tasty tuesday | chipotle breakfast burrito

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's been busy here. Between traveling 9+ hours for work, a full day of training, wrangling two boys and supper prep and working out and... I joined a little health/fitness group.

 

I don't know about you guys, but a lot of my online feeds seem to show people doing mini-accountability groups for health and fitness.  After a gentle nudge from my friend Amy, I jumped on the bandwagon to give it a whirl. We are wrapping up day two and it's been a great change of pace.

 

One of the themes is "Tasty Tuesday" so I figured why not post what I prepped for breakfast on a day where I had -2 hours to get ready for work today.  I made this breakfast burrito the night before knowing that my alarm clock was going to go off at 3am and I would need to eat on the road.  This was the perfect recipe!

 

Note: I apologize for the not-so-glamour shot.  It was late.  I was tired.  You get it.  But it tasted amazing!

 

ingredients

whole wheat tortilla

2 eggs (scrambled)

1/4 c bell pepper

1 Tbs onions

1 Tbs tomatoes

1 Tsp freshly chopped cilantro

pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle, oregano

avocado

Chipotle Tabasco sauce (optional)

 

Saute the bell peppers with the onions over medium heat.  As those cook down, pour in the scrambled eggs and season with pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle and oregano.  Cook until eggs are done.  Place the cooked egg mixture on the tortilla and top with diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, cilantro and drizzle with Chipotle Tabasco sauce.  Wrap it up and enjoy it right away or put it in the fridge to make a fully prepped breakfast for the next.



PREGNANCY FOOD JOURNAL

It's been a month now since I got my sketchy results on my blood glucose test for gestational diabetes.  This past prenatal appointment my doctor was confident that I was doing just fine with my diet, and I that I could still avoid any additional testing.  He even thinks that I may not have it, but since I made an agreement to take preventative maintenance with my diet to avoid additional testing, we'll never know for sure.

 

I haven't been too adventurous with trying different food and carb combinations these past couple weeks, but when I do eat something that's not on my typical meal/snack list, I am diligent to check my glucose levels 2 hours later.  Most of the time, it turns out fine, but for the few other times, I've learned there are certain foods that do no work well with my body.

 

I'm finding that one of the hardest things is actually gaining weight.  Certainly not a problem with my first pregnancy, but it's just not happening this time around.  Trust me, there's no lack in trying, but it does get tricky when you try to limit carbs.  I'm already eating 6 meals a day to keep blood sugar stabilized, and with heartburn, eating that frequently isn't always fun.

 

I've really upped my protein and fat to try and help, but the fun little thing about protein is that is takes up to 20% of the protein calories you consume just to break it down into useable form for your body.  Not usually a huge deal, but when a good chunk of your daily macronutrients are coming from protein, it does play into it.  (I am definitely that person that likes to analyze how all my food works in my body.)  As far as fat goes, I've increased my amounts there too, but I try to keep my total fat intake to about 30% of my daily intake. 

 

Curious about what I'm eating? I thought I'd open up my pregnancy food journal to share in case you are.

 

 

breakfast

 

I switch it up between two or three different meals everyday:

1) oatmeal + peanut butter + cinnamon + 6 egg whites

2) berry/spinach smoothie w/ flax + 1 slice whole wheat + 6 egg whites

3) 2 pumpkin protein pancakes + 6 egg whites

 

I know omelets are a popular go to for breakfast, but I'm not huge on veggies with my eggs.  I'm usually quite content with just scrambled egg whites for my protein.  I'll drink 16oz of water with breakfast and sip on another 48oz of water before lunch.  I also try to always get a good 30 minutes walk in after breakfast.

 

 

lunch

 

Lunch is the most predictable meal of the day.  Ninety percent of the time, it's a salad.  It's my time of the day to really load up on veggies and salads get the job done.  With cool weather around the corner, I'll probably start adding in soups to the lunch rotation.  I'll also drink another 64oz of water between lunch and the rest of the day to hit my one gallon goal and even more on some days.

 

1) cobb salad (romaine head + cheddar + boiled egg + bacon bits + extra veggies + chicken breast + dressing)

2) chicken caesar salad (romaine head + chicken breast + caesar dressing + parmesan)

3) panini sandwich with whole grain low carb bread + side salad

 

 

dinner

 

Dinner is a little easier since that's the meal that can handle the most amount of carbs which gives me a little more freedom.  As long as I keep the meal around 45g of carbs and balanced out with lots of protein, I'm fine.  Here's some of my most frequented meals for dinner:

 

1) chicken burrito bowl

2) a salad

3) chicken caesar wrap (same salad listed above wrapped into a spinach herb wrap)

4) chicken kabobs

5) portabella pizza caps

6) some form of red meat + veggies + potatoes or rice

 

 

snacks

 

Like all my other meals, I have a list of snack that I just rotate between.  I've said it before, I'm a creature of habit, and I'm completely okay with eating the same thing for long periods of time.

 

coffee w/ 2 tbs creamer + greek yogurt + string cheese

pumpkin protein shake (pumpkin + whey + milk + cinnamon + ice)

apple + 2 string cheese sticks

1/2 c ice cream + 2 pumpkin protein cookies (oh yes, I found an ice cream that works!)

 

 



WHAT'S COOKING | PORTABELLA PIZZA CAPS

Things are starting to get a little more creative in our kitchen now that I'm trying to find low carb substitutes for some of my favorite foods.  The easy way out for dinner each night would be to cook some meat and serve it with a side of veggies and maybe brown rice, but com'mon, that seems so boring every night.  After all, I love food and flavor... and pizza.

 

So far with my quest to find what food combinations work with my pregnancy blood glucose levels, I've learned that 30g of one type of carbs will not react the same as 30g of a different type of carb.  I know I can eat a whole apple and peanut butter and be safe whereas if I go for even just a third of a banana with peanut butter, ugh... my levels go crazy.  This is where we start using fancy terms like glycemic index and glycemic load - but that's not what I'm talking about today.

 

To  sort of get back on track here, I attempted to eat one slice of pizza (without the end crust) while we were on vacation and was crushed when my blood glucose was over 140.  I love pizza. How can I make it 11 more weeks without it? Well, I can't, but I can come pretty stinkin' close with a substitute to get me through.

 

And now is when we start to talk about today's recipe - portabella pizza caps.  You guys, these were so good that I will probably keep making these even after my pregnancy is over and my restrictive ban on carbs is lifted.  Granted, if you don't like mushrooms, then this probably isn't your jam, but it certainly is mine.  So here's the recipe below, and I hope you enjoy these almost as much as you enjoy real pizza!

 

 

Portabella Pizza Caps

Serving size below is based on two portabella caps (1 serving)

 

(2) Portabella mushroom caps

1/2 c. Marinara (I used Newmans Own)

1/2 c. Shredded mozzarella cheese 

Topping(s) of your choice

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and spray it with a non-stick cooking spray.  Remove the stem from the mushroom caps.  Place 1/4 c. of marinara in each of the caps.  Cover each mushroom with 1/4 c. of mozzarella cheese (or more or less depending on your preference).  Top with whatever ingredients you like on your pizza.  I love sausage and mushroom pizzas, so I cooked up a couple ounces of hot Italian sausage and used that for mine.  I've also sliced up some pepperoni and tried it that way.  (I'm thinking a spinach topping might be next on the list.) Place in the oven for 20 minutes and broil for a few minutes following to allow the cheese to brown a little.

 

The carb count for both of these was only 21g.



BORDERLINE

 

I admit.  I got completely blindsided on Wednesday afternoon.  I received a phone call from my doctor's office to give me my results of the glucose test.  Now, the rule of thumb with my doctor and lab results is "no news is good news", so when I saw the number pop up on my phone, I hesitated to answer it. 

 

140.  That's what my glucose reading came back at.  What's so special about that number is that it is the target number that divides whether someone passes or fails the glucose test.  Of course I would nail it right on.

 

The ironic part is that with Conner's pregnancy I ate all the carbs my little heart desired, gained over 80 pounds, and never ended up with gestational diabetes (GD for short).  With this pregnancy I decided since the start of my 2nd trimester that I would follow a GD diet plan with an occasional cheat meal or treat here and there just to maintain a healthier pregnancy.  And now here I am with a result of 140.  Go figure.

 

I explained my eating habits to the doctor and the fact that I already have been checking my glucose levels periodically and exercising regularly.  Based on my action plan to-date, she told me she was impressed that I was already so educated on the topic and with my habits, she has no concern for me. In fact, she told me that as long as I keep with what I'm doing and monitor how the carbs are affecting my levels, I can go ahead skip any additional testing.  Whew! No more glucose drinks please!

 

If anyone reading doesn't fully understand gestational diabetes and is not interested in reading a ton of boring literature, here's my very quick "Cliffs Notes" on the topic.  Keep in mind, I'm no expert.  This is just what I've learned along the way.

 

What is it?  In short, your body can't produce enough insulin to counteract the amount of glucose in your blood.  Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that acts as a key to unlock your cells and allows the glucose into the cell to be used as energy.  For some people, their pancreas can't produce any more insulin to get enough of the glucose in the cells or the cells themselves become resistant to insulin. 

 

Gestational diabetes typically shows up in the late 2nd trimester or 3rd trimester.  Why then?  Your placenta reaches a certain size and continues to grow throughout the remainder of the pregnancy.  The placenta produces three types of hormones that actually make our cells more insulin resistant and will continue to make more of these hormones as pregnancy continues.

 

In the meantime, the pancreas is already maxed out making three times the amount of insulin to try to overcome these hormones produced by the placenta.  Now, couple that with the amount of carbs we eat that get converted into glucose, and you got yourself a problem.  The bummer part is that it gets trickier to control as you go on because your body is already making as much insulin as possible and your placenta just keeps growing and producing more of the pesky hormones that make you insulin resistant.

 

What now?  A lot of the time, GD can be controlled by creating a diet plan that works with how your body uses carbs.  Unfortunately for some, controlling their diet won't be enough and will need to supplement with extra insulin to transport the glucose out of the blood. 

 

Diet:  It will be important to take in an appropriate amount of carbs at each meal and typically three meals and three snacks spaced 2.5 to 3 hours apart will be best to keep your glucose levels stable throughout the day and night.  Here is the starting point that I used and I plan to adjust the amount of carbs over the course of this week until I find a meal plan that will keep my glucose from getting either too high or too low.

 

Starting Point:

Breakfast:  30g of carbs

Snack:  15g of carbs

Lunch:  30g of carbs

Snack: 15g of carbs

Dinner:  45g of carbs

Snack: 15g carbs

 

From the reading I've been doing, it sounds like the typical problem areas are your levels right upon waking and after breakfast.  If morning fasting levels are high, your last snack of the day will be an important focus.  You may need to increase your carbs and protein to give your body an extra boost to get you through the next 10 hours and not freak out on you the next morning.  If your levels are high after breakfast, you may try adding a morning walk and/or decrease the amount of carbs you take in at breakfast. 

 

Exercise:  Exercise, even as simple as a walk, can help with blood glucose levels.  Your muscles use glucose as fuel to perform whatever task you are doing.  If you have extra glucose in your blood, your working muscles will use that glucose because it is readily available.  Ta-da! Your blood glucose levels lower as a result.

 

In my research this week I found a list of risk factors that cause women to be at higher risk for getting this.  I laughed when I read through the whole list and the only risk factor that I met was being over the age of 25.  My only thought is if there is a correlation or link between PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and GD because with PCOS your body tends to be insulin resistant whether you are diabetic or not and that seems to me like it would set the stage for getting GD. 

 

There.  That's all I got on my quick overview.  I can tell you from the past couple of days that I actually need to increase the amount of carbs in my first two snacks.  My 2 hour readings after these snack are in the 60's, so I will need to add in some fruit or other healthy carb options.

 

In case you're curious, here is the plan that I used as a starting point.  I'm sure it will continue to evolve throughout the rest of my pregnancy as learn how these meals/snacks affect my levels and as glucose levels get harder to manage.

 

Breakfast (7AM) - (2) Protein Pancakes

Activity - 1 mile dog walk

Snack #1 (10AM) - 8 oz coffee with 1/4c reduced fat milk, 5.3 oz greek yogurt, string cheese

Lunch (12:30PM) - Cobb Salad (Romaine, 2 oz chicken breast, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, 1 small hard boiled egg, bacon bits, 2 Tbsp Italian dressing, shredded cheddar)

Activity - 1 mile walk at 3 mph

Snack #2 (3:30PM) - 1/2 medium gala apple, (1) Tbsp natural peanut butter, string cheese

Dinner (6PM) - Chicken Burrito Bowl

Activity - 1 mile walk at 3 mph

Snack #3 (9PM) - Lara Bar (Peanut Butter Cookie)

 

For the most part, I don't feel like my life is dramatically changing because of this.  I've been following a general GD diet, but now I will need to make sure that I keep an eye on how these foods affect me over the last few months.  The only thing that will be hard for me is not having the ability to just eat a treat or have pizza whenever I want without planning out a game plan ahead of time. 

 

Well placenta, I guess you're doing a great job at growing.  Pancreas, let see if we can just step it up a little more.