Nisreen Diab-Hawley is Leaving a Luscious Legacy

Then it hit me, why do I have this high standard for my son's well-being and not my own? ~Nisreen Diab-Hawley

I meet a lot of amazing women, both in my work as a culinary nutritionist and in my online foodie world. Where else can you discuss what you’re having for dinner with forty two friends? Of course, I’m drawn to the women who love food and share my foodie sensibility. I’m also drawn to their stories—their food history, how they nourish themselves and their families in the midst of a busy and passionate life, what they eat. Be sure to read the entire interview. There is always a delicious chocolate recipe at the bottom. If you find these posts inspiring, leave a comment, ask a question, or tell us about the luscious legacy you’re leaving. . .

Nisreen Diab-Hawley, founder of The Green Cuisine List, parent, blogger and co-owner of Drive Realty, is an advocate for healthy living; her cooking, lifestyle, and work all reflect her commitment to quality products and reducing her family’s carbon footprint. Nisreen’s quest for a healthy, more sustainable lifestyle began in 2007 when she became pregnant with her 1^st child. In 2010 Nisreen began a restaurant database at www.GreenCuisineList.com to encourage the support of local restaurants with commitments to using hormone free, antibiotic free, non-GMO ingredients. She is now the mother of two beautiful children and has quite the following on her Facebook/Twitter pages where she shares recipes and information about the dangers of all-too-common unhealthy ingredients lurking in our food. In October 2011 Nisreen and her husband took yet another step in “greening” their lives and opened the first Green/Paperless Real Estate office in Sedona, Arizona. Nisreen is continually researching new ways to live a non-toxic, eco-friendly life.

We all have a story. Can you tell us a little bit about your food history? Where did your nourishment story begin?

I always thought I was eating “healthy.” I never ate fast food and I cooked at home most of the time. During the day at work I snacked on things I thought were good for me, like energy bars and strawberry yogurt, later I would come to find out more about artificial sweeteners and RED 40, stuff you don’t think about when eating something called “light and fit” yogurt! I even tracked my calories on a website called My Food Diary.com, I literally typed in EVERY single thing I ate and drank,  it tallied it up for me and if I needed more calories I’d indulge in a scoop of ice cream. If I had eaten too much that day, I wouldn’t eat anymore, even if I was a little hungry! I ate like this until I got pregnant and then my whole life changed.

As many soon to be Mommies do I was on the internet researching the best things for my baby, I decided he would be exclusively breastfed, have organic cotton sheets, chlorine free diapers etc. I researched the level of toxicity of baby care products on the EWG.org skin deep database. As far as food there was no doubt in my mind my son would get only Organic when he was ready for baby food. No way would I be feeding my son genetically modified foods, dairy products with RBGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) or Meat with antibiotics, since labeling is not required, the only way I knew to avoid all this was to buy local and buy Organic.. Then it hit me, why do I have this high standard for my son’s well-being and not my own? That’s when I ditched diet soda, food coloring, and artificial sweeteners and became an all Organic, label reading, question asking geek; I have to tell you, I have never felt better!

What was your “food life” like before and then after the birth of your children?

We did eat out more often before kids and although I thought I was eating right I relied too much on front label marketing and calorie counting and did not really read ingredients as much as I focused on fat and calories. If a package said “Heart Healthy” or “Low Fat” on the front, I thought it was a better choice than one that didn’t have a health claim plastered on the front.

Now my food life is just more natural, no pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, no food colors, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and if something has an ingredient that I don’t know; it’s not coming home with me. We have a backyard garden and consume less meat, more fruits and vegetables, baking from scratch. We’re definitely cooking outside of the box!

What is/was your biggest struggle once you became a mom?

Time management! Trying to get all the things that needed to be done in 24 hours. Real Estate work, housework, updating the Green Cuisine List website/Facebook page, of course Mommy duties and trying to get a little rest for myself.

Now with 2 kids ages 3 and 9 months it’s a bit more challenging trying to get us all ready and out of the door for appointments, having one on one “Mommy time” with each of them, grocery shopping, cooking, and a parenting blog. There just needs to be more hours in a day!

I work with a lot of women who want very much to nourish their families but they confess that they are actually feeling pretty lonely in the kitchen. Does that happen to you and how do you cope with that?

No, I love being in the kitchen, coming up with new ideas, trying new recipes from my favorite food blogs, teaching my son and daughter about the importance of cooking and eating together. We play, laugh and have a lot of fun creating in the kitchen.

Does your husband participate in the shopping or food prep?

Mostly no, the kitchen is my domain; he works sometimes 10-12 hours a day or more, so he’s not involved in the weekly shopping/meal making but on weekends he will sometimes whip up tacos or carne asada, his two favorite things to make!

What are some of your favorite go-to meals and how do you organize your meal planning?

Some nights I have no idea what I’m going to make until I look in the refrigerator or garden and see what I’ve got and then an idea hits me. On the nights I’m idea-less, I turn to the internet and Google, I type in something like “Spaghetti Squash” and see what recipes come up, reading recipes inspires me to make new things, even if I don’t follow the recipe to the letter.

One of our most favorite go to meals is pesto pasta, all of us love it, I can whip up a pesto with basil from the garden and spinach or avocado, garlic, olive oil and pistachios, cashews, pine nuts, whatever I’ve got on hand and toss it with some whole wheat penne, it’s a fast meal and one I know everyone will eat and enjoy!

Another favorite that my son really enjoys is quiche, it’s great when you have some leftovers, but not enough for a meal, you can combine all sorts of veggies in a quiche and the magic of crust and cheese makes it something even my three-year-old loves.

What do you do when your little ones don’t like what you’ve prepared?

My 9 month old is easy, she tries anything I give her, some things she likes more than others but she’s relatively easy. My 3 year old is another story, what he likes one day he may not like the next so I just take my chances and I feel pretty lucky that he is coming back around to liking most of what I make, he helps me in the kitchen and when he is involved in the cooking he is more interested in the eating. I try to make dishes I know he will like but when I want to make something like a spicy curry that’s just too hot for him, I will whip up his favorite Spinach Pasta in a flash and I know he will eat that! We’ve also tried making variations on other things like Mac n Cheese with butternut squash puree to get that extra bit of veggie in a classic dish. Another trick I use for him and us, is adding more veggies to tomato sauce for spaghetti or making a white alfredo like sauce with a potato and leek puree, it’s a little sneaky, very tasty and a good way for all of us to get our veggies.

I love it that you use fresh, whole organic foods in your home. I hear so many people say they simply can’t afford to eat organic. Tell me how you do it.

I get this question A LOT! First let me say that organic food is less expensive than doctor’s visits and since we’ve gone all organic I have not gotten sick like I used to, I get only one cold per year now (if that) and it’s a very mild one. My children have only ever been to their doctor for their “well checkups” they are not plagued with ear infections, runny noses and chronic coughing, this saves more money by far than the difference between organic and conventional. Now for the shopping tips:

# 1: Look for local CSAs like Bountiful Baskets where you can get a whole basket of fresh fruit and veggies for about $20, if it’s too much food for you, you can share the expense and food with a friend or neighbor.

#2: Start a garden, even if it’s just a small window box to grow your own fresh herbs, it’s a real money saver and a fun project you can do with your kids.

#3: The difference in price in organic vegetables vs. conventional is not as much as the difference in organic meat, so eat less meat. I started my family out with meatless Mondays (my husband was skeptical) but this forced me to be more creative with dinner and I must’ve done a good job because one day my husband said to me “We could eat meatless more often.” So now we only eat meat 2-3 times per week.

#4: Cook at home as much as you can. Make things like pizza dough in excess and freeze some for those nights you’re running out of time or ideas, defrost the dough, add your toppings, pop in the oven and a very yummy, inexpensive dinner awaits you!

#5: Trade if you can. There is a local café only a few minutes from our home, I take fresh mint and herbs from my garden to the owner and she gives me lunch and a little break from cooking.

#6: Don’t buy perishable items in bulk. If you’ve got something you haven’t eaten in a few days, like berries, wash them and freeze them so you don’t end up throwing them out.

#7: Buy nonperishable items in bulk when they’re on sale, things like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa.

And, of course, the reason I was drawn to you, Nisreen, is that you involve your children in food preparation and gardening. Tell us a little more about that. 

I always grocery shop with my kids, I let my son put things in the basket and help me pick out the fruits and veggies he wants. We plant things in the garden together and he helps with watering, picking the veggies and herbs, washing them, etc. When he goes outside to play in his sandbox and he sees that some tomatoes have ripened, he gets very excited and says, “Mom, come look, the tomatoes are red!!!”

Some of his favorite things to do in the kitchen are peeling garlic, kneading dough, mixing anything, and of course baking. Yesterday he wanted me to make a quiche and he said, “Mom, make it with eggs, spinach, garlic and cheese, ok?” He helped me make it by whisking the eggs as he exclaimed, “We’re like Top Chefs!”  I LOVE cooking with my kids and can’t wait until my nine-month-old is old enough to be involved more. Right now I just give her a bowl and spoon. She sits in her highchair and pretends to mix up something, then throws it on the floor when she’s done.

Can you tell us a little bit about your Parenting Tips Blog?

Sure. My friend Jen Kelman, founder of www.ParenTips.com,  sent me a message one day saying she liked the articles I posted on Facebook and she wanted to know if I’d be interested in blogging on her website. I said yes of course, I’d take any chance I could to spread the word about good food and parenting. I love her concept and enjoy sharing recipes and tips with the other parents.

I love the way your commitment to green living shows up in both your kitchen and your work. Would you like to tell us a little more about your paperless real estate business?

Of course, I’m very glad to have a tech savvy husband who is also a Real Estate Broker. After the birth of our son, I left my desk job, we incorporated and began working together. Our Drive Realty office uses Docusign to get electronic signatures from our clients via email; this saves paper, time and gives all parties a clean copy of the contract as soon as it’s signed! We also accept and send faxes through Efax, which goes right to our emails as a PDF file which we can upload to our electronic file storage site, Sureclose, so no file cabinets! Everything is backed up on multiple hard drives and it makes our office the 1^st Green/Paperless Real Estate office in Sedona, Arizona. We hope this catches on throughout the country. It truly is a more efficient and eco-friendly way to do business and so much paper is saved!

Shall we invite my readers to respond to this post with wonderful restaurants that use organic produce and farm-raised meats?

Please do, it’s important to support local green businesses!

On the www.GreenCuisineList.com website I have 10 questions I ask restaurants to determine if I will eat there, you can email the questions directly to restaurants through the site or, if you have a favorite local spot that you already know is committed to organic, local, fresh cuisine, please email me at GreenCuisineList@gmail.com and I will add them to the restaurant database.

You can also find my personal recipes, articles and some fun stuff from other foodies on our Facebook page or on Twitter @GreenCuisineLis.

Do you have a recipe (or two) for us?

Certainly, this recipe is so simple, a little bit sneaky and very delicious!

Chocolate Pudding:

2 VERY ripe avocados

1 ripe banana

½ cup cocoa powder

4 tablespoons maple syrup

¾ cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)

Peel avocados and banana and place in food processor. Add remaining ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. Divide mixture up among four ramekins or small bowls and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Garnish with strawberry slices or a sprig of mint (optional) and serve.

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes

4 medium sized over-ripe bananas

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup quality chocolate chips

1 egg

1/2 cup of milk of your choice

1/4 cup of canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl, put all of the wet ingredients except for the hot water in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend with a hand mixer until fully incorporated, add hot water mix again. Stir in chocolate chips, then pour batter into cupcake tin filling each spot to 3/4 full, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 22 minutes, let cool in tin for 5 minutes remove to wire rack and let cool fully prior to decorating. Perfect topped with fresh whipped cream and a little piece of quality chocolate, like Endangered Species, dust with cocoa powder and serve!