"Get used to eating your meals cold" they all said when I was pregnant. But after Antonio was born I wondered, what meals? Who has time to make food for themselves? I was doing well to grab an apple most days. But of course we must eat properly, because mum's health is baby's health, and mum's food becomes baby's food. Not only that, but a well nourished mamma makes more milk, copes better with the inevitable sleep deprivation, feels less overwhelmed and more in control of herself. This was not me in the early baby days! So I have spent much time devising a system to ensure I have quick, easy health food on hand. In the process I've learned that being healthy has much in common with being a mum. Both require prioritisation, mindfulness, fore planning, flexibility and a lot of self love.
My answer to the issue has been to prepare large batches of snacks in advance, snacks which are very nutrient dense; high in fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. Here are my favourite superfood snacks.
Dip - not the supermarket sludge, but home-whizzed super dip! You can use avocado or home made cream cheese extracted from yoghurt. To this I add a huge handfull of fresh herbs, anything you like, they're all packed with their own respective goodies, half a clove of garlic, pine nuts and some sprouts. You can add any other flavours you like after that. I like a bit of home made roasted capsicum and some olive oil. You could put in some olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, roasted pumpkin...go crazy! And don't forget a good pinch of ground sea or rock salt.
Veggie sticks - with which to eat your dip. Chop them the night before and stick them in an airtight in the fridge. You can also use them for a quick half an avo.
Bliss balls - these sweet treat superfoods really fill you up! You can pack them full of awesomeness. Coconut oil, nut butters, activated nuts, tahini, raw honey, spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, raw carob or cacao, orange zest, ginger root... Just blitz it all up in the processor. Dates make a great base but you can use any preservative free dried fruit. Mmmm....
Smoothies - they take a few seconds to whizz up and you can use them to really improve your health. You can use nut milks, raw milk, bananas, apricots, egg yolks, coconut oil, flax oil, fresh or frozen berries, yoghurt or kefir. You can also do green smoothies, with a fruit base and some green veg, for the most awesome energy kick you'll ever get in a glass.
Banana - for times that you're out of the house and need to pick up a power snack, have bananas. Yes, plural. You won't get the richness of good fats, but 'nanas are power packs of energy and electrolytes, while being low in fructose. And very filling! Also, bub can share it with you, and it's amazing how sweet their disposition becomes when they've had a healthy snack!
Chicken soup - this isn't a trick I do myself, but a girlfriend swears by a thermos flask full of chicken broth! She sips it whenever she feels her blood sugars slipping. See the post 'eating warm' for the recipe.
For me, the lack of time to do anything for myself puts a downer on my mummyhood. I found that keeping my tummy full of healthy food makes all the difference. So if you are feeling deprived as a Mamma, I highly recommend you try these ideas. A quick and easy superfood snack can transform your life! They'll keep you full and happy, and it's so very true that a contented Mamma means a contented baby. And its so empowering to know you can turn your own mood around so easily!
Happy power snacking!
Showing posts with label mastery and mummyhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mastery and mummyhood. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Banana and honey moaves (muffin-loaves)
You know a cake recipe is a winner when Antonio is happy to eat it for breaky and I am happy to feed it to him! This recipe is a modified version of one I found on taste.com. I increased the honey, eliminated the granulated sugar, played around with the flours and baked it in mini loaf tins. I did this yesterday afternoon. They're all gone!
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 cup organic spelt flour
1 cup hazelnut meal
1 cup gluten free self raising flour
1/2 cup runny yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp clove powder
A note on the flours; you'll notice this isn't gluten free but it can easily be made gluten free. Just use another cup of self raising (I always use white wings). I think I can make it gaps friendly too. My plan is to use more hazelnut meal and a little coconut flour. And of course use more yoghurt instead of milk.
Method
Pre heat oven to 180
Melt butter and honey in a small saucepan on a low heat.
In a processor, blitz bananas, eggs, yoghurt and milk.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, hazelnut meal, spices, bicarbonate and baking powder.
Combine wet and dry ingredients, spoon into little loaf tins or muffin tray and bake for about 25 mins
I'm yet to experiment with it, but a great icing for these would be made of cream cheese blended with honey, then some whipped cream folded through.
There's something wonderfully satisfying about baking something that tastes this good and yet contains no refined sugar. I love baking and I have a rampant sweet tooth! So to be able to continue to pursue my hobby and satisfy my sweet cravings without compromising my health is such a relief! I'm also really concious that kids birthday party fare is traditionally sugar laden. Now I'm sure I'll be able to bake great tasting food for Antonio's parties that I'm happy for him to eat. And that's a relief too!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Approaching Two Months and Sugar Free Icecream Recipe
I don't think I can think of a single person in my aquaintance who really, genuinely dislikes ice cream! Of course, since most ice cream contains things like sugar and processed milk, the stuff no longer enters this house. And yet I miss it, especially in Summer, and I'd like to be able to allow my kid(s) to partake someday.
This is a recipe for icecream that I won't mind offering my children in years to come, though very occasionally.
200ml raw milk
200ml organic cream
125g 100% organic maple syrup
yolks of 4 organic eggs
I used a stick blender to combine the yolks and maple syrup, then added this mixture to the milk and cream and blended some more, then poured it into the icecream maker to finish up.
The result was very light and fluffy. This time I added half a cup of sultanas I'd soaked in rum overnight, and a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon. My Man said he'd have preferred it without the sultanas, so I guess that was a miss!! However the container was empty within two days, so it can't have been all bad!
Next time I'll try using honey instead of maple syrup, and add more spices to get a sort of middle eastern flavour. Yum! Really looking forward to it! But I'll have to wait a while because maple syrup and honey aren't every day foods.
Meanwhile, it's almost two months since I quit sugar and I'm still losing weight, very slowly, and still feeling great. Increasingly I make it through the day to dinner time in one piece, and I'm even getting organised about things like our dinner, while previously it was all I could do to keep Antonio adequately fed! All up I'm really happy with how I feel. I don't crave sugar. I miss certain foods like cake and ice cream but I don't find them hard to turn down. In fact I even managed to avoid my favourite dessert of all time at a recent family birthday party; St Honore cake from Corica...oh my god that's good stuff. But I was unmovable. So proud!
In her fabulous ebook 'I Quit Sugar', Sarah Wilson describes how some folk meet the concept of quitting sugar with scorn or aggression. This hasn't happened for me as yet, everyone has been really supportive. I'm most grateful for this, because it's difficult enough at first without having to defend oneself.
It actually feels like this time I might just succeed in ridding my life of refined sugar for good.
This is a recipe for icecream that I won't mind offering my children in years to come, though very occasionally.
200ml raw milk
200ml organic cream
125g 100% organic maple syrup
yolks of 4 organic eggs
I used a stick blender to combine the yolks and maple syrup, then added this mixture to the milk and cream and blended some more, then poured it into the icecream maker to finish up.
The result was very light and fluffy. This time I added half a cup of sultanas I'd soaked in rum overnight, and a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon. My Man said he'd have preferred it without the sultanas, so I guess that was a miss!! However the container was empty within two days, so it can't have been all bad!
Next time I'll try using honey instead of maple syrup, and add more spices to get a sort of middle eastern flavour. Yum! Really looking forward to it! But I'll have to wait a while because maple syrup and honey aren't every day foods.
Meanwhile, it's almost two months since I quit sugar and I'm still losing weight, very slowly, and still feeling great. Increasingly I make it through the day to dinner time in one piece, and I'm even getting organised about things like our dinner, while previously it was all I could do to keep Antonio adequately fed! All up I'm really happy with how I feel. I don't crave sugar. I miss certain foods like cake and ice cream but I don't find them hard to turn down. In fact I even managed to avoid my favourite dessert of all time at a recent family birthday party; St Honore cake from Corica...oh my god that's good stuff. But I was unmovable. So proud!
In her fabulous ebook 'I Quit Sugar', Sarah Wilson describes how some folk meet the concept of quitting sugar with scorn or aggression. This hasn't happened for me as yet, everyone has been really supportive. I'm most grateful for this, because it's difficult enough at first without having to defend oneself.
It actually feels like this time I might just succeed in ridding my life of refined sugar for good.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Here comes the Sun
It's day 6 of sugar freedom (but who's counting??), and I'm beginning to feel serene. My face and tummy are a little less bloated and my skin feels clearer. My brain isn't screaming at me, the cravings have just evaporated! Jolly timely too, the shortbread biscuits I made with xylitol were a dismal failure!! Turns out sugar is what makes them crunchy. Oh well! I won't give up on the xylitol just yet!
So back to mental clarity! When I was reading for my research project during my naturopathic studies, I found many studies describing how sugar inflames the nervous system. There was one in particular that has stayed with me; the subjects in the study were scanned under MRI, then fed some sugar, then scanned again. The 'after' shots showed bright, glowing nervous systems, denoting aggitation, irritation. This translates physically to poor coordination and emotionally to stress and anxiety. I usually didn't notice I was feeling this way because it felt normal, this is obviously because it takes most of a week to calm down! Now I can feel the difference, and I highly recommend it! I kind of feel like I'm floating, rather than fighting through life. I feel successful! So far my mastery project is on track!
Even more encouraging is that I think sugar and I have finally called a truce. I feel now that I can maintain a sugarless diet, although the real test will be going to the shopping centre alone. Thats when I usually find myself scanning the cakes at Miss Mauds. Maybe I'll take Antonio shopping with me until I'm a little more sure of my resolve! I can't eat rubbish in front of him because he always wants some. The later he's exposed to that stuff the healthier he will be. For more info on that one check out Dr Robert Lustig, this video is worth the time. I think his presentation was a large part of my decision to swear off the sugar for good.
So back to mental clarity! When I was reading for my research project during my naturopathic studies, I found many studies describing how sugar inflames the nervous system. There was one in particular that has stayed with me; the subjects in the study were scanned under MRI, then fed some sugar, then scanned again. The 'after' shots showed bright, glowing nervous systems, denoting aggitation, irritation. This translates physically to poor coordination and emotionally to stress and anxiety. I usually didn't notice I was feeling this way because it felt normal, this is obviously because it takes most of a week to calm down! Now I can feel the difference, and I highly recommend it! I kind of feel like I'm floating, rather than fighting through life. I feel successful! So far my mastery project is on track!
Even more encouraging is that I think sugar and I have finally called a truce. I feel now that I can maintain a sugarless diet, although the real test will be going to the shopping centre alone. Thats when I usually find myself scanning the cakes at Miss Mauds. Maybe I'll take Antonio shopping with me until I'm a little more sure of my resolve! I can't eat rubbish in front of him because he always wants some. The later he's exposed to that stuff the healthier he will be. For more info on that one check out Dr Robert Lustig, this video is worth the time. I think his presentation was a large part of my decision to swear off the sugar for good.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Sweet obsessions
It's nap time, but instead of doing some breathing exercises or meditating, I'm lying here googling xylitol biscuit recipes on my phone! I've found some good ones which I'll share once I've tested them.
Part of me doesn't really want to eat sweets. But it's obviously not the louder part! My brain is screaming at me to devour the last of the Christmas chocolate. My man dutifully hides it from me, since he's one of those weird, self regulating types! I've tried all my life to be like that, but it's just not in me. For me it's feast or famine, at least for now.
I've bought some supplies to help prevent cravings: Organic crunchy peanut butter is a favourite; high in protein and fats, both of which fill up quickly. It can also be combined with veggie sticks for fibre, also very filling.
Yoghurt is brilliant, and transportable too. Antonio and I often share a tub of Chris's Greek yoghurt. It's the sourest yoghurt I've tasted, but creamy too. We love it!
Ok, 10 minutes left of nap time, I'll dutifully spend them focusing on my third chakra
Part of me doesn't really want to eat sweets. But it's obviously not the louder part! My brain is screaming at me to devour the last of the Christmas chocolate. My man dutifully hides it from me, since he's one of those weird, self regulating types! I've tried all my life to be like that, but it's just not in me. For me it's feast or famine, at least for now.
I've bought some supplies to help prevent cravings: Organic crunchy peanut butter is a favourite; high in protein and fats, both of which fill up quickly. It can also be combined with veggie sticks for fibre, also very filling.
Yoghurt is brilliant, and transportable too. Antonio and I often share a tub of Chris's Greek yoghurt. It's the sourest yoghurt I've tasted, but creamy too. We love it!
Ok, 10 minutes left of nap time, I'll dutifully spend them focusing on my third chakra
Mastery and Mummyhood
I had intended to write this post on the first day of the new year, but such is mummyhood!
This year, 2012, is my new beginnings year. I'm aware that many people believe this year is special and significant. I find it interesting that I spontaneously decided to make this year transformational for me personally. At-bloody-last!! I've finally decided to implement some changes I've been "thinking about" for years. Thinking about as well as preaching!
For example, my number one project is to give up sugar. To 'quit' the stuff like a smoker or an alcoholic. I'm a sugarholic. Or I was until Sunday. I've been clean 3 days now. It's not the first time I've quit sugar; I've done it at least annually since I was 9. That was 20 years ago now, and though I was very diciplined at first, each time I quit it was for a breifer period, until it became almost too dificult, I put on weight and found it hard to shift. This did, of course, coincide with my move to Melbourne, where the food is decidedly better, cheaper, available and more generously portioned. I may have lost control!!
In my youth (she muses wistfully!!) I imagined that someday, a vague timeframe occuring around the scary age of 30, I'd clean up my diet permanently, with the vain motivation of age defiance. Now my reasons have broadened to include my health, both mental and physical (nothing like sleep deprivation to inspire appreciation for mental health!), and my son. I believe role modeling is the best parenting tool, thus if I wish to protect him from the poison, I'll have to get off it too. There's a great story about a mother who went to Gandhi to ask him to tell her son to stop eating sugar. He told her to bring the son to see him in two weeks. She did this, and Gandhi simply told him to stop eating sugar. The mother asked why the two weeks were necessary and Gandhi replied "Because two weeks ago I was eating sugar."
And so I'm a dreadful hypocrite no longer! But so far I just feel hungry!! I do have 20 years of tricks up my sleeve though, and I'll share those here if you're interested in trying this for yourself. It does take time to detox sugar. If you were thinking of trying it I'd recommend Sarah Wilson's fabulous ebook, I Quit Sugar'. It's a quick and easy read and very motivational.
This is, as I said, my number one project, but it's the 'lead up' to my much grander goal of self mastery! I've become aware recently that the dissatisfactions I feel with my own life all seem to coincide with the themes of the solar plexus chakra. That's the third one, it's yellow, like fire, and it centers around ego, boundaries, decisions, personal power, will, that sort of thing. I'm so lacking in all that, so despite my creativity, I never really accomplish much! It relates to the pancreas, liver, spleen and upper intestinal tract, all of which are compromised when I binge on sugar. It all ties together so neatly!
So this year will be dedicated to balancing my solar plexus chakra, using tools like my diet, yoga, meditation, breathing, herbs, and general mindfulness of these issues in my everyday life. I intend to blog for accountability. At this end of proceedings the idea of a shiny new self is very exciting, but I know it will get ickier as the year wears on. I know there will be steep challenges, balancing my self and my journey with my responsibility to my family. And I suppose I don't really forsee true balance eventuating at all, since mummyhood and family harmony are my first priorities. I'll fit 'me' in around them. Which means I'll do a little bit during nap time and a little bit in the evening, and a very little bit while someone else cares for Antonio. But it will be done! And for now, the most important thing is what I'm not doing; eating sugar!
So now I'll finish off my chai spiced cocoa with coconut oil and take myself to bed.
This year, 2012, is my new beginnings year. I'm aware that many people believe this year is special and significant. I find it interesting that I spontaneously decided to make this year transformational for me personally. At-bloody-last!! I've finally decided to implement some changes I've been "thinking about" for years. Thinking about as well as preaching!
For example, my number one project is to give up sugar. To 'quit' the stuff like a smoker or an alcoholic. I'm a sugarholic. Or I was until Sunday. I've been clean 3 days now. It's not the first time I've quit sugar; I've done it at least annually since I was 9. That was 20 years ago now, and though I was very diciplined at first, each time I quit it was for a breifer period, until it became almost too dificult, I put on weight and found it hard to shift. This did, of course, coincide with my move to Melbourne, where the food is decidedly better, cheaper, available and more generously portioned. I may have lost control!!
In my youth (she muses wistfully!!) I imagined that someday, a vague timeframe occuring around the scary age of 30, I'd clean up my diet permanently, with the vain motivation of age defiance. Now my reasons have broadened to include my health, both mental and physical (nothing like sleep deprivation to inspire appreciation for mental health!), and my son. I believe role modeling is the best parenting tool, thus if I wish to protect him from the poison, I'll have to get off it too. There's a great story about a mother who went to Gandhi to ask him to tell her son to stop eating sugar. He told her to bring the son to see him in two weeks. She did this, and Gandhi simply told him to stop eating sugar. The mother asked why the two weeks were necessary and Gandhi replied "Because two weeks ago I was eating sugar."
And so I'm a dreadful hypocrite no longer! But so far I just feel hungry!! I do have 20 years of tricks up my sleeve though, and I'll share those here if you're interested in trying this for yourself. It does take time to detox sugar. If you were thinking of trying it I'd recommend Sarah Wilson's fabulous ebook, I Quit Sugar'. It's a quick and easy read and very motivational.
This is, as I said, my number one project, but it's the 'lead up' to my much grander goal of self mastery! I've become aware recently that the dissatisfactions I feel with my own life all seem to coincide with the themes of the solar plexus chakra. That's the third one, it's yellow, like fire, and it centers around ego, boundaries, decisions, personal power, will, that sort of thing. I'm so lacking in all that, so despite my creativity, I never really accomplish much! It relates to the pancreas, liver, spleen and upper intestinal tract, all of which are compromised when I binge on sugar. It all ties together so neatly!
So this year will be dedicated to balancing my solar plexus chakra, using tools like my diet, yoga, meditation, breathing, herbs, and general mindfulness of these issues in my everyday life. I intend to blog for accountability. At this end of proceedings the idea of a shiny new self is very exciting, but I know it will get ickier as the year wears on. I know there will be steep challenges, balancing my self and my journey with my responsibility to my family. And I suppose I don't really forsee true balance eventuating at all, since mummyhood and family harmony are my first priorities. I'll fit 'me' in around them. Which means I'll do a little bit during nap time and a little bit in the evening, and a very little bit while someone else cares for Antonio. But it will be done! And for now, the most important thing is what I'm not doing; eating sugar!
So now I'll finish off my chai spiced cocoa with coconut oil and take myself to bed.
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