So, my husband’s cousin is a serious baker…which I find utterly amusing since she eats about as strictly within her diet as anyone I’ve ever met in my life. Coincidently, one of my best friends who also follows a strict eating regimen is also a serious baker. Maybe there’s something to it.

Anyway, our cousin is at our house just before our baby was born and I was mentioning to her that my girlfriend sent me an email with a recipe for “LACTATION COOKIES”

You read correctly…Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies that are supposed to help you produce more milk! Well, since i’m nursing I could use all the milk I can get and I showed this recipe to my husband. When he glanced at it, he showed me that the recipe called for flour and a lot of sugar. I wouldn’t mind eating these as a cheat but they definitely weren’t healthy.

So I tell our cousin about it and I ask her if she could make a healthy version of these cookies. She took this task quite seriously. It took her 2 weeks to show up at my house with these cookies because she made several batches trying to make them just right. But what she presented to us this last Saturday was MAGICAL!!!!! Absolutely delicious. And a healthy alternative!

This was her recipe:

• 1 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup Stevia 
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups of almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
• 2 tablespoon of fenugreek
• 2 cups oats
• Semisweet chocolate chips (see instructions below for amount)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and make sure that one wire rack is positioned in the middle of the oven.
2. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
3. Mix coconut oil, coconut sugar, and stevia well.
4. Add eggs and mix well.
5. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, mix well.
6. Sift together flour, brewers yeast, fenugreek, baking soda, and salt (a.k.a. the dry ingredients).  Instead of sifting you can also put all the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse for 5 to 15 seconds.  Please note that sugar is NOT a “dry ingredient.”
7. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredient mix (i.e. the coconut oil, coconut sugar, stevia, eggs, etc.).
8. Stir in oats and semisweet chocolate chips.  I add chips according to the individual consumer’s taste.  I like a lot of chips, but some people may not like many.  Decide ahead of time and eye-ball it.
9. Scoop onto baking sheet.  Try to scoop even-sized cookies, so that they cook evenly.
10. Bake for 12-13 minutes. The heat varies in different ovens (and cookie sizes may vary), so you may have to bake the cookies longer than 12 to 13 minutes. . If you have to bake longer, monitor the cookies closely, so that they do not burn.  Increase the time in one minute increments and check the cookies after each minute.
11. Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.

From what I understand what is supposed to help with the lactation is the Brewer’s Yeast, Fenugreek, and Oats. I can’t say for sure my milk supply increased by eating them but I did enjoy them thoroughly. And I think it is absolutely wonderful that I could enjoy, (and offer to my guests) a sweet treat that despite containing sugar, had beneficial vitamins and nutrients as a result of its ingredients.

For example:

• Brewer’s yeast contains folic acid, B12, Potassium, Thiamin, Niacin, and Chromium. It is known to help improve certain conditions including: Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, High Cholesterol, Eczema, Nervousness, Stress, Carpal Tunnel,  Anemia, and Constipation 
• Fenugreek is a medicinal herb that is used for arthritis, cancer treatment, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, high cholesterol, inducing childbirth, infections, inflammation, lactation stimulation, lymphadenitis, muscle pain, promoting urination, skin ulcers and wound healing. PLEASE NOTE: because Fenugreek can cause uterine contractions, pregnant women should NOT consume Fenugreek!!!! 
• Flaxseeds are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, and phytochemicals (antioxidants) including lignans which tend to balance female hormones among other benefits.
• Coconut oil can boost thyroid function helping to increase metabolism, energy and endurance. It increases digestion and helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. It also can help to fight off yeast, fungus, and candida.

This girl is so wonderful that she actually did some research on coconut sugar. What she found was that even though coconut sugar is still sugar, it appears that it scores lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar because of its soluble fiber content. Additionally, she discovered that adding coconut oil also reduced the insulin spike that you would normally get from consuming sugar.

Naturally these are not diet cookies and if you are trying to lose weight I wouldnt suggest eating them regularly. But for those who simply want to eat whole foods instead of processed stuff, isn’t it amazing that you can have a delicious cookie which only has ingredients you can pronounce? That is the beauty of making things at home.

So do they help the nursing mother lactate? Who knows and who cares! They were delicious!!!!

Hi all!

We’ve been out of the picture for a while, having our third baby. Luckily, we had a healthy, strong, 7LB 11OZ little boy. Here is a pic of when the 2 older boys came to meet their little brother.

This time around, I decided to have a natural delivery without intervention or medication. I found a midwife that delivers at Baptist hospital, which I liked because it was very close to my home and I still had the security blanket that I was in the hospital in the event of an unforeseen emergency. In any event, it was a successful birth on my terms in almost every aspect…except one…FOOD!

I’ve read that the process of delivering a child is a process of detoxification. This process of detoxification also occurs during a woman’s menstrual cycle. I read this in a book and cannot say for sure if this is true or not. But the concept makes sense in my head. Having a baby involves a loss of blood, water, placenta, and baby and in that process, it makes sense to me that you can eliminate toxins and cleanse out your body.

REGARDLESS, THE POINT IS that because I believed that I was going through a process of elimination, I wanted good whole foods to replenish my system. Post-delivery the nurse asked me if I wanted juice and crackers. The juice they offered was generic, with high fructose corn syrup…and really not what I wanted as the first thing to introduce to my body after this process. So I asked if I could order a bowl of fruit. They gave me a menu and as I glanced through it, I realized that there were barely any healthy options. They did have fruit but mostly fruit cups – that have added sugar. So I opted for a bowl of strawberries and water.

And then I realized that my illusions of “replenishing” my body with good stuff was not looking too good during my hospital stay. BUT SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENED! I voiced my desire to have good food and all of a sudden, my support system fell into place.

• My 21 year old niece had made a Sweet potato/carrot soup at home and had her lunch packed with her. She had the nurses heat up the soup for me and gave me her lunch.
• My cousin makes smoothies at home all the time. She has a huge yard with tons of different fruit trees. She called me and asked me if she could bring me anything. I asked for a smoothie. She brought me a smoothie with spinach, celery, lettuce, papaya, mango, apples. WOW! Delicious and exactly what I needed. Not only did she make me one the evening I gave birth but the following morning also.
• My father asked me if he could pick anything up for me and I asked him to bring me a bottle of vitamin c with bioflavanoids and 4-5 lemons. Random right! Well, right before I delivered I felt a slight cold coming on and my boys had stuffy noses. I didn’t want to risk getting the baby sick and I sure didn’t want to be sick with a newborn. So I called my doctor and he suggested those things as well as warm soups with lots of garlic. Needless to say my father came to the rescue and I drank lots of water with lemon and drank my vitamin c.
• My husband wanted sushi for dinner the first night we were at the hospital and ordered me a roll of sushi…but also ordered me a bowl of miso soup with a lot of added garlic!
• One of my girlfriend’s brought me some pistaccio/nut snacks and a banana.
• And my husband’s grandmother made me chicken and beans for lunch the second day I was at the hospital.

I was only in the hospital for a little more than 24 hours. I came in Tuesday morning and was home by Wednesday afternoon. But needless to say during my stay I never had to eat hospital food and my troops came in to my aid.

This was so very meaningful to me. We are not islands and we really can’t do much without support of a community around us. It is important to ask for things you need so that people know truly how to help you. And it is a blessing when you have people who are willing to cater to you in a time of need. The support I received was not only good for my body but good for my soul.

During my first week at home my other cousin brought me chocolate chip cookies (which are my weakness!) and one of my very best friends brought me the most delicious home-made banana-chocolate chip muffins. I ate 4 of them for breakfast that morning!!!!!! I really had never tasted muffins so delicious before…They were truly worth the cheat!

Balance is important and it is nice to treat yourself to something you love. But it is also important to give your body what it needs not only what it wants. Because of the loving family I have (and I consider my friends my family also) I got to have what I wanted and what I needed, and I am so grateful to have such a wonderful support system in my life. And this is not even mentioning everything other than food that my friends have brought to show support and love. It is amazing and beautiful.

So keep it in mind folks…if a loved one is in a hospital post-delivery or surgery…maybe you can keep the community support rolling and make sure they have what they need. Until hospitals and restaurants start offering real healthy alternatives, all we have is each other.

So this morning I made a delicious smoothie.

Green chard (leafy green)
1/2 avocado
Blueberries
Pineapple
1/2 banana
Water

I made this smoothie this morning and although it was delicious and nutritious… It really wasn’t the reason I’m blogging about it. It was watching my kids enjoy it that really made me want to share. I have posted before that we are big on talking to our kids about food and ingredients and making them a part of what we eat. Well I think today was a great example of how they experience food. I don’t think I ever really talked about food until I was 32 years old. I just ate what I was given or what I wanted. But I never experienced food the way my boys are experiencing it. And I think it’s made a difference in their openness to trying new things and hopefully it always will. I hope you enjoy this little clip of them this morning As much as I enjoyed filming it! Please disregard the stickers on my little ones hair or the smoothie stains all over his cheek. I was capturing a moment!

There are so many ways to incorporate just a little more health into your daily routine just by adding some hidden ingredients to foods you already eat and enjoy. Often times you can do this without even altering the taste of the food and in essence you are boosting its nutritional content with minimal effort.

A good example of this is with our oatmeal. Even though we love making morning smoothies for breakfast, a couple of times a week we make the kids (and myself) oatmeal for breakfast instead of a smoothie. I like switching breakfasts so no one gets bored of eating anything nutritious!!!

So before I used to just make a bowl of oatmeal with some almond milk and voila! With time that has changed. Flaxseed is an incredible “superfood” and is great to incorporate into your daily diet. Lots of people add flaxseed to their smoothies or buy it in liquid or pill form and have a spoonful everyday, etc.

I found that its quite simple to add a tablespoon of powdered flaxseed to our oatmeal. It doesn’t alter the taste of the oatmeal at all and we just boosted our breakfast with some awesomeness!!!!

FLAXSEED BENEFITS:

High in Protein
Rich in Soluble Fiber
Contain Vitamins B1,B2 C, E and carotene, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, and calcium
Contain high quantities of Lignin- Lignin has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral propereties.
High in Omega 3 fatty acids

Isn’t it great that one little ingredient can help boost immunity, promote healthy skin, help with constipation, aid cardiovascular health and stabilize blood sugar????

Flaxseed is one of many examples of ways to add goodness to your diet.

And for people that struggle with eating habits, small changes help a lot!

So the next time you make yourself breakfast, lunch or dinner, ask yourself….how can I add a little goodness to this meal? The options are endless!!!!

Happy New Year to all!!!!! The holidays are “officially” over and there will be a shift in the energy around you. All of a sudden you see the gyms and gym classes are packed with new faces, people seem more focused, and no one is bringing desserts to the office. Everyone means business! Some will make new year’s resolutions, others will make intentions, and others will simply avoid the process because of the reality that most new year’s resolutions are quickly forgotten and people sink back into old patterns rather quickly.

I do believe in resolutions/intentions. But not only on New Year’s. I’m a believer that you can make resolutions at the beginning of every day, week, month, or year. If we’ve had a particularly disorganized weekend with parties and events, I resolve to start Monday fresh and on a good routine. If I was impatient with my children today because I was preoccupied with other matters, I resolve to be a better parent tomorrow. I believe that as long as we are breathing we have the opportunity to start over again. Its never too late until we are no longer around.

And I saw a true New Year’s resolution happen last year. At this time last year Orlando decided to change the way he eats and he actually stuck to it. Naturally, he slipped into the Holiday spell just like I did the last couple of months but a lot of our eating habits are so ingrained in our lifestyle that despite all, we did manage to make a lot of good choices amidst the bad ones. And here we are again, on his 1 year anniversary of our journey and starting 2013 in a much better place than 2012. So I guess I am a true believer!!!!

Most resolutions are pretty generic: lose weight, make more money, exercise more…etc. and those seem to die down I think mainly because we don’t change our perspectives, we only voice our intentions. What worked in our family was changing our perspective from trying to lose weight, to trying to live healthier lives. So here are a couple of suggestions I think might help you change your perspective, if losing weight or being healthy fell into your new year’s list this year.

1. GO TO THE DOCTOR AND GET A BLOOD TEST. Check everything. Check your liver, your heart protein, your vitamin D levels, your glucose, your cholesterol, everything. I went to see a doctor that believes in nutrition as a primary source of medicine so when I did this he told me things like I needed more good fats in my diet and guided me and orlando as to which supplements were best for us. I now try to do a checkup for my husband and myself every 6 months to know how we’re doing not only on the outside…but on the inside!

2. GET A DNA TEST. okay I know this sounds whacky!!!!! But I did this and plan to dedicate an entire post to this in the near future. My dad bought me a DNA kit from 23andme. I put my saliva in a tube and sent it in for testing. I found out all sorts of things about myself…like that I’m most likely to be pre-disposed to blood clots. Well now I know that I will always have to exercise to keep my blood and circulation in good condition. NOTE: this information is still somewhat limited but at least it gives us a general idea of things we should watch out for to live as healthy as we can. Some people will argue…hey we all have to die of something, so why bother? I know I have to die but ideally, I’d like to live as long as I can with as much quality of life as I can.

3. FIND OUT YOUR BLOOD TYPE. I’ve been learning that your blood type has a lot to do with the way you digest food and process food. Its called Nutritional Typing. I’m still learning about this but I find it interesting because of this simple concept – 2 people can eat the same way and one loses weight and the other doesn’t. Once you learn about yourself, you will have a better idea of what eating patterns can work best for you so you can avoid making sacrifices that will end up frustrating you and not working anyway.

I guess my suggestion to you all for 2103 is take a little time to learn about yourself and your body. That will help you make changes to your lifestyle that will help YOU. Anyone can lose weight by cutting calories for a few weeks or drinking shakes as meal supplements…but quick fixes die hard. It is impossible to maintain.

LIFE IS TO ENJOY!!!!! You should not feel that you’re eating habits are a constant sacrifice. But when you find foods you enjoy and can digest properly and can incorporate meals you love or learn to love in your daily routine, it becomes a lifestyle instead of a diet and your results will be long term.

I’m grateful to have been given the gift of another year. Let’s embrace it, enjoy it, and make it count!

Instead of exchanging gifts this year, our group of girlfriends decided to have a cookie baking party for Santa with all of our kids. As we sat on the couch, one of my best friends took a look at me and said…”You know Caro, being healthy is about more than just the food you eat.” Why did she say that to me? Simply because I looked EXHAUSTED. And quite frankly I am exhausted. She knows me all too well and knows that I am not my usual self. Although I still pile on the greens… the holidays, the loss of my grandmother, the pregnancy, and work have all meshed together and thrown me into a loop. That of course has affected my routine…and therefore my husband’s (since I tend to be the house manager!!!) routine. That, overall, leads to a less healthy lifestyle, and it shows.

So my friend’s comment really inspired me to blog today about more than just the food we eat. Holidays tend to be rough on most of us. Its a time of giving thanks, being with friends and family, sharing, decorating, partying, and enjoying life….and those things can become extremely stressful!!!!!!! Because with all that joy comes the stress of buying gifts, shifting work schedules to accomodate for kids’ school events, less routine, less sleep, more running around, and for those of us who live in Miami…a lot more traffic. And for those who travel during the holidays, add on packing and unpacking, crowded airports, traveling with children, long car rides and work piling up at the office. These shifts in seasons and schedules naturally bring shifts to your eating habits. You eat out more, buy more take out, try to make eating more simple because everything else has become more complicated. So it is no wonder that by the end of the holiday season you start to see people feeling more rundown, sad, anxious, tired, and definitely less healthy. Luckily the positives outweigh the negatives and as we all wind down from the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we get ready for a new year with new beginnings and new opportunities to establish healthy routines, exercise more, eat better, and relax a little. So if you’re feeling like you’ve lost your way during the holidays, fear not… it is temporary.

However, my girlfriend’s comment is more profound than just the loss of control we experience during the holidays. That is what really impacted me. Human beings are complex creatures. We don’t just feed our bodies for survival. We also have to feed our minds and our souls… and that can become very complicated.

Some of us are emotional eaters and have a difficult time controlling what we eat when we are going through hard times.
Some of us don’t exercise.
Some of us are in bad relationships.
Some of us are in good relationships but our partners don’t support or help us maintain healthy lifestyles.
Some of us are under too much stress.
Some of us have financial pressures that are affecting us.
Some of us use alcohol or drugs to self medicate.
Some of us don’t sleep enough.
Some of us don’t have a good support system – like a girlfriend who takes a look at you and tells you its time to slow down 🙂
Some of us have a very negative attitude

All these different aspects of our lives and our beings affect our health. And a lot of these aspects affects what we put in our mouths. It is important to be honest with ourselves and look at what we can work on that is within our control. And it is also important for us to find the tools to positively handle those things in our lives that are beyond our control.

So as we all get ready to begin a New Year, I encourage all of you to take a look at what is affecting your health or well being. Maybe in 2013 you can tackle some of the negative things affecting your health. Even if it is one change at a time, every positive step helps. And believe it or not, when you put good healthy food in your mouth and eliminate toxins and sugars, it really does help clear your head and work on the other stuff. We look forward to continue evolving as a family, as individuals, and as a community and sharing our ups and downs with you in 2013… and of course… as many healthy recipes as we can muster up!

To Health, Happiness and Prosperity!

I can truly sympathize with people trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss during the holiday season. There is sugar everywhere!!!!! Holiday parties, dinners, lunches….there doesn’t seem to be enough time for routine or consistency and we find ourselves making exceptions on more than just fearless fridays. It is happening in our family also and I can’t stand it. I find myself making exceptions ALL the time lately. I find one of the things making it more difficult for me right now is how much pressure i’m under. I’ve got a baby coming in February, a trip planned for new years, a nursery to decorate, christmas around the corner, tons of work to do, and today is my son’s birthday. All these things piled up make it very difficult to keep up with our lifestyle.  But we are not throwing in the towel friends. We are regrouping and getting in focus to start a strong, healthy 2013. And like my husband told me yesterday, he started 2012 with 50lbs to lose and he is closing 2012 with that weight lost. Now his goals for 2013 will be about staying healthy and fine tuning the lifestyle and maintaining his weight and even body building. He can worry about those things now…and that is a great place to be. So in the meantime we are going into survival mode and concentrating on keeping a balance during these trying holiday times, so we can stay neutral instead of shifting into reverse gear!

Later this week I’ll post some of our survival tips. If you feel you’re managing the holiday season well, please write to us and give us your tips. We have to keep the support going in our little community!!! We look forward to hearing from you!

Funny how kids work and how important presentation really is. We were in New York this weekend. On Sunday we went to a nice restaurant, Isabella’s, with my aunt and uncle for brunch. The kids’ menu had grilled cheese and chicken fingers…so we opted instead for one adult plate to split between both boys. A breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, veggies, chorizo, black beans and avocado. The waitress was nice enough to bring the meal split in two already and each plate brought with it a mound of french fries.

Before any of us had a chance to process the meal, Orlando had already taken action. He grabbed the fries from each plate and dumped them in the bread basket!!! One would think he’s a crazy person, but his fatherly instinct screamed at him “get rid of the french fries if you want these kids to eat the meal!” As he moved the fries, both boys whined a little and reached for the fries, but he simply said…”first your meal, then the fries.”

No other mention was made of the fries and the boys proceeded to scarf up their meal which was delicious. I gotta hand it to Orlando. He was quick and slick with that move and it was so authoritative that he really didn’t give anyone at the table a chance to process what had happened. What happened was that he removed the bad and the tempting from the direct line of sight of a 2 and 4 year old. That allowed all of us to enjoy the meal without making the entire brunch about portion control or negotiation : “one more bite of the burrito, and you get one more french fry…” etc. Had I been alone, I would have made the mistake of leaving the french fries on the plates and my lunch wouldn’t have been nearly as pleasant.

1 cab, 1 train, 1 car ride and 3 hours later… I remembered the famous french fries and asked Orlando if he ever gave the kids any and he said to me “come to think of it, we all just forgot about the fries…they never asked me for any so they were left in the bread basket.” WOW. Talk about out of sight, out of mind. I think that is an important lesson for all of us. Even we adults are tempted with our eyes when a meal is presented to us at a restaurant. And french fries are just one of those items that you tend to overeat because they are bite sized and easy to pick at and before you know it you it you are stuffed and totally regret it. But Orlando taught me a huge lesson on Sunday. REMOVE THE TEMPTATION QUICK. FOCUS ON THE GOOD STUFF. And if after its all said and done, you still have room or desire for the french fries….then have some. But I’m sure you’ll eat a lot less of them than you would have at first impulse when they arrived.

Funny thing about my 4 year old Orly. Before arriving at the restaurant we had walked in to a bakery just to keep warm and stay away from the rain while we waited for my aunt and uncle. Orly’s little eyes were looking at all the treats and he wanted something sweet. When we were leaving the bakery, he whined and said…”I don’t want real food, I want a chocolate cookie.” So I said to him: “Orly, after you eat your lunch, I promise I’ll let you have a cookie…but you can’t have one right now.” Well, once we were at the table, one would have thought that the french fry temptation would have trumped the cookie desire…but it didn’t happen. Orly finished his burrito, looked me straight in the face and said “ok mom, now I want my cookie.” Promises are promises so we ordered a chocolate chip cookie ice cream thing we saw on the kids menu and had the boys split it. They loved it! My point is….i’m not advocating that you can’t treat the kids or let them splurge. But moderation is important for all of us. And in this case, the treat Orly “really” wanted was the cookie. But had we left those fries on his plate, that would have become his focus…and he still would’ve asked for the cookie. So at least I was able to feed him a good meal, offer him the cookie afterwards, and avoid one bad food. As far as I’m concerned, it was a successful lunch for the Rodriguez family!

Cheers to good choices!