit! However these little gems are not as calorie/sugar laden as some cookies I've had ;).

Cocoa Rolo Cookies
Recipe adapted from Cocoa Kiss Cookies in 101 Cookie Recipes

PCOS Diet week 4

Week 4 Overview: Had way too many cookies this week... but overall I did pretty well. With this new habit of eating I do feel that there are not enough healthy places to eat where we live... it is mostly fast food which isn't known for it's healthy alternatives! I've started gaining weight again which is nice since I like to know that I'm helping the baby inside me get the nutrition he needs to grow.

Day 22: Made Cocoa Rolo Cookies (and these were tasty little gems - I'll totally be posting that recipe sometime)... and was really tired this afternoon = bad combination! Oh wells... at least they aren't as sugar laden as some! I actually didn't go over my carb limit (well 1 gram but I'm not worried about that!)

Breakfast: Cream of Wheat and string cheese

Lunch: Peanut Butter & Jam sandwich (my own jam - so reduced sugar), green beans, cantaloupe

Snacks: Peach Sorbet, Milk and Cocoa Rolo Cookies

Dinner: Mexican-Style Salad

Total Calories: 2203, Carbs: 251 grams (278 including everything)

Day 23: Had my OB appointment today and we typically go out to lunch afterward. We always give my son his choice as to what he wants. He chose a cheeseburger today...

Breakfast: Chex Cereal and milk

Lunch: Bacon Cheeseburger, a few fries, side salad and a bit of ice-cream

Snacks: Almonds, Cocoa Rolo Cookies, String cheese, yogurt

Dinner: 4 cheese stuffed shells, green beans, peaches (canned in juice)

Total Calories: 2215, Carbs: 246 grams (262 including everything)

Day 24: We went out to eat today again as my son actually stopped whining  and told us what he wanted (yey for him actually using his words!) when we pulled up home after getting my husband for lunch... so we took him out again. He wanted a cheeseburger again and we decided to go somewhere else (there aren't a ton of options in our town) and KFC/A&W was the one that was chosen. I got the snacker and told myself I'd eat a salad when I got home... which I did even though ice-cream was really calling my name!

Breakfast: Banana with Peanut butter, toast with jam, milk and some fruit loops (my son was having them and those pesky pregnancy cravings said I should eat some as well...)

Lunch: KFC Honey BBQ Snacker, some fries

Snacks: Salad, Simply Mango Lemonade, yogurt

Dinner: Steamed artichokes, pineapple and stuffed shells

Total Calories: 1993, Carbs: 239 grams (267 including everything) *Not completely accurate as I had ice-cream as a before bedtime snack...

Day 25: My weight is actually up to where it was when I started my new diet. So I think that eating 2200-2300 calories is where I need to be at. Went way over on my carbs today... Probably because I drank Simply Lemonade with Mango... but it was delicious and calling my name ;).

Breakfast: Chex cereal, milk

Lunch: Mexican-Style salad

Snacks: Peanuts, string cheese, simply lemonade with mango, banana,

Dinner: Spiral sliced ham, carrots, baked potato with butter and salt, simply lemonade with mango, apple and chocolate cheesecake ice-cream

Total Calories: 2263, Carbs: 322 grams (355 including everything)

  

Day 26: Day off from entering stuff in... Ate PB toast and banana for breakfast, at way too many Monster Cookies (My son wanted cookies so we baked some...) Then had a rice kripsie treat when neighbors brought some over.
Chef Salad for dinner and Strawberry Cheesecake ice-cream for dessert...

  

Day 27: I think taking yesterday off helped me decide to get back on track better today. (of course church never helps as it messes up my meal timing, but it actually wasn't too bad today.) Going to my mom's house didn't help as she made cookies... they were delicious (and made with whole wheat flour.)

Breakfast:Toast with jam, Hard boiled egg, banana and milk

Lunch: Crackers, cheese, grapes and baby carrots

Snacks: Almonds and dark chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, Peanut Butter protein bar

Dinner: side salad, Cordon Bleu Casserole with rice

Total Calories: 2460, Carbs: 216 grams (243 including everything)

Day 28: Didn't do so well keeping track through the day... we had dinner with friends at the park (they brought dinner we brought ice-cream) so I'm not sure how many calories I ate for dinner... 

Breakfast: Toast with jam, banana with peanut butter, hard boiled egg, milk and a cookie

Lunch:Ham sandwich, baby carrots and cantaloupe

Snacks: (uh... didn't keep track)

Dinner: watermelon, pasta salad, sandwich, ice-cream

didn't keep track of snacks and dinner...

This is part of my series on PCOS and learning to understand and live with it. *I am not a medical professional, nor do I have a lot of knowledge of PCOS other than what I've read. This is just me, my opinions, how I understand PCOS and how I am dealing with it.

Thinking the worst...

I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant and am simply glad to still be pregnant. Wait, What? I never thought I'd be saying that because about a week ago I just wanted to be done (but knew it would still be about 7 weeks!) So what changed? The reality that I could have had to deliver a baby 6 weeks early...

Last Thursday I went to get a 3D Ultrasound (our clinic does them for free if you have your 20 week ultrasound done there...) We got a clear view of baby's back - but I don't have one of those cool pictures to show you what my baby looks like... we didn't get one (well we could have gotten one of baby's back...) However, during the ultrasound the technician discovered that my amniotic fluid was low. So she called my OB and after we waited for a while (he was with a patient) he told me to go home, take it easy, drink lots of fluids and then go to the hospital in the morning for a non-stress test and an AFI (Amniotic Fluid Index).

PCOS Diet Week 3

Week 3 Overview: I love how much more energy I feel that I have. The best thing though is that in the few weeks prior to starting this new eating plan I honestly wondered if I had pregnancy depression (pretty sure I had it with my first child - but didn't realize it until afterward though. It wasn't severe I just lost interest in doing things I normally enjoyed.) However, I have honestly felt better in the last week or so and now wonder if my eating habits were affecting my mood... I really do feel so much better emotionally. Major plus!

Day 15:  So I've gained back a half a pound so far...

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup), 1/2 cup blueberries

Lunch: Peanut Butter & Blackberry Jam sandwiches, carrots, yogurt and honeydew melon

Snacks: Raw almonds, dark chocolate, frozen yogurt creamie, animal crackers and a Peanut Almond and Dark Chocolate Protein Bar

Dinner: Hamburger, Honeydew Melon, Celery, yogurt

Total Calories: 2114, Carbs: 227 grams (260 including everything)

Day 16: I just increased my targets to 2200-22300 calories and 250 carbs as my weight seems to be staying pretty much in the same range (between 198.5 and 200). However eating that much is kind of hard! Maybe it's my growing belly but I actually feel full after eating each snack! Dinner was a pot luck with the women's group at church. So I have no clue how many calories I ate today, but I did eat pretty healthy - considering. I filled half of my plate with green salad and then ate some of the less carb-laden dishes. The only dessert I had was black bean brownies-which I learned that beans (legumes) can help the sugar level stay more even so I didn't feel bad indulging ;). The other desserts looked delicious though!

Breakfast:1 cup Milk (1%), 1 banana with 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 1 slice 9-grain bread with 1 Tbsp blackberry jam.

Lunch: Chicken Salad Sandwich, peach
Snacks: Crunchy granola bar with neufchatel cheese, 1 cup milk, 1 snack size pudding

Dinner: Pot luck dinner

Not sure of total calories...

Day 17: I also had an after dinner snack that I don't remember what was!

Breakfast: Whole wheat waffles, Creamy peach syrup, 1 cup milk and string cheese

Lunch: Chicken Salad Sandwich, Carrots, Peach
Snacks: Dry roasted peanuts, dark chocolate, granola bar

Dinner: Chicken Fajita, Cantaloupe

Total Calories: 2069, Carbs: 206 grams (233 including everything) *Not completely accurate as I didn't account for my evening snack.

Day 18: Got up early today to take my husband to a scout leadership overnight training... So it was a little crazy of a day! Went to my mom's house so you know I had to try one of the cookies she had just taken out of the oven!
Then I went and got lunch for my son and myself, however he had fallen asleep on the way home (30-ish minute drive) so I went through the drive-through (as I'd promised him a cheeseburger for lunch) and added extra lettuce once I got home to my wrap.

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup)

Lunch: Wendy's Chicken Go Wrap (grilled), Baked sweet potato
Snacks: Apple, Fruit snacks, Raw Almonds and dark chocolate, granola bar, string cheese, and an almond-cookie sandwich

Dinner: Chicken Salad Sandwich, cantaloupe, chocolate milk

Total Calories: 2287, Carbs: 267 grams (308 including everything)

Day 19:  It has almost been 3 weeks! I'm still fluctuating within a pound and a half... not gaining or losing just staying in the same range. Maybe in a few days I'll see a difference - at least not go as low. It is weird for me to actually WANT to be gaining weight!
We went out for dinner tonight and against my better judgement I got a drink... then the cheesecake Ice-cream Eric and I made yesterday called my name. However I didn't feel bad going over my calories because I haven't gained any weight for almost 3 weeks! With the amount of calories I ate, using the same percentage I actually stayed right around how many carbs I typically eat which made me happy ;).

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz, banana and peanut butter

Lunch: Chicken Fajita
Snacks: Peach Sorbet, dry roasted peanuts and dark chocolate, peach, Crunchy granola bar with neufchatel cheese, crackers and string cheese, cheesecake ice-cream

Dinner: bacon cheeseburger (kid size), fries (also kid size) and a soda.

Total Calories: 2675, Carbs: 289 grams (314 including everything)

Day 20:

Breakfast: Whole wheat waffles, syrup, peanut butter, banana and milk

Lunch: Peach Sorbet, string cheese, snack size kettle corn popcorn, carrots
Snacks: granola bar, raw almonds and dark chocolate, fruit loops cereal

Dinner: Salad, Rice and black beans with corn (from this recipe although we didn't have the chicken...)

Total Calories: 2064, Carbs: 235 grams (274 including everything)

Day 21: Went over on my carbs today... however, I feel a bit better since part of that was dinner... I decided to make a blueberry smoothie with spinach in it as typically when we have breakfasty foods for dinner we skip the veggies.

Breakfast: Chex cereal with milk, banana with peanut butte

Lunch: leftover corn & beans with rice, green beans and a peach
Snacks: Snack-size pudding, cruchy granola bar with neufchatel cheese, string cheese, Dry roasted peanuts with dark chocolate, fruit snacks, ice-cream and carrots.

Dinner: German Pancakes with syrup, blueberry-spinach smoothie

Total Calories: 2271, Carbs: 343 grams (370 including everything)

This is part of my series on PCOS and learning to understand and live with it. *I am not a medical professional, nor do I have a lot of knowledge of PCOS other than what I've read. This is just me, my opinions, how I understand PCOS and how I am dealing with it.

PCOS Diet Week 2

Week 2 Overview: This whole week I was still under the (mistaken) idea that I should be eating 2000 calories. However since I wasn't gaining weight (but I wasn't losing either...) I didn't stick with it too closely ;). It wasn't until week 3 that I realized I should be eating between 2200-2300 calories every day. Except for not getting enough sleep a couple of days this week I was feeling more energetic than I have been.

Day 8: Went over on calories today... but am not worried as I haven't started gaining weight again. I went over on carbs too (but based on my calories I only went over by 10 grams instead of 30.) I am feeling more energetic which is a plus!

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup), 1/2 cup blueberries

Lunch: Salad, Baked Potato with chili and cheese

Snacks (Typically eat one between breakfast and Lunch, 1-2 between lunch and dinner, and 1 after dinner.): Dehydrated apricots, Crunchy Granola Bar with Neufchatel cheese, Banana, 1 cup ice-cream, Flipz-White Chocolate

Dinner: Shredded Pork Quesadillas with Fresh Salsa and Guacamole

Total Calories: 2170, Carbs: 255 grams (288 including everything)

Day 9:  My weight is pretty much stabilized now. (I've gained a bit less than half a pound in fact... but we'll see if it stays and I keep gaining a bit.) I may be adding 100-200 extra calories if I am still the same at the end of this week.

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 3/4 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup), 1 banana and 2 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

Lunch: Wendy's Caesar Side Salad (no croutons, half salad dressing), Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Jr. Frosty, a few fries (snitched from my son/husband)

Snacks: Peanut, Almond and Dark Chocolate Protein Bar

Dinner: Shredded Pork Quesadillas with Fresh Salsa and Guacamole and 1 cup cantaloupe

Total Calories: 2035, Carbs: 210 grams (226 including everything)

Day 10: In one of the diet books I read it suggested that it really matters what you eat 80% of the time and not the 20%. If you want to be strict you can make it 90%-10%.  Today I was really tired and just decided to take a day off from counting calories/carbs. That does not mean I went totally hog wild today eating all sorts of carbs, probably a few more than I normally would have, but not a ton!

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup), 1 banana and 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

Dinner: Pulled Pork Rolls, French Onion Soup and steamed carrots.

I don't know what I ate the rest of the day though because I didn't keep track.

Day 11: Pregnancy tiredness mixed with my toddler deciding to get up too early is really making me exhausted lately... I do feel like I tend to want to eat more carbs when I'm really tired. However I still feel I did pretty good today - I only went over by 10 carbs!

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup), 1 banana and 2 tsp Natural Peanut Butter

Lunch: Omelet, half bagel-toasted, and baby carrots

Snacks: Crunchy Granola Bar with Neufchatel cheese, Peanut, Almond and Dark Chocolate Protein Bar, Apple, Chocolate Pudding, 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt with 2 Tbsp home-made reduced sugar Strawberry Jam, Fruit Snacks

Dinner: Salad with Shredded Pork, 1/2 cup French Onion Soup, 1/2 cup chili (Yep leftover night!)

Total Calories: 2001, Carbs: 235 grams (263 including everything)

Day 12:  I think I may have stretched myself a bit too much today... I volunteered at our produce co-op in the morning, made my menu for the week, then a grocery list. I made myself take a nap as I hadn't slept well the night before. Then I got up, went grocery shopping, came home and put it away. After that, I made Blackberry Jam - 12 cups (or half-pints). I finally ate 'lunch' at about 4:40ish... and it didn't include a vegetable because at that point I was pretty much just ready to get some food in me that didn't require much thought! Planning out meals and actually trying to eat exactly how I'm suppose to can be time consuming... Plus I don't think I'm completely in the healthy eating habit yet... I should have been able to pull some carrots out of the fridge but that hasn't been a habit! Hopefully that is something I'll be getting better at.

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup), 1 banana and 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

Lunch: Bagel with Peanut Butter and 1 cup milk

Snacks: Peanut, Almond and Dark Chocolate Protein Bar, Yogurt (6 oz), and an ice-cream sandwich

Dinner: Taco Salad, apple

Total Calories: 2117, Carbs: 228 grams (250 including everything)

Day 13: We have church from 11-2 and that sort-of messes up my normal eating schedule. I do take snacks to church, but they are mainly carb loaded... I guess carb snacks are easiest (well and I personally feel that eating carrots would just be too loud and annoying!)

Yesterday we got our first ice-cream maker. Today I made Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt. I snitched a few bites (and didn't enter them into my calories eaten... oh no! Totally kidding.)

This evening we went on a stroll (too slow to actually call it a walk - at least for me!). My hip started acting up towards the end... although halfway through I could tell it wanted to start giving me trouble. 

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal - 1 cup, Milk (1%) - 8 oz (or 1 cup), 1 apple and 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

Lunch: String Cheese, 6 oz yogurt, baby carrots

Snacks: Raw Almonds and dark chocolate chips, granola bar, and an ice-cream sandwich

Dinner: Spaghetti and meatballs, celery sticks.

Total Calories: 1887, Carbs: 205 grams (243 including everything)

Day 14: Today was Memorial Day and let's just say I didn't keep track of what I ate... partly I knew things wouldn't go that great as we were at my parent's house for lunch... and then we at out (but I had a salad!) for dinner. 

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal-1 cup, Milk-1 cup

Lunch: Grilled Chicken, corn on the cob, bread

Snacks: Cookies, frozen yogurt, ice-cream sandwich (yeah I wasn't so good today, but my mom's cookies were delicious!)

Dinner: Cafe Rio Fire Grilled Steak Salad (Shared with my husband and he ate most of the tortilla...)

Total Calories: No clue, Carbs: Don't Care (after all it was a day off ;)

This is part of my series on PCOS and learning to understand and live with it. *I am not a medical professional, nor do I have a lot of knowledge of PCOS other than what I've read. This is just me, my opinions, how I understand PCOS and how I am dealing with it.

PCOS Diet Week 1

Each week since I've started my blog I've tried to post my dinner menu from the previous week. This feature is going to be changing... from now on I will be posting not just my dinner menu but what I ate the whole day. I will also be discussing how I am doing in keeping with my new dietary way of life. I don't sugar coat what I've eaten in these posts. I let you know when I go over/under or just take a day off. There will be some overlap of my previously posted menus and this new feature as I started this mid-May and am just starting on how my new plan is going. However, I have kept track of (almost) everything I eat and use my daily log to help me write these posts. 

Partially I am doing this because I feel some people think eating healthy is an all or nothing kind of deal. It isn't. A lot of health experts use the 80-20 rule. The basis of it is that nobody is perfect and that it really matters what we eat 80% of the time and we can 'cheat' or 'mess up' or 'treat yourself' 20% of the time. I am not posting to feel accountable for what I eat. I think I have reached the point where I feel most accountable to myself (wow, I never saw myself being able to say that!) I am not going to apologize for going over/under or not posting what I ate on a certain 'day off'. I'm just posting it so those of you who may want to try something like this can see how it works for me.

Knowledge

The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it.
    - Confucius

Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.
    - Anton Chekhov

In my pursuit to learn about PCOS and how I can better handle my symptoms, I have gained quite a bit of knowledge. Seriously I even read a freaking encyclopedia on the syndrome. (Okay so it really just felt like it!) However, I could have all the knowledge in the world about PCOS but if I don't do anything with it, it is worthless. That said, putting all this into practice isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do! I've had to spend a lot more time planning meals, preparing healthy side dishes and such. I mean I've tried to eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains in the past few years, but I never thought this much about food and whether I was doing okay with my carb load and such. It can take a lot to get use to it! 

I decided to start this new dietary way of life in mid-May. I use an online calorie calculator (that also tracks pretty much everything required on a nutrition label) to help me. Each day I can make a notation about how that day went. I love this feature and have used it. It is nice to see where I have been and also make notes of where I need to improve/things to watch out for. I will be heavily relying on those notes to help me write future posts about how I'm doing on this plan.

PCOS and Insulin Resistance

Warning... this is kind of a longer post, however I tried to add some pictures to break it up. However the pictures have hardly anything to do with the text... just letting you all know!

I have actually learned quite a bit more about PCOS and what may cause it, or contribute to it (PCOS is still unexplored greatly and there can be a lot of gray areas - such as what actually causes PCOS.) I have also learned that a healthy diet and exercise are not just a recommendation for women with PCOS but are pretty much the treatment at this point. (There are medications you can take to treat individual symptoms but not the whole syndrome.) That made me wonder if there was a specific way I should be eating besides just healthy... and I've pretty much learned that if you follow the dietary recommendations for those with diabetes that it will help (there are diet books just for women with PCOS, I have only read one entirely and have started on a second one - both with good information and recommendations).

Shredded Pork Quesadillas

I've made no secret of the fact that I LOVE the shredded pork quesadillas from Qdoba Mexican Grill. The only problem is that the closest one to where we currently live is 3 hours away (and in another state.) There are actually two that fit that criteria... but I don't see myself going to either one any time soon. We do have a Cafe Rio where we currently live and I adore their Enchilada style burritos as well as their salads. However... their pork is sweet and ...confession... I don't really like sweet pork (I know I may be weird.) Plus Cafe Rio does not put salsa in their quesadillas like Qdoba does... and honestly the addition of the Pico de Gallo in the quesadilla makes a huge difference. Try it and see if you don't believe me!

I have been on a quest to replicate Qdoba's quesadillas and think I finally have (of course I can't do a side by side comparison and it has been about a year since I've eaten one... so there's that!) If we end up going to my husband's family reunion this year (2 weeks after baby is due... I'm not holding my breath!) there is one on the way to where it is being held and I may happen to stop and see if this one is as close as I remember. The main difference is in the tortilla... but I can handle that difference ;).

 Shredded Pork Quesadillas

Kitchen Tip: Keeping lettuce crisp longer

 Summertime is almost here, and what's better on hot summer days/evenings than a wonderfully crisp salad? However, if you're like me (and I'm not saying you are...) you're a lot more likely to have a salad if you don't have to wash and pick through your lettuce every time you want one. Also, sometimes I have the best of intentions and then the lettuce ends up going all wilty before I get to it. Every happen to you? If not, kudos to you! If so, this trick may help! 

Menu: May 21-27

I hope you had a great Memorial Day. My family and I did. We got to spend time at my parent's house, then we went to the cemetery (late afternoon, which was nice as there weren't nearly as many people there!) Since we got my husband GPS unit for Christmas we were able to mark the locations of graves in my family with it so we can find them easily! (This cemetery has my Great Grandmother & Grandfather, Great Aunts & Uncles, my Grandparents and my little brother (I can always find his though). I'm sure there are more than I know of that I'm actually related to, but that will have to wait until another year!) I plan on making (or having my cartographer husband) make a map for my mom because she can never find her grandparents. 

After the cemetery we stopped by a store and browsed. Then went out to eat dinner and tried to find some local geocaches. We're still both very much amateurs at it and it can take us a while to find them, yesterday we didn't have too much luck... Of course it was getting dark so we didn't have too much time to actually devote to it! Overall it was a great day and we enjoyed the time we got to spend together! I hope you all had a wonderful day as well.

Now on to the Menu, this week we had: 

French Onion Soup, pulled pork sandwiches and carrots

Navajo Tacos

Pork Quesadillas (had twice)

Taco Salad

Leftover Night (It was a nice conglomeration of leftover food! That totally didn't go together...)

Spaghetti & Meatballs

What did you have for dinner last week? Or what are you planning for this week?

Broken

Ever feel like you are broken? I didn't when I first learned I had PCOS. It just explained some things that I had been wondering about... and wondering if I should talk to a doctor about these things or if it was just me being paranoid.

Brownie Chunk Cookies

I promised my sister in law I'd post this after I talked about making them... However I know it's a bit later than I said it would be! So I hope you'll forgive me...

One thing about pregnancy is cravings and cravings that help create new and delicious things are great! (I'm not talking about the cravings that create gross things, like pickles and squirt-able cheese... yeah I did eat that around Christmastime... nobody else liked it and to be honest the next day I didn't even want to try it again! Still don't in case you were wondering.) I decided that brownie chunk ice-cream was so good (after having eaten some - I ate way too much ice-cream when I had morning sickness. Okay and since then too!) that having brownie chunks in a cookie would be delicious as well... So the next time we had brownies, I cut the pieces that weren't eaten up into chunks and stuck them in the freezer to make cookies with. I have to say I wasn't disappointed. These turned out absolutely delicious!

  

 Brownie Chunk Cookies

Menu: May 14-20

A list for today:

1. I'm tired

2. Have I mentioned that I'm sleepy? 6.5 hours of sleep is not enough for me...

3. I'm 30 weeks pregnant.

4. I have to get up at least 2 times (most likely 3) every night for a bathroom break.

5. I want to get a whole night's sleep without waking up.

6. How many of you are laughing at number 5? I know I did!

7. Pet Peeve: being told to get as much sleep as I can now... (before the baby arrives)

8. My heartburn is getting worse... I've already had to move to taking at least 1 Zantac 150 every day. (Some days I can get away with just one... today is not one of them!)

9. My son is sleeping and instead of taking a nap I took a shower... sometimes being clean supersedes getting sleep!

10. I'm not excited about actually cooking dinner tonight.

11. I did 2 loads of dishes today and my kitchen is still not clean...

12. Dishes did not get done yesterday.

13. If cooking didn't require doing dishes I'd be so much more enthusiastic about it!

14. Anybody want to come be a dishwasher at my house? 

15. Didn't think so...

16. I'm on the two week visit schedule at the OB's office.

17. Why does 10 weeks seem like such a long time?

18. Why does 10 weeks seem like a short time when I remember all I want/need to get done before then?

19. Have I mentioned I'm tired...

20. I need to go start making dinner...

Speaking of dinner, here's what we had for dinners this past week:

Spinach Bacon Quiche (I made this crustless and used regular onion instead of leeks)-we had for dinner 2 nights- with pineapple (one night was actually apples) and steamed broccoli

Bacon PepperJack Stuffed Chicken, broccoflower, honeydew melon

Breakfast Burritos, bananas and steamed asparagus  (was going to be chicken chile rellenos, but the chicken I'd just shredded ended up dumped on the floor due to one clumsy little mistake! Not a happy occurrence. I used the peppers in the burritos though.) 

Chicken Finger Salad (just a simple salad with chicken fingers.)

Mac & Cheese, cauliflower and honeydew melon

What did you have for dinner? Anything fun or interesting?

I've been keeping a secret...

I have to admit that I've tried to start this post a few times. A couple of times I had the post open to edit and just closed it with the screen completely blank. There is so much I am wanting to say and I'm also hesitant to even start this discussion. This is going to be a multi-post topic as there is no way I'm going to write it all in one post!

I've known for a little over a year that I've had PCOS (PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome). Luckily the awareness of PCOS is growing and I have not had to struggle my whole life not knowing why I had all these symptoms - only about 10-12 years (Awareness should be growing because about 10% of women in the US have PCOS whether they know it or not!). I think part of the delayed diagnosis (besides lack of awareness) is because each time I went to a doctor I only had one symptom I discussed and then because we'd moved a lot, each doctor only heard about one symptom... I didn't really connect that each of my symptoms were, uh, connected. I was very lucky to have a doctor at my last Pap Smear who noticed some signs and probably asked some questions (I honestly don't remember now) and told me that I had PCOS. However, it is not something that I've announced to the whole world or even had the desire to talk about openly - I'd rather push it under the proverbial rug. Up until now I've only told a few people that I have PCOS. I think partially it is because it has the word Ovary in its name and my ovaries are not something I just bring up in casual conversation... I'm a little old-fashioned that way! (I have learned that there have been multiple attempts to rename it in the past but none have been successful... it was named after one symptom of the syndrome. PCOS is a syndrome not a disease as symptoms are not consistent.)

When I first learned about having PCOS, I'd never heard of it and so was a little curious. I did a little research online and found that just having PCOS put me at high risk for Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity and a few other not so happy things. I also learned that by keeping a healthy weight I could reduce my higher risk of developing these not so happy things. Sounds easy right, just lose a few pounds... except people with PCOS actually have a HARDER time losing weight. Which I personally think is not fair since PCOS increases male hormones in your body - so should losing weight be EASIER! After I learned all this, I doubled my efforts of trying to eat healthy and lose weight (partly because I wanted to live past 50). I was actually fortunate to go on my first real diet (I'd never actively dieted before... just tried to eat healthier) that is actually close to the recommendations for women with PCOS. At the time I had no idea that I was so lucky in finding the right type of diet right off (I just knew it stressed eating fruits and vegetables as well as healthy grains - cutting back on the amount from the USDA recommendations however. So I knew it was healthy and since it worked, I stuck with it.) Then I got pregnant (infertility is common with PCOS and is something I'll discuss later) and for some reason a lot of vegetables actually taste like dirt or earth to me when I have morning sickness so out the window went my healthy eating... and I have to confess that I do have a tendency to use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I want to (instead of eating healthier like some people... I blame it partly because I had been on a diet for so long!) 

About 2 weeks ago I needed to take the glucose screening test to see if I had gestational diabetes. After the test I was just curious as to how much glucose I had just drunk. I learned it was equivalent to about 1/4-1/3 cup of sugar (except sugar is half glucose and half fructose... fructose is digested differently than glucose. Our bodies handle straight glucose a lot better than fructose... but I wanted a general idea.) I also learned that because I had PCOS I was also at a higher risk for gestational diabetes. I would have to say that is when I decided to delve more into learning about what PCOS is and why it puts me at a greater risk for everything under the sun that I don't want to be diagnosed with in my life (okay slight exaggeration here)! I am still on a quest to learn more, but feel that I have learned quite a bit and will be sharing some of this stuff with you in the coming weeks.

However before I leave today, here are some common symptoms of PCOS: 

Irregular periods (also heavy bleeding and painful menstruation)

excess hair (facial-specifically beard/mustache area, body hair-back, toes, chest.)

male pattern hair loss

acne

infertility

polycyclic ovaries (diagnosed by ultrasound)

 -there are others, but these are some of the most common

This is part of my series on PCOS and learning to understand and live with it. *I am not a medical professional, nor do I have a lot of knowledge of PCOS other than what I've read. This is just me, my opinions, how I understand PCOS and how I am dealing with it.