Sharing a whole day of eats from start to finish. 

Hey hey! Happy humpday! What’s going on this morning? I have 1:1 calls all morning and getting a podcast episode edited and ready to go. I hope you have a lovely day ahead.

For today’s post, I thought I’d share a WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday) since it’s been a while. I always love getting healthy meal inspiration from friends, so I like to share these posts for an idea of what a typical day of eats looks like. I can understand why these types of posts may not be helpful for everyone (sharing my thoughts on that here!) but I tried some a couple of new recipes and am excited to share them with ya.

Here’s what a full day of recent eats looked like from start to finish! (I took these pics a couple of weeks ago but am just sharing them now! The kids weren’t at camp this particular week, so I was juggling work stuff in between making sure they were happy, fed, and entertained. The Pilot was also out of town for work so I was doing the solo parenting thing. I also let them watch some extra TV while I got things done, let’s be real.)

8:20am

I slept in until 8 (summer, I love youuuuuuuuuuuu) and then started my day with a large glass of water with Sakara Beauty drops (minerals that are completely tasteless. I like adding these to my water since I filter it with the Berkey, and my stress level is a bit higher lately, which can deplete minerals)

Since it was a busy morning work-wise, I had a Bulletproof bar and a cup of coffee (decaf with raw milk, Stevia, and collagen), probiotics/digestive enzymes from Sakara and made the kids a quick breakfast. I sat at the kitchen table with my computer and helped the kids while they worked on their summer packets.

10:15am

Watered the plants and had the rest of my breakfast:

2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of turkey bacon, and a reheated Super Hero muffin from this cookbook. These muffins are SO good and the kids loved helping me make them. Whenever we make breakfast staples, I try to make a double batch and freeze them for quick options.

I sat by the pool writing while the kids swam, hopped in for a bit to cool off and play, and took two 1:1 coaching calls upstairs while the kids dried off and ate their lunch.

Roasted Broccoli and Asparagus are two of my favorite vegetables to roast and fortunately, they pair deliciously with the varieties of summer squash that are at their best this time of year.

Roasted Broccoli and Asparagus

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables. It is so simple and the vegetables always turn out well with very little effort on my part. Tonight’s dinner was especially fun because the squash was from our very own garden!

This is the first year we have had a garden and has been exciting to watch our plants grow each day. The squash in this recipe was our first harvest and it was delicious. I am looking forward to an awesome summer of fresh homegrown vegetables.

Edited to add: I published this post 11 years ago just a few days after I started sharing recipes on this website. We aren’t gardening this year, so I’m really looking forward to enjoying the Farmer’s Market near our new home in Ohio!

Roasted Summer Vegetables

• asparagus spears
• Italian zucchini
• yellow or crookneck squash
• broccoli florets
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Roasted Asparagus, Broccoli and Summer Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the vegetables on a large baking sheet and drizzle generously with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat all the pieces.
2. Spread the vegetables across the pan in a single layer. Roast for 20-25 minutes until crisp-tender. Serve warm.

Something not right, but unsure where to turn? Here we look at how self-help and professional help can support, and which may be right for you

Self-help is a booming business, with books, apps and even self-led courses all available to help you help yourself. These tools can go a long way in supporting your mental health and wellbeing, but how do you know when self-help is enough and when it may be time to see a professional?

I sat down with CBT therapist and mindfulness teacher Natalie Englander to learn more about self-help and professional help, and how to know which route to go down.

Understanding the differences between self-help and professional help

To start with, it can be helpful to get to grips with the key differences between self-help and professional help, so you can understand what you can get out of them.

With self-help, you will likely be working alone, usually through something like a book or a course. “So, you are relying on yourself to read the book, to understand it, and to try and then put it into practice,” explains Natalie.

As self-help is usually created for groups of people, Natalie highlights that they tend to be generic and, therefore, wouldn’t be tailored to you as an individual. “Sometimes people can actually find this really reassuring, picking up a self-help book, reading it and thinking ‘this sounds exactly like me’.”

In contrast, professional support (like seeing a therapist) is tailored to your needs. It will often involve a consultation so the professional can get to know you and understand what support would be right for you. You also have someone to help you through the process, perhaps providing some accountability on the way, Natalie notes.

“Professional help also allows you to share your thoughts and feelings with someone, which you might not necessarily be able to do reading a self-help book and that in itself can be so therapeutic, being heard.

“If your emotions become heightened during the process, you also have someone there to talk to, which you don’t have while reading a book.”

Natalie was also quick to point out that a book is cheaper than private therapy – which is certainly a key difference and a consideration many are factoring in right now. So a lot to consider and no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ approach; it’s all about considering where you’re at and what you think you would benefit from now.

Which is right for me – self-help or professional help?

We’re all different and taking these personal tendencies into account can help when thinking about this. Natalie mentions that if you are someone who can motivate yourself, self-help could suit you as you won’t have that external person providing accountability.

Another consideration is the severity of what you’re going through and how much it’s impacting your day-to-day life.

While the arrival of a new baby is a time for celebration, it can also be stressful for new mums – whether that’s due to running on lack of sleep, difficulties with feeding, or just adjusting to life being responsible for a brand new human. Here we’re sharing practical tips you might not have thought of to support a new parent in your life

Navigating life with a new baby can be tricky for many; research has shown that lots of mums don’t feel either informed or supported in the postpartum stage of their life, whether that’s with mental health support, or even household jobs. Many guests bring lovely gifts to spoil the newborn, but can neglect to consider what parents actually need help with. So, if your friend or family member is soon to be welcoming a child into the world, here are some practical ways you can show them some support.

1. Work with them to find the best time to visit

While there’s nothing quite as precious as a cuddle with a newborn, ensure you find a time to visit that works for the parents. Don’t try to guess when they’ll be up for visitors; some mums might not feel recovered enough to accommodate guests in the early weeks, while others might be keen to have company as soon as they’re home from hospital.

Dropping them a message to congratulate them and enquire when they’d be up for a visit is a great idea. And remember, even if you’re in the area, don’t just pop by unannounced – nobody wants to be responsible for waking a sleeping baby!

2. Offer practical help when you arrive

Some mums might just want a chat over a cuppa, but do offer practical help where you can (and make sure you brew up yourself rather than expecting the new parents to serve it). Try not to create additional work with your visit, and instead provide an extra pair of hands – some mums might be happy to hand over their baby for a cuddle so they can have a hot shower, while others might prefer to stay closer. If that’s the case, offer to make them lunch or do the washing up while they’re busy feeding. Before you’re due to drop by, it can be worth asking if they need anything grabbing from the shops to save them making a trip as well.

These small jobs can make a real difference. “New mums will prioritise the baby’s needs over their own, so making sure she is eating and drinking enough is really important,” says Natasha Crowe, a psychotherapist who specialises in fertility, motherhood, and perinatal support.

3. Ask about mum

Pregnancy can be such a joyous time for mums-to-be, but the postpartum period that follows can bring new mum’s back to earth with a bit of a bump! With so much fussing over baby, mum’s needs are often missed – yet the ‘baby blues’ are very common in the first few weeks, with symptoms including feeling irritable, emotional for no reason, or anxious, so don’t forget to offer a listening ear to any new mums.

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When a loved one is struggling, it’s natural to want to help – but sometimes trying to fix the problem causes more harm than good

If you’re anything like me, your natural instinct, when faced with a problem, is to fix it. Figuring out the root of the problem, untangling it and finding a solution is incredibly satisfying, but something I’ve learnt time and time again is that not every problem is fixable (and not every problem is my responsibility to fix).

This is especially true when a loved one is struggling with their mental health. A big part of me wants to fix it for them. After all, I’ve written about mental health for nearly 10 years, I have mental health first aid training, I have coaching training – surely I can help, right?

And yes, I can help... to a degree. Having this knowledge is helpful. Having an understanding of mental health and knowing where to find professional support is useful.

The issue comes when I jump into ‘fix-it’ mode when the truth is, mental illness isn’t always fixable and it isn’t something we can do for others. In my experience, trying to ‘fix’ something isn’t only a little useless, it can even be harmful. When you’re constantly offering solutions, it can make the person opening up to you feel like they’re simply not trying hard enough, which isn’t the case.

As I continue to work on my own desire to find solutions, these are the tools I’m using to support, without trying to fix.

Listen, actively

If you’re a fellow ‘fixer’ you may notice when a loved one is telling you about what they’re going through, your mind is racing with ideas that could help. This can pull you out of the moment and actually stop you from fully listening. Active listening is a tool that helps you stay present so you can really hear what’s being said.

The Samaritans share a brilliant acronym to help with this: SHUSH

Show you care
Have patience
Use open questions
Say it back
Have courage

Learn more about these tips and listen to Samaritan’s Lucia Capobianco on our podcast, I am. I Have.

Ask how you can best support them

This is a question I learnt to ask early on in my current relationship. When my partner was going through a tough time and talking it through with me, I would offer solutions and didn’t understand why he didn’t seem responsive. Eventually, I asked, “How can I best support you?” And he told me all he wanted was for me to listen, say “Yeah, that sucks” and give him a hug. Sometimes we just need to be held and told we’re not alone.

Of course, everyone is different, and people may want different things on different days, so try to ask this regularly. If the person says “I don’t know”, remind them you’re there for them and consider signposting.

Signpost to further support

While we may not be in a posi