As a registered dietitian, all areas of health are very interesting and important to me. I work in long-term care where I see all kinds of age-related diseases that relate to brain health. I see people who are elderly and people who are younger with different brain health issues. Therefore, brain health is especially important and prevention of brain related issues is something that I enjoy reading about. **Keep reading for a giveaway!
Peanut Broccoli and Pork Stir-Fry makes the perfect simple meal with fresh and flavorful ingredients and is topped with a delicious peanut sauce. I love any Asian inspired salads and stir-fries, especially ones that have anything to do with peanuts or peanut butter. Anytime I am at a restaurant, I love ordering dishes like this. The flavors of sesame oil, peanut butter, soy sauce and rice vinegar are my favorite together! They give the most delicious and addictive flavors. This peanut pork stir-fry is full of flavor your family will love.
With our second baby due so soon, it is time to start talking about all things baby (plus regularly scheduled recipes and nutrition posts of course!). I want to share with you some of the baby products that I am loving. Some are brand new to me so we will be trying them out with our baby boy and some are products that we loved for our daughter. Hope you enjoy this new mini-series which will post every Friday for the next several weeks or so! 1. Freshly Picked Moccasins We absolutely love Freshly Picked Moccasins. We used them all the time with my daughter. I prefer them in the smaller sizes such as 1-3 before baby starts walking because they do not need hard soles then. They are high quality and slip on so easily which is so helpful when life is crazy with a baby. I love these moccasins for baby #2 and I cannot wait to put him in them! **Keep reading for a Freshly Picked and Baby Shusher giveaway!!
Spiralized Antipasto Salad takes a fun and unique spin on traditional antipasto salad with spiralized vegetables including peppers, onions, carrots and cucumbers, pepperoni, cheese, tomatoes, and a homemade Italian dressing! Troy and I had the rare opportunity recently to go out to dinner on a date night, just the two of us. It was really nice to not have to say "sit down", "eat your food" and a zillion other things to our two year old during the meal. But during our time out, we both agreed that each night, it feels like we have a date night at home after Adalyn goes to bed.
It has been so long since I wrote a new Adalyn update. It's not like the first year where everything is constantly changing such as going from rolling over to crawling to walking but there are so many developmental changes going on that I cannot even believe it. Adalyn is actually only 2 years and 5 months old but I wanted to write this update while everything is fresh on my mind. This is what is going on with Adalyn from 2 years to 2 1/2 years old: -She is fully potty trained!!!! At around two years old, we started working more with Adalyn using the little princess potty we bought. We did not have much success at first but my mother-in-law helped us a bunch and really helped along potty training. Since Adalyn was 2 years and 3 months old, she is fully potty trained, including at night. No pullups or diapers! It is amazing. I am the proudest mom.
Protein, protein, protein! Everyone is obsessed with protein. While protein is am important nutrient, most Americans do not need to be as crazed as they are about getting more protein in their diets. By eating a standard, nutritious diet, you are likely to get enough protein for your body's needs. Consult a registered dietitian for help in figuring out how much protein you need (based on your age, sex, activity level, etc).
Greek Chopped Salad with Roasted Chickpeas is so delicious with chopped cucumber, tomato, green onion, parsley, feta cheese, crunchy roasted chickpeas and a fresh lemon vinaigrette for a delicious, nutritious side dish! My favorite Mediterranean restaurant right near my house has the best chopped salad ever. We order it every time we go there and quickly recreated it at home. Luckily, my version is just as delicious as the original. The restaurant version does not have roasted chickpeas on it but I started to make it with them at home and can't stop making it this way. They are so good!
1. 7 Charming Sisters Necklaces I just found the cutest jewelry brand that I want to share! It is called 7 Charming Sisters and they have so many beautiful pieces that I love. When it comes to jewelry, I either like to go completely classic like simple diamond studs and a gold chain necklace or go crazy such as these beautiful statement necklaces. I love necklaces that are covered in beautiful jewels and these two are perfect. For my review, I chose the Lovesick necklace (pictured on Adalyn) and the What's Your Superpower necklace on me. Adalyn keeps asking me to borrow my necklace so I have been letting her wear it around the house when she plays dress up. I wore one of these out already and look forward to wearing it out many times in the future.
1. GourmetGiftBaskets.com I love gift baskets and think that they make great gifts. I was sent this Valentine's Day Fruit Basket which would make such a fun Valentine's Day gift. I am not a huge chocolate and goodies fan so sending me fruit for a holiday would be the way to go. Love the fresh apples, oranges and pears in this basket. My favorite item for a little treat though was the Sander's milk chocolate sea salt caramels which were so flavorful and the perfect mix of salty and sweet. This basket also comes with caramel sauce, peanuts, chocolate covered cherries, cheese and crackers.
As I write this, I am 32 weeks pregnant but as you are reading this, I am now 33 1/2 weeks along! Follow me on Instagram for frequent baby bump pictures and pregnancy updates. Since I am coming to the end of my pregnancy, I figured that it was time for a little update of what is going on with me and baby (luckily, not too much!).
It is currently cold and flu season and I am doing everything that I can to avoid being sick. Just like everyone else, I hate being sick so much so I try to take care of myself all year so that I can avoid being sick as much as possible. Sometimes, typically once or twice a year, I can't avoid a cold and end up getting sick. At that point, my goal is to feel better as soon as possible. When I notice myself not feeling well and am seeing the first signs of a cold, these are some of the things that I do.
Apple-Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with Apple Cider-Dijon Sauce is ready in just 30 minutes and is bursting with flavor. The mix of sweet, tangy and creamy flavors makes the perfect combination. When the weather gets cooler, it is nice to have the oven on for a little extra heat! The weather is cold here in Michigan and that means heartier meals that use the oven and stove which I try to avoid as much as possible during the summer. This apple and cheddar stuffed chicken is very simple and is baked in the oven which makes for an easy meal.
Health care can be so expensive! I am lucky to now be on Troy's insurance which keeps our out-of-pocket costs fairly low but it can still be costly. There are a couple of things that you can do to help keep your health care costs as low as possible and to hopefully save some money on these costs:
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TheDogumentaries #CollectiveBias Something that you may not know about me is that I used to show dogs. It was a brief stint when I was in 8th and 9th grade and I showed a beautiful Irish Setter named Rosie. Dog showing was not for me but I did love spending time with the dog and have grown up being a dog lover. My mom raised us to be obsessed with dogs and to treat them like people. ***Keep reading to enter a sweepstakes to win tickets to the 2018 Westminster dog show! You may notice that I talk a little bit crazy about my dogs like how Jaxen keeps me in shape by taking me on walks, Ava runs our household and is the #1 boss and how they are both our best friends. We are true dog lovers. I am very close with my family and we often all get together. My mom has 3 dogs, I have 2 dogs and my brother has 2 dogs. It is crazy when we all get together!! Luckily, 4 of the dogs are sm
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Burt's Bees. The opinions and text are all mine. Sometimes when I'm having a snack, something like an apple is all that I need. Other times, a little snack is not going to cut it which is when I need something with more substance. Maybe you had a hard workout or didn't eat enough for another meal. These are the times that you want a bigger snack that is more like a meal to get you through the day. When I want a more filling snack, there are a few things that I focus on. Each snack does not have to fit into each category but it should at least fit into a couple. I focus on having produce- either a fruit or vegetable- for fiber, vitamins and minerals. I also try to include a whole-grain such as whole-wheat toast, whole-grain wraps or crackers. I aim for snacks that are high in protein. Protein helps to keep you full and is a great nutrient to look for in a snack. Snacks with healthy fats such as avocados a
Easy Lunch Kebabs are customizable based on what you have on hand and are sure to be a lunchtime favorite for both kids and adults! Use your favorite fruits, vegetables, lunch meats and cheeses. I take packing our lunches very seriously. I pack myself about 6 or 7 different foods per work day. My husband jokes with me that he could never pack my lunch because it involves so many different things and I switch it up all the time- haha! When it comes to packing my daughter's lunch, although Adalyn is not in school yet, I have gotten quite a bit of experience because we go out a lot during lunchtime and I pack her lunches to go. There are some foods that pack well for lunches and some that pack poorly. I want to share my tips and tricks for packing a child's lunch either for school or for on-the-go. Stick to an outline of what to pack When I pack my own lunches, I know that each meal needs a fruit, a vegetable, a snack, dairy, breakfast and entrée. I pack for Adalyn
Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas feature shredded, slow-cooker chicken, black beans, corn and bell peppers topped with a fresh, flavorful tomato sauce, melted cheese and fresh tomatoes and avocado for a meal everyone will love! With baby #2 due in less than two months, I am fully nesting and not embarrassed to admit it! I am ticking things off my to-do list that are "must-dos" before baby. I am cleaning crazy things and if I am not able to, I ask my husband to do it. I'm stocking up on toilet paper, millions cans of beans, peanut butter and other things as if I am going to never be able to go to the grocery store again. Another part of my nesting is filling up my freezer with as much food as I can. We are not the biggest casserole lovers so I had to rack my brain with some things that I can make ahead of time, freeze, eat when the baby arrives and actually enjoy. Chicken enchiladas are definitely one of those things! I tripled this recipe to make a ton of enchiladas
1. Commercial Silk It is currently winter in Michigan which means that it is super cold out, always. I love having fresh flowers in the house for a burst of cheeriness but they die so fast. I was recently contacted by Commerical Silk which sells many different faux plants, flower arrangements, topiaries, hedges and more. I chose this beautiful arrangement and am very happy with it.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal is ready in 5 minutes, packed full of flavor for a nutritious breakfast that tastes like dessert. Filled with oats, omega-3 rich flax and chia seeds, cocoa powder, peanut butter and bananas. I love oatmeal so much and eat it 4 days per week. I typically stick with the same blend: oats, peanut butter powder, ground flax and chia seeds. I add water to a mason jar with 1/2 cup of the oatmeal mixture the night before and stick it in the fridge. The next morning, I heat it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes and top with either peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter.
1. Terra's Kitchen I love trying out different meal services and am a big fan of Terra's Kitchen. You get all of the ingredients for different meals sent right to your home and they are quite easy to make. What I like about them that is different from other meal delivery services is that they have quite a large menu that you can choose from. Some companies have only 4-6 meals to choose from and Terra's Kitchen lets you choose from a lot more.
