Pregnancy Weight Management

So I know that not too many people follow my blog but I thought I'd share some of my secrets for keeping pregnancy weight gain to a minimum without starving! Here is our first subject:

Turkey BLT on whole wheat with jonagold apple slices. I know what you're thinking... BLT... No way is that healthy.. That's where the turkey part comes into play.. I made with with 3 pieces of extra lean turkey bacon by Jenny-O. I found it at Haggen today and it was only 2.99 per package. Which in the bacon world is pretty cheap. So the "recipe" goes..

2 slices whole wheat bread - I used earth grains because WIC covers it and it's all natural.
1 full tablespoon low fat mayo - I used some off brand that isn't half bad..
4 thin slices of roma tomato - obviously I used a ... roma tomato lol.
1/2 cup or so of shredded iceburg - if you want more of a nutritious lettuce like red lettuce or green leaf be my guest.. They all have very low calorie values and taste about the same.. I am a lettuce snob so I like mine to be extra crunchy and piled high on sandwiches..
1/2 large jonagold apple.. or whatever you have..

All of that equals to 390 calories! That's nothing and the wheat bread is big so you get a pretty hefty sandwich and a good amount of apples for under 400 calories!

I am hoping to gain 12 to 15 pounds this pregnancy so I can keep diabetes and hypertension at bay.. I gained 16 with Avery and I was pretty darn proud of myself for keeping it in check! If there is anyone out there that needs some encouragement I am here and living proof that you don't have to starve to keep your weight down...

 Aint she a beauty! It looks kinda funny because the soup was so hot it melted the cheese before i could get it under the broiler..

 The mess... yeah...

 I should've taken a picture of it after I added the beef broth.. It turns out much darker than this.

Tonight for dinner we are having my famous French Onion Soup and Green Salad and I can't be more excited! I carmelize sweet onions in a bit of smart balance light and a touch of olive oil to give the soup a deeper level of richness without adding a bunch of flavorings. (be careful with olive oil because one TBS has a whopping 14 grams of fat in it! However it is good for you so don't cut it out all together.) I top it with a slice of toasted baguette and 1/2 cup of grated Gruyere cheese (gruyere is about 20 a pound so it's kinda like a special ocasion thing for me lol. If I don't have it I just use regular swiss cheese that I get with WIC every month.. No biggie.) As for my salad I just throw in a bunch of greens like today I have green leaf lettuce, romas, celery, and olives so that's what will be in it.. Also I have fallen in love with Ken's Steakhouse Honey Mustard dressing so I will be resisting the temtation to slather it all over and just used 2 tbs.. lol.. I seriously freaking love it.. Like I could bathe in it.. Just kidding lol... Or am I???

The recipe:
3 huge sweet onions of 5 medium
1/2 to 3/4 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups beef stock
baguette for topping
1/2 to 3/4 cup gruyere cheese

In a large pot or dutch oven heat about a tablespoon of oil and a tbs of smart balance or whatever you like to use. Chop onions in half and in half again. Slice into thin strips and throw into the pot. cook over medium heat (I did 6 on my stove) until they start to turn a golden color. Pour in wine and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour in the stock's and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Salt to taste. To serve pour desired amount into ramekins and top with baguette slices and gruyere cheese. Place under broiler until cheese melts and starts to turn golden brown. There you go!~

Our dinner tonight had about 712 calories in it.. Which isn't bad in my book.. Not for a dinner.. When you can drive down to red robin and get a bowl of the same thing that has under cooked onions and no flavor with more calories.. Takes me like 30 minutes to drive to red robin and about 25 to get my homemade soup made..