Spicy Chicken Stir-fry

Whenever I am in the mood for Chinese style take-out, I always ask myself if I can make it healthy by making it at home. I've been trying to overcome the desires to eat out by making similar stir-fry's at home. Some items just can't be made at home... ie .. chow mein! Well, they can, but I haven't yet perfected that recipe. I have been tinkering around with this recipe to maximize flavor, and minimize calories. Here are the results...

Try it the next time you want a take-out stir-fry!

Ingredients-

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 cup broccoli

1/2 cup of red bell bepper, sliced

1 large jalapeno, sliced

1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon flaked chili peppers

1 tablespoon rice-bran oil 

Sauce-

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

Marinade-

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions-

Pour marinade over chicken pieces, and store in fridge until ready to use. This step can be omitted if in a time crunch. Add oil to fry pan or wok. Heat to medium high. Add the chicken, and cook until more than half-way cooked but not fully cooked. Add vegetables, and stir fry for a minute or two more. Now add the sauce into the mix. The mixture will thicken 

Serve over rice, or eat as is

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with Dill sauce

 This is a simple, and quick meal, that's both healthy, and yummy. I like to serve over vegetables (pictured), or potatoes. I really wanted a healthier option for the dill sauce, so, I tweaked it a little as it is normally made with sour cream, and mayo.This recipe was adapted from my family's restaurant. 

Ingredients-

2 large salmon fillets (4-6 oz)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dill Sauce-

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of dill weed (fresh or dry)

Directions- 

Heat grill on medium high. Season the fish with salt and pepper to liking. Cook salmon on grill to desired doneness. I cook about 6 minutes per side. 

Dill Sauce- combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. 

Serve with rice, vegetables, or potatoes

One more go on the Merry-go-round

So, we found out we are expecting baby number 2 this week. It was kind of unexpected. It's not that it happened out of the blue, but I also didn't expect it to happen so soon since took us a while with our first one. I assumed that original waiting period must be the norm. This brought up some mixed emotions. Am I ready for this? is this the right time to have another baby? ( although, it doesn't matter now) Will my housework double? What will happen to my career? It was one question after another. I fought back tears as these questions played out in my mind.

I'm just scared. Scared, of the changes that lie ahead. I felt the same type of anxiety before I got married. The feeling that things will never be the same. The feeling that I am not responsible for only myself. The feeling that I must plan out once impromptu trips.The feeling that I might lose myself in the process of becoming a Mom again.

As a point of clarification, I love being a mom. It has been an incredible experience. I am 7 months postpartum, so things are calming down a little. I am no longer operating on 3 hours of sleep. I don't miss pumping every 3 hours, even in the middle of the night. I sure as heck like having the ability to walk without some sprays of Dermoplast in my private parts. Finally, I can walk past a mirror, and not be afraid of my reflection. 

 The addition of a child into the fold is an overwhelming experience. I can't say whether having two is different than one. I don't know if there are different struggles than with one. I just know life is changing once again. 

 Then again, I couldn't expect things to stay the same forever. If they did, I would complain that nothing new happens in my life. Maybe it's human nature to be cautious of the unknown.  Who knows?

But, this is what I do know: Change is inevitable. I must embrace it, rather than be afraid.  I try to remind myself of this truth. However, these are just words. I can tell myself, but feeling them; living them is what actually matters.

I am learning through my experiences everyday. This is my chance to make the most of it. I can choose how I want to look at the situation. 

So, I have assessed: I am happy to experience pregnancy once again, and look forward to another little person entering my world.  My only hope is that I can be a good role-model, and friend. 

 Raising a child is truly a labor of love. A lot of hard work goes in, but yields so much back in unconditional love. You can trade in all of the unsavory moments for a snuggle, a tooth-less smile, and a tiny hand gripping yours. In those moments, it's pure bliss.  Those are the moments I will cherish forever. 

 

Exercise During Pregnancy

Before you embark on your fitness journey, watch this.  Here are a few tips from the March of Dimes on types of pregnancy exercises to avoid. Keep it safe ladies!

Holiday Entertaining

I finally got to host my first Christmas party! I always wanted to attempt this sort of entertaining, but never felt I could pull it off. Well, I mustered up the courage to do it, and well, I did it! Have you ever wanted to entertain? Try it, it's fun (with some exceptions!) Here are some photos from the event!

Setting it all up!

Reaching for a quick snack

Here is the appetizer spread. We had eggnog, fried wontons, jalapeno poppers, spanokopita, and fruit skewers.

A closer look!

                                  

You can eat anything you want!

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me I could eat anything whilst being pregnant, I would have like a million dollars. Well, maybe more like seventeen dollars. But, still, it didn't take much convincing to get sucked into the eat as much as you can, as fast as you can vortex. I ate, and I ate, and I ate until I had ballooned into an edemic mess. 

By week 34 of my pregnancy, I weighed fifty pounds more than I had started! Aside from my feet having edema, somehow, my face had it too. It had become puffy, and sallow. Luckily, I had just started my maternity leave, so I was able to lounge around all day in my pajamas. I wouldn't have to lug myself around work all day. I spent the rest of my days watching Netflix, and eating Swiss rolls on my sofa. I certainly had lost that pregnancy glow, and had turned it to pregnancy slow. 

 At this point, I had no idea of the amount of calories I was consuming. I figured, I can eat anything I want since I am pregnant.

I was so wrong. 

All this statement provides is a sense of false entitlement. It says I can throw my understanding of nutrition, health, and caloric consumption out the window. I can eat with wild abandon. I thought there was a direct correlation between food consumption and baby birth weight.  I justified my actions by telling myself that my baby would grow more if I grew more. My doctor even clarified, that we only need to consume anywhere from 150-500 calories extra per day throughout the pregnancy. If I was to guess, I think I was taking in an extra 1,000 calories a day. Now, I am talking about myself here, so ask your doctor about your caloric needs during pregnancy. Heck, you might need a 1,000 extra calories depending on your current health. 

I have since given birth, and can now postulate the reasons for my digressions. I think I can understand what happened.  I was trekking through unknown territory. I had first time mom anxiety. I don't know if there is such a thing, but I had it. I was worried about the baby, about my health, labor, about whether or not I would be good parent. Just everything. I used food as comfort. I would feel better after some gooey, fudgey brownies, or some delicious rocky road ice cream. 

I can tell you from experience, it all works it self out. 

Ultimately, it's about balance. 

I think we should shy away from encouraging pregnant women to just eat, but rather, focus on healthy weight gain. Gaining sustenance from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables rather than hot cheetos, twinkies, and fries. Maybe, not all moms-to-be approach their pregnancy this way, but for me, it was an excuse; to eat what I wanted. It took me a while to get back on track with exercising regularly, and eating right. I'll share with you how.I have since lost most of the weight I put on, I am just seven pounds away from my starting weight. I am hoping this time around I can eat for health, and not for comfort. I'll keep you updated...

I would love to hear your stories about pregnancy weight gain