A New Month, A New Eating Plan!

Some of you know (and most of you don't) that I've spent the last month weaning of a medication that I cannot take if I am going to nurse when our little guy is born. During this time, I've been researching healthy, natural ways to "make up" for what the medicine was designed for. I've found out some interesting facts, and have a new, healthier eating plan that I started today and am going use for the next couple of weeks to see if I see a difference.

In addition, I'm tracking my food intake/activities at http://www.fitday.com/, a free site I've used in the past as a food and weight journal while I've been losing weight. I wanted to use it again to make sure I'm eating enough calories, which I know I haven't been the past few weeks. Also, it is good accountability to me with my weight management during this pregnancy, which as of last Monday, I'd only gained a bit over 11 pounds, which I (and my OB!) have been very pleased with. We shall see tomorrow how much my weight has changed over the past week.

So how has my diet changed? Well, the most drastic changes are in the morning. Shortly after I get up, I drink an "activated water". Yes, stupid title, but that's what it is called, and used to get the digestive system and metabolism flowing! Basically, eight ounces of water + the juice of half a lemon + 1 teaspoon of honey + 1 ounce pure aloe vera juice. Shake it up really, really, good and drink!

After drinking my water mixture, it is exercise time, though the exercise can take place within the first 2 hours of waking. Why? Well, my body does not produce a certain hormone very well, and normal production time of that hormone is during the first 2 hours a woman is awake. If she is to exercise during that production time (which any exercise during the day boosts the hormone), it quadruples the amount of hormone produced! Cool, huh?

In the meantime, whether it is before or after exercise (I usually like after), the other big change is breakfast. I've always had it preached to me to never drink your calories, but a high recommendation I've found is to do a liquid breakfast, which a small snack a couple hours later if needed. The point of a liquid breakfast is to help ease the strain on the digestive system, which benefits the brain during hormone production.

Most people doing this will drink a smoothie of some sort, using fruit and a whey powder or peanut butter and flax meal or wheat germ for protein. As I'm pregnant, I'm not comfortable using a protein powder, even though I've found a couple all-natural whey powders, so I went the route of peanut butter/flax meal this morning. It was very good, and I wasn't hungry at until lunch time (though being the weekend, I did eat later than I normally do, so I will see how I do tomorrow). .

Want the recipe? Keep reading! .

Peanut Butter Banana Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk

1/2 banana

1/4 - 1/2 cup fruit of your choice

2 TBSP peanut butter

2 TBSP ground flax meal or wheat germ

1 tsp honey

2-4 ice cubes (optional for thickness. I find freezing the fruit the night before eliminates the need for ice and doesn't water it down).

Steps:

1. Put milk in the blender first to avoid it "freezing" or "sticking" while blending.

2. Add other ingredients (if using frozen fruit, let sit out 15-20 minutes prior to ensure the full blending, unless you like chunks of fruit).

3. Blend for 30 seconds! You can add more/less milk to get to the consistency you want. Some drink half for breakfast, and the other half for a later mid-morning snack; I personally did the whole thing for breakfast today. .

Nutritional information:

Calories: 403 (using 2% milk and 1/4 cup berries), Fat: 23.3 g, Carbohydrates: 40.4 g, Dietary Fiber: 8.3 g, Protein: 16 g

So for Day 1 of this change in the mornings has gone well (and eating smart the rest of the day), and I've actually had a lot of energy today! I plan on trying this for two weeks to see the results (if any). Most of the time, as to not bore you silly, I will be documenting this on our fitness blog, The Journey, at http://jdrogers.blogspot.com/.

Amazing Pumpkin Bread!

Fall is finally arriving in Georgia - praise the Lord! These 90 degree days into late September have been nuts. Don't ask me why I had to be pregnant during one of the hottest and long-lasting summers we've ever had. But anyway, I've been craving fall stuff for awhile, and I finally found a store that was stocked with canned pumpkin, and had to buy a couple of cans. Jonathan has begging for pumpkin bread, so I broke out my recipe and made it today. If you don't mind, I think I'll share:

Amazing Pumpkin Bread
(makes 2 loaves or 3 dozen muffins)

Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, very soft (not melted!)
3 eggs
1 15 oz can pure canned pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease either loaf pans or muffin tins.

2. In medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat together softened butter and sugars. Add the eggs. Beat for two minutes with mixer until fluffy (do not under beat!).

4. Add the pumpkin to butter/sugar/egg bowl and mix by hand until well combined.

5. In three batches, add the dry ingredients and mix gently by hand until each batch is just incorporated (scrape the sides between each batch). If desired, gently stir in nuts. Batter will be thick and fluffy, not liquid. Do not over mix!

6. Fill each loaf pan with half the batter, or fill muffin tins half full. Bake loaves about an hour, muffins about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and tops are golden. Cool in pan for ten minutes, then run a knife around the sides and finish cooling on wire rack.

7. Eat and enjoy!

I'm not always one to separate the dry and wet ingredients when I bake, but it does make a difference with this recipe, and keeps it from being very dense and crumbly. In addition, mixing the dry and wet together gently keeps this light and airy. It is worth it, though, and one of my guilty pleasures in the fall. My favorite way to eat it is with a light layer of cream cheese and a delicious cup of coffee (or apple cider!).