The Latest Addition

We welcomed our daughter Alice into the world on the 15th of November this past month, and it has been a gruelling three and a bit weeks. Truly brutal. I'm suffering greatly from a lack of sleep; I'm feeling fat and exhausted. And I have mostly been living in my track pants because nothing else seems even remotely comfortable. But none of that really matters because our family is now a little bit bigger.

 

(Alice with her Great Grandmother)

 

During my pregnancy I had the time to be able to prepare my meals and eat healthy; now that I'm a full time Mum this has become increasingly difficult. I had all these grand notions that I would be a kind of "super-mum", but all those ideas jumped overboard about two days in. I can understand how most Mums become slaves to convenience foods early on, and how their diet can just spiral out of control. It is definitely not an easy feat. That being said, I won’t give in that easily. Because I am breastfeeding, everything I eat ends up in the milk that bub drinks. And the last thing any Mother wants to do is feed their child a junk-food addiction. So here’s the skinny on eating healthy for New Mums. Get yourself a blender! This is going to be your best friend for quite some time. There are thousands of great smoothie and juice recipes out there! Or you can just use whatever fresh veggies and fruit you happen to have in your fridge (avoid canned fruit and veg).

I call this one my Morning Kick in the Pants;

 

Ingredients:

(makes two servings)

1 cup filtered water

1 small cucumber (diced)

1 green apple (diced)

1 green pear (diced)

1 ripe banana (sliced)

2 handfuls of dark green leafy veg (I like baby spinach or silverbeet, but you can use whatever dark green leafy veg you like)

 

Wash all your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before proceeding

Method:

Pour filtered water into blender. Add the 2 handfuls of dark green leafy veg, blend until smooth. Add the diced cucumber, blend until smooth. Add the pear and apple, blend until smooth. Finally, add the banana and blend until smooth.

 

 

I’ll catch ya guys another time J

Rhi x

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Raw Taco Wrap

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the time between posts, preparing for a baby is hard work! On a positive note, bub's nursery looks fantastic! I'll upload some photos later. Anyway, I made this Raw Taco Wrap the other day for lunch and it was pretty good (if I don't say so myself).


RAW TACO WRAP

Please make sure you thoroughly wash all your fruits and vegetables before preparing

Ingredients:

1/2 green or red capsicum - diced (Americans call them peppers)

1&1/2 cup iceburge lettuce - shredded

2 carrots - grated

2 zucchini - grated

2 avocados - diced

1 celery stick - diced 

2 large tomato - diced 

2 green onions - diced

1 handful of fresh cilantro or parsley - roughly chopped

2 Tbsp of lemon/lime juice (I used lime)

celtic sea salt and pepper to taste

4 extra large lettuce leaf (of choice, I used cos)

Method:

Salsa: Place the celery, tomato, onions, 1/2 the parsley into a small bowl. Add the lemon/lime juice and mix together, add salt and pepper to taste... you can chop up a couple of jalapenos and add them to the salsa if you like.

Taco Wrap: Wash and pat dry your large lettuce leaf. In the centre add your shredded lettuce, carrot, zucchini, avocado and capsicum. Top with your raw salsa and some extra parsley. Wrap up your taco and ENJOY!!!

I'll try uploading the photos later, for some reason (best known to itself) Blogger won't allow me to upload my photos today... maybe she's being hormonal.


Catch you later!!!
Rhi x
 

The Hubby Detox

So I've started Shane on the Three Day Detox from Hungry for Change: James Colquhoun. It took a small amount of convincing. And he didn't look overly impressed by the green juice I presented to him this morning in replace of his hot cup of Milo... but we're making progress. I've sent him off to work with some healthy snacks and a big green salad for lunch, though I can't pry him away from his cordial, water is something he doesn't really drink unless it's flavoured. Lets hope I can get him to stick to it for the next three days.  

                                                        BIG GREEN SALAD

 

CELERY & CARROT STICKS

 

                                                       ACTIVATED ALMONDS

 

I read a really interesting article on water consumption this morning; feel free to have a read.
http://www.drwells.net/nutrition/topics/water.htm

Berry Greene Smoothie

I love this smoothie. Not only is it super tasty, but it's choc-o-block filled with good nutrients and vitamins! Nom Nom Nom!

The Berry Greene Smoothie:

Wash all your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before proceeding

1/2 Cup of mixed frozen berries
1 x medium ripe banana (chopped)
1 x medium ripe green apple (chopped)
1 x medium ripe green pear (chopped)
1 x celery stalk (chopped)
2 decent handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 lemon juiced
250ml of filtered water

Method: In a blender add the water, lemon juice and spinach. Blend until smooth, it'll be super green! Then add the celery stalk and blend again until smooth. Add the apple and pear and blend. Finally, add the banana and frozen berries. Blend! The colour of your smoothie will vary depending on the colour and ripeness of your fruits and veggies! Mine turned out a purpley colour from the berries :)

Makes: 2 serves.

Introductions and Reflections

I am not the savviest person when it comes to blogging. In fact, the whole concept is quite foreign to me. This, being my first actual attempt at creating an internet log, is all quite daunting. But nonetheless I will certainly give it a red hot go before admitting defeat to the computer. This machine, which whirs, buzzes and growls at me as I sit here and type. Lord, give me the strength not to boot it.  

My name is Rhiannon. I am currently 23 years old and 34 weeks pregnant with my first child. I have only recently finished working and have now become what is commonly known as a “House Wife and stay-at-home Mum”. These are also very foreign concepts to me as I have worked every day since I graduated from high school in 2006. But my darling Husband (Shane) and I have decided it to be the best idea considering the new little addition we are expecting in November.

When Shane and I found out I was pregnant it seemed as though a million and one emotions and thoughts flickered through me. We had been trying for nearly 3 years, and had talked about our options. We had finally decided to “give-up” when low and behold that little pink plus sign magically appeared on the pregnancy test. I can’t even begin to express the utter excitement we felt.

 I suffer from PCOS which can make it difficult to fall pregnant. It is essentially a hormonal disorder in which cysts are found on the ovaries, which block “female hormones” required for procreation... you can look it up later. To put it frankly, it sucks. There is no cure for PCOS, but you can learn to manage it with regular exercise, a good diet, medication... etc. There are many symptoms for PCOS, and one woman may not have the same symptoms as another. But I would suggest having your Doctor check you out all the same, even if you have even the slightest inclination that you may have PCOS. It’s better than not knowing at all.

During my pregnancy I have been a sponge for knowledge. I wanted to know anything and everything about pregnancy, labour, birth, PCOS and nutrition. The more I studied, the more I realised how much garbage I was actually eating (pre-pregnancy). Why wasn’t this stuff taught in school? Are people aware of half of this stuff??? (You can check out some of the books I read and documentaries I watched at the bottom of the blog).

I decided to make myself accountable for this change in my life by creating my first actual blog. Whether anyone will read it or not is irrelevant, eventually someone will stumble across one my posts and may decide to read it. And if it helps them with their journey and maybe make them consider leading a healthier life, then I’ve done my part in the world.

 

This blog will be dedicated to providing little bits of information about living real and raw as often as possible. I’ll add links to articles I think are a good read and post recipes that I create in my own little kitchen as often as I can. The road to recovery starts today.

Books:                     The Beauty Detox Solution: Kimberly Snyder, C.N ;

                                 Hungry for Change: James Colquhoun

Documentaries:       Food Inc;

                                Forks over Knives