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the potato project; the importance of “organic”

Jen — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:45:21 +0000

Has anyone seen this video on you tube??? If you haven’t, definitely watch it!

It really makes you think…how do we know when foods are truly organic?? And, how can we find that out?

best. meal. ever.

Jen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:38:49 +0000

Are you craving a simple weeknight meal? Something super easy to make, but nutritious and completely delicious to eat? This is it! Trust me.

Two of my favorite veggies are sweet potatoes and kale. My favorite ways to eat them? Low and slow sweet potatoes and kale chips!

Low and Slow Sweet Potatoes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Wash your sweet potato and cut into round slices.
Place your rounds on a cookie sheet and brush with coconut oil.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400 and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Serve with coconut butter!

They come out perfect every time!

Kale Chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Tear kale into bite size pieces and wash.
Spread out on a cookie sheet, mist with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake at 400 for 5-7 minutes until edges are browned.
Serve with ketchup!

YUM!

With these two delicious veggies, all you need to add is a protein. I grilled up an apple and sage Field Roast Veggie Sausage, but I served this to my husband with a piece of chicken. Anything would work.

This meal was perfect after a long day at work.

Enjoy!

how to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight

Jen — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:29:00 +0000

It’s been over 7 months and I still have a bit of weight to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Yes, it’s frustrating that it is taking so long, but I can’t say that I have done too much these past 7 months to help matters. Yes, I have been going on long walks and eating healthy when I can, but not like I used to. Before having our baby, I was extremely motivated to workout and eat healthy. Now, I still want to do those things, but it is hard to get motivated and even harder to find the time! My motivation has changed from being motivated to be the healthiest that I can be to being the best mom that I can be. But, what I have realized is that being my healthiest is helping me to be the best mom to my daughter.

Everyone talks about ‘losing the baby weight’, but no one tells you how hard it is to find the time to exercise. From sleep loss to just taking care of another person, there really isn’t much time! Over the past 7 months, I have learned that I need to make time for myself. It may not happen every day, but each week, I need to set aside some time for me. It will benefit everyone!

Exercise is awesome. At times, it is definitely hard to get motivated, but once you do get out there and exercise, you feel so much better inside and out. However, the key to really losing the weight is nutrition. You can exercise all you want, but if you continue to eat poorly, then your body will hold on to that extra weight. I have been walking, jogging and trying to eat healthy since our baby was born, but it is time to kick it up a notch! So, my goals each week are to:

run 3x per week
weight lift & light cardio 2x per week (walking, elliptical, etc)
eat some type of veggie with lunch & dinner
eat fruit with breakfast and for snacks
I also love to take long walks with my husband and daughter, so that will be thrown in there as well.

The nutrition part shouldn’t be that difficult for me because I really do love healthy food. But, I need to get back in the kitchen to make sure that I know what is going in to my food, and my body. My downfall for the past 7 months has been sweets. I can eat healthy all I want, but the sweets are what get me! Now, I don’t want to completely give them up and I don’t want to go on a diet (if you haven’t figured out yet from my blog, i’m not a fan of diets. I believe in a lifestyle change, not a diet). You should want to eat well…and I want to eat well and set a good example for my children. Plus, good food tastes good!

My daughter has been eating solid foods for the past month or so, which has made me really want to get back on track. I want to teach her the best eating habits, exercise habits and lifestyle habits as possible. Mmmm…sweet potatoes!

Michael Pollan said it best: “you can eat as many sweets as you want, if you make them yourself”. Homemade treats taste better anyways, and you won’t make them everyday, so why not induldge when you do?! With the holidays coming up, this could be tough. But, as long as I eat healthy and get enough exercise each week, I am not going to worry about it.

Another goal of mine is to blog more. Blogging keeps me on track because I love to come up with new recipes, easy weeknight meals, and easy food to bring on the go. Blogging will hopefully motivate me to do that! But, honestly, this is the only motivation that I need…

I hope you continue to follow my journey!

a fresh (and healthy) start

Jen — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:37:15 +0000

I am finally back on track with my eating and feeling great!

The past week, I have been starting my day off with a glass of fresh squeezed juice. I have been feeling dehydrated, tired and just crappy lately, so starting my day off with a lot of vitamins and nutrients is a great way to start the day. I feel re-energized!

Beets, carrots, apple, 1/2 lime and a knob of ginger were in the mix.

Refreshing and delicious on these hot and humid summer days!

Juice is a great way to get a natural boost of energy and essential vitamins in to your diet. The calories do add up, but a glass every morning or every few mornings won’t do any harm as long as you eat healthy the rest of the day. Healthy eating makes me have more energy and feel much better about myself. And, now that I have a little one to raise, it is important to me to get her on a healthy track right from the start.

On Saturday morning, we took Hayden out for a walk through the trails at Elm Bank in Wellesley. It was a gorgeous day; perfect for some exercise!

After our walk, we toured the gardens, including the children’s garden!

And, we had a picnic on the grounds and relaxed.

Once home, I made up a batch of Angela’s Veggie Burgers and we had a delicious meal!

These burgers are delicious! Jam packed with oats, beans, nuts and carrots, these burgers are filling and healthy! I piled my burger high with cheddar cheese, avocado and a slice of tomato. And, served them with sweet potato fries and corn on the cob.

What a perfect day!

another month goes by

Jen — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:28:09 +0000

Well, clearly time is flying over here! I can’t believe that it has been another month since I posted…and that my baby girl is now 3 months old!!!

She has changed so much over the past 3 months, but I have noticed the majority of changes over the past month.

Hayden – 1 month old

Hayden – 2 months old

Hayden – 3 months old

She has her own little personality now! She is smiling all the time and “talking/cooing”. And, this past week - she has been sleeping 8-10 hour stretches at night! A huge change from the 2 hour stretches that we were getting only 2 months ago. Time flies!

Now that 3 months have gone by, my husband and I have vowed to get back on track with our eating. We haven’t been eating poorly, but we have been getting a lot of takeout because it is just so much easier. We are now on more of a sleep schedule with our daughter, so it should be easier for us to make this work. It is hard to get back on track!

I have run a few times over the past month, but I am ready to make that a priority again (behind being a mom, of course!). Being a mom means that I need to set a good example for my family. Healthy living is important to me, therefore, it needs to be a priority. I want to get back on the road…and back to the kitchen. Summer is the perfect time to do both with the longer days and nicer weather, it is easy to stay motivated.

And, this baby girl is even more motivation to get back on track!

where have I been?

Jen — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:00:04 +0000

Wow! It has been over two months since I last posted…and what a two months it has been!

On March 31, 2011 my husband and I welcomed our new baby girl at 7:19pm!

Hayden Lynne weighed in at 9 lbs 5 oz and was 20 inches long. She was a big girl!

We have been having the time of our lives ever since. We love Hayden so much and cherish every second with her. It is amazing that two months have passed. She turns two months old today!

She has changed so much in the past two months, just look at these photos…

Two Days Old

Two Weeks Old

One Month Old

Six Weeks Old

Two Months Old

I will be back with updates on my labor and how we have been adjusting to life as parents…it is the best!

i’m pregnant: week 30

Jen — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:00:17 +0000

I wasn’t planning on a pregnancy post this week, since I just recently posted a Second Trimester Recap, but I had to document some photos!

Week 10

Week 20

Week 30

It is amazing how much can happen over a 5-6 month timeframe. It seems like just yesterday that we found out that we were pregnant…and here we are with just 9 weeks left to go until our due date!

i’m pregnant: second trimester recap

Jen — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:00:13 +0000

My second trimester has come and gone! And, I have entered my third…

Week 28 (Trimester 3)

The second trimester was great! I felt like I had tons of energy (compared to the first trimester) and I wasn’t nearly as tired. My workouts were fairly normal – I did a lot of swimming and running towards the begining and more swimming and walking towards the end. It was around week 21 when I had my last really good run…

The Turkey Trot!

I felt great during the run, but over the next few weeks my runs got more and more uncomfortable…so, I decided to ease more into walking. Why be uncomfortable when I can walk and swim and get a great workout that way instead?!

By week 23, I was getting bigger:

But, not more uncomfortable, which was great. I tried to keep my eating on the normal side…lots of whole foods – veggies, fruits, protein, etc. I had my appetite back (which was non-existent in the first trimester), so I actually enjoyed eating again.

The next few weeks, I noticed a huge change. It is incredible how much your body changes during pregnancy, especially in the late 2nd-early 3rd trimester (and I’m sure I haven’t even seen the most of it yet at week 29!)

We took our Childbirth Classes weeks 25-26, which made us feel much more prepared. I am not sure that you can ever be 100% prepared to go into labor, but at least we feel more comfortable about it.

By Christmas, I was starting to get a little uncomfortable while I came to the end of trimester 2!

Week 27:

I felt the baby moving throughout trimester 2, but the real kicks started at the begining on December. Since then, the baby has been moving like crazy! Throughout the day I feel kicking, and it even wakes me up at night.

I am both excited and nervous to see what Trimester 3 holds. I already feel a little more uncomfortable, and my sleeping is always interrupted (I guess I need to get used to it!!). I find that I can’t eat as much as once because I just don’t have room! Smaller meals/snacks throughout the day seems to work best for me at this point.

Nine months seems like an eternity when it starts, but now that we have less than 3 months to go…it feels like it flew!

where have i been?

Jen — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:45:51 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I sure did! And, I just needed a mental break from my blog to come back refreshed and ready to go in 2011!

I’ve missed you the last few weeks, but I’m back and ready for the new year.

It’s a big year for my husband and I. We have a new little one on the way! This week started my third trimester…but, more about that in another post.

My holidays were great and I kept my healthy eating in check. I enjoyed a lot of big family meals, but I made sure to load up my plate with veggies first, and then added some other delicious eats.

During the week, I made sure to fill my diet with good stuff…

Lots of oats

Smoothies

Hummus and veggie sandwiches

Healthy fats, including these delicious new almonds that were sent to me from Sahale Snacks…yum!

Fruits & Veggies

And, quinoa stirfry’s

I hope to resume my regular posting about healthy eating, fitness tips and pregnancy tips asap, so stay tuned…

white house tree lighting, 2010

Jen — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:44:20 +0000

Happy Holidays! Can you believe that Christmas is next weekend? I love the holiday season!

Check out my guest post on the Living Harvest website where I talk about Staying Healthy, Active and Motivated All Winter Long!

New Years is the time for resolutions, but my tips will help you keep it up throughout the year.

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Late last week, I was lucky enough to fly down to Washington DC to attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting!

The tree was lit on Thursday night, so we flew down that morning and were seated by 4:00pm for the lighting. Before heading to the airport, I made up a smoothie for breakfast (and packed up some snacks).

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 frozen banana
6-8 frozen strawberries
2 tbsp flaxseed
4 tbsp hemp protein powder
1-1.5 cups milk

Topped with a little granola for garnish.

We were very close to the stage and the tree for the lighting!

Our family friends really hooked us up!

It was freezing cold! So, we bundled up and sat close together for some warmth. It was definitely worth it, though!

Once President Obama and the first family arrived at the lighting, the party was ready to start.

Ready, set…

LIGHT!!

Apparently, this is the most energy efficient Christmas tree ever! I’m not really sure how it can be with all of those lights…

After the lighting, Maroon 5 and other singers performed before Santa made his way on stage.

It was a gorgeous night!