Taking a Mental Health Day

Hey Hey Diva friends!

I'm still reeling from all the Christmas hustle :) I am a party planner. I love the preparation side where I get to make lists, buy gifts, plan some meals, and celebrate with family. I think I often enjoy the process more than the actual event! As a result...I've been doing a lot of sleeping this week :) But for us it's not over yet! 

Keegan will be coming home New Year's Eve (he's currently visiting his bio mom in AZ) so we are having a second Christmas New Years Day which will be even bigger than the first. FUN!! :)

In the midst of all of this my husband and I realized we really needed some down time for our mental health as well as our personal relationship. I don't want you to think I'm complaining. We live a charmed life in every sense of the word! We have a great home, a great family, wonderful friends, jobs we love.....but sometimes life is life and occasionally it hits ya hard!

The past few months have just been cram packed with stress from work to family, to travel to Keegan being sick and trying to figure out what was up with him (update on that coming soon). So yesterday Patrick andI decided to take a 24 hour, last minute, mini vacation to force ourselves to relax. Literally. FORCE ourselves to relax haha. 

Sure we could have taken a "staycation" where we just stayed home all day but I knew I needed to get away from everything. If we were in the house we would have ended up cleaning, cooking, planning doing laundry....SOMETHING. So we shot down to Cincinnati and had some good food, went to a pretty cool sign museum I didn't even know was there, and enjoyed a BREAK.

(p.s. if you have a fitbit check your heart rate when you go on vacation - it always drops. Stress impacts us daily.....hourly....no by the minute!!!!)

Who wouldn't want to take a cuddle day with this smokin' hottie?!

                  American Sign Museum in Cincinnati Ohio!

It's so easy to get wrapped up in all the "stuff" in life. The hustle, the bustle, the cleaning, the cooking, the worry, the parenting, your work.....all GOOD things that can cause excess stress IF we allow them to. (I personally fall into this trap too often).

Stress is the #1 cause of disease and breakdown in your body and doing what I do as a health coach...knowing THAT stresses me out ha! So I have tried to become much more aware of relaxing intentionally. Taking time, cutting things out of my life when I'm able to that cause excess stress, allowing myself to slow down, and remembering to STOP. Be thankful. ENJOY LIFE.

So remember - if you feel like you can't breath this week, take a minute. Sit down. ACTUALLY breath. Feel your breath. Listen to your body. Let your mind calm down. 

Here are a few things you can do today if you can't hop out of the house and get away:

• Take an epsom salt bath and relax
• Sleep in
• Read a book you ENJOY
• Workout if you have the energy and burn off the stress
• Give yourself a facial
• Splurge on a massage or mani/pedi
• Watch a movie by yourself
• Meditate ( I love the apps "headstrong" and "calm")
• Really savor that morning cup of coffee. don't wolf it down but enjoy the process.
• Enjoy some high quality chocolate
• Close your eyes and list everything in your life you are thankful for that you can think of at this moment

And whenever possible - Get yourself out of that house and go on a fabulous vacation!!!

Anxiety...what you can do.

Hey Hey Diva friends!!!

I want to share a very personal story with you today. I have struggled with anxiety for YEARS. In fact, it started when I developed OCD in my early teens. I would have to take multiple showers, wash my hands to the point of bleeding and touch nobs with kleenex. It wasn't pretty....

THANKFULLY I have really grown out of that (although you'll still see me with wipes and hand sanitizer when I fly I mean...HELLO)....but periodically the anxiety monster rears it's ugly head in my life and in 2015 I had 2 weeks of crippling anxiety accompanied by insomnia, fear, non stop crying and....well....it was bad. 

Since then I've worked double time on getting healthier, listening to my body and understanding why and how this happens. More importantly, my ears perk up anytime I hear about something that can be connected, exacerbate, help or prevent anxiety. I've learned a lot and now feel like I have the tools I need.

So today I wanted to share a few things that I've noticed affect my anxiety and several things that actually help keep it at bay.

1) Gut Health is KEY

The #1 thing I've noticed is that it directly correlates to my gut health! For example if I eat a food I'm sensitive to I'm more likely to have some mild anxiety the next few days.

WOW. This seems so unrelated right? How can our BRAIN and our GUT be connected? Well, without getting all nerdy on you, many of your neurotransmitters ( you know the things that make you happy, calm and feel good) are regulated in your gut!  If there is inflammation or damage whether from mental, emotional or physical stress (like food sensitivities) that can lead to negative signals being sent and disruptions to the normal balance of the body and brain.

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Essentially, your body says "I'm stressed from these outside factors!" and tells your brain to react accordingly. What's really devastating is that we always think the brain is OUR fault. While there are lots of studies that talk about neuroplasticity and the ability we have to TRAIN our brains to think positively (valid and VERY helpful by the way), if you struggle from chronic anxiety and your thoughts feel as if they aren't your own, that may be due to something going on in your gut. 

Resources for dealing with anxiety, learning how to think more positively etc...

The Mind Connection - book

Battlefield of the Mind - book

So Long Insecurity - book

This could be anything from parasites, bacteria, inflammation, food sensitivities etc....this should be encouraging to you because there is a solution and it doesn't involve you taking anti-depressants the rest of your life (the only thing my Doc could recommend by the way!)

Quick story to drive this point home. A young girl named Alyssa began hallucinating - scary stuff for anyone but especially a child! The medical community wanted to treat her with anti-psychotic drugs for the rest of her life. Luckily her parents took her to Dr. Jess Armine a functional medicine doc who has  done extensive work with neurotransmitters, mood disorders and reversing chronic illness. 

He was able to dig deeper into the root cause of WHY these hallucinations began and found several areas of gut dysbiosis, inflammation and bacterial imbalance in Alyssa. Once stressors like food sensitivities were removed, the bad bugs were killed and her body was supported and rebalanced, Alyssa returned to normal. She grew up avoiding the foods she wasn't sensitive to, became an honor student and never had to be on medication to maintain her health.

THIS is why I became an FDN. I want to help YOU dig deeper into the root cause of your health issues and together we can build your body back up. It knows what it needs to do, we just need to get rid of anything hindering it from getting the job done!

2) Caffeine

While almost everything falls under point #1, you might have great gut health and still be sensitive to caffeine. Some people are fast metabolizers and some are slow. Caffeine has a really long half life which means it stays circulating in your body for many hours after consumed. This is why it's normally encouraged to stick to 1 black cup of coffee before noon.

If you struggle from anxiety however there may be a period of time where you need to eliminate it all together. Caffeine stimulates your adrenal glands which are already working overtime when under stress. The last thing you want to do when your body is pumping out cortisol is to throw an external stimulant onto the fire! 

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If you have struggled for a long time with chronic anxiety I would eliminate it 100% for several months. If you find that you are only sensitive occasionally, then I would check to see if it corresponds with your monthly cycle. You may notice you are more sensitive to caffeine when you're ovulating. 

It's your liver's job to filter out the excess hormones being produced during this part of your cycle and it's also the liver's job to eliminate the caffeine efficiently. If both are happening at the same time you may notice a heightened sensitivity and want to back off the coffee. Personally I have noticed that my energy is elevated from the higher levels of hormones anyway and coffee isn't necessary during that time.

3) Poor Sleep

There are sooooo many benefits to getting a good night of sleep. But it isn't just about the number of hours you spend in bed, it's about the quality of deep sleep you get each night. People do vary on the number of hours that make them feel most rested, but I find that people who deal with chronic stress in their life typically need more sleep than others.

Prioritizing it and making it a non-negotiable is key. Part of the reason sleep is so important is because it's when your body processes information and heals itself. If your brain doesn't have time to process then when you wake up you are less likely to view things in a state of reality. I mean, lets be completely unscientific here - when you are sleepy EVERYTHING seems worse am I right?! :)

Don't feel bad about going to bed early, sleeping in and honestly - if you have chronic stress and lack of sleep I'd encourage you to take a self care weekend where you sleep as much as you possible can for at least 3 days! Let your body reset, rejuvenate and heal.

WHAT CAN I DO NOW?

1) Get Tested

If you think that you may have some food sensitivities or gut imbalance of any kind, find out for sure! My job is to work with you to uncover the hidden stressors in your life that are causing metabolic chaos and breakdown in your body.

Through functional lab testing I'm able to help you discover what's really going on, come up with a personalize protocol just for you and help you return back to health for good! I take a functional whole life approach meaning I don't medicate - I educate. I will work with you on nutrition, stress reduction, appropriate supplementation and more based on your personal test results.

Not sure this is for you? Email me: TheTinyFitDiva@Gmail.com to set up a free 30 minute discovery call where we can talk about what's available and right for you.

2) Eliminate known stressors

This might sound obvious but often we resist making changes we know are good for us. Cut out the processed foods, eliminate carbonation, sodas, and sugary drinks. Cut caffeine for a period of time and give your gut a chance to heal itself! 

I might sound like a hard ass, but this step is non-negotiable if you want to achieve long term health! Your gut is called the second brain but really it's the FIRST. If it's not functioning properly then neither will your actual brain....

I you even have and inkling that a certain food is bothering you, eliminate it for a minimum of 1 month. If you feel better AWESOME! If you can't tell a difference bring it back in and monitor how you feel each time.

3) Intelligent Supplementation

Don't go crazy with supplementation without supervision. However there are a few supplements that are generally safe and helpful. L Theanine, Vitamin C, and a  good probiotic and  are a great place to start with anxiety.

L Theanin is a great tool to take "as needed" when you feel some day-to-day anxiety popping up. Vitamin C has about a million benefits (including helping your liver)  and is extremely difficult to overdose on. A good probiotic helps balance your good gut bacteria - I would recommend rotating brands every few months to get different strains.

I hope this helps!

If you are really ready to get YOUR gut back on track then consider joining my 8 week gut health program Get Gutsy with Me starting January 15th!!! We are going to go in depth with information on healing your gut and you will have access to recipes, shopping lists, tips, and support through the process!

 Each participant will have the option to upgrade their 8 weeks with gut testing and discounted coaching from me which would include a personalized protocol  based on the test results.

 Don't let this go on another year! NOW is the time to take back your health.

Additional resources:

"3 steps to healing your gut" - blog

"Breaking Negative thinking Patterns" - podcast

"12 principles to change your brain and your life" - podcast

"Microbiome Solution" - podcast

The Gut Brain Connection - article

Disclaimer: This is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Do not go off medication without talking to your doctor. Consult with your doctor before making any changes in an existing protocol.

Christmas Gift Roundup!

 Hey Hey Diva Friends!

Christmas is 12 days away!!! Speaking of 12 days - It's not too late to join my 12 days of Fitmas happening in my FREE Facebook Group "Stop Dieting an Live your Life!" Complete with 12 at home workouts  you can use, print and repeat later, and 12 holiday recipes that you won't feel guilty about! 

If you are like most people then you aren't even close to having your Christmas shopping done, today I wanted to share some of my favorite things....if you have a super crunchy friend that needs a gift look no further! Or if you just want to add some really cool things to your house
 this list is for you... :)

1. Bulletproof Hot Chocolate - high quality hot chocolate you don't have to feel guilty about letting your kids enjoy! ( ok let's be honest - it's for you!)

2. Foursigmatic Coffee - have a crunchy friend that loves their coffee? Treat them to this delicious AND immune boosting coffee that includes medicinal mushrooms. Not a coffee drinker? Try the hot chocolate!

3. Squatty Potty - give this to someone you love or someone you want to make laugh...either way they will start pooping better with the squatty potty :'D

4. Lindsey Stirling Christmas CD - It's Lindsey Stirling. Nuff Said!

5. Sevensons.net - If you are conscientious about the quality of your meats then look no further than sevensons.net! Pasture raised, grass-fed meats that you can't find in the store at great prices!

6. Primal Pit Paste - maybe not the best gift for your mother in law, but perhaps a stocking stuffer for a close family member? :) Upgrade your deodorant to ditch the harmful chemicals and aluminum and enjoy higher quality baking soda, coconut oil and essential oils based pit paste!

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7. SHEETS. Know someone who enjoys a good sleep in a comfy bed? Or maybe you know a night sweater who need wick away sheets....or maybe you know someone crunchy who would appreciate that these are bamboo - either way these sheets are soft and sure to please anyone on your list! Ettitude.com

8. Books and Cookbooks  - for anyone interested in boosting their health naturally!
Healing Mushrooms Book

The Plant Paradox

Celebrations holiday cookbook

Practical Paleo 2nd edition


9. Lip Balm - it's lip balm - everyone needs some in their stocking!

10. Had to throw this in there ;) A gift certificate to the 8 week gut health program "Get Gutsy With Me".   Perfect for anyone looking to get healthier and just doesn't know where to start. The program includes 8 weeks of information complete with 4 e-books, recipes, weekly shopping guides and the option to upgrade with personalized testing and protocols. Whether you or a friend has fatigue, hormonal imbalances, IBS, acne or just doesn't feel quite right, this program is for YOU! You will leave with tools, recipes, and most importantly knowledge about how to eat, for your body, how to boost your healthy lifestyle and information on how to dig deeper to get to the root problems so that you leave feeling healthier and happier than ever!

Click the link below to purchase or contact me at: thetinyfitdiva@gmail.com to discuss a gift certificate or for more information.

 

What's YOUR favorite gift idea?

I'd love to hear it - comment below!

Bye for now! 

When to push hard and when to take a nap...

Hey hey Diva friends!

The past few years have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs in my fitness journey. Sometimes I wondered if I was doing enough, and sometimes I wondered if I was doing too much. Ultimately, knowing my body and being willing to shake things up has paid off!

Today I wanted to keep it simple and tell you to always:

Listen to your body!

There are so many things that go into deciding whether you will workout today and if you do decide to workout what workout is best? The super intense program you've done all month or is it time for  a break? Below I'm going share 3 ways you can begin to tune into what your body is telling you.

1) Do you feel energized or sleepy during and after a workout?

If you are feeling excessively sleeping during and immediately after a workout it may be a sign that it's too much stress on your body at this time. Symptoms are one of the last things to appear when something is breaking down in the body...when we are under chronic stress and that begins to turn into metabolic chaos ( breakdown in multiple systems) we notice things like fatigue more frequently. The last thing you want to do in those situations is add stress to your body by doing some crossfit, HIIT, or bodybuilding work. Instead, focus on getting quality sleep, and incorporate healing movement like yoga, and long walks. Make sure you are moving as often as possible ( in a gentle way) as that promotes healing throughout the body.

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If on the other hand you leave a workout feeling pumped up an energized then you're doing what's right for you at this time! Push those weights up, run a little faster and see what makes you feel your best!

2) Is your body refusing to budge?

Maybe you've started doing a lot more than you used to but your weight isn't shifting. There are several reasons this may be the case:

a) You're not moving as much as you need to (up those weights, or increase the amount of time you move in a day).

b) You're eating the wrong foods for your body causing stress and inflammation.

(see my blog on #Youtrition here)

c) Your hormones are out of whack causing you to store excess fat.

d) You're under chronic stress and your body thinks it's protecting you by storing the fat.

Some of this is relatively simple to experiment with on your own. Even C you can make great strides in diminishing your stress and increasing your quality of life. However sometimes working with a practitioner to dig a little deeper opens doors and explains things you simply cannot guess on your own. If you suspect a lot of hormone issues and/or gut imbalances of any kind we should talk! (comment below or email me: thetinyfitdiva@gmail.com)

3) What is your cycle telling you? 

This is my most recent fascination. Tracking your cycle and how you feel working out during each phase can be very beneficial! Some weeks you may find that you're consistently a little fatigued and others that you're charged up and ready to go!

Use a tracker like MyFlo that assists you in noticing these patterns. When you identify which weeks you have energy to spare then assist your body by lifting heavier and running faster. On the weeks where you notice you're consistently more fatigued prioritize walking, yoga, and rest!

Ultimately, YOU know your body. If it's giving you signs like headaches, fatigue, regular injury or pain of any kind then it might be time to take a break.

If you notice an increase in strength, energy and vitality then kick it in to high gear and keep doing what you're doing!

Just remember  - it's OK to take a break.

Often you come back stronger when you do!

p.s. if you are struggling to find out why YOU haven't been seeing results and you're READY for a change I'd love to have you in my January 2018 program Get Gutsy With Me! Don't wait, you'll miss the early bird discount available until December 15th!

Not sure you want to jump in? Feel free to set up a 30 minute call with me so I can get to know you and hear your goals and your struggles. Just e-mail me at TheTinyFitDiva@gmail.com or comment below!

#YOUtrition

Hey hey Diva friends!

I was trying to think of a fun way I could refer to my personal food philosophy and YOUtrition is what came to mind. I kinda like it, what do you think?

So what IS #YOUtriton? (that's right, I aded a hashtag....get out there and share this post - I want see #Youtrition everywhere because when you embrace it your life will CHANGE!) :P

Simply put, #YOUtrition is the nutrition that is right for YOU. It's as wonderful, unique, individualized and special as you are. Everyone's genes, life history, mental/physical/emotional stresses are different and so the right combination of foods to fuel your body is just as unique. Just because a food is healthy doesn't mean it's healthy for YOU.

#Youtrition has 2 main steps: 

1) Eliminate the garbage. This covers everyone regardless of genes, environment, lifestyle, age, gender....and is beneficial for any lifestyle.

If the "food" is processed, modified, hybridized, ditch it. If it has chemicals, sugar, or words you don't recognize on the ingredients list, pass it over. Focus on REAL, whole, unprocessed, organic-as-much-as-possible food. 

2) Once you have #1 under control, this is where it gets fun. Personalize your diet to fit YOUR body and YOUR life. For example: How do you feel on low carb? How do you feel on high carb? What about high fat or low fat? How do you feel with squashes or tomatoes? Do you feel energized and awesome or do you get gassy or tired? What about Dairy (raw, organic, pasture raised of course)...do you tolerate it or not?

Just because butternut squash is packed with nutrition and could be an amazing source of carbs for Jim down the street doesn't mean that's the right food for Sandra next door. She may experience a headache, gas or bloating. In that case, put it on the no-fly list and move on.

You have to DISENGAGE to make this fun!

Drop the mentality that because something isn't right for you the world is OVER ha! Trust me, I've been there. I got sad for a minute when I realized I couldn't have cinnamon or mint this year. HELLO holiday EVERYTHING :) But your mentality is super key in making this enjoyable. Take a "can do" attitude and make it an adventure. For everything you CAN'T eat there are tons of new foods, flavors and spices you CAN. Be open to trying new things, experimenting and expanding your palate. 

If you have trouble with your mentality - WORK ON IT. This is not something innate to people. In fact, people are naturally pessimistic, fearful and negative. Positivity, productivity, and discipline take practice and personal growth. Some awesome books you might like to check out are:

Extreme Ownership

The Mind Connection

Eat That Frog

Finding the right #YOUtrition can take some time, but it's rewarding!

Keep it simple. Master step #1 first and you may find that's the only step you need. Your weight, rosacea, mood swings, and bloating may disappear when you get ride of the junk. 

If you have other goals or specific complaints that stick around then move on to step #2! Break it down, keep lists or a journal and give each change you make at least a few days to really determine it's effectiveness if not longer.

During step #2 you might find you need some guidance of WHERE to start. I know that I was surprised to learn of "healthy" things that were not healthy for me (At least not at this time) like yellow squash, and chicken! 

The MRT Leap food sensitivities test helped me a LOT and gave me a strong foundation to build my own #Youtrition from the ground up. I've adjusted and modified since taking the test and it has helped so much. Now I'm helping my clients do the same!

Be your own health advocate and discover whats exactly right for YOUR unique body.

If you're ready to take YOUR health to the next level and you want some FREE recipes, fun, and accountability along the way, join my Facebook group "Stop Dieting and Live Your Life!" I'm running my FREE Holiday Survival Guide event now through December and you can download that here!

If you really want in-depth support, 1:1 attention and guidance on gut health, balancing your micro biome and restoring your heath from the inside out, check out my new 8 week program "Get Gutsy With Me" Launching January 15, 2018!!! You will have access to additional testing including the MRT Leap food sensitivities testing to personalize your experience! 

I'd love to hear YOUR story! Comment below with any thoughts or questions!

Mangos for Thanksgiving?

Hey hey Diva friends! WOW yesterday was a long but fun day!

Our morning began bright and early as we got up to meet the rest of my family for the annual Miamisburg Turkey Trot!!!

After the Turkey Trot everyone headed over to our place for a yummy brunch full of delicious yet GUILT FREE food! 

On the menu:

• Bacon Tart
• Fruit Salad
• Chia and Mango Pudding ( recipe below!)
• Sparkling grape juice 
• COFFEEEEEE :)

After brunch we relaxed (briefly) and then began the preparations for dinner at my Mom and Dad's! It was lots of fun and the whole family was together :) We laughed, we talked, we shared what we were thankful for, we played games, and we enjoyed the day tremendously.

One recipe I made was quite delicious and so I wanted to share it with all of you! It's a combination of recipes from: Paleocoupboard.com and TheBalancedBerry.com

My combo is below!

Ingredients:

For Chia seed pudding:

• 1 Can full fat coconut milk in a can
• 1/4 ground chia seeds
• 2 TBS sweetener (honey or maple syrup)

For the Mango pudding:

• 2 mangos
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 inch of ginger

Directions:

1. Mix all the chia seed pudding ingredients together. Let sit for a few minutes and re-stir. Then refrigerate overnight
2. Peel and cut the mangos
3. Peel the ginger
4. Blend the mangos, lime and ginger together ( I think there could be more ginger personally!)
5. Chill
6. Layer the puddings and top with toasted coconut, raspberries or whipped cream
7. I doubled the recipe and made 10 servings. You could make smaller portions as well. This made about 10 LARGE servings.

ENJOY!!!!

What was your favorite part of Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear some family traditions or recipes you enjoyed :)

p.s. TODAY ONLY I'm offering a sale on my January gut health program!!! Launching January 15th, it will include 8 weeks of menus, recipes, tips, gut health protocols, and more! ANY participant will have the option to upgrade the program to include personalize gut health testing! For more details and the sale (ending at midnight!!!) Click here!

Seasonal Butternut Squash Soup

Hey hey diva friends!

Just because I'm currently on a hiatus from winter squash, doesn't mean YOU should suffer. I LOVE the flavor of butternut squash! So sweet and savory at the same time!

 This soup is so tasty and nutritious. A good soup does wonders for the body and soul. Soups offer a certain comfort that other foods lack. They’re also a vehicle for nutrient dense ingredients!

Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A and one of the healthiest starches you can get. It’s got a gentle sweetness to it which pairs well with a bold curry flavors and embraces the sweetness of apple. Apple and butternut squash naturally compliment each other. They’re harvested at the same time of year, they’re both high in fiber. When Fall comes around this is one of the first soups I whip up. It’s become a staple in my house and I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 lb butternut squash, cut into cubes
• 3 granny smith apples, cut into cubes
• 1 litre homemade chicken stock
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp thyme

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot, add onions and garlic and simmer until golden. Add curry powder, salt,  butternut squash and apple chunks and cover with chicken stock. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes until butternut squash is soft. Use an immersion blender or add to your blender in batches to create a smooth creamy consistency, enjoy!
2. Add all ingredients to your blender and process until super smooth.

If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program Get Gutsy With Me.In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora, plus support, fun, and coaching from me!

If you haven't joined already, don't miss all the fun in my free online Facebook Community "Stop Dieting and Live your Life" where I share tips, videos and more!

What's your favorite soup recipe or fall favorite? Comment below!

Bye for now!

Soup your way to a healthier gut!

Hey hey Diva friends! Let's talk about soup and gut health....sounds good right? What is easier than indulging in some delicious soup in this cold weather?

Soup certainly doesn’t sound like any special life changing superfood. It’s soup, you’ve eaten it all your life. Yet soup has massive potential that often gets hidden behind nasty preservatives and less than ideal flavoring agents. The true beauty and nourishment happens with whole food ingredients and high quality homemade bone broth.

This is where the magic happens.

 

A daily soup made from local, seasonal ingredients and high-quality broth is better than any superfood or supplement out there. It’s a wholesome way to nourish your skin, immune system, joints, digestion and gut health. 

Homemade bone broth is rich in natural gelatin which is anti-aging and great for rebuilding  damaged intestinal lining. Making bone broth from scratch is as easy as throwing your leftover chicken carcass in a large pot of water and letting it simmer for 24 hours. This gets all the good stuff out of the bones and into the liquid.

Patrick makes an amazing broth with a few simple ingredients:

• chicken carcass
• onion
• carrots
• celery
• poultry spices ( rosemary/sage/thyme)
• salt

1. Place all ingredients in the crockpot, fill it up with water (purified!) and let it simmer for 24-48 hours. Use this as the broth base for any soup recipe, or simply enjoy a warm cup like coffee. 1-2x/day.

Note* let your broth cool after you have strained it (not TOO long as bacteria will grow quickly) and scoop off the fat layer that settles on top. The more fat the more healthy collagen is in your broth! Keep frozen or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If my broth is in the fridge 5-6 days or longer I simply make sure to boil it again before drinking.

Go to your local farmer’s market and get the freshest seasonal produce you can find. In the summer you may enjoy fresh garlic, beets and carrot in a homemade stock and blending with fresh dill. Served cold on a hot day with a drizzle of plain yogurt, this soup is refreshingly tangy and packed with nutrients.

In the Fall and Winter, soups made with root vegetables and hearty herbs like sage and rosemary are ideal. It’s all about sourcing local, pesticide-free vegetables for the most nutrient dense soups. Nothing you can buy from the store compares to what you can make at home with relatively little effort. 

The flavor base of every good soup should be sauteed onions, garlic and herbs. This is what all those flavor packs are trying to emulate. It doesn’t take long to cut up an onion and throw it in a hot pan with some olive oil, but it makes all the difference.

Add all ingredients to your blender and process until super smooth. Enjoy!!

If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program Get Gutsy With Me launching January 15th, 2018! 

In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora.

Not sure you're ready for all that?! Join me on my Facebook page Stop Dieting and Live your Life! where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life. PLUS you'll receive free access to my Holiday Survival Guide along with extra recipes and support to navigate this holiday season with ease :)

Share YOUR favorite soup below!

bye for now!

3 steps to stop the yo-yo cycle TODAY

Hey Hey Diva friends!

So this is a pet peeve of mine and I just REALIZED it's a pet peeve...so idk...does it count as a pet peeve if you haven't had it for longer than a few days?! Anyway ;P

As you know, I'm a personal trainer and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner helping people achieve success in their gut health, weight, hormones (and more!) through natural, holistic practices...ones that don't include extreme dieting, counting calories, portion control, or old "diet" mentalities....My greatest desire is to give you FREEDOM. Freedom from the scale, freedom from cravings, excess weight, bloat, and up-down up-down weight cycles. 

I especially want to help you navigate the holiday season without THIS as a result:

So here it is...here is my pet peeve: I hate that people gain 20 pounds just because they know if they "diet" a very specific way they can then lose it again. In the body building community it's called bulking and cutting seasons.... But in our world it may simply be yo-yo dieting or, "crash"dieting for specific events or occasions....or even no reason at all except habit.

This tells me two things: 1) The way you normally eat isn't comprised of the right balance for YOU because if it was, you wouldn't pack on the pounds in the first place. Your cravings would diminish, your weight would balance and you would find your perfect homeostasis.  I call this #YOUtrition.

2) You're setting yourself up for health concerns down the road if not ignoring them already. (i.e. metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, hormone imbalances, intense cravings, fatigue.....) It's never ok to binge on garbage food...no matter the reason or the end goal! Your body doesn't say "oh she's drinking this coke for this reason, so I'm going to shunt this over to muscle because in a few months she's going on a "cutting" program and we want to see abs...". If it's bad for you on Tuesday it's bad for you on Wednesday. Simple as that.

"If you can't maintain your weight then either it's not a healthy weight

in the first place, or you're choosing the wrong foods for your body."

I even see many health coaches sharing posts on social media that they have "fallen off the wagon" and show pictures of how they have gained weight and need to "get back on track". They will share these pictures when they are advertising a new program, health product, or workout while asking you to join them. They are trying to be relatable and may, in all honesty, be struggling right along with you. But to me that just says they haven't figured out how to really maintain a healthy lifestyle in the day to day...

Here's the truth:

"When you find what works for you then your

before and afters stop because you live your after forever." 

Once you Stop Dieting and Live Your Life  sure you might fluctuate here and there - hello water, stress, and periods....but anyone that consistently gains and loses 10+lbs or more needs to go back to the drawing board because clearly something isn't working for them it's working AGAINST them.

So instead of keeping it a pet peeve, I'm going to tell you how to fix it in 3 steps:

1) DITCH grains.

Yep I said it. Ditch em....you may find you can indulge occasionally based on your own body chemistry and personal health on things like rice and quinoa, but for now if you haven't stabilized your weight, your blood sugar, and your energy levels... ditch the grains and don't look back. And no you don't need them for fiber ;D, I'll address that in a future blog!

Try this for 30 days and watch the results pour in. If you don't see results, the toaster pastry will be waiting for you on day 31.

2)  Fill your plate with vegetables.

AT. EVERY. MEAL. Literally. Make a CRAP ton of vegetables over the weekend if you have to. Heat up organic frozen veggies if that's what works. Make recipes that incorporate them into the main dish. Just MAKE IT HAPPEN. (By the way, there's your fiber!)

3) Move your body and move it frequently.

Now don't freak out, I don't mean become a cross-fitter. NO! In fact, for many with chronic health complaints excessive workouts can exacerbate instead of help the situation! When I say move I mean get that blood flowing in a way that encourages healing. If you have been a chronic dieter then chances are you have some metabolic issues, some underlying health complaints, some achy joints, some fatigue etc..... so I encourage you to move in a way that encourages healing.

By that I mean take long, brisk walks. I love that the fitbit motivates so many people to hit 10,000 tips a day! That's the perfect place to start. If you feel good abut it add some restorative yoga to your week as well and work on some deep breathing practices. You can d intensity from there once you feel energized and balanced!

So there you have it!! Ditch the grains, add more veggies, and walk your brains out for the next month and see what happens! 

If you're ready to take YOUR health to the next level and you want some recipes, fun, and accountability along the way, join my Facebook group "Stop Dieting and Live Your Life!" I'm running my FREE Holiday Survival Guide event now through December and you can download that here!

If you really want in-depth support, 1:1 attention and guidance on gut health, balancing your micro biome and restoring your heath from the inside out, check out my new 8 week program "Get Gutsy With Me" Launching January 15, 2018!!!

I'd love to hear YOUR story below! Comment below with any thoughts or questions!

Ermahgerd....avocaaaaado!

Hey hey diva friends!!!

tee hee hee...it was so cute I had to <3 Let's talk about avocados....more specifically GUACAMOLE!!!!! If you don't love guacamole get out, we can't be friends.

The best condiment on the planet if you ask me, has to be guacamole. It’s easy to make, delicious and filled with healthy fats, vitamins, enzymes and fiber. You go to the store and there are so many pre made versions of guacamole that are loaded with artificial preservative and MSG. Or even worse, those flavor packets with bad iodized salt, MSG and dehydrated vegetables that you’re supposed to mix in with wholesome precious avocados. DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!

If people knew how insanely easy guacamole really is they wouldn’t be buying this stuff. Fresh, homemade guacamole from scratch takes less than 10 minutes and is 10 million times better than anything you can get from the store. (although - honesty moment - the organic Wholly Guacamole brand is pretty darn good.) 

There are different variations and you can get creative.  Including a fresh chopped heirloom tomato adds extra burst of flavor and color. If you like it spicy you can experiment with adding different hot peppers. The options are endless. But I’d love to share with you just how easy guacamole can be.

The Basics of Beautiful Guacamole

The most basic version of guacamole that you can mash together in under 5 minutes.

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 clove fresh minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• handful chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Drizzle of olive oil

1. Mash the avocado and mix in the rest of the ingredients.

While some days it’s best to keep things simple, other times you might want to go the extra mile.

The Ultimate Flavor Filled Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• ¼ Cup red onion, very finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, very finely chopped
• 1 ripe roma tomato, finely chopped
• 1  Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Handful of both cilantro and parsley, finely chopped

1. Mash the avocado and mix all ingredients together.
2. Add all ingredients to your blender and process until super smooth.

Fast - easy - delicious AND healthy. Win win win :)

If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program Get Gutsy With Me launching January 15th 2015!

In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora, PLUS live videos, extra support in an online community and fun from me WITH the option of boosting your results with additional personalized gut testing!

Not sure you're ready for all that? Join me on my Facebook page Stop Dieting and Live your Life! where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life. PLUS you'll have FREE access to my Holiday Survival Guide through the months of November and December to really kickstart your goals!

What's YOUR favorite way to eat an avocado? Comment below!

By for now!

My milkshake's better than yours

Hey hey Diva friends! 

ok, ok, stop.... get it out of your system and just sing it now "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...d*** straight, it's better than yours."....WHEW! Ok. Don't feel bad, it was totally going through my head while I was making this post ;) Now back to business....My milkshake IS better than yours and I’m going to tell you something that no one else will.

You deserve a milkshake.

You deserve a milkshake that isn’t going to send you onto a blood sugar roller coaster and mess with your healthy gut flora. You deserve this milkshake. A perfect treat on a day when you want a nourishing clean energy boost.

Raw cacao is beneficial in so many ways. Not only does it contain phenylethylamine which helps boost happy hormones, it’s also loaded with magnesium. A large percentage of the population is deficient in magnesium but it’s important for healthy digestion and a relaxed nervous system, so drink up!

Ingredients

Serves 1

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon of raw honey or stevia

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth.

When you’re gut health is off kilter it’s important not to overload your body with refined sugar. That’s where recipes like these come in. You can’t just flip a switch and never want a milkshake again, so it becomes about creating healthy substitutions to unhealthy foods.

Sugar feeds bad bacteria, fungus, and yeast in your gut and promotes digestive distress and hormonal issues. The more you can swap it out for healthy recipes like this the faster you’ll be on track to feeling amazingly energized and balanced.

If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program Get Gutsy With Me,

In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes that you can enjoy without guilt, and that will help rebuild your intestinal flora.

Or join me on my Facebook page Stop dieting and Live your Life! where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life, along with a Holiday Survival guide packed with tips and recipes for free this Holiday Season!!

p.s. up the cinnamon for some fall flavor or replace it with 1 drop of peppermint essential oil for a Christmas twist on this delicious treat.

Comment below - what's your favorite holiday treat?

Sneaky Food Allergies

Hey hey Diva friends!

Well I'll be a butternut squash...wait...that makes no sense....if I WAS a butternut squash I wouldn't have a food sensitivity to it. That's right...add it to my list! :)
 

If you want to know more about the Food sensitivity testing process read my blog here!

To learn more about how food sensitivities, gut health and more, click here!

Let me start with the positives....since embarking on my journey of testing I have seen marked improvements! More energy, bloating gone (THANK YOU!!!) anxiety lowered and sense of wellness UP! WOOHOO!

What to look for

Much of this began to come together once I eliminated the food sensitivities on my MRT Leap test and began treating a bacterial overgrowth found on my stool test. It's very important to balance the environment in our gut. When there is an imbalance or dysbiossis of any sort, it can lead to:

• Bloating
• Fatigue
• Skin issues
• Hormonal imbalances
• Mood swings
• IBS
• malabsoprtion
• food sensitivities
• pain
• headaches
• foggy thinking
• etc....

We are more susceptible to bacteria, yeast, parasites and fungal growth (or overgrowth) with any of the following:

• Food sensitivities ( they can be a result, OR, triggering even for gut imbalance)
• birth control use
• prescription use
• antibiotic use
• stress
• poor sleep habits
• exposure to chemical or environmental toxins ( aluminum in deodorant, bleach, hair/skin/beauty treatments)
• etc....

The longer I think about my history the more I come to understand the struggles my body has had to overcome and...well...detox from! I am constantly amazed at this efficient machine that God has created to heal from within! Without our help our bodies do a LOT to detoxify and protect us on a daily basis. There comes a point however where knowledge is key and taking action on the knowledge can help reverse disease, prevent disease, and help you live your happiest, most energetic and mentally present life!

Personally I have a history of:

• Antibiotic use
• Birth control use
• Excessive Nsaid use ( excedrin and advil cold and sinus DAILY at some points)
• processed foods, sugars and wheat consumption for years
• Chronic stress for many years in young adulthood
• Traumatic event in early childhood
• etc....

Over the past few years food sensitivities has been and ever evolving journey as I become more aware of, test, and listen to my body. As my body adjusts and changes I am able to identify more easily the foods I'm sensitive too.

Think about it this way - when you are eating 20 foods your body is sensitive to and it's totally overwhelmed, it's really hard to pinpoint the problem. Once you've eliminated the main stressors however, it becomes way easier to go "oops! this food must be a problem".

The past few days I was super annoyed because I felt very fatigued, had a headache, and got really gassy (embarrassing!!!). Nothing in my life patterns had changed, and as I was thinking about it my food was basically the same as well UNTIL.....

I remembered I had added in a homemade pumpkin pudding. Seemingly innocuous, I had eaten a large portion for breakfast one day and had had a few servings 2-3 days in a row. The only major change in my foods, I thought it through and realized the last time I at butternut squash I got gassy as well, and on my food sensitivities list is yellow squash. It seems that I am actually sensitive to winter squash and all the varieties! Guess what went away as soon as I stopped eating the pudding....the reactions!

Be Patient

As you go through a process of healing, it may seem that you become more sensitive to more foods...and this can be disheartening. But don't feel bad! In reality, you are just becoming more AWARE. Once we know how to identify things and listen to our bodies the amount of information our bodies give us is incredible! It's like flipping a switch and suddenly receiving and processing information we never acknowledged before. Or think of it this way....your body is a printer and has been printing and printing analytical reports on what it needs and how to treat it but we never turned the printer on, so we were never receiving the reports.....when we begin to eliminate stressors and really listen to our body it's like turning that printer on and receiving all those pages of information that had been stored in the printers memory....overwhelming at first, but it's been there all along.

What to do next

It's important to remember that our bodies change. They change as we age, and they change as we heal. There is a high probability that you are more sensitive to something NOW than you were BEFORE. There is also high probability that as your lifestyle changes and your nutrition becomes more...well....nutritious...that your food sensitivities list changes as well!

1) Keep a food journal - it's tough sometimes to think about what we've had to eat the past 24  hours. Making it even a little more tricky is the fact that many food sensitivities can show up within 24-72 hours. This means something you ate Saturday may affect your your mood, your digestion, or your skin on Monday! It's important to look back so you're able to make correlations.

Join  the health revolution and download my free Holiday Survival Guide today!

2) Build up your gut strength. When we have multiple food sensitivities the lining of our gut becomes inflamed and the tight junctions in that lining that protect the blood from large or unwanted particles becomes compromised. This is why you can have external symptoms like skin rashes, mood swings or neurological reactions to an unhealthy gut ( toxins are crossing the blood brain barrier!). Consider bringing in fermented foods like sauerkraut and kombucha while also supplementing with a digestive enzyme and quality probiotic.

3) Consider getting tested. There are so many nutritional approaches out there - paleo, primal, whole30, grain free, autoimmune protocols, specific carbohydrate diets etc....while all are valid and effective, getting tested gives you specific information on your own personal body chemistry.  It also allows for you to work with a practitioner that can guide you, encourage you, and provide supplementation to help your body heal more quickly as you go through the process!

Take Action Now!

Gut health is incredibly important to me and that's why I'm launching "Get Gutsy With Me" January 15th of 2018!!! It's an 8 week program that will include:

• 4 bi-weekly, jam-packed eBooks overflowing with every piece of information you need to get the results your body craves—think of it as the ultimate go-to resource guide for your gut!
•   A mouthwatering Recipe Guide packed with over 59 chef-approved food and drink recipes to keep you nourished, satisfied and toxin-free!
•   8-Weeks of suggested meals to make gut rebuilding easy as 1-2-3. for the entire 2-month period—yes, you heard that right—no need to plan for 8 weeks (go ahead and take a deep breath)! I made life easy for you.
•   8 Shopping lists to make your trips to the supermarket 110% hassle-free!
•  Email support from yours truly—I’m here to make sure you succeed!
•   Handouts with simple reminders for your gut health journey
• · A Food Diary so that you can reflect on how your meals make you feel and unleash your maximum potential!

PLUS online support from me through the whole program AND the option to personalize and improve your results through your own gut testing at a discounted rate! If you sign up before January 1st, you'll receive the early bird discount of $199. Don't wait, because it jumps to $247 in the new year! 

p.s. not sure you want to work with me yet? Or simply want to start NOW? Download my FREE Holiday Survival guide first and get to know me over the holiday season! 

p.p.s. Do you have gut troubles? I'd love to hear your story, thoughts, comments and experiences below - leave me a comment! 

To your health!

p.s. the advice contained in this article is not meant to diagnose or treat any diseases and does not take the place of a qualified medical practitioner or physician.  

Eating organic for under $15/day

Hey Hey there Diva friends!  I'm SUPER excited to bring this blog post to you today. As someone who used to eat the S.A.D. (The aptly named Standard American diet), I too once though that healthy food must be more expensive. 

Stated simply, eating whole food, natural, organic, unprocessed foods is NOT more expensive and doesn't have to be. When we originally began our pantry transformation our first step was to take all the wheat filled gluten foods we normally ate and replace them with gluten free processed foods that mimicked the familiar treats. In that instance YES we would spend more money if we continued to purchase gluten free oreos instead of regular oreos. The bills would also remain high as long as I continued to buy a lot of junky snacks, chips, ice cream in ADDITION to the healthier foods on the list....

What I noticed as we progressed in our thinking and continued to tweak our diets however, was that if you really focus on eliminating processed foods (gluten free and all) it is highly probable that you with either break even or SAVE when changing your diets. The KEY is to focus on real foods. The bulk of my grocery cart is almost always from the produce section (fruits, veggies, herbs...) with a little meat (grass-fed organic) and a few canned/boxed/bagged items here and there like flax seed, non-dairy milk, and canned tomatoes or beans.

As I became more aware, it's become a habit for me to listen for the persons total in front of me at the check out in curiosity. What I have discovered is that people who use coupons, shop the sales, and stock up on chips, canned goods, frozen goods, cheap bread, snack items and soda, almost always pay over $200 for their cart. When I check out my total ranges somewhere from $130-200 for the week depending on how thorough my list was ( aka if I have to go back later in the week), if I included any splurge/treat items, and if we needed any household items that week (those always add up).

It's very frustrating to me when people say they cannot afford to be healthy and eat clean foods. Fruit and vegetables are some of the most inexpensive things at the grocery store! Even if you do something "expensive" like juicing or blending your veggies which uses quite a few at a time, it's still way more affordable than going to out to eat for most of your meals or grabbing that daily coffee habit. Not to mention you are substituting incredible nutrition for harmful toxicity that can shorten your lifespan at worst and at best make the life you have less enjoyable. 

Don't miss ALL the news! Sign up for weekly tips in my TFD newsletter here!

To illustrate this point, I created an example meal plan, went to Krogers new Click List feature, input the items needed, calculated the serving size portion you would need per meal, and added up the total for one person in a day. I made sure the ingredients I chose were the ones I would personally use - organic, grass-fed when applicable etc...

With my ONE example ( which included a few more "expensive" items like juicing, Shakeology, and grass-fed beef) I found you could eat high quality, nutrient dense foods that will reverse disease and nourish your body for under $15 a day!

Here's the menu:

Breakfast:

• 2 pasture raised eggs = .81c
• Homemade green juice ( 1/2 bunch organic kale + 1 honey crisp organic apple + 1 organic lemon ) = $1.87
• Chia Seed Pudding ( 1 can full fat coconut milk from a can + 1/4 cup grand chia seeds + 2TBS honey) = .95...estimated over 6 servings

Breakfast TOTAL: $3.63

Snack:*

Many people balk at the concept of a $4.00 superfoods shake when I talk about incorporating Shakeology into their day. But when it includes superfoods from around the world, high quality adaptogens to help the body deal with stress, probiotics and digestive enzymes to help your gut health, not to mention the help it provides in curbing your cravings, I'd say it's worth it. Just replace the sodas or Starbucks with this instead.

*Replace this with some veggies, fruit, or a salad and while you won't get the nutritional variety, you will still spend the same or less and be getting quality foods in your day.

Lunch:

• Microwaveable Sweet Potato = $1.29
• Applegate organic, grass-fed hotdog = .75
•  Whole bag of frozen veggies like peas ($10/10)  ... may add some spices and/or grass-fed butter

See the recipe here

Lunch Total: $3.04  

Snack:

Organic honeycrip apple = .62c

1TBS peanut butter = .13c

Snack Total: $.75

Dinner:

Betty Crocker Crockpot Chili = $3.47 when having 4 servings

Dinner Total: $3.47

Total for the day $14.89

Of course your days will fluctuate, but this is approximately 1625 calories for $15.

Conversely you could always choose to have a day like this:

• Breakfast: McDonald's bacon egg an cheese biscuit (450 cal)
• Lunch: Subway 6 inch tuna sandwich ( 480 cal)
• Dinner: Chipotle burrito bowl with chicken, white rice, black beans ,mild salsa, cheese, guac and lettuce (890 cal)

For a grand total of: $13.94 and 1820 calories. This is all assuming of course that no beverages, chips, snacks, or extras were consumed.

You only have one body to live in.

Studies have shown that your gut health is directly correlated to your brain health. This means if you suffer from depression, anxiety, moodiness, or if you are prone to demential, Alzheimer's and brain fog in your family...these are things that can be prevented, and even reversed by the health of your gut. Processed foods not only provide lackluster nutritional value at best, but can cause inflammation to the gut as well as hindering the absorption of any nutrients you are actually consuming. 

Make sure you sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss when

I launch my 2018 total gut health makeover program!!!

You won't be perfect over night. There is a learning curve. But the extra time and effort is ALWAYS worth it. Spending a few extra minutes looking at labels, making a meal plan, and cooking up some fresh veggies may give you an extra 15 YEARS in health, longevity, and LIFE. 

I don't know about you, but I want the last 20 years of my life to be living not dying. 

Change the mind, change the body.

Change the body, change the mind.

What are YOUR cost saving tips? I know there are many of you who are more budget conscious, and better at looking for cost saving tips that I am! I'd love to hear your tips below!!

To your health,

Halloween Recipe Roundup!

I don't love Halloween. But I DO love treats that ANYone can enjoy without the sugar crash or guilt afterward!

Try a few of these at your next get together whether it's spooky or not!

Chickpea Brownies

Original recipe from 21 Day Fix!

I am a FAN of brownies. I've tried several different recipes that call for almond flour, coconut flour, or even almond butter and no flour! I  love brownies you guys....show me a recipe that falls within my foodie guidelines and I'll probably try it. Currently, my favorite brownies are these chickpea brownies. Whether you are gluten free, paleo, or you think all of that is stupid. These are sure to please :) 

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans.  Rinsed and drained.
1/4 cup of butter (or extra virgin coconut oil)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch sea salt
1/4 cup of Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Place chickpeas, butter, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a food processor; cover.  Blend until smooth.
• Add chocolate chips; mix by hand until blended.
• Evenly spread batter into prepared pan.
• Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of brownies comes out clean.
• Cut into squares and use powdered sugar to decorate with fun patterns for any occasion.
• Enjoy!

*NOTES - these brownies crumble easily and so they do better if you really let them cool and then place them in the refrigerator for awhile. It makes them more fudge and easier to handle!

Vanilla Cupcakes

Who doesn't love a cupcake? This recipe is from www.elanaspantry.com and I would highly recommend you check out her site for more amazing recipes!

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ⅛ teaspoon himalayan pink sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup palm shortening
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine coconut flour, salt, and baking soda
2. Pulse in eggs, shortening, honey, and vanilla
3. Line a cupcake pan with 6 paper liners and divide batter between each
4. Bake at 350° for 20-24 minutes
5. Cool for 1 hour
6. Frost with Whipped Cream Frosting  

NOTES* Alternatively you could make chocolate cupcakes  and/or make paleo chocolate frosting and decorate it like a poop emoji for halloween.....yes I just said that ;D

Witches Fingers

This recipe is from forkandbeans.com!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 dates, chopped with pits removed + 1 Tb water
• 1/3 c. raw walnuts
• 1/3 c. raw almonds
• 1/3 c. raw cashews
• 1 Tb raw cacao powder
• 4 raw almonds, sliced in half

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor, blend dates and water until a rough paste is formed.
2. Add nuts and cacao. Blend until a dough forms.
3. Using 1 Tb of dough, form into finger shapes with hands.
4. Place almond slice at the tip for fingernail.
5. Chill for 15 minutes or devour immediately.

Dipped Apples

This recipe is from paleoleap.com!

Ingredients

• 6 organic apples (granny smith, gala, and fuji are some of the best varieties to pair with the sweetness of the chocolate);
• 1 lb of white or dark chocolate, cut into chunks;
• 1 cup of each topping choice (crushed macadamia nuts, chopped almonds, shredded coconut…);
• 6 Popsicle or lollipop sticks

Directions

1. Wash the apples and twist the stems off, push a stick into the core of each apple.
2. The chocolate will adhere better to the apples if they are cold, so place the apples in a refrigerator while preparing everything else.
3. Place your topping choices into individual bowls. It’s best to make sure your toppings are in small pieces; anything too large will not stay on the apple.
4. Heat the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave until almost fully melted. Remove from the heat and stir: it should fully melt and be warm, not hot. If using a microwave, heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in-between, to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn. White Chocolate has a lower burning point than dark chocolate so it’s important to watch this more closely. If using the microwave method to melt white chocolate, reduce the power to 50%.
5. Dip the apples into the chocolate, raising them to allow the extra chocolate to drip back into the bowl.
6. Using your hands or a spoon, sprinkle your topping of choice onto the freshly dipped apple. I found it easiest to hold the apple horizontally close to the core and slowly spinning it while spooning on the toppings.
7. Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set, about 15 to 30 minutes.
8. Enjoy right away or keep in the refrigerator until serving.

Whats your favorite Halloween tradition? Leave a comment and let me know!

Beware of the Halloween sugar trap!

Hey hey Diva friends! So much has been happening recently and I am just so excited about all of it! Before I hop into the strategies to a healthier Halloween, I wanted to make some fun announcements!

1) In November I'll be launching an AWESOME Holiday Survival Guide - completely FREE!!!! You'll have access to a guide, a shopping list, tips, recipes and support!!! Get excited!!!

2) I've opened a FREE Facebook group where I will run all my free guides/groups/materials in the future including your holiday survival guide in November. So be sure to join Stop Dieting and Live your Life to join this fun community!

3) I'll be launching a paid group in January all about gut health called "Get Gutsy With Me". Our gut is our second brain! It's super important to have the right balance of bugs (good and bad), eat the foods that nourish our body, and find out what to eliminate in order for us to kick disease, bloating, gas, fatigue and more to the curb for good!!! This will be jam packed with lots of amazing materials, tips, recipes, and actionable items and I am thrilled to bring this to you January 15th 2018!!!

4) To make sure you never miss an announcement, blog post, workshop or free guide, you'll want to sign up for my newsletter that goes out once a week on Thursdays. Just click here to become my VIP!

Without further ado....let's get spooky!

Personally, Halloween is not my favorite. I simply don't like gross, gory, evil, dark, or negative things. I do like fun, sweets, and silliness however, AND it's my Mom's birthday. So Halloween has a few redeeming characteristics for me :) But for many of you, this is a big holiday every year! The dressing up, the trick or treat....the CANDY.

This can be a source of stress on many parents as they try to limit their children's intake of sugar and it can be a really self defeating time for individuals as well as they think "well there go all my goals this month!" 

While their are many strategies to navigating this, I wanted to focus mostly on the health impact that many of the traditional candies present and what we can focus on instead.

1) Gluten. In our house the #1 non-negotiable no matter what is that we are gluten-free. Our approach was to allow Keegan to go trick or treating, but he knew that certain candies with wheat or wafers in them like Twix and Kit Kats for example, would have to go. Honestly, this wasn't ever a huge issue since the sheer volume of candy the kids get these days is enormous! Trust me, he was left with plenty of options.

2) High Fructose corn syrup. Many candies will have this yucky ingredient that highly correlates with obesity, unlike other sugars like fructose from fruit. Decide ahead of time what your position on this ingredient is. Whether you are willing to have  little, or none at all.

For more information on HFCS read this article

3) Food dyes and unnatural, or highly processed ingredients. Many children are allergic to red food dye. This should be a warning sign to us that unnatural food dyes are just that....unnatural! Food dyes are correlated with hyperactivity, allergic reactions, and even cancer!!! 

For more information on food dyes and how to replace them naturally read this article

4) Artificial Sweeteners. While refined white sugar is said to be 8x as addictive as cocaine, artificial sweeteners are just as bad and have been linked to poor brain performance, migraines, addiction, bloating, and more! To find out more about artificial sweeteners and better alternatives click here. 

So what now?

Well good grief Kylene, you just eliminated all candy everywhere. Well, kinda :) But I realize that not everyone is as hard core as I am, and not everyone wants to eliminate everything all at once. So here are a few guidelines to keep your Holiday as healthy as possible. 

1) Limit yours and your child's intake. Whether that be 1 or 2 pieces of candy a day, this will limit any negative exposure to any of the ingredients above. Prioritize healthy foods full of vitamins and micronutrients the rest of the day. Particularly leafy greens and foods filled with chlorophyll which is a natural detoxifying agent in the body. You may even consider the chlorophyll detox drink below which Keegan happily agreed to drink every day in exchange for his daily dose of Halloween candy:

• 1/2 cup water
• 2TBS chlorophyll 
• Splash of cranberry juice ( to taste)

2) Know what candies you are and are not willing to have. Like I mentioned above gluten free is always our priority which means certain candies just get thrown out. The rest are limited. Decide ahead of time what your negotiables and non-negotiables are.

3) If you don't have a child that goes out to Trick or Treat, then this is easy! Don't buy the candy and bring it into the house! Out of sight, out of mind. On the flip side if it's sitting on your counter it's guaranteed to be eaten! If you choose to pass out candy, simply dump the rest of it into the last kids pillow case or throw the remainder in your trash can at the end of the night.

4) Consider healthier alternatives. There are candies out there are are higher quality and less damaging. Find these at your local Whole Foods or health food store. Enjoy Life and Theo are some of my favorite brands that you may find at your local grocery store. They provide a great and healthier dark chocolate! Whether you really splurge and pass these out to kids or you just stash a couple away for your own indulgence... that's up to you!

5) The safest bet is always to make your own candies or treats. You know what's in them, you can stick to your goals, and you don't have to worry about dyes, white sugar, gluten or other....

Need a little inspiration? Hop on over to my recipe roundup for some Spooktacular Halloween treats!

What about you? How do you handle Halloween and the candy rush in your family? Leave a comment and share your strategy!!!

 

5 meals in 10 minutes (or less!)

Hey hey Diva friends!!! 

The biggest stumbling block to having success in your healthy lifestyle is mentality. If you don't DECIDE that it's non-negotiable then you will compromise at some point. For example when you get busy, if health isn't your #1 priority then you will grab that pop tart (hey now, why is that in your pantry in the first place?) instead of COMMITTING to finding fast and easy ways to get good nutrition in and stocking THOSE types of things in your pantry....

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I know I know, thinking it through and planning it out still takes time....so LUCKILY :) I like fast and easy too and I've compiled a little recipe roundup FOR you based on my own meals so you can save time and enjoy these recipes perfect for any busy lifestyle! 

Meal #1 Fajitato

What you need:

• Microwavable sweet potato ( I get mine at Kroger and stock up!)
• Mixed veggies ( leftovers or prepped over the weekend - this picture was a stir fry blend from Whole Foods with peppers and red onion, but you can always make your own over the weekend)
• Apple Gate (or other quality brand) grass-fed hot dogs
• Grass-fed butter

What to do:

• Place your microwave sweet potato in the microwave and cook per instructions ( mine takes 7 minutes)
• Pull out a small, non stick skillet and melt 1/4 TBS grass-fed butter.
• While the butter is melting and the pan is heating chop up 2 hot dogs
• Dump the hot dogs and as many veggies as you want in the pan and heat or sear until warmed up
• When the potato is done, cut it open and pour the contents of the pan on top.

Meal #2 Eggs and Toast

What you need:

• Quality gluten free bread like Eban or Sprouted for Life*. Wanna make your own? click here
• Eggs ( preferably pasture raised)
• Egg cooker like the Pampered Chef one I use,  or a non stick pan ( you can poach, fry, or scramble however you like).

What to do:

• Toast the bread and have plain or with grass-fed butter ( my bread is frozen and I've found that turning it once in the toaster gives me a better result)
• Cook the eggs according to the instructions or your own preferences. My egg cooker is about $20 and cooks these perfectly in less than 2 minutes!

*When looking for a gluten free bread, look for ones made with flours seeds and nuts and not a lot of starches, sugars or fillers.

Optional: Make your own bread with this simple recipe!

#3 Fancy Fancy French Omelet

What you need:

• 2 eggs
• spices (I used garlic, salt and pepper)
• Goat cheese
• 1/2 heirloom tomato
• Small, non stick pan
• Grass-fed butter

What to do:

1. Turn the pan onto medium and whisk the eggs with a dash of water
2. Melt about 1/2 TBS butter in pan (or spray with coconut oil)
3. Pour eggs into pan and periodically rotate/tip pan around to spread the eggs around, scraping down the sides as you go. Sprinkle spices on top and keep moving the pan.
4. Once eggs are almost cooked, crumble some goat cheese (aprox 1/2 oz) and fold omelet.
5. Chop the heirloom tomato
6. Let the omelet cook through ( you can flip it to cook on both sides for a few seconds if you want as well)
7. Top with chopped tomato.

Optional: pull out some fruit from the refrigerator and add as a side! I often "prep" fruit over the weekend by pulling grapes off the vine, washing my berries, cutting my strawberries etc. Makes it easy and fast to enjoy!

#4 Brunner

A combo of traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner foods you can eat this any time of day. 

What you need:

• Small non stick sauce pan
• Turkey steak
• Microwaveable sweet potato
• Egg
• Grass-fed butter

What to do:

1. Get that sweet potato in the microwave so it can cook for 7 minutes
2. melt some butter in the sauce pan and  add your steak and egg
3. Let the turkey sear and the egg cook through as you wait for the potato to finish
4. Enjoy!

#5 Gourmet Any Day

What you need:

• 2 eggs + egg cooker ( sauce pan, poacher, or pampered chef dish)
• Chocolate chia Seed Pudding (made ahead)
• Green juice: 1/2 stalk of greens (swiss chard, kale, collard greens, bok choy) + 1 green apple + 2 celery stalks + 1/2 honey crisp apple + lemon

What to do:

1. Cook your eggs any way
2. Scoop out 1/4 cup chia seed pudding
3. Juice your juice ingredients
4. Enjoy

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I know when I began changing my diet everything felt overwhelming. What could I eat? did I have to cook a lot? Was I going to waste my life in the kitchen trying to figure things out?

What I have earned over the years is to keep it simple:

1. Be willing to eat dinner leftovers for breakfast.
2. Be willing to eat vegetables at any meal - preferably all meals.
3. Don't overcomplicate the cooking process. Bake, steam, sear, microwave....
4. Meal prepping a little bit allows for a lot of time saved during the week
5. Leftovers are your friend

Any of the meals above can be eaten at any time of the day! Within these 5 meals are probably 100 other variations....switch up the proteins used, switch up the veggies used, add some fruit or an additional side....personalize and add to or takeaway as you see fit....

Life is an adventure and enjoyment is important. But delicious doesn't mean slaving for hours. Break it down...keep it simple...enjoy your day :)

Here's to your health! 

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Why I HATE the word detox...

Hey there Diva friends!

Detox is such a buzz word isn't it? Let me share why I HATE that word...it implies that you do something healthy for a short period of time, to support your body in a way that allows it to be strong enough to then handle the crap we bring back in once the detox is over....Basically we do something that makes us feel GOOD so we can continue poor habits that make us feel BAD...

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 There are occasions however where that extra little oomph to bring in more vegetables, provide more nutrients, go easy on your digestion and provide gentle and nourishing foods can be good right? Right. And that's where I found myself last week. I'm always looking for new foods to try, new meals to keep it interesting and new ways to strengthen my gut, boost my energy, and get as many nutrients in my system as I can feasibly handle.

So I decided to make a concerted effort to do just that and I actually planned my meals.... My goal was to dust off my juicer, include a green juice every morning for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and even go vegetarian for dinner (although that only sort of happened).

So I planned my breakfast and green smoothie ingredients to be the same every morning. The combination was truly delicious so I knew I wouldn't mind. I planned a salad ( see last week's blog post) and I googled vegetarian dinners that would work for me....Here is what my week ended up looking like:

Breakfast:

• Green juice: 2 stalks celery + greens ( kale, swiss chard, bok choy or collard greens depending on the day) + 1 organic lemon + 1 organic green apple + 1/2 organic honey crisp apple + ginger root ( optional) *
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup chocolate chia seed pudding
• 1/2 grapefruit, or sometimes a piece of Eban bread toast

*Notes on the green juice ingredients:

1. Celery provides: excellent source of antioxidants and beneficial enzymes, in addition to vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin B6
2.  Leafy greens are high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, as well as containing a host of phytochemicals, such as lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene.
3. Lemons contain vitamin C, citric acid, flavonoids, B-complex vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and fiber. Lemons contain more potassium than apples or grapes
4. Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants, flavanoids, and dietary fiber. The phytonutrients and antioxidants in apples may help reduce the risk of developing cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Green apples in particular have proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are well known for their benefits, fighting digestive disorders, their low levels of good cholesterol, regulating glucose levels, and improving your appetite
5. Ginger has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and has been used to treat various stomach problems.

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Lunch:

For lunch I stuck with my kale salad! It was delicious and filling. Sometimes I would add something to it like leftovers from the night before. It was easy to prep every day because I made the dressing in advance and shredded some kale leaves up at the beginning of the week.

• Kale salad

Dinners:

Pakistani Kima Beef Curry (UM you guys this ended up being a new favorite - You're welcome!)

Quick Chana Masala (SO YUM!)

Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup (we added grass-fed hot dogs)

I realize my pictures aren't that pretty - that's another skill for another time... but the recipes are DELICIOUS and I would definitely recommend you try them all. Keegan and Patrick both loved them too! Technically this next recipe was from this week, but it fits the theme and is one of our favorites, so I wanted to include it for you as well!

Moroccan Lentil Stew with Raisins ( seriously - gotta try this!)

I loved my "experiment" so much that I have continued my daily green juices!!! I even think it's better than coffee *gasp*!. I would challenge YOU to try it every day for one week....it doesn't take much time and cost per juice is so low when you make it at home, PLUS you are getting fresh nutrients delivered in an extremely efficient and bioavailable way!

Have you ever tried juicing? I'd love to hear your thoughts/recipes below!

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Fall Apple Salad

Welcome to October Diva friends! 

I have to admit that traditionally, I'm not a salad person. So when my MRT food sensitivities test came back with spinach and lettuce as foods to avoid, I wasn't too disappointed. HOWEVER, I am so aware of the many benefits of leafy greens that it felt weird not making more of an effort once the easy-go-to spinach wasn't an option.

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The other day I sat down to plan my weekly meals and decided that this week was going to be a "detox" week. No no, I wasn't going on an "all liquids" diet, or dropping my calories below 1000....All I wanted was to get lots of vegetables in, lower my meat intake (for no particular reason other than to get more easily digestible foods priority and include more beans and lentils) and include a juice every morning. So as I was looking for some recipes to include I stumbled across this Autumn Kale Apple and Quinoa salad, and thought, "That sounds like the perfect fall salad!"

I modified it to use what I have in the house and to avoid my personal food sensitivities and what happened was a DELICIOUS, sweet, crisp fall salad that I am excited to eat for lunch every day this week! OBVIOUSLY I had to share it with YOU!

*Notes* I modified the amounts to make 1 serving every day. I did make the full amount of dressing up front so I could have that prepared all week!

Picture from cookingclasssy.com

Fall Apple Salad 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sprouted quinoa trio
• Bowl of shredded kale
• 1/2 honey crisp apple chopped
• 1-2TBS pistachios
• 1 TBS raisins
• Drizzle of pre-made dressing 

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Prep ahead/personalization notes:

1. While this is something you could make in large amounts on Sunday and pack for work lunches (minus the dressing) I chose to make mine fresh every day. I did however prep a few things to make it easier. For example, I made a large batch of quinoa on Sunday so I could pull from that for snacks and/or this salad throughout the week.
2. I took one bunch of kale and pulled all the leaves off the spine, placed the leaves in a dish in the fridge so I can pull my daily portion out at lunch. I utilized the leftover leaves and spines in my morning green juice.
3. To save half the apple you can wrap it in aluminum foil after you rub the exposed side with lemon or lime juice to stay fresh. Consider having the second half as a snack later in the day. I used half in my morning juice and half in my salad at lunch.
4. Use any nut you enjoy! 
5. Goat cheese is delicious but optional! Make sure you read the ingredients and choose a high quality brand without extra ingredients or preservatives! 

ENJOY!

p.s. Did you try this? Comment below! I'd love yo hear your feedback!

Easy Peach Pie

Hey hey Diva friends!!

WHEW!!! There has been SO MUCH happening these past few weeks.... I just needed some pie. Anyone with me? Sometimes a girl just needs some pie!

Turns out, last year, my Mom went to the Peach Truck and got a TON of peaches....We weren't able to use them fast enough so we have had several bags of frozen peaches in our freezer just begging to be used. (yesterday they were screaming Kylene!!! Turn me into a pie!! turn me into a pie!!!)  So, I had the bright idea to see if all my practice of following recipes has paid off by attempting my own pie recipe from scratch!

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Turns out, I'm not too shabby a cook...or dare I say...chef?! Ok, Ok, I won't go that far. But side note, I plan to make the crust into cookies someday too because I liked it that much!

Crust:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 6-8 large pitted medjool dates
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2TBS maple syrup

Directions for Crust:

1. Heat oven 350. Grease your pie pan.
2. In a food processor blend 2 eggs with the dates. You'll probably still have some date chunks and that's ok.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and pulse until dough ball begins to form.
4. Place the dough into the pie pan and press it evenly across. 
5. Here is where you may need to do some personalization. Bake for 8-15minutes. I used a stone pie pan and cooked it for about 15 minutes. I would keep an eye on it because your goal isn't to cook it through, just to begin the baking process. Set aside.

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I had Frozen peaches and from past experience they get really watery, so this process is a little awkward and I would recommend making this with FRESH fruit. Because of that,I'm including 2 options:

Frozen Filling:

• Aprox 2 cups frozen peaches mostly thawed and drained
• 2TBS coconut sugar
• 2TBS coconut flour
• Honey (optional - to  taste)

Filling Directions:

•  Place the peaches in an oven safe dish. Bake at 350 until they thaw completely
• Drain the peaches and mix with the rest of the filling ingredients
• Place them in the prepared pie crust ad bake until bubbly and the crust has begun to brown.
• Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Filling:

• 3-4 perfectly ripe peaches sliced
• Sprinkle with honey and coconut sugar for desired sweetness 
• Toss with 1TBS coconut flour and place in prepared pie crust
• Cook until bubble and crust begins to brown

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4 Steps for a Successful Fitness Routine

Hey there Diva friends! 

I get questions all the time about working out, so I wanted to give you my top 4 tips to being successful!!! 

Top 4 workout tips

1) Have a plan. There's nothing worse for a personal trainer than going to the gym and seeing the same people walking on the treadmill for hours at a time days on end....why? Because they NEVER SEE RESULTS. I lied - perhaps there is one worse thing, and that's seeing people either completely avoid the weight rack or go over there an have no idea what they are doing, no concept of form, and no plan on how to reach their goals!!!!

So have a plan. Know the equipment. Be willing to ask questions. Get out of your current routine!!!! If your current routine was working, I have a feeling you wouldn't be reading this post :) 

Even if you DO have a plan or a goal like "I want to tone my arms" - do you know the number of reps that are optimal? The weight you should use? The rests you should take? Will you (be honest) push yourself hard enough when you're alone and show up as many times a week as you need to? If you are SUPER self motivated and disciplined then WOOHOO! But for the rest of us that leads me to point #2 :)

2) Get yourself a trainer! This might be long term, or it might be short term to familiarize yourself with proper form, what weights to use, how to create a program that works for you etc....Tell your trainer what your goals are and come up with a plan together. 

                            Even me!

If you can't afford a trainer or, like me, you ARE a trainer and want another option, use at home workout programs! I use Beachbody at home workout programs every day. Why? Because they are effective, planned (so I don't have to train myself!), and there is plenty of variety to keep me interested and challenged. PLUS I don't have to hit the gym when I'm not training clients, I can just get down in my tiny basement and get it done when I have time in my day!

Either way - live training or in home workouts - These are ways you can set goals, see what proper form is, have a set schedule, and reach past your own mental limits!

p.s. to get access to EVERY at home workout beachbody has PLUS 1 month of shakeology for ONLY $160, click HERE! You'll also be added to my monthly challenges where I post encouragement and meal plans!

3) Focus on nutrition. It doesn't matter how awesome your workout program is, if you aren't supporting it with good nutrition you WON'T see results!!! Nutrition is truly 90% of your success. It fuels your brain, your cells, your energy and your muscles! Without the proper nutrition you will feel tired, unmotivated, your muscles won't respond appropriately, and your body composition will stay the same. But WITH nutrition PLUS strength training your fat will burn off, your body composition will become leaner, stronger, more muscular, and you will reach a happy, healthy weight!

4) Don't forget to stretch. No matter who you are, what age you are, or how naturally limber you are, do NOT forget to stretch! Make sure you warm up sufficiently for the excercises you will do, and cool down long enough to bring your heart rate down and get those muscles lengthened back out after you've contracted and pushed them hard!

I hope this helps! If you want set up your FREE 30 minute consultation with me, just comment below or message me with your e-mail. Can't wait to chat more :)

By for now!