Hi friends! Happy weekend! What do you have going on? We have an event for the girls’ school and I’m looking forward to teaching barre and hopefully catching a hike. The weather has been a dream this week! I’d love to hear what you’re up to. I also wanted to add a little note that I’m praying for safety for my friends in Hurricane Ian’s path. <3
It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.
A random note: I ended up canceling our fall break trip to NYC. We have a lot of reasons for deciding to postpone the trip, but decided we’d rather do a Disney cruise in the new year instead. When I told the kids, they were SO pumped, so I know we made the right choice! I’m also kind of glad that fall break will be more low-key, especially since we’re heading into the Pilot’s birthday, P’s birthday, Halloween, my birthday and a wedding, Thanksgiving through the New Year into Liv’s birthday. It’s all fun stuff – my fave time of year- but it can definitely be a lot. Do you have any upcoming trips planned?
Family dinner at Calle Tepa is always a winner. I feel like it’s one of the most underrated Mexican spots in Tucson; it’s been a go-to for years.
Fashion + beauty:
If you’ve been wanting to take advantage of the 30% off for new Beautycounter clients, it ends tonight! The discount will go back down to 20% on the 1st. Click here and use the code CLEANFORALL30. I highly recommend the All Bright C serum, AHA mask, color intense lipstick, charcoal mask, and supreme cream.
Got these Chelsea boots on sale at Nordstrom. I think they’ll be super cute with skirts, dresses, and leggings. (Still not sure how I feel about these with jeans…I’m not on board with the wide leg/baggy trend.)
I FINALLY created my Amazon storefront. I’m going to be adding in goodies this weekend – fashion, fitness, and for the kids is already available – and will also post more holiday gift ideas here. Check it out!
Hi friends! Happy Thursday! I have a new podcast episode and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one.
Today, I’m chatting with Lisa Moskovitz, RD, all about quieting the diet noise and why diets don’t work.
Here’s what we talk about on today’s episode:
How to quiet the diet noise: how become a more confident, autonomous, and intuitive eater, and improve your relationship with food
How to move the needle towards fitness and weight loss goals in a healthy way
Why diets don’t work: how they actually bring you further away from finding your healthiest, happiest weight
How diets impact your metabolism
Her tips for being Healthy in Real Life
and so.much.more.
I LOVED today’s conversation and hope that you’ll take a listen!
111: Why diets don’t work with Lisa Moskovitz, RD
Here’s a bit more about Lisa and her background:
Lisa Moskovitz, RD, is a registered dietitian, the CEO of NY Nutrition Group, a large group nutrition practice and the author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan, a personalized, science-based guide to finding your healthiest, happiest weight. She received a BS in nutrition from Syracuse University and then went on to complete an intensive dietetic internship at NYPresbyterian Hospital. Since then, she has accumulated over a decade of experience in private practice, providing nutrition workshops and working with the media. Lisa is regularly featured in major publications such as Well + Good, Eat This Not That, Yahoo Health and is often interviewed for popular news channels such as Fox 5 NY, CBS News and Inside Edition.
I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Use this link and the code XOGINAH for 20% off their meal delivery and clean boutique items. This is something I do once a month as a lil treat to myself and the meals are always showstoppers.
Get 15% off Organifi with the code FITNESSISTA. I drink the green juice, red juice, gold, and Harmony! (Each day I might have something different, or have two different things. Everything I’ve tried is amazing.)
The weather is cooling down, and I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket. It feels even BETTER when it’s chilly outside and you can use the code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off! This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day!
If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission.
Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please be sure to subscribe, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you.
Sharing some tips for easy meal planning for the busy moms out there + a template you can use.
Hi friends! How’s the day going so far? I hope you’re having a good morning! I’m getting things ready for Fit Team (join us here and get your new workouts on the 28th!) and have a podcast interview later today. Thank you so much for letting me know that you enjoy the old school more conversational type blog posts. I will definitely add them more frequently into the content rotation.
For today post, I wanted to chat a bit about meal planning because it is SAVIN.OUR.BACON right now. (Time-wise and money-wise!) We are in the thick of evening activities and events, and if I don’t know what we’re going to eat, it leads to random hodge lodge meals or takeout. It’s absolutely worth sitting down each week to plan our meals (at least our dinners) and making a list for one big grocery stop.
Taking some time to meal plan each week takes the guesswork and last-minute dinner stress out of the equation, and is a great way to save time, money and effort. Planning, preparing, and cooking healthy meals takes time, and meal planning in advance can help us make healthy meals for the family on a more consistent basis. It also maximizes trips to the grocery story and makes mom life a bit easier overall! I figured it was time I dedicated a post on practical meal planning for my busy mom friends out there.
Easy Meal Planning For Busy Moms
Setting aside time to make a weekly meal plan
Set aside 30 minutes or so each weekend to create your plan for the week. For us, dinners are the most important, but I also have an idea of what I’m going to pack in the girls’ lunches and make for breakfasts. Plan out as many meals as you’d like for the week, emphasizing dinner and weekly staples.
Create a master list
After you’ve planned out your meals, make a master grocery list including all of the ingredients. Take inventory of your pantry and fridge to avoid buying duplicates, unless you like having backups on hand.
Keep track of meals that work
If you find a meal that’s a home run for the family, hold it in your heart FOREVER. Until you make it again and they don’t like it the next time? (Kids can be a mystery sometimes, I tell ya.) I keep a running cheatsheet in my phone of meals the kids have really loved and will come back to them. We also have some staple dishes (like the ones in this post) that I know will always be a hit.
Asking help from family members
I like to ask the kids if there’s anything they’d like to have the following week and use their suggestions when I craft my list. I’ll also put a few cookbooks on the table for them to choose recipes that look good to them. Sometimes they surprise me with their selections and I love that helps to shake things up and prevent dinner ruts.
Create meal plans from items you have on hand
Before I start our meal plan for the week, I’ll think about any items I have on hand that I’d like to use. For example, we might have meat from ButcherBox or veggies from the garden that I want to use. I’ll search for recipes from my fave sources using these ingredients.
Creating themes on some days
This is huge if you have a schedule with extra-curricular and after-school activities that end up being around dinnertime. On soccer nights, I’ll specifically plan Instant Pot or slow cooker meals that can be ready quickly or already waiting for us. If we’re going to be home later that evening, I’ll choose meals that I can prep earlier in the day.
Bulk cooking
I’m a huge fan of making anything in bulk or doubling recipes, so we’re able to freeze or use leftovers later. I prefer to cook certain things only once per week, so if I know we’re having rice two times, I’ll make a large batch and save half of it. I’m also a huge fan of eating dinner leftovers for breakfast or lunch the following day, so it makes planning my lunches a little easier.
Order staples and faves online
This really streamlines the meal planning process for us, because usually I have meat and pantry essentials on hand. I order almost all of our meat from ButcherBox and I get most of our pantry staples from Thrive Market. (<— both of those links get you a discount if you decide to try it out! Thrive is 40% off your first order and ButcherBox is currently 30% off + free chicken for a year.)
This way, I only have to get fresh ingredients at the store, eggs, and dairy. Because Thrive Market and ButcherBox are significantly less expensive than grocery stores’ current prices, we save a lot of money by doing it this way. I also like shopping at Costco for any of our favorite brands they carry (like Rao’s pasta sauce, salad kids, organic veggies and berries, salsa, avocado oil, syrup, and almond butter).
Prep protein or anything you can in advance
I like to wash fresh fruit and veggies, chop anything I can for dinners and easy snacking, and prep a couple of protein staples. I’ll usually boil eggs and smoke chicken for the week. Anything you can do you set yourself up for advance: do it. I also like to mention that if you’re able to splurge on more convenience items that will make your life easier (like chicken that is already cooked and cut into pieces), do what you need to do to set yourself up for success.
Use a meal planning template
This helps a ton if you’re going to plan out meals for the week! Simply print, add in your meals, and write out your grocery list on the opposite side.
Free Weekly Meal Plan For Busy Moms
Here is a free weekly template I created for meal planning. If you need more help, enter your email address here and I’ll send you a free copy of meal prep blueprint! It has my exact strategy for meal planning, along with some new recipes.
Here’s a sample week of eats if you’re looking for ideas!
Hi friends! How was the weekend? I hope you had an amazing one. This blog post is a way to bring it back old school and share some more real-life adventures. Quite a few of you let me know that you missed the style of blogging from the past (I do, too!) so I’m trying to do it in a way that’s low-key and still focused on my experience, instead of the kids’ experience if that makes sense? It can be tricky because the kids are obviously a huge part of my life (and by far the most exciting and such an enjoyable part of my life). I’m still trying to navigate blogging in a way that feels authentic to me without overdoing it on kid content, while continuing to create value-driven posts, too.
If you guys enjoy this and want more everyday-style posts, let me know!
This weekend was a wild one and packed with so many fun adventures. Friday night, we went to a local fall festival with the fam. My dad, stepmom, aunt, cousins, Kyle and Meg, and their kiddos were all there.
We also ran into so many familiar faces that evening! Tucson is a small world, but feels smaller the longer we stay here.
BEFORE fall festival, the Pilot took P to a birthday party while I took Liv to dance, so P had double fun times. The kids played in the obstacle courses, got their faces painted, did the cake walk and bingo thing, and it was a blast.
Saturday morning, P had a soccer game, I took care of some work stuff and chores, and then one of Liv’s best friends came over for a sleepover.
We took the crew to sushi at Ginza,
(dress is here! Heads up that it runs big, so if you’re in between sizes, I’d size down)
and then picked up one of P’s friends so she would have a buddy, too. We headed to the mall, where the younger kids hit up the giant arcade with the Pilot, the older girls and I went to Claire’s and got boba teas.
We made it back to the arcade for some motorcycle races, Dance Dance Revolution, and then grabbed ice cream before P’s friend went home.
(they’re 10 and way cooler than I’ll ever be)
Sleepover breakfast was crepes! I hadn’t made them in years, but used this recipe (added a little vanilla to it) and they came out really well! The kids loved building their own crepes with bananas, strawberries, Nutella, marshmallow fluff, and we served everything up with crispy bacon, hash browns, and orange juice.
Later that afternoon, we saw Lion King at Centennial Hall! TBH I tend to feel a little meh about Lion King (I think I just overdid it from watching the movie 1800 times in the 90s with my JTT obsession), but the live production is so different. The costumes are set design are truly breathtaking, and we all loved it.
Also worth noting that Broadway in Tucson has STEPPED UP their theatre snack and drinks game. They had charcuterie boxes, hummus and veggie boxes, chocolate gummy worm pudding for the kids, wine, beer, giant cookies — 10/10 recommend a snack stop if you’re seeing a show.
Sunday night dinner was filet with asparagus, homemade sourdough, salad kit (we’re fans of the dill pickle salad kid from Whole Foods), and a little wine to cap off the weekend.
I ended up taking Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off from the gym, so I’m feeling refreshed and ready to get back into my workout mojo this week. If you want to join us for Fit Team, the link is here! New workouts go out on Wednesday and I’m filming a new mobility workout for the platform this afternoon.
I hope you have a happy Monday and I’ll see ya soon!
What was the highlight of your weekend? Any fun sleepover breakfast ideas? I usually do pancakes, but crepes were a good way to switch things up.
Before I head into the usual Friday Faves post, I wanted to send a huge hug and thank you to all of you for your wonderful messages, emails, texts, and comments about saying goodbye to sweet Caro. All of your lovely messages lifted us up during a hard week. I hope you know how much we appreciate you.
While I was heartbroken over everything, I feel a sense of peace this week that she’s pain-free and hanging out with Bella and my Tata Gene.
What do you have going on this weekend? It’s going to be a fun one over here. P has a birthday party, we’re headed to a fall festival, Liv’s friend is sleeping over, and we’re seeing Lion King. Whew! Packed as much fun as possible into the weekend. 🙂 I hope you have a great one ahead, too.
A bright spot in the week: seeing Michael Bublé for the second time! The last time I saw him in concert was 2019, and it was a DREAM to see him again on Tuesday night. Madre watched the kiddos and the Pilot and I headed up to Phoenix for dinner and the show. It was everything. He’s so incredibly talented, the musicians were incredible, and I LOVED his backup singers/dancers. They were up there killin’ it the entire time.
Naturally, I screamed my face off and croaked all day on Wednesday. It was worth it and 10/10 will do it again.
We had amazing seats! Also, there was a woman in the audience who has been to 52 of his shows! GOALS.
It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.
The All Bright C serum. It makes a huge difference in my skin tone, and can help to protect from further damage.
Our new reflect effect mask! Its bouncy gel formula features a hardworking blend of chemical and physical exfoliants: AHA glycolic acid and bamboo particles for added exfoliation, plus hydration boosting saccharide isomerate to soothe skin.
If you’re going to spend at least $50, I recommend joining Band of Beauty. It’s $29 for the year and you get a free gift for joining (the charcoal mask and overnight peel), free shipping on orders over $100 and 10% back in product credit that you can use right away.
This cute dress! It’s a little summery but so is our weather (100+ this week), so I’m rolling with it.
I’ve been looking for a lower heeled sandal to wear with jeans and dresses, so I picked these ones. They should be here today – I’ll report back.
Fitness + good eats:
If you’ve been feeling blah about your routine, confused about how often to train which muscle group, and like you need some community support as we head into October, join us for Fit Team! You’ll get instant access to our September workouts and all of the bonuses (recipes, playlists, live call recordings) and the new October workouts + our Healthy Girl Fall challenge will arrive in your inbox next Wednesday!
You’re getting all of your fitness programming done for you (you just have to put in the work!) and have access to a Women’s Fitness Specialist, certified Personal Trainer, and Integrative Health Practitioner (meeee) at your fingertips, crafting your programming and here to support you along the way.
I’m writing this post with tears streaming down my cheeks and the biggest knot in my stomach… because sweet Caroline is gone.
She crossed the rainbow bridge on Monday, and devastated is an understatement. She hasn’t been doing well for a couple of years – she’d have a rough week and always seem to pull through – but knowing that it was coming didn’t make it any easier. In some ways, it’s made it even harder and more heartbreaking.
We got Caroline from a Cavalier Kings Charles rescue when Liv was a toddler. We drove to Phoenix, where they had multiple cavaliers running around from the puppy mill in Arkansas that had been shut down, and Caroline was the one Liv had to have. She was the smallest, most timid one, hiding in the corner, shaking.
“Are you sure you want this one?”
“Yes, I want this one.”
We drove her home and gave her lots of snuggles and food. For the first year or so, she remained timid, yet extremely sweet (even while receiving some occasional harassment from Bella). When we adopted Caroline, she was used to doing everything in a crate outside: it’s where she ate, did her business, and also birthed multiple rounds of puppies, as she was a young mama dog for the puppy mill.
When we brought her home, she had never walked on grass.
While she was still recovering from everything she endured, we quickly learned about Caro and her two favorite things: sleep and belly rubs. The girl could snore, too. She had the loudest, most satisfying snores, and it made my heart happy that she was able to fully relax after the horrible first couple of years of her life.
and year by year, she came out of her shell, transforming from a scared little thing into a real dog who’d beg for food and wag her tail.
She is the sweetest, most gentle dog I’d ever known.
Even when one of our babies would accidentally grab a handful of her fur, I never once had to think about her biting them. She never bit or growled at anyone. She always had the cutest little smile on her face, and wagged her tail at everyone.
She lived the good life after all she’d endured, spending most of her days in retirement mode, snoozing on the couch and waking up to eat. Every now and again I could convince her to join us for a walk. She walked behind us with the expandable leash slack almost all the way out. She was content to follow at her own pace.
She was also there for us through so many life moments. She’s been an integral part of our family, who has known our babies since they were babies, and has been with us through so many moves, deployments, and major life changes.
Over time, her little heart started to give up on her and while meds helped, her body started to fill with fluid again. When her breathing became more labored, we called the vet again, who saw her on Friday, and said that if it was her dog, she would let her go. We enjoyed one last weekend with Caroline, feeding her all of her favorite foods and giving her lots of pets. On Sunday, we knew we were making the right decision because she slept all day and didn’t want to eat anything; not even chicken or a lick of peanut butter.
While it was heartbreaking, it was an honor to hold her and snuggle her in the same way I said goodbye to Bella: in her favorite spot, here at home, with the comfort of a kind vet who was able to take away her pain.
I held her close one last time, cried into her fur, and thanked her for all of the joy and comfort she’s brought our family.
I know that Bella is up there waiting for her with a comfy bed, and probably a gentle tackle for old times’ sake.
Thank you, friends, for loving our fur babies along with us for all of this time. I know so many of you remember when we first brought Caro home, and have loved her from a distance for these years. I appreciate all of your beautiful and heartfelt comments and messages; they mean more to me more than you know.
Sharing my review (so far!) of the Integrative Health Practitioner certification and my thoughts on the program. I’m so thrilled to be partnering with Dr. Stephen Cabral on a few podcast episodes, and he also generously gifted access to my level 1 and level 2 certification programs. In this post, I’ll be sharing an update on the course and my thoughts on level one now that I’ve finished. If you’d like to join me as a study buddy, head here and use the code FITNESSISTA for $100 off Level 1 and $250 off levels 1 and 2.
Helloooooo. Happy Monday. I hope you had a lovely weekend. We’re here enjoying our last moments with Caro before we have to say our goodbyes later today 🙁
For today’s post, I wanted to share an updated review of my experience with the Integrative Health Practitioner course and how I plan to use this certification. I recently finished level one and have started level two. I’ve loved diving into these modules and know that it will be an entirely new layer to my coaching.
There have been times when I’ve worked with a nutrition client online and wished I could suggest specific labs (it’s NOT in the scope of practice for a nutrition coach or personal trainer to do this. All you can do is refer out to an RD or doctor). I’ve added other members to my coaching team who are able to run these tests. But as my online practice continues to grow, I’ve wanted to be able to learn how to do all of this myself.
Integrative Health Practitioner Certification
What is the IHP certification?
The Integrative Health Practitioner certification was created by Dr. Stephen Cabral. If you’re not familiar with his work, Dr. Stephen Cabral is a Board Certified Doctor of Naturopathy and founder of the EquiLife & the Integrative Health Practitioner Institute, and Author of the International Best-Selling Book, The Rain Barrel Effect. After almost 20 years and over 600,000 pages of research study completed, dozens of certifications in the natural health field, over a quarter of a million private client sessions, and a doctoral degree in Naturopathy – Dr. Cabral‘s knowledge, experience, and passion are at the top of his field.
I’ve had a huge benefit from working with naturopathic doctors and functional medicine practitioners throughout the years. Particularly, when I was told, “Nothing is wrong” or that I’d, “Just have to live with it” by various physicians. (This is not the case with everyone! Also worth mentioning here that my Nurse Practitioner here in Tucson, who is my Primary Care, is AMAZING.) But there have been a handful of times in my life when I thought things were hopeless… and were told they were actually hopeless. All I needed to do was seek out another physician (sometimes you just need a second or third opinion!) or alternative options to get the help we needed.
I’ve been soaking in all of the lessons and am so excited to help clients in a different way.
IHP is based on 7 integrative disciplines:
– Ayurvedic medicine (the science of life and body-typing)
– Bioregulatory medicine (the science of self healing and rebalancing)
– Chinese medicine and herbalism (unlocking nature’s healing wisdom)
– Eastern Philosophy (using the mind to heal the body)
– Traditional Naturopathy (the “right living” to reverse illness)
– Orthomolecular medicine (the science of vitamins and minerals as “medicine”)
– and Functional medicine (state-of-the-art lab testing to determine underlying root causes)
There are two levels of IHP: Level 1, which teaches you how to introduce healthy habits based on the DESTRESS method (diet, exercise, stress, toxin removal, rest, emotional balance, supplements, and success mindset). And Level 2, which focuses on 7 functional medicine labs (including HTMA, OAT, DUTCH), the ability to recommend and analyze these labs, and suggest an action plan depending on the results.
Each lesson is about 30 minutes. And Dr. Cabral includes suggested reading material, complementary podcast episodes. And shares tons of resources and handouts to use for clients. Since it’s so in-depth, the full course can take about 6 months, And level 2 can take 6 months to a year. I’m a couple of months in, and not even halfway through the first level.
What I like about IHP:
– This is exactly what I want to be learning and know I can use these skills to help 1:1 clients, with the content I create here on the blog, and also with group coaching and courses I develop. I want to help as many people as possible to have happy, balanced hormones, optimal energy. And help them break through the *noise* to create consistent and sustainable healthy habits. This is another step in my education process and I’ve loving it so far.
– Dr. Cabral. If you follow him on Instagram or listen to his podcast, you know that he’s incredibly knowledgeable. But also can tell that he’s a genuinely *good person* who truly wants to help others on their path to healing. I enjoy watching each lesson video and learn something valuable from every.single.one. He really did an incredible job with the content and delivery of the course.
– Extra support. They offer a private Facebook group for IHP candidates and certified practitioners, live calls, and will even refer clients to IHP Level 2 graduates. I also appreciate all of the handouts and resources we can use and share with clients when we’re finished with the certification process.
Any cons?
– It’s hard for me to study on the go, and feel like I need to be at my computer taking notes. Dr. Cabral dives into a LOT of information, and has been even more prevalent in Level 2. Time is the only thing standing in the way since the lessons are around 30 minutes each and I need to be at home to complete them. My only frustration is that I can’t blast through the information as quickly as I would like, but at the same time, it’s enabling me to truly absorb all of the lessons.
I think that’s the only con!
If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission.
You can use my referral link here and the code FITNESSISTA for $100 or $250 off (depending on whether you’re doing Level 1 only or both levels for a higher discount).
So, tell me friends: what’s a healthy habit you do every day that makes you feel amazing?
If you could change careers or add another certification to your resume, which one would you choose?
Hey hey! How are ya? Happy weekend!! What do you have going on? We have a friend’s Air Force retirement party and a soccer team outing. I’m also hoping we can catch a family hike. I hope you have an amazing weekend!
Some exciting news: I finished my Integrative Practitioner Level One Certification! Aaaand I’ve already started on Level Two 🙂 I have so much to say about the program so far, so I’ll definitely do an updated post, but if you have any questions you’d like to me to answer, please leave them in the comments section. I’ll also be restructuring my 1:1 coaching options, so if you know you’re interested, you can apply and get on my wait list here.
A little Caro update:
Caro saw the vet last Friday and has congenital heart failure and her little body was full of fluid. She started a couple of meds, including a diuretic, and they’ve made a huge difference. Unfortunately, she’s still not eating much. She was eating if I hand fed her, but now she’ll only eat every few bites or so. The vet is coming again this afternoon, so we’ll see what she has to say.
It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my faves from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about things you’re loving, too, so please shout out the good stuff in the comments section below!
Amazon fashion finds! I was so pumped when Amazon invited me to join their fashion program and picked out a few new fashion-y things to enjoy for the month. They have SO many awesome picks for fall (at amazing prices) and you can’t beat the Prime shipping. I find myself ordering more fashion and household items from Amazon because they’ll get here so quickly.
Here’s what I picked out this month:
This tank. I compared it to Liv’s Align tank and it’s almost identical. The fabric is super soft and it’s a fraction of the price of the lululemon one (I think I paid $70 for Liv’s and this one is $23!). I love that it has light padding and there are so many colors to choose from. Link is here.
I also ordered this shirtdress. Shirtdresses are so classic and versatile; I find myself gravitating towards them during this time of the year. They’re easy to dress up with heels and jewelry, or dress down with sandals. Here’s the one I got! I also love the black and blush colors.
The last purchase was this tank dress. I love this style of dress (there are 20 colors!) – it reminds me of the Leith and Treasure & Bond ones – and it looks cute with sandals and low-top sneakers. If it’s starting to get a little chilly where you are, you can layer it with a button-up shirt or a jean jacket. $30 and runs true to size 🙂
Hi friends! I’m so excited to be chatting with Laney Schwartz from Life Is But A Dish on the podcast today.
Here’s what we’re talking about:
– Her tips for getting out of a cooking rut
– Meal prep tips and kids’ lunch ideas
– Her go-to ingredients and staples
and so.much.more.
110: Getting out of a cooking rut + meal prep tips with Laney Schwartz
Here’s more about Laney and her background:
Laney Schwartz is an everyday mom, founder and creator behind the food blog Life Is But A Dish, and a girl who’s obsessed with food. Born and raised in Maryland, Laney now lives in Los Angeles, California with her two daughters Zoe and Ava, her husband Zach, and her dog Lou. Laney is on a mission to help busy home cooks across the world gain confidence in the kitchen, create simple and delicious meals and cook without being tied to a recipe. After 7+ years of blogging Laney has over 600 reliable recipes on her website, all using simple everyday ingredients. Laney created a program called Cook with Confidence to help the overwhelmed and anxious home cook learn how to build foundational cooking skills for life. She has successfully moved over 200 students through the program, changing people’s relationships with the kitchen.
I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Use this link and the code XOGINAH for 20% off their meal delivery and clean boutique items. This is something I do once a month as a lil treat to myself and the meals are always showstoppers.
Get 15% off Organifi with the code FITNESSISTA. I drink the green juice, red juice, gold, and Harmony! (Each day I might have something different, or have two different things. Everything I’ve tried is amazing.)
The weather is cooling down, and I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket. It feels even BETTER when it’s chilly outside and you can use the code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off! This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day!
If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission.
Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please be sure to subscribe, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you.
Sharing my top tips for hosting an awesome dinner party + some of my favorite cooking hacks.
Hi hi! How’s the morning going? I’m off to mass with the kids and then hitting an F45 class. I hope you have a great day, too.
For today’s post, I thought we could talk a bit about dinner party tips and cooking hacks. Please keep in mind that I’m NOT a professional (even though we have some people in my family who are professional cooks and others who cook like they’re professionals). I’m just a home cook who enjoys it and also happens to LOVE feeding people. When the Pilot and I first got married, a friend said I needed a kitchen sign that said, “Never leave hungry” because that seemed to my motto. It brings me so much joy to enjoy awesome meals with the people we love, so we love having friends and family members over whenever we can.
Over time, I’ve learned some good dinner party tips and cooking hacks, so I wanted to share with ya this morning. If you have any you can add to the list, please chime in in the comments section so we can help each other out! (* = ones that were submitted from Instagram! Thank you to those of you who chimed in)
15 Tips For Hosting A Dinner Party
Make anything you can in advance
I learned this one from my nana, who will make and freeze as many meal components as possible before a family get-together. She used to own a catering company, so she’s pretty used to making large quantities of amazing food. Anything you can make before a party, do it. This means things like dips, desserts, side dishes, anything. I usually try to pre-make anything I can, so I’m not cooking as people are arriving.
I learned this one the hard way. We invited friends over the first time we lived in Valdosta, and I hadn’t prepared a single thing. They all sat at the kitchen table as I ran around the kitchen, stressed, and sweating from the hot stove and burners. Learn from my mistake, friends.
Never try a new recipe the night of a dinner party
It can be tempting to want to try a cool new recipe you see on social media or a website, but always give it a test run before serving it to another group of people. I’ve had a handful of Pinterest fails and I’m so glad I took the time to try them out in advance. Serve options that you can cook easily and that you know are a hit.
Set the menu strategically
Check in with guests to see if there are any dietary restrictions. Plan out the menu in advance depending on the occasion and theme of the dinner party, plus how many guests you’ll have in attendance. For example, a smaller dinner party would do well with plated options, while larger parties are better for family-style dishes or a buffet setup.
Put post-its on serving dishes and set everything out the night before
I clean the kitchen the night before or the morning of the get-together and put out all of the plates, silverware, and serving dishes. I put a post-it note (“salsa,” “chips,” “guac,” etc.) in each large serving dish so I know where everything is going. Set the table in advance, too.
Empty the dishwasher before everyone comes over
This way it’s easy to add dishes into the dishwasher as they get dirty and run it at the end of the night.
Serve one signature drink or cocktail
I like to always have a special type of drink in addition to the usual La Croix, waters, beers, white and red wine, so it might be something like sangria, house margaritas, or this type of cocktail. Make a large batch and store in the fridge and also ensure you have plenty of drinks on hand for everyone.
Meat thermometer
Meat thermometers are a GAME CHANGER and helps to avoid dry, overcooked meat. It’s so much easier to poke the meat and know that it’s finished cooking.
Taste the guacamole on a chip
When you’re making guacamole, you’re going to serve it with chips, so taste test on a chip. Otherwise, you may make the guac too salty.
If you enjoy Mexican food, get thee a tortilla warmer ASAP
You will never have cold tortillas with warm glorious Mexican food again. You put the tortillas in the warmer, pop it in the microwave, and the warmer keeps them hot while you’re serving.
Set the ambiance
I like to light some candles before everyone comes over, turn on the sparkly lights outside, and get some music going. I’ll put some music on Spotify on the TV and on the bluetooth speaker outside.
*Write out a cooking schedule
This way you won’t be thinking about it all night and can enjoy the party. I like to plan a schedule for the day leading up to it, including which items will be prepared at each time, and small reminders, like “take out the trash,” “ice the drinks,” and “turn on the music.”
*Use the oven!
Bake or roast part of the meal, and this way you can put anything you’ve made in advance directly into the oven. Once it’s cooked, turn the oven down and keep it warm in the oven before serving.
*Don’t make everything yourself
I LOVE this tip and it’s such a simply way to remove some of the stress from doing allllllll the things. Find a couple of options you can outsource from a local spot, like sides, dessert, or a charcuterie board.
*Always cut out a piece of a cake
Guests won’t want to cut into something, but will eat it if it’s already cut. The same goes for cheeses on a cheese board- cut out some slices in advance.
If you can read, you can cook
These were words of wisdom from my nana, after emailing her to tell her I was struggling in the kitchen. When we first got married, I had to learn how to cook and there were so many fiascos along the way. (Once I made meatloaf that turned into sloppy joes, which we called “sloppy loaf.” Delicious.)
She said to take my time, and if you can read directions, you can cook. It gave me confidence to keep going and I eventually fell in love with cooking.
Sharing my full (non-sponsored) review of Book of the Month and if it’s worth it. If you’d like to try it out, my referral link gives you access to your first month for $5!
Hi friends! How’s the week going so far? I hope you’re having a great one. It’s been cloudy and rainy here (so lovely!) and it’s been a pretty normal week taking care of Caro (the meds seem to be helping), doing the work thing, and shuffling the crew to activities.
For today’s post, I wanted to talk about Book of the Month since I’ve been using it for over a year now! A couple of years ago, I vowed to start reading three books per month, and it’s ended up being a realistic and attainable goal that’s brought more joy into my life. Book of the Month has been a huge part of that. It’s a monthly subscription that enables me to try out new books and authors, and I’m pumped to share more details about it with you.
*Note: this review is not sponsored and my membership is not gifted. If you’d like to use my referral link, you’ll get your first month for $5!
Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription. You can select from a handful of new curated titles each month, or browse previous reader faves. If you don’t see something that you want to read, you can skip that month and resume the following month. I currently pay $16.97 per month and have read 14 books through my subscription.
They have BFF rewards along the way and you can earn rewards like pins, a book bag (I love mine!), birthday book, Book of the Year book, and a 20% discount in their online boutique.
Benefits of Book of the Month
You expand your reading horizons
The main reason I joined to Book of the Month was to try new authors and titles that I otherwise might not find. They provide a thorough synopsis for each book, and add excellent emoji descriptors for each option (like emotional, social issues, book length, decade, LOL, light read, slow build, quirky, rural, action-packed, non-linear timeline, supernatural, etc.)
I discovered some new favorite authors and all-time favorite books through Book of the Month.
It encourages me to read more often
When I get a fresh new hardcover each month (digital books will never be as satisfying as the real deal), I’m immediately excited to dive in. I know that having Book of the Month has absolutely helped me to reach my goal of 3 books per month. I also feel like reading on my phone is distracting because I immediately open email and Instagram. This way, I have a book, which is separate from my phone, to enjoy. I also like reading physical books because the kids can see me reading, instead of thinking I’m playing around on my phone.
The downsides
Sometimes I don’t like the available selection
There have been a handful of months where the available titles and the previous reader faves weren’t intriguing to me. I’ve also had one book that was a dud. You can’t win them all, and overall, I’m usually thrilled by the diversity of genres they offer each month.
It’s pricier than simply ordering a book on Amazon
At around $17 per month, it’s more expensive than ordering books on Amazon. At the same time, they’re gorgeous hardcover books and I’ve been sharing them with friends and donating the others to our local library.
Is it worth it?
100% yes it’s been worth it for me. I think of all of the times I waste $20 throughout the month, so it’s a small investment to pay for something that brings me joy and encourages me to read more often each month. I also like that I’m not charged when I skip months, so it’s NBD if they don’t have something I want to read each month.
(my fave hoodie in all the land)
