wine

Keep the love alive during quarantine with these 12+ Date Night At Home Ideas that will help you feel closer, and provide a break from the stress. We’ve been in quarantine or practicing social isolation since mid-March. Being locked in the house together with our loved ones, means couples have to find creative and intentional ways to spend quality time with one another. I am stressing quality time. You and your partner are around each other constantly right now, and once the kids are in bed, probably all you want to do is crawl into bed. A date that might require your to shower or shave or make or do something does not sound all too tempting. I know. Still, after the first week of quarantine, my husband Scott suggested we do a date night every Friday and I loved the idea. Here’s why. I feel we need to be reminded that as partners, we’re also a…

A Gluten-free Guide to traveling to Tulum as a family with small kids with tips on accommodation and activities as well as the best gluten-free restaurant options in the Mexican beach town. After bugging my husband to go to Mexico for a solid two years, we finally took our gluten-free family trip to Tulum! I’ve been wanting to go to Tulum for about four years. I first found it when searching for places in Mexico that had yoga and meditation spaces. And let me tell you – Tulum has a lot of that. And while I had lofty ideas of checking out several yoga studios, hitting up a meditation or two and checking out all of the gluten-free restaurants, reality hit when we got there. I’m a mom of two kids three and under – so we didn’t get to do quite as much as I had hoped. Even so,…

I’ve been more relaxed about meal planning this summer but this week felt like a good time to start again! Check out my free summer meal plan below! This summer has been amazing. I’m growing a lot of veggies in my backyard and getting fresh produce from the farmers market every week. I absolutely love summer. One of my favorite things to do is grill a bunch of fresh food for my family and hang out on our back deck. It’s just such an amazing season. Interestingly enough, I’m being a bit more lax about food lately. In the past I’ve been on very low carb, healing protocols due to gut issues. But I never really felt better. Now, I’m eating white rice if I want it. I’m not stressing over having a cookie with my son. And I’m not beating myself up over that extra glass of wine at…

Nothing. Nothing happened. I expected something to happen, at least clearer skin from all the juice I drank first thing in the morning. But after drinking celery juice for two weeks and having high hopes, to be honest, I noticed no benefit. SO HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED. I asked for a juice for Christmas for this reason in particular: I was hopping on the celery juice train. I’d heard so many stories about it, how it cured everything from anxiety to eczema to psoriasis (to Epstein Barr and Strep??). I had so many people asking me about it – I decided I needed to give it a solid go for myself. So January came, and I did what I do every January. I gave up booze, sugar, dairy, processed food and now – I was adding in the miracle celery juice. And you guys, I WANTED it to work. I wanted…

I woke up one Saturday a couple weeks ago, the day before my birthday. Scott and I were meeting our friends that night and I was EXCITED. In celebration, I made big breakfast and a green juice mimosa. I chose a low-sugar (okay, like, no sugar green juice) which made this mimosa very tart. If you prefer a bit sweeter, opt for a green juice made with an apple but still under 10 grams of sugar per serving. And read the bottle carefully, because many green juices have sugar listed as 10 or 11 grams, and then you realize the serving size is actually 2. And then you just drank the amount of sugar you should have in an entire day. Always check the sugar and the serving size! Back to the mimosas. I chose a VERY dry (low sugar) and organic blanc de blanc for my champagne, or sparkling…

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…

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…

As I write this, I’m well into my third trimester at almost 36 weeks. My c-section is scheduled for next week so I thought it would be the perfect time for a third trimester update. Read why I have to have a c-section here. This pregnancy has been different from my first in so many ways. When I got pregnant with Everett, I had a miscarriage six months prior. I was terrified of miscarrying again. I ran to the bathroom constantly to make sure I wasn’t spotting, which is how my miscarriage started. I bled for two weeks before miscarrying. It was torture. When I started spotting with Everett, I was convinced I was having a miscarriage. I was devastated. I cried hysterically. I felt gutted and terrified, like I’d never be able to have a child. But the cause of the bleeding was never identified, and I continued to…

Don’t want to fall off the fitness wagon this Christmas? Here’s how to stay healthy and fit during the holidays and still enjoy yourself, according to a holistic nutritionist Healthy Holidays Guide: How to Stay Healthy, Happy and Fit during the Holiday Season! Tis the season to be jolly – and also the season most people undo a lot of the hard work they put in all through the year. Use these tips to maintain your healthy lifestyle and stay active through this time of neverending festivities, sweet treats and rich meals. Bring your own dessert, appetizer or dish to a party – you’ll have healthier treats and the host will love you. Whenever I go to a holiday party, I always bring a lil’ something I know I’ll feel good about snacking on. This includes stuffed mushrooms, veggie tray with Tessemae’s ranch, a healthy lil’ charcuterie plate, gluten-free cookies, etc. This way I know I’ll definitely have…