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Wellness encompasses not just your physical health, but also your mental, spiritual, emotional, and environmental wellness. Meal Planning and Prepping is a great way to take care of your physical wellness by feeding your body meals prepared with thought and love. Meal Planning and Meal Prep are closely related, but still a bit different. Meal Planning is the time you spend writing a menu and the accompanying grocery list. Meal Prepping is taking a few hours one day a week to prepare meals and ingredients for the rest of the week. Getting in the habit of planning ahead saves not only time but money too! It’s a great way to ensure you are getting well rounded meals and no veggies go to waste. You will have virtually no clean up throughout the rest of the week, and you can even plan and prep for weeknight dinners where the kids can help- it’s easy to add ingredients to the pan or crockpot! The basics of menu planning are fairly easy. Our menu is a mostly Paleo/Primal way of eating. We use a variety of veggies and proteins totally customizable to your tastes! This menu feeds 1 person for 5 days. Here we go!
Once you are home with your groceries the fun begins! Clear out the kitchen and start with a clean workspace. You may need to expand out to the dining room table, too! These next directions are geared specifically to this menu. You will have to plan accordingly for future menus, but the concept is the same. Multitask and plan! You will be successful!!  There are plenty of options to change the meals to your liking. Substitutions are easy once you have a solid framework for your meals! There is no limit as to what you can make for your meals.
Helpful hints:
Links: How to and tips! 21 Day Fix - No cook meals!! Detailed directions for our meal plan Grocery list for our menu
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 September is the best month for farming here in western Montana. We are at the tail end of fruits and melons, cucumbers and summer squash are still going strong, and winter squash is coming into the markets as well. And tomatoes!! Oh the tomatoes… For our September Salad of the Month we are featuring Farm Hand Farm (@farmhandfarm on instagram and facebook), an small urban farm located in Missoula. Adelaide and her partner John (along with their two dogs, cat, and chickens) grow flowers, medicinal + edible herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and assorted veggies, plus plant starts in spring and skin salves in winter As a kid I never liked tomatoes. They were bland and mealy and I just couldn’t understand why anyone would enjoy that. But then I had an heirloom tomato. To say it was life changing was an understatement!! Heirloom tomatoes come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Teeny tiny sungolds are like candy in the garden and very rarely make it inside the house. Green Zebras are green and yellow when ripe making for an burst of unexpected color in any dish. Not only are tomatoes super tasty, the pack a punch when it comes to their health boosting properties. Tomatoes contain all four major carotenoids: alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. According to a study from Ohio State University, when tomatoes are eaten along with healthier fats, like avocado or olive oil, the body's absorption of the carotenoid phytochemicals in tomatoes can increase by two to 15 times!  Tomato Salad Heirloom Tomatoes Olive or Avocado Oil Salt + Pepper Cut up your tomatoes, dress with the oil of your choice, season to taste with S+P. That’s it. Keep it simple and enjoy the flavors of summer. Wanting something a bit more? Caprese Salad A classic with sliced tomatoes layered between slices of mozzarella and basil, dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Greek Style Salad Add in chopped cucumber, red onion, capers, olives, roasted red bell peppers, and some feta cheese. Creamy Cucumber Salad Sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions dressed with sour cream or Greek yogurt and fresh herbs. Season to taste with S+P Watermelon! Watermelon, tomato, basil, oil, and S+P. Add some feta if you’re feeling fancy. Yeah, this would like a weird combo, but it’s sooooo good!! Chickpea and Avocado Roast or fry chickpeas with cumin, turmeric, paprika, and S+P. Toss with chopped tomatoes and cubed avocado. Dress with oil and fresh chopped herbs. However you choose to enjoy your tomatoes, always pick locally grown for the freshest and most flavorful selection!!   Today is National Read a Book Day! I know that everyone is not an avid book reader like me, but reading is super important for our brain development. Unlike television or the internet.. (I'm looking at you youtube...) when reading you have to activate your imagination to bring characters and concepts to life.
Here at Primal Practice we talk a lot about health. We believe that there are fundamentals that you must do each day to maximize your health and thrive through life, rather than just survive. These fundamentals are for everyone, no matter their age. At different stages of our lives the fundamentals may be implemented differently but the concepts don't actually change. These are movement, nutrition, a fully connected nervous system, and a healthy mindset. In honor of this national day, I wanted to share some of my favorite reads in the topics of our health fundamentals. If we can start to nail down these daily activities our bodies will definitely thank us! Movement: Exercising through your Pregnancy by James Clapp; Deskbound by Kelly Starrett Nutrition: Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols; The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson Nervous System: Well Adjusted Babies by Jennifer Barham-Floreani; The Reality Check by Heidi Haavik Mindset: The Fourth Trimester by Kimberley Ann Johnson ; Daring Greatly by Brene Brown As you can see there are 2 per category. One is specifically for pregnancy and postpartum and the other is for the general population. At the office we have nearly all these books on the shelf that you can borrow for up to 2 weeks, so there is no excuse to not get reading! Read something great? Leave a comment with what is grabbed your attention and let me know, I'm always looking for recommendations! Peace, Love and Wellness Dr. Liz  August was National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and up until 4 months ago I could only imagine what mothers go through when trying to breastfeed. Now, I’m part of the crew. And to be honest, it started out hard, like really hard. My nipples hurt and bled, and every time Coen latched it was intensely painful. I could definitely see why Mum’s turn to formula. But it got better. My nipples became hardier, and we learnt together how to work as a team. Everyone’s experience, just like any part of motherhood, is completely their own. Some people will take to breastfeeding like ducks to water, others will be unable to breastfeed at all. Getting the support you need is imperative to having a successful experience, for whatever capacity you want to breastfeed for. These options may seem like no brainers, but I’m going to throw them out anyway.
See a lactation consultant. These women are trained specifically to help you and your baby. They know all the tips and tricks, can check for tongue ties and can literally be the difference between sticking with breastfeeding or not. Consultants who are certified through the International Board of Lactation Consultants are extensively trained to give you all the help you need to successfully breastfeed. See a Chiropractor. I had a 3 week old come into my practice earlier in August, who was struggling to get enough sucking power and had a weak latch. Her momma was worried that she wouldn’t be able to continue breastfeeding as she was struggling with the pain and a feeling of failure. After an assessment, I did concur that she had a weak sucking reflex but there was no issue with her jaw. She did however, have a subluxation (spinal misalignment) in the upper neck and needed some cranial work done. After her gentle adjustment, she latched right on (with minimal pain to mum) and went to town. This is not an uncommon experience in Chiropractic offices. This article goes into more depth, but the basis of the adjustment is that removing pressure from the nerves allows function to flow and a better connection between the brain and the body. Listen to your Intuition. Even if you’re a brand new Momma, that voice inside you and your gut feeling is worth listening to. If you feel something is wrong, it probably is, and you should reach out. If you are feeling unheard by the people you are working with, find new people. Never discount your intuition as it may be the first sign you recognize that something is a little off. Whatever capacity you breastfed for, I commend you. It is such a great thing not only for your baby but for yourself as well. Keep up the great work and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. Peace, Love and Wellness Dr. Liz |
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