Day 3 & 4:Life style change

Yesterday and today have been not so great for me, in the food department. Yesterday we started out with bagels and cream cheese. I love this type of food for breakfast, but it does not hold me as long and I start feeling sick from eating bread. We then went out for lunch. We ordered burgers and fries. Super delicious, but the grease always gets to me. Last thing we did while being out on the town, was get a dessert, called Gooeys. You can find them at this link -  https://www.cdaresort.com/assets/materials/dockside_gooey_menu.pdf

I have found that dealing with PCOS, my body does not handle ice cream very well. It is chalked full of sugar, and something about the lactose gets to my body. That, night we had a pork roast, baked in apple butter, juice and sugar combo. We had mash potatoes and green beans. super good, but probably not the best meal. I also had two helpings. This is something I am also trying to work on.

Today ran about the same way in having second helpings. I am defiantly a foodie person. I am also a social eater. I love food. I love tasting it, I love making it, I love eating it, I love eating with friends and family. Many times, I have seconds just so I can experience the taste all over,enjoy all the things I love about food all over again. There are two types of people. The first person eats to live, the second person lives to eat. I am the second person. I live to eat. I want to change that some. Food is good and I am not sure I will fully give that up, but, food should be eaten to help us live and live healthy at that.

I am looking forward to getting back to eating more healthy again. That is the thing about a life style change. It usually is a life long process. I love food and I love life, and That's Just Me:)

DAY 2: Life style change

Today is really day three of my thirty day challenge to figuring out my PCOS and not letting PCOS rule my life. So I am sorry, but you will most likely get two blog post today.

Yesterday was a good day. I stayed busy most of the day. Part of the reason I was so busy, was because a friend of ours drove out from Eugene OR to visit. I was cleaning the house and getting his room ready for him. I manage to get out and take a four mile walk, with my baby Edith. It was super cold and I wasn't sure I would even get in a mile. I pushed forward though and made it the four miles. it felt good to push myself a little harder. It was a sweet victory when I made it back to the car.

For breakfast I had forgotten to make enough parfaits. Instead I made myself some shredded wheat over whole milk and then added fresh cut up strawberries. It was filling, tasty, and kept me full for a few hours.

I had a late lunch, we had the Garden Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing. I just love having a fresh food to eat. My husband served a mission for the Church we attend. Which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. His mission was to serve the people of Ecuador. I have never been to Ecuador, but I have had Ecuadorian food. If you haven't tried it, you are missing out. Anyway, this garden salad is very much like one of the salad's they have in Ecuador. It is very simple. but chocked full of flavor and is very healthy.

Our friend made it, just in time for dinner. We ended up going out to eat. I ordered fish and chips. Not the worse meal I could of eaten, but probably not the best option either. Fried foods really don't work that well with people who have PCOS. I feel as I am getting older that, these fried foods, just don't work well in your body anyway. I was surprised that my tummy didn't hurt after eating this. Normally I would want to come home and veg on the couch or go to bed, because I don't feel well. Instead I came home and played a 3.5 hour game. I felt very good and accomplished in this.

This journey so far has been interesting. I look forward to healing my body and learning more about my body. I want to be able to live a good life, without always having to let PCOS rule it. I am very determined and That's Just Me:)

DAY 1: Life Style Change

Life style changing is never an easy task. I honestly believe, that it is a life long process. Over the next thirty days, I will be getting a start on a life style change. Just in case you have not been following along with my blog, I will give you a quick recap. I found out a few years ago that I have PCOS (POLY CYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME). With this comes many issues for me. I deal with anxiety stress on a daily basis. I also struggle with depression some. Having PCOS, means I deal with fertility issues as well. I was able to lose some weight last year and get some help in getting pregnant. I had my baby 3.5 months ago. I have recently been having flair ups with my PCOS. I don't want PCOS to rule my life. This is the reason for the life style change.

My body needs time to heal from the effects of eating certain foods that make PCOS Flair out. Today I started out with a Parfait for breakfast. The food was delicious and I was full. I found that I was hungry again with an a hour or so. I always forget that, eating healthier food and smaller portions, leaves me hungry for a few days or so.  This means I need to be patient with myself, not only for the first few weeks, but as I have said before. This will be a life time process.So I will need to be patient and loving towards my self, always. 

It was such a beautiful November day, that I just could not stay inside all day. My sister, child and I went out for a walk. We fit in a three mile walk. It was a perfect break in the day.I believe that exercise not only helps you have physical awareness, but also mental health awareness as well. I want to include this into my life style, as I know that it will help me become stronger,  and healthier physically and mentally. 

For lunch I made a Garden salad with cilantro lime dressing. It was so fresh and better than I had thought it would be. It gave me the boost I needed for the afternoon. My husband and sister, are being pulled into this life style change. I know it is hard, but I know that this will be good for all of us. A salad is always a good way to go for a meal. It is fresh, healthy and full of good things and usually delicious.

Dinner tonight was one of my favorite meals. made healthy. I love spaghetti, but I always eat too much and I always feel heavy after having pasta and bread. Tonight I made zucchini noodles, I topped it off with spaghetti sauce, kielbasa sausage and a little Parmesan. On the side we had cauliflower bread sticks. It was delicious, it was filling. I actually don't have a noodle maker, so I just cut my veggies thin and bake them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, to help them not be so watery. Again this didn't keep me full for forever, but I felt like my body did so much better with this meal, than if I had stuffed it full of processed carbs.

I finished off the day have some Dill flavored sunflower seeds and 2 cookies. I know sugar wasn't the best decision I could have made but I did it, and that is just that. I am not sure I will be able to give up sugar all together, but I know that I can eat way less than I have been having. I believe in agency. and with that comes consequences for the choices you make. It is not always a bad consequence. With that being said, I love life, I love food. I don't want to limit myself on having a treat here and there. I don't want to make life stressful, if I go out to eat occasionally. I want to enjoy life. So if doing this once in a while makes life more happy and stress free, and my consequence is that i dont feel the best for a few hours. I think I will indulge a little. This is the beginning of my journey and I may change my views on this, but for now, That's Just Me:)

If you are up for a change, try these recipes. They are delicious

https://skinnyms.com/berry-chia-yogurt-parfait/

https://jolynneshane.com/healthy-4th-of-july-recipes.html

https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/cheesy-cauliflower-breadsticks/

Last recipe is for the zucchini pasta. I get one zucchini small-medium size per person. I cut it in to thin strips. 

place on baking sheet with a tbsp of olive oil. You can spice it up with whatever you want. I just sprinkle some salt and garlic on mine. Put tray into the oven at 400 degrees and back for 20 minutes

while the zucchini cooks, I just put 1 can of four cheese HUNTS spaghetti sauce in a pot and warm it on the stove. I also cut up Kielbasa into some circles, and then put them in a pot with a tiny bit of olive oil. Once the zucchini is done, I dish that up on a plate.I then add kielbasa and sauce on top of the zucchini. I finish off the plate, with a little Parmesan. Once you have had this meal, I hope it won't be your last. 

Good things come to those who are patient

Good things come to those who are patient, is never something I wanted to be told. "Ya Ya" is what I thought, as people continued to tell me this phrase. In my last post, I talked about the process that my husband and I were going through, to get pregnant. I really had gotten to the point, that I didn't want to try anymore. I was so sick of getting my hopes up and having my hopes smashed each month. Last year around this time, I found out that we were expecting our first child. There were so many times i took the pregnancy test to look down and see a BIG FAT NO. I was so surprised when the pregnancy test read PREGNANT. I had to look at it several times, before I actually believed it. I remember calling my husband and telling him right then and there. I just could not wait to share the happy news with him. At that moment all those time of seeing no second line or the words reading NOT PREGNANT, did not matter anymore. I was finally Pregnant.

I am happy to say that my pregnancy really was not too horrible. I was sick until 22 weeks, but really the rest of the pregnancy was not bad. towards the end, we were just ready to meet our little girl. As the weeks grew closer and my tummy grew rounder, our Dr told us that I was dilated to a 2cm and 70% effaced. This was great news, or so I thought. I progressed some over the next week, but than sat at 3cm and 70% effaced for almost three weeks. When finally I started getting contractions, and they were not going away after the thirty minutes, as they had been doing for the last few weeks. It was go time. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, on July 26th 2018 at 2:19a.m. She is the best thing that has happened to my husband and I. I am so glad that I didn't give up on trying to get pregnant.

The biggest struggle in getting pregnant, is that I have PCOS, POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROM. I was able to get pregnant, though I suffer from this condition. I have not figured out how to deal with very well. This is something I have to remind my self to be patient with and with my self. Recently I have decided that I do not want PCOS to rule my life. Stress is a cause of PCOS, but PCOS in turn causes stress. A vicious cycle. I deal with anxiety as well. Which is not a fun thing to deal with. I know eating and exercise really do help with not only fertility issues, but it helps your body and mind. I tried this before, but failed miserably. So I am hoping that, with this new dedication, that I will be able to follow my challenge. The paleo diet and low carb diet is really good for someone who suffers with PCOS. I want to blog about the foods I have each day, and how they help me with my PCOS.

I know some days, my post may not be as exciting, but I hope you will bare with me, as I continue to find myself through dealing with PCOS but even more learning to actively make the changes I need daily to not let PCOS rule my life.

Thanks for reading, and loving me, because That's Just Me:)

Preparing me for something BETTER!

Do you ever wonder why we experience good times and hard times in our lives? Do you ever find yourself asking why something is happening to you? So many of us think we are entitled. By this I mean we think life should be full of fresh lemonade. We think we shouldn't have to have hard things happen to us, because it isn't fair or because you are a good person. It is hard to see others go through hard things and its hard to get through your own tough situations, but how would we ever prove to ourselves that we can be something so much more. We are so capable of becoming whoever we want to be. We are capable for so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

My husband and I have gone through so many trying times in the past year. It is amazing ever time, that we were able to push pass those hard times. We have grown so much. Let me tell you though, that there were many times I found myself asking why we had to go through the trial we were going through. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a year and a bit. ( I know this is nothing compared to what many people go through, but this is real to me and is something we struggle with.) I have been to so many appointments this last year. Finally this last appointment my Dr. put me on a pill that is suppose to help me have a regular period. I am also on another pill that will help me to ovulate correctly. I am finally feeling that there is hope and that we are getting somewhere with this process.

The process along the way, has really helped me to grow. I never realized how much it has prepared me for the person I am today. My little sister came to live with us in February this year. We have loved to have her here. We have also learned so much from having her in our home. William and I have learned together and about each other, and how we both react to certain things. This has helped us to see how we want to do things with our future children.

We recently got a kitten. We love her so much. She is also a brat and very frustrating at times. She likes to bite and play rough. She likes to chew all the cords and blankets. It has been a growing process in training her what is okay and what is not okay. I keep thinking of all these things I am experiencing, and I see how it is preparing me to be kind and patient for our future children. It is helping me practice now to be kind and patient with my husband, sister and kitten now as well.

 I have a friend who is going through a really rough time right now. She questions a lot why these things are happening to her. She says its unfair. It is unfair and it is hard, and some of these hard things she is experiencing is because of someone else's choices. I know she is strong though and that she will be able to get through these hard time in her life. I know she will become so much better for going through this trial. She has already made some good changes that she was opposed to doing.  

I know I have a loving Heavenly Father.. He knows me, he knows how much I can handle. He wants me to have all that he has, and I know that He allows me to go through hard times, so that I can be strengthened and grow into a bigger and better person, I am truly grateful for all the trials that have helped me grow into the women I am today. I hope that all that read this, will be able to find some peace as you go through your own hardships. I hope that you realize we all have hardships, custom for us... to help us grow.

Day 2: Cook Isn't My Name For Nothing!

Second recipe of my thirty days of cooking. I decided to go with something simple, but maybe a little more high in calorie. It is still a reasonable calorie intake for a dinner meal.

2 servings. Just double recipe if you need more.

Ingredients:
    * 3 Hot dogs ( I used Jumbo Hot Dogs
    * 1/2-1 cup of pre-made mash potatoes
        (milk, butter and water or whatever needed to make mash potatoes up)
    *  2 oz of cheese ( from an 8 oz. block of cheese or already shredded cheese is good.)
    * Have a cup of mild Chunky Salsa.
    * 1/4 Cup of Sour cream ( my husband I love sou cream so we use more. It also depends on how good I am counting calories that)


Directions:
    1. while thawing your hot dogs. Follow directions on the back of the package for the mash                     potatoes.
 
     2. Cut the hot dogs long ways in half. lay the halves next to each other, In a cookie sheet or baking           pan.

     3.Once hot dogs are set next to each other, spoon mash potatoes on to the top of the hot dogs.

     4. Take shredded cheese and put it on top of the potatoes.

     5. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is all melted and potatoes and hot dogs are warm at 350                degrees.

     6. Last put your sour cream on top of the potato hot dog boats and then add salsa.: both opt,

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I made mine a little bit different. I made homemade mash potatoes. (make your homemade mash potatoes the way you like them)  I Line them up in a baking dish and bake them until they are all warm and the cheese is melted.afterwards I  add the sour cream and salsa .

  

This is a delicious meal. and is pretty filling. Today I mostly counted my calories pretty well, but my husband and I are going to Jurassic park the new movie, and we both know we want popcorn. Like I said in my previous post, We are not going to get worked up if we go over our calorie limit, because there are going to be times that it is good and necessary to switch things up. 

If you are looking for a quick, and easy meal this is the one for you. it is very salty, but the sour cream and salsa help keep that at bay.

Day 1:COOK Isn't My Last Name for Nothing!

I love to cook! Do you know what I like ever more than to cook? I love to eat it. The problem is that I love to eat so much that sometimes it becomes a problem. My husband and I have decided to be more healthy. We have started calorie counting, and being better about exercising. I would like to do a thirty day blog. I want to blog about the recipes that I try. Some being healthier, some not so much, and my experience with calorie counting during that time. We both feel that we would prefer to keep all our favorite foods and treats in our diet. Taking away those things make me feel constricted, and not in a good way. Anyone who has ever dieted knows what I mean. If you do something you hate, then its not going to stick.

First recipe: Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole. Ladies and Gents, this was a keeper. My husband really liked this one, and it was so easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• (about 1.5 lbs. or 4 1/2 cups)
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, cooled and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 green onions, sliced (green parts only for low-FODMAP/low-fructose)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 9" baking pan or casserole dish.
2. Spread half of the diced potatoes in bottom of pan. Place the diced chicken breasts evenly on top. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half the bacon crumbles, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and half the green onions.
3. Spread the remaining diced potatoes on top, followed by the remaining bacon, another 1/2 cup cheese, remaining green onions and another 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour heavy cream over top of casserole and then dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes. In the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and bake until melted. Serve.

This one, was Actually pretty easy to count. I just added up the amount of calories per item and then divide it by how many cups of food are there. The bacon complimented the chicken and cheese. The potatoes were soft, and moist. Every bite was a burst of gooey flavor. I did add an extra half cup of  heavy cream.  If you are looking for an easy, pretty quick delicious meal, this is the one for you.