My Speedfreak

Last evening I accompanied my favorite goofball to the Utica Road Runners 2011 awards dinner.

Did I mention he is a goofball and a Speedfreak ?

He won the Grand Prix (most points in a series of Road Runner sponsored races) in his age group.

He also was awarded a jacket as part of the '1000 mile club'.

He actually ran over 2200 miles in 2011!

After winning a door prize (a 6 pack of Saranac), Jerry had one more award to collect.

He was named the 2011 Male Roadrunner of the Year!

I was so proud!
Jerry spends hours training, and logs between 50-75 miles per week. He does long runs, tempo runs, hills, track work. He runs in good weather and bad. (And he always makes time to run with his not-so-speedy wife!).
Jerry works hard at any task you give him in life, and running is no different. His dedication is an inspiration to me.

*I was very proud that I managed not to cry when he was presented with his award last night.
I have however, gone through 4 tissues just writing this post. I guess you can't win em all!

It was a lovely way to start off our weekend.

I started off my Saturday with this delicious breakfast:

Part 1: decaf and cantaloupe

Part 2: steel cut oats with coconut and Wild Squirrel Curious Cocoa-Nut

Next up we are going out to lunch with our friends Kevin and Sara this afternoon. And then we are off to see the Hunger Games!
I am so excited. I read the books over a year ago (on a recommendation from Sara), and loved them. Can't wait!

Enjoy your weekend!

Busy in the Kitchen

I have certainly been busy in the kitchen this week.
I've come a long way from the first trimester when the thought of preparing food nauseated me!

Monday:

Arugula pesto with grilled chicken:

A guacamole snack while I cooked dinner

Not the most attractive meal, due to the brown whole wheat pasta. But so yummy!

Tuesday:

I found this recipe for Cheesy Brown Rice Gratin with Zucchini and Eggplant in the March issue of Cooking Light.

I sauteed all the veggies and used pine nuts (instead of walnuts) and feta (instead of Parmesan).

The recipe looked a little bland, so I thought the feta might give it a little more flavor.

Upon first bite I thought that it was bland.
But the more I ate, the more I liked it.
The toasted pine nuts on top were delicious.

Although it took a lot of prep time, I would make this again as a side dish.

Wednesday:
I wasn't feeling so great. I think I am having some issues with pregnancy related rhinitis, which is causing post nasal drip and a sore throat.

Jerry came to the rescue with this yummy dinner:

Salmon with a side of super garlicky lemon green beans and some leftover gratin.

The salmon was cooked perfectly. And I could have eaten a pound of green beans. One of my favorite vegetables.

Last night we whipped up a quick frittata for dinner.

Broccoli, cheddar, onion, and bacon:

I'm not sure if its because we didn't eat until 8:30 and I was starving, but this tasted amazing. I went back for another wedge.

I've also been snacking on these all week:

Whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip.
I will admit, I even had these for breakfast a couple of times. I am a sucker for an oatmeal cookie!
I also tested out the convection bake on my oven, and was happy with the "brown on the outside/chewy in the middle" texture. Will have to test it out on cookies again.

Whew, I apologize for the food overload!
I should blog more regularly and then wouldn't have to bombard you all with a week's worth of meals.

Tonight Jerry and I are headed to the Utica Roadrunner's awards dinner. Rumor has it that someone has been nominated for an award!
Time to dress up the bump and put on my dancing shoes!

26 Week Update

14 more weeks until we meet Baby T.
Eeeeeh!

26 Weeks

Baby: Weighs about 1 and 2/3 pounds. And is about 14  inches, the size of an English cucumber. I saw an English cucumber at the store the other day. I have no idea how that is fitting inside my belly. And she is only going to get bigger!
This week baby's ears are becoming more sensitive. Jerry is convinced of this after last night. He was singing his nightly lullaby to the her and he got a little kick to the face. I love the look on his face when he feels her move :)
And I'm sure she was just letting him know how much she appreciates his singing!

Her heartbeat sounded strong at my appointment yesterday (the highlight of my week so far). 

Me: I have been feeling pretty good. I am getting more frequent heartburn, but I expected that. I take a Pepcid about every other day now.
I have done less walking last week, but I am getting back on track. I also want to look into a prenatal yoga DVD. 

Next week I have my glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes. You basically chug a bottle of super sweet orange drink and then have your blood drawn. I am a little nervous. Obliviously I don't want gestational diabetes, but I also here that a lot of people fail and then have to take a 3 hour fasting test. Which sounds rather unpleasant.
But I read somewhere that only between 2-5% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
That made me feel a little better.

Weight: Officially up 15 pounds.

Next week I will take some pics of the nursery. I am currently agonizing over which chair to order.
And a sneak peak at her closet, which is getting full!

Monday Blues

My weekends have been so relaxing lately, I am really beginning to dread Mondays.

Plus, I have been waking up really early the past few days. 6am on Sunday and 5am this morning.
Mondays should not start at 5am.
I guess as long as it isn't 3am, I'll take it.

The weather has really done a 360 from last week. I feel bad for all those trees and flowers that started budding. The forecast has a low of 19 tonight!
I'm not one to complain about the weather, though.
I love living in a climate with four seasons, and this is what March is supposed to be like.

Although my winter coat no longer zips, so I suppose I wouldn't mind some warmer temperatures.

Baby T is 26 weeks today!
But I will post my weekly update tomorrow afternoon, after my doctor's appointment.

In the meantime, back to my relaxing weekend.

It started Friday with a surprise.

For this lady!

My friend Melissa's 30th surprise party!

She looked genuinely surprised, which was great. Her husband Nick was nervous that she had caught on.
And of course adorable little Miss Josie was there to help celebrate.
Happy Birthday, Sac!

Saturday started off with this delicious strawberry smoothie.
Milk, strawberries, ice, 1/2 scoop Amazing Meal, 1/3 scoop whey protein. 

I drank 1/4 of and then promptly had to throw the rest down the drain. 

While I was sipping I noticed that Jerry's whey protein said "not recommended for pregnant women".
Woops.
That's what I get for trying to squeeze more protein into my diet. I should have read the label more carefully.  I had only added a little bit, but I still couldn't bring myself to drink it.
Luckily I was headed out to support  my nephew Jonas and his Cub Scout group at a pancake breakfast shortly after. Pancakes are a good substitute for a protein shake, right?

This weekend was a general failure on the quest for extra protein.
Jerry and I stopped at our Church's spaghetti dinner on Saturday night.  Saturday was a downright carb-fest.

My mother in law did made beef for Sunday lunch, so I thought it was perfectly acceptable to eat grilled cheese for dinner.

Cheese has become my favorite way to add an extra 7 grams of protein to my diet.
This sandwich was a multi-grain bun with extra sharp cheddar, pickles, and spicy brown mustard.

 And a big pile of greens on the side.

This week will include more protein!
On tonight's menu is pasta and chicken tossed with a basil/arugula pesto.
Also on this week's dinner plans are salmon and a fritatta.

My goal this week is to track how much protein I eat. I'll report back at the end of the week!

Do you plan out your week's meals ahead of time?

Dinner with the New Addition

Had another bout of pregnancy insomnia last night. Woke up at 3, and didn't fall back to sleep until some time in the 5am hour.
Its one of those mornings I long for a nice cup of coffee. Ok, I would kill for a cup of coffee.
I would say coffee is what I miss most while being pregnant.

It looks like the sunshine and 75 degree weather has left us for now. I suppose we couldn't ask it to stick around for all of March.
We took advantage of the last warm night and grilled pizzas with the Charles family.

Jerry made the pizzas.

I had more important things to do.
Like hold this guy!

 Baby Carter! He is 6 days old now and beyond adorable. And the new parents could not be more in love!

Jess had just fed and changed him, so I got to hold him for a long time. 

I was so tense holding a newborn that my arms started to ache after a while. But I could have stared at him all night. (Ok, I kind of did...)

Jess took him back to feed him while I devoured my pizza. 

Mine: ricotta with sliced tomatoes and basil. Arugula on top.

Leftover BBQ chicken and grilled vegetables with mozz

These were delicious. Nice and crispy on the outside. I really liked the fresh tomato/basil combination. Will have to make that again.

It is so nice to see my sister & brother in law with their new addition. While I am sure there are moments they are overwhelmed, they are loving being parents. Its also giving me some perspective on what it is like to have a newborn. 

Basically, their days are filled with feeding, diaper changing, and getting him to sleep. Repeated many many times throughout the day.

I guess this does not surprise me, I just feel a tiny bit more prepared for what Jerry and I are in for. 

And it makes me anxious to meet our little one! Do I really have to wait 15 more weeks?!

Thanks for dinner, Charles family!

Great (Grill) Weather

I'm getting spoiled by this weather. I sure hope spring sticks around!

Mom and I got a killer 3.2 mile walk in yesterday afternoon. And I got 2.5  miles in on Monday. I'm actually feeling a little sore!

And Jerry has been manning the grill all this week.
Tuesday:

Grilled asparagus and pork tenderloin. With a side of my favorite summer time pasta salad, Giada's Tri-Colore Orzo. I know I have mentioned this pasta salad before. I am obsessed and make it 4-5 times a summer.

Jerry has become a pro at grilling pork tenderloin. Super moist with a nice char on the outside. I could eat it every night.

Wednesday:

Barbecued chicken thighs with a side of grilled red pepper, onion, and zucchini.

I really love grilled zucchini. 

Chicken thighs are not my favorite (I prefer breast) but I happily ate this covered in Dinosaur BBQ Wango Tango Sauce.  

Tonight I'm thinking maybe we should break out our summertime staple:

Grilled pizza!

This morning I am off to the chiropractor. 

As you may remember, I have had chronic tailbone pain for a year and a half. 

Once I got pregnant, Dr E shifted focus to my lower back and pelvis. He claims that regular chiropractics during pregnancy can help lead to an easier and faster labor and delivery. He does this by keeping my back and hips aligned, and opening my pelvis.

My doctor has many pregnant patients, and keeps updating me whenever one of them has a baby. 

He claims a few were only in labor for an hour, and one woman had an 8 lb baby in 3 pushes. 

I keep telling him not to get my hopes up!

So far I have enjoyed seeing the chiro while pregnant. It seems to help with lower back pain. 

And as for my tailbone, it feels a lot better. 

But Dr E has made me fully aware that it is nothing he has done, it is a pregnancy hormone that relaxes your joints that have caused the improvements. 

The improvement may only be temporary, but I'll take it!

25 Week Update

Baby T sure is loving this weather!

25 Weeks

This week Baby T is 1.5 pounds and the size of a rutabaga! No idea what size a rutabaga is? Me either.
But she is 13.5 inches long. That seems so big!
She is also putting on some baby fat this week and is growing hair. I keep picturing her with a tiny head of black hair.
Baby T has been moving and kicking up a storm lately! Sometimes I wake up at night and I can feel her moving. I don't think she is actually waking me up. I almost always have to get up to use the bathroom during the night, and lately have been having a hard time getting back to sleep. I've just been chalking it up to pregnancy insomnia. 

I am feeling strangely un-hungry this week. The past few weeks I have been very hungry. This week I keep forgetting to eat my afternoon snack. That is so unlike me! I make myself eat the snack anyways. Gotta make sure I eat those extra 300 calories!
I think my weight is still around 14-15 pounds gained. I will have a a better idea next week when I go to the doctor's. 
It also occurred to me that I don't own any maternity shorts. Will have to put finding a pair on my to-do list. 

The weather has been so nice that Jerry dragged out the patio furniture on Sunday.

And this:

Impromptu barbecue time!
With plenty of family and food.

And dogs!

Jerry and I even managed a lovely walk around the neighborhood with the dog later that evening.
We also got to visit our adorable new nephew Carter.
The perfect Sunday!

How have you been enjoying the beautiful weather?

Erin Go Bragh!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Jerry hung out my flag in honor of the holiday.
I made a BIG bowl of oats in honor of the holiday.
They weren't green, but they were tasty.

This was a mixture of rolled oats and oat bran. With some frozen raspberries and cottage cheese stirred in at the end.
I've been trying to add more protein to my diet and I have seen a few bloggers (like Kath) add cottage cheese to their oatmeal. I didn't think it changed the texture to much, but there was something about it I didn't love. Maybe it was the coconut sprinkled on top? I'd be willing to give it another try with a different flavor combination.

I may not be drinking beer, but I sure am going to be celebrating today!

Jerry and I are off to meet our new nephew, Carter! He arrived early last evening.
Congrats to the new parents, Jess and Jeremy!!!

Plus, my twin is is town, and that is always a reason to celebrate!

I'm off to see if I have a green shirt that still fits over my belly!

Go 'Cuse!

Irish Night

Is anyone else having a hard time adjusting to Daylight Savings Time?
I am having the hardest time getting out of bed before the sun comes up.
Jerry, on the other hand, is loving the extra day light after work, and is glad to be running outside instead of on the treadmill. 4 more weeks until he runs his 2nd Boston Marathon!

Also quickly approaching is St Patrick's Day.
Being half Irish and named Erin, I have always enjoyed celebrating St Patty's Day. I'm not a huge partier, but Jerry and I usually go out for a Reuben sandwich and a few beers.

Last night, we made Reubens.

I bought all of the ingredients for Reubens when I went grocery shopping on Sunday.
Corned beef (thick sliced from the deli), Heidelberg rye bread, Swiss cheese.
I haven't stopped thinking about eating them since Sunday.

A little sauerkraut and homemade Russian dressing, and we were good to go!

And then onto the grill pan.

Served with Alexia Waffle Fries and a pickle.

Jerry made me jealous and drank one of my favorite beers.

There is a 12 pack of Harp taunting me in the fridge. But that's ok because I have another favorite.
My favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor ever.

If Ben and Jerry's ever got rid of this flavor I think I would cry. Pieces of chocolate cookie in Irish cream flavored ice cream. So good.
(Bonus: Jerry hates the flavor of Irish cream so he won't go near my ice cream!)

Jerry loved this dinner. The waffle fries are his favorite, and he asked me to make up another batch of Russian dressing for dipping (super simple: mayo, ketchup, chopped dill pickle, splash of Worcestershire, salt and pepper).
I loved it but found myself wishing there was a little more meat on my sandwich. For some reason the corned beef tasted amazing to me.
And the pickle counts as a vegetable, right?


What are you doing to celebrate St Patrick's Day?