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We drink a lot of coffee. On Monday, Grayson came into our room to kiss me goodbye before work. “The coffee maker is toast”. My heart sank. My husband is resourceful, however, and he managed to brew us a fine pot of coffee by pouring boiled water over the grounds in our almost useless coffee maker. We went that route for a few days before I came home with a new coffee maker. And we always have our old faithful espresso machine–my favorite piece of equipment in our kitchen–to come to the rescue.
I’m not against coffee by any means. I am a wife, the mother of a 20-month-old boy, 33 weeks pregnant with another boy, working part-time, blogging, and involved in ministry. I find coffee essential for the stage of life I find myself in. Not only that–we just down right enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning.
Of course, at times we realize we are becoming a little too dependent on this source of energy. We’ve managed to transition to depending more on the food we eat to sustain a steady level of energy throughout the day. One of the areas in my life which I’ve chosen to place my focus on at this time is enabling Grayson in his studies for his masters degree. One way I’ve decided to do this is through creating light, energizing dinner meals, and not feel weighted down or groggy after dinner, but rather re-fuel for an evening of studying.
I find energizing meals especially crucial on nights with an agenda: Bible studies, church activities, blog deadlines, or lots of homework. I’ve learned that it’s important to anticipate our nights by preparing meals that will not weigh us down, or tempt us to bed early, but instead give us the fuel we need for a few extra hours of productivity after the little man hits the hay at 7:00pm.
On these nights, I avoid cooking pasta or heavy carbohydrate meals, or dinners including a lot of cheese or cream. Italian is definitely out the window if it’s going to be a productive evening. Instead we opt for dinners such as:
The key to these meals: vegetables. Often these meals will be accompanied by fruit and vegetable smoothies for an extra punch. I realize there is a lot of information out there about energy-rich foods. In all of the information available out there I find one common theme: energy is found in whole foods. Oats, nuts, fruits, vegetables, eggs, beans, these are just some of the whole foods that will keep you going on busy days. Instead of focusing on one or two “miracle energy foods”, we’ve chosen to incorporate a large variety of whole foods into our diet in order to achieve our highest energy levels.
Grayson and I were discussing yesterday the essential role fat plays in our diet. Last summer, when we were still very new to everything wholesome, we adopted a diet rich in vegetables, and very low in meat and dairy. Because of the limits we placed on meat and dairy, there was very little fat in our diet. We still noticed an increase in energy, for that was a natural result of ditching processed foods and eating fresh produce. However, we had not yet discovered the fullest potential of our diet’s possible effects on energy.
In recent months I’ve been gearing my research toward fats and how they effect our body. I have become a strong believer that they are indeed essential. The findings in my research have resulted in a shift in our diet. I’ve become a strong advocate for foods such as real butter, whole milk, cheese, and red meat. However, what is important to remember here, crucial even, is the quality of fats we are eating. Whenever possible, our butter is organic. Our whole milk is organic, or better yet local. Our cheese is local and/or from grass-fed cows. Our red meat is always grass-fed. You see, fats are so densely concentrated that they are one of the primary foods we should purchase the best quality products of.
You may recall my “botch batch” of peanut butter from two weeks ago, which I thoroughly messed up by trying to “fix” with too much olive oil and honey. Well, here we are two weeks later and all 4 cups of mediocre peanut butter are gone! Grayson worked a 13-hour roofing day this past Friday, and he attested to the fact that the homemade peanut butter he brought to snack on is what got him through that grueling day. The natural, healthy fats and sugars were just what he needed.
In light of my recent research, I’ve been brainstorming a post devoted to the health benefits of quality fats. Watch for this future post coming soon!
I was recently listening to a podcast by author and blogger Michael Hyatt on 10 ways to boost your energy levels. One strong point he advocates is that we should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day (at least!) He argues the point that the earth’s surface is comprised of about 70% water, and about 60% of the human body is water. We need water to live and function to our greatest potential. Water acts as its own detox program, cleaning our body of toxins. I’ve personally found it a great practice to drink a 12oz glass of water first thing in the morning to wake my body up and clear it of toxins from 7 hours of sleep. I also keep a glass of water next to me throughout the entire day, and out of habit I now consume about 10oz (one glass) of water every hour of the day. When I find myself lethargic and tired, I can almost always point it back to not enough water intake for the day.
I am the mother of a 20-month-old son, and 33 weeks pregnant, and have an auto-immune deficiency which characterizes itself by chronic fatigue. I must say, however, that I have more energy than I have ever had before! Yes, certain medical conditions can render one with a great lack of energy, and inhibit them from daily responsibilities. I am living proof, though, that whatever your circumstance, you can indeed increase your energy level by what you do and don’t eat. You have it in your control to increase your energy–start with what’s on your plate.
This brings me to my Real Food Question of the Week. I’m curious, so please comment below: What do you reach for when you need a mid-day pick-me-up. And if you stopped to think for a minute, what could you reach for instead?
Super Market (2 Trips): $56.87
Cheese and Fruit Market (1 Trip): $9.56
Natural Food Market (1 Trip): $20.73
What are just some of the things we ate with these ingredients, plus the ingredients from last week?
Beat in blender:
Add to blender, and mix until thoroughly incorporated:
We filled our crepes with sauteed veggies (8oz chopped mushrooms, 2 chopped leeks, and 1/2lb asparagus) and a Dill Jack cheese. We then topped our crepes with a little more Dill Jack cheese, homemade hollandaise sauce, and fried capers.
**Don’t forget to comment below on the Real Food Question of the Week: What do you reach for when you need a mid-day pick-me-up. And if you stopped to think for a minute, what could you reach for instead?
Sources:
Real Food, Nina Planck
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjugated_linoleic_acid
Raising kids stirs something deep in our souls — an innate knowing that our time is finite. Taking my kids outside in creation, I’m discovering how to stretch our time and pack it to the brim with meaning. God’s creativity provides the riches of resources for teaching the next generation who He is and how He loves us. Join our adventure and discover inspiration and resources for refusing rush, creating habits of rest, living intentionally, and making the most of this beautiful life!
Great post, Eryn. It really challenged me. I appreciate you sharing your grocery bill, as that’s a consideration in moving to organic / whole foods. Our family size (6) is double yours, so could be fair to double the bill to $250. Even so, less than I would guess. We were on an organic / whole foods diet in 2005-2006. I worked full time, so we could afford it. We moved off of it when I quit. Medical bills from bad health can far exceed the cost of eating healthfully. My mid-day pick-me-up is most often diet soda and a protein (peanut butter or cheese). Instead, I could (learn how to prepare and…) reach for a fruit / veggie smoothie (and a hard boiled organic egg if the smoothie alone doesn’t cut it – my youngest son loves them, so I already make them often).
Great idea! I almost always have hard-boiled eggs on hand in the fridge. Those, and apple slices with peanut butter are my favorite snacks for energy.
The smoothies are very simple. We don’t use any recipes. We just throw into a blender in this order:
1) Liquid (usually 100% orange juice)
2) Fresh fruit and veggies (Often strawberries, spinach, and carrots)
3) Always a banana
4) Frozen fruit. Small handful. Pineapple and blueberries are great. Trader Joes sells them at affordable prices.
The trickiest part is getting your desired consistency. Just keep experimenting and you’ll quickly find what you and the kids like!
Thanks, Eryn! I’m going to try your recipe this week. Love your blog!
During my psychology class this week we were studying stress which I know I have a lot of and after much research I have come up wih the fact that my body is creating to much stressed induced cortisol. This problem is made worse with caffine. Coffee can increase your cortisol by 30% for up to eighteen hours. I have since started taking vitamine C, B and magnesium to help bring it down but I would like to het these vitamins through my diet if I can. I have stipped drinking coffee…for now but with my crazy schedule finding foods to boost my energy would be super helpful. Thanka for another great blog!
Hey Andi, since Eryn’s health issue is a lack of cortisol, can you bottle up your extra and share it with her 🙂
Hahah, nice solution, mom, 😉 Andi, I’ve been hearing more and more about what you’re talking about–the correlation between coffee and cortisol levels. I think there’s a lot behind it. It makes me wonder why there is not more talk about a correlation between coffee and weight gain. Although, there is much talk about stress raising cortisol levels, and that’s even more significant than coffee. It’s quite irrelevant to me since my body cannot produce cortisol in the first place. Although, I do wonder if coffee “Stresses” my body by making it try to produce cortisol. Gray was doing more research on this topic this morning, and he;s thinking that coffee, plus the physical stress from roofing may be causing his cortisol levels to be too high. A lot to think about, I’m interested to see how you’re cutting out coffee helps you though!
Hi Erin! Thank you for always sharing such excellent recipes! Scott and I made the Warm Spinach Salad with Sausage and Tortellini a couple of weeks ago and LOVED it! New spring staple here at our house. You will have to share that strawberry-chocolate-brownie one, too. 🙂
My pick me up snack lately is either Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese in the afternoon – a great protein fix. I’m always a fan of popcorn, too, and apples and peanut butter are high on the list when I can find GOOD apples. Where do you have luck this time of year?
Thanks Abbigail! I’m so glad you enjoyed the spinach salad! I love that one. One of these days I’ll make some tortellini from scratch-it’s a little daunting, though 😉 I haven’t done it before.
Do you have a Trader Joes store by you? We’ve just started getting our apples from them. I buy 2lb bags for $2.50 ($1.25/lb). They are organic and delicious! They always have Organic Fuji, and sometimes Organic Gala and Pink Lady. I’ve heard Costco also has good organic apples for $1.50/lb, but I haven’t tried them myself yet.
We do have Trader’s, but I never thought to look there for apples! *adds to list of errands for the week* Thanks!
Hi Eryn, Dad made cold brewed coffee this week for the first time. Very good – and no coffee maker needed. You can google it, but basically steep the grounds in water over night in the fridge (1 part grounds to 2 parts water). This makes a coffee concentrate that you combine with hot water to make a cup of coffee.
Gray has looked into this! Before ordering cold-pressed coffee, he always asks if it’s made that way, or simply hot coffee poured over ice (yuck.) We haven’t tried making it yet, though. Of course, our weather hasn’t warmed up to the point of really needing cold coffee yet, either 🙂
We make cold pressed iced coffee in the summer in our french press. Strain it, add some cream or milk or half & half, a little simple syrup or honey, and voila! Coffee shop iced coffee for a fraction of the price! I’m also thinking about making these ice cubes to use, so that the drink doesn’t water down before it is gone: http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-vanilla-ice-cubes/
Mmmmmmmmmm,coffee…
Maybe you’ve covered this before, but I’m really curious how Zeke does with your healthy food. I have a veeeery picky toddler who only wants to eat carbs and fruit. Apparently this is genetic from his father’s side, but since I always liked veggies and lean protein as a child I am baffled what to do! I know every child is different and some will just be better about eating healthy food than others, but I’m curious if you have any thoughts about toddlers and healthy eating (particularly veggies!)
Also, I’m guessing you’ve researched caffeine during pregnancy, and I’m curious what you’ve found. All the “experts” seem to disagree!
Great questions, Tamara, thanks!
Zeke is definitely picky. He ate veggies when I made his pureed baby food, but now he won’t touch them. He has this secret sense to be able to tell if something on his plate is a vegetable. Also, he’s really not that experimental with food yet. He mostly lives on whole grains, fruit, and cheese.
I don’t let myself worry too much about it. His PD said that as long as we are offering veggies, he’ll come along. He’ll begin realizing how much we are enjoying them, and he’ll get curious.
A few suggestions: Make them exciting. Talk them up “Super Power Carrots”, ect. But also make them tasty. Canned green beans aren’t too promising to impress. Try to incorporate them into things he already likes. For instance, sometimes I can get Zeke to eat spinach by dicing it very small and adding it to his scrambled eggs, or in a cheese tortilla.
I’m also excited for more opportunity to involve him in our shopping and cooking as he gets older. I’m hoping that since he’ll be two this summer, he might get more excited about our weekly visits to the farmers markets, and all of the colorful displays of produce. I’ll let him pick out some things that he thinks are interesting, then maybe he’ll be more apt to eat it when we get home, especially if he helps prepare it.
On coffee: I just need it, hahah. I know there is plenty of controversial information out there. I just chose not to stress about it (stress is worse for a growing baby than caffeine, after all). With Zeke I averaged 1 cup of coffee a day. With this pregnancy I’m averaging 1.5 cups. I don’t drink any during my first trimester. For one–it make me sick those early weeks. But also I know that’s the most crucial time of development, so I avoid it until second trimester. However–some days, like today, my body simply tells me it’s not up to coffee. I took a few sips of my coffee this morning and it was making me feel sick, so I just stopped. Listen to your body.
Hope this helps!