Wellness from outside in

I usually focus on wellness, from the inside out, but today, we are focusing from the OUTSIDE, IN! Yes, beauty and self-care so makeup, skincare , lotions..

My goal is to empower you to take better control of your health and wellbeing, to rid the toxins in, on and around our bodies to reduce risk of many cancers, diabetes and heart disease.

Why change up our beauty routines? The average American woman uses an average of 12 personal care products a day, containing 168 different chemicals in just makeup, lotions, and hair products.

Most major brands, including many smaller labels, contain harmful ingredients that are carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins and allergens.

Once a chemical ingredient enters body, it’s absorbed in bloodstream and distributed throughout your body. At the very least, beyond possible future harmful health outcome… here are some subtle signs of these toxins in your body:

• Brain fog

• Low energy

• Constipation

• Physical aches and pains

• New skin issues

Begin to reduce your own toxic beauty routine, or improve it, by swapping out harmful makeup, skin and body care, and other personal care items with options that are from brands that are:

· transparent about their ingredients

· Eliminate contaminants and toxins

· do 3rd party testing to ensure what they say on the bottle, is what you are truly getting

· Work and give you the results you desire

So, what do you look out for?

The EU bans more than 1300 ingredients from ANY products sold in the EU. In the USA , the FDA only bans abut 30.

Here’s what to watch out for (partial list):

Parabens, phthalates, coal tar, formaldehyde, aluminum, fragrance (if not disclosing practices and/or ingredients as most do not), oxybenzone, 1,4 dioxane, PEGs, SLSs…the list goes on.

In order not to overwhelm you, here are some great resources and some of my fave go-to’s for info and for having done the legwork:

Environmental Working Group— EWG.org – is a non-profit that rates ingredients and products on a 1-10 scale (1 being the cleanest and safest to 10 being the most toxic). One note – check to see how limited or robust the rating is (it will tell you). Shaklee products are in the prices of being added to this site since we are compliant and product requirements

Naturally Savvy – naturallysavvy.com – helps to guide us with purchases.

Follain, Detox Market and Credo Beauty are online retailers that have very strict standards for keeping the toxins out of any brand they allow to be sold on their websites.

Shaklee – is Beyond Organic and bans more than 2500 chemicals from its ingredients (vs 30 by RDA ) . I LOVE the BB Cream SPF 30 and use it daily.

Popular makeup brands for foundation, eye shadows, eyeliners and lip gloss: Crunchi, Ilia, RMS, MineralFusion, Jones Road, Hype.

2022 Gift Guide is now available!!!

I have ALL of your Christmas favorites and most of it is 15% off! Click on the image to download the guide and enjoy some early Christmas shopping. Last year some of these sold out so don’t wait! There is also a FREE gift with any $150 order, plus free shipping! So get some gifts for other, and get a sweet deal for yourself too. My mom did this for my entire childhood and then acted surprised on Christmas day when she still had gifts to open and we were all like “Mommmm, you bought it and wrapped it for yourself, didn’t you???” haha I won’t rat you out, feel free to do the same thing :)

Pumpkin Spice Granola Whip

It’s time for another tasty treat … can you really have too much Pumpkin Spice? 🎃 This wonder whip recipe is made for this season!

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp pumpkin puree

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

• 1 tsp honey (or sweetener of choice)

• 2 tbsp granola 

Instructions

1. Mix pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, Greek yogurt, and honey together in a bowl. Top with granola and enjoy!

This recipe makes 1 serving.

Coco Caramel Delight Smake

Here’s another recipe to turn to when those sweet cravings hit! The Chocolate Caramel Delight Smoothie tastes like your favorite chocolate caramel candy, but is SO healthy you can enjoy it anytime of day, any day of the week, and still stick to your nutrition goals!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 cup ice

1 scoop Chocolate life shake

1 tsp. pure caramel extract

2 Tbsp. shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

Instructions

Place almond milk, ice, life shake, extract, and coconut in blender; cover and blend until smooth.

This recipe makes 1 serving.

Candy Corn Parfait

Where are my candy corn lovers at? This is a love/hate treat, but this trick puts a healthy spin on the COLORS of candy corn, without all the artificial sugar. Here’s the Candy Corn Parfait - a perfect dessert to serve up on Halloween.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut cream, unsweetened (chill in fridge overnight or in the freezer for 1 hour)

• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1 pinch sea salt

• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

• 20 oz canned pineapple chunks in juice, drained

• 2 cups canned manadarin oranges, drained

• 8 pieces candy corn

Instructions

1. Remove all liquid from coconut cream.

2. Place coconut cream, maple syrup, salt, and extract in a large mixing bowl; beat with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

3. Spoon pineapple evenly into the bottom of 8 clear glasses; then, arrange the mandarin oranges evenly on top.

4. Top each glass with a dollop of whipped coconut cream + a piece of candy corn and serve! 

This recipe makes 8 servings.

Sweet S’mores Super Shake

We love the flavor of s’mores, but sadly, the chocolate and marshmallow goodies don’t meet our clean-eating goals.

That’s where this recipe for a S’mores Shake comes in. It captures the iconic flavor — and we can drink one every day if we want!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 cup ice

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 scoop Chocolate life shake

2 tsp. ground whole-wheat graham cracker crumbs, divided use

Marshmallow fluff (optional topping)

Instructions

Place almond milk, ice, extract, life shake, and 1 tsp. graham cracker crumbs in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

Pour into a serving glass and garnish with remaining 1 tsp. graham cracker crumbs and 1 scoop of optional fluff topping; serve immediately.

This recipe makes 1 serving.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Balls

Try this delicious swap for a tasty seasonal  treat for after school snacks, sporting events, or as breakfast with a side of plain greek yogurt flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. My entire family loved these Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Balls and I love that they’re all-natural, with none of the mystery ingredients packed into store bought pumpkin treats! That’s not good for any of us!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-natural smooth almond butter

• ¼ cup honey

• ¾ cup dry rolled oats

• ½ packet of Cafe Latte life shake

• ½ packet of Pumpkin Spice life shake (don’t have it? Use a full scoop of Cafe Latte + 1 tsp. Pumpkin spice mix)

• ½ cup sliced almonds
  

Instructions

1. Combine almond butter, honey, oats, life shake, and almonds in a medium bowl; mix well with clean hands or a rubber spatula.

2. Shape mixture into 24 small balls; place in an airtight container. 

3. Put in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

4. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

This recipe makes 12 servings (2 energy balls per serving).

"adrenal cocktail" aka mocktail

My super simple variation of the "adrenal cocktail" aka mocktail.

Refreshing, delicious, easy to make on the go, or keep at work, and no juice needed!

Just water + Triple Defense Boost + Hydrate Lemon Lime + ice!

1. Triple Defense Boost supports the nutritional needs of your immune system with critical immune-supporting vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. It engages your immune responses with a patent/patent-pending proprietary botanical blend of yeast beta-glucan, Reishi mushroom, and Panax ginseng, and it helps stimulate natural defenses with a proprietary antioxidant blend of elderberry, quercetin, and echinacea.

The immune-boosting ingredients in Triple Defense Boost are clinically proven to play a critical role in healthy immune function and have been shown in laboratory studies to boost Natural Killer cell activity by 3x and increase the proliferation of other immune cells by 5.8x.

2. Hydrate contains more electrolytes than the leading brand and only 10 calories and 1 gram of added organic sugar to increase electrolyte absorption. Guaranteed to be safe and free of harmful ingredients, and no artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives.

Let me know if you try this!

Pumpkin Bread

Try to look away and not drool! Pumpkin lovers, you out there?? Try this recipe!!

But first, I want to hear your guess … in the US a can of pumpkin is $1.99… in Australia guess the cost of can. **hint “what would be expensive making it not worth it to buy?”

I’ll send Shaklee samples to whoever is closest to the correct answer ;)

Ingredients:

1 15oz. can pumpkin puree

1/4 c cup coconut milk yogurt, unsweetened

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 eggs

1 cup coconut sugar

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup GF all purpose flour

1/2 cup vanilla Life Shake

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (you can make your own if you don’t have this)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard or Ghirardelli are my favorite brands)

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. Mix wet ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the wet. Mix well.

4. Pour into loaf pan and top with more chocolate chips.

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6. Let cool on a baking rack for at least 30 minutes.

YOUTH line - 3 weeks apart - eliminated needing further surgery!

Not your typical YOUTH testimony, however it is an awesome one so I had to share! He had a removal of a large basal cell carcinoma and had to have a small face lift to close the hole correctly. He used most all of the YOUTH regimen on it, including Radiance C + E.

These results are 3 weeks apart. THREE WEEKS!

Check out YOUTH line here and save on the bundle + get to free masks (Gel for hydration and mud for detoxification)

Snickers smoothie

Fun sized candy are a crucial part of Halloween… but you also don’t want to be eating 20 Snickers in a single sitting… everyday! So, pencil in smoothies somedays! 

I love this Snickers smoothie recipe because it tastes seriously amazing and, of course, it has all the superfood goodness anyone could ask for!

Ingredients

• 1 scoop Chocolate life shake

• 8 oz unsweetened almond milk

• 1 tsp all-natural peanut butter

• ½ a banana

• 1 tsp caramel extract

• 1 cup of ice

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients into the blender. Cover and blend until smooth.

This recipe makes 1 serving.

Caramel Apple Super Shake

Are you a caramel apple lover? The standard, caramel and nut dipped apple treat runs at about 300 calories and over 70g of sugar! Now, I’m all about treating yourself, but you can get the caramel apple flavors you love with a whole lot healthier option! This swap runs at about 200 calories, 17g of protein and only 13g of sugar!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 scoops Vanilla life shake

1 dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

1 tsp. pure caramel extract

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup ice

Instructions

Add all ingredients into the blender. Cover and blend until smooth.

This recipe makes 1 serving.

Perseverance - do you have what it takes?

This is a great reminder of what success takes and just how many times you might fall and need to get back up. THIS is perseverance; we see the hero here, but we might not remember the backstage of the afflictions.

Born in 1809.
Forced to work at age 7 because his family was expelled.
Lost his mother in 1818.
Lost his sister in 1828.
Opened his first business which went bankrupt in 1831.
Stood in the legislative elections and lost in 1832.
Borrowed money, opened another business, went bankrupt again in 1833.
Fell in love with a wonderful women in 1835, got engaged, and she died.
Was depressed and bedridden for 6 months in 1836, but he got back up.
Ran in the legislative elections again and lost in 1836.
Presented himself as an elector and lost in 1840.
Met his "forever love" in 1842, got married, had 4 kids, but lost 3 of them.
Appeared at the congresses and lost in 1843.
Appeared again at the congresses and lost again in 1845.
His son died in 1850.
Ran for the Senate and lost in 1854.
Ran for Vice President in 1856; not even receiving 100 votes.
Ran for the Senate and lost again in 1856.
.
In 1860 ABRAHAM LINCOLN was elected President of the United States of America.

Who's a great reminder of this lesson, for you?

What I eat in a day...

I get asked what I eat A LOT…

So here’s a random day with a picture of part of it.

Brekky - Blueberries , Life Shake (20g protein) & Collagen-9 (10g protein - this is a complete collagen so you can count it towards your protein goals) Life Shake can be found HERE, and Collagen-9 HERE.

*Beachbody, Isogenix, and Vital Proteins DO NOT COUNT towards protein goals, they are incomplete proteins

1st snack - Shaklee Peanut Butter Crisp Snack Bar (10g protein, 130 calories, enough to hold me over between meals, but not too much that I’m too full for the next meal)

Lunch - Calamari (22g protein) salad w/ balsamic (Calamari steaks from Costco and $4.99 / pound )

Dinner - Beyond Meat Burger (20g protein) (purchased from Costco) & Zucchini (purchased from Trader Joe’s)

2nd snack - veggies & ⅓ avocado

Beverages - Water only! It’s been said, if you water has calories in it, it doesn’t count towards you water intake, but if you’re reaching ½ your body weight in ounces, I’m not worried about this. For example, I weight 128 lbs so I need to drink at least 64 oz of water a day, factoring in more if it’s really hot, or if I exercised.

So that’s about 80+ grams protein which is reasonable, but could be higher. Veggies and carbs have protein too, you just have to choose wisely. I love Dave’s Killer Bread for this reason; especially with my son Matthew because all he wants are carbs - rice cakes, tortillas, cereal, bread .

8 yrs ago I started supplementing with protein shakes at the suggestion of my doctor because I wasn’t getting enough. I find this to be the case with 95% of the people I train. How’s your protein intake??? Reach out with questions!

High Protein Healthy Recess’s Cup

This is my most requested recipe of August. It's no surprise when 2 of the 4 ingredients are peanut butter and chocolate. That is never wrong! These are also Gluten Free, Dairy Free (depending on the Chocolate Chips you use), and Nut Free (use Sunflower Butter if this is a requirement)! This is very allergy friendly so it's been a hit with 100% that have tried it! The original recipe is HERE.

.

But I re-vamped this to include more protein and it was just as much a hit!! TRY THIS OUT!

New ingredient list (directions are the same):

1 cup quick oats (don’t use old fashioned)

2 scoops Life Protein (adds 20g protein) can be chocolate or vanilla, but I’ve always used vanilla

2 TBSP Pumpkin Seeds (any seeds are fine)

1 cup Nut Butter of choice (I used ½ almond butter, ½ peanut butter because that’s what I had on hand)

¼ cup honey

2 TBSP pure maple syrup (NO LITE syrup here, if you don't have PURE maple syrup, use extra honey or agave instead)

½ cup Chocolate chips of choice (choose DF if that's your goal)

Enjoy and let me know if you make these! If you have any questions, post them below.

You can make these “bars” or “balls”. Now that school is back in session I am rolling balls more so I can take them to the bus stop and they can eat on the way to sport a little quicker.

Core Vitamins & your body

Do you know what the core vitamins DO for your body, and why they are so important?

Here are the cliff notes version…

B-Complex = Also known as “Happy Pill” internal cellular energy. This energy is natural > better than external caffeinated forms that increase stress hormone.

Vitamin C = Really important for immunity and healing properties. Vitamin C is not produced by your body; so it has to come from food + supplementation!

Vitamin D3 = same D you get from the sun ! Most of us need 10,000 IU per day, or more, if we don’t get outside much or live in very overcast regions.

Vitamin E = supports skin and tissues, and aids against free radicals.

Gut check - are you getting enough of these important vitamins?

Irish Stew Recipe

I love having a good stew recipe on hand, and this is a repeat winner for me, for sure! Stew freezes beautifully and could not be easier to make - this whole recipe can be done in one pot; yes, please!

Irish Stew Recipe

Servings 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. olive oil

12 oz. raw leg of lamb, boneless, fat removed, cut into ¾-inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped

2 medium leeks, sliced

2 medium parsnips, sliced

6 cups water

2 cups low-sodium organic beef (or vegetable) broth

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

2 medium Yukon gold (or Peruvian blue) potatoes, cut into ¾-inch cubes (approx. 12 oz.)

2 cups cabbage, coarsely cut

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add lamb; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Add onion, carrot, leeks, and parsnips; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add water, broth, bay leaf, thyme, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; gently boil, covered, for 30 minutes. Add potatoes and cabbage; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lamb and potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf; add parsley and enjoy!

What breakfast looks like for my 13 yr old

A few days ago I posted Tyler's brekky in my stories because I get tons of questions about what I feed my kids for breakfast. Matthew is 9 yrs old and my carb kid...he could live on bread, pasta, cereal, oats (this is a new addition) and tortillas forever and life would be good (do we fault him???), so it's a struggle to sneak protein in. I will always opt for high protein options for this reason.

He picked out these “Egg’Wich” bun-less sandwiches at Costco and when I saw they had 17 grams protein, I BOUGHT TWO! However, when it came time to eating them, he realized it’s not a McDonald's Egg McMuffin (with bread on both sides) and can't be bothered to eat it. But, those that know me know we don’t waste food and I don’t make different meals for each family member, my motto is “Eat it or Starve”. Might sound harsh, but my pediatrician taught me this early on in motherhood and Bless Her. I’m so thankful she did.

Tyler (my 13 yr old) loves these and will happily eat the entire box if I let him. I would choose these for my pwn breakfast except "spices" as an ingredient is too vague and could have garlic and onion, which I’m allergic to.

Here's what I look at... NOT THE PICTURE (although that sold Matthew ). Flip it around and see that the first ingredient is EGG and second is Sausage. YAY for both of those being "whole ingredients" and not Sugar or Starches.

Then, the macros. If you're following portion fix containers (if you aren't message me and I can get you started, it makes things super simple and it's how I coach ALL my nutrition clients - macro eating) these are 1R, 1B. 17g protein, 3g carbs, 12g fat, only 1g sugar (and it's not "added sugar" - WIN) and 190 calories. Still low enough calorie to put this on top of Dave's Killer "thins" which gives you another 80 cal, 4g protein, 3g fiber, 3g sugar and only 2g fat. This is a solid breakfast choice and can be ready in 3 min flat from freezer to plate! No one is too busy for that and you're only adding 1Y to the combination!

Life Shake is always a great option and both my boys drink it, but make sure you add additional food to it so you get more calories. Generally you want to eat at least two, or more, containers together for a meal. So adding ½ a banana (I add a full for my 13 yr old and my husband), frozen zucchini, frozen cauliflower, PB2, etc will make it more calorie dense to hold you over. With 20 grams protein, you don’t need to focus on more of that.

Make sure your brekky is enough calories to sustain you until lunch with at least 300 calories.

Chickpea Curry with Chicken

Today’s recipe is great for lunch or dinner, and tastes better and better as it sits through the week! Feel free to double up and freeze for another week - I do this all the time!

Chickpea Curry with Chicken

My family loves curry so when I find a good recipe for it, I must share!!! Let me know if you try it and if you have other favorite curry recipes too!

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb raw chicken breast tenders
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp mustard seed
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin, divided use
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-oz.) can low-sodium diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium organic chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a large skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook, for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Set aside. Add onion, garlic, ½ tsp. cumin, and mustard seed to the same skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Add turmeric, remaining ½ tsp. cumin, coriander, chili powder, chickpeas, tomatoes, chicken broth, and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low; gently boil for 10 to 15 minutes.

4 servings

Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese

Ready for some more “Make and Take” meal prep inspo? How does Mac n’ Cheese sound? 🤤 Delicious!

Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese

Servings 10 (Prep and freeze half for another week)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. dry whole-wheat macaroni

1 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium red bell peppers, chopped

3 cups cubed butternut squash

1¾ cups low-sodium organic chicken broth

1 cup low-fat milk

2 Tbsp. low-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 cup shredded Gruyere (or Swiss) cheese

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

Nonstick cooking spray

Finely chopped fresh parsley (for garnish; optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell peppers; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Set aside. Combine squash, broth, and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; gently boil for 22 to 25 minutes, or until squash is tender. Place squash mixture in a blender or food processor; cover with lid and kitchen towel. Blend until smooth. Combine squash mixture, macaroni, onion mixture, yogurt, and cheeses. Season with salt and pepper if desired; mix well. Place macaroni mixture in a 13 x 9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish that has been coated with spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Garnish with parsley if desired.