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My Plant-Based Family

Feeding My Family a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet, On a Budget

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Next Step Challenge

Oh Poo!

August 9, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Yes that is right POO! Poop, excrement, stool, feces, (insert other inappropriate words) or whatever you prefer. In our house poo seems a little less scary when your 3 year old starts yelling it in a crowded room. Don’t worry that is as provocative as it’s gonna get, I think. Yesterday I saw someone in a Plant-based/vegan Facebook group mentioned how much more regular her family is, especially her kids who are going through a ton more diapers everyday. Oh honey, I can sympathize. Until just a few months ago I had two Plant-Strong Pooping Machines in diapers. Thankfully the 3 year old is (mostly) done with diapers. My 1 year old still turns our 2-4 poopy diapers in a typically morning, ah the good life of a diaper changing momma.

We talk about poop a lot at my house. What can I say, I have little boys . Besides, poop is an interesting subject. My three year old is constantly talking about how big, how much, what color, what shape and what he sees in it. He also talks though not getting it on his clothes, the floor, his hands, and the lights, I’m not sure why that one ALWAYS comes up but it does.

In my early 20s I had a friend who sold a line of  supplements and one was a probiotic. During the sales demonstration they talked about how some people, especially women would go days to a week without having bowel movements. Of course I saw no problem with that, who wanted to poo more? Wasn’t I silly?

My Pooping Habits (Feel free to skip this part)

I wasn’t regular until my first pregnancy. Wow, what a relief, I looked forward to that moment of the day. After going plant-based things really took off. You will often hear plant-based eaters talk about feeling lighter, that is because they are having multiple bowel movements a day and their food is digesting faster. Meat and oil both slow down digestion, if you eliminate those from your diet you will process your food faster. My “potty times” are typically quicker and cleaner than they used to be, there is no struggling because things are moving well.

Start Reading Again 🙂

Beans and grains along with a variety of fruit and veggies will help anyone wanting to “lighten up” and be more regular. I can tell when I eat something that is not so good for me because my digestion slows down. Imagine your digestive track like a highway. Vehicles move toward their destination at various speeds but they are essentially going the same direction. Some cars are fast, others are bigger but slower, and some just cause problems. During rush hour there are more cars but they are moving slower, other times of day there are fewer cars traveling quicker. Get the picture?

I imagine some things like fruit to be like sports cars or motorcycles, moving quickly. Bigger cars and small trucks are like some veggies, while larger trucks are like higher fiber foods. Occasionally there are hiccups or events that cause backups on the road. To much traffic, barricades, an accident that everyone has to stop to look at. Several months ago while driving the highway was closed, a semi with hazardous chemicals had collided with another vehicle. Both sides of our divided highway was closed for hours. If I went out and ordered fried chicken my digestive system would respond in a similar fashion, complete closure. Even now if we go out to eat and my food is cooked with oil I can fill the “traffic” slow down.

Please don’t hold the above example to scientific or medical scrutiny, it is just a picture to make a point. The food we eat isn’t really racing to the finish, it is getting mixed up and broken down together.

Everytime I change my 1 year olds diaper the 3 year old likes to see the poo, he talks all about it. It goes like this, “I need to see his poo” so I show him the diaper. He then says, “wow, that’s a lot of poo” then in an almost desperate voice he exclames, “it’s on his bottom.” He then talks about other “parts” but that is a subject for another day.

Another important part of the pooping process is water. You need to drink plenty of water for all of your bodily processes to work the way they were designed, pooping is no different. Water will help flush toxins and waste out of your system. If you are not having regular bowel movements you may really be full of poop, no offense!

Some people need probiotics to get their digestive system healthy. All probiotics are not created equally. I am not an expert on them so I wont recommend any specific type.

The moral of the story: Pooping is Good! More pooping is usually better!

Happy pooing!

Filed Under: Life with Kids, Uncategorized Tagged With: Healthy, healthy-living, Plant Based Diet, poop, Vegan

Gratituesday: My Girl is Back

August 7, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Since I started blogging in January our three “big kids” have lived with their mom. That wasn’t always the case. Until a year ago the kids lived with us. When my husband and I got married 7 years ago the kids were 6, 8, and 10. I had already been a part of their lives for a couple of years.

I love those guys.

Now, a year after moving to their mom’s our daughter is moving back home with us. I cannot tell you how happy I am about this. The term “squealing in delight” is a huge understatement. I wont go into all of the who’s, how’s, and why’s but God has answered our prayers.

Our teenage sons will still live with their mom. Our “big kids” have a very close bond and I know it was hard for my daughter to move away from her brothers. She is so brave.

 

Our daughter is…

Beautiful

Loving

Thoughtful

Hilarius

Inspiring

Crazy

I love her!

You may be wondering (or not) where this puts us on the healthy eating front. Our daughter hasn’t completely embraced plant-based eating but she does want to eat healthy. She has been very receptive to the way we eat, and she doesn’t make a big deal if she doesn’t like something.

I’m so thankful for her! She blesses us daily! What are you thankful for today?

Filed Under: Life with Kids Tagged With: Gratituesday

Meal Plan Monday: Eating On Purpose

August 6, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

“You wake up in the morning then what do you do? Do you do anything for yourself?”

I was asked this question last week and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since then. Most of the time I’m reacting or playing catch up. I have a 3 and a 1 year old that I stay home with, that mean’s I’m on crisis management duty all day. I’m very blessed to stay home with them but I’m not always intentional about how I spend my time.

My kids want to eat all the time, especially when they first see me. Basically they equate me with food. Sometimes if I’m out my husband will feed them. They will eat for a nice long time then go play. When I walk in the door they come running, “Mommy Mommy Mommy” followed by “Eat Eat Eat”! Does that happen to you?

On weekdays when my husband is working he usually leaves before the rest of us wake up (it is summer after all). My boys want to eat immediately. If it’s super early I make them wait as long as possible. That is usually about 30 minutes but sometimes an hour. I’ll give them a handful of cereal while I cook oatmeal or they will have something quick like toast or fruit. If I’m on top of things I’ll eat with them but sometimes I’m just not quick enough. I’ll use the time they are busy eating to do something important like go to the restroom (BY MY SELF) or start laundry, talk to my husband on the phone, or empty the dish washer. Then they get busy playing (so I think) and I make breakfast for myself. Whatever I make gets shared with them. It is almost impossible for me to eat anything by my self.

Since my breakfast gets stolen shared with my kiddos I don’t always get enough, but I also get busy. I’ll go a long time without eating again some days. Other days I eat again an hour or two later. Lunch time turns into a similar ordeal. Some afternoons I find my self really hungry and realized I’ve only eaten a tiny bit of food all day as I’ve run around. Dinner time is better because we all eat together as a family.

This week I want to eat on purpose. That will require a little more planning than I’ve been doing lately. When we first began eating plant-based I put a lot of effort into having plenty of prepared foods in my fridge ready to go. These days I haven’t been doing a very good job of it, I’ve gotten complacent. I want the food I eat to fuel my body, not merely “fill me up” for a while. I want what I eat to have a purpose and truly benefit my body. Eating foods that might taste good but doesn’t really benefit me needs to be a thing of the past.

I do better when I have beans and grains on hand. Throughout this week I want to cook some beans, grains, and baked potatoes for quick meals. It is also important to have a good supply of fruit and veggies. Our supply is very low. I would have to be very creative to make anything interesting with what I have available. I haven’t done my normal grocery shopping for the week but I hope too soon.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will be toast with nut butter and fruit, bagels, oatmeal, or breakfast quinoa.

Lunch will be leftovers, baked potatoes, sandwich wraps, noodles with homemade sauce, bean and grain bowl, etc.

Snack will be fruit, fruit and spinach smoothies, hummus and raw veggies, muffins, etc.

Dinner is more of a challenge right now. For the other meals I make food for the little boys and my teenagers eat from whatever is available. At dinner time I make one meal, there is sometimes different options like we all eat baked potatoes but you can top it with chili or with steamed veggies. I really appreciated all of the advice and encouragement last week on Meal Plan Monday. I still haven’t had a chance to respond to everyone but I hope to do so soon.

This week I would I hope to have Southwest Chopped Salad featuring BBQ Chickpeas, Stir Fry (My 13 year olds LEAST favorite food), Three Bean Chili, Rice and Veggie Casserole (this has gone over very well the last few weeks) and Breakfast for Dinner with whole wheat pancakes and gluten-free pancakes.

All of these dishes are tasty and require very little hands on time, the pancakes will take the most but they are quick and easy snacks for little hands. These meals also do take a lot of special ingredients, most of them I normally have on hand.

What are you eating this week? Do you eat on purpose or just reactively eat?

Filed Under: Life with Kids, Meal Plan Monday Tagged With: Baked Potatoes, Dairy Free, Frugal, gluten free, Healthy, Meal Plans, Menu Plan, Planning, Plant Based Diet, Unprocessed, Vegan, Vegan Chili

Enough is Enough

August 1, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Enough is enough! If you haven’t seen “Forks Over Knives” you need to order Netflix, Amazon Prime, go buy the DVD or find a friend who has already done one of those things. I don’t know if you can be completely convinced that a Plant-Based Diet is the healthiest way to eat until you watch that movie or read from some of the authors presented in it. I’m serious! Make plans to watch it today!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/embed/O7ijukNzlUg]

I know a lot of really great people who think they are making good choices regarding their health but sadly they are not. Most of us have been taught that 3 servings of dairy and “lean” meat are the way to health; can I boldly disagree. We are looking at a health crisis; obesity, heart-disease, diabetes, and many cancers are completely preventable if you eat the right things. Alternatively, they are almost guaranteed if you eat what the Standard American Diet.

I am normally not so outspoken on this topic. I prefer to encourage and equip others to eat better. When I hear about strokes, heart attacks, cancer in my family and friends my heart breaks and I wonder if I should have spoken up, I should have grabbed them my the shoulders, looked them eyes and plead with them. So now I’m doing that to you. My hands are on your shoulders, I’m looking you square in the eyes, please…enough is enough, it’s time to save your life, it’s time to save your family’s life, let me help.

I hope I don’t offend any of you but sometimes a little offense can help spur change.

I love you my friends and I so appreciate all of you who read this blog. You encourage me daily. Thank you!

Filed Under: How to, Uncategorized Tagged With: Dairy Free, Forks Over Knives, Healthy, Plant Based Diet, Vegan

Gratituesday: In Good Times and Bad Times

July 31, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Life changes so fast. All it takes is one phone call, and we’ve had two calls in the last few days.

We have also experienced great hope and joy in another area of our lives. We saw prayers answered in a very real way.

In all things I am grateful that I don’t have to face them alone. I am thankful that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” Psalm 46:1. You see for 1 year my husband and I have been praying (and believing) for a situation; in the last week we have seen our prayers being answered and once again we are humbled.

Just a few months ago I was sitting in a hospital room with a mother whose heart was breaking. I held her and prayed over her and her daughter and their family. In the days and weeks that followed I saw a miraculous recovery.

I choose to trust God in the good times and the bad times. It is not always easy; it sometimes seems impossible.

A year ago I was very sick. I had been praying for healing, for answers, for relief. In the midst of hopelessness I heard a still, small voice that said, “Will you serve Me even if I don’t heal you?” I can tell you I didn’t answer right away. I thought about it for a long time. With tears I prayed, “Yes LORD, I will serve you even if You don’t heal me.”

That moment was a milestone in my life. It was also a very special, intimate moment that I am surprise I’m even sharing. My devotion cannot be determined by my level of comfort, absence of pain, or any other thing. God is worthy, he is my Helper, my Strength, my Provider, my Healer,  my Refuge, and my ever present help in time of trouble.

So for my friend Elizabeth and my grandmother Doris I utter desperate prayers for you. For all of you reading I implore you to do the same. Their world’s were forever changed last week.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSTaVmDQP5s]

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Gratituesday, prayer, spirituality

Meal Plan Monday: Feeding Teenagers is Hard

July 30, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

 

A few weeks in and I’m still attempting to feed my teenagers. I say attempting because they are not super enthusiastic about our plant-based eating. I take my hat off to all of you who have successfully transitioned your teenagers (or unwilling husbands) to a healthy diet. Since we only have 6 weeks with our “big kids” and they are not really on board there is only so much I can do.

I think a lot of it is a mental game with them. I have cooked a few not so healthy meals that they think are healthy so they don’t like them. Does that make sense? The older kids are definitely more open to healthy eating than the youngest of the teenagers. I used to make spaghetti with ground beef in a red sauce (often I’d add veggies too); I made a delicious meal of organic pasta and red sauce with mushrooms, onions, and diced tomatoes. I don’t care what they say it was delish!

Some of the time I try to cater to their taste too much then I find myself not eating as well as I should. I have decided to fuel my body with nutritious food that I enjoy and if they don’t want it they can probably find something they can eat. I have been buying a lot more cereal than normal and even some granola bars.

There have been some successes too. Today our oldest said they broccoli I steamed was the best he had ever had. Our daughter enjoyed some broccoli in a millet based casserole and she doesn’t usually like broccoli. I expect more of these instances along the way.

When we eat out we try to find places where we can all get something we like. That is tougher than it sounds especially when we are in a hurry and need to feed my gluten-free toddler. The places I like to eat are a little more expensive than I’m used too, of course I’m not used to feeding 7 people for each meal. We got take out from one of my favorite places, Pita Jungle, one evening and the big kids didn’t like it. Lucky for me my daughter ordered the Spicy Black Bean Burger which I love! One son ordered nachos so we had to toss them because they had cheese and I don’t touch that stuff. We have also gone to Chipotle which worked out well because I got a meatless meal and they were able to order what they wanted.

I hope I don’t sound like a whiner because I am really HAPPY that they are here. I just want to be real with you all because I’ve had several people write to me about the difficulty they have feeding their kids healthy food. You are not alone my friends, you are not alone.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will be cereal (I refuse to buy cow’s milk), oatmeal, cream of wheat, or toast.

Lunch is often leftovers (I cook extra for this), an easy pasta dish, or sandwiches.

Snack is fruit, hummus and veggies, or other quick items that will tide us over until dinner.

Dinner is where I try to focus on more veggies and whole grains. This week we will have Pasta, a Rice and Veggie casserole, Lentils either as part of a bean burger or perhaps Mexican food and Chickpeas that I cooked this morning. I know of three busy nights already this weeks so I don’t have an official plan. I also have tomatoes, Portobello’s, and cauliflower that I need to use soon.

Do you have trouble keeping everyone happy in the food department?

Filed Under: Life with Kids, Meal Plan Monday Tagged With: Dairy Free, Frugal, kids, Meal Plans, Menu Plan, Plant Based Diet, teenagers, Vegan

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