Babymoon!

With our insanely busy schedules, I am so so happy Stephen and I were able to sneak away for a little babymoon! We decided to keep it close and easy. We went to Monterey! We stayed at the historic Spindrift Inn on Cannery Row and visited Pacific Grove, Carmel, Big Sur, of course Monterey, and enjoyed some delicious food! Stephen and I were both a little bummed to come back to reality.

17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach

17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach

Gorgeous spot at the McWay Waterfall Trail at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur

Baby Log: Weeks 21-28

I am a couple weeks late posting this one (since I will be 32 weeks this weekend- eeekkk!)

Food cravings: nothing special. An amazing glass of red wine would be nice though.

Food Aversions: Still no zucchini... sauteed veggies in general sound kind of yucky.

What I am feeling: Great. Some minor back and neck pain, but nothing too bad. Helps having an amazing husband who is always willing to give me a massage, and parents who cook us dinner all the time and provide a beautiful home for us to stay in while we are building ours, for those things, I am so grateful!

Baby Movement: I will never forget the day or moment. At 3:30 pm on Wednesday, May 21. I KNOW I felt the baby kick (or punch) for the very first time. Up until that point, there were feelings, that might have been movements I suppose, or gas, who knows. But this one was a definite kick. Amazing how powerful a little 13 ounce baby girl can be! It was right at my belly button and it was like I could feel the outline of the foot as it kicked me. It quiet literally made me jump out of my chair at work!

The tech had warned me that I might not feel her move a little later than most because she is nice and cozy up very high in my uterus. So I was just patiently waiting. What an amazing feeling it was, it immediately made me burst into tears :)

After that, about a week later she decided she never wanted to stop moving. She kicked and punched randomly all day, but every single night between 8-9:30 pm she was the most active. Hope she knows my bedtime is 8 pm! I can't tell you the joy it brings me when I would be laying in bed and I would feel a kick and Stephen would jump over to feel her move. It is really special that he can now share in those moments with me now.

A few times during these weeks, I could also feel her whole body as she spun around. What started with a kick, then felt like her whole back then a hand. She even kicked and punched in two separate spots at the same time. I love her so much already!

On June 18 after lunch I am pretty sure I felt her little hiccups for the first time. I could be wrong, but pretty sure that is what it was! It felt like a very rhythmic heartbeat for about 2 minutes.. then stopped.. then started again for about 1 minute. Definitely felt different than a kick. I loved it!

Next Steps: More doctor's appointments to check progress, a babymoon coming up and just enjoy this journey!!

Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Everyone had been asking for a Paleo Chocolate Zucchini bread on the challenge, so I finally got over the fear of zucchini I have had for the past almost 8 months and made it :) I found the recipe on PaleOMG.com and I doubled the recipe... thank goodness, if I didn't it would have been a pretty tiny loaf! The bread was delicious... moist, extremely chocolaty and pretty much guilt free I thought! Definitely recommend!! Also- for those of you with picky kiddos - you don't see any green in this bread, as far as I am concerned you can tell them it is chocolate bread ;) Next time I make this bread, I am going to experiment a little - add some banana, walnuts and probably coconut!!

2 medium zucchinis (3 cups) shredded and drained well

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups peanut butter or almond butter (I use PB, next time will try AB, can also use sunbutter)

2/3 cup raw honey

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional but I love it so I added it)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

  

Directions:

• Shred and drain the zucchini well. You want it to be pretty dry.
• Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until fully incorporated
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes if you are doing one large loaf like I did. You want a tooth pick to come out pretty clean but not too dry - want to keep that bread moist.
• Let cool and serve!!



House Framing is UP!!!

Last night after we taught class at the gym, we decided to head over to see our house (since they were supposed to start framing), and we were so excited the progress that had already been made!! Walls were starting to go up, framing for other walls was done and laying down. SO exciting to see your little house come to life!

July 10, 2014

July 10, 2014 - 28 Weeks Pregnant!

Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

We are doing the Paleo-ish challenge again at the gym, and although I am pregnant and NEED my toast, I am trying to participate as much as possible. My mom, dad and Stephen are all doing it, so I am helping support them and cook some meals throughout the week! This one turned out really yummy. I made a TON, or what I thought was a ton, and there was some left over for us to all have for lunch the next day. I kind of made this up as I went, so I tried to estimate the amounts of everything I used. Definitely one we would all eat again! This recipe is great because you could keep the seasonings the same and add different veggies that you have in your fridge. It has an "asian" like taste.

4 lbs ground turkey

1 yellow pepper, diced small

about 20 baby carrots, diced

1 cup mushrooms, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1/4 cup liquid aminos

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3 tablespoons chili powder (it might have even been closer to 1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon coconut flour (to thicken)

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

butter leaf lettuce

red peppers, sliced

avocado

2-3 green onions

arugula 

Directions: 

• Add meat, onion, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and seasonings to the pan and brown the meat, about 15-20 minutes. 
• If you have a lot of liquid at the bottom of the pan, drain the meat. 
• Add the liquid aminos and red wine vinegar.
• Add the coconut flour and stir to start to thicken the sauce. 
• When you are about 5 minutes away from the meat being done, add the carrots, you want them to have a slight crunch. 
• Serve in a butter leaf lettuce cup and top with some avocado, red peppers, green onions and arugula!