Guest Post

I was contacted the other week (much to my surprise) by Kristin, a recent college graduate who majored in journalism. She wanted to know if she would be able to write a guest post for my blog. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have someone else contribute, especially since my posts seem to be few and far between these days. Since I've been posting a lot of food-related posts lately, Kristin decided to write an article about her aunt's pizza recipe. I hope you all enjoy!

My Aunt’s Pizza

We’ve all heard about recipes for the perfect healthy pizza. So often, these recipes leave us with a cardboard box taste in our mouths. Sure it is healthy, but if it doesn’t taste good what is the point?

I assure you, once you try this recipe on for size, you will never look a delivery pizza in the face again. This divine recipe for a pizza that won’t leave you guilt ridden and feeling overly stuffed has lived in my family for decades. The recipe was handed down to me by my health nut aunt and has been a party favorite at all our major holidays. Not only is it healthy, it is mouth watering to boot!

The other difference is the dough used. Instead of pizza dough, this pizza is made on a lightly fried flour tortilla. You can buy the very large tortillas and cut up the pizza into slices or buy small tortillas and make individual pizzas.

Goat cheese is used in this recipe as opposed to traditional mozzarella or cheddar cheese because it is both tastier and lower in fat. A great option in case you’re on a particular diet. There is also twice as much protein in goat cheese as in other cheeses. However, it is truly the savory and scrumptious flavor in goat cheese that makes it a popular choice.

Aunt Adelina’s Famous Pizza
Ingredients
Flour tortilla
½ cup olive oil
1 cup goat cheese
2 oz artichoke hearts
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
½ cup black olives, sliced
1 cup fresh spinach

Step 1.
Heat olive oil in frying pan until sizzling. Gently lay flour tortilla in hot frying pan and leave for two minutes. Flip the tortilla after two minutes and allow it to sit in oil for another two minutes.

Step 2.
Remove the hot tortilla from pan and set it in a plate with a paper towel underneath to soak up excess oil.

Step 3.
While the tortilla is warm and fresh from the pan, spread a thin or thick layer of goat cheese. Then you simply spread the other ingredients to your liking. Of course, you aren’t limited to these ingredients. Feel free to experiment with flavors and toppings.

Options:
There is no need to further bake the pizza unless you wish to. Baking the pizza will cause the goat cheese to spread so keep this in mind when you spread the cheese. Also, adding some cooked Italian sausage could turn it into a spicy option. By not baking the pizza, you are keeping your veggies much fresher and crunchier.

This is a great idea to get you eating healthy and keep us on track with our New Year Resolutions. I eat it all the time because it’s quick and I don’t have to feel guilty for eating it afterwards. Similar recipes have been found on cancer websites because often times patients cannot eat heavy difficult to digest foods.

Kristin Wells is a recent college graduate from The University of Georgia and an aspiring writer. She wants to make a difference in people's lives through her writing. Kristin also likes competitive cycling, running, and traveling as much as possible.

Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

Source: baeblemusic.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: twitter.com via Lauren on Pinterest

HSG Results

I decided to give Dr. P's office a call yesterday afternoon because it had been 3 days since the HSG from hell. I was anxious to find out if anything suspicious popped on the x-rays. Of course when I called, it went straight to voicemail. In the last 13 months, I don't think anyone has actually picked up the phone because they're just so busy. Not a problem though. I just figured I would receive a call back on Monday.

Much to my surprise, the phone rang a few hours later and they had my test results. It turns out that everything was all clear. I told the nurse that I would probably be calling them back in about 2 weeks so we could talk about the med combo we'll be using for IUI #5. I believe we'll be sticking with the G.onal-F, but also adding M.enopur into the mix. I refuse to stim again for over 3 weeks. I had hoped that E would be home in time for the injections to begin since I heard that M.enopur stings and burns, but unfortunately his return date has been pushed back. Again. That's a whole different story to be addressed at a different time. Maybe.

More good news is that my side effects from the allergic reaction to the iodine have finally gone away. I had to take B.enadryl several times a day for the past few days because of overall itchiness. I think I'm back to normal now.

So I've heard that some women are able to get pregnant the cycle of or the cycle after an HSG. Has anyone else heard/read about this? Maybe the same will be true for us? This is our last chance at having a 2012 baby and more importantly, having a baby before I turn the big 3-0 in December. If this IUI fails, then if we are lucky enough to get pregnant on IVF #1, the baby wouldn't be due until the beginning of 2013. I want this last IUI to work for so many reasons. Please let it work.

Pinterest Challenge - Week 3

For this week's Pinterest Challenge, I made Giada's Lemon Ricotta Cookies. BFF introduced me to these wonderful little cookies when I visited her over Christmas, so I decided to make them for Brittany's baby shower last weekend. I think they turned out fabulous! I'll definitely make these again.

Source: foodnetwork.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Ingredients

Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 stick softened, unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs (I used egg substitute)

1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese (I used part skim)

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and

salt.

3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar.

4. Mix in 1 egg at a time to the butter and sugar mixture.

5. Mix in ricotta, lemon juice, and lemon zest (I also

added 1 tsp of vanilla).

6. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine.

7. Spoon 2 tbsp of cookie dough onto parchment lined

cookie sheets.

8. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown

(My oven took 17 minutes).

9. Cool for 20 minutes.

10. While cooling, assemble glaze.

11. Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon

zest in a small bowl.

12. Spoon 1/2 tsp over cooled cookies.

13. Let the glaze set up and harden on the cookies for

about 2 hours.

14. Enjoy the lemony goodness!

Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

Source: imgfave.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Lauren on Pinterest

The HSG From Hell

This week has gotten off to a shitty start. I was told that I had to go in for a blood draw on Monday morning to make sure I wasn't pregnant before having the HSG done today. However, since it was MLK day yesterday, the lab and RE clinic were closed. I was told that I had to go to the family medicine clinic for the draw instead. I got there at 7:45 thinking that the clinic opened at 8. Wrong. It didn't open until 9. Not a big deal. Problem occurs when I get up to the receptionist and she tells me that she only sees an order for a pregnancy blood draw from the 16th of December.

I proceeded to tell her that my RE nurse put the order in the system last week and that I needed the blood draw done or they would cancel my test the following morning. I also asked if they could just use the order from December. She told me it was against protocol to use an order that was over a month old. I asked her if they could just put in another order. She told me, "No, that's against protocol". Eff protocol. I wasn't leaving without someone taking my damn blood. That set me off and I started to cry in front of the 2 receptionists and about 20 people in the waiting room. I think this caused the receptionist to panic because she asked for my ID back and told me that she would have the charge nurse check the system again.

About 20 minutes later, the receptionist came back and told me that the charge nurse had found the order. I don't know where the confusion came in. Shouldn't have the receptionist been able to see the order on her computer? I've never had an issue before. I went back for the blood draw and hopped off the exam table in about 2 minutes. Of course (surprise, surprise), the test came back negative.

I went in for the HSG this morning. The doctor who was going to perform the procedure had to tell me about all of the possible side effects/reactions that could come about because of the iodine. He asked me several times if I was allergic to shellfish. I told him I don't eat seafood, so I wasn't 100% sure that I was or wasn't. I have allergies to a majority of antibiotics but the doctor looked over the list and said that I should be just fine.

The procedure kind of sucked. I felt extreme cramping when he inflated the balloon and then injected the dye. The cramping did go away almost immediately after removing the balloon though. He said he couldn't see any blockages but wouldn't read the x-rays until later in the day. I was told to follow up with Dr. P. in a few days.

After getting dressed, I hopped into my car and started driving towards the commissary. After driving for about 5 minutes, I started having a reaction. I thought it might be all in my head because of everything the doctor had said (he basically scared the shit out of me), so I called my friend. She told me that I should go back to the hospital just in case it was a real reaction. My throat felt tight and I was itchy. I walked back into radiology and a very nice soldier who was acting as the receptionist excused herself from the desk and walked me down to the ER. I was able to go directly to a triage nurse and she gave me a high dosage of B.enadryl. I was definitely having a reaction. My skin was blotchy and itchy and the tightness in my throat was still there.

After sitting around for awhile in the waiting room, the tightness subsided. By the time I got back to see the doctor, my throat felt better and the itchiness had improved. I was sent on my way with a bottle of B.enadryl just in case I needed some later on. I feel a lot better now, but damn what a scare. I guess we'll add iodine to the list of things Lauren is allergic too.

I'm thankful for my friend Brittany and BFF for calming me down and staying in contact with me during the day. My friends are amazing. T.witter friends were also a great support. Thanks ladies!

I hope the HSG results come back all clear after all I had to go through today. Looks like I'm on track to start injects again around February 6th or so. We'll see what happens. Hopefully there's no more drama this week. It's been a long week and it's only Tuesday.

Pinterest Challenge - Week 2

For this week's Pinterest challenge, which is hosted over at my friend Brittany's blog, I decided to whip up some delicious blueberry muffins. The recipe comes from a fabulous recipe site, Skinnytaste! If you've completed something from Pinterest this week and would like to share it with others, link up and join in on the fun!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Source: skinnytaste.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat, but feel free to use a combination

of white and wheat)

1/2 cup sugar (can definitely be made with a little less - I finished

off my bag of sugar and only ended up with about 1/3 cup

and the muffins still tasted sweet enough)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (thawed, frozen berries would also be fine)

1 egg, beaten (I used egg substitute)

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp melted butter

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a medium bowl, combine applesauce, egg, vanilla, and melted (cooled) butter.

4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients (I found that I had

to add in an extra 1/4 cup of applesauce because the batter was very dry).

5. Fold in the blueberries.

6. Scoop batter into your muffin pan, which has been lined with 12 liners (A cookie

dough scoop that I received for Christmas came in handy).

7. Bake for 25 minutes.

8. Cool for about 10 minutes.

9. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

Source: worklols.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Updates galore

I've been in a blogging funk lately. Not sure why. Every time I think of something good to write about, the laziness kind of kicks in and I end up not writing the post. Since I finished my homework early tonight, I decided to just go ahead and write down some random thoughts and updates floating around in my head.

• School is back in session. This is my last quarter before student teaching and I'm already looking forward to the end. As usual, I'm taking 3 grad level courses - Math: Content and Methods, Child Development, and World Geography. Typically, the first week isn't too bad; however, this quarter is much different. Tons of discussion board posts, videos to watch, and papers to write. I think I have 3 papers to finish before next Tuesday. That has to be a week 1 record for me!

• Speaking of school - I'm scheduled to take another certification test this Saturday. It's a 100 question content-based test. Apparently I only need to get 56 out of 100 questions to pass, so I better do well! This is not a test I want to take again. Cross your fingers for me!

• Evan might be home before the end of the month! We don't have an exact date, but a timeframe is better than nothing, right? We have a lot to do when he gets home. We need to head up to PA to see family and so he can renew his driver's license. I guess it expired a few months ago. Oops. We also need to buy him a new car. We definitely cannot survive on just one car because of my observation hours and upcoming doctor's appointments. Hopefully we can find something that is affordable, nice, and gas-efficient.

• On the infertility front: CD 1 finally arrived after a round of BCP and 90 long days. Not surprising - I didn't ovulate. Shocker! My HSG is scheduled for Tuesday morning. I hope everything comes back all clear. I'll be starting another pack of BCP tomorrow evening, so we'll be able to start injects for IUI #5 at the beginning of February.

• I'm starting my own official 2012 book challenge. My goal is to read at least 50 books by the end of the year. I've read these three books so far. Any suggestions?

• A portion of the bonding on my front tooth finally fell off after 20 long years. I have an appointment with a new dentist in 2 weeks for a cleaning and repair. I hate going to the dentist, so I'm definitely not looking forward to this.

I guess that's everything that's been floating around in my head for the moment. I'll be posting again on Thursday so I can participate in The Pinterest Challenge. Head over to my friend Brittany's blog to find out more information!

Body image

Source: Uploaded by user via Stacy on Pinterest

Since it's the beginning of another new year, weight loss resolutions seem to be on a lot of people's minds. Weight loss, diet plans, and exercise are the top searched key words on many popular search engines. The television is dominated by W.eight W.atchers and J.enny C.raig commercials. Everyone is obsessed with losing weight. For example, today while at the gym, I heard a fitness instructor telling some of her class participants that she lost a ton of weight on the HC.G diet. Well no crap you're going to lose weight. You're essentially starving your body because you're only allowed 500 calories a day. I'm definitely not a weight loss expert or nutritionist, but I know that one of the keys to successful weight loss and maintenance is a combination of exercise and healthy eating habits. Injecting yourself with pregnancy hormones and depriving your body of nutrients is not the way to go.

Every year I declare that I want to lose a certain amount of weight. Typically my weight loss goal is about 5 pounds. Truthfully, I'm at a weight that's completely acceptable for my height (I'm a tall girl - almost 5' 10"). While my weight is where it needs to be, I still see a heavy girl when I look in the mirror. I'm never fully convinced that I'm at my ideal weight. I'm never completely happy with my progress.

I don't know that I've shared my weight issues on the blog before so I guess I should share my backstory. I always had terrible eating habits when I was younger. My parents were big believers in finishing everything on the plate even if I was full already. We also had access to a lot of junk food - soda, cookies, crackers, potato chips, etc. You name the junk food, we probably had it in the house. While I wasn't an overweight child, I was definitely an overweight teenager and then an overweight young adult.

I really started packing on the pounds during my freshman year of college. I didn't know how to eat properly, so of course I gravitated towards the less than nutritious food options at the dining hall. On top of not knowing how to eat properly, I also had a roommate situation that was extremely stressful, which caused me to eat more. I ate my feelings (and I still do on occasions). I remember getting on the scale at my doctor's office for my annual check up that summer.

The scale read 182 pounds.

I remember sitting down on the table and started crying. I couldn't believe that I let my weight get so out of control. I was embarrassed and disgusted with myself. In addition to being overweight, I also found out that my cholesterol numbers were dangerously high for an 18 year old. Things had to change.

I started going to the gym. I started watching what I ate, how often I ate, and made healthier choices. Unfortunately, the weight didn't come off as quickly as I would have liked it to. I yo-yoed with my weight for the next few years. Since I didn't see immediate results, I would get depressed and turn to food. Then I would realize that I was doing things wrong and tried to eat well and exercise again. It was a vicious cycle for awhile.

After I moved in with E back in 2005, things started to click and the weight started to fall off. It took me about 3 years to lose 40 pounds. Even though people started telling me that I looked good and my clothes started getting smaller, every time I looked in the mirror, I still saw the face of that 182 pound girl.

To this day, I still feel insecure about myself. I tend to avoid the mirror a lot because I still don't like what I see most of the time. I don't take many pictures of myself because I'm convinced I look horrible in most of them. What am I doing wrong? Why can't I see the strong and healthy woman that I've become?

Has anyone else experienced a fairly dramatic weight loss, but still identifies with your old self? What have you done to see the woman you are now?

I'm determined that this year is going to be different in terms of my mindset on my weight. This year my resolution was not to lose weight, it was to maintain my exercise routine and to continue preparing healthy meals for myself (and for E when he returns). I want to see the person I am now when I look in that mirror, not the shadow of who I once was. I don't have to be supermodel thin to be happy. I need to love my body the way it is right now. It's strong and healthy and I shouldn't let my mind tell me otherwise.

Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

(Sadly, I've already done this and we're

only 4 days into the new year)

Source: someecards.com via Lauren on Pinterest

(I may have done this today.)