It’s rare to find someone like Daphne…stunning and wickedly smart with a kind of warmth that feels akin to standing in the sun. Therefore, as this magnetic mama of two (soon to be three) nears the end of her pregnancy, I stopped by her home to chat about her cravings for the last 8 months, what’s next after 6 incredible years on ABC’S The Chew & if she were to liken this go-around to a song, it’d be a fusion of Nina Simone’s Lilac Wine and a remix of I Put A Spell On You. @daphneoz

Perplexed—how did my due date sneak up on me so fast?? Plus excited to meet our baby girl!

And tired…

Almost 38!

All the carbs. I always crave pizza, but I feel like that’s just my everyday life. Also, Greek salad, oddly enough, homemade chocolate chip cookies, this insane recipe for yellow cake I just developed, Carissa’s Honey Oat Loaf with salty butter, strawberry smoothies (yogurt, dates, frozen strawberries, spinach, collagen, total EFA oil) plus ripe mango.

UNI! And a glass of wine ALL to myself. Plus, Doritos (don’t judge), it’s been my “push present” ‘so to speak after my other two babies. Yes, I know they’re probably the worst things I could eat, but they’re so ‘effing delicious.

Raw fish, filters (clams, etc.), unpasteurized dairy and alcohol. Other than that, I’ve been pretty relaxed for the most part.

I’ve had a lot of smoothies, they’re just such an easy insurance policy of nutrition–I really got into them when I had bad morning sickness my first trimester plus they got me through the warm summer months. I’ve also had a lot of bone broth, salmon and avocados. And as of late, I’ve been roasting a lot of chicken and vegetables, with a ton of grain salads (with lentils or millet) paired with golden raisins, almonds, scallions, tons of parsley and a tart vinaigrette. My family loves turkey burgers, so we do a lot of those, too – I mash pinto beans into them as a binder, and they stay really juicy. I’ve really craved spicy-sweet and tart things, and have been making the Bomb Broccoli Salad from The Happy Cook a ton.

I am a total product junkie, so I’m always trying out the best things I can find in natural beauty. Especially when I’m pregnant, I try to whittle away any of the things that have chemicals I can’t pronounce, unnecessary additives and fragrance, etc. But I obviously still want super-effective products. I find my skin actually looks best when I’m a) drinking plenty of water, b) eating my probiotics (I swig kefir and eat a ton of yogurt and fermented sauerkraut) and healthy fats (avocados, nuts, hemp and flax seeds), and c) not stripping it too much/keeping it super hydrated.

I take my make up off with coconut oil by warming a little between my fingertips & rubbing all over my face to loosen makeup then I remove with a warm, wet washcloth and repeat to make sure everything is off. I wash my face with Tracie Martyn Amla cleanser, and sometimes will add either True Naturals Polishing Grains or African Botanics Enzyme Polish. Once a week I’ll do a deep mask–I love May Lindstrom The Problem Solver and The Honey Mud. But most of all, I focus on hydration. I mist constantly–I love anything that smells pretty and promises a moisture or vitamin or “glow” infusion. And I slather on different face oils. Some favorites are from Odacite, Uma…but I am always shopping around. And eye cream, during the day only—I’m obsessed with Tata Harper’s. Before a big shoot, I’ll do a snail secretion mask—my favorite is from LA Pure.

I load up on vitamin D! Amazing for immune system and baby’s development. I also take a Metagenics prenatal packet every day.

I was really good about exercising until week 20. I was doing a modified Tracy Anderson routine that kept me feeling really limber and strong, plus a good sweat is such a nice way to clear your head. But we got so busy between travel and work this summer that I fell off the bandwagon. The last 3 months have been meant me rumbling with my kids and walking as much as possible. I have to say though, even just the investment of the first 20 weeks has paid off–I’ve had way less back pain this go round.

Ha, well…I’m one of those weirdos that actually loves being pregnant. I feel no pressure to be anything other than in my own skin, growing this incredible little life. But talk to me three months post-partum when I still look 6 months pregnant…

I’m just amazed at how fast it’s flown by! The first time, you count every day, every week. You know exactly what fruit or vegetable represents the size of your baby. The second time you pay a little less attention. The third and my doctor has to remind me what week I’m in.

Each of my births has been different, so I am comfortable going with the flow and making sure baby is safe and happy throughout. I was able to have a natural birth with our son, and I found my recovery was much better than when I had to be medically induced with our daughter, so my goal is to go as naturally as possible. But whatever gets me a healthy, happy baby is good with me!

My best advice would be to let your experience be what it is and let your baby be your guide in many ways. We go into new motherhood with so many (unreasonable) expectations and so many (unfounded) opinions and so much (unsolicited) advice that it can be really hard to just be in the moment and feel it all happening. The more you enjoy the ride, the less you’ll feel like your version of motherhood is supposed to match anyone else’s.

It was a seriously wonderful six years with my Chew family–still can’t believe that was my first job! As we get ready to welcome our newest addition, it’s been a busy fall with guest appearances and working on some really fun TV projects in the pipeline. I also have a new book coming out in 2019, and will be relaunching www.daphneoz.com January 2018–cannot wait to share!!

Was a concept born out of my experience writing The Happy Cook. I realized why being in the kitchen makes me feel so relaxed: I take it easy on myself! It’s my chance to be barefoot in my sweats, listen to my music, improve a skill I love and share it with people I love. My kids are always underfoot or “helping”. My kitchen is a little bit more contained chaos than refined oasis. But it makes me endlessly happy.

I want to be proud of what I ultimately put on the table–whether it’s a fast snack for one or kids’ meal or a three-course seated dinner–without it ever feeling like a chore instead of a creative outlet. It got me thinking: being a domestic goddess sounds divine, but part of living up to that title means she has to be perfect all the time. The –ish gives you room to be free, make a mess if you need to, and wind up at the same sumptuously sexy meal.

My sister Arabella and I created a show for the launch of Facebook Watch based on the idea that your kitchen should be your kingdom: a place to have fun and feel confident. If you like easy, everyday food with a healthy twist, check it out at www.facebook.com/DomesticGoddish.

Loving my job and doing things that let me stretch my brain and my creativity make me happier, which I know makes me a better wife and a better mother. There are definitely days that work eats into time I would rather be home with my family, but I recognize that what counts long term is how we make our kids feel when we’re with them. I do whatever I can to make sure they know how special they are to me and how much I love them. And I want to make sure they’re getting the best version of me because they feed off of that. My motto has become: happy kids have happy parents to show them how it’s done.

We want our children to learn integrity so that their world view is built on something really stable, secure and grounded in themselves. And we let our kids be kids! My parents raised their children with a healthy sense of FOMO, which is why I love saying yes to new opportunities and adventures. I want every day to feel memorable. That’s what we’re trying to give our kids, too.

Too much to write here. Come check out www.daphneoz.com when it launches! But the general thrust is: it’s your one, precious life! With all that you’ve got going on, you should get to enjoy this time, too.

One of my favorite plates when I’m growing a baby is roasted salmon on top of brown rice with some massaged kale (tear it up and rub with olive oil, lemon juice and salt to make it nice and tender), half a roasted sweet potato and some avocado. I drizzle some good quality olive oil over top and sprinkle with flaked salt. SO GOOD.

To make: Scrub an organic sweet potato and then put it on a baking sheet in a 375F oven for about an hour until it is soft and tender (you can also roast as chunks with just a drizzle of olive oil and salt, which will make this go a bit faster and give you some lovely golden brown crunchy bits). When you put the potato in, season the salmon with an Asian-style marinade of olive oil or grapeseed oil, a touch of maple syrup, Dijon mustard, crushed garlic or chopped scallions, a little sesame oil and soy sauce in a baking dish. If you have fresh ginger, you can grate that in too. Let it sit for half an hour to soak up all this flavor, then squeeze half a lemon overtop and pop it in the oven with the potato. The fish should be done in about 15 minutes, depending on how well you like it cooked (a good rule of them is generally 10 minutes per inch of thickness).

The three things that I found super helpful for boosting milk: oatmeal with coconut milk (or hey, a little cream and maple syrup – you deserve it); bone broth or chicken broth with mushrooms and barley; and air-popped popcorn that I drizzle with melted butter or coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and nutritional yeast (an amazing vegan protein that is loaded with B vitamins and tastes just like cheese!). I’m not sure it did anything to boost milk, but I did have a couple milkshakes now and then which at the very least boosted my mood.