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!

Eat-Clean Diet Recharged

I received my copy of the Eat-Clean Diet Recharged yesterday. I cannot wait to read it cover to cover!

I spent some time flipping through the pages last night before bed and look what I stumbled upon...




Last summer, I was contacted by one of the editors at Robert Kennedy Publishing and was asked if they could feature my story in one of Tosca's upcoming books. I was thrilled to accept and really excited to see how the editor's would use my Clean Eating story. I was not expecting a full page feature, but am very thankful to be able to share my story with others! So, if you would like to read an excerpt from my transformation story, turn to Page 102!

After I finish reading the book I will be back with a full review!

Tosca just launched her new website and it is very nice. It has a professional feel and features several new resources that were not available on her old site. Overall, I think that the new website really shows off Tosca's personality and is a nice Clean Eating resource.

The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged!

I received an email today from Amazon letting me know that my pre-ordered copy of Tosca Reno's The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged has been shipped... EARLY! Originally the book was due to be released in late January; however, it is available NOW on Amazon and it's definitely a steal at $13.57, which is 32% less than the retail price.

Big Announcement!

Good Afternoon, Bloggers!

I have a very important announcement to make...

I am pregnant!!!



Baby Peters is due May 19th and I am in my 13th week of pregnancy. I am feeling well and taking good care of myself. In my first trimester, I struggled with all day nausea and fatigue that impacted my day-to-day activities. I also suffered from intense food aversions. As you can imagine these side effects combined made it pretty difficult to cook, bake and workout. Which left me with little to blog about!

The good news is that as I begin my second trimester, I am starting to feel like myself again. I have had a lot more energy and am regaining my interest in food. I was even able to pick up the latest issue of Clean Eating and Tosca’s new cookbook for recipe inspiration!

Being that I am pregnant, my food choices have shifted from weight loss to weight gain; which is a weird feeling and has required a complete shift in my mindset. So far, I have gained 3 pounds and plan on gaining a total of 6-9 pounds in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. So, that leaves me with another 3-6 pounds to gain until the end of December. From 20 weeks on, I plan on gaining 16-20 additional pounds. This will put me at a total weight gain of 22-29 pounds.

For now, I am focusing my workout efforts on prenatal yoga and walking/jogging on my treadmill. I find little interest in weight lifting at this point, but as I regain my energy I plan on creating a pregnancy weight lifting plan for myself.

I would love to hear your thoughts and advice on this wonderful time in my life! I cannot wait to share the next 27 weeks of pregnancy with you along with my newfound motherhood!

Sugarcane-based Sweeteners

I know that a lot of us are confused about the different versions of sugarcane-based sweeteners that are out there. And for good reason! It seems like every other day another company releases a recommendation on which sweetener is best. Also, the descriptions of each sweetener’s processing can be very cumbersome to decipher. So, the following is the result of some research that I did on the subject. I looked at the three most common forms of sugarcane-based sweeteners: Sucanat, Turbinado, and Evaporated Cane Juice.

Sucanat, which stands for Sugar Cane Natural, is made from whole sugarcane. The sugarcane is minimally processed by cutting the sugarcane, extracting the juice and heating the juice to extract the water. The juice is then reduced, creating a rich, dark syrup. It is then cooled and dried creating porous granules. Sucanat retains the full molasses content of the sugarcane.


Turbinado sugar, also known as Raw Cane Sugar and Demerara, is made by crushing sugarcane and extracting the juice from the cane. The juice is evaporated by heat and then crystallized. The crystals are then spun in a turbine to remove access moisture (molasses). Turbinado sugar looses some of the molasses content, resulting in a lighter brown crystal.

Evaporated Cane Juice, aka Sugarcane Juice and Rapadura (in Latin American countries), is produced by evaporation and distillation. This processing varies based on the manufacturer and regional influences. Unfortunately, there is not one tried and true way that Evaporated Cane Juice is created. When doing my research I came across several different photos of Evaporated Cane Juice and they seem to vary from very light in color (less molasses = more processing and closer to refined white sugar) to very dark in color (more molasses = less processing and closer to the source).




Overall, it is best to purchase Sucanat, as it is cleanest of the sugarcane-based sweeteners. This is because it is reliably closest to the sugarcane source by using less processing and retaining the full molasses content. If you find the thick granules of Sucanat unappealing, you can always whirl them in a food processor to make the granules smaller to closer resemble the consistency of refined, white sugar.

Also, if you are interested, I also did some research on Stevia and Truvia.

Click here for more information on Splenda.

Also, a little more information on the sweetness of different sweeteners in comparison to refined sugar:

Please keep in mind that if you replace table sugar with a liquid sweetener, then you will need to increase the dry ingredients or decrease the liquid ingredients in order to compensate for the extra moisture.

100% Pure Maple Sugar - replace 1:1 and read this article about compensating for extra liquid
Maple Sugar Flakes - 100% sweeter than sugar (use 50% less than sugar)
Sucanat - substitute 1:1 (I usually process it in my Magic Bullet first to create a more refined powder for baking)
Agave Nectar - 25% sweeter than sugar (use 25% less than sugar)
Honey - 25% to 50% sweeter than sugar (use 25% to 50% less than sugar), depending on the sweetness of the batch that you have
Dates (taste like brown sugar) - I wouldn't suggest baking with dates as they do not mix well into liquid ingredients, I add them to VitaMix smoothies and raw desserts
Molasses - 65% as sweet as sugar (use 35% more than sugar)
Organic Zero by Wholesome Sweeteners - 70% as sweet as sugar and can be used 1:1

Teeccino

A couple days ago Allan and I were at Kowalski's picking up a couple items that we were running low on like eggs, milk, sausages, etc. A few weeks ago I decided to cut out my beloved morning skim lattes in favor of chai tea lattes and was running low on my Chai Slightly Sweet liquid yumminess. But to my shock and horror Kowalki's was completely out of it! However, sitting right next to where my beloved should have been was Teeccino.

According to their website, Teeccino Caffeine-free Herbal Coffee is a delicious blend of herbs, grains, fruits and nuts that are roasted and ground to brew and taste just like coffee.

I have been wanting to try Teeccino for a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity! I decided to try the Mocha flavor.

So, this morning I used my Bialetti Mukka Express along with light soy milk to make a Teeccino mocha. It was very good! However, be forewarned that it doesn't really taste like mocha or coffee, but has a really unique and yummy chocolaty flavor with a hint of coffee.

Yummies from Lovely

Last night our good friend, Jamie Paul, stopped over bearing some yummy gifts! With him he had 3 Punch pizza's for supper along with some Lovely Mpls swag.

Jamie and Kevin of Lovely Mpls were nice enough to share with us the "Your Hair is Lovely" poster above and the Hope print below that I have been in love with since we visited their studio last winter. Thanks!!! If you are interested in purchasing a print from Lovely Mpls you can visit their etsy site.

Thank you.

Thank you for your support, thoughts, prayers, and encouragement in the last month and a half. It has really meant a lot to both Allan and me.

Allan has been home from the hospital for about a month and is getting stronger every day. His attitude is very positive and he makes progress every day towards a full recovery. Thank the Lord!

We thank God daily for saving Allan's life so that he can experience beauty that God grants us each and every day. Allan's life is truly a miracle!

I plan on starting to blog again about my daily life, eats, and workouts. Even though I have not been blogging recently, I have been taking pics of the simple meals that we have been eating and plan on sharing those with you. Since Allan has been sick, I have simplified our eats and we are both happier that way.

Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

”God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1