My Royal Kiss

Alright, you got me.

I value my sleep too much these days to get up a 3:00am and watch the Royal Wedding but I have to admit, seeing pics of Prince William and Kate's first public kiss on the balcony got to me this morning. I'm a sucker for happy endings.

I appreciate the world making a big spectacle of something happy for once. And it makes me feel good to witness two people so in love making a commitment to one another. But more than that, it makes my heart flutter as I remember how I felt on my own wedding day. My favorite moment was just a few minutes before this photo was taken - Andi and I met at the top of the Guthrie Theatre hilltop for the first time. He turned around, we locked eyes and I knew everything in the world was right.

My own royal kiss

I may not be a princess, but I sure felt like one that day.

Love you, honey!

Easter 2011

I'm feeling so blessed this Easter weekend - and generally, for that matter - life is so good!

Andi and I traveled back to Nebraska to celebrate the holiday with my family this year. We hopped in the car Friday afternoon and pulled into town late Friday night. That seven-hour drive is killer sometimes, especially when the weather is crappy like to was for most of our road trip. Nonetheless, we were so excited when my niece Brookie and my sister Ashley were waiting for us at my parent's house. Brookie got a pass to stay up late and greet us with lots of hugs and kisses for the baby bump.

Saturday morning, we all got up early and headed to the YMCA for Brookie's first soccer game. Unfortunately, the weather was still crappy (40 degrees, super windy and it eventually started to sprinkle) but the little 3-year-olds on Team Guinea Pig (seriously, that's their team name!) gave it their best shot. It wasn't really a game as much as a practice to show the little kids how to kick the ball into the goal but we had a great time watching her play. I was so proud of her too! She was one of the best behaved little kids on her team, patiently waiting in line for her turn to kick the ball and never using her hands once. Crazy how grown up she's becoming.

Later that afternoon, a few of us cruised over to a house my sister is in the process of purchasing. It needs a little work, but it'll cute and full of character - perfect first home for her.

Brookie at her soon-to-be new house

Found: 1 random rake
Time to start some yard work

Belly's getting big!

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On Easter Sunday, we went to church together and then came back to my parent's house to celebrate. It was the sweetest thing, Brookie learned the story of Easter at her Lutheran preschool and in the most somber voice told everyone how Jesus died on the cross. It's not funny I realize, but it was so hard to keep a straight face as her wide-as-saucer eyes told us all about his hands being nailed to the cross. What a smart little chickie. Then we all clapped and celebrated when we discussed how Jesus is alive. She liked that part, too. :)

My mom made a big spread of food and we ate and socialized with the family all day. A perfect holiday! And, what family event would be complete without a few photos too ...

The Family

Our little family
Andi, myself and our little baby bump

And a few out-takes, too ...

Brookie
Breaking out a few dance moves ...

Someone loves the camera!

Ok, I do too!

Sad to leave all the fun on Sunday afternoon, but it was a must. Feeling super tired this week thanks to all the hub-bub but excited for our first cabin trip this weekend!

Worst Driving Luck EVER

I used to think I had the worst luck with cars, but not I'm starting to wonder if it's me. Seriously, I'm found myself questioning today if I should even have a driver's license! And I try to be good too. I try reallly hard not to text and drive and I even use my blue-tooth function while talking on the phone. Yet somehow, things like today always happen.

After a morning meeting, I bopped around campus delivering Earth Week kits from one building to the next. As I was driving down the street I hit a pothole (again - click here to see what happen last spring when I hit a pothole) and BOOM! My entire car shook and immediately my car started beeping at me LOW TIRE. I pulled over in the nearest parking lot, got out of my car and assessed the situation. I had not one, but TWO flat tires on my passenger side. What.The.Heck.

Of course I called Andi, because I never know what to do in those situations, but he didn't answer. I text him "Call Me ASAP" but then realized he probably thought something was seriously wrong with the baby so I quickly texted him "about the car" and he called me a few minutes later. He advised me to call Roadside Assistance and see what they said. Obviously two flat times = a tow truck so they arranged for one to come and get my car. I text Andi with the update on the situation and he called back to say he didn't want them to take the car to the dealership they'd arranged. So I found myself sitting in my car for the next hour, calling AAA and Roadside Assistance a million times to cancel the first tow's arrangements and line up a new one. It's times like this I HATE BEING A GIRL because I have no idea what I'm suppose to do. Why can't my husband magically show up and take over? Because he's working? Well, fine then.

Thankfully I have a wonderful co-worker who offered to drive me around today and stopped by my car to pickup all my marketing materials that needed to be delivered. About an hour later, the tow truck finally arrived. Of course it's a man and I cringed as I waited for him to make some snide comment about women and driving or ask me how the heck I popped two tires at once. To my surprise though, he was really nice and just loaded my car up onto the tow bed.

Mr. Tow Truck Man asked me if I wanted a ride down to the service shop with my car and after a bit of hesitation, I decided to go with him. The auto body shop is a few blocks from my house and I thought it might be easier to ride with him vs. waiting for Andi to pick me up or hitching a ride home with my co-worker. So I maneuvered my pregnant body up into his big truck and buckled my seat belt. Thoughts of Adventures In Babysitting danced through my head. I wondered if me and my baby would be kidnapped and killed by his metal hook for a hand, but again I was relieved - Mr. Tow Truck Man was really nice and made small talk the whole way. Also, he had two regular hands. Phew.

We rolled up to the service station down the street from my house and I knew it was going to be bad when the worker said "whoo, damn" when he looked at my car. Now there's the stupid boy remark I was expecting earlier. I told Service Station Worker to contact my husband directly with all questions. I'm sure it'd be millions of dollars to fix my car and I knew I wouldn't make the right decision. Better for Andi to handle it from this point forward.

Andi called me later this afternoon to tell me I need four new tires. Apparently it's something to do with all wheel drive and having the same amount of tread ... who knows. Anyway, $900 later I'm crossing my fingers I have a car to drive tomorrow. And that it'll be out of the shop in time for our drive to Nebraska this weekend.

Fun times. Fuuun times.

CSA

Today I did something I've been wanting to do for a long time: I signed up for a CSA! A CSA - or Community Supported Agriculture - is a healthier and more sustainable way of eating local fruits and vegetables through the growing season. Each week, you receive a box of seasonal produce from a local farm. All CSAs work a little differently; some drop off every week and others allow you to choose certain weeks through the summer/fall, some are certified organic and some require you to volunteer on their farm as part of the program. I joined Blackberry Community Farm, which is just about 80 miles away from the Twin Cities in Wheeler, Wisconsin. They've been an organic farm for 21 years and have facilitated a CSA program for the last 16 years.

Last year I looked into joining a CSA, but I worried we wouldn't be around enough to eat all the fruits and vegetables given to us each week. I also wondered about the random produce I'd receive - do I really know what to make with radishes or kohlrabe? But looking back, I think I probably spent at least $30-$50/week on organic produce from farmer's markets and at the grocery store. Plus, I think my produce purchasing went up due to the cabin and all the meal planning and cooking I did every weekend for our friends. A full share of Blackberry Community Farm costs $550/season. Andi and I decided to split our share with his sister, Lindsay. There's 18 weeks in their growing season so that's $30.50 a week ($10.19/person). I can't beat that price at the farmer's market/grocery store no matter how hard I try!

According to the farm, this is what a typical growing season looks like:

Early Season (June/July)
Lettuce, mesclun, greens, sugarsnap peas, radishes, broccoli, spinach, Swiss card, cauliflower, kohlrabi, herbs, onions, strawberries, Chinese cabbage, kale, garlic scapes and turnips

Mid-Season (July/August/September)
Onions, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes, sweet corn, herbs, beans, beets, cabbage, potatoes, peppers, watermelon, muskmelon, tomatillos, eggplant, Swiss chard, greens, edamame beans, garlic and apples

Late Season (September/October)
Lettuce, greens, herbs, onions, potatoes, kale, winter squash, pumpkin, leeks, rutabaga, cabbage, garlic, carrots, kohlrabi, arugula, brussel sprouts, apples, raspberries, sunchokes and sweet potatoes

I'm hoping this adventure will force me to try different recipes and also eat within the growing season. To be the most sustainable I can be, I know I shouldn't be buying bananas or bell peppers right now because they travel such a distance to get to my plate. But there's the "I get what I want, when I want it" consumer attitude that makes it challenging to say no. Having a box of fresh, local produce waiting for me each week will force me to eat what's grown and included.

I'm still planning to grow my own potted herbs and start tomatoes and bell peppers on my back deck. I decided last year these are the few things I bought frequently and were really expensive at the grocery store almost all summer long. I can easily grow those myself to supplement what we eat.

There's also a Strawberry Festival and a Fall Festival throughout the season at the farm and all members are invited. I think that might be fun to check out one Sunday afternoon (although realizing our summer/fall will be packed with cabin time and a new baby).

Our produce pickup site is the Patagonia Store in St. Paul, just a few blocks away from our house. That's the only downside to this whole deal; it could become a costly venture if I send Andi to pickup our goodies at his favorite store. :)

Snow, Schmo

It snowed in Minnesota this weekend. In mid-April. What they say is true - winter just doesn't want to leave this year.

My poor tulips and day lilies had already started to sprout out of the ground. I wondered if I should've covered them with a blanket or bucket like my grandma does, but I never got around to it. Here's hoping they still bloom. I think everyone could use the burst of spring color after this low-blow weather pattern.

No snow is going to stop us from dreaming about summer! We went out this weekend and bought a boat. Whoo!

Late Friday night in the rain turn to sleet, we met a friend of Andi's whom we bought the boat from. And Saturday morning, we drove over to the storage space again to meet up with our friends Ellie and Derrick to celebrate. They surprised us with champagne (for them) and orange juice (for me) and we toasted to the start of an awesome summer ahead.

Love this one of Ellie all bundled up inside the boat. She's a San Diego girl at heart and to her point, what is up with this weather?

Our new boat is a 2006 24' Tige. Andi's taking it to be wrapped in a new color design this week. I suggested red and black with a big Husker "N." Andi condescendingly said he's add it to one of the options. (I think that means he doesn't agree with my suggestion).

Over breakfast this morning, I asked Andi when he realistically thinks we'll be wakeboarding. May 1st he said.

Thankfully, this year I have a viable excuse as to why I'm NOT getting in the water on May 1. Move over ice chunk, my wakeboard is coming through! But for all of you out there who'll be ready to boat in two weeks, you know where we'll be...

5 Quick Takes: What's New

There are times when not much is new in life, and others when it feels like the world is spinning. I feel like we're tumbling down a big hill in one of those gerbil wheels lately. My mind's all over the place these days and I thought a quick takes post might be easier to let you inside my bubble. Here goes!

ONE: Have you heard the news? We're having a BABY! Andi and I finally made the big Facebook announcement yesterday following our Baby's 21 week ultrasound appointment. We learned we're welcoming a baby GIRL into our family this August and decided it was time to "make it official" with a giant internet post. Last night it was a friendly contest between the two of us to see who received more comments and "likes" on our respective pages. I had 60-some and he (slightly puffy-chested, I might add) proudly pointed out he had 83. Turns out there were quite a few people who didn't know we were even expecting!

For some strange reason, I have no problem holding back any and all thoughts in my little corner of the internet, but when it comes to big events I never feel comfortable parading around in front of everyone. When we got married, I shuddered at the thought of standing in front of hundreds of people and professing our love made me feel WAY overwhelmed and the same holds true for this pregnancy. I felt all twitchy about announcing my pregnancy at work and nervous to put it out there on Facebook. Who knows why ... Anyway, it's officially official, according to Facebook law.

Click over to my baby blog to see ultrasound pics of our precious baby girl.

TWO: The weather was gorgeous this weekend so Andi and I took advantage by tackled spring cleaning around the house. Andi used his new power washer to clean the back porch deck and icky car mats from all the winter gunk. We organized the garage and swept out the mud and leaves (hate that job!) and I swept and scrubbed the enclosed front porch too. On Saturday, I took advantage of the sun shine and cleaned up the backyard. I'm starting to worry my grass isn't coming back as thick as it should so I may hire our landscaper handyman to come out and seed / fertilizer.

THREE: Walks outside have been such a luxury these last few weeks! The weather is finally warm enough to step outside without a coat and I've felt so refreshed catching up with friends and their little ones too. Word on the street is Minnesota is getting a measurable amount of wet snow tomorrow night. My fingers and toes are crossed, hoping it doesn't happen!

FOUR: T-minus 2 weeks until cabin time! We're planning to break in our new digs April 30. It'll be cold and I'm sure there's even ice still on the lake but we'll head over to Pipe Lake to check out the town and our surroundings. Yay for cabin life!

FIVE: Before cabin season starts officially, I'd like to do my best in getting the baby's room ready to go. Crib and dresser are on order. I have the paint color picked out already - iced lavender with white trim. Only need to find a rug I like, add some accent pieces and I'm set.

Benjamin Moore - Iced Lavender

Andi's mom and sister volunteered to help paint this weekend and I'm so thankful. My goal this week is to tape the room so we're ready to go on Sunday.

Food Diary: Day 7

Last day! I have to admit, I'm sort of glad. The luster of documenting my food intake and aiming to make healthier choices in doing so has lost its appeal. The last few days I feel like I'm eating whatever I want and just taking pictures of it. Weekends are hard as it is, here's the last day ...

Andi and I went to church this morning so I didn't have a chance to eat a real breakfast. I grabbed a Special K Strawberry granola bar (not pictured) on the way out the door. We stopped at Caribou Coffee on the drive over to church. Andi ran inside and brought be back a decaf cappuccino. It was delish.

BREAKFAST

Decaf Cappuccino

It was about 11:15 when church ended and I was starving. We came home and Andi broke out his new power washer to see what I was doing wrong yesterday. It turns out, all I needed to do was hit the reset button on the power adapter and it would have worked. Stupid boy tools, sometimes I'm so frustrated when I try to use lawn equipment or power tools and I can't figure them out by myself. Why is that? Why do girls have to rely on boys sometimes?

Anyway, while Andi was power washing the back deck, I made cheese quesadillas with homemade guacamole, sour cream and queso cheese. Andi and I ate lunch on our patio deck for the first time this spring and it was magical. Today is was warm and humid in the Twin Cities and we were both in heaven!

LUNCH

Cheese quesadilla with homemade quesadilla, sour cream, chips and queso

And and I worked on spring cleaning projects all afternoon. We cleaned out the garage, power washed the deck (which actually took some of the stain off - oops!) and I spring cleaned the front porch as well. All that's left is yard cleanup in the front and we'll be ready for summer! I am seriously so sore and tired after two whole days working outdoors. I forget how tiring that is normally, and at 20 weeks pregnant it's even more exhausting. I can barely stand up tonight so I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring.

Somewhere between lunch and dinner, I also had a few handfuls of chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds and one Reese's peanut butter cup. (not pictured)

Later this afternoon we brought our vehicles down to an auto detailing shop in St. Paul. Then we came home and took Chloe for a walk around the neighborhood before starting dinner. Andi cooked tonight while I gave Chloe a bath. He made grilled chicken, grilled artichokes, green beans and broccoli. It was really good - love grilling! I also had a mini ice cream sandwich for dessert (not pictured).

DINNER

Chicken, artichokes, green beans, broccoli and lemonade

I was full after dinner, but Andi broke out the Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream and I, of course, had to have a few bites. It's so dang good, I probably could have eaten half the pint by myself before Andi cut me off. 

SNACK

Fatty-fat ice cream

Back on the healthy foods train tomorrow... somewhere in the mix of the weekend, I stuffed myself full of more candy and ice cream than I did all week. I also didn't drink as much water today - about 62 oz. -  so I'll be focusing on that this week as well. 

Food Diary: Day 6

Andi's home!

He pulled in early this morning, back from a boat photo shoot in Missouri. We decided today called for a cafe breakfast so we could catch up and spend some time together. We tried Bon Vie, a French bistro not far from our wedding reception site in St. Paul. It was yummy! I ordered a decaf coffee, French toast and two slices of bacon. I also snagged a few bites of Andi's hashbrowns too.

BREAKFAST

French Toast and bacon

Andi wanted to stop by his grandma's house for a visit next. We never show up empty handed, so we made a stop by Cake Eater Bakery, a few blocks away from her house, for some treats. Andi ran inside while I waited in the car and surprised us all with delicious homemade goodies like a lemon strawberry bar, blueberry pie bar, shortbread cookie, chai spice cookie, coconut macaroon and two cupcakes. After we arrived at Andi's grandma's house, we split them all into fourths and invited his Aunt Barb and Uncle Ken over to share. They wanted to know what the news was (last time we stopped by with treats, we announced we were pregnant! Everyone was joking that we were probably calling them over to break the news it was twins).

MID-MORNING SNACK

Pastries and treats

We left Grandma Marion's house and came home. Andi wanted to take a nap (he drove through the night to make it home from Missouri earlier and was exhausted). I didn't want to waste my Saturday indoors so while he was sleeping, I spring-cleaned my backyard. After working outside for 2 1/2 hours, my legs were so sore. I bet I won't be able to MOVE tomorrow! I mulched up about a bag of leaves, cut back some of the dead shrubbery so new could grow in and churned up my compost pile. I also attempted to power wash our deck with Andi's new power washer he got for Christmas, except our house's water pressure hardly put any "power" into the washing. Andi's going to investigate; he thinks I might not have assembled it correctly, but I know I did. I broke out the directions and everything.

I accidentally skipped lunch since I was working so hard in the yard, but by the time I came inside around 5pm I was starving. I took a shower and got ready to for dinner at a new taco restaurant by our house called the Rusty Taco. They feature street tacos (Andi's favorite) and even had queso and chips (my favorite). I ordered the Rusty Nail taco (pork with pineapple garnish) and a Chicken Taco, but along side with the queso/chips I was only able to eat the pork one before getting too full.

DINNER

Chicken Taco, Rusty Nail Taco and Queso/Chips to share

We stopped at Walgreens and picked up some ice cream for dessert. I chose a pint of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked and snagged a mini pack of Peeps candy too. I was still too full from dinner though, I only ate 4 marshmallow Peeps for my evening snack (not pictured).

Water intake was HORRIBLE today. Between my morning decaf coffee with breakfast (my Saturday treat) and working outside all afternoon, I forgot to drink anything. I probably only had about 32oz of water today. SHAME! Tomorrow, I'll work for better.

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In other news ... Andi felt Baby Dick move today!!!! To see his face light up like a kid on Christmas morning was so amazing. The baby has been so active this weekend and I love our new connection together!

Food Diary: Day 5

Are ya'll still there? Yes? 

Wow, then I have to apologize. I never realized how boring my food intake really is. Water, tuna sandwiches, chips and cereal. Done. What a snooze-fest I am.

My 5th day of this little project really proved no different. I woke up around 7am and poured myself a bowl of cereal. Today was Oatmeal Crisp. Shakin' it up over here! 

BREAKFAST

Oatmeal Crisp cereal and organic milk

At work today, I spent most of the day catching up on office stuff. I felt really thirsty around 10am, but I was also lazy and couldn't motivate myself to get up and fill my red cup with water down the hall. I selected an Odwalla Blueberry C Juice from the office fridge instead.

MID-MORNING SNACK

Odwalla Blueberry Juice

Lunch completely snuck up on me until one of my interns offered to run down to the food court and bring us back something to eat. I was all "uh, uh, I don't know what I want" and defaulted to a tuna sandwich again. It's either that or a burger or Mexican and I felt like it was the "healthier" of the options at hand. A complete lunch FAIL though. I am officially over tuna sandwiches now. Four this week is just too much. 

LUNCH

Tuna salad on croissant with lettuce and tomato, side of homemade chips and water

I worked the remainder of the day and then met up with my friend Kristin. We took Chloe for a walk around my neighborhood area and then went to dinner at a local bar/restaurant called Plum's. The menu was basically that - bar food. We both ordered a cheeseburger and fries (uber healthy!) and I ate almost all of mine. The burger was hot and juicy; fries crisp and extra salty. What I REALLY wanted was a Miller Lite or a Sam Adams Summer Ale but instead I stuffed my face with a burger.

  

DINNER

Cheeseburger with ketchup and pickle and a side of French fries with Ranch dressing

I drank 132oz. of water again today (4 liters) but I had a serious case of acid reflux after my lunch today. I've never really had that before, but it had to be what it was. It felt like my throat was burning every time I took a drink of water. Ick. Pregnancy symptom or my body rejecting the massive tuna overload? I'm not sure, but I didn't love it.

No bedtime snack for me tonight. Still pretty stuffed from my juicy burger. 

I find it interesting how repetitive my meal selections are during the day. I'm planning to document my food diary through the weekend to see how they change on Saturdays and Sundays. 

I don't know if this little project is helping me make healthier choices for the baby anymore. It's become less about pregnancy weight gain which was my reasoning in doing it in the first place. I'm happy I'm less spazzy about it; this little weekly project has diverted my attention. We'll see how it all turns out ...

Dirt Check

Do you know what has made me happier than anything this week?

This awesome weather and the fact that my compost bin is defrosted from the frozen tundra we like to call "Minnesnowta." I can start using it again! There's hardly a trace of winter left in my backyard aside from this one last stubborn pile of snow refusing to melt.

I worked really hard on my pile last year and I'm excited to use the 52 gallons of compost I've generated in my flower pots and beds when I plant in a few weeks. The rich black dirt is a product of six months of kitchen food scraps, leaves and grass clippings. The last thing to hit the pile before winter were our Halloween pumpkins.

People say you can compost all year round, but I've found it doesn't work very well in Minnesota winters so I stop contributing to my bin during the months of October - April. The food doesn't break down in the pile because it's too cold to heat up and decompose and my circular bin actually freezes into place by the time Old Man Winter bears down on us. I simply leave my compost as is during those months and then scoop out the rich soil in the springtime when I need it anyway. It also leaves me with an empty bin to use all summer long.

Hooray for springtime!

Food Diary: Day 4

Started my day running late again today, so I left the house without time for breakfast. I see a trend developing in these food diary posts ...

My first appointment was a staff meeting and we always have bagels there anyway. They're not the healthiest breakfast option I could've chosen, but I ate an asiago cheese bagel with reduced-fat cream cheese none the less. No picture to show you of this one though, as I spent far too long in the meeting trying to figure out how to take a picture without everyone noticing me. No dice.

A few hours later, I met a few co-workers for lunch. I ordered a tuna sandwich for the third time this week, partly because it was pretty tasty the first two times and partly because it was the "healthier" option in the food court. I only ate half the sandwich and chips because I was still semi-full from the bagel earlier in the morning. I'm also done with tuna sandwiches for a while, I think. Three a week is a little excessive.

LUNCH

Tuna salad on croissant with lettuce and tomato and a side of chips

I got a small fruit cup with my lunch as well, but saved it for my afternoon snack around 3pm. I REALLY wanted that dang Twix bar which was still sitting in the office. I opted for the fruit instead.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

Mixed fruit cup

I rushed home from work today and grabbed Chloe for a walk around the neighborhood. It was GORGEOUS outside today! High 50's and full sun. I found myself smiling on my drive home because the sun and fresh air felt so good on my skin. Chloe and I walked around the block and to a nearby park. I'm starting to feel less winded each day I walk outside so I'm definitely planning to keep it up. Gotta keep my preggo belly moving!

Chloe and I rushed home to meet my SIL Lindsay. We jumped into the car and drove out to Andi's parent's house for dinner. His grandma Dee was over for dinner too, and we had a really nice evening talking about the baby and catching up. My MIL Janie made an awesome dinner for everyone. She's so thoughtful and purchased all my pregnancy favorites - San Pellegrino water with sliced lemons and limes, fruits, organic milk and lemon sorbet for dessert.

APPETIZERS

Fresh fruits and veggies

For dinner, Janie made a fresh salad, Rice Krispie chicken, asparagus, herbed potatoes and sliced a French baguette. Rice Krispie chicken is one of Andi's favorite meals, his mom said. I bet he's sorry he was traveling this week because it was REALLY GOOD! I ate most of my chicken breast, asparagus, salad, potatoes and a slice of bread, then went back for seconds for the salad. Love Janie's salads. She also made Rice Krispie treats for dessert and I had two of those (not pictured). They were pretty small, ok?

DINNER

Chicken breast, herbed potatoes, asparagus, salad and organic milk

I'm full tonight, but surprisingly not stuffed considering my big yummy dinner. No bedtime snack needed for me tonight. I drank 132oz of water today as well as a few glasses of San Pellegrino. I find it harder to control portioning now that I'm pregnant. Tonight the meal was so good, I took seconds on items I know I wouldn't have if I didn't have a growing belly to hide it. Blogging my food intake has definitely helped me avoid most of the sweets I crave throughout the day. I feel like I'm letting everyone down if I stuff myself with candy so I just skip it, or opt for fruit instead. Can't say I'd want to take a photo of everything I eat for the next four months, but at least it's helped me stay focused this week!

Food Diary: Day 3

Busy day today!

I woke up around 7:00am and thankfully, I slept better last night than I did the night before. I saw the church peddler who came to my door on Monday night - the one who had me so freaked out someone was going to break into our house that I couldn't sleep a wink Monday night. He was walking house to house with another lady on the next block over so I'm pretty sure he wasn't the boogyman I thought he was. Whoops. Whatever happened to the days when we just trusted people, you know? Anyway, I slept much better last night and woke up fairly rested. Poured myself a typical bowl of cereal and paired it with a side of fruit.

BREAKFAST

Lucky Charms with organic milk and a side of cantaloupe

Lots of meetings at work today. My first one was a beverage meeting and one of the reps brought free samples of the new Odwalla plant bottles. They're made of 100% plant material, just in time for Earth Day on April 22. I grabbed the Strawberry C Monster juice and paired it with a bunch of grapes for a mid-morning snack once I got back to my office. 

MID-MORNING SNACK

Odwalla Strawberry C Monster and grapes

An hour or two later, I met a few co-workers at a campus food court for lunch and baby talk filled our conversation. Sometimes I feel guilty for consuming every discussion with that topic, but I actually think people love to talk about babies and tell you their own birth/labor/kid stories. I'm even amazed at how many men at work ask me questions about my pregnancy. I guess there's something about kids that sparks interest in everyone.

For lunch, I ordered a Baja Sol Taco Salad with Chicken (which I ate half of because, um, it's huge) and a bottle of water.

LUNCH

Baja Sol Taco Salad with chicken and a liter of water

After lunch, we all attended an awards banquet for some employees. A few co-workers and I decided we deserved a little afternoon treat afterwards. One of the best perks of my job is all the foods we have available to eat around us. We stopped at Jamba Juice and I tried one of their new Fruit and Veggie Smoothies - the Orange Carrot Karma which had orange juice, carrot juice, mangos and bananas in it. It was REALLY good. Perfect addition to the awesome sunny afternoon we had today.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

Orange Carrot Karma Smoothie

After work, Chloe and I went to my friend Val's house for dinner and a walk. It's been a few weeks since I've seen her and her baby boy and we had a great time catching up! I picked up Jimmy John's sandwiches for us for dinner and brought them over with me. A club sandwich for her and tuna sandwich for me. I ate half at dinner and the other half for my bedtime snack around 9pm (not pictured).

DINNER

Jimmy John's Tuna Sandwich (tuna, lettuce, cucumbers, sprouts and tomato), bbq chips and a lemonade 

Before you all comment about how preggo ladies aren't suppose to eat sprouts, let me stop you. I know .... but seriously, all the rules? I just can't follow them all. I ate sprouts today and I know I'm not suppose to, but I don't do it very often. Don't shoot me.

Val and I took her baby and the pooches (her German Shepard, Hank, and my little Yorkie-girl) for a walk around her neighborhood after dinner. We were quite the bunch. I could barely get my non-maternity jacket zipped over my voluptuous chest and growing belly and she had her hands FULL with a jogging stroller and a giant dog. The dogs had forgotten all walking manners since last summer. Both of them were barking at other dogs, cats and squirrels as we passed by. I think we were stopped more than walking forward between both dogs sniffing smells and doing their business. It sure was nice to get outside though!

Thoughts on food intake today? Not the best, but not the worst. I notice when I substitute other beverages (such as juice or lemonade today) throughout the day, I drink less water. Today I only had 74oz of water which is almost half of Monday and Tuesday's intake. Tomorrow I'll work on drinking more water for sure.

Food Diary: Day 2

I slept like GARBAGE last night. There was a church-peddler who came to my front door yesterday evening and for some reason, I answered it. I never usually do but Chloe was going crazy and I think he saw me through the window anyway. For the rest of the night, I had it in my head that he was trying to scope out my house to burglarize it. I barely slept a wink because of every tiny sound I heard through the night.

I also woke up at 4:00am starving. I knew that was going to happen ... and I even had a bowl of cereal before bed! I didn't get up to eat something, although I wanted to, and managed to fall back asleep a while later.

I woke up around 7:00am and poured myself a routine bowl of cereal with fruit. I probably have cereal for breakfast four or five times a week since I became pregnant. Mostly because, it's fast and during those few weeks of my first trimester QUICKLY getting food into my stomach was key. My favorite flavors are Lucky Charms, Cheerios, Raisin Nut Bran and Oatmeal Crisp.

BREAKFAST

Oatmeal Crisp with organic milk and the other half of that veeery ripe organic banana

I'm around food all day long for my job and today I had to take a photo of a cheese sampler we sell in one of our convenience stores. The tray contains cheese, crackers, dried nuts and grapes and of course I had to eat it once I snapped a photo of the packaging! I ate the grapes and a cracker and gave the rest to my co-worker.

AM SNACK

Grapes and a cracker

For lunch today, I chose a tuna salad sandwich on croissant, chips, fruit salad and a pickle. I haven't had a tuna salad sandwich in foreva! It tasted so good, I ate the entire thing (sans the pickle).

LUNCH

I craved chocolate big time today, and I really wanted the Twix candy bar calling my name from the next desk. I never ate it, but I did snag three Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies when I got home from work today. We STILL have Girl Scout cookies at my house. I think Andi may have gone a tad overboard when buying boxes of them this spring.

AFTERNOON SNACK

Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies

For dinner, I contemplated making something Mexican to satisfy my recent pregnancy craving, but I couldn't find half the ingredients in my pantry. How does that happen? I swear I shop from a grocery list but when I go to make a recipe we've somehow eaten (or I've forgotten) half of what's needed. I was losing all drive to cook dinner for myself so I pulled out a box of Good Earth Tuscan Chicken a co-worker gave me to try. It's a starter convenience meal where you add your own protein and includes whole grain pasta. 

The meal went together easily and was ready in about 15 minutes. I also made a side of organic green beans to go along with the entree. Overall, the dish was OK. A little too saucy and over-seasoned for my taste. I suppose I could've omitted half of the seasoning packet it came with, but you never really know that until you've made something once. I'd give it a 5 out of 10. So, I only finished about half the bowl of pasta but ate all of the green beans. 

DINNER

Good Earth Tuscan Chicken Pasta with organic green beans and milk

Not feeling very satisfied from dinner, I made myself a little bowl of ice cream. I looove ice cream, but I don't allow myself to eat it every often. This pregnancy has definitely been an excuse to splurge a little bit in this area.

Alden's Organic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Hershey's chocolate syrup and peanuts

I drank 132 ounces of water today. Four liter-sized bottles of water seem to be my maximum throughout the day, but I'm satisfied with that amount.

That's all for tonight, folks. Heading to bed early. I'm exhausted ...

Food Diary: Day 1

If you're following me over at Baby In The Bubble, you know I've been stressing about my recent baby weight gain. Let it be known, I realize how important it is to eat well and eat regularly because I'm nourishing a growing baby inside of me. Yet that doesn't change the way I feel; which is a constant sense of anxiety about gaining too much during this pregnancy.

I'll be the first to admit, I've never had very good nutrition or exercise habits and I've always been able to manage my weight by directly altering the amount and type of food I put into my body. Nothing's changed really, other than the fact I'm gaining weight (for obvious reasons) and I can't help but read and measure how much I'm gaining compared to the "norm."

So far, I've gained 12 pounds in 20 weeks. The Powers That Be say I should be at or around 10 pounds right now. Also to note, my doctor hasn't made any comments about my weight so I assume I'm in the right target mark for her expectations. I guess I just find it hard to take everyone's advise to "live it up!" "eat what you want while you can" and "don't worry about gaining weight, you can worry about taking it off later."

Because the final moments of my pregnancy will be during the hottest summer months, I mostly want to avoid feeling ENORMOUS in July and August. I'm trying to do all I can to avoid swollen ankles and heavy water retention (as unavoidable as it probably is). Did I mention we don't have air conditioning? There's that too, I'm already going to be uncomfortable come this summer.

My goal is to make healthy food choices, not only for my own selfish weight issues but also because I'm feeding my baby and I want him/her to have the best nutrients possible. Will I have dessert or sweets? Probably. But everything's ok in moderation. A dietitian friend of mine suggests recording all of my eats into a food diary and I tried that last week, but it didn't work too well. Dietitian friend is also preggo and doing a day-in-the-life food diary via her blog this week and I thought I would attempt to do the same. I'm strangely fascinated with day-in-the-life posts (I think it's part of the reason I love celebrities and peering into neighbor's open windows ... not in a creepy Peeping Tom way, but when they have their blinds open as I'm walking by. Come on, you know what I mean, right?).

So today's Day 1 of my own food diary. You're all going to peer-pressure me into fully disclosing what I'm eating and the public nature of this posting business is going to help me make healthier choices. I already bore Andi with my daily food updates, so you're getting in on the action too. Aren't you a lucky duck? Here goes ...

Breakfast

Fruit and Nut KIND Bar

Breakfast was a little light this morning since I was running late. Would have liked to add a fruit, but didn't today.

Lunch

Portobello Florentine Sandwich (Portobello Mushrooms, Spinach, Provolone Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Spread on a Baguette),  house-made potato chips, fruit salad and a pickle.

These Portobello sandwiches are my go-to favorite at work lately. They have good flavor and offer protein. Plus, they satisfy my craving for sandwiches. I probably should have passed on the chips, but they're so damn good! I added fruit to counter-balance. *Note, I only ended up eating half the sandwich but finished the rest.

PM SNACK

A handful of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

I poured this handful of jelly beans for an afternoon snack, but then realized some of the flavors were the icky ones like buttery popcorn and toasted marshmallow. I only ended up eating 3 or 4 beans and putting the rest back for someone else in the office, he he he ...

DINNER, PART UNO

Mixed greens salad, topped with Ranch dressing, croutons and crunchy salad topping thingies

My SIL Lindsay invited Chloe and I over for dinner tonight, but I was starving around 5pm already. I made myself a small salad for a first course.

DINNER, PART DEUX

Trader Joe's Onion Flavored Rings

Lindsay wanted me to try Trader Joe's version of Funyons. They were baked onion-flavored rings and really good! Who am I to turn away a chip? I only had 3 so I didn't feel guilty.

DINNER (THE REAL THING)

Trader Joe's chicken sausage, served with mangos, pineapples and bell peppers over brown rice. A glass of milk for a beverage.

It was such a nice treat to have dinner over at Lindsay's house. The chicken sausage dish she whipped up was very tasty and healthy too. Best of all, it was great to catch up with her over dinner. So lucky to have an amazing sister in law like her!

BEDTIME SNACK

Cheerios with organic milk and half of a verrry ripe organic banana

I crawled into bed to watch some tv before deciding I was hungry again. Better to eat something now instead of waking up in the middle of the night starving, I say.

Also of note, I drank 132 ounces of water today. Yay me! I keep a big red cup for water at my desk and have been drinking water out of those nice Starbucks reusable cold cups and that really helps me get all of my water consumption into the day.