Hi hi! Happy Friday! How are ya? What’s going on this weekend? I feel like it’s our weekend of calm before the celebration avalanche begins. We have the PIlot’s birthday Monday, P’s birthday Wednesday, her party Friday, Trunk or Treat Saturday, a Halloween party on Sunday, and Monday is Halloween. We also have a promotion for the Pilot the following weekend, so I’m excited to just buckle up and enjoy the season because from now on, it’s wild around here, and I’m.ready.for.it. This weekend we’ll probably just hang out, visit a pumpkin patch, and celebrate the Pilot’s bday with the fam. I’d love to hear what you have going on and what your kids or pets are going to be for Halloween!

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.

Friday Faves

Random/life:

Seeing Six again. Friends, it’s UP THERE with my favorite musicals of all time. I saw it with Madre last week and was blown away, so we took Nani and Liv with us on Sunday night to see it again. (Heads up that some of the content is a bit more adult, so use your discretion. There’s only one song that I’m iffy about for the kids; the adult humor in the other songs just fly over their heads.)

The touring cast was insane… easily the best live vocal performances I’ve seen in a very long time. (Amina Faye was Jane Seymour. Give your ears a treat with her version of “Heart of Stone.”) Definitely check it out if a touring cast is coming near you!

Detox update. I’m officially on Day 5 of the functional medicine detox. It’s been quite a journey, and I’ve loved doing this with a community. (If you decide to do this on your own time, you can use FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off.) Day 1, I felt amazing and super energized. Day 2, I hit a little afternoon slump, and by Day 3, I felt like I was cruising along. The channa masala I made for lunch tasted like a dream. I feel like inflammation in my face is way down, and it’s been a much-needed little reset. I’ll share more details next week, plus all of the recipes I’ve been making! If you have any questions I can answer in my post, please let me know.

These journals for the girls! Julie from Read more

Searching for spa cuisine recipes? These fresh recipes, loaded with colorful veggies and lean protein, are busting with flavor and nutrition to help you feel good and glowy sans an expensive trip to the spa. 

Hi friends! I hope you’re enjoying the week so far. Today is day 3 of the Dr. Cabral detox (use FITNESSISTA20 if you want to do this at your own time!), and I’m feeling amazing. It was just the little boost and reset I’ve been craving, and I’ve slept so well the past two nights.

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a bit about spa cuisine, since I’m focusing on extra flavorful and fresh eats the next week. Spa cuisine is typically made up of fresh, local, seasonal, or organic ingredients that are presented in a simple yet colorful way. They tend to focus on quality rather than quantity, and are not only nutrient-dense but are packed with flavors. You’ll often see lots of fresh produce, herbs, and citrus in spa meals. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of spa cuisine recipes that you can easily recreate anytime.

Many of these recipes are also gluten-free and dairy-free. 

10 Spa Cuisine Recipes

1. Winter Spa Salad with Lemon Chicken via Pinch of Yum

Winter Spa Salad with Lemon Chicken! Loaded with chickpeas, spinach, pomegranates, Cara Cara oranges, avocado, shallots, herbs, dressing, and lemon chicken.

2. Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad With Peanut Butter Sauce via The Awesome Green

An exotic and colorful combination, which replaces the rice with the nutrient-loaded cauliflower. The secret of this dish is a delicious ginger-peanut butter sauce.

3. Healthy Chicken Quinoa Beet Bowls with Herb Gremolata via Aberdeen’s Kitchen

Healthy chicken quinoa beet bowls with herb gremolata – Clean eating, healthy living, and a tasty recipe all in one bowl! Tons of protein, nutrients, and even some vitamin C to keep you going, topped with a fresh herb gremolata.

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Re-sharing this post because it’s a yearly staple for us and I know so many of you love them, too!! These flourless pumpkin chocolate chip bars are SO good and I usually have all of the ingredients for this healthy fall dessert on hand and ready to go.

Let the avalanche of all things pumpkin begin.

I feel like this year, a lot of people are playing it cool when it comes to pumpkin. You know, trying not to act *too* excited about its arrival. (Also it could totally be the fact that many of us are still experiencing true summer weather.) And then, there are people like me who have already enjoyed a PSL (or a few….), and upon seeing the shelf of pumpkin-filled cans at Trader Joe’s, I did the slow-mo run to them, arms wide open, and a creepy smile on my face.

I just can’t help myself.

While the Pilot doesn’t go crazy for pumpkin at all, I gave birth to two pumpkin-obsessed little friends, who share my enthusiasm for this festive gourd.

Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

This afternoon, I decided to embark on my first pumpkin baking adventure of the season, with chocolate chip pumpkin bars. It was a twist on my beloved flourless blueberry breakfast bake (recipe is in the book!), and uses creamy almond butter and egg as the base. The result: a dense, buttery, perfectly spiced, and sweet healthy pumpkin dessert or snack. It’s also amazing in the morning with some butter and a side of scrambled eggs.

Here’s this healthy pumpkin recipe if you’d like to give it a try!

and a video!

Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I hope you’re having a great one so far! We’re having the best Fall Break with the kiddos, and am looking forward to a shorter week this week, and getting everything ready for the Pilot and P’s bday celebrations. I’m also starting the Dr. Cabral 7-day detox today with our community. You can still absolutely order a kit and join in on your own time when it arrives (use FITNESSISTA20 for a discount).

For today’s post, I wanted to share some of the changes I’ve made in my routine that have moved the dial towards productivity, improved mood, and sleep. It’s fun to adjust things over time and see what works, and this is what has been working for lately. I’d love to hear if you’re working towards any goals or have made any sleep/routine changes and how they’re going!

5 dial movers in my health routine

1) An updated morning routine

I used to get frustrated hearing about morning routines of successful entrepreneurs because I have small kids, a life, and ain’t got no time for a 2-hour complex morning routine. The kids used to be our alarm clock, but now that they’re older, I still sleep until the alarm goes off. I roll out of bed and am flung directly into the morning chaos until school drop-off, or on the weekends, it’s dance and soccer games. I would hear about elaborate morning meditation, journaling, and exercise routines and just feel annoyed.

Buuuuut, I realized I could shuffle around some of my favorite habits that put me in a positive and productive mindset and make them work for my life. My “morning routine” is a bit delayed now, or split into pieces throughout the day, and makes a huge difference in my stress level and my attitude.

Here are the components I include:

Morning sunlight and grounding

I know that early morning sunlight can help your circadian rhythm and enable your body to produce melatonin at the correct times, so you’re able to go to sleep more easily at night. I’d open the blinds and let sun into the house first thing, but over the past couple of months, I started stepping outside into the sun. It feels SO good and makes me feel instantly awake and like I’m ready to conquer the day.

I have to let Maisey out in the morning anyway, so instead of staying inside curled up with hoodie or blanket, I walk outside with her. I step into the grass, even if it’s wet, remove my glasses (since they are transition and blue light blockers), and look around the yard. It takes maybe three minutes, but sets the tone for the entire day. I get a little bit of sunlight on my body and in my eyes, and also get in a bit of grounding, which can be therapeutic. According to this study, “Grounding appears to improve sleep, normalize the day–night cortisol rhythm, reduce pain, reduce stress, shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation, increase heart rate variability, speed wound healing, and reduce blood viscosity.”

7 minutes of meditation, 10 minute of journaling

Every day, I spend 7 minutes meditation on my Read more

HI friends! Happy Friday and hellooooooo from the Great Wolf Lodge. We were originally supposed to be on the way to NYC – there were a lot of reasons for canceling, but decided to do a Disney cruise in January instead – and ended up doing a little fall break staycation at GWL. The kids LOVE it here and are at the perfect ages to enjoy everything they have to offer. I think this is our fourth trip and we’ve had a blast each time.

Other than Great Wolf Lodge, the kids have a birthday party, friend/family dinner, and I’m getting everything ready to start the Dr. Cabral detox on Monday.

I will definitely share more about my experience! If you want to join, you can still order here and use FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off. They ship very quickly and you can start whenever you receive your goodies.

I’d love to hear what you’re up to this weekend! I hope you have a relaxing and lovely one ahead.

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.

Friday Faves

Random:

Six! Season tickets for Broadway in Tucson were my Mother’s Day gift, and it’s already one my favorite gifts. I love having shows to look forward to all year!

I took madre with me to see Six on opening night and it.was.everything. I had no clue what to expect and was blown away! It’s unlike traditional musicals, as there are no set or costume changes. The six performers are onstage with the band the entire time, and it has like a concert vibe to it. It still has an amazing plot, deep moments, lots of comic relief, and the entire audience was clapping, cheering, and fully enjoying themselves.

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