Sharing the books I read in March and if I recommend adding them to your list!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far. I’m sorry I disappeared on ya the past couple of days. Usually I’m able to get blog posts written over the weekend, but after finishing 5 days in San Diego and Disney with the girls, I wasn’t able to get it done. I’m back now, and trying to last through all of the work I’ve neglected. It was worth it; we had an amazing time and I’ll share more later this week!

For today, I wanted to share the books I read in March and if I’d recommend them. There were a couple of gold stars in the mix, including the best book I’ve read in years, and an unexpected flop.

March 2023 Book Recap

No-Risk Abs

This was a re-read from years ago, when I was postpartum with P, dealing with… a lot… and I wasn’t sure how much I’d actually retained. This book is an excellent way to reframe how you think about the core muscles and pelvic floor.

Some of her advice is different than what we commonly hear in the core and pelvic floor world. For example, she emphasizes the outer portion of the transverse abdominal muscles (under the external and internal obliques) and how they draw the belly and corset the waist from the SIDES instead of the center. She also talks about the importance of full range of motion in the ribs, when many of us tend to only focus on keeping the ribs down to reduce strain on the linea alba (the connective tissue running down the center of the core in between the rectus abdominus, which stretches to make room for the baby and can lead to diastasis recti).

She focuses on strengthening and stretching the various muscles of the core for full range of motion and optimal strength, and also provides exercises on which exercises are visceral (muscular) and skeletal. One of my favorite tips: when you’re doing deep breathing and core engagement, think about contracting the muscles moving up, like a wave, instead of down. It’s very easy to think about just bringing in the center of our core, which can actually increase abdominal pressure and pelvic floor pressure.

If you’re a fitness nerd like me, and/or if you work with postpartum or female clients in a fitness environment, I highly recommend it. 9/10

From Amazon:

An illustrated guide to the anatomy of the abdominal muscles and how to tone them successfully without injury

• Presents the 16 most effective and safest abdominal exercises for great abs
• Reveals how common ab exercises, such as crunches, can damage the spine, pelvic floor, diaphragm, and internal organs
• Offers tips to get rid of belly fat–both superficial fat and deeper visceral fat

Pre

Creamy slow cooker ham potato soup with soft chunks of buttery potatoes and salty-sweet ham is perfect with a salad or just some crusty bread.

Ham and Potato Chowder

The first time I made this soup, I was staring into the refrigerator over Thanksgiving weekend and I really didn’t feel like warming up another plate of leftovers. (This is what tends to happen when you accidentally wind up with triple the amount of ham and potatoes your family could possibly eat!)

I saw the container -okay, technically, it was pretty much a vat- of potatoes and a big package of ham. So, I decided to see if I could improvise with what we had and come up with a new Baked Potato Soup recipe.

Potato Soup with Ham

The improvised soup turned out fabulously and there was hardly a bite left over.

We loved that soup so much, I wanted to make it again, but I don’t typically have a mountain of mashed potatoes just waiting around to be used on a regular basis.

If you DO happen to have a whole lot of mashed potatoes in the fridge already, just skip the diced potatoes in the recipe below and add the mashed potatoes in after the other vegetables have softened.

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup

Simple ingredients come together in this belly-warming creamy potato chowder. The classic trio of celery, carrots, and onions work with the potatoes as a perfect base for the salty chunks of ham.

Once you have all the vegetables and ham in the slow cooker, season with salt and pepper and pour in the chicken broth. Set on low and cook for 6 hours. (If you’re in a hurry, this will finish in about 4 hours wh

Creamy, avocado sauce seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and lime is one of the simplest recipes I’ve made this year and yet, it stands out as truly amazing.

If you trust me on nothing else, take my word on this recipe, and buy a couple of avocados as soon as possible.

Avocado Sauce

If you like guacamole but occasionally find yourself in the need of something with a smoother texture, Avocado Cream Sauce is the recipe you need. It reminds me a little of the taste you get when your guacamole mixes with sour cream in a burrito or taco.

Tangy, smooth, and rich without being heavy, avocado cream sauce is one of my new favorite things.

It pairs well with Mexican and Southwestern Flavors along with just about any kind of meat. Drizzled on top or used as a dipping sauce, there’s no limit to the number of ways you can serve this avocado cream sauce.

Avocado Sauce for Tacos

On top of being completely delicious, this sauce couldn’t be any easier to make. Simply pop two peeled ripe avocados in a blender with sour cream, lime juice, and garlic and blend until smooth.

If you prefer, you can also use Greek yogurt in the avocado cream sauce instead of sour cream. I’ve tried the sauce both ways and enjoyed them equally. If you’re using Greek yogurt just be sure to use a variety that’s both plain AND unsweetened.

I garnished the finished sauce with freshly chopped cilantro leaves but it’s absolutely not necessary. The finished sauce is delicious served just as is.

This sauce stores in well in the fridge for up to two days as long as it’s covered tightly with plastic wrap.

Whenever we make avocado cream sauce it never seems to last long enough to have leftovers to worry about. We ate each and every last drop of the sauce each time I made it.

Avocado Crema

Equal parts tangy and creamy with a velvety texture, this sauce could also be called “Avocado Crema” if you’re feeling fancy.

Whatever you call it, this sauce is absolutely finger-licking fantastic. The next two recipes I share are going to feature the ultimate meats for dipping into what’s sure to be your new favorite avocado sauce.

Update: the recipes I hinted at above are no