Lazy Sunday Dinner Ideas

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Sharing some lazy Sunday dinner ideas that you can make quickly and that the whole fmaily will love. 

Hi friends! How are you and how’s the week going? It’s been a great one over here. I’m taking a barre class this afternoon and getting my nails done. They need it!

For today’s post, I wanted to share some quick and easy recipes that would be perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, or a lazy Sunday. I’ve gone back to making quick meals on Sundays and it’s been such a treat to eat something at home that didn’t take a couple of hours to make.

I rounded up 9 quick and easy dinner *recipes* (just throw-together meals!) perfect for those cozy Sunday nights when you’d rather relax than cook up a storm. For us, the rest of the week is equally fast around here… but I had to title this post appropriately for The Man (aka Google).

Here are some of our go-tos:

Lazy sunday dinner ideas.

Lazy Sunday Dinner Ideas

Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Creamy, comforting, and oh-so-delicious, this Chicken Alfredo Pasta is a family favorite that comes together in no time.

Ingredients:

Pasta of your choice

Chicken breasts

Alfredo sauce

Garlic

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Step 1: Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Step 2: Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then cook until golden brown.

Step 3: In a separate pan, heat Alfredo sauce and minced garlic.

Step 4: Combine cooked pasta, sliced chicken, and Alfredo sauce. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I love to serve this with broccoli on the side or a salad kit.

Slow cooker beef stew.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Let your slow cooker do all the work with this hearty and flavorful Beef Stew that’s perfect for chilly Sunday evenings.

Ingredients:

Beef stew meat

Potatoes

Carrots

Onion

Beef broth

Tomato paste

Worcestershire sauce

Garlic

Herbs and spices

Instructions:

Step 1: Place beef stew meat, chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion in the slow cooker.

Step 2: In a bowl, whisk together beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, and herbs/spices.

Step 3: Pour mixture over the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

This simple yet elegant Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken is bursting with flavor.

Ingredients:

Whole chicken

Lemon

Garlic

Olive oil

Fresh herbs (such as rosemary and thyme)

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Step 2: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Stuff the cavity of the chicken with lemon halves, garlic cloves, and fresh herbs.

Step 4: Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and season well with salt and pepper.

Step 5: Roast in the oven for 1-1.5 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C). I like to serve this with sweet potatoes (cook in the Instant pot with a little water for 30 minutes) and sauteed zucchini.

Quick and easy teriyaki chicken.

Quick and Easy Teriya

Breathwork for stress reduction

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Shainrg some ideas on how to use breathwork for stress reduction. 

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope you’re enjoying the week so far. I have client calls all day today and am looking forward to choir later tonight 🙂 This is one of the busiest seasons of the year for so many of us. I feel like from now until the end of school is a sprint to the finish line. So, for today’s post, I wanted to chat a little bit about stress and one of my favorite stress reduction techniques.

Stress has become a common part of our daily lives. From work deadlines to family responsibilities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and anxious. However, one powerful tool that we often overlook is our breath.

Breath work, also known as controlled breathing or pranayama, is a simple yet effective technique that can help reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Today, I wanted to talk about the benefits of breath work and share some practical tips to incorporate it into your daily routine. Please let me know if you give them a whirl!

Breathwork for stress reduction

The Benefits of Breath Work:

Stress Reduction: One of the most significant benefits of breath work is its ability to reduce stress levels. Deep, slow breathing activates the body’s relaxation response, calming the nervous system and lowering cortisol levels.

Improved Mental Clarity: Breath work can help clear the mind and improve focus and concentration. By bringing awareness to the breath, you can quiet racing thoughts and achieve a sense of mental clarity.

Enhanced Emotional Well-being: Conscious breathing can help regulate emotions and promote a sense of calm and balance. It can be particularly beneficial for managing anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.

Better Sleep Quality: Practicing breath work before bedtime can help calm the mind and promote better sleep quality. Deep breathing techniques can induce a state of relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

Increased Energy Levels: Deep breathing delivers oxygen to the brain and muscles, increasing energy levels and improving overall vitality. By practicing breath work regularly, you can boost your energy levels and combat feelings of fatigue.

How to Practice Breath Work for Stress Reduction:

Diaphragmatic Breathing: Start by sitting or lying down in a comfortable position. Place one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest. Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to rise as you fill your lungs with air. Exhale slowly through your mouth, allowing your abdomen to fall. Repeat for several breaths, focusing on the sensation of your breath moving in and out of your body.

Box Breathing: This technique involves breathing in for a count of four, holding for a count of four, exhaling for a count of four, and holding for a count of four. Visualize drawing a square with your breath, inhaling as you ascend, holding at the top, exhaling as you descend, and holding at the bottom.

Alternate Nostril Breathing: Sit in a comfortable position and close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale deeply through your left nostril for a count of four. Close your left nostril with your ring finger, and exhale through your right nostril for a count of four. Continue alternating nostrils for several rounds, focusing on the rhythm of your breath.

Mindful Breathing: Take a few moments throughout the day to pause and bring awareness to your breath. Notice the sensation of air entering and leav

Sleep hygiene hacks

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Sharing some sleep hygeine hacks to help you get a better night’s sleep. 

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope that you had an amazing weekend. We’re back from a whirlwind trip to Vegas! It was such a blast to spend the weekend with friends in one of my favorite places. I’ll share some pics of the shenanigans in Friday Faves!

Today, let’s talk about sleep!

In today’s fast-paced world, quality sleep has become a luxury rather than a necessity. Yet, it’s essential for our overall health and well-being. Sleep hygiene, the habits and practices that promote healthy sleep, plays a crucial role in achieving restorative rest each night.

10 Sleep Hygiene Hacks

In this blog post, I wanted to share 10 effective sleep hygiene hacks to help you optimize your sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. (Little note: this is not medical advaice and I’m not a doctor. If you’re having trouble with sleep, please reach out to your health care provider.)

Establish a Consistent Sleep Schedule:
Maintaining a regular sleep-wake cycle helps regulate your body’s internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, to synchronize your circadian rhythm.

Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: Develop a calming pre-sleep ritual to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. This could include activities like reading a book, practicing gentle yoga or meditation, taking a warm bath, or listening to soothing music. Avoid stimulating activities or screens, which can disrupt melatonin production and hinder sleep.

Optimize Your Sleep Environment:
Transform your bedroom into a sleep-friendly sanctuary by optimizing your sleep environment. Keep the room cool, dark, and quiet, and invest in comfortable bedding and a supportive mattress. Consider using blackout curtains, white noise machines, or earplugs to block out external disturbances and promote deep sleep.

Limit Exposure to Blue Light:
Exposure to blue light from screens (phones, tablets, computers) in the evening can suppress melatonin production and interfere with sleep. Minimize screen time at least an hour before bedtime, or use blue light-blocking glasses or apps to reduce the impact of artificial light on your sleep cycle.

Watch Your Caffeine Intake: While caffeine can provide a temporary energy boost, consuming it too close to bedtime can disrupt sleep. Limit your intake of caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, and soda in the afternoon and evening, and opt for decaffeinated options or herbal teas instead.

Practice Relaxation Techniques:
Incorporate relaxation techniques into your bedtime routine to calm your mind and body before sleep. Deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxatio

Friday Faves 3.15

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Hi friends! Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had an amazing week. We’re heading off on a little weekend adventure – I’ll share the fun over on IG stories!

I’m also diving into High Performance Health modules and am so excited about this content.

What do you have going on this weekend? I’d love to hear what you’re up to!

(sourdough and Mazer. The perfect combo)

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 3.15

Read, watch, listen:

The great joy of returning to your childhood hobbies. I relate to this so much! I’m singing in the symphony choir, taking Spanish lessons, and who knows, maybe I’ll start playing piano again.

Tips to boost your joy.

If you’re looking for weeknight meal inspo, check out this post.

Excellent podcast episode about menopause.

Fashion + beauty:

Maybe my internet sleuth friends out there can help me. I got this dress in this week’s RTR unlimited shipment and I LOVE it. It’s classic, the color is fun, and I can’t find it anywhere online. To buy it through RTR is $300 and I don’t love it that much 😉 Any ideas?? The brand is Derek Lam.

Derek lam dress.

(A little peek at the new floors! They look a million times better.)

New Vuori goodies! Vuori is my favorite spot to order athletic clothes right now. The quality is amazing, the colors are gorgeous, and they’re well-made and flattering.

I got this tank and this pair of shorts:

another energy tank (my fave out of all of them) and these bike shorts

and a new jumpsuit. I have a few Vuori jumpsuits and this year’s verison is even better. It has a waistband, built-in bra (!), and tapered legs, in the same dreamy fabric.

Fitness, health, and good eats:

New-to-me cookbook find. A friend raved about this one, so I ordered a copy! I’m excited to tr

My personal healing plan

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Sharing my strategy and how I’ve decreased inflammation and resolved some health issues over the past year.

***Warning: this post contains red eyeball pictures. If that freaks you out, please feel free to skip this post! 

Hi friends! I hope that you’re having a great week. Ours has been spent slowly putting the house back together – I’ll share some pics of the new floors soon!- and getting ready for spring travel and adventures.

For today’s post, I wanted to share a bit more about my health journey over the past year and my plan.

Please keep in mind that I’m not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. If you’re struggling with your health, please reach out to your doctor and get the support you need. Also, please don’t take, “you’re going to have to live with this” for an answer. There have been a handful of times in our family where I was told that was the case and it was not true. Sometimes you need a third or fourth opinion, but someone is out there who can help you. You can heal, and you deserve to feel amazing.

This time last year, things went wacky with my eyes. It was a pretty stressful time – the Pilot was traveling a lot, it was dance competition season, and I had to do a few of the dance competitions, and the big Disney trip for the parade solo parenting. It was all fun stuff, but it was a lot. We were getting ready for our end-of-the-year party, planning for Liv’s first communtion, and I was pushing myself the hardest I’d ever pushed with strength training and intervals.

I don’t want to recap the entire story with my eyes – I have a post here, and a podcast episode here – but the nutshell version is that they were neon red for many weeks, and the multiple eye doctors had differing opinions on what caused it. At first they thought it was pink eye – I did antibiotics and it didn’t resolve, and kept coming back – and something had triggered it. The only thing that kept the inflammation down was very intense steriod drops. One doctor wanted me to take them for three to four months!

I kept getting different answers, and after seeing multiple eye doctors, and my PCP, who helped me do some digging, we learned a few things:

– I had blepharitis, which was inflammation of my eyelids, MGD (meibmoian gland dysfunction) and dry eye

– Two markers for Lupus came back positive (ANA and DS-DNA)

– Something was causing inflamamtion in my body

The Lupus thing kind of made sense to me. I’d had random stress rashes over the years, and sometimes my hands would ache. I figured it was because I spent so much time on my phone and typing. I felt low-energy, like all the sleep in the world wouldn’t make me feel rested, and had a hard time recovering from my workouts. I would do one really hard workout, and not be able to work out again for 3-4 days afterwards. I started to get sick more frequently… and when I had the flu, I was in bed for 9 days. I knew something was causing my immune system to be on high alert.

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