What I Ate Wednesday

So I thought that now I am on maternity leave I'll try my best to make better posts for you guys (if anyone is even reading this lol!). I absolutely love reading Anna Saccone's What I Ate Wednesday posts on her blog so thought I'd give the same thing a shot.

Breakfast for me this morning was one of the Special K Multigrain instant porridges (the last one in the box - nobody really liked these that much so they just needed using up) with I spruced up with a handful of sultanas and far too much golden syrup! Woops! I had this with a mug of the Twinings Peach and Cherry Blossom Green Tea (my favourite flavour). I also had a pint of water, my prenatal vitamin, my Ranitidine and my baby aspirin (add into that bunch my painkillers for the sciatica and I'm surprised I don't rattle!).

I was a bit peckish around 11am so decided to grab a few crab sticks for a nice snack to see me through til lunch.

Lunch today was a tuna pasta bake that I threw together to try and use up some iffy looking veg in the fridge. It was really tasty. Here is the recipe.

Tea tonight was leftover chilli con carne with rice. Yum! Didn't manage to eat it all though... eyes definitely bigger than belly.

I forgot to take a picture, but I had two mini twister lollies after tea.

Thats it! What I ate Wednesday.

Tuna Pasta Bake

So for lunch today I needed to use up some leftover tuna and sweetcorn mayonnaise from yesterday's tuna toastie, as well some veg that was starting to look a bit iffy. I fancied pasta but really wanted a hot lunch instead of the usual tuna pasta salad. So pasta bake it is!

Ingredients:

• Pasta (enough for 2 people)
• Leftover tuna and sweetcorn mayo (or you could just use a tin of tuna - sweetcorn is optional and mayo isn't necessary)
• Leftover veg (I used up a few mushrooms, half an onion and a tomato)
• 250g of passata (other half of the carton from last night's chilli con carne)
• cheese (as much as you like)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190
2. Pop the pasta on to boil (follow instructions on packet)
   
3. Chop up your leftover veg, grate the cheese and get everything out ready to just throw together.
   
4. Once the pasta is boiled drain it off and put that, the veg, the passata and the tuna into a casserole dish (so everything except for the cheese). You could also add any herbs, seasonings, etc at this point.
5. Pop the dish into the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until it is all brown and tasty looking on top
   
6. Add the cheese and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.
   
7. Serve and enjoy! This would be nice with some steamed veg or a salad to make it a tasty evening meal.
   

Squishy report: 29 weeks pregnant

How far gone? 29 weeks - hello third trimester!

Total weight gain: 1 stone

Maternity clothes: I've not bought any new ones - still living in the usual maaternity trousers/leggings with stretchy vest tops and waterfall cardigans.. Although we go away in a few weeks so I could probably do with a few extra bits as I can't just wash the same pair of trousers over and over in a caravan...

Sleep: What is this word? I reckon I get about 3-4 hours a night in between the constant trips to the loo, for milk, to grab random cushions off the sofa downstairs...

Movement: Squishy is possibly the next karate kid! The little monster kicked my midwife the other day! Although according to our growth scan this tiny tike is already 3.5lbs! They reckon baby could be 9lbs full term if growth carries on at this rate! So no wonder the kicks are so strong now.

Food cravings: Twister lollies for the past 2 weeks or so. I buy those mini ones as they are 2 boxes for £3 at Asda and can go through at least 2 a night.

Gender: Not a clue still. Everyone tells me I'm having a boy though.

Labour signs: Nothing still. Still getting those weird muscle contractions on my bump but nothing to worry about.

Symptoms: Sciatica and Acid reflux. I'm taking Ranitide for the acid reflux and co-codamol for the pains, but I'm trying to limit the amount of painkillers I take as I really don't like the idea of relying on tablets while pregnant.

What I'm looking forward to: So I'm now on maternity leave! I'm planning little craft projects (I'm terrible at crafts though so we'll see...) and looking forward to getting the nursery sorted (It's being plastered right now ready to be painted very soon). I can't wait until I can start adding all the finishing touches to the nursery. 

I have been reading about Squishy's progress each week here so go and have a look. 

Hot Cross Buns

I found this amazing recipe for hot cross buns that looked simple enough for even the most unskilled baker! So gave it a go. They taste amazing! Definitely a recipe to keep.

Squishy Report: 27 weeks pregnant

How far gone? 27 weeks

Total weight gain: 10lbs so far

Maternity clothes: Nothing new.Although I've not really been out so have been living in PJs at home (they're just so comfy!) and if we have to go somewhere I'll throw on waterfall cardigans over a cami, maternity trousers and ballet flats. I'm hoping that some of my skater dresses might still fit for when it's starting to get warmer.

Sleep: I've gone back to being absolutely exhausted again - I had 11 hours sleep last night and could still have a nap this afternoon!

Movement: Squishy's kicks are starting to get quite strong. I have been able to see them from outside my bump for a couple of days now - it is amazing!

Food cravings: Last time I said I'd completely gone off fruit and veg - but now I want salad quite alot. I don't know if that is because of the weather getting warmer or if I'm just craving the nutrients, but I've had some really nice salads this past week.

Gender: No idea!

Labour signs: I've been feeling my bump go from quite soft to really hard every couple of days for about 30 minutes or so - I read this might be the start of Braxton Hicks, but I'll speak to my midwife at my next appointment.

Symptoms: So I have had my Sciatica confirmed by the doctor, although there isn't alot I can do other than some simple stretches and taking paracetamol. Not long left at work now so I'm hoping that once I finish and am able to relax more the pains won't be so hard to deal with. Also my heartburn got even worse (I didn't think it was possible) and is now so bad that I've had chest pains a few times and the past couple of days I've been actually throwing up with it. My doctor recommended Gaviscon so I'm going to see how I get on with that.

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling Squishy get stronger and looking forward to maternity leave when I can start relaxing and preparing for our little arrival.

I have been reading about Squishy's progress each week here so go and have a look. 

What is making me happy this week? #2

1) Fun night out - On Monday we went to see Jason Manford at a local theatre.. he was absolutely hilarious! Everytime we go see a comedian I just want to go to more and more!

2) Cosy nights in - I love curling up with a nice fleecy blanket on a chilly night. Yesterday we bought Frozen to watch - it was amazing - and all 3 of us got under the duvet in our pyjamas with hot chocolate and treats to have a nice family night in. I love those nice family moments.

3) Wriggly baby - Squishy moves more and more everyday. Before I was never feeling movement at work due to rushing around all day, but this week I've been feeling loads of little Squishy kicks throughout my day.

4) Cheeky takeaway - Every so often the boyfriend and I treat ourselves to a takeaway. We had a voucher for £10 off a £25 order for our local Indian so decided to be bad! We ordered WAY too much food... I ate about half mine and then saved the rest for Saturday's lunch... whereas being all manly he forced his entire mountain of food down... and still had room for pudding! We are definite foodies in this house.

5) Hot chocolate - I am a huge chocoholic but I only have hot chocolate when it is freezing cold or if I am ill. This weekend I have had that horrendous cold that is going round at the moment and so dug out the tub of Options Belgian Choc - I must have had at least 3 cups yesterday! It's like this powdered chocolate mixed with hot water just makes everything feels a million times better.

Squishy report: 25 weeks pregnant

How far gone? 25 weeks

Total weight gain: 8lbs so far...  gained nothing for the first 4 or 5 months and now I feel like I'm just piling the weight on!

Maternity clothes: Nothing new. But loving my H + M trousers with cheap Primark camis and waterfall cardigans this week. It looks put together but at the same time feels like pyjamas!

Sleep: Not getting much of it. I have started feeling horrible pains shooting up and down my back and legs. Which has resulted in a sleepless night, and then two nights of broken sleep. I'm just trying to take painkillers and see if it'll help.

Movement: Squishy moves even more now. All day long at work and yesterday when I pushed my hand into my belly it felt like the baby was pushing back - so cute!

Food cravings: Nothing this week. Although I just don't crave fruit or veg anymore - I just want to eat junk!

Gender: Still not a clue.

Labour signs: None! Luckily!

Symptoms: This week I've had those back and leg pains (it could be Sciatica so I need to get myself into the doctors), heartburn (making a big return.. but may just be related to the amount of junk food I have eaten lately.. I've been bad!) and I was feeling quite low earlier in the week.

What I'm looking forward to: Just continuing to enjoy baby's movements. 

I have been reading about Squishy's progress each week here so go and have a look. I found it so interesting. This week baby is the size of a cauliflower!