– She’s big enough to want to do everything herself, but still wants to be cuddled. She falls asleep in the car driving around and I carry her inside, wondering if that time will be the last – She can do the worm – She loves animals, riding horses, and is convinced she’s a real cowgirl – She great at taking things apart, building, and tinkering, and loves superheroes just as much as baby dolls – She’ll ask you to read the same book over and over and over again – She’s the sweetest little sister and I love seeing Liv and P interact and play together. Some days, they take off playing upstairs and while I can hear them giggling and running around, I have no clue what they’re doing. It’s bittersweet to see them at this age; big enough to have a blast together but no longer needing me to be their constant source of fun and entertainment. – She’s a DAREDEVIL (help us all). She’s always down for a new adventure, a zip line, a rock wall or tree to climb, and constantly begs and cries to ride crazy roller coasters that go upside down (even though she’s not tall enough). – When she was a baby, she had the biggest gummy smile that would light up her entire face. It’s still there, and she still has the same high-pitched scream giggle – She’s fierce, funny, super smart, and a true adventurer. She’s 5 today and I can’t even believe it. Happy Birthday to such a bright, silly, sweet star. She completes our family and she’ll always be the baby, even when she’s taller than me. <3 The post Some things about P appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/some-things-about-p/
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Hi friends. Happy Friday! How was the week? I hope you had a great one. It was a bit of a crazy one over here back into the Pilot’s bananas work schedule and Livi’s distance learning fun, but all is well. I met up with a couple of friends last night for a much-needed wine and yoga date. I’ve caught a couple of classes at the new Yoga Pod here in Tucson and have really loved practicing there. The studio is incredibly clean and beautiful and they offer a huge variety of yoga classes. This morning, I’m taking the Pilot on a sneaky pre-birthday adventure. (His birthday is tomorrow and P’s is on Monday!) I’ll share the weekend celebrations over on IG stories. One of the biggest faves of the week has been working on our fall/winter garden. The Pilot made the most amazing raised garden bed and we planted some veggies to enjoy later this year. I’m excited to put together a post with all of the details + a plan he created if you want to replicate your own at home. (Turns out the Pilot is really good at building things and I feel like I had no idea he had this talent. He did make the famous bird condo years ago.) Read, watch, listen:Not a fav at all. I’m heartbroken over this news. How will you stay cheerful this winter? Exciting news for Kyle and the team. Also, he was on Kelly Clarkson yesterday! He absolutely crushed it — so natural and fun on camera. I’m really excited to see what happens next. Emily in Paris. How did I just now get into this?! It’s cheeky and lighthearted. It reminds me a bit of Sex and the City meets Devil Wears Prada. Fashion + beauty:20% off for new clients is back! Just sign up using your email address and the code CLEANFORALL20. There are a couple of exclusions but you can use it on our Vitamin C serum (one of my all-time faves), new skin twin foundation, Beyond Gloss, and Sheer Lipstick. This is an incredible deal if you’re new to Beautycounter. Check it out here. Kids’ Old Navy athletic clothes! I usually get the girls’ athletic clothes at Athleta, but Old Navy had the cutest stuff online. The prices were amazing and I’ve been impressed with the quality so far. I can’t even handle the detail on these leggings. It’s officially Spanx leggings and low tops season. Fitness + good eats:Chocolate chip corn flake cookies. Handstands with Kyle Weiger. I was 100% influenced to sign up through an Instagram ad. As someone who’s been practicing yoga somewhat consistently for 15 years, it’s always kind of bothered me that I have a hard time with handstands. My shoulders are SO tight and it’s just something that’s been tricky for me. This app has been awesome so far! I do daily drills for about 10-15 minutes and while I don’t know if I’ll eventually master an awesome handstand, it’s been great to open up my shoulders and upper body. If I get a handstand, I’ll definitely report back. One of the few good things about 2020 is that we get watermelon eegee’s twice in a year. It’s usually their July flavor but it’s back for all of October. The best frozen vegetables to buy. Ina’s new cookbook! I picked this up at Costco and am so pumped to try some of these recipes. We made probably 2/3 of the recipes in Cooking for Jeffrey and they were all huge hits. Online personal training is coming. I’ve had requests for this for years and with everything going on in the world, my heart is telling me I need to do it. SO many of us are working out at home right now and I know how it feels to hit a slump or plateau, or be overwhelmed with all of the options out there. I’m only going to take a small amount of clients initially and build from there, but if you’d like to get on the waiting list and receive details first, be sure that you’re signed up for my newsletter here. Happy happy Friday! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you soon! Gina The post Friday Faves + online personal training is coming appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/friday-faves-online-personal-training-is-coming/ Sharing 25 meals that my kids will eat, no matter what. It’s always hard to find kid-friendly recipes and home runs, so I’m sharing the goods in this post! Raise your hand if you’re SO sick of cooking right now. I’ve been in a cooking funk for pretty much all of ‘Rona (and yes, I’ve complained about it here on the blog quite a bit. I’m sorry for being a big ol’ whiner.). I think with everything else on the list (distance learning, trying to keep P from injuring herself, trying to shuffle in my own work and workouts amidst the madness), cooking just doesn’t feel like this fun leisure activity I used to enjoy so much. It just feels like a means to an end, and the end consists of me cleaning everything up before starting the process all over again. Thankfully, the girls are awesome eaters and are adventurous, so even when I have one of those clean-out-the-fridge nights to see what happens, they’ll try pretty much everything. Please keep in mind that I’m not an RD, but here are some of the tips for feeding kiddos that I’ve found helpful: – Always serve at least one thing you know they love. This way, if they’re not a fan of the meal, there’s something else on their plate that they enjoy. I always try to serve each meal with at least one fruit and one veggie so they’re getting in enough nutrients during the day. – Encourage a polite bite. They don’t have to eat anything they don’t want to eat or try, but we encourage them to take at least one polite bite. Sometimes that means they end up loving it and finding a new fave! – Respect kiddos’ intuitive eating. They’re really excellent at listening to their bodies; eating when they’re hungry and stopping when they’re full. We don’t tell them they have to eat “x” amount of bites or clean their plates. If they don’t eat much and I know they’re going to be hungry later, I just pop their dinner in the fridge to heat up if they’re begging me for a bar at 9pm. – Switch up the greens rotation. It can get so easy to fall into the broccoli, green beans, and zucchini sides for a green vegetable but the girls get sick of them. I try to switch it up by picking up different things (like artichokes, Brussels sprouts, stir fries), making chopped salads with our entree, or the Caesar salad kit from Costco. The girls go crazy for it. For today’s post, I wanted to share some of my go-to recipes that are home runs for the whole family. I feel like these are hard to find, so when you find a good recipe your kids love, you definitely want to keep coming back to it. I’d love to hear any of your kids’ favorite meals, too, if you wouldn’t mind sharing in the comments below. We can all share some ideas and inspiration with each other during a kind of blah cooking time. 25 kid-friendly breakfasts, lunches, and dinnersBreakfast:French toast with berries and sausage. The kids LOVE French toast. They could probably eat it for every meal and be totally happy. I crack two eggs into a bowl and add a splash of coconut milk creamer or almond milk, some vanilla, lots of cinnamon, and nutmeg. I dip each slice of Dave’s Killer Bread (or brioche if I’m feeling fancy) into the egg mixture and cook on the electric griddle. I add more cinnamon before flipping. The kids have gotten really used to having French toast or pancakes most days of the week since we’ve all been home, but for busy school mornings, I make extra servings over the weekend and freeze them to heat when we’re in a rush. Chia pudding with banana and peanut butter. This is an awesome make-ahead breakfast. I just add a cup and a half of almond milk to a jar, along with 4 tablespoons of chia seeds, lots of cinnamon, and some maple syrup to sweeten. I stir and let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I put it into two bowls and top with sliced bananas, peanut butter, cinnamon, and honey. Avocado toast with a scrambled egg. I make sourdough over the weekends and freeze it to enjoy during the week. In the morning, I pop the bread into the toaster and then top each slice with mashed avocado, sea salt, and lemon juice, and serve with a side of scrambled eggs. Egg burritos. Another fave on-the-go breakfast. I just scramble 3 eggs on the stovetop and add a handful of shredded cheese to the eggs when they’re done cooking. I spread butter onto warm tortillas, top with eggs, and roll up. If we take them with us in the car, I wrap each burrito in a paper towel and then foil so it stays warm until we leave. Pancakes (of course) with turkey bacon or scrambled eggs. This is our go-to pancake recipe! Like most things, I make a ton and freeze them. Smoothies! The girls LOVE smoothies for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack. If I’m making them on the fly, I’ll add almond milk, frozen bananas, frozen fruit, spinach, chia, MCT oil, honey, and peanut butter. Otherwise, they really love the Daily Harvest smoothies (code FITNESSISTA gets you $25 off your first box!). Lunch:Bagel with cream cheese, sliced apples, and veggies with hummus. Turkey sandwich with cheese on Dave’s Killer Bread with Primal Kitchen Ranch dressing and cheddar. Omelette with cheddar and a side of leftover veggies from dinner the night before, and jelly toast Pizza on an english muffin. Even better = Papa John’s pizza. Let’s be real here. Grilled cheese with sliced apples, and veggies with ranch or hummus. Tuna salad with Simple Mills crackers and sliced avocado. This is my go-to tuna salad recipe. Nachos!! Chips, top with cheese, melt in the microwave. Add black beans, salsa, guacamole, and boom. Lunch is served. Dinners:Sushi roll bowl. This is one of our family’s very favorite easy dinners! SO satisfying and quick. Ina Garten’s lasagna. This one is a bit more labor-intensive but a huge hit. It really is the best lasagna. Super cheesy chicken enchiladas (I serve these with beans and rice). Chicken and broccoli casserole with a side salad. <— I mentioned above that the girls LOVE Caesar salads so I’ve been buying the salad kits at Costco. Bonus: it takes 5 minutes to put together. Steak, roasted asparagus and baked potatoes. The Pilot makes awesome steak on the grill and we all go crazy for it. (I have red meat once every couple of months or so.) Turkey meatloaf with sweet potato fries and a salad. Turkey chili with cornbread. I top the chili with cheese, avocado, and lime juice. Chicken tortilla soup with avocado, lime juice, and sour cream. This chicken and veggie soup with a piece of sourdough. Any type of stir fry. I recently got one from Trader Joe’s that had tons of veggies and chickpeas, and sautéed it on the stove with red onion, salt and pepper. I added shrimp to the mixture to cook, and poured some Primal Kitchen teriyaki sauce on top. Everything was served on top of rice (cooked in the Instant Pot). It was awesome! Easy pasta dish. While Banza pasta boils, I’ll take chicken sausage and sauté it on the stove with garlic, spinach, and add sun-dried tomatoes. When it’s done, I’ll add Banza pasta, some butter, and parmesan. It’s SO easy (like 15 minutes!) and the girls go crazy for it. Some of their favorite snacks: Perfect Bars (or any bars really). Jerky. They especially love these maple jerky sticks. Any fruit. I try to switch it up each week! We always have bananas, berries, apples, and usually grapes on hand, but I try to get at least one or two different things each week, like cantaloupe, watermelon, pomegranate arils, persimmon, pears, peaches, whatever the market has that looks good. Applesauce pouches. I get the giant box of organic pouches from Costco. Hard-boiled eggs. Energy balls. You can play around with flavor variations depending on what you have in the pantry. The infamous snack plate. This is a beloved afternoon snack and is like a kids’ version of a charcuterie board. I’l just add a bunch of snacks to one large plate and they’ll share while they play outside or watch a show. It usually has chopped bars, sliced fruit, berries, cheese, jerky, pretzels, trail mix, pickles, whatever I have on hand. So there ya go! Some of the girls’ very favorite meals. I’d love to hear your family favorites and take all the inspiration I can get! Please share your faves in the comments below. xo Gina My go-to healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are here. The post 25 kid-friendly breakfasts, lunches, and dinners appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/25-kid-friendly-breakfasts-lunches-and-dinners/ Sharing an all-new barre video today! All you need is a pair of light dumbbells to get a short and spicy total body workout. Hi friends! How’s the day going? I hope you’re enjoying the morning so far. Both kids are at school (a rare treat, I tell ya), so I’m looking forward to crushing through my to-do list and also putting together some loose ends for upcoming birthday celebrations. The Pilot turns the big 4-0 this weekend, and two days later, P will be five! I can’t even believe it. (Yes, I went into labor on the Pilot’s birthday. We joked that his birthday would be erased from the calendar if P was born on his bday, but she kindly let me experience labor a bit longer so they’d be more than a day apart.) For today’s post, I have an all-new workout video for ya! This is one of my favorite ways to train when I don’t have a lot of time and want a challenge, but also don’t want the impact of a sweaty HIIT workout. Barre endurance work is an excellent method to implement into your routine, especially if you do more traditional hypertrophy strength training. The small movements really burn into the muscle and you get an entirely different muscle fatigue. In this workout, we work in a couple of standing segments, mixing up different squats and upper body movements, head into lunges, and then finally to the floor for glute and core work. The core exercises are a mix of some of my very favorites, and I include modifications for my postpartum mama friends and those with Diastasis Recti, plus challenge options if you want to make things a bit more spicy. Hit play and work out with me here! Quick and intense 30-minute total body barre (video)
Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you soon! xo Gina More barre workout videos: Barre strength workout with weights The post Quick and intense 30-minute total body barre (video) appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/quick-and-intense-30-minute-total-body-barre-video/ Sharing my thoughts and review on Darin Olien’s book Superlife and what I learned. Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I hope you’re having a great day so far. I apologize for disappearing for a few days – I can’t remember the last time I missed a Friday Faves post. Social media and the world have felt pretty heavy lately, so it felt good to step away for a bit. Liv has a half day of online learning, so I’m thinking of taking the kiddos to the zoo this afternoon. It’s been *slightly* cooler around here; just to the point where it feels like a hint of fall. The mornings have been really lovely. For today’s post, I wanted to share my review and thoughts on Darin Olien’s book, Superlife. You may know Darin from a couple of places: 1) he was Zac Efron’s knowledgeable sidekick in Down to Earth (which I pretty much spent mentally debating who was more attractive. In the end, I think it’s a tie.) 2) he’s one of the creators of Shakeology! This is Beachbody’s protein shake, which is packed with superfoods and nutrients. I drank it religiously and loved it for years, but stopped drinking it when I was pregnant with P and never really got back into it. It tastes amazing. When I saw that Darin had a book, I instantly downloaded it to my Kindle app. I finally had the chance to dive in and finish it on the flight to and from Denver a couple of weekends ago. While a lot of it was info that I already know from being in the health and wellness space for a while, I still learned a ton. It also was a gentle nudge to get back to some healthy habits that have fallen off the radar over time. I feel like along with so many of you, I’ve really been trying to just keep my head above water for the past 8 months. I finally feel like I’m almost to a point where I’m squeaking past the “simply survive” benchmark and can start to focus back on a couple of work goals and routine tweaks. For a healthy lifestyle, I’m all about ADDING things to your routine where it makes sense, instead of focusing on removing them. For example: more vegetables, more movement, more fresh air, better sleep, add meditation, etc. instead of less cake, less sugar, less meat, blah blah. This book gives many ideas on strategies that you can add into your routine for a super life; one that is vibrant, energized, pain-free, and free of illness. From the website:
He breaks the book down into 5 life forces to emphasize in your daily routine: nutrition, hydration, oxygenation, alkalization, and detoxification. In each segment, he provides details on steps that you can implement to make the most out of each component. He also adds tips for exercise, feeding kids, supplements, kitchen staples, and a sample 10-day eating plan and to-do list. I LOVE how thorough he is in each section with lots of attainable tips. It’s one of my pet peeves when you read a health or wellness book and the author spends the entire time telling you about why their plan or philosophy works so well without actually giving you the steps you need. They spend far too much on the “why” instead of the “how” and this book is the perfect mix of both. It’s also very conversationally-written, so while it includes multiple science-backed facts and peer-reviewed studies, it’s an easy read. Notes I took on my phone while reading: – Make sprouts. (I’ll do a blog post on this soon! I used to sprout all of the time and it’s an easy way to add nutrients to salad, wraps, and sandwiches) – Big salads with lots of raw veggies – focus on kale and broccoli – Smoothies with varied ingredients – Water with pinch of Himalayan sea salt, cayenne, and lemon in the am – Foods with high chlorophyll content: chard, kale, spirulina, chlorella – Make exercise sporadic and fun; truly challenge yourself – Find a better water source. We have reverse osmosis here at the house, but it hasn’t been serviced since the first time we lived here (before Liv was born!) so we haven’t been using it. I’ve been filling the large water jugs from Whole Foods, but am trying to find a better option (glass bottles, a great filter like Berkey, or even a delivery service). If you have any ideas, please let me know! Wondering if it’s worth it to just get the RO system fixed and running again. As a non-vegan who loves vegan food, I’m excited about trying some of the new recipes in Superlife. They’re all vibrantly colored and packed with veggies. So, tell me, friends: what’s the best health or wellness book you’ve read recently? Any awesome healthy recipes you’ve tried? xo Gina The post Review of Superlife + what I learned appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/review-of-superlife-what-i-learned/ And why I want to live there Hi friends! Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re enjoying the week so far. It’s been a good one over here! Sometimes when we head back from a vacation, I feel drained and like I need to catch up. I really took this past weekend to relax and enjoy and felt refreshed, even as I headed home to a burtsing-at-the-seams inbox and two giant suitcases full of laundry. I think the 10 hours of sleep we got each night did us well! I shared a recap of our Thursday in Denver up on Friday Faves, so I thought I’d share more of our fun in Boulder. Friday morning, we were ready for a full day of adventure. We got the girls a quick breakfast at the hotel and then met up with Kyle, Meg and the kiddos at a nearby park in Niwot. This was the coolest park we’d ever seen! We ended up going a couple of times during our stay because the girls loved it so much. They had a zipline, tons of climbing structures, a spinning thing, swings, basically anything you could want as a kid. There was also a lady there who had a pet turkey! The kids got a kick out of it. (The turkey was also super friendly for a turkey.) After our playtime at the park, we got brunch at the Buff, which ended up being our only mediocre meal of the trip. Everything else we ate in Colorado was mind-blowing, but this was a little on the bland side. I got the vegan skillet and while it was good, it wasn’t anything extraordinary. After brunch, we were ready to hike. I LOVE that the girls enjoy hiking so much. They’re so into it! We really discovered this during our last trip to Sedona and from now on, we’re going to add a couple of hikes into our trips. It’s such a great way to explore and see a new place, and the fresh air and exercise is a mood booster for everyone. So many of you recommended Chautauqua, so we headed there to do the main trail, which is only about a mile out and back. Once we hit the turnaround point, the girls did not want to turn around, so we kept going! We ended up doing the full Flatiron loop, which had magnificent views of all of Boulder and you could also see the Denver skyline. It was MAGICAL. Shout out to Josie — we chatted with her on the hike for a bit. She had a super cute golden doodle that the girls got to pet, and she offered to snap some pics for us. When we made it back to the car, the girls were completely covered in dirt and we were all totally happy. We got changed and headed to Collision Brewing for the cocktails, which was on the outdoor patio. We said hi to our family members and headed into the restaurant where we had full dinner, and the girls shared an Uncrustables sundae for dessert. (A fried peanut butter and jelly Uncrustable with ice cream and fudge on top.) Saturday morning, we went to Get Air so they could jump for a bit – last time I checked, our was still closed in Tucson so they haven’t been since February – and then got an awesome brunch at River and Woods. We sat in their gorgeous backyard patio and I had a meal that I can wait to create: tofu and egg fried rice with charred Brussels sprouts. It was SO good. After brunch, we met up with my dad, stepmom, and brothers for a bit on Pearl St. So many of you recommended this one, too, and it was such a cool spot. It’s packed with cute shops and restaurants; I could have spent all day walking around and browsing. The girls got their trip souvenirs from the kite and toy store; the entire ceiling is lined with elaborate kites. After shopping on Pearl St, we got ready for the wedding, which was held at Shupe Homestead. Basically, it was a scene out of Martha Stewart weddings. (This was the ceremony site. They also had a huge indoor banquet hall and lush outdoor dining area.) My dates: Some of the special touches from the evening: (They made an activity book for the kids!! It had a personalized word search, a pic of them and their dogs to color, tic-tac-toe, it was so dang cute.) Sunday morning, we made the drive back to Denver and got on the Yelp waiting list for Four Friends, which had insane reviews. We ended up waiting electronically for about two hours – we just browsed a farmer’s market in the area and took the girls to a nearby playground – and it was so.worth.it. We shared the jalapeño hush puppies and deviled eggs to start, and for my entree I got the sweet potato hash with shrimp. I wanted to curl up and live in this dreamy gluten-free cornbread. After an incredible meal, we headed to the airport to catch our flight back to Tucson. The girls are such pro travelers; they just watch a show on the iPad and eat snacks. It’s a huge change from the days where we had to change diapers on the teeny airport bathroom changing table. After my last Colorado post, it’s worth noting here that we followed proper safety protocols while we were out of town. We wore our masks in the airport, on the plane, walking through restaurants, etc. We took them off when we were outdoors and away from other people. While the wedding was a smaller event, they took a lot of care to keep everything spaced out and safe. The cupcakes were individually wrapped, they had multiple areas to hang out, whether it was at the spaced-out tables, or the fire pits outside. We were mostly with our family members that we’ve seen during this whole time. Our cousins also live-streamed the event for those at home who were unable to make it. It was our first time flying since February, but thankfully the Pilot has a great system down since he travels weekly for work. We flew Southwest, which is currently keeping middle seats open and it felt very clean. I feel comfortable occasionally going out while taking proper precautions. All in all, it was an amazing trip and I’m totally lurking houses in Colorado now. Hope you have a lovely morning and I’ll see ya soon! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. xo Gina The post Wedding weekend in Boulder, CO appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/wedding-weekend-in-boulder-co/ Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! We’re back in town after an amazing trip to Colorado. I’ll share a recap and pics tomorrow but I wanted to say thank you to those of you who sent recs my way. You guys always have the best hiking and restaurant suggestions! Liv is back in school (one day a week….) which has been a little bit of a blessing and a curse. She was so excited to see her beloved friends, but she said the constant social distancing reminders made the day feel awkward. For today’s post, I’m sharing some food and meal ideas + a little update. Over the past three weeks, I’ve been focusing on getting my nutrition back in gear a little bit. With 2020 life, I’ve put nourishing myself on the back burner. Sometimes, my Daily Harvest was the only significant produce I’d get on a given day. After being home for so long, I was just sick of food. I was sick of cooking every single meal (takeout twice a week) for months on end, and cleaning up afterwards. I felt blah and uninspired, so after making food for the girls and cleaning it up, we were right into the distance learning and chores of the day fun without taking much time to prepare a complete meal for myself. (For the record, the girls have had homemade waffles, pancakes, omelets, oats, fruit, or French toast every day since March and are pretty pumped about it haha. The good news is that I love cooking for them, but not for myself.) With the lack of fresh food for myself, I started to feel slow. I know I feel better when I have more produce in my life and take the time to cook “real” meals with nutrients and protein. So, I reached out to my friend Karen, who owns the the local gym, Telos, to see if she’d help me put together a more structured meal plan. This way, instead of staring at the fridge blankly, I had some new and exciting ideas in my routine and it would guarantee that I was properly fueling myself. (It’s funny because I KNOW how to do all of these things, but I think I also needed someone to *care* if that makes sense.) So for the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing more on my nutrition and think it’s made a huge difference. I feel more powerful during my workouts, and I also don’t feel hangry at random points during the day. Also worth mentioning here that I still live my life. We ate so much amazing food in Colorado, which also gave me some new recipe creation inspo for the blog! Here are some of the things that I’ve been enjoying: Breakfasts: Egg scrambles with VioLife feta and a side of fruit Oatmeal with protein powder, chia seeds, maca, berries, and nut butter Paleo waffles with protein fluff and berries Smoothies with protein powder, pineapple, spinach, almond milk, and chia seeds Lunches: Salads with lots of chopped veggies and a protein (like tuna or salmon burger) Leftovers. This seems so obvious, but it’s been an awesome tip! I just make extra dinner and have the leftovers for lunch the next day. This is perfect because they’re already made and I don’t have to do more cooking. Turkey deli wraps with hummus and lots of veggies Buffalo chicken salad Buddha bowls! Lots of veggies, brown rice, chickpeas and/or edamame, and some kind of tasty dressing or sauce
Dinners: The dinners have been the best part about asking for meal ideas. Trying new things has made me more excited about cooking, so cooking dinner at the end of a long day doesn’t feel so blah. Dinners have to be family-friendly that the kids and Pilot will enjoy, so these have all been home runs. Shrimp grill basket: the girls went crazy for this one. It was tons of different veggies (sweet potato, zucchini, squash, onion, bell peppers), shrimp, chicken sausage, lemon juice, tamari and garlic Honey butter salmon with roasted veggies Turkey chili (I also made cornbread for the crew) Sweet potato chicken pad thai Sheet pan meals, like sausage, onion, peppers, and broccoli all cooked together in a sheet pan Burrito bowls with chicken, beans, veggies, and guac So there ya go! Sometimes all ya need is a little outside dose of inspiration. What are some breakfasts, lunches and dinners that you’re loving right now? Some of my standby healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas are in this post. xo Gina The post Eats of lately and getting back to basics appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/eats-of-lately-and-getting-back-to-basics/ Hi friends! Happy Friday! I hope you had a lovely week. I’m writing this post from Boulder, CO. We’re here for an outdoor family wedding, but came a couple of days early to enjoy some local eats and hiking. It’s my first real time in Boulder and it’s absolutely gorgeous. We flew in yesterday afternoon and hung out in Denver a bit before making the drive over here. We had lunch at Vital Root, which was amaaaaazing. I wish I could eat there all of the time! Everything on the menu was gluten-free and easily customized to be vegan if you have vegan preferences. Whenever I try a new restaurant, I try to ask the server for their favorite menu option and order what they recommend. She said the falafel wrap was her favorite, so I couldn’t wait to give it a try. It was on a housemade wrap with crunch chickpeas, beautifully spiced falafel patties, spinach, and dressing. It was everything. We also shared some Korean BBQ veggie wings, the girls had grilled cheese (which came with housemade apple sauce and a ton of fruit) and the Pilot ordered the avocado toast with poached egg. I was expected it to be good because it had excellent reviews, but we were all blown away. I’d love to make it back one of these days! We strolled down to High Point Creamery, which had flavors like Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Zucchini Bread, Brown Butter Pecan, Earl Grey and Shortbread, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and Tin Cup Whiskey and Pistachio Brittle. (The vegan coconut creme brûlée was out of this world.) We took our ice creams to a nearby park, where the girls took bites of their ice cream in between chasing each other, sliding and swinging. After ice cream, we went downtown to check out the Beautycounter store!!! I’ve been a consultant for 4 years now and it was my first time checking out one of our smaller popup stores. It was small and intimate, with all of our beloved products on the shelves. When you’re used to only having small collections of products at a time, it’s awe-inspiring to finally see everything together. I love our clean and classy branding, and am so passionate about out mission. I’m so proud of everything this company stands for, so it was exciting to see it front and center in downtown Denver. The girls each got a lipgloss and I grabbed an extra sunscreen stick for our hikes this weekend. P promptly fell asleep in the car, holding her new lipgloss. <3 We checked into the hotel, took the girls to the pool, and then went to Niwot Children’s Park so they could run around. It was one of the coolest parks we’ve ever seen. They have multiple slides and climbing structures, a little cave, zipline, giant spiderweb, so many fun things for them to do. We chased them around the park for about an hour and then grabbed takeout from Longmont Public House to enjoy as a picnic in the hotel room. + cider for me, beer for the Pilot (the nutmeg and cinnamon is STRONG in this, in the best way possible. It tastes like apple pie!) We’re looking forward to the wedding festivities, and enjoying some low-key adventures while we’re here. If you have any dining suggestions or favorite hiking spots in Boulder, please leave them in the comments below! Now it’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. I always love hearing about your faves, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below. Read, watch, listen: Speaking of Christmas movies, I’m SO PUMPED for this. The ultimate TV guide if you’re looking for something great. I was reading Super Life on the flight up here and am really enjoying it so far. It’s a good nudge to get “back to basics” with nutrition, and even 20% into the book, I’ve been reminded of old habits I’d like to bring back. (For example, sprouts are nutritional powerhouses and I rarely eat them now. Back in the day, I used to sprout things all the time! I’m going to bring it back and can definitely do a sprouting post if that’s something you may be interested in reading.) I’ll share a full book recap when I finish, but for now, I highly recommend it. Fashion + beauty: I’ve shouted out these undereye patches before but for travel (and mom life) they’re a game changer. They get rid of puffiness and bags within 15 minutes or so for me. A true miracle, I tell ya. Still loving this dress from my last Trunk Club! It’s super stretchy, flattering, and looks cute with low-top sneakers. I wore this outfit for Taco Tuesday the other night. (It’s only $49, too!) This lipgloss trio. The wild berry is my very favorite out of the pack, but I love all of the colors! My very fave denim jacket for chillier nights. Fitness + good eats: Jacked-o-lantern workout is perfect for October! If you haven’t made the pumpkin dump cake yet, you need this in your life. Loved these Buddha bowls from Fed and Fit (even though Liv sat down and promptly asked, “Where’s the meat?” LOL) (Rice, chickpeas, edamame, carrots, cabbage, bell pepper, and a yogurt curry sauce on the side) Congrats to the winner of the surprise giveaway, Pamela T., who will be getting an overnight peel! Stay tuned for more giveaways coming up. Happy Friday, friends! What’s the best thing you ate, wore, read, or watched this week? xo Gina The post Friday Faves appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/friday-faves-279/ Hi friends! Happy Wednesday! Thank you so much for tuning into the podcast today. I’m chatting with Chris Burres all about ESS60 (which increased lifespan of test subjects by 90 percent), supplements, and sleep. I really enjoyed our conversation – Chris is incredibly knowledgeable and had great energy – and hope you like this episode. We talk about antioxidants, how to choose safe supplements, why it’s important to be good at more than one thing, tips for healing, restful sleep, and so much more. Here’s a little bit about Chris Burres: Chris Burres is a research engineer and scientist whose primary mission is to help people live, longer, healthier, pain-free lives. Burres has a diverse in the field of inventions and manufacturing. With a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Houston, Burres is a co-inventor of patents related to the use of explosives in downhole oil well drilling, a co-inventor of the most effiecient fullerene manufacturing equipment in use since 1991, and co-owner of a company that manufactures a unique product containing a Nobel-Prize winning molecule that has been shown to increase the lifespan of test subjects by 90 percent. You can find Chris at his website here and on Instagram. The link will give you $15 off if you want to give My Vital C a try! Resources from this episode: Don’t forget to sign up for your free 21 days of Les Mills On Demand! This is one of my all-time favorite workout platforms. The instructors are knowledgeable and motivating, plus the music is incredible. There are so many different formats, you’ll definitely find something you love. Get your free workouts here. Perfect opportunity to switch up your routine now that so many of us are at home. I’m a huge fan of Daily Harvest for quick and healthy meals. Their smoothies are an almost-daily staple (such an easy way to get in a ton of nutrients) and I also love their overnight oats, soups, and bowls. Get $25 off your first order using the code FITNESSISTA. Check it out here. Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you. You can listen and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. The post 061: ESS60, supplements, and sleep with Chris Burres appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/061-ess60-supplements-and-sleep-with-chris-burres/ Sharing some of my favorite gift ideas from the new Beautycounter fall holiday line + a little giveaway Read on for the details. Hi friends! Exciting news: Beautycounter holiday is here!! With everything going on in the world, I have to say I was prettyyyyy pumped when this package arrived on the doorstep. As a consultant, I purchase the holiday haul (we get an amazing discount) for the opportunity to try out new products, surprise some of my clients, and share with friends and family for the holidays. There is so much good stuff this year and I’m excited to share some of my top picks with you. If you’re new to Beautycounter, this is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself because many of the bundled sets are at a lower cost than buying products individually. (If it’s your first time ordering, you can also use the code CHANGEBEAUTY10 for 10% off your first purchase. *Holiday sets and certain items are excluded.) Even if you’re not yet in the holiday shopping mood, I think we can all agree that we need a little extra self care right now. So go ahead and shop for yourself – so worth it! My top picks from the Beautycounter Fall Holiday Collection:1) The Jellies ShimmersThese were probably my top pick from last year just because they were such awesome gifts! Liv and P both LOVED the jellies (they remind me of the Victoria’s Secret lipglosses I used to wear back in the day but not sticky at all) and it made me happy that they could have their own and I was reassured that they were made with safe ingredients. All of Livi’s friends got these for Christmas – I’m going to order a pack for her dance team friends- and they were a huge hit. They’re perfect for little cousins or nieces and also to break apart as stocking stuffers. 2) Good Scents body butter trio and Good scents hand cream trioThese make amazing teacher and hostess gifts. During the winter months, I always have a hand cream or body butter in my purse, in the car, and in the kitchen when I’m constantly washing my hands. The new scents are aromatherapeutic with essential and botanical oils. There are three scents: balance, uplift and calm. 3) Polish and Protect Lip DuoThe lip polish gently buffs with organic sugar and nourishing oils, while the Better Balm helps protect and soothe lips. The Better Balm conditions lips with murmur butter and helps to visibly reduce fine lines. I had the version of this from last year and it really helped me to prevent dry, chapped lips over the winter months. 4) Beyond Gloss TrioThis trip includes three of our reformulated lip glosses in the shades iris shimmer, lilac shimmer, and wild berry. Our BeyondSmooth Conditioning Complex is a blend of beeswax, candelilla wax, and organic carnauba wax that helps to lock in moisture to leave lips looking and feeling soft and smooth. The wild berry is my favorite one; it gives an awesome pop of color! 5) Golden Hour All-In-One PaletteThis Golden Hour Palette is so gorgeous!! It includes four eyeshadows, a blush, and a highlighter (talc-free and made with responsibly-sourced mica). Plus, 10% of the proceeds from the sales of it are being donated to Kailash Satyarthi Childrens Foundation. Mission: The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation US is dedicated to eradicating child labor and child exploitation by educating and mobilizing the public, engaging the private sector to prioritize children in their business models, building capacity of partners on the ground and advocating for the protection of children in national and international policies. 6) Bright Side DuoThis is another one of the products I think will sell out, because it contains two of our bestselling products: the overnight peel and the All Bright C serum. This is a great way to try these two amazing products at a bundled discount, or if you already have and love them, it makes a perfect travel set since the bottles are a bit smaller. If you haven’t tried Beautycounter yet, I would absolutely start with this set! If you plan to order more than $50, sign up for Band of Beauty here for your free gift! You’ll get a combo pack of two of our bestsellers: the charcoal mask and overnight peel! It’s $29 for the year and you get 10% back in product credit, free shipping on orders over $100. It’s like our version of Amazon Prime or Nordstrom Rewards. Please let me know if you have any questions! (A dress and heels for about 15 minutes to feel holiday-ish and then went immediately back into lulu leggings and a hoodie.) A fun lil bonus: leave a comment below with something that’s on your Beautycounter wish list from the list above! I’ll pick a lucky winner to receive what’s on their wish list and announce in Friday Faves xo Gina The post Beautycounter fall holiday 2020 is here! appeared first on The Fitnessista. from https://fitnessista.com/beautycounter-fall-holiday-2020-is-here/ |
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