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We had the most wonderful weekend! I hope you did too! Meal-planning was a little sketchy this weekend because of our company AND the grocery store we were going to go to was closed for Easter. We ended up elsewhere and I chose fairly simple menu ideas dependent upon what was on sale.

The great thing about buying food when it’s on sale is that you can pull from that storage in the freezer when there’s not much on sale at the grocery store. We bought a 1/4 of a cow last fall and are still using that beef for our meals. We only buy from the store when there’s a great sale. I also purchase extra chicken when there’s a good sale and freeze it.

Here’s our meal plan for the week – hopefully it’s inspirational for you! Feel free to let me know what you’re having

Monday: Asian Cod, rice and broccoli (the cod is a new recipe and I’m looking forward to it)

Tuesday: Chicken sauteed with cauliflower and spinach, served with quinoa

Wednesday: Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and salad

Thursday: GF Pizza with spinach

I am not a hands free mom. I have to admit that.

I love the Hands Free Mama Revolution. It warms my heart and reminds me how much attention matters. This movement has opened my eyes to how impersonal technology has made us. Pictures of people at dinner staring at their phones and not each other make me think twice about my own phone usage and make changes accordingly. The articles posted have given me a needed boost some days to really look at my children and really connect with them. Of course, I was reading the articles on my phone, but that’s kind of my point….

Despite all I’ve read and all that has moved me, I’m just not a hands free mom. And when I think about it or try to be more like that, it feels like a diet and we all know how I feel about that. When I feel like something is labeled as “bad” and I “shouldn’t” do it, my brain panics. It goes into diet mode, restriction, bingeing, punishing and not loving. At. All. I want to reach out to the moms who are not “hands free” or to those who try, but fail to keep their phone away from their fingertips while parenting.

My phone has kept me connected during some of the loneliest moments of motherhood. Hours spent on a yoga ball bouncing my baby in a wrap, trying to get her to sleep – I texted with friends and read articles. Hours spent rocking and nursing or patting a baby late in the night – I played Words with Friends and Solitaire. Whether texts, research, Facebook, Pinterest, games or FaceTime, my phone has kept me connected during a fairly disconnected time of my life.

My phone has provided a window out of my tiny little world into the worlds of others. As I grew into my role as mother, I made incredible friends that I know I will have for life. Some of these have moved away and some are right down the street. I have group text messages that run all day, every day. I can be sure that when I wake up I will have a handful of messages from friends near and far as we share bits and pieces of our lives. We are each other’s witness to what many would describe as mundane, monotonous or just plain TMI (too much information). We get to share the tantrums, the kisses, the diapers and the disasters with each other and really be heard, really be seen, and even through a phone, really be comforted by each other. That’s a gift!

My phone has a CAMERA. Need I say more? Keeping my phone near me has enabled me to capture amazing moments of my kids’ lives. I absolutely love taking pictures and videos of them and sending them off to family and friends. It brings me (and others) so much joy. In some ways, having my phone ready to record or snap a picture, keeps me more in the moment and more connected to my children because I can freeze a second of their history, their growth and their personalities.

If there’s one thing the Hands Free Movement has done for me that I don’t enjoy is this essence of judgment. Whenever a mom chooses a certain path and talks about it, there’s this inevitable line drawn in the sand by those who are perhaps “more evolved”. I don’t think less of the mom who’s on her phone while pushing her kid in a swing at the park. How can I? Maybe she’s texting  her husband about dinner that night. Maybe she’s corresponding with friends about a hard day and a wounded spirit. Maybe she’s looking up where to take her kid to lunch. Maybe she’s checking her bank balance and worrying about how they’ll make ends meet this month. Maybe she’s me. I don’t think the judgment is inevitable or intentional, but I do think it happens. I know it happens.

I’m not choosing a side in the hands free movement. I think it’s eye opening, life-changing and incredibly beautiful. I just want to speak for those “on the other side”. And I’m choosing mindfulness. Mindfulness is one of those goals that always seems slightly out of reach. Trying to remain mindful about the things we do each day will bring us greater joy in the small things and shed light on areas that perhaps need a little change. So, I practice mindfulness with my phone usage. I leave it in the kitchen while I sit with my family for dinner. I silence it when I’m spending one-on-one time with one of my children. I don’t respond to non-urgent texts if I’m listening to my daughter speaking to me. I do pay attention to a text from a friend in need. I do stay active with Facebook groups and respond to moms who are asking for help. I do keep it near me and it does keep me sane.

I think phones, tablets and other technologies are only going to become more prevalent. They’re going to be a huge part of our children’s lives and I’m not going to pretend they don’t exist. I am going to practice polite and thoughtful phone usage, the kind I hope my daughters will practice when they have their own phones and people are speaking to them.

When my daughter says, “Don’t you want to put your phone down?” I feel like a failure. I can admit that. I can learn from that. I can give my family my undivided attention and then return to my “phone world” later, when I am feeling out of touch with adults and friends, when I’m needing to research a behavior or illness, when I’m trying to figure out what to cook for dinner, or when I just need to give my brain a break.

Parenting is hard work. Sometimes it’s the technology that keeps us grounded as opposed to segregating us from what’s happening around us. Sometimes it serves as a distraction in a boring waiting room for my child or a needed break on a long drive. I’m not going to knock my iPhone and I’m not going to beat myself up for using it every day. I’m going to dig deep for grace for myself and understanding of my reasons, while being mindful that my phone is not taking the place of the life I’m living right here. In fact, it puts me in touch with articles and movements like the Hands Free Revolution, that inspire me to be a better mom, a more focused and attentive mom, while continuing to take care of myself.

Spring has sprung! And then it left… I don’t know where you are at, but here in Virginia, we’ve gone from 80 degrees to potentially 30 degrees and rain this week. Sigh. It was a nice tease, though.

Whatever you have planned this week, I hope it includes some good meals!

Monday: Broiled salmon (all fish is on sale at Martin’s this week), latkes and roasted Brussels sprouts

Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs with spinach in the sauce

Wednesday: Easy roast chicken and a big salad

Thursday: Fried rice (I really need to write this recipe up for you – it’s one of my go-to, easy vegetarian meals)

Have you used the Search box on the blog, yet? Try typing in an ingredient or a dish and you might find a recipe or a link to one of my favorite recipes this way!

I’ve worked hard to get where I am: intuitive eating, not counting calories, eating what I crave, stopping when I’m full, appreciating and loving my body, moving my body because I want to, not because I “need to” (and certainly not because I have calories to burn). Because I’ve worked hard, I’m reticent to let anything creep in and mess with my heart and mind in this area. Still, it happens and I don’t want it to happen to you.

I’m not going to play semantics about whether you ever fully recover or fully heal from an eating disorder. That would be presumptuous. I am going to say that wherever you are on your journey of starving, bingeing, exercise purging, crash dieting, dieting in general, or eating intuitively, it’s yours, and yours alone. I will make no assumptions about you. Promise. What I share with you comes from my experience and the experience of clients. I hope it encourages you, educates you and helps you along your path.

Let’s face it: If you’re on this journey alongside me, you know there are some things you have to say “NO!” to and others you have to say “YES!” to if you’re going to survive the brainwashing, manipulative, subversive messages out there. No one is going to protect you like you.

No More Weight. Scales in your home, be gone! Scales at the doctors’ offices? Kindly ask them to not share the number with you. (If they laugh, tell them you’re serious. If they ask if you’re serious, gently tell them you used to have an eating disorder and the number is not important to you.) Protect your mind. Those numbers get in there and they screw with you. Somehow they have power over you. How good you are. How healthy you are. How good you’ve been eating. Whether you should do more or not. These numbers are NOTHING. They are meaningless and they don’t deserve a place in your head. Once they get into your head, they find a way into your heart too. Not worth it.

No More Calories. When you want something to eat, eat it. Don’t question the calories or fat – trust your cravings! I’m a label reader, by trade, by profession, by obsession. Back in the day it was calories, fat, sugar, protein, and carbohydrates. I absorbed it all and calculated totals with the enthusiasm only an accountant could muster. Now I read labels to know ingredients only. Can I pronounce them? Are they real or synthetic? Is this going to please my body for both the short- and long-term? So, please, read the labels so you know what you’re feeding your body, but ignore the other stuff. Those numbers are for people who actually believe we are machines composed solely of calories-in-calories-out. We know better.

No More Low-Fat-No-Fat Games. Fat is good! Haven’t you heard? Whole fat milk, yogurt and cheese will bring you all the enzymes needed to break down the food and distribute the nutrients accordingly, while satisfying you sooner. Low-fat and fat-free versions are going to give you all the sugar needed to make sure you don’t get the most out of the food you’re eating (and probably crave more). You deserve better. You deserve fat. Cook with coconut oil. Drizzle foods with olive oil. Enjoy an avocado and cook your egg in a pat of butter. Do you know that your brain NEEDS fat? It’s 60% fat and thrives on fat. I’m not talking about trans-fats (deadly) or fast food fried fats (yuck). I’m talking about real, natural, healthy, wonderful fats like those that come naturally from or with foods (dairy fat, beef fat, chicken fat/skin, healthy oils like coconut, grapeseed oil, olive oil and the like). When you opt to leave out the fat, you’re only hurting your brain, not helping your figure.

Yes to Real Foods. Please tell me you don’t care how many calories are in an apple. It’s an apple for goodness sake. It’s a real, honest-to-God food grown from the ground and perfect just the way it is. Go ahead, eat it. Bananas? Same. Yes, they have more sugar, as do carrots and peas, but don’t avoid these foods the way I did. Eat them because they’re real. Eat them because they’re colorful and they taste good. Choose real foods! That means the ones that don’t have a nutrition label because there’s nothing to label. Vegetables, fruits and unadulterated nuts are real foods and I want you to enjoy them. I want your body to enjoy them too!

Yes to Positive Body Image Media. Read all the articles you can about the Health at Every Size Movement (HAES). Watch videos about Photoshopping models and air brushing famous people so they can look “perfect”. Educate yourself on the un-attainability of such perfection, so you can be FREE from it. You’ve worked hard to accept yourself and love yourself and feed yourself. You deserve to be free from the dieting commercials and media that brings you down on yourself. So, click on the uplifting articles floating around Facebook, not the “how to lose weight” advertisements. Tell me you’re over it. I’m over it, but if I catch myself looking or thinking curiously what they’re up to, I turn elsewhere, because it’s my mind and heart at stake and frankly, they don’t care about me.

Yes to Movement. Please don’t go for a run because it will burn “x” amount of calories. Don’t grab those weights because you know that muscle burns more calories than fat. Say yes to movement, not exercise. Stretch because you’ve been sitting at the computer for an hour and it would feel soooooo good. Walk around the block because the air is crisp and your lungs would love it. Play tag with your daughter because laughing and running together are memories you want to make. Sure, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther from your destination than you need to, and take that Zumba class you’ve been eyeing, but do it for your heart, your life and your happiness, not your weight.

There may come a time when you glimpse the scale at the doctor’s office and you can’t get the number out of your head. There may come a time when you start counting calories without even meaning to, or ban yourself from a food because you haven’t been eating “good” lately. It’s normal. You’re not alone. But beware the slippery slope; reach out to me or anyone who’s aware of your journey and don’t get sucked in. Remember: it’s YOUR journey and you control what information gets past the gates of your mind and into your heart.

One last tip: be careful who you put up on the expert pedestal. I have read and followed many nutritionists, health experts and doctors. I admire their research, tips and advice. Often times, I will repost articles and concepts I’ve learned from them and I appreciate all of it. And then, the moment comes when they start posting “lose weight” or “burn more calories”. I sigh. I “unfollow” them and I move on. I think these types of headlines are alarmist and misleading. They play into the false hope of women everywhere that there is a magic pill, diet or food that will suddenly make them lose weight and achieve everything they’ve always wanted. I can’t buy into that and I hope you won’t either.

I’m going to say this clearly: I’m not going to sell out. I may be a holistic nutritionist and I may try to build my website, my followers, my client list, and my portfolio, but I’m not going to sell out and start advertising weight loss strategies. I’m not going to promise you pounds or inches. No matter how many more “clicks” I’d get if I made those promises, I won’t do it to you or myself. Ever.

I’m going to offer you peace of mind, self-love and freedom. Always.

Today, I taught my daughter “April showers bring May flowers” and she’s been chanting it happily. It’s a rainy week here, for sure. Trying to focus on the flowers and garden at the end of it all!

Monday: GF breaded frozen fish (I guess all kids have to have “fish sticks” at some point, right? They were on sale… haha), steamed broccoli, and rice

Tuesday: Crockpot London broil with onions and carrots (new recipe), served over pasta with spinach

Wednesday: Baked “fried” chicken, roasted cauliflower and potatoes

Thursday: Quinoa vegetable paella (new recipe!)

Are you following me on Pinterest? Facebook? I’d love to hear from you!

After a whirlwind of visitors and travel, I am embarking on a “normal” week. I’m trying to not feel that “let down” feeling and instead embrace the beauty of my life! Two rambunctious toddlers and an incredible husband to feed and care for – that’s a gift.

Monday: Baked Cod, steamed green beans and quinoa (I like to cook my quinoa in chicken broth and add some butter and minced garlic after it’s finished!)

Tuesday: Coconut Chicken Curry with rice (I plan on using broccoli and spinach in this)

Wednesday: Chuck roast pot roast (most likely in the Crock Pot with lots of veggies!)

Thursday: Going to try a new spaghetti squash recipe!

I’ve written so many posts about natural remedies (PMS, common cold, immune boosting, etc) and I fully believe in the powers of natural healing, but I recently felt like they failed me.

Consider this: I start my day with a probiotic, followed by Female Balance, hot lemon water and a healthy breakfast. I take fish oils, a prenatal multi-vitamin, a calcium-magnesium blend and Vitamin D. I don’t consume processed foods or sugar. I lead an active life and stay hydrated with purified and alkaline water. I feel like I’m doing everything right…until I get sick. How could I get sick with all of this healthy living?

As the pain subsided, I could see more clearly that there are some things you just can’t explain or prevent, like Streptococcal bacteria. I’m sure there are things I could’ve done if I was adamantly opposed to taking the antibiotic. I could’ve pursued a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and sought very effective, though long-term treatment. I could’ve tried a round of essential oil remedies that have been touted to cure strep throat. I could’ve sought out the osha root to chew on (known to treat throat infections). But I have small children at home that I want to keep healthy and I want to be available, energetic and healthy for them. Untreated, strep can lead to problems with kidneys, brain, skin and joints, as well as rheumatic fever. So I took the antibiotic, experiencing pain relief within hours, which makes it clear I did have strep (and now I don’t).

My (incredible, amazing, wise and thoughtful) husband always says, “We may be holistic, but we’re not stupid. We are going to do what we need to do to be healthy.” And he’s right. All the vitamins, herbs, supplements and natural remedies I listed above are still amazing tools in our toolbox. Nothing is going to change that. The probiotics will help rebuild the bacteria in my gut that the antibiotics destroy. They will all contribute to improving my health. Sometimes I have to step out of my Holistic Nutritionist role and into the role of mother, wife and human and just take care of myself.

Do you every feel like you have to show the world that you are super healthy because of the lifestyle you live? Have you ever felt like your lifestyle failed you?

P.S. All of the items listed (and linked to) above are available to order through me at any time. Just Contact Me, anytime!

References

Goldberg, B. (Ed.). (2002). Alternative medicine: The definitive guide. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

Have you ever been so excited about company that you could care less about your meal plan? That’s kind of where I was on Sunday. I roughly made a “plan” because we needed to buy groceries, but I really didn’t care because one of my dearest friends is visiting for one week with her kids and I haven’t seen them in a year! Couple this excitement with a very disappointing sales paper and I was digging through my freezer for meal ideas because I don’t want to spend more than we have to on groceries. So, this may be sparse and lacking in details, but it’s where I’m at right now. If you are making some inspiring meals, why don’t you share them with me?

Monday: Baked chicken breasts (new recipe), rice and steamed asparagus

Tuesday: Broiled salmon, potatoes and steamed green beans

Wednesday: Crock pot beef arm roast with gravy and brussels sprouts

Thursday: Quinoa bites and salad

You’ve probably noticed that I use goat cheese in a lot of my recipes. I can’t technically call them dairy-free but they are a cow’s dairy alternative that might be of help to you if you have trouble digesting cow’s dairy (cheese, milk, sour cream, etc.). The majority of people who consume cow’s dairy experience uncomfortable symptoms like gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Since our ability to digest lactose decreases with age, at some point in time, all people are or will be lactose-intolerant.

So, how is goat’s dairy different? It’s all in the structure of the fat, making it more digestible, naturally homogenized, and containing more nutrients than cow’s milk. Cow’s milk has a harder curd with large fat globules. Goat’s milk has a softer curd with smaller fat globules; this combination results in greater digestibility.

I discovered many years ago that goat’s cheese was for me, although I have to admit I’ve never tried goat’s milk. I’m not a milk fan in general, so it’s not something I’ve bothered with, but whether it’s goat’s milk, yogurt, or cheese, please consider the many options and health benefits of goat dairy products!

1. Goat’s milk is considered the “superior alternative” for children and adults when compared with cow’s milk. Globally, goat’s milk is consumed far more than cow’s milk and has a long history of health benefits. It was revered in Egypt and Greek mythology and is used in France, China and much of Europe. Goat’s dairy has been used to treat many conditions such as weakened and convalescent conditions, anemia, malnutrition, emaciation, stomach ulcers, nervous exhaustion, loss of energy, constipation, and diarrhea.

2. Goat’s dairy is a great alternative to organic cow’s dairy because goats are generally cleaner and healthier than cows, which means less antibiotics and drugs in their system.

3. Mucus is not as much of an issue with goat’s dairy. When you’re sick, it’s recommended that you avoid dairy because of its mucus-forming properties, however, goat’s dairy has a unique astringency that prevents (most) mucus formation.

4. Goat’s milk is used to normalize body weight for both under- and over-weight individuals.

5. Fluorine: it builds immunity, strengthens immunity and protects teeth. It is also ten times (10X!) more available in goat’s dairy than cow’s dairy. (Unfortunately, this is lost during pasteurization, so there’s something to be said for raw goat dairy products.)

Ready to try it? Goat’s cheese is not just chevre. There very firm to soft and creamy types of cheese. Mozzarella, Cheddar, Sharp, and flavored chevre are just some of the options that I choose. In case you’re unsure, try this goat’s chevre cheesecake and tell me if you have any doubt how wonderful goat’s cheese can be!

References

Pitchford, P. (2002). Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition. North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, CA.

Murray, M. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Atria Books: New York, NY.

Monday, Snow Day! We got an unexpected 3-day weekend, which was a blessing, of course, and it also put me behind a bit on my “duties”!

Here is this week’s meal plan for your enjoyment. I’m loving seeing the comments on Facebook from people who’ve tried recipes because of my “inspiration” posts! It makes me so happy to know I’m helping you just a little bit as you feed yourself and your family!


Monday: Mahi mahi (broiled), steamed asparagus and baked sweet potatoes

Tuesday: Roasted whole chicken – I’m using the recipe linked, but also adding a rub under the skin and a lot more garlic to the pan – maybe I’ll edit the recipe if it’s significantly more delectable

Wednesday: A dairy-free, gluten-free grass-fed beef stroganoff. Depending on how this turns out, I’d love to share this recipe with you! I’m also going to add a side salad.

Thursday: Quinoa and cucumber tabbouleh salad with freshly made hummus