daily moments + how we eat
I have been inspired to share some more of our daily lives here on the blog for a while now. My girlfriend Steph Pollock has been doing a series called #thedailymoments for a while now, where she encourages others to join along. At the same, a lot of you have been asking about how I came to eating the way I do- which I describe as “vegan-ish”, with a focus on whole foods and mostly organic choices. Thirdly, my friends over at Splendid Spoon asked for a little peek into our daily lives, so I wrote this little post for them! You can also read it on their blog today here.
Eating a whole-food, (mostly) plant-based diet has been something I have been learning about and experimenting with since I was a teenager. To me, it is intuitive, and what my body craves and thrives on. I love that I now have the opportunity to expose my kiddos to so many amazing, colorful, and nutrient dense foods, and to educate them on what it means to eat and live sustainably.
I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to be available for my kids and their schedules, but it does make my own schedule a bit erratic! It’s hard to pinpoint what a “typical” day looks like for us, because most days are different! But I’ll do my best to sum up one such day here for you guys. This opportunity actually came at a perfect time, because as erratic as my days can be, I have been trying to get more into a regular morning and evening routine lately. I have a tendency to stay up late and wake up early (read: not sleep nearly enough), so routines are helping me prioritize sleep, and to get more of it!
I like to be up with the sun. Did you know our natural circadian rhythms actually crave that? As soon as I’m out of bed, I make the bed. I must have my bed made every day – it just sets the tone for a good day! It also clears the space for my head, so I can then do a little gentle stretching, and meditate for 5 minutes, seated on our bedroom floor. I then get dressed and if I have a little time, I might answer a couple of emails before the kids wake up. Then it’s off to breakfast.
We like to vary our breakfasts as much as any other meal. We do often eat eggs for breakfast, but sometimes it’s oatmeal or chia seed pudding. If my husband is traveling or we just have a busy morning, I grab one of my Splendid Spoon smoothies. It’s so handy to have a nutrient-dense smoothie already ready to go, without any searching for ingredients or blending! On this day, the kids wanted smoothies too, so I divided them into bowls to create these breakfast smoothie bowls. This one is always a hit!
Next, I load the kids in the car to take them to school. My littlest only goes to preschool two days a week, so he is with me more often than not. After I drop the kids off, I like to get in a yoga or barre class. One of my studios offers childcare and the other doesn’t. So again, it just depends on the day and if I have my little guys with me or not. If I have a lot of work that day, I sometimes just try to squeeze in a little yoga practice at home.
Another advantage to working at home is getting to raid the fridge for leftovers at lunchtime. ๐ The night before, we had these roasted cauliflower tacos, with lettuce cups as the “tortilla” shells. This is one of my fave meals right now, so I was stoked there were actually leftovers! The recipe is from the book Ketotarian, which if you’ve been following my Instagram Stories, you know if a favorite of mine lately. When I am on top of it with meal planning, I will actually make myself two lunches at a time, so I have one for today, one for tomorrow – to save time!
After lunch, my little dude naps, and that is my main time in the day to answer emails and try to get any other work done. Then before I know it, it’s time to turn around and go pick the kids up again!
We live close to the kid’s schools, so we come home after and the kids unpack their backpacks and lunch boxes for the day. Then it’s off to the after school activities. We are a busy bunch between soccer, dance, and ice skating for the three kids. The timing of some of these activities can sometimes make dinnertime tricky. Again, when I am on top of it with the meal planning and prepping, I can have quick and easy things at the ready for us when we get home after all the activities. My husband is hugely helpful and (when he’s not traveling), he helps shuffle the kids to activities and/or makes dinner for us all.
But again on the busy days when all those things don’t fall into line, I’m so grateful to have our Splendid Spoon soups at the ready. I just heat them up in the pot and serve everyone’s favorites. And the spring weather right now in Arizona means we eat dinner outside as much as possible!
Our evening routine consists of getting the kids bathed/showered and ready for bed. Dishes, laundry and any other household chores get caught up on after they go to bed. After the chores are done and I’ve caught up on any last work I didn’t get to during the day, I’ve been working on getting myself into bed by 10pm. I most often shower at night, but I love a good bath and a book to wind down, if I have time too. I’m also working on having no screen time while in bed. It helps my brain shut down and get ready for sleep (remember those circadian rhythms?).
So that’s pretty much a day in our life! Eating healthy isn’t always convenient or easy, but Splendid Spoon sure does make it both more convenient and easier for our busy lives! What are some ways you keep your meals healthy for your family? I’m always looking for new ideas!
