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We used Shutterfly to make an adorable photo book to forever treasure the amazingly beautiful maternity photos that our talented photographer, Marjorie Datuin, captured for us.
I'm really enjoying finally having a decently round bump! Now, there's no denying that we are indeed growing a baby and not that I've completely fallen off the healthy eating bandwagon. (Although that is debatable!)
Plus, our little Nub is swirling, kicking, jabbing, all day long and we love it! It's so incredibly mind blowing to know that we have a little human being inside of me, making itself comfortable and even playing back when we poke the belly!
So I've been craving potatoes...white potatoes. It has been a while since we have made the switch to the sweet potato for a more nutritional punch, but that doesn't seem to matter to the tiny human in my belly.
So I went out and bought some russet potatoes and I've been making some delicious and easy concoctions on the cast iron skillet. There is something extra special about the way the cast iron gives these potatoes a golden brown crust. Amazing.
Without further ado, here's the easy recipe for what we like to call "smashed potatoes."
Cast Iron Smashed Potatoes
Serves 4-6
Recipe Ingredients:
5 russet potatoes, already baked/cooked
1 onion, diced
Ghee, or cooking fat of your choice
Olive oil
Garlic powder, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Recipe Directions:
1.) Bake your potatoes in the oven, or microwave in a bowl for 15-17 minutes. Roughly smash your potatoes with a fork, keeping the skin.
2.) Heat up cast iron skillet over medium heat, just until it starts to smoke a tiny bit.
4.) Add your smashed potatoes to the cast iron and season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Drizzle some olive oil to moisten your potatoes a bit. I just eye ball everything so maybe 2-3 tablespoons?
5.) Let the potatoes sit in the pan for 2-3 minutes, untouched, allowing the bottom to brown and crisp up.
6.) Carefully flip your potatoes so that the top gets a chance to be on the bottom and experience the crisping power of the cast iron.
7.) Once your potatoes are browned to your liking, do a final taste test and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
8.) Serve up and enjoy!
These potatoes are fabulous for breakfast with a side of bacon and eggs or for dinner with some delicious steak or pork.
My husband said the following to me the other day:
"When you first got pregnant, I didn't know what to expect. I sort of expected you to totally indulge in all the crazy pregnancy cravings I've ever heard of, especially since when you're typically PMS-ing you crave salty and sweet. And that would have been fine, because hey, you're growing a tiny human and that's hard work. But I am so relieved that you're actually craving really healthy stuff. Baby, I will buy you as many watermelons as you want - any time of day!"
I think I may have gotten teary eyed. Some may have taken offense that my husband was concerned I would blow up like a house during this pregnancy, but not me. I was touched by the fact that he noticed that I was trying my best to make healthy food choices - with the occasional indulgence.
To be totally honest, baby has been helping me. I really am not craving cakes, brownies, ice-cream, or cookies, like I thought I would be. I am often craving just 5 things: watermelon (with lime), mango (with lime), grapefruit, avocado, and plantains (unripe and ripe).
AND I DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT THESE CRAVINGS AT ALL!
Here's why:
Watermelon with freshly squeezed lime juice is what got me through my first trimester. When nothing else was appealing or would stay down, watermelon always did the trick. This was my very first craving and it has remained strong throughout the last 5 months. Since it was still winter when I first started craving watermelon, they were hard to come by and my husband even spent $9 dollars on a half watermelon! Oh, but it was so worth it. What a good hubby.
According to the article "Watermelon Wonders" found on www.fitpregnancy.com:
Watermelon eases heartburn and reduces swelling; its high water content
(92 percent) and fruit sugars alleviate morning sickness and
dehydration; and the minerals it contains can help prevent
third-trimester muscle cramps. Ounce for ounce, watermelon is richer
than tomatoes in lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against cancer
and cardiovascular disease, boosts the body's immunity to infections and
naturally raises the skin's SPF, according to Steven Pratt, M.D.,
author of SuperFoods Rx(HarperCollins).
Even better news for pregnant women: A study in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
found that daily lycopene supplements reduced the incidence of
preeclampsia by 50 percent. Test subjects were given 4 milligrams of
lycopene; a single serving of watermelon can have triple that amount.
What's more, scientists have discovered that watermelon is packed with
vitamins A, C and B6, as well as potassium and magnesium. These
nutrients are important for the development of your baby's vision,
brain, nervous and immune systems, and more. For you, potassium
regulates water balance in the blood and body tissues during pregnancy.
And you get all these benefits for less than 50 calories per cup.
Bring on the watermelon! Adding the freshly squeezed lime juice was just something I discovered by accident, while I was cutting watermelon and trying to make guacamole all at the same time with my next craving: avocado. A piece of watermelon touched some lime juice on my cutting board and I was in heaven. I've been adding lime juice to many things as baby really enjoys sour!
Now, when I knew I needed some type of substance in addition to my watermelon I turned to my BFF the avocado. I knew the healthy fat content would keep me full a little longer and hopefully keep the nausea at bay. Sometimes I'd just eat a whole avocado for lunch and call it a success. Now that I'm able to eat more complete meals, I still try to add 1/4-1/2 an avocado to my meals - either as guacamole or just topping it with some diced pieces. It always satisfies.
According to this article, "Avocados are good for pregnant women since the high
folate content in them helps in the development of brain and other
tissues of the baby. The B6 vitamin in these fruits may help in reducing nausea that is associated with pregnancy."
Sounds like a win-win!
My craving for grapefruit came on all of a sudden. I have enjoyed grapefruits in the past, but it was a while (maybe even years) since I've had one. Then one morning, they just came to mind and I HAD TO HAVE ONE. ASAP. I went grocery shopping that night and ate a very large grapefruit while I was driving home, and it was heavenly. Again, sour things have been very appealing! Plus, grapefruit is an excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and a good source of fiber, potassium, Vitamin B5, and Vitamin B1 according to this article. And I find them very filling.
So mangoes are my absolute favorite fruit in the world. To me, there is nothing better than eating a ripe, juicy mango - hands all sticky and everything. Whenever I am looking for a snack and find a mango waiting for me, I rejoice. It is always the perfect snack, a perfect addition to a salad, or even a perfect side dish. I just love them. I love them so much that my grandmother actually ships me mangoes as a gift. I love that lady. The mango pictured above is actually one that my grandmother shipped to me. It was perfect. God bless her.
Like the other foods listed here, mango is also very nutritious. It is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Folate - great for baby! It's also a good source of Fiber, Vitamin B6, and Copper.
Again - no guilt here!
Lastly, the plantain. My grandmother also ships me plantains because she doesn't believe we can find good ones here in PA. Either unripe and fried up as tostones or very ripe and sauteed as amarillos/maduros, plantains have been another staple during these months of pregnancy. They are denser and also help to keep me full.
Not many people realize that plantains are actually quite nutritious, since they are typically fried in Caribbean cuisine. However, I fry them in olive oil (a good fat) so I'm not concerned! Plantains contain significant amounts of Vitamins A, C, B6 and Folate, so I feel no guilt enjoying them!
So those are the 5 foods that I don't feel guilty for craving during my pregnancy. Now, of course things haven't been perfect. Over the last week, I've developed a craving that I'm not so proud of: crackers with a thin layer of mayonnaise on top. Hey - you win some, you lose some!
It is truly hard to believe that we are at the halfway point of our pregnancy! I am getting more and more excited (and more and more nervous) about the reality of becoming parents. I feel so blessed and I can't wait to experience the next 20 weeks! They sure are going by mighty fast.
I also can't believe how much more I'm showing these days. And baby still has a lot more growing to do! It is amazing to see what our bodies have been designed to do.
We continue to pray for a healthy second half of this pregnancy and a healthy and strong baby! We have chosen to not find out the gender of our little blessing, but I do have an inclination. We shall find out if a mother's intuition holds true. After all, I do have a 50% chance of being right! Either way, we will be thrilled.
I believe I've mentioned this before, but I really, REALLY, want to be one of those pregnant ladies that still looks incredibly adorable in a workout outfit at the gym. I'm already 18 weeks along and I have not been as active as I thought I would be. In fact, I haven't been consistent at all. I could go into all of the reasons why I haven't been exercising as much, but I'm not going to do it. I'm just going to make a resolve to change today.
As I prepare for the most incredible journey of my life, I've been reading tons of books, articles, and blogs on the labor and delivery process. I am educating myself on my options and my goal is to be as strong as I can to put myself and our future child in the best situation as possible. I don't know what to expect, or how I will personally handle it, but what I do know is that millions of women have labored. Our bodies have been designed to go through this process. Our bodies know what to do, so I have to be confident in my innate ability to bring my little human safely into this world.
I wish I could remember where I read this, but someone compared labor and delivery to an athletic event and the 9 months of pregnancy to the training period. Now if I was signed up to run a marathon in October 2013 instead of welcoming our first child, I would not expect to be successful if I didn't prepare and train my body for that type of endurance event. I would have a training regimen and would definitely have to follow it! So I'm choosing to train my body so that I can give us all a good run for our money on that special day in October when "we" become a "family of three."
Why it's important to exercise while pregnant:*
Women who exercise during pregnancy:
Have reduced weight gain and fat deposition during pregnancy
Have fewer pregnancy discomforts
Report a more rapid physical and emotional recovery from delivery
Tend to have easier, shorter and less complicated labors
Have less need for pain relief during labor
Have more stamina during labor
Increase their aerobic capacity
Decrease their susceptibility to illness
Increase their energy level
Babies of exercising moms:
Have significantly lower heart rates than babies of non-exercising moms
Are better able to cope with the stress of birth
Have a greater ability to adapt to life outside the uterus
Are more healthy at birth
Are leaner at birth and tend to stay lean as they grow
Sleep through the night sooner
Are better able to self-calm
Score higher on tests of general intelligence and oral language skills
Have decreased risks of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases later in life
3-4 times a week, I will do the beginner workout of the day (WOD) posted on the Crossfit Mom website. This website modifies the WOD that is posted on the main Crossfit website for pregnant women. It's an awesome resource. By doing these scaled Crossfit workouts, I know I will safely and quickly build up my strength. Below was today's WOD. It seems simple, but I needed to take a little breather after round 2. Thrusters get your heart pumping!
In addition, 5-6 times a week, I will do a 30 minute prenatal yoga routine. I've been doing the following routine since the first trimester and I really love it. Not only is it free on YouTube, but I feel SO MUCH better after completing the session. You really don't realize how tight your muscles are until you fully stretch them out! Plus yoga is known to help with balance, circulation, and breathing techniques. All good stuff for the expectant mom!
I also plan to add in some walks at the nearby park's nature trail and some swimming now that it's getting warmer. I don't of course want to over do it, but I know I can definitely do more than what I'm doing now!
Today, I did successfully complete both the WOD and the yoga and I felt great. I had more focus during my working hours and just felt happy that I did something good for both me and baby. I do have to admit that my legs are already sore from all of the squats in the WOD and the yoga - but squats are such an important strength training exercise, so I'm going to keep doing them!
Any suggestions, comments, or thoughts from the experienced moms out there?
Before we were blessed with the news of our pregnancy, I already had all of these visions on how I was going to eat, exercise, and be generally awesome when the time finally came to grow a tiny human. Then, I got pregnant.
Since going paleo last summer, I knew that I wanted to continue to eat real, whole foods for the benefit of my growing child. All of the veggies and high quality meats would provide all of the essential nutrients, and I probably wouldn't even need to take a prenatal vitamin! (I know now, this is crazy talk.)
To my surprise, I quickly experienced food aversions to almost EVERYTHING I was eating on a regular basis. Eggs used to be my go-to source of high-quality protein that I could eat any time of day. Now - I can barely get myself to make them. Sweet potatoes didn't stir up in me the passion that they used to do. Neither did veggies or salad. Just the smell of my husband cooking a steak can make me gag.
For the first few weeks of my pregnancy, I could only manage to consume the following:
Lots and lots of watermelon with lots and lots of freshly squeezed lime juice
Sparkling/Seltzer Water with lots of lime wedges and cucumber slices
Green smoothies - at least I was getting some spinach and coconut milk in my system in addition to all of the fruit!
And random combos like organic strawberries and sunbutter
Then on those days when I felt like I could eat a real meal, I craved BAD stuff. Since I was suffering from the morning sickness, my will power was low so I caved into some glutenous foods like:
At least I was able to eat some eggs!
The only redeeming ingredient in this meal were the crushed walnuts
Yes, that is real pasta and real Parmesan cheese. Face palm.
While all of these tasted good at the time, especially after not eating things like bagels, waffles and pasta for such a long time, they only made me feel worse.
Now that the morning sickness is subsiding a bit, I've been trying to get myself back on the paleo bandwagon. I've had a little bit more energy and I actually have the desire to cook again. I'm still not feeling eggs, steak, or sweet potatoes, but I have managed to eat the following healthy meals over the last week or so:
I've always liked my homemade salsa, but lately, I'm like in LOVE with it. With extra lime of course. Baby likes sour.
Roasted cauliflower and organic Italian chicken sausage. Btw, I had this for breakfast. Gotta think outside the box!
Spaghetti squash and baked garlic chicken wings
I can honestly say that I feel better now that I've cleaned up my act a bit over the last week or so. Getting back in the groove is motivating me to continue on this path. I know it is healthier for our baby for me to eat the most nutritious foods possible, so I have to commit. The hubby and I are even going to attempt a pregnancy Whole30 for the month of May. Now that I'm past some of the first trimester craziness, I'm hoping I can continue preparing delicious and nutritious foods and be the paleo mom I so desperately want to be!
Wait - did I just call myself a mom? That's weird. Sometimes it doesn't feel real, but in about 5 months we will be parents. SO excited and SO scared all at the same time!
In terms of exercise, I again thought I would be a totally cool CrossFitMom by now, but that hasn't happened. Right now I'm celebrating the fact that they opened up the local park's nature trail and I took advantage of the beautiful weather this evening.
Yes, you read that right. This is the main reason I've been pretty silent on the blog lately. On top of being super busy with work, I've been dealing with morning sickness, fatigue, afternoon sickness, fatigue, and evening sickness! Haha, but it will all be worth it and we are SOOOOO EXCITED!
So here's a photo recap of our first trimester!
I literally took a test every morning for a week, just to be sure!
Our first appointment at 6 weeks!
Our tiny little nub at 6 weeks 6 days. Can't believe how tiny it is and how fast it turned into the following picture!
Just 5 weeks later and our little nub is fully formed and so active! It was amazing to see!!!
In the middle of our ultrasound I REALLY had to use the bathroom. After emptying my bladder, our little nub had more room and decided to stretch out it's arms and legs!
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