Dessert for Breakfast + a ridiculously late weekend review

Do y'all ever want dessert for breakfast? It's not that far fetched since about 90% of typical breakfast foods are basically dessert masquerading as a legitimate meal choice (donuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, pancakes with syrup...). But do you ever want that breakfast dessert to also be healthy? Well, my friends, the smoothie I had for breakfast this morning is the one for you! I drank this bad boy in like 3 minutes! Sucked it down before Grayson woke up so I wouldn't have to share! ha! Didn't take a picture because...no time...too busy drinking it!! ha! But I get a lot of questions from friends about my smoothies, which I have for breakfast every morning Mon-Fri, so I thought I would share this particularly tasty one for those of us with a sweet tooth, even in the morning! :)

Ingredients (I don't really measure for smoothies...sorry!):
ice
2 Tbs of plain Greek yogurt
a little less than 2 Tbs of natural peanut butter (could use any kind of nut butter)
a squeeze of raw honey
chia seeds
cilantro
parsley
spinach (and/or kale)
skim milk (would prefer coconut milk, but I was out!)
1 Tbs of unrefined, organic coconut oil
unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ripe banana

**If I had anymore frozen fruit left, I would have included berries as well. Supplies start running low by Friday!**

I know what you're thinking. Um...parsley, spinach, cilantro?!?! Yeah. All of it. Those are regulars in my smoothies. You honestly can't really taste it, except for a hint of cilantro. I've grown to like the taste, but you should definitely go easy on that one b/c it does have a strong flavor. But load up on spinach or kale because you really can't taste it and it's a great way to get in a super food veggie! Trust me, it's delish!

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Now, for last weekend's review! I figured I better write about it before this weekend comes and goes. We have a lot of plans this time too, so I don't want to miss the opportunity to talk about the fun we had last weekend!

Last weekend Scott's parents came to visit, and we went to the Georgia Southern baseball game. It was Grayson's first baseball game and he loved it! He loves balls and clapping, so he was thrilled to watch them throw balls and get to clap and cheer along with the crowd. :) He was so well-behaved and adorable the whole time. Scott's work paid for free tickets for employees and their guests! We thought they were just paying for Scott and we expected to have to pay for the rest of us and sit in the regular stands. When we got there, we discovered that all our tickets were covered and we were in a VIP room! There was free food and drinks and we had our own section of stands that were covered and had fans. It was perfect! We didn't have to worry about Grayson getting too hot, and he ate grapes the whole time. :)

On Sunday, we all went to church together and then Scott's parents went home. We went grocery shopping, Grayson napped and Scott & I watched Gone Girl on DVD. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out and playing with Grayson outside. It was a great weekend! :)

This weekend we are looking forward to more visits from family, dinner with friends, and our first date since Thanksgiving. Eek! :)

Happy Friday!

You Are What You Eat

Via

I didn't make some new years resolution to lose weight, get in shape, be healthier or really anything at all. Scott and I sort of stumbled into a relatively new lifestyle and it just so happened to fall right around the start of a new year. We each had doctors appointments shortly before Christmas. Scott's was just a regular physical and mine was for a relentless rash under my arms. Our appointments told us two different things about our health and our lives, and each bit of news spurred us toward healthier choices, particularly in our diets. Being the awesome team that we are, we have both embraced the goals and changes of the other.

Scott discovered that he has high blood pressure. It's most likely genetic because he already exercises regularly and eats fairly well. The doctor said it's "not if, but when" he'll have to go on medication. But he said Scott is really too young to be on it, and the goal right now should be to make changes that can hopefully prolong the amount of time before he has to start it. In addition to his regular exercise, Scott has decided to significantly reduce the amount of sodium in his diet. (When I use the word "diet," I mean it in the sense of what we regularly eat in order to live...he's not going on any particular type of diet in the way that most people think of the word.)

My doctor confirmed what I had already suspected from my obsessive Googling. I have something called Candida Overgrowth, which basically means my body has too much yeast. There are a lot of ways this can affect your body. One is the way that might immediately come to mind for ladies. For me, it's mostly a persistent rash under my arms. It doesn't sound like that big a deal, but I promise you an excessively itchy, ugly rash for months on end is no fun at all! In addition to some temporary medications and creams, the long-term solution is to greatly reduce (or even eliminate) sugar in my diet (yeast thrives on sugar!). I could never fully eliminate sugar! And that includes things that break down into sugar after you eat it (breads, pastas, alcohol, etc...). So, I'm not giving up all that stuff, but I'm looking for ways to significantly decrease how much of it I consume on a regular basis.

Neither of us realized how much sodium and sugar we were consuming daily. We started reading labels and really thinking about what is in our food. It was shocking really. I can't even imagine how much sugar I was eating every day! From my morning cereal, to my turkey sandwich at lunch, to whatever we ate for dinner (generally at least partially processed or pre-packaged), to our nightly frozen yogurt dessert! And the amount of sodium in things we didn't even think twice about, like seasoning packets for tacos and chili or a box of rice, is truly astonishing!

The easy answer has not been to go nuts reading labels. The easy answer has been to eat whole foods that take the mystery out of it. Fruits and vegetables are healthy. No reading and deciphering ingredients needed! Between smoothies, juicing, and just incorporating more fresh fruits and veggies into every meal, we have increased our produce purchasing to being over half our grocery bill and the majority of our shopping cart! It has been SO nice to not spend as much time going up and down each aisle at the grocery store!

Some other healthy things we have incorporated into our diets that you won't find in produce include: chia seeds, almonds, dried fruit (used sparingly...there can be a lot of sugar in those), quinoa, nut butters, Greek yogurt, coconut milk, coconut oil, and loads of spices and seasonings that don't include salt!

Pinterest has become a wonderful tool. I used to not like Pinterest. I felt like it was a waste of time and mostly just led to self-loathing and bitterness because I would spend time just pinning pretty pictures of things I would never own, never do, and never cook or bake. I never referenced recipes that I pinned, and most of what I pinned was extremely unhealthy desserts. But now I'm using it so much more effectively! We have been trying out 2-3 new recipes a week and honestly haven't had a bad one yet. It has been fun choosing new recipes together, making something new together, and discovering how delicious non-processed, fresh, whole foods can taste! I'm enjoying all the new flavors and I especially love how much healthier I feel as a result. I'm no longer bloated and uncomfortable, I'm thinner and trimmer than before, and even my skin and hair are more vibrant!

Here is what a typical day of food looks like for me (during the work week):

Breakfast: Green banana smoothie -- banana, peanut butter (have been using PB2 for smoothies), coconut milk, plain Greek yogurt, spinach, cilantro, chia seeds, drizzle of honey {today I did the same thing but also included a small amount of unsweetened cocoa powder} = YUM! Also a cup of black coffee with half a tablespoon of coconut oil and a dose of Vit D3.

Mid-Morning Snack: homemade "trail mix" -- 1/4 cup whole, raw almonds, 1/4 sunflower seeds, and a little less than 1/4 cup of raisins

Lunch: 1 piece of fruit (lately has been an orange) and a salad -- spinach, raisins, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, drizzle of balsamic vinegar (straight) and a TINY bit of ranch. {sometimes we include grilled chicken in the salad}

Afternoon snack: banana {may start bringing something else so I'm not eating so many bananas all the time!}

Dinner: Varies, but last night we had this delicious recipe! Black bean and quinoa tacos!

Dessert: sometimes we skip this, or we do different things. If we do ice cream, we usually get Kemps frozen yogurt (Moosetracks is our favorite!) and do 1-2 small scoops in a coffee mug. We have limited this treat to no more than 3 times a week, which is a big deal since we used to eat it 7 times a week!! (yes, really!) Other good dessert options include: chocolate banana smoothie, fresh berries, cup of hot chocolate, vanilla Greek yogurt {optional...top with any of the following: organic granola, honey, banana slices, berries, semi-sweet chocolate chips}, or just a couple graham crackers and a glass of milk.

For beverages, I have 1-2 cups of black coffee a day and other than that it's basically just water and my morning smoothie. We'll occasionally make fresh juices with our juicer. And yes, we do still drink alcohol, but very, very rarely.

Sometimes I'll have a glass of diluted, organic apple-cider vinegar before dinner b/c that helps regulate your body's pH levels, which can help with the yeast issue. Consuming ACV has other potential health benefits too. 

I've struggled with weight before, which you know if you've been reading for several years. I actually lost about 15 pound a few years ago just from working out a lot and eating a low-fat diet. But low-fat meant diet foods, and I have since learned how bad for you those things are! Now I steer clear of "low-fat" or "fat free" options, artificial sweeteners, and any pre-packaged diet meal that's probably loaded with sugar and/or sodium. It's truly amazing I was able to lose any weight eating like that! (I recommend the documentary Hungry for Change for more information about this, without all the Googling!) I do not claim to be a health expert, and am certainly not a perfect model of healthy living. But I've been amazed at the difference I've seen and felt in just a few weeks of making smarter food choices. I encourage you to give it a try! Don't worry about eliminating things from your diet just yet. Just work on incorporating more good things in, and eventually they start pushing some of the bad stuff out! :)

Happy Eating!

Kicking a Cold!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Grayson and I both are being exposed to a wide variety of new germs as he has started daycare. (But we're building immunities and working on becoming super heroes! One new germ at a time!!) We're already on our second cold, but the first one was so brief and minor that I hardly remember it at all. This one has lasted a little longer and been a little more unpleasant (for both of us). I'm mostly okay at this point, but Grayson is still working on breaking up chest congestion and has an icky sounding cough. Even so, the illness itself has been fairly manageable. Grayson hasn't seemed too bothered by it, and it seems to be getting better all the time.

So, I thought I would share some of our tricks and tips for kicking a cold. I realize most of this is not news, but as we're still in the middle of cold and flu season, I thought it was worth posting about.

**I am not a doctor or health care professional. These are just things that have worked for me and my family. Please consult your doctor on anything you are unsure of. I always encourage people to do their own research as well!**

+ Cool mist humidifier

They say the cool mist ones are better than the warm because they tend to grow less bacteria and mold. We got one without a filter so it is easier to clean. We change out the water daily, swoosh it with vinegar water every 2-3 days, and do a deep clean by running vinegar water through it (outside!) once a week. We usually let this run all night while Grayson is sleeping to help break up mucus and congestion. It's especially nice during the colder nights when the air tends to be drier. 

+ Nosefrida

I admit I was grossed out by the concept of this thing when I was pregnant. But now I must say it's a lifesaver and everyone with kids should get it! Yes, you physically suck the snot from your baby's nose, but it's pretty much impossible for it to get to your mouth. You'll notice it's a very long tube connecting the mouth piece and the part that goes in the nose. And there is a filter between the two, so even if you were to fill that thing up (I shudder to think how much snot that would be!), it's still not getting to your mouth. Why is this better than your typical bulb syringe? For one, it just works better. You can control the suction and really work to get that junk out. And you can SEE the results! I know, it's a little gross, but I like to see that what I'm doing is effective. If I'm going to pin my kid down and make him scream bloody murder, I want to at least know it's worth it. And you can easily take it apart and clean it between uses, so it's much more sanitary than the bulbs. Again, you can SEE when it's clean. I also like that the part going into the nostril is wide enough that you aren't going to jab up the nose if your baby wiggles a lot (which he will!). 

+ Saline Spray

This is pretty self-explanatory. Use it in your baby's nose (and yours as well) to help relieve swollen sinuses and break up mucus. I always do a squirt in each nostril before sucking it out. It really does make a difference. Side note-- I have my own bottle and a separate one for Grayson. It's easier than having to sanitize the tip after each use and that way we don't share germs. Although...we pretty much share germs all the time. But still.

+ Boogie Wipes

These aren't really necessary. They are saline wipes. You could easily just use a baby wipe or a plain tissue for wiping your babe's nose. But these smell really good and feel refreshing. They also prevent and soothe chaffed nostrils. I even used a couple when my nose was getting chaffed and it was really pleasant. I figure anything I can do to make the whole thing less horrific for Grayson is worth it. He's so dramatic!

+ Breast Milk

Sorry, no picture folks! ;) 

But breast milk is basically the cure for any and everything in the whole wide world. For realz. I try to nurse Grayson as often as possible when he's sick because my body is producing antibodies for all the germs I'm exposed to (which are basically the same ones he is). I am passing those on to him with my milk, helping him build his immune system. Nice work on that one, God! Nursing frequently will also help prevent dehydration (for your baby, not you! If you're nursing, you should be drinking more fluids, especially if you are also sick!). And here's where I start to sound super granola and crazy... I put breast milk up Grayson's nose. And that's not all. Wait for it.... I put it up my nose too! The milk has antimicrobial properties that can actually help kill the germies in the nose and speed recovery. Plus it also does the same things saline drops do (loosen mucus and relieve swollen sinuses). I don't do it every time I suck his nose, but I try to give him some once a day (or maybe twice) to speed recovery. And since I used it on myself, I can tell you it really does work!

+ Coconut Oil

If you don't have any breastmilk handy, coconut oil is nature's other miracle drug. You can use it for just about anything!!! I put a teaspoon of it in my coffee every day to help with digestion, brain activity, etc. It's also said to help soothe sore throats and speed up recovery from illnesses. So I took a little extra each day when I had a cold. It's also great to use topically for pretty much anything! I put it on my chaffed nose during my cold. I wouldn't recommend giving a lot of it to an infant, but I do put it on my nipples to moisturize and protect them, and so Grayson will get a little bit from that. It's perfectly safe for him to ingest it that way, but I wouldn't go putting a scoop in his bottle or anything like that.

+ Probiotics

I don't take them personally, but I wish I did. I mostly just haven't come around to the idea of spending money on probiotics. But I know they are super important and beneficial not only to digestion but to your immune system and overall health. I started giving this to Grayson in his bottles when he was suffering from gas and reflux. Now I continue to give him a scoop a day just for preventative health. 

These are the things we are doing to help kick our cold and prevent future ones, as much as possible. And of course there are the other obvious things like plenty of rest, getting some fresh air outside, washing hands often, etc. I've also heard people recommend nursing babies in the bathroom with a hot shower running so the room gets steamy. This is supposed to help them breathe better, especially if they are having trouble eating due to congestion. And I've heard of using Baby Vicks to help with coughing. Some people even suggest putting it on the soles of baby's feet and covering with socks or footie pajamas overnight. They say this works for adults, too. I haven't tried any of that yet. But if this cough continues, I might be willing to give it a shot! 

What about you? Any immune boosting or cold fighting tricks, tips, and insights? I would love to hear!