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Iron is an important part of your hemoglobin, the substance in your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lunge to transport through the your entire body. If you don’t have enough iron, your body can’t make oxygen-carrying blood cells, resulting in your tissues and muscles not working effectively. When you lack these oxygen rich blood cells, you have iron deficiency anemia. You may notice that your skin loses its color, your hair might fall out, your fingernails can become brittle, and severe fatigue can occur.

There are many foods rich in iron that you should add to your daily diet. Sometimes a supplement is necessary, but it is always best to receive your vitamins and minerals from whole, clean foods.

Here are a few of the best iron rich foods to add to your diet:

Spinach, spirulina, sardines, liver, grass-fed beef, lentils, black beans, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, and dark chocolate.

Here are a few ideas for adding these foods into your daily eating: add spinach to an egg omelette, salad, or smoothie, eat sardines on whole wheat crackers, make a lentil and bean soup, add pumpkin seeds to a salad, snack on pistachios, and have a piece of dark chocolate for dessert. The options are endless!

Up until a few weeks ago, a gym is where people would go to complete their workouts. They would arrive to a fully stocked space geared towards fitness with trainers nearby to help out. Oh how things have changed! Now the nearby gym is a fully stocked ghost town. It won’t be this way forever, but for now adjustments need to be made in order to stay on track with workouts.

First thing is to set up your own little gym. It does not need to be big or fancy. In fact, when I first left the gym and started working out at home 16 years ago, my space was a tiny section of my messy garage and my tiny living room. I had to make due with what I had. I had one little basket that held a pair of 5lb and 10lb weights, two resistance bands, and workout videos. As time passed, I added more equipment little by little. I purchased a few more sets of weights, an aerobic step, and a yoga mat. Nothing fancy!

So what should you have to start working out at home? First and foremost, carve out a little space. It can be your bedroom, living room, garage, or even a basement. Then decide what type of workouts you want to do. I personally recommend a few hand weights in at least 2 different sized weights, a resistance band, and a floor mat if you have wood flooring to get started.

If you want a few additional items to further challenge yourself, I recommend a stability ball. Stability balls are a great and affordable option to add variety to your workouts. They are useful in so many different workouts.

Another great option is a bench. These can vary in cost quite a bit, but you can find very affordable ones that work great! My bench is from Target. Wal Mart has affordable benches too. They can be used for so many things like bench presses, step ups, core work outs, ect…..

One of my favorite workout “toys” is a Bosu Ball. I absolutely love using it for HIIT workouts, balance work, core work, and leg workouts. It is a pricey piece of equipment, but it’s worth the money for me. I bought both of mine ( yes, I have 2), when they were on sale at Target. I have had my first one for about 7 years now, and it still works great! I also love my portable barre. It is a more recent purchase for me, and I use it regularly.

There are so many options these days for working out at home. You can follow along with free workouts on YouTube or instagram, purchase workout videos, subscribe to fitness apps or digital platforms, get an online trainer, or create your own workouts. The options are endless! Whatever format you choose, create a schedule and stick with it. Don’t allow excuses to keep you from staying fit while you are in lockdown.

Who doesn’t love guacamole, other then people who don’t like avocados?😆

My family loves it. We can eat an entire bowl in a day or two. Every once in a while I will buy store bought guacamole, but I prefer homemade. I can control the ingredients and make it to my taste. I’m actually not a huge fan of salty food, so I like that I can monitor how much salt is added. I also like knowing exactly where my ingredients came from. There are many different recipes for making guacamole, but I like to take a fast and simple approach.

Because I am blessed with an orchard, I am able to use my own avocados and lemons to make this tasty dish😋. However, you can get all of these ingredients at the store and make a delicious bowl of guacamole. I recommend buying organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

– 6-7 avocados

– juice from half a lemon

-1/2 cup mild or medium salsa

– salt to taste

Directions:

Add fresh avocado meat to a medium sized bowl. Mash until the desired consistency is reached. I like a few chunks in mine😊. Squeeze lemon juice into bowl and mix well.

Add 1/2 cup or more into avocado mixture. Stir well to combine. Add salt to taste. I added about 1 tbsp to mine.

Chill in the fridge for at least an hour for taste to develop. Enjoy!

Everyone has to start somewhere. We don’t just jump into crazy plyometric workouts or intense Tabata circuits from the start. The best way to ease into consistent workouts is to take it slow. Don’t expect unrealistic accomplishments when you are first starting. It takes time, practice, and patience.

Here is a cardio workout you can do at home to get you started. Remember that you can always modify or change an exercise if it doesn’t work for you.

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Life has drastically changed in a very short period of time. One day I was in the studio teaching, and the next day I was on lock down. It happened so fast! All of the sudden, I had to worry about buying food and hunting down toilet paper, rather then planning out my week. I am a planner, and this was not in my plan. Does anyone else know the feeling?

So what do you do when you are practicing social distancing? Some people go about business as usual, some people do only the necessary errands, and others completely isolate themselves. It is a confusing and scary time right now, and people are dealing with it in their own way. I deal with it by maintaining my daily workouts, cleaning my house, organizing everything, and tackling new projects at home. Life is unpredictable right now, but my workout schedule is not. It is the one thing I can count on right now.

For those of you who used to enjoy your time in the gym, this means adopting a new way of approaching fitness. You might have to get more creative, carve out a small space at home to workout in, and try something new. The bright side is that working out at home can be fun! It might seem hard at first, but once you get a rhythm going, you will be a pro at getting in those workouts. You might not have a selection of fancy machines to choose from, but all you need is your own body weight and maybe a few dumbbells or resistance bands.

Don’t let this quarantine stop you from maintaining your fitness routine. If you have the will, there is a way! I have been working out at home for over 16 years now, and believe me, you can stay in shape from home. Follow me on Instagram for daily workouts and check here for free print outs of workouts you can do from home.

For years I have wanted to make my own laundry detergent. I pinned recipes and dreamed of the day I would wash my clothes in my own homemade soap. But, procrastination happened, and I kept putting it off. Finally, a moment of inspiration hit me, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I quickly jumped online to order the necessary ingredients. I impatiently waited for everything to arrive, and jumped with joy the day the Amazon box appeared at my door.

I have used this detergent for 6 loads now and can honestly say that I love it! My clothes smell heavenly, and I feel satisfied with the lack of toxic ingredients I am washing them in. There is a small amount of prep, grating a bar of castle soap, but otherwise it is very easy and quick.

Ingredients:

1 bar grated Castille soap-  http://amzn.to/2oJRaIf

2 cups borax-  http://amzn.to/2oDX0O2

2 cups washing soda- http://amzn.to/2o4wNHl

1 cup baking soda- http://amzn.to/2oCT3cQ

15 drops lavender essential oil ( I used doterra)

15 drops peppermint essential oil ( I used doterra)

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir until well mixed. Store in an airtight container. Use 1/4 cup of detergent to wash a full load.

• I used a recipe from Dr. Axe

We all know that protecting our skin is important. But, with so many chemicals hiding in traditional sunscreen, how do we safely do that? The answer is to make your own. I know it sounds scary, but it really is quite easy.

I started making my own sunscreen about 4 years ago. I have tried numerous recipes, but I found one that I really like. I like experimenting until I stumble upon just the right combination.

Homemade Lavender Sunscreen

Ingredients:

1/2 cup carrier oil ( I used almond oil) Aura Cacia Nurturing Sweet Almond Natural Skin Care Oil, 16-Ounce Bottle

1/4 cup coconut oil ( I got mine from Costco)

1/4 cup beeswax  USDA Organic White Beeswax Pellets by Sky Organics (1lb) -Superior Quality Pure Bees Wax No Toxic Pesticides or Chemicals – 3 x Filtered, Easy Melt Pastilles- For DIY, Candles, Skin Care, Lip Balm

2 tbsp shea butter Unrefined Shea Butter by Better Shea Butter – African, Raw, Pure – Use Alone or in DIY Body Butters, Lotions, Soap, Eczema & Stretch Marks Products, Lotion Bars, Lip Balms and More! – 1 lb (16 oz)

1 tsp vitamin E oil JASON Vitamin E 5,000 IU All-Over Body Nourishment Oil, 4 Ounce

2 tbsp zinc oxide Zinc Oxide 1 Pound Bag – Non-Nano and Uncoated – Our Earth’s Secrets

10 drops lavender essential oil ( I used Numa Essential Oil)

1 tsp Carrot seed oil (optional)Aura Cacia Essential Oil, Replenishing Carrot Seed, 0.5 fluid ounce

Directions:

1. Place carrier oil, coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, vitamin E oil, and Carrot oil in a double boiler and simmer until melted.
2. Stir occasionally until melted.
3. Remove from heat and stir in zinc oxide.
4. Add 10 drops of lavender essential oil and mix well.
5. Pour into glass mason jar for storing.
6. Store in a cool place.

It is so easy to make your own healthy sunscreen. Give it a try!

Meal prepping has become a time saver for me. We have so many mornings where someone is racing out the door, or getting home late from dance classes, so I need meals that are easy to grab. Here are my favorite meals to make ahead of time:

Breakfast:

2 eggs with sausage  (I use Applegate sausage)

Paleo Pancakes with sausage

*The recipe is on my blog

Overnight Buckwheat

1/2 cup creamy buckwheat

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp cacao powder

1 tsp PB2

Place in the fridge overnight. Heat for 45 seconds to 1 minute the next morning and enjoy!

 

Lunch:

Salad with blueberries, pumpkin seeds, Asiago cheese, protein (I usually use Mahi Mahi)

I make the salad the night before, and it’s ready to eat for lunch the next day.

I also make salad jars. I fill mason jars with everything I want in a salad (shredded carrots, pumpkin seeds, sliced strawberries, protein) and then add to lettuce the next day.

 

I typically make a shake for lunch. You can pre-make this by adding all dry ingredients (chocolate protein powder (I like the vegan one from 1Up Nutrition), PB2, shredded coconut) to your shaker cup. When you are ready to make your shake, add the dry ingredients with ice, water, 1/2 banana, and blend.

 

Smoothies bowls are great too!

Add all veggies and fruit in a freezer quart bag and freeze until ready to blend.

1 cup frozen spinach

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 up frozen kale

1/2 cup frozen peaches

Add water or coconut milk and blend.

 

Paleo Chicken nuggets are a great meal to make ahead of time too.

Cook them the day before and store in the fridge until ready to eat.

*the recipe is on my blog.

 

Taco jars

Fill a mason jar with ground meat, chopped bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, chopped olives, onions, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheese. You can add any ingredients you like! You can put the contents of the jar in a tortilla the next day, or add it on top of a salad.

 

Dinner:

My favorite meal prep for dinner is the Crock-Pot! I make Ribs in the crock-pot, chicken, potato soup, tortilla soup, pork roast, etc…

I also make side dishes ahead of time. If I know I will be getting home late, I make roasted sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, salad, and cut up fruit ahead of time. I love being able to open the fridge and have options ready to go.

 

Snacks:

-fill a mason jar with 1 cup plain greek yogurt, 1/4 cup sliced fruit, and drizzle with honey

-cut celery and fill with almond butter

-fill a container with hard boiled eggs

-fill snack bags with almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts etc. for easy grab and go snacks

-make protein balls and store in fridge for easy snacking

-fill snack bags with carrots and celery slices

-keep left overs from dinner in containers to grab as a snack

 

These are some of my favorite meals to make ahead of time, but there are so many more you can do. I typically pick a time during the week and make as many things as I can to store for later. I want my kids to have healthy options at their finger tips, so they don’t skip meals or eat poorly. If they have options ready to go, they will gladly eat them. I also like to provide healthy meals, even when I don’t have time to cook, so I make them before hand to save myself time.

Do you struggle with how to get started in eating better? Have you asked yourself, “What should I cut out first?”, or “Do I have to empty out my entire kitchen in order to get started?”. Trying to create better eating habits can be hard, especially if you don’t know where to start. The best way to start is simple. Let’s cut out a few things at a time, so you don’t feel overwhelmed or frustrated.

You might not want to hear this, but the first thing you should cut out is sugar. Yep! Sugar. You might not realize it, but you probably consume more sugar then your body should have. Women should consume no more then 25 grams (6 tsp) of sugar per day, and men should consume no more then 36 grams (9 tsp) of sugar per day. What does that look like? Well let’s see how much sugar is in some of our favorite foods.

Here is sample breakfast foods:

• 1 packet Maple Brown Sugar oatmeal- 13 grams of sugar
• Coffee with 1 TBSP french Vanilla coffee creamer- 5 grams of sugar
• 3/4 cup Honey Nut Cheerios- 9 grams of sugar
• Small Blueberry Muffin- 38 grams

Do you know anyone that has only 1 TBSP of coffee creamer or only 3/4 cup of cereal? I don’t. So the sugar content could be much higher depending on the serving size you have.

Here is a lunch sample:

• Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich- 18 grams of sugar
• 6 inch Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Subway sandwich- 16 grams of sugar
• Yoplait flavored yogurt- up to 26 grams of sugar

Here is a dinner sample:

• 1 1/2 cup pasta with tomato sauce- 16 grams of sugar
• Salad with 2 TBSP salad dressing- 6 grams of sugar (do you really only use 2 TBSp of salad dressing?)
• Grilled chicken with 2 TBSP BBQ sauce- 16 grams of sugar

Here is a dessert sample:

• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream- 14 grams of sugar
• 3 small chocolate chip cookies- 33 grams of sugar
• 1 small brownie- 12.5 grams of sugar

 

What about drinks? This is where you really need to be careful. You don’t want to drink all your calories or sugar for the day.

1 Soda= 39 grams of sugar or 16 tsp

 

Do you see how easily you could be overdoing it on sugar just by what you drink?! If you cut out sugary drinks, you could easily drop weight pretty fast!

So now that you know this, let me give you a few ideas that you can substitute these drinks for.

• Sparkling flavored water (La Croix is a good one. They have tons of flavors)
• Hot Tea or coffee with 1 Stevia packet
• water infused with fruit

 

What about food choices? Are there other options out there with less sugar? Why yes there are!

Breakfast:

• Slow cooked oatmeal lightly drizzled with honey, topped with nuts or fruit
• 2 eggs, 1/4 avocado, 1 nitrate free sausage link
• Paleo pancakes (see previous blog post for recipe)

Lunch:

• Salad with 1/4 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 hard boiled egg, 1/8 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly drizzled with lemon juice or olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Protein shake with 1 cup ice, water, 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 scoop protein powder (Shakeology, Sun Warrior, or Nutiva)
• Tuna Sandwich: 1/2 can tuna, 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt, 2 slices Ezekiel Bread
• Baked sweet potato with avocado and cooked ground turkey meat

Dinner:

• Bunless Burger with lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, banana peppers
• Roasted sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil and seasoning
• Grilled chicken drizzled with olive oil and seasoned, salad (no salad dressing), side of veggies
• Steak (no steak sauce), veggies, salad (no dressing), roasted potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper

Dessert:

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt drizzled lightly with honey, topped with 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 apple, sliced and drizzled with cinnamon
• 1 frozen banana pureed in food processor with 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 tsp raw cacao powder
• Chocolate mug cake ( I have a blog post with this recipe)

 

There is a lot more you can do to improve your diet, but like I said, we are starting simple. Try swapping out a few of your high sugar items for a lower sugar version. It will be hard at first, ever hear of sugar addiction?, but it will be worth it! This is your health we are talking about after all. Our country is suffering from a lot of disease, chronic conditions, and the list goes on, and I truly feel that much of it could be solved by embracing a healthier diet. Obesity, diabetes, cancer, GI issues, and so on are on the rise. You don’t have to be one of those people affected by these conditions. Take control of your health. Start today! It is okay to start with small and simple changes. Just start!

Next we will tackle Carbs!!! Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I love coming up from a good workout and making myself something to eat. I look forward to that meal everyday. I look forward to sitting down to my table with freshly brewed coffee and a warm meal.

Pancakes are one of my favorite meals, but I avoid gluten, so I needed a good paleo pancake recipe. I have tried several recipes, some better then others, but I like something simple. I don’t want to fuss with a lot of ingredients in the morning, so I created my own pancake recipe. Having fresh blueberries in this recipe is divine. There is nothing like a warm blueberry bursting in your mouth as you take a bite.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup almond flour Almond Meal / Flour, Natural Unblanched by Anthony’s, 5 Pounds (5lb), Batch Tested Gluten Free

3 tbsp coconut flour Organic Coconut Flour (4 lb) by Anthony’s, Certified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO

2 eggs

1/2 mashed banana

1 tbsp almond butter

1/4 cup almond or coconut milk

Cinnamon to taste

Handful of blueberries

Directions:

1. Place 1/2 banana in a mixing bowl and mush it up. Add almond butter.
2. Add all other ingredients, except blueberries,  and mix well.
3. Once everything is mixed, add the blueberries.
4. The mixture should be a little lumpy and moist.
5. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto a well greased griddle or cook over the stove top in a pan lightly coated with coconut oil.
6. Cook on medium heat about 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned.

This recipe made 12 pancakes. You can keep any left overs in the fridge for a few days. I love these as a mid afternoon snack too!