Stressing{s} vs. Blessings

When it comes to food, I categorize myself as an emotional eater. I eat when I'm bored, I eat to celebrate acheivements, I eat when I'm sad..etc etc. But most of all, I eat when I'm stressed! When I'm stressed, I get this overwhelming feeling of over indulging because "I deserve this for what I've been going through!" I can usually get those thoughts in check because I go on a full on binge, but I'm not perfect. I'm also trying to learn to manage my stress better before the baby gets here. It's an ongoing process..I'm continuing to work on keeping a positive attitude and looking for the silver lining in all situations.

Stressings vs. Blessings

• Stress: I was rear ended a week ago on my way to class, but..Blessing: The baby and I are both okay! My car needs repairs, but the insurance company has {surprisingly} been alright to work with.
• Stress: The fall semester of school has begun and I already feel slightly overwhelmed, but..Blessing: I know I am competent enough to finish this semester..even with a baby due two weeks before finals :) I'm blessed to have such a supportive and loving husband by my side during the semester.
• Stress: Our air conditioner went out for two days; it was over 90 degrees in our home, but..Blessing: We have a very diligent landlord that came over and fixed the problem ASAP.
• Stress: My debit card went missing..no where to be found! But..Blessing: No unauthorized charges were made. I was able to cancel the card and order a new one.

Looking back after I've written this all out, I guess things aren't so bad. Sometimes I tend to overreact. I have a lot of exciting things coming up! We are getting a 3D-4D ultrasound done on Friday at 28 weeks; I can't wait to see what my little man looks like :), I'm about to enter my 3rd trimester the first weekend of September!! (really?! Never thought we'd see the day!), baby shower scheduled for 9/30/12, nursery is coming along nicely, maternity pictures scheduled. So, really, in the grand scheme of things, all it takes is sitting back and not dwelling on the negative, but aiming for positivity.

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The Great Debate: Maternity pictures

For the past 2 months I have been going back and forth..back and forth..with the idea of scheduling maternity pictures. There was a point where I was saying NO..no way. There was no way I was going to take pictures "heavy" again. I can barely stand to look at my wedding pictures and I didn't want that same feeling of maternity pictures. That's really sad.
But then I got to thinking..I'm not "heavy".. I'm pregnant. I've gained an average amount of weight at 26 weeks pregnant. I don't feel like a complete slob..I have tons of energy and have had a really smooth "easy" pregnancy thus far. Sure, there are days where I feel like a blimp and wonder if I'm going to be able to lose the weight after delivery or if people can tell that I'm pregnant or just fat. But, for the most part, I haven't been too, too hard on myself.
At my appointment two weeks ago my doctor gave me the third trimester pamplet. He told me that by my next appointment I'd be in my 3rd trimester! He gave me the homework of choosing a pediatrician, deciding on circumsision, and attending a birth care class at our hospital. In my mind, as well as those homework assignments, I gave myself the additional assignments on working on the nursery and either setting up a maternity photo session or making up my mind....

So, I did it. I will be taking pregnancy photos on September 22 at 31 weeks pregnant. Gahhh..Large and in charge!

{recipe} Weight Watchers Shepard's Pie

One of the Recipes I tried this week was a Weight Watcher's Shepard's Pie. I, of course, found the recipe on Pinterest (<< link to my personal Pinterest). I was very impressed with this dish as I had no expectations with how well it'd taste. J and I both really liked it and it even made for great leftovers in our lunches the next day. Score.

I know it doesn't look beautiful (and my photography sucks!) but it was very good! Here's the recipe:

	2 large uncooked potato(es), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
	1/4 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
	1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
	1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
	2 tsp olive oil
	1 cup(s) uncooked onion(s), chopped
	2 medium uncooked carrot(s), diced
	2 rib(s) (medium) uncooked celery, diced
	1 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
	3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
	1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
	1 tsp dried thyme
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	2 cup(s) canned chicken broth, or beef broth

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

Transfer turkey mixture to a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top. Bake until potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.

Here is the actual link to the recipe. Enjoy!!

Daily Eats

Ever since I got home from vacation, I've been really trying to "clean" up my eating. By clean I mean eating less processed, more whole foods. After eating out so much of vacation I felt like a bloated blimp and not only because I'm 6 months pregnant.

Anyway, We went grocery shopping and spent roughly $200.00 on "cleaner"/healthier foods. Yikes, but totally worth it. I made a board on my Pinterest with recipes and I'm sticking to it so you'll be seeing some recipes coming up shortly! {Btw, If you want to follow me on Pinterest: search Allie Marshall! I think my username is alliemarshall627 :)}

So, here are some of my daily eats yesterday. It was my first day cutting the caffeine and cutting out some of the unnecessary snacking I had been doing.

Chipotle Chicken Salad- light black beans, light cheese, light sour cream, mild salsa, veggies

Breakfast for dinner! Cinnamon Life cereal (1 cup) with Silk, peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I ate my banana with peanut butter when I got home from water aerobics!

I'm really trying to get away from my "convenience" of Lean Cuisines and fast foods; especially going into my 3rd trimester. Wish me luck! I'll be back this week with a vacation recap :)