Daily Manna: Navigating Food Freedom

I haven’t done one of these posts in a while, and I always get great feedback from doing them! So I thought I’d let you all know what a day in the life has been looking like lately, especially as I navigate intuitive eating and food freedom.

I am currently 25 weeks pregnant with baby girl #2, and it’s been a crazy pregnancy to say the least! Thank God everything is going well with baby and I, but the pregnancy is just flying by! I am still trying to savor the moments, feel the baby move around, and thank God daily for the life He is growing inside of me!

This day started out like any other, with my morning routine! I am SUPER passionate about my morning routine and spending time with Jesus first thing, before I do anything else. I woke up, brewed some coffee (yes, in a Christmas mug) and settled down to my journaling and Bible study. Mornings are some of the sweetest times and I cherish them every day!

After my coffee and Jesus time, I did a 30 minute leg workout. It was lifting + some (modified for me) HIIT at the end. It was such a good workout! I then went live for my Nourished & Free community members and chatted all about MINDSET. Friends, mindset is everything when it comes to well, everything. There is a reason God says that we are transformed by the renewing of our MINDS!

After my video for my clients, I got ready and got Emma ready for the day. I have been craving oatmeal lately, but for months I wasn’t allowing myself to have any because #carbs. BUT, now that I am in a healthier place of food freedom (you can watch this video where I go into all the nitty gritty details) I decided to whip up some warm, comforting oats. I cooked the oats with water and chia seeds, then topped with 1/2 a banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, and stevia. DELICIOUS!

I dropped off Emma at daycare, then headed into work. I had a busy morning, but snacks included veggies and nuts! I then had to run some errands for work at Walmart and had an overall frustrating experience there with not only the staff, but the customers too. I left feeling so grumpy, which I hate. I am usually a happy person, so when I get upset or moody, it makes me upset! But, we all have our days. I got to my second clinic for the day around lunch time, and my coworker and I went on a short walk before settling down to eat our food. The sunlight + having a nourishing lunch of chicken, broccoli, rice, and a side of avocado that I forgot to include in the picture, was just what I needed!

I meal prepped this chicken verde in the instant pot at the beginning of the week, along with the rice. The roasted broccoli took 20 minutes from frozen to deliciously roasted, and voila! We had lunch ready to go for today. It really doesn’t have to be complicated to plan and prepare your meals!

I had a mini honeycrisp apple in the afternoon, but my cravings were screaming to have a cheddar-y snack. I knew that we had some cheddar + caramel popcorn at home, so I waited till I got home, took a relaxing shower (my hubby picked up Emma from school so I got some time to myself) and then I had some popcorn while cooking turkey meat for dinner! 

This was so huge for me. I had a craving, but I didn’t haphazardly stop somewhere on the way home and shovel food into my mouth. I didn’t eat in secret or hide the evidence. I had a craving, listened to it in a calm way, enjoyed my food, and then proceeded with life! I finished cooking the turkey meat and made a huge taco salad, because that’s what my body was craving in that moment!

Its been so interesting navigating this freedom after almost 2 years of following a tight restrictive plan. After dinner we bathed Emma, played with her a bit, and put her down to sleep!

Before we went to bed, my husband and I had brownies with ice cream as I’ve been needing a bedtime snack to not wake up starving (oh pregnancy). 

This was the best nightcap and then I zonked out at 8:30 like the grandma I am.

Thanks for reading along! And remember, what a day of food freedom and eating nourished and free looks like for me is different than what it may look like for you! We are all different, which is why it’s important to know how to best nourish your body and what works best for you! 

Mommyland Joy

Emma is almost 20 weeks old! I can't believe how fast the time is going. Make it stop!! I already miss the weeks she used to sleep on my chest. But, I do love all the smiles and snuggles that she gives us now. I love that when she's crying and I hold her, she snuggles against my neck and stops. I love that when she sees my hubby and I in the morning, she's so excited her arms and legs can't take it! I love that she loves to sleep snuggled on our arms.

Motherhood has been an amazing journey so far and I know that it's only just begun! I think being a mom has been the most amazing and hardest thing that I've ever done. It's so hard to feel guilty for practically everything. And I know that only other moms get what I mean. 

Emma got her first cold from daycare. Emma is teething. Emma has a stuffy nose. Emma has gas. Emma is crying and we don't know why, and somehow, it feels like everything is my fault!  

Deep down I know it's not, but sometimes I need my mom or my husband to remind me of that. 

But the best parts for me are the days it's Emma and I at home. I am blessed to be home with her twice a week and I enjoy those days to the utmost. We snuggle, I feed her, I bathe her, we sing and read, and enjoy my sweet girl so much! And no; showers typically don't happen on these days. But who cares?? 

It's been hard on my mommy-heart to go back to work, but this morning I kept telling myself "this is the day that the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it." I'm making it through and I know Emma is being taken care of. 

I absolutely love being a mom. I dreamed about being a mom my entire life and I feel incredibly blessed that God fulfilled my dreams! We thank God each day for baby Emma! She brings us so much joy and we love watching her grow and discover new things. 

Mommyhood has been the most joyful time of my life. Thank you all for reading and following and enjoying baby Emma along with us!  

My Nursing Snack Essentials

Did you know that breastfeeding burns 600-800 calories per day!? Which has made this mama hungry like no other! Pregnancy was nothing compared to the hunger I am experiencing now! It was so easy the first few weeks to lean on bread and cheese wraps, cookies, and quick foods to help me fuel up for my nursing sessions. But now that Emma is almost 5 weeks old (!!!), I feel like I've gotten a firmer grasp on which foods will fill me up and nourish me, while still enjoying the foods I'm eating! If there are other nursing mamas out there, comment below and let me know what your go-to snacks are too! I'd love to hear! 

One of the best snacks for me have been fruits and vegetables! I love having apples with peanut butter (bring on the healthy fats!) because it keeps me full and tastes ahhhh-mazing! 

EGGS! I love scrambling eggs with veggies (this is with arugula) because eggs taste delicious and they are full of good protein and fats. Good for me and good for baby! I also love boiling a bunch of eggs at the beginning of the week as a quick snack! 

Oatmeal! Oatmeal is a milk booster and makes for cozy and delicious breakfasts! I top mine with bananas and peanut butter because that's the best combo in my opinion and again, it is so important to get a good amount of healthy fats in your diet!  

I loveeee my shakeology! Bu since it's been hard to blend it up and actually drink it cold and not melted, these brownie superfood bites have been my life saver! And they are full of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, immune boosters, and they taste like fudge brownies...nuff said! Here's the recipe! 

1 cup oats

3 scoops shakeology

1/4 cup peanut butter (melted)

2 T coconut oil (melted)

1/4 cup water  

Combine, roll into balls, freeze for 2 hours, then store in the fridge! Easy peasy!  

Not gonna lie, it's been TOUGH to stay on track and eat healthfully while trying to also honor my raging hunger. But tracking my colors with my meal plan and making sure I'm eating a balance of all the food groups has helped me a ton! (want to follow the same plan as me? Message me!)

I've also found that the key to making this easy is having healthy foods on hand and ready to eat! If I have to think about it for too long, I dive head first into the unhealthy options! It can be hard to choose healthfully when we are oh so hungry, but the rewards are well worth it...feeling nourished, more energized, and less fluffy! This way, we enjoy the freedom in nourishing ourselves wholly so that we CAN enjoy the treats from time to time. And that, my friends, is BALANCE! 

Hope you all enjoy this beautiful weekend and kick off summer in a fun way!!