Pumping iron

So this is another long overdue post.

Sorry!

I'm all pregnancy brain and normal scatter brain over here. Take pity on me. Seriously, pity me because it's getting harder and harder to tie my shoes.

So this was written about two weeks ago:

I am happy to report that I passed by glucose test and do not have gestational diabetes. The glucose test is given to pregnant women around their 25-28 week of pregnancy. There is the one hour test and the three hour test. Basically, if you fail the one hour then you have to take the three hour.

I was told to fast before going in (which is odd because some women report not having to fast) to have my blood drawn. Then I was given a bottle of pure sugar glucose drink to down in five minutes. 

Mine was orange flavored and I kind of liked it. A lot of women say they have a hard time keeping it down so I was really lucky. After you drink the "juice" you have to sit around for an hour so they can take another blood sample. This sample reveals how your body handles that sugary drink you just chugged and can tell if you have gestational diabetes or not.

So I passed!

However, my blood tests did show that I am slightly anemic. I didn't get exact numbers, but my doctor said it wasn't terrible he would just like to see me up my iron intake. So right now he has me taking iron  supplements along with vitamin c supplements.

In addition I am also upping my "greens" in take. Lately I've been doing really well at making my own meals, lots of greens, vegetables and fruit. My most favorite food of the week is homemade spring rolls.

Yum!

This morning I was in a hurry so instead of slicing up all my veggies I just used the leftovers from THIS recipe to fill the the rolls. Yes, this was breakfast number two and it was good!

So this is me at 32 weeks. I'm 33 weeks tomorrow so only seven weeks left until my due date!

Weekend getaway

This post is long overdue, but I'm a bit rusty at this whole blogging thing so you'll have to forgive me.

A few weeks ago I found myself in Spokane, Washington. I was there for a journalism conference, but did some research before heading in and decided I wanted to try out a restaurant called Boots Bakery & Lounge. For my northwest friends who haven't been there it is located at 24 W. Main and is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday and 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

I chose to sit at the bar since I was all by my lonesome. I went in on a Sunday mid-morning thinking it would be packed, but it wasn't too bad. There were a lot of people there, but it didn't seem overly crowded.

This is a carrot cake cupcake I took to go and ended up eating on my drive back home. This was the best vegan cupcake I have ever had. I can't explain why I just know it had a lot to do with the frosting. Not too sweet, not chalky or piled on so that you have to scrape some off just to get to the cake, just perfect.

More importantly this is what I ordered. A tofu scramble with fresh squeezed orange juice. I know it was fresh because the girl working the counter squeezed it right in front of me. I don't think I've ever had fresh OJ before because it tasted so good that I am sure I would have remembered something like that.

Anyway, I had wanted to get the banana waffles that everyone else was ordering, but since I knew I wanted a cupcake I decided to be good for me and for the baby inside me and get my protein fill. The scramble came with peppers, potatoes and even sweet potatoes. Delish!

The weather is starting to get nicer which is motivating me to get back into my old habits of chronicling my vegan experiences. I hope it won't be too long before I am blogging again.

Peace!

Staying the course

I can still remember the moment I realized something was wrong.

It was during one of my mid-week trips to the grocery store after work. I was feeling a little tired, a little woozy, but nothing too bad. I pushed my cart down the aisle and made a beeline for the produce department. 
My favorite department. 

I took one look at the lettuce, kale and chard and felt the blood drain from my face. 

The room began to spin and my stomach lurched forward. I quickly maneuvered the cart away from the produce department and deep into the canned food section.

What was it that almost made me puke in the middle of the grocery store? 

Was it the Pink Lady Apples I passed on my way to the Organic section or was it the sight of cabbage and Brussels sprouts?

I quickly grabbed a few items - mostly canned or frozen- and left. Rather than buying those Brussels sprouts for dinner I ended up heating some up frozen french fries.

What was wrong with me?

At this point I already knew I was pregnant, but could this be real life morning sickness striking at 6 p.m.?

It was. 

And it only got worse.

For the next few months I was a walking corpse. I could barely keep my head off the floor, my hair was a sad excuse for anything presentable and my food preferences made a 180. No longer could I enjoy a green smoothie for breakfast or a large green salad for lunch. No more tofu scrambles or three bean soups. 

The only things I could eat were processed, white and terribly bad for me. 

For a while I lived with the fear that I wasn't providing adequate nutrition to my baby. I was taking a prenatal but was that enough?

Then I saw my doctor. I told him how sick I've been and that was when he told me that the first few months were all about SURVIVAL.

He said the next few weeks (it was really months) were all about just doing what I needed to do in order to survive.
Translation: Eat whatever you can keep down and drink whatever doesn't make you ill.
So for about 12 weeks I drank orange juice, dark chocolate almond milk and Gatorade. I ate french fries, veggie burgers, bean burritos and more french fries.

I will admit it was rough and there were plenty of times I wanted to give in and just have an egg or maybe a little bit of chicken just so I could eat something other than potatoes.
It was hard, but by week 18 something happened. It was like a cloud had lifted and suddenly I could walk down the produce department and squeeze the avocados and oranges without gagging.

I guess you can say I survived.

Long time no write

Hello world.

Did you miss me?

Well I missed you. :)

I guess I have a lot of explaining to do. You're probably wondering where I have been for the past five months. Why haven't I written or posted a picture of something super yummy?

Well here's the easiest answer.

My obsession with "milk"

One of the first things I did when I transitioned to veganism was set out to find a milk substitute that would suit me. 

The product I bought and used for probably the first year of being vegan is something I never buy now. It was a great transition food because it didn't taste all that different when I used it in my cereal. 

The product was Silk Vanilla Soymilk. I used it ONLY in my cereal, because I didn't like it simply by itself. Eventually I started using it when baking.

About a year into being vegan I decided I need to branch out. To find more non-dairy alternatives for drinking, baking and smoothie making. 

Hey that rhymes!

Good times.

OK, I'm done.

Anyway, these are the three "milk" alternatives I've settled on: Almond Milk (I usually get unsweetened, but I accidentally grabbed the wrong one), Coconut Milk and Hemp milk.

Below are the reasons why I like these and what is so great about them.