Tag Archives: healthy baby

Creating Ease with the BlendTec Blender

With deep gratitude, I received a BlendTec WideJar and Twister blender to review. I am always looking for new ways to make healthy eating simple and I have loved all that I’ve created with my BlendTec.

It can feel overwhelming sometimes to walk into the kitchen and feel like you can come up with a healthy meal in a short and stress free time. My BlendTec has helped make that easier than ever, and I’m happy to share some of my favorite food creations with you!

I make smoothies almost every morning, and with the juice button, they have never been smoother before now. I’ve used other high power blenders before but they sometimes left chunks of fruit that would appear in my glass and that hasn’t happened with the BlendTec.

The buttons are so easy to navigate and my 4 year old often helps out with making smoothies. It’s great to get her involved and experimenting. I let her add what she wants to her smoothies because it gives her the chance to learn a lesson I certainly have – sometimes fewer ingredients work better than adding in everything you can think of!

The BlendTec Twister has been our favorite for making ice cream. I’ll put a couple of frozen bananas in there (cut into smaller pieces) along with chia seeds, almond butter, and some raw cacao powder and in under a minute we’ve got a creamy and delicious healthy ice cream. I grew up making banana ice cream in my mom’s Champion Juicer, so it’s wonderful to share this tradition with my daughter now.

I also use the Twister for dips.

I’ve been making a cashew yogurt (inspired by Persephone Brown), which is the perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit and granola. I take a cup of cashews, juice of a lemon, cinnamon and water to reach the right consistency and blend them together. This has been perfect to take along for camping trips as an easy breakfast.

Most recently I made an amazing avocado dip, it was so creamy and smooth and I ended up making tortilla chips to have with it but I honestly could have eaten it right off the spoon! I blended an avocado, lemon juice, paprika and sea salt. It didn’t need it, but a little bit of flax oil would be a great addition for some healthy omega-3s.

A BlendTec can feel like a big investment, and there’s no doubt that it is, but it’s one that you can see in action everyday.

If you want to learn more and start bringing ease to your kitchen follow one of the links in this blog to see what great options BlendTec has to offer!

If you have any questions about the BlendTec or the recipes I shared above, please leave a comment below!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Note: I received a BlendTec WideJar and Twister blender in exchange for writing a review and a few blog posts for their site and the links in this blog are affiliate links (that means if you’re as excited to try the BlendTec as I was, you’ll be helping support my business while getting to enjoy a BlendTec). All ideas and opinions in this blog are mine.

Why Self Care Matters for Conception, Pregnancy and Motherhood

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it, because we all need the reminder quite regularly – it all starts with you.

You are the foundation for your family.

So many of us give give give yet we struggle with the idea of being open to receiving.

The energy of creating life calls for a receptive energy. It is a space of surrender, of trust, of pure love. If you have given all you have to give and have nothing left, there is no energy left for creation.

By not taking care of yourself, by refusing to treat yourself as sacred ground in which to plant the seed of life, you send a message that you are not deserving of this care, and that you are not open to receiving more.

The greatest disservice we can do to our family, current and future, is to consider self care to be selfish. It is the opposite. If we do not carve out the time to take care of ourselves, we become overwhelmed, overstressed, resentful, and often we make ourselves physically sick because it is the only way our body can get the message across that we need to slow down.

In The Gift of the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes, “For the most part, we, who could choose simplicity, choose complication.”

Let’s choose simplicity with self-care.

Self-care is about carving out space just for you.
Self-care can be as simple as slow, deep breathing.
Self-care can take moments or hours; it is timeless.
Self-care has no right or wrong.
Self-care is an act of self-empowerment.

I encourage you to think about who you want to be as you prepare to step into the role of mama.

Do you want to be the woman who constantly feels like you’re falling apart, like you have to add one more thing to your list constantly but that you’re always at the bottom of it, and you’re growing resentful?

Or do you want to be the woman who has the energy to be fully present and joy-filled with your family, knowing can find gratitude within the small moments, and who can model the importance of caring for yourself for your children?

The choice is yours.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Food, Flavor, and Your Future Baby

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As I sat down to write this post for you, I was really excited because I was going to write about something that fascinates me. It fascinates me so much that I wrote about it 2 years ago here!

Instead of rehashing what I already wrote, I hope you’ll read that old post to discover the incredible connection between your food choices and the food preferences of your future baby. Feel free to comment on that post and let me know what you think!

That also frees me up to write to you about another really interesting and important fact about the importance of food before you start trying to conceive. You can actually reduce a lot of potential stress and anxiety by making conscious and healthy choices, and I’m not even talking about fertility boosting foods specifically.

I’m talking about what nutrient rich foods can do for you when it comes to a topic that leads to so much stress in pregnant women – morning sickness. Next week, during the Creating Fertile Ground Virtual Conference, you’re going to learn about the connection between food and your hormones, gut health, and fertility, as well as how herbs can help you get the nutrients you need. Today, let’s talk about how right now is the perfect time to start caring for that future baby of yours.

Once your baby is growing inside you, you are relegated to the #2 spot when it comes to who gets nutrients first. Your baby is doing some intense growing, especially in those early weeks, but all throughout pregnancy, and baby needs those nutrients to grow and develop in a healthy way.

When faced with morning sickness, many women worry about whether their baby is getting enough nutrients. Unless you are told by your trusted health care provider that there is cause for concern (hyperemesis gravidarum for example), you can release that anxiety if you’ve been taking good care of yourself and getting the nutrients that you need to be healthy.

Why is this?

Well, your baby will actually pull from your nutrient stores, so even if you’re not taking in as many nutrients when you are experiencing morning sickness, if you’ve built a healthy foundation, baby can borrow from that for a while.

Next week you are going to learn some really important information that connects to this (including what you need to know to make sure you are absorbing the nutrients from the food you are eating and a great way to get powerful doses of nutrients without the need for a search through shelves and shelves of supplements).

You can register here and I hope that you join us!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Why Toxins are Key to Healthy Conception and Pregnancy

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Peace lilies are great for cleaning toxins out of the air. Note: Toxic to cats.

There is a balance of energy in our bodies – that which creates life and that which impedes it. At the beginning of my journey to prepare myself for my future baby, I recognized the importance of focusing on the energy that creates life but I saw that I needed to clear out the negative energy, the clutter, and the toxins before I could create a sacred and luscious space where my child could grow.

Toxins can be a scary and overwhelming topic, but the risks that we open ourselves to unnecessarily on a daily basis are far scarier and more overwhelming. In fact, when we can be in service of our best health, and therefore our baby’s best health, the topic of toxins becomes one of empowerment. You learn what you can begin to control and in doing so you let go of so much fear.

So many of our fears – infertility, miscarriage, pregnancy and birth complications, birth defects and health related issues as our child grows up – are often deeply connected to the toxicity that has found its way into our bodies. By taking the steps towards learning about the connections between toxins and your health, you see what steps are in your control to reducing the risks of so many of your fears.

And it’s easy. That’s right, I’m starting off the week of the Creating Fertile Ground Virtual Conference with the easy first step. That’s not to say that it’s easy to eliminate all toxins from your life – that’s impossible. It’s easy to begin to take the steps that fit into your lifestyle and that fit into the vision of the world that you want to see flourish for your family.

In many cases, a few simple changes to the products you use can significantly reduce your toxic burden. In some cases, the changes are not practical right now, but there are actions you can take to mitigate the impact. In all cases, you step into a place of empowerment.

This is something that you can do right away, to treat yourself as sacred ground as you begin to prepare for baby. You want to reduce your exposure now so the environment you grow your baby in, from the very moment of conception, is comprised of as much energy that creates and nourishes life as possible. You can do this by reducing the negative toxic energy, both physically and mentally.

The women who will be sharing with you are going to teach you what you can be doing now and why it’s important, but you also might hear suggestions that feel like too much to implement right now, and that’s okay. You’ve empowered yourself with knowledge and you can put it into practice whenever you feel ready.

Clearing out the toxins is a beautiful foundation on which to grow everything that comes next. In order for plants to grow and thrive, they much have fertile and nontoxic soil. That is where it all begins.

If you’re ready to learn more about what you need to know and what you can do about toxins and your fertile health, join us for the Creating Fertile Ground Virtual Conference by registering here.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Healthy Homemade Granola

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I got a craving for granola and yogurt. I had just gotten some organic, whole fat Greek style yogurt at MOM’S Market so I was halfway there already. I had made a huge batch of trail mix for a recent road trip, so I didn’t even need to gather the nuts and seeds. Within 20 minutes, my post-yoga snack for the next day was ready and waiting. And a bonus, I’ve got granola for a week! This is a great example how a little bit of prep can make healthy eating for the week happen with ease.

Yes, I’m Still Talking about Toxins and Fertility!

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I’m reading a book right now, in fact I’m plowing through it because the topic is one I’m so passionate about, and it’s making me think of one of the final points in the recent opinion paper put out by ACOG on reproductive health and fertility. The authors of the paper wrote, “When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.”

In the book I’m reading, Generations at Risk, they talk about how the scientific method works (stuff I hadn’t read about since high school), and why it can be flawed when we’re making public health policy choices based on scientific studies.

Here’s the bottom line. If you can make some simple changes that have the potential to greatly improve the health of you and your family there’s no reason not to! Tweet This!

I’ve been working with women to create these types of changes for a long time, and as you know if you’ve followed me for a while and ready my story, this is where I started on my own journey because it was the easiest place to begin.

You know all of those exciting ideas I mentioned? Well a couple of them involve helping you tackle the toxins with fun and ease. One of them is a big project that you’ll hear more about in the coming months, but there’s something else that I’m going to share with you next week, so stayed tuned!

In the meantime, I’d love to know where you feel most stuck or confused when it comes to toxins in your life. Just leave a comment below!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

What I Learned at the Green Mom’s Meet Summit

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I spent yesterday at the Green Mom’s Meet Summit in Philadelphia (I love when awesome conferences happen so close to home!). It was nice to spend the day doing something that was work-oriented but connection-based instead of deadline-driven. That felt like expansion to me (you can read more about the Expansion Experiment here).

While hanging out with some new mom friends, I had the opportunity to hear from some wonderful speakers, try new products, and participate in workshops. My favorite part of the day happened when I was walking back from lunch with a mom I had just met. As we were walking and sharing our stories, the sky opened up and we got soaked! Running through the streets of Philadelphia getting completely drenched felt incredibly refreshing. Going back into the air-conditioned building, not so much, but it was worth it.

These moments when we find ourselves in unexpected situations can be great reminders of how we want to be living our lives. That run through the rain taught me that I can worry less about the weather and focus more on having fun. I could have grumbled about it, wished that I’d brought an umbrella, and spent the afternoon uncomfortable in my wet clothes. Instead, it filled me with such joy! I swapped my long sleeve shirt for my sweater (which stayed dry in my bag), and I enjoyed some hot tea to help warm me up while my skirt dried.

Yesterday was a great opportunity to learn from unexpected experiences and to learn from others. Today I want to share with you a key point that Dr. Lawrence Rosen brought up at the summit. He said that, “prevention and wellness creation always trumps treatment.” He bases his pediatric practice on this philosophy, and as you know, this is very much in line with the philosophy of Womb to World Wellness, especially when it comes to preparing for pregnancy.

When you look at wellness creation in the context of preconception and pregnancy planning you begin to see that you can feel empowered and confident about your child’s health before he or she is even conceived. That is truly amazing.

This idea of doing what you can naturally and preventatively before turning to treatment and medication is not new – it’s what we’ve done for centuries. In society today, we are often looking for a quick fix and to many people that means turning to a bottle of pills as a first resort.

When it comes to fertility and pregnancy, you can rack up some big bills pretty quickly, but you might be overlooking some simple and effective things that could significantly help you.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out my free e-book, 30 Tips to Boosting Fertility, to get you started (link is to your right).

I’d also love to know what you think about what Dr. Rosen said, so please share in the comments below!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Effects of Toxins on Reproductive Health

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There are a lot of anxious and overwhelmed pregnant and thinking-about-being-pregnant women out there right now, and I don’t want you to be one of them. If you’ve heard the recent news about the opinion paper written by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, I want you to know that I’ve got your back. This is exactly what I’m here to support you with. So take a deep breath and give yourself a few minutes to read what I have to share with you.

“Robust scientific evidence has emerged over the past 15 years, demonstrating that preconception and prenatal exposure to toxic environmental agents can have a profound and lasting effect on reproductive health across the life course.”

This was the opening sentence in the ACOG Committee Opinion NO. 575 and a concept that I am very familiar with. The fact that the evidence has been growing is a positive, because it highlights another area where you have power and control over your health and the health of your family. From the time before you conceive your baby, you can create change that will impact your health and your future baby’s health for the rest of your lives – and that may even impact your grandchildren’s health (I wrote more about that here).

Some of the key points that are important for you to know and that I want to talk to you about a bit more:

“An analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2003-2004 found that virtually every pregnant woman in the United States is exposed to at least 43 different chemicals.”

Women use an average of 12 personal care products every day, and most of them contain numerous chemicals, many of them toxic. We turn the hot water on, open our pores, and welcome these toxins into our bodies. A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group in 2004 discovered that babies still in utero are exposed to almost 300 different chemicals before they are even born!

This is important but doesn’t need to feel hopeless. Many of the chemicals can be avoided by swapping out what you’re currently using for healthier products and by learning a few key tips that will protect your family’s health for generations to come.

“Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals is linked to various adverse health consequences, and patient exposure at any point in time can lead to harmful reproductive health outcomes.”

The last few decades have seen a significant spike in incidences of birth defects, autism, infertility, cancer and more. In some cases, these have been linked to the chemicals in our products. I’m not suggesting that reducing your toxic exposure can completely reduce your risk of these occurrences to zero, but it will help you know that you are doing all that is within your control, and that’s huge. I wrote more about this over on mom-blog just last week. Taking action as soon as you can (whether this is before you conceive or during pregnancy) can help you and your family stay as healthy as possible.

“Patient-centered actions can reduce body burdens of toxic chemicals (ie: the total amount of chemicals present in the human body at any one time).”

This is so important! This is all about what you can do, and it’s true – there is so much that’s in your control, and that’s what I’m here to help support you with. It’s easy to become easily overwhelmed but when you have someone to take your hand and guide you through what steps you can take to systematically reduce your body burden, it becomes empowering and fun. Knowing what actions you can take and getting the support you need to make them happen is an incredible gift that you can give yourself and your family.

“When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.”

We don’t need to wait until all of the evidence is in, because we’ll be waiting for a long time and by then it will be too late. When the EWG tested blood samples of the babies in utero and discovered the presence of almost 300 chemicals, many of them had been banned 30 years before the samples were tested. These chemicals hang around in the environment for a long time and the sooner we can do what is within our control to reduce our exposure to them, the better. There’s no better time to start than right now.

Stay tuned for some exciting ways that you can take action with ease and support! Be the first to know by clicking here.

Remember – “We do what we can as we move forward, and we release any guilt of what we didn’t know.” Let’s move forward together.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Do You Know about Quiet Power?

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I’ve been taking yoga classes with a new teacher, and she’s amazing. The first class I took with her, she had me wanting to stay in Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (pigeon pose) – I felt like I could hang out there all day. If you are familiar with pigeon pose, you might think I’m crazy. If you were one of my yoga teachers a year or two ago, you’d know what transformation that is for me.

She knew just how to get me to that moment of softness, of bliss, of strength, of surrender, without me even realizing it.

At the end of each of these classes, the same phrase has come to mind – Quiet Power.

She has Quiet Power: a gentle voice, a soft touch during adjustments, and the ability to lead an incredibly powerful and transformative practice.

She helps me reawaken my own Quiet Power.

What is it? It is many things.

It is the ability to feel strength in the little moments, knowing, with certitude, what you want and that you can absolutely make it happen.

It is deep self trust.

It is your core essence.

I’m sure I’ve experienced it throughout my life, but the time I felt it most was when I transformed my body into my baby’s first home. It was with me when I birthed her. Then it seemed to fade away.

I’d been trying to get back to it for a while, but that’s the problem with trying – we divert the flow of energy by focusing on all of these shoulds.

I should act a certain way.

I should do do do even if that means not making time for me.

I should keep trying because I must be doing something wrong.

It is in all of these shoulds that we feel we have lost our sense of self navigation, but just as the moon and the stars are always there, even when we can’t see them, our Quiet Power remains ever present.

My Quiet Power never left me – and neither has yours. It is there, ready to be awakened when you are ready to surrender.

In recent months, I have felt my Quiet Power again. In my yoga practice. In how I nourish my body. In the moments of solitude when I realize that my dreams can and will come true – I can feel it happening.

Never doubt your Quiet Power. It is there to guide you in all that you want in this life.

I’d love to know about a moment you have connected to your Quiet Power – leave a comment below and in the words of my daughter “tell me all about it.”

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

What To Drink When You’re Preparing for Pregnancy

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Smoothies are a simple and easy way to pack yourself full of fresh and healthy foods as you prepare your body for a healthy conception and pregnancy.

Here’s how I started my morning (it was just too good not to share with you!).

How do you nourish yourself to get your day off to the right start? Share with us in the comments below.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,