Author: melodiealexander

Last week was all about staying clean and on track. Saving a glass of wine/beer(or a couple) for the weekend. It was time to focus in a bit more, again. My workouts have stayed consistent but there were some extra carbs I was having in the evening and if anyone remembers, I’m very carb sensitive. So, I just had some bloating I knew I needed to tackle.

I did the three day green smoothie(Gundry, MD) for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then I implemented my normal shake with two meals of meat/veggies and then nuts for a snack if I got too hungry. I will share my results below, as far as inches gone down and pictures of my results.

I also have been doing three packs of ketones a day(up one from my normal two) just for ten days. Ketones are a huge mood booster in the morning for me and really level me out(even better than coffee) but I still love my coffee!

We’ve gotten into more of a flow through this time, Mallorie had online school activities start last week and she did a really great job with them and we’re trying to take time for myself or Travis to spend more time with her to be one on one for activities too. It’s also crucial to get them outside to blow off some steam! We do notice that doing her activities in the earlier part of the day is definitely crucial because she is more interested at those times. I keep reminding myself that we can only do what we can and we can’t let it stress us out when we don’t always get to a ton. Because each day is so different and each kids needs change from day to day and we still need to make sure we are taking care of ourselves.

My motivation is always there for a workout and I feel like I’m in a good flow of my workouts at home, again! I do enjoy when I can get them done while Travis has a little time for me to just solely get it done!

Tucker has taken four-five steps at a time and loves to climb on everything. Kenzie tends to knock him over or hug him when he stands up. I don’t think it’ll be long now until he’s walking, he does need a haircut, but I’m just not ready! It’s hard to believe we’ve been home for 46 days. It definitely hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve gotten into a pretty good routine. I’m just more excited to get out and go see family and friends, go on a date, be able to walk around stores and go have a beer and dinner in a restaurant AND go on a trip with my kids or without my kids. There’s so much we take for granted and I’m never ever going to take those things for granted, ever again!

Here are my results. This was from Monday morning to Friday morning. Overall I lost 4 inches and 2 of that was from my waist!

Here is link to the recipe for the green smoothie, if you have any questions, feel free to message me!

As always, thanks for following along!

Last week went pretty well! Monday I spent time: organizing the pantry, cupboards and drawers. We also have been doing worksheets, projects, and various other activities with the girls through the day. Honestly, just like a nutrition/workout plan, you get in the routine after 21 days give or take. This is day 33 for us staying home. When school was closed on Friday, March 13th that’s when the girls, myself and Tucker really have stayed in since besides being outside, on walks and Travis has been our grocery guy when I can’t schedule a pick up order. I miss my routine more than anything and the hustle of being on schedule.

We’ve been doing fun science experiments, lots of art, dress up and a lot of things but Mallorie misses school and Kenzie says, “Mom, am I going to school or tot watch today?” And she’s most definitely our home body. And I get we need to stay safe.

I literally have organized almost every cupboard in our kitchen, put stuff in cupboards and spaces where we can make the most of our space. I’m not going to lie, I do miss having someone clean our house every other week, deep cleaning is not my jam and cleaning in general is not my jam, never has been.

Travis put in our basement flooring that we bought about a month ago and he did an amazing job, he also bought the doors and trim last week via online order and picked it up. Transforming that space has been so helpful for our family for another space to be together or even separate because we all know we need our separation 🤪 Being together in a house even utilizing school hours and doing worksheets, school based things with the kids there is still A LOT of down so moments can be tough because sometimes we’re all on our last nerve.

On a positive note there are things I’m grateful for for sure, like organizing, making my life a little easier but with all this that’s how life is, you do what you can when you can and I think it’s crucial to make time to do things like organizing and spring cleaning each year. Which I do every year anyway, obviously not ever all in one day!

I’m looking forward to the future, I know life will not go back directly to our previous “normal” obviously, I think we are all aware of that. And it will be different. But it will be nice to get back to somewhat normalcy. I am completing my workouts at home and running but I do miss the gym for sure, but I know this is only a moment in time so all will be ok! I think through all this I feel mostly bad when I feel like I can’t get my mind off anything and I feel bad for feeling because I know a lot of people have it way worse and I feel so anxious as to what’s next, because the unknown is scary. And especially last week, on Tuesday I woke up with neck pain that ended up radiating to my back and by Tuesday night I couldn’t even lift my head off the pillow because I was in so much pain. I think I just slept funny. Travis helped me majorly but I still was in pain Wednesday/Thursday and I kept thinking of how I won’t want to go to the doctor because I feel like I can’t because of the virus, which is a sucky feeling too, you don’t want to put anyone at risk or yourself but we’re still going to have other issues and right now, we’re so corona virus focused that it just consumes us no matter if we try to not let it. But after lots of care and movement from Travis I was able to be back 100% by Thursday afternoon. I feel like I could go on and on about how I’m feeling but you know, we all have our own opinions and I respect everyone 100% and something my grandma always told me, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. That’s why on posts I don’t agree on, I just keep scrolling because it’s not my place to trash talk and also, we’ll never get anywhere because the argument will just go back and forth so I save my time to spend more time with the kids and focus on the positive.

I’ve been cooking more than usual which is fun too! Like I keep saying there are definitely positives to the whole situation as well. Here’s the taco sweet potato boats I made last week. Click here for the recipe. I did replace ground turkey for ground beef because that’s what we had!

I hope you’re all doing well! As always, I’m always willing to be an ear if you need to talk, or have questions. I’ve leaned on a fair share of family and friends through this time as well. Three kids at home, not able to bring them anywhere to blow off steam or different scenery besides our house and walks, it’s trying on them and trying on us as parents. Some days are really hard, others are great, just know that I don’t judge anyone who wants to just scream some days, let it out. Don’t feel bad for FEELING!

Have a great Tuesday!

It’s trying, it’s tough, it’s overwhelming, there’s great moments and absolutely shitty moments. You take each day by day and sometimes hour by hour. We’ve had plenty of timeouts, plenty of screaming moments, tantrums, the I’m going to lose my mind for the fifteenth time today but what I can say is…it all ends up okay because the kids are our light of hope always and we just need to appreciate that we’re healthy.

In the beginning of 2020, I started with goals and new positive outcomes to look forward to with hard work and motivation. I haven’t stopped but some things, like the balance of school, gym time and me time has came to a pause for now. We’ve been home for how many ever days now and it really makes me realize that there’s a reason why you space your children and there’s just a flow that you get into and a routine and when something like this and all of that comes to a standing halt, you have to be appreciative as well. Yes, moments can be tough and trying but there’s also so many positive things that have come out of this. Tucker has bonded to Mallorie and Daddy so much as a lot of the times he would only get a couple hours with them in the evening and then weekends.  For about 80% of the time, they are really well behaved and we’ve been having a lot of fun. We aren’t on a major schedule, but we have a kindergartner ready to learn daily(we’ve been doing worksheets, and fun apps to keep her learning) and we are doing chore charts, playing card games, taking walks, riding bikes, they are enjoying doing a 15-20 minute workout on the LesMills OnDemand app called Born to Move and FaceTiming family. We are doing the best we can with the situation we are in. Last weekend we decided to move a table and chairs in the basement along with a carpet and the girls small table for a change of scenery than just in our normal living space. It was a lot of fun for the girls as they played Go Fish with dad and Tucker yanked on Travis’ leg over and over to be picked up and I said welcome to my world! 😉 We are in the process of finishing the rest of the basement. Thankfully the bathroom was finished down there so all we have left is the rest of the flooring and doors! Carpenter Travis is hopefully showing up this weekend!

I’m looking forward to a routine again but it does make you realize it is ok to slow down once in a while. There are silver linings in all this. Travis is still keeping himself busy with virtual sessions and continuing education. I chuckled the other day because I said this isn’t so bad….I actually like you more than I thought!

I have to laugh because I meet my move goals on my watch so much faster daily with being home with the three of them than I do when we’re in our normal routine. I run the dishwasher once a day and do dishes what seems like a million times a day. I like a house in order because that helps my sanity. Also, getting ready for the day helps too so much and it keeps you in check with your jeans!

Workouts have been great but of course I think a new routine and such a weird situation in life always adds more anxiety but making sure you’re doing your best is all we can do! I’m still running one to two times a week even though both our half and full marathons were canceled. Now being whatever day this is, I kind of feel a sense of this being our new normal(for now). We adapt and adjust, that’s all we can do in times like this. Very thankful for FaceTime to keep in touch. Mallorie has gotten letters from her teacher and she gets so very excited writing her back. That’s one thing that keeps making me sad over and over, Kindergarten year and she LOVES school and her teacher and friends so so much!! But safety for all is what matters most is what I keep having to remind myself.

Tucker has also been going to bed between 7:15-7:30 and before this Travis wouldn’t get home sometimes until then, or even sometimes 8 so it just puts things into perspective of the importance of work/life balance as well.

Lastly, I want to say with things being so unknown day by day and week by week. Make sure you set out a timeline for your goals still. I have quite a few people just doing weekly accountability to weigh in and following them on MyFitnessPal to ensure they’re staying on track. Even if weight loss isn’t your goal, overall health is a huge goal especially with what’s going on, the importance of keeping up with your supplements and movement is so beneficial for your immune system and your mental health. Need guidance, just send me a message! As always, I’d love to help. And thanks for following along.

So, I had a blog post I was going to post on Monday but it didn’t feel right. It talked about how for a couple weeks I wrote a lot of blog posts but none of them felt right and then just as I felt like it was right, we got the orders that things were shutting down.

So, being at home for three full days I finally feel like I can write something again.

So, here I am. I want to take you back to things I’ve experienced and things I feel strongly about, as always. In March of 2015 I became a stay at home mom to Mallorie. I did at home workouts because I wasn’t able to get myself to go workout elsewhere and why would I? I had all the equipment and it was pretty feasible to get my workouts completed with one kid.

October of 2016 I had Makenzie. Still continued at home workouts. I didn’t leave the house much, sometimes we questioned why we had two vehicles and Travis would often say, “you need to get out, just go do something.” I would often say, “I’m fine.” Looking back, I wasn’t fine. I down played that I was ok because I’m strong and I’m mom of the house. Anxiety was what it was. I would just convince myself I’ll do it tomorrow, then that would push it into a whole week without leaving until Travis would take us all out as a family or we’d go on a date. Fast forward to his position change in April 2018 where he became Director of Health and Wellness at the Y and we found out in May I was pregnant. I still didn’t utilize the children’s programs until June when Mallorie started preschool three days a week and I still didn’t bring Makenzie in so I could work out, I was still working out at home and then within a couple weeks Travis was like, it would be really good for you and I was like I’m fine at home. And then finally by August I went in and you know what it really was great for me. His motivation has me always forever grateful. He never quit telling me to just go because he knew I needed it. I went from going three days a week and now I go, sometimes seven days a week but always five. It’s not always for the workout, it’s for the adult interaction, just getting out and the time to be me. I have grown so much as a person because getting out and doing things out of your comfort zone is so empowering.

Well, with all this going on, it makes me realize sometimes I can complain about how busy life is and how hectic it can be. But it has been really hard for me to slow down this week and although I appreciate the time with the kiddos and everything I am looking forward very much to getting back into our routine. The girls are doing a great job, of course they have their moments just like we all do, we are doing our best and we are working out daily and doing many many activities! Tucker is obviously completely fine and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s walking within this next two weeks because we’ve been at home so much. He’s standing up alone!

Also, the meme going around that people will gain 15 pounds in this social distancing. It’s frustrating. People always say they don’t have time to take care of themselves because they’re so busy, well now is your chance. This is a fabulous time to implement healthy habits. Start with a 20 minute workout, switch your lunch from a sandwich to a salad. Be mindful. So many people are stressed and have anxiety right now and exercise and nutrition has been proven to aid with stress levels, give it a try!

As always, thanks for following along. I believe we are going to come out of this stronger than ever. We just have to stay positive and be mindful of our health. With this, I want to let you know, I have cut my workout sessions prices majorly $30 for 50 minutes and $20 for a 25 minute option. I’d love to workout with you! Message me for more details or make a comment on this post and I’ll get in touch with you! Stay healthy!

Reaching your goals and having success isn’t just about making sure you’re eating in your calorie budget and working out daily. Our bodies are so resilient but yet so very sensitive as well. Nourishing our mind, body and soul is necessary for complete success in all aspects of our life.

Challenge creates change is something I always say. But it’s true. If you don’t challenge yourself, there won’t be any change. Whether the challenge is to meditate for a half hour a day to get your mind in a better place, working out for 30 mins, or making better choices to aid in leading a healthy lifestyle. It is challenging because the “easy” route of complaining, saying you don’t have time or a fast food option is always easier. But the easy route doesn’t give you the cup full feeling!

Take this week to make better choices in the right direction. You don’t always have to enable yourself to feel like you need to be 100% ALL THE TIME. It’s not realistic. But you can keep yourself more accountable by having someone there to guide you or to choose to make healthy changes.

This is my after Christmas/New Year photo vs Friday. Obviously, I’m a little bit more tan due to a spray tan but I’m feeling great and this last week I really pushed my weights up in the gym. When life throws you curveballs, and trust me, I had plenty last week, there’s ONE thing I am in control of and that’s my workouts and nutrition. I’m not going to lie, Thursday, I fasted until noon and basically ate from 12-3 and then didn’t eat again until 715, but I stayed within my calorie zone and ended up feeling like a beast on Friday and very flat and no bloating. I totaled about 175 carbs and I fasted on Friday until about 3:30. I’m just trying to get across that you’re going to have days where you eat more or slip up and that it’s OKAY, just focus on making adjustments to enable your success. As always, I’d love to help guide you or if you have any questions, reach out.

So, tomorrow my baby boy Tucker is going to be ONE! I’ll never forget his entrance into the world at lightning speed! IT’S a BOY in Travis’ voice and the instant tears we both had because well, we would of been happy either way but I’m so lucky to have a baby boy because there’s just something about that little babe. As I reflect on the past year, I can say a couple things as a mom of 3. It can be trying, it can be stressful some days but it is so damn worth it. The way they blossom, the way they need you, each stage is so neat and we are beyond lucky.

I hope you all had a great weekend and make Monday great!!

As always, thanks for following along! I think we have all definitely been reminded since yesterday with the death of a great icon along with the lives of others, don’t take any moments for granted. Live everyday to the fullest, because nothing is ever guaranteed.

“If you do not believe in yourself, no one else will.” -Kobe Bryant

January is officially more than half way over and I’m doing well! Life is busy, but busy in a good way!

So, I’ve been journaling my food for all of January so far. It’s going great and I always reiterate how much it’s necessary to do a couple times a year. Whether it’s for weight loss, weight gain, or finding what types of foods make you feel a certain way. I sell my food journal on http://www.tmfitnessmqt.com

I wanted to talk about supplementation as well. Supplements can be scary. I used to be so nervous to take anything more than a prenatal and protein powder. You have to do your research and there’s so much out there, good and bad. I recently streamlined my tmfitnessmqt website so before you decide to buy supplements, I would like to have a consultation with you because everyone’s journey is so customized. We will design what your best options are and we can go from there. All you have to do is text or call me, 906-281-0493 or we can meet in person. I am selling Top Trainer Supplements and you can also purchase Gundry MD products(which are from the Doctor who wrote the Plant Paradox book I read) I would love to guide you on your supplementation journey! Most supplements can be shipped, picked up, or local drop off. You can click for more info to be directed to the sites that I get supplements from if you want to read more info on your own as well on the from the homepage of my website, tmfitnessmqt.com. You CAN place an order if you’d like from the links on the site as well, totally up to you! But always reach out with any questions or concerns!

Also, I have a direct link to my Pruvit website products which is all things ketones. I have those available for sale and shipping and that’s something you can text or message me about as well, but you can purchase them via my Pruvit website and I recommend those for almost anyone! The Pruvit website has so much science and helpful information, too! Here is the link to that website. http://www.melodiealexander.shopketo.com

I am feeling like I am still am holding on to weight in my triceps and abdomen but I’m working on it and the journaling is helping a lot. I’m happy with what I’ve done since starting my workout/nutrition goals after being cleared to workout after having Tucker. Sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves and this past week I really had to step back and appreciate my journey. I was getting down on myself for the scale not moving down fast enough and not appreciating the way I look. Then I look back on each journey with each kid and I’m very appreciative and need to remember, I have birthed three babies and each journey has been different getting my body back to what I feel good at. The biggest move forward has been my mentality. I’m in such a great place mentally as well, and that makes a huge difference. I’m going to say it again, taking that time for yourself is KEY!!

As always, if you need some guidance in regards to ANYTHING, don’t hesitate to reach out!

The Christmas hustle is over, decor is down, tree is gone, house is mostly in place with new toys and such. The girls really have thoroughly enjoyed their new presents and having them home during break to play was great. We also had our “you’re mean” and “I don’t like you” moments too. Sister arguments can be oh so interesting and let me tell you I’ve been there but now my sister and I are as close as can be now!

We were so busy over break. We made homemade play dough last week, slime, we’ve put together new toys that they bought with gift cards. We had our afternoons of down time, so much fun! Tucker is definitely getting into more stuff by the day but I love this stage because they start really responding to you. But how is be going to be ONE this month?! He puts everything in his mouth so we always have to make sure Barbie shoes, legos and all small pieces are picked up at all times.

I had some holiday bloat for sure and last week was great to get back into the swing of feeling better. And I’m ready for a full week of on point nutrition! I’m excited for a normal week back to the routine.

Last Thursday Mallorie asked me if it was time to go back to school! There’s nothing more humbling than when she’s excited and ready to continue learning AND I know she missed her friends!

Makenzie went back to preschool and did great!

Teaching group exercise classes again has been so fun and rewarding, too! I absolutely love instructing. I still love my hour of gym time a day, too. I just had a conversation with a friend last week and we were talking about how there’s so much more balance and happiness in your life when you take time for yourself. I will say it over and over again. Commit a half hour, 45 minutes or an hour to solely YOU or doing a workout class, or doing it with a friend. If you don’t think you have time, make time. We always have the ability to wake up earlier, schedule time a couple times a week where your kids are at school or are being watched, or find a gym that has childcare, the Y has been a LIFESAVER for that. Commit to a better you and better plan and process in 2020 and see changes to a healthier lifestyle this year! It can only get better. If you’re already taking the time for yourself, high five! 👋🏼 So, here’s the thing. There’s one thing stopping you from reaching goals and that’s ourselves. It’s so easy to say I don’t feel like it. When I was so bloated last Tuesday I didn’t want to workout because I felt so tired but Travis reminded me, “you’ll feel better after.” And I did. (And we all know how much I don’t like when Travis is right 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️)

My suggestion is writing down a plan of what you will intend to do for workouts through the week and then adjust as needed! I find that if you write down, even put it on your computer or a note on your phone and try and stick to a schedule, it enables us to be more successful. As always, if you need some guidance, let me know!

Travis started cooking when he’s been getting home since last week a couple times a week and that’s been AMAZING! Seriously, helps so much. Balance is amazing. And to be 100% honest, he’s always been a better cook, I’ll take the cleaning up any time! It’s pretty cute too because Mallorie and Makenzie call him “chef dad!”

This week I busted out my food journal and am logging fully for at least 4 weeks, if not more. That’s my first goal.

So here’s to reaching goals in 2020. They don’t have to be huge goals, small changes lead to big results! Happy Wednesday, followers!

As always, thanks for following along!

We are only 5 days away from Christmas and our house is full of magic, holiday parties, holiday baking, elf shenanigans and so much love. As we get to the end of the year, I always reflect on the past year as I’m sure a lot of you do too! This year has been so much for me. I’ve went through some obstacles of being a mom to 3. Mallorie went to kindergarten and is acting like she’s 13 sometimes. My mom heart explodes though because she’s such a motivated, generous and wonderful helper in all aspects of her life. Makenzie is going to preschool and beats to her own drum, only wears workout pants, summer dresses and short sleeve t-shirts. She has a kind soul but gets mad very quickly when something doesn’t go her way. The independence is deep in that one. And our sweet Tucker, he lights up our world. There’s something about having a baby boy and I am so blessed he came into our lives. He’s standing on everything and before we know it, he’ll be walking! Time sure has flown.

Growth—Travis and I have grown this year individually and together. We are so very lucky to be able to be where we are in our lives and are so fortunate for the positive people in our lives. 2019 is going to be hard to beat but 2020 is already looking to be great!

This week, the girls and I made gluten free sugar cookies. I’ll post the recipe link below. I thought they were ok and Travis thought they were good! The girls liked them too. I did use egg in it(even due to my sensitivity) because I couldn’t bring myself to using applesauce when I was already using gluten free flour. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤣 We will be making regular sugar cookies Monday. We also made Oreo Truffles which are so rich and sweet but delicious. We took them to Makenzie’s Preschool Christmas party and they were a hit!

Keeping me on track with my nutrition for the most part has been MQT Nutrition. Their meal prep service has saved me from having to put together lunches and dinners along with taking care of the holiday hustle. I highly recommend them!

I’m enjoying the Holidays but not losing sight of my goals. My body fat is right where I want it to be. I am continuing to do my strength workouts and HIIT workouts through the week. I also have been interval running on the treadmill a couple days a week. Averaging about 6-10 miles a week. I’m excited for TWO races this spring/summer and look forward to more. I was talking to somebody when I ran my last marathon and they said generally when somebody does a marathon, that’s either the only one they do or they keep doing them! Looks like I’m the one who keeps doing them. Running outside is so therapeutic for me and my training runs are so empowering. Listening to my body is most crucial. Like, yesterday I worked out with somebody and by the end I was just like I need a rest day I could just tell. So this morning I am just enjoying some coffee, I am kidless because my sister has them for a special pre-Christmas weekend and I’m just enjoying my time and getting Christmas stuff wrapped up! I’m so thankful to have her to take them for weekends and trips because when we need those much needed breaks, it really gives us a chance to be us and they also love spending time with auntie and uncle, so it’s a win win!

I do have to share a Makenzie story. So, Tuesday afternoon neither her or Tucker would fall asleep so I put them in the car and of course they fall asleep. So, then it is time to pick Mallorie up from school because they both had haircuts and so she was stirring around but basically I had to wake her up and I brought her in the school and she insisted that we were staying because she wanted something to eat and she was carrying on and crying and saying she was staying so finally after five minutes of trying to convince her I had to grab her and pick her up. And I had took her in the other hand and she managed to squeeze out and she tried to run back in the school. So I had to grab her again and we got to the vehicle and I sat her down and she started running so I had to grab her again and then finally I got her in the vehicle and she laid on the floor saying she wasn’t going and that she hated us. So got to the hair salon and she came in but screamed at the door yelling don’t talk to me don’t look at me. And we just ignored her and then all of a sudden she came out of it got her haircut was so appreciative and then we got home and I was all of a sudden like “hey Kenzie who was that kid at the school and at the hair salon?” And she looks at me and she says “yeah, mom I was just crying and mad because I just needed something to eat, I was crazy, right mom?” These are real mom moments that I will always look back on and be so appreciative that I was able to be a mom. But in those sweaty moments wrangling them, it can be so overwhelming! To all the mamas out there, keep doing a great job!

Happy Saturday!

Click here for the gluten free sugar cookie recipe!

Sometimes we can become so stuck on our nutrition that we tend to eat the same foods over and over and then that turns into over eating on things that aren’t the healthiest for us because we go for so long without having the foods we like or we just get sick of having the same foods and get stuck in a rut. At least that has happened to me in the past.

My goal through this whole process of living a healthy lifestyle has been to change it up always and not get stuck in a rut of eating the same thing over and over. I used to eat the same thing all through the weeks everyday and then I would find myself eating the foods I loved on the weekend but way too much of them! And on Sunday-Monday I would feel sluggish and bloated. Now, I focus more on what I feel like eating, mostly healthy of course but making sure I only eat until I feel satiety vs eating until I’m way too full! And if I feel like something sweet or a little extra…I have a piece or a serving of it and I feel much better than if I try and not have it. I’ve really enjoyed reading the Plant Paradox book because it really opens your eyes to the types of foods that are best and making sure you’re eating the proper fruits/veggies for the time of year.

Making the changes on my food sensitivity test has made a difference. Just being more aware. Especially with egg ingredients. Dressings I was having had eggs, I was having a lot of things with garlic and coconut ingredients and not even realizing it. I’ve had pizza and various other things but I’ve been so much BETTER! We made Christmas cookies with applesauce as the substitute for egg and that worked well!

Also, another huge thing that has helped this week is getting meals from MQT Nutrition. Seriously, I’m the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season it can be so hard to eat healthy. If you live in Marquette, check out their meal prep options or go in and grab a meal! https://mqtnutrition.com

I still am fasting daily because I love it. I still am fasting until 1-2 in the afternoon, eating between then and 7pm. It really allows me to focus more on my tasks for the day and then have a meal, a snack and then one final meal. Fasting doesn’t work for everyone but it’s worth trying to see if it’s something that works for you! I’d be happy to guide you along if you’d like some help. Not only does fasting have benefits for timing but many health benefits as well!

I’ve been doing so much research and reading on fasting, food sensitivities and overall health/food options and it really can be overwhelming for us but I’m writing in a food journal and a daily journal so I follow through daily and it really makes a big difference when you put things down on paper. It keeps me more accountable to learn but also to know what I’m putting in my body.

The hustle of the holidays is here and I can’t believe we’re so close to Christmas. It can get so hectic but be sure to enjoy moments and time with your loved ones as that’s the reason for the season! I’ve done a good job getting the gifts the girls have really wanted and not just buying things to buy them. It’s been nice to be able to shop with Tucker when they are at school as he can’t tell them what we’re buying YET! He’s a pretty good shopping partner if you give him snacks but he does get a little crazy and stands up in the cart so I have to push the cart from the end so he’s safe! He tries to help wrap gifts but that doesn’t always end well! 🤣 I hope you all are enjoying the Holiday Season!

Here is a picture of him with me at Target helping 😉

Have a great weekend and as always, thanks for reading along!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and felt grateful. Yesterday I encountered various people I follow on social media being rude and calling people “idiots” or “stupid” and I just have to say I’m thoroughly surprised at how people can be so rude and say obscene things about people. You know, a lot of people are trying so hard to be better and then there are people who try to take them down. Just be kind, be grateful and most of all respect others.

I got my food sensitivity test results back on Tuesday and I found out I’m highly sensitive to egg whites. I actually cut out eggs almost completely two months ago because I would have stomach discomfort almost instantly after that would last a last all day. But now I’m quickly realizing I was doing other things that had eggs in the ingredients. With Holiday baking coming up, I was researching how to replace eggs in recipes and it says applesauce. My fellow bakers, is that true? I also am moderately sensitive to the yolk so cutting out the complete egg is what I’m doing.

Other items on my list are:

Barley, chicken, coconut, garlic, kelp, rye, tuna and wheat. Now most of these were at 20-25 and my egg white sensitivity was at 109.

Kelp was the second highest coming in at 46. Interestingly enough the fruits and greens powder I was taking had kelp in it and I cut that out last week and replaced my fruits and greens shake with the Plant Paradox green smoothie. So, I talked about in my blog post last week how I cut out heavy whipping cream and high fat cheeses. I did replace my tbsp of heavy whipping cream with almond milk creamer but I realized when I got my results back there is Coconut Cream in my creamer so I will be going to dairy creamer again as it turns out I’m sensitive to coconut products and not dairy at all. So, these last couple days have been a lot of reading labels. One huge thing I have to say is, if you can buy organic, do so. In the organic chicken broth there was only three ingredients and in the off brand there was TEN.

These last couple days have been so eye opening on how much I was eating that had my sensitivity foods in it. It really helps when you have someone (Travis) who is willing to help with these changes and give ideas to make the necessary changes.

With Thanksgiving yesterday I had turkey, mashed potatoes and then we made a homemade stuffing with sausage, celery, (eggs, but we substituted with homemade applesauce) and spices as well. It turned out super tasty. I opted out of the pies because of the egg ingredients but I had some chocolate mousse for dessert.

We had a great day with family and we ended up having to go out and buy a new Christmas tree for our dining room. We’re planning to go pick out our real tree this weekend!

If anyone has any egg free Holiday recipes they’d like to send my way, please do!

As always, thanks for following along! And if you’re interested in doing the Everly Food Sensitivity test, follow the link here and use code BESTSALE for 25% OFF and let me know if you’re doing it so we can talk about your results when you get them!