Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.
-Rumi
Neil and I have had a wonderful afternoon together that started with a late lunch at Stone Soup where we shared a vegan roasted tofu sandwich (to die for) and the salad bar. We then took a quick pop into Isabean, a children’s clothing and toy store, where I feel in love with a few baby items but I restrained myself from buying anything (today anyways).
After our lunch we came home and I relaxed for a bit and Neil finished up working. Once he finished it was time to get our walk on, it was beautiful out so we did our favorite 2.5 mile loop. We were hopping to get a few nice sunset shots but unfortunately the clouds where in our way.
Mr. Photographer then decided to do a little photo shoot…
and of course I had to get one of him too before the sun went down.
Now we are back from our walk and I’m sipping a seltzer and orange juice, I know I’m wild, and am patiently waiting for the Hubz to prepare things so we can make this delicious pizza below.
This photo is from last week because trust me I am so hungry right now there is now way that I am taking the time to take new photos of the same type of pizza. The one above taste like artichoke dip on pizza and it is mouth-wateringly delicious.
Sauteed Spinach (this won’t be on tonight’s pizza because we’re out)
Artichoke hearts
Nutritional Yeast
Neil is also making a second pizza with arugula, garlic olive oil, cherry tomatoes and finished with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a squeeze of lemon juice.
How big is the baby: About the size of Sweet Potato
Suspicion of Baby’s Gender (no we are not finding out): I’m still leaning towards a boy and so is Neil.
Baby’s Name: We have 5 girl and 5 boy names picked out with potential middle names as well. We had a bit sit down last weekend and narrowed a combined list of 20 boys names and 12 girls names down to our favorites based on the meaning of the name, the origin or the name and potential nicknames. A few names we like got cut quickly because of nicknames that we hated like for Adeline it would be Addie which I just couldn’t approve of so we now have a small list and will narrow it down a little more the month before and then make a final decision when we meet the little one.
Weight Gained: Depends on the day and the time of day but between 8-10lbs which at 18 weeks I’m pretty happy with since my midwives say I should gain around 15-25 lbs.
Clothes: My clothes are all getting a little snug around the waist and the chest so I am wearing more and more of the maternity clothes I have purchased (love the sales on Gap Maternity at Baby Gap- seriously tons of items for $2-10). I also had to finally buy myself a pair of maternity jeans because the jeggings from Old Navy that were wonderful for the first 17 weeks are now getting uncomfortable due to where the elastic hits me even though they still fit. I am also now on the prowl for some good deals on Spring clothes for our upcoming trip to South Carolina.
How are you feeling: I am feeling pretty good. Tired in the afternoons especially after having a few awful nights of restless sleep; I really don’t think I’ll ever like sleeping on my left side.
What do you miss: sleeping on my back, my stomach, my right side…basically any position that isn’t my let side.
Symptoms: Trouble sleeping. Thirsty all the time. I feel baby kicks, just little ones but they are getting more noticeable every week!
Cravings: The Beach. Gardien chik’n fingers. Chocolate Cake.
Workouts this week: one 35-minute walk, one 20-minute leg and arm workout and one 90-minute pre-natal yoga class
Babymoon update: So Neil and I finally figured out a way to take a (sort of) babymoon. We had planned to just go to Boston for a short weekend getaway where we will be eating some tasty foods and getting massages (pre-natal for me and sports for him) and then we were going to head home and have a week off from work just to get things done around the house. Well fast forward to this week. Earlier this week my parents informed us that they were renting a condo in Myrtle Beach for the month of March and inquired if we would like to join them. Well unbeknownst to me Neil spent Tuesday evening researching flights and chatting with my mom while planning a way for us to meet up with them. Well to our luck since we were already going to be in Boston we could fly out of Logan and because my loving father agreed to drive three hours to Raleigh to pick us up because we were able to get amazingly cheap flights. So now we are spending five nights in Myrtle Beach and one night in Raleigh. Although it isn’t the babymoon of our dreams it is just the vacation that the both of us need.
Since I haven’t jumped on and done this survey yet and I have some time to waste I think I will. I’m sure you’ve seen this up on many blogs over the past few days, so heres mine!
1. I studied at three universities in three different countries over the course of my academic career. I first went to Spain the summer after high school to study Spanish at Universidad Complutense de Madrid , I then started my first (real) year of university at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB, Canada, then I did my second year at Suffolk University in Boston and then I did completed my final two years back at St. Thomas University where I received my B.A. in Political Science with minors in Religious Studies and Human Rights.
At our Metro stop in Madrid
2. Although I had big dreams of working in International Relations I ended up down a totally different path and became a certified health coach.
3. I hate when people leave cupboards open. Seriously my biggest pet peeve.
4. My husband and I met through a mutual friend when I was at school in Boston and we re-met when I returned to Fredericton for my last two years of university. We actually re-met at a bar when I was trying to avoid another guy named Neil, my now husband Neil was my knight in shinning armor.
5. I would love to move out of Vermont in the next year….but where to is another story. Taking suggestions.
6. I am always in bed long before my husband and I always take the cat with me.
7. I still sleep with my blankie from my childhood.
8. Growing up I always made my mom dress and toss my salad, even out at restaurants. Honestly I would still have her do it if I still lived at home.
9. I love to play canasta. Summers after college when I was living at home I would go to painting class with my grandma and then to her seniors meal where we would end the day playing hours of canasta. Yes, I’m an old lady at heart.
10. If a meal is really good (and we are at home) I will lick the plate clean.
11. After months of trying to figure something affordable out Neil and I are actually going on a Babymoon! We are going to Boston for a few days and then flying out to meet my parents in Myrtle Beach where they are renting a condo. We are so excited to get away before the baby comes and neither of us have ever been to Myrtle Beach. I honestly think the only time I can remember going to South Carolina was on our first Disney trip, over 20 years ago, when we drove to Disney from Vermont and stopped at South of the Border.
Questions I have to Answer:
Are you a morning person or a night owl? morning.
What’s the one piece of clothing you can’t live without? my lululemon wunder crops
What is your biggest pet peeve? see #3 above.
Gum or mints? mints.
Favorite dessert? berries and chocolate coconut ice cream.
Do you have tattoos or piercings? i have my ears pierced and i have three tattoos. I also had lip pierced two different times.
Do you believe in ghosts and/or the afterlife? ghosts yes.
What’s your worst habit? not putting my laundry away.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? somewhere in Europe- this Q is too hard.
What is one thing you miss about being a kid? summer vacations.
If you had to change your name, what would it be? i wouldn’t.
A New Set of Questions:
Okay since I know that this has gone around quite a bit I’m going to encourage you to answer the questions above. I also am not going to tag anyone since many people have already completed it but if you haven’t yet please complete and come back here and leave me a comment!
After reading Cassie’s post over at Back to Her Roots I was inspired to create my own fitness bucket list. Over the past few years I have become more active and went from forcing myself to workout because I knew I should to actually working out because I enjoy it. Now don’t get me wrong I still have my days where I force myself to get out and be active but most days I love finding time to do something to take care of my body. Now I never thought I would ever run a 5k and I did it and it was amazing.
Since my 5k I have signed up for two half marathons, one of which is next weekend but I won’t be running it due to the fact that the first trimester really put a damper on my training. The second is in November, the Disney Wine and Dine Half, which I am registered for due to having to defer my Disney Half (which was in January) because of Neil’s head injury this fall (he was running it too), now the question is will I actually be able to wog (run/jog) the half due to the fact that it will only be 18 or so weeks post-baby…I guess only time will tell. Anyways that was as long round about way to get back to the point of this post which is my fitness bucket list, the physical activities I would love to do before I die, here they are:
The Vermont 100 on 100 is a 100 mile relay race that is on Route 100 (guess that’s where it gets its name?) in Vermont starting at Trapps and ending at Okemo. Over the past few years Neil and I have witnessed the runners and I have always been inspired by the race. The race route is beautiful and I am sure amazing to run. Neil and I almost signed up last year when a few friends wanted to start a team but ultimately decided that we weren’t prepared to run that many miles and it would probably be a bad idea so our goal of running the 100 on 100 on a team together has been put on the back burner at least for another year or two.
It has been my goal for the past two years to run a Disney half marathon. I have now signed up for one, deferred to a second one and my running fate is still up in the air. I ideally would like to run/walk the Disney Wine and Dine in November but only time will tell if I will be able to do that distance so shortly after giving birth and because I haven’t kept up with my running through my pregnancy. I would not do the half for time but to complete it so who knows maybe I can do 13.1 miles in the allotted 3.5 hours, even if that means coming in last.
I love yoga but am I “good” at it? Not really. I do fine in a level 1 class and last summer when I was practicing a lot I advanced to level 2 but ideally I would love to be an advanced yogi and do things like Salamba Sirsasana. Essentially, I know I need to get back into yoga and keep my practice up and I will one day be able to accomplish all my yoga goals and eventually be an advanced yogi. I have been nervous to go to pre-natal classes but today I’m going to put on my big girl pants, grab my mat and head to class. <– follow up with me at 5pm and make sure that I actually do this.
I have a number of other fitness goals on my bucket list but I would have to say currently these are my top three. What is on your fitness bucket list?
During the first trimester of my pregnancy I had an aversion to just about all of my favorite healthy foods. Once the icky feeling went away and I entered the second trimester I knew that I had to get back on track and nourish my body and my growing belly with high quality meals.
This morning I woke up to realize that we had no leftovers for lunch since Neil had made some delicious blueberry pancakes for us for dinner so I headed to the kitchen to whip something up. In my pantry I found red lentils which are full of fiber and folic acid both of which are important for a healthy pregnancy. Lentils are also energizing which is wonderful in helping fight the fatigue of pregnancy.
Red Curry Lentil and Vegetables
Serves 4
1 tablespoon coconut oil or canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups green beans, washed, trimmed and cut in half
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup dried red lentils
1.5 cups vegetable broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups lightly packed baby spinach
Heat the oil in a medium heavy bottom pot over medium- high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5-7 minutes, until tender. Stir in the garlic and green beans and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the curry, salt and pepper and cook for one minute. Add the chickpeas, lentils, broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender. Uncover and add the peas and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach at the last minute and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with brown rice, naan or pita.
This is so good I may have eaten it for every meal today.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
• 1 (14oz) block of extra firm tofu, 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp ginger, grated
• 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp white pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp raw sugar
• 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1-3 red chilies, minced
• 1 (14oz) can coconut milk
• 2 limes, zest and juice
• 1 Tbsp sweet or dark soy sauce
1. In a small dry sauce pan over medium heat toast the cumin seeds for 3-5 minutes, until aromatic.
2. In a medium sauce pan heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat; add the onions and garlic and saute for 8-10 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized. Add to a medium bowl.
3. Stir in the ginger, turmeric, coriander, curry powder, smoked paprika, white pepper, toasted cumin seed and sugar into the onion-garlic mix.
4. Stir in the sweet soy, lite soy, lime juice, lime zest, chili pepper and coconut milk.
5. Pour 1/3 of the coconut milk mixture onto a medium sheet pan (size is around 15! x 10! x 1!), place the tofu down in one layer and then pour the remaining coconut milk mixture over. Marinate at room temperature or in the fridge for 30 minutes -2 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 425F and bake for 35 minutes, or until sauce has reduced slightly and the tofu is lightly browned on top. There should be a little sauce leftover; spoon the sauce over the tofu or toss with a vegetable side!
How far along are you: 18 weeks 1 day
