Tips For Eating and Living Well
If you’re not a parent who has caved and turned on the TV in a desperate search for sanity, you may not be familiar with the British cartoon, Peppa Pig. Since I am one of those parents, Abby has grown to love this cute cartoon character, and thus had a Peppa Pig-themed second birthday party. …
Losing Weight and Gaining Health
With over two thirds of the American population overweight or obese, it’s no wonder that weight loss is a hot topic. Sometimes I do a search for “weight loss” on Pinterest just to marvel at all of the ridiculous solutions and “health” claims….
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately about the health benefits of curcumin, the deep yellow pigment in turmeric. Apparently this ingredient, paired with black pepper, is just shy of magical. I’ve known for a while about its anti-inflammatory properties, but I had no idea that its benefits don’t stop there. Read on!
Because it’s not always easy to fit turmeric or curry into our everyday diets, I’m sharing a way to drink it as a warm, delicious beverage that tastes like autumn and gives you all of the health benefits of curcumin, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper!
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You know you’ve made it as a food blogger when you’re mailed a product and asked to do a review on your blog!
And I’ll admit, because I believe it’s possible to eat all of the protein you need from eating only plants, I generally don’t endorse protein powders.
BUT . . .
When I received my sample of Nature’s Food Organic Protein, I was impressed by its ingredient list and the fact that it’s 100% vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and lactose-free. It’s also free of preservatives, cholesterol, and artificial flavors and sweeteners. The main reason I like this product, however, is the fact that it contains Bacillus coagulans, which is a beneficial probiotic (good bacteria). Probiotics help boost your immune system and aid in digestion by improving gut health, and should be part of everyone’s diet! …
Words can hardly describe how excited I am about this gardening weather! My plants have been planted, the compost bin is finally seeing some action, and Abby is proudly donning her sun hat!…
Buffalo Popcorn
With summer just around the corner, many people are coming out of winter hibernation and dreading the season of the swimsuit. In preparation, they are hitting the gyms, dusting off the P90X DVD’s, and returning to their New Year’s resolution diet plans (remember those?).
Being in the swimsuit-phobic camp myself, I decided to look more deeply into some of the weight loss strategies that I’ve read about or hear about on a regular basis and explain my opinions of each one based on their effectiveness.
Today I’m starting with a very simple, yet highly misunderstood concept: snacking. I’m sure at some point you’ve heard that six small meals per day is better for weight loss than three large meals because eating regularly boosts metabolism, maintains stable blood sugar levels, and helps you eat fewer calories overall.
But is this actually true?…
I’m pleased to announce that my spring/summer garden has been planted!
Last year was the first summer at our new house, which came with six raised beds in our side yard. I was so excited about finally living the dream and having my own vegetable garden that I went a little overboard. I planted several tomato plants, various peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, herbs, red cabbage, wildflowers, leeks, and watermelons. The watermelons didn’t survive the cold weather the first week we planted them, but after a few weeks, everything else in the garden exploded. The tomato plants got so big, the tomatoes weighed down the wire towers and bent them, knocking some of them down. The squash and zucchini plants were so enormous, their leaves overshadowed the poor pepper plants….
If you’re a breastfeeding mother, you might discover that your milk supply dips on occasion. As I mentioned in my Lactation 102: Improving Lactation post, there are certain foods that can help boost your milk supply. Among these foods are oats, flax seeds, and brewer’s yeast, which are all ingredients included in my lactation cookie recipe!…
As I mentioned in my Breastfeeding 101: Why and How post, the number one excuse I hear from women who gave up on breastfeeding was that they weren’t producing enough milk for their baby. Many times, a nurse or pediatrician even recommended they supplement with formula as a result.
Lactation works through supply and demand, so if you supplement with formula, your body will respond by producing less and less milk until you stop lactating altogether!…
It’s now time for me to start my breastfeeding series, a continuation of my pregnancy series!
I’ve been putting this post off for a while now, because the topic of breastfeeding can be quite polarizing among mothers. On one end you find the die-hard breastfeeders, and on the other are the defensive formula users. …
Yesterday my baby girl turned one year old, and I can’t believe it!
One year old already?! How did this happen?
In preparation for Abby’s birthday, I worked two weeks on a smash cake recipe that’s vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, dye-free, and refined sugar-free — and it was no easy task! I’ll admit I almost caved and added eggs and confectioner’s sugar, but I was determined to start Abby’s second year of life on the right foot.
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Now that Abby is almost one year old, I am constantly searching for nutritious finger foods to give her. There are several fruit snacks on the market, but they all have a long list of unnecessary ingredients that I don’t want to give to my baby. So I decided to roll up my sleeves, dust off my dehydrator, and pull out my food processor.
My goal was to create a nutritious snack that is high in vitamins and antioxidants, is naturally sweet, and is soft enough for a 6-toothed baby to chew. The fruit snacks I came up with contain superfruits goji berries and wild blueberries, in addition to apple and Chia seeds. They’re easy to make, and Abby loves them!
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