Tuesday, February 24, 2009

~*Tasty Organic Recipes*~

Well, it's been about 2 weeks or so since I started my "Fertility Dense Diet" and I'm proud to say that I've been doing really good and eating the healthiest I ever have in my life. Of course it's impossible to be perfect and buying EVERYTHING Organic would be way too spendy..but I've been cooking a lot, staying home and found some really tasty Organic snack crackers (one of my weaknesses!!). I was really having a craving for sugar last week since it had been a week without much except natural sugars so I found a recipe for Organic Cream Cheese Brownies..they were delicious!!! :) I would HIGHLY recommend this recipe, we took it over to Keren and Steve's last week and the plate was gone within an hour as we played Guitar Hero! I didn't change much from her recipe..although I did use more organic ingredients (for the chocolate I used Safeway Organic chocolate chips and a little Organic Dark chocolate, Organic cream cheese, butter, cane sugar and flour.)


Another recipe I tried was Quinoa and Black beans. I had never heard of Quinoa until recently and I've found what an amazing grain it is ...If you're interested..check this out:



The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It is exceptionally high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains. It is a good complement for legumes, which are often low in methionine and cystine. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids. Some types of wheat come close to matching quinoa's protein content, but grains such as barley, corn, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa. Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces a day, about 1/2-cup, will provide a childs protein needs for one day. The 6-7% fat of quinoa is relatively high when compared to other grains, but it boasts a low sodium content and also provides valuable starch and fiber. Quinoa also contains albumen, a protein that is found in egg whites, blood serum, and many plant and animal tissues. The seeds are gluten-free which makes this a nutritious and flavorful alternative grain for those with gluten sensitivity. Quinoa would be a worthy addition to anyone's diet, supplying variety as well as good nutrition. The seed is also excellent feed for birds and poultry and the plant itself is good forage for cattle.


Other than my new and exciting recipes ..not much else new in my world. I'm counting down the days until I'm off my 2am-noon shift..although I don't know how much better it will be since I'm going to 10pm-8am....ugh!!! I'm sooo sick of getting stuck with such crappy shifts...but I guess in a few more years it should be getting better..I wish they would hurry up and promote some more dispatchers so I would have more seniority! Oh well...anyways...I'm off to start another new recipe for dinner :) Brown sugar mustard glazed salmon with roasted sweet potatoes..yum!!






Monday, February 16, 2009

Valentines, Geo-caching and Babies!!

Another Valentines Day came and went. Andy and I aren't usually big on celebrating the holiday, it just seems like an excuse for Hallmark, chocolate companies and florists to rake in the dough!! Needless to say, I refuse to let Andy buy me chocolates or flowers...but I do like cards :) We usually don't do gifts since when we were dating our anniversary was only 2 weeks later...this year was no different except I had a few surprises up my sleeve for Andy. I had to work Valentines morning (2am-noon) and Andy just thought we were gonna go to lunch together. Instead when I got home I told him there was a change of plans and after I took a nap we were going to dinner and a comedy show!! So..we went to Red Lobster for dinner...after an hour wait to get seated (they don't take reservations) we sat down and our service was wonderful..and fast! I had the Maui Style Salmon and Shrimp which was delicious! We finished up dinner pretty quick after we were seated and made a trip to Marlene's (I wanted to check out their organic food) and grabbed a couple things before heading up to Seattle.


We got to Seattle early, found a parking space and walked through Post Alley to the Market Theater where our comedy improv show was. We hung out and chatted in the bar for a bit before we could go into the theater. The show was pretty entertaining, and it was a nice change for us to get out of the house on a weekend! And the best part of Valentines Day was how surprised Andy was and happy that I took the time off with him :)

Today was an eventful day too. After I got off work Brad and the girls came over to take us on our first Geocaching trek!! If you've never heard of it, according to the official website: Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.
We found 4 different caches, one down by the Puyallup 'iron man' and train tracks, one by the police station, one up by Wild Wood park and another near Bradley lake Park. It was such an adventure and we had so much fun with the girls. I'm looking forward to doing some more this week on my days off when I'm stuck home alone! And Andy and I will probably go out again next weekend when we have some time off :)
After a short nap we ent up to Lake Tapps to visit our friends Seth and Nicole who just had a baby boy on friday: Kellan Edward Jordan :) He's such a cutie and SOOOO tiny!! I couldn't get over how precious he is. As hard as it is for me with infertility we enjoyed our visit and are happy for Nicole and Seth, they will be great parents. Overall it has been a very busy weekend and I'm so ready for MY weekend to finally relax and get some sleep!!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Natural Fertility

Well...after some discussion with Andy, thought, prayer and research I have decided what my next step will be to try and help our infertility. I have been researching natural methods of curing infertility in general and came across this website: http://natural-fertility-info.com/ where I found A LOT of useful information. So I'm going to be changing my diet to incorporate MOSTLY organic meats/produce/dairy and wheat/snack items. I don't want to go crazy and throw everything in the house away yet...so I'm just going to start purchasing more organic as things run out and try to be a lot healthier and get away from processed food, chemicals and hormones. I've heard of miracles happening just from dietary changes and I figure it's worth a try!! :)


So I talked to Andy about it yesterday...he's not as sold on it as I am ..but I'm the one making the changes not him...so oh well! And he said the more power to me if it actually works. And..it's a lot better than continuing the stress of infertility medications on my body and increasing that with IVF medications and procedures.



Also..if anyone sees a naturopathic dr. or a nutritionist that they'd recommend I'd be interested in getting their information as I'd like to talk with a professional about this also.


So...here's to getting my body healthy and ready for a baby!! Bring on the 'Fertility Dense Diet'

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

My day in pictures...

I had a busy day..but got a lot accomplished :)