Garlic Grilled Tomatoes

I am addicted to Pinterest! You can find anything and everything on there! Anyway, I have boards on there for everything to clothes, makeup, cakes, cookies, flamingos, wedding ideas, Harry Potter, and Hello Kitty. I also have a few boards for PCOS. One of them is a board I have for PCOS friendly recipes. I found this on and plan to try it this week.

                                                        Garlic Grilled Tomatoes

Cut your tomatoes in half crosswise, season with salt and pepper. In a small frying pan add crushed garlic, olive oil and fresh thyme, cook til golden, take off the heat and add in grated parmesan cheese. Place your tomato halves cut side down on and oiled grill until you get grill marks, then turn them over with tongs and spoon the garlic cheese mixture on top and continue cooking.

Works For Wednesday: I Choose To Inhabit My Days!

PS - I have taken my chromium a big two days in a row! Gotta start somewhere...

Why Can't I Remember To Take My Supplements?

I have had the same bottle of chromium polynicotinate sitting in my room for over six months. I've only taken two pills!!! I'm terrible!

Chromium polynicotinate is a vital trace mineral that can help regulate blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and prevent hypertension (high blood pressure).

I tend to eat a lot more refined food that I should which can also cause chromium deficiency. Some studies have shown that women with PCOS lose more chromium than healthy women due to our elevated insulin levels. Chromium deficiency leads to insulin resistance, so it's a vicious cycle. Some studies I've read about chromium helped reduce hunger levels and fat cravings.

If you're looking for certain foods to incorporate into your diet chromium can be found in liver, mushrooms, wheat germ, oysters, whole wheat bread, beets, chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, brewer's yeast, corn, broccoli, and come fruits and cheeses. 

Diabetes runs on both sides of my family and I think I'm already insulin resistant, so you can see why I need to start taking these. I plan to start taking more supplements like saw palmetto, but I don't want to start taking a bunch of supplements all at once.

Music Monday!

I love music! I really don't think that I could live without it. Well, I guess I could, but my quality of life would be pretty bad! lol Music has had an effect on me since elementary school (at least) and has changed my life. I played the trumpet for ten years and horn for four. I played in my high school band, the local youth orchestra, church at times, in college, and in drum corps for one season (Spirit of Atlanta). I love to sing, but I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm awful at it! lol 

Part of why I love music so much is that I'm not the greatest at expressing how I feel, but I can still get what I'm feeling across if I share a song or the lyrics. It also sort of helps me heal. Knowing that someone else can relate to me helps me feel that I'm not totally alone. So, I guess that it can be therapeutic. This is why I'm starting Music Mondays. There might be a song I feel that either myself or other women I know with PCOS can relate to. 

I was listening to Pandora last night and heard this song. It got me thinking about all of the insecurities that I have because of my PCOS, and even though I have them it's just another part of who I am. I can't control it, but I can control my outlook on it and try to keep my symptoms from getting worse. And even with all of my insecurities and my flaws I am a pretty awesome person. Inside and out. I think we all need to try to be a little bit nicer to ourselves. 

 Sarah Hayes - Lovely

 I don't wanna be hurt
I just want to be little old me
Shouldn't have to think
Who am I suppose to be today
And what give you the right
To tell me who I should be
Who gave you that right

Cause I, I feel lovely
Just the way that I am
Yes I feel lovely
The way that I am

I know you want the best
Yeah only good things for me
But you have to realize
I can be all these things you project on me
Cause I'm beautiful to me
Doesn't that mean a thing

I feel lovely
Just the way that I am
Yes I feel lovely
The way that I am

I need that to be enough for you
Need that to be enough for you
Cause it's enough for me
It's enough for me

I'm I suppose to give up everything I am
Just to make you happy
I thought I was the one you
Always wanted me to be
It turns out I'm just little old me
I'm just little old me
And that's fine by me

Cause I, I am lovely
Just the way that I am
Oh yes I am,
Yes I am lovely
The way that I am
I am lovely lovely
I am lovely

If not now, when?

This quote keeps running though my head. Like I said yesterday I'm not married. Earlier this year I ended my six year relationship with my ex-boyfriend, which was really hard. Unlike most women I know getting married and starting a family terrifies  me. I want to share my life with someone and take care of them, but I guess it's trusting someone that much is what scares me. And as far as having kids goes, I'm not sure that I would make a good mom. I remember people over the years saying that I'd make an awesome wife and mom, but I don't know. 

But, at the same time if I let the opportunity pass me by I think I'm always going to be wondering what could have been. And if I take my sweet time trying to decide it might already have been decided for me. As far as having my own kids anyway. 

Am I the only one that feels this way???

Where to begin...?

Hello! Let me introduce myself and share my story, even though I know no one is reading this! lol My name is Shannon. I'm in my early 30's and live in Alabama. I love music, baking/cooking, watching Alabama football and Detroit Red Wings, peacocks and flamingos, and laughing.

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 24, but had known there was something wrong years before that. I remember being in elementary school and actually being kind of skinny. During the summer I would wear these cute bikinis - nothing revealing - or the swimsuits with the sides cut out. Then came middle school. I didn't really eat more than what I had been and even though I was more active I began packing on the weight. I remember going shopping for back to school one time. There was the cutest dress that I tried on, but it didn't fit. It was green and navy plaid and it buttoned down the front. Well, it was supposed to button anyway. One of my family members made the comment that they couldn't believe that I was getting a gut and it mortified me. Needless to say, ever since then I have not been skinny. 

Ok, flash forward to now. Unlike most women my age I'm not married or ttc (trying to conceive). My symptoms had been bearable up until the past year and a half or so. My acanthosis nigricans is getting worse and unfortunately so is my hirsutism. I'm planning on getting off my butt and eating better and hopefully that will help some. My goal is not only to loose weight, but to maybe let other women with PCOS or other dealing with infertility know that they're not alone.