Did you know that a grande pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks has 50 (F-I-F-T-Y!) grams of sugar?! That's more sugar than a can of soda. Seriously!
Fall is my faaaavorite time of year and pumpkin flavored everything is one of the highlights. I can't begin to tell you how many pumpkin spice lattes I drank in my early 20's. It makes me a little sick to even think about how much sugar I was chugging down without a clue! It was such a symbol of this time of year and all the fun traditions that come with it.
My Healthier Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
Pumpkin season is here! I'm not gonna lie, I love all things pumpkin, so I do a happy dance when stores start releasing pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING.
This is a great time to remind ourselves to check ingredients and read those labels before we go crazy buying up all the pumpkin products. When you flip to the Nutrition Facts label on a product you want to keep an eye on ingredient quality and added sugars.
A good rule of thumb is no more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 calorie serving. So, if the food you're going to eat is 200 calories, keep it at 10 grams of sugar or less. (This applies to food with added sugar, not fruit.)
Quickie Tips To Make Lunchtime Easier
I know we’ve been talking a LOT about meal planning lately and today I have a bite-size tip to help you utilize your time in the kitchen more efficiently so you can spend less time prepping healthy food and more time living your life.
I want to challenge you to think ahead and get a few, easy things knocked out during the time you spend in the kitchen, saving you from resorting to less-than-healthy choices later on due to being short on time.
3-day planner or 7-day planner? I give you permission to choose!
Last week we reviewed what needs to be on your plate at every meal, and now I have a little homework assignment for you that may feel like a breath of fresh air.
Sometimes we get caught up thinking meal planning can only be done ONE way, but the truth is there is no one “right” way to meal plan. The important thing is coming up with a system that works for you.
Put a STOP to mindless snacking
Perfection is not the goal. Not everyone fits the mold of:
- planning 7 days worth of meals on Saturday
- doing hours of prep on Sunday afternoon
- and flawlessly executing said strategy throughout the week
That's not real life for most of us! What I hope to teach you is a system that you can tweak and adopt until you find your groove, and through that:
- ditch the "it's 5pm and I have no idea what we're eating for dinner" stress
- save money by not wasting food and eating out
- improve the health of your family by eating more meals prepared at home
- more easily reach your health goals
5 Kitchen Tools I Can't Live Without
5 Signs You Are an Emotional Eater
The topic of emotional eating has been coming up a lot in my client sessions lately. Honestly, nearly every single client I work with confesses to feeling like an emotional eater and it's something that soooo many women struggle with, even myself.
I want you to know that if you struggle with emotional eating, you are definitely not alone and you are certainly not without hope!
Why I Love Chia Seeds!
In the Mayan language, chia means "strength". These little seeds were known as "runners food" because they would sustain runners and warriors during long treks and battles. I'm not a present-day warrior, but sometimes the afternoon hustle with soccer practice and homework feels like a battle in itself, right? :)
Chia seeds are rich in fiber, omega-3's, protein, vitamins and minerals such as copper, zinc, phosphorous, potassium and calcium.
Why You Should Wildly Celebrate Every Bit Of Progress You Make!
Do you ever struggle with accepting yourself as you are while still maintaining the motivation to change? I sure do! It's quite the balancing act, practicing self-love and also honestly assessing the areas where you need to grow.
I see this a lot with my weight loss clients and have felt the tension in my own health journey. So, how do you love yourself where you're at and still make progress? WILDLY CELEBRATE EVERY BIT OF PROGRESS YOU MAKE!