Going raw while caring for babies - need advice!

[sponosuk]

I am really trying to go raw but since my time to care for myself is limited I am really struggling. I wake up so hungry and exhausted that I end up grabbing coffee and cereal a lot of times. I would love some tips from parents going through this! I was hoping the boundless energy would come after being raw a few weeks but no such luck. I still wake up exhausted after being up with the baby several times a night.

Thanks!

Sarah

[Veganforlife]

Two words: GREEN SMOOTHIES!!!

[coco]

i have two little ones in the house, one is still nursing. i make a smoothie first thing for me and the small boy. baby spinach (comes prewashed in a tub, easy!), a handful of frozen berries, juice or water, banana (i mix that in after i take some out for me, i don't like banana but it makes it sweeter for the kidlet). this is pretty simple and takes under 5 minutes. if i am really hungry and can't wait i munch some fruit while i'm making the smoothie but usually i can wait. the smoothie fills me up for a while so i can get other nibblies going. we eat a lot of stuff as is, straight out of the fridge or basket, i am not much of one for prep. a handful of brazil nuts, a bunch of baby carrots and/or cucumber wedges, any kind of fruit. i go for fast and easy. for some this would be very boring but it works for me. i'm not totally raw though so there you go, i still love soups and stews and will probably never give them up.

[Veg4Life]

I agree with what has been said- definitely green smoothies (use the search for some great ingredient ideas). I add ground flax or spirulina for extra protein- that really fills me up quick.

It can be hard to stay raw when you have limited time and their is non-raw food in the house. I know if there is cereal or cookies or chips or whatever, I will eat them. So, I just stopped buying those things. It was a bit of shock to the family at first, but I found other things to replace them with (for breakfast my kids eat fruit, green smoothies, nuts or home made grawnola- my daughter has replaced her cereal with apple slices and almond butter, she eats it every morning practically and loves it!). Anyway, that may be more of a transition, but maybe start with not buying cereal one week and finding something to replace it with that is easy and quick. Less temptation will yield better results!

[OneBite@aTime]

Spon-
I can relate, my hosehold is not raw...and during the day I babysit for teachers....I've got 3 that are 3, one that is 4 and a beautiful new baby (not mine) that is 4 months old.
I make myself a huge blender full of green smoothie, yep over 30 oz for breakfast before the kids arrive/wake up around 6am. this gives me what I need until lunch time-where I grab my already cleanned/cut up veggies and fruit for lunch and or snack. I also keep frozen nuts in individual snack size zip lock bags for when I get the munchies. One night, sometimes two nights a week I clean, cut, and organize my foods-and have a shelf in the fridge full of beautiful fruits and veggies....it's also the only place I allow the kids to grab between meal snacks....so if they are snacking it's on 100% healthy food.
Hope this helps!

[bsqmurphy]

I've been nursing my son during the night for over a year (he just stopped nursing during the night in the last month - he's 17 mos.). I know that exhaustion sooooo well!

I have a fruit basket on the counter with bananas, oranges, apples. As soon as I get up, I share a banana with my son (or eat it myself if he doesn't want any). While I'm eating the banana, I put 2-3 oranges, 1/2-1 bananana, and 1-2c spinach in the blender and blend it. (If I think of it, I'll add 1T flax seed or a handful of cashews, but that's about 2 days a week. Sometimes I even pre-peel the oranges the night before & put them in the blender) Then my son & I share a big green smoothie. He looooves it!

That fills me up & satisfies me long enough to wake up & think to make consious eating choices for the day.

Most of my food during the day is either pre-made (I usually wash & chop a huge salad on Sunday afternoon while baby's with dad and sometimes make a nut pate or something), fruit, snackable veggies, green smoothie, nuts, etc. Hand-to-mouth food right out of the fridge or fruit basket. On those few days that baby is more patient, I might roll a few veggies & avocado/nut pate into a cabbage leaf or nori sheet - that's as fancy as it gets!

Bri.

[bsqmurphy]

PS What a wonderful thing you are doing to become RAW - it's a loving & nurturing way to treat yourself and be an wonderful living example for your little ones.

Take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, and make an agreement with another mom or family member to give you 2 hours of "me time" for a bath & book, a massage, or maybe just a nap. :) (my midwife/natropath gave me a prescription for 8 hours/week of "me time.")

[sponosuk]

Great advice everyone- thank you. You are telling me what I think I knew - it's not time to try lots of fancy recipes at this point. Grab and go is what is going to work for me. I can't wait to try my first green smoothie!

So how often do you find yourself at the grocery store for the fruit and veggies?

[Veg4Life]

So how often do you find yourself at the grocery store for the fruit and veggies?

I know some people shop 2wice or more a week to get the freshest produce, but my schedule does not allow for that. I shop once a week. I usually end up going to several local fruit/veg stands, the health food store, and trader joes. I buy my fruit in bulk and freeze a bunch of it for my smoothies. Then I just add fresh greens and fresh oranges. You can usually get great deals on the over ripe bananas at the grocery stores. When I hit deals I buy a ton, go home and peel and slice them and put them in the freezer! That way throwing together a smoothie takes no time at all.

Good luck to you!

[Bananna]

I agree....freezing your fruit or buying frozen fruit makes things so much easier, nothing wasted either.

Just remember though that falling back on cereal is your worst choice, nothing knocks my energy faster than milk will!

[prettyenough]

i just had my 2nd son june 24th and am still getting used to all the kids running around the house and staying raw myself ive got a 2 year old, a 6 year old stedpdaughter and a 2 month old. im not breastfeeding but i was. i drink green smoothies to no end. i do a lotta fruit smoothies with spinach instead of more hardy smoothies with just veggies cuz they taste sooo good. im addicted haha. ive come to the place where all i have a taste for is the smoothies. anthing else in the house im like, ICK. (thank goodness im this way cuz my family isnt raw but my 2 year old loves veggies and fruits so he has smoothies with me) salads are east to put together too. but as far as smoothies go, after i go grocery shopping for the week i cut up bananas and another fruit to put in baggies and put in my freezer. then i can add them to my concauctions. i also always add nuts to my smoothies cuz it fills me up longer and then i dont have to worry about eating as much.