Molly Knauer Expert

300

Registered Dietitian

Had the urge to film this tonight and wanted to pop on and share what I've been doing to help get a restful night sleep. What are some healthy habits you're practicing to  get that much needed beauty sleep?

These zucchini fritters make the perfect low carb, high fiber replacement for your next brunch. I make a big batch and offer a few different toppings- cream cheese, smoked salmon, egg salad, or sliced fruit with Greek yogurt. They're also SO good plain! Only 3 ingredients and super quick to make. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 3 large zucchini, shredded (I chopped and then placed in my blender to shred into smaller pieces) It should come out to about 4 cups, shredded
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil for cooking
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

1. Place the shredded zucchini over a paper towel and sprinkle salt over. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to let some of the water drain out. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add the flour and eggs and mix well. Form patties about 3 tablespoons each. 
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot, place the patties into the skillet about 2 inches apart. 
4. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden and crispy on the outside and thoroughly cooked through. It is better to slightly overcook as I like them crispy!
5. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with salt. 
6. Serve with toppings of choice or eat plain!

It can be tough getting back on track after the holidays. Let's face it, it's human nature to start something, let it slide for a bit and then feel like you're starting back at square one. We've all been there and we all pick ourselves up and try again. Getting back into the swing of things can be difficult, and sometimes easier said than done but have no fear! As we approach the New Year, I’ve got your back.

Here are my 5 steps to getting back on track:

Get Rid of Guilt

You ate more than you intended to or maybe didn’t pick the healthiest option. We have all been there. Feeling guilty is unproductive and serves no one. Take a few breaths, be kind to yourself and focus on moving forward. What are you going to do moving forward to feel your best? 

Healthy Habits Don't Start on Monday

I don’t like the word diet, but making healthier choices starts now, with your next meal. Pushing off lifestyle changes until Monday, or until after the holidays, or until the New Year? Yea yea, we’ve heard that one before. Stop procrastinating! There is no better time than now to start treating yourself with the utmost respect! Treat each meal like a Monday morning. Every bite you take is a new opportunity to make better choices. One indulgent meal or treat won’t destruct your wellness goals, and we all deserve to treat ourselves in a mindful, positive way once in awhile. Try to remember that each bite you take is a choice to serve your best self, or get in your own way. What are you going to choose? Check in with yourself, is this option worth it? Are you eating that for the right reasons?

Drink up! 

Now that you’ve committed to moving forward in a positive way, what exactly are you going to do to feel better? First, let’s start by detoxifying a bit. If you overdid it on sugary, fatty, foods, the best thing to do is drink a lot of water. Start and finish your day with a cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon and aim for 3 liters of water throughout the day. Lemon has detoxifying and anti-inflammatory properties. Hydrating properly will help your liver and kidneys flush out those toxins. 

More Plants 

Besides hydrating with water, you want to eat lots of hydrating fruits and vegetables. Plants like berries, leafy greens, bell peppers, cucumbers, and celery have high water content as well as fiber. Fiber helps detoxify, keep your digestion regular and balance your microbiome all while keeping you fuller for longer. After your lemon water, start your day with a bowl of berries and possibly a big salad or vegetable based soup for lunch. After going big on hard to digest and inflammatory foods, these foods are gentle on the body and help detoxify and reset.

Move it! 

Exercise helps rev up your digestion, increase energy, burn calories and boost your mood. But one important thing - don’t hit the gym with negative thoughts, beating yourself up or with a goal to burn off what you ate. Instead, pick a form of exercise that you actually enjoy and set choose a positive intention.  Some of my favorites are “I’m moving to spark joy," “I’m moving to shift and move some energy," “I’m moving because I deserve to feel my best." Whatever you choose, make sure it feels positive, self loving and good to you.

We all overdo it sometimes, so go easy on yourself! 

I hope these tips will help you reset and move forward in a positive way.

To a healthy, happy, New Year!

With love, 

Molly

Breastfeeding was the hardest part of being a new mom for me. I felt like other moms emphasized what great bonding time it was and shared how sad they were when they stopped breastfeeding. 

What I wasn’t aware of was what a massive commitment it would be. The hours of feeding or chained to the pump, wondering if she got enough, waiting for the burp. The running out to get one errand done feeling totally anxious about getting home in time for the next feed or before I started to leak. Never getting to sleep through the night and waking up leaking and in agony. Feeling starving ALL THE TIME. Worrying about if what I ate or drank would upset her tummy. Worrying that I wasn’t making enough milk and wondering why I didn’t make enough to store any milk while my mom friends had freezers full of milk. Feeling guilty about supplementing with formula. Feeling guilty about stopping after 3 months rather than my goal of 6 months. Worrying about which formula was best. These were my real feelings while breastfeeding. 

I am sharing all of this so that hopefully other new moms don’t feel guilty if they don’t feel that breastfeeding is total bliss. Or if they decide breastfeeding isn’t for them. Breastfeeding is a HUGE commitment and remember, FED IS BEST! All new moms deserve a huge gold medal (or a spa day) whether they decide to breastfeed or not.

So now that we’ve had a bit of #realtalk, here are my tips for what to eat while breastfeeding to increase your supply and stay energized (ish) through those exhausting new mom months.

Fats are your best friends! Include avocado, chia, flax and hemp seeds, nuts, nut butters, ghee, coconut oil and salmon. I’m pretty sure I had cinnamon raisin ezekiel toast with ghee or nut butter each morning and when I was in the mood for something more savory, I would have 1/2 an avocado with trader joe’s everything bagel seasoning

Always have snacks on hand. The hunger is real while breastfeeding so have snacks on hand. I would keep snacks in my night table for when I got hungry while pumping or feeding. A batch of roasted nuts with sea salt and cinnamon or garlic and rosemary is a great snack on the go. Cut up veggies with hummus, apple with peanut butter, and coconut yogurt or Siggy’s yogurt with dried mulberries were favorites of mine. Smoothies are a great snack as well and a good way to pack a ton of nutrients into one satisfying meal. I also sipped on bone broth frequently as it is so nutrient packed!

Hungry all the time? Totally normal. You are burning around 500 extra calories breastfeeding so you require more fuel! If you are eager to shed the baby weight and start restricting calories while breastfeeding, your supply will take a dip. So be gentle with your body for the first few months and let your body do its thing.

Stay hydrated. Breastmilk is about 90% water so its important to keep up your water supply. Aim to have a full glass of water each time you feed or about 12 glasses of water per day. I carried around a 1 liter water bottle and aimed to drink 3 of them each day. Keeping hydrated will also help battle exhaustion and keep your energy up.

Pack in the nutrients. There are certain nutrients (group 1 below) that your breastmilk will be deficient in if you are not getting enough in your diet. There are other nutrients that your breastmilk will not be deficient in because if are not getting enough, the body takes from your own bone and tissue stores (group 2). So while baby will never be deficient, you will be if you are not getting enough.

Below are the group 1 nutrients and some common food sources:

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamin): Fish, seeds, nuts and whole grain bread.
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Cheese, almonds, nuts, red meat, oily fish and eggs.
• Vitamin B6: Seeds, nuts, fish, poultry, pork, bananas and dried fruit
• Vitamin B12: Shellfish, liver, oily fish, crab and shrimp.
• Choline: Eggs, beef liver, chicken liver, fish and peanuts
• Vitamin A: Sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, and eggs.
• Vitamin D: Cod liver oil, oily fish, some mushrooms and fortified foods.
• Selenium: Brazil nuts, seafood, fish, whole wheat and seeds.
• Iodine: Dried seaweed, cod, milk and iodized salt

Below are the group 2 nutrients and some common food sources:

• Folate: Beans, lentils, leafy greens, asparagus and avocados
• Calcium: Milk, yogurt, cheese, leafy greens and legumes
• Iron: Red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, beans, green vegetables and dried fruit.
• Copper: Shellfish, whole grains, nuts, beans, organ meats and potatoes.
• Zinc: Oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts and dairy
• Source- healthline

I recommend continuing your prenatal vitamin throughout breastfeeding to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need. Make sure that prenatal includes vitamin D as you are likely not getting much sun in those first months of motherhood and breastmilk is low in vitamin D. If you are struggling to keep your supply up, I found fenugreek supplements to help a lot! A friend also sent me this lactation support supplement which I would try next time around!

If your baby is experiencing acid reflux or frequent gas or tummy aches, try eliminating the following foods:

• Wheat
• Nuts
• Corn
• Dairy 
• Soy 
• Peanuts
• Shellfish
• Coffee
• Tea
• Beverages containing caffeine
• Chocolate
• Gas-producing vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, green peppers)
• Tomatoes
• Citrus fruits

It is definitely hard and having a few bites of these foods here and there most likely won’t have an effect. Remember, cooked veggies are easier to digest and less gas forming than raw veggies so sticking to warm bowls, roasted veggies or stir fries may be an easier way to get in those veggies rather than big salads. While figuring out your baby’s sensitivities, gripe water will be your best friend!

If you are currently pregnant, here are a few breastfeeding musts (at least in my opinion)!!

• Lively maternity bras. The only cute ones I found and so comfy!
• A hospital grade pump. I used the Spectra S2. Make sure to get it through insurance!
• Nursing pads to prevent leaking through your shirt (been there)
• A good pumping bra
• Nipple butter
• Como Tomo bottles. These are game changing! So much lighter than the dr brown bottles and I love that they are squishy! They have an adapter that you can put on top so you can pump right into the bottles

Hope this helps and feel free to comment with any questions!!

Good morning Love Club and happy self-care week! This week I'm making more of an effort to practice those daily habits that make me feel my best. Check them out and give some of them a try for yourself! 

What are your go-to's for self-care and what will you be making more of an effort to practice this week?

xo 

This recipe could not be simpler and has become my favorite way to cook eggplant!

Did you know that in addition to containing a variety of vitamins and minerals, eggplants are kind of the bees knees in providing a high number of antioxidants? Antioxidants are substances that help protect the body from damage caused by harmful substances known as free radicals.

Also, a serving of eggplant can provide at least 5% of a person’s daily requirement of fiber, copper, manganese, B-6, and thiamine.

Need I say more?! 

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• Tahini
• Pomegranate seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place the whole eggplant on a baking sheet and bake for 45-1 hour (depending on size of eggplant)
3. Take eggplant out and gently cut in half. Drizzle tahini on top and sprinkle pomegranates

There ya go, the simplest recipe ever! What are some of your favorite ways to cook or eat eggplant?

With love, 

Molly

While Halloween will be different this year, that doesn't mean you can't treat yourself. I've found the middle ground between apples and candy corn...this insanely delicious fudge recipe uses all natural ingredients and no refined sugar. The adults will thank you and the kids will have no idea that it's healthier than real cookie dough. I've been making this for years and let me tell you, it seriously never disappoints. 

Happy Halloween! Please share any of your healthy Halloween treats with me, I'd love to see them!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Cooked and Drained Chickpeas (Canned are fine)
• 1/4 Cup Natural Peanut Butter (Almond, Cashew or any Seed Butter works as well)
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• Dash of Sea Salt
• 1/3 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 Cup Ground Flax or Chia seeds

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients, excluding the chocolate chips, into your food processor and blend until completely smooth
2. Stir in chocolate chips
3. Line an 8×8 (or smaller) pan with plastic wrap
4. Spread mixture evenly on top
5. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 5 hours or overnight
6. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Tip – Keep fudge pieces in the freezer until ready to serve. It does melt into a cookie dough consistency so best eaten quickly!