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Not Your Average Jersey Diner

Here’s another post I’ve been meaning to write for a while, but never seemed to have the time. Well, with Spring Break here and no new module to work on, now is the time.

A little while back I was invited to join my friend, her mom and sister for a late lunch. They decided to give me my first (and certainly not last) taste of a unique Jersey diner that they had fallen in love with. I know, unique and diner don’t really seem to go together do they? The Americana Diner in East Windsor, NJ however is just that. Most diners are so cookie cutter with their burgers, salads, soups and huge shiny desserts when you walk in the door. Instead of that over the top dessert case, this is what you see when you are waiting to be seated.

Yep, that’s a display case of fresh fruits and vegetables. Not kidding. I all but rubbed my eyes in disbelief. It is the perfect introduction to this amazing eatery. The menu boasts grass-fed beef, free range chicken and locally sourced produce when available. There are so many healthy options to add to your meal that if there wasn’t a sign outside saying it was a diner, you’d never believe it. From roasted beet salad to cauliflower mac and cheese for the kids. I had a the Napa Valley Burger without a bun and a side of Garlic Mushrooms in Truffle Oil. Though I only had water with my meal, there are fresh squeezed juices available. Oh yes, for the non-gluten intolerant, there is a fresh baked loaf of bread and real butter delivered to the table to start the meal. It’s really quite lovely.

The bottom line is that this is definitely a place that I would recommend to my clients as a healthy dining out option. So please, if you are from New Jersey or planning a trip here in the future, make time to enjoy a refreshingly unique meal at The Americana Diner. You won’t regret it.

Check it out!

My blog has a fancy fresh new look! Along with the new theme, there is new content and a way to contact me with questions or even to set up a free health consultation. This makes me extremely giddy. So take a gander around the new set up and let me know what you think!

The Jena Kayne Interview

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Jena. Jena was troubled, unable to control her emotions. She was thought of as a “problem child” by her parents, teachers and doctors. It took years and a huge toll on her health, to get to the bottom of her real problem. For years she suffered from undiagnosed celiac disease. Now she is a 17 year old high school senior and I was lucky enough to speak to her and hear her story.

Me: Tell me a little bit about your childhood and what some of the challenges were that you faced.

Jena: Well I was usually very happy, but I acted out a lot. I got sick a lot and I would stay home from school. I didn’t like going to school. I was very aggressive and yelled. Acting out with my brother and parents, I was very physical. Which if you know me now, you know, not at all the way I am. I didn’t really know who I was, I didn’t know how to express myself. So it was hard, because it wasn’t me.

Me: Physically, did you feel off after you ate? Did you feel anything different, or did it just feel normal to you?

Jena: I think it really did just feel normal to me. When I was maybe 5, I was sent to the ER because they thought I had appendicitis. I had severe abdominal pain and then it went away within 2 days. That was actually how I was diagnosed 2 years ago. I was in the ER again with severe abdominal pain and it didn’t go away this time. So they finally reluctantly gave me the test for celiac disease and they said,”Maybe you should go see the GI doctor.” and from there I was diagnosed. I always had stomach aches and chronic headaches and we didn’t know what it was. There were a lot of headaches in middle school. I just didn’t feel right. I wasn’t really healthy.

Me: Did it effect your appearance in any way? Your skin, skin quality or your hair?

Jena: Not really. I was just pretty overweight. When I was little it was OK, but when I was in middle school, it got more intense. So now I’ve lost 35 or 40 pounds and I feel much better.

Me: Why do you think it took so long to be diagnosed?

Jena: I think my symptoms were so scattered and they didn’t all happen at the same time. Like, they thought the headaches were just light sensitivity or my mom gets migraines so they thought it was migraines. But it wasn’t that intense, nothing like what she has. And they didn’t really know about my anger and that the outbursts were a symptom. They just thought I was a troubled child.

Me: Did you have treatment for the outbursts and anger?

Jena: Yeah, I when to a psychiatrist that prescribed ADHD medication. Maybe 6th grade I think. Yeah, we worked a lot with that and ironically as soon as I was diagnosed with celiacs, I didn’t need to go anymore. Now I go every 6 months to get my medication refilled.

Me: So you’re still taking the ADHD medication?

Jena: Yeah, but we dropped it down. I do have some trouble concentrating in school, but it’s just who I am. I’m kind of all over the place. (Laughs)

Me: So, what would you say are some new challenges that you face now that you’ve had the diagnosis?

Jena: At first the diagnosis was very hard for me, especially dinner with my family. If they would have something that wasn’t gluten free and I had to have my gluten free pasta (because we hadn’t found any good brands yet) it was so disgusting and they were eating such delicious foods. That was hard. Or going out to restaurants and not being able to eat everything that I wanted to and them having a very small selection, or going to parties. I had to bring my own snacks and that was kind of weird. But it’s gotten a lot easier now. So, I’m kind of like, “Eh, whatever.”

Me: It’s getting better, the gluten free selection. I personally can not have wheat and it’s starting to move towards it being that I can’t have anything with gluten in it. So it is nice that you can get the better selection now.

Jena: What’s hard now is that I’m looking into colleges and I’ve had to check if they could accommodate me. It’s kind of stressful. So far it hasn’t hindered anything and I’ve gotten into the school that I want to go to. I’m glad because they can handle it, but the thought of me not being able to go to a certain college that I want to go to because they can’t accommodate my diet is… I never thought I’d have to think about that. I want to go to a school because I want to learn, not because I can eat there. But I’m going to school in New York and they are very aware. I’m going to be in Brooklyn.

Me: Congratulations, what are you going to major in?

Jena: Architecture.

Me: Wow! High five! (through the computer)

Jena: (Laughs)

Me: So, what kind of changes do you see in yourself in your daily life, now that you are taking a proactive approach to your health?

Jena: Well, I’m much healthier and I have a ton more energy. I walk like 5 miles a day. I love exercising. I didn’t use to. I have so much energy and I’m sleeping so well. I’m happy all the time. You’re never going to see me not smiling. I don’t act out anymore. I know how to deal with my feelings now. I don’t know if that’s just partly because I’m older, but definitely a lot of that was the celiacs. It changed a lot, I feel more… ME.

Me: How do you see your future now as compared to what it would have been without the diagnosis?

Jena: I think I’m a lot more spontaneous now, which is ironic because with celiacs it’s much harder to be spontaneous. It’s like, whatever happens happens, you know? I wasn’t as close to my mom and my dad as I am now, so that’s changed. I want to go to school closer to home, so I can be with them.

Me: Why do you think that is?

Jena: I think that I resented them a lot when I was younger. I thought that they were the reason that I was like I was. That they were causing all my anger. But now I know how to deal with it and we’re very close. It’s very nice.

Me: That’s so good to hear. Is there any advice you would give to other teenagers that are dealing with similar health issues? Somebody that might be feeling some of the same things that you were, but don’t know what’s happening to them.

Jena: Yeah, I would definitely say to advocate for yourself. With my mom, when I first started having the pain, she wasn’t sure if it was real pain, but maybe some subconscious thing. I took a couple of days to think about it and came back and said, “This is not subconscious, I’m feeling this.” Maybe if I hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t have gotten a diagnosis so quickly. And it was very important that I got the diagnosis when I did. You are going through what you’re going through and you need to advocate for yourself so that your parents know what’s going on and don’t minimize anything. You can put on a brave face, but you have to make sure that the doctor knows what your symptoms are. Tell them how much it hurts.

Me: Have you done a lot of research yourself or have you kind of left it in the doctor’s hands?

Jena: Well my parents both have their PhD’s in science and my mom is a nutritional scientist, so whenever a doctor tells us to do anything we do tons of research.

Me: You’re very lucky.

Jena: Yeah, my dad is very on top of things and my mom too.

Me: Well, that’s all the questions that I had, but I just want to say thank you so much. I think that your story is not going to help just teenagers and young women, but people of all ages who just go through this painful situation everyday. Some people who have celiacs don’t even have symptoms, so there’s no connection. If they don’t feel anything after they eat, they don’t know. It’s great that you have discovered this so early in your life and that you are able to control it now.

Jena: Yeah I’m very fortunate that it was a diagnosis, not like diabetes like my cousin has, where he’s dependent on insulin. It was just a diet change for me. It effected my life at the beginning, but now it’s just such a part of me I don’t even realize it. It’s been 2 years and a long road. This feels like the light at the end of the tunnel.

*I’d like to thank Jena’s parents for allowing me to interview their daughter and to publish the results on my blog.

http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/symptomsofceliacdisease/a/Silent-Celiac-Disease.htm

When and Where?

Another way that I am preparing for my March Challenge is by pinpointing just where and when all this exercise is going to be happening. So far this is my weekly fitness schedule.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

9am 10am 9am 7pm 9am 11am 10am

Mall Walk Just Dance Mall Walk Y w/friend Mall Walk Dance Party Yoga/lululemon

This weekend (the first of the challenge) I will be in NYC for a 2 day conference for school. Therefore the dance party and yoga will be replaced by walking to and from Lincoln Center from the Port Authority bus terminal. I’m also leaving things open a bit to switch up what form of exercise I’ll be doing each day depending on my mood. How are you fitting your goal into your schedule?

In preparation

I’m getting ready for next month’s challenge by narrowing down exactly which exercises will fit in to my schedule. I’ve come up with some good possibilities that I think I will enjoy.

1. Fast walking at the mall in the morning while pushing the stroller.

2. Dance parties with the kids after school.

3. Yoga

4. Joining a friend at the Y, using some of her guest passes.

I’ve got the beginnings of a good list. I just need to fill in a couple of blanks and then actually find openings in my schedule for them.

What ways can you work your March Challenge in to your life?

March Challenge Accepted!

Hello, gentle readers. I am creating a little challenge for myself for the month of March and I hope that you will join me. I would love to have some support along the way as well as spread some good motivational juju to my readers.

So here’s the deal. This week (the last week of February) is the prep week. I will be preparing myself to take on my personal challenge in a way that will fit into my daily life and not create too much crazy. Each day this week I’ll be thinking and writing down the best and easiest ways to make this challenge really happen. Then on March first, the challenge begins.

What’s my challenge? Finding a way to schedule exercise into my day, every day. This will be a major accomplishment for me since I have never been an athletic person. I mean never, ever. Exercise has always been a side note for me, not a integral part of my life. I want to change all of that if I can, by cementing it into my schedule.

So, are you with me? It doesn’t matter what your personal challenge is. It could be drinking more water everyday, giving up coffee or as grand as starting to train for a marathon. Whatever it is, we’ll be in it together and keeping each other on track. I’ll be posting my progress here, on facebook and on Twitter. I’d love to hear how you are doing with it too!

Oops!

I totally forgot to officially announce the winner of my Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate Hearts giveaway here on Enlightened Nourishment. Congratulations again to Debra Pearlstein!! Thank you to everyone that entered and made my first giveaway a smashing success. It was a lot of fun for me and very gratifying to giveaway a superior product from a fantastic company. Thanks again everyone!

Take a good look.

I’ve learned quite a bit about myself in these past few months. Some good, some not as good. It’s all part of the process, learning our strengths and weaknesses.

Some positive things:

I can handle a much bigger work load than I ever thought possible.

I absolutely 100% love my chosen profession of being a health coach.

I am highly adaptive to an ever changing life.

I have surrounded myself with the most supportive and loving people any human could hope for.

Some not so positive things:

My psyche kind of crumbles when my home is in disarray.

My focus on school and my career have definitely taken it’s toll on my parenting skills.

I wasn’t as healthy as I thought I was going in to this certification course.

As cool as I thought I was with my past, it can still pop up and throw me in to a tail spin.

If life is a journey, my passport has been decorated with lots of brightly colored stamps lately. What’s your passport look like?

Want to win some chocolate?

Life is like a box of chocolates. Luckily, this time you know exactly what you’re going to get. Delicious organic dark chocolate from a company that cares about the environment, farmers and it’s customers. My Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate Hearts giveaway has begun! Visit my facebook page for details on how to win this awesome prize for your Valentine or yourself. Good luck to all of my readers! Xoxo

My First Giveaway!!

I am celebrating Valentine’s Day this year by sharing my love of chocolate with one lucky reader. My very favorite chocolate in the world is from an amazing company called Equal Exchange. They sell fairly traded organic chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tea and bananas to the world. They make sure that the environment and the farmers are cared for with the respect that they are due. They love what they do and spread that love to the consumer. I’d like to follow suite by giving away one box of their yummy organic dark chocolate hearts. The giveaway starts tomorrow (2/13/14) on the Enlightened Nourishment facebook page. If you’d love to be that special person that receives this delectable treat, follow the simple steps to enter the raffle. Good Luck! Xoxo

The Attention They Deserve

I am always happy to promote praise worthy businesses in my area. One such business is a brand new restaurant that just opened in the past month called, The Farmer and the Chickpea. They are located at 404 S. Main Street in Manville, NJ. It’s a tiny place set inside of a nondescript brick building, but the food and personal warmth they serve up is anything but tiny.

When you open the door to this humble little place, you are immediately welcomed with a “Hey, how are ya?” and the gorgeous aromas of the day’s specials. It definitely has the feel of a rustic Italian nook of a cafe. There’s a menu you can order from, as well a full case of display dishes to show all of their made to order options of the day. Hot dishes such as chicken chili, quiche with quinoa crust and mac and cheese. Bright green and fresh as can be salads, to which you can add their signature baked chickpeas or grilled chicken. The potato wedges and baked kale chips are To. Die. For.

The two women that own the place are sweet, funny and completely delightful. All of the ingredients are gathered from local sources (when possible) and many are organic. The cook is Italian and studied at an Italian cooking school, so you know what that means. Lots of garlic, olive oil and love go in to this food. The servings are tremendous. I mean, they make Jersey diner servings look like those of a fru fru french restaurant. You can easily serve a family of four with a main dish and 2 sides. In fact this past Saturday, I stopped in to pick up dinner for my family of 4 and a friend. I chose the chicken chili, tomato basil quinoa fritters and potato wedges with kale chips. The entire meal cost me $24 and was enough to feed us all for dinner and then have leftovers for my lunch on Sunday and again for my breakfast this morning! You can’t beat the economic and health benefits of dining here or taking it to go. First, everything is bought and cooked fresh. That seems to be incredibly rare nowadays. Plus, there are loads of vegetarian options as well as enough gluten free options to keep me as a repeat customer.

I will definitely be recommending The Farmer and the Chickpea to my clients and friends. This is certainly one of the healthiest options for a night out or a take home meal for your family. I am so glad that there is another go-to place for those nights that I don’t want to cook, but don’t want the same old pizza or Chinese. You can also catch them at various farmer’s markets around the state during the warmer months. Please visit their website http://www.thefarmerandthechickpea.com/index.html, like them on facebook and if you are in the area and hungry, have one of the best meals you’ve had in a long time.

Oh, That’s Pinteresting!

Hey kids, it’s been a hectic few weeks here at Enlightened Nourishment headquarters. Lots of snow days, runny noses, homework, writing and filming. This morning I decided that it had been way too long since I’d updated my blog and kept you in the loop as to what I’ve been up to.

Some truly lovely things are filling up my life lately. I have 3 wonderful health coaching clients that are working their tails off trying to improve their lives, one step at a time. Each individual session that I have with them, brings new discoveries for both client and coach. I can’t express how much I love this work. Together, we set goals and week after week, continue to reach them! I am so proud of them all. It takes a courageous person to look at their life and say, it’s time for a change. It takes an even stronger person to take the steps to actually make that change. So this is me saying, “Woo hoo!!”.

My book is coming along slowly, but surly. It is a no nonsense guide to how to feed yourself and your children, creating a healthier future. Thankfully, I haven’t been short on inspiration so far. My husband and kids have been the best source of data for me. Three men with very different tastes and temperaments. My husband, a life long picky eater. My oldest, a good eater, but a dawdler. My youngest, is finicky to say the least.

Also, school is still filling my brain with so much new knowledge, that I feel it may pop. Big, scary knowledge. We are well into the business end of becoming a health coach. This is a scary area for me. Nutrition comes easy to me, the money end of it definitely does not. Going in to this program, I wanted to save the world one person at a time. Of course, I knew that I also needed to eventually charge people for this help. On top of learning how to get paid what I’m worth, I am learning how to market my business to get an edge over my competitors. This is so not me. Before I started school, I pictured myself magically having lots of clients that would somehow just transfer money into my account without me asking or even talking about the “M” word. In reality, it’s incredibly hard for me to put a monetary value on what I do. I want everyone to be able to afford my services, but I also need to make ends meet. In the end, I have decided on a rate that is slightly higher than I am comfortable with, but lower than the “going rate” for health coaches. Blech, money talk.

Lastly, I had taken a rest from pinning for quite a while. I found it to be a big sucker of my time. However, I have found a new and wonderful use for Pinterest. I created a board called “Nourishments” specifically for my clients to follow. It’s full of recipes, food prep ideas, exercises and inspirations. Sure, anyone can follow it, and I hope that they do. But this way, if a client is stuck in a dinner rut or in need of a new workout routine, this can be their go to page. Go ahead, take a gander at the “Nourishments” board and let me know what you think!

Know your MSG

If you are someone that suffers from chronic migraines or high blood pressure, you should be aware that consuming MSG is a major trigger for both of these conditions. It’s not enough to check that there is no monosodium glutamate listed on the box or bag you just picked up. MSG goes by many different names. Here is list of some of the aliases that the food industry tries to slide past us, never mind the health risks.

-Hydrolyzed protein
-Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
-Sodium caseinate
-Yeast extract
-Hydrolyzed oat flour
-Yeast nutrient
-Autolyzed yeast
-Textured vegetable protein
-Calcium caseinate
-Yeast food

But did you also know that MSG can be hiding in harmless looking words (spices, seasoning, artificial flavors, natural flavors and flavoring)?

Basically, the only way to tell if you are getting MSG free food is to either not buy anything that comes in a package or make sure that each ingredient is clearly listed. For example, if the box lists the spices it contains (salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil…) go for it. If it literally says “spices” in the ingredient list, skip it!

Wow!

What an amazing weekend this has been! The inspiration alone has been groundbreaking. My present and future have opened up to me like a gorgeous, vibrant lotus flower. This has never really happened for me before. To see my year laid out so clearly and to feel so sure about every step that I will be taking, it’s an incredible endorphin rush. I’m trying to not be too obnoxious about it with my husband. I don’t want to overwhelm him with my giddiness, but it’s so hard to hold it in.

First, there will be my vlog series that will be featured here and on YouTube. That will be starting up within the next couple of months. Then there is the knowledge that by the end of this summer I will be a certified health coach, able to lead clients to their own brighter future. And most recently, I have begun writing my first book! This is perhaps the scariest and most exciting of all my goals for this year.

I am embracing that fear and turning it into exilhiration and drive. By stepping outside of my comfort zone, I am able to reach new heights that I never dreamed could be possible! Being a published author has always been on my bucket list, but until now, it never felt realistic. Now it’s more of a need to get my message out in to the world, to create a ripple in the sea of collective consciousness. See, told you I was giddy.

Lastly, when logging in to write this post, I was greeted by a notice that traffic to my blog has exploded beyond anything it’s had before. Now, I’m not one to usually care or even notice how many views I get a day. I like to stay grounded and write because I love to write. However, I must admit that seeing the stats today gave me a rush of pride and a renewed conviction for my life’s direction.

So, thank you everyone for making a glorious weekend even brighter. I hope that you are feeling even a fraction of the excitement for life that fills me today.

I’d love to hear what is new and good in your life that is making you feel like dancing today!

New and Good

One of the first questions that we are taught to ask while training to become a health coach is, “So, what’s new and good with you?”. It starts the conversation off on a positive note. It gets the client thinking about accomplishments and blessings in their life, as apposed to all the things that they feel are dragging them down. Though I’m not one to follow a script while meeting a new client, this question feels like a great way to start a coaching session.

So, what’s new and good with me? Everyone in my little family is relatively healthy and happy. I have completed the first quarter of my health coach certification. I recently quit my part time job in order to spend more time with my family in New York and concentrate more on my future career. My family and circle of friends is filled with smart, talented, hilarious and incredibly creative people that enrich my life daily.

What’s new and good with this blog? Well, the look is new and I think that’s good. This theme is a bit more simple and sleek looking than what it was previously. The other thing that I’m getting pretty excited about, is that I am planning to do a weekly vlog. I will be answering your questions (one or two a week) relating to nutrition and general health concerns. So, if you have a question for me, please e-mail it to enlightenednourishment@gmail.com. If I don’t answer your question here, I will respond by e-mail. Please limit your questions to health and nutrition. I can’t tell you if that mole looks weird or why your friend has daddy issues. See disclaimer below.

*I’m not a doctor (or a certified health coach yet), but I do know bucket loads of information related to these topics. The answers I give to your questions will be meant as suggestions or opinion only and are not to replace a doctor’s treatment.*

That’s it for today, kids. Can’t wait to hear from you and start vlogging. See you soon!!

The Religion of Food

Being a student again is amazing. I love being in a program that is so well rounded. I will be learning over a hundred different nutritional theories as well as learning how to become an effective certified health coach. It’s only been a little over two weeks and I feel like I’ve already learned so much. Most recently I’ve learned that to be a good health coach, one needs to just get over themselves.

The goal of a health coach is to guide the client in finding their best way of nourishing themselves. Each individual has their own needs nutritionally. They may have a history or family history of heart disease, diabetes, anemia, cancer, hypertension or thyroid issues to name a few. Ethnic background plays an important roll as well. So to guide someone in the direction of your own personal nutritional beliefs is misguided and potentially harmful to your client. The goal is to listen to the person in front of you and encourage them to listen to themselves to reach the best version of themselves. Not another version of you.

I’ve been witnessing several heated debates in the online discussion groups for my fellow classmates. One person will bring up a topic such as: How anyone can advise a client to get their protein from an animal source, when it is so clearly wrong and cruel to do so? Yes, this is a topic that is going to ruffle some feathers. Yes, there are people that have gone from meat eater to vegetarian and back again (myself included). For the most part though, people (especially health nuts like myself) have uber strong opinions on what is the best way to eat. However, forcing these opinions onto others won’t work as a health coach. If the goal is to turn everyone on the planet in to a vegan raw food-ist, you might want to consider a new career. The same goes for any other heart felt nutritional belief. It’s not about you anymore, it’s about that one person in front of you that is absolutely desperate to be healthy. That’s what we are signing on for.

The other day I was discussing this with a couple of friends and the connection was made that nutrition is like a religion to many people. They think they have the one true way of eating and everyone else just hasn’t found the “Truth” yet. Not to get too down on organized religion, but there have been a lot of wars and death in the name of “I’m right, you’re wrong”. The key is to respect the views of others and maybe try to find a common ground if possible. Get down off your veggie crate or stack of porter house steaks and try to look outside yourself and into the eyes of the person in front of you.

Why Nutrition is the New Religion! (triampressblog.com)
Calling for an End to Nutrition as Religion (health.usnews.com)
Raw Food Diet – Can Increasing Raw Food In Your Diet Benefit You? (quickhealthtips.connectpdq.com)

Back To School

Today I started my new journey to become a certified health coach. I’ve finally begun my online courses at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. They have started us out nice and easy as to not scare us away with a heavy work load all at once, but we’ve been assured that very soon we will very busy little health nuts. We’ve been advised that we should consider ourselves to be entering medical school. Tell friends and family that they won’t be seeing as much of us and that we won’t have as much free time for social engagements as we use to. This is both scary and exciting to think about. This has been my dream for so long that I do want to go all in. Now, I just need the courage and stamina to get it done and come out the other side ready to inspire others.

Last week I created a daily schedule for myself so that I can stay on track and get everything done. Cooking, child rearing, car pooling, studying, exercise, meditation and yes, the occasional social engagement. Today got off to a bit of a rocky start as just at the beginning of it I learned that a dear friend’s mother passed away. It threw me. I lost my footing for a couple of hours as I have known and loved this family for 20 years. As I did eventually get back to my tightly made schedule, she and my friend remained constantly in my thoughts. I was able to get a large chunk of this week’s module done and have determined how much time I will need to dedicate to the remaining assignment.

Other than mourning my friend’s loss, I am feeling pretty solid about today. To all the children and adults going back to school this fall I say, stay focused. There will always be outside forces that can easily knock you off course. Just remember what your goal is. My goal is to graduate a year from now with more nutritional knowledge and a greater ability to guide others to a longer, happier life.

Palm to the head.

Tonight, I made tacos for dinner. For the first time. Ever.

If this sounds ridiculous to you, it should. I’m kicking myself for never thinking of doing it before. I’m always trying to think of the most creative, nutritious well rounded meal to feed my family. I never thought tacos would fit the bill. But when my son told me how much he loved the tacos at my mother in-law’s house, I knew I should give “healthy” tacos a shot.

What are healthy tacos? Well to me, it just means using great fresh ingredients instead of the pre-seasoned packages. I don’t really do recipes, I mostly just rely on my sense of smell and knowledge of flavor combinations and start throwing the spices together. It almost always works.

So I made some pretty awesome tacos out of fresh, local and mostly organic ingredients. The family loved and devoured them all, so there are no pretty pictures to show. I will list the ingredients below if you’d like to give my version a shot.

What it comes down to is this, I now know what countless parents have known for years. You can’t go wrong with tacos. Tonight after dinner, my older son suggested that every Thursday be Taco Night. I’m cool with that.

1 pound local pasture raised ground beef
1 small red onion diced
3 cloves garlic sliced
4 tablespoons homemade tomato sauce (roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, green bell peppers puréed)
1/2 cup small broccoli florets

Salt, white pepper, chili powder, turmeric and cumin to taste

Brown the beef then add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is tender. Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, turmeric, chili powder and cumin. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add broccoli florets and cook for 5 more minutes.

I used the Garden of Eatin’ yellow corn taco shells made with organic corn. They were fantastic. For toppings I set out Wegman’s organic medium salsa, plain whole milk yogurt and shredded Mexican blend cheese from Organic Valley. Since the taco mix already had broccoli, I didn’t feel the need to add shredded lettuce.

Settling back in.

Hey there! Last week was… just what I needed. Being away from my normal life for an entire week was fantastically relaxing and a huge stress reducer. I camped with a totally new group of people (Clan Blue Feather) in a “no kids allowed” camp. I don’t think I need to tell you that for a SAHM this was a bit of paradise. Of course I love my children and would die for them blah blah blah… but come on! Everyone needs and deserves a vacation once in a while! I ate when and what I wanted. I drank alcohol without the nervous guilt of needing to be a responsible parent. I stayed up late, knowing that there would be no 6:30 am “Mama!” wake up call. It was heavenly.

Aaaaaand now I’m back. I’m glad to be back with my lovies, knowing that they missed me terribly and I indeed missed them. We are slowly getting back to our regular schedule, with one major difference. I have loads more patience than I did before vacation. I have more compassion and understanding too. Being not so quick to jump down their throats for the slightest naughtiness, has made a huge difference for all of us. I said it last week and I’ll say it again. It makes me a better parent.

Being away also gave me time to think about my goals for the next few months. School will be starting in a month for both my son and me. Big changes and challenges are coming and I know this time away gave me a more solid foundation to accomplish what needs to be done. Trying to get my school work, house work, child care responsibility done while dealing with all of my pent up stress would make every single thing that much harder.

So today I am thankful. Thankful that I have an amazingly supportive husband that gives me a break every year. Thankful that I can afford to take a week away to myself. Thankful that the people I camped with were so welcoming and now consider me one of their own. Thankful that I now feel ready to take on the next phase of my life with confidence and renewed energy. I know how fortunate I am and I try my best to take none of this for granted.

Rekindling the fire

Another type of nourishment.

One of the many sources of nourishment that I will be learning and talking about this year is that which comes from caring for yourself. Being a stay at home parent brings days that are filled with amazement at your child’s growth, laughter, snuggles, dance parties, new adventures and so much more. It also brings frustration, stress, anger, sadness and a general feeling of being burnt out. It’s the greatest job in the world and the hardest at the same time. The love from your child verses the endless meal planning. The pride in raising a kind, generous child verses reminder after reminder to “PUT YOUR SHOES ON!”.

As a result of all the ups and downs and burnt out feelings that come with the full time parenting, I choose to take one week out of each year to care for myself. I go away. Far, far away. My husband takes the week off from his job and stays home with the children. Yes ladies, I realize how very lucky I am. He’s wonderful with the kids and I trust that everyone will be breathing when I return home. This week is my therapy, my reboot. Without it I become Monster Mama half way through the year. I truly feel that every stay at home parent needs and deserves a week away to refresh themselves and maintain an even temper with their children.

I’ve found that after my vacation, I can’t wait to see those little smiling faces. I am filled with renewed energy for my husband, children and myself. It also gives my husband a better appreciation for everything I do for the family every day as well as giving him time he wouldn’t normally have with his kids.

This year, I am going camping in western Pennsylvania at Pennsic (a two week long medieval reenactment gathering). I’m not a reenactor myself, but I love the environment there. It’s beautiful, quiet, relaxed and because of elevation, a few degrees cooler than it is in central New Jersey. Everything is slower there and although there are children around, there are none that need any care from me. So, starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be on my yearly one week vacation. I most likely won’t be posting anything here, but may be able to share photos and short updates on my facebook page. If you haven’t “Liked” Enlightened Nourishment on facebook already, please do.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Don’t forget, nourishment doesn’t just come from food.

What is enlightened nourishment? (enlightenednourishment.com)

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