Salad Woes

Being all confident after one week of feeling "better" (my 16th week- and everyone said if you are not better by 12 then for sure by 16- so I was perfectly on schedule) I ate a salad again.

Now, I love eating salad. I don't feel gross while I am enjoying the farm fresh greens-- but after a few hours of salad digestion, bad things happen- TE and I have decided that this baby does NOT like salad. At least not yet anyway. I won't be eating a salad again for another month or so.... Will need to find veggies in other ways.

But on a happier/more funny side. I am thinking of starting a series of "Things Pregnant Girls Like to Eat" (or at least this pregnant girl). For today's edition I even have a recipe!! Be forewarned, it is not healthy or gourmet or something to be proud of (unless you are entering a comfort food contest). But here it is, and it was soooo good!

Homemade Cheeseburger Helper (made 5 servings)

8oz Pasta of your choice, cooked
1lb of lean ground beef, cooked and drained

Cheese Sauce: Modified from here

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 1.5 cups half and half, 1.5 cups skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

Melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes (will turn golden in color). 

Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk and cayenne. 

Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Fold the macaroni/beef into the mix and serve!

Predictions

* Totally not food related*
A fun thing happened today- I had my tarot cards read by my boss! He was taught the skill quite a few years ago and once the coworkers found out that I am pregnant the predictions began! Pretty much everyone has their idea about what TE and I are having (hopefully a healthy baby!) but my boss wanted to make a "real" prediction!

So I held the cards in my pocket for over an hour, then shuffled them, and he laid the cards out to answer my questions (What gender is the baby? Will it be healthy and will the pregnancy go well?). The over-arching theme was very good and the head card was the Temperance card. And from what I can gather from wikipedia the key words associate with predictions involving this card are:

• Temperance ----- Harmony ----- Balance ----- Health

• Moderation ----- Joining forces ----- Well-being ----- Recovery

• Equilibrium ----- Transcendence ----- Unification ------ Healing

• Synthesis ----- Bringing together opposites ---- Feeling secure

Pretty good I say!! I am not usually superstitious and I do not buy into a lot of magic/fantastic things, but I will take all the good predictions I can get! Anything to ease my mind, right?! The rest of the cards were equally good and positive, so that was an added bonus!

We will find out in less than two weeks the gender and see if everything is growing and developing appropriately and according to schedule. We will then learn (hopefully!) if the majority (predicts girl) wins or if it goes to the two dissidents (TE and my sister)!

*Food related*

Watermelon. Oh how I love watermelon. 

I am on a serious fruit kick. Mel told me other other day that a local store had lychee fruit. I was there faster than she could say lychee fruit! In the past two weeks I have spent more money on fruit than on any other food item! But it has been amazing to have so many wonderful fruits in season and available to me at this stage of my pregnancy. 

Aside from fruit, the general palate has not changed much. I am still eating pretty bland foods.

Breakfast consists of cereal with fiber, almonds, and whatever berry we have washed and available or an english muffin with peanut butter and apple butter.

Lunch is variable every day. It is typically pretty big and spread out throughout the entire day. I usually have yogurt with fiber cereal, crackers and hummus, a Trader Joes meal of some kind (today was Indian: chicken tikka masala), a granola bar, and fruit!

Dinner is variable in size and selection. The "no cooking" rule is still in effect (unless it is mac & cheese or other pasta dish) and some days I can eat a lot (last night!) and other days I eat almost nothing. 

Once I start cooking/baking again I will return with recipes and food pictures!

Weight Gain

I have a very good excuse though...

I am growing a "little bug*" inside me! (*The in utero name is still undecided- I hope this is no indication of how real name picking is going to go... but I do believe it will not be easy!)

The weight gain is not that bad- ~3lbs gained for almost 15 weeks!

So yes, around December 3rd-- TE, the King Pup and I will welcome this new addition to our family!
And since this is a food blog I will tell all my readers about my food adventures as I continue to grow :)

In the first trimester, I felt good during the day -- but come night time (starting between 4-7) I felt as if I had come down with the flu. Every night. And if that was not bad enough, I could not eat enough to not wake up at 2 or 3am starving!! It took one email to dietitian extraordinaire LR, and a few late night experiments to realize nothing was going to help, just time, and getting out of the first trimester! Now I eat well, sleep even better (for the most part) and am ready for the growth phase!!

My clothes are already a bit too tight. I eat a lot of cheese and fruit. I can not (do not want to) eat coffee, onions or garlic. And I drink more water than I thought was possible. Excessive thirst was my first pregnancy "sign." Other than that things are pretty "boring" over here.

More updates to come!! I hope you are all still out there :)