Master Her Health

  As we launch into the back-to-school season (ready or not), we are all thinking about what will we send in our kids lunch that will provide the energy and nutrients needed to power through the day (without having to overthink it). Here are five tips for packing a nutritious school lunch to keep your child fueled and focused. (Psst - these same tips go for packing your own lunch, too!) The formula: Incorporate Protein Protein is a crucial component of a healthy lunch, as it helps build and repair tissues, boost the immune system, and keep you feeling full for extended periods. Try packing a sandwich made with turkey, hummus, or chicken breast, adding tofu or hard-boiled eggs to a salad, or including a container of hummus or nut butter for dipping with carrots or apple slices. Peanut butter, roasted chick peas, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and edamame are great protein sources. I'm planning to make these no-bake chickpea energy balls:  https://plantbasedjuniors.com/blueberry-chick

  I just got back from a beautiful week camping in Maine. We stayed in Camden, Acadia National Park and Kennebunkport. We were lucky because we got to Maine just in time to enjoy fresh picked wild blueberries from the local farm stands. Also, my youngest daughter discovered she loves overnight oats that I had made for our first morning. The blueberries added to the overnight oats made a winning combination and great breakfast to make at our campsite. I was able to easily continue to prep her oats every night in a mason jar by following a basic formula. There are lots of recipe variations online, but I wanted to share the base that's easy to memorize because it can be a healthy breakfast option for busy mornings. The oats are high in fiber which is good for heart health and blood sugar balance, and they provide protein too. The flax, hemp and chia provide healthy Omega-3 fats. Once you figure out how you like them, make several jars at a time and have breakfast ready to go for days.

  It can be quite the challenge to provide healthy, balanced meals for ourselves and our families. It is common within one household to have a variety of food preferences that we somehow need to please! There are picky eaters (they just change what they like with the weather), meat-lovers, vegetarians, etc. But it doesn't have to be that hard, and can actually be enjoyable! ​ Here are some of my tips to think about when creating balanced meals: ​ Utilize the Plate Method for Portion Control Portion control is one of the most important aspects of a balanced meal. A general rule of thumb is to fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with complex carbohydrates. ​ Balance Your Macronutrients In addition to portion control, it's essential to balance your macronutrients. Macronutrients are the nutrients your body needs in large quantities, such as protein, carbohydrates, and fats. A balanced meal should contain a combination of all t

I have fairly high standards like I love to know where my food was grown and raised. I also used to be a perfectionist and thought being perfect meant succeeding (definitely wrong there)!  But these are not the same thing. High standards can be healthy & motivating. Perfectionism is about FEAR. Fear of failure, looking stupid, making a mistake, and just not being good enough (ALL of this is 100% not true by the way).  To be clear, everyone has these fear thoughts, but letting them take over your mind is paralyzing and self-abuse. I don't let my standard of knowing where my food is raised hold me back. I would never travel, eat out, and drive myself crazy!  We often stop ourselves from doing something new because we want to appear that we have our shit together (look perfect). We don't allow us space to be a beginner and try new things, and grow. We are robbing ourselves of joy and happiness when we let fear prevent us from trying something new.  Researchers Dr. Paul Hewitt