What I Ate Wednesday (Not Enough!)

by Katie on March 7, 2012

in Trader Joe's,WIAW

Hi friends!  How goes it?   Whenever I read blogs on Wednesdays, there is no shortage of What I Ate Wednesday posts  (put on by Peas and Crayons).  I always find them really interesting!  I participated once before when I was eight months pregnant.  I thought it’d be fun to compare how I ate then with how I’m eating now that I’m still essentially eating for two…well…kind of, with breastfeeding and all :D  I am definitely hungrier now, breastfeeding than I was when I was pregnant!   And yeah, looking back at that post really has me craving some red velvet cake…perhaps I can scheme Bri into making me another one :)

My morning starts with Audrey waking me up to eat.  She’s always a smiley baby in the morning, I love it!  After she eats she chills in her pack n play while I get my coffee ready.

Our latest coffee obsession is from Trader Joe’s.  This blend is so good!  We randomly picked it out one day and it turned out to be a winner.  We’ve had a number of guests come in the past few months and they all rave about this coffee!   Yum.

The reason I look forward to my morning cup of coffee so much is courtesy of these two little gems:

Coffee mate?  Oh yes, I’ve crossed over to the dark side.  Pre-pregnancy I turned my nose up at the stuff- I didn’t want to put all of those chemicals into my body!  After I had Audrey and I was trying to avoid dairy (I wasn’t sure if she had an intolerance- she doesn’t), my friend Christina mentioned that Coffee mate was lactose free.  Say what?  How did I now know that?!  Anyway.  Byebye organic creamer, hello white chocolate caramel latte.  Yes please!

Even better is the sugar, chocolate and coffee bean grinder that Brian picked up for me on a whim.  This stuff is amazing.  Do yourself a favor and pick it up!

While the coffee is brewing, I usually scarf down a luna bar (chocolate peppermint stick) before I head into the shower.  I have a small window of time when Audrey plays in her pack n play :)

After I shower and play with Audrey for a bit, she will usually go down for a nap.  Maybe.  It’s hit or miss some days.  While she naps I eat breakfast.  Sometimes I’ll have oatmeal.  Lately I am getting into the habit of eating a bagel and cream cheese.  Yum.  Oatmeal is healthier but I can’t deny the bagel when it is in the house!

Audrey woke up from her nap and we headed out for a playdate.  I’ve met a really nice group of moms here that all have babies around the same age as Audrey.  It’s pretty cool!  Audrey fell asleep in the car on the way home.  When this happens I face a dilemma- try to bring her in and risk Bailey (definitely) waking her up, or hang out in the car and let her sleep?  I always pick the latter- never wake a sleeping baby!  I’ve learned to keep snacks on hand in the car.  While she slept, I snacked on some chocolate almonds.

Yum.  Audrey woke up and we headed inside.  Time for lunch!

Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper and tomato bisque with parmesan cheese and ciabatta bread topped with earth balance.  I didn’t get to finish my soup because someone (not naming names) was having a rough afternoon and not napping.

Soon it was time to make dinner.  I missed my normal snack time (I probably would have had greek yogurt and granola or something) so I had two handfuls of dark chocolate cadbury eggs.  Yum.

 

Do you like my dinner audience?  Audrey likes to chill in her stroller when I make dinner.  If she gets bored, I stroll her around the house real quick and that usually keeps her happy.  Don’t mind the fact that she isn’t wearing pajama bottoms- she had a massive blowout just before the pic was taken (well, I had changed her obviously) and the bottoms were not in a good state.  At least her cloth diaper is cute, right?

Dinner was fairly awesome- lime shrimp tacos with an apple salsa (recipe to come!)

Dessert was a piece of tiramisu from Trader Joe’s- this stuff is the jam!

After the tiramisu I was still hungry so I had a few graham crackers.  I’m kind of addicted to them.  I also drank a little over 64 ounces of water and had a prenatal vitamin.

I’m glad I decided to participate in What I Ate Wednesday- I learned that I really am not eating enough.  I had a feeling that I wasn’t but seeing it spelled out in pictures is really eye opening.  I need to up my lunch ante and make sure I drink a ton of water.  As always, I could eat more veggies.  That is definitely a goal of mine!

What was the best thing you ate today?

As always, thanks for reading!  Take care y’all ;)

Katie

{ 12 comments }

New Food Adventures (Creamy Coconut Vegetable Curry)

by Katie on March 5, 2012

in Audrey,Recipe

Hi friends!  How was the weekend?  Ours was pretty chill.  We got some stuff done around the house and I even got five (windy!!) miles in.  I wanted to end the run early a couple of times but I’m happy I didn’t.  I need to remember that on every run :)

The weekend wasn’t completely uneventful-everyone engaged in some new food adventures!  Audrey got her first taste of solid food in the form of avocado. Though I can’t really say it is solid, since it was thinned out to a soupy consistency.  She was so cute about it.

Hmm, do I like this?

I think I do!

A lot of the avocado ended up on her face and bib, which is par for the course I hear :)  It might have been a coincidence but after she had a little bit of avocado she napped like a champ!  We are going to continue with solids in a week or two.  I’ll delve into why in a future post!

My parents stopped by our house on their way back from Florida (and left on Saturday, boo) and brought Audrey a cute little surf shop outfit.  She was intrigued by the sandals on her shirt.

Big girl can stand!

 

Anyway.  I had to share the cuteness :)

This past weekend brought some new flavors for Brian and me as well.  In the form of curry.  Is it weird that I’ve never cooked with curry?  I may have had it a few times but I have never cooked with it.  I’ve also never cooked with ginger or coconut milk.  That’s all changed now!  Brian is into the paleo lifestyle type of eating deal, which, as I understand, is eating like the peeps did back in paleolithic times.  So no processed stuff.  Let’s just say I’m not following a paleo diet (cheese, hello).  However, I’m not opposed  to making a paleo meal here and there!

This creamy coconut vegetable curry dish is pretty awesome.  It is chock full of veggies (to me it is since I have difficulty incorporating them into my diet on a regular basis) and can be customized to your desire- Brian added steak to his and ate it over spinach leaves, while mine was vegetarian over brown rice.  You could add shrimp, chicken- so many options!

Creamy Coconut Vegetable Curry
Prep time: ~10-15 minutes (depends on your chopping/knife skills- mine are terrible)
Cook time: 22 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
  • two sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • three celery stalks, sliced
  • three carrots, peeled and chopped
  • one head of broccoli, chopped
  • half of a green pepper, diced
  • one can coconut milk (16 ounces)
  • one teaspoon (or more if you want it stronger) of thai curry paste (we chose red curry paste as opposed to green)
  • 1/2 inch stick of fresh ginger, peeled and diced
  • three cloves garlic, diced
  • 3-5 basil leaves, chopped
  • two tablespoons coconut oil
  • two handfuls of cilantro, chopped

Coconut oil and red curry paste

Veggies!  (Note- I wanted to make a double batch, hence the two cans of coconut milk and four sweet potatoes).

Directions:

  • Heat up the coconut oil in a dutch oven or wok over medium high heat.  I was excited to finally use one of my favorite wedding gifts (thanks mom!)
  • Add sweet potatoes, basil, thai curry paste and garlic and saute for five minutes.
  • Add broccoli, carrots, celery and cilantro and continue to saute, stirring frequently, for five minutes.
  • Add in coconut milk and stir, cooking for two minutes.
  • Place lid on dutch oven and simmer on low for ten minutes (until the sweet potatoes are fairly soft).
  • Pour over your choice of food (brown rice, salad, etc) and enjoy!
Hers/his:
I think we’ve found a new menu staple in this house!
Ingredients/Directions without pictures:
  • two sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • three celery stalks, sliced
  • three carrots, peeled and chopped
  • one head of broccoli, chopped
  • half of a green pepper, diced
  • one can coconut milk (16 ounces)
  • one teaspoon (or more if you want it stronger) of thai curry paste (we chose red curry paste as opposed to green)
  • 1/2 inch stick of fresh ginger, peeled and diced
  • three cloves garlic, diced
  • 3-5 basil leaves, chopped
  • two tablespoons coconut oil
  • two handfuls of cilantro, chopped
  1. Heat up the coconut oil in a dutch oven or wok over medium high heat.
  2. Add sweet potatoes, basil, thai curry paste and garlic and saute for five minutes.
  3. Add broccoli, carrots, celery and cilantro and continue to saute, stirring frequently, for five minutes.
  4. Add in coconut milk and stir, cooking for two minutes.
  5. Place lid on dutch oven and simmer on low for ten minutes (until the sweet potatoes are fairly soft).
  6. Pour over your choice of food (brown rice, salad, etc) and enjoy!

Bailey says screw the curry…he just wants his hot dog!

What new foods have you tried lately?

Take care, friends!

Katie

{ 9 comments }

Five Months Post-Baby Body

by Katie on March 2, 2012

in Post-Baby Body

Hi all!  Happy Friday!  Today Bailey is heading to the vet for his long overdue checkup.  He has had no shortage of vet visits in the three months we’ve been here.  Thankfully, all of his leg visits are over (he had to get sedated every time he got an x-ray, poor buddy) and now he is heading to the normal vet :)  Yay Bailey!

So, here I am at five months post-partum.  I know I sound like a broken record but I cannot believe how quickly time is flying.  Audrey is almost six months old.  Before I know it she will be a year old!  It seems like just yesterday we found out she was on the way.

My body essentially feels back to normal.  It doesn’t feel like I have it back completely though since I’m nursing.  :p  Once I don’t have to worry about what medicines I’m taking and how much wine what I’m drinking, it will feel like mine again.

Getting back into shape:

  • I’m running around three times a week training for my upcoming 10k.
  • Ideally I strive to get two crossfit workouts in but I usually can only work in one per week.
  • I attended my first hot yoga class in over year this past week!  It wasn’t my beloved bikram though- I went to a hot power yoga class with my stepmom and it kicked my booty!  I am still sore from all of those chataraungas!  My game plan is to find a bikram studio and hopefully go once a week on Saturday or Sunday mornings.  I’ve shied away from hot yoga because I was nervous it would affect my supply but so far, so good.  I just need to keep up the water intake!
  • Audrey is usually a champion sleeper, but a few times this past week she’s been up every two hours.  Oy, gotta love gas (the baby’s, haha) and teething.  After those nights the last thing I want to do during the day is work out, since all of my energy goes into caring for Audrey.  On those days, I take a rest day- planned or not :)
  • My ideal workout week would be three runs, two crossfit workouts and one or two bikram classes.  Realistically, I’m looking at two runs, one crossfit workout and maybe a yoga class.  That works for me!

At five months post-partum:

  • I’m four pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight, with a total weight loss of 31 pounds.  I will probably gain a few pounds back once I wean A.
  • My waist (belly button) is 28 inches (back to pre-preg), which is 2.5 lost in two months.  Woohoo!  Although I’m back to pre-preg size, my stomach is still a little squishy.  I’m going to have Brian put me through some core workouts to get some strength back (though let’s face it, I will probably b*tch the entire time lol).
  • My lower waist a few inches below my belly button is 31 inches.  I’m not sure of where it was pre-pregnancy but I think I have an inch or two to go.
  • I think my arms are getting more toned- probably from carrying around Audrey in her carseat- that thing is heavy!
  • My wardrobe all fits but I’m still limited in the shirts I can wear due to my nursing bra situation.  I need to purchase a few thick ones.
  • My engagement ring still doesn’t fit!  I’m resigned to the fact that I need to get it sized up.  I should get on that!
  • The linea negra going down my stomach has lightened considerably, but it is still there.

Photo:

Three months post-partum on the left, five months post-partum on the right

 

There really isn’t too much of a difference- I can see a slight one though!  My goals from here on out are to continue training for my 10k (at the end of the month, eep!), find a new race to train for once that is over, get back my flexibility, strengthen my core and work on my pushups and pullups.

Older updates:

Six week post-baby body update

Three month post-baby body update

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So that’s that.  Any fun plans for the weekend?  We are going to feed Audrey her first solid food- avocado!  I can’t wait to see her reaction. :)  Take care y’all! :)

Katie

{ 11 comments }

On Running (Right Now)

by Katie on February 29, 2012

in Running

Is this thing on?

Hi friends!   It has been awhile.  I definitely did not intend to go over a month in not posting.  I think I will be able to blog more because we seemed to have found the solution to get Audrey to nap- the magic swing!  When we packed it up in Virginia Beach we never got around to setting it up down here.  We set it up out of desperation a few weeks ago and bam!  Naptime.  Hopefully this isn’t jinxing it!  Anyway.  How are y’all doing?  Things are great down here in Charleston!  We’ve had lots of visitors and I’ve made some new friends.  We are starting to settle into life down here :)

Audrey is now FIVE MONTHS OLD.  Holy heck- where does the time go?  She is growing and changing so much!

This photo melts my heart!

My chunky monkey!

Homegirl definitely has her mama’s cheeks!  At her four month checkup she weighed 14 pounds and was 25 inches long.  She is definitely pushing 15 pounds now!  She can roll over from her belly to back and sits in a tripod position for a little bit before toppling over to the side.  She has also found her voice and likes to practice her velociraptor impersonation.  She’s quite good at it ;)  She’s still exclusively breastfed and we will be introducing solids in the near future.  Fun stuff!

—

I’ve been keeping up with my 10k training for the most part.  Sometimes I miss a short run here and there but I’m getting in all of my long runs.  I’m up to five miles now!  Running is going really well.  However, my pace is significantly slower.  Whereas before my short runs would be at a 9/930 minute mile, now they are at 1130/mile.  Longer runs?  I’d probably run at a 10/1030 pace.  Well, my five miles took me an hour.  That’s a 12 minute mile.  Without walking.  Just running along at a comfortable pace. As I watched my pace slow down (gotta love the garmin!) during my last run, I got to thinking about running snobbery.  Hardcore runners (what defines hardcore, anyway?) would probably scoff at my 12 minute/mile pace.  Heck, some people could probably walk that fast.  But to me, I was running!

I wondered what the pre-baby me would think of this pace- how could 12 minute miles be considered a workout?  Guess what- for me, it is!  Running postpartum has been incredibly humbling.  Not like I was any speed demon before, though.  Today I ran three miles and clocked in at 35:16.  My last three mile run was 34:59.  That seems to be my current pace.  Not quite what I used to run.  In fact, at the end of the run today I kicked up the pace a little bit and was hovering around a 10:10 minute/mile pace.  I marveled at the fact that a year and a half ago I ran 13.1 miles at that pace- I couldn’t do that right now!

I’m sure I will get my “speed” back at some point.  Getting back into running has just reinforced what I already knew- it truly is an individual sport.  It doesn’t matter if you are running a six minute mile or a ten minute mile.  Me at my 12 minute/mile pace?  I’m still a runner!  Right now, I’m working on just getting back into enjoying being able to run and working up my endurance.  Oh, and hopefully not passing out from exhaustion during my 10k at the end of March-the bridge is HILLY!  Wish me luck because I need it, haha.

–

As always, I’m all over the place.  I have some posts on tap though- a five month post baby body update, Audrey’s birth story (five months after the fact), my thoughts on breastfeeding, cloth diapering, starting solids (we are going there soon- so exciting!), adventures in Crossfit… lots of fun stuff :)

Take care, friends!  Those of you still out there, how have you been?!

 

 

Katie

{ 10 comments }

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