I enjoy cooking, and baking even more. It is my belief that the mind and body are strongly linked, and the health of one is dependent on the other. I feel better both mentally and physically when I eat good foods.
I by no means have a perfect diet. Enjoying life is extremely important to me. For me that translates to trying to make good choices most of the time, and not beating myself up when I don’t. Being mean to yourself, and beating yourself up about indulgences is, in my opinion, just as detrimental to your health.
When you love yourself that translates over to all aspects of your life. At times loving yourself is easier to do than others, but making a conscious effort to be nice to yourself, and not making negative comments about yourself in your head or out loud is important. We all do this, but the more aware you are of it, the more you can stop yourself, which in turn leads to greater happiness. The happier you are the more you have to give in all your relationships.
Here are some things I do to help live a healthier lifestyle:
When I was in college I did NOT like coffee. I didn’t even like the hot chocolate at Starbucks because of the coffee aroma in the store. I thought it made the hot chocolate taste like coffee.
When I started working for a great friend who opened up a coffee shop, things began to change. The more I tasted the coffee in order to become a better barista, the more I started to like it. Coffee did not become a daily indulgence for me until after the birth of my second child.
I by no means have a perfect diet. Enjoying life is extremely important to me. For me that translates to trying to make good choices most of the time, and not beating myself up when I don’t. Being mean to yourself, and beating yourself up about indulgences is, in my opinion, just as detrimental to your health.
When you love yourself that translates over to all aspects of your life. At times loving yourself is easier to do than others, but making a conscious effort to be nice to yourself, and not making negative comments about yourself in your head or out loud is important. We all do this, but the more aware you are of it, the more you can stop yourself, which in turn leads to greater happiness. The happier you are the more you have to give in all your relationships.
Here are some things I do to help live a healthier lifestyle:
When I was in college I did NOT like coffee. I didn’t even like the hot chocolate at Starbucks because of the coffee aroma in the store. I thought it made the hot chocolate taste like coffee.
When I started working for a great friend who opened up a coffee shop, things began to change. The more I tasted the coffee in order to become a better barista, the more I started to like it. Coffee did not become a daily indulgence for me until after the birth of my second child.
Not sleeping at night, coupled with no naps during the day. This was because my older child stopped napping just in time for the new baby, which meant that I was looking for an energy boost. Moderation is key for me, and I didn’t want drinking coffee to mean that I wasn’t consuming water.
What I decided to do every morning is to have a full glass of water, before I allow myself my coffee indulgence. This has been a good trick for me to drink more water. Before indulging in any less healthy choices, I try to tell myself having a glass of water first is a must.
What I decided to do every morning is to have a full glass of water, before I allow myself my coffee indulgence. This has been a good trick for me to drink more water. Before indulging in any less healthy choices, I try to tell myself having a glass of water first is a must.
This is the song I was singing in my head while taking this picture. Thanks for your help in adding the video Jessielynn!
I also try to eat vegetables with every meal. This doesn’t usually happen for me in the morning, although I would like to change that. However, with lunch and dinner I make some sort of vegetable and it has now become a habit. I usually try to eat the veggies first before the rest of the meal. Tonight I made roasted asparagus, tossed with olive oil and salt.
Roasting vegetables is a great way to cook them, especially if it is a vegetable you don’t like as much. I find it gives them a more pleasing flavor. I also try to have fruit in my snacks during the day. In the afternoon I enjoy having a tea. This is my latest purchase.
This tea is good, but strong. It is probably because I steep it for too long chasing after the kids. Often times I forget about it for a while.
Here is a picture of my daughter picking out what vegetable or fruit she would like next from the fridge.
Here is a picture of my daughter picking out what vegetable or fruit she would like next from the fridge.
Another trick I have is trying to add flavor, or spice to foods to give them a more interesting taste. This helps to add less salt or fat to food. After meeting my husband who loves hot sauce, I started to become a fan. My like for hot sauce has not caught up to his yet. He likes hot sauce on many, many things. However, I did read somewhere that in general women have stronger taste buds than men, so men can tolerate more heat. Kids also have stronger taste buds than adults which is why lots of them prefer blander foods. I am not sure if this is true or not but it could be the case in my house.
When cooking, I sometimes get a case of Mommy brain. For example tonight I was making buffalo egg sandwiches. I accidentally poured the hot sauce into the pan for cooking the eggs. Normally I make the sauce in a different pan and add it to our sandwiches afterwards, not the kids. Sometimes my son will want to copy and have hot sauce on his, in which case we put a tiny swig on it.
Not wanting to clean the pan twice of course, I dumped out most of the hot sauce but still used the pan to cook the eggs. Meaning it was a buffalo version tonight for everyone.
When cooking, I sometimes get a case of Mommy brain. For example tonight I was making buffalo egg sandwiches. I accidentally poured the hot sauce into the pan for cooking the eggs. Normally I make the sauce in a different pan and add it to our sandwiches afterwards, not the kids. Sometimes my son will want to copy and have hot sauce on his, in which case we put a tiny swig on it.
Not wanting to clean the pan twice of course, I dumped out most of the hot sauce but still used the pan to cook the eggs. Meaning it was a buffalo version tonight for everyone.
The red swirls in this picture are the hot sauce swimming around in the eggs. My son still ate his, so no real harm was done.
Warning: Mommy brain can happen even when pregnant. For me this was a big sign I was pregnant both times. I started to do things like leave my purse in an unknown location when I was pregnant. This is something I don’t normally do because of my dislike for that horrible feeling in your stomach when you can’t find it, and everything important is in there. If you start forgetting things you don’t normally do, it may be a good time for a pregnancy test. I like to think it is because the body is focusing on the baby, over your brain.
Those are a few of the things that I do to try and make healthier choices. What are some of the things you do? I am always on the lookout for new ideas, and would love to hear from you!
Along the lines of food, and cooking, I couldn’t resist throwing this in.
I love cook books!
Warning: Mommy brain can happen even when pregnant. For me this was a big sign I was pregnant both times. I started to do things like leave my purse in an unknown location when I was pregnant. This is something I don’t normally do because of my dislike for that horrible feeling in your stomach when you can’t find it, and everything important is in there. If you start forgetting things you don’t normally do, it may be a good time for a pregnancy test. I like to think it is because the body is focusing on the baby, over your brain.
Those are a few of the things that I do to try and make healthier choices. What are some of the things you do? I am always on the lookout for new ideas, and would love to hear from you!
Along the lines of food, and cooking, I couldn’t resist throwing this in.
I love cook books!
Yes lots of the titles do have the word chocolate in them. There is a great giveaway going on at carrotsncake.com for a Real Simple cook book. Be sure to check it out if you are interested.
To end things I’m including a picture of my son’s artwork from this evening.
Normally he is not allowed to color our bowls.
Goodnight and good eating!
To end things I’m including a picture of my son’s artwork from this evening.
Normally he is not allowed to color our bowls.
Goodnight and good eating!
