Morning Mush

Even during the darkest times in my quest to feed my Music Man, he usually was a champion breakfast eater. This never shocked me since he would barely eat anything for lunch or dinner. My best shot at getting quality food into his belly was when he woke up starving. He absolutely LOVED oatmeal and millet. I would cook up both of these grains in huge batches and add bananas, cinnamon, peanut butter, honey, and milk. Some mornings he would inhale three huge bowls. On the weekend the Hubs would keep track and some Saturdays our Music Man ate more than his 200 lb dad!

So when I decided to remove all grains from our diet, I was nervous about breakfast. But I can honestly say, it really hasn't been an issue. For awhile, my little guy was totally content eating grain-free pancakes, sausage, bacon and just recently he's been digging scrambled eggs. But I always felt a little bad taking away his beloved "porridge" type meal so I went searching for an alternative. What I'm about to describe down here may sound odd and like it has 4 too many ingredients, but I promise it actually tastes good. And my son eats it by the bowlfuls a few times a week.

I found two recipes through Paleo sites and cookbooks for grain-free porridges. I basically combined the two and then added a few other ingredients to make my own. We'll call this:

Music Man's Morning Mush!

Ok, so you start with an almond meal based porridge that I got from Paleo Parents. I forget the exact recipe but I think it's pretty close to this:

3 cups almond meal

3 cups water

2 T cinnamon

2 apples (grated)

Mix all ingredients in the slow-cooker. Set on LOW for about 6 hours, or until a porridge consistency is created.

This is the base for the Morning Mush. Put a few big scoops into a saucepan. To this add:

1/4 c shredded coconut

2 T almond butter

a few splashes of coconut milk or raw milk

a few sprinkles of cinnamon

spoonful of honey (optional)

Mix together over low heat and you've got a coconutty porridge that my little guy loves!

But that's not all! So one aspect of the Paleo diet I am very conscious about is just how many carbs my kids are getting. I clearly don't limit this at all for growing kids, so I am always looking for ways to get high carb root vegetables into their bellies. To this porridge I add a huge scoop of either mashed up butternut squash or sweet potato. If I don't have any on hand, I use the butternut squash or sweet potato pouches put out by Plum Organics.

And then there's one last ingredient. I know, it's sounding ridiculous but all the flavors blend together. Sometimes the Music Man needs a little motivation with his meals. And breakfast is no longer the exception since he's actually eating lunch and dinner now so he's not always starving first thing in the morning. He likes to "find" bananas in his porridge so we cut up some bananas, stir them in, and he happily searches for them while he eats up his mush.

So with this breakfast you get:

FAT - almond butter, coconut

PROTEIN - almond butter, coconut

CARBS - apples, bananas, squash/sweet potato

FIBER - apples, bananas

Add a scrambled egg to this for an extra punch of protein and I promise this will fill your little one's bellies for the morning!

Finding Motivation in a Closet

There's something about going into your closet and trying on clothes that gives you a bit of motivation to take better care of yourself! I have a bunch of weddings and a few trips coming up this summer that require clothes a notch above my normal shorts and T-shirt wardrobe. So last week I rummaged through the closet and took out some old dresses. I really try not to get too caught up in my image and to love myself at whatever size I am, but it is difficult. Especially when you have fairly recent memories of yourself looking a lot different in a particular piece of clothing. 

I do believe good food is the backbone of a health, but I can't dismiss the importance of exercise. Flexibility, strength and a good metabolism are very important tools to a long, enjoyable life. This past week I have started working on getting my butt moving. Nothing hard-core (I have some issues with my knee and hips that I will some day write about) but I am getting out for 25-30 minute walks. I take them at a fairly brisk pace and oh my goodness I am out of shape. It's amazing what happens when you essentially take two years off from any cardiovascular activity. I also popped a Pilates DVD in for the first time and am actively trying to get a few yoga stretches in every day. The key is consistency. I am trying to not get too wrapped up in my progress or just how well I am doing things. I'm aiming to do something as often as I possibly can. Small goals, baby steps.

It's amazing how much I miss the simple act of moving around and using my body. My entire childhood and all through my teens and early 20s I was an athlete. This was a huge part of my identity and I don't think i ever really appreciated or understood that until a few years back. In 2006 I realized something was missing from my life so I started road races. I absolutely LOVED them. I worked up to running a half marathon and was amazed how much happier I was in my life and thoroughly enjoyed this new sense of purpose. Then I started having some troubles with my knee and soon after I started a family and that part of my life went missing yet again. As I walked yesterday morning watching the sun rise, I felt joy that I haven't felt in a really long time. It felt like saying hello to an old friend.

Birthday Brunch Menu

This past weekend was a big one in the Smith household. My Music Man turned 3 years old yesterday and my Peanut turns 1 tomorrow so we had a joint birthday celebration. I decided to take on the exhausting task of cooking all of the food for a birthday brunch. While I love cooking and sharing my Paleo-inspired dishes with friends, I will not lie and say I enjoy cooking non-stop for three days! This was not the original plan, but the hefty back spasm I endured last weekend threw a wrench in my preparation plans and so I was pulling the graveyard shift on Thursday and Friday getting everything accomplished.

But I pulled it off! Here was my menu:

Sausage, Mushroom and Egg Casserole (I used raw milk in place of the cottage cheese and did use some shredded cheese so this was my one non-Paleo dish)

French Toast Bread Pudding (I made this for Easter as well…I think it will become a staple in our house for holiday breakfast/brunch meals because the Hubs is a BIG fan)

Zucchini Banana Muffins

Pulled Pork with "home-made" BBQ Sauce

Grilled Veggies 

Fruit Salad

And for dessert I made two cupcakes with two home-made icings:

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

"Reese's" Cupcakes

All in all I think everyone enjoyed the food. And I made WAY too much but most of the food can be easily frozen so we'll have these tasty dishes to enjoy the next time I'm entertaining during the morning hours.

My back is feeling better, thanks in large part to my craniosacral therapist. I'll have to write about this alternative therapy another time because I'm sure most reading this don't even know what craniosacral is! 

Hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day weekend!

Planning, prepping, cooking, cleaning...

I wanted to write a post yesterday about my preparations for my Paleo-inspired birthday brunch but there just isn't any time! Plus, the forecast is calling for rain tomorrow which is putting a major snag in my plans. Will post later this weekend about the menu and all things birthday. Hopefully everything turns out OK! And if it doesn't, whatever!

Mama's Health is #1

As a mother, you learn right away about sacrifice and putting others in front of you. From the moment you get a positive pregnancy your choices impact another person, and the impact on them becomes far more important than the impact on you. You change your diet, lifestyle choices, clothing and schedule your entire world around doctor's appointments and your due date.

Then the baby arrives and now ALL of your choices are about someone else. When you sleep, when you eat (if you're nursing, what you eat), when you go to the bathroom, when you sit down, when you stand up...all of this is first run by the baby, and he or she dictates the consequences you will face if you choose yourself. Don't feel like wearing your baby in a wrap while you pop a squat? That's fine, but you very well could hear a screaming child while you're in there, or worse yet, wake a sleeping child. And depending on how well your past 24 hours have gone (or even 24 minutes), you'd be surprised how often you will pick having your baby up in your grill while you reach for the toilet paper.

Now all of this obviously gets better as the baby grows and gains more independence. But even with young children our choices as parents have consequences. Altering the day so that your child misses a nap, or deciding to relax and take some time for yourself during nap time instead of preparing dinner. There is a give and take that never seems to end (at least for this mother of an almost 3 and 1 year old!).

So whenever I would hear people saying I had to take care of myself because my health is the most important thing for our household, I sort of shrugged my shoulders and said that was impossible. I do my best to eat well, but that's mostly because I take the same time to prepare my kids food and I think it's a cornerstone of my work as mother. But exercise? Stretching? A massage?!?!?! Yeah, right. When was I to fit that into my schedule? Was I going to take the fifteen minutes in the morning to do a couple of yoga sequences or use that time to get breakfast ready so that I wasn't trying to do that when the kids were up and the Peanut was hanging on my leg and the Music Man was screaming from the breakfast table for his porridge. Am I going to do some stretching and ab work during nap, instead of preparing dinner, doing laundry or just sitting on the couch relishing in the quiet and staring at a wall?

These choices seemed simple to me for quite some time. But in my sleep deprivation and overwhelmed state, I had forgotten something that happened to me two years ago. I threw my back out when the Music Man was about 9 months old. I've always had lower back problems. My lower vertebrate are close together, my right hip is slightly higher than my left, my pelvis is slightly tilted, I have a natural sway back and the entire region from my hamstrings to my shoulders is so tight that anytime someone has tried to give me a massage they just touch me and say, "Whoa, stressed much?" So add a pregnancy and a 20 pound baby that I lug around 24/7 and you've got a mother collapsed on the floor unable to move. And I was laid up for a solid week, and couldn't do much for an addition week or two. I swore that when that happened I would take better care of myself, and I did for a bit. But then I got pregnant again and my choices went right back to being the baby's choices.

Until this past Saturday. The Peanut was crawling up the stairs and I leaned over to pick her up and BAM, back in major spasm again. Luckily the Hubs was home and could come retrieve my precious cargo. It took me about 5 minutes to make my way down the four steps, another 10 to get myself on my back and I spent the next hour on my back on the floor below my steps. Just horrible.

So the lesson here is that even though I didn't think I had 20 minutes a day to devote to myself, I have to find them. Because it's either 20 minutes a day helping my body, or it's days not being able to do anything for anyone. I've got to find some time to carve out for myself and let some other things slide. But not good food! Maybe we'll just all have to wear our clothes twice (shouldn't be an issue during the Charlotte summers that average about 90 degrees a day) or stop vacuuming the dog's hairs off the carpet, or stop watching so much Bravo. Hmmm....I feel like one of these is the obvious choice but I'm having a hard time seeing it.

My back is nowhere as bad as it was last time, thank goodness. But I've brought in some extra help today and tomorrow to let me rest. And I'm also in the midst or planning the kids' birthday party for this weekend. I'm cooking a Paleo-inspired brunch. I'll post the recipes throughout the week and let you know how it goes!

Picky Peanut

When you become a mother, you learn about this interesting phenomena. I've been trying to come up with a catchy phrase to define it the past 3 years but still haven't found something that sticks. But basically, when you become a mother your child(ren) seem to always know just how far to push you before you snap. They also can feel when you think you're actually figuring out motherhood and start to believe you can handle it all. Then they take you down a few notches to remind you of who is really in charge.

When my son was young, I joke how he used to read my mind. At first, after a few days of good naps and some predictable behavior, I would find myself on the phone with someone saying, "Things are actually going good. I think I'm finally setting into a nice routine with him. I can do this." The second the words came out of my mouth...BAM! Early morning wake ups, screaming through naps, cranky for no reason whatsoever, needing to be held constantly, and a whole slew of unpredictable, exhausting behaviors would knock me over for a few days. But again, I would fall into the same trap. After another "easy" period I'd utter those words, "I got this" and the whole charade would happen again. It got so eerie that I couldn't even THINK I had it under control, he seriously read my mind!

Then my daughter was born and it's unbelievable but I swear the two of them immediately started to communicate with each other. Even when she was just 6 weeks old and the only thing she could do was barely hold her own head up, they somehow knew when to crack the whip. Now for the two of them to be a mess simultaneously, well that would just be cruel. So they take turns. Maybe my son has a rough week and really needs my attention, well then the Peanut will be good as gold. Then Music Man will start calming down and be really cooperative, and I'd get a half day of two well-behaved, somewhat predictable, happy kids and think to myself "I think I've got this...?" and BOOM, Peanut will stop napping well and I have to attend to her needs for a week.

So it comes as no shock to me that as I finally start to figure out the Music Man and his eating habits that my normally fantastic eating Peanut would begin throwing her food, eating nothing but blueberries, and screaming at me throughout meals. Last weekend I was feeling like Mom of the Year as I watched my son eat fish, carrots, avocado and some beets for dinner. And with that meal, his sister started refusing everything.

Now the difference this time around is that I'm not stressing. I know she'll eat eventually, and I am not jumping through hoops of fire to appease her. She seems to want to eat while she is crawling around (I experimented and put the same pancake she had rejected in her high chair on my coffee table and she gobbled it up faster than my dog could have). She also demands to have a spoon and/or plate on her tray so she can eat the food off of something (or just have another item to chuck). Basically, she's getting opinionated but I'm not gonna let her get to me! I know she'll eat eventually, it's just a matter of time.

And with that final sentence, she is up a solid 45 minutes early from her nap. Her brother is at school so they clearly sent signals and decided I'm getting too comfortable with my 90 minute break for the week...

Real Food on a Budget

I think one of the biggest reasons people avoid eating good, real food is that it is too expensive.

Food is expensive, that is a fact and I totally understand how someone on a budget (basically all of us!) has a tough time spending that extra couple of dollars for organic produce, or an extra few dollars for the best meat or dairy in the store. But hopefully, you understand the long-term benefits of eating healthier. Less trips to the doctor, a happier mood, and spending less money buying clothes that fit you as your weight constantly fluctuates are just a few realities I look at when weighing where I spend my dollar.

And good, whole food doesn't have to be super expensive. Hopefully I can shed some light onto how to soften the hit your wallet takes at the register.

Tip #1: Purchase cheap cuts of meat.

A "lower quality" cut does not mean lower quality meat. You can get some really high quality meat for a lot cheaper if you opt for less fancy cuts. Instead of spending an arm and a leg on a filet from a local farm, buy the ground beef. Instead of individually packaged organic chicken breasts, buy the whole chicken. Better yet, get some beef jerky to snack on or have at lunchtime with some veggies. It has all the nutrients of beef at a fraction of the cost.

I have recently stumbled upon the chicken thigh as my new go-to option for dinner. Chicken thighs are so much cheaper than breasts. Plus, the thigh has so much more flavor!

I bought some bone-in chicken thighs from U.S. Wellness Meats and cooked them last night. They were absolutely delicious, and super simple. Here's the recipe I used:

Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs

Simple and delicious. And the nice thing about the bone-in thighs is that you can use the bones to make homemade chicken stock (yet another way to help your budget!). And when you buy your meat from a really great place like U.S.Wellness, you don't have to waste so much time trimming all of the thigh fat (which was one reason why I used to steer away from thighs...too much prep work). The bone-in thighs had plenty of meat and I did nothing to prepare them. I just put them on a baking sheet covered with foil and brushed them with the mustard glaze. The whole family approved!

Do a little price comparing and see what the real difference is when you use the cheaper cuts of meat. If it's only a buck or two, it may be worth your while to make the switch.

Hello!

Well I certainly took a long time away from the blog! I have to say, even though I'm almost three years into it, parenthood still kicks my butt on a daily basis. And every time I feel as though I am getting into a routine, it gets swept out from under me in a flash. These past two weeks I have had some house guests and have taken a trip to see family with the kids. Just these two long weekends have totally wiped all of my energy and I feel so far behind in absolutely everything. My house has exploded (more so than usual, despite what the Hubs says "It always looks a mess...."), I am scrambling to get back into a cooking routine, and my motivation to get anything done (blogging, researching new recipes, preparing for the kids' birthday party) is impossible to find.

I find keeping on top of meals for four people, as well as those who come to stay with us, is an absolutely exhausting task at times. Probably because eating never takes a vacation. It isn't as though my kids don't need meals on weekends or I can just have them skip lunch. It isn't like I walk into my kitchen after not being here for five days and the dinners sometimes decide to prepare themselves. It's three meals a day, every single day. And committing to making the majority of our food is something that I am proud of, but also something that becomes a really big thorn in my side.

I'm desperately trying to organize myself and somehow get into a routine, but these pesky kids keep tripping me up. My son is potty training right now so that is taking up a lot of our energy. My daughter just stopped nursing so now we are getting into the routine of bottles and figuring out when to give them to her and how warm she likes them (my not even 1 year old is beyond opinionated...I'm already dreading the teenage years with her). Naps and morning wake-up times are inconsistent, my husband's work schedule is inconsistent, and I have a difficult time trying to keep up with it all.

So right now it's a tough period. I feel like I'm running out of ideas for the kids when it comes to food. They seem bored and tired of the same old, same old. My energy is super low and my patience razor thin. I beat myself up daily for not blogging or responding to peoples' comments (thank you for them by the way!). I haven't been able to go through any more of my workbook on emotional eating. Just a big, fat BLAH in my day to day life right now.

BUT, I will get through this like I always do. I'm going to try super hard to get back into the blog this week. And I'm going to try to take everything one day at a time. Right now my sixth load of laundry is going and the house is only about 80% disastrous. I'm about to go look through some of my favorite Paleo blogs for inspiration for the kids. Just gotta jump back on the horse!

Back but not for long!

Yowsa, I have a tough time when my schedule gets rocked. As much as I loved having my friends come to visit it just knocks my socks off and takes forever for me to find them and get them back on my feet. And even now, a full four days after they left, I feel like I have one sock on and can barely see the second one peeking out from under the bed.

I've been scrambling all week to get back on track with my cooking and routines for the little ones. And I've felt even more against the clock because we have another trip fast approaching that I have to get ready for. This April is jam-packed with the Hubs traveling, people coming here, and us flying with two wild cards. Thankfully I've had some meatballs, chicken nuggets and a few dishes in the big freezer in my garage so I've been able to get proteins together for meals. I fell so far behind with my cooking and shopping with The Hubs also being gone the entire two weeks before my visitors. AND I'm also exhausted from a couple of late (but fun!) nights. So goes the life of a mother...even when you have a fun non-kid weekend planned you pay for it in the end : )

Not too much to report on our eating here. We're pretty much at a plateau. Music Man still fighting me on anything green but doing well with his other veggies and meat. The Peanut is still eating well although I think she's still upset about the weaning process. I'm sort of falling off the wagon a bit and trying to get back on. And I'm really taking a look at my emotional eating and realizing just how big a mountain I have to climb there. But at least I realize I have some things to work through and that's a big step one.

Off I go to prepare for our trip, hopefully I'll get more of the swing of things soon!

Great Breakfast Recipe

This weekend I have some friends coming into town. I had all these grand plans of cooking dinners and  breakfasts and having tasty snacks everywhere but that just didn't happen. The Hubs has been away for two weeks and I barely have enough food in the fridge to feed my kiddos today. It's definitely not stocked for a weekend of fabulous entertaining! But, I packed away some of the Easter leftovers in my freezer and tomorrow we'll enjoy this absolutely delicious Paleo French Toast Bread Pudding.

Now that the kids are getting older and this place is starting to feel less like a dungeon that I can never leave and more like a home again. I'm looking forward to seeing places beyond my 5 mile radius that encompasses the grocery store and the playground. I'm also excited to socialize a little more and invite people over and actually do a little entertaining in my house. I say "entertaining" very loosely because I can only have people over that don't mind tripping on toys, sitting down to a table with crumbs all over it, and leaving with dog hairs all over their clothes. But that is actually an improvement from what this house looked like a few months ago so we'll just go with it.

Anyway, I'm trying to find some meals and dishes that can both satisfy my Paleo lifestyle as well as my guests' taste buds. And this breakfast casserole is definitely one of them.

I am off to try and put this house back together before my friends arrive. Probably won't be posting for a couple of days, enjoy the weekend!

Emotional Eating

OK, so here's a topic I've been thinking about for quite some time. As much as I go on and on about the addictive nature of sugar and the physiological toll it takes on my body, I know deep down inside that there's a lot of emotional turmoil that sends me flying to the refrigerator to scarf down food.

I'm currently working through a workbook on dealing with overeating and binge eating and this week the theme is humility. Basically, accepting that we are flawed humans and learning how to deal with the ups and downs of life without reaching for the ice cream. There's actually a LOT more to it than that, but for the sake of this blog I'll only share some tangible stuff, like the "assignments" I'm working on.

I had to pick one aspect of my "food stuff" that I would like to change. As I've mentioned before, I have a habit of eating whenever my kids go down for a nap. I end up snacking so much that I'm eating a full meal and I know that I'm really not hungry. I'm supposed to take note of what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling when I attempt to not eat at this time. I probably won't share everything I experience (emotional eating is deep-rooted in some very personal stuff!) but I'll share any progress I do or don't make.

I'm finding all these detoxes to be too much on me at the time. I think I'm actually going to take a small break from them and try to focus a little more on what is going on inside myself and work on some personal growth. There I go getting all Oprah again! But it's all part of the journey...food is such a huge part of our bodies (physically, mentally, and emotionally) that many of us have a long road ahead of us before we figure it all out.

Music Man 1,374...Mommy 1!

Victory!

As I have written in the past, trying to feed the Music Man has been a struggle for about two years. Ever since he started eating his own table food he has fought me on anything and everything. BUT, last week I earned a huge victory.

He ate salmon! And he actually ATE it. Like a lot. And he ate it for two dinners in a row. Oh baby, that had me on cloud nine for quite some time. I was patting myself so hard on the back that I bruised. Feeling like a triumphant mother doesn't happen too often these days, so I am soaking this in.

I made him the "Quick & Easy Salmon Cakes" from (you guessed it!) Practical Paleo.

Here's the recipe:

2 6-ounce cans of wild salmon (drained) *I order most of my salmon from Vital Choice.
2 eggs, beaten
3 T minced shallot (I just used a white onion)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T green onions, minced (I didn't have any so I left them out)
1 t Savory Spice Blend **
2 t gluten-free mustard (optional...I used regular yellow mustard. I plan on buying gluten-free once I go through the mustard in my fridge)
1-2 t coconut flour (optional...I used this, actually probably used a little more to get the consistency I wanted)
1/4 c coconut oil or butter

Combine salmon, eggs, shallots, garlic, green onions, Saturday Spice Blend, and mustard in a small mixing bowl. Add the flour you need to get the consistency you want. I wanted them a little firmer so added a couple of scoops.

In a large pan melt the oil and then just fry them up like patties. I guess it was about 3-4 minutes per side.

** Practical Paleo has a whole page of spice blends to make up for her recipes. They use easy ingredients and are great to have on hand. I basically just did a mix of rosemary, sage, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and black pepper. I like to get creative with my spice combos and don't really think you can go wrong. This is where you can feel like an actual "chef" and not just a person who does EXACTLY what a book tells you to do. There's something liberating about this for me :)


He ate these puppies up. Of course, he'll probably throw them to the floor next week but I'm adding them to my list of foods I know he can eat and that won't make him gag (broccoli and green beans are still on that list....)

These kids are killing me!

Ugh, doing this detox while taking care of my kids is getting to me. And by getting to me, I mean that I cheated! Sad but true. It's so tough to have all of this fruit around for them and these muffins that I've sweetened with ripened bananas and honey. So this weekend I indulged a little. But the really good news is that for once I'm not beating myself up about it, and I'm moving forward with the detox instead of quitting and binging on anything in site. That's what I would have done before. But I'm trying to diffuse this perfection monster that always rears its ugly head when I'm trying to accomplish something.

What helped was one of the support emails sent out to the detox group this morning. It's Day 8 and Diane encouraged us to keep going forward even if we had a slip-up. "Slip-ups" used to not be in my dictionary. It was all or nothing baby! You can't say you did a detox if you even consumed 1 gram of sugar! Well, that chick has been suffering with sugar addiction and emotional eating for years so maybe it's time for a new mindset. A calmer, more compassionate mindset that doesn't collapse when plans don't match an exact blueprint. I enjoy this way of thinking a lot more and its the one I want to model for my kids.

But still, they are killing me. It's so much easier to go through this when you really can clear out your house of anything tempting. And it's easier when you don't have much stress in your life and aren't exhausted trying to chase your now mobile and curious Peanut and breathe your way through the Music Man's latest blow-up. My favorite is when he loses his mind over something HE suggested.

MM: Want water.
Me: Water? Ok, I'll get you some water.
MM: NO WATER!!!!
Me: Ok, I'll just put it on the counter and you can have it when you want it.

10 seconds pass...

MM: Water please.

And the day is like that for 13 hours....

But it's Monday, a new week and it is beautiful here in Charlotte. Spring has finally arrived and I'm off to the grocery store to load up on vegetables for the week. I've done a fair amount of cooking in preparation for this week so all of my proteins are ready.

Even if I stumble through these 21 days I'm still going to be happy I did it. I'm still working on my emotional bond with food and I think having a little more patience and compassion with myself will only help that.

Starting Day 6...

Well this is the first day on the detox without my mom here to help me. I tried to do a lot of cooking the past two days but it's still going to be a challenge to get quality meals on the table while taking care of the kids. And the Peanut keeps waking early so she's cutting into my morning prep time. The good (and sort of bad) news is that we've started to wean from nursing. More on that topic later, but it is giving me some freedom during the day and I can hopefully not feel so crazy with keeping to feeding schedules as I have been.

But I've got a grain-free porridge heating in the pot and some left-over sausage for the Music Man. The Peanut will have her egg yolks, sweet potato and avocado. And I made the apple streusel egg muffins from Practical Paleo last week and will shovel a few of them in my mouth as I scramble to get us off to swim lessons and a birthday party this morning.

Off to begin the day...it's finally spring here in Charlotte so hopefully the sunshine makes these withdrawal symptoms bearable!

Day 4

Holy tomatoes I did a lot of cooking today. My mom leaves tomorrow so I wanted to take advantage of my built-in nanny and get a lot done for the next few days. Unfortunately when I cook a lot I tend to "taste" a lot and right now my belly is about to implode. But I managed to make a few portions of two different meals (both from Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook), and some chicken nuggets for the kids. Oh and I also made these Apple Streusel Egg Muffins from the book, Practical Paleo. I'll eat these this next week while I'm trying to get the days started without much help.

All this cooking on top of the regular breakfast, lunch and dinner I do. When I have visitors I tend to think I can cook during the day and don't do as much prep beforehand. Somehow it never works out well and I scramble around all day and feel totally disorganized. My hungry kids scream until I serve them burnt or cold food. But I managed to slow-cook a chicken, roast some sweet potatoes and sauté swiss chard with ginger and garlic for dinner tonight. Yum.

Felt good today but the cravings aren't backing down. Lots of snacking again but I'm staying on the path. I think this weekend will be rough but if I can make it to the middle of next week without cheating I should start seeing some great results.

Home Within A Home

A little over three years ago we decided to move down to Charlotte. I was not too thrilled about the move back then, but one of The Hubs major selling points was that by moving South we could afford a bigger house. Although a small positive in a sea of negatives (as I felt they were at the time) I have to admit the idea of having a spacious house got me a little excited. Our move pretty much coincided with my decision to eat a whole foods diet that involved cooking about 95% of my meals and so these days it doesn't matter how much space we have in our house. Because I live in one room....the bathroom. No! Although I do take my digestion quite seriously and examine it more than is considered "normal" I clearly meant to say the kitchen.

I spend A LOT of time in my kitchen. I wake up at 6:00 in the morning, attempt to do a few sit-ups while my belly laughs at me and screams "Oh, you think throwing a pail of water on a forest fire is going to help...that's cute", and then head downstairs to get as much done as I possibly can before I hear the Peanut calling for me. Usually this means getting breakfast prepared for the kids....Music Man usually gets a grain-free pancake  scrambled egg and some sort of breakfast meat. The Peanut gets 1-2 egg yolks, avocado, some sort of veggie pancake I've got left-over and fruit. On the days I'm on my game, most of these items come out of the refrigerator and just need to be re-heated. But sometimes I have to cook from scratch and that requires me to shift into third gear by the time GMA starts.

After breakfast is clean-up and on days my son goes to preschool it's back to the kitchen when I put the Peanut down for her nap. Usually on these days I try to get dinner all done. I aim for slow-cooker meals, or dishes that taste pretty good heated up. Back to the kitchen again for lunch time and then during afternoon nap time (or "quiet time" depending on which way the wind blows that day for Music Man) I finish up dinner or try to cook something that can be frozen/stored for later...pancakes, chopping veggies for tomorrow's dinner, roasting potatoes. On the days I have both kids at home, I turn to my best bud Mickey Mouse (or Daniel Tiger) during the Peanut's nap so I can have a few minutes to assemble dinner.

Most days I don't have time to actually cook dinner at dinnertime. The 5:00 hour is a delicate balancing act of trying to get the kids into dinner and bedtime mode and while also not pulling out every hair on my head or kicking a hole in my wall. It's also a time of day when anyone's mood (my son's...daughter's...mine) can totally shift the energy in the house and we can go from having a pleasant conclusion to the day to a "dear God I think the clock is broken" type of evening. The Hubs isn't usually around during the week at this time so I've only got two hands and they usually can't be occupied prepping dinner.

Once the kids are in bed, back into the kitchen to clean up all the mess and depending on my energy I do some more prepping or cooking for the following days.

Even though I don't enjoy much of my nice house, I do love my very spacious kitchen. When and if we move again, I think I'll shoot for a smaller house but with a bigger kitchen. I figure I'll just move a bed and a TV in there...

Day 2 Complete...Cravings Knocking on my Door

Whoo, today was an eating day. I stayed with the program but I definitely snacked myself through the afternoon. Lots of unsweetened coconut flakes, an unripe banana, walnuts and carrots. Just to give an idea of what I CAN eat, here were my meals:

Breakfast: sliced skirt steak, zucchini pancakes, sauerkraut, and roasted butternut squash with thyme (all of these were left-overs)

Lunch: salad with avocado and left-over chicken thighs and bacon. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Gomasio (sesame seeds and seaweed) on top.

Dinner: Chicken Cacciatore recipe from the Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook. I had wanted to serve it with spaghetti squash to give it a more "pasta-y" feel, but squash are starting to go out of season so I couldn't get my hands on one. Instead, I roasted up some carrots, zucchini, and re-heated some broccoli and green beans and made a vegetable medley. I poured the cacciatore sauce over the veggies and felt really satisfied with the meal!

Music Man ate up the chicken and the carrots. My Little Peanut was digging the chicken and zucchini. Neither were into the mushrooms in the sauce.

So far I haven't had too many detox symptoms. I'm tired today but that could be from my cruddy night's sleep. I read on the 21DSD Facebook page that people who eat mostly natural sugars actually feel worse on days 5-8 of the challenge. I have a feeling this may happen to me. My mom leaves on Day 5 and I'll have the kids all to myself. Perfect timing : ) But I'll get through it!

Paleo Approved Recipes

So now that I've decided to tweak the way I eat, I'm going to look back at some of the recipes I've been posting and determining what is Paleo-approved and how I can maybe change them to meet our new diet.

I need to remove all grains. Some people also do not eat potatoes but I am including those in our diet for now. I'm not eating white potatoes on the detox these next three weeks, but I'm actually eating sweet potatoes almost every day. I am still nursing and I need the extra carbs to keep my milk supply up.

First up are my stir-fry recipes. Basically they are Paleo-approved as long as I don't serve them over rice:

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Red Peppers

Peanutty Stirfry  - I can't use peanut butter for this anymore. Peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts, so no go for Paleo. I'm going to try using a different nut butter with this one...thinking maybe cashew?

Chicken and Squash Stir-Fry

** I may try serving these with spaghetti squash or some day when I get super fancy and buy some expensive equipment I can make my own zucchini noodles. But that's low on the list...I'm trying to figure out how I can get my hands on a dehydrator in the next year. The Hubs has never bought me jewelry, the best present is when he just shrugs his shoulders when I purchase kitchen equipment and "weird" ingredients online.


The soups and stews are all fine:

Paleo Veggie Beef Chili  OK, I realized when copying and pasting this it obviously is OK since it's a Paleo recipe! I also love this because I can sneak liver in it with no one being the wiser.

Yikes - only one soup and stew recipe...gotta work on that.

The 2 slow cooker recipes I've posted so far need some adjustment...

Slow Cooker Tomatillo Chicken and Black Bean Tacos - No beans on Paleo. They are extremely difficult to digest. I think this dish would be fine without the beans, just cook chicken and the rest of the ingredients. I served it over rice and the Hubs used a wrap, but you could put it over a salad with some avocado and tomatoes and it would be delicious. You could also serve it along side some grilled broccoli, peppers and zucchini. Just make sure you get avocado and some good quality salsa whatever you do.

Sausage and Peppers - This one is a tough because who doesn't associate sausage and peppers with a crusty, buttery bun and some melted mozzarella dripping down the sides? That's the picture on this recipe post and it makes my mouth drool just thinking about it. But the flavors are delicious on their own, so just put it next to asparagus or maybe some crunchy kale chips.


Most anything can be Paleo-fied...a lot of times it's just increasing the amount of vegetables and eliminating the grain. I'm sure I'm going to stumble upon some bumps in the road, but luckily there are so many cookbooks and blogs out there about Paleo that I shouldn't have a problem creating delicious, satisfying meals for the fam.

Paleo - Day 1!

Day 1 of the detox and I've got a lot of groundwork to do. My mom's in town so hopefully I can get a lot of cooking done these next few days. I also keep noticing improvements in my Music Man on his grain-free/dairy-free diet and I've got to get cracking on some kid friendly Paleo options for him.

Here's what I'm working on for breakfast options for the kids:

Zucchini pancakes
Green eggs
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

I'll share the recipes I can as I work through them.

Most of my dinners this week are based on the new cookbook I just ordered: Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook . Tonight I'm planning on making a salmon and sweet potato cake with an apple rosemary dipping sauce, broccoli and a green salad.

This 21-day sugar detox is very similar to what I've been trying to do before, but no grains. My diet will be mostly meat and veggies. No beans, lentils, rice, quinoa, or millet anymore. I can eat green apples and underripe bananas. It's not because they are low on the glycemic index or anything, it's because they aren't that sweet. That's one of the reasons this particular sugar detox spoke to me, because they recognize that some people can't handle fruit that well. I was listening to a podcast and Diane Sanfilippo was explaining why fruit that is actually low in sugar content (like berries) aren't on the list. She said something like, "I know some people that can do a number on a pint of blueberries." Um, yes! That would be me.

I think today I'll feel Ok and hopefully the detox symptoms won't be as strong as they have been in the past since I really have been eating pretty clean these past three months. I just slipped a little last week and this weekend. I've got to drink tons of water and try to get outside a bit to help with the stress I'm going to be putting on my body. I've got high hopes for this plan so we'll see!

Happy Easter!

This has been a big week in the Smith household. I've decided to put my Music Man on a grain-free, dairy-free diet and have already seen huge improvements in his behavior and overall development. I know most that read this will think I'm nuts (and I know the Hubs and any other family member I've divulged this to are rolling their eyes at me) but I'm a Mama on a mission and I don't care! I've got him off his raw milk but am considering putting him back on that soon to see what happens. Raw milk is a great source of nutrition and a lot of people can enjoy it without any repercussions. But NO MORE GRAINS! More on this later.

I have decided to go full-blown Paleo. And tomorrow I am starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox put on by Diane Sanfilippo. She is the author of my new bible, (yikes, sorry for the comparison on this incredibly holy day but that's how strongly I feel about it!) Practical Paleo.

I started this year wanting to live sugar free and have had many ups and downs. Also, a lot of ah-ha moments and the biggest one came this past week with my first real introduction to the Paleo lifestlye. I had been eating sugar all along in the form of oats, millet, quinoa and rice. So I'm off on a newer version of my journey and tomorrow the first true detox begins. I plan on documenting as much as I can and I MAY even try to upload some pictures of what I'm cooking in the kitchen. Whoa, I need to take a deep breath just typing that. Pictures mean you really ARE trying to blog!

I'm also considering sharing this once private blog to my Facebook universe. I think I need the added motivation and if anyone out there is thinking about making a change in their diet or lifestyle I feel like they should know that a certified health-nut is just a message away!

So enjoy your Easter feasts. I've been working this weekend on two ham roasts, a Paleo French Toast Casserole, and a chocolate and bacon dessert. My last hoorah with a little natural sweetener and then back to the detox regiment tomorrow!

Stir-Fry Recipe #3

I love this stir-fry recipe. It is extremely easy and tasty and just like any stir-fry, you can whip it up in minutes.

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Red Peppers

I got this recipe from a blog called Simply Recipes. This is actually a great place for beginner cooks to start. She has a LARGE pool of recipes and isn't quite as strict as I am with her ingredients. I'm sure you can find dishes with plenty of cheese and some wheat and sugar in them. But she still cooks with plenty of healthy, delicious ingredients.

The farm I get my meat from actually sells their steak already cut in strips so my prep time is cut in half with this dish. I serve it over rice, but not for long! I will probably just increase the veggies and serve it as is in our new Paleo household!

Cabbage

Cabbage is certainly in season right now. I try to eat seasonally to take advantage of the produce at their peak season. This is when the nutrients are the most dense and the food is the most flavorful. For most people, including myself, I only associate cabbage with St. Patrick's Day. While my family never really celebrated this holiday with a specific cuisine, I have on occasion tried cooked cabbage in March and was never really a big fan. But this was years ago and now that I'm eating a cleaner diet I felt that my taste buds should be re-introduced to this nutritious food.

Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous family (broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, kale and Brussels sprouts are some of its relatives) which is an all-star sub-category of vegetables. They are most famous for their cancer fighting abilities, due to their huge amounts of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. There are numerous studies published that link these power veggies to reducing cancer risks in patients.  Cabbage in particular has an enormous amount of Vitamin C, as well as a good amount of fiber, B complex, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

The cruciferous family should be a regular sight on your dinner table, but if you have thyroid issues you may want to take caution. I dealt with a small thyroid issue during my second pregnancy and my research taught me that these vegetables also have goitrogens in them. What they heck are those? Basically, it's a substance that blocks the formation of the thyroid hormone. It really shouldn't be an issue for anyone with a normally functioning thyroid, but if you have any of those issues, maybe don't pile them on your plate alllll the time. I also think I read that if you cook them this will break down the goitrogens but I am not positive on that one.

As always, I sure as heck am no doctor! Do your own research. There are rare cases when food does not act as medicine, but for the most part you can't go wrong eating directly from Mother Nature's supermarket.

Now when I made cabbage a few weeks ago, I tried a recipe from Nourishing Traditions. I used red cabbage (which isn't as sweet as green cabbage) and I really liked it. It's key to really dress up red cabbage to help with its sometimes bitter flavor. Also, the red color may dwindle when cooked (to almost a blue tone!) so be sure to cook with some sort of acid (either vinegar or lemon juice) to help retain its more appetizing color.

Red Cabbage with Orange

1 medium red cabbage
1 small onion, chopped
grated rind of 2 oranges
juice of 2 oranges
1 t salt
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 T raw honey
3 T whey (or raw wine vinegar) *I used white wine vinegar. 
4 T butter

Marinate all of these ingredients over night (except for the butter). Melt butter in a large frying pan and then add the cabbage mixture. Bring it to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and let it cook for about an hour. I actually think mine was done in about 40 minutes. You want to wait until the cabbage is tender and the liquid has pretty much evaporated. I left mine a bit crunchy but cook to whatever consistency you find appetizing.

This recipe falls under the "has potential" category. I really liked it a lot, and so did my Mom. The Peanut ate some of it, but the Music Man wasn't feeling it, and The Hubs said it tasted "interesting." He will never admit it, but I know "interesting" is not a good reaction from him. It has a pretty strong citrus flavor, which is not his thing. It's one of those dishes that tastes great if you combine it with other things on your plate. I served it with chicken and I believe asparagus. I mixed it with the chicken and I could see using it as a topping on other meats, like a turkey burger. I also used it cold the next day on a salad and I felt it gave my sometimes boring green salad a really nice punch of flavor.

I think I will try making it again, but I have to give some thought as to what I pair it with.

Mind...BLOWN!!

So this past weekend I got an email from my local library telling me one of the zillion of books I have on hold was available. I saw that it was a Paleo book but didn't run to pick it up. Although I hadn't read any of the research, I wasn't completely sold on this way of eating. I'm not sure why, but I was dragging my feet.

I should have SPRINTED to the library!

Holy tomatoes, has blown my mind. I have never seen such an extensive, easy to use, volume of a book that is essentially based on everything I believe! And it's from 2012 so all the research and studies are current. Just in the first few pages alone I am seeing statements written that I have only seen on my online health blogs (like that cholesterol is not necessarily linked to heart disease). She's got raw milk in here, fermented foods, healthy fatty oils, pages on digestion, blood sugar levels (my hot spot) and it....is....just....amazing!

Here's the book:

Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo (aka, my new hero)

I think I may be purchasing this one.

And then to add fuel to this exciting fire, Diane was one of the first guest speakers on this week's Healthy Life Summit. I found out about this week-long free online conference with some of the world's leading health experts through all of the blogs I follow. If you have some time it's definitely worth a listen. So I listened to Diane talk about her Paleo lifestyle as well as her 21-day sugar detox as I cleaned up the dinner dishes and put all the of the toys away. Loved every second of it, and this has really opened my eyes.

I was never really living sugar free because I was still consuming grains and legumes.

I always knew this in the back of my mind, but I didn't want to do it. I think a few years ago when I first went sugar free I did have some grains, but I mostly ate vegetables and meat.  I definitely have never felt as good as I did that spring of 2009. Part of the reason I started including natural sweeteners back into my diet this go around was because I wasn't feeling much better. I know that the external factors definitely play a part in it (stress, lack of sleep, emotional ties to food, etc) but I actually don't think I was doing my body any good eating the oatmeal, rice, millet and quinoa on a daily basis.

And so....I am going to get back on the saddle. There are two ways to approach this:

1) Begin a Paleo lifestyle. This means I eat meat, vegetables, some fruit, and can have the occasional natural sweetener (yippeeeeee!!!)

2) First do the 21-day Sugar Detox and then transition into the Paleo lifestyle. This means no natural sweeteners and only green apples and underripe bananas as my fruit for three weeks.

I'm not sure what option I'm going to do, but I do know I'm going to give one of these a try. But like everything else, I don't think it's best for me to plunge into this immediately. I'm going to take a month to dive into this book, search online, and get myself prepared so I can have the smoothest transition possible.

Now before you go rolling your eyes and saying things like, "Ugh, Brooke is crazy. Just aimlessly jumping from one fad to another. She just needs to chill" hear me out. Because this is the look The Hubs gave me this weekend as I was sitting on the couch drooling over this book.

First off, this isn't a stretch from what I'm already doing. The bulk of the book is about eating healthy fats (check), high-quality meat (check), cutting out processed foods (check) and avoiding all refined sugars (half check). The difference is that she includes whole grains and legumes in her "refined sugars" category. And the more I read....I am agreeing with her. Remember how I'm always saying that real food should spoil and not be able to sit on shelves for months at a time? Well, dry grains and legumes sit on those shelves so they have always been confusing me.

Secondly, even though I am eating a clean diet and nothing processed and no gluten and very little dairy, I am still suffering from some issues:

- Blood sugar ups and downs: I never quite kicked this over the past month or so. And it's getting a little ridiculous. If I eat breakfast I almost feel faint a couple of hours later. I can literally feel the dips in my body as the day goes by. She devotes an entire portion of the book to blood sugar problems.

- Digestion: I don't want to divulge too much here, but let's just say my trips to to the toilet aren't "normal." And I'm noticing a lot of build up of gas and just odd things going on in my tummy. Again, an entire chapter devoted to digestion in the book.

And lastly, I actually don't think this will be as difficult as no sugar completely (even though I wasn't doing that!).  If I can have the occasional grain-free muffin sweetened with honey or molasses, I don't think I'll feel like I'm missing out on much. We'll see how it goes when I actually start doing it, but that's my gut feeling.

I have a busy month with The Hubs traveling, people visiting, and a trip up north so I think I will wait until that blows over so I can have a solid block of time at home to give this a whirl. Until then, I'm going to be trying out different recipes and trying to have as many grain-free days as I can.

And I'm going to dissect this book and all things Paleo and share them with you! Oh happy day! :)

Reason #7: Calling all Oprah fans!

Ok, so by now I think I've documented quite a few legit (I think) reasons for why I eat a very clean diet that is free of MOST sugars and gluten. And really, this last reason isn't anything new.

I like myself and I like my life when I am eating healthy and taking care of my body.

It seems simple, but for so many of us taking care of ourselves is difficult. It shouldn't be, but it is. There is so much pressure to succeed...be the best mother, be the best employee, be the best friend, family member, whatever. If you're not doing something productive every moment of the day then you are lazy. If you're not taking advantage of every fun activity available to you than you are wasting your life. We all live by deadlines and expectations that make us feel rushed, drained and unfulfilled. Well I shouldn't say "all" because there are people out there who are extremely content and living well-nourished fulfilled lives but unfortunately I think the bulk of our society is feeling a little stressed out.

I watch TV and see all of the commercials for energy drinks and fast food chains or meals you can zap in a microwave or health claims on foods that can't even claim to be "food." I'm to assume that people are eating this stuff and can't help but think there is a link between what we put into our systems and how we live our lives. I saw something on Facebook the other day that resonated with me: "You are what you eat. So don't be fast, cheap, easy or fake."

Now believe me, I KNOW that telling people to make all of their food and eat 95% of their meals at home is unrealistic for a lot of you. I'm no dummy. I stay at home with my kids and I devote a lot of time to my food. It's a choice I have made, and I feel lucky every day that I can spend time doing something I love. I do wish I had time to do other things, but food and health are at the top of my list and always will be. My house doesn't look great, my kids aren't always clean, and most days I leave the house without deodorant, brushed teeth or clean hair while wearing a T-shirt from 2006 and ripped jeans. This is one of the prices I pay for spending so much time peeling vegetables and cooking porridge.

But a big benefit is how much better I feel about myself when I have good food going through my system. And I honestly feel joy when I see my kids eating healthy food. I love spending time writing this blog and sharing my thoughts about all of these subjects. And I'm excited to some day turn this into a career for myself. I'm still very nervous about how that will all turn out. Right now, my loose time line is to start up a health coaching business by January of 2015. I'm not sure what direction I will take, but I do know by then I will need to seriously consider taking the plunge into the very scary unknown.

I also find that when I am eating well, I put more energy into trying to improve myself in other areas. I watch a lot of Oprah - I'm a sucker for her Super Soul Sunday series! I read her magazines, I try to stop and take deep breaths. I engage in deeper conversations with my friends about life, dreams, goals and do a lot of reflecting. For the most part, my head feels like it's on straighter, my thoughts feel more centered, and my emotions are more in check. Food truly is medicine, not of just the body, but of our mind and spirit as well. And with that, I'll end this series before I start writing about my animal spirit or sacred contracts.



Now it's time to brainstorm a new series of posts for every Monday. My options are:

1) Eating Well on a Budget
2) Spice/Herb Profiles (adding spices to your cooking will really open up those taste buds and make you excited about different ingredients!)
3) Breakfast Ideas

I'll choose one by next week. Stay tuned!

Beets

I was looking back at some old posts and realized that I never documented how things went with introducing new veggies to the household. I had worked on four recipes for the following vegetables:

Cabbage
Artichokes
Beets
Parsnips
Turnips
Rutabagas

The verdict? Two successes, one with potential, and one failure. Not bad. I really didn't have my hopes too high so I was pleased.

The big winner of the weekend, at least for me, were the beets! Absolutely delicious. My mom liked them, the Peanut loves them, and I can't get enough of them. The Hubs had a work dinner that night and hasn't tried them yet (I'm sure he's losing sleep over that one), and I haven't been able to get The Music Man to try them either.

Before I talk about how I prepared them, let me give you some nutritional background on the glorious beet:

Beets date back to the Middle Ages and are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorous. They also have plenty of carotene, B complex and Vitamin C. I'm attracted to them for the minerals. The more I read, the more I realize how much of our population is deficient in iron and magnesium. These are tough minerals to find in foods, and food is how you will absorb them the best. The beet is an all-star because it is so heavily concentrated with this good stuff, so much so that a lot of natural vitamins and supplements are derived from them. And all of these healthy minerals and vitamins are in the leaf tops as well, so be sure to buy them whole to get the most from this amazing superfood! My beginning goal is to have beets at least twice a month, but I want to eventually get to a place where I cook them once a week and use them sporadically throughout the week.

I looked to my book Nourishing Traditions for a starting point in preparation.  I also went online for some cooking tips and this is what I ended up doing:

Take the beet and slice off the green leaves on the ends. Save them because you will wilt them later and toss them with the beets. I chopped off the hearty stalk and just saved the leaves but I actually think the stalks are probably good for you.

Chop off the long stems at the other end of the beet and discard. Then wash them pretty good. But don't go crazy because you'll peel off the skin anyway.

Drizzle olive oil over the beets and then wrap them up in aluminum foil. Place them on a baking sheet. This is for easy clean up. Beet juice stains and everything you use while preparing them (your knife, the baking sheet, the fork you use to pierce them) will get nice and red-purply. 

Roast them in the oven.

Now time and temperature will vary. Food is best slow-cooked but sometimes you don't have the time for that. Sally Fallon suggests 2 hours in a 250 degree oven. I did 350 degrees and it took a little over an hour. When you can pierce them easily with a fork they are done. And like most root vegetables, the softer they feel when pierced, the more tender and delicious they will be.

Once done, use a fork or spoon and just push the skin off of them. It will slide right off. Slice up the beets and then sautee them with their greens, garlic, and some butter. Add salt and pepper to taste and you've got one great side dish!

Use the left-over beets in a salad. They taste great cold or warm. My Peanut eats them for breakfast with her egg yolk and some avocado.

Starting Habits Young

I recently came across an article on Facebook:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/02/20/why-is-everyone-always-giving-my-kids-junk-food

The writer does an excellent job of conveying something that has been puzzling me every since my Music Man started entering the outside world that is our American society:

Why does everything we do with our kids have to be linked to food?!? And more importantly, why junk food??

Now I understand birthday parties. I realize that I'm a little extreme in that I didn't bake a cake for him for his 1st or 2nd birthday. I also have never taken him Trick or Treating, more so because he really didn't understand the concept. But I also never offered him candy during these times because quite frankly, he wouldn't have known if I had done it. Especially during his first year or two. I figured Halloween would be a tough enough battle for me once he was old enough to enjoy it, so why give his body crap now?

I understand that kids do a great job of negotiating and begging for sweets, and that controlling the amount of sugar my kids eat will be a battle for me at times. But when they are babies and toddlers, and we are truly molding the expectations and habits they will form for the rest of their childhood, why are we pushing the sweets on them? Who says that you "have" to give a 15 month old a chocolate bar because it's Halloween? Why does my 2 year old receive Valentines at school that have candy bags attached to them? And why does he come home with green frosting on his lips because it happens to be St. Patrick's Day?

I am not judging anyone who gives their kids sweets. I completely plan on giving my kids desserts and treats. But from my kitchen and cooked with the ingredients I select. And when we're out and about I will definitely allow the occassional treat (and I also know when they get old enough it's all out of my hands and I just hope I've given them enough knowledge to make mostly healthy choices). My beef is with the "public", as in his preschool or any other area with kids' activities, inundates him with sugary stuff just because that's what they feel they are supposed to know. And I am beyond perplexed when they offer it to kids who honestly wouldn't care one way or another if there was candy.

In our country, SO many people struggle with weight. And for a lot of us, it's an emotional connection to sweets that makes it difficult for us to resist them. Or sends us straight to the ice cream container when we're in a bad mood. I do believe there can be a positive emotional connection between us and our food - I actually agree with Michael Pollan when he says one of our problems is we have widdled food down too much to a science and forgotten what it meant to savor and enjoy it the way that other cultures do (but that is for another post). But we don't give our kids a shot in heck to create a positive relationship with food if we are constantly bombarding them with sweets during "celebrations." Again, I get it. Birthdays are a big deal. The holidays are a big deal. If in your house, Valentine's candy makes or breaks you, then go for it! Just stop assuming that I also want to do that with my own child.

Here's my perfect example of how something we do with our kids translates to the real world and then I'll stop this vent: My son's preschool does something called "Donuts with Daddy." I don't know the specifics because it is for the other kids, but I assume it is a special day once or twice a year where Dad actually comes to their schools. Now I'm sorry, but don't you think a 3 or 4 year old would be content enough to just have DAD be there?? His mere presence in their school, showing him the class, and sharing his/her favorite story with him would make the day unbelievably special for any child. Why must we pair an absolute piece of garbage food with this event? What does this remind me of? Donuts and bagels every Friday at the school I used to teach at! Donuts and coffee in the break room at the office I used to intern at! Sweets around every corner at any business in America! And we wonder why a report just came out that our obesity rate is still rising and that heart disease is taking more peoples' lives every single day?

It starts at the beginning folks!! You do not need sugar and treats to have fun! That doesn't mean it isn't fun to eat something sweet every once in awhile, but I hate that we look at it the reversed way. Kids are amazing beings in that they can find fun in a cardboard box, or with a leaf that's flying away, or a red crayon and a piece of paper. It's because we start them so early on this junk food/candy link to events that by the time they do reach grade school they are expecting it.

Once I get through these last 18-24 months of babies and diapers I really think the first thing I want to accomplish as a health coach is trying to get my voice heard in these preschools. There have got to be other mommies out there who agree with me on this. In the words of Barney Stinson, "Challenge accepted!"

Slow-Cooker Recipe #2

I've got something cooking away in the slow cooker right now and I just tasted it and am giving it my seal of approval! Yet another Mexican inspired dish. But you really can't go wrong with them:

Slow Cooker Tomatillo Chicken and Black Bean Tacos from The Perfect Pantry.

I didn't have any black beans, so I used one can of northern white beans and one pinto. Any combo would work. I also didn't use the 2 T of brown sugar. I used 1 T of Sucanat. I'm going to serve it with wheat tortilla for the Hubs and alongside rice for me and The Music Man. I'll let the Peanut eat some of the chicken, but right now I avoid legumes and grains with her. I want to wait as long as possible for her digestive system to develop before I give her anything tough for her tummy. At least 18 months and maybe 2 years depending on things are going.

Great Snacks for Kids

This past weekend my Music Man went on an eating frenzy. He ate all three of his meals and even asked for seconds on some of them. He ate oatmeal, home made pancakes, avocados, cheese quesadillas, chicken, meatballs, rice, sweet potatoes, hummus. strawberries, bananas, and kiwis. Still nothing green, but leaps and bounds above what he was eating less than two months ago. I had mentioned that we had laid down the hammer and told him he would be eating our food. The success has happened quicker than I thought it would. I finally have a few staples that he will eat and I'm going to move into the next phase of dishes (and preparing vegetables in a more tasty manner) over the next few months.

Something I did to make this transition smoother was to create some healthy snacks that I could use as "bait" to get him to eat my food. Once I found some that he liked, I could tell him he could have these snacks if he ate some avocado (or chicken, whatever). Sometimes he still needs the incentive, but in the beginning I really needed these to get the ball rolling. I know some parents don't believe in bribing a kid to eat food with other food, but I figured since I was bribing with items I thought were good for him (fruit or these snacks) that it wasn't too bad.

Here are the links to some snacks I have prepared (all can be made in big batches and frozen)

Energy Balls

He loves these. Will eat about anything to get them. They are basically nuts and dried fruit. All things I am fine with him eating. Super simple to make.


Super Bars

I actually haven't tried these in awhile. He liked them a lot in the beginning but then lost a little interest. But again, oats, dried fruit, nuts. I think I replaced the brown sugar with either honey or Sucanat (a sweetener made from whole cane sugar that still has all of the natural molasses. Nothing added, nothing taken out).


PB & J Bars

These are a grain-free version of a classic. He used to love these but I have to negotiate a little these days. Which I cannot understand for the life of me. They are delicious.

All of these snacks are grain-free and made with natural sweeteners. They do take a little time, but like I said, you can make big batches and freeze. And they all travel well and can be put in kids' lunch boxes.

Reason #6 for a Whole Foods Diet: I LOVE FOOD!!

I realize I missed last week's Monday post about why I am doing this. And I'm going to change the "this" from sugar-free year to eating a whole food diet. And by this I mean, eating REAL food. Trying to eat very little processed food, cooking most of my food, and staying away from refined sugars, gluten and nasty vegetable oils.

When I tell people that I am cutting out processed foods from my diet (and sugar, which most read as - dessert) I am shocked when people say they couldn't do this because they "like food too much." I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that stuff you are eating is not food. I don't want to come across as preachy, because I think everyone has the right to put whatever they want into their mouth. I just ask that you don't fool yourself into thinking it is food. Like I have written before, if it can sit on a shelf for months (or years) at a time, it isn't food. If it is neon green or hot pink or turquoise, it most likely isn't food.

I love food. Love, love, love it. I think it's safe to assume that we all do since we need it to survive. I haven't met anyone who doesn't have foods that make them happy, or favorite foods, or doesn't comment on the smells of a kitchen with dishes warming in the oven.

But when you start eating real food, and getting your taste buds back in order after years of tricking them with artificially flavored things, you will fall in love with food all over again. I know I did. And to my surprise, I love making food. I love turning something simple, like a zucchini, into a delicious pancake with onions, garlic and seasonings. Or plain oats into a warm porridge with spices and fats to make a stick to your ribs type of breakfast.

Something I need to work on is just how much I'm loving my food. While I do believe a lot of my false hunger and cravings is due to the sugar going through my body, I also do admit that I have formed some pretty bad habits. Habits that are incredibly difficult for my to break. Three habits that I need to work on over the next few months are:

1) Eating my kids' food. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's tough not to pick at left-overs on a tray. Or the few spoonfuls of something still sitting in my frying pan that they don't want to eat. Even though it's good food, too much food is not good for you. And since I'm not training for a half marathon or doing three sessions of yoga a week or entering a gym anytime this year I have to be more conscious of the amount of food I am eating. And I found even when I was feeling good with the absence of sugar a month ago, I was still eating my kids food because it was there and it looked good.

2) Eating while I cook. Similar issue. The food is there and I want to eat it. There's no need to "taste" to make sure a dish is good when I have made it 20 times before. I basically eat an entire mini-dinner while I am preparing it and then sit down to regular portion just 30 minutes later.

3) Snacking. Especially in front of the TV. Especially during nap time. I feel like a broken record writing this one. But it has been an issue since my son was born.

I don't have a game plan yet but I know there has to be a way to curb these habits. Because going off of sugar wasn't solving them.

Back in the Saddle

Back to blogging!

I had a bit of a set-back over the past 10 days or so. Without going into too much personal detail, I found myself overwhelmed. Two kids has really been a difficult transition for me. I feel as though I'm still working through the transition of just BEING a parent (even after nearly 3 years), but the two has just zapped me. Never having time to myself or a consistent schedule is something I find stressful. After my son got through his newborn phase and we had lived in Charlotte for a few months, I found I could get into a small routine. Music Man was a tremendous sleeper. He took long naps and always slept through the night. He used to sleep in until at least 7 almost every single morning. Two years ago I actually had the energy to wake up around 5 or 5:30, take the dog for a walk, do about 20 minutes of yoga, make my breakfast and watch a little news before my day with him began. I laugh thinking about that now! There is NO WAY that could happen with my life right now and that has been a tough pill to swallow. I have always known that my life would never return to what it was with just one kid, but like most things in life, you have to live it to really let it sink in.

Three things are keeping me from getting into any flow:

1) My daughter is not my son. I know, shocker, right?!? But I think most parents take a little time to fully realize this. After all, he's the only kid I knew right? So I had certain expectations and parenting methods in my brain. I am nursing her (I didn't make it very far with my son) and this requires me to be accessible to her three times a day. Don't get me wrong, this is nothing compared to the first six or seven months, but still, it's been ten months now and I have never spent more than 3 hours away from her. Until today though! My sitter came in the morning and I won't return to my house for 3 1/2 hours! Hence why I can finally devote a little attention to this blog. It also took her a long time to get into a nap schedule, and she doesn't sleep in large chunks like her brother did.

2) My son is no longer a 10 month old baby. He's an emotional, moody, unpredictable toddler. I never know what I'm going to wake up to in the morning. Now, he was also a moody baby, but with a baby there are so many less variables. First of all, they don't have a lot of choices. They can't express their opinions that clearly (which is a both a blessing and a curse) and you can easily pick them up and move them from point A to point B. They eat what is put in front of them, and with my son, he liked his routines. I was lucky in that he could entertain himself for a long time, and he loved doing the same sort of activities all of the time. My toddler...is a whole new can of worms. Anything sets him off. Going somewhere takes 20 minutes of strategically placed wording and tone and risk/reward choices that will somehow convince him that going out to the playground on a warm, sunny day is actually a GOOD idea. We are constantly arguing over how much TV he will watch, what he will eat for lunch, how close his sister can stand next to him (usually not within 10 feet), and when and where we can change his diaper. The overall day is absolutely stressful.

3) Two is more than one. Rocket science, I know. But the fact of the matter is, I am now juggling two balls instead of one. And although that is easier than juggling four (cannot even imagine that!), I do have to focus a lot more. And they tag team me. I swear, it's like little kid ESP or something. My daughter took months and months to start sleeping late in the morning. She doesn't wake before 7. Once she started doing that, my son (who rarely ever woke early) has been up by 6 almost every morning. Sometimes sooner. Luckily he stays in his room, but not all of the time. And he's also cranky in the morning most days. And now that my daughter is finally napping on a schedule, I should be getting a 90 minute break from the two of them in the afternoon. But nope, Music Man doesn't like to nap for me (will do anything when Daddy's home on the weekends!), so my weekday afternoons are spent negotiating how long he needs to stay in his room and telling him he can't walk through the hallways singing at the top of his lungs while his sister sleeps.

This is just one of the things on my mind these days, coping with this new role as a mother of two. I do try to remind myself that we have come a long way from the summer, where I never got more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep and my son cried all day long and I would flip out on him almost once a day and then feel guilty about it for a week. We are past those days and that is awesome, but the grind still gets to me.

Add to that me trying to eat sugar and gluten free and cooking all of our meals and I just couldn't cope. I found myself eating fruit and feeling guilty. Eating large portions of lunch and dinner and feeling guilty. Snacking through the day and feeling guilty. Gaining five pounds and feeling guilty.

And then I had some sugar.

Way to bury the lead, Brooke! Yup, off the band wagon. I have been eating some honey. I had some grain-free pumpkin bread last week that was sweetened with honey. Had it during a difficult moment where my head felt like it was going to implode and my patience with everything was razor thin. Then I started adding honey to my oatmeal in the morning and this was partially due to allergy season. Every year since I moved to Charlotte I have gotten allergies right as spring is moving in. And every year I eat some local honey and the pollen that those bees eat gets into my system and I build up an immunity and my allergies go away. I was on the fence as to what to do this year but I decided to just eat some honey.

Now the first thought that crossed my mind was:

FAILURE!

But thankfully, I was able to stifle that thought really quickly and actually show myself some much needed compassion. I started to feel so stupid (especially about this blog), thinking that all of my writing about how bad sugar is and how I absolutely cannot have any and about my addiction was going to seem like such a joke if I couldn't stick to my goal. Then I started thinking clearly. First of all, I only need to answer to myself in this world. This blog was meant to be a place where I could vent and share the ups and downs I have with healthy eating. Honestly, I don't know if I can go an entire year off of all sugar. I am proud that I have yet to eat any refined sugar or gluten. I do know that my body doesn't do as well when I have things like honey and maple syrup and fruit floating around in there, but I also know it's not doing nearly as much damage as white sugar and gluten. And avoiding these things is pretty difficult but I think I can do it. And if I don't, I'm not going to beat myself up.

This "Sugar-Free Year" is just as much about my own total health journey (mind, body and spirit) than simply not eating sugar. I always knew I had an emotional connection to food, and I want to spend the remainder of this year figuring out ways to curb this. I honestly think more of the problem is my connection to food (as in its relationship to my stress levels) than about what I am putting in my mouth at the time. I need to figure out a way to comfort myself and accept myself and be happy with how I am living my life. When I can find some coping skills that don't center around self-sabotage and guilt I really think my eating will just work itself out.

And as much as I preach about kale and organic meat, the true health threat to everyone is stress. You can have the cleanest diet on the planet, but if you're stressed out it won't do you any good. Stress attacks everything good going on in your body. They have actually found that people who eat clean but are stressed out are unhealthier than happy, content people who don't have the greenest stuff entering their system. And trying to keep up with this very demanding goal was starting to add stress to everything else that was already stressing me out. So I'm releasing my reins a little and allowing some natural sweeteners in my life. This is actually great news for my readers, because there will be more recipes that you would enjoy, ha!

So this is still technically "sugar-free" since most websites just count refined, white sugar as sugar. Many people do great with natural sweeteners (they do not spike your blood sugar the way refined sugar and artificial sweenteners do). And they actually have some health benefits, which I will post soon!

I am grateful that I was able to see that I needed a breath and could get my head on straight and work through this past week. Now I'm back on the horse and looking forward to sharing my healthy lifestyle with everyone again!

Short Hiatus

I'm taking a breather from the blog this week. Just a lot going on and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Hoping to get some inspiration through the rest of the week and I plan on hopping back on the blog horse. So to my 3 readers out there, I'll be back soon!

Looking for new veggie members for my club...

My mom's in town this week and many times when I have an extra set of hands to help with the kids I use that time to experiment a bit in the kitchen. And this weekend is all about vegetables. I am need of variety, big time. I also am trying to decrease the amount of meat and grains I eat and in order to do this I need to start stacking my plate up with veggies. And not just lettuce and carrots, but real nutrient dense vegetables that can satisfy me.

For a person who prides herself on healthy eating, I am the first to admit that there are many foods out there that I have never tried, or given a real effort to cook myself. So I took out my Nourishing Traditions book and am tackling some new foods over the next few days:

Cabbage
Artichokes
Beets
Parsnips
Turnips
Rutabagas

The root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, rutabagas) are about to go out of season. They are fall and winter vegetables and the temperatures are starting to rise here in Charlotte (finally!) so I wanted to take advantage of them before spring officially arrived. I will just slow-roast them with some seasonings. I'll also probably add acorn squash and sweet potatoes to the mix to  help with the bitterness associated with these foods. I have cooked them before, but I can count the number of times on one hand...more like two fingers.

Cabbage is available year round and it's in the grocery stores a lot with St. Patrick's Day right around the corner. I know cooked cabbage is a staple Irish meal, but I've never really eaten it. The odds are stacked against me since both my mom and the Hubs admitted they do not like cabbage when I announced during dinner last night that some new dishes would be coming their way. Let's hope Sally Fallon's "cabbage with oranges" dish helps their tastebuds choke it down tonight!

Beets are ridiculously good for you. Ever since I started down this path a few years ago I have seen the word "beets" and the phrase "regular part of your diet" pop up countless times. It is chock full of nutrients (in particular, magnesium, which is something I feel both myself and the Hubs are lacking). But I have yet to cook them. So I'll be oven-roasting the beets and wilting their greens tomorrow night.

Artichokes have always intimidated me. I know they are good for you, but I try to avoid canned foods due to the scary BPA lining and it seems they always popped up in the canned version in recipes. The most common  place I see them are in a low-quality spinach artichoke dip at chain restaurants. I'm no stranger to these, the Hubs and I used to order this every single time we went out to eat before I started changing my diet. Even after I stopped getting it, he used to get it and eat the whole thing himself! But those days are gone. Hopefully his clear arteries and sharp mind will thank me when he's in his 70s. Anyway, back to artichokes. They just look difficult to cook (like I said before, I fall prey to the "cooking is so difficult!" mentality as well). And I have no idea what a freshly cooked artichoke even tastes like. I bought two at Whole Foods and I'm going to try this slow-cooker recipe I found. You stuff the artichoke with sausage, cauliflower, mushrooms and green onions. Not really avoiding meat by doing this, but I have a feeling I may need to transition to this taste slowly.

So that's what's on the table for this weekend. I chose Sally Fallon's book for most of these recipes because she really does believe in letting the food shine on its own. Just cook, season with spice, and add some fat (either in butter or coconut oil). I'll be thrilled if we can at least choke down three out of the four. My gut is telling me these may not go as planned. Vegetables can be a little tricky and it may take a few tries to get the seasonings and cook times correct.