Dear Nya.... # 1 Question Everything

To My Dearest Nya,

Every day I think about what I hope to teach you.  What I want you to learn from me.  I think about all the possibilities that lie before you.  I wonder what kind of person you will be.  I think about the many dreams and hopes for your life.

The answer is simple:  I want you to be you.  And to be the best you that you possibly can be. 

I want you to question me.  I want you to question your father.  I want you to question your teachers. Your doctor.  The government.  Never stop learning and seeking answers.  The world is full of different viewpoints, and some you may agree with, and others you may not. 

Standing up for what you believe in may be ridiculed by the majority. 

Realize and understand that everyone is on a journey.  Their journey.  Just as you are on your journey.  Each person you meet is fighting their own struggle, their own battles, and trying to find their own place in the world.  Each person is seeking out their truth, just as you are seeking out yours. 

You don't need to go to church to find God.  You don't need to be Republican or Democrat to have political beliefs.  You don't need to go to college to have an education.

In order to be your true self, you must be open.  You must be open to all the many ideas, beliefs, and possibilities in the world.  From learning, really learning in depth all sides to a situation, you will find your truth.

Ideas, beliefs, and ways of doing things are always changing.  What works for you in one moment, may not work in another time of your life.  Accept this.  This is ok.  It's called life and it means you are growing. 

By questioning, you learn.  By learning, you develop your Self.  By developing your Self, you find your truth.  And in finding your truth, you find you.  And this my daughter, is living well.

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World Vegan Day... My Family's Journey

I remember people telling me all the outfits Nya would go through in a day because of spitting up, and which type of gas pills would be best for those painful episodes. 

Neither turned out to be true in our case.

Nya did spit up twice in her first 3 weeks of life, but after that, not once.  She didn't experience painful gas after those first three weeks either.  What exactly the reasoning is behind it, I cannot prove.  The only thing I changed, as she was a breastfed baby, was my diet. 

Before Nya was born, Jamie and I talked in great length about how she would be raised; namely, what kind of diet she would eat.  We even got in arguments over it.  I was a strict vegetarian at the time, Jamie was not.  We came to the conclusion that she would be raised vegetarian for the first year of her life, then we would gradually introduce meat -- organic and local only -- a few times a week.

However, once she was born, and the more information we stumbled across, the more our views changed.  No longer did we feel the occasional meat and dairy would be healthy for her. Because of this,  we have decided to continue raising her 100% on a whole foods plant based diet.

Jamie has drastically changed his diet over the past year, as well.  He's not vegan, and says he never will be, completely. (I believe anything is possible). He only eats meat 2 - 3 times a week, and he has even stopped drinking milk.  I am SO proud of him.  I know this wasn't easy, especially with his job and the people he is surrounded with on a daily basis.  He doesn't like to talk about it much, nor will he say why he's changed.  There are numerous days in a row he eats a diet that is completely whole foods plant based.  And if you know Jamie, this is HUGE.  What I have learned from him, is that I can't push him.  I can't tell him why he should or shouldn't be eating something.  And honestly, I don't really want to.  But what I can do is share information with him, and let him form his own conclusions.

Do we get a lot of criticism for raising Nya on a whole foods plant based diet?  Absolutely!  Sometimes I just want to hide away because of the snide comments people make. 

"Maybe that's why she's so small." (She's tall and thin -- high percentile for height, low for weight)

"You're taking away her right to choose." (Excuse me, but do you let your child choose to have cigarettes and ice cream for breakfast?)

I always thought I had thick skin until I had a child.  Every comment does affect me on some level.  Yet she's happy.  She's healthy.  She's smart.  And she's alert.  She's only been sick once in her 13 months of life.  Is it just her diet?  I don't know.  She's flown on numerous airplanes across the country.  She's been around sick babies and children with their toys in her mouth.  I've been sick, and I'm her primary caregiver.  Yet she remains unaffected.  Will we ever truly know why?  Possibly not.  But we can infer based on experience and available information.  I believe it to be a combination of things. And I do believe her diet plays a major role.

We are all doing the best we can with the information we have.  Our end goal is the same: to raise happy, healthy children.  Through extensive research, my husband and I believe we are doing that.

Now, this is not to say that we will never allow her that slice of cheese pizza.  I don't ever want that slice, my husband likes it on occasion, but we won't provide that for Nya.  If she's over at a friend's house and they're having it, she is welcome to try it.  THAT will be her choice.  And our job as her parents is to educate her and make her aware so she's able to make the best choice for herself, knowing all the facts and consequences of her actions.

By eating a whole foods plant based diet, I strongly believe we are not only showing compassion for the other animals that inhabit the Earth alongside us, but we are disease proofing ourselves and helping the environment as well.

Below, are a few links regarding the issue.  If you would like more information, please ask or research on your own.  Knowledge is power!

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-parenting-dont-stuff-kids-with-milk-and-meat-update.html

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/nutrition/meat-and-dairy-toxins

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/05/harvard-milk-study_n_3550063.html

http://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/facts/meat-consumption-and-cancer-risk

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet

"The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of  'real food for real people,' you’d better live real close to a real good hospital." 

 

~ Neal D. Bernard, MD (1953 - present)

 

"When we kill the animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings."  

 

            ~ William Roberts, MD (1932 - present)

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World Vegan Day... My Journey

In 1994, November 1st was established as World Vegan Day.  Because of this, I feel compelled to share my vegan journey. 

I have been vegan for just over a year now. 

When I was little, my mom used to always make homemade hamburgers.  One night, after dinner, I was finishing it up when I asked my mom, mid bite, where hamburgers came from.  Very simply, with no emotion nor explanation, she answered, "A cow."  I was four.

From that point forward, I gave up meat and never wanted it again. This did not go over well with my father, and I used to sit at the dinner table for hours until my mom finally let me off the hook. (Thank you mom!)

When I was 17, I managed a health store and really got into learning more about whole and processed foods, and I decided to change my diet even more. I gave up dairy because I learned it was healthier, and our bodies didn't need it anyway. 

So for nine months I ate nothing but a plant based diet (in other words, I was vegan).  I felt great.  Better than I ever had.  But it was so extremely difficult.  Eggs and milk were in just about everything.  And every day I missed cheese and ice cream.  So... Even knowing how much better I felt, I went back to eating dairy.

I never really had that much dairy in my diet.  I didn't like eggs, and I would only drink soy or almond milk.  But I loved cheese.  Years went by and I couldn't imagine giving it up.  Even when I was pregnant and a friend was showing me the health information surrounding dairy in the diet, I didn't want to hear it. (In retrospect, I thank you now friend, and I'm sorry I didn't want to listen!)  I don't know why I was so closed off to listening.  I just wasn't in the mindset to change my diet...definitely not while I was pregnant.  I considered dairy a form of protein, and I believed my body needed it.

Now, looking back, I realized I just didn't want to give it up.  The health information I read wasn't enough for me.  Why, when I'm so into health, would it not be?  I don't know.  I just believed it wasn't as bad as I was hearing.  So I tuned it out.

Had I known then, what I do now about the dairy industry and the countless animals who suffer at the expense for me to have eaten my ice cream and cheese pizza, I would have given it up in a heart beat.  It's funny, how if animals were not abused, I could justify eating it sparingly because, hey, my diet is still really healthy.  But knowing what I know now, there is no way I will ever support the meat and dairy industries ever again.  And on top of it, I don't even miss it.  Not for a second.

When people say, "Oh, she can't eat that," I silently think to myself, "No, I don't want to eat that."

 

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 Quotes by Great Men
 

"The Gods created certain kinds of beings to replenish our bodies; they are the trees and the plants and the seeds."   ~ Plato (482 - 347 C)

"The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different."    

~ Hippocrates (460 - 370 BC)

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

~ Mahatma Gandhi

"A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral."   

 ~ Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910)

  



Halloween...The Second Time Around.

I can't believe tomorrow will be Nya's second Halloween.  Already.  When did this happen? 

As I think back about her first Halloween, I remember how excited we were.  After much debate back and forth between my husband and I about her costume (this began before she was even born!), we finally agreed on a kitty cat.  Mostly that's what I wanted her to wear because it was a warm fleece outfit (not so much a costume, but could certainly pass as one), and she could wear it other times too.  I was being practical.  She was only a month old, she was tiny, she needed to be warm. And it was so cute.  Jamie, desperately wanted her to be "bat girl".  The costume was itchy, uncomfortable, did not provide much warmth, and was down right unpractical.

So after all that debate, 2 weeks before Halloween we bought the outfit.  Nya wore it all the time.  It was easy to slip on and kept her little body warm on those chilly days. 

What it was supposed to look like... One week prior!

Fast forward two weeks and it's Halloween!  I was so excited to get her dressed.  Even if she didn't remember, we would take pictures and it would be something for her to cherish.  It was, afterall, her very first holiday.

At about 4 that afternoon, the weather was cooling off (perfect, I thought to myself, it was so smart of me to get this for her to wear), and it was time to get dressed. I got her kitty cat outfit out and put it on.  Somehow, overnight, she grew at least 4 inches.  This no longer fit. And I mean, not even close.  A moment of panic crept in.  "It'll be fine.  It'll still work."  I silently told myself.  I proceeded to feed her as I looked down at her once tiny body in my arms.  Bulging out of the costume were her legs and arms.  I couldn't even button it.  What am I doing?  I cannot let her spend Halloween like this.  How did I screw this up so badly!?!

Trying to convince myself I could still pull this off

Outwardly, I kept my calm.  Inwardly, I was in problem solving panic mode.  To all of you who don't have kids, you probably cannot relate.  But to a mother, this is your worst nightmare.  It's your child's first Halloween.  "Who cares if her costume doesn't fit.  She won't remember."  These were the things my husband, in his ever so helpful way, kept repeating to me.  Well it was NOT OK.  It was her FIRST Halloween, remember?  When she looks back at pictures of this day, what do we show her?  What do we tell her about her very FIRST Halloween? 

I had less than an hour before the trick or treators were out, and my husband insisted we take her trick-or-treating to a few houses.

I ran into her closet.  What was always my go to Halloween costume when I couldn't come up with something decent?  An 80s punk rocker.  Well, that would do for Nya now.  She had the clothes.  I could pull it off. It's not warm, it's not a real costume.  It's not practical.  But that's what she'd be. 

Done. 

So this year, remembering the fiasco I went through the year before, I thought I'd plan ahead.  Months before I was searching Pinterest for costumes.  I had the highest hopes and plans to make her the best and most creative costume this year.  She would look back on this day with fond memories and be so proud. 

I ended up buying her a costume during one of our shopping trips 2 months prior.  We were walking down the aisle by all the costumes, she grabbed for it, so I got it as a back up.  I could always return it when I made that perfect costume, right?  I made sure to get it BIG... I learned my lesson.

Well Halloween is tomorrow and she's going to be an owl.  A store bought owl.  An owl probably everyone has.  But hey, it fits.  

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Bagels for Babbies... And Mommy too!

Some people think I'm extreme.  Many call it wacky.  I call it aware. 

I'm all too aware of what is really packed into our processed foods.  Luckily I reached a point where knowing what it is and what it does to the body, makes it extremely unappetizing.  Even Cheese.  Which I NEVER thought I'd say.

Now that I have a little one, making sure she gets only the best food is more important than ever.  Especially those first couple years of life as her body is growing and developing. I want to make sure she's getting a balanced, whole foods, healthy diet that's full of variety. I wanted to reinvent food so I knew exactly what her little body was getting.  Which sent me on a mission.

Bagels. I love them.  I eat them almost every morning for breakfast and have been for years. While I mentally said to myself, "these are healthy enough for you", the thought of giving them to Nya was just not happening. And she watches EVERYTHING I do. So I needed to let one last thing go and figure something out quick. 

Now I'm not one who likes to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  One, because I simply don't have it.  And two, there are so many other things I'd rather be doing.  And in working with breads, I knew that might be impossible.  Yet I was determined.  I began searching the internet, Pinterest, you name it.  But was not having any luck.  Until low and behold, I stumbled across a recipe for soft pretzels.  It stated, "No electric mixer required".  Sold!  This would be my starting point.

What miraculously came from this was a delicious, healthy, nutrient packed little bagel that both Nya and I LOVE.  And the best part? They take 30 minutes to make from start to finish.  This is even a great baking activity for toddlers. It's simple to make, and you can set up a topping station for them to add on their own yummies! 

Now, here's the other side of this.  I promised no sugar coating, so I'm just going to say it. 

If you are used to the traditional bagels you find in grocery stores that are full of refined flours and sugars, and offer very little benefit other than "simple carbs", these may take a little getting used to.  It's difficult at first retraining your body to eat the way it was designed to when it has lived off processed foods.  These bagels are very dense. They're heavy. They are extremely filling.  You won't want to keep eating them.  That is because of the nutritional value they offer.

This is why I am such a big advocate of starting your little ones on whole foods from the beginning.  It's much easier for them to pick up healthy eating habits from the start than it is to change them later on.  I remember the first time I had natural peanut butter over ten years ago.  After growing up with Jiffy, I thought it was horrible.  After the third time, I was hooked. 

If you want to slowly ease yourself into them, use white flour.  They will still be somewhat dense, but a little fluffier.  Not as healthy, but compared to anything you buy, they will be MUCH better for you.  Make sure not to over stir, just get everything incorporated!  Enjoy!!

Loving Green's Power Packed Bagel

Dough
1 Packet Active Dry Yeast
1.5 c Warm Water
1/4 tsp Pure Maple Syrup
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/3 c Black Chia Seed
1/3 c Flaxseed
3 c Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour (Rice and Quinoa Flours work well here)
Flax Egg (1 tsp ground flax mixed with 3 tsp warm water)

Toppings
White Chia Seed
Oat Groats
Sunflower Seeds
Flax Seeds
Caraway Seed
Coarse Sea Salt
Whatever your heart desires!

1.  First make your flax egg.  Heat 3 tsp water and add 1 tsp of ground flax.  Mix together and set aside to thicken.

2.  Heat 1.5 c of water and add one packet of active dry yeast.  Stir until dissolved and let sit for two minutes.

Yeast with warm water

3.  Add 1/4 tsp of pure maple syrup and 1 tsp sea salt to the mix.  Stir, and again let sit for two minutes.

4.  Next add 2 cups of your flour, and stir. This thickens it just enough so you can work easily with it.

5.  Add the chia and flax seeds to the mix and stir.  If you don't have one or both, that's ok!  But both seeds provide a lot of nutrients such as your Omegas, and are cheap and easy to find.

6.  Add the remaining flour and mix with hands.  A little gooey but you've got to just get in there to incorporate it all.  You want the dough to be able to handle well, not sticking to your hands.  If you need, add more flour.

Mixed by hand.  This is the consistency you want.

7.  Let the dough sit for two minutes, then knead a bit.  Now your ready to form your bagel!

8.  Separate into 5 pieces and form into a ball.  Pull a bit to create hole in center and shape as a bagel.  (You don't have to do this if you don't want to...Any shape works!)

9.  Remember the flax egg?  stir it again and notice it is much thicker and has the consistency of an actual egg.  Just without all the cholesterol!  Use a pastry brush to apply to the top and side of your bagels.  You only need a thin coating.

Flax egg after sitting a few minutes

10.  Now it's time for your toppings!  This would be a great time for all of you out there with toddlers to let them add their own favorite treats.  Be creative!  My must haves are the toppings I listed above.  Seems like a lot but I manage to pack them all on.  :-)

Ready for the oven!

11.  Bake for 14 minutes at 425.  Enjoy!




I love mine with avocado and tomato!

I started giving these to Nya around 9 months, after she had steadily been eating solid (no purees) veggies, fruit, and legumes for two months.  She started with 1/4 of a bagel in one sitting, and now eats half.  For healthy fats and protein, add natural nut butter, hummus, or avocado.  Or if you will be out running errands, the plain bagel is great to fill them up without the mess.  Add some fruit and you have a complete meal for your little one!

Nutrition Info Per Bagel:

Calories: 364

Fat: 7.4 g

Saturated Fat: 0.4 g

Protein: 14 g

Carbs: 66 g

Fiber: 11.4 g

Sugar: 0.4 g

Sodium: 100 mg

(FDA allows companies to list 0 for anything less than 1)

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Have your dessert and eat it too!

Let me first start out by saying, what you eat is your choice.  I'm not hear to judge, or tell you what not to eat.  My purpose and goal, is to help you eat all the things you really want to, and to bring awareness to what you're actually eating. 

Food is not about restricting yourself.  It's fuel.  It's what gets you through the day.  It's what helps you do the things you want to be doing.  It's your energy.  What you put in your body does matter. What would happen if you put soda into your car?  Would it run properly?  No.  Because it was designed to run off gasoline.  Think of your body the same way: It was made to run off of natural, unrefined, WHOLE FOODS.  So what happens when you start putting processed food into it?  It's not going to run properly, and eventually it will fail you.

When you eat whole foods, your body does its job.  It tells you when you're full: you won't overeat.  When you eat processed food, your mind is having to determine what is enough.  And how it does that is by counting calories or limiting yourself to a very small portion.  Processed food also has the uncanny ability to addict you, making you crave and eat more and more. 

So, what is the solution?  It's almost too simple.  Find the taste you crave in whole foods.  We can revamp any recipe, it's just about retraining your mind and old way of thinking, to create something new and delicious! 

My must have?  Sweets after dinner.  I don't like anything sweet during the day, but after dinner, I want something.  I found this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie, and have revamped it slightly.  It is perfect for all of you chocolate lovers out there.  Warning: It is extremely decadent!

Chocolate Fudge Bars

Picture from Chocolate Covered Katie

• 2 cups medjool dates
• 1 cup almonds, unsalted
• 1/2 cup walnuts, unsalted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cacao powder
• 2 ripe bananas
• 8 Tbsp natural almond butter
• 1/2 cup more unsweetened cacao powder
• 6 Tbsp unpasteurized honey (note: strict vegans can use agave or 1 cup date paste)

1. Put dates in a bowl with warm water, allow dates to soak for at 30 minutes.  Pit the dates and drain excess water.

2. Mix together dates, almonds, walnuts, and 1/2 cup cacao powder in a food processor or high speed blender, such as the Vitamix until well blended. (I like mine slightly lumpy with some chunks of almond.)  Spread mixture in a 8×8 baking pan until evenly distributed, and press down gently with a spoon.

3. In the same container (no cleaning required!) mix together bananas, almond butter, honey, and other 1/2 cup cacao powder until very well blended (you don't want lumps in this mixture). Spread mixture over bottom layer until evenly distributed.

4. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Take out what you want and store in freezer to eat whenever that craving arises. Makes 16 bars.

* To make date paste: Soak 1 cup dates in warm water for at least 30 minutes.  Pit dates and mix with 1/4 cup of the soaked water in a food processor or high speed blender.  Add more of the soaked water until you have a gooey consistency like that of honey. 

*Cacao Power can be found at health stores such as Whole Foods, or you can purchase online.  I like to order in bulk from nutsonline.com.  It's important to use Cacao powder instead of unsweetened cocoa powder that you find in the regular grocery store.  There is a difference!  However, if you don't have any and are dying to make the recipe, go ahead and use the cocoa...it's still better than eating a candy bar.

*Costco carries the medjool dates pretty cheap.  If you can't find medjool dates, any will do.  I just find them to be a bit sweeter.  And don't let the pits scare you...they are super easy to get rid of once the dates have soaked. 

Nutrition Info per Square:

Total Calories: 280

Total Fat: 11.6 g

Saturated Fat: 1.2 g

Protein: 6.2 g

Fiber: 6.2 g

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The First Year.

Every day I am reminded of how quickly the time passes.  Just one short year ago I gave birth to the most amazing little girl, who has changed my life in so many ways.  Just ten months before that my husband returned from a combat deployment and we were finally taking our long awaited honeymoon that we had been planning in our heads forever.  Before we left for our trip, I knew I was pregnant.  I knew instantly.  We didn't confirm it until halfway through our "honeymoon", but I knew right before I even took the test.  And I knew we would be having a girl.  What would come after that though, I was not prepared for.

Life is funny in that it throws at you what you least expect, what you don't want to expect, and what you certainly did NOT plan for.  We had timed everything perfectly.  We were at that stage in our marriage where we were just ready for a baby.  We had just bought a new home.  Jamie would be able to retire from the military soon which meant stability - no more moving or deployments and we could settle down near family.  He had orders to a new unit that was non deployable.  I was in the best shape of my life and my body was ready to handle this pregnancy. 

When Nya was born I was absolutely elated.  I still, to this day, remember every second of labor and her birth as though it just happened.  We had our little miracle and I couldn't wait for the next chapter to begin.  This is it!  Everything we ever wanted was finally here.  We were a family!

Jamie, on the other hand, was exhausted all the time and just wanted to sleep whenever he was home.  That infuriated me. And thus began the start of our struggle. 

I couldn't understand why he wasn't as excited and happy as I was.  We had a beautiful and amazing daughter who could not be easier.  I was doing everything; taking care of Nya, walking our dog twice a day, doing all the dishes, the laundry, cooking...I mean, really, the list was endless.  And I still had energy for him.  It's not like HE was the one who carried her for nine months.  It's not like HIS body had to change.  It's not like HIS hormones were all over the place.  It's not like HE went through labor and had our daughter sans any kind of medication.  It's not like HE was sore from childbirth.  It's not like HIS boobs were leaking milk every second.  AND, I still wanted to have time for us, yet he's too freaking tired?  What's his deal?!?  I kept repeating this to myself and the more I repeated it, the angrier with him I got. 

By the time Nya was 4 months of age, I was done with our relationship.  This is not what I signed up for, not what I planned, and certainly not what I was prepared for.  This by far was the lowest point we've ever experienced in our relationship.  I did not look at him the same.  I did not look at him with loving eyes.  I instead looked at him as a man I didn't even know and one I definitely did not like. 

And why, I kept asking myself?  We have everything we've been working and striving for.  We have our daughter.  Why can't we just be happy??

Fast forward a few months and we are in a MUCH better place.  But it took work.  It still takes work.  Every second.  Every minute.  Every. Single. Day. 

What I realized, and am thankful for having realized this, is that I needed to change my thoughts.  I only have control over myself, my feelings, my beliefs, my actions.  I was focused on all the negatives.  I was so overly concerned with what Jamie was and wasn't doing, that I lost the "peace" of myself. 

We still drive each other crazy, and probably always will. But who doesn't experience that, right?  How you choose to deal with that, is what shapes your marriage.  You can concentrate on the negative, pick it apart, and become angrier and angrier.  Or you can just let it all go; choosing instead to only see the positives (and believe me, sometimes you really have to dig to find them, but I promise they are always there), and just be happy.

We all have control over one thing and one thing only in our life.  And that is our thoughts. 

 

 

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,

Your words become your actions,

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny.”

 

~Mahatma Gandhi

 

 

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 *Disclaimer: I asked my husband to read this before publishing since it is so raw and personal.  His response?  He wanted it known that he wanted us BOTH to be sleeping... not just himself!