Bitter Sweet!

Well I have a bitter sweet attitude lately! Last month I didn't ovulate because of Clomid, but when I went to get my ultrasound to check out the ovaries I had a good follicle that they decided to give me the HCG shot, which thanks to the diet craze used to cost $50 now cost me $200! But that was supposed to make me ovulate and hopefully we could get pregnant! I try not to get hopeful because than it is harder to be disappointed and harder to get over the disappointment, but I let myself feel pretty hopeful! I seriously had convinced myself I was pregnant! haha I know I am a little crazy. Well I am not :(( That was a sad, hard week! but the good news is now we get to try to Artificial Insemination which is pretty expensive between $500-$1000 a time! Ouch! Ty gets to go get tested and give his sample! haha, he is not very excited to do that, but he has to take one for the team! I have been feeling really defeated lately, with many things just not getting pregnant. There have been some things that have happened and things that have been said that have really made me get down on myself. But after Saturday night listening to Uchtdorf's talk I seriously couldn't feel down anymore, it was just what I needed. So that is the sweet part is I got over myself and need to forget about myself and help others, and not worry so much about EVERYTHING!!

The other sweet, is that this weekend Ty and I get to go to Lake Tahoe for 5 days, just us!!!! I am so excited, it is like a second honeymoon! We are going to prove the 7 year itch wrong! haha.

Also I have an amazing recipe for you guys! Since people are getting yummy veggies out of their garden my mom makes the most amazing Zucchini bread!!

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar- You can use date sugar if you would like
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups zucchini
1/4 cup oil- You can also substitute apple sauce
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips- this is the best addition!

mix wet ingredients well with blender, then add dry ingredients. Put in greased pan. Bake at 350 bake for 40-45 minutes.

This seriously is sooo yummy! Enjoy!!

Low-Fat Mack-a-mole

Ok everyone here is one of my favorite summertime snacks, and will be great for football season!! It is basically all veggies, and low fat!

-1 Avocado
-1 cup cooked peas
-1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
-1 tbsp chopped red onion
-1 tbsp fresh parsley
-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
-1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
-1 tsp garlic salt
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-3/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and blend with an immersion blender, or in a blender until smooth.

This is a very easy, yummy recipe. And you can eat lots without feeling guilty! Good Sunday night football treat!

Enjoy!!

Slight Set Back!

Well this is my routine every month!

Day 1- first day of the wonderful mother nature
Day 5-10- take clomed
Day 10- blood test/Ultrasound
Day 11-15- Ovulation Test
Day 15- Ultrasound
Day 22-24- Progesterone Blood test
(all of these things are not covered by insurance, so it is adding up!!)

Well this is my monthly routine and has been for a while now, well nothing is changing so they keep making my clomed higher, well it can only go to 250 mg, which I am almost there! But anyway this last month I did all of this and the girl that took my blood on day 23 ran the wrong test, so now I have to repeat last month! They won't give me more clomed unless they have confirmed results from the blood test that I for sure didn't ovulate (the ovulation tests are only 95% accurate) Well anyway a little bummer that I know I didn't ovulate, but I have to redu this last month! I have been using the progesterone cream, and so it will be interesting to see if my levels change. Made an appointment with a Holistic Dr so will let you know how that goes in a few weeks after I see him! That is all for now!!

I am back!

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted in this! I have been at Girls Camp, and stuff so now that it is over I can be more diligent in posting on this! Over the weekend I got to talk to some of my favorite people and people that have inspired me to be healthy and look for more natural ways to live, Tiff and Laurie Vukich!! They have a website that is amazing for natural thigns, makeup and hair tutorials, it is www.naturesknockout.com. They told me about a progesterone cream that you can get at a health food store that you rub on once a day and it is supposed to higher your levels. I just ordered me some for $9 so I will let you know my results! A little update on that, I have been taking Clomid for a few months now, and I have to go get blood tests to test my progesterone, and it keeps getting lower? So my Dr has me take a higher dosage of Clomid, which makes me nervous, so as I started talking with Tiff and Laurie they told me about this progesterone cream. So when I get my blood test in a few weeks I will let you know if my levels are higher to see if it really works! But seems better than taking pills. Some side effects of Clomid are

• Hot Flashes- no women likes these!




• Bloating and Abdominal discomfort- no women like these either!! We never want to feel bloated especially during the summer




• Weight Gain- Also a downer!




• Mood Swings- We as women have enough of these without adding to them!




• Nausea/Dizziness- Enough said!




• Headaches

In taking Clomid I have noticed I get more headaches, and a little bit of nausea. So if I can lower my dosage of Clomid and use the progesterone cream to help Ovulate, I am all for it. And the higher dosage the more risk you are for having twins!

Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Ok guys here is an amazing recipe for a light lunch, or a snack with some whole grain chips!! SOOO yummy!

Ingredients:
1 can of Black Beans (16 oz.)
1 avocado
2 vine ripe tomatoes (I used Roma)
1/2 of red or green onion (I used red, love the flavor better)
Salt, Pepper, and cumin to taste (I used garlic instead of Cumin)
Cilantro and Lime

Directions:
Drain, rinse, and dry black beans ( I set them out for about a half hour to dry out)
Chop avocado and tomatoes
Dice onions
Combine avocados, tomatoes, onions and black beans
Season to taste with salt, pepper and cumin (garlic)
Squeeze lime juice over salad, and add cilantro.

Sorry no pics of this, I forgot to take a pic before I knew it it was all gone! I made this to go along side some chicken enchiladas on corn tortillas. Yummy!

Diet and Exercise

Diet and Exercise are important parts of managing PCOS. This is because as women with PCOS often have higher levels of insulin in their blood, and many have trouble maintaining a healthy weight. This nutrition guide will help you to understand how your body uses the food you eat, and what foods to eat to keep your insulin levels down.

Instead of:
Sweetened juice, canned fruit in heavy syrup or sweetened applesauce
Choose:
Fresh/frozen fruits, canned fruit without added sugar, or unsweetened applesauce
Instead of:
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and peas
Choose:
broccoli, spinach, and carrots
Instead of:
Refines grains made with white flour such as white bread, pasta, bagels, and white rice
Choose:
whole grains such as whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and whole wheat bread
Instead of:
Sugary cereals
Choose:
High fiber cereals, like Kashi shredded wheat, or All Bran. Try to have a cereal that has at least 5 grams of fiber per serving
Instead of:
Sugary drinks like soda, and juice
Choose:
Sugar free or low sugar drinks such as water, diet soda, crystal light, powerade zero, vitamin water, etc

Just some tips when thinking about foods to choose from. You should eat a balance of high fiber carbohydrates and lean proteins. Proteins such as beans, hummus, nuts, peanut butter, tofu, eggs, fish, chicken, and meat. Fats such as canola oils, avocados, are also a healthy part of a PCOS diet.

That is all for today! More to come!

PCOS- What is it?

PCOS is poly cystic Ovary Syndrome. Many women suffer from this, and the more research I do, the More I find. It is a hormone in balance that can cause irregular periods, unwanted hair growth, and acne. I know I have suffered with these things for the past 5 years or so. It is not an easy thing to deal with, not only not having regular periods, but to have hair growth and acne!

There are many options to treat this, one is the birth control pill. This regulates hormones. When you are trying to get pregnant, obviously birth control is not the way to do this, so many Dr's recommend Clomid to help you ovulate. If you are having trouble with insulin they also might give you Metformin to regulate this.

I am not a fan of taking pills to make my body do something, I think we are all created to do these things, so there has to be a natural way to correct. In researching this they say that diet is a huge part of regulating hormones. So in this blog I hope to post snack ideas, food menu ideas, recipes, tips and tricks to help balance our hormones. When trying to get pregnant it is often stressful, sad, and so many emotions all together.