Fertility Talk

Hubby and I have started the process of getting pregnant. I was six weeks late recently, so thought I might be pregnant. But, I was testing negative on the home pregnancy tests. My cycle has always been pretty regular, maybe one week off occasionally. So I thought, am I pregnant? Have I stopped ovulating?

I found a good doctor based on an internet list of "size friendly ob/gyn's", and he wasn't too far away, and my insurance seems to cover him. He did some tests. I am not pregnant, which is not a surprise, as the doctor thought I was not. I have an elevated thyroid, so I'm going back to see the doctor next week so that we can prescribe meds for that. My FSH was normal, so that means I'm not menopausal, I should still be making eggs. FSH is Follicle Stimulating Hormone, and an elevated level can mean that a woman is nearing menopause.

I also started Metformin last night, which is supposed to help reset my cycle. I am taking 250 mg twice a day, while my body gets used to it. It can wreak havoc on your stomach. On monday, if all is well, I will go up to 500 mg twice a day. Three days after my period starts, I begin Clomid and Prevara.

I started going to the gym with hubby last night to make myself stronger, so hopefully I am going down the right paths. I am also focusing on non-junky foods, good percentage of raw, lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains. Cutting down my caffeine, which is a big challenge for me.

I have a headache today and am congested, wonder if it's my body getting used to the Metformin.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Weekly Dinner Plans are Back!

Lots of things going on. Tomorrow is the beginning of the Raw Fu Whole Fu 100 Day Challenge, hooray!



I'm starting tomorrow using a McDougall meal plan (drmcdougall.com if you want to check him out), but focusing on 50% or more Raw Food! I made dinner plans for the week, which I'll post in a minute. We go shopping about two days at a time, since Trader Joes is on the way home from the train station. Here's a picture of today's shopping! (Milk is for my hubby.)



This week's dinners will be:
Monday: Spicy Tomato Couscous with kidney beans, big salad
Tuesday: Leftovers from Monday
Wednesday: Rainbow Skillet Medley
Thursday: Leftovers from Thursday
Friday: Bean and Corn Enchiladas http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/jan/favorites.htm
Saturday: Leftovers from Friday
Sunday: Polenta with Mushrooms

DIY Soda for Summer!

Did you ever wish that you had a cheaper, healthier alternative to coke and Diet Coke? Did you know that Coke is the drink of the Death Squad? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HFZ3cH1UAI

Well you do have an alternative. Yes, of course you could drink water, but sometimes it does not hit the spot for me. So what's a thirsty person to do? Easy peasy.

1. Take a mason jar or other container, and put two tea bags in it. Use any tea of your choice. I like the Tazo Passion Tea for this. Fill it with water, place in the fridge and wait two hours or more.

2. Remove tea bags. Now you have a strong concoction that you can use as a sort of soda concentrate base. I use about 1/4 base to 3/4 seltzer water. Pour over ice. You can mix it with non fizzy water if you prefer. Garnish with a slice of citrus if you're feeling fancy.

3. Drink, repeat, be refreshed.

July Issue Rawks!

First, the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale in San Francisco earned $3000 for animal groups last weekend. I am very happy to have donated some whole wheat chocololate chip cookie squares! Kudos to the awesome people who organized it so that people like me could drop off cookies and feel warm and fuzzy all week!

The July Issue of Rawk You Like a Hurricane is shaping up to be exciting! Articles about prenatal yoga with the awesome yogaformommies.com system, waste-free lunch, adding raw food side dishes to healthy vegan dinners, meal planning, Health at Every Size, my break up with the weight loss industry, reviews of delicious Zukay dressing and more! Will I be pregnant before the July issue is complete? Maybe not, but I'll keep you all posted!

Bake Sale Sunday!

I am excited! This weekend, I am baking some vegan chocolate chip cookie bars to take to a vegan bake sale to benefit animals. A year ago, I would have wanted very much to do this, but I would not wanted people to say, "Oh, of course the fat girl made cookies." Now I think "Yeah, the animal-loving girl (who happens to be fat) made cookies because she cares." That makes me very happy. And I'm confident in my cookie bars, because I'm using the chocolate chip cookie bar recipe from How it All Vegan. One year I made these and gave them out in little individual containers for Xmas, and people loved them. They always turn out well. Yay cookies! Yay animals! Yay changing perceptions and rejecting limitations!

I'm also going back to Belly Dance classes in less than a month. This is daunting, but I have always enjoyed it before. I am almost always the biggest girl in the class, but teachers have always been cool (with one notable exception who need not be named).

Have a great weekend everyone. It's Pride Weekend here in San Francisco, and I am proud to be part of the diverse Bay Area. Cuz hey, there are people that think fat people shouldn't have families too. Everyone should have fair treatment.

Dinner Plans for Week of 061509 to 062109

Monday Night - Veggie Fried Quinoa with Baked Veggie Egg Rolls
Tuesday Night - Burnin' Butt Burritos from Garden of Vegan with Corn
Wednesday Night - Veggie Pizza Salad
Thursday Night - Tabbouleh, Hummus and Pita
Friday - Hongshao Dofu with Broccoli and Rice from Please Don't Feed The Bears
Saturday - Black Bean Soup from Moosewood Restaurant
Sunday - Chef's Choice

Mushroom Couscous Success

Woo hoo! I was trying to recreate a mushroom couscous dish that I previously made from a boxed mix. Through the magic of the internet, someone else had already done it! I used way more mushrooms, and Mr. Monster said to post that he RAVED about it. Hooray! http://vegfrugalhousewife.com/2008/05/11/curried-mushroom-couscous/
Thanks vegetarian frugal housewife!!

I also made Sunny Shiitake Carrot Salad from Frank Giglio's Raw For All book. It was delicious. I recommend this book, and will be reviewing it in the next zine. You can check out Frank Giglio here: http://rawfoodfrank.wordpress.com/purchase/