JessicaMurnane3

We are huge fans of this new mom, wellness advocate and creator of the restaurant program One Part Plant, Jessica Murnane and her son Sid. She is dedicating her life to helping the world find a happier and healthier way of living – one step at a time – by encouraging positive and incremental changes in the way we eat, think live, and love. Dive into her recipes, listen to her dope podcast, and get lots of real talk at jessicamurnane.com.

A note from Jessica:
After years of suffering from the painful condition endometriosis I was headed for a hysterectomy. My condition had gotten so severe that most days I could barely make it out of bed. I tried everything I knew to get better. I had multiple surgeries, tried conventional pain-killers (and less-conventional, leafy ones), fancy yoga and not-so-fancy-yoga, and even therapy to help with the depression caused by the pain. Nothing worked.

My doctors gave me one final solution – a hysterectomy. But I decided to try something radical that none of my doctors told me about. I decided try to treat my symptoms and pain with good food. I changed to a plant-based diet. The change seemed impossible at first, my major food groups were: Sour Patch Kids, Diet Coke, and Whatever Lean Cuisine Has Cheese On It.

But after a few weeks of teaching myself to cook plant-based foods, my pain started to fade. I kept going and every day I got better and better. I NEVER had to get the surgery and have never looked back. I launched my website, restaurant program, and podcast to help others feel their best too.

In my past life, I owned a stationery brand, was a contributing editor at a magazine, ran a celebrity clothing line, opened a bar, and got to consult for some of the coolest restaurants and brands. And as awesome as that all sounds, I was never really happy and was always looking for my “thing.” It wasn’t until I created my website to help others that I found it.

Since launching this business in 2013, some pretty cool opportunities have come my way. I’ve spoken at Apple, have done numerous television segments, worked with some of my favorite chefs, and was even filmed for the new documentary Food Choices (to be released this year). I truly believe that I owe it all to the plants. Good food and good thinking changed my life. I’m hoping it can change others lives, too.

How many children do you have? What inspired their names?
One awesome little man named Sid. His full name is Sidney Nimai. I just always liked that first name. There are so many cool Sid/Sindeys – Sidney Poitier, Sidney Sheldon, and you can’t forget Sid Vicious. I love how it’s classic, cool, and easy to spell. His middle name Nimai, means “filled with inner light”. It’s the name his nurses called him when he was born. And it just seemed so special…we kept it.

What’s your favorite way to spend time with your family?
When the three of us all are all in bed together, it’s pretty much my favorite time ever. Second favorite would be when my husband makes a nice big cozy fire and we all hang on a blanket together and read. Ok, I guess all my answers involve laying around. But when it’s winter in Chicago – snuggling, cuddling, and laying around just feels so good!

Are there any children’s brands you find yourself buying over and over again?
I love Monica & Andy for everything. It’s so classic, and just feels so good. Huf for baby socks. These are some of the only socks that stay on his sweet giant feet. I’ll always do a little deep dive into the Gap Kids clearance section when I’m there. I swear all the good stuff ends up in that section somehow! And the only time I ever wish I got to dress a little girl is looking at Mini Rodini and Mara Hoffman’s lines. It’s all so cool that I want most of the stuff for myself.

How has motherhood affected your personal style?
I feel like I dress pretty much the same – which is a lot of black and hats. The only difference is that I have to change a lot more (sometimes three outfits a day) because I always seem to pick up the dude when he wants to get a little pukey. Maybe I should wear more white? He’s just so damn sweet that I don’t even care and will just keep changing outfits.

What is your favorite thing about being a mom?
My favorite thing is seeing how much my friends and family love being with Sid. He was the first grandchild in my family and not a lot of my friends have kids – so he gets a lot of love and attention. And watching him eat food for the first time the other day was pretty incredible!  I went all out and made him his first rice cereal myself. Seeing him gobble it up and love it so much, felt so special.

What’s the hardest thing about being a mom?
Recording a podcast with a baby in the house! That hasn’t gone over so well. When he first came home, I could just strap him on me and he would sleep through my interviews. Now he is a wild man who loves to laugh and talk. So, I either record in another space or I have his poppa take him out for an hour aka go look around at Whole Foods.

Has your beauty routine changed at all since you’ve had kids?
Right around the time that Sid came home I had already decided to give my skincare a makeover. I’m obsessed with SW Basics and the creator of the line’s (Adina Grigore) new book Skin Cleanse. I also love Cocovit for a a million reasons. The best part is that I’ve been able to apply all these new things I learned to Sid’s skin care too. I was able to knock out his cradle cap with Cocovit’s coconut oil and help his dry winter skin with some of the recipes in Adina’s book. What I put in my body changed my whole life, I wanted to start doing a better job at what I put on it too.

What have you learned from your kids?
If you’ve got food, love, and a clean bottom…you don’t need much else.

What is your favorite, easy, go-to recipe that your kid(s) love?
Ok, this is one of my favorites! The Cakegirls created it for my Year Of Cookies cookbook. It’s a really simple and healthy ice cream that your babes (and you) will love. Top it with granola, some chopped nuts and honey, a drizzle of chocolate, sandwiched between cookies, or eat it straight up. Click here to see the recipe.

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