Healthy Chicks in the Community: A Positive, Pre-School Teaching People Person

34 Comments / Healthy Chicks in the Community /

Good evening ladies! Hope you were all able to squeeze in a little sunshine today. I just got back from lululemon Newbury Street run club, where I wore in my brand new #BostonStrong pink shirt The Boy bought me today. Oh, how he knows the key to my heart. There’s nothing like showing a little Boston pride while sweating it out with a great group of people!

Anyway, let’s get right to it with this week’s feature for Healthy Chicks in the Community. I was lucky to meet this lovely lady at the I am That Girl event I spoke at last month, and  simply couldn’t get over how smiley and friendly she was! A beautiful person both inside and out, this twenty-something truly knows what it means to be a Healthy Chick. I’ll let Jessica take it from here…

NAME/AGE: Jessica Scire/26

BLOG/TWITTER (If Applicable): www.jessicamariescire.blogspot.com

CURRENT CITY: Medford, MA

PHOTO TAKEN: This photo was taken in June 2012 on “Graduation Day.”  My kids were graduating pre-k to move to kindergarten.  It was such a bittersweet day—I was so proud of my students and it was such a happy day but I also knew I would miss seeing their … Read More!

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“The Bowl Of Goodness” {Warm Vegan Quinoa Bowl with Greens & Creamy Ginger Garlic Sauce}

8 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness /

It’s no surprise that The Boy and I like to make our own creations in our tiny box kitchen! We’re always playing with different greens, oils, herbs, meat, seasonal produce and garlic (lots and lots of garlic) to tantalize our taste buds.

Then we have our classic dishes, our staples if you will. The Boy’s include soup (particularly his heart-warming Potato Corn Chowder), Breakfast Frittatas and his famous meatloaf (which he literally won’t stop talking about…he keeps telling all my friends and family to “Ask Rach about my meatloaf!”)

Classic Rachel dishes include Almond-Crusted Coconut Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries/Mashed Sweet Potatoes, fancy salads, and an apartment favorite: Warm Quinoa & Veggie Bowls which The Boy just dubbed “The Bowl of Goodness.”

The original inspiration came from our favorite local organic cafe Live Alive, as we are absolutely addicted to their warm grain bowls. That’s when I decided to get my experimenting — and my apron — on!

I never make one bowl exactly the same, but all are vegan and free from gluten and dairy ingredients. Sometimes I add in raisins or curry powder, while other times I load up on the garlic and create a more … Read More!

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Spring Cleaning for Your Mind, Body & Soul {An Interactive Wellness Workshop}

4 Comments / Health & Wellness /

Ladies! Hope you are having a lovely, bright & beautiful week. It definitely doesn’t hurt that the sunshine is finally out, at least here in Boston. On that note, I am finally starting to feel a bit like myself again…every day is a new day for healing!

Anyway, I wanted to fill in all my Boston loves on a super sweet wellness workshop I’m hosting next week at The Breathing Room Yoga Studio in Cambridge, MA. We’ll chat anything and everything SPRING CLEANING, going much deeper than simply cleaning out the closet.

Far too many women are talking about the next diet to go on for spring break or how to lose weight fast, and I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to go on a diet. You just need a shift in perspective! And as a special treat to my beautiful readers, I’d like to honor 50% off your ticket. Just use promo code HealthyChicks50.

Here’s the deets:

WHO: YOU! All you lovely ladies are invited for an interactive ladies’ night out (I mean, Wellness Workshop!)

WHAT: “Detox & Declutter Your Mind & Body This Spring (Without Dieting)”

Tickets include:

  • A 60-minute interactive wellness discussion (covering
… Read More!

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I’ve Got an Announcement: My Big Hairy Audacious One-Year Goal

11 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

If you know me or have been reading my blog for a while, it’s plain to see I’m big on goals. I love creating goals for myself (both big and small), holding others accountable for their goals via health coaching, and am a sucker for vision boards (even as a teenager apparently). I’m a “Goal Junkie” if you will.

And this past year, I’ve come a long way with many of these goals. I’ve landed a part-time job of my dreams with sweetgreen (and have been loving every minute of it), I launched my innovative health coaching programs (including my Healthy Supermarket Tours), I greatly expanded my freelance writing, and I made big strides in my relationship and even moved in with The Boy (my very first living-with-a-man experience).

But, while I’m a pretty avid goal-setter, sometimes I get ahead of myself by creating too many goals at the same time, turning my dreams & visions from inspirations to one, big overwhelming mess.

That’s why when I was invited to lululemon athletica Prudential Center’s “B.H.A.G. Yourself to Greatness” event yesterday evening, I gladly accepted in a hot second. What’s a B.H.A.G. you ask? Why it’s … Read More!

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Just What I Needed: In Finding Love

10 Comments / Lifestyle /

You know those moments when just the right thing comes along at just the right time? It’s as if it was planned that way on purpose, like a little special hug from the Universe. It usually sneaks up on you during one of those “off days,” rough patches or time of grieving. All of the sudden, a little pick-me-up sort of falls into your lap out of no where.

To be honest with you, I’m still feeling a bit off in coping with Monday’s events, and have been having a hard time writing let alone feeling myself. I just keep replaying the day over and over again up to the moment of the attack, thinking “What if it were me?” However, I’ve certainly been finding love & joy in everything around me to not only help myself cope, but also those around me. To help our city heal.

You see, when you look for love it’s everywhere, really. You can find love in things as small as your morning cappuccino or as large as an entire community coming together to pray & heal.

Love is in the eyes of your barista, your lover, the stranger on the street. In … Read More!

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Gratitude & Love: A Personal Reflection on Yesterday’s Events

13 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

This was the one photo I snapped during yesterday’s Boston Marathon.

It’s one of my favorite days in the city, a day that makes me proud to be a Bostonian, a day that makes me contemplate to run a Marathon one day myself. And for the past 4 years, I have gathered with friends and loved ones to watch at my go-to spot: the Finish Line. This year was extra-special as one of my friends was running her very first 26.2.

The Finish Line is a place you see strength, love, dedication, power, and victory. A place where families and loved ones come together to celebrate. A place where runners have their moment. A place where I always find myself tearing up seeing the faces of pure accomplishment.

Unfortunately, yesterday’s tears were tears of sadness, not joy; hugs of fear not celebration. As you can see in the above photo, I was right at mile 26 when the first bomb went off. Like most, I was startled at first but thought it may be a cannon or a celebratory gun shot. When the second bomb went off less than a block from where I was standing, I knew I … Read More!

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Make This: BBQ Chicken Sausage Pizza with Cauliflower “Crust” {Gluten & Dairy Free}

2 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness /

The Boy & I have been trying to severely cut back and/or eliminate both gluten and dairy from our diets. While gluten is something I’ve learned to eliminate over the years (due to personal digestion issues and bloating), I occasionally indulge in a tasty snack or fresh-baked slice of bread made with real ingredients. I know my limits, and I’ve pretty much learned to live without it. I guess I’m lucky because I’ve never really had a sweet tooth so fresh bread is really my only temptation.

However, dairy is a completely different beast. You see, I love cheese. Nothing beats a slice of fresh mozzarella, hard cheese paired with fruit, or local feta from the farmer’s market. That being said, this past year I’ve also come to the conclusion that my love for cheese may have some sort of connection  to my skin issues. So I’ve been trying to cut back as much as I can to experiment. Again, this is just my own personal experiment and I’m not saying everyone should give up dairy for clear skin. After all, we are all different and what works for one may not work for another (see: bio-individuality).

I’m … Read More!

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Healthy Chicks in the Community: A Juice-Addicted, Passionate Pilates Rockstar

67 Comments / Healthy Chicks in the Community, Lifestyle /

Good afternoon ladies! Hope you are all having a sun-shiny day, despite the rain and dreary weather in Boston. I guess we can’t complain much after having 2 beautiful days in a row. I honestly can’t get enough of this sunshine!

For those of you participating in my “Get Happy & Healthy” Wellness Challenge, I am so impressed by all your hard work, dedication and creativity. From squeezing in that extra “me time” to enjoy your breakfast mindfully (and listen to the birds chirping) to trying a brand new green (like broccoli rabe or mustard greens!), each and every step you take—both big and small—is one step closer to a happier, healthier you. Keep up the super work!

OK, on to another week of Healthy Chicks in the Community! This week I am so thrilled to introduce you to Jenn, a real women who shines confidence, health, strength and inspiration. After all, she wasn’t named one of BostInno’s 50 on Fire for nothing. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with Jenn in person and took her Pilates Bootcamp Class (which you can read about in my newsletter here) and can tell you this woman is the … Read More!

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Shifting Your Perspective From a Negative to a Positive: I am Enough

1,398 Comments / Lifestyle /

Last week, I was chatting on the phone with my grandmother while cooking dinner in our teeny-tiny kitchen. When she asked me what I was doing, I caught myself going there to that negative place we all know. And so I began complaining. “Well you know I’m cooking in my awful kitchen and it’s stressing me out. I just can’t stand our apartment. If only we had a bigger kitchen – a bigger apartment for that matter – so I could cook a nice meal for myself and actually enjoy doing it.”

When she asked where The Boy was, I told her he was in the other room waiting for me, and then I lit up. There was a complete shift in my mindset. “You know, I really am lucky to have him.” After all, not only does he cook (and do the dishes) but he loves me despite our tiny apartment…through the good times and the bad.

Then my grandmother said something to me that really struck me. “You don’t know just how lucky you are. He’s a catch. And as for the apartment, it’s just perfect for now. You have enough.” She then went on to … Read More!

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“Get Happy & Healthy” Wellness Challenge Day 1: On Being Mindful

9 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

Good afternoon, ladies! Today I wanted to touch base on a topic that’s often not discussed in the health & wellness community: mindfulness. For those of you who are participating in my 7-Day “Get Happy & Healthy” Wellness Challenge, you should have already seen in your inbox that today’s challenge has to do with eating mindfully.

What the heck does mindfulness have to do with healthy living, you ask? Well it’s a whole lot more than one may think! It’s also a topic that I hold very close to my heart, as it’s one of the major steps that helped me get over diet-obsessed living once and for all.

You see, in college I ate (and lived, for that matter) completely mindlessly. I scarfed down food as quickly as I could so I wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt, and I rushed through all my meals like it was one big race. I was an emotional eater and an impulse eater at that, eating what would make me “feel better” (or so I thought) and then dealing with the guilt of the aftermath.

This then lead to extreme restriction, dieting and poor body image which, if you … Read More!

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