Tag Archives: healthy

WIAW #10: What I Ate Before Fatherhood

05/06/2015 R.C. Liley 8 Comments

Not like the meals I had before fatherhood were gourmet dishes or anything, but I certainly didn’t have to practice the whole “don’t eat with your eyes” thing as much.

I’m not complaining, I love my meals of randomness all mixed together in a Tupperware dish, but it’s fun to look back at the meals I had in the past, where you could even make out what they were! I’ve mentioned before how I had a healthy foodie blog, Just Add Cayenne, as you will find with its own page above, and figured I’d pull an old WIAW post from the archives.

Sticking to a post around this time, I found one I published on April 24th, 2012, titled When Life Hands Me Wednesdays, I Make WIAW Post #9. It only seemed fitting since this is my 10th WIAW post on Going Dad, so it’s kinda like just picking up where I left off, just now I have a daughter and I’m a stay-at-home dad. A damn proud SAHD at that!

Before we travel back in time 3 years, I’ll quickly share what one of my day’s worth of eats looked like recently.

Morning – I cut a banana into slices and cover each one with NuttZo to feed the non-stop Avery as she does circles around the kitchen island.

I was expecting to have a few left over for me to finish, but….

….that was the last one. I did get to lick my fingers clean though! Luckily I had several cups of coffee to keep me “going”.

Then lunch was a combo of steamed veggies and a microwave salsa omelette.

Dinner was my usual mix of randomness with kimchi, homemade fermented cucumbers, eggs, tuna, and steamed brussels sprouts.

I know, hold the jealousy train, one at a time now!

Now, how about a little back to the future WIAW to see meals pre-dad? I’m bringing everything I shared from the old WIAW post to this one, even my commentary, just to give you a glimpse of life back then.

Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere! It was great then and continues to be an awesome linky now!

Breakfast – Cold quinoa and bean salad with steamed veggies, and a little salsa mixed in; baby carrots; overnight peanut butter oatmeal crisps; French Press coffee with nutmeg and vanilla extract

Snack – Handful of roasted pumpkin seeds and black chai tea

Lunch – Spicy Black Bean Cakes on a bed of arugula and roasted veggies; small cup of frozen strawberries and papaya; Ak-mak crackers; baby carrots; green tea with stevia

Snack – More green tea mixed with an herbal peppermint tea; great for after eating!

Dinner – Bring on my biggest meal; always ready to eat after a good strength/cardio workout! Mixed salad greens with lentil-veggie puree as a dressing and topped with Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and tomatoes; Pumpkin Protein Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich (I made the pancakes using my crepe recipe with less liquid); pumpkin and frozen fruit protein puree topped with oatmeal crisps; no-bake peanut butter cookies on the side; I also had a slice of low-fat peanut butter protein bread I made this weekend…..recipe to come.

After a wonderful day with Kelley on Saturday, I spent way too long in the kitchen on Sunday. Even after saying I’ll just make simple meals for the week, I went overboard. I promised next weekend I will actually make simple, steamed bean and veggie meals to get out of the kitchen quicker. I must stick to it!

Although, I keep seeing/thinking of awesome recipes that I want to try, so it’s hard not to try them out! Maybe just one fun recipe and be done with it….uh oh, this is how it starts! I want to start posting more of the various vegetable and fruit blends I make on a daily basis; anyone interested?

Q: Do you like going to the movies or staying at home?

A: I typically prefer to stay at home to watch something where my own food is readily available and there’s no noise from other people to bother you.

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, Soft Star Shoes, WIAW

WIAW #9: Don’t Eat With Your Eyes!

04/29/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

You know the saying, “You eat with your eyes first”? I’m lucky my wife and daughter either don’t practice this quote, or simply don’t look at what I make sometimes because some things just look straight up gross.

See?

But it usually tastes great and is always healthy! I mean, I try to make some dishes look good for Going Mom. Like the presentation on this chicken tortilla soup looks delicious and she agreed it was.

Unfortunately, since most of my meals are one-pot collaborations of loads of veggies, some healthy fats, and protein, they usually don’t do much to please the eyes. Even when they are miniaturized for the little belly in the house.

Hey, it’s not easy cooking several meals for three every day. Then again, as a stay-at-home dad, I don’t need to complain, it should just be part of what I do. No fast food or going out to eat means more for me to make, but I’m happy with that since it means a healthier family. And most of the time my ugly meals still taste good. Love that slow-cooker!

So, as I share with you my day of eats, I only ask that you DO NOT eat with your eyes ~~first~~ at all! Please?

Now, how about a little WIAW action! Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

Breakfast – I followed my typical fasting protocol and just had some Homemade Cold Brew Coffee as I fed this smiling girl some microwave chocolate bread with NuttZo.

Lunch – Steamed beets, kale, carrots, and broccoli topped with eggs and nutritional yeast. Also had a couple of Beanitos chips for a tasty crunch.

Before Dinner – Green protein smoothie with whole apples, kale, carrots, and spirulina.

Dinner – Dad’s specialty, another crock-pot perfection! Wild antelope steaks (thanks to my brother, Uncle Preston) in a stew of organic mixed veggies, corn, and beans. See, not the best thing to look at, but trust me, it was a delight to eat!

Snack – I’ve been making a lot of variations of my microwave breads and had way more than necessary of this chocolate version. #noguilt

Do you eat with your eyes first or can you overlook the ugly dish if taste prevails?

Seriously, what can’t you make in the slow-cooker?

Ever try any kind of wild game like antelope?

NuttZo, Parenting, Promo

Our ‘Going’ NuttZo Tasting Party!

04/27/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

You taste a lot of deliciously healthy varieties of NuttZo, obviously! This weekend, the Going Family hosted a NuttZo tasting party for our neighborhood to delight the taste buds of both kids and adults.

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A post shared by RC Liley (@going_dad)

My party hosting skills could use some work, but I was pretty pleased with my layout. One lucky neighbor was going to be randomly drawn to win their own jar of the Smooth Original NuttZo and I was creative enough to use an empty NuttZo jar for the drawing. Going Mom made fun of me for putting a red bow on the prize jar, but I thought it was a nice touch. What do you think?

People starting showing up and although I was excited to share the edible happiness of NuttZo, I was still a little nervous. Big thanks to my wife for helping to keep the mood light.

For days, I was driving myself crazy trying to think of elaborate recipes to create for the party, but thankfully my wife kept me in check and told me to keep it simple. Duh. It is a tasting party for a product, not a cook-off, so simple it was! But that didn’t stop me from taking things seriously, just look at that intense face of concentration!

Each attendee received a colorful bowl in which I scooped several varieties of NuttZo one at time for them to try. I offered an organic honey almond granola for as a topping for that extra crunch.

There were three NuttZo flavors for tasting; the Smooth Original, Crunchy Power Fuel (my favorite), and Crunchy 70% Dark Chocolate. G-Ma was excited to try them all with Avery!

As if it was even a question, yes, there were seconds…..and thirds.

Avery, our little NuttZo pro, probably had the most out of everyone combined! She can’t say no to NuttZo!

As you can see, Going Mom enjoyed her samples too. Oh man, she’s “Going” to kill me when she sees I posted this pic!

Overall, I’d say NuttZo was well received by our neighbors. Although, one little girl, Zoey, seemed hesitant about the 7 organic nut and seed butter spread, but her dad said she’s not a big fan of peanut butter in general.

She’s a sweet girl, so I didn’t pressure her too much. Plus, I applaud her efforts at trying to hide her feelings with a cute smirk and referring to me as “Mr. R.C.”.

The brand new jars were all severely depleted, as they should be, after the tasting party neared an end.

We only had one thing left to do, pick a winner for the NuttZo jar giveaway! Drum rollllll….

Congrats to Jason, and his two little girls, Natalie (pictured) and Zoey! His wife, Jennifer, had to work, but I know the entire family is excited. I handed out coupons to everyone and Jason said he was excited to pick up another jar to have a work for a healthy snack.

Skip the chips and keep a jar of NuttZo and spoon around for a healthy snack. You can eat a whole bag of chips and still feel hungry, and it’s easy to add up to 500 calories of processed food fast! But NuttZo, full of healthy omega fatty acids, protein, and deliciousness, will keep you satisfied after just 2 spoonfuls. What more do you need?

I’d like to thank everyone who attended, my wife for helping out so much with hosting and cleaning around the house, and of course, the entire NuttZo team for providing the jars for tasting as well as the giveaway. I’m honored to be an ambassador for such a great company, and love that they are big supporters of Project Left Behind which helps small orphanages around the world.

On behalf of our Going Family (rocking our personal NuttZo shirts), we appreciate everyone for their support and for sharing the #NuttZoLove! Now go try some NuttZo and #LLYMI! That’s “Live Like You Mean It” in case you didn’t know. 😉

P.S.: If you’re questioning the higher price of NuttZo, here’s a good article that might help you feel better about skipping 2 trips to Starbucks and grab a jar of NuttZo instead.

An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.