Body by Tripp: 1 Month

I got the green light for exercise yesterday!! Woohoo! Time for the burn. I was excited to strap these babies on last night for the first time in a long time.  

I only ran a mile, but I felt like I could have done another at the end.  I don't want to increase my mileage too fast and get hurt, so I only did 1 and came back for some jump roping, squats & lunges (body weight only) and some ab work.

Meet my personal trainer:

He looks harmless, but he keeps me on a strict schedule and gets really angry with me if I don't do what he wants.  He's got abs of steel - here he's demonstrating leg lifts without putting his hands under his butt.  I can't even do that right now. ;-)

I'm definitely going to have to take it slow - my endurance and muscle strength are not anywhere near what they used to be - but I'm still excited!  Muscle memory is a fantastic thing and I'm hopeful that I'll be back up to my crazy circuit workouts in no time. 

the day before Tripp was born - 38 weeks & up 39.5 pounds

home from the hospital! 2 days post-delivery

1 week post-delivery

4 weeks post-delivery, down 22 pounds (1 lb of which might have been from my haircut)

I'm pretty happy with the way things are going so far.  Does the ridiculous, girly, impatient part of me want to be back in my skinny jeans already?  Of course.  Does the other, more mature and realistic part of me realize that 3 months is a more likely timeline?  Yes. 

I have about 17 pounds to go before I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  Some of that my body might hold on to while I'm still breastfeeding and that's okay.  Whatever Tripp needs. :-)  Some women hang on to about 10 pounds or so while breastfeeding, others are smaller than their pre-pregnancy size at the 2 or 3 month mark.  Who knows!  I'm just glad to be able to work out again.  Besides the fact that it will get me back in shape, it's such a big part of who I am and gives me so much more energy - which proooobably has something to do with my being overwhelmed earlier this week.  I have a feeling I'll be much more like myself once I get back into a regular workout routine. 

Some things I didn't expect:

-laying on my stomach to feel soooo gooood.  But don't try it the day your milk comes in.  Bad timing.  Painful.
-for 20 pounds to fall off in about 10 days, and then slam into the worst plateau EVER.  Talk about frustrating. We're starting to move again though.
-to rival Dolly Parton the day the milk man came.  Yikes.  Thank God that goes away a few days later.  Out. Of. Control.  I think Patrick was scared haha.
-I never got the dark line down the middle of my stomach...until after Tripp was born.  Weird. Its really faint, so I'm wondering if it was always there but I couldn't see it because my skin was stretched so tight.  One of my maternity nurses said it could take up to a year to go away!
-NO STRETCH MARKS!!  I honestly thought I'd get some - my belly was SO tight I thought it was just going to rip open by the end.  I'd like to thank my Mom for those genes and whoever decided that putting coconut oil in a jar and selling it would be a good idea.  Lather up ladies!  (I have no idea if it helped...but I'm certainly not willing to go without it next time and test the theory.)
-By the end of my pregnancy, I was housing half a pizza...and salad, dessert + a snack an hour later.  Even with my stomach squished by the human taking up my entire torso, I was able to eat a ton.  I was a little nervous about that after he was born.  Luckily, my appetite went back to normal pretty quickly and my pre-pregnancy portions are satisfying me.  Whew.

That's enough about me...how about a dinner recipe?  Isn't it awesome how exercising just makes you want to eat healthier?!  I love that.  After my workout sesh last night, I wanted something really healthy/not too heavy for dinner and really needed to unload some produce from the fridge.  What we ended up with took literally 15 minutes to throw together...who doesn't like that??

I still had a lot of bok choy from our delivery this week, so stir fry is what came to mind.  I cut 1 yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper, 2 sweet chiles and 1 bunch of brocollette and tossed that into the skillet with some olive oil.  Once those started to get soft, I added 1 clove of chopped garlic, about 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped ginger and some Tamari (gluten free soy sauce).  I have no idea how much...measuring is overrated sometimes. :-)  Once the sauce coated everything, I added some frozen shrimp and the chopped bok choy & cooked until the shrimp were hot and the bok choy was wilted. 

You could serve this over brown rice, but I wasn't feeling something that filling.  I wasn't in the mood for a full blown salad either, so I cut some tomatoes and drizzled them with olive oil. 

We're definitely going outside to enjoy the beautiful weather today.  Maybe we'll see how Tripp likes the jogger on the way to the Farmer's Market tonight.

Have a lovely weekend!  xo Shaina

Back in the Kitchen

When we came home from the hospital on Saturday, I wondered if I would ever be interested in cooking again.  Actually, I wondered if I would ever be interested in anything other than staring at Tripp haha.  It does change quickly, but those first few days I got absolutely NADA accomplished.  I'm back in the kitchen....but dinner hasn't been until 9pm.  Something to work on.  Baby steps right?

Recent eats:

his & hers dinner: grilled mahi, pineapple, asparagus, sweet potato and salad

1 whole egg + 2 egg whites scrambled with beans, fresh cherries from the box, toast & half caff coffee (for my 5am wakeup yesterday)

smoothie: banana, mango, chocolate chips, spinach, cinnamon, peanut butter, flax seed, almond milk

breakfast cookie dough cereal a la Fitnessista ..... I had the original version made with sunflower seed butter and strawberries

AND I made the rapini last night!

I'm not really a follow-the-recipe kind of girl.  After checking out a few different ways to prepare the broccoli rabe rapini, I just decided to wing it when we needed a quick dinner last night.

I carmelized a yellow onion and set that aside.  In the same pan, I added some olive oil, crushed red pepper, garlic and white wine.

I gave that a couple of minutes, then wilted the greens in there and added the onions back in to mix the flavors.

Put that on top of some pasta with olive oil and grated cheese (I used a cheddar/gruyere block I found at TJs this week) and dinner is served!

I'm off to see what kind of trouble Tripp and I can get into while Daddy works today. 

Birth story will be up on Monday....promise! Have a fantastic weekend. xo Shaina

What's In The Box?

Happy Wednesday everyone!  How is your day going?  We've had a pretty good day so far.  We got everyone (including Daddy!) dressed, fed and out the door for a walk to REI by 10am...and I even showered.  Win! 

Its definitely an experience learning how to time everything just right so we make sure we're somewhere I can feed Tripp on time but we still get stuff done.  Of course he decided he wanted a little pick-me-up snack 2 minutes before we planned to walk out the door. :-)  Adapt and overcome right?

Our produce delivery was dropped off at 2am when I was nursing.  I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve when I went downstairs to bring the box in and open it up haha.  This week:

1 yellow onion, 1 lb assorted potatoes, 3 apples, 3 oranges, 1 lb red cherries (!! - I freaking LOVE cherries), 1 bunch of carrots, 1 bundle of spinach (smoothies anyone?), 3 heads of assorted lettuce and 2 bunches of broccoli rabe rapini (new to me!).  


I've never had rapini before, so I had to do a little research to see exactly what I had on my hands.  I've been looking up some yummy ways to prepare it and I'm pretty excited:

-pasta dishes 
-steamed 
-braised 
-sauteed with carmelized onions

My Mom is here this afternoon to have baby snuggle time so that Patrick and I can get stuff done on our ever-growing to do list that has been neglected since last week.  

Have a fantastic afternoon! xo Shaina

38 weeks....

...still baking and hanging a little lower (and mama's tired).   

We actually had somewhat of a false alarm on Monday.  My blood pressure has been a little iffy, so when I woke up with fat feet and a headache, the doctor wanted some blood work done.  Off to L&D we went....after buzzing around the house cleaning, packing our bags (just in case) and getting some food together for Patrick.  We checked in, they hooked me up to the monitor, watched my BP, and drew some blood.  Everything ended up being fine so we went home a couple of hours later.  At one point, the nurse said "oh yeah, your contractions are about 5 minutes apart."  What?!  I thought that was gas haha.  Since then, they've gotten a little more noticeable, but nothing crazy yet.  Just waiting....  I promise you will know when its the real deal. :-)

Last night, we had the fam over for dinner.  I threw together a veggie lasagna - easy way to feed a crowd.  Dinner guests contributed the salad, garlic bread and dessert so we had a yummy feast.  Lasagna can be a looooong process, but if you're good at multi-tasking, its not too bad.  First, I prepped all my veggies and doctored up some sauce:

lasagna layers: sauteed chopped spinach, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, sauteed zuccini, roasted peppers (bake at 400 for 40 minutes and then throw in a ziploc baggy so the steam helps peel the skin off - a little trick I learned from my Grandma)

and the "ricotta cheese" :-)  it was actually tofu.  Throw a package of drained firm tofu into the food processor with some garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and the chopped stems from the mushrooms and pulse until it has the consistency of ricotta.  A great way to add some protein to a veggie dish!
After all the ingredients were ready, I set up my assembly line:

layered the lasagna and baked at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, until the cheese started to brown.  After I threw it in the oven, I realized I forgot something....

sad.  No peppers.  It was still yummy though, and we have leftovers in the freezer. 

(I forgot to take a picture of my plate before the food disappeared.)

While we were all sitting around the table, our produce delivery came - 12 hours early?!  Our delivery guy is so cute - he's this 60ish year old man and he's so nice.  I think I'm going to start making him some treats.  He dropped off our amazing box for the week, and then came back 2 minutes later with goodies that he said were for the baby!

Fresh juice anyone?

In the box this week: 1 lemon, 1 avocado, 4 peaches, 1 package blueberries, 1 bunch broccoli, 1 bunch turnips, 1 bunch carrots, 1lb mixed lettuce, 1 lb assorted potatoes, 1 lb zuccini and a bundle of parsley!  I think a big pot of vegetable soup is in our near future. 

We're relaxing today.  Have a fantastic Wednesday everyone! xo Shaina

What's in the Box?

Special delivery to the Anderson house this morning!

We're only on week #2 of produce delivery and I'm loving it.  Its like Christmas morning every Wednesday; we never know what's going to be in there.  This week:

3 apples, 1 grapefruit, 2 oranges, 2 avocados, 1 pint of strawberries, 2 BIG ears of white corn, 1 bunch of broccoli, 1 bunch white baby turnips, 1 bundle of spinach, 1 head of green leaf lettuce and....more rhubarb!  Haha oh no....good thing they send recipes with your box.  I'll make some rhubarb turnovers and give them away. :-)  All of this - local, organic and delivered to my door for $31.50 a week?!  Yes please.

Last week's box had 2 lbs of rhubarb in the haul...what does one do with that?! 

My first thought was Strawberry Rhubarb pie - something my Mom used to make often when I was a child.  I'm actually not a big pie person anymore - more of a pie *filling* person. ;-)  I browsed some recipes and decided on a crumble-looking thing from Betty Crocker (read: NOT healthy, but sometimes necessary). 

Ingredients:

Crust & Topping

-1 c butter or margargine, softened
-1 c packed brown sugar
-1 t vanilla
-2 c whole wheat flour
-1.5 c quick cook oats
-2/3 c chopped nuts (optional)
-1/2 t baking soda
-1/4 t salt

Filling

-2 cups turbinado sugar
-2/3 c whole wheat flour
-2 t milk of choice
-4 eggs (or egg replacer equivalent)
-4 cups sliced strawberries
-4 cups sliced rhubarb

1. Heat oven to 375. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and vanilla.  Stir in 2 cups of the flour, oats, nuts, baking soda and salt until crumbly. .
3. Reserve 2 cups of this mixture for the topping.  Press the remaining mixture into an ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan.  (I didn't have this size so mine was just extra thick.)

4. In a large bowl, mix turbinado sugar, 2/3 c flour, milk and eggs with a spoon until smooth.  Fold in the strawberries and rhubarb.
5. Spoon the filling onto the crust.  Sprinkle with reserved crumb topping.
6. Bake 40-50 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the middle is set.  Cool slightly - about 30 minutes.
7. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or plain - it was delish by itself.  Store covered in the refrigerator.

I actually had a little bit of an epiphany yesterday, which in turn took away my guilt about said unhealthy dessert.  I feel like my relationship with food and looking a certain way was a little unhealthy before I got pregnant.  Often times, we ladies have a skewed body image and the reflection we see in the mirror isn't what everyone else sees when they look at us.  Case in point: I saw a picture of myself from Feb 2011 yesterday and it kind of shocked me.  I never realized I was that small.  It wasn't unhealthy small (close), but I love my body so much more right now than I ever have...maybe minus the swollen ankles.

I haven't even gone through the most amazing part of this pregnancy yet, but I am already so amazed at what my body has been capable of - housing, feeding and protecting our sweet baby until s/he is ready to come out and greet the world.  I will be forever grateful to my body and am okay with however it looks after this is all said and done - within reason of course.  My focus is on being healthy and active so that I can take the best care of our family possible.

37 weeks - full term today!! :-)



(Its so nice to not have to take my own picture every week now.  Its the little things haha.)

Have a lovely Wednesday everyone! xo Shaina

source



The Day Is Finally Here!

Well, today was definitely a day of running around like a nutcase.  Laundry, errands, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, work...and a late night cookfest.  :-)  All in preparation for this guy:

*minus the mustache*  I skyped with him today during his layover in Spain to make sure he wasn't bringing that home.  He'll be here tomorrow late afternoon!!! :-)))))))

I had to make sure the kitchen was stocked with his favorite goodies: IPA, cheesecake, hummus, baked goods and salsa. 

I made my first batch of Pioneer Woman's restaurant salsa and I'm not really sure how I ever lived without it.  I'll never buy salsa again.  I made banana bread the other day and froze it, so that's defrosting tonight.  Beer and cheesecake, front and center.

Normally I would make the cheesecake from scratch, but the to-do list was a little overwhelming and he loves the one from TJ's...so win-win.

In all this craziness, I *almost* forgot to make myself some dinner.  I had some mushrooms that needed to be used and some fresh spinach from our produce delivery this week, so into the skillet they went

with chopped yellow onion, garlic, sea salt, pepper and olive oil.  Add some lentils and brown rice

and dinner is served (along with lunch tomorrow).  I had an afterthought of adding tofu, but I was over cooking at this point haha. It was delish without.

I made my breakfast ahead of time since I have an early morning for work tomorrow:

oats, frozen blueberries, cinnamon, flax seed, almond milk and the remnants of the PB jar.  They sit overnight to soak up the milk and are waiting for me in the morning.  Why dirty a tupperware?  :-)  Another fantastic Fitnessista idea that I've come to love.

Last time Patrick saw me, I looked like this:

(on a hike we took about a week before he left).  He's seen pictures of me and we've skyped a few times, but this might be a little different in person.

I go for shock value haha.

I'm off to *try* and get some sleep, the operative word being try.  I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve!  Last time I saw my husband, it was 2011! 

xo
Shaina

Making A Comeback

I felt the need to redeem myself for dinner last night after yesterday's epic failure for breakfast.  I was in the mood for protein pancakes but wanted to change it up a little bit.  I chopped an apple, tossed it with a little honey and cinnamon and threw that mixture on the stove to brown a little bit and soften the apples. 

So far so good.  I should have just used that as pancake topping.  Instead I decided to put it in the pancake batter.  Looks harmless enough:

You try flipping that.  It was really just a pile of cooked pancake batter mixed with cinnamon apples.  Still delicious, but not the presentation I was looking for (to present to myself of course). 

After work, I was brainstorming: something veggie...cold...protein...not tofu...a quinoa salad!  It was pretty freaking delish - possibly horn tooting quality. 

While the 3/4 cup of quinoa was cooking, I sauteed some chopped mushrooms, 1/4 yellow onion and some garlic.  Once that was done, I put it in a mixing bowl with 3 diced roma tomatoes, fresh chopped mint (from our plant!), 1/2 diced cucumber, and 1/2 package of TJ's steamed lentils (cold).  I let the quinoa cool a little bit and mixed it into the bowl, along with a little bit of balsamic vinegar.  The idea was to eat it cold (mint...cucumber...refreshing...you get the idea) but it was pretty bangin the way it was at room temp - straight out of the mixing bowl.  I knew I'd get to test the chilled version today for lunch so I went for it.

While all that was going on, I had some kale chips in the oven too.

Even better than last time. I prepped the kale as usual, but this time, I came up with a magical seasoning blend. 

Verdict: my half is gone.  ;-)  I had to save some for Colleen though. 

Have a fantastic Friday!! xo Shaina

Fooooood

Hey hey!  How’s the day going so far?  We started out early over here.  Got a walk in this morning, followed by an amazing stretch sesh here at home.  I love feeling noodly.  Breakfast was a quick and easy favorite....that I completely forgot to take a picture of before devouring it.  Whoops.

Yogurt, fruit of the day (I rolled with banana), flax seed, raw cashews, raw walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and a little bit of fiber cereal for extra crunch. Usually I use steel cut oats that have been soaked overnight, but I had to improvise this morning. Either way, much healthier than syrup-coated granola. 

I love this because you can change it up any way you want.  We started calling it Deliciousness a few years ago and the name stuck.  This is actually one of Patrick's favorite things to make (he doesn't cook - he only prepares haha....temperature + Patrick = pizza delivery for dinner) so I have a feeling I'll be living on this right after the baby is born. :-) He's also a fantastic smoothie man.

More recent eats:

A completely random schmorgesborg: romaine topped with avocado, tomato, 2 eggs, goat gouda, and a little bit of light dressing – before I drowned it in hot sauce. What can I say? Mama likes spicy and Daddy is Mexican - this baby is a little jalapeño.  :-)  The tortilla has almond butter and raisins rolled up in there – dessert? 

Snack attack: goat gouda, pita crackers, carrots and an almond butter/nutella mixture.

Last night’s dinner: sweet potato with a little bit of earth balance and a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon + roasted brussel sprouts (boil for 3 minutes, cut in half, toss in olive oil/balsalmic/salt/pepper/rosemary, bake at 350⁰ for 30 min)

My personal on-the-go favorite!  This one was banana, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, applesauce, protein powder, almond butter, chocolate chips, OJ and almond milk.  Totally random, yet totally delicious.  Sorry – can’t give the amounts of ingredients just yet.  I was inspired yesterday – should I start a smoothie truck?!  Smoothies on wheels = Smooth Moves….haha.  It’s an idea.

Speaking of food trucks, Mom flies in today and I’m welcoming her to LA with Lobsta Truck!  Food trucks are not something they have anywhere near her on the East Coast, so I thought it would be a fun “locals” welcome. 

In other news: we got the townhouse!  Waiting on the lease to get emailed to me, but its ours!  AND we hit the 3rd trimester today.  Baby update coming out after my next doctor's appointment - I promise.

Off to the airport in a bit!  xo Shaina