Turkey Time!

This year might be the first year that I can out eat anyone and everyone at the Thanksgiving table, especially since these awesome maternity pants give a lot of extra room for stretching! Hehehe. But there is no reason to overdo it just because the food is front of me, or because I'm pregnant, and neither should you! Studies have shown that the average person consumes between 3,000 and 4,000 calories during a Thanksgiving meal, not including what you snack and sip on during the day. Here are few Thanksgiving tips that will keep you happy and keep your pants buttoned, whether you're pregnant or not, but still allow you to enjoy all the wonderful food!

1) Start your holiday morning out with a quick 45 minute workout. Whether it's a brisk walk, a short yoga session, or a full body circuit, getting a quick workout in before you stuff your face will get your metabolism moving!

2) Eat light!! If you are having a Thanksgiving dinner take it easy during the day! Whip up an egg white omelet and piece of fruit for breakfast. Keep lunch light with a broth based soup or light salad. My sister makes a wonderful pumpkin soup every year that we eat for lunch to hold us over until dinner. It's light on the stomach, but enough to keep your belly satisfied.

3) Try a new low fat recipe! We all have our family traditions and Thanksgiving favorites, but there is no reason we have to make them "Paula Dean Style"! Search for alternatives to your favorite recipes on cookinglight.com. Something as simple has replacing eggs with egg substitute can cut back on the calories, fat, and cholesterol while still giving you that traditional taste you love!

4) Thinking about going back for seconds? Be wise when going back for more! Instead of reaching for another scoop of grandma's sweet potato casserole and gravy smothered dressing, grab a second helping of veggies and a glass of water. It takes the body a full 15-20 minutes after you finish eating to feel satiety. So instead of going back for seconds right away, take a breather and drink a tall glass of water.

5) Minimize the mimosas! I'll be completely minimizing the mimosas this year (insert sad face). But the rest of you can enjoy your booze IN MODERATION!!!! Those extra cocktails add A LOT of extra calories to your Thanksgiving meal. So keep it light and sip on water most of the day so you can enjoy your favorite beer or wine during your Thanksgiving meal or while cheering on your favorite team!

6) Share a dessert plate. There are so many pies and sweet treats to choose from!  How can you pick just one?! Instead of dishing out a piece of each pie, share a dessert plate with someone. Having a bite or two of a few favorites  rather than eating  full helpings will satisfy your taste buds and keep your calories somewhat in check.

Here are a few healthy alternative recipes I have used in the past:

"I Can't Believe It's Not Sweet Potato Casserole"
http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/holiday-i-cant-believe-its-not-sweet-potato-casserole-recipe

Ingredients

• 8 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 2/3 cup light vanilla soymilk
• 2/3 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
• 1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated), or HG Alternative!
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" X 10" baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Fill a large microwave-safe dish with 1/2 inch of water. Add squash and cover. Microwave for about 8 minutes -- squash should be tender enough to mash, but not overcooked. Drain well.

Mash squash thoroughly with a potato masher, food processor, or fork, but do not puree. (Squash should be pulpy.) Add soymilk, syrup, sweetener, salt, egg substitute, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. (Adding the ingredients in this order gives the squash enough time to cool before adding the egg substitute, which could begin to "cook" if added too early.) Mix thoroughly, but do not over-stir.

Transfer mixture to the baking pan. Bake in the oven until mostly firm, 45 - 50 minutes.

Top with mini marshmallows. Return to the oven and bake until marshmallows begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool before serving!
MAKES 8 SERVINGS



Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie
 http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/maple-bourbon-pecan-pie-50400000116756/

I decreased the calories and sugar even more by substituting the whole eggs with egg substitute and using sugar-free syrup rather than regular maple syrup.


Caramel Pumpkin Pudding Cupcakes
These are one of my favorite Thanksgiving treats.  Only 100 calories per cupcake!!!!
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipe/14406_Hungry_Girl_s_Caramel_Pumpkin_Pudding_Cupcakes/index.html

INGREDIENTS

• For cupcakes:
• 2 cups moist-style yellow cake mix (1/2 of an 18.25-ounce box)
• 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons sugar-free maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• For topping:
• 3 cubes (about 1 ounce) chewy caramel
• 2 teaspoons light vanilla soy milk

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine all cupcake ingredients in a mixing bowl with 13 cup of water. Whip with a whisk or fork for 2 minutes until well blended.

Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with baking cups. Evenly spoon batter into muffin cups. Place pan in the oven and cook for about 12 minutes (until cupcakes have puffed up but still appear a little gooey on top). Once cupcakes are cool enough to handle, arrange them closely on a plate so that the edges are touching.

Place caramel and soymilk in a tall microwave-safe glass or dish (mixture will bubble and rise when heated).

Microwave at medium power for 1 minutes. Stir mixture vigorously until smooth and thoroughly blended. (Return to microwave for 30 seconds at medium heat if caramel has not fully melted.) Immediately drizzle caramel sauce over cupcakes.

HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING!!!!

IT'S A.........!!!!!!

It was quite a fun weekend at the Thomas house! Josh and I ended the work week on Friday with dinner with some great friends. I treated myself to a few chicken wings, so Saturday morning we hit the gym hard! I had an AMAZING 2 hour workout!!! I did an hour long circuit training session with a new trainer at my gym followed by an hour of power yoga with my favorite instructor. It felt SO good to pump it out hard in a new class. I think this is going to be my new Saturday routine. Josh hit the gym hard as well with a few of his friends. Needless to say we are both VERY sore, I'm not sure who is waddling around worse. hahaha

After our workouts Saturday we got the house ready for our  gender reveal party!!!! It was an absolute blast!!! It would have been even more fun if I didn't accidently spoil the surprise 10 minutes before the reveal. A little advice for those of you wanting to do a gender reveal: 1) do the reveal as soon as you can after finding out  2) do the big reveal as soon as everyone gets to your house  3) just avoid talking about the baby until you reveal.

Josh and I both accidently spilled the beans at dinner with our friends Beth and Brad on Friday by using the word "she" in a conversation. They promised they would act surprised on Saturday at the reveal and pretend they had no idea, but that didn't matter because 10 minutes before the last 5 friends got to our house for the reveal I spilled the beans again to the entire room by using the word "her"!!!!!

So the big reveal was only big for the last 5 people that weren't in the room when I gave it away, but it was still a BLAST!!!!


So here's what we did.....

Well of course we had to start out by wearing some sort of costume! We decided it was only proper to wear onsies to honor our little one!

 We call our group of friends "Team Turkey" so it was only fitting that we give our little "turkeytot" (thank you Beth for the wonderful nickname) an initiation outfit.

We got all of our friends to gather outside and gave them each a can of silly string (we took off the caps and covered the labels so they didn't know what color it was). Everyone who thought it was a boy stood on one side and everyone who thought it was a girl stood on the other side. When we said "go" they had a huge silly string fight and the color of the silly string told them the sex of the baby!

They think it's a boy

They think it's a girl



 IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!

We are happy to announce that we will be welcoming Jordan Willow Thomas into the world at the beginning of April! Chance can't wait to meet his little sister!

 

 

 

 

Challenge yourself this week and try a new workout or workout class!!!

FOOD DUMP!!!

My appetite and I are not the best of friends right now! I am in the "see-food stage"; I see food and I want to eat it! I've been controlling myself fairly well by keeping healthy snacks like vegetables, trail mix, and fruit in my lunch box at all times; but I'm not going to lie, I have indulged in foods lately that I never would have before. It's OK to indulge every now and then, just remember moderation is key and exercise is important!!!!!

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen lately whipping up some healthy recipes to satisfy my cravings so I thought I would share some of my favorites.

This first recipe is one of my new favorites!  Josh and I were drooling over it; it tastes JUST like restaurant orange chicken without the fattening fried coating. The chicken is from  calicooking.com but the rice was whipped up free hand. I actually have to thank my friend Shelby for the rice; she cooked some shrimp fried for me a few months ago and I loved it so much I had to try my own version!

Orange Chicken and "Not So Fried Rice" :

 Ingredients:

-3 medium chicken breasts
-1/3  cup of flour
- 1.5 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce:
-9 oz of pulp free orange juice
-3 tsp corn starch
-3 Tbsp of brown sugar
-2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1-2 Tbsp of lemon juice
-3-4 minced garlic cloves (I used the minced garlic in a jar and it was great)
-1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Cut chicken breasts in 1/4 inch pieces and put in freezer bag with 1/3 cup flour. Shake the bag until all chicken is lightly coated in flour. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan. Cook chicken in pan over medium-high heat until mostly cooked.

In a separate bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together . Add the sauce to the chicken pan, and cook chicken in sauce on medium low heat until chicken is cooked all the way through and sauce has thickened.

Rice:

Ingredients:

-1 cup of rice ( I used jasmine- it cooks quickly and fluffs nicely)

- 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots, thawed

- 1/2 cup of onion-chopped

-1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 egg

- 2-3 Tbsp Low sodium soy sauce

Method:

Cook rice as directed and cool in refrigerator for 30-45 minutes. Saute onion, on medium heat, until soft and translucent, add peas and carrots and cook 1-2 minutes. Push onion, peas, and carrots to one side of the pan and scramble 1 egg on the empty side of the pan. Add the rice to the pan and mix all ingredients together. Add 2-3 Tbsp of low sodium soy sauce to rice mixture and stir well.

Turkey Patties:

I always try to keep 3 types of meat in the house: Chicken breasts, low-fat ground beef, and canned tuna. My grocery store had ground turkey on sale a few weeks ago so I stocked up on it as well. It came in handy a few weeks ago when I got home from work late and was in need for a speedy dinner.

I whipped up a few Asian turkey patties with a side of ginger salad. I didn't use a recipe, I just used a bunch of asian sauces I had in the cabinet. I ended up with something along the lines of this:

1 lb of ground turkey

1 Tbsp ponzu Sauce

1 Tbsp hoison Sauce

1/2 Tbsp low Sodium Soy sauce

1 Tbsp teriyaki Sauce

1 tsp of onion powder

1 tsp of garlic powder

1/4 cup of chives, chopped

Mix all ingredients together and form into 4 patties. Place on a wire rack over a drip pan so that any extra fat can drip off while cooking. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 F or until meat is white all the way through.

For my salad I used romaine lettuce and a whatever vegetables I had in stock. In this case that was onion, green pepper, and cucumber. Top with 1 Tbsp Chinese noodles and 1 Tbsp of ginger dressing ( I LOVE Naturally Fresh ginger dressing. It's low in calories and a little goes a long way) and BAM dinner.

I got this next recipe from cookinglight.com and tried it last Friday night for the first time; it was a SUCCESS! The sweetness of the apply jelly blends perfectly with the kick of the horseradish. Pair with your favorite green vegetable and mashed potatoes and you've got yourself a healthy, omega- rich meal! Oh and for the record I wanted to make sweet potatoes instead of regular mashed potatoes but Josh isn't a big fan of sweet potatoes unless they are coated in marshmallows and brown sugar. So I took one for the team and made regular potatoes using a small amount of fat-free half and half, garlic, and pepper.

Apple and Horseradish Glazed Salmon:

Ingredients:

-1/3 cup apple jelly

-1 Tbsp of chopped chives

- 2 Tbsp of prepared horseradish

-1 Tbsp champagne vinegar ( I couldn't find this at the store so I used white wine vinegar)

-4 (4oz) salmon fillets, skinned

-1/4 tsp ground pepper

-2 tsp olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°
Combine apple jelly, chives, horseradish, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk.
Sprinkle salmon with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add salmon, and cook 3 minutes. Turn salmon over; brush with half of apple mixture. Wrap handle of skillet with foil; bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Brush with remaining apple mixture

My friend Beth introduced me to Oikos yogurt dip on our glamping trip. O-M-G their dips taste like a touch of heaven in my mouth! She had the roasted red pepper, but I couldn't find it when I went to the store so I bought the cucumber dill and the french onion flavors. I keep the dill dip in my lunch box with carrots at all times. It's a great healthy snack! Only 25 calories per 2 Tbsp!

Wheat Thins dipped in the french onion dip is a great alternative to the average high fat french onion dip and potato chips.

My favorite yoga instructor is teaching night time classes again!! Wahooo!!! I ended my hump-day the right way with a great yoga session! Did you get your workout in yesterday????

Baby's First "Glamping" Trip

As I have mentioned before one of mine and Josh's favorite hobbies is backpacking. We try to go out west every August and backpack anywhere from 40-50 miles through the backcountry of a national park. When we aren't out west we like to find short 12-14 mile weekend hikes around GA, TN, and the Carolinas. When you are carrying everything you need for 3-5 days on your back you tend to travel with as little as possible. You ration your food,  you bring only enough water to get you to the first river so you can pump more, and you certainly don't have room to bring any games or activities to keep you occupied.

Well our idea of backpacking/camping is a little different from our friend's. They enjoy what we like to call "Glamping" or glamorous camping. This past weekend we had a wonderful glamping experience with about 15 our closest friends; it was GLAMOUROUS!

We had about 9 tents, a "kitchen" tent with an endless supply of our favorite camp foods ( most were not nutritionist friendly, but you have to splurge every once in a while!) a charcoal grill, two 50 cc motor bikes, corn hole, BB guns, glow sticks, an endless campfire, and of course A LOT of laughs! We "glamped" at a trail head up in Clayton,GA  right on the river. It was the perfect spot because we were close to water for the dogs to play and swim and right on the trail head so we could pick up and do some easy day hiking.

Friend montage!

What? You've never brought photo booth props on a camping trip??

What about sparklers and glow sticks??

Baby Thomas even got in on the photo fun!

Beautiful day for hiking!

Pregnant lady on a motor bike!

AMAZING weekend! Makes you want to go glamping this weekend doesn't it :)

I made a great lowfat Turkey chili before we left. It was the perfect healthy, hearty, warm dinner for a cold night outdoors. You don't normally see zucchini and carrots in chili but they blend in really well and add some great extra vitamins and minerals to what is often a high fat, mostly protein based meal.

Spicy Turkey Chili (courtesy of myrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS:

-1 1/4 cups green bell pepper strips

-1 cup sliced onion

-1/2 cup sliced carrot                

-1/2 cup  sliced zucchini                

-1 pound ground turkey                

-1/4 cup chili powder                

-1 1/2 teaspoons sugar                               

-3/4 teaspoon dried oregano                

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon black pepper

-2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained 

-1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, drained

-1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained

-1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

-1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese                

PREPARATION:

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add first 5 ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until turkey is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in chili powder and the next 8 ingredients (chili powder through tomato sauce), and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cheese.

IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND! GET OUTDOORS AND GET MOVING! 

                           

Embracing the Bump

Get comfortable because this post isn't full of pretty pictures of my dog, or delicious food. I'm going to get real for a minute. I may sound selfish, or foolish, but I want to share these crazy feelings I'm having because I'm sure many pregnant women feel the same way.

November 1, 2013, the first day my stomach got in the way on the hamstring curl machine. HAHAHA. It seems silly, I know, but this was a big day for me. I'm 18 weeks so naturally I have a small bump now. My friends laugh at me and tell me I'm ridiculous; they say it’s adorable and I look great; to me it looks like I have a giant basketball in my stomach.

However, I am proud to say I am embracing this little bump more than I thought I would. Now, I'm not going to completely down play it. I definitely had a melt down about a week ago. I had just gotten out of the shower and was standing in front of the mirror and just started to cry. It sounds vein and selfish; but, I've spent my entire life working on keeping a toned, healthy figure. It's hard to see my body changing. I jumped in the bed quickly, trying to hide my tears from Josh. He usually gets aggravated when I complain about my body; he says I must see a completely different image in the mirror than what he sees, and that is probably true. But instead of getting annoyed,  he just came over,  kissed me, and very sweetly, told me to get use to it because it was going to get bigger; but, the end result is going to be something pretty amazing! It was the best thing he could have said. I didn't want him to coddle me and tell me that I still looked the same, because that's just not true. But he helped me realize that's OK.

 
 I have feared this stage in my pregnancy since day one. I had this image in my head of myself going from a size 4 to a size 16, with a big, round, puffy face, waddling around like a penguin. So, when my mom asked if she could take me maternity shopping last weekend, I had very mixed feelings. I was looking forward to buying pants that gave me room to breathe, and shirts that's actually fit around my ever- growing bust; but, I was NOT looking forward to admitting that I don't comfortably fit into all of my normal clothes.

 
Quickly, I learned that maternity clothes are AWESOME and now I can't wait to get a little bigger so I can wear them! I also learned that having a baby belly doesn't mean you have to wear a size 16 pants- HAHAHA. I was very happy to learn that you buy the same size clothes; they are just made to fit the new shape of your body.

 So for all you expecting mom's out there, I now have a small amount of shopping experience that may help in your search for maternity clothes.  Motherhood Maternity recently got a new brand in their store called Bumpstart. The great part about the Bumpstart brand is most of their stuff comes in packs of 2 and is priced between $20-$25. I got a bunch of tank tops, t-shirts, and leggings in a variety of colors for a great price!! They also have a lot of cute spring/summer shirts on clearance right now. I went ahead a stocked up on some cute tunic type shirts they had being that it will be spring during the end of my pregnancy.

 I got my pregnancy pants from Old Navy. Old Navy jeans have always fit me really well. I am a mere 5'1" and their pants fit my short body. Old Navy didn't have a large maternity section, but they have a lot of really cute stuff online. And  I LOVE the way the pants fit me! We also went to Target to stock up on some long sleeve shirts. They have a great variety of colors and their maternity long sleeve shirts are SO soft. I also bought some adorable open front winter sweaters. I have a feeling this winter is going to be leggings with big sweaters! Target has a TON of great open- front sweaters. Since it doesn’t need to be buttoned or zipped, it doesn’t have to be a maternity sweater.

 Over the past 4 months, people have constantly asked me, "Are you excited"? Of course, my answer is,” yes”, and trust me, I have been. But, it hasn't really felt "real", you know? I've had very few pregnancy symptoms, I haven't felt the baby move yet, and up until the of last couple weeks, I haven't looked pregnant. But now, as this little bump gets bigger, I am starting to get more and more excited. It is finally starting to feel real. So, I am going to embrace this little bump as it grows because I know inside is something very real and very special!  I will outgrow clothes, and I'm sure I will have to start altering my workouts, but, that's OK because I know in a few short months, I will be a “workout mom”!  I will soon be back into my regular workouts, wearing my regular clothes, with my beautiful child in tow!!

 

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Here's to embracing the changes!!!!

All About Abs!!

I think a lot of women who get pregnant see that positive sign and immediately stop all exercise in fear that they will hurt their baby. The first type of exercise they stop is usually abs. Well ladies I have great news for you; keeping your abs and core in shape is one of the most important things you can do for your body while you are pregnant! Having a toned tummy and core will help your body support the weight of your baby and relieve pressure from your back and pelvis as well. Now, obviously as your belly grows you will have to alter your ab workouts. I am just now starting to get a small bump so I haven't had to change my routine too much, but as I get bigger I will be sharing new exercises to accommodate my larger stomach. Here are a few of my favorite ab exercises. I recommend doing 3 sets of 15-20 of each exercise.

Ball Sit-Ups:
These are great for people with lower back issues and women who are in their second and third trimester of pregnancy. My OB advised me to avoid ab exercises that require me to lay flat on my back after 14 weeks so I altered my normal sit-ups to ball sit-ups.

Start with your lower back stabilized on the ball, feet planted firmly on the ground and knees at a 90 degree table top position. Tighten your stomach and bring your shoulders off the ball then return to starting position.

Plank:
The plank is one of my favorite ab exercises! It works your entire core and there are SO many various plank positions for people who like a challenge.

In the top picture I have my knees on the ground to show you the modified version; the bottom picture shows the regular version. Notice in both versions my back is flat and my arms and shoulders are in a straight line. Once in the proper position, tighten your entire core and hold. I like to hold my plank for a minimum of 1 minute. If you are new to this exercise start slowly. Try holding for 20 seconds and work your way up.

If you like a challenge try one of many plank versions. In the version pictured below I lift my opposite leg and arm. This challenges your core and balance.

Cherry Picker or Russian Twist:
This exercise focuses on the obliques. I have posted two pictures here. For those of you that want a challenge you can hold a 5 or 10 lb weight while you twist.

Position yourself balanced on your tailbone. With your feet in the air, or on the floor if you need the modified version,  twist your torso to the left and then the right. Keep your lower body squared. If you allow your hips to move with your torso you will not get the full benefit of the exercise.

Crunches:
These are another favorite of mine; they work the entire stomach. I have shown the regular version  and the modified version for when you belly starts to get bigger.

For the modified version place your hands behind your butt and legs extended in front at a 45 degree angle. Bring your knees into your chest and extended back out.

For the regular version you will do the same thing but your hands will remain in front of you and you will extend your entire body. But, keep your shoulders off the ground at all times.

Excuse Chance for sneaking into these pictures hehehe.

Hope you started out your Monday the right way, Motivated and Moving!!