Getting Healthy

Last week, I gathered up the munchkins, tried to brush their hair (OY!) and headed on over to Achor and Eden for a little photo shoot. I just had to share a photo or two, because I {heart} these photos! Now, this is a long post that may seem disjointed but it is all connected (at least in my mind!). Bear with me...

Jules in Zookini Kids Sweetheart Anna Dress

and her ruby slippers, of course!

Part I
So, I am going to begin with a plug for my very talented friend, Renee who designs these sweet, totally adorable, age appropriate dresses for her company Zookini Kids. I have known Renee for a long time - since middle school. We were more of acquaintances through middle school and high school, and had not kept in touch at all...our tie was really that we were both going to be attending design school. Some-odd years later, enter Facebook and a high school reunion and now, as adults, we are friends - in real life not just on Facebook! Facebook was my great time-sucker for awhile (I am currently cheating on it with Blogger), but it did help me connect and reconnect with some people who are having a major impact on my thinking.

My sweet boy!

When I saw Renee's designs I fell in love with them immediately. These dresses are exactly the way I want my daughter to dress...at least while I have a say. So, head on over to the Zookini Kids website and check out her other designs. You can also hop over to Hip, Stylish, and Totally Cool Weddings to see some of the dresses I selected as truly unique alternatives to the typical fluffy white flower girl dresses.

Part II
Once upon a time I was a vegetarian..almost a vegan (for health reasons). I felt great and looked good. I fell off the wagon, got pregnant and ate too many chocolate chip pancakes and too much mint chip ice cream (I was young and invincible...I thought). Since then, I have been fighting with baby weight (from the first baby...Jules was a breeze..only gained 15 pounds and that is gone). In recent years, I have been trying to jump back on the healthy bandwagon. Overall my family has a pretty healthy diet. My kids eat most vegetables without too much trouble, and hubby also has to watch what he eats. So my meals are heavy on the veggies and lean protein.


Now, have you seen the Slimquick commercials? You know the ones where the husband quits drinking soda and drops 10 lbs....that is my house. My hubby who considered potatoes to be his vegetable source, started eating salads and dropped white flour from his diet and lost a ton of weight without exercising in a matter of months. I however workout everyday, eat lots of veggies and NADA! Complete frustration. I began talking to Renee about this...

...you see, beyond being a fabulous designer, Renee is passionate about health and well being. She is a Holistic Health and NLP Practitioner, AADP. This is the description from her blog..."I received my training to practice Health Counseling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school integrating all the different dietary theories—combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA food pyramid, the glycemic index, the Zone and raw foods." She sees Zookini Kids as "a conduit for education, nurturing, community, and a healthy mind and body." She is a wealth of knowledge and inspiring too. She has helped me transform some of my recipes, "Don't Tell the Kids It's Healthy" Apple Cake, and was the inspiration for A Perfect Fall Cookie (basically her recipe). 

One day, she and I were talking, really we were IM-ing on Facebook, about moms and kids and nutrition. I was feeling inspired and suggested she travel North and I would host a Healthy Happy Hour. So, next weekend, I am inviting some ladies over to chat about various health related matters, losing weight, and general nutrition. Some of the topics we may cover include:

1. Bring a recipe and we will healthify it!
2. Why it is better to read the ingredients rather than the calories, sodium, etc. Check out Renee's post about Calorie Counting.
3. The differences in sugars and flours. Refined sugars and flours vs. more fully whole flours and sugars.
4. Ways to make recipes healthier/better for you.
5. Connection of food to feeling good, not just about weight, but your health overall (hormones, disease, etc.).
6. Convincing our kids (and us) to eat better.
7. Overcoming obstacles (in our minds) to get healthy/lose weight.
8. Implementing what we already know (i.e. I already know some stuff about nutrition, etc...so why do I eat junk or let my kids do it when I know it is bad.).
9. Finding a balance between eating healthy and enjoying what we eat.
10. Curing ailments through the right foods.
11. Vegetarianism...better for you or not?
12. What are good proteins, good carbs, good fats?

The list is a work in progress...so what I am asking is:
Through blogland would you like to be involved?
Do any of you have questions related to these matters that you would like answered?
Do any of you have a recipe or two that you would like to make healthier?


I would love to hear anything. Renee is really practical and non-judgmental...I let Jules eat Cheetos the last time I saw her! If so, send me the questions - Post them in the comment section - I'd prefer you post in the comment section, but if it is personal or you just don't want to share with the world, email them to me at holly504main@yahoo.com. Please email recipes to me.


Thanks for bearing with me! Looking forward to hearing from you!


Holly