Well mine isn't Henry's fault actually. Mine was "trying to get the baby" weight, stress, ice cream and hormone supplements and infertility drug weight. I gained about 20lbs during the almost 2 years we were trying to get pregnant. I lost 18 of those pounds when I was super sick during the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy with Henry and then I gained it back and a few more. I gained a total of 28 lbs during my pregnancy, the last 10lbs was the last 2 weeks and was all fluid. By the time Henry was 7 days old I had lost all 28 lbs and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight. This was the ONLY benefit of being so incredibly sick to start. The only one. But I wasn't at my ideal size before I got pregnant so I still have weight to lose. I figure now is a great time to start. I am home with the munchkin, he naps, I can workout, we can take walks with the stroller now and get fresh air and I am exclusively breastfeeding which burns a bunch of calories per day. Some say between 300-800 daily woo woo!! I am continuing to lose weight but slowly now so as soon as I got the all clear at my 6 week check up I joined weight watchers Jessica Simpson style. I have done it before and I really liked it because it works! They also have a plan for nursing mothers to help you lose weight safely without hindering your milk supply or the nutrients to the nugget from your milk. The other benefit is that I am home from work for a few more weeks so I can get to the grocery store more easily and cook at home! YAY!
Taylor and I used to eat out alot, it was enjoyable and relaxing for us but it's so unhealthy even if you get salads. Since Henry came we don't like to drag him out to eat much and force him to sit in his car seat through dinner (he normally sleeps through it anyway but still.) Then we race the clock between feeds to eat and pray he doesn't freak out and scream either on the way to, during or way home from dinner. It's just easier to eat at home because if he freaks out, I stop eating, feed him, reheat my food and keep on keepin on.....and noone stares at us. I also have to eat gluten free again. When I got pregnant I couldn't keep anything down and my doctor suggested starchy food and carbs because that seemed to help lots of women. I have a gluten allergy and starchy food is usually out besides rice and potatoes but my doctor suggested trying breads and such anyway because sometimes mild allergies and sensitivities go into remission during pregnancy. Weird I know! But, it was true for me. No full body rashes, no headaches, no feeling like crap, no upset stomach, no abdominal pain or bloating. My body could tolerate gluten in any form (in fact one of my cravings was a soft pretzels with cheese which I hadn't been able to eat in years). Now that I've had Henry however my gluten allergy is back worse than ever. So back to the gluten free life for me. So I've decided to share some healthy meals I have been whippin up barefoot in the kitchen with a baby on my hip....ok not on my hip yet (he's too little) but he is often in my arm or strapped to my chest in his moby wrap.
I'm branchin' out lately too. I never used to like pork but I had some recently that was delish. I just get the hillshire farms marinated pork loin roast. It's like $8 and it's enough for 2 full meals for Taylor and I both. SCORE! It's so easy and tasty too. They have like 8 different flavor marinades but I tried the lemon garlic flavor first. I just baked it in the oven for about 45 minutes. While it was cooking I made mashed potatoes and I branched out even more. Brussel sprouts! NOW....STOP (collaborate and listen. Ice is back.... sorry. tangent) Brussle sprouts are delish. Do you like broccoli? If the answer is yes, I find the flavor similar. If you like lettuce or cabbage or coleslaw I find the texture similar to that. So if you have never had them, (I hadn't) then try them out. Use this recipe!
Lauren's Brussel Sprouts
I bought organic brussel sprouts in a bag in the produce section (you can get them frozen too but I tried those a different time and they come out a little mushier than I like). Cut the flat tips off the end and cut lengthwise into quarters.
2 small shallots- minced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp butter (you can use olive oil if you want but butter has better flavor)
1 cup water
pinch of salt and pepper
Melt 2 Tbsp of your butter in your skillet on medium high heat. Saute minced shallot in the butter and when they are soft add balsamic vinegar for about 2 minutes while stirring frequently. Put all shallots, vinegar and butter mixture into a separate bowl and set aside. Melt the other 2 Tbsp of butter in the same skillet and add brussel sprouts. Stir frequently until edges are just slightly browned, pour cup of water in and continue to stir until water evaporates, add salt pepper and shallot mixture to the sprouts and stir together. Serve warm. YUM! stop whining and TRY IT.
When I was little my dad's side of the family ate "weird for kids food". Caviar, london broil, yorkshire pudding, morel mushrooms, etc So my dad always made us try 2 bites of each thing in hopes we would have an appreciation for a wider palate than chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers, thus we had to take 2 bites. One to try it and the second could be a "no thank you bite". If we took one bite and didn't like it, we had to try it once more just in case we changed our minds (which usually happened) and if we didn't like it after the second bite that was our "no thank you bite" and we could be done with it. I'd be a vegetarian that weighed 600 pounds if it weren't for that because all I "liked" as a kid was crap....until I tried new things and discovered usually on that second bite that they were yummy.
And for the mashed potatoes ( I am far too lazy to wash, peel, cut up, boil, mash and mix potatoes for home made mashed potatoes) Ore-Ida discovered I was not alone in that and created "Steam-n-mash". It's a bag of frozen potato chunks in a red bag next to the french fries in the freezer section. You pop the entire sealed bag into the microwave for 10 minutes, dump in a bowl, mix some milk and butter and pretend you slaved for hours. Dinner is served. NEXT DISH!
Mustard salmon
Sounds kinda gross but it's delish I promise!
Fresh Salmon (I get mine from Trader Joes, it's cheaper and more fresh)
1/2 cup of yellow mustard
1 cup fat free half and half
1/4cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
Put olive oil in a skillet on med-high heat and turn oven on 350. Put salmon in skillet and cook until mostly pink (instead of red) on the edges. Put Salmon into a baking dish. Then melt butter in the skillet and put your yellow mustard ( I sometimes put a little bit of brown spicy mustard in too). Wisk around until it's warm and smooth, then add your half and half, lemon juice, some salt and pepper to taste and wisk until smooth again. You can tweak amounts of each ingredient as you like. Pour sauce over salmon fillets and put into oven for 20 minutes until sauce is bubbly and fish is cooked through. Look I served this about 6 days later from the pork with brussle sprouts again, because they're awesome and delish and rice pilaf (which is an uncle ben's quick rice packet already seasoned). NEXT!
Stir fry....mmmm
1lb chicken breast, cut to bite size peices
1 pack small mushrooms sliced up
1/2 small onion diced
1 can sliced bamboo shoots
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 yellow bell pepper in small strips
1 red bell pepper in small strips
1 cup edamame
1 small zucchini cut into coins and then cut in half
1 small yellow squash cut into coins and then cut in half
soy sauce, siracha, and teryaki sauce to taste (normally I just use Trader Joe's soyaki sauce and nothing else, the flavor is to die for and you have to use alot less than the combo of the other three so it's healthier)
I take my wok (yes I own a wok) and put some sesame oil in on med-high heat, but you can use coconut, olive or canola oils too. Just a small splash and put in chopped up chicken breast. Cook until almost done. Add all your veggies and stir frequently for several minutes until all is cooked through, add sauces and serve over brown rice. This is so yummy and is only 6 weight watcher points, 3 for the chicken and 3 for the brown rice because vegetables are 0 points. Super healthy!
Breakfast is an easy healthy go to meal for us too. Eggs, Lean sausage and gluten free waffles. Lots of protein and it gets my sweet fix taken care of too.
So since we are working on eating healthy and Taylor doesn't work saturdays anymore PTL (praise the lord), we got to go the Kansas City river market. Taylor had never been and obviously Henry hadn't either. You can honestly take $20 and get 2 weeks worth of fresh produce. It's wonderful and the atmosphere is so much fun. I love it. Of course the week I wanted to go it was 40 degrees in the morning so we bundled Henry up and put him in his stroller with his sunnys on and had a blast. Look how cute he looked in his bear suit!
This was the first thing we bought him before we even knew if he was a boy or a girl but it was so cute we couldn't resist. We wanted him to wear it home from the hospital but he was waaay too tiny even though it was newborn size. He just now fits in it perfectly but it's been so warm this was probably the only time he could :( oh well it was worth it.
I love the skyline with the open air market mixed in. The best!
And to cap it off, here is a tasty dessert (not gluten free so be careful). Tastykake shortcake cup 3 points, strawberries and fat free cool whip- 0 points. YUM
On the menu this week:
- Southwest Chicken strips with fresh green beans and fresh fruit salad.
- Pork roast with roasted carrot and asparagus and broccoli cheese quinoa
- Asian chicken lettuce wraps
-Baked potatoes with fat free sour cream, cheese, and broccoli and a salad.
I will post the recipes and pics if you want them.
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