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Chantal Urbina

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[ WELCOME ]. My name is Chantal . I am a retired Registered Massage Therapist and a current Stay at Home Mom looking after my first baby, Eliana. I am a Culinary Nutrition Expert who is passionate about making healthy and wholesome meals for the whole family. 

[ WELCOME ]. My name is Chantal .I am a retired Registered Massage Therapist and a current Stay at Home Mom looking after my first baby, Eliana. I am a Culinary Nutrition Expert who is passionate about making healthy and wholesome meals for the whole family. 

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It’s World Mental Health Day today and as fate would have it, I go for my very first therapy session tomorrow. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ I was a tween when my parents separated. My mother had good intentions and tried to get me to see a Counsellor. I walked into that first appointment and marched right out immediately. I was “too cool” for therapy (aka SCARED). Years went by along with many more hardships. Many more reasons I should have gone. But stigma won.⁣ .⁣ ⁣ I have shared about my post-partum anxiety and that in itself convinced me to reach out for help. But alongside the anxious thoughts has been a pull within me. I’ve been associating my present thoughts and reactions to past events. There’s been a natural clarity unfolding. Parenthood really has me solving some puzzles of my past. Slowly, shadows are coming out of the closet and dust is coming out from under that heavy rug. I reached a point in my life where I could no longer proceed knowing I was only holding myself back. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ So after over 20 years of being “too cool” I am finally ready. I want to FEEL to HEAL. I want to talk about it with my children. I want them to grow up knowing help is normal and needed, even we feel okay most days. We don’t need to wait for a diagnosis to take initiative. We deserve to live our best lives. ⁣#worldsmentalhealthday
Personally and professionally, I feel as though I am growing at a rapid pace. I have unleashed this superpower to face fear and I’ve been bold, determined, and consistent. It’s exciting, empowering, and uplifting. But for every step I take towards development in these areas, I question where I stand as a mother. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ I broke a habit awhile ago that took a lot of rewiring to achieve. If I ate something “bad” I would later eat the “best” to make up for it if I couldn’t exercise that day. Sometimes I do this with parenting. We could have a great, fun filled day that went so smoothly. One for the books. And once they were down for the night, I would sigh with relief, hoping our perfect day made up for yesterday or maybe even for tomorrow. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ There has been a lot of unlearning on my part lately. For the past few years, really. And lately the biggest thing I have been unlearning is the lie that I’m not enough. For some reason that one can be the hardest to convince ourselves of otherwise when it comes to parenting. So here’s a reminder meant for myself but also for anyone else who may need it: We are enough. We are doing enough. We don’t need to “make up for days.” Our children love us unconditionally no matter what, every single day. Even if we spent the day apart, together having adventures, or together in slowness in the comfort of our own homes. Every day will not be the same and that’s ok. THIS is what makes those perfect days, perfect. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ Do you ever keep “tabs” on your meals? What about on your days as a parent?
It happens to a lot of us. We look back at an old picture and think “Damn. I wish I looked like that again.” I’ll admit, I used to do it all the time. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ It wasn’t until I started asking myself a different question that I shifted my ways. One day instead of saying the usual “I wish” line I asked myself: but how did you FEEL during this time? The answer was never “just as good or better than I feel now.” NEVER. Back then, I looked fitter than I do now. But sacrifices were made to ensure I looked the way I did. Emotions were spared so as long as I looked the absolute best that I could. My appearances received a constant focus whereas my overall well-being, did not. Somewhere along the way I flipped that focus. I put my overall well-being first. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ So now when I look back at old pictures-and when out of habit my mind starts to say “Ugh, I wish....”. I stop myself and remember how I wasn’t honouring myself back then. And saying “I wish I looked like that again” would just be continuing a cycle of disservice. I still wouldn’t be honouring myself. Because I’m just as beautiful now. Perhaps even more-I find I do that smiling thing a bit more now. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ What is the first thought that comes to mind when you see an old picture of yourself? //PS-thanks for inspiring this topic, @oliviaretterlifestyle. You can always count on me to read your short and sweet captions and turn it into a goddamn novel.
I started this Instagram account almost 8 years ago now. It was created to learn and share about whole foods and living a healthy lifestyle. It eventually led me to food blogging and even gaining income doing so.⁣ .⁣ When I remember this, I chuckle. If I’m being honest, as a busy mother with two young kids-the kitchen is the last place I usually want to spend the last of my energy. I have had no desire to create a recipe and it’s almost a daunting task even just following someone else’s. I dread meal planning and I legitimately only meal prep because I have to. To survive. I couldn’t imagine getting by without having done so during the work weeks when my husband is out of town. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ I do it because I want food to be ready when we need it. I don’t want to think about it all day, everyday. I want to my children to grow up with the notion that eating meals made from scratch is normal. And I want them to learn how to cook themselves. I want to know that some sort of nutrients are getting into our bodies, wether I need to sneak them in or not. And quite honestly, even if we had the means to abuse Skip the Dishes-I would be the worst person for it. I can’t make a decision for the life of me. You should see me trying to decide what to watch on Netflix. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ I know this season is temporary. It will pass and I’ll find my way back into my kitchen where maybe I’ll cook happily again. But for now I’ll keep at it and be proud of whatever it is I do accomplish. I’ll also be wondering why all of you who were parents before I was even followed my ass. My passion for cooking and prepping was a bit unreal and I had ALL the time in the world for it. If I were you, I’d mostly just wanna punch a girl in the face. But hey, I’m glad ya stuck around ✌🏻. ⁣ .⁣ So tell me, how are you feeling in the kitchen lately? And have you ever wanted to punch me in the face hahaha? #nohardfeelings
In my stories today, I asked what you wish was more normalized. Every single answer was amazing. It was a great question to ask and I genuinely loved reading the feedback. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ The answers included taking mental health days without judgement and/or repercussions, breastfeeding, and sex and sexuality. Post-partum depression in men, living as trans and non-binary individuals, living in our natural bodies as beautiful beings even with soft tummies, cellulite, and stretch marks-also going makeup free. Making ends meet on one income and with the traditional roles switched. Children having bad days and meltdowns. Living happily with what we have and not chasing the impossible-perfection. And more. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ I nodded in agreement after reading each and every single one. However it also left me hopeful. I genuinely feel like our generation is making huge waves. I feel as if we are finally, more than ever before, headed in the right direction. The more we step up and talk about these issues and/or everyday things that should be normalized, we are creating change. ⁣ .⁣ In the last two months, I’ve had an acquaintance (not a good friend) casually tell me about lifestyle changes he made to help fight his depression. I’ve had someone I’ve never even met confide in me about her hard journey with infertility. I’ve had conversations about the struggles marriage faces after having children. I’ve discussed child play and art therapy with friends. And all of these conversations left me so inspired. I am always SO thankful when people talk about hard shit. It gets me going and inspires me to open up here which in turn, fuels a fire within someone else. If you do not believe me when I say that you, as ONE person can make a difference-you CAN. This is all a ripple effect. Let’s put it all out into the world. Let’s make waves. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ I’ve tagged the accounts I can think of off the top of my head who genuinely has or continually inspires me in their content. Please tag your favourite accounts that advocate for all these issues we need to keep normalizing.
“You Look...Different.”⁣ ⁣ This line has been said to me countless times ever since my first pregnancy. It’s also probably the most awkward statement to try and reply to as well. You’d think I’d have mastered it by now after having heard it consistently for the last 3 years and counting but I keep falling short. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ An old acquaintance repeated this exact sentence to me at an event not too long ago. Before I knew it, horrific words exited my mouth. “Oh, I hope it’s in a good way...I’m just going to tell myself it is.” As soon as I said it I was so disappointed in myself. You know those conversations that you replay back in your mind and wish you had a redo? This was one of them. To make matters worse, I had originally walked into that room feeling pretty damn confident. And even though I didn’t let this awkward situation take me down for the whole day like it would have in the past, I did let it fuck with me for a bit. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ If I could have a redo, I’d have said “thank you for noticing, it’s because I’m doing really well and am so happy with life right now.” Or “Thank you, I am different! Life is full of blessings.” So now I’m basically kind of hoping someone tells me I look “different” just so I can rock my new line and crush it. ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ What would your response have been?
So something unexpected happened last week. I was chatting with a friend and we were trying to remember the last time we had seen each other. She mentioned that she had only met Emilia twice. Out loud, I said “Emilia...who the f*ck is Emilia?” As I tried to process it. ⁣ ⁣ Emilia. As in, MY OWN DAUGHTER. Wow? I knew I was getting pretty good at separating myself from my children once I left the house but I wasn’t aware I had in fact-turned into a demon. I somehow carried on the conversation, while working through so many emotions. Embarrassment, clearly. Guilt, check. But I was equally impressed with myself. Like, damn. I am now truly my own person. ⁣ ⁣ I could beat myself up over this until I’m blue in the face but I won’t. I have waited for this moment for a long time. I craved feeling direct, personal connections with others and I feel like my conservations before going back to work were anything but. There were a lot of indirect connections as a result of a common denominator-having kids. ⁣ ⁣ Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a mother. I’ll forever and always be tied to mom life and mom talk. But instead of feeling like shit for being able to fully separate myself from it for a few hours-I’m going to celebrate it. Because truthfully, there was a time where I thought I’d never be here.
I just officially booked my first therapy session. And as soon as that confirmation appeared, so did the devil on my shoulder. . You’re fine. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders-you don’t need this. . Everyone has anxiety, get over it. It’s something we all live with. . This is just your life now. It’s called parenthood. . It’s not like you struggle all the time, or even most of the time. You have it better than so many others. . You’re just going to create problems that you never had. . You can’t change the past and you know they are going to take you there. . And so on. . Fear can try to manipulate us in so many ways. It’s fascinating, really. The ironic thing is, when my anxiety is present-I’m constantly fighting off fear anyway. I know that I’ve only got so much to gain from flicking that devil off my shoulder and nervously walking through that therapist’s door. And so I will. . If you go or have gone to see a professional in the field of mental health, did your brain try and think of a thousand excuses for you not to go? If you’ve been contemplating going, what reasons are stopping you?
I think it’s time to re-introduce myself here since I’ve seen some fresh new faces (and I personally love reading these on other accounts). . My name is Chantal. This is my husband, Walter. We met while working at Best Buy together many years ago. We have two daughters, Eliana (3), and Emilia (1). I was a stay a home mom for 3 years (don’t ask me how) up until this past March where I took up Massage Therapy part time (I had been practicing as an RMT for over a decade prior to having kids). Going back to work has been AMAZING. . I started this account roughly 8 years ago. My focus was on whole food nutrition as I was working through some digestive issues. I also posted about exercise. My content has shifted a lot since then. It now represents my current life in motherhood (the rainbows and the rainstorms), honesty in being human, and everything in between. I’m not a consistent poster. I don’t plan out my content. But I’m here and share what I feel like when I feel like it. . I’ve really been into reserving and protecting my energy. It’s sacred to me and honouring it has been leading me to great places with great people by my side. Ironically, it took me having two children to realize how poorly I was treating myself. I was constantly putting myself last. And putting myself down. I’m now in my mid 30’s and not a day goes by where I don’t build myself up, Lizzo style. . Unpopular opinions: I don’t love Beyoncé (but do love Jay-Z). I’ve never tried matcha and don’t care to. I’ve never listened to a podcast. I despise wearing fake eyelashes (and lipstick). I’m filter free on my stories. It’s a fantastic challenge I gave myself and dropping them has allowed me to accept myself as I am. . Sometimes the fear of judgement tries to hold me back from sharing myself here. The fear of what my friends or family will think. The fear of what strangers will think. But at the end of the day, I’m here to be my true self. I love expressing myself here, connecting with you all, and just creating a community where if anything-we know we aren’t alone in this thing we call life. . What is one (or more) of your unpopular opinions?
My mind works as a full time drifter. Most of the time, I’m a daydreamer but sometimes nightmares take up the space in my head. The other day my mind went to a really dark place. My husband was with my kids at home while I was at work. And I for some reason envisioned him having a heart attack. Emilia had managed to crawl up the stairs and fell down...and Eliana was left all alone, a prisoner to tragedy. I told you it was a really dark place. . Unfortunately, these dark places in which my mind travel are no stranger to me. I’ve been haunted with these types of thoughts since childhood. But now, as a mother they are much more intense and frequent. I could be at the park with my girls and suddenly be crippled with anxiety if one of them is out of my line of vision. What if she’s been stolen? I could be driving with my youngest in our vehicle that doesn’t have a baby mirror so I can’t see her. And if I don’t hear any sounds from her in awhile, I worry that she’s taken out her elastic or clip from her hair and is choking on it. The list goes on. . These thoughts aren’t constant. Sometimes I am totally zen and at peace. The nerves are stagnant and well. But there are phases where I’m always anticipating horror. It’s like in a way, I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for something that I could never be prepared for. . And I’ve carried a lot of heaviness and shame here. I don’t repeat these thoughts. A) because I don’t think I could repeat them aloud. B) because I fear the reaction I’d get from others. And C) I’m terrified to instill or encourage these thoughts in someone else’s mind. I wouldn’t wish this shit on anyone. But the reality is, this is what MY anxiety looks like. And up until now, I’ve just done my best to “deal” with it. More time in nature, more “me time”, CBD support, exercise, and so on. But this last episode just completely blinded me with such darkness and it was tough to unsee. In fact, it led me to finally surrender to the one thing I’ve been contemplating for awhile now: therapy. I’m ready to own my stigma. And a huge thank you to every single one of you who fights to normalize therapy, you ARE making a difference.
6 years ago. We were different people. We’ve changed and we’ve grown. It hasn’t always been easy to grow together as opposed to alone, or apart but we manage to find our way back to each other. And that’s something that should be celebrated. Marriage is not effortless. It is a lot of sacrificing, forgiving, compromising, and it requires constant communication. Where after a long day, week, or even year we don’t always feel we have the energy for. There are moments where we do focus and grow alone, apart even. But as long as there are more moments where we choose to grow together, our unity will prevail. Happy Anniversary, my love!
Although our family schedule had no real changes over summer, I’m still very much feeling the “back to school vibes.” September is always an inspiring and fresh time of year. . During the week, we make snacks and lunches for Eliana who is in Daycare part-time, Emilia who stays with her grandmothers on those days, and for me to enjoy at work. It’s a lot food going to a lot of different places. I love that @saveonfoods always has a variety of nourishing options that the whole family can appreciate. It just makes my life so much easier. I also love the convenience of online shopping and that pick-up is always free. . I’ll be honest and admit that coming up with lunch ideas that abides by school restrictions and some selectiveness on my children’s behalf-is not always effortless. Here we are preparing a Greek style Chickpea salad (I omit the leafy greens for them). We also have some fruit, rice crackers and vegetables for hummus, and some zucchini muffins we made. I also rely a lot on pasta dishes, rice bowls, and homemade chicken fingers. . This ‪September 5th to September 25th‬ it’s time to win with @more_rewards Back to School Event. For every $50 spent, we will receive 1 pull tab for the chance to win! All instant win items are back to school related and the grand prize is free groceries AND fuel for a year! Wouldn’t that be a dream come true!?. . Now, please spill your favourite lunch ideas for school because we can never have a shortage of inspiration here. What are your go-to nut-free, easy, family pleasing lunch ideas? #SaveOnFoods; #Sponsored #MoreRewards #WinWin #RewardingTheEveryday

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The Genuine Health-y Kids Supplement Line Review & Insight
The Genuine Health-y Kids Supplement Line Review & Insight
about 4 months ago

I came into my healthy living lifestyle rather late. I was in my late 20’s and was desperate to heal my guts and repair my health. Once I learned of all of the ways our digestion and immunity can be influenced, I couldn’t simply unlearn it. 

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"Autumn's Up" Pumpkin Smoothie

October 23, 2014 in Smoothies, Breakfast, Snack

I would try and fight the ongoing stereotype of every “white girl” being in love with fall but I can’t since for me, that stereotype rings to be true. It’s the season where we obsess over everything pumpkin and indulge in a few Starbucks seasonal beverages. I was wanting to get my pumpkin on ever since our first cooler day hit but I kept forgetting to buy some because I never marked it on my list. So instead everyone teased me day after day with all of their eager pumpkin making madness until I finally caved and ran to the store just for pumpkin alone.

I stocked up on several cans of the ever so popular seasonal star and I will most definitely be experimenting with different recipes. One of my goals is to master a gluten free, dairy free, and egg free pumpkin pie. A baked one. I’ve tried a couple raw pumpkin pies in the past and they were good, but they did not carry the “100% amaze balls” factor. Anyways, stay tuned for that…In the meantime, sip on this creamy, pumpkin smoothie that I’ve created with inspiration from Angela aka Oh She Glows at www.ohsheglows.com. Cheers and “Autumn’s Up!”-from the fall loving, pumpkin errthang white girl.

Photo taken by www.simplychicphotography.com

Photo taken by www.simplychicphotography.com

"Autumn's Up" Pumpkin Smoothie                                            

*Yields 1 large smoothie

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup soaked cashews (so ¼ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours)
  • ½ cup pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
  • 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. molasses
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. maca powder (optional)
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • ½ cup of crushed ice

Garnish:

  • Coconut whipped cream

  • Pure maple flakes
  • Maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Blend all smoothie ingredients together in a blender until you have reached a creamy, velvety texture.
  2. Pour into glass of your choice and garnish however your little heart desires!

 

Tags: Glutenfree, Grainfree, Dairyfree, Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian, Paleo
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