Mama’s Secrets To Fueling My Best Self!
Hands down, my number one motto is “everything in moderation”. To start, I cook mostly vegan at home. I do however occasionally cook seafood, trout being my favorite right now. When I am at a family or friend’s house I do not make any special requests and when I’m out at a restaurant I can always make it work. My journey to fueling and feeling my best self has had several different stages.
Before meeting my husband and having my two daughters I was a bit of a party animal. I studied dance in college and performed as a professional dancer in Las Vegas for 7 years so I thought I was fit and healthy but to be fair I was just young and full of energy. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was a binge drinker headed down a dangerous path of becoming an alcoholic. I was drinking heavily 3 or 4 nights a week. When I say heavily I mean 5+ drinks out at a party or a bar and maybe a couple of night caps back at the house. I was like an energizer bunny… I would wake up early, go to the gym, go out again, and stuff my face with drunk food at the end of the night. It wasn’t until I met my husband at age 25 when I realized my habits were more than just “having fun”. Jered never really drank at all so when I met him I felt like it was actually hard to have a good time without drinking. Slowly over time I started to cut back because I really liked this young hunk I was dating. Fast forward to having two children with said hunk-a-doodle. I am now a one and done (maybe two😉) drink kind of girl. Try having a hangover with two wild toddlers waking you up at 6am… no thanks!
After my second baby, the pregnancy weight kind of lingered. I decided to try the Lose It app and the remaining pounds melted off. I ended up at a lower weight than I ever was as a professional dancer. That goes to show that the most effective way to drop pounds is to be in a calorie deficit. Although I reached a desirable weight I was still not my healthiest considering my food choices. It was at this point I decided to try to cut out meat. Initially, I was cutting out meat to save money after reading an article on saving money on grocery bills. I started to feel better and it got easier to create protein and veggie rich meals on a budget.
After my yoga teacher training and my studies on the Yamas and Niyamas, my vegetarian goals shifted from saving money to more spiritual and environmental purposes. I feel I am currently the healthiest, most self caring I have ever been... and I still have so much more learning and growing to do. Everything I put in my body has a purpose to fuel and nourish my body. I don’t limit myself to a strict diet and I still enjoy treats in moderation.
Here’s a quick look at my daily intake: I start every morning with a 16oz glass of room temperature lemon water. I let that settle for about 30 minutes while I make breakfast for the girls and tend to their million needs. Next I juice 16oz of straight celery juice. For more information on the healing powers of celery juice, read The Medical Medium Cleanse to Heal by Anthony William. (My favorite benefits are glowing skin and healthy digestion) I wait about 30 minutes more, cleaning up after the kids ect. and then I make a meal for myself.
Here is a link to purchase the Cleanse to Heal book on Amazon
#celeryjuice Every Damn Day!
I juice 16oz of straight celery juice every morning. For more information on the healing powers of celery juice, follow The Medical Medium. (My favorite benefits are glowing skin and healthy digestion)
Here are just a few of my morning staples: Sautéd broccoli and other veggies on hand with avocado, hummus, everything seasoning, and hot sauce.
Any variety of roasted veggies on hand… Carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, onions, ect. I roast in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes, stir and then roast for 20 minutes more.
Morning Veggie Roast!
This one came out so yummy… I roasted butternut squash, carrots, mushrooms, fresh basil, avocado oil, and everything seasoning at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. (tossing once half way through)
When I’m in a hurry I do avocado toast on gluten free bread with everything seasoning and Sriracha. I also often do oatmeal with fruit, oat milk, and honey. After breakfast I load up on supplements. I take a multivitamin everyday and rotate others throughout the week. I recommend whole food vitamins for anyone who struggles with nausea from taking them. When I switched to the Mega Food brand, I no longer had any issues.
For lunch I am normally on the go. I often grab carrots, cucumber, chips, hummus, and salsa. I also often snack on nuts and fruit. Dinner is a gamble. I cook a lot of vegan tacos, shrimp tacos, veggie and rice bowls, Asian veggie stir fry, spaghetti squash, the list goes on. I don’t often follow recipes so when I share an idea, just wing it! I like to go on Yummly.com to plug in what food I have on hand to get some ideas.
Peanut Lime Stir Fry!
Oh my goodness… we were licking our plates after this one! I sautéed snap peas, red pepper, mushroom, onion, basil, avocado oil, and everything seasoning. (Are you sensing that this is my favorite seasoning?) For the sauce i squeezed a lime, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, soy sauce, and a little maple syrup.
We do have 4 sweet tooth monsters in our house so we often cap the day off with frozen banana ice cream, chocolate dipped frozen bananas, or vegan bananas based brownies. As far as beverages go… water, water, water. I do love a cup of coffee but I don’t keep any sugary drinks in the house. I like to post some of my better meal creations on social media to help inspire some new meal ideas for friends and family.
Finally I just want to reiterate how important it is to stay balanced and take in everything in moderation. My main focus is to fuel my body with mostly whole foods from the earth while occasionally enjoying a glass of wine or an ice cream cone!