Healthy Chicks

To the new mom running off cold coffee and two hours of sleep, you are enough.

To the recent graduate who’s unsure of what they want to be when they grow up, you are enough.

To the 20-something going through a painful breakup, you are enough.

To the entrepreneur who sometimes feels a little lost & lonely on this path of life, you are enough.

To the single mom raising 2 kiddos on your own, you are enough. To the working mom who works long days & makes it home for dinner and goodnight stories, you are enough.

To the burnt out employee who feels unappreciated at the office, you are enough.

To all the women who don’t feel comfortable in their skin, can’t stick to the “diet” or are battling an eating disorder, you are enough.

You are enough. You are enough. YOU are enough. 

Now that I’m approaching the one-year mark into this journey of motherhood (seriously, how?), I’ve been spending some time reflecting on the past year. Along with the joyous memories of baby coos, snuggles and those first giggles — which are seriously heart-melting — I can’t forget those challenging early days.

Being a mom is the most rewarding thing in the world, but taking care of a newborn is no joke!

While I was so overjoyed by my little bundle of joy finally being here in my arms, I was also overwhelmed with feelings of loneliness, confusion, doubt, and yes — sleep deprivation. This post from a week-and-a-half in sums up my feelings perfectly:

 

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Today was tough. Hubs went back to work this week, and little one has been cluster feeding during the day a.k.a. glued to the boob and nursing on the hour. 🤱 She screamed at the top of her lungs from 1-5pm unless I was holding her, and peed all over the changing table and her new outfit. I attempted to toast and reheat a waffle 3 times, which ended in one super burnt mess that I never got to eat

Morning friends! Hope you’re recovering from a fun-filled 4th of July weekend, but if you’re still struggling to get your groove back, try making these easy budget-friendly veggie burgers — made with pantry staples like sweet potatoes, black beans and rice. Trust me, they’re super easy with lots of nutrient-rich, plant-based ingredients to give your body a healthy boost.

Speaking of health, I’m so excited to bring to you this month’s spotlight on Healthy Chicks in the Community, a monthly series highlighting rockstar Girl Bosses doing their thang in the wellness community. This month, we’re chatting with Health Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Maggie Dion of RejuvInnate Nutrition!

I love Maggie’s holistic approach on getting to the root cause of your health issues, which is so important in my opinion. Plus she’s a super fun gal who loves chocolate and kale…and that’s what life’s all about, am I right?

In this informative interview, we chat about alternative healing modalities, treating yourself to the things you love, and her morning “power block” to get grounded and set her up for success each day.

NAME:

Maggie Dion, FDN-P, HHC

DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS/LINE OF WORK:

As an applied functional … Read More!

After a fun-filled 4th of July and birthday weekend, this mama needed a little breather from all the meat. After raiding the pantry, I whipped up some veggie burgers with some budget-friendly kitchen staples like spicy black beans, Lundberg Farms turmeric rice, sweet potatoes and spices!

Served on refreshing bibb lettuce wraps, these gluten free and vegan gems are perfect for a light but filling dinner in a snap. Plus they’re a hit with the whole family!

Turmeric & Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients: 

• 1 package Lundberg Family Farms Ready to Heat Turmeric Rice
• 1 large sweet potato, mashed
• 1 can Spicy Black Beans (Whole Foods brand has a great organic variety!)
• 1/2 c. gluten free breadcrumbs (almond, walnut or pecan meal also works well)
• Few good shakes of cumin, chili powder, and turmeric
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Bibb lettuce
• Shredded cheddar or vegan cheddar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400. In the meantime, chop sweet potato into 1-inch chunks, and steam for about 8-10 minutes or until you can mash with a fork.
2. In a large bowl, combine sweet potato, rice and black beans, mashing with a fork to create desired texture. Mix in gluten free breadcrumbs or nut

I mentioned before in this post that I have been making a conscious effort to cut back on social media use. And while I tried everything from putting my phone on “Airplane Mode” at night to deleting Instagram for a few days, nothing seemed to stick.

Try as I might, I somehow always ended up right back where I started — in a deep, dark hole of insta stalking.

It wasn’t until one evening putting our baby girl to bed that I realized this was a real problem and something had to change…like now. While nursing my sweetie during her bedtime routine, I caught myself once again mindlessly scrolling through other people’s lives on the gram (while my own life was happening right in front of me).

I had some serious FOMO, but this time it was fear of missing out on my own life. That’s when I decided to go on a weeklong social media detox — and get serious about it.

You can read all about my experience over on WELL Insiders, including how to set yourself up for success and my key takeaways. Spoiler alert: I became a much happier, better version of myself.… Read More!

Summer is a couple weeks away, and I’m already pretending it’s here. We recently took baby girl on her first ever camping trip, and this weekend, we’re celebrating my sister & her hubby’s 30th birthdays with a backyard BBQ complete with an ice cream truck and fire pit!

While summer is full of nonstop fun, it can also be stressful for many.

Does wedding season, summer BBQs and family vacations stress you out when it comes to taking care of your health? I hear ya. 

When I was coaching 1:1, one of the most common concerns was from women fearing they’d derail their diet during the summer months by living it up. And while I’m not a fan of dieting, overdoing it on the poolside cocktails and fried food likely isn’t going to feel good in your body either.

Here are my 6 simple tips on how to find a happy medium. 

1. Set Your Summer Intention

We put so much focus into getting “beach body” ready and eating healthy, but what about taking care of your soul? Now is a great time to set your summer intention! Grab a journal and ask yourself, How do I want to … Read More!

One of the best pieces of advice we were given when becoming new parents was to keep living your life, and just bring the baby with you. It’s been so much fun taking our sweet baby girl with us to do some of our favorite things — whether it’s hitting up a new brewery (hubs idea), apple picking or going for an early bird dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Last weekend we finally bit the bullet, tossed the Pack ‘n Play in the car and took her on an overnight trip to Cape Cod! Our little family was lucky enough to spend a night at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis, the perfect weekend getaway destination for us new parents.

Today on the blog I’m sharing all about our experience staying at a hotel with an eight-month-old including wining, dining and splish-splashing around in the waterpark. Spoiler alert: I’m not sure who had more fun, us or baby!

Getting to Cape Cod & Exploring Hyannis

Road trips under two hours are my jam, and getting to Cape Cod couldn’t have been easier for us! From the Providence/Foxboro area (where we were coming from) it’s just a … Read More!

It’s May, and that means it’s time for this month’s feature on Healthy Chicks in the Community, a series highlighting rockstar Girl Bosses doing their thang in the wellness community.

With Mother’s Day coming in hot, I couldn’t be more thrilled to feature this beautiful mama to be, Olivia Friel of Healthy Balanced Birth. Olivia’s one of those gal’s who exudes authenticity and kindness (and she’s totally rocking that pregnancy glow).

In this inspiring interview, we chat about her role as a birth and postpartum doula, her love for capturing moments on camera and how she’s preparing to welcome her sweet baby girl this summer!

NAME: Olivia Friel

DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS: The name of my business is Healthy Balanced Birth, LLC. I am a Birth and postpartum doula, as well as a certified holistic health and nutrition coach.

Initially, I launched a business based on health and nutrition coaching but then transitioned my business to focus on birth work after seeing a need for more education surrounding pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period. My goal is to empower birthing people and their support systems to make educated and empowered decisions during their pregnancy, birth and journey … Read More!