One-Parent-is-Away Meal Plans: Meal Planning Monday Week 5

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Meal planning takes on a whole new vibe now that my spouse has left for an 11-week deployment on the USN Comfort Hospital Ship. I don’t mean to say it’s easier, just different because my audience has shifted a little. Usually, I cater to our adult tastes and preferences and the kids are along for the ride. But when B is gone, I realized today that I try to use meal planning as a way to bring some control to my kids’ lives, by allowing them to choose some of their favorite dinner options.  (Within reason, of course!)  And they seem to appreciate it. That’s what inspires this week’s One-Parent-is-Away Meal Plans.

And BTW, you don’t have to be military to appreciate that family meals can be a source of comfort, predictability and normalcy for kids!

Sometimes my kids’ choices are a little higher-carb than I typically prefer.  For example, I did already promise them brinner (breakfast-for-dinner)–which means homemade pancakes or waffles–so you’ll see that on the menu below for this week.

But surprisingly, many of their favorites are some of my healthy favorites. For example, tonight they requested my Slow Cooker whole chicken sprinkled with homemade seasoning salt. I plan to roast a kobacha squash we picked up this weekend at the farm market after visiting the pumpkin patch. We’ll also have miso-roasted Brussels sprouts (because, shocker, we didn’t get around to eating them last week!)

The kids are handling the deployment like pros so far. Yes, maybe because it’s only the first week and we’re lucky we’ve only had one other long deployment in the past 13 years!

But we realize it could be a lot worse. So, we approach each day the only way we know how.  We focus on and appreciate our family’s usual traditions (food-related or otherwise), which comfort us and sustain us one day at a time.

Meal Planning This Week

Monday (a holiday): Slow Cooker whole chicken with homemade Seasoning Salt (no other ingredients needed), roasted Kobacha squash and miso-roasted Brussels sprouts (recipes coming soon to the Recipe page!)

Tuesday (a busy night): Chicken Parmesan, fressh mozzarella caprese salad and roasted zucchini

Wednesday: Brinner (breakfast for dinner): I’m excited to finally try these Spelt Waffles created by my RD friend, Maria at Halsa Nutrition! I’ll serve them with a quick fresh fruit salad.

Thursday (a busy night): Leftover night

Friday: Homemade pizza night (with whole-wheat flatbread and Califlour crusts)

Buon Appetito!

Flexible Meal Plans: Meal Planning Monday Week 4

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Maybe you consistently make meal plans. But do you always stick to them?  Well, I feel now is a good time to let you know–at week four of my Meal Planning Monday series–I do NOT often stick to my meal plans.  Realistic flexible meal plans are the key to stress-free weekday meals.

Life happens. You need to be flexible.  Changing your meal plans is fine and to be expected!

It’s always better to have a flexible meal plan that you can change than to have no plan at all.

Last Week’s Flexible Meal Plans

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday went according to plan. (I can usually hold things together for three days!)

But we planned a last minute family photo shoot for Thursday evening (before my husband deploys this week for about 3 months).  Although we planned on leftovers, at 6:45 pm when we finished up, we were hungry and decided to go for sushi.

Why? Because he’ll be stuck on a ship with limited food options AND because it sounded better to me than reheating and cleaning up. Win-win!

So, I moved Thursday’s leftover burrito bowls to Friday night’s menu.

But then on Friday…my lovely good friend of a neighbor next door surprised us with a tray of homemade chicken parmesan.  This is actually one of my favorite meals ever; I always requested it as my birthday dinner from my mom growing up!

Hmmm, pop that pan in the oven to melt the cheese (while I open a bottle of wine) or reheat leftovers?  No brainer.

So, the leftover burrito bowls got pushed back again and made for a great weekend lunch (and I had even put some in the freezer for a weeknight meal in the near future).  Nothing was wasted, so I feel absolutely fine about the changes.

Truthfully, changes happen almost every week. But I continually try to plan meals that are flexible enough to allow for the inevitable change of plans.  So, please don’t worry or give up if that happens to you, too!

Meal Planning This Week

Monday (a holiday): Blue Cheese Bacon Burger Salad

Tuesday (a busy night): Baked Salmon with Dill Butter, Roasted Asparagus, and a simple salad

Wednesday: Baked Acorn Squash with Sausage Stuffing, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and a simple salad

Thursday (a busy night): Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and a simple salad

Friday: Leftover soup and salad (TGIF!)

Buon Appetito!

 

Meal Planning Monday Week 3: Some Fall Foods!

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Happy fall y’all!  October has arrived and right on cue, the morning air in Virginia Beach is cool as I meal plan on my screened-in back porch…although I’m sure the reprieve from the heat is temporary. I’m a fall person, so one can hope.  Anyone else?

Another sign of fall? We celebrated Oktoberfest this past weekend (most of which is technically celebrated in September, for the record) with a fun party in our backyard biergarten. This year’s party had about 45 adults and 40 kids running around!  SUPER thankful the weather was perfect since my house would have been CROWDED otherwise.

It’s always a good party when you put your phone down and ignore it for hours!  The down side is I was so busy and enjoying myself that I forgot to take even one photo!  So, here’s the bier tent from last year…

So, I’m especially tired this Meal Planning Monday, but serving you helps motivate me–I really hope it helps you!

And of course, the seasons inspire my meal planning, too.  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for all sorts of fall foods for my meal plans!

So, we’ll start the week with Oktoberfest leftovers because it’s easy, and then finish on Friday with a pumpkin soup that I have missed. All. Year. Long.

Meal Planning This Week: Fall Foods

Monday (a busy night): Leftover brats (from our Oktoberfest party this weekend), Instant Pot sweet potatoes, and a simple salad

Note: My potatoes have a diameter of about 10 inches, so I cut them in half lengthwise and place on rack with 1 cup water, HP for 18 minutes, NPR 15 min. (For more help, use this IP sweet potato cooking guide.)

Tuesday (a busy night): Slow Cooker Burrito Bowls (served over lettuce and topped with avocado)

Wednesday: Garlic Shrimp with pan-fried zucchini topped with parmesan cheese, and a simple salad

Thursday (a busy night): Leftover Slow Cooker Burrito Bowls (the family never minds these leftovers!)

Friday: Harvest Pumpkin Soup and a simple salad

Buon Appetito! What’s your favorite fall food?

Week 2: Meal Planning Monday

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Happy Meal Planning Monday!

It’s that time again–time to get easy, real-food meals planned to stay sane this week…through the rest of September.

I, for one, am taking it one week at a time. We survived our first full week of school last week (it was delayed with 4 days off school, thanks to Hurricane Flo.) Of course, this week promises to be just as busy. So, bring on the slow cooker and Instant Pot meals!

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t worry. Most Instant Pot meals can be slow cooked and vice versa. If you have both, decide whether you want to be fixing the meal early in the day or later in the day.

Personally, I also don’t like to slow cook in my Instant Pot, because, for whatever reason, it is a lot slower than my slow cooker. So, since I am accustomed to my trusty slow cooker, I’m not parting with it–even though I have an Instant Pot and my slow cooker handles have fallen off and the lid has been replaced once). It has earned its keep.

Hoard kitchen appliances much? Maybe…but only the useful ones. Haha.

Meal Planning This Week:

Monday (a busy night): Fresh-caught grilled tuna (from a neighbor), Asian peanut cole slaw, and brown short-grain rice (I’ll post a recipe/photo of the cole slaw on the recipe page after tonight!)

Tuesday (a busy night): Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash (you can use zoodles or pasta, if you prefer.)

Wednesday: Dinner at church and then packing 30,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger (I would otherwise be making enough meatballs to have leftovers.)

Thursday (a busy night): Sheet Pan Italian Sausage, Pepper and Zucchini Bake

Friday: Trying out these vegan, gluten-free Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers (from Running on Real Food) with Roasted Vegetables (I will separately roast eggplant and tomato, so eggplant gets nice and crispy!)

Buon Appetito! As always, please leave your comments or questions. Did you try any recipes from last week? Do you have any special requests or dietary restrictions you need to work around? Let me help!

Meal Planning Mondays Start This Week!

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Weekly meal planning is near and dear to my heart. You’ve heard me say I feel strongly about the meal-planning process, and you can read more about my tips for meal planning in this post.

So, meal planning for dinner is something I do pretty regularly, although never 100% of the time.

But when I don’t do it, I always regret the chaos that ensues. I’m left scrambling during the busiest time of day (3 to 7 pm for me) to make sure what I’m eating and feeding my family is as nourishing as possible. Can you relate?

You could say there are two kinds of people in the world (actually, I think this trick works for most topics, LOL):

  • those who have realistic menu plans, and
  • those who don’t (meaning, either they’re not realistic OR they didn’t bother at all!)

I care about you, so I’d really like us to be in the “realistic menu plan” camp together–which is why I’m always talking about my easy, real food recipes.

But even as an RD, it’s still hard to pull meals together every week, so I’ve decided to share my personal weeknight meal plans with you on “Meal Planning Monday.” I don’t want you to follow it exactly, but rather use it as a tool (along with my recipes) to get ideas for planning your own easy, real food weeknight meals.

Bonus: sharing here will help keep me on track for my own family!

Meal Planning This Week:

Monday (a busy night): B’s “Gonna Get Through This” Chili (from the depths of the freezer, found thanks to Hurrican Flo!)

Tuesday (a busy night): leftover Brunswick Stew from the weekend, and a simple salad

Wednesday: Simple Salmon Cakes with Tatziki, and a simple salad

Thursday (a busy night): a Tofu Stirfry (sorry no recipe yet, creating a new recipe and testing it on my family!)

Friday: Homemade pizza with Califlour Foods plain crust (sampled these crusts at the AADE Conference–yum! And no, I don’t get any financial compensation!)

Buon Appetito! And don’t forget to let me know which recipes have inspired you in the comments! Next week I’ll be sure to include an Instant Pot and/or Slow Cooker option…

How to Crush the Back to School Rush

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Back to school means “back to business as usual” for many of us–whether you have school-age kids or not!  During summer, we all tend to embrace a subtle circadian shift to allow for more daylight, relaxed schedules, and well…fun! But suddenly in September, the shift back to a typical schedule seems drastic as we are swept up in the back to school rush.

In addition to our new, usually busier fall routines, we can find ourselves bombarded with messages of impending change, which circulate in advertisments, the media, and of course schools. That’s because after New Year’s, September is one of the most popular start dates for making positive changes!  But when you ride the wave of popular change, sometimes you can get carried away with goal setting and expect too much of yourself.

Simply put, don’t do that! It sets you up for failure!

If you want to really crush the back to school rush, and be able to sustain any changes without becoming overwhelmed, plan ahead and be realistic!

I’m sharing FOUR simple ways I’m planning ahead to crush it–as an often distracted, sometimes overwhelmed, work-at-home parent of school-age kids–in case it helps you.

#1: My kids are packing their own lunches in the evening. 

Back to school is synomonous with the dreaded task of packing lunches, am I right?  So, ahhh, what a relief, my kids are now doing it for themselves!  And honestly, they are really enjoying it, even my youngest, who is six.

Bento Box Lunches

We are entering “year 4” of using these bento lunch boxes from Yumbox.  Each section serves as a template for packing lunches, which makes it easy. (They are a little small for older kids, so we usually also add some popcorn, pretzels, or crackers in a small separate container.) They really hold up, which makes them more economical (and you save by not buying pre-packaged items, which is also “green”!) There are many other bento-style boxes, but these are my favorite because they are leak proof between each section, which is harder to find.  Yes, this matters!  Because if juicy fruit leaks on bread or crackers, then your well-planned healthy lunch is ruined! That’s a preventable Mom fail…

#2: I am meal planning on Sunday (or Monday) and shopping once for at least 4 dinner meals at a time.

I need to get back to well-planned, easy weeknight meals, but still keep them homemade and healthy. And I really need to waste less time shopping. Honestly, I found myself in the store EVERY DAY the last week of summer.  Each time I was annoyed at how slow the cashiers were and really it’s my own fault for not sitting down for a few minutes and planning ahead to avoid wasting a ridiculous amount of time.  I may even embrace that it’s 2018 and try grocery delivery this month!  Seriously, am I the only one who hasn’t tried it yet?

#3: I am recommitTing to bullet journaling (and renouncing the chaos).

In January, I began creating my own weekly calendar in my spiral notebook planner. I fell off the wagon in June with the distractions of summer, so I’m getting back on now. It’s NOT fancy. I DO NOT doodle or create beautiful spreads like you see on Pinterest. It is pencil and ruler-drawn columns for each day, with “to do” boxes to check, and includes my meal planning for the week.

(I also write our weekly menu plan on a white board on the fridge to keep it handy and it lets the family know what’s for dinner, but the written record has become helpful to page through for repeat ideas over time.)

I use bullet journaling in conjunction with my phone calendar for appointments and reminders. It is simple, organized and customized to me and I am less scatter-brained and better off when I do it every week. Honestly, I’m starting next week when the after-school activities ramp up…

#4: I AM SCHEDULING 30 MINUTES EVERY DAY TO WORK OUT. 

I’m usually active every day, but I tend to give up time for myself when things come up or I get busy and stressed, so I really want to work on this. I’ve definitely had more time in the morning now that I’m not making lunches! But I prefer to wait till the kids are off to school, so I’m not designating a specific time. I just want to literally schedule some type of exercise for myself each day and treat it like any other commitment I make to other people.

Have I mentioned Planning Ahead is Key?

I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it. Planning ahead is the best way to make positive changes to your lifestyle, such as eating more real foods and fewer processed foods. And it can and should be the simplest of plans.  To overstate the obvious, when we prioritize things that are most important to us, and have a way to stay organized, life is less overwhelming. Anything we can do to simplify things and create healthy habits helps our brains work for us, not against us, sort of on autopilot.

So, that’s what I call crushing it–planning ahead, doing the important things well, consistently. (That is, most of the time, with some grace for yourself!) I’d love to learn more about how you’re planning to crush the back to school rush, too.

Patriotic Red, White and Blue Real Foods

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When you’re searching for festive holiday foods, the Internet (Pinterest) is full of creative hacks, but most festive recipes contain a variety of processed foods. Sadly, you won’t find too many easy, patriotic red, white and blue REAL FOODS for you to enjoy with your family.

Yes, holidays are special times that call for special treats. But if you add up all the holidays of the year, that’s a lot of unnatural, unhealthful treats. And they are usually full of artificial colors, preservatives and flavors.  Fourth of July food inspiration is no different.

Well, I like to play with my food as much as the next mom (maybe more since I’m a dietitian). But I prefer to work with nature’s ingredients as much as possible.  I think it can be even more creative and just as fun!  And it’s certainly healthier for everyone involved.

That’s why I am sharing several of my favorite patriotic red, white and blue real foods with you this Independence Day.

You may notice that some recipes below are treats and some even contain sugar, but a non-diet approach works best when it includes the freedom to enjoy treats at times!  (Click on photos to link to recipes.)

Happy 4th of July! May you feel nourished every day by the things that matter most, including freedom, gratitude, and time spent with friends and family around a table of good food!

Almond Flour Gluten Free Waffles with Red, White and Blue Fruit
Almond Flour Gluten Free Waffles with Red, White and Blue Fruit
Patriotic Seven-Layer Dip Flag
Patriotic Seven-Layer Dip Flag
Red, White and Blue Flag with Roasted Vegetables and Mozzarella
Patriotic Red, White and Blue Roasted Vegetable Flag with Mozzarella Cheese
Strawberry, Banana and Blueberry Fruit Flag
Patriotic Fruit Flag
Patriotic Red White and Blue Wine Spritz
Patriotic Red, White and Blue Wine Spritz
real fruit snow cone syrup
Real Fruit Snow Cone Syrup (No Artificial Colors)

Save Time With Easy Real Food

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Save Time with Easy Real Food: Mission Behind this Blog

Ahhh, summer’s here. It’s Week 2 and my kids act like we have all the time in the world. During any downtime, they’re lounging on the couch, trying to put off for tomorrow (or never) what they could do today. Then September sneaks up on them. Every. Year. And they wonder where the time went and why they didn’t do more during summer break. The point? It doesn’t appear to matter how old you are; everyone wants more time–that’s why it’s my main mission to save time with easy, real food!

I actually feel I should confess. I have a nutrition and food blog, but I usually hate reading food blogs!  Although I do love searching for new recipes to try, it’s a real time suck when bloggers share blow-by-blow random thoughts speckled with as many as 10 photos of the same food taken at different angles.

Pretty food is nice to look at, but dinner doesn’t make itself, am I right?!  I just don’t have time for that and neither do you, I suspect.  (And frankly, as a blogger I prefer to firmly plant myself on the side of the proverbial fine line where I am helpful, rather than a narcissistic oversharer.)

So, I instantly scroll down recipe posts, skipping all the commentary, to do my 10-second unofficial check of the recipe to see if it meets my criteria before I consider trying it.

My Recipe Checklist

What are my criteria, you may wonder? Well if you look at my Recipe Index, you’ll get the idea pretty quickly. But here is the unofficial checklist:

  • All real-food ingredients
  • No (or very minimal) sugar
  • Grain free/gluten free (if possible, to minimize refined carbohydrates)
  • Lower in total carbohydrate
  • No highly refined oils (such as seed and vegetable oils, including corn and canola)
  • Easy instructions
  • Minimal time commitment (bonus points for under 45 min)
  • Will My Family Eat It???

Perfection Is Impossible

Not too surprisingly, few recipes meet these criteria!  I realize my checklist is discriminating, but you should know I don’t follow these criteria for everything I eat. Technically, I do not have food rules; I eat everything.  And I don’t feel guilty when I choose to eat something that is outside of this list!  You shouldn’t either.

However, I don’t eat everything every day.  Most people’s idea of moderation is likely not cutting it for health.  I choose to eat lower carbohydrate, real (from nature) foods, 9 times out of 10, because I feel better eating this way—and believe it is the most evidenced-based way to eat for optimal health (more on that very soon, a blog post series is in the works!)

Plus eating easy, real food creates a path to simplicity in this overabundant, distracting life.  Literally–I don’t walk up and down the majority of grocery store aisles.  Figuratively–I try to concern myself with what’s important and disregard the rest because it’s how I keep my head above water!  I am known for saying, “I’m on a need-to-know basis and I just don’t need to know!”

So, when I am creating and sharing recipes to help you live a healthier lifestyle, these are my strict criteria to help you focus on what to eat more often than not.  Because anyone can easily use meal plans, order meal delivery kits or look up convenient, sugar-laden, highly processed recipes online.  But it is so much harder to find homemade, easy, real-food recipes that you can rely on for your day-to-day, non-diet meal planning for a healthy lifestyle.

Mission To Save Time

Because it is my number one mission to save time, I designed my site (which affects how you choose to get connected, see below) mainly to avoid wasting your time (and mine).  After all, if you don’t feel you have enough time, you won’t prioritize your family’s meals.  It is hard enough trying to cut through scientific jargon, mainstream media and popular culture to figure out what’s legit. So, when you take the time to pull up a chair to my table, I promise to always serve you the following:

  • Easy, real food recipes that are as brief as possible.
  • Recipes that are continually added to the Recipe Index, but are not posted—mainly so you are not emailed (read: bothered) every time one is added!
  • One photo per recipe, just enough to whet your appetite (but not within the printable recipe; I’m saving your printer ink!)
  • Evidence-based blog posts on a variety of nutrition topics relating to a lower carb real-food lifestyle—always summarized with a meaningful, practical “bottom line” and/or tips for moving forward.

Choose How to Get Connected

If you’re ready and willing to learn more, there are several ways to get connected with www.thewanderingrd.com, depending on which question(s) you want answered!

“What to Eat?”

If you want to cut to the chase and figure out what to eat (that is, what’s for dinner tonight?) here are some ways to get connected with www.thewanderingrd.com so you don’t miss when there are new recipes to try.

“Why Eat Real Food?”

If you are looking for the “why” behind a lower carb, real food lifestyle (for people with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes or anyone else) of course you’ll also find that at www.thewanderingrd.com! The best way to stay connected for this type of information is to subscribe to the blog via email, if you haven’t already, so you don’t miss a post.

(On a computer, from the homepage, look just under my photo to subscribe to the blog via email. Or on a mobile device, click on the faint square with 3 bars at top left, click “Contact Me” and scroll down to subscribe to the blog via email.)

What’s Next?

A new blog post series is in the works starting in July to cover some big topics and make them easier to digest. Don’t wait–get connected so you don’t miss a thing!

Real Food Picnicking

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Today is National Picnic Day! It’s probably no coincidence that National Picnic Day is in April. Spring picnics timed right practically guarantee the warmth of the sun on your face, a soft breeze stirring your hair, the rustling of leaves in the trees, and the fresh smell of new blossoms and cut grass. Mother Nature is rejuvenating herself and it’s hard not to notice and feel inspired!

There is nothing like eating natural (real) food in nature–that’s al fresco dining at its best! My family loved the cultural norms of eating fresh foods “in the fresh (air)” while we lived in Italy, but this time of year always takes me back to Japan. Cherry blossom season in Japan elevated picnicking to an artform–the sake is freeflowing, the delicacies are intricate, and both are to be enjoyed with friends under a canopy of beautiful sakura blooms celebrating the start of spring.

But you don’t have to leave the country to enjoy a spring picnic. Even in your own backyard, your real food picnic can be relaxing and provide nourishment well beyond the food. Because being outside just makes you feel better, doesn’t it? Why is that?! I think it’s partly because being outside makes you feel small in a big world; seasons come and go and weather changes daily and we are not in control. Yet, the fact that many aspects of nature function in an orderly way, without our input, is predictable, and therefore, comforting! Plus there are all those pretty views.

So, a picnic is the marriage of two of my favorite things: being outside and eating real food! But it can be stressful to feel pressured to make fancy foods and to literally haul a bunch of stuff outside to enjoy the meal. It doesn’t have to be stressful, if you keep things simple.

Three Tricks to A Stress-free Picnic

  1. Use real foods you have on hand or items you usually make.
  2. Finger foods are easiest for everyone (and may even eliminate the need for plates and utensils–hey, every day is Earth Day)!
  3. Sometimes you just need to find a different way to transport (i.e., mason jars or skewers) the same easy, real foods you usually enjoy!

Here are some of my favorites:

Real Food Picnic Ideas

Happy picnicking! Grab a blanket and get ready to embrace some serenity today, even if it’s in your backyard or on the floor of your living room (kids love that!)

It’s National Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day–Yet It’s Really All About You!

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Did you know dietitians have their own day? Yes, I know, everyone has their own day these days. But truth be told, I don’t really want my own day! In fact, sometimes when I’m meeting a new person for the first time, I hesitate to even disclose that I’m a dietitian–I hate that I’m known as the food police!

Do you work in a profession that slaps a pre-conceived, metaphorical “label” on you the minute someone hears what it is? (Share it in the comments!) But seriously, which other profession does this as much as one that involves food??? I think it’s because everybody eats, am I right?

Don’t get me wrong…I’m not at all embarrassed to be a dietitian.  I worked very hard to become an RD. An RD (or RDN which is the same thing) is more qualified than a “nutritionist”. Here’s what I did to become an RD, if you’re interested:

  • First, you get a 4-year college degree at an accredited university.
  • Then you apply and get accepted and matched to a year-long, unpaid internship program.  (Thanks mom and dad for the support!)
  • Then you study like crazy and pass a national exam on all areas of dietetics, even if you’ll just be specializing in one. (No, I don’t wear a hairnet and don’t ask me about cooking meals in a hospital!)
  • In my case, I chose to also complete a Master’s in Nutrition Communication, to specialize in evidenced-based writing, and food and nutrition marketing.
  • And finally, I also chose to specialize in diabetes by training with patients for 1,000 hours, and then taking a difficult certification exam to be a Certified Diabetes Educator (which I maintain every 5 years by retaking the exam AND completing 75 hours of continuing education credits in the field of diabetes).

No wonder I feel old sometimes! But I love the wandering path my career has taken! I just don’t like to disclose that I’m an RD first thing because it opens up a can of worms when I bring it up in a casual, cursory conversation.

For example, during summer camp drop-off, I felt I had to share with my kids’ camp director that I am a dietitian. In the two minutes it takes to drop off your child in the morning, you may be wondering how it could possibly have come up.

Well, I sent my two kids to camp with one small cooler half-filled with cold packs so that their healthy foods could stay cold. He teased them about their 10-pound lunch and said he was sitting next to them. So, in defense of my kids, I felt the need to explain with a laugh, that I am a dietitian as I started to walk away…

But do you think I could just walk away? I should’ve known I couldn’t just walk away…

He stepped towards me and fired a few loaded nutrition questions one after the other, expecting a short answer to each. “What’s the deal with gluten? What about those flat pretzels? My wife and I really feel better eating those…”

My first thought escaped as a stammer: “Uhhhhh….”

Where to begin!? Do I even want to begin right now??

What I Mean By “Uhhhh…”

  • I hesitate because nutrition science is so complicated.
  • I hesitate because I don’t have time right now, in the spur of the moment…and frankly, I figure you probably don’t either.
  • I hesitate because I need more information from you.
  • I hesitate because I wonder how much you know about the topic already, especially if you think I can answer your complicated questions in passing.
  • I hesitate because I wonder if you are really ready to know the long answer to your question. 
  • I hesitate because I don’t want to burst your bubble or bruise your ego.
  • I hesitate to squash myths with evidence before we have a rapport because you don’t yet know you can trust me as a reliable source of information.
  • The fact is, I hesitate mostly because I’m thinking about you –it’s really all about you, and I mean that in the best possible way!

Don’t Worry, I am NOT the Food Police

My focus really has to be all about you because my experience with food is irrelevant to your journey. I can relate to you without sharing the exact same food struggles, because we are human and we all eat! We are all different and working on different things in our lives, and that’s okay! I don’t think I need to tell you I’m not perfect. It can be assumed–and it might be the only correct assumption you can ever safely make about a person.

Therefore, please do not feel like I’m judging you. I really do not care what you are eating, especially if you don’t ask me for help. Even if you ask me for help and share what you are eating, I’m still not judging you. Sometimes I make choices that are less than ideal and not the healthiest. Everyone does it. It’s called living. And it’s why dieting doesn’t work. There’s no place for guilt or shame in building healthy eating habits. And there’s no place for judgment either.

Sometimes it’s frustrating, but what works for one person may not work for another. I prefer to think that’s positive and even liberating–we don’t have to conform to one way of eating! So, as always, please share your comments and ask your questions here! I’m passionate about helping people know what and how to eat for better health and I’m always happy to respond when I can focus 100% on YOU!