What I'm Eating

Last Friday I shared a few of the new, healthy things I've been eating.  I thought I'd do that again this week!

For Breakfast:

I found a huge bag of grapefruits at Aldi for some ridiculously low price last week.  I've been eating them with my eggs for breakfast.  I am still kind of getting  used to the tangy, sweet, and sour flavor (I had never eaten grapefruit before this week).  I am not a huge fruit person, so I've been trying some new ones lately. 

For Lunch:

I've enjoyed this little treat as kind of a sweet "dessert" a few days this week.  I got the idea from my cousins who have been doing Prism for over 12 weeks now.  

First you take some plain Greek yogurt, and this strawberry Simply Fruit spread, which is sweetened with real fruit juice, so it is Prism-friendly... 

Then you put them together and mix them up

And voila...you have strawberry yogurt

You get Greek yogurt filled protein and all kinds of good stuff, plus essentially fruit.  It's sweet and delicious, and I'd say it's a much healthier option than what I used to pack in my lunch everyday:

For dinner:

I made this chicken crock pot chili the other night, picture from Pinterest:

Source: redsie05.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

And just for some laughs, here is my much uglier version, with lots of added sour cream (I was late getting home from school that night, so the edges got a little burnt, giving the whole thing a nice, brown color.  It still tasted great, though!):



It may not look the best, but it was delicious!  And full of healthy things like beans, corn, and chicken.  

I also made chicken stir fry one night, Luke's favorite meal, and still totally legal for me!  Minus the crunchy noodles.  this picture was taken a long time ago.

And I've been making a lot of chicken or pork with sauteed veggies.  I've been loving sauteed onions and zucchini (or yellow squash).

Snacks:

I've been enjoying Emerald Mixed Nuts this week like they're going outta style.  Seriously, I never knew I even liked walnuts, but they are my new favorite thing. My cousin gave us the tip at our Prism class that one lid-full is 1/4 cup, which is 1 serving.  AKA, the perfect snack

  

Restaurant meals:

We went out to eat once this week, and it was to Applebees.  I was starving, and as soon as we got there, all I wanted was pasta.  But I held out and got something else that looked pretty filling, but was legal for me to eat: steak and veggies! I had never ordered a steak in a restaurant before because I'm normally more of a chicken girl, but I thought, why the heck not?  A salad just wasn't gonna do it for me that night. It was delicious.  (Not pictured: mashed potatoes.  I'm not allowed to eat those for the first 6 weeks of Prism which starts next week, so I thought I'd at least get my last taste).

What healthy things have you been eating lately?

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Project Get Healthy - Phase 4

Yes, this is the second post in one day.  And I am telling you, it's because of the new supplement I've been taking this week...I have so much energy!!  I'm getting so much done, and I feel better than I have in probably years.

Anyway, let's review.  Last week the doctor put me on a supplement to help my thyroid, and also told me to decrease my wheat intake.  And after doing that, here's how I feel:

• Like I said, I have tons of energy!  Not only that, but I feel more focused and motivated to get things done as well.  
• I feel less "in a fog."  I don't know how else to put that, but it had become the norm for me.  Once the fog was gone, I realized just how badly I had been feeling, and how "out of it" I was, simply because I was tired and had zero energy.
• I have slept through the night most nights this week.  This is HUGE, because (TMI alert) in the past I had to get up at least once to use the restroom in the middle of night, every night.  I never understood why pregnant people complained about that, because it was normal for me.  Anyway, since I've been drinking so much water, apparently my urine is less concentrated, and I have to "go" less.  Who knew??  I always thought drinking more water would make me go more!  Anyway, it's been great. Also, I haven't been waking up with coughing fits either. 
• On days that I don't have to get up with an alarm, I have been waking up around 7:30 or 8 and feeling rested.  I hate to admit this, but in the past it's always been 9:30 or 10, and I would never wake up feeling rested. 
• My allergies are still slowly but surely getting better.  People keep making comments about how much better I sound, probably because I'm less congested and my vocal folds (they're folds, not cords.  Definitely had that drilled into my head this year. Ha!) aren't completely shot from coughing 24/7.  I've even noticed I can sing in the car again, and hit the high notes :-)  Yes, I'm a huge car singer, especially during my 45-minute drive to or from school. 
• Overall, I feel great.  Even emotionally. 

I had another appointment today where I was tested for food allergies.  I luckily wasn't allergic to gluten, so that means I could probably eat at least a little bit of wheat in my diet (although she said it would probably help my thyroid if I didn't.  And since my thyroid controls my fertility, I'm probably going to listen to her).  However, she did find that I'm allergic or intolerant to milk.  I already kind of knew that, but I didn't realize what all a milk allergy could affect.  The stomach stuff I am well aware of, but she told me it is probably really exacerbating my allergies and sinus and respiratory problems, too.  Again, who knew?

Basically I have to do an experiment now where I can't have any milk or milk products for 2 weeks.  NONE.  And then after the two weeks, I'm supposed to have some again, and we are going to see what it does to my body.  Kinda cool, actually!  Although I was going to have a taco salad for dinner, and now that means I won't be able to have cheese or sour cream.  Perhaps I will start the experiment tomorrow.  Ha!

Today she also tested me for any emotional imbalances, and she said everything was normal there, so that was good to hear!  

Next week we are going to test my metals, or something like that...?  I'm sure I will learn all about it then.  I feel like I am learning so much about my body and how it works, and that I really need to be treating it right!

Things are Looking up

I've obviously been feeling a little restless the past few months, which I'm sure has been evidenced by a few of my blog posts.  But all of a sudden it's like everything is coming together, and I couldn't be more excited!  I have so much to be thankful for(and not just because everything is going my way today...I have so much to be thankful for all the time).  Here are just a few from my 1000 gifts list:

131. Feeling healthy!
132. Date night to Applebees and shopping
133. Delicious steak [eating healthy at a restaurant is not so bad after all!]

134. Cute, tiny babies to hold


135. Hope when  new doors are opened.
136. A new, healthy diet


137. 10 lbs lost since last winter
138. Having only 8 days left in the spring semester!  Bring it, finals.
139. Finding a favorite song that totally could have been written by me about the past year.

What are you thankful for today?

School Update: Option C

I haven't written about school in awhile.  The last update I wrote was when I found out I was on the waiting list at Akron, and I was honestly not super happy about it.  Shortly after that, I found out I am also on Kent State's waiting list.  And I didn't realize this before, but if you're on the waiting list, you can basically hear back from the schools any time before the semester starts (which would be the end of August).  So really, everything is up in the air.

I'll be honest.  I was having a strangely emotional day on Thursday while driving home from school.  (We were watching videos of children using their cochlear implants for the first time in my artic. & phonology class, and for some reason that makes me super emotional every time.  So I'll blame it on that).  Anyway, I just felt this heavy burden and a dread in my heart.  And then I knew I needed to have a conversation with God.  Yes, out loud.  I do that when I'm in  my car sometimes, and anyone driving beside me probably thinks I'm crazy.  But I like out-loud prayers because they help me focus.

Anyway.  I just told God that I trusted Him 100%, and I knew He had a perfect plan, and that right now all I could see were the circumstances in front of me and I just felt hopeless.  I said that I totally trust Him, and want Him to have His will and not mine, but that I just couldn't stop feeling burdened that night.  I prayed once again that God would take control of my life and work it out for good.

And did I magically feel perfect after that?  I wish I could say I did.  Sometimes in my head I know things, but my feelings just won't match up, know what I mean?  I went home, I was lazy and moped around all evening, and I know I was not pleasant to be around at all.  But sometimes you just have to look beyond your feelings, and know that everything will be okay.

Friday I had clinical observations all day.  It was sunny and warm, and my hopeless feelings from the day before were barely even a blip on the radar.  I enjoyed watching therapy sessions all day, and had fun talking with some of my classmates.

And then close to the end of the day, something happened.  Another post-bac woman from my class suggested I  try something else as far as school goes.  I don't want to go into too many details yet until I have more of them to share, but let's just call this "Option C."


Before Friday, I only saw two options in front of me:

Option A: Get into grad school at Akron or Kent, spend the next two years nonstop studying and completing clinicals, put off the whole baby-business until at least next year when I'll be within 9 months of graduating.

Option B: Don't get into grad school.  Find a job that's not in my field or try to go back to teaching, or even substitute teach.  Devote all my efforts into getting healthy and getting pregnant.

If option A happens, I will be ecstatic, but a little piece of me will mourn the fact that we have to put off the whole baby thing for another year.

If option B happens, I will feel totally lost, and probably stressed out while we focus on the baby business.  Stress is not helpful in this type of situation.

I keep telling myself that it isn't a lose-lose situation, but a win-win situation.  either way, I will be getting something I've wanted for a really long time (well, assuming that I actually do get pregnant with option B).  However, I can't help but feel a little pang of sadness when I consider either option.  Not to mention, I keep wondering what the heck God is up to!  I've been living the past month really feeling this way, and to be honest, I've been feeling it even the past whole year since I decided to go back to school.

And then BAM.  After so much waiting, and wondering why God was making me wait, and wondering if maybe He was giving me a big "no" to both of the desires of my heart, option C appears.  And it turns out, if everything works out, both of these desires might just happen, and they could happen at the same time.  From where I am now, I see how absolutely perfect this whole situation will be if it pans out.  It is so awesome when the puzzle pieces start coming together, and you start to see the big picture, isn't it?  I'm not saying that Option C will definitely happen...it's still in the very preliminary stages at this point (so much so that I don't even feel comfortable sharing the deets on the blog).  But the hope I'm feeling right now is making my heart so happy!

No matter what happens, I am trusting God with my whole heart.  Whether it's option A, B, C, or something totally different that He chooses for my life, I know it will be the right thing.  Again, I'm just excited to be along for the ride!

***

While I'm waiting for everything pan out, I've been really enjoying this song by Kelly Clarkson (The Sun Will Rise).  I've basically made it my anthem for this part of my life.  This may be super weird, but sometimes I try to figure out what songs would be on the soundtrack of my life.  (You do that too, right?  Right?)  Anyway, this one would definitely be on there.

And of course God wanted to make sure I knew He was trying to get my attention, because part of the sermon this morning was about waiting.  And our pastor shared Psalm 130:5-6: "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.  I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning"


He then went on to say something about the fact that no matter how dark the night is, the morning will always come.  Which pretty much goes right along with my new favorite song.

It's really cool how God uses such little things to bless us, and make sure we get the message!

Source: tinyurl.ms via Jessica on Pinterest

Must See Movie, and Much Needed Girl Time

I've been super stressed out lately.  It's the end of the semester, and I still haven't heard a final verdict about grad school, finals are soon, and I'm trying to finish up my last few clinical observation hours for one of my classes.  Let's not even talk about the fact that I have no idea what my life will look like in 2 weeks if I don't get into grad school.

So when I heard that some of the ladies in my family were having a movie-and-dinner night, I knew it would be the perfect time to leave the worries at home, and have a nice night out.  And I'm so glad I was able to do that! 

We chose to see Mirror Mirror.

Have you seen this movie yet?  I felt like a huge nerd, because I got so sucked into it!  It was so cute!  And actually really funny, too.  It was weird to see Julia Roberts in the role of the villain, but she did a great job!  I find myself screening all the kids movies I watch to see if it's one we'll add to our collection and watch with our own kids someday.  And I think this one made the cut for sure.  (Does anyone else do that?  I hope I'm not the only one!) 

After the movie, we went out to dinner at Panera, and then I went shopping a little bit with my mom.

I don't think it matters how old you get: you always need girl time, and you always need family time.  This night was exactly what I needed!  Ever since that day, everything seems a little easier to handle. 

1000 Gifts 

128: Girls nights

129: Quality time with family

130. Not being too old to enjoy a kids' movie

Let's Talk About Food!

Now that I've started eating a lot healthier, I'm finding that there are tons of delicious things to eat that aren't processed or full of sugar or carbs.  I thought I'd share a few of my new favorite snacks or dishes I've found this week.

For Breakfast:

Eggs

I like them either scrambled or hard-boiled.  Eggs are full of protein, they fill you up, and they cut down on cravings.

Fruit

They give me a little something sweet for my sweet tooth.

For Lunch:

Salad - lately I could live on salads with lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, tomato, avocado, and Ranch dressing.  I found a Ranch dressing in the organic section of my grocery store that is Prism friendly. And I'm told there's one at Aldi's too!

or...

Plain rice cake(s) with peanut butter. This also helps to satisfy my sweet tooth.

For Dinner:

Brown rice, veggies, and meat. 

Tonight I blanched some broccoli, then topped it with parmesan, garlic powder, and salt, and roasted it.  It was delicious! (sorry for the blurriness, I cropped the picture on my iPhone, and I think that's what did it)

Snacks:

Sunflower seeds (even though they do contain some calories and fat, nuts and seeds have tons of good stuff in them!)

Fruit, again

Nuts, including my new favorite thing...

Cocoa roast almonds

  

These are seriously delicious.  And I'm told they are Prism friendly!  I'm sure I will be snacking on these a lot (in moderation, of course).  If you haven't tried them, please do!   You'll thank me later!

Favorite restaurant meals:

I thought I would have a hard time finding healthy options at restaurants, but it hasn't been too difficult so far, and it's fun to try things on the menu that I haven't tried before.  

This is for the locals, but at Grinders I tried the Island Teriyaki rice and veggies.  It was delicious, and I will definitely be ordering it again!

At Panera, I tried the Greek salad for the first time, and it was so good!  I want to go back soon and order it again.  If you've never had it, it's Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, red onions, Kalamata olives, pepper, and Greek dressing.  

What are your favorite go-to healthy recipes or snacks?  I am so new at this, and I love hearing new ideas!

Project Get Healthy - Phase 3

Okay, I promise this will probably be the last health-related post this week.  But I had another visit with my doctor today, and found some huge things, so I thought I'd update.  First of all, here's an update on how I've been feeling:

I know last week I said my stomach problems were great and my allergies were not getting better yet.  And this week I had a few stomach problems (nothing compared to what I struggle with during the worst times, though, and it was probably due to the fact that I wasn't eating as well on those days) and my allergies have been better!

Just to put the allergy thing in perspective, about a week-and-a-half ago, I had been using my inhaler at least 2 puffs every 4 hours.  I woke up multiple times in the middle of the night choking due to post-nasal drip.  Then my gag reflex would be activated, and I'm sure you can imagine what happened after that.  It was to the point where I simply couldn't function.

Last week, the doctor put me on a supplement that's supposed to help with allergies, and along with the other supplements and dietary changes, I think it's really helped!  The past 4 days, the pollen count has been higher, and I have used my inhaler on average about 1 puff, 1 time each day.  What a huge difference!!  On top of that, the past two nights I have slept through the night without suffering a coughing/choking fit at.  Seriously, I don't know how it's working, but it is!  And not because I'm treating the symptoms, but because I am making my body stronger as a whole.


Okay, so now let's talk about what we found today.

Phase 3:

Today my doctor had finally received my blood work that she requested from another doctor, and found that my thyroid levels were just a touch too high.  Not high enough for the doctors to prescribe anything for it or even mention it to me, but high enough that it could be affecting my fertility!  After testing that reflex, she found it to be weak, and told me something that I was a little bit afraid to hear: wheat is a huge reason for most thyroid problems.  So she wants me to start taking the wheat out of my diet until I'm completely wheat free!  Along with that, she's giving me a supplement that should help.  

As scary as it is that I won't be able to enjoy pasta, bread, or even oatmeal, I'm willing to do it if it makes me better.  And right now is an excellent time for Prism to start!! (although it doesn't technically start for 2 more weeks).

I know a lot of people are huge skeptics of this kind of medicine.  But I am seeing real results!  And I'm a little bit frustrated that my doctors kept telling me that my thyroid levels were normal.  Because thyroid problems run in my family, and I that has been my #1 guess all along as to the reason for my ovulation issues!  I know it's not high enough to actually treat with a pill (which I wouldn't want to do anyway) but just knowing that they're a little bit elevated, and that there's something I can do about it is so helpful!! 

Well, I'm off to the grocery store, and I guarantee my cart will look a lot different than it normally does.  Here's to change!