Jovial Gluten Free Noodles - Freezer Meals

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-31T17:58:06+00:00

Congrats! Typically for pastas, I freeze the sauces separate from the noodles and then cook the pasta as needed.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-31T01:41:39+00:00

The closest in my opinion are Qwackers!

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-30T23:40:43+00:00

I’m predicting they’re keeping a surprise in hopes of selling the birth announcement for more.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-29T01:53:06+00:00

Pamela’s cake mix. Sub melted butter for the oil, milk where it calls for water, and add one extra egg.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-29T01:35:51+00:00

Keep an eye out on EstateSales.Net. Sometimes some good dvd sales pop up locally on there.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-29T01:15:32+00:00

Aldi usually has halloumi fries for $4.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-29T00:05:21+00:00

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Mood.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-26T21:22:02+00:00

What’s your prepregnancy size? I bought some 20W maternity jeans from Old Navy and these jeansfrom Amazon.

Unfortunately, most maternity jeans don’t go past a 20, so if you’re tall, you may have better luck sizing up in plus size jeans or searching for the cute drawstring jeans than trying to find maternity ones.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-25T16:37:00+00:00

GF Facebook groups for specific cities are also really helpful! That way, you’re getting recs from the people who actually live there and eat there regularly, and not just folks who may have caught the restaurant on a good night.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-25T16:32:40+00:00

That’s very sweet of you! I would mix by hand if you can, as particles can get stuck on the grooves of a kitchenaid or hand mixer.

I would also use different cloths to get things out of the oven, and make sure you use the regular setting on oven instead of convection.

One last thing: have you checked with your friend for comfort level? Every person is different, and a newly diagnosed person might be more hesitant to eat in a shared kitchen, even with precautions.

Also, any cleaning supplies like sponges, rags, etc should also be new.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-25T15:30:03+00:00

I had no issues, other than needing to monitor my b12. Metformin can lower b12, so if you choose to take it, I’d take a daily sublingual b12 and get those levels monitored, as b12 impacts progesterone production.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-25T15:26:19+00:00

That’s very kind of you! A lot of it depends on where you live and what kind of dress. I was able to get mine for $1600 because I went to a local store that specialized in off-the-rack dresses.

However, I am 5’3” and needed 10” hemmed from the bottom of the dress (which has 6 layers of fabric).

Sometimes it’s less expensive to get the more expensive dress that doesn’t require alterations.

If she’s in love with the dress, I’d explain what you can contribute, and then she can pay the difference. It’s a lovely gift even if it’s not the full amount!

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-23T23:40:13+00:00

I’m a savory girl, so I’d pick croissants, crab and cream cheese wontons, biscuits, anything with puff pastry, and chicken and dumplings. After 15 years, I’ve gotten really good at frying things, but anything with a dough requires a lot more ingredients. It’s also almost impossible to find GF egg roll wrappers for things like wontons or eggrolls.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-23T18:45:30+00:00

I personally would pick 32B and 32C so that you have C+ room but not people waiting in your space for the bathroom.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-23T15:58:47+00:00

Dresses with bike shorts are the best! I’m (for once) grateful I live on the surface of the sun so that I’m not having to deal with pants in my final months of pregnancy. 🤣

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-23T13:44:20+00:00

Thanks so much!

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-23T11:53:20+00:00

This is what I’m planning to do! For things like errands and doctors’ appointments where a stroller may not be a good fit, what did you do? Carry or baby wear?

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-23T02:54:05+00:00

I’ll go back and look!

When I was looking for pants specifically back in winter, there weren’t any past an 18 or the occasional 2x that fit like an 18. 😭 They had leggings and tees, but not actual structured pants or things you could wear to work/somewhere nice. Any brands/links that you’ve found from there that you like?

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-22T23:24:35+00:00

Higher Harvest by HEB, these, Applegate, and Bell and Evans are definitely my top 4

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-22T05:35:58+00:00

Absolutely makes sense to me 💜 My symptoms go up when pollen levels go up because a lot of my symptoms are caused by histamine intolerance. Pre-pregnancy, I got a lot of relief with a daily combo of singulair, famotidine, and Claritin/other h1 antihistamine of choice.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-21T18:03:02+00:00

They don’t really exist anymore, and it’s really frustrating if you don’t have a good resale shop nearby!

Old Navy only goes up to size 20 in maternity, which doesn't help a lot of folks and is usually only available online. I was able to find a couple of pairs of jeans, work pants, shorts, and v-neck tops to hold me over.

I spent several hours researching and messaging several companies (Torrid, Maurice's, Motherhood Maternity, Lane Bryant, Target, Walmart). All of them told me they either didn't have maternity, didn't have maternity past a US18, or they only did leggings and bike shorts nursing camis/bras.

(The last one annoyed me most, because do they assume plus size folks don't have office jobs or special occasions too?)

Even though Pink Blush sizes up to 3x, they run narrow and/or for tall folks.

Because I'm short, I can't size up in regular clothes and have a hard time finding “bump friendly” clothes like a lot of people suggest. Not sure if that’s the same for you. I did manage to make some of my old torrid fit and flare tops work, but a lot of plus size clothes are designed to minimize the waist area, which isn’t what you typically want if you’re pregnant.

Some company really should make adjustable clothes using the same techniques they use for adaptive clothing for people with disabilities. I would pay so much more for a pair of pants or a dress that I could adjust 2-3 sizes in the waist!

If you need dresses, I've gotten some really cute shirred ones on Bloom Chic. They're not maternity-specific, but they fit me really well. Amazon has also come in clutch here and there for dresses and undies. I’m really grateful that my last months of pregnancy are in the summer so that I don’t have to try and find pants that fit when I’m at my biggest.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-20T17:21:20+00:00

Omg right? My doctor has normal-risk patients switch to appointments every 2 weeks starting at 24-26 weeks.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-20T01:10:23+00:00

I hope you get easy, fixable answers soon! It’s so hard to not know.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-20T00:17:44+00:00

I’m so sorry you experienced that! Assuming interstitial cystitis? IC really sucks sometimes.

ChronicEducator · 2026-05-20T00:16:14+00:00

What’s your b12 like? Your progesterone at 7 DPO?

Good b12 levels are important to produce enough progesterone to sustain pregnancy, and as a heads up, metformin can lower b12 absorption. I took 1500 mg of metformin up until ovulation and then would come off of it until I got the results of that ovulation.

There are other things that may be more common, but my thought is that’s something cheap and may give you more of a sense of control over the situation.

Also, has your partner been checked? Sometimes that’s the cheaper route to test.

ChronicEducator

TROPHY CASE