9 month bulk..TransformationTuesday..Baby #2

Yep, that's right, we're expecting #2! I'm 16 weeks and due December 22 or 25th...so we'll see! We're excited to have another little one running around and G is excited to be a big sister, and if you ask her she ALREADY is a big sister :) So cute. I think I'm more excited for her to be a big sister and for our family to feel more complete than being pregnant and all that jazz that goes along with birth.

Everyone always asks "how you're feeling", well, I wasn't feeling very well, at all, up until about last week. Want to know something evil? Lifting made me nauseous and just thinking about drinking or eating protein powder made me sick to my stomach. Yep, evil trick Universe, evil trick.

So I had not worked out in nearly 3 months and it feels so great having enough energy and desire to get back to the gym and lift, which I've done 3-5 days a week this last 2 weeks.  I'm not working out with as much "enthusiasm" or heart-pumping effort as I did before I found out but I get a good lift session in (I'm doing my own program, BabyStrong, I wrote for other mommy-to-bes to follow but also doing other things based on what I need to develop ie. legs and lower back since I have a weak lower back). I also get in cardio 3 or more days a week, Pedal & Pump 2 days and running 1 or 2 days also...and we all know how much I hate running...so it's pretty light jogging but I still try.

I won't blog about pregnancy all the time but I'll update as needed, or as it gets interesting, I'm pretty open about pregnancy because I feel that women do not get the WHOLE story and there are some serious shockers...so we'll see what I can educate you all on. Like how I'm 16 weeks with #2 and barely showing yet, everyone is different and wonders when they'll show...well, I'm about there at 16 weeks :)

This pregnancy doesn't change my life much, I eat the same because we ate whole, healthy foods before and I didn't drink much caffeine before so that wasn't hard to drop (though I will have a few every few weeks now)...the best part is I'm craving protein...meat...so I still get a lot of that in. I have been craving more "carby, sweet" things, I really wanted a cinnamon roll but being gluten free will help with those cravings so they don't go down the hatch. No additional cravings now that I'm in the 2nd trimester but that can change, daily!

So here's to a new season of eating healthy, eating consciously but not counting, measuring or tracking because it's about gaining what you need and being healthy for you as Mom and for baby to grow!

Feel free to follow along to see how this mommy of 1 toddler becomes a mommy of 2, get info on pregnancy, healthy recipes as usual and more healthy life hints and tips! It's the same ole Nicci...just with another human inside...that's all!

Eating for fat-loss! High protein family dinner(no short - order cooking)

Shrimp pasta and omelet..but first, have you heard of "Flexible dieting"? or "IIFYM"? how about simply eating for fat-loss?

As we've talked about before, it's hard to know what to cook and how to eat when you don't need the same amount of food that your growing kids or man-sized husband need.  I definitely don't need the same amount of calories my husband does just to keep meat on his bones, and my 3 year old is a good eater but still a picker, she'll eat anything but she's still 3 and randomly picky. If you don't want to know about eating or fat-loss skip down to the recipe... (but it's pretty interesting info, if you ask me!)

I need more protein and fats than I do carbs, as many women with hormone issues/imbalances find they do. This is found by knowing your body (blood work from doctors helps) and trial and error. Carbs are awesome, and I eat them, but there are times when I'd rather eat mine for things other than just pasta and plain breads or there are times when my body just doesn't need 200 grams... though I do have those days too.

I guess I will take this minute to talk about carbs, just to clarify how I organize macro nutrients (fat, protein and carbs).  As we are taught in college nutrition classes, there is a balanced way to eat your nutrients and every individual has a different need. This need can be calculated out based on many factors. Once calculated based on body composition and activity level it is truly trial and error over time... Eat what we calculate, see how your body responds then adjust accordingly.

These days, the days of needing to name diets and put Fancy titles to trends, people call this flexible dieting or "iifym" if it fits your macros. But calling it a diet is annoying to me because it's just how you should eat based on what you body needs....for life, as a lifestyle, not a diet. But if you need to tell yourself you're following a cool trend then go right ahead, because it works. But I've been calculating these things since 2002 (and many other have for many more years than I). **And for the general population, It's not about weighing your apple pieces or weighing minuscule crumbs of protein powder, but it's about knowing how much you need, how much that looks like and eating within what your body is requiring, but not being tied to a measuring cup or scale.

So I eat within what my body needs, and so do my clients. We track the food for and little bit so they can get to know their body and the fuel it needs and then they can wean off the numbers so they can learn to make appropriate choices to stay healthy and fit. 

When my thyroid was off kilter (as diagnosed by a sports doc) I had to eat lower carb, higher good fat, high protein.  Many women with PCOS or other hormone related issues (think pre, peri and post menopause) will realize that lower carb, higher fat eating will just make their body respond better to their fat-loss efforts.  And the cool part is that if you can get your body back to where it should be,  like I was able to do through diet (eating more) and minimal cardio, then carbs can come back with minimal negative effects. Though some with PCOS will always be insulin resistant and carbs will need to be low to keep fat off. 

So, yes, women and men are the same as we can eat similar but there are unique things that may change what and how we need to eat to reach fat loss and health goals.

On to the food recipe!!!....

Ok, so that being laid out there. I don't eat low carb anymore because things are going well but as it pertains to the meal in question I had delved into a bag of pretzels and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast (those that know me know that when I say "a bowl of cereal" just double or triple it). So needless to say I had loaded on carbs for the day and by dinner I was out of my allotted amount. I needed some fats and protein! But the rest of the family wanted pasta.  So here's what we did:

I had frozen shrimp, gluten free pasta, tomatoes and eggs. 

-I thawed the shrimp while boiling the pasta. 

-When that was boiling away I had my 3 egg omelet cooking in a pan (I had 3 whole eggs for the fat and protein, if I was limiting fat I would have done 4 egg whites),  tossed in some shrimp, flipped, and let it cook.

-While the omelet was cooking I mixed the stewed tomatoes with the drained pasta and shrimp in the hot pot. Picture ----->

- Plated the pasta/shrimp and sauce up for the hubs and the kid. 

- By then my omelet was done I sprinkled some pesto on top and plated that.  <-----picture p="">

- We all sat down to eat.

Oh and since we require something GREEN at every meal I heated up some frozen green beans...1 minute in the microwave. No biggie. 

This is what I call an overlapping meal...

3 people eating the same foods, different amounts with different nutrient needs.

We also watch our added sugars so instead of pasta sauce I made it with stewed basil and garlic tomatoes. This gave great flavor, less sugar, 1/2 the sodium and it stretched the serving size. My main focus is lowering sugars not total carbs or fat or anything, but it comes along with it sometimes. You can see the nutrition differences here:

Stewed tomatoes, Store brand

Toddler approved protein pancakes...the best!

Do you ever have a hard time getting your kids to eat anything other than cereal for breakfast? Well, we all know that breakfast is important, especially for kids who are headed off to school to use their brains to learn new things every day.  Breaking an all night fast with a sugary cereal, pop tart or waffle and syrup is not ideal for a growing brain, let alone a growing body. Being both gluten and dairy free helps us get in the good foods because we avoid most processed "gluten free" foods by cooking most things from scratch. But breakfast, in the morning is always a challenge, especially when we need to get in some protein for growing bones and muscles...both the kids' and ours :)

I have made tons of different types of protein pancakes. Many of them were ones that I can eat every day, some I was just getting through telling myself they're pancakes (mostly the super high protein/no carb ones) but I still like them, they are good...but a 3 year old has a different idea of what a pancake is. Fluffy, a little more substance, and sweet flavor. 

So here it is friends! The recipe for the pancakes:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mashed overripe bananas about 2

1 cup vanilla almond milk

1cup oat flour (I did my oats finely ground in the food processor)

1 to 1 1/2 scoop About Time vanilla protein powder*

1tsp baking powder

coconut oil as needed

Directions: 

Mix oats and baking powder with the milk and mashed banana. Mix well.  Add in 1/2 scoop or so of protein powder, mix well again. Scoop by 1/4 cup fulls onto greased heated pan. (I added a teaspoon or so to the pan for each pancake as they got a bit stuck and I like crispy.) If it fluffs up or is a weird constancy then add some milk (this could be your protein powder). After cooking a few for the kiddo I added a whole scoop of powder to the rest of the batter for myself and added a splash of milk to thin it out then cooked the rest. *you can leave out the protein all together, but I am always trying to get more protein into my kid's any my own diet

We didn't top with anything, the super ripe banana is just sweet enough to make it good to eat without adding more sugary substances...though if you need then local honey would be tasty!

 It made about 6 pancakes....G's were cut into an Easter egg shape since she thought that would make it taste better...

I hope you all enjoy it! MMMMM

This recipe was adapted from Oven Haven blog here: http://ovenhaven.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/toddler-tuesdays-banana-pancakes-no-eggs-no-dairy-no-sugar/#comment-9991

We don't eat the same?!

I get many questions about nutrition but the one that I get most come from the women that are trying to get their nutrition on track is that they have to deal with feeding a family or husband on that meal plan! The dilemma is how is Mom supposed to eat when she has kids don't eat what you eat and husbands that tend to eat way more than you eat.  Think of it this way, your kids are growing and run everywhere, they don't even comprehend how to walk through the house, they play sports and are jumping up and down in place because its annoying...I mean...fun. Your husband is, well, a man, and typically he's bigger than you, or taller than you and his metabolism is different than yours. Our needs aren't the same as our husbands' needs.

Here's my situation...my husband is a "hard gainer" meaning, he can pack away 5,000-7,000 calories a day and maybe gain a few. He walks around with a 6-pack because he is so naturally lean, it's really just not fair...some may say he's thin, some say lean, whatever it is, the guy needs to eat more than he does. When he gets on a workout kick (which is few and very far between) he needs even more calories since he's burning some.  I blame this on years of high school and college wrestling requiring him to diet down from small to smaller (we're talking 3%-5% bodyfat at best), so now, he can just "forget" to eat (what?! how does that even happen?)

We went on vacation for 6 days and he gained 7 pounds...he weighed at the doctor, same scale same time of day 10 days apart....the man doesn't gain weight on my food for months! Clearly I need to cook with more oil and fats because that's what we ate all week and that's what he needs. Wait, did I mention his fitness goals are to gain weight? that might make more sense...to those of you whose mindset tends towards the losing weight scenarios.

So back to our nutrition issues.... how does a woman eat when she has a hungry man in the house and maybe even some growing little ones to feed to?  We have always been told that "mom is not a short-order cook" but what if you were, for you? Then you can cook what they need and still eat what you need. That is exactly what I tell my nutrition clients whose biggest complaint is that they can't get the small amount of good food they need because they are always cooking and eating what the rest of the family wants.  I have made it through baby weight-loss, competition prep and normal life now by figuring out how to incorporate what THEY eat and what I eat into one quick and easy cooking process.  It is pretty much an "overlap". We all need veggies, check. We all need a protein, check. We don't all need a filler/carb...so I cook everything together that I can and they get more of the filler (quinoa, sweet potato, brown rice, noodles...) and that would be my measured out portion of what I need or I just don't eat it and I make sure I measure or weight out the portion I need of the chicken/fish/ground turkey....

Here is a meal that I cook often:  (what you don't see is the Amie's GF/organic veggie chili I popped in the microwave for 2 mins. In this case the protein of the meal is different because I didn't want bean/veggie chili so I whipped up some scrambled egg whites...an awesome go-to!)

sweet potato puffs and Brussels sprouts
all cooked on the same pan!

caramelized some onion (totally optional)
and scrambled some egg whites while waiting for oven stuff.

Toddler gets this because she loves
sweet potato puffs and we make her eat the rest

Husband gets this massive pile of SP puffs (almost whole bag)
Brussels sprouts, plus chili and onions

I get this, 4 egg whites, enough puffs to satisfy
 and all the Brussels sprouts I want

See, easy-peasy. Just "overlap" your food so you aren't cooking two different meals. Eat the same healthy, lean protein (and if not then whip up some egg whites for your self, they go with everything!). It is perfectly fine to be a short-order cook if you are doing for your own benefit and health. It won't feel as bad either since you are doing something for yourself. You're eating healthier, smaller portions, keeping food cooking to a minimum and keeping cleaning low because you are using all the same pans.

I will do this with everything...I may have some more suggestions in a few days so keep checking here and Facebook for more meal ideas!

Happy, Healthy Day Friends!

MY version of Fit

These are my thoughts lately. As I'm not seeing fast enough changes, or changes that I'd like to see in my self I have to remind myself of these things:

I lift heavy weights. 
I eat well.
I overeat sometimes. 
I stay active. 
I'm lazy at times. 
I workout 5-6 days a week. 
I take extra days off to be with my kid.
I stay My version of fit.
My fitness inspirations have a lot of muscle. I have more than I have ever had. I would love more and am working towards those goals. Genetics play a large role and hard work plays a large role. Life circumstances are factors.
But no matter where I'm at in my journey...I will ways be#MYversionofFit. I want you to strive to by YOUR version of fit. One of my fitness idols (Brooke Erickson) puts it best...you are #goodenough

It is important to remind yourself why you do things and what you are doing them for....double check yourself too.  And when you figure it out put it out there into the world, post it on my facebook page or comment here. I'd love to see what YOUR version of fit is...post your pictures on my facebook page with the hashtag #MyVersionofFit

Happy and healthy day, friends!

Do you even....?

How did you all do on the Transformation challenge? I didn't do too bad. I had a great transformation! It came about in how I thought about food, working out, and life. Everything came together, on point, and ended with the lifestyle that I can maintain and a body that I am not always trying to change.  I'm out of the competition mindset (but that doesn't mean I can't do it again ;) ) just that I can do it without so much damaging prep. I hope you all have found a way to live a healthy lifestyle....

But that's where I start with the question "Do you even...?" We've all seen the memes 'do you even...' fill- in- the-blank-with-whatever-the-creator-was-trying-to-make-a-point-about.  Do you even lift? Do you even run? do you even crochet? Meaning, "...Well you should!"  Here's what I take from that, just try it! whatever "it" is. For me, it has always been running. I just don't like it. I like lifting, I like sprinting, I like rowing, I like sports, I like sitting around (yep, I'm actually a lazy person deep down inside). But running has always been my nemesis.  Most of you all know that I have done my fair share of 1/2 marathons...well 2, or was it 3? I'm pretty sure it would be that easy for me to block one out. Because I "don't even run". But I do challenge myself...a lot.  I like goals and when I get something in my head, I pretty much make sure it happens. This could be a fault, but whatever, it works out in the end.

I have, in the past, gotten up in the morning, walked down to the Mission Bay and whatever 10k was starting, I'd jump on in (yes, we were non committal and cheap in our younger years :) ). That was a challenge for me, because I always had to beat THAT person. The one that TOTALLY shouldn't be in front of me (but they refused to realize it). So to get my competitiveness out I'd compete against said runner-that-isn't-really-faster-than-me and kill my legs until I crossed that finish line ahead of them. Then I would sit on the grass and pretend to take in the ocean view while deep down I was hoping my legs wouldn't fall off and my lungs wouldn't vacate my chest cavity. And I'd do this on multiple weekends...yeah, I don't know why either.

Since moving to the Midwest 10ks are few and far between in my town. We have a ton of 5ks but for some reason 10 is just a bit too far...could be because you can't go more than 5k without running into a hill, and no one really wants to be running hills for any length of  'Ks'.  So I don't do that many and I really miss it. Until APRIL 19th...yep, I'm doing The Color Vibe and it's right here in my own town! We don't get much here, especially big organized ones, I mean there are about 2 organizations that put on runs regularly and it's always the same people, so this will be so cool!  A national company is bringing the color run to Jeff City. People are so stoked about it that it's mid January and there are more teams than I can count registered and the buzz is awesome. I can't wait to get doused in color. And the best part is that for the first time my running buddy (by then she'll be 3) will get to do it out of the stroller. So I can safely tell you it won't be a PR run for me but it will be a Personal Best in that I think G will LOVE getting colored while running around with friends.

So for my local folks, I have a team, HeartStrong 'n' Fit team (oh and I got ya $5 off too), we'll all wear a STRONG white shirt and I'll have to let you all know how it goes...unless you do it with me, then you'll already know how it was.

Pasta, Gluten and Experiments confirmed!

As most people that know my family know, or if you’ve read the blog for a while, 2 of the 3 of us are gluten and dairy free, not by choice, the third person eats that way simply because it’s easier that way than explaining to a toddler why Daddy gets to eat different stuff all the time.  You can find the background, how we found out, how long it took and all of that on the “Gluten Free” tab.  Being gluten free is not really that difficult to do, especially if eating it gives you pain, it’s pretty easy to stick to.  The thing that makes it the most difficult is dealing with outsiders, people that don’t believe in it (which is just plain annoying) or when we go out and really don’t want to be “those” customers asking for so many substitutions.

Let me explain the worst part… I am half ITALIAN!  That means that when we make our traditional homemade ravioli complete with spinach and ricotta filling, I don’t get to participate and G, for the first time that she would be able to actually appreciate it, wouldn’t get to have any!  But we found a way around it….so transpired THE GREAT GLUTEN EXPERIMENT OF 2013…and it was perfect!  Enter Italian flour.  That’s it. Italian flour.  You’re probably wondering why? How? And could it work for you too?  Well, I don’t know because it was a total experiment and every individual is different.  But you gotta be curious how we came upon this awesome discovery:

My sister and Brother-in-law spent 5 weeks over the last summer in Europe.  The whole trip was about living it up, with trips, fun…and food.  She ate everything and anything she wanted.  Pasta, pasta, pasta. Baguettes and formagio (cheese), croissants, crepes…you name it.  All the while she didn’t have any pain while noshing on all of that goodness, she noticed the lack of stomach issues but didn’t think a whole lot about it. 

Then they came back to the US, stayed with us for a couple of weeks, where she was gluten free so she didn’t really notice anything.  Then it was off to Oregon, home of her husband.  Well, there were sandwiches, toast, cereal and beer…and there was pain.  So much so her husband freaked out and tried dragging her to the ER.  That didn’t happen but she gave up gluten at that moment and never looked back (well, until the blood test that made her eat it for a few weeks). 

            They did research upon research and one of the findings was that 90% of Latin Americans are gluten intolerant.  I said I was half Italian…well my other half is Nicaraguan.  That would explain why 2 aunts and my own daughter were diagnosed within 6 months of each other.

That brings us to another connection.  A family friend who is a doctor, had been gluten free for 15 years, went to Europe for a month and said “forget it, I’m going to eat it all and just live with the pain”. (Apparently we all just need to let it all go in Europe?)  But there was no pain either.  My sister was so glad to hear that, it kind of confirmed that she wasn’t making it up!

So on to our experiment.  I was pretty bummed that I couldn’t eat the ravioli that I would spend hours upon hours pressing and filling and cutting.  My dad, wanting his first and only granddaughter to be able to eat the ravioli, had a genius idea: we can try getting the same flour they used in Europe that others had so successfully been able to eat.  So he special ordered a few pounds of flour and on Ravioli Day we got to mixing…and I got to eating, and sampling, and making, and sampling (I love dough) and finally I got to eat some cooked ones for lunch.  My reactions are usually within 45 minutes to 2 hours so we waited.  We kept cranking the pasta press, filling and pressing and cutting and every so often my dad would say “how do you feel?”  I kinda felt like a lab rat to be honest   Anyway, after a few hours and even the next day….NOTHING.  I ate a TON of pasta and didn’t hurt J   (to see pics of us making it keep scolling down)

Just to confirm it all, 2 days later I went out for Mexican food with 10 of my cousins and I decided to just go for it…and I paid for it.  So yes, I am still able to get sick off merely sauce and chips.  That was phase 2 of the Great Gluten Experiment of 2013, and it failed.  CONCLUSION: Italian flour did not hurt me!

There is a lot of research out there on gluten intolerance and why or how it occurs or why some people get it.  Some doctors are saying that even intolerance can be called Celiac because so many have it these days that they just should call it all Celiac..but that’s not the case yet.  I’m not here to go into all of that, find a great allergist or gastroenterologist to help you with that.  The research that I’m intrigued by is the research about GMO wheat and how that is what is really affecting those that are intolerant or Celiac.  Why would some people get diagnosed in their 60s or older when for the first 50 years of their lives they were eating everything and were, seemingly, without symptoms?  Or why so many young people can’t tolerate substances that once were so common? Or why the flour in Europe doesn't affect people like the flour we get here in the US?  From what I’ve read, a lot of the chemicals and GMO processes we use here are illegal in many other countries.  That may tell us something.  I don’t know.  Like I said, I’m not a scientist, doctor or researcher but I can tell you that from my, and others in my life’s, experiences, the flour here hurts and the flour from Italy doesn’t.  That’s all this is experiment was about but it sure got the questions flowing.

I like to say that if your Grandmother didn't eat it, couldn't get it or can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t eat it.

The moral is, do your own research, do your own experiments if you have to and figure out what’s right for you.  Everybody is different and has different levels of tolerance to various foods or allergens.  Find doctors that support you, help you.

Just live the way that makes you happy and healthy. 

how we made it:

the filling: 

after rolling it in the press: filling it:

pressing ("forking"):Cutting:

The finished product...mmmmm: