Over the past year I have slowly been transitioning away from Running With Tongs. While Running With Tongs was a good fit for me for many years over the past few years I have been feeling disconnected from my blog and from what it once was. As many of you who are parents know life can often be busy and overwhelming so it has taken me nearly a year to fully transition over but from here on out this space and my social media are officially Naturally Lindsay/Naturally Family.
When I started Running With Tongs I was transitioning from a vegan food based blog to more of a wellness food blog. Overtime my life evolved from training for races, attempting to make fitness a main part of my life and writing lots of recipes to motherhood with fitness, food and adventure being secondary. From this my blog and Instagram evolved into Naturally Lindsay – a space to talk about all things motherhood/postpartum, along with good eats, adventures and centered around conversation and connection.
I want this to be a space where I can be open and honest about my life, what I am struggling with, what I am learning and also about the things I love like adventures, food and fitness and how I manage those things while also mothering. I also want this space to be where you can come and share, find connection and feel a little less alone.
So I welcome you here to this new space and if anyone has a great logo designer send them along because mama needs a new logo.
// I’d love for you to share in the comments topics that interest you, questions you have or anything you would like to see here on the blog and/or my Instagram.
Summer 2018 you’re not what I envisioned and it’s a struggle to mentally process this all.
But I am resilient.
Full moon, Mercury Retrograde and too many weeks of solo parenting.
I am resilient.
If I am being totally honest I went to a new moon circle at the end of June and this was the mantra I received and I didn’t know what it meant for me. I have been sitting with it for the past month and just like that it hit me that this is my mantra for this summer for the last 13 months as I navigate postpartum once again. Becoming a parent to 3 littles, Neil’s new job that has resulted in the most time we have ever spent away from each other In nearly 12 years and add solo parenting has made this a very challenging season of life but I am resilient.
So when I am feeling the weight of things whether it’s parenting solo, working through hormone imbalances, dealing with disappointment that seems to be a trend this summer and having those days where I feel like I’m not enough (be, doing, loving) I have to remind myself that I AM RESILIENT.
I shared this post over on my Instagram but I thought why not share this here as well. It’s been awhile since I have shared an about me and thought why not?
1 | Superpower: Cooking dinner with hungry children at my feet and sharing tips on on how to balance health and wellness while also being a mama. Oh and because mamahood isn’t easy I like to share the good with struggles.
2 | Can’t Live Without: a notebook and a pen, an eye mask for sleeping and pasta.
3 | Believe In: the positive effects of nature while also struggling to believe in myself.
4 | mama to: three incredible little people who teach me something new everyday.
5 | wife to: a rock climbing, computer nerd and incredible man.
6 | health coach: who feels incredible privilege to support women on their journey to optimal health and wellness.
7 | blogger: with two different blogs that are sometimes hard to balance these days.
8| about to turn 33 years old but absolutely hates celebrating her birthday (I don’t mind getting older though).
9 | thinking about how/where I can make time for more self-care.
10 | grew up on the east coast (Vermont) and while I love PDX I’m always an East Coast girl at heart.
Okay, your turn! Share below or tag me in your post so I can learn 10 things about you!
Happy Holidays! I will be taking a short break from blogging for the holidays. I’ll be back in the new year with a ton of new content that I have been working on behind the scenes and just maybe a few big surprises. I plan to be back January 2nd but until then you can find me on Instagram.
After indulging in a variety of your favorite Thanksgiving foods your stomach might be craving something a little lighter however what about all those leftovers? These salads will help you use up your leftovers while also filling you up with greens because let’s be real as tasty as it is green bean casserole is hardly a green vegetable. If salads have you turning up your nose don’t worry there is a secret recipe at the end that will use up your leftover squash and still make you say YUMMMM.
Roasted Veggies and Dried Cherry Salad
2017-11-23 18:50:30
This is a super simple salad that features roasted squash and cauliflower. Feel free to sub your favorite roasted veggies such as parsnips, brussels sprouts and/or sweet potato.
Roasted Butternut Squash (delicata or kabocha would be great as well)
Roasted Cauliflower
Dried Cherries
Hemp seeds, crushed hazelnuts or almond flakes
Greens of your choice - I recommend organicgirl PEPPERGREENS
Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar or Lemon
Instructions
This is a super easy salad to assemble especially with leftover roasted veggies. Simply toss your roasted veggies, dried cherries and hemp seeds together and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar or lemon; alternatively one of the organicgirl Salad Love dressings would be a great addition.
1 Delicata Squash, washed, cut into rounds and seeds removed
1 box organicgirl PEPPERGREENS
1 Gala or Fuji Apple, thinly sliced
1/4-1/3 cup Walnuts
1/4 cup organicgirl Salad Love Lemon Agave
Maple Tahini Sauce
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
3 tablespoons Tahini
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
3 tablespoons water
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the delicata squash rounds on the pan. Spray the squash with a light coating of coconut oil spray (optional) and season with salt and pepper. Place sheet pan in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes; until the squash is cooked through. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet before adding to salad.
While the squash is roasting make the tahini sauce my simply whisking everything together.
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat just until they start to get a little bit of color. Remove and allow to cool.
To assemble: Divide the greens between four different plates, top with a few slices of apple and squash. Drizzle a tablespoon each of the lemon agave dressing and the tahini sauce over the salad. Crush a few walnuts between your fingers and sprinkle over the salad.
Notes
Delicata squash skin is super tender so there is no need to remove it just give it a good wash.
Feel free to serve this salad family style by placing the greens in a large bowl, top with apples, squash and walnuts and dress just before serving.
Toss the apple slices with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning.
Not into these salads but have a bunch of leftover squash (I mean who really wants to eat the squash?) I have this delicious and creamy pasta recipe for you. I used butternut squash but feel free to use whatever you have. This would also be great with leftover carrots, sweet potato or cauliflower.
This post was sponsored by EverlyWell through my partnership with Fit Approach. As always all opinions and test results are my own.Our sweet baby girl has finally arrived and so has the return to breastfeeding. It also means having to be mindful of what I eat and drink, how hydrated I am and that I am getting enough nutrients to support my body and my growing babes.
That being said I have had my concerns about a few things including my DHA levels. It’s estimated that 75% of Americans are deficient in DHA and I feared that due to my diet and lack of supplementing that I would be deficient in DHA.
But what is DHA?
DHA is a vital Omega 3 Fatty Acid for a baby’s health as they grow during their first 2 years.
DHA is crucial in a child’s early development, in particular for their visual acuity and cognitive development
What does the EverlyWell Breast Milk DHA Kit Do?
Measures a Mother’s DHA Levels.
Identifies whether or not your own diet is sufficient to supply your breast milk with a DHA level within the recommended, healthy range for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
To take the test it was fairly easy all that is required is a few drops of breast milk, which I easily collected in my manual breast pump (this one is a serious game changer). Place a few drops of the breast milk on a sample card, let it dry briefly and then package it up and return it to be tested. Results are then emailed to you in just a few short days.
So what did my results say?
Let’s just say I have a bit of work to do. I will be having my yearly physically in about three months and I will be making sure to ask to have my DHA levels retested once I have increased my daily DHA intake.
So how does a vegan get DHA?
Supplements. I personally take (err….I’m getting back to) a vegan omega that includes DHA.
Algae. I know not the most appetizing of sources but these days they come in powdered form and can easily be added to a smoothie.
Would I recommend the test?
I found the test to be really eye opening. I knew that my levels would probably be on the lower side due to my plant based diet but I had no idea they would be so incredibly low. This test has encouraged me to talk more with my doctor about ways I can increase my DHA levels as well as give me the kick in the butt I needed to get back to taking my supplements.
The last weeks of my pregnancy were a filled with many a worried and anxious night. At 32 weeks our baby had decided to flip to a breech position and little did I know that the next 8 weeks would be a roller coaster of emotions and actions to try and convince baby to flip to head down. Prior to 32 weeks baby had been head down at various points in my pregnancy so we knew that it was possible for her to be in that position which meant she had the ability to return to head down.
At 32 weeks spinning babies became my most visited website, I must have gone through 1/3 of a bottle of peppermint essential oil that I rubbed over the top of my bump to help encourage baby to flip and when she still hadn’t flipped at 35 weeks I went to acupuncture to help encourage the flip.
My acupuncturist gave me a moxa stick to do at home. I’m not going to get into all the details but basically you light it on fire – sort of like a smudge stick or palo santo- and then you hold it for 10 minutes (or rather your partner does) at the outside of your pinky toe. The heat of the moxa is said to stimulate things and can help encourage movement. So for the next three nights Neil spent 20 minutes serenading my left and right pinky toes with the moxa stick while we watched Designate Survivor.
While I hadn’t fully given up hope I just knew at my 36 week appointment that she was still breech. I was correct and my midwife suggested we go to another midwife who is known for helping manual flip babies so we set up an appointment for the following day. At this point I am on the verge of panic. What do we do if this baby doesn’t flip? I can’t have a home birth but will I be able to have a vaginal breech birth at the hospital or will I end up with a c-section? What do we do with the kids if we have to have a hospital birth? How can I mentally prepare for all of this knowing that this baby could come anytime?!
That night we did moxa just like every night that week and as I lay in bed I felt thought I felt the baby move. I didn’t want to get my hopes up so I spent the entire day anxious to see how our appointment would go. We arrived at the office and the first thing Midwife M did was check the position of baby with her portable handheld ultrasound machine. Her immediate response? “You don’t need me.” We couldn’t have been more thrilled. This baby had flipped overnight and now I could relax….or could I?
The next few weeks passed and at my 38 week appointment my midwife suspected that baby had once again flipped back to breach. I was heart broken. We made another appointment with Midwife M and headed straight to her office after my 38 week appointment. As we drove there Edith said “maybe the baby will flip on the way there.” Neil and I smiled and told her that would be great if that happened but it isn’t likely. We arrived at the office and Midwife M first checked manually for baby position and her initial reaction was breech but to double check she took out the portable handheld ultrasound machine she found that indeed babe was still head down. Cue happy dance, sigh of relief, and an intense urge to do anything and everything to get this baby out before she changed her mind and flipped back to breech.
At this point my midwife and I both had hit the point where we knew it was time to encourage this baby to join us earth side. I started going to regular acupuncture, used naturopath herbs, essential oils, walked as much as long as I could and went down the standard list of things to encourage labor. Nothing seemed to be happening though. Only mild Braxton Hicks contractions and nothing else really happened until around 39w3d when I ‘finally’ lost my mucus plug and was convinced that this baby would arrive in the next 48-72 hours. However that didn’t happen and my due date came and went. Feeling defeated and convinced we still had days to go I decided to schedule a last minute date night. I had been invited to a grand opening party for a new vegan pizza spot and since our sitter was free and it was at a time Neil could attend I scheduled our date. Little did I know that this babe had other ideas.
