What's Guiding You?

As stated previously, maternity leave and the transition to spending more time as a mom means that I have lots of blog post ideas, yet don't get around to writing often. I can't complain though, I am really enjoying my time away from technology and screens to watch my little one grow! I do spend time on social media for work (and pleasure) so it's a bit of an internal struggle for me and I continue to work on not comparing myself to the assumptions I have of others based on their social media presence. I am in my 30s and still trying to figure out my priorities and how to live my best life.

I love quotes and find solace and inspiration in them. A few that have hit home for me recently are below:

(*see more on my Pinterest board)

With hiah chat I hope to provide insight to encourage you along your wellness journey. I find that it's great to know how others can succeed and the challenges they face. In the Craving Change program that I facilitate there are lots of examples called "you are not alone" and it's a great way to gain some perspective. I am a busy-body and have a hard time relaxing, yet I look at others online at times and feel that I'm not doing enough - I'm not working out enough or eating healthily enough, etc. but I have a great husband that helps to ground me and remind me of what is important - thus my continued journey to find balance so that I can enjoy lazy evenings with him and cuddles with my daughter without guilt (this may be a lifelong struggle for me!).

I plan to write my guiding principles or personal manifesto as I figure it out as well as writing about the pieces that make up health. I also hope to start some discussion around eating principles as sometimes we have developed rules that may be sabotaging our efforts and other times they may help keep us on track. I'm not one for diets, as the term diet to me just means a way of eating. I don't feel the need to associate with a specific way of eating (be that vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.) and am fortunate enough to not have allergies, intolerances, or medical reasons that I have to - the world of food is open and available to me and I explore it fully. I hope my blog continue to evolve as I do, and as I learn from others and from science.

Do you have 'rules' that you follow on your path to health and wellness?

Feel free to comment below...
Happy Sunday and have a great week!

Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com

hiah chat - Michyla Kielo

Bio of Michyla Kielo: I am a Registered Massage Therapist, and teach infant massage classes to new parents.  I am also a farm wife and full time Mom to Alyssa (7), Evan (5) and Riley (5). My husband Brett and I operate a grain and beef farm which is still growing and keeps us very busy! I also run 10K’s and half marathons, ride horses and barrel race.

Blog: www.runmommyrun3.wordpress.com

Twitter: @RunMommyRun3

Website: www.kielomassagetherapy.com

1. What does healthy mean to you?

To me, healthy means balance. Eating well, being active, and making time to do the things that make you happy are all important to me. I think it’s very easy for moms especially to put themselves last, but we need to have something in our lives for ourselves too. 

2. Do you feel you live a healthy life? How? (Or what would you change?)

I do feel I live a healthy life. We try to eat healthy, though there are days when I admit that doesn’t happen! One of the great things about being on a farm is that our children can play outside and ride their bikes all day, and it makes me happy to see them enjoy being active. 

3. What is a healthy meal you often eat?

I love stir fry. If some vegetables get forgotten in the back of the fridge it’s a great way to use them up. My kids aren’t fans though, so I save them some raw veggies and take their chicken out of the mix before I put the sauce on. We eat a lot of apples and bananas for snacks and have a large garden in the summer which is very helpful when I’m cooking for 9-10 people during harvest time on the farm!

4. How do you stay healthy when life gets hectic?

I pack my kids’ school lunches the night before so I’m not as rushed in the mornings. When we go to the city for errands and groceries I pack snacks and water bottles for everyone, and often pack lunches as well. I’d rather take a half hour break for them to eat a picnic and run around a park than go to a drive thru. When we travel to horse events we always pack our own food as well, so the kids know they can just go get snacks out of the cooler instead of asking for money to buy the unhealthy concession options.

5. What is one of your challenges or struggles when it comes to leading a healthy life?

We live 45 minutes away from the nearest grocery store, so I only go to the city and get groceries once per week. With five people in the house I find it challenging to be able to get enough fresh produce to last a week. This results in me buying larger quantities, but then we struggle to eat it before it goes bad! Either way, it just doesn’t seem to last a week and by days six and seven I’m  struggling to find healthy options for school lunches and snacks.  I’m also bad for not getting enough sleep!

6. Are you currently working towards a goal?

My current goal is to run a personal best time at the Saskatchewan Marathon on May 31 in Saskatoon. My current PB is 1:56:26, set at this race in 2013. I am confident I will be able to take a couple minutes off. 

7. What motivates you to be healthy?

I’ve always been active, but only in the past eight years or so have I worried much about eating healthy. I feel much better now and have more energy than I did in my twenties. Seeing  my kids making healthy food choices is a good motivator too.

8. What is a treat or indulgence that you enjoy?

Cookies.  I love cookies. And wine! 

9. Any inspiring words or comments that you’d like to share with our readers?

I stuck a sign on my treadmill this winter that says “just when you are about to give up is when a breakthrough is about to happen.” This got me through a lot of boring runs this winter when it was too cold or dark to go outside.

Good luck on the 31st Michyla!

Spring Clean-spiration

With the most recent ReDux challenge on my mind, I started sifting through my cupboards. You might also be in a bit of a 'spring clean' mood/mode in your kitchen. I know my mom said she was working her way through a few things in her freezer. I took a look at my pantry and spices. I often look for recipe inspiration in my own kitchen and then perhaps google ingredients to see what I can try together. It's not only a great way to clean, but also to help with meal planning, and budgeting.

Source: HealthLine

I found some freekeh (young green wheat; an ancient grain) in my cupboard and decided to be brave and try it. I also have wheat berries that I've been meaning to use, and the two are very similar. Of course, I followed the cooking directions and my husband asked "what did you cook it in?" and I said "water" to which I think he was a bit disappointed, but we had mushroom pork in the slow cooker and peas to go along, so I think in the end he was satisfied with the flavours. He's perhaps more adventurous with spices and experimenting in the kitchen. I love my time in the kitchen, but I tend to be more of a baker (which my monthly foodie group could attest to), so I'm more of a rule follower (in life as well!).

Oats, pasta, rice, and tortillas are probably the grains we see more often in our kitchen, with the occasional quinoa, bulgar, barley, bread, pitas, English muffins, bagels, or naan. I enjoy big batch cooking to help us through our busy days. I sometimes make granola, spiced oatmeal, overnight oats, or breakfast quinoa to get us through a few rushed mornings. I think it's a great reminder that grains can be both savory or sweet. I also attempt to add them to salads; I've had many great salads with rice, quinoa, bulgar, pasta, and wheat berries, but it's not really in my repertoire yet. I just think it's a great way to make a salad into a meal, which I find many people do in the spring and summer months. There are many whole grains to play around with - check out this A to Z list for inspiration.

I just tried a lentil granola recipe since some of my clean-spiration is also motivated by new recipes I've come across recently. One recipe on my 'to-make' list this spring/summer is Tropical Breakfast Couscous.
What have you found in your cupboard or what's on your 'to-make' list right now?

Enjoy the sunshine!
Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com

Tortilla Egg Cups {ReDux}

I didn't find time for last month's Cook Once, Eat Twice recipe challenge, oddly enough we made what I was planning one evening a little later. I was thinking leftover baked potatoes as a type of one-pot hash or a scramble, which my husband made one night since it's such a quick meal to throw together. Since I now have a five month old on my hands, things that are quick or make leftovers are still key. I was also working on a few recipes for an upcoming young athlete demo when I came up with this one.I get my chance to blog and create in the kitchen once the little one goes to bed at night, since I don't want to miss out on spending any time with her!

 

Our April challenge/theme was Spring cleaning: Go through your pantry, cupboards, freezer, or fridge; what ‘treasures’ have you found? Pick an ingredient/spice/condiment that’s been hanging out for a while and give it the attention it needs. Share a healthy recipe made using your new-found pantry prize.

  

I came across dry mustard which I rarely use, I'm not even sure what recipe I would have originally bought it for. The prep is fairly minimal and if you prep a lot of veggies while making this, then you're set for your busy week - for pastas, salads, stirfries, etc. It's also a great recipe for satisfying differing tastes as you can make a variety of combinations.

Tortilla Egg Cups
Makes 12 cups

Ingredients
3 large whole wheat tortillas (9-10" diameter)
2 Tbsp green onion,diced
3 Tbsp red pepper, diced
3 Tbsp mushrooms, diced
1/3 cup arugula, chopped
1/3 cup ham, roughly chopped
6 eggs
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2-1 tsp dry mustard
 dash of pepper

 

 

 

 

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cut tortillas into quarters with a pizza cutter or knife (I checked out theyummylife for tips on making tortilla cups). Place in muffin tin (no need to grease it)
3. Wash and chop veggies.
4. Whisk eggs, cottage cheese, mustard, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in veggies and ham.
5. Divide egg mixture evenly into 12 cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until set. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

 

What treasure(s) have you found in your kitchen?

Cheers,

Steph

See other dietitian recipes below: 

An InLinkz Link-up

Easter on my Mind

I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older, am more mindful, am a new mom, or what, but it really feels like we're rolling from one festive holiday to the next and next week is already April and Easter! Do any of you feel that way? I know if you go to any stores it's quite obvious, as Valentine's stuff goes on sale we see St. Patrick's Day stuff and Easter stuff already lining the shelves, and I still can't figure out when chocolate became the go-to food for all the holidays?! I do love chocolate, but try to limit myself and lately try to go dark or not at all (I'm also choosing quality, so that I feel it's worth the indulgence!).

Either way, holidays can be a hard time to stay on track with healthy eating. I keep working on my personal development and I think a few terms stand out to me - contentment and now imperfection. I am striving to be who I am and love it (rather than try to be a version of myself that I'll never achieve). So whatever you're working on, make sure you're not being too hard on yourself or expecting perfection - first of all, I've learned that it's impossible to achieve, but we also have to remember that we all likely define 'perfect' very differently. I continue to pin new quotes that inspire me (and hopefully inspire some of you) - feel free to share your favourites in the comment section below!

So, try not to stress about Easter. Enjoy time with family and friends, get outside, relax, do what you need to do for yourself. As my followers know, I tend to enjoy food jokes and having fun with food themes for holidays. I found a few cute snacks on Pinterest that I wanted to share with you. My first thoughts with Easter go to eggs and carrots and what I can do with them - perhaps you have a tradition you'd like to share that is food related or a gift that is not food related.

Bacon and eggs bunny from worthpinning:

Pineapple chick from FamilyFun magazine:

















Cheese and cracker chicks from CanadianFamily:

There are so many ways to get creative and include veggies, fruit, and protein in your holiday celebrations. Happy Spring to you all!

Cheers,
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus

Not today, not this month, all year...

I had 'dreams' of posting this on St. Patrick's Day, but alas, my little one decided she wanted to be held and needed mommy (so of course I obliged). It gave me lots of time to think about what I wanted to share. Then came Dietitian's Day and I totally agree with what a follower wrote on my facebook page - nutrition month should be all year. {Then I found some time one evening and thought I scheduled this post to go out last week, but now I find it sitting here as a draft...}

I have quite a few people in my life that have been or are going on hot holidays (we stayed home this winter due to the little one) and I know that many people use a holiday, or the fact that summer is coming, or their wedding is approaching, etc. as a goal for getting healthy or losing weight. This brings me back to some of my favourite words - moderation and mindfulness. Why not strive for balance (not perfection) and a lifestyle you can lead/live all year long?

Leafy greens and other green veggies are important to us all year, not just on St. Patty's Day when folk like me think of all kinds of green food. I like to make any holiday into a 'fun with food' type of day, whether that is playing with the actual theme or festive colours.

Since green is on my mind, I wanted to share a few recipes with you. I recently tried these Popeye muffins from the green forks and loved the colour as well as the fact that they taste like banana muffins.

We've also made Alton Brown's guacamole for a variety of potlucks and sporting events. Another favourite that we often come back to is roasted broccoli with shrimp. I also enjoy adding greens to smoothies (I froze some 'pucks' of extra spinach for this purpose), eggs, and soups, such as with my lucky New Year's soup.

At a close friend's (and great cook) house we were treated to Jamie Oliver's Jiggy Jiggy Greens - which I still have yet to try to make at home.

So what's the deal with greens? This time of year I find that more people start turning to salads, so perhaps you just want to change things up a bit or perhaps you're not sure how to store them or use them (ie. recipes). EatRight Ontario has a great collection and a few tips on these nutrient dense veggies.

Let me know if you had any 'fun with food' this week or how you're getting in your greens this year. Don't forget to check out my instagram feed to see what's going on in my life, kitchen, and mind these days!

Easter is coming, what will you come up with?
Cheers,
Steph Langdon, RD
www.mutrishus.com

Less is More and it's already March!

Almost 4 months into motherhood - which for my blog means that I have all sorts of ideas, some of which I managed to jot down (and hope to return to) and others that have been lost to me, and of course, few that have been posted. I don't regret where I am spending my time these days, although it has definitely been an adjustment and I'm still getting used to how much I am needed by our wee-one. I do think it fits well with mindfulness, moderation, and minimalism that I've been trying to focus on. I am very aware of spending time with my daughter and being there for her - as my husband says, "it's an investment". I am also now more able to find time for he and I as well as a bit of time for me (see here I am, typing away - I'm calling that moderation!).

I have less time to do the things I used to do, so it has been great that I was able to (and continue to work on) remove some clutter and unused items from our home. I managed to donate some things, shred or recycle a few others and even sell a few.

It is March, which means that it's nutrition month, so I have been eager to post something for you. I'm sharing Dietitians of Canada's tweet-a-day on @LeadPilates and @fueledbySKmilk if you're on twitter. You can also check out some resources on the 'Eating 9 to 5' theme on the nutrition month website. I think it's a great theme and covers basics like breakfast, snacks, lunch, supper, and temptations or on-the-go choices we may face. Since I have less time, I am very aware of making big batches these days. My daughter seems alright with grocery shopping, so we're still able to get what we need, but I now do things like prep veggies at 8pm after she's asleep. I try to have quick things ready during the day for the moments that I can grab a quick bite or reheat something. Suppers have been alright as my hubby also enjoys cooking and will take over for me or have some quality daddy time so that I can get creative in the kitchen.

I haven't been as active on here or sharing articles on my facebook page, but I do still post on instagram quite often if you're on there. I hope you're all doing well, enjoying some nicer weather, and perhaps partaking in nutrition month activities or learning something new to help get you healthily through your work day!

Cheers,
Steph