This post is coming at-chya straight after taking a gluteus max-out fitness class at the gym with my FAV instructor, Nicole. Meaning, I’m still rolling the post-workout endorphins and struggling to walk down the stairs….
Endorphins or not though, let’s chat about the importance of finding JOYFUL MOVEMENT. Literally meaning, movement or activity that brings you joy, makes you happy, leaves you feeling like a bad-A in the best way possible.
Do you hate exercising? Do you scowl every time you walk into the gym or head to the basement to the treadmill?
WHY?
The reason WHY is most likely because you haven’t found an activity that you truly enjoy, and that my friends, needs to change today. You don’t hate exercise, you just don’t enjoy the activities you’ve tried.
There is no reason to be stuck in this life doing something you hate because guess what? There are so many other activities to try and finding something you love will make you want to go and go and go again.
Dance.
Swim.
Run.
Take group fitness classes.
Yoga.
Strength train at home watching You Tube videos or Beach Body.
Walk.
Bike.
Play basketball.
Clean the house from top to bottom (or feel free to come clean mine).
Cross country ski.
Play pickle ball.
I’ll stop now.
There are endless possibilities just waiting to be discovered. If you don’t like something, then try something else, but at least give it a fair chance.
Drop the excuses. Don’t wait for January 1st. Find your JOYFUL MOVEMENT.
Ok…it has been what feels like a half a century since I last checked in here, so HIIIII!!!
Everyday apparel, obviously.
This blog was originally created as a platform for me to share recipes, health inspiration, wellness ideas, and really it was a creative outlet for myself.
So just for fun, let’s see where we’re at now:
I’m not nearly as creative in the kitchen as I used to be, and when I am, I never take the time to write OR measure ingredients in order for me to actually share a recipe. It doesn’t mean I don’t totally delight in doing my thing in the kitchen because I do, I just don’t record it. As for the time-consuming, 50-step recipes, they’ve gone out the window for now. They’ll be a time for them again in about 20 years.
I feel like I’ve finally found exercise that I LOVE. It took me years to overcome the intimidation of group classes. I didn’t know what weights to grab, everyone would know I was the newbie, I didn’t feel strong enough, my endurance level is not where I wanted it to be, I’d never keep up….the excuses continued to keep me away. Until, I stopped caring what other people think. So what that I can’t do all of the burpees? So what that I can’t do every push-up. Guess what? I made it to class and I’m doing the best I can and no one else cares anyway! I love the energy of exercising in a group; it pushes me to work harder because I’m competitive by nature. The upbeat music keeps me going. The motivation from the teacher excites me and inspires me. I found my thing. I still do my own thing because I can’t make the class times work with my schedule all the time, but it’s just not the same.
I continue to feel stronger as I can manage heavier weights and longer cardio sprints. My confidence continues to build, and my cares about others think continue to fade even further as I take a breather to break it down to a 90’s rap song in the middle of class. Guys, go take a class at a gym or a studio or where ever! I will come with you! Life changing.
If there’s ever any complaining about having to go the gym childcare center (which there rarely is because they have made friends there now!), I remind them WHY mommy needs to be at the gym. To keep my body healthy. I then relay it back to them because let’s face it, at that age, they are self-absorbed even though they don’t mean to be: I want to be healthy and strong so I can hold them, run with them, go biking with them, make delicious food, and be around for a very very long time.
It goes without saying that life with three boys ages five and under requires a whole bit of my energy. Goodness, I adore it. Holy moly they keep me healthy. I’m finding that my boys thoroughly enjoy helping me in the kitchen which brings me so much joy I can hardly even express it. I continue to teach them about what it means to be healthy, and they are starting to absorb some of it!
I continue on my journey of self-improvement just as most of us continue to do. I am learning a lot about myself throughout the process. As I become older and wiser, I am learning what matters to me, what doesn’t, what and who deserve my attention, what brings me down, and focusing SOOO much on finding positivity, surrounding myself with those who lift me up, and mostly, finding some self-confidence that I seriously lack. It is still a long journey to get where I want to be, but I am pretty excited to say I am making progress.
What on earth is this post even about? I guess I just wanted to check in with myself and check in with you. I LOVE writing on here and geez louise every time I do, I tell myself I’m going to do it more because gosh darn it, it feels good. I still don’t know what direction this blog is going to take, but the answer doesn’t have to come any time soon. In the mean time, I will continue to post my randomness that comes to me.
On January 1st, my mom sent me a link to an article written by Harvey Mackey in the Star Tribune (our local paper). It’s about the power of the positive. You can read the whole article in the link below, but I plan to highlight my favorite bits (which is basically the entire article) in this post as well.
I read this, and re-read it, and then saved it to my favorites so I could go back to it whenever I needed a boost of positive reinforcement. His message is so right on I could only dream of being able to say it so well. On this gloomy day, and after a sleepless night, I revisited these words once again because I needed a pick-me-up. Once again, it did the trick.
So, without further jibber jabber from me, I present to you some of my favorite pieces of his article…
“With the new year upon us, I have a challenge for you. Stop worrying about that which you cannot control.
Many years ago, this advice came from Robert Jones Burdette, an American humorist and clergyman: “There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept from fear and apprehension. One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.
The other day we should not worry about, is tomorrow with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.
This leaves only one day — today. Any person can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities — yesterday and tomorrow — that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives people mad — it is remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what will happen tomorrow.”
Let that sink in for a minute. Today is the only day we can take action. Sure, we learn from yesterday. And of course, we plan for tomorrow. But unless we approach each day with a renewed positive outlook, we are wasting enormous potential.”
He then goes on to write about a fellow writer, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, who published a bestseller in 1952 titled, “The Power of Positive Thinking”. Some of the highlights of the book:
• “You do not need to be a victim of worry. Reduced to its simplest form, what is worry? It is simply an unhealthy and destructive mental habit.”
• “The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”
• “When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.”
• “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. But with sound self-confidence you can succeed. A sense of inferiority and inadequacy interferes with the attainment of your hopes, but self-confidence leads to self-realization and successful achievement.”
Wow, just wow. Every time I read it I once again feel incredibly empowered. Sometimes WE are the only ones in the way of our own success. So get out of the way. Self-doubt is NO GOOD so let it go!
For those of you who have been following with me for a long time, you know about my history with ulcerative colitis. When I was diagnosed at the age of 12, we (thanks, mama) began experimenting with diets to help with my symptoms, noting my trigger foods and also enlisting the help of naturopaths and other medical professionals. This, along with some other factors, swayed my decision to become a Registered Dietitian. I have been practicing as a RD since 2011.
Throughout the experimentation process, I learned a WHOLE LOT about myself and the foods/ingredients/etc. that triggered my symptoms to flare. When I was younger, it was harder for me to have the willpower or desire to manage these symptoms by eliminating certain foods from my diet, but now, it’s pretty much a no-brainer. I’ve learned that for me, my biggest trigger is gluten, followed by dairy and processed sugar. I know that if my gut is beginning to feel “off” that I need to really cut these foods back or out for a while until I get back on track. Sometimes I can eat these foods and feel perfectly fine, other times not so much.
I generally follow a low-gluten, low-dairy diet. My sweet tooth loves it’s chocolate but I am incredibly mindful when I am eating my sweet treats (which I do daily). I also work with a naturopath and take a variety of natural supplements.
I could go into this whole ordeal in full detail but this post would completely derail from the main intention of this post, so I’ll have to save it for another day.
Little Northern Bakehouse and National Toast Day
Recently, I was approached by Little Northern Bakehouse, a bakery that proudly uses non-GMO, whole-food, quality ingredients, to create delicious, certified gluten-free and vegan bread loaves. They asked me if I would want to help them celebrate National Toast Day on on February 23rd and offered me the chance to try their bread. Um….HECK YES!
I have fond memories of my mom making me toast with melty peanut butter and honey drizzled, or cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the top. MMMMMmmm. Even today I still love that snack and so do my kids.
Little Northern Bakehouse sent me two of their loaf varieties to try: Whole Grain and Cinnamon & Raisin.
Other products they offer: White Wide Slice Loaf, Millet & Chia Loaf, Seeds & Grain Loaf, Millet & Chia Hot Dog Buns, the Millet & Chia Buns and just recently added Sprouted Honey Oat Bread and Sprouted 7 Grain Bread (I REALLY want to try those ones). Learn more about their products on their website!
Cinnamon and Raisin Loaf
I jumped on the first chance I had to get that cinnamon raisin bread toasted up for myself and the kids. In about three minutes, I had the bread toasted up, and slathered with peanut butter. I gave the boys the option of banana slices as well, which Bode (now 4 years old) happily accepted. He adorned his with a single blueberry too, because why not?!
You could top this beauty with chia seeds, coconut flakes, nut butter of your choice, or vegan cream cheese and grapes (or full dairy cream cheese if you’re not vegan). My family is not vegan, so I am hoping to use some of this bread for French toast in the near future or a sweet and savory toasted egg sandwich?! YUM.
Whole Grain Wide Slice Loaf
Next, it was time to experiment with the whole grain bread. I gravitate towards the peanut butter always, but wanted to branch out and be more creative, so I grabbed myself a container of vegan cream cheese and got busy…
The delightful end-product included a heavy slather of cream cheese, English cucumber slices and everything but the bagel seasoning to finish it off. I cut it into four triangles before crunching into it because triangles are THE BEST way to eat bread. The creaminess of the cream cheese coupled with the crunch of the bread and the coolness of the cucumbers…absolutely perfect. I would love to use this toasted bread as a dunker for soup too. Tis’ the season for soup after all. Just kidding, any time of the year is soup season for me; my favorite!
I am always happy to find gluten-free products that I can enjoy without sacrificing flavor or texture. I am thankful that I was able to give these products a go and give my approval too!
Try it!
If you want to try some for yourself, you can use their handy “store locator” on their website to find out where to buy: Little Northern Bakehouse
Also, follow @BeautifullyNutty and @LittleNorthernBakehouse on Instagram to enter the sweepstakes for an opportunity to win a $1,000 gift card for “Brunch for a Year”!
Disclosure: I received free products from Little Northern Bakehouse for review. The review and opinions of the products are solely my own.
How are YOU going to celebrate National Toast Day?
It’s no secret I love my veggies. I have been really getting after it lately with taking more food photos again so I thought I would share, and maybe inspire you to get your veg on too.
Pictured: a bed of baby spinach (I went raw, but could have been deliciously wilted), roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed onions, two over-easy eggs, avocado and everything but the bagel seasoning! I had prepped the sweet potato ahead of time so this lunch only took about 6-7 minutes to whip up when hunger struck. That’s manageable in my opinion!
Pictured below: a revised version of these baked pretzel chicken fingers. I used almond flour instead of regular flour, omitted the chili powder and added mustard powder. I want to make this again so I can share the exact recipe with you all because it was a HIT. I served it on top of a mix of spinach and romaine, avocado, mandarin oranges (kids are obsessed with those!), grapes, feta cheese, sliced almonds and a drizzle of strawberry vinaigrette. This was indeed restaurant quality. I served it with a whole grain baguette and BUTTAh.
PERFECTO MUNDO.
This last photo isn’t as pretty as the others (taken on my old phone) but it was equally as delicious and worth sharing. This is from a “vegged up” taco night I had with some of my girlfriends. I piled spinach on my plate and topped it with tomatoes, black olives, corn, black beans, guacamole, sautéed bell peppers and onions, taco chicken, cilantro, crushed corn tortilla chips, salsa, and a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Ok, right? Yea I know.
Tell me about your latest and greatest veggie-lovin’ meals! Inspire me!
Way, way back in the day (like four years ago?!?!), I shared my every day breakfast smoothie. This is the smoothie I have almost every single day. I am a person who likes variety when it comes to my food, so to say I have this bad boy almost daily is kind of big deal. There’s no way I would choke down a nasty smoothie no matter how good it was for me. Okay, maybe I would, but I promise you this one is delicious.
This is a super simple way to kick-start my day with fruits, veggies and protein. I have changed and adapted it over the years to amp up the amount of protein because this girl NEEDS it to maintain my energy, as we all do.
I figure it is time to share the revamped recipe with you all and then you can decide for yourself if it is a yay or a nay!
Here ya go…
Do you like the pine needles on the front porch? Merry, merry Christmas!
There’s been a lot going on over here within the last week. I was hired by a local spa as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist! I am an independent contractor so I have my own business, but I am working in the spa and we are all a team.
Ecstatic, nervous, grateful, giddy….these are just a few of the emotions that I have been experiencing throughout this week.
So what does this mean exactly? This means I will be meeting with individuals and groups (either in person, or via “telehealth” calls) to help them meet their health and nutrition goals. I will also be holding cooking classes, wellness workshops, going to events and so much more!
This.is.a.dream.
I still can’t believe this is all transpiring.
Here’s the thing, I want to work with YOU. Whether it is to help you reach your health goals, to be your accountability coach, to listen to your health or nutrition concerns, to ignite a passion for cooking, to help you to feel better, let me be your person! Everyone has their own personal health goals, and I would love to be the person to help pave the way for you to reach those goals.
I can’t wait to hear from you!
Email me at: beautifullynutty@gmail.com
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support!
I just wanted to pop in real quick to let you know that we are one man closer to our very own basketball team.
Baby Blake arrived on July 14, 2018. 7#1oz, 19.5 inches long. Dark brown hair and lots of it!
As always, active labor was muy rapido for us and he came flying out to greet the world. The nurses named him Rocket, short for Rocket Man because he was lightning fast.
He is everything we dreamed of and more. The boys are adjusting beautifully and they adore their baby brother.
Life is obviously a bit crazy but all in all, I feel pretty good with where we are at! Heck, I even had a breather to type of this blog post!
I hope you are all well! Hope to check in again soon.
Well, hello strangers! It’s been a very long time!
I’ve been having some issues with uploading photos into the blog, most likely because it’s been so neglected and could use some serious housekeeping. BUT, instead of spending my time googling how to fix it right now, I decided I would write a little post instead.
I miss writing. I really do. I’m not giving up on the hope that someday I will get back writing and posting more often.
I have been cooking up a storm, mostly recipes that I find on Pinterest that I end up tweaking. Lots of wins lately. My favorite soup right now is this cheesy vegetable chowder from 12tomatoes:
I cut down on the butter just a bit and it turns out great every time. It makes a big batch so we are able to make it last a few meals. Go make it, you won’t regret it!
Our Minnesota “Spring” continues to look more and more like winter. We just got some snow last night and are supposedly getting 10 more inches by tomorrow. Hence the reason why I’m still making soup. Who am I kidding? I love soup any time of the year.
Let’s see, what’s been keeping me busy lately…oh yes, my energetic beautiful boys.
Bode is 3.5 years old. Spunky, hilarious, curious, cautious and very much a three-year-old. So far he has dabbled in swimming, gymnastics, soccer, and dance. He is looking forward to starting up gymnastics again hopefully this summer. He is my mini me in terms of looks.
Benjamin is 1.5. Sweet, fearless, so happy, and always has that twinkle in his eye. He is definitely the instigator between the two boys. I think Ben will be the one looking for trouble and Bode will be the one questioning if it’s a good idea. Time will tell! Ben is looking more and more like Dana every day.
The two boys love to play together and love to fight. This is the beginning of a long road of boy battles I realize.
Our latest house projects have included redoing our mudroom. We took out the closet and knocked back the wall and replaced with paneling, hooks, and shelves. Our little family can all fit in there when we are coming in from the garage. It’s AMAZING!
We’ve also been working on getting Bode’s room ready to share with Benny. Ben will be moving in within the next few months to make room for….
A NEW BABY! We are excited to announce that baby boy #3 will be joining our family in July! Upon finding out I was having another boy, I was terrified. Talk about being outnumbered. But you know what? I grew up with three older brothers, growing up I had a ton of guy friends, and now after having two boys already plus being married to one, man alive, I feel like I’m doing pretty well with figuring out how the male work. I’ve had a lot of time to learn. They are much less complicated than girls I hear?
So yes, bring on the cars, trains, and superheroes, I am ready. Also, my boys love to play dress up in my old dance costumes and play with dolls and barbies and I adore that. I’m about to pull out my old barbies for them to play with. It strengthens their masculinity. 🙂
I will be updating the nursery because I am so tired of the old nautical stuff from when Bode was a baby.
So that is my latest creative outlet. Planning and decorating the nursery for sweet little boy. I am hoping to work with this color scheme:
I GOT A PICTURE TO UPLOAD! Whoop whoop!
I am working on a decoration for the wall that says: Be Brave, Be Kind, Be True. I am very excited to see it all come together! I have a long way to go though!
Alright, the boys are up and it’s time for me to get a truckin’.
I hope you are all doing fabulously well! I would love to hear from you!
