I volunteer at my daughter’s preschool and during lunch time I’m blown away by the lunches these kids are bringing. A rainbow of fruits, veggies, plant proteins, whole grains, power cookies and miniature homemade muffins. All in a reusable box and presented beautifully. Wow. These look great. Then I look down at my own sad lunch, a scramble of odds and ends thrown together in an old bread bag.
This was a realization. What this was showing me is that I’m not prioritizing myself. As a mom I’m sure you can relate. Everyone’s wellbeing, food, happiness, health, comes before my own. The recipe for burnout. There’s a reason they tell you to put the oxygen mask on first in an airplane emergency.
So this season, among the parties, events, late nights and special occasions I’m encouraging you to take care of you. Here are my top 3 tips to sanity.
When did you last eat?
Eating regularly is so key to managing our day. Everything from stabilizing blood sugars, improved mood, concentration and focus. Also patience. A fed momma is more patient and calm especially when dealing with (what seems like endless) meltdowns. They don’t call it hangry for nothing! Make sure you are fueling yourself every 4-6 hours. Plan ahead and remember you need to eat too.
Eat what they eat
Kids are watching. Are you slamming a smoothie in the car? Cleaning up and multitasking while they are eating. You’re teaching them that mom’s health isn’t the priority. Kids also eat a lot better and have better food acceptance when they see healthy modeling behaviours. You feed them good quality, wholesome foods. Now sit down and eat some too. On my wish list this Christmas is a Planet Box for ME. I’m packing myself the good stuff too now. Check out this rad lunch box from @motherhoodandmeals yummmm.
Plan for the unexpected
If you’re like me you pack snacks in the event your kids will be hungry or you could be delayed. What about planning for you? My glove box now has snacks like whole grain granola bars (I love Kashi Mocha Almond, Kind bars, and RX bars), also some nuts and dried fruit. I also carry a water bottle everywhere. You will be delayed. If your next meal is longer than 4-6hours away then eat something. A car snack is better than no snack. I also have some high protein frozen meals stashed in the freezer. These are no nasty thing of the early 2000’s. High protein, high fibre frozen meals like FitBowls, Powerbowls and local currys now line the frozen aisle. Look for real ingredients quinoa, veg, meat, chicken, lentils/ beans. They are good and fuel you for all the million of activities you have planned.
