Things that are ALWAYS in my fridge

I don't diet. I really don't even exercise (yoga, occasionally). People ask me all the time why I'm so skinny, and the answer mostly has to do with my genes, but I do try to keep my food intake healthy and balanced because I want to do fun things when I'm an old lady!

I hear people say things like "well you might as well eat what you want while you're young!" which is a philosophy that will ultimately cut short the good years when you still at least FEEL young. Some health issues and diseases are not preventable, but many of them are! And if you DO have health issues later in life, they will be lessened by smart eating habits when you're young.

Eating healthy doesn't mean eating boring either: it is colorful, flavorful, and filling! Eating healthy doesn't mean going hungry either: I eat til I'm full! And then I go for desert if I want!

It's all about BALANCE.

So here is a list of items I always try to keep in my fridge. One common element you will notice is that none of my "must haves" are animal products; no, I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I understand that while we are omnivores, our bodies function BEST on a mostly plant based diet. I still eat steak & chicken, but I try to limit my meaty-meals to less than 4 times per week.

Without further adieu, here we go:

Avocados

Avocados are nicknamed the miracle fruit for a reason: you can live on a strict diet of avocados and water and have a filling, nutritionally complete diet. They are extremely full of monounsaturated fat (or "good" fat), and can replace meat or fish as a source of high protein in your diet.

The other great thing is the flavor is very subtle, and can be used in many different types of recipes & dishes as a result (I've seen a recipe for an avocado shake!). Of course, there's guacamole, but my two favorite ways to eat it is in an avocado salad (diced or mashed, mixed with spinach, red onion, & tomatos with no dressing, just seasonings!) or in Mango-Avocado Salsa (diced mango, avocado, onion, tomato, diced peaches, a little orange juice, and seasonings like red pepper & garlic salt), which can served fresh over chicken or fish, used as a dip, or eaten with crackers as a snack.

Also if you have babies under 1 (like me), avocados make GREAT baby food. The subtle flavor usually agrees with most babies, and it can be easily mashed with a fork & ready to serve right away (I always add a tiny bit of orange or lemon juice to keep it from oxidizing & turning brown too quickly).

Baby Spinach Leaves

A rich source of iron, and more tasty & versatile than most other green-leafy foods, Spinach has an abundance of uses. I use spinach in almost EVERY meal I make! I add it to pasta sauce, use it as a base for salads, and find other creative ways to get it onto my plate daily. It can be wilted (microwave it for less than 30 seconds) and mixed with sour cream to create a dip (who doesn't love spinach dip??), added to stir fries, rice dishes, or served fresh on a sandwich.

Orange Juice

I still enjoy a cup of coffee every morning, but did you know a glass of orange juice will do the same job? The reason for this is it's high concentration of folic acid (aids brain function) and Vitamin B6 (this is also a great hangover cure, fyi). Additionally, orange juice is most well known for it's Vitamin C, which helps us absorb iron (found in that spinach!) and fight off common viruses like cold & flu! I make sure my daughter gets at least one 4oz bottle of OJ per day!

Whole Grain Foods

I don't claim to understand "no-carb diets" because we NEED carbs for energy! I can imagine myself feeling very slothy & exhausted if I cut out carbs. But there ARE such thing as "empty" carbs, and a large source of those "bad" or "empty" carbs come in the form of white bread, pasta, and rice. Bread, pasta and rice should be in your diet, they are staples! But only when they are WHOLE grain! If you buy wheat bread, you're still not cutting it; breads often are made with brown coloring or caramel to make it look like whole grain. Products that say they are "enriched" are also not as healthy as real, whole grain products. If you read ingredients list and there are more than one gain product listed, make sure the whole grain product is listed FIRST or it probably only contains a tiny amount of it! In addition to good carbs, whole grain foods are also another good natural source of protein!

Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate is made from plants, which means it has many of the same healthy benefits as other dark veggies (like spinach!). Dark Chocolate contains flavonoids (antioxidants) which protect the body from aging caused by free radicals (often attributed to the number one cause of death: heart disease). The extreme concentration of antioxidants makes dark chocolate VERY beneficial for you even in small portions (8x more than found in strawberries). It also can help reduce & relax high blood pressure and balance certain hormones.

In addition, it stimulates endorphin production (in the same way sex does) which gives a feeling of pleasure, contains serotonin which acts as an anti-depressant, and theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants.

I hope I don't have to say that none of the above applies to milk chocolate, right? I have heard complaints from those who prefer milk chocolate saying that dark chocolate tastes bitter to them (I honestly don't taste that, but to each his own), and a good solution might be to use dark chocolate in recipes like cookies! Most do not notice a difference when it's been baked into pasties that are already sweet.

Side note: some researchers say that washing down your dark chocolate with cow's milk will prevent your body from absorbing the antioxidants! Solution might be try Vanilla Soy Milk, its delish!

Red Wine

Red Wine is good in the same way dark chocolate is: its filled with antioxidants that are heart healthy. Not to sound like a broken record, but heart disease is the NUMBER ONE CAUSE of death, more than cancer, aids, and poverty.

The key here though is moderation; alcohol has been shown to be linked to weight gain because of it's empty calories, and also linked to an increased risk of cancer when taken more than the recommended limit (1 drink per day for women, 2 for men. A drink is considered 4oz for wine).

If I haven't frightened you off, you should know that baking or simmering red wine will evaporate the alcohol and leave you with the healthy parts! Try adding it to pasta sauce for flavoring, as a marinade for red meats, flavoring in stir fries and other combination dishes. Another great one is Red Wine Pasta, which involves boiling your almost-cooked pasta in red wine!

Yogurt

Yogurt is rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin B6 and B12. It's amazing nutritional benefits surpass those of regular milk! It aids in digestion and isn't as hard on those who are lactose intolerant as milk. I usually buy a big tub of plain yogurt, which is kinda tangy in its natural form. I like to add warmed honey to sweeten it, and throw in walnuts, berries, granola, fruit, even cereal! Yogurt can also be used when baking, try Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies, and substitute in dark chocolate and whole grain flour for a healthier alternative.

Water

Yes, it's an obvious one: WATER! Life on Earth could not exist without water, and neither can our bodies! We are made up of over 70% water, and yet an estimated 75% of Northern Americans are CHRONICALLY dehydrated!! Also, our feeling of thirst is so weak that it is often mistake for hunger. When you feel hungry between meals, try drinking a glass of water first. It will make you feel fuller & is a good way to remind yourself to drink water throughout the day. Also, juice, coffee & soda cause us to loose water, so up-ing your water intake and cutting down on other beverages would also be wise.

So that's it! This is personal list of things I feel are especially important and I always keep on hand and on my dinner plate. I am NOT a professional or a nutritionist, and this is not a weight loss plan of any sorts. When you eat healthy, it should be easier to loose weight (much to do with regulating your metabolism), and some exercise should be involved.

But again, I am no professional, I'm just a mom who tries to eat healthy for myself and my family. Alright, good talk, now all this talk about food is making me hungry, so time to make some dinner! :)

Mothers, Rejoice?

I've read a number of blogs and articles lately authored by mothers describing various bad or unfortunate experiences they had as new moms. They described painful breastfeeding experiences and strange disorders, ruined bodies and obsolete sex lives. They made becoming a new mom sound much more like cruel and unusual punishment than an exciting and rewarding experience.

I'll give it to them, parenthood isn't all peaches and cream. It's a huge adjustment, but I never had viewed it in quite the terms they had... I remember other moms giving me "advice" about how I could lie about what the doctor said after my 6-week check up so I could get out of having sex for a few more months... What??? Then there was those that told me how I was going to blow up and look like a beached whale and that I shouldn't feel bad if I couldn't get back into my jeans within the first year (or two!). After those there were others who would show me their saggy stretch marks and tell me they hoped I had remembered to take before pictures of when I still looked good in a bikini. Moms (especially those that didn't follow through) would tell me terrible, painful, and graphic stories about breastfeeding and how I might as well start saving for a boob job now. And EVERYBODY, regardless whether they were a parent themselves or not, loved to remind me that soon I wouldn't remember what it was like to get an uninterrupted night of sleep.

For the record, every single thing I was warned about so gravely never came to fruition. Nothing.

Somehow, all these popular mommy-horror-stories get lots of pats on the back from fellow moms, and moms who talk about their success stories (for example, like mom & super model Gisele Bundchen) or about the ease that they adapted to life as a mom was for them, they are heavily criticized! They are basically accused of making it all up and falsely romanticizing parenthood.

Why can't we just be happy for our fellow moms? Aren't we all sisters with the same cause? We may each have different methods, but we all love our children and what the best for them and our families, right? So, I wonder, why can we not rejoice when moms have a positive story about motherhood? Perhaps even look for value in them; maybe those moms did something that can be learned from! It doesn't mean they're better or superior women (motherhood is NOT a competition) but there is not one right way, and maybe another mom out there has a positive suggestion that could be useful!


At this point, I would like to take time to REJOICE in my own mothering successes. I have not had the chance to do that thus far unless confiding in my partner or my own mother without the risk of judgement, but I will be ashamed of my good fortune no more!

1)
What I was told - "Say goodbye to your sex life, but don't worry, you won't want it anyway!"

My experience - I picked right back up where I left off. Actually, it was probably better. Oh, and I even had a horrific 27 hour labor and some other details that are way TMI, but that really didn't throw a wet blanket in the romance department after 6 weeks was up.

2)
What I was told - "You're gonna get FAT. It's okay though, we all do, so eat whatever you want! And you have an excuse for at least one year post baby as well. But the stretch marks you'll be trying to cover up for a lifetime. "

My experience - I ate whenever I felt hungry, gained 40lbs while pregnant (which was the recommended amount for my size), and lost it without any special diet or exercise within 4 months of delivering my daughter. I attribute this to breastfeeding (burns an extra 500 calories per day), to good genes (also known as " good luck"), and having a child when I was young while my body can bounce back more easily. As far as stretch marks, I have a few hardly noticeable ones on my legs that don't bother me the least bit, and none anywhere else. And I did not slather my belly with cocoa butter to prevent them like some moms told me I should. Long story short, I'm comfortable with my body and looks exactly the same to me as it did pre-pregnancy. Maybe even better.

3)
What I was told - "Breastfeeding is difficult, painful, and will get in the way of you getting back to your 'normal' life."

My experience- There was a LITTLE bit of truth in this, but every good myth has some. The first two months were somewhat painful, especially when I got an infection in one of my breasts. I have fair skin and which is more sensitive and it took longer for my skin to no longer be irritated by it. I coped with some home remedies (I even tried the cabbage leaves trick, it actually works), and some store bought soothers. Once I got past the initial first phase, it's been amazing. I would go through that first 2 months again TWICE if I had to, it was well worth it. There is a bond between you and your baby that goes beyond description. Plus the added connivence that I never have to take time to prepare a bottle or pay for an expensive tin of powdered formula doesn't hurt either. My daughter is almost to the point I have to start thinking about weening her soon, and honestly feel depressed at the very thought of it. It's obvious she loves it, and I love it too!

4)
What I was told - "Get ready for endless sleepless nights. Bags under your eyes will soon be a permanent fixture on your face."

My experience - My daughter would wake up twice at night until she was 2 weeks old to eat (which with breastfeeding, I could just lay right back down and rest my eyes until she was finished). After that, she miraculously started sleeping through the night, from about 10pm to 8am. Hallelujah! Nowadays she sleeps from 8pm to 8am (mommy is in parent heaven)!
I would like to point out here that I took my own advice and learned something from a fellow mom. While visiting a friend, I noted how easy her kids went down for naps and bed time. She would leave the room and be back minutes later, no cries or complaints from her baby! When I asked her about it, she told me it was the result of training them that when its time to sleep, they put themselves to sleep. Yes, they cry for awhile in the beginning, but they're smart and they learn. (These are tricks learned and perfected from the book "Baby Wise" by Gary Ezzo & Robert Buknam, MD).
These days my daughter's bed/nap time routine is simple: I turn on her Dave Matthews Band lullabies, hold her close for a few minutes to calm and relax her, then give her kiss & put her in her crib and close the door! She usual yells at me for about 5 or 10 seconds after I close the door, but then plays with her stuffed hippo and glow worm, and babbles to herself until she drifts off. Money!

So to continue with my streak of honesty here, parenthood so far is more of a breeze and definitely not a hassle. I honestly enjoy it much more than I expected, especially after all the terrifying stories I kept hearing! Yes, I had some plain old good luck involved, but I shouldn't have to feel embarrassed or apologetic for having a good experience. Therefore I won't be, I'm blatantly bragging about how much I am loving every minute of it!