Monday, August 29, 2011

From Working to Mom to Working Mom

My new man...and me!


What a transition the last month has been; I went back to my day job on August 2nd and it has been a whirlwind. Instead of long days spent with my son, there are long days commuting to and from work. Leisurely daily shopping trips to the grocery store for dinner supplies have been replaced by full tilt weekly meal planning and grocery shopping sessions each Sunday evening (after e has gone to bed!). 

I am wading into the water that countless women have before me...that transformation from working to mom to working mom. At this early stage one of the biggest challenges I feel is that time is just rushing at me. I am no longer calmly observing the horizon but hurtling forward at breakneck pace trying to avoid the obstacles. Each day I build more skills and learn to navigate the challenges but I am definitely not there yet. My treasured workouts have disappeared. My love of dreaming up new and interesting ideas for dinner each night have fallen to the wayside and those super basic, go-to 20 minute meal ideas are the new mealtime staples. 

Someone once told me that the 'daycare years' are the biggest challenge in a person's life. Balancing work, caring for children, taking care of a home, time with a spouse and (if there is ANYTHING left) time for yourself is quite the juggling act. I keep wishing that there were just 2 extra hours in a day that no one else knew about, just for me. I know exactly how I would spend them: I would workout, read a book and maybe even paint my toenails.

It would be easy to turn on auto pilot. And some days, I certainly feel that is how I operate. But there is something else to be said for continued commitment to living well. It is not about perfection; it is about continuing to value your health (it carried you this far) and building habits that you can model for your children. Endless take out dinners turn into a taste for junk food. Nights crashed out on the sofa create kids who rarely go outside and stare at screens all day. All of these considerations are still so new to me. It was not that long ago that if I didn't feel like making dinner, we went out. If we ran out of yogurt, I didn't have to worry about what someone else would eat at snack time. If I skipped a couple of workouts, I knew I would get back on track the next week. My choices are not just my own now; they have an impact on a very impressionable little boy. That realization is both humbling and at times, a little frightening.

As a dietitian, I am constantly working with families to help them make healthy eating easy and realistic for busy lives. I am breathing a sigh of relief to find that many of my strategies actually work. When you have a young family, this may not be the time for three course dinners on a Tuesday night but that doesn't mean that you have to resort to take out. My ultimate strategy is planning ahead. I now plan my week's meals on Sunday and make a grocery list and then head out to the store. The whole routine takes just over an hour and it makes eating well Monday through Friday effortless. The week's meals are posted on the fridge so that my husband, who gets home earlier than I do, can start the meal. 

While I cook a lot from memory and inspiration (when my brain is functioning enough to be creative), I also am constantly looking for new recipe inspiration. One of the most frequent requests I get at work is from people looking for recipes. You will find my recipes here and on my new blog, The Fresh Sheet, but there are endless sources on the web for great, family friendly meal ideas. 

Healthy Families BC is a new website that is sponsored by the Government of BC that is devoted to building resources for families to take control of their health. I love that our vision of health care in BC is finally embracing a preventative approach. As a dietitian, I know the power of taking care of yourself so I really like supporting any initiative that shares this philosophy. Healthy Families has started a library of family friendly recipes that are healthy and simple. 

While the workouts may still be on hold, this summer I have been treasuring walks on the seawall with my family. The fresh air always calms my little one during that early evening fussy spell and the walk together as a family means that we don't have to sacrifice together time for a bit of fitness. I vow to get back to get back to my workouts soon but sometimes you have to choose between your blog post and your exercise routine. Guess who won today? 

I would love to hear your favourite strategies for staying sane and healthy with your family. And I have a little incentive to sweeten the deal. Healthy Families BC  has generously offered Eat Drink Be Happy readers a $250 dollar Lululemon gift card because there is no better incentive to get healthy than some new duds. 

To win, all you have to do is like Healthy Families BC on Facebook AND leave a comment below to share your favourite weeknight dinner. I will announce the winner on September 26 since that is my birthday. Wait, it's my birthday but you will get the present? That seems fair enough!

Here is to figuring it all out,
Desiree

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post.

I really appreciate how it speaks to creating healthy balance in all aspects of life.

An uplifting and optomistic outlook that highlights the challenges head-on.

Anonymous said...

taco salad or tacos with whole wheat wraps... the kids gets to build their own and it is fun... also as a salad is healthy and fresh for my husband and i... quick, easy, and nutricious!!

Marianne (frenchfriestoflaxseeds) said...

Holy your boy has grown since I last saw him...what was that, April? March? I can't ever remember.

My favourite weeknight family meal is anything you get to build yourself, such as homemade pizza and sandwiches (we always called those nights "deli" night, because we would get the ingredients from the deli, and you would create) - you can set out whatever toppings or fillings you have on hand or are seasonal, and everyone gets to create the meal to suit their tastes. And you get to pass off part of the work onto the family :)

Stephanie said...

I cook Chinese food most days of the week and THE quickest, tastiest and balanced meal that I make when I'm in a hurry is just a simple miso-baked salmon (or mackerel), served with a quick broccoli stir-fry (speed it by steaming it in the microwave for a few minutes) and some steaming hot brown rice prepared by my trusty rice cooker. This meal has all the components I need - the lean protein, the whole grains and tons of vegetables!

Unknown said...

Hey Everyone! Don't forget to leave your name on your comment to be sure I know who to give the prize too!!

Anonymous said...

Hey D, great post! I enjoyed reading it!

My favorite quickie meal is whole wheat penne with arribiata sauce and caprese salad (arugula, buffalo mozza and cherry tomatoes)! It's my pick-me-up!

Happy early birthday!

maria said...

It varies but i would have to say a pizza-the healthier variety, spinach, goatcheese etc.

billiondollarprincesss@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Asparagus, chicken and mashed potatoes.

Happy early birthday!!


angelalising@hotmail.com

Bronwyn Coyne said...

My favourite weeknight dinner is something easy, right now it's been bbq corn. I love making soups too, or stir fry. I haven't cooked for a family for a long time, but I'm about to start now that I'm back home...

Anonymous said...

A burrito bowl (basically anything in the fridge can go in to this dish) Starts with a brown rice or quinoa on top of shredded raw spinach or lightly sauteed kale is the base. Topped with black beans, shredded carrot, sauteed red yellow or orange peppers with onion( onion optional for kids), avocado chunks, shredded cheddar . Salsa is option. I love Little Creek dressing instead of salsa! So many different options depending on what I have in the fridge! My daughter loves helping build the burrito bowls too making her own variations to suit her tiny taste buds! :)

IamCanadian888 said...

I really appreciate you having this contest!! Well to start off I've already liked their page on Facebook ( Ian Y ) and for me, my absolute favorite weeknight dinner is a very very simple grilled chicken breasts topped onto a cheesy Caesar salad paired with a prosciutto and cantaloupe appetizer as well as a creamy squash soup! Mmmmmmmm. My absolute refreshing favourites all in one meal!

Fokxxy said...

Happy early birthday!! :) :)

I like them on fb (Summer Plewes) and I love to have spaghettit weeknights!! Also like to have homemade soup, fast, healthy and easy to make when I get home.

ssummmer AT gmail DOT com

Tanis S said...

One of our favorite meals is chili that I make ahead and freeze until we have a busy day. It's delicious and full of veggies!!

Thanks so much for the giveaway - I don't own any Lululemon and I'd love to!!

Jen said...

I love having stir fry, especially with veggies that we grow in our garden :)

Stacy Kaye said...

Found your blog via Healthy Families BC on Twitter...already like them on FB.

My fave dinner is spaghetti. It is so easy! We whip up huge batches of sauce from tomatoes, garlic, onions and lots of veggies on weekends and then freeze it. Makes for a quick, thoughtless meal, but still healthy!

Hoping for some Lulu!!

Elle said...

My favorite weeknight dinner is this


Seafood Sauce and pasta

http://wecanbegintofeed.blogspot.com/2011/08/mouthwatering-seafood-sauce.html

or this

Butter Chicken without butter or cream

http://wecanbegintofeed.blogspot.com/2011/04/heavenly-butter-chicken-without-butter.html

Nice giveaway and appy Birthday, too!

eatrunsail at gmail dot com

Katherine said...

Hi! Happy early birthday :)

I love making meals that can pack easily into lunches or can be reheated for dinner the following night. This way, we don't have to cook every night :)

My go-to weeknight meal is chilli. It's so easy to pack loads of veggies and beans in (chickpeas, kidney beans) and to make it a healthier alternative, I sometimes use turkey meat instead of lean ground beef. I kick it up a notch with equal parts cinnamon, cumin and mild chilli powder. It takes barely any time to prep everything and I can leave it alone while it boils away. On top of brown rice, chilli makes a complete meal.

Cheers

chuey603 at hotmail dot com

Joanna Wasak said...

Hey,

Since I'm still on mat leave, I am able to still enjoy the casual approach to dinners. I can go to the store and pick up additional ingredients if necessary. Truthfully, I am a little scared of the time when I have to go back to work.

But prior to baby life, I would have a couple of favourite easy weekday meals. The first would be stirfries. Throw the rice on the stove. On the weekends, I would chop some veggies (broccoli, peppers, cauliflower, carrots, etc) to use as snacks so easier temptations wouldn't win. I would stirfry these (quickly chopping and adding some onion or other vegetable). Adding tofu instead of meat also speeds up the dish.

The second one is a one pot wonders my old roommate from northern pakistan taught me. You combine tinned kidney or black beans with dice tomato, frozen spinach, plain yogurt, and channa masala seasoning or other seasoning blends in one pot. Serve over rice. It's an easy way to spice up a weeknight!

Thanks,
Joanna
jowasak@hotmail.com

Amy said...

That kid has a huge head! He's going to have a massive brain. :)