It's Been Awhile

Hey there - happy hump day!  We needed a little breather last week - wedding, baby shower, family gatherings and much needed naps - but we're back!  This post is coming to you from America's Finest City. :-)  Google it. 

Patrick had to come down for a class on base this week, so Tripp & I decided to join him, hang out and breathe in some of the fresh ocean air that I miss.  The view from his pack 'n play:

Poor kid.

Yesterday, we enjoyed lunch al fresco at Burger Lounge while Daddy was in class.  It was the veggie burger of my DREAMS:

It doesn't look like much but it was fanfreakingtastic.  Quinoa, lots of veggies, a little cheese....yes please.

I feel like every restaurant's veggie burgers are so different....along with all the frozen varieties you can get at the grocery store.  It inspired me to try and make my own at home next week.  This could be a great experiment that rocks my world on the first try....or a work in progress for the next 6 months.  We'll see! 

I love experimenting in the kitchen.  Usually, I will see a recipe on one of a few blogs I stalk read and get inspiration from that.  I tend to not follow recipes exactly, but instead I give it my own little twist.  Its been a while since I came up with a new recipe that was entirely my own, though, and I'm excited to give you a few new ones. 

SO - let's hear it.  What recipes would you like?  Do you have a favorite dish but feel guilty every time you eat it because it has an entire day's worth of calories?  A favorite snack that you always have but you're hungry 20 minutes afterward because it lacks staying power?  Let me know!  I'd love to compile a list to start working on. 

In the meantime, here are some recipes I've recently come across that you may enjoy.  I haven't tried all of them, but they're from reputable sources. ;-)

For the sweet tooth:

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Crazy Woman Chocolate Blender Pudding 
Black Bean Brownies

Breakfast:

Quinoa Granola
Vegan Cinnamon Buns
Baked Oatmeal

Snacks:

Amazeballs
my homemade protein bars
Avocado Fries

Lunch/Dinner/leftover schmorgesborg:

Quinoa Broccoli Casserole  <--- I'm scary excited to make this next week
Falafel
Low Yolk Egg Salad

We're off to enjoy the sunshine!  Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone. :-)

xo
Shaina

Holy Third Trimester!

Morning everyone!  Happy Monday to ya.  I hope your weekend was amazing and that no one has a case of the Monday’s. 

source

Ever have a craving for the kid classic PB&J but talk yourself out of it because “carbs are bad?”  (Guilty!) Well, after my Indian food fiasco, I’ll never talk myself out of a craving again.  Enter the whole wheat wrap:

PB&J really isn’t that bad for you if you’re not using bleached white bread and half a jar of jelly whose first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. ;-)  They can be tricky to find sometimes, but most health food stores have more natural options.  You just have to get into the habit of reading the nutritional stats.  I added half a banana and some cinnamon to mine (and actually used almond butter this time):

rolled it up and devoured.

Do you know what time it is?

Haha sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

Onto more important stuff: Baby Anderson! J  I know that’s why you’re here – its okay.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that the baby will now be way more interesting to everyone than I’ll ever be. In a last ditch effort to promote myself instead, here's a little timeline for you: 

11 weeks

20 weeks

24 weeks

27 weeks

We had our routine appointment scheduled for Friday, which really worked out because I was hit by the plague Thursday night and wanted to know that everything was okay.  Doctor’s report: we’re rolling into the third trimester, everything is fantastic and we’re moving to 2 week appointments!  The baby actually measured a lot closer to its gestational age this time.  When I saw on the printout that the baby’s head measured 7.15cm, I came home and pulled out my tape measure…and just about fell over.  Already?!

Ouch haha.

I know many of you are epidural advocates and will tell me why I should get one until you’re blue in the face.  I absolutely respect that and your choices.  After discussing all of the different birth plan options and past medical experiences/complications, Patrick and I have decided that, while we are open to whatever needs to happen for a healthy baby and Mama, our first choice is to welcome Baby Anderson into the world as naturally as possible. 

*This post is not meant to start a debate about childbirth options.  We ask that you please respect our choices as parents in the same way that we respect all of yours.* J

What's new lately:

-My belly button is almost gone.  I'm not convinced my innie will actually be outted, but what was once a swimming pool is now more like a dimple haha. 
-Still having crazy dreams.  The latest:  Miranda Lambert and I were best friends.  While awesome, I don't think its very likely.
-My appetite came back - and I'm sure you can see why!  We're popping out like nobody's business.  The other day I counted how many people asked me when I was due - I got to 7.  I guess there's no denying it?  That's okay.  I'd rather it be an obvious human baby than a possible food baby.
-Total weight gain so far: 20 pounds. 
-Energy levels are still good.  I'm hoping this holds out for the move in a few weeks! 

I'm off to run some errands and get my pearly whites polished.  Have a wonderful day everyone! <3 Shaina

We Have A Visitor!

Mama’s here!

I picked Mom up from the airport yesterday and have never laughed so hard all day long.  This will be a fun 3 months. J  We ran around doing errands and getting her settled into her new abode.

Lobsta Truck was closed when we got there! 

So we improvised: 

Auntie’s Fry Bread.  Little rounds of fried dough topped with various deliciousness – we rolled with the veggie (so as to pretend we were being healthy).  Black beans, corn, squash, tomatoes and lettuce.  Don’t mind my dessert slider with honey and sugar haha.

I hopped back on the healthy wagon for breakfast this morning:  

Steel cut oatmeal with banana, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon + red raspberry leaf tea.   Lunch is packed and ready to go:

Leftover brussel sprouts and a wrap with lettuce/tomato/cucumber/avocado/veganaise/nutritional yeast + a lara bar, some trail mix and an orange for snackage.  I think I'll stop by the WF juice bar this morning too....I feel a scratchy throat coming on. 

I’m off to work for the day while Mom explores her surroundings.  I can’t believe this week is almost over already! 

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

Snack Monster

Happy Friday everyone!  Its absolutely beautiful here.  I was going to spend the day catching up on life, but I got called in to work for a few hours.  No problem – just a little busier than planned.  J

So in addition to waking up at 4am so hungry that I can't go back to sleep unless I have a snack, meals have pretty much dwindled down to this:

Two scrambled eggs with nutritional yeast and hot sauce + juice for breakfast. 

If I eat much more than that, I’m so uncomfortable.  I had a veggie wrap from Whole Paycheck for dinner last night and felt like I had eaten Thanksgiving dinner.   I know it’s because the baby is taking up valuable real estate, but really? Already?  The average baby is about 13.5 inches right now, but I’m willing to bet ours is longer – Daddy is almost 6’2”.

This is actually a lot more like the way we all should be eating on a daily basis, though, so I don’t mind.  Eating every few hours (or hour in my case haha) helps keep your metabolism going, so you actually burn more calories in the long run.  In an hour, I’ll be ready to eat again on the way to work – but I’m ready!

Don’t put too much cinnamon on your apples though.  Inhaling it really isn’t that much fun. 

Have a wonderful day! xo Shaina

Will Power

Hey hey everyone!  How ‘bout those GMEN?!?!?!  Sorry Tom Brady fans.  Maybe next year.  :-)

Hope everyone had a great weekend, regardless of their football team.  It was absolutely gorgeous here in SoCal!  You will never hear me complain about summer weather in February…ever. 

It occurred to me while at a Super Bowl party yesterday that we should talk about will power.  I probably should have posted this *before* the weekend, but there will always be parties coming up.  Fat Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter family get-togethers, summer cookouts….always an excuse to cheat right?  Especially when you walk in to this schmorgesborg (does anyone know how to spell that?):

Here are some little tricks I’ve tried out that seem to work pretty well for me –

1.   Work out earlier that day.  We all know it’s not happening after the party, so go ahead and give yourself a calorie deficit so you don’t feel quite as bad about what you eat.  You also tend to be more aware of what you’re eating after a good workout and are less likely to pig out.  Win win.

2.   Preemptive strike: eat something before you go.  Walking into the party ravenous isn’t going to help your cause.  I made a wrap yesterday about an hour and a half before we went.  Nothing huge, but just enough.

3.   If you’re bringing food to the party, make your contribution a healthy one so you know there will at least be one option there for you to keep snacking on if you’re really hungry.  My contribution yesterday (a la Fitnessista): 

They were a hit!  I bought a-little-bigger-than-bite-sized tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market, cut them in half, and added a piece of buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, a little olive oil and sea salt.  So easy, so good and so healthy!  Vegans can easily sub vegan cheese in there. 

4.   Alcohol: alternate with water.  You want to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water when you’re continually snacking and this will cut your liquid calorie consumption in half.  :-) Easy peasy. 

Until the desserts come out….

Pick one and stick with it OR have *a bite* of two or three.  No need to have 3 full-sized portions – normally a bite or two will satisfy the sweet craving. 

My plate from last night:

plus a few more tomatoes, a few more carrots and a little more bean dip.  For dessert, I rolled with the brownie.  Chocolate never fails me. 

Have a great Monday!  xo Shaina

Protein on the Run

Hey hey!  Halfway to the weekend and Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Colleen!  J

Early busy morning over here - started on the yoga mat.  I thought it would be a good time to share a great recipe for easy, grab-and-go protein bars.  I’m in love with these because they’re a great snack, pack a lot of protein, can be completely dairy & gluten free and will fill you up between meals.  AND because they totally taste like you're cheating - but you're not!  Each bar has roughly 220 calories and 8 grams of protein (depending on the brands & optional ingredients you use).

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ cup dry oats (gluten free oats are available for the GF folks!)

½ cup raisins (dried cranberries, date chunks, etc. also work – I like to change it up each time)

½ cup mini chocolate chips (dairy free chips available at Whole Foods for my vegans)

¼ cup chopped raw almonds or walnuts (optional)

3 scoops vanilla protein powder (I like Nikken Body Balance or Sun Warrior)

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1.5 tsp cinnamon (and maybe a little extra – I like cinnamon)

Wet ingredients:

1 mashed ripe banana

½ cup pure maple syrup (try to find Grade B – usually at WF or a health food store.  You can use agave nectar as well)

½ cup of your favorite nut butter (I’m on an almond butter kick right now!)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1.     Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. 

2.     Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir well.

3.     Spread mixture into an 8x8 baking pan lined with wax paper.  Press into corners until flat and even throughout the pan.

4.     Place pan in the freezer for a few hours or until firm. 

5.     Remove pan from freezer and cut into 15 small bars.  Wrap bars individually in plastic wrap for an easy grab-and-go snack!  Bars can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.  

**bars will soften at room temp so eat within 15 minutes of removing from the freezer**

I’m off to work…have a good one!  xo Shaina

Thought for the day: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." -Aristotle

Eating On The Run

Hey guys!  Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I enjoyed some fantastic summer weather at the end of January – definitely something I will never complain about.

One of the major pitfalls of people’s eating habits is lack of preparation…and it’s such an easy fix!  Always having healthy snacks on hand is key to keeping your blood sugar level, your metabolism cranking along, and most importantly – it keeps you from getting starving and having to make a quick decision about where/what to eat.  If you’re that hungry and you think “What am I in the mood for?”, let’s be real – chances are it isn’t a salad.  That cheeseburger smells pretty good doesn't it?

Taking a couple of small things in your bag when you’re running errands on the weekend or having a drawer in your desk/corner of the fridge at work stocked can be really easy.

Some snack ideas:

-homemade trail mix (raw or unsalted nuts, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc - so easy to make in big batches ahead of time!)

-protein bars (I LOVE Lara bars - you can always find one in my purse.  Clif and Luna bars also have fantastic nutrition stats.)

-apple slices and 2 Tbsp of your favorite nut butter or low-fat string cheese

-any piece of fresh fruit

If you’re out around town and *have* to stop for a quick pick-me-up:

-smoothie (try to get something with protein in it – it will keep you full longer)

-small frozen yogurt with fresh fruit

-salad/soup bar at your local grocery store

-a pit stop at your local health food store

I’m off to enjoy the sunshine!  Have a fantastic Monday everyone.

xo  Shaina