Page 208 – Mothers Spell

April 30, 2017October 25, 2018

INTERVIEW WITH AKI

Tell me a bit about your pregnancy? How was that experience for you?

I had a bit of morning sickness. I always felt like I might vomit the first few months which for me was hard because I really love food, so I was pissed that it would make me sick. Especially because I was in Sicily and the cuisine is so good and very intense. My cravings were for Japanese comfort food and also Ligurian food. My husband’s mother’s family comes from Liguria so I am accustomed to their food and it is light. Suddenly after the first three months passed I was better. Also, I do believe I was a bit boring, you can say I am a person who does not really love being pregnant. I mean there are many women who really truly adore being pregnant I guess but I am not one of those women. What I do enjoy though is being a mother.

How was your delivery?

Well he never turned upside down in my belly, he was always upright and I tried everything! Took two classes on birth and delivery, rubs and massages and so on, but I knew two months before the due date that I would have to have a C-section. At least that took the pressure off of having a natural delivery. I guess if I had really, really cared and been super strong and insisted on a natural birth delivery then I could have, maybe… who knows? I am a practical person and I just do what needs to be done. I guess it depends on each individuals desire.

How was the feeling when you met Mattia?

I remember I thought he was extremely good looking 🙂 A good looking healthy little boy.

How was hospital experience for you?

It was in Zurich and my husband is Italian, so if you ask him he says it was like being at a 5 star hotel. I had the opposite feeling…for me it was a bit too much, every 20 minutes to a half hour a nurse would enter asking if I needed something etc etc… I just wanted to be alone and have some peace. Actually one woman became angry with me because she wanted to talk and talk about her experiences, but I just wanted to rest and be alone so she was quite annoyed with me – ahahahah. I had the feeling she was not extremely intelligent anyway so I just wanted some peace and quiet.

( Aki takes a break to give us a real traditional green tea, from a town in South Japan where her grandmother comes from which btw, lived until 102 years old. Aki says in Italy people can brag and have intense conversations about olive oil or mozzarella, but in Japan the topic will be green tea. Many conversations can go on about which hometown has the best green tea. I must say that the green tea I tried from Aki’s grandmother’s town was the best one I have ever had to date.)

Did you breastfeed?

Yes, for seven and a half months. I never had a super lot of milk though, I had to work hard on maintaining it. Lots of tea drinking and eating well and in abundance. It definitely is a lovely period and I know how fortunate I am to have been able to do it. It’s also just so convenient, but the down side is that the dad can not really not help very much. It was like an excuse for my husband to say, ” oh no, he needs you it’s physical” ( Aki laughs while recalling this )

What was Mattia’s first food after breast milk?

If I am remembering correctly, Ibelieve it was an apple. I always prefer making my own food, but of course going out from time to time is lovely as well. In general I just really love food and cooking. For Mattia it just made the most sense to make it fresh myself each time, my mother did this for me, so I do the same for him.

What is your favorite thing about being a mother?

Very good question and I was actually thinking about that the other day, but it is difficult to answer. One of the greatest things is that I feel through him, so it’s like childhood allover again. I am also so proud that I created a human.

What is that most difficult thing about being a mother?

Making him fall asleep, it can really piss me off in a way you know? Like I can get so frustrated. I feel often like I am somebody’s total punching bag, which I understand because I used my mother as my punching bag. A very interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that l was raised more by my father not my mother. My mother was the worker.

So I must say since we are friends and I have the privilege to having tasted your food, do you think your husband knows how lucky he is to have a wife that is such a great chef?

Mmm…, I think he might forget, but I think every man forgets how amazing his girlfriend or wife is to be honest. He was also raised without siblings, so I believe in general people who grow up as only children are raised a bit different.

What is your favorite dish to cook at home for your family?

The first important thing for me when I cook is to see what’s in season. I really follow the seasons when it comes to food. Now I have been into Monks beard. I must say I am also very influenced by Italian food. Since I am living here in Italy now, I’ve been exploring many new (“old”) recipes.

How is it you to be 1/2 Japanese in Italy?

It is a very, very interesting experience honestly, maybe I can compare it to being a black man in Asia. Most people assume I am Chinese. For example, once I was walking with my son ( note I am half Swiss, half Japanese and my husband is Italian) so my son is a mix. A man around 45 years of age once asked me if I was only a baby-sitter or if I cleaned houses as well. I would maybe understand a bit better if this was an older man, but a 45 year old… I just don’t know what to think. In 2017 people from everywhere are everywhere.

How is the love story between you and Francesco?

We went to the same Japanese school and I saw him in the outdoor area of the school one day as he was playing soccer. He was playing very intensively and in Japan you rarely see people misbehaving. But as I am very rebellious, I was able to see in him the same which was in me so I started a conversation with him. We became friends, about three years later we met in Paris and we became “friends with benefits”, never expecting anything from each other for about 6 years. Then once he came to visit me in Zurich and we started to consider the possibility of being more then just “friends with benefits”. After three years of dating exclusively we married.

So you are a working mother now, you have your own company. How do you balance your time?

Actually, in my case very conveniently. I can organize my own schedule. I feel very lucky to have a job. I contribute Japanese products to European shops. I started with lots of bags and now I have many other products, like accessories, wallets, handmade dolls for kids and this year I started also with porcelain. All direct sales of my web shop – japanproxy.ch – where all my products are available to everyone.

Do you want to have more children?

I am at about 67% yes, but I am also very fine with one. I would love to see Mattia with a sibling, but I am also 37 going on 38 so I guess I don’t have much more time.

Is there something very important to you in raising a child?

I try to be very open minded on what is important and what is not. I think for me personally, I would like him to be a happy person that really enjoys life, but I guess this is very personal. I am a very excited mother, I love to show him animals and I get more excited than him most times. I love painting and coloring with him. I really feel like I am a child again with him.

You and your husband are both very artistic and creative right?

Yes, I guess so. In the past, I was a photographer and a florist. We both like art and we go to museums often. We are also into languages and both speak 5 languages. Actually my husband almost 6. Mattia hears 4 languages spoken at home – Swiss-German, Italian, English and Japanese.

Can I ask you what is the most difficult thing for a couple when becoming parents?

It is so difficult to have conversation. There are so many periods that children love screaming or crying, it is also a way to torture people, just screaming at people for hours and hours. Sometimes Mattia just wants attention over and over and we cannot do anything else, I feel like our conversations are always interrupted.

Where do you like to buy Mattia’s clothes?

I mostly prefer second hand shops because kids grow so fast. Plus, I just cannot ( I try to avoid supporting companies such as H&M or Zara.. etc.) support H&M or Zara etc.. I really respect designers, environment and little independent companies.

What is your favorite thing about living in Milano ?

I am going to have to say Chinatown here is very unique and cool. I really like it. It is a mixture of main island Chinese and European culture. Also, Milano is very geographically convenient, an international city with departure gates to the world.

Since you are a woman with ambition and very positive energy and have opened my eyes in so many ways I wonder if there is anything you might like to add for our lovely readers?

Well there is a saying that our children are the future, so yes 🙂

I guess customer awareness, where products are made etc.. Check the tag ‘’ Made in …? ’’

Our grandparents still purchased high quality products, which we are happy to inherit because they had and still have value. Not anymore with our generations way of shopping. What we buy is landing in the trash. We invest little and let the garbage hill grow higher. Let’s change our habits into ‘’ Buy less and value more’’ for our children and their future.

Good products as in our grandparents time still exist and are produced, but we will not find them at H&M, Zara nor any (other similar) affordable shops . Indeed it is products which are more or even very expensive http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/ skip to 8 min on the video, where it explains that things cannot be that cheap without screwing up the 3rd world (or other places), but investing in something more precious can give us a whole new appreciation of things. And you can pass it down to your grand-kids.

I started to distribute products from Japan. A country where the high quality of manufacturing production is an essential part of the culture, and above all, human and workers rights are respected and there is no child labor involved.

I would like especially like to thank Aki, for her honesty on motherhood. Honesty always takes courage. I find comfort and inspiration in her words and ways. I wish you and your beautiful family all the best. In case you are interested in viewing her Japanese products you may find them all here at, japanproxy.ch

Have a great weekend

Love JM

@Photo, www.mamafedona.com

April 20, 2017April 20, 2017

PEACEFUL HEART

For three months now Mothers Spell has been online up and running. It has awoken many small projects that I am so happy to be working on with other brilliant women and mothers. I can’t wait to share and get you all involved in them….hopefully soon 🙂

I have learned so much from these projects and this new journey Mothers Spell has taken me on. I felt the need to write a few words and to thank all of you who have been reading the blog and sharing your stories. Many of your emails have brought me to tears – both sadness and happiness as your stories are so many and every life is so different. Many mothers and women have to fight and fight to protect themselves and their children.
I have read every single email that has arrived and I have not been able to reply to all of them. I am also going to admit I am not really able to write from my heart in Italian just yet, but I am working on it. This has stopped me from answering the emails written in Italian and I apologize for this.

It is your emails that keep me writing and I learn so much from your happiness and your sorrows, just as I have learned from my own. This is why I really believe in sharing. Share and talk about what we go through. Once we get stuff off our chests and speak or write them away, we then can see ourselves from a different perspective and somehow it becomes much more realistic in our own eyes.

Something that would help me when I had things that I needed to deal with from my past (that I will continue to practice when I feel the need) is to write letters to noone. I will write down my thoughts and my feelings with the intention of never sending them or letting anyone read them – in this way I feel completely free to express myself. It’s as though I am receiving free therapy and also a very sacred one.

This is a woman’s journey and now that I look back and read my past I see all these dots that at the time seemed so pointless and I did not understand why they needed to happen in my life. Gratefully now they all have such strong meaning to me. When the moment was right and I was strong enough to handle it, it all started to make complete sense!

Upon awakening write down the first thing that comes to your mind. This all depends on the time you have or that day’s mood. Sometimes you may write a lot and other days you may want to jot down just one phrase or a few words. Later, if you have a moment, you can fill in the meaning.

My children have been my greatest teacher, they have helped me to grow and to feel calm in my heart. To find that piece of love that was always missing, at least for me. I have learned patience on an all new level, that’s for sure. At times it’s all a blur and I can even get dizzy with the chaos, but I am learning to practice patience and let time run its course. I will learn from my mistakes, improve my quality as a mother and find a good balance between myself and the mother in me. I also believe that when the moment is right we all find our correct answers and get to see who we truly are and what we want to be able to give to ourselves and our family.

To be able to do ALL that, think clearly and see ourselves from another perspective then taking a moment is so necessary. Do yoga, mediate, take a silent long walk, hike, swim or write your thoughts down. It will help so much to remain stable and grow strong as mothers and women.

I am also doing my best to keep up with my writing and coordinating this new life routine. From being a stay at home mother taking care of my sons and now running a small business. Choosing between writing or staying with my sons is not always an easy decision… as you all know. I applaud all of the working mothers out there who take multitasking to a whole new level, just as the stay at home mothers do by working double. Remember to also make room for yourself at the end of the day. Create your quiet place, as it is very important for your sanity and without it we collapse.

With a calm heart we will continue to do and master all.

Love JM

April 14, 2017December 18, 2023

BANANA NICE CREAM

Healthy, sugar free, chemical free, gluten-free, homemade, simple and DELICIOUS ice cream! Or…. NICE cream 🙂

Sounds too good to be true, right ?

Well now you can try it out and decide for yourself 🙂

This is quite popular in the States, especially in Hawaii and California also parts of Australia. For the past few years I have been making this at home for me and my sons as an amazing alternative to regular ice cream. My sons don’t eat dairy and I love giving them this instead, plus we skip all the added sugar. I actually like it very much and I used to have this as well during my pregnancies. I was pregnant during the summer months both times, so ice cream was definitely a common craving.

I peel 3 bananas and cut them in two or three pieces, wrap them in aluminum and place in my freezer. You can also freeze a bunch and then you have it handy whenever you want to make a nice cream.

-Take your bananas out of the freezer and place them in a high-speed blender and let them sit there for about 5 minutes. It will be easier to blend them if they first defrost a bit in room temperature.

– Add a half cup coconut water and homemade almond milk or Hemp milk.

– Few dashes of cinnamon

– Teaspoon organic vanilla

– Tablespoon raw organic cacao powder.

Now you may start to blend this slowly and as you see your mixture start to mix you can pulse it a few times and then slowly increase the speed. If you need help in allowing the mixture to blend, you may always add more of the liquids that you are using. Just be careful not to use too much as it may lose thickness. It can be a bit tricky to get it started, but you will get the hang of it pretty fast as you practice. It is important to have a good and strong blender.

Very simple and healthy – now you can have healthy ice cream! Best news of the week.

For an extra boost feel free to add a tablespoon of hemp seeds to your mixture 🙂 You can also add your favorite toppings; such as strawberries, blueberries or a good granola.

Buon appetito 🙂

Love JM

April 12, 2017April 12, 2017

RECONNECT WITH THE MOTHER IN YOU, AS SHE IS EVERYWHERE.

Motherhood takes us all on a journey that most of us could never ever imagine. I recently had to visit Iceland for both business and family. I knew I would be extremely busy working etc.. so after talking it over with my partner we decided that I’d travel alone without my sons for 5 days!!

It was just too much hassle to take them with me and I would half work and half mom, so in the end I probably wouldn’t have been able to do either things well. I went on my own and felt happy in my heart knowing my sons would spend quality time with their father. I could be in peace focusing for a little while on “mothers spell” which also now beats in my heart 🙂

Iceland means many things to me. Iceland has a special place in me and has taught me so much – about myself, our nature, our planet and the energetic connection to ourselves. When I landed in Iceland, as always, I felt some sort of peace. I don’t know if that is because I am from there or because of the extremely powerful energy that exists all over the country in absolutely everything and everyone. I feel inspired and I want to share so much of it with all of you. That’s partly the reason I createdMothers Spell.

I reached out to a magic girl by reputation, a fellow Icelandic sister called Saga. She has a special Icelandic eye and a magical spirit. The name Saga means “story”.

I asked her to join me on a mission to photograph the spirit of mother nature in Iceland with me. Which to me sounded even impossible, but I had some ideas in my mind and somehow knew she would understand them. The spirit and nature of Motherhood.

Where we all come from and our powers. Women are creatures created in power who continue to create more power, through generations and generations. I felt strongly that during this trip we had some magical Icelandic places that we journeyed through. A deep connection to the mother in me and the mother I was standing on. Even though my sons were far away, I missed them so much but I instantly felt how happy I was to be their mother. I saw in this magical moment all the things I wanted to do and be better at for them. I saw the mother that lives in me. We live each day learning so much that we don’t even have time to realize.

When standing there in the freezing cold but feeling so warm in my heart with my best friend Kristin, whom is a stylist and mother of two beautiful girls. Saga the magical Icelandic woman, with an eye and soul of a natural creator. How safe we were and should be when we are surrounded by women. We all share something, the fact we are all mothers even if we don’t have children of our own. We are feminine and in that lies something motherly. Support and understanding and side by side we are so strong.

I thought also what if we all had the time every now and then just to try and reconnect with the mother in us and the mother we all come from. My message to you is, do whatever it is that makes you feel magical. Walk in nature, listen to the mother – the mother that is a mother to everyone. Notice her as she is there to support you. Lock your doors and play loud music, dance naked if you feel that’s what you have to do. All by yourself and awaken your feminine energy. Find a way to remember who YOU are.

I will change the slide show for awhile with mother nature’s magic from Iceland. My Iceland. Hope you like it and can feel it as much as I do.

love JM

@Photo, Saga Sigurðardóttir

April 6, 2017April 5, 2017

HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK

Once you taste homemade almond milkI think you might never ever buy it from a store again – it is SO fresh and SO creamy! Plus, it is very easy to make it. Much easier than you may think. All you need is good quality almonds, actually the quality of the almonds matter the most. For this recipe I use organic peeled almonds just because they are were the freshest ones I found in my store. These ones are organic and come straight from Sicily to Milano, so I have no doubt the milk will be amazing!

First step is just to soak the almonds in water so they start sprouting a bit. They become much more flavorful that way and also the benefits of the almond become more powerful. It is beneficial if you have the time to prepare ahead.

I usually soak mine for 48 hours. Change the water one to two times each day.

After soaking, wash the almonds a bit and set them in a high speed blender.

One cup almonds and two cups water is the measure, but if you want to make more milk it is totally fine to add up to three cups of water. The milk will just be a bit thinner but still very tasty and good.

Blend very well for about 2 minutes.

Pour your liquid through a milk bag and squeeze gently. Mine looks like the one in the photo below.

YES, that’s it!

Your almond milk is ready, place in a jar or flask in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Almond milk is great on it’s own or you can add blueberries, strawberries or banana. Add the milk to your morning smoothie for extra creaminess and an energy boost. Or if you are a cereal breakfast eater this is great milk to enjoy it with.

I personally LOVE almond blueberry milk and so do the boys. My boyfriend loves it as an after dinner dessert, especially if the berries are frozen with a dash of cinnamon added to it.

Enjoy!

Love JM

April 4, 2017October 25, 2018

SPRING IS HERE!

If you are as excited as I am for this beautiful spring weather so you can play outside for as long as possible each day, then you are reading the right article. 😉

There are so many options of things to do with your kids and whole family. These days as we don’t have to run inside to take a break from the cold weather we can just stay out and play, nap and eat; no real reason to go home or inside for that matter. This is the perfect time for picnics and all sorts of games. My sons are smiling more and I have to drag them home each day from the park. The past two weekends we have gone to a farm in the Italian countryside to say hello to the animals and play in wild nature. We collect sticks, look at many different shaped rocks and uniquely colored flowers. The list of clever and inspiring things to do with your children and the whole family is quite long these days. In case you need some ideas, I would like to share with you some of my favorite ways to enjoy beautiful days with family.

– Go for a walk in a park or countryside , followed by a picnic break for lunch with home packed foods and snacks. Great to pack some books to read by the trees while you digest. A ball to kick around and play some soccer. This way the family can relax together, no need to run home in the middle of fun to make lunch as you can all just eat in the grass. After that you can take a nap in the fresh air on your blanket, wake up and continue to play 🙂

– I think every child loves to blow bubbles, or the parent can blow them and the children will run through them and try to catch them. Singing a good song at the same time can make the dancing and running more fun.

– Decorating the neighborhood or little streets and stones in the park with many different colored chalk. My sons can sit at it for so long and they get lost in their thoughts while drawing with all different colors. Don’t mind the mess you can always wash up when you get home, it comes off easily.

– Simply observing nature. I know I may sound strange saying, ” look at stones” and ” look at all the different flowers” to those of you who have not done this before with your children. I do know many parents do this, I see it all the time in the park. Children love learning and my sons seems so interested and curious when I explain that the tree in the park is a life and it’s helping to clean our air or the flowers change and grow into flowers with many beautiful colors. They start to carefully look around their surroundings and ask questions about everything they spot. If we look closely there are so many toys and games just laying around in nature. My older son can sit still for so long just picking up small stones and running them through his fingers and to me it seems like some sort of meditation. He is in peace and in deep thought.

– Playing with water and getting wet or dirty is not a crime. Let children be free and who cares if their clothes get dirty? They NEED freedom every now and then, just as we do. A healthy child is a child who is allowed to explore and sit in the grass, get stains and then (thank God we are fortunate enough to have washing machines) we can just wash their clothes later. Not always but often times I do see people in Italy , more so than other places, not allowing their children to get dirty in the park or at the playground. I also sometimes see parents or grandparents become angry at the child who sits on the ground, lays down on a pile of leaves, gets wet while playing with water, or a bit muddy when playing with wet sand and touching it with their fingers. It is on all levels healthy for them to play and explore the earth’s different materials and textures. I see the children who are dirty from playing tend to be the ones with a huge smile on their face, and that says it all right there.

– If you are living the good life and live in the countryside I applaud you, but if you are like me living in a city or a town I highly recommend that you take a look online and search for a family and kid friendly farm near you. Often they offer day trips to the farm and children are allowed to interact with all the animals and learn something about how farms work. It is really interesting for the whole family , I almost enjoy it more than my sons. You may also find many places that offer you to spend the entire weekend with them, such as a bed and breakfast – you can then play and relax in nature during the day. A night or two in a place like this does a load of good for everyone now and then. We all had such an excellent visit that we might change our lives and move into the wilderness permanently.

– Take a bike ride. Here you can even also pack your lunch and explore somewhere new, even just to check out a new park or playground. Depending upon where you live, I am sure you might have a place you have not been able to see yet that isn’t too far from where you live. I have been doing this with my son and he loves to sit on my bike looking around and often times we sing his favorite songs together. I feel this is a great way to travel between places and a great break from strollers. Of course, always be safe and use helmets, go slowly and stay away from traffic as much as possible.

Hope you find this article useful. If you have more ideas of something you like doing with your family I would love to hear from you 🙂 I hope you will have a wonderful summer and spring. Vitamin D comes from the sun so stay outside with your children and they will fall asleep happy and tired at the end of the day.

Love JM

March 31, 2017March 30, 2017

GREEN PEA AND QUINOA PASTA WITH VEGETABLES

What sounds better than a healthy, easy to make home made dish that is very comforting and filling after a super busy day? Well this is it. Again, if you have a baby who does not yet eat solids you may set aside his/her portion and blend it. Just add the steamed vegetable water to get the correct texture. One meal for the whole family!

I try to avoid gluten as much as I can. I don’t like to live in prison, so if I really crave something or if I am in a good restaurant that has the world’s best pasta I will absolutely go for it. In my own home though, I always have healthy and gluten free. I found this great pasta that is made out of green peas and quinoa and it always satisfies my pasta cravings, but I do understand that I am not Italian and pasta is something very sacred for my Italian readers. Maybe you can give it a try just to take a mini break from gluten every once in awhile 🙂

All I use is two roman broccoli heads and five zucchini and wash both well. ( buy them organic, if you can)

Turn on your steam pot and bring water to a boil and set another (regular) pot for the pasta and bring this also to a boil.

Cut up the roman broccoli and set in the steam pot and let it steam for about 5-8 minutes

In the meantime you cut your zucchini into small pieces and when the roman broccoli has been in there for 5-8 minutes you may add in the zucchini and steam for another 5 minutes.

Now this part is optional and seasonal – I like to add some monk’s beard at the very end. Two handfuls chopped up small for the last 3 minutes.

When the pasta water is boiling you put some olive oil in the water with a teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt and then throw in the pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Here’s the thing, on the package it says 5 minutes, but this kind of pasta is not as good “al dente” , at least not in my opinion. I really love regular pasta “al dente”, but this one not so much. So I leave my pasta in the water for 6-7 minutes and even my Italian boyfriend agrees with me on this 🙂 But you can always try and taste it before you take it out of the water and see for yourself.

When the vegetables are ready I pour them into a big bowl, take a knife and cut the vegetables into small pieces and then I blend in a good extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil. I then sprinkle in my amazing seaweed spice full of good minerals from the ocean 🙂

When the pasta is ready all I do is mix it in well in with the vegetables and enjoy!

This takes just about 20 minutes to prepare. The pasta is comforting when you have cravings for something heavy. This would definitely be a healthier alternative. My kids love it and so do I, and although Italian, my boyfriend loves it as well 🙂

Hope this recipe can be useful for you. Look forward to reading your thoughts on it

Love JM

March 29, 2017October 25, 2018

SIMPLE SALMON & VEGETABLES RECIPE

Here is a simple and very easy recipe, not to mention super healthy for your whole family.
If you have a small baby that would need to eat this blended, you can make and prepare the food exactly the same and then just take out and set aside to blend with some high quality oil and some of the steamed water from the vegetables. It will be easier to blend and the texture won’t be as thick. The vegetables’ water will have some vitamins and minerals so it is all good.

Mamma don’t worry, I am with you when you are thinking about what to prepare for dinner everyday. It is a busy time in a family when you have to cook and the kids often never need you as much as while you are cooking dinner. So here I have a very easy recipe that is also super healthy. If you don’t eat fish you may take out the fish and replace it with something else such as quinoa, tofu or legumes.

My choice of vegetables varies on the season or what was fresh in the market that day, feel free to switch some out and put another favorite in.

This recipe feed a family of four, if there are left overs they are great to bring as your work lunch the next day!

– Three carrots
– Three small beets
– Two heads broccoli
– Half red cabbage
– Two great handful of monk’s beard ( a wonderful tasty green, looks like tall grass to me. My new favorite and I add this to almost all my recipes now as this is their season)
– 4-6 fillets of salmon, depends on the size.

Clean and peel your vegetables.
Then I use two steaming pots, one for fish and one for vegetables. Actually, you may also use just one for all if it is big enough just to save yourself from extra dishes to wash 🙂

After you have peeled and cleaned your vegetables bring the water to a boil.
Cut your carrots and beets into small pieces and then toss into the pot when the water is boiling.

In the meantime you keep cutting up your broccoli and red cabbage and after about 5 minutes add that in as well.

Chop your monk’s beard small and add it into the steam at the very end for about 3 minutes or leave it fresh – this is optional.

The salmon takes just about 5 minutes to steam so I put it in it’s pot and at the same time I add the broccoli in.

When the vegetables are ready I put them on a large plate and I add high quality extra Virgin olive oil. Then I add my new two recently found favorite seasonings. One is mixed seaweed, turmeric and a ginger combination – so tasty and healthy. You may find this in most heath food stores.

I season the vegetables mix them up with the oil and then I add the salmon and add a little more spice 🙂 I love the flavor of this combo and it is such a healthy addition to almost every dish.

I posted this in a video on Instagram awhile back and I received a lot of requests for recipes – so here it is. I hope this will taste as good to you as it does to me. My boys love to have salmon every now and then, I guess this is from their Icelandic side. The fat in salmon is so great for us, our hormones, our skin and our children. Just be conscious of where you get it from.

This may also be enjoyed with a very cold glass of white wine 🙂

Love, JM

March 25, 2017March 24, 2017

WHY DO WE EAT?

I have been suggesting new food ingredients lately such as: hemp seeds,chia seeds and some new healthy breakfast ideas. I really wanted to expand further on this topic. Why I believe in mindful eating and clean food above all the diets that are promised to make us ” bikini ready “. The reason we eat has nothing to do with bikinis. It is all about well-being and strong healthy bodies. No one body is the same and therefore we all need different foods and diets.

First I want to say that I don’t believe in diets. Honestly, I think that in most cases they can make us feel worse then before. It can be a very unsocial, isolating and depressing experience to be on a strict diet. Many people end up failing and feel like losers who can’t control themselves mainly because they scroll Instagram and see pictures of

babes with a six pack and huge space between their thighs taking photos of themselves in a gym bathroom.

I say let’s live the life we have been given.

I say be smart, listen to your body. Think before you eat, what is it that your body needs to shine, thrive and glow? It is all about balance. Listen to your bodies true cravings, look at your skin. How are your energy levels? Do you often feel tired? Might just be that your eating habits are of out balance. Too much junk food and sugar can take a toll on your mind, body and spirit.

We don’t have to eat when we are feeling sad. We actually need to talk, cry or just exercise well ( classes, yoga, running, swimming or even a little boxing) to get rid of built up excess energy, sadness or anger. Eat to stay healthy and have an easier life with less disease. It is so beneficial in every way to take good care of ourselves and our families when it comes to food.

So I am most definitely not saying we should just eat seeds and goji berries. I am suggesting them as a healthy snack and a great addition to your plate as an extra boost. I want to encourage healthy relationships with food and to strive to make every bite count as good nutrition. Of course we all have our treats or favorite foods and life is much more fun with special occasions. Conducting a little research can be helpful to gain a better understanding – use the internet and watch some of these great documentaries on food such as

– Food, Inc.

– Forks over knifes.

– Vegucated

– Food Matters

– Supersize me

– Simply raw: Reversing diabetes in 30 days

– Ingredients

– The future of food

– Hungry of change

– Fat, sick and nearly dead

It is good to know the background of what you are eating. Think about where your food comes from. Who made what you are about to eat and what it is made up of.

This can also be extremely helpful to gain understanding on how our bodies work. Especially before we become mothers and prior to pregnancy so that way we can understand what to feed our children.

Try to avoid empty calorie foods on and everyday basis. Most empty calorie foods are highly processed that contain added fat and sugar – cakes, biscuits, white pasta/bread, sodas, sweetened fruit drinks and ice-cream. Long shelf life foods should also be avoided. For example if you look at baby food, I have never seen vegetables, fish or meat with such long shelf lives. It is so important what we feed our children and starting life with all this processed food and junk is not a good choice. I know it may be convenient but making food for our children also does cost less and once you get going and get the hang of it you will be surprised how easy it actually is. Basically steam and blend. Homemade clean food also has a wonderful flavor. Our taste buds are often so overloaded with salt and spices that we forgot how real food tastes. After 10 days of clean eating, sometimes less or more, you will rediscover flavors, energy, sleep, mood and just total happiness.

Do your research, look and see if there is something that might be improved. I believe one of life’s beautiful gifts is there is always more to learn. The way to find your way is by trying many different ways and at the end you will find the right one for you. Keep an open mind and wait before criticizing, try it first and then decide.

Love JM

March 23, 2017April 5, 2017

HOT QUINOA PORRIDGE # 2

I would like to share another version of the very lovely quinoa porridge. This one is a bit juicier and may be more suited for adults and older children, but my sons absolutely love this one. It is so yummy and almost tastes like dessert, plus you don’t have to blend it like the other one I shared with you. Less fuss and clean up, which is great since every minute in the morning seems to move faster than the rest of the day 🙂

First step is to clean and wash your quinoa like I showed you HERE.

Then you take the cooked quinoa here you can use it fresh or you may also use leftovers from your fridge or also if you have it prepared from the night before)

– Place your portion of quinoa in a pot ( depends if you are making for one or more)

– Add your favorite milk my – personal is coconut or almond. I make almond milk at home often and then heat and use it whenever a recipe calls for it.)