Hi friends! How’s the week going so far? I’m so happy ya’ll enjoyed the home office post. I’m super happy with my walking pad and am on it while I write up this blog post.

For today’s post, I thought I’d do another round of eats from start to finish especially since I’ve really been working on emphasizing protein and fiber lately. (I got away from it for a while but am back to tracking and notice a difference in how I feel + my performance at the gym.)

Here’s a full day of eats and adventures from start to finish!

As always, keep in mind that while this is a day of eats for ME, it may look nothing like how you like to fuel yourself, your specific needs/preferences, and if it would align with your goals. This is why it can be helpful to work with a coach to help you determine habits and methods that support your lifestyle, unique needs, and preferences. Just sharing this to hopefully share some new meal ideas and what 100+ grams of protein looks like in a day.  

6:30am I wake up and do some grounding without my glasses while I take Maisey outside. I make some Athletic Greens and take it upstairs to drink while I wake up the crew, get dressed, and then head downstairs to pack up lunches, snacks and waters. I break off half an Aloha bar and eat it while I’m driving.

9:30 I’m back from school drop-off and an F45 class (hybrid day) and make breakfast. 2 eggs, 4 oz leftover flank steak from dinner and leftover fajita veggies, strawberries, decaf coffee with almond milk and 1/2 scoop Paleovalley protein. I also have some creatine in my water.

After I finish breakfast, it’s work blitz time. I make graphics and add to Pinterest, post a reel, write two blog posts, answer emails, and write + send questions for an upcoming podcast interview.

Noon: lunch! I make some tuna salad with a can of Safecatch tuna, 2 tablespoons of Primal Kitchen dressing, EBTB seasoning and top it on two rice cakes with sriracha. I add a pack of Poshi asparagus (my fave for when I want a serving of veggies but haven’t cooked anything) and a pack of Lupini beans. Both of these snacks are from Thrive Market – I order pretty much all of our snacks, household goodies, cleaning supplies, and pantry staples from Thrive.

Back to work. I study for Read more

No-bake cookies have met their match with these no bake chocolate peanut butter bars. It doesn’t get much easier than just stirring everything together and pouring it into a pan.

Before I tell you more about these amazing homemade candy bars, I’d better confess that no-bake cookies and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I love how easy no bake cookies are to make; I hate how unattractive they tend to be. I love how rich the chocolate and peanut flavors can be; I hate the raw oatmeal that frequently overwhelms the cookies.

(That whole raw oatmeal situation is balanced with the addition of coconut in these no bake chocolate coconut cookies or bars or bites… whatever you call them, the coconut changes the texture (and improves it!) in the best way possible.)

When I ran across these no-bake bars, (a.k.a. “the best recipe I’ve ever messed up“) I couldn’t believe I’d never thought to try making the cookies into bars. At least they would look better, right?

I’m going to be flat-out honest here and tell you my thinking when I started making these treats. (My friend Donna can attest to it because we were talking on the phone at the time.)

I thought, “I’ll make these because the kids will love having a dessert over the weekend and I won’t be tempted to eat more than one.”

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Bars

That is seriously funny in hindsight. I almost licked the saucepan clean as I was waiting for the bars to harden in the refri

Sharing the details on my work from home office setup, plus my experience with using a walking pad.

Hellooooo! How are ya and how’s the morning going so far? We’re back into real life after our little trip and it felt good to have a few days of normalcy. I’m so sick of restaurant and takeout food, I tell ya. It’s also amazing to have coffee at home – Starbucks will never be the same to me.

This morning I have an exciting podcast interview and am unpacking, and re-packing. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you’re up to!

For today’s post, I wanted to share my little work from home setup, plus my experience using a walking pad. It’s helped me dramatically increase my steps and activity level during longer work days, and I’m so pumped with this update to the office!

My WFH (work from home) setup

My lil office space:

I have enough room in here to meditate, work, stroll, or get in a quick workout (like Sculpt Society).

Here are some of the things I have in the office:

– My beloved Peloton bike! Perfect for cardio workouts or shaking my legs out

– My PEMF Go Mat. I use this for meditation every morning, or when I feel like I need a recharge or Zen moment. My full PEMF Go Mat review post is here, and if you’d like one for yourself, here is the link! My code is FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off

– A standard desk. I like having this for shorter work sessions or when I need to speak/present, like live recordings, course recordings, and more formal Zoom calls. The desk and chair are from World Market but both sold out, since they’re years old.

– Triangle shelf (similar here) filled with photos and the girls’ artwork.

– On the opposite wall (unpictured), I also have this book shelf, which has some of my fitness and nutrition resources and the Pilot’s military coins/flags/thingies.

– New walking pad and electric standing desk. I picked lower-cost options because they had good reviews and I’ve been impressed so far!

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Slow Cooker Baked Beans are chock-full of bacon and beef, sweetened with molasses and then simmered until thick and sweet.

If you’ve been reading this blog for long at all, you might notice that I very rarely name anything “the best.”

Best Baked Beans Ever

There are many foods that we love and that we make over and over, but for something to be labeled the best baked beans ever, I feel like it needs to be a “wow” food.

You might be thinking that these are just crockpot baked beans, how amazing can they be, right? Well, they are pretty darn amazing as it turns out.

Three different beans with ground beef and bacon are simmered and slowly cooked until thick and sweet. The flavors and textures in this recipe for baked beans are just perfect.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Our friend, Tony, brought these beans to a barbecue at our house two years ago and they blew me away.

These beans are so tasty, so full of meat, so sweet and hearty, I  might have “accidentally” tucked a container of Tony’s leftovers deep into my fridge and then forgotten to give them to him at the end of the night.

Later, I asked him if he’d please send me the recipe. And lucky for all of us, he was happy to share it. I’m a believer in baked beans with meat now and I’m confident that you will be as well, just as soon as you taste them.

Baked Beans with Ground Beef

There’s something extra special about a simmering pot of baked beans when there is plenty of meat in the mix. Hearty enough to be a meal on their own, these baked beans with meat make for a spectacularly memorable side dish at any barbecue.

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• ground beef
• bacon
• bacon drippings
• kidney beans
• white beans
• Pork & Beans
• onion
• light brown sugar
• ketchup
• molasses
• yellow mustard

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How I use oil pulling in my routine.

How are ya going friends? I hope you’re having a great morning! We’re back from a quick tip to Phoenix – Liv’s studio CRUSHED IT at competition this weekend! – and into the weekly grind. I have a ton of appts, getting new Fit Team workouts ready to send out tomorrow, and packing for another trip.

After not writing about anything dental-related in multiple years, here were are with two posts in one month! What/s next? Mouthwash reviews? (jk I’m not thaaaaat desperate for content. And I have a favorite mouthwash… it’s the auromére brand from Thrive Market)

Grab a jar of coconut oil and maybe join me for a lil swish while you read this post. I’m going to talk about oil pulling and tongue scraping and why they’re been staples in my routine for years now. I feel like these two habits are currently surging in popularity, so I thought I’d break it all down for ya.

As always, it’s up to you to use your best judgment when deciding your unique health journey. Consult with a medical professional before making any changes. Just wanted to share my experience with these things since I’ve been doing them for a while and have noticed positive effects. 

What is oil pulling? and how do it

What the heck is oil pulling?

Even though it’s currently seeing a resurgence in popularity, oil pulling is a technique that has been around for thousands of years. This ayurvedic practice involves swishing oil around in your mouth for up to 20 minutes in order to facilitate detoxification, healthy gums and teeth, and aid in digestion. The toxins and plaque are believed to adhere to the oil, and when you spit it out, all of the “ick” goes down the drain with it. It’s also believed to improve mouth muscular strength, balance hormones, improve arthritis symptoms, mood, and assist in preventing dementia.

How do you oil pull?

You take about a teaspoon of vegetable-based oil (sesame, coconut and olive all work well) and swish it in your mouth with the goal of 15-20 minutes. The first time I tried this, I only lasted six, but now it’s easy for me to get in 15 minutes while I get dressed and ready for the day. After swishing around, spit and rinse. A little tip: don’t spit the oil down the sink as it will solidify and could cause plumbing problems. Spit it into the trash can or flush it down the toilet. Also be sure not to swallow the oil after swishing… it’s pretty liquid-y and gross by the end.

Benefits of oil pulling:

There are only a handful of studies regarding oil pulling, but it has been shown to reduce plaque, gingivitis and the total count of aerobic microorganisms in the plaque of study participants. It can also reduce halitosis, and I definitely notice that my breath smells fresh after oil pulling, especially when I wake up the next morning.

It feels great. My teeth always feel shiny and clean after oil pulling, and recently a friend asked why my teeth were so white. Even though the coffee and wine I drink stains them, I think it helps reduce the stains. (Baking soda helps, too!