Labor Day, a day of honoring the “American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country,” is a BIG BBQ day. (According to Wikipedia 😉)
Big BBQ days often lead to BIG cheat days. BUT…they don’t have to! Here are a few ways to clean up some ol’ standbys!
Something changed in my body earlier this year.
Was a 34-year-old switch that flipped on my metabolism?
Was is that after three years, my girls reduced their nursing sessions tremendously?
Was it that perhaps I have found more balance in my fitness/nutrition life and life life?
Was it my cycle coming back after a looooooong time and my hormones going crazy? 😱
I don’t really know. Likely a combo of them all.
What I do know is that (seemingly) suddenly it is a lot harder for me to maintain fitting pants (and shirts, really) than it used to be. 😂
Perhaps I should just go shopping for different pants and shirts. Skirt anyone? 😁
Perhaps one day, my hormones will even out and things will go back to my “normal”.
But in the meantime, I’m feeling this sooooooo deeply. I have made it no secret that I have struggled with body image and self confidence most of my life.
I’d be lying now if I said it was completely sorted out, but it is true that I am so much closer to where I want to be with it all. For that, I am happy.
And I truly have my workouts, my desire to learn about my body and my food, and my amazing community of support to thank for that. I am not the same woman I was before Beachbody Coaching. I am so much stronger, healthier and happier.
✨✨Dear body, I love you. I am grateful for you. And I want to be your friend. 😊✨✨
✨ ❤️💛💚💙💜 ✨ ❤️💛💚💙💜 ✨
Talk to me about your body image and your self confidence! Are you where you want to be in your 💗? Comment below or send me a message. Let’s dive in and get happier and healthier…mind, body, soul.
When eggs got axed from my diet, I cried…and modified. I’ll share that recipe in a different post. 😉
When eggs got axed from my kids’ diets, we all cried…and I’ve been on the hunt ever since to find something that everyone likes that also fits my nutrition standards for the good ol’ “most important meal of the day”!
Today, I had a stroke of genius. Smoothies!! Hello!? Ha.
So many raw fruits and veggies, good fats, protein, and all the vitamins, pre/probiotics, adaptogens, and 70+ superfoods (from around the world) that are already in Shakeology! How convenient. 😉 It went over pretty dang well and cut my breaky cook time by more than half. Score!
So, here’s the recipe!
Ingredients:(all measurements are give-or-take)
*1 1/2 cups of frozen berries (we used blackberries, strawberries and blueberries, but any frozen fruit would work)
*1/2 a banana
*1/4 avocado
*1 slice of watermelon (helped sweeten up all the tart berry goodness)
*2 cups of spinach
*2 Tblsp hemp hearts
*1 Tblsp sunflower butter (or nut/seed butter of your choice)
*1/2 cup whole milk (or milk of your choice, except skim or low fat)
*3/4 cup filtered water
****secret ingredient**** 1 1/2 scoops of Greenberry Shakeology!
Method:
*Layer fruit and avo; then seed butter, hemp hearts, and Shakeo; followed by greens and then liquid.
*Blend and then when you think it is done, blend more.
*Split into 3 small cups…or however you want to. 🙂
*Enjoy…or watch your little(s) enjoy with a completely content heart, knowing that they are getting some wicked nutrition first thing in the morning. Boom.
Give it a go and let me know how you like it! Don’t have any Shakeology on hand, but interested in learning more about this powerful wellness tool, comment below or email me and I would love to get you more details! This is life changing stuff, we are talking about!
I am quite certain the very first real meal that I learned to cook was spaghetti with meat sauce. And distinctly remember cooking it solo for the first time (late middle school or high school) for my family and I accidently opened the “spoon-sized” flap of the cayenne pepper…and shook vigorously. Haha.
Since then, I have switched out the refined white flour pasta, added more seasonings and veggies, cleaned up the meat, and learned to check the seasoning tops more closely. Ha. But no matter the changes, I think back to my childhood every time I make it…and shiver a bit every time it comes to adding the cayenne. Haha.
This is a family favorite around here. Pretty simple. Super tasty and makes for amazing leftovers! What is it about meat sauce that tastes so much better the next day!?
I hope you enjoy it as well!
Veggie & Meat Sauce:
*Avocado Oil
*1 Zucchini, diced
*1 Yellow Squash, diced
*1-2 Carrots, peeled and diced
*1-2 Celery Stalks, peeled and diced
*1/2-3/4 Onion, diced
*3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
*6ish Mushrooms, sliced
*Spinach or Kale (optional…)
*1 lb Grass-fed Ground Beef (or ground turkey/chicken or leave out for vegetarian)
*1/2 tsp Sea Salt
*1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
*1/2 tsp Onion Powder (or flakes)
*1/2 tsp Paprika
*1/2 tsp Chili Powder
*Dash of Cayenne Pepper (optional)
*1/4-1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
*2 Bay Leaves
Spaghetti Squash:
*1-2 good sized squashes (squash? Squashes? Anyway…) – quantity depends on how many you are feeding. I cooked two pretty good sized ones and they served 6 (though really appetites of 5 since two are toddlers) and has some leftover.
*Avocado Oil (or some other clean oil)
*Garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, onion flakes, sea salt, black pepper, and chili powder to sprinkle.
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400* and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Wash the squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and toss. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle on seasonings. Rub them in a bit and then place the squash cut side down on the parchment lines baking sheet.
3. Roast on the middle rack for 35-45 minutes, checking periodically for done-ness. The top (outside) will be sort of soft and starting to brown a bit. Remove from oven, flip over and try scraping out some of the “noodles” to see if it is done. Set aside. *You will want to use a fork to scrape the noodles out in the opposite direction from the original lengthwise cut…in the direction of the inside “noodles”.
4. Meanwhile as the squash is cooking, dice the onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms. Mince the garlic.
5. Heat avocado oil over medium high heat in a large, deep pan or a stock pot, depending on the quantity you are making. Add in the garlic and onions and let cook until they begin to soften.
6. Add in meat of choice, breaking it up as you go, and seasoning with roughly 1/2 the amount of seasonings, minus the bay leaves.
7. Once meat is mostly cooked, toss in the remaining veggies (except the kale or spinach, if you are using it), stir to combine, and sauté briefly.
8. Add in crushed tomatoes, other 1/2 of the seasonings and the bay leaves. Stir to combine.
9. Bring to a boil, cover partway and reduce to a slow simmer for 20-30 minutes. *The longer you’ve got, the better the flavors will meld, but time is King with little people around. Haha. So…simmer for as little or as long as you can, making sure the veggies are cooked to your liking.
10. With a few minutes of simmering to spared, stir in kale/spinach, if you are using it. *If you are using spinach, it cooked super fast and you can practically toss it in just as you are about to plate it. If you are using kale, give it more like 5-10 minutes to cook down.
11. Plate the “noodles” and top with sauce! Enjoy!
“The secret of your success is found in your daily routines”. -Unknown
And I suppose it could also be the secret of your lack of success, depending on how you use your day!
A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a 7-day Mindfulness group and I really enjoyed it! One of my focuses for the week was to start my day more intentionally. I had recently listened to The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy, on and he spoke about “book ending” your days.
It is unlikely (uhm…especially as mothers) that you have a ton of control of what sort of craziness comes about during the day, BUT, you CAN set yourself up for success by starting and ending your day intentionally and with routines that are made up of positive behaviors and habits that help you reach your goals. When something is a routine, it simply becomes part of your life; you are able to do it without much thought or effort.
So today, I took an extra few minutes before I crawled out of bed to read part of my book, “The Power” by Rhonda Byrne (10ish minutes), meditate (7ish minutes), and to get my head right for the day!
Today’s “take-away”: YOU ARE ARE THE AUTHOR OF YOUR OWN LIFE STORY! Whatever you are telling yourself, positive or negative is what you will receive. Believe that you can do anything and so it will be!
I’d love to hear how you start your mornings! What would you like to change, add or take away to better serve hour day!
And check out the article linked below for some more ideas!
*3 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into pieces
*teaspoon-ish sea salt
*1 1/2-ish cup tapioca flour (added in 1/4 cup increments) and more for dusting.
*avocado oil
Puree plantains and sea salt in food processor. Add in tapioca flour in increments.
Heat the avocado oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan without puddling, over medium heat.
Scoop out a spoonful at a time, placing the “dough” on a tapioca floured surface and pat into tortilla, flipping regularly to avoid sticking. Use a spatula to help peel it off the counter. Place it them one at a time into the pan.
Flip when slightly browned. Then watch carefully for second side to brown as well. Remove from heat. Repeat with next tortilla.
We used ours to make quesadillas with “carnitas” style slow cooker chicken, sautéed garlic, onions, peppers and zucchini, and goat cheese. We topped them with fresh sliced tomatoes, avocado, parsley and lime. We wished we had some fresh salsa and cilantro. 😁
Today we celebrated my baby girls’ 3rd birthday with friends. It was such a blast. But having many very small friends over is definitely not the time to throw your food quality expectations out the window!
So…what is a health conscious, food conscious, lover of sweets, lover of eating mama to do about a birthday party?
Birthday parties, other special occasions, potluck BBQs, school snacks and lunches…these are all situations where I definitely don’t want my littles to feel like they are missing something because they are gluten free (and my son and I being grain and dairy-free as well) and I prefer they eat only whole foods. It does take a little more effort and planning, but it can totally be done!
We served little snack bites and cake today. Aside from the lemonade (which was organic concentrate), there were no refined sugars, no artificial colors, and everything was pretty dang clean! It can be done!
Here is what the “menu” looked like today:
✨Grape and Watermelon Flowers
✨Lemonade w/ Berry, Mint, & Lilac Ice Cubes
✨Paleo Raspberry Marshmallows
✨Tulip Veggies and Hummus
✨Veggies with Homemade Paleo Ranch
✨”Flower” Veggies
✨”Kind” Bars
✨Paleo Strawberry Coconut Flour Cake
✨Vegan Lilac Cashew “Cream” Cake
Think fresh. Think whole foods. SearchPinterest (seriously such a wealth of ideas). Clean eating party food is not only doable and delicious, but it allows you to leave the day not feeling strung out on sugar and like you just ruined your whole week’s healthy eating work!
Checkout the spread and the 5 Clean Eating Party Food Recipes below!
I hope this helps you as you plan your next party! Know that there are ways to make your food delicious, beautiful, and still clean and nutritious! If you would like more support, ideas, and more, message me at kimberlylamwellness@gmail.com. I’d love to connect! And if you give any of these a try, stop back over here and share how it went!
Today we celebrated my baby girls’ 3rd birthday with friends. It was such a blast. But having many very small friends over is definitely not the time to throw your food quality expectations out the window!
So…what is a health conscious, food conscious, lover of sweets, lover of eating mama to do about a birthday party?
Birthday parties, other special occasions, potluck BBQs, school snacks and lunches…these are all situations where I definitely don’t want my littles to feel like they are missing something because they are gluten free (most grain and dairy-free as well) and I prefer they eat only whole foods. It does take a little more effort and planning, but it can totally be done!
We served little snack bites and cake today. Aside from the lemonade (which was organic concentrate), there were no refined sugars, no artificial colors, and everything was pretty dang clean! It can be done!
Here is what the “menu” looked like today:
✨Grape and Watermelon Flowers
✨Lemonade w/ Berry, Mint, & Lilac Ice Cubes
✨Paleo Raspberry Marshmallows
✨Tulip Veggies and Hummus
✨Veggies with Homemade Paleo Ranch
✨”Flower” Veggies
✨”Kind” Bars
✨Paleo Strawberry Coconut Flour Cake
✨Vegan Lilac Cashew “Cream” Cake
Think fresh. Think whole foods. SearchPinterest (seriously such a wealth of ideas). Clean eating party food is not only doable and delicious, but it allows you to leave the day not feeling strung out on sugar and like you just ruined your whole week’s healthy eating work!
Checkout the spread and the 5 Clean Eating Party Food Recipes below!
My son (newly 6-years-old) and I have recently cut out dairy and grains as an experiment for our bellies and brains. 😉 I am actually really proud of how well he has gone along with all the changes. Thank goodness for adventurous eaters. He is by far my biggest cooking fan. Hopefully one of these days he’ll grow up and want to be the cook of nutrient dense, healthy food for his family, too! Here is my boy. Isnt’t he the cutest?
Anyway…
So, cow’s milk is out. What to replace it with? I’m intrigued by nut milks, but as I am also cutting (at least mostly cutting) out nuts, that will have to wait. We’ve thought about goat’s milk, but not trying to add a big expense to the grocery bill (it is sizable enough with 5 hearty eaters in the fam and my high food standards) and don’t currently have a convenient supply of it. Haven’t gone so far as to convince myself (or my husband) that we should have a farm with goats and chickens. Haha. So, the next logical (and honestly…my favorite) option is COCONUT!
Have you ever thought of how amazing the coconut is?! I mean…you can make a bikini top out of the shell for heaven’s sake! Haha. Really though. You can make bowls out of the shell. You can make mulch out of the husk. You can eat the meat, drink the water, make milk and flour out of the meat. You can use the oil for roughly 1000 different things both ingested and otherwise. It is pretty cool!
Alright…to the meat of why we are here…literally. Haha. How to make homemade coconut milk. I had been putting off even googling it because I had this crazy idea that it was gonna be really hard or expensive. And I mean…there are cans of it so conveniently located right on the shelf at the market, right? Well…that is true, but then you have to worry about nasty BPA in the cans and they will have some sort of unsightly additives (like guar gum or other). And don’t get me started on the coconut milk “drinks” available in cartons that contain preservatives, guar gum, carrageenan (ew), sweeteners, flavorings and more. Who needs it?! Not me! AND NOT YOU! And here is why!
To make homemade coconut milk, you need two ingredients. That’s it. 1) Shredded Coconut. 2) Filtered Water. Yup. That’s it! You could certainly add some high quality pure vanilla extract and/or a touch of raw honey or other spices to sass it up a bit, but for plain ol, homemade coconut milk, it just coconut flakes and water will do!
First, buy high quality shredded coconut. Or, if you are me…you get coconut flakes (they come in a larger bag and are cheaper than the shredded stuff at my market) and then put them through your food processor until they are a little more shredded. Either way. Be sure you get UNSWEETENED and dried coconut, not the sticky moist stuff. No need to add extra sugars where they aren’t necessary.
Second, make sure you have a water filter system. We just have a basic Brita, which I’m sure could be upgraded, but it’ll have to work for now.
For this recipe, you’ll be using 1 cup of the shredded coconut and about 2.5 cups of filtered water and it will yield just about 2 cups of homemade coconut milk.
Measure out 1 cup of the coconut and toss it into a medium sized mixing bowl. Heat the 2 cups of the filtered water to warm, but not boiling and add it to the coconut. Mix it gently and let it sit for about an hour. I mixed it a few more times within that hour, but I don’t know that it was totally necessary.
Soaking.
After it soaks for an hour-ish, pour the entire contents of the bowl (DO NOT DISCARD THE WATER!!) into a blender (ideally high powered, but my Oster begrudgingly did the trick) and blend for a couple minutes. Sorry. Exactness and precision aren’t my strong suit. But…there is room for flexibility here. 🙂 Rinse your original mixing bowl and set aside.
Using a very fine mesh strainer (what I used), a kitchen tea towel, a nut bag, or cheesecloth, pour the entire contents of the blender through it and into your original medium-sized bowl. If using a strainer, use the back of a spoon or a ladle to squeeze out the remaining liquid from the coconut. If you are using a tea towel, nut bag, or cheese cloth, carefully but thoroughly “milk” out the liquid. The goal is to get as much liquid out of the coconut and as little (ideally none) coconut pulp as possible into the bowl. Make sense?
Once you feel you’ve got all the liquid out, warm up another 1/2 cup (ish) of liquid and pour it into the blender with the same coconut pulp you just squeezed. Re-blend for another minute or two and then repeat the same squeezing process. When you’ve got out as much liquid as you can, YOU’RE DONE!
That’s it! Voila! Coconut milk! As mentioned before, you could add pure vanilla extract, raw honey, maple syrup, or spices to make it a little fancier or just stir and enjoy…or cook with it…or get a yogurt starter culture (non-dairy, obviously, if you are avoiding dairy) and make your own yogurt! Post on that likely to come later.
Simple, Rich, Creamy, Delicious. This is a pint sized mason jar.
Bonus! Don’t just toss out the leftover coconut! You can make coconut flour out of it! What?! Yeah. For real. Post on that to come later, too. 🙂
On Thursday, I had a doc appointment in the AM that didn’t allow me to eat until after it at nearly noon.
Uhm…I’m definitely a breakfast girl. But even knowing what a breakfast person I am, I was still shocked at how one seemingly mall change (like skipping a meal) could effect my whole day.
I found myself practically bingeing once I was able to eat and my hunger was relatively insatiable the entire day.
I was craving sweets and carbs more than I have all week (since I’ve been making a concerted effort to knock that crap off this week).
I was crabby.
I was a mess.
What am I saying here? I want you to think about YOUR daily nutrition habits. What small changes could you make that could affect your overall health and happiness in a BIG way?
Are you feeling stuck or lost? Unmotivated? Join me and my team as we host this month’s 7-day FREE Clean Eating group. Get a jump start and make sure your body is functioning optimally for your best you!
Like this, comment below, email me (kimberlylamwellness@gmail.com), whatevs…let’s do it!
We will share recipes, resources and love. We will build community, help one another answer questions and exchange ideas. Each day there will be a post by one of the Coaches hosting the group and each day you are responsible for checking in to the group, posting about your day and interacting with others! It’s fun. It’s simple. It could jump start your new life!
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