Slow but healthy start...

I wasn't into eating so much this past weekend.  And while I had my fair share of hamburgers and hotdogs during our memorial day cookout, I did find a little bit of time to have a good meal full of veggies.  I'm not a big raw carrot eater, but I can deal with them on salad.

Saturday morning:
10:30 snack- apple with skinny cow cheese.  A friend of mine suggested this a few months ago, and ever since I crave it all the time!

Lunch time- Salad with whole wheat bread toasted with tomatoes and mozzarella.

Total for these two meals:

A second beginning, a second commitment

I'm switching this blog around a little bit to focus on having a healthy diet during pregnancy.  I tend to stick to the brewer diet, and am hoping this blog makes me better at doing so.  Now that I'm 10.5 weeks along, morning sickness is better and I can actually eat food.

Dinner idea #1: Bison and beet stew- protein rich, whole grain, yummy veggies!
Ingredients: olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper, ground bison, beets, beet greens, quinoa, farroh, homemade chicken stock.

Approximate breakdown of nutrition:

Lunches this week, and my new favorite sandwiches!

When I was little, I refused to eat sandwiches.  I hated white bread, and still do to this day.  I don't like mayonnaise, and hate american cheese and lunch meat.  Basically, the classic lunch pail sandwich was out of the question.  But, I do like alternatives to a crappy sandwich- how about a decent sandwich?!  so here are some alternatives that I eat often:
-Whole wheat english muffin with almond butter and rhubarb preserves.  I know, I'm weird... but it's much better tasting and for you compared to a typical PB&J on wonder bread.
-Flat bread or pita with roasted eggplant and tzatziki sauce- much healthier than a typical gyro.
-My all time favorite- tomatoes, avocados, and either an egg or grilled chicken on some nice bakery bread (albeit Wegman's).  These will be this week's lunches along with fresh picked peaches, baby carrots, and sour dough pretzels.

mmmMilk!

Pictures say it all!

and when it was gone, Jade licked the bottom!

This week's menu plan:

We're redoing our basement family room... and the previous owners left lots of annoying surprises for us to deal with before we get our carpet installed.  We have very little time this week, so all meals are my responsibility and going to be quickies!

Lunches:
-green thai curry with mushrooms and veggies

Dinner #1: (2 meals)
-Pecan encrusted seared boneless porkchops
-sweet potato suffle´
-Honey roasted carrots

Dinner #2: (2 meals)
-Ham and cheese frittata/quiche/casserole with egg noodles and spinach
-Side salad

Dinner #3: (1-2 meals)
-red thai curry with beef and sugar snap peas

Chocolate Peanut Energy Bar Reviews:

Ever gone down the energy bar aisle in the store and wonder why there are so many overly commercialized energy bars?  They have the reputation of tasting like chalk and for their overly chewiness.  Since I was going away for a few days, I didn't have a weekly menu, but instead reviewed these energy bars on my way.  I chose 6 different brands all in my favorite flavor- chocolate peanut/peanut butter.  I haven't finished this post, because I need to organize my thoughts, but here are the testees:

Balance Gold:

The Balance bar was definitely my least favorite.  I did not have high expectations because it looked more like a candy bar than a granola bar.  The flavor was terribly chalky and broke apart.  This bar was also the most expensive at $1.19.  The rest were $0.99.  The caramel layer was an added bonus, but I could not get past how terrible the peanut butter filling was.  The picture shows big chocolate and peanut butter flavor, but there was not.

Earnest:

The Earnest Bar had a good flavor, but definitely not peanut butter or chocolate.  It was a little too chewy and sweet for me, but overall I'd buy this brand again just in a different flavor

Cliff Bar:

The Cliff bar exceeded my expectations!  It was definitely my favorite!  There was lots of chocolate and peanut butter.  It was chewy but not too chewy.  It of course, had the most calories, but hey it's an energy bar!

Luna Bar:

I liked the Luna bar, not as much as the Odwalla or Cliff bar, but definitely more than the Kashi bar.  Again, it was missing peanut flavor, but the chocolate flavor was good.  The weird thing about Luna bars is that I always find them to be oddly dry.  This one was no exception.

Odwalla:

My second favorite, the Odwalla bar!  It definitely needed more peanuts.  I prefer the chocolate on the bottom, which this did not have.  Overall it had the right texture and consistency and was not too sweet!  I would definitely get this bar again.  

To me, the Kashi bar was simple and nothing more exciting than a regular granola bar.  It had chocolate on the bottom, and chocolate chips in the bar, which was a definite plus!  It didn't have a lot of peanuts though, and the flavor was definitely lacking in that department.  I really don't understand why they call it crunchy though.  It was chewy, not as chewy as the Earnest bar though.  If you are looking for crunchy, this is not the bar to get.

Zabaglione- such a guilty pleasure!

I'm trying to figure out more ways to incorporate eggs in my diet, specifically with dessert.  If I make a cake or ice cream, eggs aren't the main part.  Then I remembered, I loved zabaglione while I was pregnant, but used less marsala (it's cooked) and was eager to try the full recipe.  I first fell in love with zabaglione at a nearby restaurant, Pasta Plus.  Pasta Plus has been featured on The Food Network, has amazing food yet family oriented, and was the place Mike took me right before he proposed to me.  I get the zabaglione every time we go there for dessert, and am working towards perfecting our recipe:

For each person, you will need:
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp marsala (you could substitute sherry if needed)
fresh berries.

Whisk the egg yolks until they are light and fluffy over a simmering double boiler.  Slowly incorporate the sugar, then gradually add marsala.  Continue whisking until thickens, about 7 minutes.  This part is best done by a patient husband... because I hate whisking for that long!  Serve in a wine glass over fresh berries.  I wouldn't call this an easy recipe, but there are very few ingredients and very few steps!  This is a perfect summer dessert, that's creamy and not too sweet!