Weekly Cookup: Old Favorites… A Tried & True Fitness Program & A Trusty TJ Shopping List

Phew! It’s been a few weeks without a legit meal plan in place over here. We’ve had a ton going on (refer to my latest instagram post… more on that later), so we’ve been flying by the seat of our pantalones as far as meal prep goes around these parts.

This week, I’ve got something else up my sleeve. Aside from a few occasional flare-ups, my neck issues are mostly in check (aided by dietary turmeric and topical magnesium supplementation, nutrient-dense whole foods, and an otherwise anti-inflammatory diet, and complemented by consistent Pilates rehab therapy), so I’m feeling strong and ready for a challenge. We’ve got a month left on our gym membership before we make the big move back to the land of CLE, and I’m feeling inspired to make the most of it by once again revisiting my favorite workout of all time, Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer. I cannot say enough great things about this workout program, as I’ve followed it before and saw just how capable and strong my body could be. It was a fantastic feeling. That being said, ANYONE can do this program. Any age, any gender, any shape or size. It’s easily modified to your fitness level, aka, completely easy to start where you are.

With this fitness program plan in place, and with all that we’ve got going on in the next month, I want to have some easy, grab+go meals in the fridge. Lucky for me, a while back I purchased these meal prep containers on Amazon, so I’m all set to make this as simple as possible.

This week’s shopping trip is going to stray from my beloved Whole Foods (gasp! I know!), and over to my OTHER BFF Trader Joe! Why, you ask? Simple! I was going through some old blog posts and found a complete 21-Day Sugar Detox compliant shopping list for Trader Joes, so I thought… why make more work for myself? This weekend is going to involve a (cheaper than Whole Foods) shopping trip to TJ, and a mass meal-prep party to stock my fridge with healthy meals that I can grab and go all week. Who’s with me??!

Curious about that blog post? Read it here, all my favorites from Trader Joes… then stock up and get preppin’!

Have a GREAT WEEKEND!

xx

e

Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tea

Hey friends… wanted to share something with you all today that was outside the normal weekly meal plan and a bit more on the side of medicinal, healing nutrition. By now we’ve likely all heard of the powerful healing properties of turmeric and curcumin, and if you haven’t, just google “benefits of turmeric” and you’ll come across a slew of evidence-based articles touting positive side effects such as aiding in digestion, slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, purifying the blood, improving skin conditions, reducing the side effects of chemotherapy, aiding in weight management, speeding wound healing, reducing symptoms of arthritis, among a million other things just shy of miracles! It’s pretty powerful stuff. SO! I thought I’d share my new favorite way to consume it, in a twice-daily cup of creamy turmeric tea.

Those of you who know me personally know that I’ve been suffering with some inflammation issues for the better part of a year now. After L was born, I experienced what I thought was simply a pinched nerve in my neck, that resulted in numbness, tingling, and weakness in my left arm, hand and fingers, stiffness in my neck, and extreme pain in my upper back and shoulders. I later found out through a series of doctor’s visits and tests that the issues I was experiencing were a result of herniated and bulging discs in my neck that were pressing on my spinal cord. Um, ouch! No wonder! Though I did see a surgeon about the issue, which was causing basically affecting my whole life (no working out, no yoga, no lifting, trouble sleeping, stiffness, and pain pain pain… etc.), he agreed that surgery didn’t have to be the only option, and that with time and rest and proper care, my herniated discs would heal on their on. GREAT news for me, considering I am in the camp of natural healing (um, DUH, did you not know this about me by now?), and did NOT want to go under the knife, or even consider taking any prescription (or OTC) drugs for pain or anything else they would have me take post-op. So I felt super fortunate I had the option to say NO to all of that.

I actually slept better with the soft collar the surgeon sent me home with, and applying peppermint and wintergreen oils along with other anti-inflammatory therapeutic grade essential oils to my neck seemed to help soothe the pain I was experiencing. I have to admit, though, I was still waking up stiff and sore until I added this turmeric tea to my daily regimen. I know it might sound extreme or hard to believe, but I swear I noticed a difference the very next morning after I had made myself a cup of this the night before. I didn’t wake up feeling like a crippled old lady (did I mention I’m 33?)!! It was pretty amazing. I’m still progressing in my healing, but the changes I’ve felt in just a few weeks of adding more turmeric to my diet have been so profound, I felt the need to share with everyone I know who could benefit from it, and figured writing a post here with a recipe would be a good idea, too!

I searched the Google and Pinterest for recipes and what I make now is a combination of a few, and one I find not only works to ease the inflammation in my neck (and all my joints, my whole body!), but also tastes pretty delish. I typically have a cup of this mid-morning and in the evening while we’re enjoying some down time after L has gone to bed.

Oh, AND! Bonus! I played around with adding some of my essential oils to the recipe… cinnamon bark and lemon are my two favorite, but there are sooooo many that would not only taste good, but also add a little extra healing plant power to your cup. Clove, nutmeg, ginger, orange, black pepper… the options are endless! Just make sure not to use them all in one cup or you might gag. Yikes.

Here’s my recipe:

Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tea

1/2 – 1 tsp turmeric paste (recipe below)

1 cup hot water

1 tsp raw organic honey (or more to taste)

1/2 – 1 tsp coconut oil or ghee

pinch ground cinnamon*

pinch ground ginger*

1-2 tbsp Aroy-D coconut milk (or other full fat coconut milk with no additives), or more to taste

*may substitute therapeutic-grade essential oils for ground spices

Add the turmeric paste, honey, ghee or coconut oil, and spices to the hot water in your favorite mug and stir well to combine, and until honey is dissolved and ghee is melted. Add coconut milk to your desired creaminess. Take it a step further and give it a little whir in your NutriBullet for a bit of extra froth. Sip and enjoy!

Turmeric Paste

1 tbsp turmeric

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp water

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until a thick paste forms, adding more or less water to get the right consistency. Store covered in a glass dish in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Hope y’all enjoy! Happy weekend!

xx

e

Easiest-Ever Crunchy Raw Veggie Salad

Stop. Just stop. Whatever you’re doing right now, whatever excuse you have for not eating more veggies, all of that – just stop it right now. Get yourself to a Whole Foods or the nearest farmer’s market and fill your reusable shopping bag with all the crunchy and delicious veggies you can get your hands on and get to choppin’. You can thank me later. ;)

This salad is SO AWESOME – I added it to my weekly cookup and made a big batch this past Sunday so we would have it in the fridge for the week. I had really been feeling like I needed more veggies in my life, especially throughout the day when I was pressed for time and didn’t have something ‘ready-to-eat’ already in the fridge and instead was downing a bag of plantain chips or grabbing something equally not-as-healthy-as-vegetables (ahem – chocolate) to satisfy my snacking urges. The raw veggies in this salad really soak up the dressing and become tender and flavorful… and because it’s so easy to throw together (and makes it easy to get in more veggies at every meal), it will probably become a staple in your fridge! SO GO MAKE IT RIGHT NOW!

Crunchy Raw Veggie Salad

What you’ll need:

• Any/All of the following veggies, chopped to uniform bite-size
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Carrots (love those jumbo rainbow ones!)
  • Crimini/mini portobello or white button mushrooms
  • Bell pepper (any color, but I love red)
• Kalamata olives
• Feta or parmesan cheese – if you tolerate dairy
• Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic dressing (or your own favorite squeaky clean vinaigrette – Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic is my #1. Use as much as you feel is appropriate)

What to do:

Toss your chopped veggies into a giant mixing bowl along with the olives and feta cheese. Dress your veggies with the Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic dressing and don’t be shy! Really coat them up good – be generous with your dressing. Toss everything to coat well. Refrigerate and enjoy!

This salad is best after the veggies have had a chance to marinate, a few hours or so.

Enjoy!!

xx

e

You Have a Choice.

Okay, you guys. Do me a favor and while reading this post, try to forget that I am a registered yoga teacher, and instead just pretend that I’m a beginner. Because, guess what? In a way, I am. Without getting too woo-woo on you, we all are, even the most advanced yogi. Every time you step on your yoga mat, you are new, the practice is new, your body is new, it’s all new. Some parts may seem familiar but for the most part, you have a fresh clean slate and you’ve never been where you’re going. And that is honestly one of the many things about yoga that I love! Anyway…

This morning I went to an actual class for the first time in… a while. I mean, I have a million excuses… injury, exhaustion, that whole kid thing, time, etc, etc, etc. Whatever. I was literally in the parking lot trying to talk myself out of going, I had other things with which I could easily fill up 90 minutes, I hadn’t practiced in months (um, total ego working, that’s exactly why I SHOULD go in to class), I was restless and impatient and feeling like I had fallen behind in my practice and would be stiff and sore and too wrapped up in my own self-deprecating thoughts to get anything out of the practice… wow, clearly I really needed this class. So, once I realized what was happening in my head and how much I actually needed to get my butt in there, I went for it. And boy, oh boy, was it my lucky day, because the teacher’s message was just for me.

We have a choice. In every moment, we have a choice. We can choose to take the yoga class, or choose to drive away and sit at Starbucks and get sucked into the internet instead. We can choose to plan ahead and prepare healthy meals to support our body and our best health, or we can choose get take-out for the third time in a week. We can choose to yell at our kids in a moment of frustration, or choose to stop what we’re doing, take a deep breath and take a moment to get on their level. We can choose to argue and disagree with our significant other, or choose to slow down and try to understand their point of view. We can choose to dwell on regrets we have over the past, or choose to live fully in the present and appreciate all the gifts we have in our life right now. We can choose to let anxiety and worry and stress take away our peace of mind, or we can recognize what a waste of time that would be, and instead choose happiness, gratitude, and love for the present moment. We can choose to judge ourselves (or others) harshly, to let our own negative judgments keep us from experiencing all that this life has for us, or we can choose to be OPEN, to slow down, recognize the recurring patterns of our thoughts and subsequent behavior, and then again, choose to change.

There is no need to push negative feelings down, to ignore them, or to try to replace them. The need lies in recognizing and allowing yourself to feel these things, but then also in understanding that you are not your feelings. It’s so easy to identify with our feelings, to believe we are that which we feel. But we are so much more! We are strong, powerful, beautiful – we are filled with light! We are meant to connect with each other, we are meant to give and to receive… we are meant for soooooo much more than what 99% of the population believes is true for themselves.

My request for you today is to simply slow down, recognize that you have a choice. You don’t have to be sad, you don’t have to feel rushed, you don’t have to feel sick and tired, you don’t have to be angry, you don’t have to be anything but the light and the love that you truly are.

Namaste, y’all.

xx

e

Grain-Free Blueberry Mini-Muffins

You ask, I deliver.

Yesterday, I posted a photo of some delicious and adorable little blueberry mini muffins on Facebook and Instagram, and turns out, some people wanted to know how I did it. Grain-free? Gluten-free? Nut-free? Delicious? Toddler-approved and not totally laden with sugar and chemicals? BUT HOW?

Here’s how, kids. Knock yourselves out.

Grain-Free Blueberry Mini-Muffins 

3 organic eggs

3 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter… or Nutiva shortening, which is what I used)

2 Tbsp honey (or other natural sweetener like organic grade B maple syrup)

1/8 tsp almond extract (OR your favorite essential oils! I’ve made these with Lemon and they are amazing! Orange would also be bomb.)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour

Approximately 1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin with butter or Trader Joe’s (or other) coconut oil cooking spray. OR you can use liners, up to you. If you’re using big organic blueberries, place a single berry in the bottom of each muffin cup (wild blueberries are smaller so use a few).

Melt the coconut oil/butter/shortening and mix in the honey, almond extract, and sea salt. Add the eggs, coconut flour, and baking soda and blend in a small blender or with a hand mixer until very smooth. Work quickly because the oil will start to firm up again once it hits the cold eggs (which is fine, don’t panic! Just don’t let it sit there forever). Spoon batter evenly between the muffin cups (over the berries) and top each with a few more berries*.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until muffins are set and enjoy warm with a big pat of butter!!

*If you’re using wild blueberries, they tend to be much smaller so you can get away with sprinkling them on top to your heart’s content. In the batch pictured, I used organic berries which were ginormous, and made the mistake of topping my muffins off with three as opposed to two… what can I say, I got excited?! Anyway, I had to keep increasing my bake-time because the berries kept the centers of my muffins from cooking through. Not a big deal, I just had to watch them a little more closely, and the edges got a little brown. Lucky for me, I’m not a muffin-snob (at least not when it comes to these babies!). 

These little cuties are not too sweet, but just sweet enough, and are perfect alongside your morning coffee. Be careful around the kiddos, though… I honestly have to make sure Lennon is not in the same room when I eat one, otherwise she whines and begs until I share. The good news is, I don’t have to feel bad about dropping everything to have a kitchen floor picnic with her because these muffins are squeaky clean. Phew!

Enjoy!

xx

e

A Word on Perfection.

Jeez, it’s been a while.

My thoughts are racing. I have so much I want to write, so much I’ve wanted to write for a while… months (obviously, my last post was in June!). Every day, multiple times a day, for months, the thought has crossed my mind, “I could write about this” or “I should write about this” or “Dang, this would be a great post”… and then an inner monologue ensues for the next several minutes, writing the post in my head, and I decide that one day I will invent a brain chip or some kind of device that will record this stream-of-consciousness-style dictation and set it all up, nice and pretty, in a blog post, ready for editing and publishing at the press of a button. Has someone invented that yet? Where can I get one?

I digress.

What’s been holding me back? Hm. Well, ladies and gentlemen… that would be perfectionism, plain and simple. Perfectionism has been holding me back. And it’s been holding me back for a long time. It’s what held me back from that dance recital and piano recital when I was little (seriously, I remember these things vividly), and it’s what still holds me back today. Sometimes I hide behind the notion of perfection, that I DO have all my ducks in line and all my shit together, when really, I’m kind of a hot mess with a million things on my plate, none of which are truly quenching my appetite for creativity because I’m not devoting enough time to any single one of them. And perhaps if I were just honest and fully out there and vulnerable about where I stand, perhaps then I could breathe more deeply, chill the F out, and realize that I’m human and it’s not the end of the world if people see my wounds or my imperfections and that whole “being perfect” thing would magically no longer be necessary. And maybe that honestly and vulnerability would strike a chord with other imperfect humans. (Duh.)

As I sat down to write this post, I first took a second to look at the blog, scan the headers and buttons, and almost fell down the rabbit hole of reorganizing, deleting, “making pretty”… but is that what I came here to do? No. I want to write, and I need to get into the habit of actually writing, versus waiting for the perfect time, the perfect idea for a post, the perfect language to come to me, or worrying that the blog site itself isn’t perfect, that I don’t have the right camera or the right links or the right web design or hosting or stats… gah! It’s overwhelming, and it’s no wonder why I haven’t been back for a while. Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect? What is “perfect” even? Who decides?

I was reading an article the other day which mentioned how the employment model is changing, how people can’t stand to be employees any longer and how more and more people are becoming entrepreneurs. But then, once they become entrepreneurs, they fall into the bad habit of creating a start-up by following the same ol’ money-seeking model, much like the company they left to become an entrepreneur, simply because it’s what they know. And the cycle continues. What does this have to do with my blog?

The Heyday Diaries is small. I would love for it to be bigger, to have a following. I would love for it to be pretty, like other mom blogs, fashion blogs, lifestyle blogs, food blogs… pick one. It’s just not right now, and maybe it won’t ever be. But maybe that’s not a bad thing. Maybe I don’t have to follow the models set before me. Maybe I write about what real life is for me. Maybe I take pictures with my phone. Maybe I misspell things (the horror!) or have misplaced modifiers or dangling prepositions or run-on sentences in my writing. Maybe I share things that I like because I think other humans might like them, too. Maybe I just do it because I want to do it, and see what happens. Maybe I’m not perfect, and maybe I’m totally okay with that.

What do you think? Do I stand a chance?

I said I had a million things to say… and I will. Stay tuned.

xx

e

 

 

Every Morning

My dad loved my husband. So much so that I like to think he would be pissed at me if I spent this upcoming Father’s Day mourning the loss of my own father instead of celebrating the fact that it will be his son-in-law’s first Father’s Day as the father of his granddaughter. That being said, I’ll share this today. It’s something I’ve been wanting to write for a while but couldn’t find the words… until this morning.

Sometimes the thought that people may have forgotten about him makes my heart ache.

In my life, I’ve been to a number of funeral homes for calling hours, churches for funerals, cemeteries for burials. The next day, or in the days that follow, life returned to normal. I’d gone about my business, gone back to work or school and generally just moved on with my life. Flowers were sent, sympathy cards written, tears shed, respects paid. As selfish or as cold as it may sound, I know you know what I’m talking about. No matter your relationship with the deceased or the family of the deceased, death is distant… until it’s not.

Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine that I would be 32 years old, sitting in my sunny living room in South Carolina, seven months pregnant and opening a package from my parents filled with baby gifts, and that I would get a phone call at that moment from Dad telling me that he had received a surprise diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Or that a quick three months later, after surgery and rehab and radiation, a million pills and finger pricks and trips to and from the hospital, and just after meeting his new granddaughter, that he would be gone. Just like that.

Yet here I am. Over seven months have passed since the day he died. Soon it will be a year. And yet there are still days where it doesn’t seem real. In fact, I feel like vivid memories of him come more frequently now, at random times of day when I’m least expecting them, like an unexpected punch to the gut, just enough to make my heart burn and my eyes water.

When I give Lennon a bath, I remember how Dad used to run the edge of the washcloth between our toes when we were little and send us into fits of giggles. I smooth lotion on her soft little body and I’m reminded of how Dad relished a good foot rub and how one of the only ways I knew to comfort him in the hospital was by massaging his hands and feet. On an early morning jog, I’m stopped in my tracks by a great blue heron standing solemnly in my path, and I think of the times Dad would drive us down to the valley to see where the herons had built their nests high in the bare trees. When B.B. King passed away on May 14, I thought of the time Dad drove down to O.U. while I was a student there and we saw B.B. King live at one of the auditoriums on campus. Every now and then, I get a craving for Bombay Darbar, the best little Indian restaurant within walking distance of our tiny loft apartment in Coconut Grove, and I think of the time Dad visited us in Miami and we took him there, how he was a little reluctant to try it at first, but then raved about the food for weeks – months – afterwards. Whenever I get dressed up or put on a certain lipstick or pair of earrings, I can’t help but smile and think of how, when I lived at home, I used to come down the hall all dressed up for a date or an event or something, and Dad would be there on the couch and would look up from his newspaper and say, “You look so pretty!” Tim comes up behind me at the kitchen counter for a kiss and I smile and think of how Dad would do the same to Mom – my heart surges to think that we get to be an example of a sweet and loving relationship for Lennon, just the way my parents were for me. Every day when stare down at my handful of supplements, I think of the dozens of pills Dad had to take several times a day, and how he laughed so hard the first time I served them up in a Jack Daniels shot glass. When Lennon grabs at my lips or my nostrils or my nose ring, I think of how she would’ve grabbed at Dad’s moustache, and how, without a doubt, he would’ve made her laugh by pretending to chomp her little fingers. The exterminator we called to take care of an ant problem last week showed up (straight out of 1979) with a smile and, upon hearing Lennon’s name, proceeded to talk our ears off about the Beatles and Woodstock and what other legendary rock concerts he’d been to in his life. Neil Young or CSNY plays in every grocery, department, home improvement, and specialty store. I sing The Baby Tree (Jefferson Starship) to Lennon every single day (since she was born!) because it’s a song Dad used to play on his guitar and sing to my sister and I when we were kids, and it cracks me up that, every time, her whole face lights up when she hears me start with “There’s an island way out in the seeeea…” – Dad would LOVE that. I’ve woken up with Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven or Stevie Nicks’ Landslide, or Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl in my head… and I know it’s because Dad put it there while I slept. Memorial Day radio broadcasts wouldn’t have been complete without playing Taps… and though it’s a song I’ve heard a million times before, it now lives as a soundtrack to the memory of sitting in the back of a black limousine, nursing a three-week old Lennon while everyone else stood outside in the frigid Ohio winter and saluted my father’s life and death. When I nurse and cuddle Lennon in the middle of the night, sometimes my heart feels heavy because it’s in these silent moments in the dark that I remember saying goodbye, how quick it was and the ache I feel for not hugging him a little tighter or longer, the regret I will forever feel for not bringing my week-old baby into the hospital for him to hold because the pediatrician advised against it, and the ocean of tears Tim and I shed in the hallway outside his hospital room, knowing, but not really knowing, that… that was it.

Fuck. I just ran out of Kleenex.

I woke up this morning at 2am with the name Keb Mo in my head. It was just strange enough because, though I know he was a Blues artist my dad was fond of, or had at least mentioned a few times, I’m not familiar with his music at all, definitely not enough to wake up in the middle of the night with his name in my head. It prompted me to search and listen to a handful of his songs on Spotify and when I came across Every Morning, I knew – I knew! – it was the one Dad wanted me to find and to listen to. The only thing that’s missing is the history lesson about Keb Mo that Dad undoubtedly knew and would’ve felt obligated to share… guess I’ll have to do my own research to fill the gap.

Mom, Rachel, if you’re reading this… this is for us, from Dad.

 

Dad… In my wildest imagination, I could never imagine you lovin’ me as much as I do you. Happy Father’s Day.

 

xx

e

Six things (of approximately one zillion) I’ve learned in just over 6 months of motherhood

With Mothers’ Day upon us, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on a few things I’ve learned as a new mama. Being a mother has opened my eyes to all of the things my own mom must have experienced in raising me (and probably still experiences)… the wakeful nights regardless of whether or not the baby is waking, the insane capacity for love with no bounds, the ever-present (and surely, often unnecessary) anxiety over not being able to keep her in a protective bubble, not to mention the constant pushing-down of fear that I’ve already screwed up my kid in less than a year of this mom gig. The list of things I need to thank my mom for grows daily. (Thanks, Mom! I love you!) Side note: Is anyone else dreading their little girl’s teenage years…?

This list is by no means all-encompassing, but it is a bit more personal, it’s kind of funny, and it is ABSOLUTELY ALL TRUE. New moms and seasoned moms alike, there’s bound to be something in here that you can identify with. Here’s what I think:

  1. How did I ever think I could live without coffee? Coffee and I broke up years ago when tea stole my heart. We had a brief fling when I was pregnant and summer mornings in SC involved strolling the beach on Isle of Palms with an iced coffee in hand, tanning my gloriously round belly and relishing in the fact that I didn’t have to “suck it in” while sporting a teeny bikini. Post-bump, I’ve tried them all: black tea, yerba mate, matcha… they’re all lovely in their own earthy way, but nothing quite gets my heart pumping in the morning like a good ol’ cuppa joe. These days, my emotional cup runneth over in so many unbelievable ways, but motherhood has carved a little (sometimes big) hole in my sanity that only a strong cup of coffee can fill. And what is this hole, you ask? Hm, that brings me to my next point…

2. Sleep really is underrated. No, really. Everything everyone says about sleep when you are pregnant is true. “Sleep now while you still can!” “Sleep when the baby sleeps!” “You’ll never have a good night’s sleep again for the next 18 years!” There were times when I wanted to punch those people when they uttered these seemingly stupid words, simply because I was sick of hearing them. Now, I just look back at my pre-baby self, tight-lipped, and I close my eyes, shake my head, and try not to cry. HA! BUT SERIOUSLY. On those glorious weekend mornings when Tim pops cheerfully out of bed to scoop Lennon off on an early morning stroll with the dogs, I gladly pretend to be dead for as long as humanly possible before one of many motherly duties require my being conscious. I truly look forward to the day when the first few hours of my morning do not consist of painfully blinking puffy eyes and attempting to entertain my child (or basically just making sure she doesn’t injure herself) until that first nap, at which point I most often choose sleep for myself, too, instead of getting a shower, doing laundry, dishes, paying bills, etc. Come on, moms, I know I’m not the only one in this groggy, wobbly, caffeinated boat. This morning, I was in the shower while Tim brushed his teeth and suddenly, I panicked out loud, “SHIT! WHAT DAY IS IT? MONDAY?!” Cue the well-deserved side-eye from my husband, because IT’S FRIDAY, PEOPLE. Not like it’s Tuesday and I thought it was Wednesday or Thursday and I thought it was Friday. I was a whole four days and a weekend off. Sigh. My brain hurts. More coffee, please.
3. Little victories deserve celebration. Little victories like remembering what day it is. Just kidding (or am I?). I am a girl who likes to get things done. My home screen is my to-do list. I garner immense satisfaction from crossing things off said to-do list. And let me tell you, pre-baby Erin? She got. Shit. Done. Pre-baby Erin laughed in the face of errands. Pre-baby Erin basically set up post-baby Erin for miserable failure with her insane expectation of what was actually realistic to accomplish in a single day, infant in tow. Enter the “ta-da” list. I have searched high and low for the original source of this idea, or at least, where I saw it first, which was on Instagram, but alas, I can’t seem to find it to be able to direct you there or to give proper credit. The idea is this: that instead of piling a million items onto my to-do list in hopes of accomplishing a mere few, and in effect, setting myself up for bitter failure, I take a few moments at the end of the day to acknowledge and celebrate everything I DID accomplish. Like that I washed, dried, folded, and put away a single load of laundry. Or that I remembered to take the chicken out of the freezer yesterday so that I could actually cook dinner and we didn’t have to order takeout for the third time this week. Or that I remembered to pick up the mail for the first time this month! Or that I finished bath time and bed time before 6:30pm and made it onto the balcony with a chilled glass of vino just in time to watch the sunset with Tim – YEAAH! HUGE victory! It may sound silly (and I realize now that, ha, I may sound like a huge loser who needs to GET IT TOGETHER), but I know I’m not alone here. As cliche as it sounds, we’ve got to give ourselves a break and enjoy the present moment, with our kids, our spouses, and our SELVES… And for God’s sake, treat ourselves to a cleaning lady every now and then, am I right? ;)

[For the record, this blog post is in and of itself, a major victory. It would be anyway, but the fact that I had written about 75% of it before casually hitting the “delete” button on my keyboard while my cursor was not clicked inside the text box, resulting in a complete annihilation of the entire post (because no, of course I didn’t save it as a draft, silly, why would I do that?)… that makes this finished post a huge victory. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did cry actual tears when I realized the first post was beyond recovery, because I’m a mom, and that sacred 35 minutes of nap time spent sipping coffee on the balcony whilst typing up this piece of hilarity for you, and which could have been spent doing laundry or dishes or sleeping or paying bills or whatever… was all for naught. I have coffee to thank for my sob-fest only lasting one minute instead of the rest of the day. ;) Questions? Refer to number one.]

4. So-called “baby experts” write books because people will buy them, but the best resource is a mama’s own intuition… and the best support comes from other moms. Because I’m a little type A, I spent plenty of money on books, spent tons of time Googling articles that told me what to expect when I was expecting, how to get my baby to sleep/nap/get on a schedule, the pros and cons of co-sleeping or baby-wearing or crying-it-out. I even read a book in the final weeks of my pregnancy (I won’t even bother to share the title) which promised a predictable schedule and minimal night-waking for my exclusively breast-fed baby by the age of… wait for it… SIX WEEKS. Now, I am right there with the rest of you reading this when I throw my head back and laugh at the thought of that even being suggested to a naive, first-time mom, and part of me is even a little annoyed, dare I say, pissed, that books such as this one are even written, and then treated like the bible when it comes to figuring out those first early stages of motherhood. There are still times I resort to Google when I come up against a head-scratcher, but when I catch myself feeling upset or frustrated more often than I’m feeling joy and enjoyment in caring for my child, that’s when I know I need to step back and see my situation for what it is. Hello. I have a baby. She’s a tiny human who is just figuring out her world and I get to figure it out right alongside her. It’s not easy all the time but, holy crap is it amazing! It makes me sad to think of the time I spent berating myself for “doing something wrong” because a stupid book told me I should be doing it another way. Just tonight, Lennon fell asleep nursing (the horror!), and I rocked her for a while as she slept, just watching her tiny nose and mouth and feeling her little sighs against my skin. Bless her sweet little heart – I was in heaven. Weeks ago, a sleep trainer (along with countless resources that say the same) told me to never let the baby fall asleep nursing! Never rock her to sleep! You’ll create a sleep crutch!! You know what I say to that? Screw you. My baby is beautiful, she’s only going to be a baby for a short while, and who knows, she may be my only baby. I’m going to hold her and nurse her and rock her and stare at her as long as I damn well please, thank you very much.

As for support, understanding, empathy… no book will give you that the way another mom going through the same thing will. My saving grace on many a rough day has become an online community of mommy bloggers and instagrammers and my weekly (or more) fix of meeting up with other real-life mom-friends for coffee and yoga and general commiserating. Some of you are probably reading this and feeling that sense of camaraderie now as you scroll through my list… that “me too!” feeling, or that “thank God I’m not the only one!” feeling. Community is an absolute necessity as a mom and I will be the first to admit, I would be insane and miserable and completely lost without my fellow moms.

 5. My life goals have suddenly taken on much bigger meaning. All right, time to get a little deeper. Who is with me, here? You know what I mean. Everything I do is now preceded by a thought, however fleeting, of how this will affect my child. My thoughts of my own future, my goals, dreams, and aspirations, are now fueled by the desire to provide an amazing and adventure-filled life experience for my child and the desire to be something that she will someday not only be really proud of, but also inspired by. I walk a little taller, talk to more people, put myself out there, practice a little self-love… because I want to inspire her to do the same. I’m hyper-aware of my health, now more than ever, the food I choose to put into my body and my physical fitness… because I know what it’s like to lose a parent to illness at way too young an age, and I do NOT want her to have to experience that… plus, I want her to learn from me that taking charge of your health is not only empowering, but that it opens the door to a full and happy life. Plans to travel, to start a business, to spend the rest of my life DOING THINGS and not just talking about doing things… all of that seems infinitely more exciting knowing she will be a huge part of it.  

6. Taking care of my SELF is now more necessary than ever. It’s why I commit to that early morning yoga class every Saturday. It’s why nap time doesn’t always mean it’s time for me to do the dishes… but that maybe I’ll take a nap myself or spend that time sipping coffee and reading on the balcony. As women and mothers, it seems we are so hard-wired to spend our time taking care of everyone else that we often forget to take care of our selves. I, however, am acutely aware of how detrimental that whole “putting everyone else first” thing can be to a person… physically, mentally, and emotionally. There was a time when Lennon was a brand new baby, we were living in South Carolina, the closest family members several states away, and Tim was traveling a lot for work. I should’ve reached out for help, but I didn’t. There were days – weeks, sometimes – where I was the only parent caring for a new baby 24/7 with no breaks and no clue what I was doing and it almost broke me. I now know that I NEED time for myself to reboot. Time spent alone, allowing my mind to rest. Time spent moving my body and taking care of my health so that I can feel good. Time spent exploring and pursuing my passions. Time spent connecting with girlfriends, and connecting with my husband. Because if I don’t take care of myself first, what kind of broken, incomplete, resentful, and unhappy wife and mother would I be? And what sort of message would that send to my girl?

I knew being a mom would change me, but what I didn’t know is that it would change me in ways I never expected – that being a mom would make me want to be a better person simply because I’m no longer just stumbling through life trying to figure things out for myself… I have a gorgeous, tiny person who depends on me to survive, and who hopefully will look up to me and model her behavior after mine, which makes every single thing I DO meaningful. I mean… life just got REAL. There’s no way my pre-baby self could have even imagined how full and crazy and mind-blowing my life would feel now that she’s here. Life as her mom is amazing, dirty hair, coffee breath, and all. 

Happy Mothers’ Day, moms.

xx

e

Let’s Get Real.

A few days ago I posted this picture on Instagram with the following caption:

Life is so different these days. Things have changed, and continue to change. It’s often painful, heartbreaking, exhausting, just plain hard. But then it’s wonderful, soul-filling, beautiful, easy. I’m only just beginning to realize how quickly time is passing, and to think of how much time I have spent being sad or anxious or stressed… well, that’s a damn shame. All that is ever expected of us is to be happy, do what makes us happy, and love and lift each other up while we’re at it. I know this, now it’s time to start actively living the rest of my life in this body like I’m actually awake.

It felt good to be that open and real on social media for a change. And it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. I feel like it’s time I started being a little more authentic, a little more vulnerable, in this space, and in my life off-screen. Why shouldn’t I be? At the end of the day, all I ever really want(ed) for the Heyday Diaries to be was a space I could share my life, with my family and friends near and far, and with the rest of the people of the world who on some level, might be able to relate. And for a long time now, it’s been anything but that.

I’ve held on to the Heyday Diaries for a long time; it’s a name I love and one with which I identify, that represents my life and adventures as a twenty- then thirty-something, in love (and rarely, but sometimes, in hate) with life and forever attempting to connect with her true nature, her true self. When I stood the name Heyday next to my business, I was reluctant to admit that it just didn’t work. Deep in my heart of hearts, I knew it just wasn’t right. So today, that changes.

You may have already noticed a few changes, namely, that my business headers and pages are gone. That’s no accident. And no, I’m not giving up on my yoga or nutritional therapy – those parts of me are taking on a life of their own in another space, separate from this one. When I’m ready to unveil that project, I will be sure to share it with you here, too.

My greatest, wisest teacher said something to me last weekend that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. In fact, it wasn’t the first time that he said it to me, in some way or another, but this time it stuck. It was something along the lines of, how we all have an exterior version of ourselves that we present to the world, the best version of ourselves (so we think)… you see it on social media, blogs, Facebook especially… we create a snapshot of our lives that is a far cry from the reality we actually live each day. Then maybe one day we muster the courage to let a little bit of our grit, our truth, our reality, creep into the foreground, and suddenly we begin to find that others resonate with our real story, they reach out to say, “yeah, me too”, and slowly it becomes easier and easier to remove the layers of nonsense – aka, our Facebook facade. It’s that grit, that truth, that makes us human, and which allows us to connect with other humans who share the same anxieties, heartbreak, happiness, and triumphs. And when we can break down the wall and stand in our truth, that, my friends, is when the magic happens.

So the Diaries are going to look a little different from here on out. You will see a bit less of my nutrition geekiness (though it will probably creep in here and there because, let’s face it, I can’t help it), and a bit more of my day to day… which now involves figuring out life with a five-month-old. Things will undoubtedly go deep from time to time, which I’m actually really looking forward to. If you’ve found me through nutrition or yoga, this blog may turn into something that you could do without, but then again… maybe not.

In truth,

erin 

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail – The 21-Day Sugar Detox Shopping List

With the 21-Day Sugar Detox in full swing (yep, the official detox started yesterday), and with my standard routine grocery list coming up in conversation more than once this past week (yes, really), I thought I’d share what I keep on hand at all times for easy Primal eats ‘round the clock.

Trader Joe’s. How do I love thee? I used to trek to Westlake when I lived in Lakewood, OH just to stock up on trail mixes and chile spiced dried mangoes. My list looks a little different these days (yikes, those mangoes have a load of added sugar and don’t even bother looking at the ingredients on the cilantro dressing, just don’t get it), but TJ’s does have a lot of great options if you know what to look for (and what to steer clear of). I’m in love with the fact that there’s a brand new TJ in Palm Beach Gardens so that I can stock up on staples and just visit Whole Paycheck Foods for the rest of the stuff I can’t get at TJ (like Japanese sweet potatoes, Rao’s Marinara, G.T.’s Kombucha, and a variety of other cuts of high-quality meat, to name a few). Here’s what usually ends up in my cart at TJ (oh, and, because I like to be OCD super prepared, I organize my list by how the store is mapped out – it’s a simple trick that keeps me from back-tracking or circling the store a hundred times, and I don’t end up leaving without checking off my whole list!):

Produce (usually organic unless they don’t have it):

• Kale (in a bag)
• Chard (in a bag)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts
• Romaine Hearts
• Cruciferous Crunch (it’s a shredded blend of cabbage, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts)
• Rainbow Carrots
• Parsnips
• Celery Hearts
• Beets (ready to eat)
• Portobello Mushrooms or Mini Portobello Mushrooms
• Granny Smith Apples (if I’m not on the 21DSD, I’ll splurge and get my favorites – Fuji)
• Bananas (green-tipped for the 21DSD)
• Sweet Onions
• Bag of Sweet Potatoes
• Garlic
• Avocados
• Tomatoes (sometimes they have mini heirlooms which I love!)
• Spaghetti Squash (or any variety of squash if they have it – sometimes they don’t)
• Sauerkraut (in some stores, this is by the meat; others, with the produce)

Pantry/Snacks

• Organic Salted Crunchy Almond Butter – It’s so good! (the minimal amount of cashews – less than 1% – in it make me feel like it’s fine for the 21DSD)
• Nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews (not on 21DSD), macadamias, pistachios… and my most recent favorite, TRUFFLE Marcona almonds (I love the rosemary ones too – YUM!). TJs really has a great selection of nuts but be careful to look for dry roasted if you aren’t getting raw! (This is where the NTP in me is supposed to say… you really should soak and dehydrate your own raw nuts for optimal digestion and nutrient absorption… got it? Good.)
• Plantain Chips (get more than one bag – you’ll thank me!)
• Broccoli… Chips? Snacks? What are these things? Whatever, they’re good, and they’re Primal compliant – only three ingredients.
• Olives
• Organic broths (beef, chicken, etc – for when I don’t have my own homemade stash supply up)

Meat

• Organic Chicken – breasts, thighs, variety pack, whole chickens, all of it
• Organic, Grass-fed Ground Beef (these come in 1lb packs – I get a few and throw a couple in the freezer if I need to)
• Organic chicken sausages (check the ingredients before picking just any package)
• Organic, Grass-fed Beef Hot Dogs
• Bacon – definitely the Black Forest (so good!)

Dairy

• Cage-free eggs
• Kerrygold Butter
• Crumbled Goat Cheese
• Crumbled Goat Feta
• Manchego (unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese)

Frozen Stuff

• Mushroom Medley (contains just mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and parsley! And it’s pretty yummy!)
• Fish – although I don’t get this as much now that I can get it fresh and local, but in a pinch, the mahi is great (um, also, make this amazing recipe!)
• Sometimes I get frozen veggies just to have on hand for backup, but rarely… because I like the fresh stuff better!

AND since I know you’re curious… here are a few sweet treats I like to have on hand when I’m NOT on the 21DSD… keep in mind, they’re still considered part of the Primal Blueprint, but just something I like to keep OUT of the house if I’m trying to curb my sugar cravings (because Lord knows I can eat an entire bag of Honey Mints in two days!):

• Just Mangoes (the organic, dried ones with no added sugar)
• Honey Mints (um, if you don’t know what these are – you’re welcome. And I’m sorry, because you will soon be addicted!)
• Dark Chocolate – any bar I can find that is 85% or higher
• Lara Bars
• Fruit Leather
• OCCASIONALLY I grab a bag of Coconut Cashews because I’M HUMAN… but be forewarned there are some not-so-gut-friendly ingredients in those bad boys. I try not to get them often because they are so delicious that Tim and I can eat an entire bag in a day. Or, just I can. Do yourself a favor and ration those puppies if you dare make the splurge.

And there you have it! I usually make one trip a week, and I don’t always get EVERYTHING on this list, because it’s a lot. Buuut, we do eat a lot of protein and veggies! Like I said, I will get the bulk of what fills my fridge at TJs, and then hit Whole Foods or Fresh Market for some special items or for better meat options. Stay tuned for some good ideas of how to prepare this stuff!

Happy shopping & detoxing!

xx e