guest post: dr. jennifer conway

{photo taken by hamilton wetzel, my favorite shopping tool}

today i am so proud to welcome dr. jennifer Conway. jen is my good friend and is a wellness consultant that specializes in nutrition response testing and designed clinical nutrition. she believes that lifestyle and food choices are paramount in the healing process. i have learned so much from Jen and am so happy that we are friends. she has inspired me in so many ways to make changes in my life. today she has whipped up a post on healthy grocery shopping tips as well as she's included this shopping list! thanks jen!

If you are looking for ways to improve your health, the first stop is the grocery store. but before you grab your reusable bags and head out the door, it is best to have a few goals in mind - or better yet, write them down!

Instead of fulfilling the needs of your cravings, desire to feed your family in ways that nourish and strengthen their minds and bodies. Educate yourself on foods that heal and it will change the way you think about and shop for food.

Eating healthy can be more affordable than you might think. A study was just done that states you can meet the daily requirements of 4 to 6 servings of fruits and vegetables for around $2.50 per day (based on the average shopping experience).

If you eliminate snacky-junk food, packaged or pre-made foods and sugary drinks that will more than make up for the transition into eating healthy, fresh and even organic foods.

Getting organized will make this process more convenient and gradually make changes so that you do not get overwhelmed.

Here you can find a Healthy Shopping List. Give yourself a pat on the back for the things you are already doing! Then incorporate one new thing each week.

rebuilding your temple: week one

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i like to keep my blog as a mix of different areas of my life as to not bore anyone BUT i just can't help but share my "rebuilding your temple" experience. i thought i would share with those of you that don't have access to a program like this what we are learning each week. so, every tuesday you'll get a recap from me as well as some homework via paul.

this week: water

rid your body of toxins by flushing them out with good, clean water (not tap). the goal is to drink 1/2 an oz per pound of body weight. this is something i definitely need to work on, so i'm right there with you.

paul suggests "waking up with water." this means drinking a liter of water right when you wake up. this energizes the body. he recommends drinking purified water at room temperature so that your body doesn't have to work too hard to maintain homeostasis.

notes of interest:

• water plays a role in every body function
• your body requires a constant daily supply in order to get rid of waste, otherwise all of the toxins just sit in your body
• have clear urine (body functions will be a part of these posts)
• try to avoid drinking water 30 min before meals, as well as during. this allows the enzymes in your body to properly break down the food. don't panic if you need a sip of water, just try and live by this nugget

homework:

• drink more water!
• make sure you're drinking filtered water
• use a bpa free bottle or stainless steel

*thirsty yet?

ps i was super excited to have some friends come out last night. makes me so happy to see people i love taking charge of their health!

what's for dinner?

don't you feel like this is the question of every day. my day goes a little something like this: wake up, make coffee, get dressed, kiss matilda, work work work, call sam and ask, "what do you want to have for dinner?" his response is always, "i don't know, what do you want?" blah blah blah.

i present to you... dinner!


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this hearty winter veggie stew is what i've been raving about. such a great way to throw a bunch of vegetables in a pot and make them taste sooo good. annette is such an incredible cook (i can vouch) so i knew this soup would be love at first bite.

speaking of hot dinners that cook slow. we are obsessed with bison chili. i'm going to ask my friend if i can share the recipe, but for now just know that it's the BEST chili i've ever had and it's the only thing i cook in a crock pot, well except for meatballs on special occasions. gosh i'm a tease.

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sam makes this incredible ginger chicken stir-fry that is so heavenly. we love ginger. carrot ginger soup is another one of our faves. ginger has really amazing benefits, like flu prevention! here here.

so, what are your favorite throw-together winter dinners?

comforting is key when it's cold and dark.

no sweetener in your coffee?! say what.

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oh, i keep getting this question. so, here's the deal. i, miss ilovesplendahaveyouseenmysugarfreevanillalatte?, has given it up. that's right. just cream in my coffee. i used to ingest so much artificially sweetened "food". sugar-free pudding, yes please. key lime pie yogurt! diet coke, my fave.

listen, aspartame and sucrolose are scary stuff. if you must sweeten your coffee, try stevia. i don't like it personally, so i just learned to like my coffee without the sweetener. it's been months and i'm totally used to it and i can actually taste the organic coffee i spend my money on.

here's why you should give up artificial sweetener:

1. it's migraine inducing. head aches are one of the most common side effects.

2. you're more likely to gain weight when trying to "trick" your body.

3. it's linked with cancer.

4. it makes you dumb.

if sugar is your bag, it's better than artificial junk, but here's a little something that i learned from dr jockers:

your body is supposed to have 1 t of sugar floating around at all times. this allows your liver to do its job of ridding your hot bod of toxins. when you add more sugar to that, the liver is just trying to filter out the excess sugar, leaving the toxins to work their magic. when you add sugar to your system (sugar not found in fruit) it creates a breeding ground for disease.

ps a coke has 10 t of sugar!

so put down that sweetener friends! you can do it.

ps thanks for some of the nicest comments i've ever received. seriously.

healthy recipes for lunch

my sweet little girl is sick. this is only the second time in her life, so i'm thankful for that. i'll be making her one of these this morning. she was still happy as a clam last night. when i was putting her to bed she was all smiles. i went to bed early. sam and i ordered pizza and i was in a carb coma. seriously, i felt so bad. anyways, sam came to bed later and said that he was going to sleep on the couch because matilda had been waking up. i insisted that he come to bed and that we'd break out the monitors. he said he wanted to hear her, so he'd stay on the couch. truth be told sam never wakes up to the monitor. my point in all of this is that sam is a wonderful father. he wanted to be the one waiting there in case matilda needed him. he said she kept saying, "help with boogers." that's why it's good to teach your kid words like booger, so they can tell you when they need help with them.

in case you are struggling with what to eat for lunch this week, i wanted to offer some suggestions. when i work, we don't have a way to heat up food so it gives me a good chance to eat raw. i eat a TON of salads. i love sprinkling them with goat cheese and lately i add a clementine in the mix. vitamin c and takes so good with mixed greens. here are some other salad combos:

beet salad

nectarine and fennel salad

lemon and kale salad and salmon

the last 2 recipes are from a beautiful blog called sprouted kitchen. if you are not familiar, you will love it!

i also make a lot of cheese and deli roll-ups (great if you are gluten intolerant- my friend jessie makes these for her kids and they're yummy!). look for grass-fed or raw cheeses as well as nitrate-free deli meat like apple gate farms. you can also add in some arugula for crunch.

i have made olivia's arugula pesto "chicken" salad numerous times. my family loves it and the leftovers taste amazing. in lieu of a sandwich i pour the chicken salad over a bed of arugula. to.die.for.

the main thing with lunch is to come prepared. if you work, pack your lunch. that way you'll feel wasteful if you don't eat it. if you're at home, think about making a little extra of your dinner so that you can have leftovers the next day. same goes for if you have access to a microwave (i don't endorse microwaves, but let's face it most people don't work near a kitchen) at work. sam always takes the rest of our dinner to work the next day. super easy. dinner recipes coming soon... i tried out one of the recipes this week and it was a huge hit!

breakfast recipes

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i think that majority of questions that i got from this post were pleas for healthy recipes! to make the posts a little less crazy, i'll be spreading them out meal by meal. let's start with my favorite meal of the day: breakfast. i think that breakfast is also the hardest meal of the day to make healthfully. it is much easier to pour a bowl of cereal than to cook, or to grab a donut on the way to work. i get it, BUT these meals above are all super easy to make and quick. every recipe above can be enjoyed during detox except for the oatmeal and sans fruit. after the first two weeks feel free to add oats and berries in, just watch your portion sizes.*

1. for christmas my darling husband surprised me with one of these beauties so i am super in to smoothies right now. this green smoothie is chock full of good things.

2. these egg muffins are a great make-ahead.

3. if you are in detox mode greek yogurt will be your best friend. so rich and creamy, seems wrong but it's so right. sheena who took that beautiful photo shows you here how to make your own. i love sheena's blog and she posts great, healthy recipes all the time.

4. i love frittatas because you can throw whatever you want in. i also make these for dinner and eat the leftovers for breakfast (sam is not a fan). my favorite recipe is ina garten's omelet for 2 (er 1) minus the potatoes.

5. my beloved oatmeal. good for the soul i tell you. i love mixing in a little bit of dried fruit and a scoop of almond butter. turkey bacon doesn't hurt either.

sam and i make turkey bacon and scrambled eggs more than anything. it's fast and so delicious. we season with redmond's real salt and some cracked pepper. i also wanted to mention that i try to wait 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. here's why:

" For approximately the first 6-8 hours after eating our evening meal, the body is burning up the calories from that day. The most effective fat burning time (i.e. stored fat in our thighs, bums and tums) is between approximately 8 and 12 hours after eating. If we have a little snack before bedtime, or have our evening meal too late, the leptin tells the brain that no energy is required, and no fat burning will occur in the latter part of the night. So that little snack, however healthy it may have been, puts paid to any fat-burning that night." -source.

*note: if you're having oatmeal, you don't want to have fruit at the same time in the beginning. after several weeks you can have them together.

what i eat part 2

this is the second installment to "eat this not that." see the first part here.

when sam started seeing a nutritionist dietician, i jumped on his bandwagon. we used the book be fat free forever as a guide. the book is very similar to south beach diet, but there isn't much focus on eating organic with lots of vegetables. there's a lot of talk about bacon and steak. there is nothing wrong with either, but they don't need to be the primary ingredients in your daily menu. therefore, i don't truly endorse either. one concept we did put in to play was gradually adding good carbohydrates back in to our diet after a 2 week detox. we started by adding 20 grams of carbs back in and then 5 more grams week by week.

good carbs are fruit (berries specifically), oatmeal, sprouted grains (ezekial bread), etc.

we also added a "free" meal to our week. i honestly think that this is the key to living a healthy lifestyle. part of being healthy is not depriving yourself. eating whatever i want once a week allows me to fulfill my cravings and usually leaves me ready to get back to eating better because you feel the effects immediately.

we also made small changes like using coconut oil to cook with and i stopped using sweetener in my coffee. we switched over to meats that are grass fed and free range. we stopped eating pork.

this is one of my favorite lunches: fried egg over mixed greens

fry egg in pan and season then place over mixed greens with goat cheese and dried cranberries with soy ginger dressing.

some homework...

update: if you have any questions please leave them for me in the comments section and i will do my best to answer them. also, would love to hear from you if you are trying the detox or implementing any of these practices in to your routine!

what i eat part 1.

after sharing that i had lost 30 pounds i received several emails from friends and strangers alike asking me to share how i did it. let me start by saying that i am not a nutritionist, but this is what has worked for me. sam and i both stick to these basic guidelines.

the first step in switching to a whole foods diet is detoxing. go ahead and clean out your pantries. rid yourself of any temptations.

for the first two weeks you will want to cut out: sugar, artificial sweeteners (see ya diet coke), alcohol, fruit (don't worry it will be coming back), bread, processed foods.

make sure to drink a ton of water and eat lots of vegetables and protein, dairy is great too. my favorite breakfast is fage yogurt with peanutbutter and cinnamon.

a typical breakfast would be an omelette, a typical lunch would be a salad with grilled chicken, and a typical dinner would be a turkey burger and green beans.

snack on raw nuts. make sure you are never hungry and eat until you are full.

don't worry about a thing and just eat really clean, organic when possible. be prepared to be cranky from the sugar withdrawals. you will lost up to 10 pounds the first two weeks. here's to making goals!