Avocado Broccoli Salad Recipe

I ordered a bunch of broccoli from The Organic Box and it had been sitting in the fridge for a bit. (I'm starting to realize this is how most of my recipes start). So, I had the broccoli and rather then my usual boil/steam I wanted to do something different. I also may not have wanted the effort of having to cook it........

Most broccoli salad recipes I noticed had mayo, which I am personally not a huge fan off so I swapped the mayo out for avocado and I think it turned out pretty yummy, AND healthy. The lime adds a bit of zing to the flavor but the citric acid in it also helps keep the avocado from going brown, especially since the longer this is left the softer the broccoli becomes and personally I like better.

Ingredients:

• head of broccoli
• 1 avocado
• quarter of a red onion chopped fine
• cup of chopped grape tomato
• juice of half a lime
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste.

As I write out the ingredients I realize it's actually like quacamole with broccoli and I wonder why I've never thought of that before!

1. Finely chop the broccoli down. I used just the head and kept the stems out mostly. 
2. Chop onions and tomato and add to the bowl. 
3. In a separate bowl add avocado, lime, garlic powder and salt and pepper. 
4. Mix the avocado mixture in with the broccoli, tomato and onion. 
5. I like allowing a bit of rest time to let the broccoli soften but it can be eaten right away as well. 

Get $20 off your first order of $50 or more from The Organic Box using the code ORGANICBUNCH20. 

I Have a Cleaner and Feel No Guilt About It

After my first babe was born for a while I had a cleaner. It was glorious. Leave and do grocery shopping and errands and come back to a nice clean home. Then spend time with my daughter rather then cleaning!

A few months later I had this awful guilt about being a stay at home mom and spending money on someone cleaning my home for me. (That mom guilt is a real jerk isn't it?) So I stopped having her come. Despite my husbands advice and support on having her come.

Fast forward to a few years, a bigger house and an extra daughter later.......

I've learned my lesson. My lesson in being cheap and my lesson in mom guilt. 

I always thought (wait let me rephrase that I always STILL think sometimes) that I can do it all. I can be the super mom that does it all. I can have a clean house and happy kids and work and blah blah blah. And I realize you know what? I DONT HAVE TO BE!

One of the moms in my bootcamp said something so perfectly in relation to this last week. She's a mom of 4 kids and said " I feel bad for you with only 2 kids. With 2 you feel like you can still do it all and everything still be perfect. With four you realize it's impossible and relax on things a bit."

WOAH. Truth bomb. 

Anyways...... a few months ago I came to this conclusion that if I ask for help rather then trying to do ALL THE THINGS I can actually be more relaxed, spend more time with my kids and husband and quality time working on my blog and business. Just from having someone come into my house every second week to clean takes enough pressure off me. 

I feel not a single inch of guilt or remorse about receiving this help and honestly way more relaxed. It's not another thing on m "to do list" and clears my space and time for things that are far more important then cleaning my baseboards!

And since I know I am going to be asked...... I use the amazing Pernickety Services who not only do cleaning but grocery shopping and errands of all kinds. So really, you can get your help in any form. 

Take care of yourself by asking for help. It's not a weakness but a sign of strength. Honestly. 

Love,

Jen The Bitchin' Housewife

Fit Chick Friday - Kaye Burrows

This week we have the awesome Kaye Burrows for our Fit Chick Friday! Earlier this week she guest posted talking about Why You Pee During Your Workout. Check out the post!

Name: Kaye Burrows

Certifications:

BPE and BEd, MuTu ProTM, Hypopressive, multiple Core and Pelvic Floor specializations.

Where to find Kaye:

She trains private clients out of her home.  She has a space set-up in her basement where the mamas workout and babies/kids can play.  She also runs a group class out of a west end dance gym.   

What are your specialties?

Core and Pelvic floor, for sure.  This is my passion!

What got you into fitness?

I have always enjoyed moving my body and was an athlete growing up.  I played a lot of sports in high school and then played hockey for my university as I got my degrees.

What/Who is your biggest motivation?

Honestly, the women I have met since I had my first baby 6 years ago.  I continue to be blown away by amazing women.  Some are stay at home moms, some work full time, some are in between but all are literally changing the world for the better by what they do.  And yet so many of them don’t feel good in their bodies.  They feel defeated because their core and pelvic floor don’t function, feel and look like they would like them too.  I feel that the much of the fitness industry really preys on the insecurities that women feel during the pre and postnatal period and so I wanted to offer something different that would empower women to reconnect and reclaim their body.    

What got you into to training people?

As I mentioned in the previous answer, I wanted to offer vital information about core and pelvic floor healing and strengthening.  My main inspiration was Wendy Powell, the creator of the MuTu System.  I definitely checked off a bucket list item when I took her training course last fall in Florida and became a certified MuTu Pro TM.

What are some of your favourite exercises or equipment?

oooh, tough one!  I probably love mini-bands the most, because you can do so much with them.  I have all of my mamas working on glute (bum) strength to support their core and pelvis and you can really target the glutes when you add a mini-band!

What is your favourite outdoor activity?

Hiking, preferably in our gorgeous Western Canada mountain ranges.

What is your favourite indoor activity?

Sitting by a fire, maybe rolling out some tight muscles or sipping some wine and relaxing.

Any advice you'd like to give to other women?

Learn your body!  Our bodies are ever changing, especially during pregnancy and motherhood.  Make friends with your body and remember that it wants to feel good just as much as you want it too!  And don’t underestimate the role that your core and pelvic floor can play in everything, from how you breathe and stand to how you move in your workouts.  

Check out Kaye's Facebook Page, Instagram and Website to connect with her!

Why You Pee During Your Workout

I am a mom. I understand. Sometimes (particularly while jumping) we pee a little during our workouts. And anyone reading this who isn't a mother.. well...... sorry to say it's true most of the time for women after having babies. This is not my areas of expertise BUT I thought it would be great to bring in the wonderful (and gorgeous) Kaye Burrows from Core Love Fitness who DOES specialize in this area to talk about WHY we pee! Read on below for Kaye's amazing advice!

Why are you peeing during your workout?  And how to stop!

I remember leaving my first Stroller Boot camp class after my daughter was born and thinking “Is my vagina just sweating a lot or did I totally pee my pants?”  Hint: no, vaginas don’t sweat a lot.  

There is a major misconception that if you are experiencing urinary incontinence (leaking pee) after having babies it is because your pelvic floor is stretched, loose and weak.  Another misconception is that doing 100’s of kegals a day will solve all of your pelvic floor problems.   

In my experience, many women experiencing leaking have a hypertonic (tight) pelvic floor and thus have a really hard time strengthening the muscles because they cannot first get them to relax.  Your pelvic floor is made up of muscles that, just like any other muscle, work best when they can both fully relax and fully contract!  If this is your pelvic floor, kegal-ing away all day is not going to solve the problem.  

You can see from this diagram of the pelvic region that your pelvic floor is supporting some pretty important stuff!  I know that you may be desperate to get your ‘body back’ after having babies and so you turn to crunches/sit-ups, planks and running.  For the sake of your pelvic floor, I actually recommend you don’t do any of those, if you are experiencing incontinence.  Just for now, not for forever, I promise!

What to do:

1) First off,

I can’t recommend a pelvic health physiotherapist enough.  I would never have healed my own pelvic floor without one!  Here is a helpful link from Pelvienne Wellness that can help you find one.  If you want help locating one in Edmonton contact me here and I can share my recommendations.  

Next, you need to figure out if the way you breathe and stand is supporting your core and pelvic floor.  

2) Breathing

Start lying on your back, and place one hand on your ribs and one hand on your belly.  As you inhale, intentionally bring your breath into your ribs and into your belly instead of lifting your shoulders and breathing into your chest.  This encourages your diaphragm to move through its full range of motion and supports the deep core and pelvic floor muscles.  As you exhale, feel both your ribs and your belly sink towards your spine.  Try to breathe right into your pelvic floor.  Repeat 10 times (or more- relax and breathe Mamas!).

3) Standing.  

The two cues I say most often are:

• “Leave your behind (bum) behind you”

• “Keep your headlights (breasts) shining forward”

In the above photo my hips have shifted forward and my ribs have lifted up and shifted back.   This is a really common posture for moms because it takes some of the load of carrying babies (all day long!) off of the arms and into our spine and pelvis.  

In this photo, I have brought my bum behind me and rotated my ribs down and forward so that my “headlights” are shining forward.  This is a much better alignment to support my core and pelvic floor.

4) Be smart about your workouts.

Find an expert that you trust to guide you.  Burpees, jumping jacks, crunches and other high intensity exercises that are creating a ton of intra-abdominal pressure are not for a body that is repairing the core and pelvic floor.  If your class instructor or trainer doesn’t have a lot of knowledge about diastasis recti, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic floor healing, incontinence and hormone levels in nursing moms, look elsewhere.  You don’t want to move backwards in terms of healing and strengthening.  If you are looking for a fantastic online program that you can follow along at home, go here.  And if you need more help, please reach out!  I am so passionate about helping women feel connected, strong and at home in their bodies.  I would love to help you get there!  You can find me at corelove.ca, on Facebook and Instagram.     

Day 7 of Giveaways Pampering

Welcome  to Day 7 of the 7 Days of Self Care Giveaways! 

It wouldnt be a self care giveaway without some traditional pampering now would it?

This giveaway is for a gift card of $95 from Pamper and Play Salon! Get a haircut, maybe a massage, have your kids in the child minding area and relax! Go to the Pamper And Play page and like them the head over to the Bitchin' Housewife Facebook page and tag a friend you think might need some self care! 

Extra opportunity for entries if you head over and follow along on the  Bitchin' Housewife Instagram page!

Love, 

Jen The Bitchin' Housewife

Leg/Cardio Bodyweight Workout

Try out this fun home workout. Can be done all bodyweight or add weight to certain moves. For a real burn do it twice!