Eating Healthy on a Budget – A Long Post About Meal Planning

Preface.

This is long, sorry about that.  

This may not work for you, so share what works for you!!

These are just my tips, it is all about finding a way that works for you!

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One of the hardest things for me when it comes to a diet is planning healthy meals the family loves, while also not going over the budget.  I think we can agree, that sometimes eating healthy can come at a price!  But over the last 6 months I am learning that this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.  I have managed to find ways to incorporate a healthy diet for me and for my family, while sticking to our budget.

Now I do have to say, many meals we eat separate things.  My husband works crazy hours so we may not always have dinner with him.  And my son is, lets say, a particular eater.  He does eat healthy, but the list of foods he likes is somewhat limited.  And then there is me who wants to eat healthy and try new alternatives.

I know some are thinking…SO DO YOU MAKE THREE MEALS?!

Uh, not exactly.

But I do prepare meals a little differently.  If my husband will be home for dinner then I make a meal we will all like and share.  If he is not, he eats what he wants (usually leftovers or frozen meals because that is his choice!) and then I make something easy for Henry (mac & cheese with broccoli, canned fruit, carrot sticks, chicken nuggets for example) and then I may make myself something easy like an omelet or salad.  These are easy meals to make for dinner, but also keep all of us healthy and happy!

Tip: Have a list of quick, easy and healthy meals to fit in your regular week.

We also budget to eat out maybe once a week.  We like to eat out.  Plain and simple. 

So, with all that said, I have learned how to eat healthy while staying on a budget.  The major key, for me, to eating healthy is meal planning.  I have been meal planning for over year for our budget, but the last 6 months have found ways to incorporate my healthy eating into our meal plan!

Talk to Me - Group B Streptococcus

So last week my Doctor ran a screening test for Group B Streptococcus (GBS).  This is done around week 35 and is done by taking a cotton swab and getting a culture, down there.  Last week at my Doctor appointment they told me I was positive for this.

So let’s talk about Group B Streptococcus because as of a few days ago I had no idea what this was and why I was getting tested.

What is Group B Streptococcus (GBS)?

It is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. This bacteria is normally found in about 25 % of all healthy, adult women.  Group B strep colonization is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD).  Most women have no idea they have this and it is not harmful to them at all. 

If it is not harmful why do the test for it?

If you test positive for GBS this simply means that you are a carrier.  A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery and if the baby catches it can become very very ill.  Early onset GBS is usually known within the first 24 hours and is the most severe.  Late onset is usually found between 2 weeks and 3 months of the child’s birth and though will cause the child to be sick, is not as severe.  Either way, the child will need to be treated immediately if sick.

So since you are positive for it will your baby catch it?

No, not necessarily.  If properly treated it will greatly reduce the chances of your baby becoming ill.  Some statistics say 1 in 2000 others say 1 in 4000.  My Doctor just says it is very common and I shouldn’t worry :)

So how do they treat it?

During labor they will put the medicine directly into the IV to treat the mother and help protect the baby. 

  

So how do you feel about this news?

Well obviously if I had my preference I would prefer to not be positive for this.  However, I also know that this is fairly common and that the hospital knows what to do and will take all steps necessary to make sure that Henry is safe.  Yes, there is always a possibility that the medicine doesn’t work and he gets really sick.  But that is just like there is always a possibility that something else could happen during delivery or even after.  It is the scary reality that is associated with having a child.  For the most part, it is all out of my control and I cannot worry about it.  I know when he is born, we will both worry a bit until we know he is healthy….I am sure that is common among all new parents!  But at this point at least I know I am positive for it and there is something that can be done and that is all I can do right now.

So has anyone else been tested for this and diagnosed as positive for GBS?  Thoughts on it?

I just wanted to talk about it because I was so unfamiliar with it.  My mom had never heard of it and even women in the office didn’t know about it.  Not sure if it is something new they started testing for in the last 5-10 years or what.  It just got me curious!

Facebook Username: Yay or Nah?

So today on my facebook home page this box with different profile usernames showed up.

As I am not as familiar with FB (or most networking sites/technology in general) I thought I would ask the more FB savvy individuals out there what the point of this was.

1. Do I HAVE to have a FB username?
2. What is the point/benefit to having one?
3. Would I then use that as my login username?
4. Is it better just to stick with you email?


I appreciate your answers, as FB was unable to provide any to me :)

Gotta Love Old Wives Tales

So my mom told me about this trick that she heard of for helping/preventing/reducing leg cramps when you sleep. So if any of you suffer from this or know someone who does, listen up!

Apparently all you do is put an unwrapped bar of soap under the fitted sheet at the foot of your bed near where your calves are… and.... there you go, no more or at least fewer leg cramps.


How does it work – I don’t know. But apparently, it really does.

It has worked for my mom for the past month or so and my mom was skeptical and kind of laughed it off when it was suggested. But later she gave it a try as medicine had not been working and she remembered when her SIL (who is a Physician’s Assistant) mentioned it worked. It was a "Well what the heck, nothing else seems to be working" kind of thing. Even my mom’s Dr. had heard of this and said that it has worked for some patients.

Google it. Short Article here. Even Snopes doesn’t have a definitive answer on this.



Seriously, no clue on how or why this works, but IF it does help even a little bit and for whatever strange reasons, that is HUGE for people who suffer from leg cramps at night.

I always think it is fun, these old wives tales that work.


Any old wives tales you would like to share with the blogging world that you KNOW works?

An Educational Blog Is A Healthy Blog

So a couple months ago Terry (who is just FULL of random and interesting knowledge, as well as full of other stuff) mentioned that he had heard somewhere that our Taste Buds change every 7 years or so. Hmmm….interesting.

I decided to do a little research on the subject. It is not that I don’t trust what my husband says but sometimes he will be so convincing and make you believe something that is completely false just because he thinks it is funny that you believed him. So therefore, I always double check.

What I learned is that your taste buds may not change exactly every 7 years but you will go through periods where your tastes change. The main reason is that when you were a baby, you had taste buds, not only on your tongue, but on the sides and roof of your mouth. This means you were very sensitive to different foods. (Hence kids not liking brussel sprouts!) As you grew, the taste buds began to disappear from the sides and roof of your mouth, leaving taste buds mostly on your tongue. The average person has about 10,000 taste buds and they're replaced every 2 weeks or so. But as a person ages, some of those taste cells don't get replaced. An older person may only have 5,000 working taste buds. SO, as you get older, your taste buds will become naturally less sensitive (you may have even fewer taste buds because of things like medications, smoking, not getting enough of the right vitamins) so you will be more likely to eat foods that you thought were too strong as a child.

On average you will notice some changes in taste about every 5 to 7 years. It is also reported that along with your taste buds changing so do the olfactory nerves in your nose. Apparently the nerves wear out over time, so they need replacement. Just like skin or hair or the cells of the rest of the body. Therefore causing your tastes to change as well.

Example from me: Up until about a 1 – 1 ½ years ago I hated avocado….nah loathed them. I didn’t like the texture, the taste, their look. Then I was out and decided to try guacamole and I LOVED it. I now want to eat avocados on anything I can and just love them.

So there you go. Your semi-educational tidbit for the day.




(Or maybe I am just really BS-ing you to make you believe this is true?!?! No No, it is true……………….or is it?)