My Route to a Healthy Pregnancy

Once you are pregnant, every fiber of your being starts releasing mother-hen hormones and you want to do everything possible to protect that child. Having a healthy pregnancy is very important, regardless of age or any other factors, so I piled up a list of things I'm doing (or at least trying to do) to keep on top of the game. 

1. Drink Plenty of Fluids. I aim for 8-10 glasses of water a day, with no more than 2 glasses of juice. If I want something sweet and bubbly, I mix one can of seltzer with half a glass of cranberry juice. I'm also a very heavy tea drinker so I do  herbal and regular teas and may have up to 3 cups a day. If I want more tea hot but already had too many cups that day, I add 1 tablespoon of honey with a slice of lemon to hot water. Sometimes I forget to drink first thing in the morning and can tell how that negatively affects the rest of my day. Fluid intake is something very important and I do everything possible to make sure I'm always well hydrated. 

2. Exercise Regularly. We have been stricken with a bad cold for the last week so I haven't done much. But I'm planning to pick it back up as soon as I can breath without cough choking my chest. My exercise routine consists of 2 miles walk/jog  2 to 3 times a week on the treadmill. I have been keeping very constant with exercise but hoping that the good weather will let me go and enjoy the outdoors more. I hate being stuck in the garage looking at my husbands tools and wishing for the time to pass by faster. I know that once it warms up we will be taking walks and going to the park all the time. Also, I ordered the exercise ball which is supposed to be very good for pregnant women but have never tried it. We shall see how it works.

3. Get Some Rest. My first trimester fatigue was so bad that I had to take multiple naps during the day. Once second trimester hit, I felt much better but still like to lie down for a quick (or a long) nap every day (if I have time that is). I have never had any morning sickness so I guess fatigue and extreme tiredness will have to be my thing. I know that I can't complete the same tasks in the same amount of time so I have to schedule things and allow more time to getting ready and lounging in the morning. 

5. Take Prenatal Vitamins. I have been slacking on this end (I have to admit) and got sick. I know that when I don't give my body extra support it needs, I get weak and get sick. I don't take anything fancy or expensive vitamin support is very important to my health. Baby will take whatever he/she needs to thrive but I may be left with less than enough for myself. Taking prenatal vitamins is definitely important and something that shouldn't be taken lightly. 

6. Watch What You Eat. I have to say that this time around, I'm not giving myself any slack. My first pregnancy I would constantly make excuses why I wanted to (and could) eat anything and everything I wanted. This time around, I'm not allowing any extra and unneeded calories enter my body. Also, I do one carb-free, protein-rich meal a day. If I start a day with egg omelet with veggies and avocado, I will skip the bread. That way I can have the mash potatoes in the evening, or vice versa. Grains like quinoa,  buckwheat, rice and lentils are great for nutrition-packed meal yet they don't carry a heavy load of carbohydrates and sugar. I also limit my sugar intake to that only in the protein rich (like yogurt) or healthy (almonds and cranberries) snacks, and fruits. Don't get me wrong, I like a piece of pizza as much as the next gal, but I know that it's a treat and not an everyday occurrence. 

What are your tips to a healthy pregnancy? Have you tried the exercise ball? Do share! 

My Healthy Pregnancy Must Haves

Thank you for stopping by!

xo, Anna

Spring 2015 Runway Trends: Florals

There is nothing groundbreaking (ha!) about florals for spring yet we keep coming back to them year after year. This spring is no exception - florals are everywhere! From tops and dresses, to heels and purses - spring is in the air. I couldn't be happier about it! Hope you are enjoying spring and starting to warm up a little. Here are my favorite floral pieces from different price points and brands. Check it out and deck yourself in some flower power

Tops

Bottoms

Dresses

Shoes

and more...

Thank you for reading!
xo, Anna

Basic

jeans: Nordstrom, cardigan: Old Navy. heels: similar here and here, bag: Amazon,
tee: Ann Taylor (similar), watch: Fossil, sunnies: Kate Spade

We are finally thawing! I'm so happy to report that the weather was the most pleasantly warm yesterday with high of 45. We actually got out of the house and went to grocery store, despite all being stricken with the plague. Our entire family is recovering from a nasty cold that had us coughing and stuffed the entire weekend. Jonathan successfully recovered from it and passed it on to both of us, which is not fun at all.

KATE SPADE SATURDAY is having an awesome sale! 

Take 40% OFF everything with code EXTRA40

Today I'm co-hosting a link up with Mama and More, who blogs from London. I like her life and style blog that takes real-life approach to motherhood with many very useful tips. 

Party rules 

1. Please link posts specific to the theme of this party – this is your space to link up posts all about YOU, whether it’s style, fitness, food, concerts or sky-diving!

2. Please link the URL of your specific AllAboutYou post, and please feature the badge or mention the linky, because it’s a nice thing to do ; )

3. Please do give some comment love – don’t just link-dump!  Karma Karma Karma!

Now, let’s get on with the link party!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thank you for stopping by! 

xo, Anna

Pink Floral

*

dress: LOFT , coat: Target (similar here, here, here *on sale*), clutch: here,
booties: Old Navy (similar), watch: Kate Spade

If you seen Monster-In-Law movie, you know there a scene where the assistant gets totally fed up with the mother and she gives her a pieces of her mind. (watch trailer/movie here for clarification). Well, I feel exactly like that about the whole winter business. Notice mountains of snow around me? There is no where to escape as we are trapped in an ice age. Above 30F seems like a dream and hopefully we will be getting some sun this week. Although, I will believe it when I see it. In the mean time, I'm recovering from a nasty cold (which I successfully avoided all winter to catch in March. yeah.). If anyone is packaging sun and selling it online, I will take a whole bucket full please. 

MORE SPRING DRESS OPTIONS

Thank you for stopping by!

xo, Anna

Shrimp & Kale Quinoa Bowl w/ Cilantro Lime Pesto

Healthy and tasty shrimp, kale and quinoa bowl with cilantro lime pesto for your weekend dinner.

The other day I wanted something healthy and delicious. I wanted to feel full yet not like a tree sloth who's about to pass out from the amount of carbs digested. My hubby and I love shrimp (especially this delicious recipe. yep. hello carbs!) I had shrimp in my freezer and knew that a fresh and flavor-packed dish without the guilt of heavy cream sauce was the way to go. I went on a quest to find the perfect shrimp + something recipe on Pinterest and quinoa popped up. But most of the recipes seemed either too dull or too simple without any added flavors. I'm not the one to chew on kale just because it's healthy. So I decided to dig through my fridge and come up with something original. This is not a recipe I found anywhere so I came up with the pesto sauce myself. At first, I thought to add walnuts but they had too strong of a flavor, so almonds were perfect. Hope you like it as much as I did (even hubby approved of it).

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb shrimp

1 red bell pepper

1 bunch of kale (washed and chopped into 1in pieces)

1 medium onion (diced small)

1 cup quinoa

paprika, salt, pepper

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp soy sauce 

3 tbsp grapeseed oil

Pesto:

1 small cilantro bunch

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 ginger root (peeled)

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp sugar

PROCESS:

Cook quinoa according to the package instructions and set aside. (I add more water that way it's not so dry)

Peel and drain the shrimp onto a paper towel, sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat a skillet on medium heat with 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil and add shrimp. Saute the shrimp until pink on both sides and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the onions. Saute onions until translucent for about 3 minutes on medium heat then add peppers and kale. Reduce the heat to medium/low and cook the vegetables for about 15-20 minutes until everything is nice and tender (unless you like your veggies crunchy). 

Combine shrimp, quinoa and kale and pepper together along with 3 tbsp pesto and soy sauce. Place more pesto on top for added flavor, if desired. 

For Pesto: Place all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until a uniform mixture forms. Taste and add either more sugar or lime to taste. 

Enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by! 

Pin the recipe image into a Pinterest folder for later reference, or share it on Facebook to have it saved in your feed!

xo, Anna