Donuts, bagels, toast, pancakes, waffles, croissants, cereal, breakfast bars. These are the things we hear about when it comes to breakfast.
But here’s the problem.
Carbs for breakfast lead to a blood sugar crash followed by cravings throughout the day - setting yourself up for one bad choice after another.
Carbs for breakfast are typically the easiest choices, but not the best way to start our day.
And I get it. The carbs are comfort food.
But we need to get in the habit of loving foods that love us back - and not in the toxic cycle of eating bad foods for comfort or convenience and then wondering why we feel less than our best.
Planning ahead is so key. And I know this can be tough, especially on a busy schedule.
My favorite solution for a high PROTEIN breakfast is an egg bake. And it’s actually good enough to have for dinner if you really wanted to!
We’re currently still in farmers market season which is great for a lot of different reasons.
Local, organic & in-season foods are the most nutritious for us. And the farmers market is the perfect place to find these!
You also know you’re getting the freshest produce possible, and you’re supporting a small business rather than giving your money to the large corporations.
The most time consuming part of making an egg bake is simply the vegetable prep. The washing and chopping.
If you absolutely need to (depending on the day, the week, or just your season of life) you can purchase pre-washed, pre-chopped veggies from the store.
Here are some of my favorites to use.
- Spinach
- Sweet peppers
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Mushrooms
Going to the farmers market also gives you a chance to try something you’ve maybe never heard of before!
I typically choose about 3 different kinds of vegetables, and then I choose a meat. Either bacon or mild Italian sausage.
I pre-cook the meat in a skillet on the cooktop, then I add in my veggies and sauté. Once that’s done, I whisk up a dozen eggs and combine it all in a 9x12 glass pan & bake at 400F for 35 minutes.
It’s so yummy! And so easy to grab and go!! It can be eaten hot or cold, and it’s soooo much better for you than your “typical” breakfast choices.
Plus it’s a super easy way to get vegetables in at the most difficult time of day to get your veggies in and like it.
Just a little reminder that when you focus on your health holistically (mind, body, spirit) your weight will take care of itself.
When I began my journey to heal my eczema from the inside out, it was never about losing weight.
But as a result of the new lifestyle I led, I weighed less in my late twenties than I did as a teenager.
Focusing on a number on the scale is a skewed idea of health.
Use the looking glass of how you feel. Clearing your skin. Reducing inflammation. Having more energy. Being in a better mood. NOT having an upset stomach all the time. Giving your body the nutrients it needs to function at its best.
It’s about being the healthiest version of you within every cell of your body.
Food carries information. It tells your body how to feel. Food either fights dis-ease in the body or fuels it - there is no in between.
Eating closest to the source is the easiest way to know you’re eating a healthy diet. You want your food to come from a plant rather than be made in a plant.
It’s not about the low-fat, sugar free or calorie counting.
These are toxic and outdated ways of thinking. Fat doesn’t have to be bad. Sure, an avocado is full of (GOOD) fat, but do you really think fat free, sugar free pudding is a healthier choice?
What about diet soda? “Sugar free” and “no calories,” but is that really the better choice for your body than a nice, big Cobb salad? Or even roasted chicken with quinoa and veggies!
There is no one size fits all diet, but eating plenty of veggies, clean proteins & whole grains will make your body much happier and much less confused than the chemical filled processed foods. That's what keeps it working at its finest and you feeling your best.
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My favorite way to store fruits and veggies is in large glass mason jars. They are space-efficient, sustainable, chemical-free & aesthetically pleasing. You really can’t go wrong!
It also reminds you that you have fruits and veggies in the fridge to eat because they’re staring at you right in the face!
When it comes to things that take up more space like lettuce, you could still stick with the mason jar method (chop it up and toss it in there), but you’ll end up using several mason jars.
This might be a good thing for you because you already have pre-portioned salads at your fingertips! You could also just use a big glass bowl and store it all in one container.
If I’m crunched for time, I’ll admit I will just wash the lettuce leaves and throw them whole in a plastic storage bag with a paper towel (if it’s too wet in there, it will go bad more easily). I’ve tried the reusable storage bags, but they just didn’t work for me.
While it’s best to buy produce that is in season, I do have my favorites that I like to keep in the house.
- Lemon slices for my morning water (or fish dishes - yum!)
- Pineapple chunks for my morning smoothie and to put in my yogurt for a yummy snack!
- Celery to eat plain, dip into nut butter or veggie dip
- Carrots to eat plain, dip into veggie dip (or hummus, if you’re into that)
- Slices of cucumber I’ll sometimes eat like a cracker with cheese! (But also, sliced cucumber is a really easy veggie to add into a meal)
- Raw green beans that I always eat plain because they’re so yummy on their own!
- Honeydew melon or cantaloupe when I crave a sweet treat!
Unfortunately, sometimes these fruits/veggies just look plain sad (because they’re not in season) BUT the good thing about this is that variety is the spice of life (and a variety in diet makes for a healthier gut) so this forces me to find something else to hold me over for the week (or sometimes the season).
I am so glad farmers market season is coming up soon because that’s always where you’ll find the yummiest IN-SEASON fruits and veggies. If you can find an organic stand, that a double win.
Also, if you’re like me and get a little overzealous at the farmers market sometimes by overestimating how much you’ll actually eat during the week - throw your produce in the freezer instead of watching it go bad. That way you can either toss it in your smoothie, or throw it in the skillet while you cook dinner!
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here. You'll want to get in there now because that's where I'll be launching a 5 Day Eczema Relief Training very soon!
Want to get a head start? You can also grab my new guide on 5 Steps to Taming an Eczema Flare Up here!
When I became a health coach I became the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. For me, this also meant weighing less than I did in high school. I always struggled with my weight. In my very first blog post, I talked about how the biggest difference for me was simply that I was eating more vegetables.
When I wanted a snack, instead of going for chips, I’d go for raw green beans. At dinner, I made sure half my plate at dinner was filled with vegetables.
Nowadays if I go a meal without vegetables I truly feel like I’m doing something wrong. My house is filled with produce and a grocery trip isn’t complete without some fruits and veggies.
BUYING the fruits and veggies is the easy part. PREPPING them for eating is the time consuming part, but also the most important part! You’re certainly not going to go into your fridge and choose celery to snack on if it’s unwashed, uncut & still in the plastic it came in from the store.
Pro tip: if time does not allow for you to wash and cut the produce yourself — buy pre-washed, pre-cut produce.
I prefer to wash it myself. I use a fruit and veggie soak that’s infused with essential oils that gets the yuck off. I fill my kitchen sink with water (after I’ve scrubbed it clean with my plant based cleaner), pour a bit of the fruit and veggie soak in, let it sit for at least 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Not only does this make sure everything is clean, but it actually makes the produce last longer because of the essential oils!
This definitely doesn’t mean I choose this option all the time. Sometimes life is just THAT busy. Don’t be afraid to spend a little extra on the pre-washed, pre-cut fruits and veggies. If you know you’re not going to wash and cut your produce yourself, nip that problem in the bud, spend the extra money and keep yourself from reaching for the unhealthy foods! Every cell in your body will thank you!
Next week! How I store my produce, and my favorites to keep on hand.
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here. You'll want to get in there now because that's where I'll be launching a 5 Day Eczema Relief Training very soon!
Want to get a head start? You can also grab my new guide on 5 Steps to Taming an Eczema Flare Up here!
For the past couple weeks we’ve been celebrating my stepdaughter’s birthday. This means planning a party with foods I don’t normally keep in my every day diet. This also means baking (and eating) a cake, and then one week later baking (and eating) cupcakes.
Thankfully there was very little cake left over after her birthday party, but when we made two dozen cupcakes for just the three of us - there were a lot of leftovers.
And speaking of leftovers, while there wasn’t much cake left after the birthday party the week prior, there was definitely plenty of “party food.”
So here’s what happened - for a couple days after the party, my husband and I were eating party food leftovers. Then a couple days after that we had even more cake 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
If you haven’t heard me say it yet: Inflammation is the root of all disease.
Also, if you haven’t heard me say it yet: A food is either fighting disease or feeding it, there is no in between.
Some inflammatory foods are individual to a person. Others are true for all. Gluten, refined sugar, GMO corn, dairy. Those are some big ones.
In the case for anyone with eczema - this is an inflammation issue. And it starts in the gut.
An anti-inflammatory diet is one that consists of foods that LOVE on your gut - that DON’T contribute to inflammation in the body.
This is always something I have in the back of my mind, especially as someone who is very sensitive to inflammation in the body (hello, eczema. But also - hello, daytime fatigue!).
Cupcakes and “party food,” I’m (kind of?) sorry to say, are inflammatory.
I had to get those cupcakes out of sight so I’d stop eating them. Yes, I know my will power is weak sometimes, but that’s why those foods usually just don’t make it in my house!!
Treats that are still yummy and won’t make me feel cruddy:
- Fresh cut fruit and plain (NOT vanilla - look at that sugar content!) almond milk yogurt
- Celery or apple slices with almond butter (peanut butter is, unfortunately, inflammatory in nature)
- 70% dark chocolate- yes, this is considered a health food at 1 oz per day! Add some almonds in there to make it more filling! Or maybe melt it and dip your fruit in it?
- A homemade tea latte! Add a bit of frothed milk to your favorite tea đź«–
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here. You'll want to get in there soon because that's where I'll be launching a 5 Day Eczema Relief Training in a couple weeks!
Can't wait that long? You can also grab my new guide on 5 Steps to Taming an Eczema Flare Up here to get a jumpstart!
