I check two things when I buy packaged food items: the ingredients list and the "best before" date. And I openly admit that I get a bit squeamish at the thought of eating an "expired" food item, even if it looks, smells, and tastes as fresh as ever. But the truth is, "best before," "use by," or "sell by" dates are not well regulated in North America. In fact, they are the food manufacturers best estimate of when their product will remain at its peak of freshness.
When you think "eating disorder" you likely picture an emaciated girl whose ribs stick out and whose cheeks are sunken in. And I'm guessing that when you see an obese teenage boy, the last thing you're thinking is "I wonder if he has an anorexia?" What many people don't realize though, is that eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes.
Since becoming more of a "fooditarian," I've stopped buying many processed food items such as cereal, bread, crackers etc. and have opted to make my own (which, honestly, isn't as challenging as you may think). I feel much better about what I'm eating and feeding my family because the food that we're eating is REAL, not to mention that it tastes much better.
With three kids at home I've been finding it a bit challenging to get a healthy, balanced homemade meal on the table at a decent time (before 7pm). Even when I map out my day and start dinner preparations early, I still find that I'm scrambling at 6pm (with a toddler climbing up my leg and a fussy baby attached to me) trying to get dinner on the table. Gone are the days where I had three solid hours to prepare dinner, clean, relax etc. during nap time. So, I've had to become a bit more efficient when it comes to preparing meals and have discovered a few short-cuts.
I love Fall. It's by far my favourite season, not only because of the beautiful colours, the warm days and the crisp, cool nights, but also because I always feel motivated to "start fresh" and tackle a new project or personal goal.
While most people consider Summer to be blissful, I find true bliss when Fall arrives.
This summer my husband and I often put the kids to bed and enjoyed a light refreshing salad for dinner (paired with wine, of course). This may sound totally boring and unsatisfying to some of you (ONLY salad for dinner?!), but trust me, the salads that we make are jam-packed full of fresh ingredients like seasonal veggies and fruits, herbs, nuts, meat or fish, and yummy cheeses. They are meal-worthy salads, which are very satisfying and tasty.
It's time to start shedding the lingering 15 pounds of "baby weight" that my body seems to be holding on to. I'm in that awkward "what do I wear?!" stage and have hit a bit of a plateau in my weight loss, which is understandable considering I have not changed much in my diet and activity since I was pregnant. Now that my milk supply has been established, I can go ahead and start slowly shedding this remaining extra weight. My goal is to lose no more than about one pound per week, as this will likely not affect my breastmilk supply.
What is the easiest and fastest way to get your child to do something that you want or behave in a certain way, NOW? By offering some sort of treat food, right?! We've all done it. I see it time and time again—at the grocery store, in the mall, at the playground, during a play date etc.
After hearing about the tragic loss of Lisa Gibson and her two children, I thought to myself "Lisa was at a similar stage of motherhood as me, having just had a baby and also having a toddler. I can't imagine how bad it must have had to be..." But then, just yesterday, I had a moment where I felt extremely overwhelmed.
Watermelon is my favourite fruit by far—it's sweet and refreshing, especially on a hot summer's day. I've been eating a lot of watermelon over the past month or so because I've found that it's the perfect snack while I'm nursing my daughter. It's hydrating, high in fibre, and provides a healthy dose of two important antioxidants, Vitamin C, and Lycopene. Not to mention, it's the perfect way to satisfy my sweet tooth instead of going crazy on cookies and ice cream.
It amazes me that some people feel that it's appropriate to ask very personal questions to complete strangers, especially when it comes to pregnant women and new moms. Some of these people feel as though they deserve the right to know whether or not a mom is breastfeeding or formula feeding her baby. Complete strangers. In the grocery store.
Amidst the chaos of the Calgary flood and on the night of the most beautiful full-moon (actually called a Super-moon), I delivered a sweet little baby girl that we named Lylah Betty. "Lylah" because I've been in love with the name forever, and "Betty" after my Grandma ("Nannie"). I had an intense but amazing delivery with a beautiful prize at the end.
I never thought that I would witness anything like this. This is a developing story but I will do my best to describe what is going on right now... The City of Calgary is under a state of emergency due to a massive flood that has caused over 25 communities (about 100,000 people) to be evacuated from their homes.
Broccoli is high in dietary fibre, folate, Vitamin C, A and K. This amazing phytochemical-rich veggie has been shown to prevent certain cancers, heart disease and stroke. It is basically a nutritional powerhouse. It's also quite versatile. You can eat raw or cook it by lightly steaming (the best way to retain most of its nutrients), stir-frying, baking, or roasting.
I vividly remember my mother preparing healthy, balanced meals for my dad, my brothers, and me most nights—she's an amazing cook. We always sat down as a family for dinner and talked about our day. This is one thing that I am so thankful for and will continue to do with my own family.
I'm all about easy, last-minute suppers. Don't get me wrong, I have the best of intentions to meal plan every week and absolutely think that meal planning is the best way to stay organized when it comes to family meals, not to mention save time and money.
I’ve had many questions from fellow moms on which milk is best for their babies and toddlers. Some of these moms have toddlers that can’t tolerate homogenized milk due to milk allergy or lactose intolerance, so they are turning to milk alternatives such as rice milk, soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk to fulfill their little one’s milk needs.
How you choose to feed your kids is your personal choice as a parent. Every parent will feel a certain way about feeding their kids, especially when it comes to "treat" foods. Some parents may never allow their kids to have treats while other parents may have them readily available for consumption daily. And then, of course, there most parents who take an in-between stance on feeding their kids treats, and this is where it gets a bit tricky — there is a big gray area. Should you be offering treat foods once a day? What is defined as a "treat" food?
I love to experiment with recipes to come up with a healthier yet still delicious version of my own. It's taken me a few years to perfect this one and now I'm sharing it with you! I've added as much oatmeal as I could without making them dry, as little sugar as I could without taking the "cookie" taste away, as little butter as possible without making TOO healthy and I've opted for 100% whole wheat flour instead of a mixture of white and whole wheat. Oh, and my son fully approves of this recipe and your kids will love it too!
