(Almost) Perfect Boiled Eggs

I am NOT a domestic goddess, but I strive to be! I have the hardest time with boiled eggs so I tried a new technique today and it worked!! I found the instructions here. I made low fat egg salad with my seven eggs (I ate one of my eight eggs as soon as I peeled it!) by throwing half of the yolks away, mixing 2 tbsp of light mayo, 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard, and a little salt and paprika. Delicioso!!

Bake a Cake

Towards the end of my pregnancy I decided to take a cake decorating class at Michael's. I'm so glad that I did! I want to take the 2nd and 3rd level classes eventually. I learned how to make butter cream icing, how to do basic techniques, and got some practice at baking. Now I love it and will bake a cake for any reason!! I am experimenting now with recipes and combinations. I have always made an Oreo cake, but now I have made french vanilla cake with strawberry filling, chocolate with chocolate icing and chocolate chips (for my pregnant sister!), and the most recent hit was a Reece's cake! My next one will be an orange and blue cake (maybe orange flavored cake with blueberry filling). And while my decorating isn't perfection, the cakes taste amazing and I'm having a blast! Any flavor combinations I should try??

Baby Food

At Macy's six month checkup, we were told we could start giving her baby food. We are to begin with sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. We can then switch to either fruit or green veggies. So far, we have given her sweet potatoes and she loves them! I would really like to make her food myself...something I will probably begin on Friday. I will probably get organic sweet potatoes first and use my grandmother's food processor to make them into baby food. Let me know if you have any suggestions! I am super excited to get my daughter in the habit of eating healthy!

The Evolution of Romance

Today marks mine and my husband's third wedding anniversary. I am reflecting today on how this whole thing started! We have a daughter now, and our whole world revolves around her, but it was once just all about us. Once upon a time, there were two carefree twenty-somethings who fell madly in love and never looked back! Now we have something to show for our once-in-a-lifetime love...the most incredible child. Although the times of martini nights and romantic vacations are put on hold for a while and our candlelight anniversary dinner will probably be decorated with spit-up, whimpers, and teething rings being thrown on the floor, I wouldn't have it any other way. What could be more romantic than loving each other so much that you want and make a child together? She's a perfect combination of us! This is what it's all about!

Make the Switch: A Little Bit Goes A Long Way

I've been making little changes in my diet to help with the "diet" side of my post-pregnancy weight loss. These are just healthier choices. Some things I've been doing for a while and some are new. Try doing this yourself, if you are not already!

Drink skim milk instead of whole or 2% milk. You will acquire a taste for it, I promise! I was raised on whole milk (a Southern thing) and refused to drink skim milk. My husband actually started buying skim milk. However, it wasn't until I was taking one of my health classes at UF that I learned that skim milk has all of the nutrients that whole milk has, it just doesn't have the fat! Win-win!!

My favorite breakfast right now is non-fat vanilla yogurt with low fat granola, strawberries, and blueberries. You can freeze the blueberries (I put them in the yogurt frozen) and use them when you need them. Frozen fruit has all the good stuff of fresh fruit too!

Get rid of your white bread! Switch to whole wheat or whole grain. Again, you will acquire a taste for it! I discovered that white bread actually has no taste and I prefer whole wheat bread now. I really like Arnold Honey Wheat Bread, which is often buy one get one free at Publix. It has an identical nutrition label to the regular wheat bread and it tastes awesome! When making sandwiches, I don't use mayonnaise anymore...I use fat-free Italian dressing. It's so good!!

I eat salads pretty much every day. Get rid of iceberg lettuce and switch to romaine, or better yet, spinach! I used to eat ONLY iceberg lettuce and now I only eat baby spinach in my salads! Load up your salads with vegetables: carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, onions, corn (my favorite), etc. I sometimes add some lean sliced turkey, tuna (without anything added to it), or rotisserie chicken to it. Top off with some fat free dressing and some slivered almonds or fat-free croutons and you've got a yummy, nutritious salad!

Love pizza? Get some whole grain pitas, organic tomato sauce, turkey pepperoni, and fat free cheese...yummy pizza without all of the fat! It is so satisfying and has about 2.75 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbs, and 265 calories. Success!

Lastly, drink a ton of water, eat your veggies and fruits (just load up on them!), and let yourself have ice cream every once in a while. It's all about moderation and good choices. :)