Italian Burgers

Thanks so much for the encouraging and helpful responses on Monday's budget post! I'm feeling super motivated to be creative with our budget right now, but we'll see how long that lasts.

Yesterday slipped away from me a bit once the evening rolled around. I spent the afternoon tidying up and washing the previous day's dishes (oops), and then I did a little prenatal yoga while Terry jogged around the nearby park. When he got back, we took a lovely, long walk through our neighborhood (and passed right by Matthew Broderick! There was eye contact. It was cool)--but didn't get home until almost 8 pm! That time change totally threw me off, I guess, because I thought it was much earlier when we left for our walk. Sunshine at 6:30 pm is so deceiving.

Anyway, thank goodness we had some delicious and easy leftovers for dinner, so it was on the table in about 12 minutes (and devoured about three minutes after that). Here's what we made on Monday:

- Ground beef (~20 ounces, because the package was from Costco) mixed with 1 sweet Italian sausage (casing removed), 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and some salt and pepper
- I mixed up the meat and spices, created 6 (!) patties, and grilled them on our indoor grill pan (we didn't think the smoky flavor of the BBQ would work with these flavors)
- To assemble: I topped the burgers with mozzarella cheese (on Monday we had leftover Burrata...yummmm), heated up some store-bought marinara sauce to slather all over, and used whole wheat toast as buns

I have a few thoughts about these "Italian burgers" that I think I should share with you: 1) They are incredibly tender, and the flavors are like a meatball sub; 2) I'm SO glad we used a little extra meat to make 6 patties instead of 4, because now we scored three meals instead of just two; and 3) While I recognize and appreciate the need for variety in our diets, I wish I could eat one of these every day for the next month.

To sum up: I was a fan.

So after those spectacular burgers, cleaning up, and our pregnancy exercises, I was beat! We staggered off to bed for another 5 am wake up call today.

And that's where we'll pick up this WIAW. The major "event" going on around our house this week is our new emphasis on a mindful budget, but we still stocked up with some awesome foods for the week. Here's what we had today:

Breakfast: 

1 fried egg (oh, yeah, I dropped a carton of eggs on yesterday and broke several, so we already only had two left this morning) + one piece of whole wheat toast with smashed avocado and cottage cheese and a sprinkling of pepper

My parents actually introduced me to this toast-avocado-cottage cheese combo, and I LOVE it. It's high in protein and hits three food groups, which is unusual for me for breakfast!

Snacks eaten throughout the morning:

Banana with sunflower seeds and two Mandarin oranges and more sunflower seeds

Lunch:

Terry found this recipe for tuna salad with white beans (we used Great Northern instead of cannellini), and I added it to a giant handful of mixed greens. Unfortunately, I forgot the lemon wedge AND the dressing that are supposed to go with the salad, but it still worked, and I added cucumbers (not pictured above). (By the way, this salad took me about 5 minutes to make yesterday morning! SO easy!)

Dinner:

Leftover burgers (described above). I used one piece of toast and made an open-faced sandwich, and we had some greens on the side mixed with oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper (the eggplant pictured was devoured Monday night with no leftovers). I'm just so sad those burgers are gone now.

Dessert:

Food Babe's almond butter brownies (I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the batter this time to give them more of a brownie color, and I actually love the flavor even more, so I recommend it!) with a glass of milk


And here's a new triceps and chest workout for your Wednesday enjoyment. I made it for Terry and completed a very toned-down pregnancy version (below) myself. As always, be sure to warm up properly before you get started! This one would be perfect to add on to a Tabata workout or other short, intense cardio.

Notes:

• The idea here is to complete each superset twice (the cable triceps pulldowns, cable chest press, and plank knee-to-elbows are the first superset, so do that twice through), then complete an exercise (dips or push ups, respectively) to fatigue (and only once). Then you're done!
• It's short, so aim for moderately heavy weights to challenge yourself. The last few reps should feel difficult, but save your energy and good form for those fatigue sets.

My pregnancy version:

• Completed three sets of each superset
• No skullcrushers for me (since I can't lay flat on my back), so I did overhead tricep press instead
• Omitted the core exercises
• Skipped the fatigue sets

Be sure to check out the other WIAWs!

I'm hoping to get some extra sleep tonight since this time change has been killer. So with that, I'm off to bed!

A Better Budget

I'll admit that Terry and I aren't exactly experts in budgeting. We have both been employed full-time for about five years, and we lived comfortably without needing to make major sacrifices. We even managed several pretty spectacular vacations, like Europe (three times!), Turks & Caicos, and a few cruises. We eat out now and then (we choose to eat in most of the time for health reasons), we enjoy fun outings around LA, and we try to give generously to our alma mater and our friends and family for birthdays and other celebrations.

But this year we hit a triple-whammy budget-wise: I left my job in anticipation of a relocation for Terry's job, which never happened; we got pregnant; and, because of said pregnancy, we are now moving to a slightly more expensive apartment. While these changes were all--thankfully--made by choice, we still feel the need to create a more mindful budget so that we can continue to live comfortably and so that we can provide a financially stable future for our little one.

The thing is, though, once we started looking for ways to cut back on our expenses, we realized we don't have as many easy cutbacks as we thought. The good news: We're already doing a lot to save and spend in a responsible way! The not-so-great news: Nothing we do will make drastic changes to our budget. So we looked at several articles for budgeting suggestions and found that we already follow a lot of the ideas. For example:

• We already don't belong to a gym and spend virtually nothing on fitness.
• We rarely eat out and cook almost everything from scratch.
• While we do own two cars (and therefore pay insurance, registration, etc. for two cars), we carpool to work almost every day we can.
• We don't drink coffee and almost never go to coffee shops like Starbucks (it's funny how often this one is suggested as "an easy way to save $4 a day!").

Recent changes we've made to avoid needless spending (we had to be creative! A lot of these suggestions weren't on any of the lists we read, but we have found them to make a slight difference):

• Alcohol. Terry loves craft beers, so this one is a major sacrifice for him, but he is such a champ that he doesn't seem to care much at all. We have a nice stock of liquor in the cabinet, and he'll fix himself a drink maybe once a week. We also canceled our wine club shipments, since Terry wouldn't open a bottle of wine just for himself while I'm pregnant. And of course, I don't drink at all right now so that saves some money too!
• Beauty. I got a manicure and pedicure in Vegas with my friend Amanda (actually very reasonably priced!), but otherwise I've skipped nail care, waxing, and hair coloring. Hair coloring isn't super safe during pregnancy anyway, and I've heard that breathing in the fumes at a nail salon isn't awesome, either, so I guess it's all for the best. This one isn't too much of a sacrifice for me, because I really don't look forward to these types of appointments (unless my sister-in-law Ashley is cutting my hair, which is just the greatest experience and you should all be jealous).

• Clothes shopping. For a few months, I was on a shopping spree! Once my belly started to show, I had a blast buying new clothes. I think it was the most interested I've ever been in fashion. But since then, I've cut myself off and will make do with my awesome new wardrobe for the rest of the pregnancy. Luckily, a lot of those clothes also came from shopping with my mom (thanks, Mom!) and gift cards.

• Diving. Terry loves diving, but it's a very expensive hobby. I'm hoping he'll be able to go at least one more time before the baby comes, but it does add up quickly: taking the ferry to Catalina, renting a tank, paying for a hotel room, and buying or maintaining equipment. Terry has again been more than willing to sacrifice, even though I hope he can find some opportunities to dive again soon.
• Eating out. We really didn't eat out that much before, but now we're even more motivated to plan ahead, grocery shop, and make food at home. On the occasions we do eat out, we choose sensible restaurants that don't break the bank so we can enjoy instead of pinching pennies.

• Eating in. Even eating in can get expensive, but there are ways to eat healthy and on a budget. I spent some time looking through Lisa's posts about 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget, where she fed her family of four on a tight budget for 100 days. She has some helpful ideas, like skipping meat (use cheaper sources of healthy proteins) and dessert (ha!). 
• Entertainment. I mentioned this one, but we recently cut our cable. We just weren't using it, and it felt like a huge waste of money. Several people I know (or "know" in the case of fellow bloggers) said they've cut cable and experienced virtually no withdrawals, and I'd have to say the same! We did, however, subscribe to Hulu, and I've been watching some of my favorite shows there. We also have (for several years) only gone to movies using our free passes, which we earn from donating blood to our local blood bank. 

What we refuse to sacrifice (and are willing to work hard to keep in our budget):

• A safe, comfortable home for ourselves and our baby. We must have looked at 25 apartments over the course of a month to find our new place, but it was worth the effort. We will have space to spread out, a safe location, and even a fireplace and mantle for our baby's first Christmas!
• Gifts and celebrations for our friends and family. We have lots of exciting events for our friends and family this year--weddings, baby showers, birthdays--and we want to make sure we are able to participate and give as generously as possible. These special trips and gifts don't factor into our budgeting. And while it's certainly not necessary or expected that we spend a certain amount on our loved ones, I like to try to find the perfect gift without the self-inflicted pressure of spending a certain amount.
• Our health--specifically our food quality. It took us several years to get where we are now in terms of healthy living, and I'm adamant that I don't want to take any steps backward to save a few bucks. We will continue to buy organic as much as possible and purchase brands that make good choices (non-GMO, for example).
• Similarly, supporting brands we trust and respect, like The Honest Company, for all other needs. 

So today I went grocery shopping, and I experimented a little with budgeting. I think I normally do a decent job of keeping our purchases reasonable (buying only what we will use, avoiding impulse buys, etc.), but there's always room for improvement. For example, instead of only stopping at Trader Joe's, I also needed to go to Costco for some paper products, so I started there to see what I could cross off my list for food, too. I was able to buy a lot of produce and meat there instead of buying them for a higher price at Trader Joe's, and a lot of it will likely last us into next week.

Anyway, we're interested to see what these (admittedly minor) adjustments make in our budget, especially while I'm still in limbo between jobs. But even when I am working again, these habits will be great for saving, so it's good to get started now!

Any tips I'm missing? How do you establish and maintain your household budget? Any tips on the best ways to save on baby-related budget items?

Time Change Weekend

Hey there sports fans! Hope you had an awesome weekend. Mine was wonderful, especially today. I actually kept the camera tucked away for most of it, but here are some highlights.

On Friday, after work, my parents arrived at our apartment for dinner in. We kept it simple with homemade pizza (one was pesto with mozzarella and tomato; the other was marinara sauce, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, and sausage) and salad. My parents also both got to feel the baby kick! I'm glad our little one cooperated. 

Saturday morning, we met up fairly early for a hike out in Malibu. It was the same hike Terry and I did on Valentine's Day, and unfortunately the "waterfall" wasn't too much more exciting this time, but we still enjoyed the walk.

Next up, we went to The Apple Pan for lunch, as I mentioned we would. Since it's counter-seating only, I worried we would struggle with finding four stools together, but we had no problem and were in and out within about 20 minutes! Terry and Dad each had the Hickory burger, Mom and I split the Steak burger, we all had some fries, and Terry and I split a slice of banana cream pie. Amazing!

We spent a good amount of the afternoon hanging out by the pool (it was a HOT weekend in LA!), and I even swam a few laps. Then we walked over to a nearby mall to see if we could find a bridesmaid dress option for Jenn's wedding. She's letting us choose our own dresses, but given the circumstances--the fact that I'm currently six months pregnant and therefore can't try on any non-maternity clothes; the fact that I hope to be nursing and don't know how my body will change; the fact that I will want to take my time getting back to my normal body and therefore don't know how clothes will fit two months post-birth--makes the whole thing a bit complicated. Still, I'm looking whenever I get the chance, and hopefully I'll just fit when the time comes. 

Saturday night Terry and I took my parents to Westside Tavern, which I've written about before. We had to wait almost an hour, which made me feel bad, but they agreed it was worth it. That place is just so tasty!

Today we all agreed to sleep in. Dad was fighting a cold all weekend, and we needed some rest. When we finally did get together, it was for an early lunch at Terranea in Palos Verdes. We chose Nelson's, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day to eat outside!

My meal: turkey chopped salad

Terry and Dad's meals: BBQ pulled pork sandwich

Mom's meal (I was so proud): burger with Burrata

And look at the view!

And then...the big news for us: We signed a lease! After seeing almost 25 places, we finally found something suitable for the next year. We'll have more space in a quieter neighborhood, and we might even have less traffic. I really think this place will be awesome for us, and I am feeling much less anxious now that we have our home secured for the next year.

Terry and I finished up the weekend with our second birth class, some leftover pizza and salad for dinner, and quality time with our TV. It was a wonderful weekend. I know that 5 am alarm clock might feel miserable tomorrow, but I'm so relieved to have this whole living situation taken care of that I don't care!

Do you love or hate the time change? I think I love it. When we left our birth class and it was still light outside, I felt all sorts of excited.

Run and Lift Lower Body

Even though I'm not working full time, I'm thrilled when Friday rolls around. It's still cause for celebration when I make it to the weekend, especially after a week like this one. My stress level has been through the roof lately, and I need to take some time to relax.

The week itself was actually a mix of stressful stuff and fun stuff, but since I've been a total downer lately about my stress I'll focus on the fun. Wednesday night I headed up to my friend Heidi's house for a little girls' night and sleepover. We mostly just chatted about pregnancy (she's five and a half weeks ahead of me, due end of April), but it was really fun to just relax. We took a long walk together in the morning before she headed to work and I headed home.

Circa 2012

Last night I met up with Fay, who is getting married this July, and a mutual friend of ours, Jen, for Fay's wedding tasting! Fay's fiance David couldn't make it, so I lucked out and got to join in the fun. We tasted salads, entrees, and desserts, and I was so impressed with the service and the quality of the food. I'm already super excited for the wedding in July!

We will most likely be slightly less bundled up at the wedding. 

Luckily, to keep the fun going, we have a busy weekend planned! My parents are arriving tonight (after a walk-through of their brand new house!), and we'll all just have an easy dinner at home. It'll be the first time seeing them since the baby started kicking, so hopefully our little one will let his or her grandparents feel some kicks! The weather in LA is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend, so I hope we can find an easy hike tomorrow morning and something simple for lunch. Terry and I have been dying to take my dad to The Apple Pan, one of LA's oldest and most famous restaurants. It's counter-seating only, and the waiters seem like they've been working there since the place opened in the 40s. Grumpy old men serving burgers? What could be better?

Sunday is the LA Marathon! (Anyone running?) On the news this morning, our local weather guy mentioned that it should be perfect for running, but I disagree. It'll be almost 70 degrees by 9 am! I think the runners will be miserably hot by the end, but I guess it's better than the crazy downpour during the marathon two years ago.

Interestingly, the Marathon route runs right near our apartment. We are trying to strategize (<--Blogger doesn't think that's a word, but it is) how to get together with my parents again that morning. Hopefully we can do breakfast and maybe something else before they head back home.

I also wanted to share a workout I created for Terry this week. I did a modified version (walking instead of running, all bodyweight instead of dumbbells), but Terry said he thought it was fantastic. Enjoy!

 

Some notes:

Always warm up first! For this workout, I recommend walking and/or jogging for 5-10 minutes (gearing up to a moderate intensity), plus 5-10 reps of each exercises without weights. Here are some other warm up tips.

Choose challenging weights. If you've settled into a routine of always selecting the same weights, gauge how you're feeling at the end of the first set. If you don't feel much (or any) fatigue by the last rep, consider bumping your weights up just a bit for the next set. The only way to improve is to challenge yourself. And NO, you won't get bulky from lifting heavier! 

Rest as needed. Running half a mile as fast as possible should leave you feeling out of breath, but be sure to recover (slow to a walk) before moving to your weights. Between each exercise, feel free to take a breather so that you don't perform the exercises with poor form.

Any fun plans this weekend? What are your favorite ways to relax after a tough week?

Start of Third Trimester

As of today, we are officially in the third trimester! I'm 27 weeks along, and if the baby comes on his or her actual due date, we have three months to go. Here are some updates:

Workouts
Almost entirely walking, hiking (I'm hoping to get a hike in this weekend while my parents are here), light strength training (<--links to some of my workouts), prenatal yoga (<--links to some of my favorite free videos), and--as of this week--pregnancy exercises. These exercises focus on preparing for labor and include:

• Tailor sitting
• Pelvic rocking (terrific for the lower back and helps prevent indigestion! I would recommend this exercise for anyone!)
• Kegels (Pelvic Floor Exercise)
• Legs Apart Exercise (an unfortunate name, but it's essentially a seated version of hip abductors to build stamina and strength for pushing)
• Relaxation exercise (my favorite! Ten minutes of focusing on relaxing every muscle in my body to prepare for working with the contractions instead of our natural instinct to tense up, which is more painful)

Food

The focus lately has been to increase my protein. The third trimester is all about brain development, which is why protein is so important. But getting 80-100 grams per day is no easy feat! Even on days when I eat eggs for breakfast, yogurt for a snack, turkey for lunch, and meat for dinner (among other snacks), I'm still barely at 80. But I think the fact that I'm conscious of it and aiming for high-protein snacks does help. Some of my favorites:

• Plain Greek yogurt with applesauce, almond butter, sliced almonds, and a drizzle of honey
• Half a tortilla with nut butter, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, and sliced almonds
• Half a tortilla with (nitrate-free--sold at Trader Joe's) deli turkey, cheese, and greens
• Scrambled eggs with vegetables
• Smoothie with Greek yogurt, frozen berries, nut butter, and milk
• Carrots and cucumber with hummus
• Lara bars

Any other suggestions?

Emotional Temperature
It's been a little shaky lately. With all the apartment hunting, decisions about where to live, planning the move itself, thinking about jobs for next year, and constant awareness that another human life will soon be in our hands, I'm a bit stressed. I've had a few stomachaches to emphasize that stress, and I'm hoping that at least some of it will dissolve once we're settled into our new place. Thankfully, I know it's all temporary, and it will seem like small potatoes come June!

General Comfort
I still get some backaches here and there, and I'm not sleeping quite as well as I used to, but overall I can't complain. Even the stomachaches are more predictable now, and I am learning how to prevent and handle them. To help avoid allowing myself to get me all up in my head, I've restarted our Harry Potter audio CDs in the car. It's wonderfully distracting and so fun to get lost in the magic.

I'm starting to notice a little swelling in my feet in the evenings, and I have slowed way down in general day-to-day activities, like bending down, running around to play with Scout, standing up from the couch or floor, etc. I'm most comfortable when I sit cross-legged or when I lie down on my left side. These positions are not easy throughout the normal part of the day, but it's a fun challenge.

Previous Pregnancy Posts:

• March Madness (our first birth class)
• Exercise During Pregnancy (25 weeks pregnant)
• Most Common Pregnancy Questions
• Another Attack of Baby Brain
• Farewell for Now, Tomatoes
• Second Trimester Update: Weeks 14-18
• First Trimester in a Nutshell
• The Announcement

March Madness

First, and perhaps most importantly, I'd like to wish my big brother a very happy birthday! I also feel it's about time for you to get a little insight into this character who greatly influenced who I am today. So here are two prime examples of classic Chris:

(The English major in me was actually quite proud of this one.)

Happy birthday, Chris!


Terry and I are taking March Madness to an extreme this year. Apparently we've decided to just go ahead and pack as much as possible into our lives--expecting and preparing for baby, including birth classes every Sunday, touring and choosing an apartment for next year, moving, figuring out my plan for work next year, and trying to live the rest of our normal lives. It gets a little overwhelming, but at least we have a few months until the little one gets here.

After our birth class Sunday night, we came home with some homework assignments, including a few pregnancy exercises to practice and a task to record a food journal. Our first class focused a lot on nutrition and providing proper nourishment to mom and baby, and I love the packet of information our teacher provided. A lot of books and articles I've read gloss over the topic of nutrition and simply encourage pregnant women to "eat healthy" or "increase your protein," but they don't specify much about the best foods to eat. Our teacher is encouraging, among other things:

• 80-100 grams of protein per day 
• 2 servings of dark green leafy vegetables daily
• At least 3 servings of other vegetables (with an emphasis on color variety) daily
• 2-3 servings of fruit (no more) daily
• Whole wheat or brown rice foods daily
• Small meals every two or three hours, including carbohydrates and protein
• Plenty of water throughout the day
• No alcohol, sugar, caffeine, refined flour, processed foods, artificial colors, etc.

Obviously, we're all just encouraged to do our best, and no one will be perfect, but she also addressed cravings:

• A salt craving (or peanut butter craving) means your body needs--what else?--salt. Salt is excellent for you, as long as you're eating the right kind (sea salt, fleur de sel) and in proper amounts.
• A sweets craving is actually a signal that you need protein, so brownies probably won't do the trick.

I'm sure I'll be raving about this class and our awesome teacher for the next several weeks, so I'll keep it short for now. I'm just glad the first session went so well and that it answered a lot of questions I didn't even know I had.

Meanwhile, last night I was supposed to head over to my friend Heidi's house for a moms-to-be sleepover, but I ended up staying home with Terry to figure out more apartment stuff. We're hoping to hear back soon about an apartment we like, so wish us luck! My sleepover with Heidi will be on Wednesday now, which works out well because Terry will be on a quick overnight work trip. 

Oh, and happy Mardi Gras! No beads here...and no alcohol...so I guess we're not really doing it right. But as we have done in years past, Terry and I will each give something up for Lent. I'm giving up most of my time on Facebook (I'm taking it off my phone, which has just become a bad habit, but I am still planning to post my blog links on Facebook), and I'm also giving up TV before bed. 

Do you give anything up for Lent? 

First Weekend of March

Another whirlwind weekend! We enjoyed the crazy downpours of rain but also managed to squeeze in quite a lot of activity throughout the weekend.

On Friday, we hit the gym for an upper body workout inspired by Tina's post last week. Tina is actually due the same week as I am, but she's a lot more hardcore about her workouts, so I changed up the exercises to fit what I feel comfortable doing. So we did 12 reps of all three exercises, then 11 of each, then 10, all the way to one rep each, and then we built back up to 12 reps each. Our exercises:

• Overhead Shoulder Press
• Reverse Biceps Curls
• Wide Bent Over Rows

I kept my weights super light, so I didn't necessarily feel all that fatigued, but Terry pushed himself and is still feeling those sore muscles today!

Also, we actually had a date night planned! We are trying to go out for a dedicated date night once or twice a month, and Friday we chose to go to dinner at Westside Tavern, one of our favorites. We had about 40 minutes to kill while waiting for our table, so we wandered around Urban Home and made a game of sitting on all the furniture and testing out all the candles. Our kids are in for a real treat when they learn that this is their parents' definition of fun. 

But anyway, dinner was delicious as always (no photos--it was date night!), and then on the way home we stopped at Bristol Farms to buy a pint of LA Creamery peanut butter chocolate ice cream. So creay and tasty!

Saturday morning we were up early for a walk before a day of checking out apartments. We even found a few reasonable options! And then we came home for an early dinner before Date Night Part II.

Terry made turkey burgers with bacon, plus sauteed asparagus, leftover sweet potato fries from the previous night, and mango. Amazing dinner.

We saw The Lego Movie, which was pure fun, and then we made it another early night. I did get a chance to catch up with a friend for a bit though.

And today was quite the adventure: more apartment hunting, leftovers for lunch, and our first birth class. The class ran a little long, so we had a late dinner, but it was SO worth the wait:

Sausage and mushroom pizza (not pictured: the other pizza was onion and bell pepper)

We missed most of the Oscars, but the parts we did see felt a little dull. Did I miss anything good? I'm more excited to see Jimmy Kimmel's special, which is usually awesome.

So that was our weekend. Eventful for us, but mostly nothing too crazy. Here's hoping we've found our new home, though! Wish us luck!

And just for good measure, one of the highlights of the weekend: Scout pretended he was a tiny kitten again:

How is he so cute?