It’s finally here.  The kids are officially back to school.

I honestly do not know where the summer went, it always flies by way too fast.  And boy am I out of the school lunch making game.  We took a 18 month hiatus and had the kids stay home all last year so I am very rusty on the school lunch game. Are you rusty too??

I decided that my sanity can only take so much this year and that the roller coaster ride we are on with the kids and school is enough for my nerves and stress levels week by week. I am a planner by nature, where are all my planner type A Momma’s at?? Can I get a high five?

I needed to find a solution to the School Lunch making drama that saved me from fighting with my kiddos over what to eat everyday and my burning desire to feed them the best of the best foods so they stay well and IN SCHOOL this year.  So I sat down with a calendar and my “go to” place for finding recipes...PINTEREST… to create a full month of school lunch ideas.  

I jotted down all our favs and...

Imagine yourself walking down the street on a beautiful sunny day.  You turn the corner and smell the most amazing aroma of sugar and cinnamon coming from a street vendor selling nuts at the end of the block.  Your mouth starts to water, maybe you have a flashback to your childhood eating candies nuts with your beloved Grandma...you are salivating and now your mind is fixated on enjoying those amazing candied nuts.

Has this happened to you?

This is all part of that digestive process...yes, even though you have not even taken a bite of food yet.  

Digestion starts before you take your first bite.  When you smell food cooking, it starts a whole digestion cascade in your body but it all starts in the brain. Smelling the candied nuts triggers your mouth to start salivating. That saliva is full of enzymes that will begin to break down your food when it hits your stomach.  Salivation also activates HCL ( hydrochloric acid) in your stomach to prepare for food to enter your mouth. ...

How do you know when your caffeine intake is getting to be too much for your body??

1. You are constantly seeking that extra jolt of energy, wanting coffee most of the day. 

2. You are wired and tired, meaning you feel exhausted but when you lay down to go to bed at night you are wide awake.  

3.  If you are becoming more anxious as the days go by.

Maybe its time for you to take a pause from caffeine!

Besides coffee's addictive properties, coffee cause a whole host of other health concerns in the body.  

Here is an article describing all the the effects, I have highlighted a few from this article.  If you want to read the entire thing, check it out below.

https://functionalnutritionlab.com/blog/the-chemistry-of-coffee/

"Beyond addictive patterning, coffee has other effects on the body worth considering: 

• over-stimulation of the central nervous system (leading to increased risk of insomnia, adrenal fatigue, irritability and heart issues) 
• elevated blood pressure 
• heartburn
...

A spoonful of healthy fats helps the veggies go down...the veggies go down...the veggies go down...just a spoonful of healthy fat helps the veggies do down, in the most delightful way. 

If you are going to eat the veggies, you want to optimize its health benefits in your body and that means eating your veggies with a little healthy fat. 

"A new study shows that eating fresh vegetables with a little fat, such as oil-based salad dressings or cheese, helps the body absorb valuable nutrients found in vegetables, such as lycopene and beta-carotene, which have been shown to help prevent heart disease and cancer. Researchers say this study shows that the minimum amount of fat required for optimal absorption of these nutrients from the salads is more than 6 grams of added fat."

Good news, healthy fats make everything taste better too.  Be sure to pick the healthiest fat you can...avocado oil, olive oil, grass fed butter, grass fed ghee, grass fed cheese, avocados and coconut oil.  

Suggest...

I concocted up this recipe last week on the fly for dinner and my family gobbled it up.  They key is to have some basic meal prep staples on hand to through together these meals on a busy weekday night without the stress. 

I had shredded chicken and marinara sauce in the freezer on hand ( these always stocked up for quick dinners) so it was a matter of defrosting the staples and making the mixture.  This is a great base recipe for many types of boats--you could make taco boats, BBQ chicken boats, teriyaki chicken boats.  You can make this recipe your own and get creative.  

Happy Cooking!!

Mac and cheese is a favorite of my kiddos...

And as a Momma I am always trying to sneak in veggies and healthy foods when and where I can.  So I created this Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe to sneak in a little extra goodness in our meals and still make the kids feel like they are getting a treat.

This recipe can be used as a Cheese Sauce for nachos, chips and dip or even a cauliflower mac and cheese bake.  The possibilities are endless.

*** and if you are wondering what the All Purpose Seasoning is...here you go:

All Purpose Seasoning 

1 c Pink Himalayan Salt

1/2 c Organic Granulate Garlic Powder

1/2 c Organic Granulated Onion Powder

1/2 c Organic Black Pepper

 Add to a mason jar.

Shake, shake, shake.

Add a lid and a label to store in the pantry or by the stove. I keep a 1 tsp measuring spoon in my jar for easy access.

Happy Cooking!!!!

The produce we choose matters and picking Organic produce is such an important part of living a clean life.  The produce we have at our fingertips these days is sprayed heavily with herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and some many chemicals that do not serve our bodies.

In fact, the chemicals sprayed on our foods are contributing to the rise in hormone imbalances, gut health issues, chronic conditions an autoimmune diseases.  We cannot be to careful and knowing means doing better.

So when budgeting you grocery list and deciding what needs to be organic, you follow the Dirty Dozen.  That is the 12 fruits and veggies that must be organic as they are the most heavily sprayed of the bunch. And the Clean Fifteen are the 15 fruits and veggies that van be bought non-organic and still considered safe.  

So when you at the store be sure to screenshot these lists to make the best possible choices you can with your food.

Happy Shopping!!!!

You may have heard this buzz word somewhere in your life, as it seems to me growing in popularity as we are trying to take control of our health.

Fermented foods are the real deal when it comes to our health and I am here to say you need more fermented foods in your life.  Your gut health needs it and giving our microbiome ( the cornucopia of bacteria in our gut) fermented foods helps it to thrive...bye bye bloating, gas, weight gain, hormones' imbalance. 

80% of our immune system is found in the gut so we cannot afford to treat our guts badly any longer.

Fermented foods have many benefits:

Gut health: When the protective lining of the gut is inflamed, the body is more vulnerable to allergies, infections, and yeast overgrowth. Lucky for us, lactic acid bacteria ( fermented foods contain lactic acid) have the ability to reduce intestinal permeability, thereby restoring the net. They also create pH changes in the GI tract that make it difficult for pathogens to survive. 

Digestion: ...

Oh man...we are almost there. 

Can you believe that 2020 is almost over??

Time to set our sights on a new year and the chance to make a new, fresh start to our lives.

I am not a fan of writing new years resolutions because the stats on achieving them is poor. I do, however, believe in the power of goal setting for reaching goals and that includes a never give up attitude. 

Here are my tips for writing goals:

1.  Think about the areas of your life you want to improve.  Rate the areas of your life on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a complete failure and 10 being perfection. 

Here is the list of areas to rank: 

Physical Health

Mental Health

Environment

Hobbies/Fun

Relationships

Family

Friendships

Finances

Work/Career

Spirituality

Personal Growth

2.  Now take 5 lowest ranking goals and brainstorm ways to improve in these areas of your life.  Make a list of things you could be doing to improve these aspects of your life.  Research the information you need to make a plan to re...

As we are approaching this Holiday season of some togetherness ( depending on your pandemic Holiday plans)... 

I wanted to give you this friendly reminder that fake is a no good for your body and your life.  

Enjoy REAL FOOD, REAL CONVERSATIONS. 

I say it all the time, you may be sick of hearing it but the quality of the ingredients we put in our bodies is so important.  If its not real, its processed and if its processed its full of toxins, chemicals and preservatives.  All of which are harmful to our bodies.

Ditch the margarine, the conventional meats, the "faux" products.  If it comes in a box, bag or can...it may not be your best option.  Cook with real ingredients and enjoy yourself.

That goes for people too.  Stay clear of the fake conversations and enjoy time with the people who truly make you happy. 

That's my PSA---Happy Holidays!!!!