HOW TO CREATE DELICIOUS + NOURISHING MEALS IN A PINCH!

I did a blog a few weeks ago on my top 5 tips to epic eating all week long as a (sleep-deprived, time-deprived) mama, and a friend of mine mentioned to me after she read it, (that she loved it, ☺️ and) "now all she needs to do is find some more recipes". Which got me thinking... (1) I need to create some more as I haven't done so in sooooo long - #newbaby - and (2) if we know the basis to a great nourishing meal, and have a handful of yummy suggestions to look too, then we can start making delicious + nutritious meals right away - without a list of recipes to look at (coz, honestly, do we really?).

I'm going to share what I do when creating a meal - a quick, easy, no-brainer meal. I'll show you how my brain works in building it and the why's behind my choices. I'll have you know though, meal prep is key! ~ another post I need to write up!

MY TOP 4 FAVOURITE FOODS FOR POSTPARTUM RECOVERY (+ BEYOND)

Before I had Taj I felt I knew enough about the sorts of foods I wanted to be fuelling my body with after I gave birth - all the yummy slow cooked, replenishing, nourishing, energy rich and healing foods. However, as any woman who has given birth may tell you, between "labour land" hormonal highs, ecstatic endorphin rich moments, sleepless nights, and days blurring into one another, the first week goes by so quickly you can be left wondering where it went.

So as a nutritionist, an advocate of whole food eating, and your girlfriend in the fridge who wants to get you excited about epic eating, I wanted to give you a heads up on my favourite foods that if eaten post-birth will nourish you and rebuild you from the inside out. And if you know them now, you can prepare yourself to have them.

MAMAS :: MY TOP 5 TIPS TO EPIC EATING ALL WEEK LONG

As a new mum I know how tough it can be to get any food in your mouth when you're hungry let alone good food. Between poor sleeping, navigating a new routine (heck, life change!!), breastfeeding, changing nappies and simply keeping the little one happy (which on days can be a full time job + overtime in and of itself)... its likely that a handful of nuts has equated a to 'meal', coffee has been breakfast, or you've realised its been half a day and you've barely had a bite of anything.

There are simple ways to avoid this and start to eat epic nourishing foods all week long though. It just takes knowing how. And that's what I'm here to help you with.

PREGNANCY + BIRTHING BOOKS :: MY FIVE FAVOURITES

If you're anything like me, then you want to get your hands on all the books you can when you want to learn something specific. And falling pregnant was no different. However, besides What To Expect When You're Expecting, I knew of no other books and a quick google search will do your head in! I remember sitting at my favourite cafe in Cairns and doing just that - ordered a couple but they were not the ones I am listing here for you.

So I wanted to share the books that have been amazing and that have made the biggest impact on me - be it for easing fears around childbirth, teaching me exactly what's going on during those 9 months, the best foods to eat for certain growing periods of bubs, and so on..

THE NATURAL REMEDIES I USED IN LABOUR

I knew I wanted a natural and drug-free labour before I was even pregnant with our baby boy. Sure the picture of labour I had in my mind wasn't the prettiest thanks to Hollywood movies and medical TV shows making it look like the most painful thing a woman could go through (and it may be for some women), but as I'm a bit of a health nut, I wanted to do it without drugs in my system. However... I knew there could be other things I could do to help with what pain I may experience. So I went researching, reading, asking, listening and came up with quite a few things I decided to take into the birth suite with me. 

So if you're anything like me, pregnant for the first time, and wanting alternative's to morphine and epidurals, I've done the hard work for you. Just copy and print ;)

CAN EATING DATES HELP LABOUR? (+ A RECIPE FOR PREGNANCY)

The inspiration for this recipe came from my mum - who is a yoga teacher and a doula - as she told me that eating 6 dates a day in the end of your pregnancy helps prepare you for labour, and research showed that women who ate dates versus those that didn't were less likely to need medication to keep things progressing. So I thought I'd do some research and it turns out, there's quite a bit out there on dates in the third trimester!

SUNDAY :: PETE EVANS INTERVIEW

If you missed the Pete Evans interview on Channel Seven's Sunday program you can watch the replay by clicking on that turquoise text just there.
And I highly recommend you do if you're a regular reader of my blog.

I would LOVE to hear others thoughts on this...

In an exclusive interview with Sunday Night, the My Kitchen Rules judge defended his paleo lifestyle and clarified his controversial claims about sunscreen, dairy and breast milk, which he says have been taken out of context.

NOURISH :: CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MUFFINS

The inspiration for these came this morning as I pondered what my weekend has in store - I'm headed to the Gold Coast with my sisters and my mum for Belinda Davidson's 3-day Shadow Workshop and was thinking about eating out all weekend, or pre-paring a few things and taking a lot of food with me... This is how my brain works. Always thinking about food.

And not just main meals but snacks as well - this pregnant girl needs her snacks. So what could I make that would last, be satisfying, and of course delicious? MUFFINS! I love a good muffin and haven't made any in ages! An almond meal base, eggs, banana, and whatever else added in is a sure fire way to keep your tummy from rumbling and your tastebuds singing.

I was going to whip up my almond blueberry muffins, but when the idea of chocolate entered my thoughts, well, let's say most people have a hard time denying chocolate thoughts... 

PREGNANCY :: REMEDIES FOR COMMON PAIN-IN-THE-BUM NUANCES

Pregnancy is a wonderful thing to experience. I'm making and creating and growing a baby! Holy shit! How incredible is that? And I am so grateful for the opportunity as I know not every woman has the chance to experience it. However... there are some things about being pregnant that, until you fall pregnant, you might not know about. Little niggly things that you're not used too and the usual remedies are not always safe in pregnancy, making it all the trickier to treat.

Now "common nuances" are common, but not a given. I never got nausea or morning sickness for example. Neverthless, here we go. A few of the common pain-in-the-bum-but-not-life-threatening-niggly-issues of being pregnant.

PREGNANCY : MY FIRST TRIMESTER TIPS

Being pregnant for the first time can sometimes feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole - you don't know what to expect, you don't know who to talk too about it (at least initially when it's usually kept under wraps), you're not sure what happens now that the box test says 'positive', what testing needs to be done (if any), or how to navigate so many emotions and physical sensations all at once.

And then when you do decide to tell people the exciting news, it doesn't necessarily make all this unchartered territory seem any easier to navigate. So I wanted to share a few things I learnt along the way early on that may help and support you as well, if you happen to be pregnant (or feel free to share this with anyone who is). 👶

2016 LOVE LIST + HEADING INTO 2017

I really wanted to do a post giving thanks and sharing heart felt gratitude for all the amazing things that happened in my life during 2016. For my own recollection and selfish feel-good-vibes that curse through my veins when I do so, but also to send a ripple effect to everyone who had a rough year, to show that there still is magic in the world when we feel as though it may have gone.