Blog

Posted on

This Week’s Meal Plan

For your weekly inspiration:

Monday: Spicy baked cod
             Quinoa
             Green Beans

Tuesday: Pot Roast
              Mashed Potatoes
              Salad

Wednesday: Chicken Broccoli Feta Pasta (based loosely on this recipe)

Thursday: Fried rice

As always, a plan is just a plan. My husband found Mahi-Mahi on sale when he was grocery shopping, so that will replace the cod, but I’m not sure how I’ll prepare it. The pot roast is a new recipe because I just got my very first dutch oven! I’m excited to try it. If it’s good, you’ll hear about it!

For more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest. This link will take you to my Favorite Recipes board!

Meal Plan Inspiration

Mommy’s big (little) helper

Posted on

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (Gluten-Free)

Picture

Brrrrr, it’s time for comfort food in our house! How about yours? Sometimes I get a craving for something but don’t have a recipe in my repertoire. So, I go searching until I find a recipe that I can tweak to make it my own and sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t, but this isn’t one of those times!

I was craving a casserole of sorts with broccoli, chicken, rice, and cheese. I guess I was thinking of a “chicken divan” but I didn’t want that specifically. Of course, I googled “broccoli chicken cheese rice casserole” and began to browse the results. I landed on this recipe and if you follow along, you’ll see where I’ve tweaked it and how I alter recipes to make sure they’re gluten-free, incorporate only goat’s cheese (since we don’t eat cow’s cheese), and have easy substitutions like yogurt instead of sour cream. I also look for ways to add more vegetables and nutrition.

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole (Gluten-free)

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups brown rice
4 cups broth (I used our mineral broth, stored in the freezer)
4 cups broccoli florets
coconut oil
3 chicken breast tenders (boneless, skinless) chopped
salt
pepper
garlic powder
all seasons salt (from Simply Organic)
5 teaspoons gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Better Batter)
2 cups of milk (I used So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage)
1/3 cup whole, plain organic yogurt (I used Stonyfield)
6.7 oz shredded goat’s cheddar cheese

Directions

Depending on your broth situation, you may have to thaw your broth like I did. I placed a jar of frozen broth in a pot on very low. It takes a while but ensures the jar doesn’t crack from temperature changes.
Chop onions and garlic. Add to a pot and sauté in coconut oil until wilted. I don’t really specify amounts of oil here. It depends on your pan and your preference. Besides, don’t all recipes say 2 Tbsp?
Add 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of rice and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
While cooking the rice, add more coconut oil to another pan and begin cooking the chopped chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
During the rice-cooking time, chop and wash broccoli, shred the cheese and measure out the yogurt.
When the chicken is cooked through, remove it to a plate and add half a cup of milk to the pan with flour. Whisk thoroughly and add the remaining milk. This will cook for approximately 7 minutes, while stirring constantly, until thickened. As it thickens, add salt, pepper, garlic powder and all seasons salt. Also add half the shredded cheese and the yogurt to the milk and mix together.
When the rice is almost done, add the broccoli to the pot (and cover) to steam.
Finally, the rice should be cooked, the broccoli should be steamed, the milk should be thickened and the rest of your ingredients ready to go. It’s time to put it all together.
Spoon the rice and broccoli into a 9×13 pan. Add the chicken and fold it in, distributing evenly.

Pour the milk-cheese-yogurt sauce over top and mix it in.

Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top and broil in a preheated oven for 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it; it can burn!
We loved this. It was even better the next day. I thought I might have enough leftover to freeze or share with other families, but it was gone. That’s always a good sign!
Posted on

This Week’s Meal Plan

In case you need some inspiration, I thought I’d share my meal plan for the week with you!


Monday: Easy Baked Tilapia
               Quinoa
               Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday: Cashew Chicken (crockpot)
              Roasted Potatoes
              Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Wednesday: Ground Beef Tacos
                   Sides: shredded lettuce, yogurt, shredded (goat) cheese,           
                   avocado and tomatoes

Thursday: Gluten-free Mac n Goat Cheese
Picture

my sous-chef

Posted on

You Don’t Have to Work Out!

I don’t work out.

There, I said it.

I may write and talk a lot about food, body image and freedom, but I don’t mention exercise much. It’s pretty controversial, actually. With all my nutrition classes and health training, I am very aware of the health impact that an exercise routine makes and yet I can state it simply: I don’t work out.

Am I recommending that you don’t work out? That depends. Does the thought of not working out fill you with fear, anxiety or guilt? Then, maybe. Does it fill you with excitement and freedom? Then, maybe. Maybe working out isn’t for you either.

Let me explain. During the worst years of my disordered eating, exercise was not an option. It wasn’t for fun. It was for the image, the look I was going for (because the emaciated skin and bones look is super hot, right?). I wanted to look like the girls on the cover of Shape magazine, which I subscribed to and devoured every month. I don’t think there was a single day that I didn’t work out in some way. From exercise videos to hours on the treadmill, long walks, running and weight lifting; I did it all. It consumed me as much, if not more than my rigid eating or lack of eating rituals.

As I gradually began the journey of recovery, exercise was the last to go. I learned to eat more freely and to accept and feed my cravings, but I could not ditch the 5-mile runs, bike rides, weight lifting sessions and yoga. You may be thinking, “Why should you? Those things are all so healthy.” Yes and no. They can be healthy but often, they’re not. When exercise is used as punishment (I ate this so I have to work it off), or to reach some physical goal (I will work out every day until I lose 15 pounds), it has power over you. You can take that power back!

Baby steps though… I traded my treadmill for an elliptical because I wanted to be gentle to my body. My rigidity continued, despite my intentions and finally I sold the elliptical and “forced” myself to take a slow, leisurely walk one afternoon a week. My intention on these walks was to quiet my mind and connect with the nature around me instead of drowning out my feelings with loud, upbeat music and pushing my body harder. I learned a lot on those walks. Gradually, I gave up running and pretty much anything that felt like I was forcing myself to do it. If I didn’t have a desire to do something, I told myself, “No.” It was a gentle “no”, much like a parent to a child, protecting myself from, well, myself. Honestly, I was scared that I would gain weight, lose muscle mass and turn into a big blob, but I didn’t. Our bodies are so incredible. Because I had already become an intuitive eater, I didn’t actually have to worry about what my body would do. We all have a natural set point for our weight that our bodies will arrive at easily, when we allow ourselves the room for some fluctuation. I found mine and I’m happy with it. I’m also happy that working out doesn’t control my life, my schedule or my relationship with my body.

The phrase “working out” is so mechanical, so laced with work. Shudder. That’s not fun! What do I suggest? The Health At Every Size model has a concept called Joyful Movement. It’s truly beautiful and I will try to describe it to you as best I can. Think of playing as a child, running around the neighborhood or in your backyard, playing tag, chase, climbing jungle gyms and kicking a soccer ball around. That was joyful. Swimming in a pool or the ocean during the summer months or being on a sports team you enjoyed. Joyful. Something happened to change that. Puberty? Media? Ideas of what you should be doing and how you should look? Maybe it was all of the above. Whatever it is, we lose that desire to move in a natural, joyful way and then we turn to “work outs” to fix ourselves. Dancing. Swimming. Walking. Running. Lifting weights. All of these are movements that can be joyful, or rigidly structured in such a way that the joy is stripped from them. If you are like I was and you need to step away from “working out” to discover what joyful movement looks like for you, give yourself permission to just stop. Adding activity into your life in a more organic way may help you find movement that you can enjoy. Things like parking farther away, taking the stairs, walking over to a co-worker instead of calling, strolling the neighborhood with your children and playing fetch with your dog are all activities that can easily be added into your life to increase movement while decreasing religious, structured, controlling regimens. It’s about turning off the timer (the one that says 30 minutes a day, 3-5 times a week) and giving yourself a break. You’re not a machine after all, despite what the fitness magazines would have you believe.

I still have my weights. They just don’t tell me what to do or when. I grab them once or twice a week and strengthen my muscles because I like the feeling I get when I lift them and I like knowing that I’m strong. I still have my running shoes, but now they push a stroller with my two beautiful girls when the weather is nice and my friends are alongside me for a good, long walk filled with deep conversations and laughter. I got a Wii last year for the winter months and I love doing programs on it like Wii Fit Plus or dance games. I had to stop that for a while too, though, because I felt my old triggers returning and the need to do it for a certain amount of time every single day. When I go back to it, it will be because I want to have fun. I guard the freedom I have with a passion. I ache for others to have that freedom too. I believe it is my mission and my purpose. Contact me if you want to schedule a session or just check-in. I love hearing from you!

Me, after the 5k Color Run – I didn’t run, but I did have a fun walk with my friends!
Posted on

The BS Behind BMI (or Why BMI Isn’t an Accurate Portrayal of Your Health)

When selecting our health insurance plan for the coming year, I was reading through my husband’s employer handouts about credits they offer based on filling out personal information for health profiling. I didn’t think much of it until I mentioned it to my husband and he said, “According to the BMI, I’m overweight.” Looking at the literature again, I saw that they ask for height and weight. Oh yes, the “statistical scientific” analysis that somehow says that your height and weight determine whether you’re obese, overweight or normal.

“Well, that’s ridiculous,” I told my husband. “You are so healthy. I’m guessing you’re healthier than many people you work with!”

Still, plug in those numbers and suddenly he’s overweight? I probably am too for that matter, but I don’t play numbers games. At least not those kinds. How about these kinds of number games for you? The use of BMI to dictate whether you’re normal, overweight or obese has been based on ranges, which have changed. They used to be higher. They had a little more room for oh, I don’t know, bodily differences?! They, the infamous “they”, decided to make the cutoff 25 for normal. So if your BMI is over 25, you’re overweight. What made them decide this? Was it science? One might think, but no. It was politics. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) drafted the new numbers and the IOTF is funded by (cue the music) weight-loss drug makers Hoffman-La Roche (of Xenical) and Abbott Laboratories (of Meridia). Ta-daaaaah. Not so scientific at the end of the day, is it?

So now you have this number, your BMI, that is used to dictate how fat you are, which is supposed to tell employers and insurance companies how much of a health risk you are and it’s not even scientifically based! Worse than that is the idea that we have an obesity epidemic in America and obesity is killing people. Sigh. I’m shaking my head, in case you couldn’t see. The majority of studies actually state that overweight people live longer than those of “normal” weight. Makes you want to rethink that “normal” number again, doesn’t it? Especially if “normal” equals a shorter life.

Take your BMI and throw it out. Tell your physicians that this number has no representative value of your health. Tell them that you eat organic food, lots of fruits and vegetables and live an active life. Then watch their eyes glaze over. They’ve bought into these myths just like most of America. Obesity doesn’t equal disease, or even death. Are you surprised? Do you assume, like most people, that the heavier you are the more likely you are to be sick with various diseases? It’s just not true. Ask me and I’ll give you TONS of research to support my statement. I just don’t want to bore you with studies if you don’t want them.

Just because there are associations between two things does not mean there is causality. Question everything. Is it possible that those defined as obese have shorter life spans because constant dieting damaged their blood vessels? One cycle of weight loss followed by weight gain can damage blood vessels, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Many of these “obese” people being associated with earlier deaths are among ethnic minorities and lower socioeconomic status, which is also associated with pollution and lack of access to medical care. Most interesting is that larger people in other countries are not exhibiting the diseases that we associate obesity with. The countries where these healthier “obese” people reside are countries that haven’t placed a huge stigma on weight. The stigma we’ve created around weight has increased our stress around weight and stress is a risk factor for so many diseases (including cardiovascular disease and diabetes). So is it weight or stress that is “causing” these diseases?

To think, BMI is a fabricated equation created to serve political purposes that can effect what level of care you receive? That weight is this number you’re supposedly in control of? (You’re not, by the way.) You are not a machine: calories in, calories out. Your mind and how you think about yourself and how much stress you carry about your weight or life in general are far more powerful than a number. This is why I don’t accept weight loss clients. It’s not a goal I wish to try to help someone achieve. Weight loss may come naturally with certain dietary and lifestyle changes, but weight is not the be all end all of health. Losing weight just to be thinner will probably do more damage in the long run. Real changes for real people who are living real lives – that’s more fulfilling than crunching numbers and prescribing diets that aren’t going to feed someone’s soul.

It’s just not as simple as “they’re” making it out to be. If the real truth is to be told, it’s our thoughts, ideas and feelings surrounding weight that are killing us. Not the weight itself. Take a deep breath, trust your body and your weight. Strive for health and happiness and peace and joy. These things may sound fluffy and powerless, but frankly, they’re easier to attain than a perfect BMI. Now if only we can get health care providers and employers to recognize this…

Much of what I’ve stated here is information gleaned from Linda Bacon, PhD in her book Health at EVERY Size. As the summary says on the back of her book, “Fat isn’t the problem. Dieting is the problem. A society that rejects anyone whose body shape or size doesn’t match an impossible ideal is the problem. A medical establishment that equates ‘thin’ with ‘healthy’ is the problem.”

If you’re hungry for more, just ask!

Disclaimer: I do receive a tiny percentages of purchases made through affiliate links on my site. The links to these products do not increase the cost to you but allow me to keep this blog going.
Posted on

Don’t Judge the Mom Whose Kid Isn’t Wearing Shoes in Winter

Have you seen kids in the “dead of winter” barefoot? Have you thought to yourself, “How could that mom let her kids be outside in this weather without shoes on?” Okay, maybe you didn’t think it, but some people have. I know, because I’ve heard them think it out loud. I’ve seen their posts on Facebook. I may have even agreed with their rants a time or two.

This post could have been titled: Don’t Judge Moms Who…

Or how about: Don’t Judge Moms

More simplistically: Don’t Judge

I didn’t get that vague because frankly that’s a huge topic that I’m not willing to tackle, so I decided to narrow the subject down to something very specific. This way, if it doesn’t apply to you, you don’t even have to keep reading! And if it does, either because you’re the judger or the judgee, then you can keep reading and hear me out. (please)

See my gorgeous girl? Barefoot? In a Target shopping cart? If I could hazard a guess at the outside temperature, I’d probably say it was 45 degrees. Pretty chilly if you ask me. Shoe weather, I’d say. And I did say. Repeatedly. But when you’ve been trapped in the house for three days with a sick three-year-old and a sick 21-month-old and you’re desperate to get out and do something, anything… well, shoes just don’t seem to matter.

Are you thinking to yourself, “She’s been sick? And she’s not wearing shoes?”

Yes. I hang my head in shame before you. And then I look up and a host of clichés pile themselves at my feet. “Don’t throw stones in glass houses.” “Only if you’re without sin, cast the first stone.” “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

Firstly, she had fuzzy, warm pink boots on in the car. When we arrived at the store, they were off. Secondly, I put them back on! I really did! It’s entirely possible that she had them on the whole time we were outside, walking into the store. Once we were inside the store though, her mission became the removal of the shoes. And once she’d completed that mission, she had to throw them as far as she could. Between trying not to lose the shoes, giving her snacks and drinks on demand so she wouldn’t be a screaming toddler in a store, which people hate, and keeping an eye on the three-year-old who was touching everything at eye-level and probably wiping her nose on her sleeve, I decided shoeless would work for me. Only then did I think to take this picture. Only then did I realize that judgments were probably being made. In fact, maybe someone in that very store went home to post about my mothering skills on their Facebook page! Or maybe they didn’t even wait that long and they posted from their phone while they stood in the checkout line. Anything’s possible.

This wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. Today, my-three year-old would not put on shoes. And when I finally got her shoes on, she refused her sweater. It was 40 degrees outside. I suppose some parenting guru would say, “You put the shoes and sweater on and you make her wear them.” Yes, I suppose I could. But what would the parenting guru say if I had to take my child into the library wearing the shoes and sweater and force everyone in the library to listen to her screams and moans and wails as she thrashes around on the floor because she’s three and searching for some way to exercise her independence? Probably nothing. We compromised. She wore the shoes and ditched the sweater. It’s a 50 second walk from the car to the library door. I decided she’d survive. But who knows what other people thought as they saw that poor, little girl in the freezing cold without a jacket. Sigh.

Earlier this week, my youngest threw a shoe so far that it could’ve knocked someone out had it hit them in the head. Thankfully, it landed in a pile of potatoes. Not thankfully, we were at Costco, so that pile of potatoes was super-bulk-size and I’m lucky I recovered the shoe at all.

Barefoot babies in winter. A tragedy? A reason to judge? At least an excuse to criticize? Or a realization that some things aren’t in our control. Some things don’t seem worth the battle. Sometimes as moms, we pick and choose our battles so specifically, because we’re trying to avoid the judgment that a miserable, frustrated toddler’s tantrum would bring on us and in doing so, we only attract more judgment. Alas, perhaps it’s a losing battle. In fact, the chances are, the only people reading this blog are the moms whose kids have gone out in the winter without shoes! So the people who actually judge those moms aren’t reading the blog and probably won’t change their ways any time soon.

Ah well, here’s to us moms. Here’s to the moms who choose their battles based on important things like life and death, not battles of will. Here’s to moms who aren’t out to teach their kids whose boss, but to allow them the freedom of brief moments of independence instead of micromanaging their every move. Here’s to moms who have kids with autism, ADHD, ADD, SPD, ODD, or any number of diagnoses that make something as simple as shoes more difficult than most people could fathom. Here’s to the moms who have strong, brilliant children who take stands for these “little things” that feel like really “big things” to them. Here’s to the moms who don’t care what other people think. Here’s to the moms who do.

We’re going to be okay.

And so are our kids.

Posted on

Why I Won’t Take All My Kids Toys Away

Have you read this blog about the mom taking all her kids toys away? The first time I read it I thought, “Wow! That’s such a huge move and it seems to have had amazing results!” The more I thought about it, I started watching my kids and wondering if they would benefit, or if we would benefit as a family. I’ve decided nope, they wouldn’t and we wouldn’t. It’s not that we can’t live with less and it’s not that I’m not a fan of minimalism, it’s because I don’t want to do that to them.

So many toys have come from family and friends. When I look around at it all, I do want to clean it up, organize it more, separate things for donations or store for memory’s sake, but I don’t want to give it away. The stuffed deer was my husband’s when he was a little boy. He named it Pan without having any knowledge at the time of the Greek mythological god of shepherds and flocks, nature and hunting. It’s ironic and it’s touching. The My Little Pony was given to my three-year-old on her second birthday by my cousin. One of the baby dolls was given to my second daughter when she was just a new baby and now my older daughter sleeps with it. The other baby was given to my oldest the day her sister was born. Sophie the Giraffe was a teething friend for both girls, given by their grandparents. The dress-up boy doll with snaps and buttons was a gift from my brother and my sister-in-law as he and I remembered fondly our Snoopy that had the snaps and buttons and zippers to teach us those skills. The list goes on and on… I deeply value the love and thought behind every toy our friends and family have bestowed upon our girls and I’m just not going to discard them.

Going along the lines of the blog I mentioned, I have noticed that my kids play more with a clean and open creative space. It’s not the absence of toys, it’s the ability to choose certain ones to play and create with. (It’s really not unlike my desire to bake something when my kitchen counters are spotless.) Today, I cleaned their room, picked everything up and it felt so good in there. Immediately, my three-year-old came in and said, “Wanna play in here with me?” Yes, yes I do. It feels so nice in here… She quickly pulled out a ton of toys, laid out a blanket (handmade for my second child by another cousin) and gathered her toys and stuffed animals to the middle for a sleepover. We rolled around on the floor with Pandora playing in the background. We pretended to sleep and pretended to wake up. We ate grapes and we talked about which toys made us feel the happiest. My youngest (21-months) ran circles around us and giggled. I gently explained to the oldest that the “baby” just doesn’t understand pretend yet and it’s okay if she doesn’t go to sleep.

I get to have these moments and cherish these moments with my girls. I’ll never forget times like that. And I hope they won’t either. All of us together and all their toys piled on top of us. Clutter and all.

Minimalism is the concept that less is more. I love it. As I look around at my cluttered, lived-in home, I know less is more and I want to clear all the clutter. I know that our minds would be at ease if we weren’t staring into the closets and cabinets of plenty, but I haven’t done a lot about that and I’m not going to start with my kids. If, as I pursue a less cluttered home, my kids see and want to change their lives in this way also, then I will support them. That’s my decision for them. I don’t want to take their things away and not let them have a say. I don’t want to push minimalism on them as a way of life without them having a choice. We’re all good moms doing the best we can and without judgment I can say that taking all the toys away is just not for me. And if you do it and I don’t, we can still be friends, right?

My purpose of this blog isn’t to talk about whether it’s right or wrong to take away your kids’ toys. It’s just a way of putting the idea of minimalism out there and the many obstacles that might arise when you pursue it. I have a pile in the garage of things to sell and give away and I’m working towards those adventures as time allows. But minimizing stuff takes time too. Valuable time. Time I could spend having pretend sleepovers with my girls and preparing healthy meals for them. If you have success stories of de-cluttering or minimizing that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them! What I dread most is another thing (or hundreds of things) on my already full daily to-do list. So, I’m gonna take this slow… like just talking about it here and letting it simmer in the back of my brain.

Posted on

Non-Toxic Skin Care

I posted a question on my Facebook Page: What do you want to know more about? I definitely want to write on topics that are powerful and helpful in your journey. One request was for information on skin care and how to do it without all the chemicals. So, I’ve gathered information and resources that I hope will help you!

Could there be anything wrong with your current skincare regimen? Maybe. Maybe not. Have you read the ingredients? Yes, all the ingredients. Are they pronounceable? Are they edible? Okay, maybe you think I’m going off the deep end here, but the majority of the things you put on your skin (try 60-80%) get absorbed into your bloodstream, not unlike the food you eat being absorbed and assimilated as well. So, is it edible? Chances are, it’s not.

Some ingredients to look for and AVOID are:

  • Propylparaben: presents toxicity for developmental and reproductive systems, disrupts endocrine system, inhibits immune system and is toxic to the environment. Found in over 7,000 products including those made by: Suave, Cover Girl, Clairol, Physicians Formula, Aussie, Avon, Biolage, Elizabeth Arden, Clinique, Neutrogena, et al)
  • Methenamine (formaldehyde releaser): cancer-causing agents toxic to organs, and inhibits immune system. Found in 4 products including those made by: Suave, Sally Hansen, St. Ives, et al)
  • 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1.3-Diol (formaldehyde releaser): cancer causing agent, toxic to the environment, inhibits immune system, causes irritation to skin, eyes and lungs, and toxic to organs. Found in 146 tested products including those made by: Suave, Boots, CVS, Davines, Simple, et al)
  • Butylparaben: causes changes at cellular and biochemical levels, toxic for developmental and reproductive systems, disrupts endocrine system, and inhibits immune system. Found in over 4,000 tested products including those made by: Clinique, Maybelline, Boots, Clearsil, CVS, LORAC, Avon, Back to Basics, Neutrogena, et al).

These are just a few that caught my attention. Trust me, there are more! Are you curious about your products? Go to EWG Skin Deep and type in your favorite product or brand and read about it. They give an overall score of skin products from 0-10. A lower score doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t contain toxic ingredients, but it does mean it contains less than others. Try searching for a new body wash (something that you use all over your skin and is absorbed so easily with warm water and open pores). Look for one that received a better grade like Coastal Classic Creations (score: 0), Loving Naturals (score: 0), Bare Organics Inc. (score: 0), Celadon Road (score: 0), or Dr. Bronner’s (score: 0). A facial moisturizer by Be Natural, Aura Cacia, Gio’vane, or Kiss My Face is going to be far less toxic for your skin and your health. Check out the website, search for some new options. Let me know what you discover!

Remember when I wrote about boosting immunity to remain healthy or recover quickly from an illness? So many of these chemicals inhibit the immune system! Maybe we should start there! And then the issues of infertility and cancer come to mind and I think, “Why aren’t we looking at the crap that goes into our bloodstream through our skin? This stuff is supposedly regulated and somehow approved for us to use and absorb?!” Are we science experiments or what? Besides, who told us we needed all this stuff anyway? I am 99% makeup-free. I wear eyeliner sometimes, but that’s about it. Do you know what one of the most toxic substances is? Mascara. Haven’t worn it since middle school, but I know lots of women who do. I promise you: you’re beautiful. I know it. You should know it too. Smile. Laugh. Kiss. Breathe. Beauty is made of these things, not hundreds of dollars of toxic products.

I know it’s overwhelming. Learning to live a more healthy life is not a destination that you have to try to get to quickly. It’s a journey and it’s an evolution. The more you know, the more power you have over your health and your family’s health. One method that’s helpful in order to make changes is to replace products as you use them up. So when you run out of body wash, search for a healthier option. As your moisturizer runs low, look for a new one that has received a good grade on EWG Skin Deep or at the very least contains ingredients you can pronounce and define!

We can’t rule out home recipes for non-toxic skin care either. A good quality coconut oil will go a long way in the skin care department. Used sparingly as a moisturizer before bed, you may find you need nothing else. Coconut oil contains one ingredient: coconut oil. It spreads easily and works into your skin not leaving you greasy or sticky. An easy skin toner you can use is a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water spread on with a cotton ball. You can find 9 other recipes for homemade toners at BeautyHealthTips. Just think about one thing at a time. I’m happy to review products if you like or try out some homemade recipes. Just let me know. Remember, we are in this together!

P.S. If you’re not buying my whole “you’re beautiful without all the crap” message, check out No More Dirty Looks. They are some gorgeous make-up wearing divas who review and write about non-toxic products so you can still get your glam on without trashing your insides.

Posted on

Healthy Meal Planning on a Budget

I don’t know about you, but meal planning didn’t come naturally to me for a long time. I didn’t like planning what I was going to eat a week in advance. Sometimes I’d get an idea for a meal and go out and buy all the ingredients and it would be wonderful, but I couldn’t do that every day. I also got to the point, when I had babies, that I couldn’t just run to the store any time I wanted to make a new recipe. As a family we had a to figure out how to get enough groceries in each week so we weren’t making multiple trips to the store and we had to do that within our budget.

A budget is a loose term here. I can’t say I only spend $50 a week on groceries. I’d like to say that, but I can’t. Instead, I will be completely honest and say that the majority of our money goes to food. When I go over our bills each month, I see our grocery store and Amazon (subscribe and save) as the biggest numbers. I firmly believe that you either pay now or pay later when it comes to health. With that said, paying now means literally paying now, every day for foods that are more expensive because they are healthier. We stay away from the dirty dozen (produce with the most pesticides) and purchase meats that have not been given hormones or antibiotics. Most grocery stores have a line of meat and poultry that follow these guidelines.

When we moved to Virginia, we had to find a grocery store that carried what we were used to and it was disappointing at first until we realized that we might have to get creative. We discovered Martins (which is a store linked with Giant) and they had a natural section. Within that section and their Nature’s Promise line, we’ve found many new favorites that fall under our idea of healthy. We also use Amazon Subscribe & Save for many regular purchases that were getting too pricey at the grocery store (things like toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, deodorant and gluten-free Pamela’s Pancake Mix). Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are 45 minutes away, so we shop there every six weeks or two months and stock up on things we can’t find here or afford here, like organic brown rice pasta, goat cheese, healthier pet food and some condiments. Gluten-free flours I buy directly from the website or Amazon. Pamela’s Pancake Mix I use for pancakes, cookies and quick breads:

Better batter flour I use as an all-purpose flour:
Jules gluten-free flour I use specifically for breads (not available on Amazon).

I’m going to lay out for you what I do each week. Maybe it will inspire you to find your own way to make meal-planning work for you so you can stick to a budget and not run to the grocery store every other day. I’ve found that our grocery store puts out a new ad on Sundays. Since Sundays are our day at home together anyway, it makes sense to do our grocery shopping for the week and then settle in for the week with our plan in place.
Here’s a snapshot of the ad for Martins this week, specifically showing you their very small Nature’s Promise section. As you can see, there was hardly any meat on sale and very little else to speak of. This is when I turn to my freezer. Whenever something is on sale, I buy 2-3 of it, whether it’s chicken, steaks or roasts. These come in handy on the poor sale weeks. I took one glance at this week’s ad and began meal-planning out of my freezer. Usually, we purchase fish and I cook this on Monday because it’s fresh and I don’t want it to go bad. We also usually purchase chicken, which I will cook on Tuesday, also because the thought of chicken going bad makes my stomach turn. Meat just seems to have a longer shelf life. Generally, I have 1-2 vegetarian meals a week, one fish, one chicken and one meat. I also rotate rice, quinoa, potatoes, bread and pasta as our starches. Friday is take-out. This keeps us all sane and it stops us from grabbing take out just because it’s easier. Those dollars add up if we get food elsewhere on a regular basis. We also don’t feel great when we eat takeout regularly so we limit it to one day. And the weekends? I leave those up to my incredible husband! Sometimes we travel, sometimes we have company and sometimes it’s just us, so we play it by ear.
Here’s a snapshot of the meal plan for the week. I always consider my week before planning. For instance, Wednesday I’ll be very busy and don’t know how much time or energy I’ll have to cook, so I have some soups stored in the freezer that I can pull out and serve with some fresh vegetables. Because I have chicken and meat in the freezer, I can turn to those items this week for meal ideas and use this shopping trip to stock up on things that we’re running out of: capers, olives, red wine vinegar, cat litter and frozen fruit. You can see it all on my list here (don’t judge the typos!):
This may all seem like a lot and I guess it is, but it has become a ritual for me. I sit down with my coffee after breakfast and pull up the ads. I also use Pinterest and store up my favorite recipes and recipes I want to try so I can find some inspiration when I get bored. You can follow me on Pinterest here if you’re looking for some inspiration too!

I’m also not an extreme couponer by any means, but I do save coupons for items I know we buy. Many of the brands we use offer coupons on their site, like Stonyfield, Simply Organic spices and Almond Breeze. I’m on the mailing list for Martins and they send coupons monthly that we use when applicable. The hardest part about couponing is the lack of coupons for things that we buy, especially organic items and gluten-free items. That’s why I’ve subscribed to some e-mail lists that send out e-mails about coupons for these items and every once in awhile I find one that we definitely use! Organic Deals and Coupons and Gluten Freely Frugal are my favorites.

I don’t have a desire to become a blog that’s all about coupons and deals, but I’m happy to let you know about organic deals if I find them and if you’d like that? Let me know! Please feel free to let me know if you come across any either. We’re in this together and it’s easier that way!

Posted on

Healing Disordered Eating, Part 2

Disordered eating is not just about eating disorders. It’s not just starving, bingeing or purging yourself. It’s restricting yourself in the name of dieting or losing a few pounds. It’s berating yourself when you “screw up” and bemoaning all the “bad” foods you ate. It’s forcing yourself to work out more later because of what you ate earlier. It’s calories in, calories out with complete disregard for the human being who has thoughts and feelings that are so much more important. Disordered eating holds you back from living.

In part 1, I talked about kindness and how important kindness is for ourselves and the world around us. So what’s part 2? Part 2 is curiosity. Curiosity is one of those mentalities that can determine whether you’re going to accuse someone, get in a fight with someone or just discover more about how a person works. Curiosity gives you the ability to discover things about yourself and others in a way that’s not inflammatory, not belittling and not accusatory.

I watch my kids and their curiosity, their sense of wonder about everything around them. The things that come out of my 3-year old’s mouth shock and amuse me constantly. But they’re honest, curious questions. Everything from “Do all boys have a penis, or just big boys like daddy?” Or “What is my nose stinking about? Did somebody fart?” “Why do flowers come in the spring? Don’t they like winter?” “When I was born, did I come rolling out of you, Mommy?” The questions! The innocence! The hunger for more knowledge! She’s truly interested in it all and it amazes me.

While we have matured enough (hopefully) to not go around blurting out some of these questions, we certainly can learn from them. Turn that curiosity inward, with just curiosity, not judgment or blame. “Why am I eating if I’m not hungry?” Let the answers come and accept them, consume them, learn from them. “I’m tired and it tastes good.” Okay. Okay, good. We’re getting somewhere now. “Why did I keep eating if I was full?” “Why am I choosing foods that don’t make me feel good after I eat them?” Do you see how these questions are kind and curious? They’re not hateful or mean and they elicit the kinds of responses that can help you learn more about yourself.

If you’re like me, you want to know when you get to step out of curiosity and into change… The answer is when you stop trying to step out of curiosity and into change! As long as you’re trying to change someone (including yourself), you’re not really being curious, are you? You’re being manipulative and trying to control the results. Being curious is just that: curiosity. Looking for clues. Seeking insight. Into you! Who could possibly be more interesting than you? The why’s and how’s of who you are, the what’s and where’s of how you think – these are fascinating discoveries!

When you stop trying to change and start seeking to learn, you’ll find that your curiosity has given you permission to BE. And in being free to be, you may find that you don’t have to control it all so much. By not controlling it all so much, you’re less likely to judge. By not judging, you’re able to let go. By letting go, you may find you’re not lashing out and reaching for things that you used to deem as “bad” and maybe grabbed them just to show you, to show them all that you can make yourself feel better. You can eat what you want and no one’s going to stop you! Because guess what? You don’t have to show them, or yourself, anything. You’ve been watching and asking and kindly observing how you operate and you can love those parts of yourself. You’re not “cheating” or “falling off the wagon”, you’re living and you’re aware of what you’re doing and you love yourself for taking care of yourself in whatever way you know how.

Some people fear that by letting go of the control, they’ll be eating take-out and donuts and cake until they gain 500 lbs and nobody loves them. My question is this: If you have to control yourself with such militant restraint, what pleasure is there? If you ate a donut once in a while because you wanted it and because it tastes good and because you have complete trust in yourself and compassion for who you are and why you’re eating it, wouldn’t that be a safer, more kind place to live? And wouldn’t you know that kind of trust if you’d taken the time to ask yourself a little bit about yourself? Instead of looking to a magazine that promises rapid weight loss or the latest diet craze to hit Pinterest, look inside. Find out who you are. Ask questions about what you want. How do you want to live? Who do you want to see living your life when you look back in 20 years? What do you want to eat? Right now? There’s no wrong answer. Promise.

In case this is all too vague and heady, I’m going to share with you an example of a conversation that I might have with myself:

I want a cookie.

Mmm, that sounds good. A cookie. Are you hungry?

Not really, but I want it.

Okay. I mean a cookie is just a cookie after all, but why eat it if you’re not hungry?

Well, it’s not often we have fresh baked cookies and it looks so good and I know it will taste good!

I bet it will! Fresh baked cookies are the best! So, if you really want it you should totally eat it. I’m just curious though, why don’t you wait til you’re hungry?

I don’t know. I guess I’m impatient because it’s going to taste good either way.

True. Is it possible it will taste even better when you’re hungry than it will when you’re not?

I guess.

I’m not trying to talk you out of it, really! You can have it if you want it. I’m just curious. If it will taste better when you’re hungry, what’s the harm in waiting?

I know, I know, you’re on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next, right? Well it depends. Some fears might pop up. What if I’m not hungry later and I miss out on all that fresh goodness? Well, realistically, it’s not the last cookie I’m ever going to have a chance to eat. The end of this conversation could go either way. If I want it, I’ll eat it. If I don’t really want it and I know I’m not hungry, I won’t. Either way, there’s a kind curiosity here. Do you see it?

I want this for you. I want it for all of us. Not just with food, but with life. If you don’t like how someone is acting (including yourself), you can be curious about it and separate yourself from the judgment of the action. Look deeper into the feelings and thoughts behind what’s happening and learn more about them (or yourself). Curiosity can take you deeper into relationship with others and yourself if you let it. I hope that you will.



Their curiosity and kindness has taught me more than any book ever could.