Wow my little munchkin girl just turned 5 months on Sunday. I really do not know where the time went! My oldest started kindergarten and she is just beside herself with excitement. Mum however is a little sad but also incredibly excited for her!
I wanted to talk about the supplements that I take everyday as I think that I've got a regimen down now that really benefits my insides and outsides.
First and foremost, I take fish oil. I take the Kirkland's brand from Costco. For a while they started adding soy for some insane reason but it currently doesn't contain any. Make sure your fish oil is pure! No additives like soy or other vegetable oils. I take 8 pills per day (3 in the morning, 2 at lunch and 3 before bed) which is 8000 mg or 2400 mg of DHA/EPA per day. It's a lot for a normal person, who could get by with about half that amount but I have lupus, I'm nursing and I'm post pregnancy.
Next, if I don't get a chance to get outside in the sun for at least an hour (without sunscreen!) I take Vitamin D. I take 10,000IU/day. I use the Now brand from Amazon and they are 5,000IU each so just 2 pills per day.
I also take magnesium. Right now I have liquid magnesium ions which I just squirt into my herbal tea. I take about 400 mg/day. These taste pretty terrible so when they're gone I'm ordering magnesium gluconate pills.
Finally, I take probiotics both in pill form and I brew my own kombucha and drink 8oz per day.
And that's it! My 3 daughters, who also eat a paleo diet (5 month old through nursing ;)) and take the same supplements (lower dosages) except no kombucha and their probiotic is a sugar-free chewable by Yum-yum.
Take care!
-- Robyn
30.8.12
15.8.12
Cleaning out my closet
Yes, I'm cleaning out my closet both figuratively and literally! You can kind of understand the literal part of it - my closet has a bunch of crap on the floor that needs to be picked up and sorted and I need to start getting rid/give away my maternity clothes because yes, I pretty much fit into my old clothes, yay!!!
So, to the figurative part, in an effort to have a greener, safer home, I've started making a lot of my own cleaners, lotions, detergents, etc. This not only reduces the number of toxins my family is exposed to but also (insanely) reduces the amount of money I have to pay out for these types of items. I have to thank wellnessmama.com for planting the seed and making many recipes available. And, then the internet, always! Who knew your bathrooms could get so clean with baking soda and vinegar?!
I started by making lotion bars. These little cakes are heavenly and only contain coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, vitamin e, beeswax and essential oils.
Then, I made room air fresheners with only some small mason jars, decorative paper, baking soda and essential oils.
Then, I made my own laundry detergent, yes, you heard me right! I made approximately 5 gallons for about the cost 2 cents/load versus 18-24 cents/load for the store bought stuff. It doesn't have any of the harsh detergents and chemicals either and still works just as good or better depending on the type of stain. I only used water, castile soap, baking soda and washing soda. And, by using lavender scented castile, my laundry smells fantastic!!
I then moved onto an all purpose cleaner. My next item is fabric softener.
I also started on the "no (sham)poo" band wagon. It's been about a week and a half and they say to give your hair about 3-4 weeks in order to get your scalp's oil production back to normal so I'll also let you know how that goes.
I have a busy day ahead of me but I'll post recipes or links in my next entry. I really can't believe how much better I feel about making my home a less toxic place!
-- Robyn
So, to the figurative part, in an effort to have a greener, safer home, I've started making a lot of my own cleaners, lotions, detergents, etc. This not only reduces the number of toxins my family is exposed to but also (insanely) reduces the amount of money I have to pay out for these types of items. I have to thank wellnessmama.com for planting the seed and making many recipes available. And, then the internet, always! Who knew your bathrooms could get so clean with baking soda and vinegar?!
I started by making lotion bars. These little cakes are heavenly and only contain coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, vitamin e, beeswax and essential oils.
 |
| Air freshener |
Then, I made my own laundry detergent, yes, you heard me right! I made approximately 5 gallons for about the cost 2 cents/load versus 18-24 cents/load for the store bought stuff. It doesn't have any of the harsh detergents and chemicals either and still works just as good or better depending on the type of stain. I only used water, castile soap, baking soda and washing soda. And, by using lavender scented castile, my laundry smells fantastic!!
I then moved onto an all purpose cleaner. My next item is fabric softener.
I also started on the "no (sham)poo" band wagon. It's been about a week and a half and they say to give your hair about 3-4 weeks in order to get your scalp's oil production back to normal so I'll also let you know how that goes.
I have a busy day ahead of me but I'll post recipes or links in my next entry. I really can't believe how much better I feel about making my home a less toxic place!
-- Robyn
13.7.12
Sunny, sunny love!
Well, I'm finally back from holiday and what a wonderful relaxing time I had. I feel totally rejuvenated. There really is nothing better than staying at a beach house on the ocean and swimming and snoozing in the hot sun. Yes, I said "hot sun" and yes, I was out in it and did not get burnt to a crisp and did not trigger a flare! I've been off Plaquinil for 2 1/2 months now and have already noticed a huge difference in my sensitivity, or shall I say insensitivity to sunlight. I don't need to wear sunglasses 24/7 and a 50spf sunscreen slathered on at regular intervals kept me from burning (2 years ago, while on 400mg of Plaquinil, I did a 50spf, burned a little and consequently flared). Basking in the sun actually felt wonderful, playing with my children on the beach felt wonderful. It's just so good to do normal things and not constantly worry about what I'm going to feel like the next day because I know I'm going to feel just as good as I do right now.
This was also the first vacation I've ever taken where I actually lost weight! How fantastic is that!
So, my brand spanking new daughter has been having some internal issues which quite frankly, scared the shit out of me initially. I started to see blood in her diapers when she went #2, and because I'm nursing, this was pretty much every time I changed her. I was following a more primal type diet and eating dairy occasionally just because I love cheese. I talked to our pediatrician and dairy is the first culprit to eliminate in cases like this so bye bye cheese. Blood stopped. Then my eldest daughter had her 5th birthday party and I made the cake. I tasted it to be sure it tasted okay, it was literally a couple of bites, and it was dairy free - but not gluten free (for the 20 kids at the party - stupid, stupid). The next day, blood in diaper. So, the short of it is that my baby has both dairy and gluten sensitivities via breast milk. While most people are just shocked at this and deluging me with sympathy and worry about the fact that my daughter (and me for that matter) basically cannot eat anything in their opinion, I'm so glad that I learning about the paleo lifestyle 2 years ago. In trying to forever be an optimist (an autoimmune disease can do this to you - make you or break you), this "problem" my daughter has will first, keep me in line and on track - the fact that a couple bites of gluten affected my child so much that she had internal bleeding is a constant reminder of how powerful this yucky stuff is and quickly my own health could take a turn for the worst. Second, my baby is a blank slate, she doesn't know what a krispy kreme, snickers bar or bowl of fettuccine alfredo tastes like. Her palate will thrive on delicious, whole, organic and healthful foods. I wish I (and my first 2 daughters) were so lucky!
Oh and a final note, I made kale chips for the first time in my dehydrator yesterday and they are delicious! I finally found something that has a bit of that potato chip crunch that I've been missing ever so much! Here's the recipe:
2 bunches of kale (I used organic lacinato kale)
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
Put the oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl and mix. Remove the ribs from the kale and tear into potato chip size. Add the kale to the mix and toss the kale with your hands until the mix thoroughly coats the kale (really massage it in there!). Place the pieces on your dehydrator trays in a single layer. You can pack them pretty tight as the kale will shrink a bit. I put my dehydrator on 115F for 9 hours. Enjoy!!
-- Robyn
This was also the first vacation I've ever taken where I actually lost weight! How fantastic is that!
So, my brand spanking new daughter has been having some internal issues which quite frankly, scared the shit out of me initially. I started to see blood in her diapers when she went #2, and because I'm nursing, this was pretty much every time I changed her. I was following a more primal type diet and eating dairy occasionally just because I love cheese. I talked to our pediatrician and dairy is the first culprit to eliminate in cases like this so bye bye cheese. Blood stopped. Then my eldest daughter had her 5th birthday party and I made the cake. I tasted it to be sure it tasted okay, it was literally a couple of bites, and it was dairy free - but not gluten free (for the 20 kids at the party - stupid, stupid). The next day, blood in diaper. So, the short of it is that my baby has both dairy and gluten sensitivities via breast milk. While most people are just shocked at this and deluging me with sympathy and worry about the fact that my daughter (and me for that matter) basically cannot eat anything in their opinion, I'm so glad that I learning about the paleo lifestyle 2 years ago. In trying to forever be an optimist (an autoimmune disease can do this to you - make you or break you), this "problem" my daughter has will first, keep me in line and on track - the fact that a couple bites of gluten affected my child so much that she had internal bleeding is a constant reminder of how powerful this yucky stuff is and quickly my own health could take a turn for the worst. Second, my baby is a blank slate, she doesn't know what a krispy kreme, snickers bar or bowl of fettuccine alfredo tastes like. Her palate will thrive on delicious, whole, organic and healthful foods. I wish I (and my first 2 daughters) were so lucky!
Oh and a final note, I made kale chips for the first time in my dehydrator yesterday and they are delicious! I finally found something that has a bit of that potato chip crunch that I've been missing ever so much! Here's the recipe:
2 bunches of kale (I used organic lacinato kale)
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
Put the oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl and mix. Remove the ribs from the kale and tear into potato chip size. Add the kale to the mix and toss the kale with your hands until the mix thoroughly coats the kale (really massage it in there!). Place the pieces on your dehydrator trays in a single layer. You can pack them pretty tight as the kale will shrink a bit. I put my dehydrator on 115F for 9 hours. Enjoy!!
-- Robyn
10.6.12
A first look into my paleo eatings and how I move some heavy things....
Today was a delicious day! I hope that by keeping this journal I will inspire others with delicious healthy meals that are easy to make and make you feel fantastic while being incredibly healthy!
I started off with paleo pancakes, my girls adore these and eat them with berries on top. Seriously, I have made countless paleo pancake recipes and these are by far THE best! Light, fluffy, nutty, yummy!!
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Here's the recipe:
2 bananas
1 apple peeled and diced
1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
Put the bananas and apple into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and process for 45 seconds. These seem to cook at a lower temperature so I set the griddle at 275F. Grease griddle with extra virgin coconut oil. These make about 18 pancakes the size of silver dollars.
For breakfast I had about 6 pancakes that were about 2 inches in diameter with a few fresh raspberries and 2 cups of decaf coffee with a little dab of extra virgin coconut oil stirred in.
For lunch I had a scrambled egg and a gigantic salad with a grilled chicken breast dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette (just equal parts extra virgin olive oil and organic balsamic vinegar).
Dinner included a grass fed beef hamburger complete with patty on lettuce with tomato, pickle, mustard, roasted butternut squash and onions and mushrooms fried in extra virgin olive oil.
Oh, I also had 4 squares of a Lindt 90% chocolate bar and now I'm having a gorgeous glass of cab to wind down the day.
Told you nursing has made me famished almost all the time!!
And for movement. I completed a kettlebell workout. I started the Skogg kettlebell system and I'm loving it so far! It's a 12 week program and I'll keep you updated on my results. So excited about this! I'm so incredibly out of shape now!
So, that was my day, until tomorrow!
I started off with paleo pancakes, my girls adore these and eat them with berries on top. Seriously, I have made countless paleo pancake recipes and these are by far THE best! Light, fluffy, nutty, yummy!!
.JPG)
2 bananas
1 apple peeled and diced
1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
Put the bananas and apple into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and process for 45 seconds. These seem to cook at a lower temperature so I set the griddle at 275F. Grease griddle with extra virgin coconut oil. These make about 18 pancakes the size of silver dollars.
For breakfast I had about 6 pancakes that were about 2 inches in diameter with a few fresh raspberries and 2 cups of decaf coffee with a little dab of extra virgin coconut oil stirred in.
For lunch I had a scrambled egg and a gigantic salad with a grilled chicken breast dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette (just equal parts extra virgin olive oil and organic balsamic vinegar).
Dinner included a grass fed beef hamburger complete with patty on lettuce with tomato, pickle, mustard, roasted butternut squash and onions and mushrooms fried in extra virgin olive oil.
Oh, I also had 4 squares of a Lindt 90% chocolate bar and now I'm having a gorgeous glass of cab to wind down the day.
Told you nursing has made me famished almost all the time!!
And for movement. I completed a kettlebell workout. I started the Skogg kettlebell system and I'm loving it so far! It's a 12 week program and I'll keep you updated on my results. So excited about this! I'm so incredibly out of shape now!So, that was my day, until tomorrow!
Oh the bandwagon...
Happy Sunday!
My daughter is 2 1/2 months old now and I thought that taking off the pregnancy weight would be a little easier than it has been with all the breast feeding and all. Not a chance! I still have 20lbs to go to be 'pre-Micah' weight and a bunch more to be 'pre-all 3 girls' weight. I got the go ahead to start exercising again so I should start seeing results. I was playing around a bit with my diet while I wasn't allowed to do any real activity (c-sections take a while) and I really discovered how dairy affects me. As soon as I delivered I started a strict primal diet but I found that once I lost 15 lbs I kind of plateaued. The 15 came off very quickly, most likely excess fluid and then everything came to a halt. I did some Robb Wolf podcast listening and decided to eliminate dairy and see what would happen and low and behold I lost a couple more pounds. I also started to feel a lot less sluggish (which I totally attributed to sleep deprivation). This is pretty good for me as I've never been able to drop weight without implementing a consistent exercise routine.
My other issue is that I'm famished all the time and I think nursing has a lot to do with it. I'm also still craving sweet. And, just between you and me, I've cheated a few times (stupid jelly beans...60% dark chocolate...smarties...ice cream...okay no wonder I plateaued)!
Reading this back it seems like I'm a little obsessed with losing the baby weight! Maybe a little ;) but seriously, who isn't? I really feel like I have to get back to 'normal' whatever that is. I just feel very uncomfortable, hate looking at pictures of myself right now and desperately want to get back into all my clothes. So for now I'm going to turn this blog into a bit of a food and exercise journal. I'm going to pretend that I have a million followers reading this everyday forcing me to be accountable. I'll start with yesterday.
Food
2 cups of decaf coffee with a 1/2 tsp of extra virgin coconut oil melted in
Turkey 'sandwich' - turkey with tomato and mustard wrapped in lettuce
2 slices of leftover meatloaf (ground beef and port with fresh herbs)
1 large orange
1 giant salad (talking humongo) with 1 grilled chicken breast in a balsamic vinaigrette
Movement (other than chasing/cleaning after 3 kids under 5)
Walked for 1 hour while pushing a stroller with my daughter in it
That's about it for yesterday. I'll post again tonight with my eatings and doings from today.
One other thing I should mention, I HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY MED FREE FOR 2 MONTHS NOW!!! First time in 6 years!! And no symptoms at all.
-- Robyn
My daughter is 2 1/2 months old now and I thought that taking off the pregnancy weight would be a little easier than it has been with all the breast feeding and all. Not a chance! I still have 20lbs to go to be 'pre-Micah' weight and a bunch more to be 'pre-all 3 girls' weight. I got the go ahead to start exercising again so I should start seeing results. I was playing around a bit with my diet while I wasn't allowed to do any real activity (c-sections take a while) and I really discovered how dairy affects me. As soon as I delivered I started a strict primal diet but I found that once I lost 15 lbs I kind of plateaued. The 15 came off very quickly, most likely excess fluid and then everything came to a halt. I did some Robb Wolf podcast listening and decided to eliminate dairy and see what would happen and low and behold I lost a couple more pounds. I also started to feel a lot less sluggish (which I totally attributed to sleep deprivation). This is pretty good for me as I've never been able to drop weight without implementing a consistent exercise routine.
My other issue is that I'm famished all the time and I think nursing has a lot to do with it. I'm also still craving sweet. And, just between you and me, I've cheated a few times (stupid jelly beans...60% dark chocolate...smarties...ice cream...okay no wonder I plateaued)!
Reading this back it seems like I'm a little obsessed with losing the baby weight! Maybe a little ;) but seriously, who isn't? I really feel like I have to get back to 'normal' whatever that is. I just feel very uncomfortable, hate looking at pictures of myself right now and desperately want to get back into all my clothes. So for now I'm going to turn this blog into a bit of a food and exercise journal. I'm going to pretend that I have a million followers reading this everyday forcing me to be accountable. I'll start with yesterday.
Food
2 cups of decaf coffee with a 1/2 tsp of extra virgin coconut oil melted in
Turkey 'sandwich' - turkey with tomato and mustard wrapped in lettuce
2 slices of leftover meatloaf (ground beef and port with fresh herbs)
1 large orange
1 giant salad (talking humongo) with 1 grilled chicken breast in a balsamic vinaigrette
Movement (other than chasing/cleaning after 3 kids under 5)
Walked for 1 hour while pushing a stroller with my daughter in it
That's about it for yesterday. I'll post again tonight with my eatings and doings from today.
One other thing I should mention, I HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY MED FREE FOR 2 MONTHS NOW!!! First time in 6 years!! And no symptoms at all.
-- Robyn
22.2.12
Green juice
I think one of the most important aspects of the paleo/primal diet is the incorporation of copious amounts of vegetables. Due to the fact that food preparation does tend to take longer than the SAD diet, newbies and those with little free time may focus more on their protein and fat intake. Paleo parents may also need to skimp on their children's veggies due to typical young palettes. My girls (4 and 2) eat a lot of veggies but getting in those leafy greens is a bit of a struggle. Packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber, veggies (especially greens) are essential to proper regularity and cell function. One way that my family gets a whole lot of green in one quick punch is through green juice. Not only is it delicious but I can get about a pound of greens in one juicing.
There are many different types of juicers out there and I won't go through them all but the one I own and recommend if you don't have a whole lot of time to spend juicing a day is the Breville Elite or Breville Ikon.
They juice quickly and efficiently. You don't get as much juice from leafy greens as compared to a masticating juicer (like an Omega) but they are faster and clean up a whole lot easier. One tip I can give is to run the pulp through the juicer a second time and you'll get about an extra 1/3 of a cup.
My go-to green juice recipe
1 head of romaine
1 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
4-5 leaves of kale
1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root
1 lemon
2 organic apples
Put a few ice cubes into the collection cup (chilling this juice makes it even tastier).
Juice on low setting: romaine, cucumber, kale and ginger. Juice on high setting: lemon and apples. Enjoy!!
My kids and I adore this emerald jewel of a juice and they demand it everyday. Yum!
There are many different types of juicers out there and I won't go through them all but the one I own and recommend if you don't have a whole lot of time to spend juicing a day is the Breville Elite or Breville Ikon.
They juice quickly and efficiently. You don't get as much juice from leafy greens as compared to a masticating juicer (like an Omega) but they are faster and clean up a whole lot easier. One tip I can give is to run the pulp through the juicer a second time and you'll get about an extra 1/3 of a cup.
My go-to green juice recipe
1 head of romaine
1 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
4-5 leaves of kale
1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root
1 lemon
2 organic apples
Put a few ice cubes into the collection cup (chilling this juice makes it even tastier).
Juice on low setting: romaine, cucumber, kale and ginger. Juice on high setting: lemon and apples. Enjoy!!
My kids and I adore this emerald jewel of a juice and they demand it everyday. Yum!
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