pumpkin

Making a roasted chicken and veggies on Sundays has become a tradition. It’s something I do every Sunday to prepare for the week and it’s a great way to meal prep quickly and easily without having to make a shit ton of food. It’s also really nice to have a bit of a Sunday ritual. I pop this bad boy in the oven, clean the house, light a pumpkin spice candle (I’m embracing the basic, ya’ll) and go on a walk or out to brunch with my husband and son. All while this sucker is roasting away. It’s such an easy way to make a lot of healthy food. You can get SO many meals out of a roasted chicken. Take all the meat off and set it aside for the week. You guys – take my advice: make this chicken every week! One of the best things you can…

Before you decide that this article has some sort of agenda or that I’m bankrolled by the dairy industry (yes, I’ve actually beed accused of that) let me just clarify that I’m sharing this information for a few reasons, one being that veganism is a hugely popular diet and people should really be aware of the pitfalls of it. The other being that I was a vegan and it basically wrecked my health (you can read more about that here). My intention is not to bash veganism, but to be honest with you – because so many others are not (or, they’re just unaware of the facts below). I share this information with you not because this is my opinion, but because this is the reality of a plant based diet. So before you decide to leave a hateful comment, know that I’m coming from a good place. People deserve…

First of all, let me say that I respect the choice of an adult to make a diet decision. But I recently read an article in which actress Jenna Dewan said of her daughter, ”She eats fruits and veggies and nothing else.” Nothing else? Where is this baby going to get her EPA and DHA? What about healthy fats in general? And vitamin A (retinol)? What about B12? Babies have died from lack of vitamin A and B12! To be clear, I don’t believe that any parent who feeds their child a vegan diet means to hurt them. I don’t think they’re even aware of the dangers tied to feeding a baby a plant-based diet. As a society, we often equate a vegan diet with health while turning up our noses at animal products. But eating a vegan diet is not the same as being healthy. As a result, there…

Okay, the title of this post is totally inflammatory. No, I don’t think your candles are going to kill you, although the title does make me envision one of those really shitty (but totally awesome) scary movies like Killer Clowns From Outerspace. It could be called Attack of the Killer Candles. I love me some candles. They provide gorgeous lighting, are so relaxing and they smell awesome. But several years ago I stopped using them. Whenever I lit a candle, my head would start to hurt and the inside of my nose would ache. I eventually found out why that is and have since switched to healthier options and ditched the paraffin candles. But first, what IS paraffin? Paraffin is derived from petroleum and is the waste result of refining crude oil into gasoline. Doesn’t sound so great, does it? The paraffin is then bleached using dioxin, a know human…

Every holiday season when I hear about people gaining weight I always think of the episode of Friends where Joey and Ross are dangling from the fire escape and Joey asks Ross how much he weighs. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to eat terribly, gain weight, or deprive yourself of awesome holiday food. I used to do one of two things every holiday season. Scenario 1: Convince myself that eating terribly was fine, that the holidays were an exception and that I’d be missing out if I didn’t indulge. I’d gain weight, break out, and feel terrible. Scenario 2: Convince myself that eating all of my favorite, delicious holiday treats wasn’t worth it so I’d miss out and be completely miserable. But it doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can have your pumpkin pie and eat it too. In the Healthy Holiday Challenge I’m sending you…