
Why homemade?
Easy Peasy Homemade Granola Bars
- In a bowl, combine dry ingredients: protein, oatmeal, flax seed, wheat germ, cinnamon, wolfberries, cacao nibs and almonds.
- In medium sauce pan, combine almond butter and honey over medium heat, stirring until mixed well.
- Pour honey mixture over dry ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Spread mixture into a 8x8 pan lined with wax paper, pressing mixture into pan. When cooled, cut into desired size bars.

Why DIY?
- How much cleaner I needed to start keeping my floors (when was the last time you got down on your belly and looked at your floor? Ew.) and
- What was I cleaning my floor with that my new baby would be potentially licking?
Non-Toxic Dishwasher Soap (makes 44 loads)

- In a glass bowl (I use a pyrex measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring), combine all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Transfer to a mason jar and add essential oil.
- Place lid on jar and shake well to disperse oil.
- Use 1 Tablespoon per dishwasher load


This easy 4 step ginger-garlic chicken is a staple in our home. It is often requested by my husband. Staple recipes have three requirements: quick, easy and healthy. This definitely meets all 3!
I’ve been on a wellness journey for the past couple of years. I’ve been working on changing habits. My biggest challenge has been my sugar addiction. It’s no joke when people talk about sugar being more addictive than cocaine. One of my favorite cookbooks that I’ve come across in my journey is The 21 Day Sugar Detox by Diane Sanfilippo. Her recipes are amazing and contain no sugar. My whole family approves!
When we are good about intentionally eliminating sugar (It’s still a big challenge for me) we notice SO many benefits. I have more energy. I’m more alert. The brain fog clears. And yes, I drop a few pounds! I still have triggers than send me back to my old ways, but slowly and surely I’m learning how to stay on track for longer periods of time and when I do fall off the wagon, I’m much quicker to hop back on. That is progress that I’m good with for now.
Easy 4 Step Ginger-Garlic Chicken
This recipe is adapted from The 21 Day Sugar Detox. I simplified it a bit further and feel like it tastes just as good but saves me even more time as a busy mom with 3 littles.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter, ghee or coconut oil
6-8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or breasts (we prefer thighs)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 teaspoons while sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste (I sprinkle these on last, and only on half of the chicken as they are too hot for my kiddos)
1/3 cup coconut aminos (I like this one)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Using butter, ghee or coconut oil, grease the bottom of a 9×13 glass dish or large cast iron skillet.
- Place 6-8 chicken thighs in pan (not overlapping if you can). I’ve used both frozen or thawed, either is fine but you’ll have to adjust your cooking time accordingly. I’ve found they take a good 30-45 minutes longer when frozen.
- Combine onion, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, coconut aminos and red pepper flakes (unless you choose to only add to half of recipe as I do) in a small bowl. Pour mixture evenly over chicken thighs and bake for 30 minutes (if thawed) or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think!


Avocado and Eggs on sourdough Toast
Oatmeal Pancakes
Egg Bake
Sweet Potato and Egg Scramble
Breakfast Pizza
Overnight chia breakfast bowls
Breakfast Burritos/Quesadillas
Cottage Cheese with Peaches and sourdough Toast
Fresh Fruit and Yogurt
Eggs Benedict over savory waffles

- Setting a bedtime for me [not just my kids!] and sticking to it. The struggle is real on this one. But when I do it [shocker] I feel SO much better! We know how important routine is for our kids…so why do we think that it doesn’t apply to us as adults?
- Read every. single. day. I love to read. I believe that if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Previously, I was not great at making it a priority. There are 2 ways I now make this happen. Either A) while on the treadmill or B) as part of my “bedtime”, 15 minutes before the time that I set. Need a suggestion? This book will forever be one of my favorites and applies to EVERYONE.
- Use a planner. This felt super tedious when I first started. It felt like I was wasting valuable time filling it out. But here’s the thing…when I take the time to fill it out, I’m more organized and remember all of the things that I used to think I could keep straight in my head and therefore it is well worth the few minutes it takes me each day. This is the planner that I use, but a good friend of mine also likes this one.
- Date nights. I know this may sound silly. But if you’re like me, a parent with small children, this is SO easy to overlook. My hubby and I are kind of old-fashioned and would like to stay married. Crazy, I know. Relationships take work. So we got out our calendars and scheduled dates. All 12 for 2020 are set. While our kids are a big priority for us, so is our marriage and we know we need to still like each other after the kids are all grown up!
- Meal planning. This is probably the habit that I still struggle with the most. I LOVE how it simplifies my life, [and my grocery list!] saves me time, money and stress when I do it. Which should all be reasons to keep it going, right? My biggest struggle with this is that life gets in the way sometimes and my days don’t always go as planned. What I’ve done to combat this is to keep a few quick staple items on hand for when I can’t make the meal I had planned. Being able to roll with things helps me to stay on track.
- Learning proper self care. For years I’ve pushed myself to the point of exhaustion telling myself I can sleep when I’m dead. I’ve learned [the hard way, of course] that if I take better care of myself, then I can do SO much more and feel SO much better doing it! One of my favorite things for staying on track with my goals of exercising and watching portions can be found here.