Taco Salad

Last night Troy and I were not up for cooking at all but the idea of facing a fast food anything was daunting and made me sick to my stomach just thinking about it. We had ground turkey meat thawed so we need to use it and some lettuce that was going to go south pretty soon if not used. So I thought to make taco salad! Here was what was in it:

1 lb ground turkey
1 head of lettuce
1 can of kidney beans
salsa
shredded cheese
sour cream

Troy grilled up the turkey and seasoned it with all seasoning salt, threw it on top of a bed of lettuce, added heated kidney beans, cold salsa, cheese and sour cream. It was delicious and I didn't even add any dressing on it! The toppings were perfect! I would have liked Avocado on top as well but didn't have any of that on hand.

I have been reading so many blogs lately from other people who suffer from some kind of infertility or fertility problems and I am feeling relief. I am following this one blog who had a different kind of infertility as mine and paid over $100,00 before she conceived her twins. Then she tried to get pregnant again with the rest of her frozen eggs and conceived one baby that sadly miscarried. A few months later after giving up and being satisfied with their twin boy and girl... they got pregnant  by themselves with another set of twins! Boys! I couldn't believe it. She has funny antics about being infertile, life with 2 sets of twins, and being married and dealing with health issues. Although it is reassuring that it will happen for me too it is scary to think that it cost her $100,000, money which I do not have the luxury of spending on IVF. But alas, there is hope.

I am also hoping that I am PMS'ing right now. This may sound strange but I have had the most terrible mood swings and if looks could kill Troy would have been dead three days ago. Mood swings, anger, and emotional outbursts of anger and tears for really no great reason. "Troy, you left the light on in the kitchen! How could you do this? You know this costs money, which we don't have. You want to see the electricity bill? Do you ever listen to me?!".... seriously... over turning off the light. I am also hoping to be PMS'ing so I can have a period and start my treatment plan. Patience is the hardest thing to have.

Gourmet Breakfast Cooking

About 90% of the time I skip breakfast both during the week and on the weekend. So since I am trying to focus on my health, save money, and cook at home I decided to try a breakfast dish. I kind of feel like Julia from the Julia and Julia movie posting all about the recipes I am trying. So when I headed to the kitchen this fabuulous 4th of July holiday and started creating this new dish of Baked Chile Rellano Eggs I realized that I don't have any flour. Now, most would laugh at this but seriously people... who uses flour? Want to bake a cake? Buy a pre-made box! So I made it omitting the 1 TB of flour so we will see how it turns out. Anyways, here it goes...

Baked Chile Rellano Eggs

2 - 4oz cans whole green chiles

2 cups granted Monterey Jack cheese

6 eggs

1 TB flour

2 cups milk

1/8 tsp chili power

1 1/2 TB butter

1. Preheart the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter baking dish.

2. Slit each chile down one side and file loosley with grated cheese, using one cup cheese for all the chiles. Lay filled chiles in a lightly buttered baking dish.

Stuffed chiles

 3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and flour. Str in milk and chili powder. Fold in the remaining cheese.

4. Pour egg mixture over chiles. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until top is bubbly and a knife insured near center comes out clean.

Egg dish before cooking in the oven

Glycemic index/load: low 2

Calories: 282

Protein: 18 grams

Carbs: 5 grams

Fat: 21 grams

Tip: to make it lower fat, use low-fat cheese, 2 percent milk, and substitute olive oil for butter, and 3 eggs and 5 egg whites for the six eggs. Results: 218 calories

Summer Cooking

I bought Kielbasa on sale because... well it was on sale so I had to go hunting for a recipe to cook it that didn't include potatoes. So I started my hunting on allrecipes.com and came across this great recipe!!

Kielbasa and Cabbage

6 slices bacon
1/2 cup water
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges
1 pound Polish kielbasa

1. In a large skillet, fry bacon over medium high heat until browned. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings, and place bacon on paper towels.

2. Stir water, sugar, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and seasoned salt into drippings. Add cabbage, and gently stir. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Add kielbasa to the pan. Cook, covered, for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Crumble bacon over top, and serve hot.

Dinner was Delicious!

So tonight we had a BBQ. We had Blue Cheese Burgers (mine minus the blue cheese, add sliced cheese), baked beans, and BBQ corn on the cob. It was so delicious! I skipped the beans and had 2 corn on the cobs. We buttered them, sprinkled some garlic salt on them, roll them in alluminum foil and put on the BBQ for about 20 minutes. So good!!

So here is my favorite GI recipe so far:

Blue Cheese Burgers

1 lb very lean ground beef or ground turkey
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 celery, thinly chopped
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese or fav cheese

1. Preheat the broiler on high or prepare BBQ

2. Mix ground beef, onion, celery, Dijon mustard, oregano, salt and pepper in large bowl. Use hands to mix together thoroughly.

3. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions. Place 4 on a cutting board and flatten each.

4. Place crumbled blue cheese in the center of the 4 flattened patties.

5. Flatten remaining 4 potions and place on top of blue cheese patties. Mold together, enclosing crumbled blue cheese, and shape into 4 burgers.

6. Broil for 10 minutes or until cooked, turning once or BBQ

Serve on a lettuce leaf with tomato and dill pickle.
Replace the bun with a salad, red and green pepper rings, or baked sweet potato sticks.

Glycemic Index: very low
Glycemic Load: 0
Calories: 242
Protein: 34 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Fat: 10 grams

Trying New Recipes

Ever since being told that I possibly could have PCOS I have been doing a ton of research online, reading books, and just getting myself educated on the condition. One of the biggest thing that everyone pushes is the diet. So I bought Glycemic Index Cookbooks and have been trying some of the recipes out.

I tried faux-potatoes because sadly I am not allowed to eat white potatoes any more (including french fries... I could die!) so I tried making the cauliflower potatoes. What a joke that was. They were not smooth enough and we added way too much fresh diced garlic and they tasted nasty. Scratch those off my list. We also tried Chicken Verde which was really good. All it needed was some tortillas... also which I can not have. Either way I would make it again and it is pretty simple to make.

Chicken Verde

1/2 cup cilantro
3 cups chopped onions
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 (10 oz) can tomatillas
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 TB. butter
2.5 Lbs diced chicken

1. Combine cilantro, onions, garlic, tomatillas (drained, set aside juice), salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Process until smooth. Add reserved tomatilla liquid and process until well blended.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and brown chicken pieces. Pour the cilantro sauce over chick and simmer, covered, about 1 hour, or until chicken is tender.

Glycemic Index/Load: low 1
Calories: 249
Protein 38 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Fat: 9 grams

And the diagnosis is...

It's official. Today I found out, based on my blood panel and glucose test results, that I have Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. I have been operating under the assumption that that is exactly what I had but now it has been confirmed. After a year of trying naturally, a year and a half of trying with Metformin and now an official diagnosis from my new OB doc, I am happy to finally have some answers and a plan.

Don't get me wrong, I am not excited about the diagnosis. I have already grieved for the loss of an "oops" or "it just happened" pregnancy but I am excited to be on a path to hopeful success in expanding my family. Dr. Weatherford seems to be the perfect match for us and our pregnancy journey. I met him for the first time on June 21st when Troy and I went in for our first consult. He seemed knowledgeable, listened to my input and concerns and gave great feed back. I didn't feel rushed and I felt understood considering he delivered the news about my first two pregnancies over the phone to me without even meeting me first. He took me in as an "established" patient to be able to send me to get labs to find out what was going on with me.

So the plan is to get my period, up my Metformin meds to 2x a day instead of only once, and get on Clomid. This will help me with ovulation and getting pregnant. I have read a ton blogs about other women's experiences and I know that this isn't a quick fix. I am sure I have many heart breaks and disappointment in my future but for now I am just excited to know what path I am on.

I know for sure that I am not excited about the monthly exams I am going to have... but I am hopeful that it will be all worth it!

Some days good... some days bad...

Some days I don't even think about what happened in March. I don't think about the loss and the part of me that just hasn't quite healed yet. Then there are days like today, Mother's Day, which I have been nervous about. I know some people don't think that this would be a hard today for me as I never even got to hold my child but it reminds me of what I almost had and what I lost.

I woke up this morning and went to church with my family. Troy went to brunch with his family. This is the first holiday we have celebrated apart. When we got to Subway after church I got a phone call from Troy. Deby is pregnant. He was so overjoyed on the phone. My reaction was not what he was expecting. I merely said "oh ok, I have to go I am ordering." and that was it. Moments later the tears welled up in my eyes.

I want to be happy for her. I want to be over joyed for the neice or nephew that I am going to have. My first reaction is tears. And soley for selfish reasons. I am happy for her. I am happy for our family. I am happy. But can everyone understand that I need 2 minutes to be sad!

Some days good... some days bad...