Monday Musings

I'm just going to put it out there...I don't have much going on today...we spent our weekend making a quick trip to Atlanta to see Hubby's grandma who had flown in from Illinois for his aunt's graduation for her Doctorate. She had never met our youngest son, so it was important for us to go. Surprisingly, the kids were pretty good for the car trips there and back.

Anyway....

Now that I'm out of the first trimester, my carb cravings have subsided a bit. I put on 10 lbs in the first trimester! Not sure how much of that I can attribute to bloat, but seriously...that has had me down in the dumps about this pregnancy. I've got two trimesters to go and I haven't even hit the biggest weight gain time. I'm hoping my body is just knowing what it needs and it just evens out in the end...hoping I'll still be close to what I was at the end of my 1st and 2nd pregnancies. Good news is that my weight has stayed the same for the last 3-4 weeks, so maybe the gain is tapering off for right now. I just seriously couldn't believe the scale even after all the gym sessions I'd put in and healthy choices I had been trying to make.

Now that carb cravings are not as much of an issue, it's easier to stick to my meal plan. For breakfast, I love to make a berry protein smoothie. Here's the recipe for you - as it's great for you pregnant or not {and it's been able to stave off my pregnancy hunger until well into mid-morning, when I then have something like string cheese to hold me over until lunch time}:

{via}

3/4 c. skim milk

1 small banana

1 scoop whey or soy protein

1 tsp. chia seeds {I use Trader Joe's}

1/3 c./ea of blueberries, blackberries & raspberries

1-2 tbsp. nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt

Blend until smooth & enjoy!

Speaking of recipes...my new job has me getting off work a half hour later than my previous job, and of course the traffic getting home is heinous...plus, thanks to DST being over...it's full-on dark by the time I get to my kids at their daycare around 6-6:15. So let's just say getting dinner on the table the last few weeks has been a challenge. If I am not fully prepared with something...the poor little guys have been stuck with Mac-n-Cheese or chicken nuggets. They'll get veggies on the side and all, but still, it's just not my idea of a well-rounded, unprocessed meal. So I've been searching high and low for some great healthy, easy Crockpot meals to have ready to go when we walk in the door. Last night, I prepped all the ingredients for this lovely dish. {All I had to do this AM was put it in the Crockpot and turn it on.}

{via}

I made it a bit healthier by substituting the bacon with turkey bacon, the Ranch mix with the low sodium version, the cream of potato with the 98% fat-free version and the cream cheese with the fat-free version. This just looked so yummy...I can't wait to indulge when I get home. It just seemed like a great fall meal too...and I bet the boys will just gobble it up. I doubled the recipe to fill our large Crockpot, so there will be leftovers for lunches {or dinner in a pinch!}

If y'all have any good sources for easy, healthy Crockpot meals, holla at yo' girl!

As for the rest of the week, I don't have much planned other than starting to pull out and go through Christmas decor. We will be out of town over Thanksgiving when I normally put up the tree, so I will probably make plans to get a lot of the decorating done this coming weekend. We also have our 6th wedding anniversary on Friday - Nana & Papa are taking the kids, so we are thinking of going downtown for a nice dinner...there are a few new places I've been dying to try so I'll see what I can manage for reservations!

Have a great week!

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Monday Musings

A few things this lovely Monday...

First of all - I've officially applied to college! {I know I'm quick, huh? I think I just mentioned the idea in Friday's post?} I've applied to Trident Technical College here in Charleston because I've heard their Dental Hygienist program is pretty stellar. The only issue is that they are full until Spring 2016 at the moment, BUT depending on my 10-years-old art college transcripts {I currently hold an Associates of Science in Graphic Design}, I may or may not have to get some prerequisites out of the way anyway, so I am going to start there for now. I have to wait to talk to the admissions counselor about all of that. I'm excited though...if I have to take some of the pre-reqs, I can start them online as soon as January hopefully, so possibly starting earlier than I had thought! And I can still consider other Dental Hygienist programs later if they can get me in earlier, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Second...I don't know if you heard the sad news, but hottie Charlie Hunnam has dropped out of the role to play Christian Grey in 50 Shades. I'm sad because he's super hot, but truth be told, I still had a hard time picturing him as that character, so maybe it's for the best.

Third, not a lot went on this weekend. I had one of those just get things done weekends. I had to return library books, plan a menu for the next two weeks until I get paid again, go grocery shopping, clean house and do laundry...you know the "mom" stuff. And of course being pregnant...it's like, what's the point of going out anymore when I can't even enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail?

I am looking forward to trying out some new recipes I found...one for breakfast is this Acai bowl that Andee Layne at The Honeybee makes {and if you look at her, you KNOW why I would follow her diet!}

 

1 packet frozen Acai

1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries

1/2 cup frozen organic strawberries

1/2 cup organic apple juice (or whatever juice you have on hand)

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

topped with 1/4 cup granola

It actually is pretty similar to the protein smoothies I make {sans the whey protein}, but served in a bowl with a little crunch on top. I bought some Chia seeds at Trader Joes to throw into the mix as well.

To be completely honest {and accountable}, this last week or two, my diet has not been wonderful...as easy as it is to say you're going to have a fit pregnancy, it is sooooo hard when you are feeling nauseous and nothing but carbs makes you feel better. But, I've started to come out of that little nauseous phase in my pregnancy, and hopefully I can stick to my healthy menu from now on. I've still been at the gym and all...but you can't do much good when your diet is all amiss.

Here's a little snapshot of some of the meals I've got planned over the next couple of weeks:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Have a great week! xoxo

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