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Chantal Urbina

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  • [ Massage Therapy ]
    • Meet Chantal
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    • Massage Therapy Practice
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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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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
I haven’t talked about body image in awhile. To be honest, I was kind of hoping it would just go away. Sometimes I feel like maybe if we stop obsessing over it all just maybe we’d naturally start to focus on other things. But I now realize that is just me living in a dreamland , carrying on to be naive and irresponsible-especially when raising young children. This fight, among many others, completely drains us. We know we can’t change the world. We know we are up against decades of brainwashed history. But it’s because I can’t change the world, that I must do everything I can to positively influence my children. . It’s a daily fight that leaves me exhausted yet challenged. It’s a fight that is repetitive but so incredibly crucial. What a world it would be if our children didn’t focus on the appearance of others or themselves. What a world it would be if they could freely live to love and love to live-as their true beautiful selves. . To help uplift our spirits and further remind us why this fight is so important, please share a story down below in the comments. As a parent, auntie/uncle, teacher, or other-what is something you’ve told or shared with a child about body image that they’ve now adopted in their way of life? Let’s keep this glimpse of hope alive ✨.
If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know of my love for puréed cauliflower. If you are new around here, don’t write me off as crazy-yet. . Puréed steamed cauliflower goes into all the things around here. Smoothies, homemade oatmeal, and all types of sauces (like how I added it to my meat sauce yesterday). I especially love it served with butter and fresh dill topped with some perfect over easy eggs. . In times like these, we start off slow. Just add a teeny tiny bit. Taste test. Add more. It’s easier to build up the veg intake than it is to force down something that ain’t really supposed to taste like cauliflower, naw mean? And if all this business seems kind of cool but like too much work-I’ve got the solution for you. Purée the dang thing and freeze it in ice cube trays. Plop out a portion or two to thaw and add whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. . Grab the recipe for my homemade oatmeal with cauliflower in my profile (along with a how-to on the cauliflower purée). What have you tried adding cauliflower to?
I often joke around and tell people that I’m a “lazy mom.” But that’s not true at all. I’m a protective mom. Protective of my energy that is. . There’s a park near our house that I take my kids to more than anywhere else. We call it the “Forest Park.” There’s no playground. It’s has forest trails and big huge fields to run around in. There’s usually no other children in sight. Just some therapy seekers and dog walkers. This is my favourite way to get my children outside and it also gives me an actual break. I feel calm, refreshed, and never guilty because as we all know there is tons to do in nature, as is. . On weekends, we have the opportunity to be busy and jam packed with parties and events but I rarely take it. I choose one and dedicate the rest of my weekend to immediate family time, work, and preparing for the days ahead since I fly solo as parent during the work week. . On my days off with the kids, we usually have the slowest mornings. Oftentimes I bring Eliana in bed with me when she wakes up and we cuddle and relax until Emilia wakes up. It always puts us off to the late start to the day but it’s always worth it. This mama stays up too late sometimes trying to sort her life and taming anxious thoughts. Lazing around in bed while getting some cuddles is exactly what I need. And it won’t last forever so I’ll take all I can get now. . I have no desire to travel far with two young children. It’s just not in my cards. I can do road trips but until they are older and able to remember our adventures, we will find fun wherever we are. I have mad respect for those who take off often with multiple minis but you’d actually have to pay me to do it. . And these things aren’t bad. They aren’t selfish. And they most definitely are not lazy. They are me. They are things that make me the best mom I can be and in knowing that, I’ll keep on doing it my way. If we start to struggle with selfish or lazy feelings-let’s try switching the narrative to protective because friends, that’s what it is. What would be on your “Ways I protect myself as a parent” list?
“Do you have any siblings?” It’s a question that comes up more often now that I have two children of my own. This question used to gut me. In those immediate years after he passed, I usually answered no. There was a lot guilt behind my white lie but I knew that at the time I could manage the guilt more than I could manage telling the story. . But slowly, as time went on I was able to answer the truth. I’m now able to say “yes, but he passed away when he was 19. I was 21.” I’m able to follow up with “he had a rare and aggressive bone cancer. He fought but he didn’t suffer long.” It’s easier when the one I’m conversing with can understand the loss of a loved one. They don’t have to share their story. It’s evident in the way they carry on the conversation. It’s comforting-like getting a big hug without the embrace. It’s hell of a harder when you can tell that that “C” word struck a cord. Again, no sharing on their part is necessary. It’s usually evident in their eyes, their body language. You can actually see their heart fall heavy. Perhaps they just lost someone recently to cancer. Perhaps they know someone fighting the good fight. Perhaps they are the fighter. I let the conversation go where the recipient takes it, much like how I do during my Massage Therapy treatments. It’s an unexpected answer to a very seemingly simple question. Not everyone is prepared for the reality behind it, which is the case in a lot of “simple” questions that we ask each other today. . I’m so glad the day came where I found the courage to answer my hard question truthfully. It’s made a lot of situations easier for me. It’s made me be able to both initiate and participate in heavy conversations. I can speak openly about my anxiety and my other struggles I face in life. And this open dialogue may not be for everyone but I’m glad it is now for me. Now the question “do you have any siblings” is a reminder of my strength. It taught me that sharing hard things gets easier. It taught me that sharing hard things leads to healing. So, if you dare to share-what is your hard question?
It’s fall. It’s back to school season. That means one thing: we need all things pumpkin but also nut-free. I’ve got your back-check out these Pumpkin Granola Bars/Sqaures. They are easy to make, eat, and even freeze for later. I haven’t gotten around to getting the recipe on my website but you can save this post right here and refer back to it when needed! Swipe for all the recipe details (it’s cut out but you’ll get 12 bars or squares). Enjoy! . September is always one busy month but I absolutely love the changes it brings, physically in nature and emotionally in the heart. I’m feeling big things happening all around and it’s so uplifting-anyone else feeling these vibes?
Tonight I was trying to put Eliana to bed. She was doing everything within her power to prolong the process. Her mood intensified and things escalated. I sat by her bed in this dark room taking a moment. Telling myself to disregard what I normally would say and asking myself what this new parenting book I bought would suggest. She kept going. I kept breathing. Soon enough we diffused the situation and bedtime eased along. . It’s hard not to be hard on ourselves for not knowing the right things to do or say. It’s disheartening when things don’t come organically especially when they do for others around us (or so it seems). Parenting is a trip. There are so many moments of pride. Moments where our natural instincts guide us to a place of peace and/or success. And we feel like we’ve got this, like just maybe we were cut out for this. And then are moments where it all seems impossible. Usually, these two polar opposites happen within the same day and on repeat. We get something right and our confidence rises just to be immediately humbled. . This next message is for myself just as much as it is for anyone else: The most natural thing about parenting is not always having the answers. Parenthood does not come with a manual-apparently we’ve got to buy that shit. . What confidence boost or humbling experience did you have today?
I want to thank everyone who participated in my polls last night. If you missed it, I was asking questions in regards to breastfeeding challenges. As per the results, 85% of us have struggled with nursing at point or another. Half of us tried to mentally prepare for our breastfeeding journeys. And 66% of us who hoped to be prepared (took classes, did research, talked with peers) still felt blind sided once we were in the thick of it. And a whopping 75% of participants believe that we don’t have enough resources to help guide us through the struggles that lactation can bring upon us. . All of these questions make me wonder: Where do we/did we go wrong? Is this a journey that we just simply cannot prepare for until we are in it-much like parenthood as a whole? Those who went seeking for mental preparation, were we not given all the necessary information beforehand? Were we not told that cluster feeding is completely normal (and fucking hard)? Were we not told that the compilation of acute post-partum and it’s struggles would rock us to our core? Or did we just choose to smile and nod? Did we look the way because we couldn’t yet relate? Is it pride or exhaustion that causes us to hesitate to reach out for help? Do we really think we are alone in our struggles? When and how did we form this gap between 75% of us feeling isolated and defeated and all of the amazing resources that are available? How can we bridge this gap. What will it take? . The truth is, there are plenty of resources out there. More than I ever even knew of. And if I’m being honest, I want to be one too and in my own special way. But that’s a story for another time. Let me get my ducks in a row. Until then, if you are struggling with issues in your breastfeeding or weaning journey and don’t know where to turn-DM me and I will be happy to forward you some resources. Can we please keep this conversation going? Lay your thoughts on me.
You guys always seem to think I have my shit together when it comes to meal planning and prepping. I’m just here to say that I definitely do not. My days, weeks, and months all vary. Sometimes I am on the ball and others I’m what it feels like loitering at drive thru windows. . Lately, I’ve been mediocre. I am actually doing better than I expected. Summers have always been hard for me in this regard and add being back at work, two kids and a hubby who works out of town-it’s had its challenges but I don’t fret the realities and I applaud myself for my efforts. We all should, life is just easier this way. . This past weekend I was doing a horrible job of trying to plan out our meals for this week. I was so unmotivated. Out of nowhere, my friend @nita_sharda posted her pumpkin cookies. I already knew I loved them since she’s brought me some before. This recipe (Save it from her original cookie post on her feed) immediately made my plan. I was then texting with my wizardy goddess of a friend. She makes the healthiest, easiest meals and could do it with her eyes closed (hi @tyna.figs). I asked her what she was making. Lazy cabbage rolls (all the ingredients minus the rolling) and a Greek Chickpea salad. Done. You see, I’m just like everybody else. I don’t want to think either. And sometimes I don’t even want to do the work. But I will say that I never regret when I do. How has your summer planning and prepping been?
I have learned that summer with two young kids is crazy busy. Whenever I’m in a pinch, I hit up my nearest @saveonfoods and partake in their special of the day (weekly specials run Tuesdays to Fridays). My personal favourite special is HAPPY HOUR TUESDAY. It runs from 3-7pm and the offer is 50% off their marinated meat kabobs (the first 9 purchased). There are so many different varieties to choose from and they are all delicious and full of flavour. I find the portions are really generous, too. Here we paired some with a traditional Greek salad and a BBQ Bali salad both from the deli, and some grilled corn on the cob. . Check out their other daily specials in my stories and let @saveonfoods help make mealtimes a little bit easier. Don’t forget that they offer online shopping with delivery or free pick up. Yes, please. This season is short but there’s definitely a way to fit it all in, the fun and the food. . When it comes to groceries, are you a store shopper or an online shopper? What do you prefer and why? #SaveOnFoods #Sponsored #AmazingFood #ForRealLife

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The Genuine Health-y Kids Supplement Line Review & Insight
The Genuine Health-y Kids Supplement Line Review & Insight
about 3 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. 

Nutty is Prego

October 30, 2015 in World Wellness, Baby Nutty, Pregnancy

I usually don’t go MIA for too long and in fact, this is my longest online hiatus to date but it’s all with good reason. I’m overjoyed to finally share that I’m going to be a mother and my husband, a father. There is a baby nutty brewing inside of me and he or she is expected to arrive in May 2016. Some of you may be surprised to hear that. In fact, when I told certain people I even got the question “but I thought you didn’t want kids?” This assumption is coming from a previous (and my most popular blog ever posted) called “To Conceive or not to Conceive?” In it, I expressed that my husband and I were undecided on the subject on procreating. We would go back and forth between the decision that we never took lightly. In the post I expressed the following statements:

“I don’t want to conceive a child out of pressure, uncertainty, or worst of all-fear.”

Unfortunately, I honestly believe people today are choosing to have kids for all the wrong reasons. We are terrified of losing the race against time, the possibility of infertility issues, the fear of leaving this world scared and alone. We feel inadequate next to our friends growing lively little families and we feel constant judgement and pressure from the world. Although I can understand those reasons, I never wanted any of them to be the rationale behind our conception.

“As we currently stand-our fate is in the hands of the baby gods. Hell, who knows, after all that rambling I could very well be pregnant right now. It either happens or it doesn’t. If I have children, I want it to be done lovingly, positively, and naturally. If that doesn’t happen then maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”

The future of our family was put in the hands of the baby gods over a year ago. Would I say we were “trying” for that past year? No. We simply left it up to fate. If it happened it happened and if it didn’t it didn’t. In that past year did I struggle with fertility issues? Were my hormones so unbalanced that it took a while to conceive? I don’t know. I do know that I was working with several holistic professionals to help balance my hormones (and not to conceive just for optimal health).  I worked with a homeopath, acupuncturist, and reflexologist. I also studied my diet and made suggestive changes. I focused on cleansing my liver and although I felt as if I was getting nowhere I still tried to remain patient with the journey. My painful periods never subsided and oftentimes it led me to believe I was making no progress at all. I’m left to wonder if this pregnancy a sign of progress or was it just an effortless result of a loving act on that perfect day at the perfect hour? I don’t know. We will never know. What I do know is that we were blessed with this little life thriving inside of me. This is the hand that the baby gods dealt us and we fully accept it with honour and pleasure.

MY FIRST TRIMESTER

 

Breast "tenderness"

I knew very early on that I was pregnant (at 3 weeks) and for one reason alone.  There was one particular “effect” (I refuse to use the word symptom as symptoms are accompanied with illness and creating a human is anything but) that could not be ignored. My breasts were throbbing. Let me tell you right now that breast “tenderness” is the most underrated thing I have ever heard. I felt as if each boob had its own pulse.

Fatigue

Fatigue was nothing new for me (thanks to my chronic hormonal imbalances) so my zombie like demeanour was not a red flag for me. It did hit me harder after about a month or so and I found all I wanted to do was watch Netflix and (actually) chill. I had no desire to food prep, meal prep, cook or bake. I never opened my laptop for anything besides watching TV curled up in a ball. No blogging happened, no recipe creating, and definitely no daydreaming about vegetables. How I made it to boot camp during this time is beyond me.

Nausea

Aside from killer boobs and fatigue I felt fine for those first 3 weeks. I did avid research on preventing morning sickness because as a registered massage therapist, I could not afford to be puking while practicing. I was feeling pretty good. I was feeling so good in fact that I was borderline cocky. Then hit week 6. Fuck. This is what people talk about. Luckily I never vomited, but no matter what I did there were 3 weeks of unsettling nausea. I was taking magnesium supplements to fight the discomfort. I wore Sea Bands bracelets when I wasn’t working. I added ginger to everything I ate and drank. I bought ginger chews and even bought saltines (I haven’t had those in years). My sickness was the worst overnight. I believe this is because I would go so long without eating. I discovered that if I did eat something small every few hours I would feel completely fine but anything longer-the placenta building station got all pissy with me. Therefore I would munch on a few crackers in my bed in the dark after a few of the zillion times I would get up to pee overnight. It helped.

Cravings/Eating Habits

This is where Nutty4Nutrition died. As soon as week 6 hit, baby Nutty murdered mama Nutty. I read that quality sources of protein helped play a huge role in battling the nausea but I unfortunately had no interest in protein. I added hemp hearts in everything I could because I was not feeling animal protein nor was I even fond of beans or legumes. All this baby wanted was fruit and carbs. This was a huge mind fuck for me. As much as I knew that this time was imperative to eat well I just couldn’t help eating the crap that I was craving. My mornings started off well with my loaded smoothies full of nutrients but from there it all went downhill. During my first trimester I ate unimaginable things that Nutty would never consume in copious amounts. Gluten galore, dairy delight, and I think I could have lived off of potatoes (but that’s nothing new). I bought things I haven’t had since I was a naïve teenager. The thought of vegetables made me gag and the only color I ingested was from fruits. I can feel your judgy eyes beaming at me through the screen. Listen, unless you have been here I’m just going to tell you right now that the first trimester is a wild ride and you have next to no control. I would read blogs of fitness queens and nutritionist divas sharing all the healthy foods they ate throughout their pregnancies. They emphasized the importance of eating right and expressed that our babies need us to lead the healthiest of lifestyles yet. At first heir words made me feel hella guilty but they eventually led me to irritation. Listen, obviously some people can do it. If you have been here and managed to maintain a clean diet, congratulations superwoman. Hang tight while I go grab you a cape to symbolize your immortal strength. ..Everybody is different and at the end of the day I was just happy I could eat because I have friends that couldn’t keep a goddamn thing down no matter how hard they tried.

Constipation

I do suffer with constipation but I knew I would. I knew that a lazy digestive system was a possible effect of baking a bun and I knew that it would affect me without a doubt. Nutty4Nutrition was created as a result of me trying to get a healthy handle on my digestion. Constipation was nothing new to me. Been there, done that. I was thankful for everything I have learned on my Nutty journey in regards to aiding digestion because at least I knew ways to support my gut throughout this slow moving slug of a time. My morning smoothies are packed with fibre (and irish moss) and all I drink all day long is good old water. I snack on dates and plums and other fruits high in fibre and still take my probiotics (and even digestive enzymes on occasion). My bathroom frequency is far from ideal but I do what I can.

Acne

Well, here’s another déjà vu. Hi cystic acne that I have missed so much-not. I swear I have this one honker that is still sitting on my face and it’s been there since the beginning (I’m currently writing this at 13 weeks). It is just a hard, stubborn lump of nothing and it doesn’t seem to be parting ways anytime soon. I also knew acne would affect me as well as I have also suffered with it in the past. To be honest, I thought it would bother me more than it does but I don’t care. It is what is and hormones run this show.

All in all

Aside from those major points, I also noticed a few random effects. My boobs and belly started to get itchy pretty early on forcing me to lotion every day to relieve discomfort. Speaking of my boobs, they are ginormous (so much so that they gave my pregnancy away a few times) and my nipples are already starting to resemble something horrific and mammoth-like. I definitely have prego brain. I forgot the pin to my visa a week ago and I still can’t remember even one digit for the life of me. I have a lot of important events coming up (weddings, showers, and bachelorettes) and I’m terrified that I will forget to show up to something in the midst of the chaos (I’m included in them all).

My friends warned me that pregnancy is not fun. They confided that it’s a period of time where you feel sick, bloated, fat, and uncomfortable. And as much as that may be true, I also feel awesome. Yes my boobs hurt but they are getting ready to feed my child. Yes I pee a gazillion times a day but it’s because my hCG levels are off the chain and my baby is growing. No, I’m not eating the cleanest diet but hey, I’m having fun. I missed perogies. Yes I’m constipated but my progesterone is naturally heightened (which is protocol) and this slows down digestion. Yes, I’m bloated but that is nothing new for me and it’s the first time where I’m supposed to be so hallelujah. I’m anticipating the arrival of my bump so intensely that I analyze my profile several times a day.  I have been blessed with the gift of growing a child. Unfortunately, not everybody is able to conceive and I vow to always keep that in mind throughout this journey. Instead of complaining about the process I’m going to enjoy it. I always knew I’d love being pregnant. I’m so excited to dress my bump, feel my body change, and embrace this new journey. It’s ironic because most ladies dread pregnancy and get anxious at the thought of labour. I’m totally game for all of that (I’ve got my doula lined up and all), it’s the aftermath-the arrival of our baby into this world that scares the shit out of me. That’s when I need to learn how to change a diaper, treat rashes, and decode moans, whines, and cries. It is when I need to master the rather misunderstood art of breastfeeding, multitasking, and patience. It’s when I, somebody who rarely brushes her hair, will be expected to care for and raise a decent human being. I have faith that we will be ok. Every parent gets by somehow and it’s by simply doing the very best they can. That’s our game plan anyway.

Ladies, what were your experiences with pregnancy? I'd love to hear it all-the good, the bad, and the ugly!

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