When it's time to change...

Because who doesn't like imagining Peter Brady's voice cracking? I love The Brady Bunch.

Anyways, how quickly I digress. Of course so many changes are going on in my life right now, most of them expected (quickly hunting for ways I can save more money; growing out of my jeans; thinking about life insurance) — but some of them are unexpected (my new obsession with Podcasts; my complete rejection of reading magazines; my sudden disdain for makeup) and rather unpleasant, too. I'll leave out the annoying hormonal imbalance garbage for you here and, as you'd expect, move right along to sustenance.

I was at my local grocery store the other day, making a quick stop on the way home from looking at cribs. My fist packed with coupons and not much on my mind other than a) trying to get my husband out of there fast to avoid the rolling of the eyes and the sighs and b) dinner, I sped through the aisles gathering whatever caught my eye and whatever I had a coupon for. This had become a sort of routine for me — trying to make the trip as short and sweet as possible, saving money along the way and enjoying my pregnancy a bit by splurging on occasional foods here and there that I never would have bought pre-baby bump.

Sounds all fun and good, if you can stomach grocery shopping in the first place. But then we got to the checkout.

I watched as my husband piled my boxes of frozen lunch meals on the conveyor belt. One after the other after the other. I had recently been complaining that I never had anything to eat for lunch, and they were on sale. But then I also had a coupon for Lean Pockets. And I needed bread, and crackers, too. A couple frozen pizzas for dinner and a Sprite for the road, and I had it all laid out before me: I had become that busy mom (to be) loading up on processed foods and anything that came in a box or can, just for the sake of convenience and cost effectiveness. Even my fruit was packaged "in light syrup." There wasn't a single real food in my cart! Not even one miserable apple or bunch of broccoli.

I was embarrassed. How did I get here? How did I become this person? When did I stop cooking? (When was the last time I cooked?) Sure, I'm busy cleaning, shopping and working, but I used to be just as busy working out, planning meals and relaxing on the couch in front of my favorite soap opera. I knew better than this. Eating well isn't more expensive; in the long run, in fact, it's better for your mind and body, it saves you a boatload on healthcare and, frankly, it feels good to unload bags of beets and potatoes rather than chips and cookies.

The next morning in my preservative-laden stupor, it was all I could do to not insist that my husband take me immediately to Whole Foods after work. Seriously. Suddenly all I could think about were organic fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and chicken.

So last night I cooked. Chicken legs with oranges, honey mustard, carrots and Herbes de Provence. And tonight I cooked, too — Bitty's delicious griddle cakes, this time with chick peas. Tomorrow, after my next doctor's appointment, I know we may resort to that last frozen pizza. But after that, I'm looking forward to homemade soup and meat loaf.

I don't know if I just became overwhelmed with all the things I feel like I "have" to do — even if I want to do them — but it feels strange for something that was such a big part of my life before (cooking) to have become nearly obliterated by to-do lists, holiday planning and registering for onesies. So now, hopefully, after my self-imposed intervention, I've learned that it's not necessary to completely abandon one part of my life just because I'm carving out the space for a new one — albeit most likely the biggest and best new part of life as I know it.

Next it's your turn. For all the moms out there: How do you do it? How do you juggle family obligations, relaxation time, diet and exercise? Do you plan your meals? Shop alone? Do you even use coupons, considering they don't exactly advertise for apples and oranges? Let me know! I'm just setting foot in this unknown territory and clearly I could already use some help. I'd love to hear all of your tips and tricks.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a piece of the pumpkin pie I baked on Sunday. (I know it's pie, but I made it!)

Bun in the oven!

Yeah, I know it's obvious now what my big announcement is, but this is, after all, a food blog, so I couldn't resist the pun.

I'm pregnant!

I've waited the "official" 12 weeks to tell more than just my close family and friends, so now the whole world can know. We're not going to find out if it's a boy or girl, we already have the baby's room painted a nice minty green and we've already started stocking up on onesies, little tiny socks and even a cute stuffed ducky.

But enough about the baby, right??? The crazy thing is what this has done to my life already, and it's only been three months. I'm sure you've noticed my pathetic lack of posting, but of course suddenly life is not about dieting or losing weight; it's about coming to terms with gaining weight and trying to nurture this growing baby inside of me with the best foods possible.

The first trimester was rough. I felt nauseated pretty much 24/7, and for one week all I could eat were bagels and the next week only toast with butter. I couldn't stomach fruit, juice, practically anything to drink other than iced tea and water. What's a girl to do? I love to eat!

Now, thank God, the first trimester is over and like the flip of a switch I feel like a new woman again. I can't get enough juicy fruits now — pineapple, pears, watermelon, everything except cantaloupe, which now gives me the dreaded pregnant-lady heartburn. I don't necessarily get a lot of cravings, but I have to pick through everything in the house before I really find what I want to eat, and then...oh, it's glorious. And strangely enough, now that I can eat whatever I want (within reason, of course), the temptation to gorge myself on Halloween candy, for example, has completely dissipated. Last year I had one piece of each kind after lunch and dinner; now I barely nibble on a tiny little Hershey bar.

So things are definitely changing around here. I'm less tired in the second trimester now, but suddenly I have a lot of different things to do and plan for. I'll try to keep up with the blog and all of you lovelies, but I'll also be honest — my priorities have already shifted dramatically. It's amazing how everything changes from one day to the next. I might be coming to some of you mommies for advice; I might post some of the Spanish recipes I'm really into right now; I may completely abandon this idea until it's time for me to shed the inevitable baby weight. For now I'm just trying to take it easy — a little exercise here and there, nothing too rowdy, and the same delicious fresh foods I've always loved plus a few randoms here and there (currently obsessed with Kailua Monkey smoothies).

If any of you preggos out there have any foods you couldn't live without during your nine months, let me know! I've become quite susceptible to suggestions and marketing when it comes to food, so you can be sure I'll take your comments to heart.

Thanks for all your support!