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Playing the Waiting Game

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This whole process of bringing a baby into the world has been one exercise in patience. For someone who doesn’t have a large supply of said virtue, it’s been also a very very big humbling learning experience. For instance, when we had that yes-oh-wait-nope moment at the first of the year, I was really dejected and discouraged because this wasn’t happening on my time. I knew that my clock was winding down and there was a cut off for the time I wanted to get pregnant, mostly because I wanted things the way I wanted them. When it took a while to get regular on my cycle, I was worried that it might not happen at all. Then that fixed itself and I went back to obsessively planning on how to make this happen. That first month, my husband went offshore literally the day that I ovulated. I knew there was still a slight chance as they say the swimmers can live in your body for some time, but then I got my lady time like clockwork the next month.

That month that followed was a bit obsessive for me. I’d check my ovulation daily with the tester, and then when I finally got a smiley face I was doing all these things to promote not only conception, but conception of a girl. Anything I read on the internet was fair game. I tried a lot of things. Well, the pregnancy stuck but we still have yet to find out what we’re having. It was actually pretty funny and the way I found out was a good lesson in obedience for me. I had taken a few tests that had shown up negative, and it was the day before I was due to have lady times again. I sat there as I wanted for it to turn and just prayed, “Lord I know this is going to be on your time, when you think I’m ready for it, so whatever your will is, I’ll take that and keep on going.” That positive sign was just .. I don’t know. The time I had there with God before the test turned was something I’ll likely never forget. It’s just another testament to the fact that He truly is faithful and good, in all ways.

This is the part where the waiting is killing me. I want to know so badly what we’re having, and June 4 can’t come fast enough. We have an appointment with the genetic counselor to talk about the blood testing options and I know I won’t get those results immediately, at least I’ll get the ball rolling and within the next week to week and a half after that I should know something. Still, it’s hard for me. I want to start addressing my baby by name, but don’t know which one to call him or her yet. I want to start making things and setting up the baby room, but I can’t of course until I know.

Trying to decide on whether or not to have a gender reveal party. While it would be super fun, I think I’d want to know before hand what it was because I just couldn’t wait that long. It might still fun for friends and family though. I don’t know. That’s still up in the air. Anyway, enough ramblings from an impatient pregnant woman tonight.

Trudging on Along

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pregnancy blog

I am 9 weeks and a few days pregnant now. It’s insane how it feels like time is creeping by right now and yet then again it’s not. I’m dealing with all the fun first trimester gripes: extreme fatigue, nausea and sickness (not just morning, because that’s a myth) and a chest so sore at times I wish I could just cut it off. I’ve had my first ultrasound and my new obgyn dated me at about a week behind what I’d thought for myself which puts my new due date at December 18. No big deal, really. I’ll still be scheduling a C-section before then so it’s all gravy. The ultrasound pic doesn’t look like much more than a blur but I am super excited that the heartbeat was strong and baby was healthy.

This is a new doctor for me. We’re new in town since last November so I was picking a new lady doctor as I’d just gotten all my yearly maintenance done in August back in Louisiana. At the beginning of the year I thought we’d actually gotten pregnant almost as soon as I’d gone off birth control, but it was a false alarm. The obgyn that I picked out was really rude and had 0 bedside manner at all. She told me all kinds of things like “Women like me” don’t ovulate and that I shouldn’t get pregnant even if I could. Fast forward to a few months later when we nailed it on the first try and I’m normal and healthy. Needless to say, I’m not using that doctor anymore.

Due to that terrifying appointment, I was really apprehensive when I met my new doctor. She was amazing! Listened to my questions, helped take care of any doubts, involved the husband in the whole process… it was awesome. I will be making an appointment this week to see a MFM high risk doctor, due to my age and diabetic status, and hopefully get some testing that lets me find out gender early because I am all about knowing what I’m going to have as soon as possible.

These are good times. The first trimester is kicking my behind but I’m dealing with it. I have an amazing protective and supportive husband that’s not letting me go at my normal pace and it’s nice that he worries. I am truly blessed in so many ways.

Growing Pains with Peanut

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pregnancy blog

I know the last I posted I had talked about finishing up the detail from our trip to Tennessee, but since it’s been so long I figured I’d give a pregnancy life update. That’s the reason for my quiet really. Just trying to survive this first trimester and stay on track. It is rough on some days for sure.

In a day or so I’ll be 8 weeks pregnant. They tell me my baby is the size of a kidney bean and he or she is developing appendages and growing healthy and strong. I am trying to do my part by managing my diabetes and blood pressure and I have been doing exceptionally well with a few random spikes. I feel confident in knowing that the next time my A1C comes back, I’ll have this well under control. It’ll just keep getting better over time too, which is something good to consider since I do not want to have the issues my dad is having when I’m a little older. I told my husband the other day I’m doing so well with it that my goal is to keep it up even after pregnancy just to have a healthy lifestyle. The one thing I don’t have a super good handle on is fasting blood sugar. While it’s usually not crazy (today was 110) it’s supposed to be under 100.

I have been dealing with the typical first trimester symptoms. Sore boobies, morning sickness that lasts whenever the heck it wants to (though I have at least not had too much problem with smells setting it off – a few times, but not many) and either fatigue or insomnia. Oh and the back pain. I know this little peanut is growing and there are going to be some growing pains so I’m just handling it as best as I can. Clayton comes home on Monday so there’s that. I have been keeping really busy with music and orchestra rehearsals and concerts, but I am glad that I’m about to have him home to make my days not so monotonous. It’ll be nice to have a month with him helping mow, do things around here, etc.

I’ve been doing a lot of gardening too. I have three large tomato plants that are starting to pop some baby green tomatoes, a nice blooming squash plant that has pretty flowers on it, bell pepper plant, and a few others in the works. I plan to eat well all summer long for this little miracle baby. So long story short, so far so good. I’m excited and things are going well. First doctor appointment is next week when I’ll be around 9 weeks along and I absolutely cannot wait!

Quick Fix Low Pix: Lighter Side Banana Pudding

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I love banana pudding, as any good southern woman should. I remember my grandmother had this special dish (a large ceramic pot) that was just for banana pudding. she’d line the sides and bottom with wafers, then pour in the pudding and bananas and put meringue on top and bake it in the oven. Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of meringue. I can tolerate it on my grandmother’s chocolate pie but it belongs there. So when I started to make my own banana pudding I wanted something that was a bit different. I came across Paula Deen’s recipe and decided to alter it a bit for those of us who don’t need so much sugar or fat in our lives. This is my creation. It’s pretty simple and since I was in a hurry today I decided not to take step by step photos but just show you the completed version.

healthy banana pudding recipe

Lighter Side Banana Pudding
Ingredients

6 small(ish) bananas, sliced
1 Box Reduced Fat Vanilla Wafers
2 Boxes sugar free instant vanilla pudding
3 cups skim milk or coconut/almond milk (I prefer coconut milk for this)
1 brick fat free cream cheese, softened
1 can fat free condensed sweetened milk
1 tub light cool whip

This is literally so simple. Line the bottom of a rectangle casserole dish (like the one pictured) with vanilla wafers. The OCD in me makes sure the flat surfaces are all on the bottom so it looks pretty even on the bottom side. After that, top the vanilla wafers with the sliced bananas. You can use less (and the original recipe does) but I like a healthy amount of fruit in my pudding so there you go. Set that aside and it’s time to assemble the pudding.

I use two bowls and a mixer for this, with a silicone spatula as my best friend. In the first bowl I combine the pudding and milk, then beat it on high for about two minutes. After that, set it aside and work on the second bowl. It’s best to use a pretty big one because you’ll need the room – trust me. In the second bowl cream together the condensed sweetened milk and the brick of cream cheese. The softer the cream cheese, the easier your time will be. Once it’s fully blended you’re done with the mixer. Fold in the cool whip using your best friend the spatula, and when it’s mixed well transfer the pudding over in and fold, fold fold. Once it’s thoroughly mixed, pour it over the bananas in the dish. It’ll just flow down like ribbons and be delightfully good. When you’re done? I won’t tell if you lick the bowl or the spatula. It’s that good.

After it’s level in the dish all that’s left to do is add another layer of wafers on top. You’ll most likely have some left over but I like to snack on them at random. Hopefully you enjoy this as much as me and mine do! You definitely can’t tell it’s low fat or sugar at all.

Our Fun Tennessee Trip

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I am just now getting around to detailing our trip that happened a few weeks ago because of all the baby hububb that happened right after! Now I’ve got a handle on it and can at least give a rundown. It started when we packed ourselves, the dogs, and all the things we’d need for about a week in the jeep and headed north on Highway 59. Texas is a long drive if you are trying to get out of the state from Houston no matter what direction you are going (unless you’re heading to Louisiana, which is only a couple hours). We were going to cross into Arkansas with a first night destination in Little Rock, so we had quite a ways to go. The drive up was fairly uneventful and we made pretty good time, getting checked into our hotel a little before 6 PM. We had plans to have dinner and visit with some friends that we’ve played World of Warcraft with for ages, so that was on the agenda. We all met at Texas Roadhouse and had mediocre steaks and appetizers. While the food was fairly disappointing, the friendship and conversation was not. I’m glad we got to spend that time and meet people we’ve been knowing for over five years. I had a good time and hope to get that way to see them again.

The hotel was okay – the rest was fine, though I woke up at 8 am and couldn’t sleep so I decided to pack up the car and get on the road, letting Clayton sleep a little more before it was his turn to drive. We stopped somewhere on the other side of Memphis at a Dunkin Donuts, much to my husband’s happy surprise! We got him a half dozen of donuts and me some coffee, let the dogs potty and switched drivers. He drove the rest of the way to Murfreesboro, TN where we found our hotel and checked in. It was a Motel 6 which was very convenient to everything so that was nice. The bed was a queen sized bed, which in hindsight I wouldn’t do again with all of us there. Other than that? Besides a really weird cramped shower the stay there wasn’t too bad. Saturday evening we stopped and visited with my grandparents and then my mother, stopping by the most iconic Mexican restaurant in Lebanon, Los Compadres. After that we met up with a high school friend of mine and her husband for drinks and a little accoustic live music. It was fun and they invited us to church with them the next morning, which we took them up on. After that it was a trip to Cookeville, TN to visit with my aunts and uncles and family.


My dad, his wife, and my aunts and uncles that were there

I was a little bit nervous about this because I am quite outspoken in my views, both social and political and it does not always match up with those of the rest of my extended family. It went very well and the dinner was fantastic. After we’d all eaten my sweet Aunt Dianna brought out her upright bass, and my uncle Terry Shayne grabbed his guitar and we had a little pick-fest. I really enjoyed the time and it seemed like it went too fast. But we weren’t done with the day! It was then off to my brother and his wife’s new house, which was gorgeous. The paint colors in the interior were just gorgeous. I approve. The dogs got to play with their little pup cousin and they had a blast. My brother makes the most fantastic chicken and dumplings around (maybe one day he’ll let me post the recipe) and we hung around until it was time to go home, relax, and get some good rest.

I think that’s enough for one post – Monday – Wednesday will be in yet another one!

Ground Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

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So I’ve just found out I was pregnant. The news is happy news, as my husband and I started trying around the first of the year. We’re having a Christmas baby and I’m so excited! I’ve been trying to eat healthy and get plenty of protein and veggies in. I had some mini sweet red and yellow peppers I got from Aldi and figured this would be a great way to use them – boy was I right!

The best thing about this recipe is that the stuffing can be used in burritos or tacos, frozen to have in later peppers if you have a small family (And I’m always cooking for one or two depending on my husband’s work) and if you have a larger family to feed, then just use the entire batch and watch them disappear! I loved everything about these and I hope that you do too.

Ground Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers
Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 small onion, chopped
5 large mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
shredded cheddar cheese (approximately 3/4 cup, give or take)
mini sweet peppers, tops removed and centers cut out
(9 for half the batch, 15-18 for full batch)

I cook the quinoa and gut the peppers while I’m working on the filling to save time. in a skillet, I heat the oil over medium high heat and then add in the onions and garlic.

stuffed peppers recipe

Once the onions and peppers have cooked for two minutes, add the ground turkey and cook on high until every bit of the meat is browned.

stuffed peppers recipe

Add the barbecue sauce and quinoa and mix well, then turn the heat off. You’re ready to stuff once your filling looks like this!

stuffed peppers recipe

Here’s an image of how your peppers should look before they get stuffed!

stuffed peppers recipe

Here’s where you preheat the oven to 350. I layered the stuffing like a parfait. I put an amount in the bottom, a little bit of cheese, and then a little more stuffing. Make sure it’s packed in good. I found that a muffin tin makes the perfect holder for these. However, if you are making a full batch they should fit into a pyrex casserole dish. It’s really up to you.

stuffed peppers recipe

Let bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes and then put cheese on the top and let it bake for another five minutes, or until cheese is melty and bubbly. When you are done you’ll have the tastiest bite of peppers you could hope for, and if you only made half of it you have plenty left over for other endeavors (or to freeze for another meal!)

stuffed peppers recipe

It’s Time!

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I had expected the next post (or actually multiple posts, to be honest) to be about our fun trip to
Tennessee to spend time with my friends and family, but something wonderful happened in the interim. This weekend, Easter weekend specifically, I took a home pregnancy test that read a faint positive. Being worried because I’d had a fake positive before, I took two more that day and one more today. I am definitely pregnant! Baby Estepp will be arriving sometime around December 11, 2015 and we are so excited! I cannot wait to meet this little miracle peanut inside me and even more so I just want to know what we’re having so I can start planning for real!

Our first OB appointment is May 7, where I’ll have my first ultrasound and probably quite a bit of testing. I have a lot of questions to ask and I am sure Clayton does as well. He’s been very supportive and already a bit protective which is just the sweetest thing! Then yesterday he had to leave, just two days after finding out, to go offshore for up to four weeks. I know he would have rather stayed home but I did manage to make the doctor appointment for when he got back. It’ll probably be another 2 months after that until we can find out what we’re having, and I am an impatient person. The waiting game is afoot! But at least it’s happening. It worked and it’s happening and I’m so happy. I will post about our vacation soon but for now enjoy our pregnancy announcement!

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

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I am a rather impatient person. As I write this it’s a Tuesday afternoon and we are leaving for a little mini vacation to visit my family on Friday and I literally am going antsy waiting on the time to pass to get here. There’s a few reasons for this though. See, I know when I need time to pass quickly I just jam lots of activities into the days leading up to it and I’m usually so busy that the days just fly by. Tonight we have orchestra rehearsal and a few things to do the next few days, but at this very moment I’m sitting here watching the minutes tick by ever so slowly. There’s something even more urgent on my horizon though, something that will happen after the trip is over: I’ll find out if we are on the way to being parents.

I got the exciting smiley face on my ovulation monitor last week on Thursday. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we took special measures to try to further parent-becoming along (without going into too many details) and even those extra special tricks to try to conceive a girl. (Note: if our future child ever reads this and you in fact did turn out to be a boy, don’t fret. We’ll love you just as much, I promise! and I won’t be disappointed!)

Now that last weekend has passed, it should be the first part of April (like the 4th or 5th really) that I can feasibly test and get an accurate answer. Considering I have two First Response tests, I might test the day we get home because they are typically good at testing early. I will undoubtedly test four or five times, especially if I get a positive result, considering the last mishap we had. I want to be 100% sure it’s happening! Then the task of finding a new obgyn will start. So much excitement!

I promise not every post I write is going to be about having kids or the process thereof. I’m going to probably make a large picture filled post (or two) about the trip when we go, and I’m sure there’ll be some Easter goodies and whatnot as well. I’m actually excited to use this site as a journal of sorts. So hopefully people will like to come along on the journey with us.

Country Cottage Pie – A Healthy Take On Shepherd’s Pie

by Filed Under: Bountiful Baskets Recipes, Diabetes, Farmer's Market Recipes 1 Comment

I’ve really got to get better at photographing this stuff. The first few pictures were just steam (lol) so I decided to pitch them. There’ll be more text and less photos at the beginning, so hopefully you don’t care that much. I love shepherd’s pie and well, I wanted to do something to make it a little healthier. So here’s my take on it. You can make your mashed cauliflower any way you like, but I will detail what I do to make it for this recipe. This tastes amazing .. I’ve already gone back for more!

healthy shepherd's pie recipe

Country Cottage Pie
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut cooked and mashed (I mash mine with 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup light sour cream)
1 lb ground turkey
6 mini sweet peppers (2 red, 2 yellow, 2 orange), chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small sweet onion, chopped
6 mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp garlic, diced
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
2 TBSP flour
1/4 cup water
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup shredded low fat cheese

I prepare my mashed cauliflower first, just so I can set it aside. Well actually I do it while I’m doing the meat and veggies, it’s just easier to put that down first then go onto the rest of the pie. I cut out the florets off a head of cauliflower and boil the heck out of it. Once it’s done, I drain well, add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan and 1/4 cup of light sour cream then mash, baby mash! I like to add some pepper but the parmesan is salty so additional salt shouldn’t be needed.You can prepare them however you like, just make sure it’s a head and it’s mashed. This subs as the mashed potatoes in a real shepherd’s or cottage pie.

Now the bottom layer! Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium high and cook the onions, peppers, garlic, and mushrooms for 3-5 minutes. Add the ground turkey and salt and pepper and turn to high, cooking until everything is done. Add in the worchestershire sauce and stir well. The sauce just adds a bit beefier taste since we are using ground turkey. Sprinkle in the flour and add the water then strip the thyme leaves into the goodness and stir well, cooking until there’s a nice gravy formed.

healthy shepherd's pie recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 and get ready to build! In a casserole dish, put down the meat and veggie mixture. On top of that layer the frozen peas. Give peas a chance.

healthy shepherd's pie recipe

After that? Layer that gorgeous mashed cauliflower on top and sprinkle the cheese. It should look like this beautiful photo below!

healthy shepherd's pie recipe

Then this bad boy is ready for the oven. Bake it at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty. See photo below. Note: You can let it go a little longer if you like browner cheese. This is just to my liking. At this point everything is cooked so it’s just to let flavors meld.

Working on Three

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Hello there! I’ve been trying to think about how I wanted to start this blog and little insight into my family. I suppose first off introductions are in order, though chances are if you know about this blog you know at least one of us. Still, however, I feel like I should probably introduce us. I’m Kellie, the female counterpart of this operation and the one who will probably be doing most (if not all) of the writing and blogging for this site. I’m a 37 year old graphic designer who freelances web design and makes tokens for my favorite game, Magic: the Gathering. I am the mommy to two 10 year old West Highland White Terriers, Einstein and Ivy. They’re my sweetiepies and lovebugs.

Clayton is my handsome husband. He’s a genius almost 30 year old geologist that currently works on an offshore oil rig. He’s gone half of the year on a four week on / four week off rotation. It’s a tough life but we manage to work it well. He is also a very talented saxophone player, as I am! We both worship and perform at Second Baptist Church North in Kingwood, Tx.

Now that I’ve told a little bit about ourselves, I’ll tell a little bit about the purpose of this blog. We have decided to grow our little family by one so we have started trying to have a baby. I want to detail our trials and tribulations, our successes and adventures along the way. I want to talk about raising our baby and what it takes to make one. I know that it’s a little late in life to think about a child but I’ve only been married and settled for a couple years. We’re just now ready to start. So, in a few days we start!