"Today I will Live inThe Moment, Unless Its Unpleasant...In which case I will eat a cookie"- Cookie Monster

Being very pregnant, getting lots of fiber in my diet is super important to me right now.   One of my favorite ways to eat more fiber is incorporating lots of oats into my meals.  Oats contain more soluble fiber than any other grain. I use them in oatmeal, muffins, breads and is even a great binder in meatloaf to use instead of breadcrumbs.  If you're trying to lower your cholesterol consuming 2-3 servings of oats per day day can really help. I'm not saying eating 3 servings of cookies every day will help, but the extra fiber in your diet is always a good thing.

With the holiday season upon us, I've got baking on the brain...specifically cookies (as if you couldn't tell where I was going already with this post).  One thing that always bugs me is why do people add regular white flour to oatmeal cookies.  Why add something that doesn't really add nutritional value, when you can use the good stuff for no extra cost? I like to use all oats in my oatmeal cookies. its easy. Just take half of your oats and pulverize them in the food processor to make your own oat flour. As an added bonus, this makes these cookies naturally gluten free. 

16oz rolled oats toasted at 375 for 20 mins

Place half of toasted oats in food processor to make a flour. Once pulverized add 1tsp cinnamon and 1tsp aluminum free baking powder and a pinch of sea salt.

In a mixer, combine your wet ingredients on high speed:

10oz unsalted room temp butter, 6oz dark brown sugar, 3.5 oz organic cane sugar, and beat together to cream until smooth ( about 3 mins)

Slow mixer to low and add 1 large egg, & 1tsp vanilla extract.

Add flour mixture slowly into wet ingredients. Next add optional ingredients such as nuts, chocolate chips or raisins. Also add the other half of the rolled oats that weren't pulverized. Bake 375 12 minutes. If you use 1 tablespoon size drops of dough, this recipe makes about 4 dozen nibbler sized cookies. 

Note: if you have a gluten intolerance, make sure to buy certified Gluten Free rolled oats. Oats do not contain gluten but many brands are processed in the same plants as conventional flours/ I tend to trust Bob's Red Mill brand the most.  Also, if you are vegan or have a dairy intolerance, you can substitute Earth Balance Sticks for the butter. I find they do not alter the texture.

Now the hard part is keeping my husband out of the tins through the week so we have some left for when company comes over.  Hope you enjoy them! 

Too Much Sugar + lots of fake stuff = Overstimulation!

Morning! I've been experimenting on where I get the most followers from and make daily posts on my Facebook page regularly. So, if you feel you haven't heard from me in a while, that's where I've been. Anyway, It's still dark out as I'm writing this at 0-dark-thirty, but I can't sleep.
You can already see why the title of this post fits, as I've already gone off on a tangent before making it to the 2nd sentence of this post. If you haven't kept up with me on Facebook, you may not know that I'm pregnant.... About 6 months, to be exact. I always have been a mindful eater and this month I've really been focusing (more than usual) and pledged, to spend the month of October not eating processed foods at all.

Yesterday morning, I had to have a test to see if I had gestational diabetes. I had asked my doctor in advance if I could try a more difficult way to take this test that my blood tech from my previous doctor had told me about. This phlebotamist had gotten to know me and the work that  I do pretty well. She explained there's a way to take the test eating only natural foods but it was an insane amount of food and a lot of work. I was willing to try it.  I asked my doctor about this and they said there was no such thing that was accurate and this was my only choice. (red flag!!, but I'll get to that later)

Basically, the normal version of this test is an insane amount of glucose & dextrose that you have to drink straight. They call it Glucola.  You also can't eat anything for two hours beforehand. To make it worse, they add a ton of artificial flavors and colors to it. Most people say it's not that bad and it reminds them of drinking orange Hi-C. It was truly disgusting.  For someone like me, it was a swift reminder of why I have avoided eating/ drinking chemical laden foods several years ago.

Needless to say, my body did not react well (by my standards) and here it is almost 24 hours later and I'm still feeling the effects. The first thing I noticed right away was sweating, jitters and mild shakes. The next thing I noticed while driving to the doctors was that I was in a  very cranky & in a very agitated mood. When I brought up these symptoms, the staff said this was completely normal (scary).  Ok, mini divergent rant: Is this why our kids have no attention span, are anxious and have behavior problems..... If you add up what most kids eat in a day now, compared to what I drank, there is not a whole lot of difference. Makes me wonder....yeah, after yesterday, not so much.

I left the docs and was given the go ahead to start eating and drinking again. I started chugging water like it was my job, but no matter how much I drank, I was still thirsty. I had to run home, finish packing an overnight bag and drive down to MD to see my family. I couldn't focus. I forgot several important things I needed. As I drove, everything was distracting me and I continued being agitated and cranky. My face had horrible red blotches on it. I looked terrible, despite a good full night's sleep.

I pulled over and stopped at a store to get some nuts and other protein hoping to regulate myself out. I couldn't take these symptoms. The protein definitely helped me to focus more on my driving. An hour and a half later, once arriving, I ate some more protein and veg. Leveled out a bit more.  My mantra for the day became no sugar or carbs....only water, protein and vegetables in hopes I could even myself out. It did start to work eventually and spending some happy time with my mom and eldest nephew also helped considerably.

I was doing great until we went to dinner at a neighborhood spot and I forgot myself a moment and got a bread pudding for dessert (one of my favs). I have been tossing and turning all night, with racing thoughts and hyperactivity. I haven't felt like this since college ( not good. I was on medication to treat these symptoms back then). Just after college is when I learned the benefits of changing my diet and never had to be on meds again. The change in how much sleep I began getting, not to mention how much calmer and happier I felt was miraculous.

I am hoping getting back to my normal eating habits today, I'll continue to feel better. But this experience taught me three things
1) I need to stick with my gut feelings and if something doesn't gel with what my doctor recommends I need to speak up and get other opinions/ find another solution we both agree on.... or find a different doctor.
2) I will not be abandoning my eating plan again. It does too much that affects my well being and happiness
3) once my son is born I will be enforcing my healthy habits because I don't want him growing up having to feel miserable and not know there is a better way

I hope my own aggravation during this experience can hopefully help some of you from having to go through the same thing.  I hope all of you have a great day.... and be good to yourselves!

Nobody's Perfect, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Many people assume that those of us who are health coaches eat perfect all the time and are always blissfully happy. While this is true quite often, here is a newsflash: we are only human and we have bad moods too. I believe we've just learned how to turn things around by finding the smallest little postive niblet to focus on.

This morning was a prime example for me. As many of you nkow, I'm about 4 and a half months pregnant. Like many women, at this stage in my pregnancy I am frustrated with a lot of things. Some of which being that my bump is growing quickly but its at that awkward stage where I look really paunchy in the middle, I have no energy and I'm way behind on my daily to-do lists (including keeping up with this blog and my daily chores around the house). I also crave and occasionally munch things I hardly ever eat (I have an unusal fascination with birthday cake lately). These feelings also tend to put one's self esteem in the toilet, despite the fact my brain gets the logical reason for these symptoms, my heart does not understand. I have always been an over achiever and find all this beyond exasperating.

The alarm went off today and I was grumpy. I didn't want to get so early for a part time job,  (that is not exactly all that challenging)... I'm behind on my laundry and since I haven't really made the switch to maternity clothes yet, my choices were limited. I grimaced as I reached for the only dress hanging in my closet. It is a cute little black linen number that I picked up on my honeymoon in Hawaii two years ago. I slipped it on thinking it would get stuck around the middle, but the most amazing thing happened. It fit and with room too!!! I wanted to let a whoop of joy but didn't want to wake up my hubby who was still asleep in bed.

I could not figure out how this was possible. I thought about it on my drive to work and then it hit me: I had a flashback to two years ago.

Just before getting married, to say I was a stressed out mess would be a serious understatement. I was working in a job with a very unhealthy environment that was also rather sedentary. Planning a wedding between two states with lots of friend and family drama did not exactly help either. I became bloated and literally sick. I had already studied Reiki, as well as other holistic health modalities, so I knew this lifestyle wasn't working for me. I needed a big change. That fall I started attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. As a health coaching and nutrition student I decided to learn by immersion about all the dietary theories we were studying in school. Please understand, I wan't on a crash diet to lose weight or working out with a trainer like crazy. All that I have done since embarking on this journey a few years ago is change my eating habits to what people now call "clean eating". Ironically enough, this is how I pretty much ate growing up, but its easy to forget because there wasn't so much processed stuff in our food supply back then..... at least not that my family ate.

The other thing I learned at IIN is to balance my work life and relationships better. What works for me is a daily goal to find mini victories each day to help me maintain my focus. Staying healthy and happy is easy once I've done that. 

 

Now, as an IIN graduate these concepts are what I help my clients learn too. Everyone needs a different approach, one that works and suits their own personal lifestyle. Your daily goals and challenges will be different  than mine, but the concept is the same.   No one is perfect and there is no point in beating up oneself. Especially for things that we have the power to change, even when it feels like we can't. My exciting revelation with the little black dress this morning proves that this approach works, even after a long period of time.  Let me help you discover your own personal gifts and power to change your own life.  Call  or email me to book your free initial health consultation today. I'd love to help you find your own path to happiness. In the meantime, be good to yourselves and remember to celebrate your own daily mini victories. I think after work I'm going home to try on my wedding dress to remind myself how far I've come. Have a great weekend!

Warning: Contains Awesome Food Related Profanity

Its a hot early summer day here in Harrisburg. On days when I wake up sweating I usually start looking for some cool recipe inspiration for dinner first thing. In my perusal of recipes featuring lots of cold salads and grilled yumminess, I saw an article on Saveur.com about the winne rof the best new food blog and had to check it out for myself.

I know its weird..... a blog post about another blogger. This blog took me by surprise though. I'm talking about "Thug Kitchen".  You've probably seen the pictures from this blog on Pinterest or floating around Facebook. I find them really funny. A lot of people find them offensive because of the profanity.

Yes, there is a lot of profanity on this blog because this guy is completely passionate about eating healthy. I know I'm not the only person who get s so frustrated seeing what other people eat sometime and find myself swearing. For me, this is usually an internal process. I like the brutal honesty and intensity of this blog. The author wrote it for entertainment purposes, but also to put some good healthy food recipes out in the universe. Bonus if you're a vegetarian because the recipes are, for the majority, plant based. (His girl friend is a vegan.)

So if you have a few minutes, and no children in the room, I suggest you check out ThugKitchen.com 

I'll be back to my old every other week posting schedule shortly. Lots of big news is on its way.... and lots of new recipes too since my garden is going to explode very shortly.  Hope everyone had a happy & healthy memorial day weekend!

"Oh, he occasionally takes an alcoholiday".- Oscar Wilde

Please Note: I actually wrote this post last year and forgot to publish it. Hope you find it enlightening.

St Patrick's day is one of those holidays that has become for most Americans, to drink way too much alcohol and pretend that they're Irish by wearing lots of green. Its supposed to be a celebration of Irish American culture.  Unfortunately,  most partyers don't even know the history of the holiday. Out of respect for the Irish I'd like to set the record a bit straighter.  Here's a mini history lesson.

Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people by driving the away the snakes.  Or to put it more bluntly, he was the person who got the credit for stomping the Pagan religion out of Ireland (which is another reason why I usually don't celebrate this holiday). In the centuries following Patrick's death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most well known legend is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.  

March 17th is celebrates the day that died St Patrick back in the 5th century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast--on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage (not corned beef which is a collaboration that originated in New York  between Jewish & Irish immigrants).

I'm all about having a good time, and love some good boot stomping Irish music, but St Patrick's Day is one day of the year you can't pay me to be in a bar. Instead of a nasty light beer dyed green,  we will be enjoying some nice stouts and lagers in the comfort of our home. If you do enjoy a nice pint of stout, please do not drink it cold out of the fridge.  Drink it like they do in Ireland, sip it at room temperature, all the wonderful coffee and chocolate flavors will develop and it tastes so much richer. We prefer to enjoy comfort food on chilly March evenings. Since its rainy and cooling down a bit from last week's heat wave I made up a nice batch of Guiness beef stew for the weekend (complete with local grass fed beef & organic veggies of course).

One thing I particularly admire about most Irish cuisine is that its main influence is what is locally available and seasonal. Its also usually made from simple and inexpensive ingredients.
If you want to celebrate by incorporate more green in to your diet (which is always a good thing to do)  here are a couple of tasty recipes (not necessarily Irish) that are good anytime of year :
-  Pea & mint Bruschetta, a yummy appetizer & a great way to enjoy the flavors of spring
-Colcannon Quesadillas - a yummy vegan bar food twist on the traditional Irish dish
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with White Beans & Kale
-Some great Greens recipes from fitsugar.com
-and don't forget your morning green smoothie!


Here's an Irish Toast to all of you:
"May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire."

Soup's On!

The high today without the windchill is about 20 degrees farenheit...brrrrrrr! My husband has the unfortunate experience of having to work outside today.  This time of year I crave comfort food, and in this type of weather means a lot of soups and stews.

Last week we had several successes. First up for Meat free Monday we enjoyed a broccoli and cheddar soup, recipe courtesy of Wegman's. We had margherita pizza (fresh tomatoes with basil) to go with it. I used Udi's gluten free pizza crust. My husband actually likes these because they make a really nice thin crust pizza.

 Here's the link to the soup recipe: http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=732692

Next up was a recipe I discovered on Pinterest, Octoberfest Stew. IT was pretty quick, easy and I already had all the ingredients in my fridge and pantry.  http://thecozyapron.com/oktoberfest-stew-and-shiny-happy-people/

I liked this recipe a lot, it was really hearty. the only thing I would change is that I'd add the cabbage in a bit later so that it wasn't so overcooked. I'd rather have some more vitamins that weren't completely cooked out of it.

Tonight I'm making up some good spicy Indian food, lentils and cauliflower in a spicy tomato curry. I figure the rich sauce and some good Naan bread will help to heat my husband up after a long & cold day.

Tomorrow is a busy day so I'll be using my crockpot to save time and make greek chicken pitas, you'll need:

1 medium onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat

1½ teaspoons lemon pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

4 pita pocket breads

½ cup plain yogurt

1 tomato, sliced
½ cup chopped cucumber
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips

Directions

1. In slow-cooker, combine onion, garlic, chicken, lemon pepper, oregano, and allspice; mix to coat chicken with seasoning.
2. Cover and cook onLOWfor 4–6 hours.
3. Heat pita bread as directed on package. Meanwhile, remove chicken from slow-cooker; place on cutting board. Using two forks, shred chicken.
4. To serve, stir yogurt into onion mixture in slow-cooker. Spoon chicken onto warm pita bread. With slotted spoon, transfer onion mixture onto chicken; top with tomato, cucumber, and red pepper strips.

Hope these recipe ideas help keep you warm this week! For my next post I'll be giving you healthier options that will still take care of the hungriest apetities for the upcoming Superbowl celebrations.

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