By Lilani Estacio Dunn
I’ll admit, a few short years ago, my initial draw to Splendid Spoon was feeling the urge for a “reset.” You can ask any one of my family or friends that this sort of urge to detox was nothing new to me. I had done the infamous Master Cleanse over ten years ago and dabbled in different juice fasting programs in the years to follow. I will tell you now, none of them were sustainable or were even designed to be sustainable — admittedly! When I encountered and read about Splendid Spoon, I knew I had found the perfect fit. There was a highly nutritious plan that also included flexibility, which is great because I enjoy cooking. At the time, I was teaching early morning barre classes, working 9 to 5 as a food marketer, and alternating between dancing and volunteering in the evenings, and then finally being able to come home for a quick homemade dinner with Joey, my then-boyfriend. Splendid Spoon’s program gifted me the ability to maintain a hectic schedule while staying nourished.
Fast forward a few years and some pretty big life milestones — buying a house, getting married, a merger at work, and most recently (and currently), in late 2018 learning we were expecting.
Trust me, I know I’m not the first woman to have a busy schedule while pregnant but WOW — it was really one of those things I did not fully understand until I was in the thick of it. The various symptoms through the first 13 weeks while having to “play it off” like everything was status quo is something I will never forget, and not just from my own perspective, but for every expecting mother that ever was or ever will be (hats off to you all!).
During our very first parenting class (READ: basic “How to Have a Baby 101”), they included a stack of nutritional information along with pages of other “Do’s & Don’t’s” and “How To’s” and “Be Sures.” Every pregnancy app, website, and book would remind me of all the nutrients I needed to be getting. Heck, strangers on the street will even offer you a few pieces of wisdom of what you should and shouldn’t be eating. There were the moments where it all felt extremely overwhelming, but I had peace of mind knowing that the Splendid Spoon smoothies had my bases covered. The ability to customize your deliveries with every changing craving and adversity is also a HUGE bonus. If the only thing I could keep down was an AB&J smoothie, then let it be…I’ll take five!
It has been a great comfort to have the familiarity of Splendid Spoon and the SS Community around me as I continue my journey through the unchartered territory of motherhood. Aside from the physical changes that happen, there are a lot of emotional and mental changes as well and knowing that I’m nourishing my body and starting every day with great intention is one less thing to worry about.
I know what you are thinking…What about the delicious soups? Well, fortunately, one of my life changes I fast-forwarded through early in this article includes moving to an office that provides an in-house chef who provides lunch for us daily. But don’t worry, the soups are nutritious lunches and I am making a list of all the ones I want shipped immediately to me while I’m out on maternity leave. My list currently looks like this: Tomato Quinoa Chili, Green Split Pea, and Masala Khichri. I’ve truly come full circle in knowing that once again Splendid Spoon will have my back in just a few short months when we welcome the newest member to our growing family.