Meal Planning: Week 4

Good morning BBB Readers! Well, yesterday was day #1 of our Lamaze class, and we head out again for a long-day of learning. Before heading out the door, I wanted to share our meal plan for the week. I plan to frequent the grocery store immediately after our class comes to an end!

I have another repeat from last week since the dinner meal was never prepared! I know, what! Well, being married to a coach always means having last minute obligations or changes in plans. Don't you remember Lisa from Uncommon Wife Life stating that in her A-Game Attire feature! Well, she is surely correct!

On Friday, a sporadic date night commenced! Easy there! We went to BuyBuyBaby, J. Alexander's, and then a high school basketball game! Very romantic right! Ha! We arrived right at tip-off. When arriving at the gym I, of course, needed to use the lady's room. Coach exclaimed: "Hurry! Or, we won't get seats!" I simply looked down at my burgeoning baby bump and said: "I will be getting a seat!" LoL

Coach is very particular about fresh selections of meats and fish, so I had not even purchased the steaks that were slated for Friday night! For this week, I will use the potatoes that I had planned for us to eat on Friday for a different dinner.

Oh, and before I get into this week's menu! The Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips were the #DaBombDiggity! Oh man, so so delicious! I actually consumed them on Wednesday and Thursday since Coach went out recruiting on Thursday!

After making the recipe, I too realized that it, as outlined, is neither gluten-free or paleo! Sorry! To make the recipe gluten-free, you may utilize gluten-free flour! We used whole wheat flour, and they were scrumptious. And I guess if one used coconut flour, it could be considered paleo. I too must share that we did not make the dipping sauce, so I can't provide a review of that, but the chicken strips - hmm hmm delicious!

Breakfast
Paleo Pumpkin Bread, Veggie Omelet & Bacon


Lunch
Turkey Mash w/ Spinach Salad

Snack
Yogurt w/ Gluten-free Pretzels 
Apple & Peanut Butter

Dinner
Sunday:Fiesta Pork Chops w/ Roasted Corn

Monday: Savory Chicken Casserole 

Tuesday: Paleo Asian Meatballs & Quinoa

Wednesday & Thursday: Paleo Chicken Curry

Friday:Pecan Paprika Tilapia with Brussels Sprouts

Saturday: Bunless Hamburgers & Home-made Fries

Michelyn Cynthia

Bump Watch: Week 23

How Far Along:: 23 weeks

Size of Baby:: Little Miss Kemp is the size of a large mango!

Gender:: Girl!

Stretch Marks::Whenever my stomach feels dry, I apply lotion. Not sure if this will help, but in my mind it will! Also, drinking lots of water and eating fruits and vegetables!

Sleep::We're back on the snooze-mobile! On Saturday, I assisted my gym with the 2015 CrossFit Open; acting as a judge and cheerleader. After the last heat, I went to the grocery store and then home. I quickly made my way upstairs to our bed and was passed out for 4hours! I guess cheering and judging wore me out! I got a little more done on Sunday, but it surely felt glorious to snooze!

Do you spot me? Hint - I am wearing green!

Exercise:: A newly announced pregnant friend of mine sent me an inquiry about pregnancy fitness-related blogs and resources. Quickly, I sent her over a few of my favorite bloggers, but too am hoping to write-up a whole blog post about this topic. Not so much my recommendations, I am not a certified personal trainer or doctor, but various resources that I have found helpful.

I must also say that I have been very lucky to find Jolene since she has a wealth of knowledge in this area. I rely heavily on her for all my pregnancy-related CrossFit accommodations!

Cravings::Not really! The So Delicious Coconut Milk Frozen Desserts were on sale at Kroger this weekend, normally priced between $7-8, and on sale for about $3.50/pint. I bought three pints and am not impressed. I tried the Cookie Dough flavor, although sweet and cold, not really all that great! I do plan to finish the pint (smile) but will not be making another purchase in the future. I got Coach Vanilla and Mint Chip which he has enjoyed.

Thinking I will just stick to my melted chocolate + peanut butter concoction!Didn't I just say last week that I would stop buying chocolate ship morsels, lol.

Miss Anything::Nope

Symptoms:: Back aches

Belly Button In or Out::In

Movement:: Lots of movement after I eat a meal!

Best Moment of the Week::This a best/worst moment... On Tuesday, I went to the dentist! This is actually the best part of the week, ha! I LOVE having my teeth professionally cleaned. Honestly, with my whole love for the dental hygienist you'd think I would do a better job at flossing. Well, they reported that my gums were inflamed (aka pregnancy gingivitis). Just took a look at some of the pictures of those with pregnancy gingivitis, roughly 40% of women fall victim, and I do not think I had a terrible case of it. Yikes, the dental hygienist and dentist scared the living day lights out of me during my visit - talking about the risks, such as low birth weight, premature birth, etc. Now, I am on a whole new level of fear after looking at those pictures! I am partially to blame because I am not a consistent member of the "flossing club." The dental hygienist noted that she could tell the exterior and surface of my teeth were well taken for, but that I am not doing a good job flossing. I was reminded 6 months ago, when I was there last, to work on my flossing so I curled my tail between my legs and walked out!

To end on a good note, I was asked to return in another 3 months for a follow-up cleaning!  

Looking Forward To::Spring Break and spring-like weather!

Michelyn Cynthia

Clean-Up That Diet! Week 2

Tomorrow marks another work week for most of you guys, and another week for me and Little Miss Kemp's 'cleaner' diet.

If you missed last Sunday's post, Tidying Up The Diet, then let me get you up to speed. Over the last few weeks, I had not been eating well-balanced daily meals. My gym, CrossFit SEO, started a 6-week Paleo challenge, so I decided to work on my diet on my own terms.

Week 1 went pretty well. Now, my hope to make the Double Chocolate Paleo Goey Cake was an utter fail! Not that I was unable to make the dish, but rather, that I consumed too much all of the main ingredient, chocolate chips, before even having the opportunity to prepare the dish! I can't handle chocolate chips in the house without eating them straight out of the bag or warmed with nut butter! I too had more chicken than I had originally planned, so I did not make the Paleo Taco Pie next week, it is slated for dinner tonight!

What's on the menu for this week?

Breakfast
HerbaLife Smoothie (Not Paleo or Gluten-free) 

Lunch

Scrambled Eggs with Applegate Breakfast Sausage

Roasted Veggies, Roasted Broccoli with Onion or Sautéed Mushrooms & Green Beans

1/2 Sweet Potato

Grapes

Snacks
GF Crackers, Carrots & Celery with Hummus
Cottage Cheese w/ Apple Sauce & GF Crackers
Apple w/ Nut Butter & Mixed Veggies

Dinner
Sunday & Monday: Paleo Taco Pie

Tuesday: Tilapia & Salad

Wednesday & Thursday: Sweet Potato & Sausage Soup

Friday: Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips & Salad

Saturday: Out to Dinner

Question of the Day: Do you meal plan for the week? 

Michelyn Cynthia

MAC Mania Week 16

Happy Monday!Only 4 games in MAC play! We are getting to then end of this season, some may be relieved while others are gloating!

How is your favorite MAC team doing?

WEST			EAST
University	Record	Conference	University	Record	Conference
Ball State	7-18	2-12	Akron	18-10	8-6
Central Michigan	21-5	10-4	Bowling Green	18-8	9-5
Eastern Michigan	17-10	6-8	Buffalo	18-9	8-6
Northern Illinois	11-15	4-10	Kent State	19-8	10-4
Toledo	19-9	10-4	Miami	11-17	6-8
Western Michigan	17-11	7-7	Ohio	10-16	4-10

* Includes Exhibition game

 Week1     Week 6     Week 11
Week 2    Week 7      Week 12
Week 3    Week 8      Week 13
Week 4    Week 9      Week 14
Week 5    Week 10    Week 15

Michelyn Cynthia

MAC Mania Week 15

Hello, hello! It was a little on the quiet side last week, and this post is coming later than normal. I returned to Ohio yesterday and have been doing errands since I landed! Coach was sweet and did the weekly grocery shopping, which always means a few "extras;" hello Red Velvet oreos.

 I too am very happy with this day off from work to get settled.

Are you doing anything special for the holiday?

Holidays means sales which makes this lady happy. Shopping is the best form of therapy/addiction in my books!

Now, back to MAC basketball!

With only 3 week lefts in regular MAC season play, which amounts to about 6 games per team, I think this season is still a toss up. Sure, Central Michigan, Toledo, Bowling Green, and Kent State are stand-outs, but much can happen with that many games left. And this year, there does not seem to be one clear stand-out in the MAC, in my opinion!

WEST			EAST
University	Record	Conference	University	Record	Conference
Ball State	7-116	2-10	Akron	18-8	8-4
Central Michigan	19-5	8-4	Bowling Green	18-6	9-3
Eastern Michigan	16-9	5-7	Buffalo	16-9	6-6
Northern Illinois	11-13	4-8	Kent State	17-8	8-4
Toledo	17-9	8-4	Miami	9-17	4-8
Western Michigan	16-10	6-6	Ohio	10-14	4-8

* Includes Exhibition game

 Week1     Week 6     Week 11
Week 2    Week 7      Week 12
Week 3    Week 8      Week 13
Week 4    Week 9      Week 14
Week 5    Week 10

Michelyn Cynthia