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Something I Haven't Shared Before — FOOD LA LA

Something I Haven't Shared Before

Six months into my pregnancy with Tripp I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  Before taking the blood test my doctor said, “You could literally eat an entire bag of jellybeans and still pass this test.” (I'm sure she'd regret it if she knew I remembered her saying it.)

 

Chris and I were on our babymoon in Hawaii when my initial blood test came back borderline (and I hadn’t eaten any jellybeans).  I didn’t know much about what it meant and texted a good friend who is a nutritionist. Does this mean I shouldn’t eat any more pineapple while we’re in Hawaii?!  It was the one thing this pregnant lady was really loving.

 

I had to go in for a second test and if you’re unfamiliar, it’s the worst ever.  You fast for 14 hours, then post up at the hospital, get your blood drawn, guzzle a syrupy drink that has 100 grams of sugar (you’re timed, BTW, and those nurses are keeping a close eye to make sure every drop is down the hatch before five minutes pass).  Then you sit in the waiting room and get your blood drawn every hour for three more hours.  No food, no water, no walking. And if that sugary drink—that’s making your heart race—comes back up, you have to start over.

 

My second test came back positive.  So for the next three months, I was given this little kit with needles, test strips, and a pocket sized glucometer so I could conveniently prick my finger 8 times a day to check my blood sugar.

 

I quickly learned that I needed to eat more in general, but specifically eat more protein.  I was so tired, working full time, and trying to keep all the balls in the air, as though there weren’t a tiny human growing all his fingers and toes right there in my belly.  Often cooking breakfast felt like a huge toll, and around 3:30, I'd discover lunchtime had already passed.   

 

And ya knowwww the worst time to figure out What’s For Lunch?  When it’s lunch time.  And you’re hungry already.

 

I knew I needed more protein but chicken made me want to check my reflection in a toilet, and all I could imagine was chicken breast and protein powder, neither of which sounded good.  I didn’t know what to cook for myself and barely had the energy to make it anyway.  So I was tired, hungry, and now pricking my finger every few hours to prove it.

 

Once the baby was born, it didn’t get easier!  I had even less energy, and now, not enough hands.  But if I didn’t eat enough, I wouldn’t be able to feed my baby.  The Universe was screaming at me: LINDSAY!! PUT YOUR MASK ON FIRST.

 

With a little research (I love @gluclosegoddess!), protein became the magical ingredient that both kept me full and my blood sugar balanced.

 

But still, sometimes I don’t want to eat meat, sometimes it feels hard to find high-quality meat (I’m far from a vegetarian, but very selective about where we source the meat we cook at home), and sometimes I’m just too tired or hungry to figure out how to eat more protein.

 

And this all feels kind of crazy, because I do food for a living.  This is my jobIf this feels hard for me, I have to imagine some of you may feel the same way?!

 

I laugh now, but there were days that I put “find high protein recipes” or “figure out how to eat more protein” on my to do list as if they were tasks I could check-off in five minutes.

 

But if I made it a work project, for better or worse, I knew I’d actually follow through (there’s a lesson for Lindsay in that, too, but let’s just start with the protein, alright?!)

 

And ya know what!?  My little inkling was right.  We surveyed thousands of you, and most of you echoed my plea to MAKE PROTEIN EASY.  And maybe not so meaty.  And not so time consuming.  And, could ya just serve-it-up-on-a-silver-platter-please because I’m too busy/tired/hungry/overwhelmed to do the research.

 

Why, yes, yes I can.

 

I teamed up with my good friend, and wildly-talented chef Amanda Haas (more on her later!), to make protein fast, easy, and satiating.

 

We built something pretty special that I’ll be sharing more about in the coming weeks, but, first, I wanted to give you a little insight into my personal “why”.