Holy moly – what an adventure this pregnancy is! If you didn’t read my first trimester recap, check that out first. We are getting so excited to meet our sweet baby girl! She’s definitely growing! We do have a name but haven’t announced it yet. We might wait until she arrives for that. Our close friends and family know, but that’s about it.
While the nausea isn’t quite as extreme as it was a few weeks ago, it’s definitely still there. Though there’s still quite a bit of the 2nd trimester to go, it doesn’t feel easier than the first, just different. Heartburn and trouble sleeping are heightened but excitement is, too.
On the Food Front:
One thing is for sure: I’m eating quite differently in pregnancy than I was eating before. Between the heart burn and the nausea, the only thing that feels tolerable (most of the time) are carbohydrates. I’ve had sandwiches, pasta and lots of fruit.
Some days, I can tolerate chicken, steak or veggies but they never sound appealing.
I’m okay with it.
This is a unique phase of life and it’s best for me, for my quality of life and for my beautiful baby girl to let go of expectations or ideas of the way it should be.
I’m dealing with what is and choosing to enjoy this unique season of life.
I’m working to be mindful of how much I’m eating without getting too caught up in what I’m eating, with the caveat that I try to get a variety of nutrients each day.
I’m continuing to take digestive enzymes, a multivitamin, omega 3s and probiotics every day.
2nd Trimester Workouts:
As suprised as I am to say this, I’m going back to CrossFit. I miss lifting weights and I miss the community. As I shared in the first trimester recap, I didn’t do much of any exercise in the first 8 weeks and then I started cycling classes. I enjoy them but it’s over $400/month if you want to go 6-7 days per week. Plus, there’s no weight training and not much of a community.
I reached out to the owner of my previous CrossFit box and asked about scaling in pregnancy and she assured they’d work with me. My OBGYN doesn’t want my heart rate to exceed 140 bpm so I bought an Apple Watch to keep an eye on it. Certain movements like burpees & GHDs are already off the table and others will depend entirely on how they feeling: rowing, double unders, etc.
I know the workouts will look different during pregnancy – lower intensity and lots of modifications but I’m totally comfortable doing what is right for me and not feeling like I’m not “keeping up” with everyone else. I’m not there to keep up with anyone. I’m there to take good care of myself and my baby. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.
I’m traveling to California for business this week and fully intend to be back in the CrossFit box when I get back. I’m super excited to workout with the boyfriend again. I’ll keep you guys posted as I get back into it.
Body by Baby:
In two words, I’m bigger. Hips are bigger. But is bigger. Face is bigger. Boobs are bigger. Belly is bigger. Clothes are bigger.
If I asked the boyfriend to summarize my emotions and mindset lately, he’d probably say “unpredictable”. He wouldn’t be wrong.
I’m quick to stress about the house, but I’m also quick to remind myself that I’m doing all I can do and ultimately, it will all be okay. I don’t control the timeframe.
My emotions are heightened. We lost one of our chickens to a bird of prey last week and I definitely reacted more strongly than I would have before pregnancy. I’m more sensitive overall, while also staying really connected to the strong, stable woman I want to be as an example to my sweet girl.
My desire for closeness with my family and he boyfriend’s family is greater than ever. I have an overwhelming desire to bring people together and make sure this baby knows how strong the love is for her on both sides.
My mom’s family has always been really close and that’s what defined so much of my childhood. I want that for my daughter, on both sides.
Preps for Home:
Who am I kidding? My renovation came to a screeching halt due to a contractor who stepped far beyond his bounds. Unfortunately, it unraveled after demo, so we’re still living in a shit show. Every day we try to move forward with a new contractor but it’s a slow process. Every week I tell myself, “This is the week we’ll hire a new contractor and start moving forward!” I’m still believing this is the week. But for now, the downstairs is completely torn to the studs, most of our belongings are in storage and we’re sleeping on a mattress on the floor in a tiny room upstairs.
I have, however, bought a crib and a dresser and established baby’s registry. The nursery doesn’t depend on the renovations being down, so we’re planning to start working on it at the end of this month.
The Peaks:
Seeing our baby girl grow is amazing. My body feels different every day and I choose to remain grateful for her continued growth.
The other night, I thought I felt her move for the first time. Maybe it was indigestion, but it was a special moment either way.
Beginning to design out her nursery is a blast!
Thanks to my coach, I feel really great about the work we’re putting in before baby to make Primal Potential stronger than ever while also allowing me some time and freedom as a new mom.
The Pits:
The boyfriend’s parents are out of the country and will likely remain there for a couple more years. I wish they were closer to share this with us. I miss them.
I’m not sleeping very much. I fall asleep easily and early, but wake up 5-10 times in the night to use the bathroom, regardless of how much water I drink during the day.
Heartburn and nausea are a tough combination when it comes to making food choices.
I’ll keep you guys updated and post again in a couple weeks!
I’m celebrating because I’m on vacation, in BERMUDA! I wanted to take a minute to share with you my intention/strategy for this trip.
If you’d rather listen to this email than read it, please click here. Otherwise, keep reading below.
Vacation used to be a total free-for-all. I’d eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted because, hey, ‘it’s vacation’. The problem was, I’d feel awful. Heavy. Tired. Self-conscious.
I’d come home feeling like I had to crawl out of a hole I dug for myself. It sucked. It wasn’t worth it and I didn’t have as much fun as I could have because the trip was clouded by thoughts about food and food choices. No bueno.
Then, I swung in the opposite direction. For a couple years, I sat on the sidelines. I was militant about my work, my workouts and my food choices. Sure, I was rested and my energy was great, but I was using “structure” as a barrier to connection and experience.
I told myself this story that indulging equals fun and not indulging equals not fun.
Fortunately, I now realize that’s total BS. It’s not either/or. And if it feels like it is, you’re doing it wrong.
I can eat in a way that makes me feel amazing AND really treat myself AND enjoy every bite of food that passes my lips without missing out. It’s really all about the story you tell yourself and the perspective you choose. There is always another way. Dozens of other ways. I will be looking for foods I will LOVE and enjoy eating that will also make me feel amazing (helllllllo ceviche & fresh fish!)
I see every day as an opportunity to enjoy life more and live in alignment with what I want most, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to share my perspective on this trip.
First – I want to feel amazing every single day. I want to feel happy, lighthearted, present, confident and energized.
My first step is to get clear on what kinds of things will make me feel that way and what kinds of things won’t make me feel that way.
Do:
Get lots of sleep
Journal every morning
Sweat every day
Play every day – prioritize FUN and connection
Drink lots of water
Don’t:
Overeat
Make choices that make me feel crappy
Submit to insecurity. Sexy is in how you carry yourself and drama ain’t sexy.
Work too much
Take anything too seriously
Worry
There’s a real simple filter I’ll put my choices through: will this make me feel amazing? If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no. Maybe a bite of the dessert will make me feel amazing but having the whole thing is a NO.
Yes, I’ll work every day. I’ve set boundaries for myself that work is between 5am-10am.
Yes, I’ll drink alcohol. I’ll only choose drinks that are really worth it and I won’t have more than 1 drink per day. (More than that and I’m likely to not feel how I want to feel.)
Yes, I might indulge in sugar, but only if it’s worth it and only in a way that still allows me to feel how I want to feel (amazing). (As long as the internet connection is good, I plan to post everything I eat/drink on my IG stories)
However, my biggest focus isn’t on work, workouts, food or alcohol. It’s about connection.
Worrying about how I look in a bathing suit does NOT foster connection with the boyfriend. In fact, it’s a barrier to it. So, I’ll be choosing PRESENCE over projection.
Worrying about the emails that come in at 11am won’t help me connect with the boyfriend. That would be a barrier to connection, so I’ll keep my attention on the moment we’re in.
While these are my vacation practices, they’re also totally applicable to TODAY! To this week at work! For your dinner out tomorrow or absolutely any other time so try them on for size!
I asked you guys over in the Primal Potential FB group if you wanted to hear about podcast about the trip & the strategy in action and the answer was a resounding ‘yes’ so be sure to stay tuned for that soon!
Oh! And don’t forget that I’m doing free weekly coaching videos for everyone who is on the wait list for the summer 12 WT! Here’s a link to get on the wait list if you aren’t on it already!
What is my food philosophy? What is yours? Do you have one? Are you living like it?
I talk a lot about food and share a lot of the way I eat and the way I don’t eat, but today I want to share with you exactly what my food philosophy is.
It’s not about macros. It’s not about calories. It’s not even about fat loss. You might be surprised by a few things and I’m so excited to share it with you!
Before we dive into the episode: today I shared an opportunity for you to take a sneak peak inside the winter 12 Weeks to Transformation! While the podcast is mostly about information and strategy, the 12 WT is all about action. It’s about getting off the sidelines, into the game, and returning to action every day. In addition to weekly challenges, a guided daily journal, a private Facebook group and weekly live Q&As, I also share short daily coaching audio messages to help you return to your intentions each day, no matter what’s going on in your life. Want to experience 5 days of those short coaching messages? Share your email address here and you’ll get coaching messages right to your inbox for the next 5 days!
I had the most amazing weekend away with a bunch of incredible humans who are part of the Primal Potential Master’s Club. We rented a huge house, which allowed us to spend a ton of time connecting with each other, and also required us to cook and eat as a group.
Big group situations can be challenging but we mastered the food part! We kept the meals simple, easy, delicious, affordable AND fat loss friendly!
I have to give a huge shout-out and heartfelt thanks to Thrive Market who partnered with us to make that possible. We wanted to eat really well but we also didn’t want to spend a ton of time or money.
Keep these ideas in mind next time you’re cooking for a big group (or just for yourself!)
Salmon Cakes
Though a bold move, we made salmon cakes for the group! There were a lot of people who had never had them and were skeptical. I get it, because I never imagined really loving and enjoying a fish cake! It’s not my style at all but they are SO GOOD and not fishy at all.
I didn’t pull up the recipe for this weekend, though. I’ve made them enough that I just kind of winged it. The key to great, delicious, not-fishy salmon cakes is using a high quality canned salmon. Yes, “quality” and “canned” can go together! While I love fresh salmon filets, I don’t think they’re the best choice for salmon cakes.
Salmon cakes are cheaper and tastier with a wild caught canned salmon. Quality matters here because a lot of canned salmon is farm-raised and has added dyes. Not cool at all. I’m a huge fan of Thrive Market’s Wild Planet salmon. It’s very affordable and really tasty.
We drained 6 cans, added a few eggs, salt, pepper, coconut flour and Primal Kitchen’s new dijon mustard.
I cooked them in a skillet on the stovetop and they were a hit! If you’re making them at home, you can freeze them before cooking them and you’ll have an easy heat & eat meal during the week!
Grilled Chicken & Cauliflower Rice
It doesn’t get much easier and large-group friendly than grilling up a bunch of chicken! We got the value-size organic chicken box from Thrive Market and threw the breasts & thighs on the grill, plain.
Meanwhile, some of the ladies inside cooked up a large batch of cauliflower rice and set out bowls of guacamole, salsa, jalapenos and a large salad.
Everyone got to help themselves to salad with grilled chicken or a burrito-bowl style lunch.
Palmini with Meat Sauce
Have you tried Palmini? I’m totally loving it and everyone who tried it during our Masters Club weekend really loved it, too! It looks like pasta, but it’s 100% hearts of palm! It’s kind of like zoodles, but better!
This was one of the easiest & quickest meals we ate all weekend! We made a meat sauce with tomato sauce and ground beef from Thrive Market and tossed the Palmini in it.
We saved the extra ground beef for frittatas the following day!
Don’t want to pay for Palmini? Zoodles work, too and you can pick those up from almost any grocery store in the produce section.
Have lots of leftovers? Make a frittata!
On our last night, I looked into the fridge to see how we could use up all our leftovers. We had bacon, eggs, ground beef, arugula, tomatoes and onions. Perfect for a frittata!
In two large sheet pans I added whisked eggs, all the veggies and the leftover ground beef. They baked in the oven while we cooked up the bacon and everyone loved it! Doesn’t get much easier than that!
Snacks & Stuff
I wanted to make sure no one went hungry so we brought Artisana coconut butter packets, cashews and almonds for easy snacking.
Wine!
I won’t lie – we went through a fair amount of wine! Everyone was excited to try Thrive Market’s new line of “clean wines” – organic, sustainability farmed and free from added sugars and chemicals! Without exception, the wine was a huge hit! I’ll absolutely be buying more for the holidays and to give as gifts!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
I love chimichurri and I’ve got a great keto chimichurri recipe that is amazing with just about anything you put it on! You can go the traditional route and put it over steak, but it’s a perfect complement to chicken, fish and veggies, too!
If you’re new to chimichurri, it’s a sauce or marinade traditionally made with oil, vinegar, garlic & parsley. It has huge flavor and is really easy to make at home. One of my favorite things about chimichurri (other than the killer flavor) is that there’s no cooking required! That’s right – everything goes right into the blender raw!
I decided to kick it up in both health & flavor by using Primal Kitchen’s avocado oil & jalapeno.
If you give it a try, leave a comment and tell me what you paired it with and what you thought!
Keto Chimichurri
1 cup avocado oil (I used Primal Kitchen brand from Thrive Market*)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (I used Napa Valley Naturals Organic from Thrive Market*)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds removed
1 green onion, chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 large handful fresh parsley
2 large handfuls fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 a lime
Add all these items into your blender or food processor. If you have a weak blender, chop the ingredients more finely. I’m in love with my Vitamix blender – I basically threw everything in whole.
Serve over chicken, beef, fish or veggies. You can also use this as a marinade! I simply drizzled it over chicken thighs and dipped my bacon-wrapped brussels in it! Delish!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
