Feeding your little tribe

We like to think of our family as a health conscious one.  We make our food choices based off of what we know is healthy and also what is unhealthy.  

When we grocery shop, we try to steer clear of the middle aisles of the store.  Filling our shopping cart with fresh produce,  meat,  grains and dairy products.

We will make the occasional dive in the middle aisles for pickles, baking items and of course, coffee!

Even as "health aware" as our family is, I am still a mother to 4 kids. Kids that are surrounded by sugary temptations outside of our home.

My husband and I educate our children on healthy food choices but also remember that they are just kids. We never tell them to be that kid that refuses the sliver of birthday cake, the milkshake at a sleepover or the **gasp** soda at a backyard barbecue!

Packing school lunches used to mean stuffing a juice box in next to a PB&J, a bag of oreos and a pack of fruit snacks before our "food awakening". Now, it's turkey slices, celery & peanut butter, a boiled egg and a bottle of water...and sometimes I'll slip in a homemade goodie!

I do love to treat my children with the occasional cookie or brownie, but I insist on making them myself! I try to use sugar or butter substitutes, such as bananas, applesauce or avocado but sometimes that's not always available. What makes me feel good is knowing that I'm in control of the ingredients!

And better yet, how awesome do fresh baked cookies make your house smell?!

Knowing that we give them our very best in our own home is the foundation we hope they will cling to when faced with unhealthy temptations outside of our humble abode.

So, try not to panic when you hear the word "cupcake" at your child's holiday party and in the same token, don't beat yourself up when treat your little tribe to a root beer float after dinner.

Teaching your children between having sweets as a treat and not as a staple in their diet will be a huge parenting victory!

Eat well, be well!

Becky

I'm an imperfect parent to 4 beautiful children, a creative enthusiast, and a healthy & happy living motivator to all that will hear me! I'm a native of beautiful Augusta, Ga and a partner in an amazing creative enhancement party, Arty Party of Augusta.

#mylifeisthislife #livewell

Snacking is a healthy thing!

Are you a snacker? If so there is nothing wrong with that! Well to be clear as long as the snacks are healthy ones, I say go for it!

Your body needs the fuel. I am a professional snacker. I would rather snack every couple of hours then sit down and eat a huge meal three times a day.

Here is why being a snacker is good for you!

1. Helps burn fat!! Say what? When eating the right types of snacks like almonds for instance, you are actually fueling that internal furnace.

2.  Snacking can help keep your blood sugar stable. If your blood sugar tends to run on the low side like mine. It is probably best for you to keep healthy snacks around.

3. Giving yourself a boost in the old metabolism! Making mindful snack choices is one way to boost your metabolism. My go too booster is edamame or pita bread with hummus!

4. Keep your stomach small. When you are eating three large meals a day you are more likely to over eat. I find that when I snack healthy I keep the bloating at bay. My waistline looks better too! 

I have included a Chocolate Avocado Smoothie recipe below. Try it out and let me know if you found it tasty. I know I did! 

4 tbsp of Almond milk (you can use soy, or coconut milk etc.)

1/2 fresh avocado

4 oz. of vanilla yogurt 

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (or fresh coco)

1 small banana

1 tsp of honey

  ENJOY!

                                             

Close your eyes and just be...

Hi there friends! Hope everyone is having a relaxing Saturday and soaking in some sunshine. 

My name is Jennie Frake (not Frank) and I am a mother of two girls, married to my high school sweetheart and a lover of art, music and yoga!

 In my free time you can find me making ice cream and practicing my handstands. I am so happy to be guest blogging over here (or blogging at all for that matter) Writing can very therapeutic.

 Today, I want to share with you guys why I love yoga. Simply put, yoga makes me happy, maybe even a little high. It's my drug of choice for sure! 

It has helped me learn to love more (myself & others), opened my heart & mind and challenged me both mentally & physically. Its the best thing ever!
 I could totally stop there and leave you with some inspirational mantra but I won't. 

Today I want to share something that is weighing very heavy on my heart and scares the shit out of me to talk about especially on a blog. But if it helps even one person out there to not feel alone... then its totally worth it. 

So here we go! For several years, I have been fighting some seriously difficult ups and downs. There are no significantly good or bad things going on around me, it pretty much all in my head. The highs are awesome and the real reason I don't want to get on any medication.
 Dear God, the lows are brutal. 
I feel like celebrating every time I make it out the other side alive. I usually find ways to cope with the things mentioned above (art, music, ice cream, wine, handstands, etc).

 Yoga is truly the one big thing that helps me get out of my head. I don't know exactly what it is but its the one place I can let go of things in this world that are weighing me down. 

The world can be a wonderful, magical place to explore on the good days but on the not-so-good ones... its can be soul crushing, scary and a bit lonely. I avoid everyone on those days. I miss appointments, I cancel plans or just don't respond to anyone at all. 

I struggle just to play with my kids without them seeing my tears. I typically hide out and do my own thing until the little dark cloud passes but lately I have found I way to cope that really works. It sounds very simple and it is! 

You just stop what your doing, close your eyes and just be

. 

Sometimes there are so many distractions in this world that you can completely avoid sadness/depression, but it doesn't just go away because you pretend its not there. 
Sure! Smiling and dancing your way through a bad day can most certainly turn your day around but when you get to a place where you can deal with it, do it. 

Just take a few minutes to acknowledge whatever it is and truly let yourself feel it all. No matter how bad it gets... just acknowledge the pain, sadness, madness, anxiety, whatever it is that's stealing your joy and just feel it. Amazingly enough, it eventually goes away. And you will feel so much better!! 

I hope that if you struggle with depression at all that you will tell a friend so that you don't have to feel alone. 
If you are one of those lucky people that are happy-go-lucky all the time (like Erin) I hope you know that your smiling faces and open hearts make this world so much brighter! 

So thank you happy people! We are all in this together. 

Namasté! 

JENNIE FRAKE