Real Foodie Jessica from Real Food & Fitness
Our awesome Real Foodie for today is Jessica from Real Food & Fitness. Jessica loves both food and fitness, and “believes that one is not without the other.” As a registered dietitian (RD), certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD), food lover, group fitness instructor, and certified-personal trainer, her belief is that wellness is both mental and physical.
When we asked Real Foodie Jessica why she felt that a Real Food lifestyle was important for athletes such as herself, she had the following to say:
“A real food focus is essential for athletes because so often their on-the-go lifestyles leave them greatly dependent on convenience foods that poorly fuel the body and lack many of the nutrients found in real, whole foods. Remember that real foods, including a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, provides nutrients that work synergistically to repair and nourish the body. A solid foundation in real foods makes an incredible difference when it comes to energy levels, staying well, and feeling our best, no matter what each day brings."
Jessica was kind enough to share a pouch-friendly real food recipe that she says is “more specific to healthy living in general.” (FYI, she explains it is not ideal just before or during high-intensity or intermittent workouts, if that was your plan today). It’s her Lean Green Smoothie, and here it goes!
When to introduce: 12 months (check with your pediatrician)
Stars: Chia seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid, high in fiber, and a good source of iron, calcium, and other minerals. Apples are high in fiber, potassium & Vitamin B6 and also contain calcium. Spinach is another great source of Calcium and contains Vitamin A, Iron and Selenium. Oranges are not just a great source of vitamin C, they have a myriad of vitamins and other nutrients that make them tops for a refreshing and healthy snack.
Servings: Fills about 3-4 Pouches
Check out the link above for a printable recipe card.
Lean Green Smoothie
Just Who Are Real Foodies?
As we continue to explore this whole new world that is Real Food, we’ve made some pretty interesting discoveries as to just who eats Real Food. There is a wide spectrum of Real Foodies out there – individuals from all types of professions, and with all types of interests. From doctors to environmentalists, athletes to nutritionists and dieticians, bloggers to cookbook authors, people from all walks of life seem to be embracing this fantastic movement that is Real Food. That’s a pretty good sign, no?
This week we are excited to introduce you to a few of these people, each eating Real Food for their own real reasons. We’ll share with you new Real Foodie recipes, pouch friendly or not (for credibility’s sake), and these Real Foodies’ thoughts on why choosing a Real Food lifestyle is important.
We hope you’ll try some of these awesome Real Foodie recipes, which of course will be posted on our site (check out our Real Food Hub) and our growing Pinterest board of Real Food Recipes. And please, please, please, share your own. If YOU are a Real Foodie too, we’d love to know about you and your interests, and why you choose a Real Food lifestyle.
Enough of the intro already, right? (You must be just dying with anticipation.) We’ll see you tomorrow with our first Real Foodie post!
‘Til then,
- Maggie & MelissaReal Food Resource: Wholesome Mommy
Here at Little Green Pouch, we are loving learning about Real Food. There are so many fantastic resources out there for those of us trying to better understand the Real Food movement, and incorporate it into our lifestyle.
We were excited to recently discover a great Real Food resource in Wholesome Mommy. Wholesome Mommy is a blog for busy moms trying to feed their family Real Food. Denise Sawyer, author of the blog, keeps it “REAL SIMPLE for those of us who don’t have all day to spend in the kitchen or don't have time to hunt exotic ingredients.” She has fantastic recipes and provides great tips and tricks (like how to purchase chicken) to make wholesome living easy and affordable (check out her Real Food on a Food Stamp Budget meal plans).
Wholesome Mommy has been kind enough to create a great Real Food Pouch Recipe for Little Green Pouch that is perfect for pouches and also great for Valentine's Day — Apple Beet Sauce. How pretty is that color? You can find the full recipe HERE.
We hope you’ll give this Real Food Pouch Recipe a try, and let us know your thoughts. And don’t forget to send over Real Food Pouch Recipes of your own. If we love them (which we’re certain we will), we’ll include them on our Real Food Recipes hub, our general Recipes Page and our Real Food Pinterest Board. I mean, you’ll practically be famous!
We’ll check in with you next week to let you know how other Real Foodies are filling their Little Green Pouches, and of course, what’s in Parker’s Pouch this week.
‘Til next time,
Maggie & Melissa
Guest Post from Real Foodie Courtney Haswell
We'd like to introduce Courtney Haswell, a Real Food blogger dedicated to upholding a healthy lifestyle for her and her family, while encouraging and helping others to do the same. This is Courtney's story of Real Food journey. For more information about Courtney, visit her blog—Family Gone Healthy. If you have a story you'd like to share about your Real Food experience, we'd love to hear it! Email us at maggieandmelissa@littlegreenpouch.com. Here's Courtney's story:
Let's be honest, most of us at some point have eaten a typical American diet. Either as kids, teenagers, or even adults on the go, quick and easy comfort food is what we usually crave. I was no different growing up. I loved boxed macaroni & cheese and hot dogs. My parents would cook most of our meals, but Dr. Pepper and Oreos were constant staples. You could say that back then we didn't know better. We assumed that if it was sold at the grocery store, it was safe to eat.
After I got married and was out on my own, I would make an effort with my husband to cook more often. At the time I thought to myself, "Hamburger Helper is better then fast food," but I really didn't consider what I was putting into my body. Even though I studied the internal workings of the human body throughout college and have a degree in biomedical engineering, I still was oblivious to just how bad these ingredients were for the body.
It wasn't until I gave birth to my first daughter at the end of 2009 that I started to take more notice. Of course, we all want what's best for our children, and I began to research the right foods to feed her. I happened to see the documentary Food Inc., and that's when I really opened my eyes. I couldn't believe some of the things I saw in that documentary. How could so many people be unaware of what's going on with our food supply? The living conditions of the animals? The genetically modified ingredients that aren't even labeled in our foods? I tried to start making changes right away.
Unfortunately, change is hard. A big move and new jobs got in the way, and we slowly crept back into bad eating habits. We were better than before, but we were still eating a LOT of processed foods. This is the story for a lot of people. They are aware that what they're eating is toxic and can really harm their bodies over time, but a lot of people just accept and trust our foods or don't have time to make change. It usually takes something big for change to happen. You get sick, become overweight, or for me it was becoming pregnant again.
While I was pregnant with my second daughter I was having a hard time putting on weight and had severe morning sickness. Most processed foods would make me sick, and I seemed to be craving more fruits and vegetables. I was also having trouble keeping foods down, so I started researching which foods had the most nutrition. I didn't want to waste my small appetite on empty calories! While researching, I discovered so much online about "clean eating" and "real food" and couldn't stop reading.
When my second daughter was born in October of 2012, I was ready to make a huge change, not just tiny ones anymore. I was going to try breastfeeding and wanted to get optimal nutrition for myself that would be passed on in my milk to the baby. I went through our pantry and tossed out everything processed or containing artificial dyes and genetically-modified ingredients. I was finally fed up with our industrial food system, and all the large companies trying to profit over cheap, processed foods. I also wanted to start supporting our local farmers and other families in our area. Regular trips to the farmers' market became a staple in our week.
In early 2013, I decided to start "Family Gone Healthy", my blog dedicated to helping other families take the same steps we took. With a little planning and a willingness to learn more about the food we put in our bodies, every family in American can take the steps to eating better!
Author info:
Courtney Haswell is a Real Food blogger behind the website, Family Gone Healthy, and lives in North Carolina. She is a biomedical engineer by day and has two young daughters, ages 1 and 4. Check out her free Real Food Grocery Guide and subscribe to her weekly newsletter to follow more of her story.
Let's Do This — Little Green Pouch Takes The 10 Day Real Food Pledge
Alright. It’s 2014, and that means resolutions. The residuals from partying like it’s 2013 are officially gone. Vacation’s over. It’s Monday. It’s time to get serious. (I hope that was somewhat motivating, if not, try reading again with the Rocky Theme Song playing in the background. It works, right?)
It’s time to take 100 Days of Real Food’s 10-Day Real Food Pledge, along with us here at Little Green Pouch. By doing so, you’ll start of your 2014 with a commitment to Real Food, and real health. 100Days of Real Food predicts that, upon completing your 10 days, you’ll notice improved health, “such as having more energy, losing weight, improving regularity, or just feeling healthier overall.” After the 10 days are over, you can continue with your life however you’d like, but with knowledge as to how and why you should avoid processed foods.
We hope you do this with us! Don’t forget to sign up for the 10-Day Pledge with 100 Days of Real Food, and review the Real Food Rules while you’re there. Also, be sure to "Like Us" on Facebook where we will be checking in with you on how your 10 days are shaping up along with giving away a 4-pack of Little Green Pouches and an accessory of your choice each day when you engage in our daily Real Food Pledge posts.
Finally, start cooking some real food. If you need inspiration for recipe ideas don’t forget to check out our Real Food Pinterest Board and Real Food Recipes hub. And 100 Days’ Real Food Tips is another wonderful resource.
On our end, we’ve made a few real food plans to get started. Here is Melissa's Plan for 7 month old daughter, Parker. And Maggie's plan for, her, her two boys (3.5 and 5) and her husband. You can download a blank meal planner HERE.
We’ll make sure to let you know how it’s going here on our blog and on Facebook. And please do the same. We’d love to hear from you on Facebook, in our inbox (maggieandmelissa@littlegreenpouch.com), on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or carrier pigeon. Let us know you are taking the plunge, we mean pledge, with us. Let's do this!
On a parting note, we’ll leave you with some motivation from the king of all motivators, Rocky Balboa. It is a little bit over the top, and not entirely appropriate for the situation, but we couldn’t resist.
“Going in one more round when you don’t think you can – that’s what makes all the difference in your life.”
“I guess what I’m trying to say is, if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change.”
(Rocky IV (curse you Ivan Drago!)) We’re looking forward to getting healthy with you (and hanging out) these next 10 days.
- Maggie & Melissa
Coming next week: guest post by Courtney Haswell at Family Gone Healthy, “Real Food Inspiration”
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