Health and wellness are something you certainly take for granted when you’re healthy. I used to eat whatever, whenever and really saw no consequence from my habits and indulgences. But four years ago I was in a place that prompted a journey of better eating. From bladder issues to bad skin, I’ve searched for answers in all areas. What made the most sense for me was to question what I was putting into my body. I get asked quite frequently what I eat/how I maintain my body, and it’s been a long process of trial and error to get where I am today. I’m not currently working out, not necessarily proud of that but this season of life is very busy and I chalk up carrying a baby up and down stairs all day as definitely a work out. As far as nutrition, I’ve tried being plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo…you name it, I’ve probably tried it in the search to feel better and look better adult acne is the worst. And this is what works for me.
I want to start by saying that this is how I attempt to eat during the weekdays. I’ve been obsessive about food in the past, and I’ve found that stress has probably only made my skin worse. Now I take the approach that I want to get as many fruits and veggies into my body as I can, but if a donut or cookie slips in here or there it’s not the end of the world. Life is too short to be super restrictive and stressing about it seemed to only exasperate symptoms! I also didn’t go from eating sugary cereal every morning to kale overnight. I was a sugar addict in my former life, and figuring out how to overcome that addiction has been work. This has been a progression, and that’s what makes it a lifestyle change, not a diet. Nothing about this has been dramatic because I’ve slowly made small changes to get here.
A morning person I am not. Waking up is a slow process for me. Usually I get my older kids up and out the door before I have a chance to get anything in my system. We’ve been hearing for years now that it’s important to wake your metabolism with something when you first wake, and eat small meals every few hours. I used to do both of these things, but after reading some conflicting research and taking a look at my lifestyle, I decided to forgo that thinking. I won’t get into the why’s here today, but eating this way has given me lots of energy and kept my mood so much more level throughout the day.
I start off with lemon water. You can do warm water, but I keep a filtered pitcher on our counter and just use room temperature unless I’m in the mood for something warming. Lemon juice is good for so many reasons including digestion, skin, immunity…the list is long and it’s a great way to hydrate your body first thing. I’ve tried all sorts of juicers, but this one from OXO is definitely my favorite. It’s easy to use, doesn’t take up a lot of space, and it keeps the seeds and pulp out of my water. Plus, it has markers for those recipes that call for a measurable amount of lemon juice.
Next I make my green smoothie. I really struggled to eat greens of any kind until recently. Now I love them! But it’s been a slow process to get to this point years! and the smoothie was how I managed to get them in before I liked eating them other ways. I started off with fruit smoothies a few years ago. One day I added some spinach. Over time I’ve taken out most of the fruit and added in more and more greens. If you’re wanting to get more greens into your own diet I can’t recommend this method enough. Give yourself and your palette time to adjust. You can change your taste! I make enough to last me three days, and it stores well in the fridge for that length of time.
I start with the greens and water. I use half a box of spinach, half a box of baby kale, and a head of romaine lettuce. Then I pour in filtered water until it reaches 3 cups. Blend. While that’s blending I cut up a green apple, two stalks of celery, and a lemon.
OXO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE KNIFE SET
Put the celery pieces, apple minus the core and the whole lemon in and blend. Yes, the whole lemon. It sounds weird, but there is great benefit in the rind. You don’t necessarily need to take out the seeds, but I usually dig what I can out. As long as you’re using a high powered blender I used to buy a cheap one every few months and finally wised up that the splurge was worth it it will all blend up nicely. This usually makes about six to seven cups and I pour a third of it out to sip on all morning and put the rest in the fridge for the next few days. Domino is all about sharing and loves it too.
Lunch is my favorite meal of the day. It’s where I cook what I want because the only other person eating it is Domino. That girl will eat anything. I love breakfast food, so that’s often what you’ll find me making. Today it’s eggs, kale, and mushrooms.
OXO WHISK | OXO WOODEN UTENSIL SET
I whisk up the eggs and soft scramble them. Soft scramble means you keep the eggs moving the whole time and then you pull them off when they’re still a little wet. This gives them a much creamier texture. I wait to season because I’ve heard that’s best with eggs. Once they’re plated I add salt, pepper, and a little green onion.
After the eggs I turn the heat up, add more oil to the pan, and slice up some garlic. I LOVE garlic. Micah loves when I eat it too. Opposite. It has wonderful health benefits, and really makes the kale great. But I’ve always hated peeling and chopping it. I’ve recently discovered two game-changers though: pre-peeled garlic at the grocery store and this OXO garlic slicer. Talk about time saving! It’s so easy to use, slices evenly and in seconds, and cleans up really quickly. I slice some up and add that to the pan of hot oil until it get’s fragrant. Then I add in a bunch of kale and salt and pepper it. I let it cook down and get a bit crispy.
While it’s cooking I quarter up some mushrooms. Mushrooms are my favorite thing ever, but no one else in my family will eat them! After I plate the kale I put some ghee in the pan and add in the mushrooms. I let them get a little brown before I move them. Mushrooms take time to cook to reach a nice texture and taste. Some more salt, pepper, and onion, and I’ve got a delicious, nutrient dense lunch that will keep me full for a while.
The afternoon used to bring a strong desire to eat all the sweets and take a nap. After finally learning what foods fuel my body instead of depleting it, I will have some dark chocolate if I’m craving something sweet. On days I’m feeling a little more hungry I’ll have gluten-free toast with nut butter, jelly, and hemp hearts sprinkled on top for extra nutrition and flavor. It’s so important to listen to what your body wants. Most days I give myself a bit of a pick me up with tea. I’ll never forget last year my postpartum specialist suggesting I have a cup of tea when I had a sweet craving in the afternoon and looking at her like she was nuts. But that’s exactly what I do now. Mint is my favorite and I love the routine of making it too. Sometimes I go for a bag, but there’s something great about loose leaf.
This tea ball from OXO makes loose leaf tea really easy. I just grab a scoop, twist, and submerge it in the hot water for a bit. Then dispose of the leaves and give it a rinse until next time.
I also like to add collagen to my tea this one is my favorite for the price. Collagen has so many benefits for joints, skin, and restoring your digestive system. I see a big difference in how I feel and how my skin looks when I take it. It has a bit of a flavor, but I started with just a little and slowly added more and more to my mint tea until I got to two heaping tablespoons.
In general, dinner is more relaxed. If I have some dairy or gluten, I have some dairy or gluten. Most nights I’m making some sort of protein and veggies. After we did Whole30 last year things just kind of stuck, and we all collectively feel best eating that way. But sometimes we have pizza or spaghetti or tacos. I don’t want to limit our wants, just push the good stuff most often. I remember playing a game with my mom once that asked the question “Would you rather give up dessert and live 10 years longer or have dessert every day and take 10 years off your life.” The answer at the time was undoubtably getting dessert every day, but at the time my health was something I totally took for granted. For me it’s not necessarily about how many years I’m here, but how I feel while I’m here. And eating this way makes me feel alive!
I’d love to hear about your own journey with food. Have you had a similar experience with health and your relationship with what you eat? What do you eat to feel good?
Check out how OXO products help me stay organized in the kitchen –go here.
*This post is in partnership with OXO but all thoughts, opinions, and selections are my own.
Photos by Justin Salem Meyer.
LET’S CONNECT! FIND ME ON…
Good post! I love seeing what other people eat. And you reminded me how much I miss making green smoothies. Have you tried mashed cauliflower with garlic? It’s one of my staples and my girls love it.
Yes, we love that too! Well, I love it, but Micah usually says he’d rather have potatoes. Ha.
This post is timed perfectly for me! I’ve decided to take a big step toward eating more heathy. Love your blog!
*Healthy, lol. I was probably thinking of a Heath bar when I typed heathy. lol.
Those are my favorite! Ha! But seriously…;)
Congrats to you! Best of luck, you can do it!
Gwen, I love this post!! You have given me so many great ideas. I feel like I had the general idea down of how I am looking at my overall health (I have approached my health journey very similarly to you), but I am still struggling in a few areas (sweets, not enough greens). After bouts of not feeling well and bad adult acne myself I have had to take a hard look at what I put into my body. It’s definitely a slow process for me – I’m still partway in the sweet tooth addict stage, but I’m learning to give my body something nutritious (or water) instead. Love your idea of a green smoothie because I definitely struggle getting my greens in! And the lemon water first this in the morning – going to try that for sure because I don’t like eating first thing. Thanks again for sharing!
Yes, I was eating well, but still having way too many sweets. Like 10 cookies at a time or three cinnamon rolls…I had to learn that putting a bunch good stuff in your body doesn’t negate the bad things you put in. Hard lesson for me! I found if I hold off on anything sugary/startchy for as long as possible, it helps kill the cravings too. Good luck!
Thanks Gwen! Good routine and very doable. Going to look into the collagen. Sounds like a good add for me.
Yep! I’ve seen good results!
I am learning so much! I just ordered ghee from Amazon along with the Collagen (I used to take it in supplement capsule form but have long forgotten about it ). I am going to try the green smoothie as well — I have everything here except the celery! Thanks for motivating me, Gwen 🙂
Wohoo! Good luck, Diane! Hope you see a difference in how you feel!
I am lucky, I think, because I have always craved healthier foods. Sometimes I struggle with carbs just b/c they are easier, and my go to snack (the only snack I really eat) is popcorn popped in olive oil. I’m not a big dessert eater, I’ll keep kisses or other chocolates around, but it drives my husband crazy b/c I can make a hershey bar last for a week. (I once told my mother in law that I think I am congenitally moderate. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been that way.) I love love cooked kale and garlic, too, and lately, I just crave edamame, kale and roasted brussels sprouts. I’ll put some cooked quinoa in the mix or even lentils with garlic and curry and just a little rice to break it up. Delicious!
On a slightly different note, I really love that couch in the library. It really makes the room and compliments the wall color so nicely. Such a rich cozy look…awesome job on that. And the table too…I would definitely drink my coffee in that room! or tea…like that too!
That sounds delicious! I wish I had your problem of moderation, ha! Thank you, I am so happy with it in there too! I love cozying up when I get a minute to myself.
I have learned to eat what I want, but in moderation. I count my macros, and surprisingly, I find it hardest to eat enough food. But, it works for me, because it allows me to get in enough protein. After doing it a little over a year, I have learned to make sure a lot of my carbs come from fruits and veggies and not just cookies. The best part with macros, is I can still indulge and have sweets, while still making sure I’m getting the nutrients I need. Also, I LOVE tea and only drink loose leaf. Mint is one of my favorites. When I lived in Germany years ago, I happened to pick up some tea from a store in Paris while visiting. It is one of my favorites. I usually only order from there now. https://us-en.kusmitea.com/?___store=kusmi_us_en The spearmint green tea is amazing, especially on cold days!
That’s so much for the tea recommendation, sounds delicious! Glad you found something that works for you!
I have a smoothie every morning, but it’s not green, it’s usually a low-sugar berry mix with cinnamon and almond milk. Sometimes I add raw cacao power which makes it even more delicious. BUT, I should probably buck up and have greens because they’re so good for you. I try to eat a lot of salads for lunch and dinner too. When you’re eating better snacking definitely falls by the wayside as well. Glad you’re feeling better!
http://www.shessobright.com
In the summer I love to make a smoothie like that in the afternoons! I just have such a sweet tooth that I try to push sugar back as long as possible. It seems like if I have it I continue to want it!
Reducing dairy has made the biggest difference in eliminating pimples for me. I’m not hardcore about it, but I stopped drinking milk and yogurt and avoid cheese (making exceptions for pizza) and it’s done wonders.
Agreed, Kyle! I definitely saw a difference when I stopped eating dairy and I now try to approach it like you do. With a young family avoiding pizza is nearly impossible. 😉
There’s another thing you may want to look at that may be causing your adult acne and that’s the products you’re using on your hair. It took me quite some time to determine that it was a combination of all my hair products that was causing my outbreaks so I now make certain to cleanse my face well after each time I wash and style my hair and have had no more problems. This may not be the source of your issues but you may want to give it serious consideration.
I’d love to see the rest of your library.
Thanks……
Thank you for this! I definitely have switched some hair products to get rid of sulfates and should probably look into ingredients even more. Thank you! The library is a work in progress, but I’m hoping soon we can get it to a place to share!
Oh Gwen, I loved that blogpost!
I’m eating a plant-based diet for two years now and my body and my soul are happy with that.
In my former life there has been no way for me drinking green smoothies as well… 🙂 but frozen bananas and a teaspoon peanut butter (hello ohsheglows) helped me to start this game. and lately I alway add some hawaiian spirulina from nutrex (amazon) – my skin got even better.
please let the food posts coming – love them as I love your interior content.
love from germany
nina
So good to hear that, Nina! I honestly feel my best plant-based, but I just found it too hard to do with my family. So I try to limit my animal product to one to two servings a day and keeping them to later in the day. Thanks for commenting and yes, I’ve heard amazing things about spirulina, I should look into it! Thank you!
Love your blog, inspiration, and share a lot in common. On your Instagram stories you shared your blue shirt…can you let me know where it was from. I love it & most of the time I looking on my computer and not phone. Thank you for sharing… all my best. Roxanne.
Here you go, Roxanne! http://rstyle.me/n/cw4v3jxf7n
Hi Gwen, I thought of you this morning. Have you ever listened to the podcast ‘Clever’ in which the 2 interviewers interview different designers? There are a lot of interior designers, but others as well. I was listening to the most recent one on Lisa Roberts, who writes about furniture design and other objects–tea pots, etc.–that she believes will be future qntiques. Anyway, it’s a small part, but she talks about the oxo brand and why they are important in the area of kitchen appliance design. You would probably like the podcast, generally, and may find this particular episode interesting.
I haven’t! I’ll have to check it out, thank you so much, Tanya, sounds so fun!
Hi Gwen, I really love this post. I tend to eat pretty healthy but lately have included way too many carbs and not enough exercise which is a recipe for disaster, leaving me with zero energy. You’ve reminded me that eating healthy is so key, especially when not working out enough. I’d love to hear more about your ideas for dinners, and what you pack in the kids’ lunchboxes (always a struggle to keep it interesting!).
Thanks for this, Heather! Hope to share more soon and good luck finding what works best for you!
Loved this post! Random question though: where are those red shoes from? They’re adorable!
Thank you! They’re so comfy! You can find them here: http://rstyle.me/n/cwvk6hxf7n
Hi Gwen! Love you blog and I follow you on Instagram. Some time ago you posted about your new glasses on the stories and I thought I had taken a screen shot of the source. I finally remember to look for them since I love them on you and went back to my picture. It only has your pretty face and item number but not the name of the store 🙂 Can you please tell me where you got them?
Thank you!
Hey! Just posted about this on the blog last night! http://www.themakerista.com/affordable-stylish-glasses/ Thanks so much for following along, Sandra!
I just made your green smoothie, so yummy! I did have to make few adjustments since I have a medium-sized food processor. First, I didn’t have the room to do all three greens, so I omitted the Romain ( I figured that had the lowest nutritional value). Then I zested and juiced the lemon, as I was a little concerned how the rind would torque the blade. But the sweetness from the apple tartness from the lemon really balanced the bitter from the greens. My version was a bit thick. I think it really needs time to purée. The color is just as gorgeous as in your pictures. The leftovers I rationed out into two pint glasses covered in plastic wrap.
Thank you so much for sharing! This is a very simple and approachable recipe.
BTW, I love your ORC rooms, you have beautiful taste.
So glad you liked it! Yes, I have to puree it for quite a while. I really want to get a Vitamix, as those things seem to work their magic in seconds and pulverize anything in their way. 😉 Thanks so much for following along, Lauren, have a great rest of the week!
Gwen
How did you land on this recipe? I want to start doing something like this in the mornings. Just curious if these specific ingredients work together in a certain way. Thanks!
I have a total sweet tooth and I do best if I try to push sweets off as late as possible. All of these ingredients have great digestive benefits, which is mainly what I need. Hope this helps!