Mindfully Nourished Families

I firmly believe that every parent is doing the best they can. As parents, we all have different upbringings, soci-economic status, education, support systems, and knowledge about health and nutrition. Knowing what I know now, there are SO many things I wish I had done differently when my kids were young. Heck, there are so many things I wish I had known before I ever became pregnant. I remember stocking up on snack and grab-n-foods that I thought were healthy so that my active kids always had something to eat when in a rush or to take to school/practice/etc. I was a working mom (except for 5 years where I was fortunate to say home with the girls) and my husband worked long hours during the week and often golfed on the weekends, which pretty much left me as a single mom. I was perpetually on the go, tired, and had little knowledge of what good nutrition looked like. I honestly just wanted to make sure my kids were fed, clean, at all the places on time, and used good manners. Figuring out what was really healthy and then planning/preparing/cooking meals seemed daunting and exhausting.

My kids did like helping in the kitchen. Looking back, I wish I had them helping make hummus, peanut butter energy balls, sourdough bread, homemade granola, homemade frozen yogurt, etc. instead of cookies, cake, and brownies. Yes, I would definitely do lots of things differently if I had the chance for a do-over. But since life doesn't work that way, I want to use my background in education and integrative nutrition to help change the narrative for young families and grandparents. Stick around with me as I do my best to help you navigate raising mindfully nourished families. It really does take a village!

At the end of each blog, I will leave you with a nugget consisting of a small shift, swap, addition that you can start incorporating into your lives right now.

Nourishing Nugget: The next time you are at the grocery store, take time to really explore the produce department. This is great to do with children as well. Pick up 1 new fruit or vegetable to try.