Annie Dawson, MS, RD, LD

It’s been too long since I’ve put love into food. Tonight felt good. Peaches, pistachios, beets, goat cheese, home grow arugula and dressing. 🌈

Continuing Margo’s breakfast series. Cereal & milk can be a good option! Choosing whole grain, and one that’s higher fiber to avoid glucose spikes & crash. I add a side of nuts (walnuts in this pic) to balance the protein & fat.

French toast. This breakfast is a great combination of macros and SO simple. Soak a piece of whole grain bread in 1 egg, and cinnamon. I like adding a “yogurt drink” (Keifer) to this meal for additional dairy.

Elevated toast. Mixed nut butter (Costco and TJ both have great options) and jelly. To get Margo involved in this breakfast she sprinkles chia seeds. I choose a lower carb fruit (berries) since bread + jelly are higher glycemic index. However, doing a whole grain sprouted bread will help prevent the spikes that white bread causes. 🍞

The next few posts I’ll be sharing Margos breakfast. I rotate for variety which increases her acceptance.

Oatmeal. I start with a prepared packet. Margo then adds a scoop (1T flax, h**p, and a sprinkle of cinnamon). Then a scoop of collagen and added oats. Fruit (today was diced apple.) Sometimes PB,
today was chopped walnuts. Milk for the liquid.

Nothings exact because Margo does the scooping, it takes around 2 minutes to make, then we hurry and get dressed while it cooks.

Nuts and seeds are great sources of protein and fat - and easy for little hands to to get involved.

Merry 🌲 Christmas 🎄 Pancakes. Just added spinach to our normal cast iron cakes. Thanks for the idea .eat.in.color

Easy peasy pancakes. 1 banana, 2 eggs, 1T flax, h**p, collagen, syrup, 1t cinnamon, 1/4 C oats. Blend all together. For renewed interest we added blueberries, last weekend we did sprinkles. These are simple to cook in a cast iron with coconut oil, and broil the top. I then place on a plate and Margo uses cookie cutter shapes to make it fun.

Acorn squash with caramelized onions, spinach, and chicken sausage. My little chef had fun getting her hands slimy and scooping out the guts. 😍

Recreating a breakfast I had; interesting combo of food that turned out delicious! Sweet potato, pear, egg, blue cheese, honey, and walnuts. (The restaurant added micro greens which I didn’t have, and they served sans egg but I wanted a touch more protein to my morning).

This is the delivery I received today and literally broke down and cried. Frozen breast milk overnighted from a dear friend. I feed people for a living but have a hard time feeding my babies. During a time where Moms are not supported by our government. At a time when the AAP extended breastfeeding guidelines from one to two years. At a time where I cannot find formula, the shelves are still bare in my town. It can feel overwhelming.

Did you know that diabetes can cause delayed milk production. I had NO idea. With Margo it took 7 days. In the meantime she lost a significant amount of weight and was hospitalized for high bilirubin (likely due to not eating). Thank god for amazing friends who stepped in and fed her. Margo had a hard time breastfeeding, and our lactation appointments were soon cancelled because of the pandemic.

After opening up about our struggle I was surprised how many people have have difficulty, but its not discussed.

This time we are much more prepared. We have the professionals in place, necessary bottles, my father in law stocked us with formula.

So new Moms, or those currently struggling.. If you find beastfeeding difficult, you are not alone. Fed is best. Your mental health is best. ❤️ Man oh man am I ever so grateful to have women in my corner.

Mommas. Check your prenatal vitamins, you may have be missing necessary vitamins. Majority of prenatal recommendations are made based off of studies on MEN and estimated for women. The more we study pregnancy needs the more we are finding recommendations are LACKING in vitamins and mineral in pregnancy and lactation.

Specifically:

1. Selenium
2. Choline
3. Vitamin D
4. Fish oil (DHA / EPA)

Not enough selenium? Eat 2 Brazil nuts daily, seafood / shellfish is another good source. It has many functions such as thyroid health, immune function, building our DNA 🧬.

Choline this the other “folic acid” and essential, especially early on. However it became an essential vitamin in 1998, and only recently advocated amongst organizations like AAP in recent years. Most major manufacturers have not caught on. 😫 Food: egg yolks, and organ meats. Important for the spinal cord, and neural tube defects.

Vitamin D: minimum 1000, and get outside daily!

Fish oil: crucial for brain health. Food: fatty fish .

I love me a good bagel, but they do spike my glucose, and for several hours. A few tips to help@correct:

🩸 Eat half a bagel
🩸 Choose bagel thins
🩸 Pair carbs with protein + fat + veggies to stabilize blood glucose.

👌🏼 can’t go wrong with burrata and prosciutto for snackies. (Yes, that’s soft cheese and deli meat). In pregnancy I gear towards European guidelines - the US are based off of Men and many of which are outdated 🤯 In my OB office nutrition advice was DONT eat X,Y,Z. But never focused on what you SHOULD eat.

DO: Choose high quality food. Load up on fruits, veggies, fish, slow cooked meat, eggs, full fat dairy, legumes, nuts, seeds.

I have two major announcements, I’ve been rather absent because we’ve been growing something big over here! Baby girl coming in July 💜 Also, My Virtual Dietitian will be experiencing a change after maternity leave is over. Explanation 👇🏼

This pregnancy has been HARD. Pregnancy with diabetes 😵‍💫First trimester sickness and exhaustion. Second trimester peak daycare germs, regular contractions started. Third trimester limited mobility due to contractions. All while solo parenting (or so it feels 🫣) a crazy beautiful toddler.

But darn if I’m not grateful. It took a balance of Eastern + western medicine to get our girls, and I’m so thankful.

Working full time, having a partner work 70+ hours a week, taking care of the home, and providing nurturing meals. Something had to give! Sadly that was My Virtual Dietitian. I put my heart and soul into my private practice and love every second of it. However, I couldn’t give it 100 with daycare closures / inconsistency, and wanting to put my family first.

I CANNOT wait to rebuild and come back stronger than ever. However in this season of life I’m giving myself grace as I wind down and enjoy motherhood. This page will likely turn more personal (feeding our girls / family), raise awareness about diabetes, QUICK healthy meals. I also no longer enjoy counseling weight loss, but thrive on helping those live their best life, health at every size, teaching clients to ENJOY food, and helping Mommas feed their babies. If weight loss is a byproduct of that, so be it.

I feel so thankful for connecting with so many of you over IG for quick questions, and I hope that can continue! I can’t tell you how many messages I received of “I’m pregnant!” Or solidarity after a loss. I love being apart of your health journey 💕 no matter how small I truly enjoy the connections I’ve made on here.

Cheers to this season of life, thanks for being patient with me during this transition.

Enjoy snapshots of the last 9 months, many of which spent in bed 🫣

One pasta, in one pan.

Sauté:
One onion
One pepper
One T olive oil
One cup spinach
One t garlic powder

Set aside.

Brown one pound ground beef

Set aside.

Same pan, cook one bag pasta noodles.

Once done add one jar spaghetti sauce and everything mentioned above.

Not the best photo, but tried my hand at Pho. My NY resolution (which is slacking) try a new recipe once a week. Im also motivated to introduce new flavors to Margo (although intimidating!)

Easy (healthy) kiddo breakfast. French toast made with whole grain bread. In a bowl combine 1 egg + pumpkin pie spice + dash vanilla + t syrup or honey.

Soak 1 min each side. After placing bread in the pan pour remaining egg on top.

I like adding variety to our mornings. This is a filling breakfast that is sweeter but also has some protein and fat 🤩

Mongolian Beef + steamed broccoli + brown rice.

This meal was thrown together thanks to a few meal helpers. Meat is from .natural.foods from Costco. Broccoli was quickly steamed in the microwave for 4.5 minutes. Brown rice was batched cooked, the rest will be go in stir fry. I’m a big fan of 30 minute dinners ✌🏼

🌈 Eat the rainbow 🌈

Fish tacos, with all the toppings.

Anyone else love ramen noodles as a kid? Here’s my adult version, with shredded carrots, bean sprouts and broccoli. The base was bone broth. For protein we did tofu for with an added fried egg, and of course Sriracha. 🍜

Dear Trader Joe’s,

Thanks for all your delicious frozen meals.

Signed,

Overwhelmed Momma

Pictured: frozen asparagus risotto + 1 head steamed broccoli + frozen shrimp cooked in butter. Dinner was

⚠️ LONG post ahead ⚠️

This time a year I see many messages that are filled with motivation, desire to lose weight and take back your health. It’s something about a fresh start (ex: I’ll start on Monday, next month, or the first of the year) that makes people feel energized.

I love that energy and want to tap in! But first, why do most people fail their New Year's Resolutions? They make big lofty goals, and choose things they don’t enjoy (example: I’m going to eat only a salad for lunch and dinner, and run everyday.)

I love this statistic: those who set goals are 10 times more likely to achieve them than those who don’t.

Here’s a few tips to help you succeed:

⭐️Choose a specific goal (I can help with this)

⭐️Less is more, Limit your resolutions

⭐️Plan, plan, plan! It’s easy to say “I want to loose weight.” But how will you get there? Creating an action plan will do this, need help? Just ask!

⭐️Plan to fail. At some point, we will have a setback. What’s important is that you have a backup plan and keep coming back. (I will run outside.. What happens when it’s too dark, cold, or rainy? ?Have a back up plan of doing an indoor exercise class at your home.)

⭐️Don’t repeat past failures. Did you set a goal to run a marathon last year and gave up? Time to switch up your goals.

⭐️Be gentle on yourself, this is a process and takes time. If you ever feel discouraged or stuck it’s time to reach out!

⭐️Write down your goals somewhere you can see them
Know your why. Dig really deep, and keep asking yourself, WHY you are here. Why you want to loose weight. I want to loose weight. Why? To feel better. Why? Because I am tired right now, and need a change. Why? Because I want to have more quality time with my family and friends. If you are interested in learning more about the “why” method we can explore this deeper.

Cheers to a healthy 2022, and accomplishing your resolutions this year!

Making naan pizza with my girl. Want kids to try more foods? Get them in the kitchen. Margos favorite tasks are: stir, sprinkle, handing me supplies, cutting, measuring. Sure it’s a mess, and much more time consuming.. but the memories and her acceptance to foods makes it worth it 🥰

The only way to eat a salad: fully loaded. Here’s a few tips:

🥬 start with 2+ cups greens (kale, spinach, arugula, etc.)

🍤 a protein (egg, shrimp, chicken, beans, tofu)

🍓 1 cup combo toppings (mushroom, berries, apples, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, figs)

🥑 healthy fats (olive oil, h**p seed, chia, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cheese)

🥗 optional add more (spices, herbs, salt, pepper)

🌈 the more color the better!

Toasted brioche egg sandwich with pesto, ham, and sun dried tomatoes. This soft, rich, sweet bun has higher protein / fat content and is oh so delicious. This meal wasn’t loaded with produce, but a friendly reminder you can make those up for the next meal.

It’s Chili season! Substituting whole milk plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream will give you half the calories and 2.5 times more protein. The taste is VERY similar, arguably better.

Several PM about exercise and what I use. This season of life I workout at home during my lunch breaks. Personally I need a ‘coach’ guiding me through my workouts. My go to is LesMills for weight lifting, barre, kickboxing, HIIT training, and step aerobics. I use the Pelton app for running and spinning. (We have a generic bike / tredmill, not the Pelton brands).

Both of the apps cost money, however I reccomend Fitness Blender on Youtube for free options to my clients. There’s also Yoga by Adrienne on YouTube which I’ve heard fantastic reviews about!

Once every two weeks I make smoothies for the fam. Freeze in 8oz mason jars. Margo drinks her with a wide mouth straw at school.

When packing lunches I throw them in partially frozen so they also serve as a icepack. It takes three rounds in the vitamix, hence the layers. One veggie + two fruit batches, loaded with flax, h**p, collagen, and kiefer.

Roasting last of our bounty. There’s something beautiful about food 😍