Mic Check...1-2-3

2020 amiright?

Like what was that??? I think it's safe to say that we all felt some type of way and experienced some challenges we never thought we would ever have to face. I for one have learned a LOT about myself this past year and I, to be honest, wouldn't change a thing about 2020 (such a cliché, I know 😂).

I started the year off by getting married on February 8 (woot! woot!) in the same building where Francis II, the first husband of Mary Queen of Scots died. I know this sounds kind of gloomy, but I'm a huge history lover and for those who have watched the series 'Reign' probably knows what I am talking about and would understand my excitement in having the honor to get married there lol!

The day after my beautiful wedding, I found out I was expecting! (I work fast lol) Two weeks later we went into our very first lockdown here in Paris from the Coronavirus and our month long honeymoon trip had to be put on the backburner. I don't think words can express how devastated I was by this. We had planned to start the trip by going to Edinburgh in Scotland (yes, I love Mary Queen of Scots), then after, we were going to head over to Finland to spend a few days watching the Aurora Borealis. After Finland, we had a flight planned to go explore Vietnam (mostly for their food) and then head to Bali for some R&R. *insert long sigh here* Welp...as the French say, "C'est la vie." To fill in this void, my husband went rogue and got a puppy....yes...give a pregnant lady a puppy, said no one ever.

Fast forward a few boring, quarantined months later, I then gave birth to my amazing, always giggling, bundle of mushy gushy love, baby girl on October 3rd 😍 The labor experience was traumatic on its own as her heart wasn't supporting the contractions and in the end, with only 5 minutes to spare, we had to have a Code Red emergency C-section done (but we will save this story for another day). After I gave birth, I landed myself in the ER again soon after being released because apparently I contracted a super strong strain of bacteria that had reached my kidneys. I guess my body went into septic shock and from what I can remember I had a high fever of 103F and my body just started convulsing. My poor husband was so scared as he didn't know what to do with a newborn and a wife who couldn't do much for herself. **Shout out to the hubs for being such a strong ROCK for our little family.** Anyhooooo.... 5 rounds of antibiotics and a month and a half later I started to feel so much better! Or so I thought...

Let me just tell you that after all I went through with my labor experience, I was just glad to be healthy, have a healthy baby girl, AND have my husband at home with me 24/7 to help me out after the C-section with our baby's needs. I'm just also glad that he has been home to simply ENJOY her because dang do they grow so fricken fast!! *tear tear*

In Paris France, we have had two major lockdowns and only for a smaaaaallll temporary moment did we have the restaurants open. For those that don't know my husband is a director at restaurant so he's been out of work for the past three months (hence the being home 24/7). He comes from a long line of restaurant owners, waiters, and cooks so food is in his DNA. With having no choice but to cook our own meals every day we quickly ran out of dishes to make. I had made sure to cook him all my favorite Mexican dishes and he made sure to cook me all his favorite French dishes 😄 and let me tell you, cooking in our kitchen is NOT easy. These Parisian apartments don't really give space for much LOL!

*Finding Mexican ingredients in Paris is not easy! Here is my favorite Latino grocery store for those around Paris https://latinomarket.fr/ *

(picture of my tiny kitchen)

During my time in Paris (2 yrs), I made some expats friends from all over the world and after labor these friends were soooo great that they brought us food, helped walk our dog, and just simply helped with diaper changes when I couldn't move much. My friend Shweta brought me some homemade Dal and I swear, it was probably the best MEAL I've ever had. I'm not sure if it was because I was so glad to have a warm homemade meal after all the icky hospital food, or if it was because it was filled with amazing spices, but I can promise you that this was the turning point in my life where I decided I wanted to give my hand in trying to cook food from all over the world. Since my honeymoon was cancelled, and traveling worldwide was out of the question, I figured the next best thing is to bring the flavors of the world right to my kitchen.

With being forced to stay inside, eating and cooking all day every day, and having just given birth, my pj's were about the only thing that fit me, barely... 😪 Not only was food the only thing that brought me comfort during the stressful sleepless nights and days, but it also brought me joy in being able to have that creative outlet during lockdown. I needed food for every physical, emotional, and mental aspect of my life, but with it, came the extra extra weight I didn't need.

So, this is where I decided that I can mix the best of both worlds and still enjoy foods from around the world but in a healthy manner. There are 195 countries in this world, and even if I can not visit them at the moment, I will do my best to have them visit me. In this blog I will post a healthy dish from each country that will hopefully stay around 500-600 calories. According to dietaryguidlines.gov, "Females ages 19 through 30 require about 1,800 to 2,400 calories a day. Males in this age group have higher calorie needs of about 2,400 to 3,000 a day. Calorie needs for adults ages 31 through 59 are generally lower; most females require about 1,600 to 2,200 calories a day and males require about 2,200 to 3,000 calories a day." Following this guideline along with exercising, will provide the framework for a healthier self.

My goal for 2021 is to once again be happy with my body and the way I feel, not only for myself, but for my baby girl so that in the future she can have a mom that can be healthy enough to not just stay on the sidelines, but one that can join her in any activity she wants to do. I will not put the pressure of weighing myself and subtracting numbers because the scale does not define my body image. In 2021, I will continue to cook, explore new flavors, and learn about new cultures while I eat myself healthy around the world!

Come explore with me!