fbpx

Category: healthy kids

Posted on

9/23 Race Recap, and Reflections on Running while pregnant

This shouldn’t have to be said, but please keep in mind this is not to be construed as medical advice, and your doctor must be consulted before starting or changing a fitness routine while pregnant. There are certain cases like placenta previa where running can be very harmful to baby, so keep that in mind when evaluating–each of us and our unique pregnancies—what will be best for you.

So, this is a race recap, but more than that, an overview of my experiences and philosophy about running and pregnancy, honed over 8 years of enjoying both—and often at the same time 🙂

Quick race recap: we cheered on the kids in their fun run, and 2 of the kids in our group actually came away with prizes! They were so proud and so were we. When we took them to a nearby playground with some wonderful young babysitter friends, we realized that most likely the playground was on the course and we’d see them–that made me very happy.

It was a nice small race, based out of the town center of Wilton, and raising money for cancer research for children via Circle of Care. It was moving to start the race with a few words from the father of a local girl battling a brain tumor. It helps shift all of it into perspective, and there was a moving sign on the course while we ran — Cancer is Hard, Running is Easy.

I have to say that in our group we had some great races–2 PRs, and a 2nd place win overall from my friend Samantha. I had put a small bug in her ear that she had a good chance of winning, but coming off of an injury, we didn’t know how things would go, and for both of us, and the others running with us (3 couples in total) it was all about having fun, doing our best, and not injuring ourselves:)

I loved running with my buddy Mary. We’ve done runs together for going on 9 years, in Brooklyn, pushing jogging strollers, while pregnant and more…one of my brags about her running while pregnant is below. The miles passed quickly and at the very end before the turnaround, we passed our kids playing at the playground with their babysitters…seeing them jumping up and down with excitement, cheering for us, and these race days as truly family event where everyone can participate, is always one of my favorite parts about running.

I know I always talk to my girls and try to model for them, the joy and importance of moving, and challenging ourselves in these settings…and they certainly have caught the running bug. One of the girls, my friend’s daughter, came out of the playground and ran the last ⅓ mile with us! I know that next year, our older ones can probably run a full 5k with us, with some training/prep, so that’s a super fun thought, to have a sport we will all continue to love. I ran faster than I had thought I would,without pushing myself, and felt great–which is the main goal. It was an overall amazing day: a fun small race, thoughtfully coordinated, and committed friends just made it a fantastic experience.

I actually didn’t run my first pregnancy…and I somewhat wish I had seen a post like this or some experienced runner momma friends to turn to at the time for perspective. See, I had been a somewhat regular jogger, pretty casual (we loved running the 3 mile Prospect Park loop in Brooklyn, which was right across the street from our apartment).

I remember trying to run at like 8 weeks pregnant or so with Emma. I got less than 1/2 a mile and was so sure I was going to throw up. I walked, and my stomach settled. I walked miles and miles and miles that pregnancy, but I didn’t really get up the courage to run again. I wish someone might have told me–it gets easier in the 2nd trimester…and to try again…but in any case, I found myself completely in a pre-natal yoga groove instead for the 2nd half of the pregnancy, and that was wonderful to balance out my 60 hour stress filled work weeks at the time…and to continue falling in love with my pregnant body and my little growing daughter.

As anyone can tell you, the first pregnancy is such a mix of daily emotions and the full range of feelings as you experience your body literally creating space and making room to healthily grow another, and you’re wondering what is “normal.” Iit turns out there’s a wide range to experiences of normal in pregnancy!

In my postpartum period with Emma, again, I was still fitting in miles of walking per day thanks to our city life, but my body wasn’t really in the running groove (I hadn’t run in over a year by the time she was 9 months). My energy levels were whacky, stress levels were high, with a demanding job and juggling the mothering learning curve.

Right at this tough point in my health journey is when I found (by lucky accident), my brand partner and began a lifestyle upgrade, which within 30 days led me to feel this surge of energy and desire to exercise! I added pilates back in and got stronger. I got out my running shoes and was back at it.

By the time Emma was 1.5 years old, and my life had begun changing dramatically (more here), I set a goal…to run my first half marathon. This was in July. I had just started a new job and life was crazy but sometimes those are the moments to just carve out a goal and find the time. In October I ran my first half, in DC, a beautiful course right along the Potomac river, and a crummy day–cold and rainy…but the finish line was there waiting for me, and it felt SOOO good to accomplish that.

Later that month, Corinne was conceived and this time, I decided since I was in decent shape, to keep running in the equation during my pregnancy. The exhaustion and evening sickness of the first 8 weeks kept me from running, but after that (maybe 10 weeks) I was back at it. I’d get stares and the occasional whistle as I passed people in the evenings with a growing bump in the 2nd trimester, running that same loop of Prospect Park. I knew I had the right nutritional foundation, and extra training support tools, to make this positive for baby and I, and I will never forget the runner’s high accompanied with–“I’m doing this with a little buddy!” excitement–that went with those runs.

I managed to keep that up (at least once a week) until about 34 weeks, then the ligament pressure and enormous weight of my sweet, darling almost 10 lb baby were just too much for me. Instead, I went to the gym, started biking and hired a personal trainer for the final 6 weeks (yes, he thought I was nuts, but it was fun). Turns out I was carrying an enormous baby (on my small frame), so that certainly did a number on my ligaments and pelvis, not to mention the birth…but oh how we love our kids all the more for it.

Well, the difference with postpartum running was huge with Corinne. Because I’d been in the habit all through the pregnancy, it just felt right to lace on my shoes at 10 weeks postpartum and run a few miles in the park, with Corinne in the jogger, and while Joel had Emma at the playground. So for those of you who feel that the postpartum fitness habits are hard, I think paving the way with a strong pre-natal fitness plan makes a huge difference–your muscles remember and are prepared for diving back in, even if there’s a 12 week break between week 34 of pregnancy, and your 6 week postpartum exercise approval appt.

Of course, all this must be read in the context of your own individual needs, pregnancy history, and your fitness level before pregnancy.

I do believe, with a doctor’s approval, anyone, even somewhat beginner runners, benefit from getting out there and giving it a go just to experience it. You know what, you may end up loving it! Or at least keeping it as part of your pregnancy fitness plan, along with yoga, stretching, light strength training, low impact workouts like the elliptical, and core work (you’re going to want to do more of that to ensure you’re not injuring your core while running), and when necessary, chiropractic, pelvic/core PT and good pre-natal massage (oh yes, so necessary).

If you want more information about healthy pre-natal and postpartum life, I highly recommend this amazing resource, Every Mother. I so wish I had known about it in my first 3 pregnancies, it’s helped me tons with postpartum and I’m modifying it for this pregnancy, in conjunction with my amazing and life-changing PT, Melissa. Some folks swear by chiropractic, and prenatal mysofascial massage can be hugely helpful, just embrace the fact that you’re going to need that extra support team, and to know where to turn when things just don’t feel right. I don’t believe that low back pain, poor core and pelvic function are just part of the equation of motherhood. Absolutely not. It’s true that we need stellar supplementation, wise hydration and prep, lots of stretching/yoga and these extra tools mentioned above when staying active in pregnancy, but it’s just so worth it, in so many ways.

With my 3rd pregnancy, Ambrose, I didn’t run much the first trimester, but with the surge of energy and focus in 2nd Tri, set a goal to run a race. I did a 5 mile (8K) in Wildwood in late Spring, and had a blast. I didn’t push myself, and the distance was a comfortable one for me, but at least got me out training and having something to look forward to! Crossing the finish line, I knew I had all the support in the world from up above, and from my little guy, we did it and it was such an experience of “teamwork.”

I have amazing runner momma friends–I have to brag on them, and give you that context that I wish someone had given me. I have one friend who completed a half marathon 6 months pregnant (her standard distance was marathon, but she kept her time pretty fast and just cruised through), and another friend who’d set a big goal of the Chicago marathon but then found out she was expecting, and kept her goal–she trained smart and safe, never overly pushed herself, and completed the Chi town marathon when she was in her 2nd trimester. How incredible is that??

Here’s some other reasons why it’s such a great idea to incorporate running into your prenatal health plan.

They’ve done research on baby’s brain development, and shown that increased blood flow from momma, such as what happens in light and moderate exercise, stimulates and improves baby’s brain development!

Additionally, so much of the mood disorders we hear about, PPD and PPA and the like, can actually begin to surface in the final trimester of pregnancy. Hormones are whacky and there are so many things at play, but regular exercise is one the ways momma can combat these mood swings, and to bring some good ol’ exercise-induced oxytocin into her system, for her sake as well as baby’s.

Of course, low impact workouts and walking up to several miles daily can also bring in some of these benefits, so do what works for you. As mentioned before, it can help with body image challenges in pregnancy, and in preparing for a strong birth, a healthy recovery, and a strong postpartum routine.

When postpartum with Ambrose (my 3rd), I set an ambitious goal of running a half marathon 6 months after he was born. Getting out to run in those early days was a delicate balance of timing around his naps, hoping that I wasn’t too tired, and being smart about my pacing and core recovery. I will never forget how much I loved feeling like MYSELF again on those runs, even when I was just slowly plodding along, embracing the process as the miles got easier, being out in the fresh air (of the early new year), and having that mental space to myself.

It was a total game changer for those often challenging first months of postpartum life..I know it helped with preventing some of the natural baby blues that can come into play for me combined with inactivity and being stuck in the house–and it was made possible because I had kept up the habit until about 34 weeks in that pregnancy as well.

And here’s a fun secret, that athletes know. When you build your muscles through running with the extra weight, and then you lose 30-40 lbs quickly due to birth and the following restabilization of your body weight, you put your body at a great advantage of increasing performance. Your lung capacity, your stamina, all of it is greater, post-pregnancy. Some of my fastest miles ever have been in those postpartum cycles…and it’s been so rewarding to be able to complete half marathon training cycles between each pregnancy, knowing that the baseline of fitness/endurance I’m building is serving me and my little one well for a healthy, strong and balanced pregnancy.

SO if you’re thinking that maybe pregnant running, or postpartum running, are for you, I hope this little glimpse into my experience has helped you to reflect on what you want. And yes, some folks will judge and question it, but if you and your doctor/midwife are confident in it, go for it! And enjoy #runningfor2

This little guy has been my best running buddy so far. I never felt off or funky when running in my first trimester (moderate amounts for me–2-3 miles, several times per week), and to be honest, I think he was several days in existence when I ran my spring half marathon, so this fall fun-run would actually be his second race…but this time it’s also the latest I’ve raced (23 weeks) and I’m just so grateful…for the support–literal support from Blanqi (GAMECHANGER, ladies!), from my husband who ran with me even though he doesn’t enjoy running that much, and my friends who came from all over to run with us on this gorgeous fall day. I plan to run until 30 weeks (to give my ligaments a break and focus on yoga and good positioning for this babe, we already do, and will continue to do tons of walking), but we’ll take it one week at a time, and that’s a great way to approach things.

It may be a little while before I’m “racing” again, but I’ll enjoy my pregnancy runs as long as it feels good, and continue loving the process of growing and welcoming this little guy into the world. Someday, at his sporting events, I’ll embarrass him by telling him he was competing with me before he was born 🙂

Thanks for reading to the end–share your own stories of pregnancy running or fitness habits, I’d love to hear! There’s so many beautiful ways to celebrate the strength and endurance that we build in motherhood, and I think pregnancy is a wonderful phase to look at as an opportunity to try new things and remain flexible and strong, rather than as a handicap or physical disability.

Posted on

After school snacking–simple and fun.

Don’t you think we should bring those words back into our vocabulary for this school year, mommas?

I don’t really love the phrase “hack” it feels like something is getting cut off or is missing…this is all about what we’re gaining when we keep things simple and enjoy the process. I’d like to go back to good old fashioned life—simplified. And fun. Because life with littles can and should be. Especially when momma’s been getting her breaks and her own self-care (I’m speaking from experience, can you tell?:))

Since my girls are in school full days, and Corinne has just transitioned to kindergarten, I’m enjoying making the afternoons low-key, and coming home for rest, playing outside (yay, cooler fall weather),  and of course, after-school snacks.

I am not a big believer in over-scheduled kids (which seems to be the norm nowadays). They need to relax and play.

Now I’m not sitting at home baking for them all day (though occasionally I can, and that’s fun)…so I like quick and easy, make ahead or ready made snacks for us to grab.

Here’s the thing moms–there should be no guilt involved if we’re able to find shortcuts and make things healthy and yummy–so you’ll see some included here. Not every day needs to be pinterest worthy or be hours of blood-and-sweat from scratch, amiright? We need to have memories of ENJOYING it, and so do they. Rant over.

As shared before, some of our favorites are Guac and chips (organic guac), hummus or ranch and raw veggies for them to dip it in, grapes, apples and peanut butter, and occasionally something sweeter.

And this is our September 2018 seasonal snacking roundup for you. Some are straight out of a bag. Healthy. #winning. Others are out of a box with modifications, to make it seasonal and healthier…also winning…and some are from scratch but the kids do the work for their own healthy snack, and it becomes an after-school activity–messy, yes, but less-so than finger painting (anyone else ban that? Ok. great). We’ll call these all #momwins.

Yes, this video is our fun behind the scenes time lapse. It’s a really good thing you can’t see too much of what’s going on (Ambrose eating everything he touched, or the girls doing a talk show and pretending to be “youtube stars”–whatever those are?…so yes…enjoy it!)

So, for the Apple dippers, here’s the general idea. Grab some apples (preferably local, in season), and some greek yogurt (I love the thickest kind, like siggis)…and some dipping items–coconut, cocoa nibs, crushed almonds, cinnamon (my kids went nuts with it)…and arrange everything in bowls with a foil wrapped tray ready to catch the goodies. Then, if kids are allowed to use knives, help them cut the apples. We did strawberries too (not in season), and left the greens on, it’s your call what kind of fruits you want to try this with. Probably not too soft is ideal.

Then show the little ones how to take the slices, dip in yogurt and then in coconut and other toppings. They get the hang quickly, and you’ll have to let them just be free to take it from there. It’s all about enjoying the process as they make their own snacks!

Then, when everything is used up, throw the trays of fruit in the freezer for 10 min or so to harden…don’t forget about them, as you don’t want them too crunchy (we may have had to let our strawberries soften back up)…and voila! Fun, easy and healthy snack…I hope you’ll let us know if you make them… and post pics:)

Somehow they like the taste of them more when they’ve had to do the work…Ambrose was so proud of his plate of apples that he brought over to Emma.

For the pumpkin cookies, I grabbed a box of Gluten free chocolate chip cookie mix and a can of pumpkin puree. I love the GF mixes, there are some great ones out there, that use less sugar (this one had brown sugar only) and would meet our approval in terms of ingredients. Of course we’d all love to make cookies from scratch all the time, but let’s be real, I’d rather that they get done, and I’m still smiling 🙂 This recipe called for egg and butter and vanilla and I replaced the first 2 with the can of pumpkin puree, so that made them GF and vegan, but more importantly, easy and yummy, and my house smelled like fall!

When the kids came back downstairs Emma said “hey, were did these come from?!” and Corinne asked me to save 3 cookies in baggies for her and her 2 favorite classmates for tomm, so I’ll count the whole experience as a win. Ambrose helped me with the kitchenaid (he loves to turn it on), and he happily licked the beater for me!

Finally, I threw out a bowl of Terra chips–sweet potatoes, blue potatoes and beets, in crunchy delicious form…I’d rather they enjoy their veggies and satisfy their crunch seasonally, than just be clamoring for chips of another less healthy kind–and these were on sale at Whole foods so it was a no-brainer to stock up.

I hope that you have beautiful fall afternoons with your kids–may there be more love, laughter and mess than there is tantruming, and I hope that you all enjoy these simple and fun snacks, together.

Cheers,

Maddy and her sous chefs–aka–you tube stars.

Posted on

Super food bars–perfect after school snack

So, how to feed the ravenous little mouths during the afternoon hours…

I posted a round-up of some fun new after school snacks that we’re experimenting with (5 ingredients or less, super fast and healthy mommas, because no guilt should be involved)….that’s here–you have to smile at the video involved…crazy.

But…for those who like to spend time making snacks ahead for the week or whose kids are patient while said snacks are being made…here’s a good one! I decided to whip up this recipe the other day when I had dates and a few other things around–I’m all about spontaneous recipe creation–and I have to taste test it first before sharing here, but this one stood up to both my approval, Ambrose’ grabbed it and was crunching it while I was snapping photos, and Corinne said she liked it–but not that much, meaning, she also wanted to have her other snacks!

It makes for a great pregnancy snack as well…with the dates and honey as sweeteners, protein from almond butter and chia, and the fiber of the chia, sunflower seeds and oats. Sunflower seeds also provide magnesium which is key for calming both kids and mommas:)

I’ve seen wellness mama and others do similar ideas for homemade granola bars, but I like the softer texture of this one, and I think the dates and coconut etc help keep it interesting, texture wise.  You’ll have to let me know what you and your kids think!

Super food (date–honey–oat–sunflower–chia) bars

Set oven to 300. Grease a round or square 9 in dish, I used coconut oil.

1 cup whole pitted dates–you can put these in a food processor first if you wish. I was lazy and just let the kitchenaid do the blending–it worked great once the other soft ingredients were in there.

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/3 c. organic (local if possible) honey

1/4 cup almond butter (use sunflower seed butter if you need it to be nut-free for school)

2 cups organic oats

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup organic chia seeds

optional: coconut flakes raisins, mini choc chips

Blend dates with the other “wet ingredients”…add in dry ingredients one at a time, stirring–kitchenaid stand mixer is ideal for this, but even an oldfashioned spoon will work (or hand blender) so long as it forms a nice soft doughy and well blended texture.

Spread into pan, and bake for 20-30 min–checking in the final minutes to see that it’s browning slightly on top, and that texture is as desired.

Serve warm,  room temp, or cool—your preference….and happy snacking!!!

Posted on

4th of July fav: Patriotic Fruit Pizza

This is my all time favorite summer dessert from childhood. The recipe was shared by some close friends, and then my family morphed it into a patriotic theme since we were very into celebrating all things 4th of July…I remember making it all growing up, and posing with my sisters and besties with our flag pizzas–so it was a fun moment to do the same with Emma this year. All 3 of mine added their personal touch to it (cough) and while it neared disaster when Ambrose decided to play toss the blueberries onto the flag, we had a great time and made a memory. It’s super easy to make the dough and the cream cheese frosting in advance (read: before the kids are up) and to do the decorating later. Pro tip: it’s best really cold so see if you can give it an hour of fridge time after frosting and decorating, before serving.

I changed the recipe in a few ways from how it was passed on to me: I made the crust gluten free…because–happy bellies and equally yum! And I increased the quantities of crust and the frosting because you just can’t have too much of those flavors to balance out the fruit, and it’s meant to fill a large rectangular pan. 

Seriously–how can you go wrong with these colors and summer flavors? Seasonal eating? Yes please. Obviously if you can find local strawberries and blueberries, even better! But it will be amazing regardless.

Here’s the combination of flours I’ve landed on for most of my gluten free variations–I find the flour textures balance each other out–and you’ll want to double check the oat flour–some brands are labeled gluten free while others say “may contain traces of wheat”…the coconut flour is heavy, and cooks up denser, so the tapioca flour seems to add the right balance. Have fun experimenting and let me know how you LOVE this recipe!!! I dare you to make it only once this summer:)

Fruit Pizza–patriotic and gluten free

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (can possibly substitute coconut sugar or raw sugar but I didn’t want to mess with my childhood memories..and the crust is super thin so it’s not too sweet).
  • 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour:
    • 1 cup oat flour
    • 3/4 cup coconut flour
    • 1/2 cup tapioca flour

Cream cheese frosting:

  • 12 oz cream cheese–you can get (full fat) whipped variety that blends up really well.
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine butter, flours and sugar. Use a pastry cutter for best effect, and finish with hands. Flatten into cookie sheet crust, and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown (recommend you poke some holes with a fork so it doesn’t puff on you).

Then mix the cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar for the topping. Spread onto a completely cooled crust.

Layer fruit in the patterns of your choice.

Refrigerate an hour, then serve!!! (Can be stored up to 24 hours before for fantastic taste!)

Crust is totally cooled (we went for a hike and errands in the meanwhile)…fruit washed, strawberries just have the ends trimmed.

Make it happen! And enjoy the process:)

This is when things got a little exciting 🙂 Luckily most of it ended up where it was supposed to and the older girls modeled how best to spread and place the fruit…

Voila!! It tastes even better than it looks!

Loving her toothy grin, and these fun slower summer days together…

She wanted to add marshmallows for the stars…but was flexible when I convinced her that the fruit would taste amazing on it’s own…she’s all about the inspiration, and artistic process, so I’m sure we’ll be doing lots of fancy baking this summer. Share with me pics when you and your loved ones make this–that is my favorite part!

Happy 4th to you all!

Posted on

Summer salads! 3 seasonal sensations that are simple and crowd-pleasing

This time of year, with the abundance of seasonal veggies and varietals, it’s such a no brainer (and treat!) to eat salads throughout the day. With the fresh ingredients, the cooling effect on hot days, and the fun and easy ways to adapt/incorporate whatever ingredients you have on hand in fridge or in garden, it’s no wonder everyone loves a good summer salad. Here is a round-up of 3 of my standing favorites, with direct inspiration from the contents of our own humble little garden that is producing in plenty.

I hope you’ll take a moment to comment and share your family’s favorites in the comments below–it’s always fun to mix things up.

This year with lettuce and kale and spinach growing abundantly right outside my window, I’m getting daily inspiration for salads, and if you’re growing greens, they are crying out for fun new variations. For the last recipe, it can be made even heartier (lunch status) with added quinoa, or left on it’s on as a dazzling side. Enjoy–let me know which ones you make, and tag me if you share pics of these at all your summer bbqs and gatherings!

Beet, Goat Cheese and Fresh Lettuce Salad

*Note: this requires some time for cooking the beets, so you may want to do it in 2 stages, roasting earlier in the day, and then prepping salad at dinner time or when the guests are around*

Ingredients—simple!

  • 4 farm fresh beets
  • 2-3 medium heads of fresh lettuce–the variety is up to you and what you have around–I prefer the crunchy green variety
  • 1 small log of goat cheese-organic
  • Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Directions–also simple:

Wrap the beets in tinfoil (individually) and roast at 375 for 1-1.5 hours, depending on size. After an hour, check them all and some of the smaller ones may be done, the bigger ones may take up to 1.5 hours to get to where you can easily cut into with a butter knife. You’re going to want to let them cool, then peel them with your fingers by gently tugging on the skin, it should come off easily, and then you can trim any tough spots and cube into small cubes.

Prep the lettuce–wash/dry/tear to your desired size. Dump the beets into the salad and crumble half of the goat cheese log. Toss the EVOO, balsamic in and salt/pepper to taste, it does better to toss the full salad rather than doing it serving by serving.

You can adjust quantities depending on how many people you’re serving, we tend to have this last us for several salads (storing the prepped beets in a bowl for easy assembly)…and believe me, just because it’s stupid simple, doesn’t mean this isn’t one of the tasty things you eat this summer. Don’t believe me? Try it!

 

Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad

This one is to die for. And I bet you have many of the ingredients readily available during these summer days. I highly recommend planning an entire BBQ or family taco night with chili corn, etc around this dish–it’s so memorable.

The lime zest dressing is fun, but totally optional: the 3 flavors stand together so perfectly on their own that often I just serve it that way–it’s up to you–have fun with it!

I

Ingredients:

  • One whole organic watermelon, cubed (on the small side)
  • 6 oz feta cheese (may not use the entire container)
  • 3-4 generous sprigs of mint, fresher the better–roughly 1/4-1/2 cup when finely chopped
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
    • Optional dressing:
      • 1 tbsp lime juice
      • 1 tsp lime zest
      • 3 tbsp EVOO for drizzling

Directions:

Cube the watermelon, toss into a large bowl, add the cheese and chopped mint. Season as you see fit. Enjoy. It will last for up to 48 hours (gets more liquidy but holds flavors well) so make big batches and enjoy often!

YUM. Enjoy that and see how long it sticks around when you make a batch. I find myself eating it with every meal when it’s in the fridge.

Finally, a throwback classic from a few years ago on my other food blog, this is an all-time favorite, and while it takes a bit more work than the 2 above, it lasts well in the fridge and works well for lunches and accompanying any sort of BBQ dishes, like meats. Just trust me, you have to try this.

Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Sunflower seeds

Kale is a bandwagon many have jumped on, with good reason. I love that the massaging of the salad makes easier to digest and brings out all the great enzymes and flavor of the kale, and it will last well for several days, so make a weekend batch and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • Small tub of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 bunch kale (lacinato or curly)–this year I’m growing purple kale in my garden, and its fun for added color
  • 1/2 cup red or white quinoa
  • few handfuls of chickpeas
  • Red onion chopped and roasted with the tomatoes
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese  (I was fine without having this…it’s up to you)
  • 1/2 cup roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

  • 1-3 cloves garlic
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • lemon olive oil if you have, or regular olive oil works too
    • honey balsamic is a wonderful, though not essential addition–mellower than traditional balsamics but gives it the edge you need…

Now go for it:

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut tomatoes in half, along with diced red onions, place in baking tray lined with aluminum foil, pour over a little olive oil, salt and pepper and pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes until soft. On a separate tray, roast sunflower or pumpkin seeds for about 8-10 minutes until brown.

Rinse the quinoa well to remove the bitter taste, and prepare as the package instructs you:)

Rinse kale and then tear up the leaves into small pieces. Remove stems…Emma really wanted them in the salad so they did end up in it again at the end…thanks for the extra fiber, lovey.

For the salad dressing: crush 1-2 cloves of garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the lemon juice and whisk all together adding the oils and vinegars to taste.

Then have some fun massaging your kale with the dressing! In a large boil, combine the kale with the salad dressing.  Massage/rub the leaves with the dressing vigorously. You’ll notice the leaves start to soften and wilt. Then add the cherry tomatoes, onions, chickpeas and quinoa and mix it all up. Top off the salad with the roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

*Note, quinoa can be omitted if you’re looking for more of a side salad with a meal, but with the quinoa it stands alone as a healthy iron and nutrient-filled lunch.

Posted on

Every day is Earth Day around here!

I have come to appreciate Earth Day more and more each year. As I get older, my awareness of how much the season changes and our connection with nature really affect us in all aspects, and this year, celebrating Earth day with our own little plot of trees, grass, sun soaked yard, and welcoming warmth. There is such an important lesson in being grateful for this beautiful world we live in, and considering how to leave a legacy of care, gratitude, sustainability and hope for the next generation.

So 6 years ago today…

A bottle of non-toxic cleaner arrived at my doorstep. Drumroll….

Really? Is that all?

Well, that one bottle, started a process of something that changed our lives…in so many ways.

You see, I was at a crossroads in life…trying to figure out how to balance a career I loved, with having children, and my heart told me that being a mom needed to come first. But, we were living in Brooklyn, I was in the midst of job searching in the finance and non-profit accounting realm, having recently lost my high paying but super stressful job in that field. Emma was 1.5 years old, and I found myself, unexpectedly, spending my days with her, on the playgrounds, with friends, in coffee shops, and taking a hard look, with my husband, at what we wanted our family, future and my career to look like in the years ahead.

My dear friend Melinda was a health coach, and during this time, she told me, “I’m starting a partnership with this great company, I want to share some of it with you.” And I remember being like “oh, ya, vitamins, whatever. I have those, I pay lots for them at GNC, I take them (most days), and I don’t feel any different.” (Ha! What a surprise I was in for–many posts on that here on the site). BUT, I did fall in love with the concept and what she shared with me about the green cleaning line. So I decided I wanted to buy a bottle of the Basic H2, which I later learned is an official earth day product and all this…but at the time, I was just looking for a way to clean my home without guilt. See, I KNEW the stuff under my sink was bad for us, it gave me a headache sometimes, I used to have my husband clean the shower when I was pregnant (Sorry Joel), and then I would every once in a while break down and hire a cleaning lady to come in with her bags full of chemical laden cleaners–and we’d clear out (go to the park for a few hours)…when we came back, it always look good and smelled “clean” but something told me my daughter playing on the floor and touching all the surfaces, deserved better. Yes, I’d tried other natural cleaners, but I always felt they left residue, and didn’t work as well. SOO….I trusted my friend Melinda and agreed to buy a $10 bottle of basic H, intrigued by the idea that it was concentrated so it would last me a while, and would replace several of the plastic bottles I was eager to get rid of.

Best decision ever.

You see, this is the bad news. We do live in a toxic world.

And we need to be conscious of what we bring into our homes–with cleaners being a primary concern.

And then when I fell in love with the cleaning line–I began to realize just how many different toxins and chemicals I was accepting into my life–in food (scary!), in my personal care/skin care, and so many aspects of life! Did you know that many supplements are tested only to find they are sawdust and full of fillers that aren’t even on the label!? That’s crazy. So this brand that is doing the right thing by the earth, by it’s constituents, and that has a legacy of green that stretches back 60 years, with the first official Earth Day product (Basic H), and this incredible environmental legacy as the first company to become carbon neutral in 2000, and to be leading the way, showing other companies how to walk the walk when it came to green living–and more–I knew I had to make the switch over, in the other areas of my lifestyle too!

Then, next thing I knew, a few crucial soul-searching months later, I was on a path to becoming a certified health coach and LOVING helping hundreds of other families make the switch, and clean up many areas of life–because holistic living is a wonderful way to reach thriving and to live in harmony with nature.

It’s been such a gift and I’m thrilled that it all started this way. I always tell myself, my kids and my clients–little changes really do add up. Do you believe that?

What changes are you ready to make in your non-toxic lifestyle? Would you like to link arms with us and help plant some trees while greening up and cleaning up our own homes?

Well here we are,  6 years later, and we’re still finishing up that SAME, First bottle! Wow. Best $10 spent. Ever. 

 

 

And through that change, to our laundry, dishwashing, cleaning, habits—we literally started breathing better, felt confident having our children clean with us! (Such a great thing!) and when I’ve had housekeepers, etc they’ve always used these products and LOVED the results. For a fresh clean smell we’ll use essential oils in them (lemon, peppermint and on guard being my favorites). And through these simple changes, not only are our clothes brighter, our home toxin free, but it also inspires us to continually make more and more choices that serve our planet–and our lives–better. It’s that ripple effect–when we feel better, we do better.

 

Get yours here!

 

After all, shouldn’t our homes be the cleanest places on earth?

And is it possible that the small act of scouring the sink, can be the giant act of changing the world?

Now for some testimonials and tips! These amazing women share what this Earth loving change has meant to them! As well as some of their quick cleaning tips to inspire us as we all green up and clean up!

Martie Ryland:

 

I’m Martie Ryland– wife to Chris, mama to Glyn, writer, gardener, and lover of all types of four-legged critters. We live on a farm in Arkansas where we stay very busy!
You can find me on Instagram @s_c_gyspy
Martie’s Top Cleaning Tips!
1- Keep a cleaning rotation going. Just a twice weekly wipe down of countertops, bathrooms, and light dusting keeps you from having to deep clean nearly so often. I pick one room a day, and it takes me 10 minutes or less!
 
2- Let the kids help. Since the Get Clean line is non-toxic, I can let my 1 1/2 year old help me without worrying about him being exposed to any harmful chemicals. I hand him a rag, and let him go to town. I get more done if he’s occupied and doesn’t feel excluded. 
 
3- Add essential oils to the mix if you miss that “cleaner” smell. Any kind you want, really. I love using lemongrass or orange. 

Robin Neely:

“Before and after! I spilled juicy blueberries on this wood countertop a few weeks ago and thought it would be there forever. This morning I thought I’d try Scour Off. Took about a teaspoon of it and some elbow grease, but this old counter looks clean!”

(You can find Robin and her inspirational vegan and bunny loving lifestyle on instagram @penny_parsnip)

Newelle McDonald:

“Before I found Shaklee all I could do to help save the planet was to wash and reuse my plastic bags. NOW, I’ve prevented more than 829 plastic bottles from going into landfills EACH YEAR! I can’t possibly calculate the chemicals that have not gone into our waters. I’ve been doing this 15 years. You do the math… I can look Mother Earth straight in the eyes and say, “I’m here for you Momma!””

Newelle can be found sharing holistic insipration  at www.newelle-ness.com

Posted on

Feeling lucky? Green muffins w/ brand new *powdered greens*

I feel lucky to be alive, and very lucky to be IRISH as we head into St Patty’s day…and let’s be honest…we’re all Irish for 24 hours!

And, this year, I feel extra lucky that this fun new GREENs booster was just launched by Shaklee in time for me to make all the green muffins! It’s a tradition that goes back to my childhood. My mom would always make us green pancakes, green eggs, even our orange juice was dyed green for the occasion–so fun, right?

Well, the tradition lives on, and now we are sneaking in some extra powerfully healthy green veggies thanks to Shaklee’s new powdered greens, just released this week!!

PS…less than $1 a serving is SO affordable for organic greens!

I just got mine yesterday and I’m having fun putting it into everything! My girls love their shakes to be pink. If I add the right amount of these powdered greens, with some strawberries and raspberries, they barely taste it and it’s still pink, BUT they are getting 1-2 cups organic spinach, kale and broccoli. Sounds like a win, right?

I’m the first person to say that fresh greens are best…heck, I grow kale and spinach and arugula during the summer in my garden! But in the winter, high quality greens can be harder to come by, and let’s be honest, sometimes as moms we have to be a bit sneaky about it. (This also applies for those adults who don’t want things to look too green, but still want to get their veggies!).

Here’s the first fun muffin recipe I made up, adapted from a fun recipe from my partner meal planning service That Clean Life (check them out, so cool! I’ll be offering some freebies in the coming weeks for you to get your hands on!).

My kids loved these and were dipping fingers in just the batter and couldn’t get enough! May want to make 2 batches so you can store and freeze some, they will probably go fast!

Green Smoothee Muffins

(Gluten free, can be dairy free if you leave out eggs and yogurt, reduce oats to 1.5 cups, or substitute sugar for 4 dates to be sugar free!)

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 2 scoops Shaklee’s powdered greens booster
  • 1/2 cup vanilla life shake
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • (optional: small container vanilla greek yogurt…)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups organic oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Blend wet ingredients, plus booster. To do this, I used a KitchenAid mixer. Then, stir together in a separate bowl the dry ingredients. Gently blend together, and evaluate how green it is (we ended up adding a bit of natural food dye to make it a brighter green, rather than brown). Fill 12 lined muffin tins and be sure to lick the spoon! My daughter exclaimed…”Mom, this tastes like an amazing green smoothee…”

Bake at 350 for 18-20 min.

Cool, serve, enjoy!

(Kid tested…and approved!)

Have a super lucky and wonderful St Patty’s day!

Posted on

Healthy Holiday treats…3 winners!

As many of you know, I do have a solid sweet tooth, and a few years ago when I began to drastically reduce the sugar we consume, personally and as a family (not super strict, just aware, reading labels and mostly eating whole foods, etc)….I started spending time creating sweet variations for snacking and dessert that would be both satisfying, filling and that myself and my kiddos could have several helpings and feel great about it. With a flexible and intuitive eating philosophy, we’re looking to create recipes from wholesome ingredients that satisfy us, and these really hit the spot for our family.

And if you haven’t noticed, simplifying is a huge theme of mine so these are all minimal ingredients, 2 don’t require baking(!) and are easy to make with busy little hands helping 🙂

I so wish I could hop into all of your kitchens this time of year, share a cup of coffee and enjoy seeing all the fun treats you’re whipping up! If you feel inspired to try these, I don’t think you’ll regret it, and sharing them will make it twice as fun–when you let people in on the secret that these are healthy AND Yummy!

Delicious 3 ingredient fudge

Holiday chocolate protein fudge

(Gluten free, paleo (if you use build shake), dairy free)

This recipe is a winner, we created it first to accompany the pumpkin spice flavors of fall, but it stands alone and is an winner with a chocolate protein instead! Another selling point for me with these recipes–no baking…and easy to decorate 🙂

*3/4 cup organic, raw honey

*1 cup almond butter or peanut butter (smooth)–can sub sunflower butter if nut allergies

*1 cup chocolate life shake

*optional sprinkles

Blend honey and nut butter in a saucepan on low, until fully melted/blended. Add protein powder, stirring slowly. remove from heat, pour into glass pie pan or square dish (no need to grease). Add crumbled candy cane or other sprinkles…Refrigerate 1 hour and enjoy! Store in fridge, can keep up to 1 week…brilliantqar.

I have a feeling both young and old will love these!

Macaroons

Macaroons

(Gluten free, paleo, dairy free)

*5 1/3 cup coconut flakes (1 package)

*2/3 cup coconut sugar

*6 tbsp

coconut flour

*1/4 tsp salt

*4 egg whites

*1 tsp almond or vanilla extract

Mix coconut, sugar, flour and salt in large bowl. Stir in egg whites and almond extract until well blended. Drop by tablespoons onto greased/floured cookie sheets. Bake at 325 for 20 min or until edges are golden brown. Cool and add sprinkles, optional.

 

Peppermint Patties

Peppermint patty protein bites

(Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, paleo, delicious)

*1 cup oats, ground to flour (could also use almond flour)

 

*1 cup Shaklee Life Shake or Build whey protein (chocolate or vanilla).

*1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

*1/2 cup honey

*Peppermint extract to taste – I used 2 teaspoons

Combine and form into balls, chill on wax paper in freezer while you melt chocolate in a double boiler, adding peppermint extract if desired (I did). Dip and sprinkle with crushed candycane, then return to fridge.

Happy “baking” and enjoying!!!

Posted on

So what’s the big deal about probiotics?

This is a question I get all the time. Whenever I’m chatting healthy kids, this comes up as one of our daily supplements for the kiddos, so it’s always helpful for me to be able to clarify based on questions about which strains are best, why some are refrigerated and others aren’t etc.
I’ll dive in with a bit of context if you’re new to this conversation, and then share some compelling facts and ideas about which ones are most beneficial for little tummies and little immune systems.

(As well as big tummies and immune systems of course, I take the same ones in fact)

In recent years, there’s been a large amount of studies done that link gut health with not only immune health, but also overall well-being, brain health and mood. Which makes sense if we understand the gut is like a 2nd brain. “Trust your gut” they told us. Well, we have to work extra hard in this day to feed our guts what they need to be able to work properly and have us “trust them”:) This is because the standard american diet is a gut flora killer–tons of sugar, tons of processed foods, and gluten, are some of the main triggers of depleting a gut of good bacteria. Then, we add the common cycle (yes, we were there too, you can read more of our story here) of antibiotics prescribed for little ones’ ear infections and more, and then we get to a new level of gut depletion and the need for replenishment, on top of months of sugar and indulgence from Oct 31 through January 1. No wonder so many parents dread the winter months, and all the bugs that they expect to cycle through.

Here are some of the sources touting the benefits of probiotics:

http://cdrf.org/home/checkoff-investments/usprobiotics/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170523124119.htm

Thankfully, some of my health coach mom friends shared some invaluable knowledge with me, and early on, after a year and a half of regular sickness and poor immune health, my daughter was able to build up her immunity with precisely this program. She has only really been consistent with 3 supplements, and her diet changed slightly with less sugar and processed foods, but essentially nothing else changed. So I’m very grateful, and you can connect more with me about all of that via email or by 15 min health consults, which I love to do for moms, focused on their families overall health.

Back to probiotics. Here’s a great infographic about food sources, which, while super helpful, are not the complete answer. Why? Because our stomach acid kills of most of the good live bacteria before they can reach the small intestine.

I’ll do a FAQ in hopes that handles most of it. Tons more resources to offer, so if you’re intrigued by this, definitely check out the link at the bottom, or email me and we can connect about it all. Fascinating stuff, and I’m immensely grateful for the complete healthy gut transformation we’ve all experienced over here from about probiotics and finding the brand that’s most effective for delivery of those lovely flora.

Q: I’ve seen that there are so many strains of probiotics, and some supplements advertise that they have more than 10 different types of prob strains. What’s the  of that?

A: Well, it’s actually more of a marketing gimmick than anything, as most probiotic strains haven’t been widely studied. There are 2 main ones that all the research has been done with, and so it’s safe to stay if you stick with those strains, and simply increase the dosage if need be, you should be getting what you need.

The strains are: bifidobacterium longum and Lactobaccillus acidophilus. These are the ones found in the recommended brand below.

Q: Why do I see some probiotics stored in the fridge with “live cultures” signs on them, and others aren’t?

A. Similarly to yogurt and other foods with probiotic qualities, the probiotics that are in the fridge are active and are meant to be kept alive. However, the sad news is that similarly to food, without a protective coating, they will be killed of by the stomach acid and less than 10% will reach their final destination to be maximally effective.

Q. What makes the biggest difference in a high quality probiotic?

A. The encapsulation and delivery system for the bacteria is the measure of whether they are effective or a waste of money.

 

I’d like to try the probiotics you’re discussing.

I’d like to connect more about all of this info (submit below).