The Fit Skool | by Kelly

January 27, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
6 Comments

WIAW: Thank you

I’m SUPER thankful for What I Ate Wednesday Blog Posts and for you letting me share my ridiculous food choices with you (not to mention some of my terrible food pictures). Writing these posts helps keep me accountable for healthy eating, it reminds me that I need to be creative and not eat the same boring things on a daily basis. That’s not always easy when I’m busy training & being a mom but I try my best to make small changes here and there.

I’m linking up with the WIAW crew on Laura’s blog to share my food journal from Monday.

My Monday’s always start off the same way. I need quick & convenient foods to get me to Group Power on time. I had a 1/2 caffeinated coffee 1/2 decaf and didn’t really finish much. I guess I wasn’t in the mood. I whipped up my usual 2 scrambled eggs with veggies in olive oil & potatoes with sea salt. It filled my belly right up.

After teachign a sweaty Group Power class I inhaled my banana and had a Blueberry RX Bar.

If you haven’t had RX Bars I highly recommend them for their clean ingredients and taste. They are very similar to Larabars but a little chewier so they last a while! When I came home I also had a piece of whole grain toast with egg whites for extra protein/carbs.

My second class flew by and before I knew it I was ready for my lunch meal. I had leftover meatballs over zoodles sautéed in olive oil.

With an Apple & some Late July Tortilla Chips.

I’m digging afternoon yogurt bowls lately. It’s kinda been a craving and I’m totally ok with a healthy craving these days. This Greek yogurt topped with Grapes, blackberries & granola was a huge win! I have this almost every single day… I guess you could say it’s a pregnancy craving!!

Somewhere in the afternoon while I was doing computer work I had some more granola

The cold weather had my craving a comfort meal but I wanted to stay healthy. I decided to make pasta with chicken pesto and brussel sprouts with olive oil.

Why don’t I make this more??!

I can’t go to bed without eating something at night and even more now that I’m pregnant. I have a hard time with choosing night time snacks because I eat so many different things during the day that by night time I don’t want to think about food. It always ends up being something random.

My go to snack these days is a GRILLED CHEESE. 2 pieces of whole grain toast with one slice of munster or american cheese. Something about this simple sandwich is amazing.

I even got Marc on board!!

What is something yummy you ate this week?

January 25, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Blizzard Jonas, Stitches & Snowed in

Happy Monday!!

I hope you are all doing well after a crazy storm weekend.

Friday I had a fairly busy day and also had to get a mole removed off of my hamstring which needed a couple of stitches. The mole was small but right in the middle of my leg so I tried to be cautious with my activity for the remainder of the day. I didn’t get to exercise which was fine, my body needed a rest day and that was the perfect day to do it! I ended up doing a Cardio Workout Saturday morning and my body was rested and ready to go.

In anticipation of the winter storm Marc and I decided to stay in Friday night and do laundry, housework, you know the not so fun stuff. Clothes are becoming an issue for me with my growing belly so I only have a select number of workout pants and lounge pants I’m comfortable in so I needed clean laundry especially if we were to lose power.

Saturday morning I woke up rather early. My plans were to sleep until 7am but Cooper barked at 5:00am and then I couldn’t go back to sleep.

(This is just the start of the storm at 6am, Cooper was still loving that there was 2 inches of snow)

Part of me was awake, excited for the snow, and then my belly started rumbling. That’s a perk to being pregnant, NOT. I tried to go back to bed and lay down a little longer but when I saw 6:30 on the clock I realized I shouldn’t push my stomach any longer.

I got up drank some water and had a 1/2 caffeinated coffee to get going. I wanted to enjoy this Saturday with my family as much as possible so I needed the boost I ate my breakfast and headed outside to see what this storm was bringing.

The day involved a lot of shoveling (Marc refused to let me do anything after my morning shovel with the light snow!)

I also ate these delicious 3-ingredient banana pancakes.

Cooper LOVES the snow so he wanted to go outside ALL day long. I actually didn’t mind letting him out it was fun watching him roll around, shove his face in the snow and gallop through the yard.

When I was little the first big snow fall of the season brought me so much joy, you can even ask my parents. I would bundle up no matter how cold, windy and snowy it was to run outside make snow angels, build snowmen, throw snowballs at my brothers, and just hang out until my toes and hands became numb. Then of course it was hot chocolate time

I still love the snow but it lost that “special feeling “ up until this year when I got to see Ava’s face when she looked out the window to see the snow coming down and the ground covered in white.

Last year she was too little to know what was going on so to see her face light up when she looked outside made my day. She did NOT want to put snow boots or a snow suit on. She cried and cried. So finally we gave up and let her “enjoy the view instead.” It was rather windy out so it probably wasn’t a bad idea to stay inside anyways.

On Sunday we took Cooper & Ava to Bruce Park. Cooper had a blast running around and Ava was excited to be with him.

She didn’t exactly want to go sledding or play around in the snow but she enjoyed being outside.

I expected Ava to be just like her mom and want to roll around in the snow and play outside until she was too tired to move but that wasn’t the case.

I know she was tired from lack of sleep so I’m sure that was part of the issue. I’m hoping this week we can get outside and really do all the fun things we had planned!!!

Sunday night Marc made a huge Chili and we ate while we watched the Patriots game.

We were not happy with the outcome, but I’ll stay positive and say there’s always next year.

did you get hit with a lot of snow from the blizzard this weekend?

Did you get to play outside and enjoy the crazy weather?

January 21, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

I’m not a Pinterest Mom

I’m not a crafty girl so I’m not going to compete!

Last month you all know Ava turned 2 years old.

The month leading up to her birthday I contemplated having a kids party for her and some of her friends over (well actually my friends kids who have become her friends).

I also contemplated making tons of different “pretty” appetizers and buying decorations to make it the most special birthday party ever.

I’m not kidding when I say I snapped photos of things I wanted to do for her birthday party, and how I wanted the Minnie Mouse Oh-TWOdles theme to play out.

I was super excited and couldn’t wait to get things planned out…

AND THEN…

I found out I was pregnant. Well that wasn’t the turning point, it was the first trimester morning sickness that forced me to change all my plans and scratch just about everything I had organized. I would not make homemade minnie mouse cupcakes, I would not cover the kitchen with tons of minnie mouse ears, and I definitely wasn’t having a kid party on top of a family party.

Don’t get me wrong, I really was upset about it but it just couldn’t happen

I’m sorry Ava, but reality struck. I chose napping on the couch when Ava napped, I chose watching Mickey mouse to entertain Ava when she was awake and when my stomach wouldn’t allow me to move from a seated/lying position. I chose my health and resting as much as possible over throwing a big time & money consuming party.

I also chose not to be like any of those Pinterest do it yourself moms out there and I ordered dinner for my family and I ordered a Carvel Ice cream cake for dessert. I did manage to buy some minnie mouse plates, cups and a few hanging decorations that cost me about $20 and you know what????

Ava LOVED it. She smiled so big when she saw the plates & hanging minnie mouse decorations. She went on to play with all her toys and have fun with her cousins. She really could’ve cared less if I had done anything else and it made me happy to see her happy.

Sometimes we compare ourselves to others. I compared myself to people that have the time and energy to put such amazing thought into parties and get creative with all the little details and decorations. That’s not me. I’m not crafty. I’m not artistic. So why put the pressure on myself to do that??

I’ve always been a plain jane and I enjoy the company of family and friends more then the materialistic part of life. I hope I can rub that off on Ava too because sometimes simple things make you happy.

It’s not the size of the party it’s the love that you are surrounded by!

This is quite a random post for you today, but I feel the need to share it with you because it is an example of how I try to preach a healthy lifestyle for my family. I chose to listen to my body & rest over trying to make a 2 year old birthday extravagant and I am so happy with the way it turned out

January 20, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
6 Comments

WIAW: Tasty not pretty

I loved all the meals I ate yesterday but my food wasn’t cooperating with me. I can’t say I love the way the pictures came out so keep that in mind while you scroll through my messy meals.

Although it wasn’t pretty all my meals were tastyyyyyyyyy.

I’m linking up with the WIAW crew over on Arman’s Blog today to share my food journal with you from Monday.

Monday morning I woke up feeling pretty good. I had a 1/2 cup of coffee to get me going. Breakfast consisted of 2 scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms in olive oil and sliced potatoes. It was great morning fuel.

At 730am I taught my group power class. It kicked my butt. I refueled with 3 Shakeology Bites

scrambled eggs on a piece of whole grain toast and a banana.

Being pregnant makes me hungrier but so does exercise. The combination is lethal.

I got ready to teach my second class Fit For Life. I told the group last week that I was pregnant but 1/2 the class wasn’t there so I had to repeat myself. It’s always awkward announcing that news, but it was funny to hear there #1 concern. Will you continue to teach?? I told them I would be there until the end. Of course as long as there weren’t any issues.

After class I came home and ate lunch with Ava. I had leftovers, no surprise there. I opted for a piece of Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Steamed Broccoli (not pictured) and one of these Sweet Potato & Spinach cakes.

I also had a handful of pistachios because they are delicious.

I had an early afternoon snack while Ava was napping and I did some computer work. I have been loving Siggi’s yogurts… I topped it with blueberries, green grapes and granola yes there’s yogurt under there. YUM!!

At 2:15pm I left for a Dr’s appointment. I had scheduled a last minute with the skin Doctor to check out some mole on the back of my leg, I have to get it removed on Friday. I kind of expected that going in so I wasn’t surprised.

Dinner was Chicken Francese with veggies & Potatoes curtesy of Bella Nonna.

Ever since becoming pregnant, cooking has become one of my least favorite things to do. I don’t know if it’s the smell, the thought of food or what but I totally dislike it right now which is not me. I have been resorting to quick and simple meals or TAKE OUT

I ate dinner early so you can bet I had a snack before bed. I had a Chocolate Zucchini muffin and a bowl of Pineapple.

I promise next week to make my pictures a little better for you, but trust me all my food was delicious. I would tell you if it stunk but it didn’t

What was something yummy you ate yesterday?

Do you ever get lazy in the kitchen?

January 19, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Baby #2: Pregnancy Update Week 14

I’m super excited to share a new baby update with you today. Although I am currently 15 weeks pregnant I am updating you on the previous weeks changes!

I’m starting to feel more like myself and it has made everything better. I almost want to say i’m enjoying life again but that sounds silly. I just can’t help but be happy for feeling good

BABY UPDATES:

Week 14 The baby is the size of a LEMON

WEIGHT GAINED:

Week 14 Gained 0-.5lbs (up 8 lbs) I can tell things are slowing down a little because I’m starting to eat healthy and more normal!! It’s not all carbs anymore.

WORKOUTS:

Week 14

I had some nausea relief on several days this week which were amazing and it helped me with my workouts. I had my normal work schedule: I taught 2 Group Power Classes, 2 Fit For Life, & 2 Boot Camp Classes plus I walked Cooper on several days. I also did some Hammer Chisel Cardio workouts! I was feeling great during most of these workouts.

These pictures were taken at 13 weeks + 3 Days… I look bigger here then I do in my 14 week photos below!

SYMPTOMS:

Week 14

Small bouts of nausea. My energy has slowly increased and I have been less tired during the days. Everything seems to be getting better

FOOD AVERSIONS:

Week 14

Plantain chips, ice cream, on some days peanut butter didn’t sound appealing, sweet potatoes and veggies unless they are mixed into other foods.

FOOD CRAVINGS:

Week 14

Eggs, Potatoes, grapes, strawberries, chicken, steak, meatballs. I’m not sure I would even call these cravings, they are just foods that I am eating on a regular basis or foods that my body is enjoying

SLEEP:

Week 14

Sleep has been great, I look forward to closing my eyes at night and for the most part I sleep straight through!

Pictures taken at 14 Weeks

LOOKING FORWARD TO:

Week 14

I’m looking forward to feeling baby kicks and movement. I felt them with Ava around 15 1/2-16 weeks so I’m anxious for those feelings again. I know it will be reassuring that the baby is doing well.

BOY OR GIRL?

Week 14

Feeling like it’s a girl this week

BABY PURCHASES:

We are still holding off on buying things until we find out if its a boy or girl on February 17th

RANDOM STUFF:

Week 14

I had several days of productivity this week, which means my nausea was barely there. Again I don’t want to jinx anything but it feels GREAT to feel relief and to be able to think normal again. For a second there I didn’t think the nausea would ever end but my prayers have been answered.

Marc and I are starting to do more house projects in anticipation of Baby #2’s arrival. I wouldn’t say we are nesting but we are trying to prioritize our goals before the summer arrives. Our to-do list is pretty lengthy but I’m confident we will get it done!!!

On a sad note…. I had been dreaming about going on vacation with Marc & Ava towards the end of February to Florida. It looks like my dreams have been shot down because there is a travel advisory for pregnant women due to the Zika Virus. It isn’t in the US right now so while Florida may be safe it just doesn’t seem worth the risk to me to travel. Bugs love me and I’m the first and last to get bit by bugs wherever we go so it does scare me. My vacation travels can wait until after the baby is born

Have you ever been pregnant before? What was your favorite part?

Have you heard of the Zika Virus? what are your thoughts on travel while pregnant?

January 18, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

I don’t want to jinx it…

Call me superstitious or not but I titled this post I don’t want to jinx it… because over the last 3 days I started feeling more like myself.

My productivity was through the roof this weekend and I have ZERO complaints about anything I did over the past days.

I can’t help but smile when I think about all the things I accomplished. I guess when the past 3 months involved only thinking about being pregnant and the nausea that came with that, and the fatigue that laid me up on the couch after work I am grateful for feeling NORMAL!!!

Here’s a quick low-down on what I did this weekend:

Friday involved dinner with Marc at our favorite local spot Barcelona. My dad offered to watch Ava so I didn’t hesitate to get a quick dinner with Marc.

I would’ve taken more pictures but the pregnant lady was hungry which means, eat quick and forget the blog pics. Marc and I enjoyed our night out together.

Saturday morning we woke up ready to tackle the day. Marc ran some errands and I did a quick workout at home. The Hammer & Chisel Cardio workout is awesome. It reminds me of my boot camp class.

I loved that I didn’t have to talk, yell or teach. I just worked on getting a good workout in for myself.

In the afternoon we headed to my niece Emily’s First Birthday party at Dinosaur BBQ in Stamford. The party room was amazing and the perfect spot for all occasions, I highly recommend it. Ava played the entire time! We enjoyed delicious BBQ food and I got to see some friends I haven’t seen in a while. It was FUN.

Sunday involved a trip to the YMCA to play with Ava. Ava played in the tumble room.

She smiled and laughed the whole time and she ran around like a crazy women.

After an hour we were all wiped!!!!!

My afternoon involved computer work & a long walk with Cooper (it was cold out and my legs went numb). Besides that we relaxed cooked some dinner and got ready for the week ahead!!

I’m sad to see the weekend go but I’m so happy to be feeling like myself again. I won’t repeat it again because I don’t want to jinx it!!! Fingers crossed..

What fun things did you do this weekend?

Do you try to accomplish a million and one things on the weekend?

January 14, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Baby #2: Pregnancy Update Weeks 11-13

This will pretty much catch us up on pregnancy updates. I’m currently 14 weeks pregnant so I have one more post to share with you guys and we will be on track going forward!

I’m so glad I kept track of this info…. looking back on my updates with Ava got me really excited for this pregnancy and it’s interesting to see what I went through during each phase of the pregnancy. I’m happy to say that today I’m feeling great!! FINGERS CROSSED. I won’t say anything else, I don’t want to jinx my feelings today.

BABY UPDATES:

Week 11 The baby is the size of a FIG

Week 12 The baby is the size of a LIME

Week 13 The baby is the size of a PEACH

WEIGHT GAINED:

Week 11 Gained 1.5 lb

Week 12 Gained 1 lb

Week 13 Gained 1 lb (Up 7-7.5lbs)

WORKOUTS:

Week 11

going into week 11 I had just gotten over that crazy migraine that was hormonal related. It wiped me out for 2 days, and from that point on I decided to scale back my workouts. I took a day off from work and added in more rest. Besides that I taught 2 boot camp classes and 1 group power class. That’s 1/2 the amount I normally teach.

The picture on the left is week 11 (my 2nd pregnancy) the picture on the right is taken at 14 weeks (my 1st pregnancy) pretty similar right? It’s crazy how much sooner things are happening this time around.

Week 12

I had some days of nausea relief which were amazing. I had my normal workout schedule. 2 Group Power Classes, 2 Fit For Life, & 2 Boot Camp Classes plus I walked Cooper each day.

Week 13

Week 13 was a busy one for me and I was a lot more active. I finally started doing productive things around the house and I was able to function a bit better. I did my normal 6 classes of teaching and I also had 2 extra workouts (Group Power practice) I did go lighter with my weights because I didn’t want to overdue it.

SYMPTOMS:

Week 11

I had bouts of nausea here and there but I am praying that in the upcoming weeks it will go away. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Week 12

I was pretty lazy, my nausea got the best of me and I rested whenever I wasn’t working. Besides that I only had a couple small headaches.

Week 13

My nausea was letting up a bit but I got a sore throat from Ava and that just seemed to make me feel a little worse. I hope Week 14 is the lucky week.

FOOD AVERSIONS:

Week 11

Sweet potatoes (which is sad because I loved them during my first pregnancy) veggies unless they are mixed into my meals.

Week 12

Sweet potatoes, I tried again but I couldn’t do it. Veggies unless they are scrambled in my eggs or in salads..

Week 13

Still sweet potatoes, certain veggies.

FOOD CRAVINGS:

Week 11

Chicken Salad, Meat, Potatoes, Citrus Fruit, Cheese

Week 12

Soups, Chili, Chicken, Meat, Fish, any protein basically, cheese, grapefruit, potatoes

Week 13

Red Meat, Potatoes, Grilled Cheese, BACON (almost every day), Maple pumpkin KIND Bars, salads (which is still weird to me)

Picture was taken at 12 Weeks

SLEEP:

Week 11

Sleep has been great, I look forward to closing my eyes at night.

Week 12

I have been sleeping like a rock. A few wakeups to pee but I’m a zombie and go right back to bed

Week 13

I had one bad night of sleep but that was because my mind was racing. Other then that sleep is GOOD.

Picture was taken at 12 Weeks + 3 days

LOOKING FORWARD TO:

Week 11

I’m looking forward to our ultrasound on New Years Eve. We will get all the BIG tests out of the way and then I will feel comfortable sharing the news with EVERYONE!!! I can’t keep hiding this secret anymore

Week 12

We had our ultrasound and everything was great. We saw the baby moving around and we could even see the mouth moving. Technology is crazy.

Week 13

I’m counting down the days until our Anatomy scan, where we find out the gender!!

BOY OR GIRL?

Week 11

I have no strong feelings this week!!

Week 12

Girl I had a lot more nausea this week

Week 13

Leaning towards boy because my friends keep saying that’s their guess.

BABY PURCHASES:

We are still holding off on buying things until we find out if its a boy or girl on February 17th

Picture was taken at 13 weeks + 3 days (things are starting to POP)

RANDOM STUFF:

Week 11

This was Christmas week and we did a lot of traveling and spending time with family and friends. It was wonderful and helped pass the time until our next doctor appointment!! Think I was excited for my ultrasound???

Week 12

Ava and I took some pictures this week and it was so cute to see her touching my belly and also talking to the baby. She kinda gets what’s going on. She says HI BABY and puts her face up to my belly. She literally made me smile so big it hurt.

Week 13

I felt some movement. I was sitting on the couch and just finished eating a yogurt when I felt some crazy quick movement in my belly. I know it wasn’t anything else and I couldn’t help but get excited. I can’t wait to feel kicks soon

if you have ever been pregnant before, did you pop a little sooner with the second?

Are you a fan of pregnancy updates?

January 13, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
8 Comments

WIAW: Pregnancy Cravings are real

I hope you all are having a great week. I can’t say I’m feeling 100%, I’ve had a bit of a sore throat… top that with nausea and fatigue (pregnancy problems) and I guess I can’t say I’m feeling all of myself these past few days.

I’m staying positive, working through it but I sure do hope all of this ends ASAP. On a good note I know my body needs healthy foods so I’m trying my best to fuel with healthy meals and of course I’m listening more towards my healthy cravings!

I’m linking up with the WIAW crew over on Laura’s Blog today to share my food journal with you from Monday.

Monday morning I popped right out of bed. i was nervous and anxious because I had to teach the new Group Power routine and to be honest I didn’t get to practice as much as I would’ve liked, but I knew I would be fine.

I started off with a glass of water and a cup of 1/2 calf pumpkin coffee. I needed an extra boost to get going!! I’ve been avoiding coffee so I got the kick I needed

Breakfast was 2 eggs scrambled with spinach & potatoes.

Group power was a success… and my body was ready to refuel right after. I decided to have a Chocolate Peanut Oatmega Bar. I haven’t had one in a while and I knew I needed a good dose of protein. I also had a banana and some mixed nuts.

At one point during my Group Power class i started to lose my voice, but my sore throat didn’t get worse so that was awesome.

At 10:30am I taught my active older adults fitness class we had a fairly large group and I mixed it up a lot today so I’m sure everyone will feel it tomorrow.

I’m so thankful that Marc food prepped for me on Sunday. He wins the award for best husband. I was so happy when I opened the fridge to find leftover Lean Beef & Veggie chili and I topped it with avocado. This recipe is actually paleo if that’s something you follow.

Chili is always extra tasty on a really cold day, it warmed me right up! This recipe was actually one that I came up with a year or so ago and I’m so glad we brought it back out. It’s so tasty.

I also had one of these Sweet Potato & Spinach cakes. I shared the recipe yesterday so check it out!

Ava didn’t finish her baby carrots and string cheese at lunch so I ended up snacking on half of those. I hate throwing food out.

Ava napped for me and I was SUPER thankful because I got to do work and most importantly sit down and rest for a bit.

In the afternoon I was craving strawberries but I knew I needed to balance it with something else. I opted for a Siggi’s Vanilla yogurt. This is my FAVORITE yogurt. One because the ingredients are clean and simple and two they taste great!

I also snacked on some sunflower seeds!

I’m finally starting to cook again. I missed it for sure but I wouldn’t even really call this meal cooking. I made some chicken cutlets, a baked sweet potato, peas and a tossed salad. This is like the easiest meal to throw together in 20 minutes.

The chicken was amazing, everything else I could’ve done without hha.

Around 730pm I was getting Ava ready for bed and decided I wanted a little snack. I sliced up some granny smith apples and of course some little toddler hands made their way into this bowl. I didn’t mind sharing!!

I also snacked on a KIND Maple Pumpkin Seed bar. These things are so good. They are chewy, crunchy and I’m obsessed with the hint of salt!

That wraps up my day of food.

What’s something yummy you ate?

Are you fan of KIND bars?

January 12, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
1 Comment

Sweet Potato & Spinach Cakes Recipe

About 6 months ago I stumbled upon these Sweet Potato & Spinach Burgers at Stop & Shop. They were in the raw meat section and were an item that was prepared by stop and shop. when I saw them I immediately grabbed them and tossed them into my cart. I was excited to try them.

I had them for lunch that day and I was hooked. That week I had them a couple more times until the package was gone.They became a frequent purchase for me, until one day I went to Stop and Shop and they were no longer on the shelves.

I had a panic attack. Well not really, but I did think to myself “what am I going to do without these at lunch time!!”

It was an easy way for me to sneak in some veggies and I loved having a healthy option to pair with some chicken cutlets during lunch time. I told myself I was going to make them, but to be honest I was lazy and the thought of shredding sweet potato sounded like too much work.

I finally just let it go and moved on.

About 13 weeks into my pregnancy I was determined to get in more veggies on a daily basis and I really wanted to like sweet potatoes so I decided to give the “burgers” a try. I searched through some recipes online but there wasn’t one that really stood out to me and resembled the Stop & Shop burger. I found a recipe on naturalcomfortkitchen.com and I liked it but there were too many ingredients and it used Kale.

I decided to use some ideas from that recipe but I ended up creating my own. Marc and I were skeptical about how they would come out.. we split the first one, we split the second one, we split the 3rd one and I’m sure you can guess we loved them. How is something so healthy so tasty?! Don’t worry we made made more and we ate more

I couldn’t help but share our results with you. This recipe is a win and I can’t wait to make them again for the 2nd time this week.

Our first batch was a little salty & garlicky so I made some switches and came up with this recipe:

SWEET POTATO & SPINACH CAKES

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato (about 2 cups shredded)

2 1/2 cups baby spinach chopped

1/2 garlic clove chopped finely

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 eggs

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 tsp onion powder

Directions:

1. Shred sweet potato using a grater and chop baby spinach.

2. In a large mixing bowl addbread crumbs, baking soda, onion powder, garlic, salt & pepper, mix well.

3. Whisk eggs together in a separate bowl and combine with breadcrumb mixture. Add in the sweet potatoes & spinach and mix well.

4. In a large pan add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and turn heat to medium.

5. Using a 1/4 measuring cup scoop 4 individual scoops onto the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flatten the cakes. Once flattened, carefully flip them over and cook another 3-4 minutes.

6. Serve warm!!

Makes 8 cakes, Serving size 2 cakes. Per Serving Approximately 191 Calories, 10g fat, 7.2g protein, 14.8g carbs

January 10, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Baby #2: Pregnancy Update Weeks 7-10

I apologize for no posts last Thursday/Friday. We lost power and once it came back we still didn’t have internet or cable for 3 days. It bothered me a little but then I took full advantage of the break. It was actually really nice and forced me to do other things that I normally don’t get to spend a lot of time doing.

Anyways, I’m back and I’m ready to share some updates on my pregnancy. I planned on doing separate posts for the first 4 big weeks of my pregnancy but I decided to combine them because they were rather similar.

Hopefully by the end of the week I can have you all caught up to date on my pregnancy.

BABY UPDATES:

Week 7

Baby is the size of a blueberry

Week 8

Baby is the size of Raspberry

Week 9

the baby is the size of a grape

Week 10

the baby is the size of a kumquat

WEIGHT GAINED:

Week 7 gained 1 lb

Week 8 gained 1 lb

Week 9 gained 1 lb

Week 10 gained 1 lb (up 4 lbs total)

WORKOUTS:

(I was 10 weeks Pregnant in the above pictures)

Week 7-10

Each week I Taught 6 classes: 2 Group Power Strength Classes, 2 Boot Camp classes, 2 Fit For Life Classes, and several long walks with Cooper

SYMPTOMS:

Week 7

NAUSEA at its finest. Also very tired. This was a rough week for morning sickness.

(I was 7 weeks pregnant in this picture)

Week 8

Nausea… wish I could say I was doing amazing

Week 9

Pregnancy nausea is no joke and it kicked me on my butt most of the week. Some days my nausea was worse in the morning and other times it was worse at night. There wasn’t a science to it. I did my best to eat every 2 hours which kept my stomach from getting empty. That’s when my nausea was the worst! Besides the nausea I was tired a lot. As soon as Marc got home from work at 6pm, I laid on the couch for the remainder of the night unless I was teaching a class. He was my savior each day.

Week 10

Week 10 day 1, was a great day! My nausea was kept to a minimum and while I wasn’t the energizer bunny I felt a little more normal. Week 10 Day 4 was miserable. I had a migraine and it left me on the couch for a full day. I’m happy to say that the next day was so much better and I felt more like myself again!

FOOD AVERSIONS:

Week 7

Almost everything in the fridge and pantry. If someone put a meal in front of me I would eat it no problem, but thinking about food made me sick!

Week 8

Veggies…. they grossed me out unless they were mixed into eggs in salads or on sandwiches.

Week 9

Cooking has been the biggest challenge for me. I managed to cook 2 dinner meals this week and it was super difficult. I hate looking in the fridge at any food. Deciding what to eat makes me nauseous. I wouldn’t say there was one particular item that I had an aversion to, it was almost everything except bread, eggs, pretzels, bread, & eggs. Also some fruit.

Week 10

Things started to get a little better, my days actually had healthy meals and I felt like some of the meals were super healthy. There wasn’t a particular item that I had an aversion to, I pretty much knew what I wanted and that was all I was going to eat! Veggies have still been tough unless they are cooked in soups, scrambled in eggs, or salads.

FOOD CRAVINGS:

Week 7

Pizza, Bread & Butter, Eggs & Toast, Oranges

Week 8

Grapefruit or citrus fruits, salad (weird), Bread, Cheese, Chicken & steak

Week 9

Grilled Chicken sandwiches, Tuna fish, Honeydew melon, pretzels, cape cod potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, steak, potatoes

Week 10

Chicken Salad, Fruit, Eggs, pizza, clementines, grapefruits, pineapple,

(I was 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant in this picture)

SLEEP:

Week 7

Sleep has been pretty good, I woke up twice this week to pee which was interesting. I thought it was too early for that.

Week 8

Slept like a champ this week, as soon as my head hits the pillow I’m unconscious!

Week 9

I am sleeping pretty well and haven’t had many wake ups. I napped 3 times this week. I felt extra tired and the naps definitely helped.

Week 10

I pretty much sleep like a rock once I fall asleep. I had a few nights that were challenging to fall asleep but it wasn’t bad. When I wake up I need to pee ASAP so that’s not fun.

LOOKING FORWARD TO:

Week 7

My 8 week ultrasound. I can’t wait to SEE THE HEARTBEAT!!!

Week 8

we just had our ultrasound and saw the heartbeat, now I can’t wait until the next one so we can hear the heartbeat! I was super nervous going into this appointment because my blood work numbers were a little lower then the doctor would have liked to see. It made me super anxious for this appointment, but once I saw the heartbeat I felt a huge weight lifted off my chest. Seriously, I could breathe and it felt amazing to know everything was okay!

Week 9

I am looking forward to our ultrasound on New Years Eve. I can’t wait to see that little baby again.

Week 10

I am looking forward to our ultrasound on New Years Eve. I am also getting anxious to know the gender but I know it’s too early. Seeing the heart beat and baby move is all I really care about.

BOY OR GIRL?

Week 7

I had a boy suspicion.

Week 8

Going with a girl now because Marc thinks its a girl.

Week 9

NO CLUE

Week 10

I have mixed feelings still!

BABY PURCHASES:

No purchases just yet! I think once we know the gender I will feel comfortable buying things.

RANDOM STUFF:

Week 7

We told Marc’s family on Thanksgiving, it was nice to finally let them know the exciting news. Everyone was thrilled!

Week 8

We had an ultrasound and I found out I was 8 weeks and 6 days which was a week later then I thought! My due date is July 13th and I’m thrilled for a summer baby

Week 9

I was a bit cranky this week. My nausea was so bad I didn’t want to talk unless I had to. I felt bad for Ava and Marc but it was a rough week. I sincerely apologize for my lack of energy and enthusiasm.

Week 10

I felt a little more normal this week. I had a little more pep in my step minus the migraine set back. I had an ocular migraine that left me on the couch for 2 full days. Once I started feeling better I got some christmas shopping done and extra computer work that I have been wanting to do. I did have a few mood swings and moments that I cried for no reason (sorry Marc)

I give him a lot of credit for dealing with me for 2 1/2 months now. He’s amazing for putting up with me and for getting everything done around the house!

Well that’s it for now…I promise I have better pregnancy pictures coming in the next update!!

If you have ever been pregnant before, what was your first trimester like?

Do you have any guesses as to what I’m having?