3 Questions to Ask If You’re Always Turning to Food for Comfort
Food is MEANT to be enjoyed. There’s a difference between enjoying food and habitual comfort eating though.
Ask yourself these 3 questions if you find yourself turning to the potato chips & wine (or whatever your guilty pleasure is) more often than you’d like.
My Comfort Food Habit & How I Knew It Was Becoming a Problem
I put a bandage over my stress and boredom by distracting myself with afternoon coffee shop runs. The days where I needed a double dose of cheer I got a pastry to go with my almond milk latte.
I knew my comfort eating was a problem though when I realized it was keeping me from confronting the underlying truth: that I was unfulfilled by my work and needed to make a change, but I felt stuck.
My afternoon pick-me-up made me feel better in the moment, but it wasn’t actually fixing anything. It just put a bandaid on the real problem.
Ever had a similar experience turning to food when stressed, bored, anxious, sad, etc. where it made you feel good in the moment but not so great later on?
4 Steps to Go From Dreading Your Workouts to Enjoying Exercise
Have you ever felt like exercise was something you HAVE to do but don’t WANT to do?
As a Health & Wellness Coach helping people stop turning to food for comfort and love their body again, I know that having a positive relationship with exercise is an important piece of the puzzle.
Here’s 4 steps to take you from dreading your workouts to ENJOYING exercise…
“Lazy” Lemon Mushroom Chicken
This super simplified version of one of my staple recipes has only 3 main ingredients plus a few standard pantry seasonings. Toss in a bag of pre washed sautéed green beans and you have dinner on the table in under 40 minutes!
Best part is most of that time is spent unattended in the oven, giving you time to get other things done.
2 Easy & Festive Holiday Appetizers
You’ll feel good about eating these delicious two-bite appetizers, and even better about serving them to your guests at your next party (they’ll be mega impressed).
We’re going beyond the puff pastry and cheese balls for these holiday apps (not that those aren’t delish. I mean, who doesn’t love a good puff pastry and cheese?). It is the holidays though, so let’s step it up a notch and make something that won’t leave you feeling the least bit regretful.
The Mental Block That’s Holding You Back From A Consistent Workout Routine
The biggest disconnect I hear from busy professionals is how to stay motivated with consistent workouts.
Something I hear quite often is “I know I should be doing [insert healthy habit you feel frustrated/guilty about] and I want to, but I don’t know why I just can’t seem to do it.”
Nike’s famous tagline “Just do it” may seem like easy enough instructions, but it doesn’t always go down that way in real life. And it’s really frustrating when you don’t know why.
One time I had a client who was wrestling this same struggle, and in our coaching session she discovered something pretty profound—maybe I’m actually afraid of succeeding.
Colorful Coconut Sweet Potato & Yam Mash
As for me, I brought my favorite Thanksgiving side dish—mashed sweet potatoes.
I’ve loved ‘em since I was a kid. I mean, it’s a healthy vegetable, it’s sweet, and it makes your skin look good. What’s not to love?
The mashed sweet potatoes were a hit, so I wanted to share the recipe with you!
And to step it up a notch, I’m sharing my extra colorful version for Turkey Day, which is a mix of orange sweet potatoes and purple yams. Think of this recipe as the sparklier version all dressed up for the holidays.
How to Stay Motivated With Food, Exercise, & Healthier Habits
The question I hear the most in my community and when new clients start working with me is this:
How do I stay motivated?
Well, not me, but them. You know what I mean.
It’s not uncommon to be all gung-ho at the start with your goals and then motivation wanes as the weeks—or days—go by (just think: New Year's Resolutions).
So what’s the answer to this motivation conundrum? There’s a few pieces to the puzzle, but the big one is this…
Healthier Halloween Treats: Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to give up sugar altogether and never enjoy a treat again in your life. Instead, it’s about finding the right balance. And one of the ways to do that is by upgrading the ingredients of the dishes that you love. I’ve made these caramel apple pie bars gluten, dairy, and refined sugar-free but with all the deliciousness.
5 Ways to Switch Up Your Workouts & Create a “Movement Menu”
When you’re finding resistance in your movement goals, it could be as simple as trying something different.
I’ll ask my clients: What’s one type of movement that you’ve always wanted to try but never have? Or, what kind of movement did you enjoy as a kid?
This sparks a brainstorm and we’ll come up with what I call a “Movement Menu.” It’s a list of different movement modalities that you can choose from depending on your mood, energy level, and the time you have available.
3 Tips for Sustainable Healthy Eating
If you’re over the diet mentality and counting calories or points, I get you.
Here are a few simple tips for leaving the diet mentality behind and starting on the journey towards sustainable healthy eating long term.
Tropical Chicken & Bacon Skewers with Spicy Pineapple Relish
When it comes to the menu for a backyard BBQ, “healthy” is probably not the first word that comes to mind.
But here’s the thing—you can enjoy a fun BBQ with delicious food that is also nutritious and won’t leave you feeling like a hot mess by the end of the day. Here’s a recipe for your next summer party that is a confirmed crowd pleaser. It’s a full meal of protein, fruit, and veggies, all on a single stick.
And there’s BACON in it.
