Wellness Daily

A few weeks ago I was asked to become a regular contributor to the Wellness Daily blog. I happily accepted the invitation and have since written a couple blog posts that have appeared on the site. I plan to make regular posts about clean eating and am working on a piece that outlines what is clean eating. I will still keep up my blog here, but will also contribute posts to Wellness Daily.

So, what exactly is Wellness Daily? According to the website, Wellness Daily is "Wellness content from more than 100 sources in one convenient location... Spend less time searching and more time reading the latest weight loss, healthy eating, exercise and well-being articles."

Matthew's Birth Story

Matthew Lonnie Peters was born May 29 at 11:31 AM at Woodwinds Hospital. He weighed 8lb 8oz and was 20.75 inches long.

I am now three weeks post-partum and am finally starting to feel more like myself. Being a first time mom, I did not know what to expect post-partum and was surprised by the amount of recovery that your body needs to heal after giving birth.

Other mothers and my midwife told me that my body would need time to repair itself after birth, but I wasn’t sure what that restoration would entail. There was part of me that suspected that because I sailed through pregnancy without incident that my labor and post-partum recovery would follow suit. For the most part, this has been true.

Allan and I chose the HypnoBirthing method as our approach to natural childbirth. HypnoBirthing is described on their website as “a unique method of relaxed, natural childbirth education, enhanced by self-hypnosis techniques. HypnoBirthing® provides the missing link that allows women to use their natural instincts to bring about a safer, easier, more comfortable birthing.” We took classes in February at Blooma, practiced affirmations and relaxation techniques nightly before bed, had a weekly Tuesday baby night that included one hour of labor and birthing practice and religiously performed daily perineum stretches. Suffice it to say, we felt completely prepared for delivery.

The following were our goals for labor and delivery:

1. To experience a quick labor and delivery with minimum discomfort and pain
2. To equip Allan with the tools necessary to be an amazing birth companion and partner
3. To bring Matthew into the world without the aid of pain medication or medical intervention
4. To avoid perineum tearing or the medical need for an episiotomy

At my 39 week midwife appointment, just two days shy of my May 19 due date, I was progressing nicely and my midwife suspected I would go into labor soon. The following Saturday, labor-like contractions began (surges to my fellow HypnoBirthing mommas). They were 8-15 minutes apart and lasted 1.5-2 minutes. However, 13 hours later they just went away.

My labor rested for one week and the following Saturday, 10 days past my due date, labor restarted. I awoke at 5:30 AM with a full bladder and upon returning to bed I felt a strong tightening in my lower back. The sensation was very similar to the surges I had felt the previous Saturday, but this time they were even more intense. I woke Allan up and told him that I thought I was in labor. After the previous week’s experience, Allan told me to try to lay down and get some more sleep. I then insisted that he wake up because I was having another surge.

Half an hour later, the surges were still 4-5 minutes apart and lasting 2 minutes. Allan called the midwife on call and she told us we could stay at home a bit longer. Allan quickly gathered the final items that we would need at the hospital and placed our suitcases into the car. At 6:30 AM we decided that it was time to go to the hospital and Allan called the midwife again to let her know that we were on our way. By 6:45 AM we were in the car.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I was admitted to the water birthing suite and my initial exam showed that I was already dilated 7-8 cm, but my water was fully intact. After the mandatory 20 minutes of fetal monitoring, I decided it was time to get into the water birthing tub.

Laboring in the water was amazing! The water was very relaxing and the surges were easily managed. A couple hours later, my water had not broken and I was getting anxious to meet Matt. I asked the midwife about our options for getting my water to break. She suggested that I take a bathroom break, have my water sack checked and consider having it broken. I agreed.

Upon her exam, she found that I was fully thinned and opened, but my water was still intact. I asked her to break my water. Upon rupturing my membranes and examining the amniotic fluid, the midwife found that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid, which meant that I could not have a water birth because of the risk of meconium aspiration syndrome.

Soon thereafter, I felt the urge to breathe my baby down. In my opinion, this is one of the elements of HypnoBirthing (and regular delivery) that are the most elusive. I was determined to stick to my HypnoBirthing practice of birth breathing, but at first was not exactly sure how to effectively move baby down the birth path to crowning and delivery.

The midwife suggested that I move from the bed to the toilet and use it as a birthing stool to better engage gravity. Allan stood in front of me and I leaned on his stomach as I bared down while breathing through each surge. It was an amazingly powerful feeling to be held by and to in turn hold my husband as we worked together to bring our baby into the world.

I soon felt a change in my birth path sensations and decided to check the progress myself. To my delight and amazement the head of my baby greeted me.

I quickly moved to the bed to deliver Matt. At this point, my surges switched from lasting 2 minutes each with 1-2 minutes between to lasting 45 seconds each with 2 minutes between. I found this to be quite frustrating because at this point I was super excited to finally see my baby face to face and the switch of the surges delayed the progression of his birth.

However as with most HypnoBirths, time distortion had set in and before I knew it Matt was crowning and entered the world with a vociferous cry. The concern over meconium aspiration syndrome was unnecessary and Matt was moved to my chest immediately for bonding. Our little baby was in our arms at last – the wait was over. The moment that we first saw each other will be fused in my mind for the rest of my life.

By and large, I feel like we accomplished all of our goals for labor and delivery:

1. To experience a quick labor and delivery with minimum discomfort and pain. I was able to manage each surge with peace and grace. My labor and delivery were calm and quiet aside from the occasional midwife encouraged grunt during delivery.
2. To equip Allan with the tools necessary to be an amazing birth companion and partner. Allan was calm, collected and assertive during labor and delivery. He was able to anticipate all of my needs and quickly adapted as labor progressed.
3. To bring Matthew into the world without the aid of pain medication or medical intervention. Through HypnoBirth breathing techniques, an amazing birth companion, and a great medical team I was able to have a natural birth free of pain medication and unnecessary medical interventions.
4. To avoid perineum tearing or the need for an episiotomy. I did not experience any tearing. I walked away from delivery with a small labial abrasion, similar to a rug burn, along with normal post-labor labial swelling that was most likely caused by the birthing of Matthew’s shoulders.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with our labor and birthing experience and would definitely recommend HypnoBirthing to any expecting mommas out there looking for a birthing method.

Tosca Reno on Good Morning America

If you missed Tosca's appearance on Good Morning America this morning, be sure to check out the interview here and her super yummy recipes here. Tosca was warm, vibrant and overall fabulous, as always. She has that je ne sais quoi! Congrats, Tosca, on an amazing interview that truly represents the Eat Clean mission.

Pregnancy Diet Changes

A lot of people ask me how pregnancy has impacted what I eat - Do I have crazy cravings? Is my appetite insatiable? Do I eat things that I did not pre-pregnancy? 

Overall, I have not made any significant changes to my eating habits. Yes, sometimes I do tend to indulge a bit more than I did pre-pregnancy - i.e. chocolate, dessert, fancy brunches, etc. However, I think that has more to do with a change in mindset from pre-pregnancy trying to loose fat/build muscle to trying to maintain a healthy weight throughout my pregnancy. The following are some of the changes that I have made to keep myself healthy during pregnancy and ensure that my little one receives the best nutrition possible: 

• Eat when I am hungry - usually 5-7 small meals per day consisting of protein, fruits & veggies, complex carbs and healthy fats
• Add more complex carbs to my diet - 4-5 servings per day during pregnancy, compared to 2-3 servings pre-pregnancy
• Enjoy more organic produce and meats rather than conventional options
• Eat a wider variety of produce and meats
• Add more plant-based fats to my diet, including coconut oil and butter
• Eat at home more frequently while making very healthy choices when away from home

One thing that I have been craving recently is crudites with Cayenne Tahini Dressing from Kristen's Raw. This yummy, creamy, and spicy dressing is perfect when paired with cucumbers, red pepper and baby carrots.

Spring Fever: Spring Has Sprung!

The Minnesota winters are so long (Oct-Mar) that by the time April rolls around and the weather starts to get nice (50°-60° daily highs), I long for fresh farmer's market produce, perfectly grilled meats, blooming flowers, green grass, trees with leaves, and warm, sunny summer evenings biking with Allan. It's days like today that bring me back to reality. In typical Minnesota Spring fashion, it is rainy and 53°. Quite a shock from the above average sunny weather that we have been experiencing lately - one day last week it topped out above 80°!

As many of my longtime followers know, one of my favorite pastimes is biking with Allan. We spent a fair amount of last Spring and Summer on our bikes. Since most morning lows have been in the 40°s, Allan has begun commuting by bike to work, which made me yearn to feel the wind on my face. However, being the cautionary pregnant mama that I am, I figured it would be best to ask before riding down the parkway with AP. At my last midwife appointment, I was told that even though I could physically handle biking, it was probably not a good idea because if something happened and I fell off of the bike or hit my pregnant belly on the handlebars it could do some pretty significant damage to my little one. So, the Trek Lime will just have to wait until June to come out of storage.

One of the other Spring activities that I get really excited about is the annual Spring opening of the many local Farmer's Markets. My favorite Farmer's Market, the Eagan Market Fest, does not open until June; however, there are several Farmer's Markets that open the first week of May with cold-weather crops like asparagus, onions, spinach and rhubarb. A handful of the Farmer's Markets do stay open all year long offering local artisan creations, honey, maple syrup, and meats; and if I get antsy enough, we may visit one of these in April - just for fun. However, I love the Farmer's Market for the produce and flowers, most of which will not be available until May.

Here is a glimpse into the MN growing season, compliments of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Minnesota Grown website:

As the weather gets nicer, which Spring activities do you look forward to the most? Have you been able to indulge your Spring fever yet?

Young Thai Coconuts

During my pregnancy I have been LOVING coconut water! I usually purchase it at the co-op in 34 ounce containers, but was looking for a change so I decided to pick up TWO young thai coconuts and enjoyed every last sip.

Coconuts have been generating a TON of buzz lately for their multitude of health benefits, some of which include:

• Helps with heart disease prevention
• Contains anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties
• Promotes weight maintenance (some people boast that daily consumption of 2-3 TB of coconut oil generates noticeable fat % loss)
• Coconut water is a natural isotonic beverage filled with electrolytes (think nature's Gatorade!)
• Coconut meat is an excellent source of medium chain fatty acids, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals

At first, opening a young thai coconut might seem a little intimidating, but they are much easier to open than a regular, brown-husked, coconut. Below you will find the steps to getting at the delicious raw coconut water and meat. Also, check out on this a great video by Kristen at Kristen's Raw.

It is important to note that it can be very difficult to find organic young thai coconuts at a local grocer and the best way to obtain them is to purchase them in bulk online. Most of the conventional young thai coconuts that you will find at your local grocer have traveled a long distance to get there and have most likely been dipped in a preservative to keep them fresh during their long voyage. The verdict is still out on whether or not the preservatives can actually penetrate the hard husk of the coconut making its way into the flesh and water. Needless to say, it is a good idea to enjoy young thai coconuts in moderation.

Step 1: Selecting you delicacy

Which one should I choose? For me, this is the most intimidating step of the process. In general, all young thai coconuts look very similar and only vary slightly in shape and size. The exterior size of a young thai coconut does not directly relate to the interior size nor water content of the coconut. So, my advice is not to fret and simply pick one that is free of cracks, mold, and soft spots, as these are indications of spoilage. 

Step 2: Prep the coconut for opening

Using a sharp chef's knife, remove the white outer flesh from the top "cone" of the coconut. The idea is to remove as much of the soft, white flesh as possible without cutting into the hard brown husk. I do this by running my knife from the tip of the coconut out towards the edge of the cone shape.

Step 3:  Open the coconut!

Do not use your chef's knife for this step - you could ruin it! Using the but end of a cleaver assertively pound the cleaver straight down into the husk of the coconut that you exposed in Step 2. Do this working in a circle formation around the tip of the coconut's cone, about an inch or two from the outer edge of the coconut's cone. Ensure that you keep your other hand clear of the cleaver, as you probably want to keep all of our fingers! Also, be forewarned that if your coconut contains a lot of water, it may spit at you as you complete this step. 

Step 4: Enjoy!

Gently peel open the top of the coconut and dump the yummy water into a glass measuring cup. As you can see in the photo from Step 3, my young thai coconut yielded 2 cups of delicious coconut water. Use a large spoon or fruit scooper to remove the young thai coconut meat.

Please note that young thai coconuts are highly perishable and it is possible that even though your coconut did not show any external signs of spoilage, it could be bad. The best way to check for spoilage is to look at the coconut water and see if it has a purplish tint. Coconut water should be clear or slightly cloudy. If in doubt, try a sip! Your mouth will let you know.

I quickly drank my coconut water and used the meat to make a wonderful tropical smoothie and some hazelnut ice cream.

Food Journal...

It's been a long time since I have posted my food intake for the day and figured that today would be a fun day to give you an update on what I have been consuming as a pregnant clean eater!

Today was an interesting food day because I am working from home and have choir practice tonight...

Pre-breakfast: 1 scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate SuperFood + 1/2 c homemade unsweetened vanilla cashew milk + 1/2 c water

Iced Vanilla Americano: 1 shot espresso (made with my new Nespresso Citiz) + cold water + splash vanilla cashew milk

Breakfast: 3 egg whites + chicken sausage + 1/3 c oats cooked with 1 1/4 c water + 1 T chia seeds + 2 T ground flaxseed + 2 T wheat germ + 1 tsp cocoa powder topped with 1/2 T homemade coconut butter

MidMorning Snack: 1 slice Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin toast + homemade raw almond butter + 1/2 c chocolate pudding

Lunch: Fridge clean out smoothie - I rummaged through the fridge and grabbed everything that looked like it needed to be eaten soon and threw it into the VitaMix: 1 small orange + 1 small mushy apple + brownish banana + leftover young thai coconut meat + leftover young thai coconut water + spinach + vanilla protein powder + ice

This made a HUGE smoothie... I drank 3 cups of it and put 2 cups in the fridge to have with my MidAfternoon snack. Look at how BRIGHT green it turned out!

MidAfternoon Snack: No Bake Nut Butter Energy Bar (from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook) + the rest of my fridge clean-out smoothie from lunch

Supper: I will be eating around 7 PM when I get home from choir practice and will most likely have 3 scrambled egg whites + chicken sausage + 1 slice of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin toast - this tends to be our go-to meal when I have choir and we don't have leftovers in the fridge

Evening Snack: I usually get hungry around 8:30 PM and have a small snack. I made raw Hazelnut Gelato from the Ani's Raw Food Kitchen cookbook and will most likely have 1/2 c of it before HypnoBirthing practice, which we do nightly

Hidden Ingredients

A close friend of mine (Hi Miss Laura!) told me about the Mrs. May's Trio bars that she picked up at Cosco that tasted yummy, were relatively inexpensive and had a very simple ingredient list. Better yet, the bars are described on their website as being:

Vegan, No Trans Fat, No Additives, No Preservatives, No Cholesterol, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free, Non-GMO, Kosher

I was instantly intrigued. So, I looked up additional information on the Mrs. May's brand and their food philosophy. The following is Mrs. May's About Us section of their website...

In a world of processed foods, endless ingredient lists, and high sugar treats; Mrs. May's Naturals took a more basic approach. Why not combine simple and wholesome ingredients to make a delicious snack?

Sounds easy, but it wasn't. While Mrs. May's treats go back more than two generations, we've re-worked and perfected our recipes to bring you the best possible product.

The result is always the same: a deliciously light and crunchy snack that everybody loves. After introducing four flavors just a few years ago, Mrs. May's now offers 15 great varieties.

Each made with premium grade ingredients such as roasted nuts, toasted sesame seeds, natural fruit pieces, organic evaporated cane juice, rice malt, and sea salt.

The snacks are slowly dry roasted to bring out the most flavor, and to add a lively crunch!

All Mrs. May's products are vegan, non-GMO, cholesterol free, dairy free, wheat free, Gluten free, 0 Trans Fat and contain no artificial colors or flavors. And our ingredients lists are short and sweet!

Well, that sounded excellent! Then Laura then sent me the Trio bar ingredients list and I was instantly intrigued.

• Cashew
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Strawberries
• Sesame Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Dates
• Raisins
• Rice Malt
• Natural Flavors
• Evaporated Cane Juice
• Sea Salt

At first glance, this ingredients list seems rather harmless and clean. The bars are filled with yummy, good for you natural ingredients... nuts, seeds and dried fruit. Evaporated cane juice and sea salt are used, which are both great clean alternatives to refined white sugar and table salt. Also, these less desirable ingredients are at the very end of the ingredients list, meaning that they were used sparingly.

However upon further inspection, I was a bit taken back by Mrs. May's use of "natural flavors" to describe some of their ingredients. If they are truly a natural company, as their website states, why would they not simply list the "natural flavors" that they use?

According to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations describes a "natural flavouring" as:

the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavouring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or any other edible portions of a plant, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose primary function in food is flavouring rather than nutritional.

So, I sent Mrs. May's an email asking about the natural flavorings that they use and here was their response:

Our Natural Flavor is composed of the following ingredients: DEXTROSE, CORN STARCH, WATER, SILICON DIOXIDE (ANTI-CAKING AGENT)

Dextrose: Better known today as glucose, this sugar is the chief source of energy in the body. Glucose is chemically considered a simple sugar. Dextrose, commonly called glucose, d-glucose, or blood sugar, occurs naturally in food, and is moderately sweet. It is a monosaccharide (basic unit of carbohydrates, C6H1206) and has a high glycemic index (digested carbohydrates ability to raise blood glucose levels, also called Gl) ranking at 100.

Cornstarch, or cornflour, is the starch of the maize grain, commonly known as corn. It has a distinctive appearance and feel when mixed raw with water or milk, giving easily to gentle pressure but resisting sudden pressure. The composition of cornstarch varies depending upon the feedstock, but it may considered to be approximately 25% amylose and 75% amylopectin.

Our products are "dairy free." Please be advised, because there is cornstarch in the “natural flavor,” there is a small amount of corn derivative in our product.

For more detailed information for “natural flavors” please visit www.goldcoastinc.com.

I hope this helps!

Thank you,

After receiving this information, I determined that the bars are really not as clean as I once thought because they contain dextrose (high-glycemic, refined sugar), cornstarch (filler/thickening agent), and silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent).

Now, I don't know about you, but I would not identify cornstarch, water or silicon dioxide as ingredients that are used for the sake of flavoring. Cornstarch is commonly used as a thickening agent or as a food filler and is regarded as being tasteless. While silicon dioxide is an anti-caking agent. It seems as though Mrs. May's might be attempting to hide these ingredients from consumers as opposed to protecting their list of natural flavorings. Although, I do applaud their customer service for being frank and open in addition to sending a very prompt response to my inquiry.

The moral of the story is that we should always, always, ALWAYS be weary of the ingredients in EVERYTHING that we consume, even if everything looks clean and natural... natural is not always clean. :)

Please read this...

Please take a moment to read the following articles/blog posts. Unfortunately, the general public does not understand that the responsibility of Clean Eating and living in an eco-friendly way is our individual responsibility and the government is NOT looking out for our best interests. Tell me what you think!

An Open Letter to Our Children: We're Sorry About School Lunch

That Tap Water Is Legal but May Be Unhealthy

Alcohol and Clean Eating

One of the things that I miss most from my pre-pregnancy days, aside from soft cheese, sushi, my lovely body, HIIT, and lifting really heavy, is enjoying a nice glass of organic red wine on Friday nights while making homemade pizza with Allan. Now I drink POM with seltzer, mint and lime while Allan has a beer.

However, just because I can’t have alcohol right now doesn’t mean that you aren’t enjoying a glass or two here and there. One of the questions that I get asked frequently is how does alcohol fit into the clean eating lifestyle?

Most sources of alcohol are not clean because of added refined sugars, not being close to the source/excessive processing and distillation, questionable additives/preservatives along with its detrimental effects on the body. However, alcohol can be enjoyed as part of a clean lifestyle in moderation, one to two servings per week as part of a planned cheat meal.

Unfortunately, in the United States alcohol producers are not required to place nutrition labels on their products making it very difficult for clean eaters, like ourselves, to really know how the number of calories and specific ingredients that we are putting into our bodies. This makes choosing a clean alcohol source even more difficult. For this very reason, I strive to choose alcohol that is local, organic, certified sustainable or biodynamic.

Sometimes the liquor store labeling can be confusing, so instead of getting frustrated, simply ask! I find that the salespeople can be really helpful and many times they have tried a lot of the products that they sell and can be a valuable resource.

Organic red wine (without added sulfites) is the best choice when it comes to alcohol. Although it does contain sugar, they are natural occurring sugars. Also, organic wine is less processed, being closer to the fruit's natural state, than other forms of alcohol that are distilled/processed several times. Also, red wine is a good source of beneficial antioxidants, when enjoyed in moderation.

However, it is important to note that some organic wines and most inorganic wines contain preservatives such as sulfur dioxide and potassium sorbate. Although, these preservatives are generally recognized as safe, I always stay away from food additives and preservatives because what is generally recognized as safe today may be carcinogenic tomorrow. I am perfectly happy consuming items that are produced exclusively by Mother Nature with as little human intervention as possible. Fortunately, most winemakers note the use of sulfites on their label so that we can be savvy consumers.

Allan and I have had several wonderful bottles of wine from Frey Vineyards and Morgan Winery. Which organic wines do you like?

Beer is the second best alcohol choice, although some beers contain added refined sugars, flavorings and artificial ingredients that are not clean. Also, beer tends to be very calorie dense. So, if you are trying to loose weight, it may not be your best option.

The basic ingredients that go into beer are water, a starch source (allowing for fermentation, usually malted barley, wheat, rice, oats, rye, corn and sorghum), hops (for flavoring and natural preservation), brewer’s yeast (for fermentation, also adds beneficial nutrients), and clarifying agents (improves the appearance of beer and is not present in ethnic or wheat beers, usually isinglass, seaweed (Irish moss or carrageenan), Polycar (artificial) and gelatin).

Beer has been shown to have some beneficial impact on health due to the nutrients present in brewer’s yeast, specifically magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, and B vitamins; however, the beer loses these nutrients in the filtering process, therefore it is best to consume unfiltered beer. Also, low-alcoholic beers have been found to have strong anti-cancer properties.

It is somewhat difficult to find organic beers in regular liquor stores, so Allan usually purchases locally produced beer from Grain Belt or Schell's Brewery. Is there a brand of organic beer that you have tried and like?

Your third clean choice is vodka and seltzer or vodka and POM. If you cannot order seltzer (carbonated water), soda water is a possible alternative. With vodka, it is best to choose an organic variety to ensure that you are consuming quality vodka without pesticides and processing additives. One other thing to note is that some vodka's are distilled in charcoal (*yuck*). Check out Prairie Vodka, which is made here in MN, certified organic, kosher, and gluten-free.

Most soda waters contain the following ingredients: Carbonated Water, Sodium Bicarbonate (salt), Sodium Citrate (citric acid related salt and preservative), Potassium Sulfate (potassium salt that may produce gastrointestinal disturbances and irritation), Disodium Phosphate (sodium and saline laxative).

As you will notice, soda water contains added salts (80 mg sodium per 8 oz). This sodium can increase the alcohol bloat that many people experience after a night of drinking.

Tonic water is NOT clean as most contain HFCS and the diet versions use artificial sweeteners.

Here are the ingredients in tonic water: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup (NOT clean), citric acid (salt and preservative), sodium benzoate (carcinogenic when combined with Vitamin C to create benzene), quinine (see below), natural flavors (completely unknown ingredients that are added).

Here are the ingredients in diet tonic water: carbonated water, sodium citrate (citric acid related salt and preservative), sodium benzoate (carcinogenic when combined with vitamin C to create benzene), saccharine (artificial sweetener and carcinogen), quinine (see below).

Quinine is a controversial ingredient that must be called out on the front label to alert consumers of its presence. Some of the known side effects of quinine ingestion are constipation, erectile dysfunction, diarrhea, symptoms mimicking septic shock (fever, hypotension, and blood abnormalities), and hearing impairment, to name a few.

I hope that this helps to resolve some of your questions along with clearing up some prevalent alcohol misconceptions.

Pregnancy Update: Belly Pics

This morning I had my 28 week midwife check-up and everything went very well. The little mister seems very happy and is in a good position for this stage of pregnancy (head down). His heart rate ranged from 138-146 bpm and he was extremely active while I waited for my appointment. I am still measuring a little ahead (29.5 wks); however, this measurement is well within the normal range. My weight increased 4 lbs in the last 4 weeks, which is normal at this stage of pregnancy.

Today was also the dreaded 1 hour glucose tolerance test. I was given a half liter bottle of funky lemon lime glucose water to drink and then I waited an hour prior to having my blood drawn. I was a little nervous about drinking the glucose water after reading the ingredients on the nutrition label: purified water, 50g dextrose, citric acid, natural and artificial flavoring, sodium benzoate .1%. However, for me, the risk of having untreated gestational diabetes far outweighed the risk of the test.

During my wait I did some work and had my regularly scheduled appointment. After the hour was up, the lab drew my blood and tested it right away so that I could find out the results before I left. The goal of the test is for your blood sugar to be below 140 (some practitioners use 150). A normal fasting blood sugar level is 83 and most people are at 100 after a meal. My blood sugar after a breakfast of egg whites and oatmeal along with the glucose drink was 81! It just goes to show that clean eating and exercise really go a long way in ensuring optimal health and resilience.

I go back for my next appointment in 2 weeks.

Here are some long overdue baby belly progress pics from the last few months...

November 28, 2009

January 4, 2010

January 15, 2010

January 29, 2010

January 30, 2010

This is a little sneak peak of the nursery...

February 17, 2010

Prayers Needed

Please say a quick prayer for Allan's parents who are in Hawaii right now and facing the expectant tsunami.

Valentine's Day

I know that v-day has come and gone, but I finally downloaded pictures from our camera  and these were too good to not share with you! Also, this was one of the easiest and most enjoyable meals that we have prepared in a long time! It definitely beat going out to eat. Date nights at home are always more romantic!


This is the amazing badge that Allan hand drew on the envelope to my card (have I mentioned lately how much I love being married to an artist!)...

The two dozen roses Allan gave me that decorated the dinning room table for a week (their scent was intoxicating!)...

This is what 2.8lbs of thawed cold water lobster looks like (that is an extra large Pyrex dish and Allan's hand)...

My new Rachael Ray pasta pot that we purchased specifically to make the lobster tails, as they were too large to fit in the stock pot that we own (I have been wanting this pot for a very long time and am super excited to now own it!)...

Boiling the lobster tails (they took about 20 minutes)...

The finished product (that is a large supper plate)...

We served our gigantic lobster tails with clarified organic butter and Potatoes Anna from Tosca's Eat Clean Cookbook (the dark pieces were super crunchy and tasted the best)...

The Third Trimester Begins...

... this Wednesday!!! The homestretch is here.

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately. As you can imagine, our lives have been a whirlwind of baby prep lately. Allan jokes that I am full into nesting mode.

A month ago, we made the decision to cloth diaper, so I have been working on acquiring our stash from online retailer sales, online clearance outlets, Peapods (a local toy and baby care shop), diaperswappers.com, and the Baby Center Diaper Swapping community. For the newborn stage, we will be using indian cotton unbleached prefolds and misc PUL covers, although we do have some Grandparent-friendly small bamboo fitteds and small FuzziBunz. I am almost finished with the newborn stash, but am interested in acquiring a WAHM wool cover or too for this stage along with some flannel liners for the meconium stage along with any bouts with diaper rash.

We are anticipating a larger baby at birth, because I have measured two weeks ahead at my last 2 appointments (20 weeks and 24 weeks) and my husband and I were both larger and LATE babies. Allan was a whopping 10 lbs and 4 weeks late and I was 9.5 lbs and 2 weeks late. So, at my appointment on Monday (28 weeks), if I am still measuring ahead they will schedule another ultrasound to see how big this little guy really is. I kind of hope that we will get to go and see him again, as ultrasounds are completely amazing experiences!

But I digress... back to the point that I was trying to make: little baby Peters will most likely not fit into the small/infant diapers for long and will be able to move into the one-size BumGenius (3.0 and Organic AIO), GroBaby and Swaddlebees diapers that I have been slowly acquiring. Do any of you cloth diaper? If so, do you have any tips for a first-timer? What is your favorite diaper? Any tips and recommendations would be VERY helpful!

I would like to take a pic of my stash to post here for feedback and ogling! Look for that in an upcoming blog post!

We have also checked the following items off of the baby list:

1. Nursery furniture purchased and put together
2. Diaper stash prepped (all natural-fibered items washed 5 times and the rest washed once)
3. On the waiting list of an AMAZING Day Care that is spanish immersion, serves organic/whole grain foods, cloth diapers and is located near our house
4. Registered for hypnobirthing classes that start next Tuesday at Blooma
5. Baby showers scheduled and registries complete (Mar 13 in Albert Lea and April 3 in Eagan)
6. Play room cleared out and ready as a "blank slate"
7. Working out 3-4 days per week (at least one cardio day, one weightlifting day and one yoga day)
8. Car seat purchased (Graco SnugRide 35)
9. Stroller purchased (Baby Jogger Select)
10. Keeping all meals CLEAN and eating every 3 hours (protein + complex carbs + fruit/veggie + fat)

I hope that you have an amazingly productive, clean and healthy week!

Must-Read Article for any Clean Eater

My friend, Laura, forwarded me the following article entitled This Common Food Ingredient Can Really Mess Up Your Metabolism written by Dr. Mercola. This article solidifies one of the main Clean Eating stances... limit your sugar intake, because it will do nothing positive for your health.

Please take a look and let me know what you think.

Thanks, Laura!

New: Oatmeal at Caribou Coffee

Wednesdays are my busiest day of the week. On a normal day, I work until 3:45 PM and then try to squeeze in a workout and dinner before choir practice at 5:30 PM. Somedays, like today, I am unable to leave work on time and end up sticking around the office until 4:15 PM (or later). On days like today, I am faced with the perplexing conundrum: drive 20 minutes home from the office to only be there for 30 minutes, which is enough time to make myself some oatmeal for supper and get in a 10 minute yoga session, then turn around and leave for choir practice. What's a girl to do?

Many days I end up going to Starbuck's to pick up a bowl of their oatmeal (and sometimes a nonfat latte) and sit down to read a book or the paper. However, I really would prefer to go to Caribou, because they have free wi-fi and I could spend my time blogging and catching up on personal email, facebook, twitter, etc. So, as you can imagine, when Caribou announced that they were going to follow suit and start offering oatmeal, I was SUPER excited.

Right now I am enjoying my own custom oatmeal creation: classic oats made with skim milk topped with a dash of cinnamon.

Usually in a situation like this, I would prefer to research the oatmeal ingredients and options offered online and then make my trek to Caribou for a taste test; however, today I was freestyling. Unfortunately, because oatmeal is such a new offering, the Caribou employees didn't know much about the available options, so I was left making ingredient/cleanliness assumptions.

There are 2 oatmeal blends: oatmeal and 7-grain oatmeal blend. The flavors available are Classic, Maple Brown Sugar Crunch, Very Berry, Apple Cinnamon and Cranberry Orange. You also have a 3 milk options: skim, 2% and soy. I chose the Classic Oatmeal version because all of the other topping options sounded like they would be full of sugar and after perusing Caribou's nutritional information online, my assumption was correct. The following is the nutritional information and ingredients for the Classic Oatmeal that I tried. I wish that I would have known that they add soy protein to the oats when they make them because I would have asked for my oats without it.

Overall, I really liked the flavor of the oatmeal, it was cooked to perfection and served at the right temperature; Starbucks' oatmeal tends to be too hot. I also liked that the Caribou oatmeal tasted fresh made, the Starbucks oatmeal tastes like it is made ahead of time and simply kept hot all day in a slow cooker/steamer. However, I could have done without the sweet vanilla flavor of the soy protein, I found it to be a bit overpowering; however, if I was enjoying the oatmeal on its own, it helps to make it a more complete clean eating meal including both complex carbs and protein, which I like.

For the sake of comparison, the following is the Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal nutrition info and ingredients from their website. From the weight of the serving size, I assume that this is for the dry mix only. Unfortunately, I am not sure if Starbucks makes their oatmeal with milk or water, I will have to ask next time that I stop in. If it is made with milk, this would increase the calories, fat, carbs and protein dependent upon the milk choice.

I would also like to try Jamba Juice's Plain 100% steel cut oats (without the brown sugar crumble). Has anyone tried it? If so, what did you think? The following is the nutritional information and ingredients.

It's a...

... BOY!

You read that right, we are expecting a baby boy in May! We are very excited and cannot wait for his arrival.

I am still feeling great and have a ton of energy. My midwife says that I am gaining an average amount of weight (14lbs at 21 weeks) and should keep up the prenatal yoga to prepare for delivery, but should also up my cardio to get my heart pumping more often. At my last appointment, I was measuring about a week and half ahead, which could mean that we are having a big baby... This doesn't surprise me as Allan was a 10lb baby (4 weeks late) and I was a 9lb baby (2 weeks late) - I can handle it.

We are deep into nesting mode around here. Mister (baby) Peters' (name to be revealed next week along with his ultrasound pictures) room is painted a nice pastel green, his crib sheet set is purchased, and his crib, bookcase and dresser are waiting in his room to be assembled. Pretty soon, the room that used to be Allan's office will look like a nursery.

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement throughout the events that my family has been through in the last year. You mean the world to me!

Prenatal Yoga

I cannot believe how long it has been since my last post. I apologize for my absence; however, one of my New Year's resolutions is to be more active on my blog on at least a weekly basis.

My holiday sabbatical was extremely eventful and for the most part very enjoyable. Allan and I...

• Were guests at 4 Christmas celebrations and spent a lot of time with all sides of both of our families.
• Attended several Holiday church services, I even sang Breath of Heaven on Christmas Eve during the lighting of the candles at our evening candlelit service.
• Started our nesting journey as we await the birth of our little gift, including painting the baby's room and the entire basement (family room, office, exercise room, and stairway) along with purchasing a bunch of furniture, some of which is still in boxes awaiting assembly.
• Mourned the unexpected passing of my dad's brother, Larry, who was tragically taken from us in a car accident.
• Went to the 20-week ultrasound and found out the sex of our baby! If you are friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, you already know if we are having a boy or girl... if not, can you GUESS? I will reveal the answer later on this week!
• Celebrated the arrival of 2010 by going to bed at 10:30 PM, I'm pregnant for goodness sakes and could not keep myself awake to ring in the New Year.

During our nesting, my treadmill has tragically been banished to the far corner of the basement and then had miscellaneous items pilled up in front of it, making it completely unaccessible until further notice... So, my primary form of exercise has been Prenatal Yoga. I have both the Gaim Prenatal Yoga and Yoga Journal Yoga for your Pregnancy DVDs; however, my recent favorite has been Yoga for your Pregnancy. I really enjoy the flow and cues along with the variety of exercises and options.

In the next couple weeks, I plan to start Prenatal Yoga classes at Blooma, a local studio that specializes in Prenatal and Postnatal care.

In addition, we signed up for Hypnobirthing classes at Blooma that start in March. Blooma also offers Lamaze birthing classes; however, we decided to go with the Hypnobirthing classes based on the fact that Hypnobirthing mothers tend to have "shorter labors and significantly lower induction, epidural, and Cesarean rates"... and since we would like a natural birth, this will be a good tool to have when the contractions start and I hop in the water birthing tub! ;-) Have you had an experience with Hypnobirthing that you would like to share?

Christmas Nostalgia

Christmas is upon us... are you ready? Is your tree up and decorated? Do you have your presents purchased and wrapped? Do you have a plan for eating clean yet still being satisfied over the Holidays?

If you answered no to any of those questions, what are you waiting for? Christmas is only a week away!

As many of you already know, I adore the Christmas season... I look forward to purchasing gifts early, putting up a tree right right after Thanksgiving and wrapping presents at least a week before Christmas just so that I can look at how pretty they are under the twinkling lights of the tree.

Every time that I think of the love and sacrifice that it took for God to send Jesus, his only son, to make this magnificent season possible, it breaks my heart and fills me with joy. I can only hope that the love and sacrifice that I feel for my baby will be a glimmer of the compassion that God has for us.

Today I leave you with my favorite Christmas song, Joy Williams, Here with Us.

Bowls of Oats

It is SNOWING here in Minnesota. This is our first REAL snow of the winter and I am VERY excited! I love the SNOW!!! What is it like where you are?

As the weather gets colder, I start to crave warm, wholesome foods like OATMEAL. So, when I don't have leftovers in the fridge to take for lunch I make myself a warm, yummy bowl of fluffy egg white oatmeal covered in fruit...

Here are some of the delicious bowls of fluffy fruit covered oats that I have been enjoying lately!