This week is not a typical week for me as we were traveling to be with family and celebrating a Birthday.

*Disclaimer: Please be aware that this post contains content that some readers may find triggering. This is not intended to be dietary advice. Anything written here is not necessarily appropriate for the Enara program you are on or consistent with your particular goals.

Thursday 12/15

My diet this past 5 months has been different. When my daughter was 1 month old she was diagnosed with cow’s milk protein allergy, and because I am breastfeeding I needed to eliminate dairy from my diet. This was a huge change for me. I don’t drink milk, but I love cheese! Also, a lot of products are made with milk so I needed to be more careful with the foods that I purchased. 

Usually for breakfast I have a small bowl of oatmeal that I meal prep for 3-4 days. I used rolled oats and cooked it with water. Today I added a little bit of almond milk, sliced almonds and a teaspoon of peanut butter. After this breakfast I feel very satisfied until lunchtime.

Life has been busy lately, so I am focusing on meal prepping during the weekends so my weekdays are a little bit easier. Also, Emilia has started to eat. While that’s exciting, it’s also more work! For lunch I prepared prepped chicken with sautéed veggies, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, coconut aminos and sesame oil. I love this meal and all the colors in it. I served it with white rice.

At night I usually eat something quick and easy. I always have Mission low carb tortillas and today I chose avocado and eggs to put in the tortillas. I toasted it, and in less than 10 minutes my dinner was ready.

Friday 12/16

Today we had a terrible night! Emilia was sick and every time we put her in her crib she woke up. I decided to sit on the rocking chair and stayed with her. At 1 am my husband took her so I could go to sleep. The next morning, I was out of oatmeal and in a hurry so I had avocado toast for breakfast. I took Emilia to the pediatrician and she was diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). They already prescribed her some medicine so I’m hoping she starts to feel and sleep better. But I wasn’t expecting a good day — she also got her vaccines, plus a Covid and flu shot. On Tuesdays I start working after lunch, so I usually cook something simple for that day. I made mahi mahi with steamed veggies and rice. It was very good!

I started working and was very busy. I didn’t finish until late which means that I usually don’t eat dinner with my family — instead I eat a snack. Today I had hard boiled eggs and carrots. Thankfully the baby was feeling good! 

Saturday 12/17

Something that I am struggling with is getting my exercise routine back. To be honest, Emilia is not a great sleeper, so there are nights where she can wake up every 2 hours. I still feed her 2-3 times per night, leaving both my husband and I exhausted! Whenever I can I hop on my bike or go for a walk, but I’m not being consistent…

Today I was able to do a 20 minute ride, and felt great after the class. That’s what I need to remind myself — that post workout feeling! But it’s not always easy.

Today I had the same breakfast — oatmeal with sliced almonds and peanut butter, plus a piece of a banana that Emilia didn’t eat.

Then I ate lunch and had the chicken with sautéed veggies, but this time I served it with quinoa and a yellow pepper sauce that my mom brought from Peru. 

I was feeling hungry today so I ate a snack. Usually I would grab a string cheese or a piece of cheese, but of course, that’s not an option right now, so I ate an apple with cinnamon.

After work I was really craving pizza, which I usually make with a low carb tortilla. I bought vegan “cheese” and also added mushrooms. The taste is ok, but the texture — I don’t know — it’s very mushy. Overall it was ok and it satisfied my pizza craving.

Sunday 12/18

Today we traveled to Virginia to spend Christmas with my sister and her family. We decided to drive because it’s easier to take all the things for the baby. It was a 7 hour drive from my house. We left at 7 am and didn’t eat breakfast until 10 am. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to find dairy free options, so I opted to take a homemade turkey sandwich. We arrived at around 2 pm, unpacked and relaxed for the rest of the day. My brother in law cooked some pizzas from scratch that were delicious. He used vegan cheese, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions.

Monday 12/19

I’m staying at my sister’s house, so I am able to prepare the same foods as at home. Today I had toast with avocado. Then I started working. It was a busy day. I had a late lunch, and ate what was already prepared. It was orzo pasta with veggies (onions, tomatoes and mushrooms). It was delicious! Then I went back to work. I snacked on a pear in between appointments. By the end of the day I wasn’t feeling very hungry, so I ate a couple of big mushrooms with cheese. I am still recovering from the driving!!

Tuesday 12/20

Today I started working later. I made myself some oatmeal and then I took my nephews to their soccer camp. After the camp, we went grocery shopping. We are getting ready for Christmas eve dinner, so we needed to buy a bunch of things. I also found a chocolate bar made with oat milk. I haven’t had chocolate since July, so I was pretty excited to try it. For lunch we had some of the orzo leftovers. Then I had a couple of meetings and appointments. At around 4 pm I tried a couple of pieces of the oat milk chocolate, it was very good! For dinner we had chicken fajitas with bell peppers and onions and low carb tortillas. 

Wednesday 12/21

Today was a quiet day. We are going out for dinner for my mom’s birthday. We have reservations at an Italian place, which can be challenging due to my dairy free diet. I ate oatmeal for breakfast and then I started working. I had a quick lunch of salad with grilled chicken, then went back to work until 6 pm. At the restaurant I ordered grilled chicken with tomato sauce and olives and a side of broccolini and potatoes. To be honest, I missed ordering pasta with parmesan cheese, or any type of cheese. Then we went for a walk next to the Potomac River. It was a beautiful, but windy night.