I start off with lemon water. You can do warm water, but I keep a filtered pitcher on our counter and just use room temperature unless I’m in the mood for something warming. Lemon juice is good for so many reasons including digestion, skin, immunity…the list is long and it’s a great way to hydrate your body first thing. I’ve tried all sorts of juicers, but this one(Opens in a new window) from OXO is definitely my favorite. It’s easy to use, doesn’t take up a lot of space, and it keeps the seeds and pulp out of my water. Plus, it has markers for those recipes that call for a measurable amount of lemon juice.
Next I make my green smoothie. I really struggled to eat greens of any kind until recently. Now I love them! But it’s been a slow process to get to this point years! and the smoothie was how I managed to get them in before I liked eating them other ways. I started off with fruit smoothies a few years ago. One day I added some spinach. Over time I’ve taken out most of the fruit and added in more and more greens. If you’re wanting to get more greens into your own diet I can’t recommend this method enough. Give yourself and your palette time to adjust. You can change your taste! I make enough to last me three days, and it stores well in the fridge for that length of time.
Lunch is my favorite meal of the day. It’s where I cook what I want because the only other person eating it is Domino. That girl will eat anything. I love breakfast food, so that’s often what you’ll find me making. Today it’s eggs, kale, and mushrooms.
I whisk(Opens in a new window) up the eggs and soft scramble them. Soft scramble means you keep the eggs moving the whole time and then you pull them off when they’re still a little wet. This gives them a much creamier texture. I wait to season because I’ve heard that’s best with eggs. Once they’re plated I add salt, pepper, and a little green onion.
After the eggs I turn the heat up, add more oil to the pan, and slice up some garlic. I LOVE garlic. Micah loves when I eat it too. Opposite. It has wonderful health benefits, and really makes the kale great. But I’ve always hated peeling and chopping it. I’ve recently discovered two game-changers though: pre-peeled garlic at the grocery store and this OXO garlic slicer(Opens in a new window). Talk about time saving! It’s so easy to use, slices evenly and in seconds, and cleans up really quickly. I slice some up and add that to the pan of hot oil until it get’s fragrant. Then I add in a bunch of kale and salt and pepper it. I let it cook down and get a bit crispy.
The afternoon used to bring a strong desire to eat all the sweets and take a nap. After finally learning what foods fuel my body instead of depleting it, I will have some dark chocolate if I’m craving something sweet. On days I’m feeling a little more hungry I’ll have gluten-free toast with nut butter, jelly, and hemp hearts sprinkled on top for extra nutrition and flavor. It’s so important to listen to what your body wants. Most days I give myself a bit of a pick me up with tea. I’ll never forget last year my postpartum specialist suggesting I have a cup of tea when I had a sweet craving in the afternoon and looking at her like she was nuts. But that’s exactly what I do now. Mint is my favorite and I love the routine of making it too. Sometimes I go for a bag, but there’s something great about loose leaf.
This tea ball from OXO makes loose leaf tea really easy. I just grab a scoop, twist, and submerge it in the hot water for a bit. Then dispose of the leaves and give it a rinse until next time.
In general, dinner is more relaxed. If I have some dairy or gluten, I have some dairy or gluten. Most nights I’m making some sort of protein and veggies. After we did Whole30 last year things just kind of stuck, and we all collectively feel best eating that way. But sometimes we have pizza or spaghetti or tacos. I don’t want to limit our wants, just push the good stuff most often. I remember playing a game with my mom once that asked the question “Would you rather give up dessert and live 10 years longer or have dessert every day and take 10 years off your life.” The answer at the time was undoubtably getting dessert every day, but at the time my health was something I totally took for granted. For me it’s not necessarily about how many years I’m here, but how I feel while I’m here. And eating this way makes me feel alive!
Head to The Makerista(Opens in a new window) for her full routine.