Friday, January 29, 2010

Chiro's for Prego's



Ahhh, the chiropractor.
I never thought of going to the chiropractor before becoming pregnant. I never had any body or joint pains that bothered me that much. Sure, there was a running injury here and there, but nothing I felt needed chiro attention.

At the beginning of my 2nd trimester, I became immobile. I was aware of the relaxin hormone and what it does to a pregnant body, but I had no idea the pain it could cause. It started out as just aching hips and trouble getting up from a seated or laying position. For weeks, I was on the verge of tears several times throughout the day. Then, it got so bad that I would get stuck in mid stride while out walking. The last straw was when I got stuck getting up from the toilet. I was in so much pain that I had to have my husband help get me out of the bathroom and into bed.

I had been reading up on some other women's experiences getting adjusted while pregnant. Some needed pain relief, others wanted to adjust the position of the baby toward the end of pregnancy. I spoke to my midwife and she recommended a chiropractor that dealt with pregnant women.
I hobbled into the office for my first visit. There was a consultation followed by a few minutes on the roller bed. I don't know the technical term for it, but it's basically a heated bed with rollers underneath used to loosen you up. It was relaxing. After that, the chiro assessed me to see what type of adjustments I would need. Then, he got started and snap, crackle, pop we were done. It was an odd experience, but after about 20 minutes, I felt so much better. As the day went on, I felt even better. The next day, I was like a new woman! There was still some soreness, but nothing like I had been experiencing. Keep in mind, everyone has a different reaction to a chiro visit and may need more than one adjustment.

I am now in my 3rd trimester and just went back for an adjustment last week. I was starting to get stuck walking again and had been dealing with sciatica. http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/sciatica/pregnancy-back-pain-sciatica
Once again, I'm feeling like a new woman. This time however, I could not tolerate the roller bed. Since the 2nd tri, I can only lay on my back for a couple of minutes and all that motion was making me sick. So, he used some other techniques to loosen me up before the adjustment.

Mama's, please don't spend your pregnancy in pain. If you haven't already and you feel you need to, go see a chiropractor. Just make sure you check with your health care provider and find someone who works with pregnant women.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Mmm, Carrot Cake


After juicing a ton...o.k, alot of carrots, I needed something yummy to do with all my carrot fibers I had leftover. Obviously, carrot cake was the first thing that came to mind.

I didn't want to treck to the store for additional supplies, so I looked into my cabinet to see what I could put together, that would be somewhat healthy and delicious.

Here's what I came up with.

2 1/2c flour
1tsp baking powder
2tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp pumpkin pie spice
1tsp vanilla
3/4c sucanat sugar
1c coconut oil
3tbs cornstarch
2c carrot fibers from juicing (you can also use shredded)
14oz canned pineapple drained (reserve the liquid)
1/3c of the pineapple juice
3/4c shredded coconut
2 handfuls of raisins
2 handfuls chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil and flour baking pan. I used a bundt pan.
In seperate bowl, mix all other dry ingredients and set aside.
Cream oil, vanilla, sugar and cornstarch together.
Add in pineapple and juice.
Mix in dry ingredients along with coconut, raisins and nuts until just combined.
Do not over mix.
The batter will be thick like a quick bread.
Pour into pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


I didn't have any glaze or frosting ingredients on hand, so we enjoyed it without and it was perfectly delicious!
This cake is very moist, so you don't need to have one.
After the first day, I picked up some things to make a quick glaze and it was good that way as well, just a little sweeter.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Black Eyed Peas


Traditionally black eyed peas are eaten on New Year's Day for prosperity. We have been observing this tradition in my family for as long as I can remember.
Some type of green is usually eaten as well, to insure financial stability and fortune.

The kind of BEP's I grew up eating, were full of pork(usually ham hocks) and the greens were typically cooked to death.
Here's my version. Still full of flavor, but with more texture and nutrients.

1 carrot diced
1 stalk celery diced
1/4 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large bay leaf or 2 small
1tsp poultry seasoning
5 cups veggie broth
8oz bep's (presoaked overnight per instructions on bag)
1 medium sweet potato or 2 small cut into bite size chunks
1 bunch of kale de-stemmed, washed and sliced
2tbl olive oil
*salt and pepper to taste





Saute 1st 6 ingredients in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add broth and beans to pot. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 1 hour.
Add in sweet potatoes and kale and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until beans and sweet potatoes are desired tenderness.
Salt and pepper to taste
* Amount will vary depending on which type of veggie broth you use.
Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

I serve this over brown rice with cornbread or corn muffins.
Enjoy!

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