dani

I wanted to update you guys on some blood work I recently had done. I’ve been searching for a good primary care doctor for over ten years at this point. I was recently introduced to Capital Integrative Health just outside of DC. They are a functional medicine practice and they accept insurance! What a DREAM. But having dealt with over twenty doctors over the years, I went to the appointment unsure of what to expect. While our society kind of worships doctors as all-knowing beings, I’ve learned the hard way that they’re just humans who make mistakes – like all of us. I’ve dealt with some truly terrible doctors over the years. I once met with a doctor who told me that a vitamin D supplement was basically they same as a statin prescription. (FYI – this makes literally no sense.) I had an OBGYN that literally cursed during our…

Earlier this week I was watching an episode of Giada. I freaking love Giada. Her delicious Italian food, her big ol’ boobs, her California inspired style, and her Sunday supper. It turns out that Giada practices the Italian tradition of having friends and family over on Sundays for a special dinner – which I think sounds AMAZING. Good food, good wine, good people. What’s better? Literally nothing. So this Sunday I’m planning on making spaghetti, an ode to both Giada and my husband, whose favorite food in the world is spaghetti. I’m pairing it with this amazing chicken I once had at a restaurant. I’ll be using Rao’s marinara (which I forgot to put on the grocery list) and castelvetrano olives. I HATE olives. Except for these olive. They the bomb. On Sunday I will be meal prepping the following, because meal prepping is LIFE:-meatloaf-mashed potatoes-shrimp and veggie stirfry-bone broth…

This week’s meal plan is paleo, gluten-free and low-carb. Well, mostly low-carb. I am going to incorporate a bit more carbs since I lost weight in January. If you don’t follow me on Instagram, which you should (HERE, click here!), you don’t know that I gave up booze, grains, dairy and sugar for the month of January. I already rarely eat sugar, almost never have dairy except for butter, only have rice for grains but I do love a good margarita or glass of wine. I gave it all up (mostly, like 95%) for January – and I unintentionally lost weight. I got down to 120, which at 5’7 and fairly athletic is just lower than I’d like to be. And I want my ass back. I’m sure my husband does too. So this week I’m incorporating some more carbs from white rice that I will cook in bone broth…

Let me share a shocking statistic with you: 50% of people aged 85 and over will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and there’s no cure for it. Prevention is the most impactful way to avoid developing these diseases. In fact, prevention is the best way to avoid developing not just these diseases, but all diseases in general. There are several steps we can take to ensure our life-long health. This is incredibly close to my heart so I want to share ten ways to prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s. My happiest memory growing up was sitting on the floor of my grandmother’s apartment on a sunny day watching TV as she made food in the kitchen. Her apartment was the only place I felt safe and at ease and like I could just be myself. This was before she moved in with us, and her home was my respite. It…

Every Thursday I sit down and write out a meal plan for the following week. This saves me so much time and money. And with a hungry toddler, it’s necessary. I’ve decided I’m going to start sharing my weekly meal plan and grocery list. It’s also paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free (use ghee instead of butter), grain-free and can be keto too! So every Thursday I make the list. Every Friday I grocery shop. I go to Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and the farmers market. You don’t have to do this. I love to grocery shop. Most people hate it. On Sunday I meal prep. Seriously – you need to meal prep. It’s a game changer. Here is a helpful post on how to meal prep with lots of tips. Here’s what I’m going to meal prep on Sunday: turkey chili pulled chicken in the crockpot mashed potatoes Greek salad succotash This…

The ketogenic diet is hugely popular and with good reason; it’s been shown to reduce inflammation, improve depression and anxiety, curb epileptic seizures and help people lose weight. It can be incredibly healing, especially for those with diabetes, mood disorders, Alzheimer’s and gut infections. However, in following along on social media and seeing the huge explosion of this way of eating, I’ve also seen a lot of ways people kind of botch it. I’ve decided to share five things people do wrong when going keto because I’m seeing these mistakes repeatedly. NOT ENOUGH VEGGIES I see so many people avoiding vegetables on keto. Here’s the thing: keto can be a very healthy and well balanced diet. But you know what the backbone of keto is that people don’t realize? VEGETABLES. Veggies should make up the bulk of every ketogenic plate of food. Vegetables are loaded with so many vitamins, minerals…

I know everyone is hating on new years resolutions this year, and I get it. If you’re going to make a change, just do it. Don’t wait for the new year. But I have a completely different perspective. I use the new year to check in with myself, evaluate the last year and think of the intentions and plans I want to set for the coming year. I am a firm believer in living an intentional life. So many people go through life with no plans, no intentions and just coast through. That’s not my style. I’m a planner. I want to explore and savor life, I want to travel and have fun and have new experiences with my family. And here’s the thing: these awesome experiences don’t just happen. We have to live an intentional life and plan them. This is why I love planning, it makes life so…

I couldn’t have been more nervous about having a c-section. I was stressed the entire pregnancy and looking back, I think a lot of it was just subconsciously being scared of having the surgery. My first birth was incredibly traumatic and even though I was cut open for a c-section 1) I wasn’t awake and 2) he came out vaginally anyway. This time around, it would be planned. I would be conscious. And I knew I would be nervous. In the days leading up to his birth, I did my best not to think about it. I don’t think I would’ve been able to sleep if I focused on it. I meditated. I distracted myself. Most of all though, I prepared. I can’t recommend this enough. Go into this situation prepared. I wrote an article on how I prepared for my c-section here. The night before, our bags were packed.…