The Daily Grind of a Work @ Home Mom...

The Fresh Diet Post-Mortem

So I spent a week enjoying fresh food that I did not cook, calorie-count, weigh or measure, delivered to my door on a daily basis. 

Can you say WINNING!

Ok - so about the food: most of what I ate on The Fresh Diet was delicious.  Things I might not otherwise eat; turkey meatballs that were very tasty and nicely textured, steak & egg burrito with pico de gallo and sour cream that was a breakfast treat, even a small steak one night that fixed my craving for red meat.  Most of the food was great.

Since so many Twitter folks have asked me about it, I'm going to go into more detail than I might have otherwise, but the idea is to honestly share my thoughts and if it means anything, I'm continuing The Fresh Diet even though my free trial is over.  I've lost over 7lbs over the past 3 weeks and I have to attribute at least 1/3 of that to the fact that I looked forward to my next meal during my week on TFD.

Food stuff:

• Salad - I love a good salad and some of my salads were great.  I loved the citrus glazed chicken
  salad with honey ginger dressing, loved the "classic" cobb (sans egg), loved the horseradish dressing but did not love any of the salads topped with steak.  They were simply beef on greens, no veggies, etc. and they didn't satisfy me. Going forward, I plan to stick with chicken topped salads.
• The dips were worthy of dipping.  What's better than freshly made hummus or olive spread? I wasn't nuts about the minuscule pieces of pita that accompanied them, though.
• Wasn't wild about anything called "bruschetta" which was like salsa, or the mini egg salad pita hors d'ouevres as their size just made me hungrier HOWEVER the chicken tenders hit the spot as did the chicken satay.  What can I say - I'm a protein girl.
• Loved the omelettes and breakfast burritos (pictured) - artichoke and brie cheese? Goat cheese, sun-dried tomato and spinach?  Yes, please!
• Desserts - butterscotch chip cookies rocked, as did the coconut brownie.  I LOVED the berries with ricotta cheese (I added sweetner - yum), and the chocolate chip bread pudding, but didn't love the artificially sweet tasting regular chocolate pudding.
• Presentation - While the food was mostly really above average for this type of thing, I thought TFD could separate the sides from the main courses.  As a result of the transportation, the meals sometimes had to be prettied up (who doesn't style their food prior to eating??) but I am aware that it would not be very environmentally friendly. So maybe comparmentalizing the different foods could be an idea TFD might consider in the future.

Portions were, well, "weight-loss" portions.  In other words, while portions were size-challenged, I never walked away from a meal hungry.  Being not a large woman, I selected the lowest caloric range so there were days I was hungry between meals and found myself adding a 100 calorie yogurt, or a small, low-calorie soup.  I also added veggies and salad with low-cal dressing to the days I ate sandwiches for lunch.  I would say that it would be nice if the meals came with the salad since anyone knows that salad is the Joanie to the sandwich's Chachi. 

In conclusion - TFD food was there every morning, was never late and made no excuses.  Better than a dinner date, that's right!  For details about delivery options as well as pricing, visit The Fresh Diet.  For now, can receive 3 days free with the purchase of a 31-day plan at $29.99 per day. Use promo code SEMOMMAR29.

Like I said, just because my free trial is done doesn't mean I am.  I'm on-board as a paying customer for the next while at least and you should try it too, if you are looking for a simple way to shed a few for Spring without deprivation. 

I may even blog about it.

“This post is sponsored by The Fresh Diet. I also received a week’s supply of The Fresh Diet food to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.”

The Fresh Diet delivers healthy food to your doorstep

You see that post about the nutella-filled treats a few posts down?  That (among others) is one of the reasons I've committed to beginning a healthy eating regimen starting ASAP.  This warm winter combined with the fact that March is already here have made me cognizant of the crap I've been ingesting for the last few months and how it's affecting how I feel in my jeans, how I know I'll feel in my summer clothes, and how I feel about myself in general.

It's my opinion that a woman, mom or otherwise, must feel hawt at all times.  And while that doesn't necessarily mean size 2, it does mean feeling healthy and fit.

So I am lucky to be part of The Fresh Diet campaign.  The Fresh Diet is a healthy, fresh meal delivery program that makes eating mindfully easy.  No measuring, no pre-planning, and no frozen meals (though in all honesty, I have had great success with frozen meal plans).  You have two options on The Fresh Diet: daily delivery which is only offered in select cities at the moment, or twice weekly delivery, available everywhere.  The food is delivered fresh in temperature controlled thermally insulated refrigerated cooler bags to your doorstep and you just put it in the fridge to store it.

Selecting a menu was easy.  I went to the microsite, selected my calories per day (I picked
1000-1200/day for weight loss but you can choose as much as you'd like) and my food "dislikes" which didn't remove those foods from my menu choices (that might have been nice), but did alert me if I chose a food that included any of my dislikes.  I had four choices for each meal of the day, four choices for snacks (which included sweets as well as more food-like selections like chicken satay or pita an hummus), and two choices for side dishes (like grains and veggies).  It also alerted me if I was getting too carb heavy on a particular day.  While I would've like even more choices per meal (I don't eat fish or pork so that instantly reduced my number of choices for many meals), there was plenty to choose from.

The food looked appetizing in the images provided with descriptions (if not big in portion size - but I guess that's the point), and the selections were foods I might eat anyway.  I chose egg white burritos, salads topped with protein, steak and veggies.  Most of the foods offered were familiar items but I also selected some things I wouldn't otherwise eat like turkey meatballs.  Full food review to come.

I'm being treated to a week of taste-testing the meals, and (hopefully) losing a few LBs.  My plan is not to stray from the plan (I'm headed to Vegas in two weeks and need to feel good in my Vegas clothes!) and really focus on being mindful of portion and what I'm ingesting.  I'm hoping my children will take care of their own meals for the week and it'll feel almost like a vacation!  Almost.

I'll post again after my week on the program.  Wish me luck.

If you're interested in trying out The Fresh Diet, you can receive 3 days free with the purchase of a 31-day plan at $29.99 per day.  Use promo code SEMOMMAR29.

“This post is sponsored by The Fresh Diet.  I also received a week’s supply of The Fresh Diet food to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own.”

 

Health(ier) No-Egg Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Yesterday was a gray day in Boston.  We slept-in a bit and with every passing Spongebob, our idea of heading to the Museum of Science were dashed more and more, until there was nothing left.  So we did what any mom and daughters would do - we baked!  However, in keeping with my mindful indulgences theme, (at least for them, (am I the only mom who is more respectful of what goes into her kids bodies than what goes into her own?  Didn't think so.) I wanted to bake something delicious (read: chocolate) but still relatively healthy.  Oh, and I was out of eggs.  So I dusted off my old stand-by (thanks, Norene!), and found a recipe for No-Egg Double Chocolate Cupcakes.  We made an adjustment or two, but the recipe ended up like this:

No-Egg Double Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1.5 c flour (I used .5 c whole wheat flour)
• 1 c sugar
• 1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c orange juice
• 1/2 c coffee (or water)
• 1/4 c chocolate chips (or not. but we did.)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray (we used cupcake liners).  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Add wet ingredients except chocolate chips.  Mix until smooth and blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Don't over mix or cupcakes will be tough.

Pour batter into the muffin tins.  Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, until done.  Cool completely.  You can sprinkle with icing sugar or ice with store bought icing (but keep in mind this will increase calories and fat).

Yield: 12 cupcakes. These freeze well and recipe can be doubled.

183 calories per cupcake, 5 g fat (or 166 cals and 3.9 g fat without chocolate chips).

 Enjoy!

 

 

 

Dear 16-year-old Me

A friend posted this amazing video on my Facebok wall and I have to say, I was really moved by it. As kids, we spent countless hours outdoors without sunscreen.  As teenagers we may have hit the tanning booth for a special occasion (who knew?) and I definitely remember a reflector (!!) once or twice!  Crazy.  Anyhow, if you have kids, even if you don't, this is worth a watch:

 

Amazing, right?

On Being a Good Parent

I try to be one, really, I do.  Pretty much everything I do in my life is done with intention.  It's taken me many years (and many dollars spent in therapy) to figure it out, but contrary to how I lived my life in younger years, I really do make decisions, even spontaneous ones, with purpose.  And typically, my children and their well-being figures into my decisions pretty heavily.

About a year ago, a visit to the pediatrician resulted in some changes in our house, specifically at meal times.  One of my daughters, it seemed, was on the higher end of the BMI scale, and I felt like this was a direct reflection on my parenting.  I mean, even if I'm not there for every meal, since I was setting the tone for what we eat and don't eat, it must be my fault, right?  Despite the fact that my other daughter is the size of a peanut, still, my fault.

So we changed a few things around, went back a month or two later, and the doctor seemed a bit happier with where we were.

Fast forward a year and here we are again.  BMI on the high side and would I like a referral to a nutritionist?  Personally affronted, I declined, thinking why would I need someone to tell us how to eat when I, a chronic dieter, knows everything there is to know about healthy eating habits?

We indulge in treats in our house, no question.  Super crazy schedules sometimes result in throwing a box of organic mac 'n cheese in the pot for dinner, or some other not-so-bad kid food.  But we are ardent veggie eaters, broccoli and kale being staples around here.  My kids are amazing eaters, and have been known to ask for everything from sushi to shrimp to mussels for dinner.

I love that I don't have chicken nugget obsessed kids.  That they've seen the inside of a McDonald's maybe two or three times in their lives.

The problem with my child, if there is a problem, is portion control.  Like me, my daughter is an enthusiastic eater, she's passionate about food.  She has an interest in interesting foods and this is parlayed into an affinity for cooking.  But childhood obesity is on the rise, of this I am aware, and I certainly don't want my kid to suffer for choices I am responsible for making.

She's not a tiny kid. I know this.  She's the tallest in the class.  She's also energetic, solid, and playful.  She's smart and skilled and compassionate.  She's amazing, and in my eyes, pretty close to perfect.

I'm not in denial.  I have every intention of making "treats" far less accessible in my house.  More energy will be spent planning meals made with whole foods as opposed to a quick fix.  Less time and money in restaurants, more in the produce section.  Because it seems that what I thought was a reasonably good job actually isn't good enough, and my kid is not going to suffer for my lack of time.

But here's the thing - is every child the same?  Do genetics play a role in this?  How much am I getting in my child's way?  She actually knows what's healthy, what constitutes junk, and what is delicious.  She knows. She knows because I have taught her.  But I am not always in control of choices that translate into meals and snacks that enter my childrens bodies.

This topic is not new in my house.  Since last year, the topic of "checking in with our tummies" before asking for more has been prevalent.  We even jump on the scale to check our 'numbers' every now and then.  While I don't tell her exactly what I'm looking for on the scale, she knows it's a measure of her health and keeping healthy is the goal.

So, busy moms out there, how do you ensure your children are eating healthfully and not indulging too much?  How do you say no to  child who wants seconds?  What do you offer that I may not have thought of?  Because apart from some obvious changes, I'm fresh out of ideas.

Healthy Habits Kitchen: A Local Gem

It's no secret that I love to eat.  I love to cook, I love dining out, and I love thinking up new dishes.  Too much of my time is spent creating fun food ideas for my family and too much money is spent in restaurants.  And by all accounts, too many calories are ingested.

While thinking about a  good healthy eating plan recently, a fellow Boston blogger told me about Healthy Habits Kitchen in Wellesley if I was looking for pre-made meals.  A day or two later, I was invited to tour the facility and check out what HHK offers.

I was looking for a strategy that wouldn't break the bank, and with meals that didn't come frozen in little plastic packages.  I wanted to enjoy what I was eating, but still eat healthy and eat fewer calories.

The premise behind Healthy Habits Kitchen (HHK), as described to me by the super nice owner, Sue Schochet, is that they offer a happy medium between cooking, take-out, and dining out.  My love for cooking aside, after a long day I am not always in the mood to whip something up from scratch, so we either make something quick which sometimes compromises our nutrition, or we go out, which always compromises our nutrition.  HHK offers delicious pre-assembled meals that are not cooked, but are ready to be prepared (by you), cooked, and enjoyed.

And enjoy we did.  After trying just four dishes, we were impressed.  Though I'm not a chili lover, Pumpkin Turkey Chili was tasty.  We also tried the Adobo Rubbed Pork (spicy!) but I personally LOVED the Pretzel Crusted Chicken and the Chicken Marabella (dried plums! green olives! capers! white wine! brown sugar!) was not only delicious but it was gorgeous:

 
  (raw vs. cooked)

All the food prepared by HHK is made using high-quality lean meat or poultry, and wild-caught fish.  The recipes are intricate enough so that they're more special than you might make on a regular Tuesday night, but no so fancy that your kids wouldn't eat them.  And best of all, each box of food has the nutritional value per serving right on the package.  All you have to do is divide the finished product by serving size for an accurate portion.  It's not an exact science (ex: I used half of the brown sugar that came with the Chicken Marabella), but it's as close as you can get without eating a fozen diet meal.  And they taste fabulous.

The menu varies by month and at the moment Healthy Habits Kitchen meals are available either by pick-up or delivery in the Boston area, and look for them at local farmers markets.  They also offer fun assembly parties but if you live outside of the area, you're out of luck.  For now.

I received one complimentary meal courtesy of Healthy Habits Kitchen to facilitate this review.  All other meals were purchased.

Heat Prana Om

In my current quest to find relaxation, peace, and maybe a little physical improvement, I bought the
Groupon last week that offered five classes at the hot yoga place in my neighborhood.  It was a sign, I thought.  It was inexpensive, it had a schedule that corresponded with mine, and the 95 degree heated room would surely rid me of both the physical and emotional toxins I'd been holding in for so long.

I went this week.

It's been years since I let go of my semi-regular yoga practice and I'd forgotten a few things.  First, the sound effects.  Yoga enthusiasts are notorious for really being able to let it all out.  And let it out they did.  The moaning was reminiscent of a low-budget porn flick, but I'm not complaining.  Matter of fact, the simple act of associating myself with such uninhibited souls made me feel less inhibited myself.  I didn't moan per se, but I OM'd like it was my job and felt great being so, I don't know... out?

I'd also forgotten how HOT hot yoga is.  I was literally sweating to my core which is the point.  Since I love heat and sweat (totally weird, I know), this worked for me.  I measured my success not by how many downward facing dogs I could get through, but by how quickly the sweat poured off my whole self.  I'm weird, yes. 

Yoga. Is. Hard.  It's not like the olden days where they'd light some incense, we'd breathe heavily, stretch our bodies a bit, head into savasana and go out for sushi.  The practice I partook in was power Vinyasa yoga, and it's fast, and touches on what feels today like every muscle group, and is HOT.  Oh, how I loved that heat.

At the end of the 90 minutes, my body felt softer.  And I don't mean to the touch (I need no more "softness" to this bod these days).  I mean, my muscles felt looser, my face less tight, my whole self was just more relaxed. 

Until I got home, that is, and found my little angels fighting.   

Can't wait to go back.

Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Turns 10!

In March of 2009, I traveled across state lines and away from my family for several days to be with a friend, one of my oldest friends, after she underwent a double mastectomy.  Yes, you read that right - one of my best friends had a double mastectomy after it was determined that she had inherited the BRCA1.  When we were 13-years-old, my friend's mother died of breast cancer.

She was 44.

So you see, I have a very direct, very close-to-home, real-life example of why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is SO VERY IMPORTANT and why, over the course of the next few weeks, you may see more than one post about this special month and ways in which you and I can help further research in fun ways.

Ralph Lauren has been promoting Breast Cancer Awareness Month through its Pink Pony initiative for  10 years (!), which supports programs for early diagnosis, education, treatment and research and is dedicated to bringing patient navigation and quality cancer care to medically underserved communities.  

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their involvement, on top of donating 10% of all proceeds from the sale of Pink Pony products, Ralph Lauren has partnered with chairtybuzz to auction over 200 unique items and experiences from now through October 21st. 

The auction items are AMAZING.  Opportunities like a chance to ride with Lance Armstrong, to meet LeBron James, to be styled and have a family portrait done by a RL photographer, to have your child appear in a RL ad, incredible trips, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and other items that are unbelievable.  Get your wallet out for these cool things don't come cheap, but if you've got it, your money will certainly go to an amazing cause.

While breast cancer is the cause that is particularly close to my heart, I know no one who hasn't been touched by this awful disease in one way or another.  If you can help, do.  And stay tuned for other ways you can contribute this month, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.

I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Ralph Lauren and have received various Ralph Lauren products as part of my participation. 

Overcoming Anxiety

I woke up super-early this morning and was channel-surfing before the pitter-patter of little feet hit the floor.  As I got higher up and infomercials became more prevalent, I noticed a show called Overcoming Anxiety and suddenly, I was brought back five to ten years.  As I watched the "real people" talk about their experiences with anxiety, I was reminded of my past condition.  I continued watching, probably to remember where I used to be and where I have gotten to, and there was my old friend, Lucinda Bassett, author of the first book I read when I first started feeling this really strange way, which started after moving from Montreal to Boston.  I couldn't name it, because I'd never experienced anything like it, and nobody that I knew (to my knowledge) had had this unfamiliar affliction either.  Bassett helped me put a name to it with her book, From Panic to Power.  What I was having were panic attacks, and anxiety to an extreme. 

I don't think I've ever talked about this on my blog, but I used to be a grade 'a' anxiety sufferer.  And I survived.  So this post is dedicated to all you people who wake up in the middle of the night shaking from an unknown cause, or have to leave the restaurant because you can't turn off the tears, or sacrifice friendships because no one can possibly understand.

I understand.  Better than you know.  Because for years, literally years, I was afflicted.  And I suffered silently, and sometimes not so silently, and I told myself I would trade anything for my "old self" again.  I pleaded with God, figured it would be better to suffer from a physical disease since at least that wasn't so weird and could be treated in a hospital with doctors and nurses.  I had no idea what to do.

Slowly, I found people, friends, who had had what I suddenly had.  It helped, to talk.  It helped to know that I was not nuts, not going insane.  That if these people could get their lives back, then so could I.

So I set out on a mission.  Sure I ordered Lucinda Bassett's program for hundreds of dollars.  After all, I definitely was comforted by the stories in her book, but what I learned was this: most people are so desperate to treat the symptoms of the condition - the sweating, the emotion imbalance, the irrational fears and scary thoughts - that they look for a quick fix.  While this, and any program or book like this, might arm the sufferer with some tools to help you get through a panic attack, they don't really address the true cause of the anxiety - YOU.

That's right - you are the cause of your own anxiety - and this is great news!  Why?  Because if you are the cause, then you can be the remedy as well!  All it takes is a crapload of hard work and a ton of dedication.  So off I went in search of a therapist for the first time in my life.  Since my symptoms were literally paralyzing, I chose to couple my therapy with medication.  An anti-anxiety that would help take the edge off, aid in helping me to sleep, and allow me the inner space I needed to wade through my issues.

Medication helped.  I stayed on it for a few years until I felt confident that I could continue down my path without the extra help.  That was about six years ago and I've been med-free ever since.

I've continued with therapy off and on since all those years ago, and can honestly say that by figuring out the problems that I didn't even know I had, I relieved myself of the condition of anxiety.  Now you might be thinking, if you didn't even know you had these issues, why bother?  Here's why - clearly my body knew I had things to work out because it was talking to me in the way of insomnia, stress, strange thoughts and panic attacks.  I had no clue what was causing them until I went into therapy and figured it all out.

I'm not going to lie - it was REALLY HARD WORK.  Sure, I could have stayed on medication indefinitely, as it did help to mask the symptoms.  But now, as I travel through my life, I'm able to handle the unexpected shots that everyone encounters at one point or another with out the help of medication.  I'm a solid, emotionally stable person who does not panic, does not become anxious at the mere thought of a problem, and I am able to stand firmly against the crap life inevitably tosses my way.

Life has thrown some of that unexpected crap my way of late.  And even with that, I'm proud to say that I'm anxiety and panic-free, and I owe it to no one but myself.  No one.  And even while I travel down a less-than-perfect path, I'm grounded, present, and anxiety-free.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from anxiety, please don't hesitate to contact me.  Maybe I can offer some help, some direction, or even just an ear.  I get it.  I was once there too.

 
 

Cleaner

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Crest Mouthwash test drive I was participating in.  It's come to an end, so it's time for an update.  Here it is: three weeks after introducing the mouthwash into my daily dental routine, I am hooked.

I can't say whether my teeth are necessarily in better shape than they were before I started using the product as I haven't been to the dentist, but I can say that I love using it.  It makes my mouth feel cleaner, my already rosy-smelling breath just rosier, and all-in-all, I feel like I'm doing a little something good for myself.  Full disclosure: to date, I've had really good luck with my teeth.  Maybe it's the floride the city put in our water as kids, but I've had one teeny, tiny cavity in my 35 years.  So it's not like my teeth were all jacked up to begin with.

But still.  Cleanliness is king. 

I don't always remember to use it, but I'd say I use it about 85% of the time.  And I've never been a mouthwash person, so that is saying something.  If you are a mouthwash person, or just someone who is interested in adding another step to their dental hygiene, try Crest's new Pro-Health Complete Rinse.  I bet you'll really like it.

 
 

I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Crest and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.