Daily Manna: belly is growing!

Hello friends! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Yesterday was my last day at work at my old job, and on Monday I start a new job which I'm so excited about! As many of you already know, I'm a dietitian and have been working at a dialysis unit for about 1.5 years. I just got a job at Davita, which is still in dialysis but just a bigger company! I'm excited for the new challenges and work environment and so grateful for this blessing! 

My last day at my old job was yesterday, so I have two days to chill and relax, which will probably consist of shopping, wrapping presents, cleaning, and doing some work for my private clients! I'm definitely looking forward to it! 

Let's rewind to yesterday...breakfast! I've been on an egg kick lately, which is much better than the eggo frozen waffles that got me through for my entire first trimester! I made a big dish of potatoes earlier this week which complimented my eggs nicely and made this breakfast so convenient and fast to whip up! 

It was a busy day at work trying to finish up projects and say bye to patients, so snacks consisted of a string cheese (no picture!), carrots, and a banana with a Larabar.  

My sweet coworkers planned two going away parties for me for Tuesday and Wednesday, so yesterday's meal was Panera!  

I am trying to eat less quanties more often during this pregnancy. I'm finding that if I let myself get too hungry and eat too big of a portion of any food, I'm getting nauseous after...so the half sandwich was plenty and I even did get some nausea after that :( oh pregnancy! 

We had plans to take dinner to my hubby's family tonight, so I whipped up some treats to take! I made regular Rice Krispie treats but also made some S'mores treats with Golden Grahams and chocolate chips! They were delicious (I had to taste test obvious). 

For an afternoon snack I had an apple with peanut butter which was a much better choice than Tuesday's afternoon snack! On Tuesday, I let myself get way too hungry and had two huge bowls of pub mix, which is basically like a Chex mix from Costco. I felt terrible afterwards and so uncomfortably full. I realized I had to stock up the house with healthier options, so hubby took me to the grocery store at 8:30 PM on Tuesday so we could get some fruits and veggies...thanks babe! 

I also feel like this week, my belly got bigger! It's so strange because I've just felt bloated for most of the pregnancy but now I feel like the bump is popping out! Woo!  

Dinner was pizza with salad, and then about an hour later another slice of pizza because I was still hungry! Finished the meal off with a Rice Krispie and s'mores treat! I'd say it was a successful day of balancing nourishing foods and having treats! 

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far! I'm off to get my morning started with some breakfast and Bible study! Happy Thursday all!  

Daily Manna & why I'm back to blogging HERE

Well, what can I say, I'm a woman and I'm pregnant so I guess indeciveness comes with the package? I've decided to switch back to this blog with my name. Let me give a little background:  

I started blogging at thejoyfulharvest.com almost 5 years ago. I wanted to hide under that name so people wouldn't know who I was. I was embarrassed and shy about blogging, but I had a yearning to write and share my story. Then, I got the courage to start a website with my real name (this one!) and ran with it. Blame it on hormones, but I felt nostalgic last month and wanted to go back to my old site (the joyful harvest). But now, I know that, as great as that site was, this site is more ME. I mean it has my name after all, and there is no reason to hide anymore. I love what I do as an RD, and I want to share it with the world. When God places a passion on your heart, don't hide from it. Embrace it head-on and trust that He will be there for you every step of the way. 

Ok, enough about that! I thought I'd do a daily eats post since I AM pregnant and my eats have shifted throughout the last couple months. Nausea had gripped me from weeks 5-12 but now at week 14 I am doing SO much, with just a few nauseous moments here and there instead of them being all-day affairs. Hallelujah!  My appetite has grown and expanded...I'm trying to still stick to healthy, whole foods because I want a healthy pregnancy and baby! But I am also listening to my body and cravings and showing myself some grace! Which we should all do, by the way ;) 

So on this particular day, I was planning a morning workout and woke up at 4:30. After some quiet time, I did my second trimester maternity workout from Beachbody on demand. It's 25 mins and hits every major muscle, which I loved!  

After my workout and a nice relaxing shower, I ate something. I have to make sure I eat something after working out because then the nausea will hit again! I had a couple of my banana nut muffins smeared with peanut butter and they hit the spot! These muffins were made with spelt flour, one of my favorite high protein, lower in gluten, whole grain flours! 

I had a hard time figuring out what to wear. It's getting colder here in Cali (finally!!) so I wanted to bundle up, but my sweaters are a bit tight on my little bump. I feel like I'm at the "is she pregnant or is she fat" stage. Guess I have to go shopping soon! :)

Work was crazy today, and I went from meeting to meeting and then ran errands for the thanksgiving meal we are providing for our patients! In the morning, I snacked on an apple and some crackers but since I was in a meeting, I couldn't snap a pic! 

I had brought lunch from home to eat, but there was a pot luck and someone had made homemade chicken curry which I could NOT pass up! So I'm saving my packed lunch for tomorrow! 

And then there was cake, and I just had to have a sliver...full disclosure over here!  

The funny thing about sugar though, is that it doesn't really satisfy you. I still felt hungry an hour later, so I snacked on some carrots. They are full of fiber, nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants! I felt such a difference between snacking on a sweet vs. snacking on food that sustains! 

After work, I stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up a couple boxes of cornbread mix. My husband and I absolutely adore their mix and they always run out this time of year! One day, I want to experiment with a recipe from scratch. But for now, TJ's to the rescue! 

After grabbing the cornbread, I made it to my long overdue mani/pedi appointment! It had been so long since I'd gotten my nails done and it felt amazing!!! Self care is awesome, folks. Try it sometime! 

The night ended with a fun and delicious dinner with my friend Hanna! We went to our favorite Thai spot and both ordered drunken noodles with chicken. The chicken was meh but the noodles were AMAZING and totally hit the spot! Baby liked this dish too! ;)  

And now I'm at Panera, typing this up and waiting for traffic to die down before heading home! I have another early day tomorrow so I'm excited to get home and rest!  

Being pregnant has changed the way I eat in many ways...unfortunately I'm getting way less vegetables than I want to be getting into my diet! But I'm hopeful that as the weeks pass, my taste buds will like my salads and veggies again and I can give this baby a healthy and strong mama :) I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday night, cheers to it being almost the weekend!!