Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

This time of year, when its cold outside, my favourite thing to do is sit back and enjoy a warming bowl of soup. There are so many reasons why soup is the BEST, but my main love is that they are soooooo easy to make AND they are jam packed with nutritious ingredients.

I was scanning through Pinterest for inspiration and I stumbled on a couple of recipes but non of them really hit the spot. Either they had too much sugar or added cream, which aren't great for you. So I decided to adapt and make my own recipe for this filling butternut squash soup. Its full of flavour and has just the right amount of sweet. You can top it with some greek yogurt and fresh ground pepper and ‘Bob’s your uncle’ a perfectly well rounded soup.

Honestly this soup is so easy, all you need to do is chop all the ingredients and throw it in the slow cooker. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 medium white onion
• 3 medium carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 apples
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric

METHOD

Chop and peel the butternut squash, chop everything else (leave the skin on the apples) and place them all in the slow cooker. You can chop the garlic if you like but I put the cloves in whole. Add all the spices then pour in the stock. Set the slow cooker to high for 3-4 hours OR set on low for 5-6 hours. 

When the butternut squash is soft you can place the soup in the blender and blend till smooth. If you like it a little thinner just add some water to the blender.

Serve with greek yogurt and enjoy!

The importance of Diaphragmatic Breathing.

After I had my daughter Eden, I didn't realize how important breathing was for postpartum recovery...I wish I had learned this info while I was pregnant. I had a really tough recovery and wasn't prepared for the toll delivery took on my body. I really struggled to get back into exercise postpartum because I had undiagnosed diastasis recti AND and an undiagnosed prolapse. Luckily due to ankle injuries I had been told no jumping so I didn't make my prolapse worse. But it wasn't until wayyyy into my postpartum recovery that I leaned all this information. I struggled mentally with not being able to perform as well as I could before. 

All this together meant I had to figure out what was going to work for me. I did so much research into the human body postpartum and which exercises would help or hinder recovery. I changed my exercise routines and started to heal my diastasis. I was still so scared about the prolapse I didn't really know what to do (so I set that aside for a while). 

It wasn't until 18 month postpartum that I discovered this was what I really wanted to help women with. There Is so little help given from your family doctors/OBGYNs, especially if you don't know the questions to ask or they rush you out of the office after a check up. I had been following the teachings of Bellies Inc and decided to take their course to become certified in core rehabilitation.

The foundation for everything in pregnancy and postpartum exercise is diaphragmatic breathing (or as Bellies Inc coined it, the Core Breath). It connects the four core muscles together to create strength behind every exercise. The four core muscles being the transverse abdominus, multifidus, diaphragm and the pelvic floor. When these muscles are out of sync, along with other factors, they can create whats known as 'core dysfunction'

• urinary incontinence
• pelvic organ prolapse
• back pain
• pelvic girdle pain
• diastasis recti

However, you can re-train your body into functioning correctly. The first step is with your breath. You can start this as soon as possible, pregnant, postpartum, trying to get pregnant, the sooner the better. Watch the video for a demonstration of belly breathing/diaphragmatic breathing and start practicing NOW!!

I cannot stress how important breathing is for effective core function so PLEASE if you are only going to change one thing in your exercise routine...start with this! start with 10 breaths per day and slowly increase as you get the hang of it.

Step One

Sit on a stability ball, chair or lay on your back, with a slight arch in your back (finding neutral spine), two feet are on the floor (knees bent if lying down) and look straight ahead. Place one hand on your belly and the other on the side of your ribcage.

Step Two

Take a deep breath in. Focus on filling the space in your ribcage without your chest rising (imagine your ribcage as an umbrella), fill your belly and in vision your pelvic floor soften and relax. Feel as your ribs and belly expand as you take in air. Breath like this a few times so you can get use to filling your belly and ribcage with air before moving on to the next step. Your belly and ribs should be moving in unison with 70% of the air going into your ribcage.

Step Three

As you breathe out, feel your ribs and belly move in (umbrella closing), exhale through pursed lips. Take a few breaths like this as you begin to understand how your body is moving then add in the pelvic floor contraction. As you exhale, feel as your pelvic floor lifts away from the ball or chair and draws in. Use nice slow breaths, focus on slowing the breath down and engaging the muscles as you breathe out. Remember as you inhale, to soften the pelvic floor.

Pelvic Floor Cues

Picking up a blueberry/jelly bean
Prevent a tampon from falling out
Imagine your pelvic floor as a jellyfish
Sipping a milkshake through your vagina

Step Four

Only after you have perfected the first three steps, should you progress to this step.

As you close your umbrella and pick up your blueberries, exhale through pursed lips. You should feel a band of tightness across your lower abdominals. This band of tightness is your transverse abdominis contracting and completes the optimal “core” contraction. You can feel the activation by placing your fingers on the inside of your hip bones. NOTE: this is a gentle contraction.
You can also use these visualizations for your TVA:
• Imagine closing your two front hip bones together
• Imagine a guy wire between your two hip bones and as you exhale, create tension in the wire.

The great thing about core/diaphragmatic breathing is you can start it as soon as you feel comfortable post delivery. If you don't want to include the pelvic floor right away that is FINE you may still be tender. If that is the case just focus on breathing into your belly and ribcage and fully relaxing your pelvic floor. Listen to your body, don't rush and don't push too hard, you have just given birth! 

HAPPY BREATHING MAMAS

top 5 healthy tips for the holiday season

So the Christmas season is in FULL effect! Meals out with friends, co-workers, family visits and gatherings here there and everywhere. As a stay at home mom I’m managing to combat most of this but there really are temptations EVERYWHERE!! Extra chocolate and candies at the grocery store, cute packaging luring you in to the chocolate shop you never usually entertain entering….have you guessed chocolate is my pitfall yet? And then there is the cheeky glass of wine because hey, its Christmas right? 

Thats all and well if you can handle it all in moderation….but what if you struggle with moderation? THATS OK don’t be hard on your self, it is only a short period of time. The key take home point is that you CAN have a treat, don’t punish yourself. I am a FULL believer of the 80/20 rule. 80 percent of the time eat healthy, exercise and look after your body. 20 percent of the time indulge in what you like, don’t think about exercise and have a break.

Top 5 Healthy Tips for surviving this holiday season

1. Snack well - Pick a few go to snacks that you can keep on hand, easy to grab snacks can really save you. They will prevent a hunger crash by keeping your blood sugar stable therefore preventing the sudden splurge. My favourite snacks are low sugar protein bars, ready chopped vegetable sticks, nuts and sharp cheddar.
2. Get enough sleep - As a mom this can be a challenge, your kids get sick, you're up late wrapping gifts or you just can turn off your brain at night. Sleep is VITAL for functioning at optimal level. When you don’t get enough sleep your body is working at a fight/flight level. This means your adrenal glands are in overdrive and your hormones end up on an emotional roller coaster…..leading to an eating roller coaster. Turn off all technology in the bedroom, use some relaxing essential oils like lavender, take a bath….whatever helps you wind down.
3. Don’t starve yourself - When you know there is a party that night, make sure you eat a balanced breakfast and lunch (as you should be doing every day). If you are a calorie counter and want to ‘save’ up your points…..DON”T!! This will lead to bad decisions during the party. The best thing to do is focus on moderation at the party, eat what you want but have a SMALL quantity. Limiting yourself only leads to bad decisions.
4. Be mindful - This is all about listening to your body and what it NEEDS not what your brain tells you it wants. Take time when you are eating, chew your food well and enjoy what you are eating. Now this is a big one, as parties are all about socializing and holding conversations. Just check in with your plate and your belly every now and then….do you really need to go back for seconds? Do you really need to order a dessert? If you want to enjoy a dinner out, utilize the ‘take-out’ bag.
5. Limit alcohol - This is a tricky one, I know I enjoy a nice glass of wine. But one or two is enough. There is no need to go over board and finish the whole bottle. The easiest way to handle this is to be the designated driver. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE! Or you can dilute your wine with sparkling water so that it lasts longer. Same goes for any drink, have a larger glass with less alcohol and more ‘healthy’ mix.

Happy holidays mamas, enjoy this season with your family and friends. Tis the season to be jolly just don’t let your belly get roly-poly ;)

juicy pulled pork tacos

What brings families together better than tacos?? In my opinion, NOTHING! I have a big place in my heart for build your own food at the table. It allows for creativity and zero (ok, well maybe not zero…but very few) objections about what you are going to put in your belly. If you don’t like tomatoes, don’t use them…..if you LOVE cabbage, put as much in your taco as you like. I find that giving options (but not too many) work really well to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.

This recipe is a slow cooker recipe so you don’t need much time slaving over the meat, just the time spent on the sides/accompaniments. AMAZING right?? More time to work, play, clean or workout!!

Find the list of ingredients at the bottom of this post.

Step one, and you can skip this step if you like. However, I like it because I like some crispy parts of meat. Chop the pork into chunks and brown on all sides on a high heat.

Step two, place meat, spices and water into the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hrs.

Step three, while you wait for the meat prepare some side dishes…I like shredded cabbage, avocado and tomatoes.

Step four, take the meat out of the slow cooker and shred it on a plate with two forks.

Step five, place the juice from the slow cooker into a frying pan, mix 1 tbsp. of tapioca or cornstarch with a little water. Pour the tapioca/cornstarch mixture into the juices and bring to a boil to thicken the mixture.

Step six, place the shredded meat and sauce into the serving bowl and take to the table along with the remaining sides (including soft taco shells) serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

align your spine - check your alignment

Regardless of if you are a new or a seasoned mum, alignment is such an important factor in your health and well-being. When you carry a child for 9 months the core and pelvis go through significant changes and they don’t necessarily spring back to the way they were, especially if you are breast feeding. Poor alignment and posture can lead to a variety issues including back pain, pelvic pain, urinary incontinence/leaking, hip and knee pain and neck ache. So my advice to you is CHECK YOUR ALIGNMENT!!

What is good alignment?

The BEST alignment to provide strength and support to your body and its systems is ribs over hips. This means don’t round your shoulders, don’t stick out your chest and don’t stick out or tuck under your bum.

Take a picture of yourself in tight clothes or underwear to see how you compare. Look out for the pointers above to see if you need to work on your alignment.

ROUNDING YOUR SHOULDERS

When you are breastfeeding you tend to be in a constant rounded shoulder position. If your baby is anything like my daughter Eden, they feed every 2 hours and you could be in that position for 30 mins or longer. That is a long time out of your day. The best thing to do is make sure you are seated and supported as best you can be to prevent a slumped/rounded position. If you already notice you tend to round your shoulders you can make some adjustments to help bring them back to an optimal position. Start off with some chest stretches like a standing wall stretch or a seated chest stretch. Strengthen your upper back with a resistance band. You can so back rows and back fly with a band or with dumbbells if you have them.

STICKING OUT YOUR BUTT OR CHEST

After carrying a baby for nine long months your abdominal muscles weaken and can cause your lower back and hip flexors to tighten causing your body to compensate for this adjustment. In doing so you tend to sick out your butt, drop your hips down and lift your chest. This puts a lot of pressure on your back and pelvic floor. To help realign you will need to stretch out your hip flexors with a kneeling lunge stretch, foam roll your hip flexors (or use a tennis ball to release some pressure). Strengthen your glutes using a glute bridge so you don’t activate your hip flexors too much.

TUCKING YOUR BUTT

I see a lot of this at the gym when I see people at the top of their squats. Over activating the glutes and forcing a squeeze at the top. There is also a lot of bum tucking when we carry our children on the front of our body. When we push our hips forward we create tension in our pelvis and pelvic floor causing the muscles to tighten. Pay attention when exercising and carrying your child not to do this and focus on keeping your hips in a neutral position (under the ribs). Strengthen your lower back with superman or baby cobra and stretch out your glutes with a pretzel stretch (or figure 4 stretch).

RECONNECTING WITH YOUR CORE.

To reconnect with your core and alignment it takes practice and constant reminders, along with learning how to breathe properly and deep into your pelvis. Check in your alignment throughout the day and take a new picture every two weeks.

To breath efficiently follow these steps;

·         Sit on a chair and pull the flesh from under you so you feel your sit bones directly under you.

·         Make sure you are in good alignment with your ribcage directly on top of your hips.

·         Place one hand on your belly and the other on your ribs.

·         On your inhale breath, breathe into your ribs, belly and pelvis. Imagine your rib cage inflating, your hip bones getting wider apart and your pelvic floor softening.

·          As you exhale, feel your belly move in and your belly button rising up towards your ribs. Feel as you scoop up your pelvic floor, tighten your abdominal muscles and blow the air out through pursed lips.

Learning how to effectively breathe is the first step to connect with your core and ensure proper alignment is kept. Remember postpartum fitness is NOT a race. Slow and steady will ensure lasting positive results.

If you need help staying in check, follow me on instagram and tag me in your pictures @fitandeats or #fitandeats

Enjoy fellow mamas, stay healthy!

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Please remember to consult with a medical professional before entering into a new workout regime.

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no time? no excuse!

A common complaint I hear again and again is "I have no time to exercise" and it saddens me that many women think you need to spend hours at the gym to get the body you want. The quickest way to get results is with an in home workout!! First off I want to say YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL just the way you are. A healthy body begins with SELF LOVE! Secondly, you DON'T need to spend hours every week at the gym to change your body. Yes it takes effort and yes it takes motivation and yet is takes time, but if you learn tricks to include exercise in your day to day life you are half way there. Now it doesn't JUST take these methods to trim up and lose the baby weight.....but it sure helps.

So listen closely to some of my simple rules to follow so you can begin too see the results you crave with your very own in home workout.

1. Brushing your teeth....That's two minutes where you can't do anything else (unless you're really good at one handed tasks) For these two minutes (and my electric tooth brush times me) try to do as many squats as you can. You can change it up each time, one day you can do regular squats, the next day you might do a sumo squat. If you get really good, use the bath tub and do split squats with one foot on the tub!

2. Unloading the dishwasher...Next time why not try doing a wall sit against the kitchen cabinets. Load up the dishes on your knees to add weight as you go along. You can also lunge, squat, lateral leg raises or even butt kicks as you unload. 

3. Walking up stairs....I seem to go up and down stairs all day. I forget things ALL the time so I end up doing the stairs way more than before I had kiddies. Why not try running up and down twice (takes just as long as walking up once), squat on each step, skip a step and add a knee up, side step up or if you don't have pelvic floor issues or Diastasis Recti...try jump squats up the steps.

4. Bath time....Another moment in time when you have nothing else you can do. Its easier to do this with toddlers and older children as they can sit up, wash themselves and spends MOST of the time playing! Add a few exercises into you routine. I like push ups on the bath tub, plank on the bath tub, mountain climb and plank rotations! All while trying not the get wet.

5. Sweeping the floor/vacuum cleaning...Put your back into this one. You can pick any traveling movement for this. Lunge, side step squat, jump, butt kicks and lateral leg abductions. 

Now most of you are probably thinking...."this woman is crazy!" as if I have the energy to add these to my already exhausting day! Dont worry, I like to introduce exercise little by little. Don't try to do these ALL in one day, you are more likely to fail if you do. Pick one to try out first, then another week add a second and so on. A healthy body is all about your lifestyle, not a fad diet or a quick 30 day challenge. 

Happy workouts mamas, don't give up!!

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Please remember to consult with a medical professional before entering into a new workout regime.

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