MamaManagement

Since I started clean eating in January, smoothies have become a staple in my weekly meals. Mostly for breakfast, but sometimes I pull them out for lunches and dinners too. They're relatively easy, fast, and super portable. And, if you do them right, they can be just about the healthiest option there is for breakfast. How else am I going to get veggies into my weekday breakfast? (And please don't suggest I make an omelet. That's so not happening on a Wednesday morning.) I've tried A LOT of smoothie recipes over the past ten months, but overtime I've found that I've settled on a few that I make over and over again. So, I thought I'd share them with you. Note: For all of these recipes, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute, or until smooth. Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie (my most recent obsession...totally tastes like an oatmeal cookie!) 1 tbsp raw cacao 1 tbsp raw honey 2 tbsp ground flaxseed 1/3 c. raw oats 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 t...

Hi everyone! After my last post about my experience with Danette May's 30 Day Challenge, I thought I'd share with you all what a typical day of clean eating on Danette's program looks like for me, and a little about some of the biggest changes I've made in how I eat. I have been amazed by how much less I'm eating and that I'm not starving all the time-- you'll be amazed too! One of the biggest changes in the way I eat is that I no longer graze on random food throughout the day. I am much more conscious about what I'm eating and when I'm eating it. And that makes a big difference. I have set meals and snacks that I plan out in advance and that's what I eat. I used to plan family dinners for every night each week...now I also plan my breakfast, lunch and snacks in advance. Big change. During the 30 Day Challenge, Danette does all that menu planning for you. All you have to do is shop, prep and eat. So, how do I handle the planning now tha...

 A little more than 30 days ago I was in despair. If you read my last post, you already know that I found myself in a post holiday/start of a new year funk. And I knew that a big part of that funk had to do with how I was (or in this case, wasn't) taking care of myself. I had let the holiday season take over my life and my better judgment. I had given up good eating and exercise habits. I had stopped writing. I hadn't had a moment to myself. It was not good. But one part of where I was mentally, emotionally and physically wasn't just holiday backlash. It was part of a bigger problem. Since we moved to our current home over three years ago, I had gained weight. A lot of weight, for me. (As of January 1, I weighed the most I had ever weighed outside of pregnancy.) I had tried many, many times to lose that weight, as I was gaining it, over the last few years. I used the same methods I had always successfully used to lose/maintain weight or increase fitness--stepping ...