Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Our kids are back in school or starting new jobs, and we’re enjoying the start of fall here in Ohio. We’ve had some gloriously cool mornings here and I’m trying to get out and walk as much as possible these days.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: I’ve been back in the kitchen this week, cooking and baking some great new recipes to share. The time off was great, and I’m excited to get back to work. Is anyone else ready for some fall comfort foods?

In the meantime, let’s put together a meal plan for this week with some Beer and Garlic Grilled Chicken, Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese, and this Watermelon Fruit Salad.

For my salad cravings, this BLT Chopped Salad and the Italian Grinder Salad need to happen soon.

Ramen Egg Roll in a Bowl is an irresistible skillet of deconstructed egg rolls tossed with ramen noodles and I’m telling you now that you are going to love it.

One of my boys requested enchiladas this week, so these cheesy green chile chicken and black bean enchiladas are also on the meal plan. It’s a guaranteed two thumbs up from my crowd.

Buttery, garlicky shrimp with plenty of bright lemon is something I can never get enough of. I have a hard time resisting eating these Garlic Butter Shrimp straight out of the pan each time I cook them.

I’ve been craving these Cosmic Brownies, so I’ll be making a batch this weekend. (On the pretense of stocking them in the freezer for the kids, ha.) 

And I’m thinking it’s time to make this Blackberry Coconut Crisp again, along with a batch of ice cream to scoop over each serving.

My FAVORITE THING this week are these cropped leggings. I’ve been wearing them for several years now, and just bought a couple of new pairs. They hold up well and I just about live in them both for exercise and for work days in the kitchen through the fall and winter.

What I’m READING: A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey. This wasn’t really a feel-good book for me. It was more of an ups-and-downs roller coaster, a little too realistic for me at times. I found it both depressing and uplifting at different times. It w

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What’s going on this weekend? We have the usual basketball and dance scramble, and we’re meeting up with my dad and stepmom for dinner, and hanging out with friends on Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend 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.

8.23 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

A scavenger hunt parenting hack.

Had the best anniversary with the Pilot and our babies. We had dinner at Hacienda del Sol, which was low-key and lovely.

So excited to be working with Dr. Honican at Longevity Health on some Bioenergetic Testing. I’ve wanted to try this forever, so I can’t wait to get my results back. (This test is different than the HTMA test that we offer, so I’m excited to see the difference and overlaps in my results from previous tests.) You can check out my podcast with Dr. Honican here!

Revolve 20% off ALL beauty!

They have quite a few amazing finds, like:

my favorite Tarte lip balm (just ordered two more for Liv and myself)

the perfect travel jewelry organizer

just ordered this eye brush set

an acupressure mat kit

this gorgeous glow balm

one of my go-to clean fragrances

the best sleep mask in a gorgeous print

Sharing some tips about sugar cravings, healthy foods to curb them, why you should enjoy a sweet treat when you want one, and why fueling yourself throughout the day is the key to feeling satisfied and energized.

Hi friends! How’s the day going? Are you excited about the return of fall? It’s bittersweet for us! I hope you have a wonderful day!!. 🙂

For today’s post, let’s talk about sugar cravings!

Sugar cravings make you feel the urge to eat something sweet, and it’s super common. It can also lead to overeating, as tons of sugary foods can satisfy your sweet tooth for a second, but also make you feel hungry and wanting more just as quickly. Some common causes of sugar cravings include: poor sleep quality, hormones (oh hey, PMS), being dehydrated, restrictive eating styles, and deprivation throughout the day. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of foods and strategies I enjoy to fight sugar cravings and hope that these tips are helpful for ya.

Healthy foods to curb sugar cravings

(10 years ago, I would have never posted these pics. My posture is slouchy and I don’t like the way my stomach looks. But, this is real life, and this is my real body, so there ya go.)

Make sure you’re getting enough protein

Protein is the building block of our cells and also adds a satiety factor to our meals. They’re so much more filling when there’s a protein component, and as it’s important to preserve muscle tissue as we age, high-protein food continues to be something you should include in your meals and snacks.

Some sources of protein you might consider:

– Greek yogurt

– Cottage cheese

– Chicken

– Fish (shellfish, salmon, tuna)

– Eggs

– Tempeh

– Lentils

– Red meat

-Deli meat

– A quality protein powder

Get fiber throughout the day

Foods that are high in fiber are also high in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and antioxidants, plus they can improve digestion. In your meals and snacks, try to include veggies with high water content, and eat the colors of the rainbow throughout the day. Each week, I like to grab a ton of veggies and roast them on a sheet pan. I’ll add these veggies to wraps, scrambles, and salads throughout the week. (Also, when you roast them, it makes them easier to digest. If you have a hard time digesting raw salads, roasted veggies may be an awesome solution.)

I’m also a huge fan of fermented foods, like kimchi and sauerkraut, and chia seeds increase fiber intake.

Foods that are naturally sweet (as opposed to foods sweetened with artificial sweeteners or added sugars) can also be sources of fiber in your diet, like fruit! I love berries, a couple of medjool dates stuffed with peanut butter and topped with sea salt, or a handful of dried fruit and nuts.

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The last post I did with a workout update seems like it was years ago, so I figured it was time for a recap post. I’ve made some pretty big changes in the past year and half and wanted to post them here!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the week so far! I’m headed to an event at the girls’ school, a barre class, and then have stacked client calls today until pickup and the evening routine. Here.we.go!

For today’s post, I wanted to share a workout update since it’s been quite a while. My workouts have changed quite a bit over the past year and a half, so I thought I’d post a lil update.

One of the many beautiful things about fitness is that it can evolve along with you, wherever you are in your journey. When I first got started in the fitness industry, I loved joint-pounding workouts and sweating from my eyeballs. When I was pregnant, i gravitated more towards barre, spin, and yoga. I eventually changed my focus into heavy strength training. I did years of Orangetheory. I trained for races and did half marathons. And now, here I am.

When I was hit with the eye issues last spring, in conjuction to a couple of years of joint pain, fatigue, and mystery rashes, I had a hint that my stress levels were too high. (Stress can be in the form of emotional stress, physical stress, and environmental toxins.) There was inflammation in my body, which was confirmed when two Lupus markers were positive. I was determined to reduce the inflammation, nourish, and heal my body, so I set out on a mission to support my nutrition and nervous system.

You can ready more about my healing plan here, and a huge part of that was changing up my workouts.

Before the eye issues began, I had pretty lofty body composition goals. I was lifting the heaviest I’ve ever lifted, but also had poor recovery. I’d push it at the gym and then either get sick or feel like I needed days to recover. I eventually learned the hard way that you can’t heal and get shredded at the same time. 😉

I changed up my focus, and while my body composition has changed a bit – I’m definitely not as *toned* or muscular as I’ve been in the past – I feel a million times better. My clothes still fit, but more importantly, I can move my body every day and not feel like a truck hit me. My Lupus markers were negative in December (!) and I can wear contacts agin. Over a year later, I’m finally at the place where I feel like I can push myself a bit again, so I’m slowly lifting heavier and starting to add in more intense cardio intervals, with lots of recovery and easier days in between.

How workouts have changed (h

Sharing a recap of our stay at Aulani, the Disney resort in Hawaii and if I think it’s worth it!

Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? I hope you had a great one! Ours was pretty busy but good. We’re definitely still adjusting to being back in school and back in the routine after two epic trips this summer. We went to Spain, and to Hawaii, and also spent some time at Aulani while we were there.

My story with Aulani is an interesting one, because I was supposed to visit the property for a press trip years ago. Our plane had to make an emergency landing – it was pretty traumatizing – and our neice was born the same day! I ended up missing the trip, and have wanted to go this entire time. Last time we were in Waikiki, we did a luau in the neighborhood (Paradise Cove Luau – the food was meh but the entertainment was excellent) and knew when we returned, we’d have to stay at Aulani.

Leading up to the trip, I was slammed with work stuff because I was trying to batch content, record podcast interviews, and do client call check-ins so I could mostly unplug. I reached out to Laura to see if she’d help booking our trip, and she made it SO easy. She also took care of our Aulani luau reservations. I highly recommend reaching out to her if you’re looking for a travel agent, and she specializes in family and international travel.

(my dress is sold out at Anthro here // P’s is here // Liv is wearing an older Madewell dress)

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