25 Must-Try Healthy Breakfasts
January 31, 2017

25 Must-Try Healthy Breakfasts

I love breakfast. In fact, it is probably my favorite meal of the day. On work days, I usually stick to oatmeal but on the weekends and days off, I love to try a variety of new recipes. With everyone wanting to get healthy in the new year, I wanted to create a roundup of healthy recipes that I have made that I would recommend. These are some of my favorites that are pretty healthy, filling, protein packed and delicious.

Apple Peanut Butter Nachos
January 30, 2017

Apple Peanut Butter Nachos

Apple Peanut Butter Nachos are ready in just 5 minutes and are kid-friendly! Topped with drizzly peanut butter, chocolate shavings and crushed peanuts for a delicious snack or dessert.  Many recipes are in-depth, require many ingredients and take a long time to make. This recipe is so simple that I made it with my two year old. It is the perfect recipe to get kids involved in the kitchen with. The hard part was making sure that my daughter didn't touch it before I got a few pictures in!! It is important to get kids involved in the kitchen and this recipe is a great way to do so. Of course, it is a great snack, appetizer or dessert for adults as well!

7 Nutrition Tips for Heart Health
January 28, 2017

7 Nutrition Tips for Heart Health

As a dietitian that works in healthcare, I work with a lot of patients with heart disease. Heart health is extremely important as some of the top causes of death are related to heart issues. With millions of Americans with heart disease, heart health and prevention of heart issues is so important. Today, I want to share some of my top nutrition tips for a healthy heart!

Fruit and Yogurt Cereal Cups
January 27, 2017

Fruit and Yogurt Cereal Cups

Fruit and Yogurt Cereal Cups make a fun breakfast option that are customizable and tasty. They are kid-friendly and packed with whole-grains, fiber and protein! My daughter and I have been having so much fun having breakfast together! We have the same taste in food so it makes choosing what to have for breakfast super easy. On the weekends, we eat breakfast with my husband also and sometimes, he will make us something like eggs or homemade waffles but often times, Adalyn and I want our own thing. This is what we typically have for breakfast: Greek yogurt bowls, smoothies, oatmeal with nut butter, waffles with nut butter or cereal with milk. Unless I have something planned, I usually let her pick what to have for breakfast and we both eat the same thing. I think that she loves having what Momma is having and we enjoy a nice breakfast together.

Jalapeno Popper Dip
January 26, 2017

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalapeno Popper Dip is rich, creamy, spicy and cheesy, tastes like your favorite fried appetizer but is healthier and is ready in just 25 minutes! I am a huge fan of jalapeno poppers and pin pretty much anything that says the word jalapeno in it. I finally got around to making a jalapeno popper dip that I thought of forever ago. I wanted it to be spicy and super cheesy and it turned out perfectly! It is a healthier recipe than many others and uses Greek yogurt to lighten it up instead of mayonnaise. I think it turned out awesome!

Healthy Foods for Cancer Patients
January 25, 2017

Healthy Foods for Cancer Patients

I work in health care and work closely with quite a few cancer patients. I see all types of different cancers including lung, head and neck cancers, breast cancer, stomach cancer and more. Depending on the patient, their goals and the type of cancer they have, I help to provide them with the best nutrition plan possible. Part of one of my Door to Door Organics orders. I order the medium box since we love produce. Depending on where someone is in their treatment, the goals can greatly vary. If someone is getting chemotherapy and having nausea, for example, my goal for them would be to eat whatever sounds good since they often do not want to eat. Someone with head or neck cancer may need softer foods and it may even be easier for them to drink their calories as it can be painful to eat.

Smoky Sausage, Kale and Quinoa Soup
January 24, 2017

Smoky Sausage, Kale and Quinoa Soup

Smoky Sausage, Kale and Quinoa Soup is the perfect hearty, nutritious soup that is full of flavor and spice that your family will love! This is a sponsored post and as always, all opinions are my own. It is not too often that I make a dish over and over again. I love to experiment with different ingredients and use whatever foods that I have on hand for cooking. I pretty much never follow a recipe and love to throw in a little bit of this and a little of that when making meals for my family. This recipe is one that I actually do make time and time again in my household.  In fact, my mom just told me that she was craving some of this soup recently!

15 Minute Cashew Chicken
January 23, 2017

15 Minute Cashew Chicken

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #StirUpTheFun  #CollectiveBias 15 Minute Cashew Chicken is ready so easy to make and is the perfect lighter stir-fry with chicken, cashews, peppers, carrots, pineapple, celery and a delicious sauce! I am a big fan of Asian food and finally learned to make it really tasty at home. When Troy and I were first married, I would try to make our stir-fries too healthy with little to no fat and that did nothing on taste for our meals. When I discovered sesame oil thanks to my mom and stopped fearing putting fat in foods, my stir-fries and Asian meals turned out so much better. I can whip up a meal in 15 minutes with whatever vegetables and protein we have on hand and it always turns out great now. I have a little formula in my head for stir-fries and as long as I stick to that as a guideline, Troy, Adalyn and I are very happy with the results.

Apple Cinnamon Oat Bars
January 20, 2017

Apple Cinnamon Oat Bars

Apple Cinnamon Oat Bars are ready in just 30 minutes and make the perfect breakfast, snack or lunch addition! They are chewy, filling and nutritious. Feeding a toddler can be interesting to put it kindly. There can be lots of food throwing, refusal to sit-down, refusal to eat certain foods that the child normally likes and more. I am super lucky that my two year old daughter Adalyn is a great eater. Overall, she likes almost all foods- the only things she is funny about right now is beets, grapefruit, mushrooms and sometimes zucchini. Everything else, I can get her to eat. The rest of the issues are things that we have experienced at times. Up until about 18 months, Adalyn threw food all the time. Now, sometimes she will ask me for something like yogurt and then say that she is done 1 minute later. Most dinners involve a threat or two to sit down and eat her food. On the other hand, feeding a toddler can be a lot of fun. Yesterday, we were at my parent's house for dinner an

5 Tips for Healthy Skin During the Winter
January 19, 2017

5 Tips for Healthy Skin During the Winter

I’ve partnered with Vaseline to bring you this post. All opinions are my own. I have always had dry skin. For the last 5 years or so, right when I get out of the shower, I immediately lather my entire body in lotion to avoid my skin being super dry. The winter months are the harshest on your skin because the air is so dry and the weather so cold. I live in Michigan and this year for some reason, my husband and I are both complaining that our skin seems to be dryer than ever. Adalyn loves sledding, building snowmen and walking the dog in the cold weather. That means that I am out there doing it too! We love to go outside to play in the snow and it is important to me to keep our skin looking great even in the freezing weather. These are some of the tips that we do to have healthy, moisturized skin year-round and especially during the winter months.

7 Nutrition "Rules" I Follow
January 18, 2017

7 Nutrition "Rules" I Follow

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Burt's Bees. The opinions and text are all mine. As a dietitian, I hear all kinds of nutrition ideas and myths from people. Some are true and some are downright crazy. Someone recently told me that they heard that eating pasta hot turns it right to sugar and when you eat your pasta cold, it gets turned right into fiber. No my friends, that is not correct! I feel like 50% of my dietitian related topics with people include debunking myths that are incorrect and helping to teach people real nutrition science. Although I certainly do not diet, ever, there are some nutrition "rules" that I try to follow on a general basis. This is not 100% of the time and is certainly not strict but these are little nutrition tips that help me to feel my best on a daily basis.

6 Nutrients Your Body Needs During Pregnancy
January 17, 2017

6 Nutrients Your Body Needs During Pregnancy

I am currently 29 weeks pregnant with baby number two and cannot wait to meet this baby! I have focused on my nutrition during this pregnancy because it not only makes me feel better but also helps to grow a healthy baby. I have been lucky not to have food aversions so I have been able to eat anything (trust me, I have been eating everything!) and have focused on nutrient dense foods that will help baby (plus some treats too of course!).

Scrubs for Dietitians
January 16, 2017

Scrubs for Dietitians

Scrubs for Dietitians At work on a day-to-day basis, I wear business casual clothing. As a manager of my department, a registered dietitian in a long-term care facility, I have the ability to dress how I like as long as it is professional. I will often wear a sweater, blouse or any kind of top with dress pants or black pants that look nice but are super comfortable. On Fridays, we are allowed to wear jeans which I love. I have one pair of maternity jeans that fit so I seriously wear those every single Friday right now- haha! I love to dress professional for work and want to share my tips to do so.

Pepper Jack and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
January 13, 2017

Pepper Jack and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own. #fanfoodleague Pepper Jack and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms are ready in just 20 minutes and make the perfect easy and flavorful appetizer that everyone will love with melty, spicy pepper jack cheese and hickory smoked bacon! The first time that I made these stuffed mushrooms was New Year's Eve last year. We were at my brother's house and we decided to make a bunch of appetizers and drink champagne. We went to the store to get all of the ingredients but forgot to buy stuffing mix for stuffed mushrooms. Instead of scrapping the stuffed mushrooms all together, I decided to make due and make a whole different type of stuffed mushrooms instead.

In-Home Gardening
January 12, 2017

In-Home Gardening

I am very passionate about gardening. As soon as my husband and I moved into our first home, we planted our own garden. We had a mobile home with a huge corner lot and had the biggest garden that we have ever grown. A lot of things did not grow well because it had a lot of clay in the gardening area but I remember having a lot of spaghetti squash, zucchini and tomatoes. When we bought our current home, we right away found a place to plant our garden. It is much, much smaller than our first garden but has the best, best soil! We only have 6 tomato plants, homegrown lettuce and 2 bell pepper plants. Our tomato plants grow so many tomatoes that it's crazy. I am usually able to make huge batches of salsa and pasta sauce to can to enjoy all winter long.

The Story of Our Grandfather Clock
January 11, 2017

The Story of Our Grandfather Clock

Why am I writing an entire post about how we got a clock? I am here to explain it all! It is something near and dear to my heart so I wanted to share. On November 14th, my Busia (grandma) passed away. She was one of the very closest people to me and her death is a huge loss to my family. We got together with Busia frequently and most of the time, we went to her house. She had a huge grandfather clock in her living room and it was a super special part of her and Adalyn's relationship. From the time that Adalyn was a baby on, she loved this huge clock. After giving each other hugs, the first thing that we would do when we got to Busia's house is go to the clock. Even if it was not the right time for it to go off yet, Busia would make it go off so that Adalyn would not have to wait. She was not supposed to be lifting Adalyn because it bothered her back but she did it anyways. Busia always did what SHE wanted to do. They would stand by the clock and listen to it go o

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Scones
January 10, 2017

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Scones

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Scones are simple to make and healthier than other versions with whole-wheat flour, fresh blueberries and a nutritious, flavorful glaze. The first time that I made scones, I was terrified that they would not turn out. I am definitely not a baker and thought that making scones would be a lot more difficult than it really was. I was so wrong! Making scones is easy. My first batch of scones was Cranberry Scones with Coconut Vanilla Drizzl e. I love lemon and blueberry together so that is how I decided on this flavor. Next up has to be banana bread scones!

The Best Products of 2017 Part 1
January 09, 2017

The Best Products of 2017 Part 1

Last year, I wrote a whole series of posts on "Product's I'm Loving in 2016" and since I love to try new products and review different items for fun, I am continuing it in 2017. Enjoy part 1 of the new series! 1. December FitSnack Box I love getting my FitSnack boxes and this month was a good one! I loved the Love Grown oats with chia and quinoa for a quick breakfast at work one morning with the Barney butter in it. My husband likes a boost of caffeine from tea so he will like the Zest Teas. We used the dried fruit to make chocolate bark for a Christmas party which turned out awesome. 

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 33
January 06, 2017

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 33

***This wraps up the 2016 series (I needed to post a little late due to tons of 2016 end of year deadlines). Stay tuned for a new 2017 series of product reviews! 1. Terra's Kitchen I had heard good things about Terra's Kitchen and I love to try different meal services. Something about getting fresh ingredients delivered right to your door is so amazing. This meal service came at a really difficult time in our lives when my grandma was super sick in the hospital and then passed away. I unfortunately did not get to make a few of the meals because they went bad due to spending nearly a week in the hospital visiting and when I contacted Terra's Kitchen about what had happened, they kindly provided me with a credit to try more food. Great customer service! Especially during difficult times.  I got to try the chicken souvlaki bowl which my whole family loved so much! It was full of flavor and I would recreate it at home. I also loved the avocado pesto pasta. My daughte

Dealing with Lower Back Pain
January 05, 2017

Dealing with Lower Back Pain

I don't remember having it when I was pregnant with Adalyn but with this pregnancy, I have had a lot of lower back pain. I'm not sure of the exact cause but I would say that it is most related to bending over and picking up after Adalyn 10000 times per day and lifting Adalyn often. Or it may just be a side effect of pregnancy.

15 Healthy and Delicious Salads
January 04, 2017

15 Healthy and Delicious Salads

In the New Year, there are a surge of people wanting to eat healthier, possibly lose weight and make better choices. I am all for people eating healthier! Today, I wanted to roundup some of my favorite salad recipes for you. These salads are not no-flavor, bland salads. They are packed with nutrients, tasty ingredients, homemade salad dressings and are either a complete meal or can be topped with your favorite protein for a filling and satisfying lunch or dinner.

Peanut, Cucumber and Carrot Noodle Salad
January 03, 2017

Peanut, Cucumber and Carrot Noodle Salad

Peanut, Cucumber and Carrot Noodle Salad is ready in just 5 minutes and is the perfect side dish with spiralized vegetables and a tangy peanut sauce topped with sesame seeds and chopped peanuts! I have gotten lazy using my spiralizer but it is such a great way to eat a variety of vegetables in different ways. This past summer, Adalyn and I spiralized carrots and cucumbers with this dressing and loved the results. I finally got around to making it again to share with all of you. I am vowing to get back to using the spiralizer more in 2017 because it makes the most beautiful vegetables that my whole family is excited to eat. This recipe is flavorful and so easy to make. You could also use zucchini noodles if you prefer. If you do not have a spiralizer, you could just chop the vegetables or shave them into thin strips with a peeler. The main deliciousness from this recipe comes from the sauce. It is a tangy peanut sauce that will have you wanting more and more.

Small Fitness Goals for Big Results
January 02, 2017

Small Fitness Goals for Big Results

Happy New Year! Anyone else feel like they need a reset? I fully enjoyed the holidays with indulgent eating and less exercise but it is time to get back in gear to feel my best. As always, I do not endorse dieting or crazy measures to lose weight but I am all about doing what you can to feel your best. Adalyn and I doing "Strong Woman" as she calls it when she makes a muscle! I have a bit of a sugar addiction going on that I am trying to break for example. A few too many meals out, overeating at parties and not enough veggies have me feeling yucky and I need to step it up. I am about 3 months away from having my second baby and of course, the third trimester is tiring anyways so anything that I can do to feel good, I am doing. Here are some of the fitness goals that I am making to feel good in 2017: During Pregnancy Hi 27 Weeks! Just move! Since I am pregnant, now is not the time to get super in-shape or go crazy with exercise. Therefore, I am doing