I haven’t done a meal plan in a while so lets discuss!

Over the last, well, 4 months or so I have lost my touch for proper meal planning to save money and be more prepared for the week. But when everything grossed me out and all I wanted was pasta and potatoes, who can blame me. Trying to get back on track and help our budget as well as waistline (mostly Kevin’s)!

Totally apologizing for this horrible picture quality, I don’t have an iPhone 6. HA Or any camera that takes decent pictures.

My shopping trip was super random today actually because we have a lot of food already. I definitely went for the Pork Chops to go along with the apples we were going to be picking. Does anyone else LOVE pork and apples for the Fall besides me? You don’t even need any spices! Sear them, chop up some apples and throw them in the oven or put them all in a crockpot while you’re at work. Delish. The shrimp is just for freezer stock. I like to have a bag of shrimp on hand for a quick work night dinner when we didn’t take anything out to defrost. Stocked up on Grapes and Raspberries because they were on a good sale and Avocados are literally always in my basket. I’ve been missing deli meat like you wouldn’t believe so I had to buy some. I went with Boar’s Head Chicken, low sodium, cut at a size 4. This way I can heat the cold cuts up in the microwave to kill the bacteria, then re-fridge them for a safe deli sandwich! I’m excited!

The beans and yogurt are also almost always on my shopping list because they are staples for breakfast and snack. Kevin and I eat egg whites every morning mixed with beans, peppers, onions and anything else we have on hand, usually with turkey sausage on the side and topped with Tabasco and avocado.

Again, it’s difficult to photograph eggs because they look less than appetizing! haha But I promise it’s the most delicious and healthful breakfast with lots of protein! I’ll even mix in a whole egg once in a while for added fats.

I’ve also been trying for protein packed snacks at work that will keep me fuller, longer. My two go-to’s at the moment are Peanut Butter/Almond Butter and Banana on Wasa Crackers or Greek Yogurt with fruit and toppings. I always choose Fat Free Greek Yogurt to ensure there’s no added crap that we don’t want in our bodies. I don’t like the fruit added ons as those are loaded with extra sugar which I think is unnecessary. Plus, fresh fruit adds loads of sweetness and tastes much more delicious. For toppings I use plain Oats and Slivered Almonds, and recently some Protein Granola. The fruit accounts for 1/4c and the toppings account for another 1/4c.

DINNER this week – in no particular order… Pork Chops and Apples with Boiled Potatoes; Moroccan Chicken with Soba Noodles; leftovers; Dinner out; Shrimp and Pasta. These should all last us through the week between lunch and dinner leftovers. I hate having loads of leftovers in the fridge so I really try to eat everything up before we have a new meal. Kevin has class Tuesday nights until about 9pm so I pack his dinner and I usually have something small and healthy, like a salad with Morning Star Chik’n or Quinoa with Chicken.

What’s on your menu this week? I’d love to hear, subscribe and leave me comments!

How far along: 16 weeks
Baby is the size of: A Pickle. 4.5″ and 4oz.
Gender:.  I’ll never tell…until March
Weight gain: Haven’t been to the doctor for an accurate count. Most likely hit the 5lb mark.
Maternity clothes: Not yet! I need to find me some jeans. I wore my skinnies today with a pony tail holder through the button, YEAH!
Stretch marks: None yet. And I got some Lush Moisturizing Soap for stretch marks from my friend today. <3
Belly button in or out:  Very in. And so is my navel ring.
Sleep: Can’t complain. Asleep between 8/830..awake 530ish.
Best moment this week: Most definitely feeling kicks and jabs. Not often enough though!!
Worst moment this week: I’d say it was a pretty positive week.
Miss anything: Fitting in my cute clothes properly with a flat tummy.
Movement: Little bit! Can’t wait for more.
Cravings: Nothing in particular. Vanilla Milk Shakes were on the menu last week though.
Queasy or sick: Nope.
Labor Signs: Nothing. I hope for a while.
Symptoms: Only some stabbing pains on my left side that come and go.
Wedding rings on or off: ON. We did the “ring on a string” thing. I’ll never tell.
Looking forward to: Definitely feeling more movement and for my family to see their first Grandchild on ultrasound in a few weeks!

Kevin and I spent the day yesterday in NYC with my parents enjoying the gorgeous weather! I wanted to take a day trip somewhere, be outside and snap some generic photos for the nursery walls. Kevin suggested going to NY and I was totally game. We walked and ate and shopped and love each others company.

Today, Kevin and I met our amazing friends at a farm nearby to go Pumpkin and Apple Picking. When was the last time sweating and pumpkin picking went hand-in-hand? Holy hotness! Not the type of temperature we’re used to this time of the year but I am certainly not complaining.

I want to give a huge, huge, humungous thank you to our friends and family who have been so generous during these first few months of my pregnancy. My best friends are amazing with congratulation gifts for me and baby, as well as help with shower planning and offering of hand-me-downs. Our parents are offering to purchase the larger ticket items and we just could not be more thankful and appreciative. I wasn’t sure what to expect when those little lines appeared on my test, but we are in a spot in our lives where this is as good a time as any to start our family and we are so ready. The love and support makes it so much more relaxing on us. Now, if they could just empty our spare room, paint the walls and put everything together we’d be livin’ the life! Partly a joke…

Hoping a quick week to everyone out there so we can share more weekend fun!

It’s a BABY! We are excited to announce that we will be a family of THREE come March. Little Laroche is set to arrive on…or before…or well after, March 14, 2015. Happy π-Day (Pi)!

Kevin and I are through the moon excited to enter into the next adventure in our lives and take on parenthood. I’ll be honest, pregnant-hood hasn’t been overly enjoyable but I know it could have been MUCH worse.

We were definitely trying to get pregnant but had no idea it would happen so quickly for us and braced ourselves for the weeks of trying.  After some 12-hour-of-sleep nights and tummy rumbles in the middle of the night, I had a slight hunch those two little pink lines weren’t far off. I found out I was pregnant over Fourth of July weekend while Kevin was away camping! Mum was the word for two w-h-o-l-e two days! What made it worse, my Mom was visiting for the weekend so it was even harder to keep my trap shut (and not make it obvious I was avoiding all alcohol and sleeping 24/7). All worked out and I surprised (an expecting) Kevin when he arrived home.

Family and Friends have been so supportive (once we told them) that I could not ask for a better circle of people to be with us through this journey. The most fun so far has been surprising everyone with the news in different ways. We were on vacation in California when I was around 6-7 weeks and knew we were going to have to tell my family. Spending the days in Napa Valley and Breweries and “I’ll have a water please?” just seemed far too obvious. I had a rocky first trimester with a constant upset stomach but only got hit with that ever dreaded morning sickness once (the other two puke-sessions were due to my prenatal vitamin! I thought it was hell during it, but looking back, I had a pretty easy peasy first 12 weeks. Thank you little creature!

When those little pink lines came across the pregnancy test I almost died…SO many things flew through my mind I didn’t know what to focus on first. I expected tears, tears of joy, tears of scared as hell…just tears. None. I think I was in shock. Not to mention it was not what I had anticipated with the shower running before work on a Thursday morning, with no husband. I think there must have been 800 things run through my head that day, and I became scared. This shouldn’t have been a shock as we were obviously trying to get pregnant, but the thoughts just raced through my head. Am I ready for this? What if I do something wrong? Can I curl up on the couch the wrong way and hurt it? What if I eat something I shouldn’t have? I just had beer last night, what did I do? I’m not ready to be a parent. Maybe I don’t really want kids. I hope you all experienced these same doubts because I feel like they are normal. And to be honest, these doubts stayed with me for a good 3-4 weeks…in-between nausea and freak-out crying sessions. The infamous “I’d rather be recovering from another hip surgery” may have popped up a few times. You know how some women love being pregnant and some hate it? I was already on the “pregnancy is not for me” bandwagon and it was hard to jump off. But I smacked myself a few times and said, HELLO, this is what you wanted, you did this on purpose, you are ready and have been ready your whole life. It’s true. The crazy freak-outs subsided and I was ready to BE pregnant. Then came the “I”m going to gain HOW much weight?”. Oh hell no.

After we let the cat out of the bag at the 11/12 week mark, the love and support came rolling in even faster. We received cards and baby toys, offers for babysitting and hand-me-downs and any other support people could offer. It couldn’t be a more joyous time and we are so happy to be over the difficult times and ready for what is in store.

I hope I’m not the only one who has experienced these feelings and I’m sure I’m not. I just finished reading Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy and girl, if she can make it through so can I. I can’t wait to share all of the planning I have ahead of me and get advice from others on everything! Now, who’s ready for some belly pics!

14 weeks and counting!

I must apologize to my fans for the HUGE siesta I took away from blogging. Our summer was jam packed with lots of funtivities which led to more time to have fun and less time to tell you all about it. But the Summer has wrapped up, the weather is crisp and Fall feels right around the corner (having mixed emotions!).

The Summer started with a Chowder Festival in Rhode Island and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. June quickly came to an end and we entered July which meant Family Vacation time! This year we all hopped on an airplane in our respective cities and flew cross-country to visit our West Coast Family – a MUCH needed trip and we had a blast. Since Kevin and I could not get a direct flight, we ended up spending a long layover in Las Vegas to see the sights and help with the time difference. Then on we went to Northern California. With trips to San Francisco, Napa Valley and the Zoo it proved to be a vacation to never forget!!

The trip ended with an Oakland A’s win over the Houston Astros on the hottest day EVER! We didn’t want to come home!

California took us to the end of July and at the blink of an eye we were already halfway through August. Where does the time go? As last year, Kevin and I were able to spend Labor Day weekend in in Ocean City, NJ with my parents and their friends. It was SUCH an amazingly relaxing weekend and one we all really needed. With the beach two blocks from the house and the Boardwalk the same, we sure did get our exercise after dinner.

With all of the running around all summer it was extremely difficult for us to stay on target with workout and and eating properly. I know I ate my fair amount of horrible, horrible food and carbs out of my eyeballs. The beginning of September was our goal to get back on track and not let the cool weather be an excuse to pack on the pounds. I’ll be posting my meal plan for a typical day the next time I update, but here’s a sneak peak of one of my first days back to the gym. Oh Happy Day!

To tide you over, here are some yummy meals we’ve been enjoying as we enter cooler, open window and fresh air kind of weather!

This morning I woke up early and started on a batch of Pumpkin Spice Donuts (baked, not fried). They came out quite tasty….not exactly the flavor of your favorite donut shop, but they get the job done nonetheless! Last weekend I surprised Kevin with homemade waffles with the maker that has been kicking around my truck for months. Talk. About. Delicious! Then to wrap up the weekend, open face Egg Salad Sandwiches on Ezekiel Toast with a Steaz Tea.

I hope you all enjoy our update of the summer- VERY quick recap. I hope to keep this up-to-date better than I have been. My deepest apologies. Big things coming on the blog this season with holiday decor and delicious, healthy meals! Stay tuned!