This one is for the ladies...

Ladies, listen up!  Wanna hear something that is so true and also so unfair?  Our biology is sexist! We may have come very far in the year 2016, but our bodies still think we should be barefoot and pregnant from an early age.  Ugh!  Accordingly, we are super-sensitive to energy deficits (too low-calorie, too low-fat, too low-carb) and nutritional stressors.  The body sees this as a threat to reproductive success!

““Nope, no babies during a famine. Let’s make your hormones all funky, make you become resistant to weight loss, lower your metabolism, and make you fatigued”.”
— Your body (if you've ever yo-yo dieted or taken in far too few calories for your needs.

Ok, so what does this mean for YOU?  It means you have to make small, incremental, sustainable changes.  It means you focus on the 'long game' just like your body does so it doesn't see the changes as a threat, but more like a new and comfy norm.  It probably means the results you see won't happen as quickly as you'd like, but it's the only way you can make a lasting change.  It also means your goals must creep into many different aspects of your life - nutrition, movement, stress management, relationships, self-confidence, feelings of fulfillment.  ALL areas of your life affect your relationship to your environment, your food, and the way you treat yourself.

So, that's why you can't just cut soda out and lose 10 pounds like your husband did.  (I actually get asked some version of that question just about every week).

Ladies - respect your biology, but please continue kicking butt and taking names in a very 2016-ish way.  <3

 

In health,

Tara

Healthified Eggplant Parm

When you're looking for some comfort food, but still care about putting awesome ingredients in the tank...

…enter, Healthified Eggplant Parm!

Why should dinner take an hour to make when the little people have about 2.25 minutes to devote to eating before they want to get up to play?!?  It shouldn't!  Keep it simple and fueling their little bodies (and yours).

Healthified Eggplant Parm

 

1. Grease baking sheet

2. Slice eggplant whichever way you'd like.

3. An egg, beaten, goes in one bowl

4. Ground flaxseeds with lots of herbs and spices mixed in a second bowl (basil, garlic, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, thyme…have fun with it!)

5. Eggplant slices go in the egg, then in the flax concoction, then onto the baking sheet. 

6. Broil 5 minutes on one side.

7. Flip and put tomato sauce and whatever cheese or cheese replacement you want on.

8. Broil 3-4 minutes on second side.

9. Done.  Serve, garnish, enjoy!

Healthified Eggplant Parm with sweet potatoes, tahini, extra veggies, and a tomato-kale-balsamic reduction chutney

Healthified Eggplant Parm with sweet potatoes, tahini, extra veggies, and a tomato-kale-balsamic reduction chutney

Banana Sushi Shenanigans

Do you ever plan to make something really elaborate to bring to a party only to realize you have 5 minutes left to pull something together?  Please tell me it's not just me!

This weekend I was busy working hard and momming harder until nearly the time we had to leave.  That's ok!  This is where creativity shows up at just the right time.  I saw my banana hammock and knew I wanted to make something that looked and tasted fancier than it really was.  ;-)  Enter… Banana Sushi! 

P.S.  It truly took only 5 minutes to make.  Then I dropped it everywhere.  Batch #2 took another 5 minutes.  So if you're clumsy like me, allot 5 minutes (batch 1) + 5 minutes (batch 2) + 3 minutes (clean-up) = 13 minutes…still totally doable, right?! 

Side note:  This "chocolate" works for just about any chocolate-y recipe you want.  Feel free to add peanut butter too if you're feeling extra indulgent.  Just please, please, please - for the love of nut butter - make sure your peanut butter has nothing but peanuts listed in the ingredients.  Sugar, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup have NO business being in YOUR peanut butter.  

Enjoy!

 

Banana Sushi

Ingredients:

 

Bananas

Cacao powder

Coconut oil

Honey

Hemp seeds

 

*Note: no measurements are listed because I just played around with the ingredients until I got the consistency and taste I wanted.   For me, I didn't want it to be too sweet, so I didn't use too much honey.  

 

Directions:

 

1. Cut banana in 1/4 inch slices.

2. In one bowl, mix coconut oil, cacao powder, and honey in a bowl.

3. Pour hemp seeds in a seperate bowl.

4. Dip bananas in chocolate mix until coated and then spoon hemp seeds on half of them.

5. Place coated bananas on wax paper.

6. Freeze for at least an hour before devouring.  ;-)

Banana Sushi waiting for their dip in the freezer

Banana Sushi waiting for their dip in the freezer

Should Women Lift Heavy?

I take a quick dive into this juicy topic in today's video.  Watch up!

Do you know any ladies that want to workout but are afraid of 'bulking up'?  Do you have anyone in your life that you believe would benefit from health talks, healthy recipes, family wellness info, etc.?  Send them this way!  

Do you want the bonus content that I send to my most fabulous and loyal peeps? Be sure to join my email list.  Sign up is over on the home page.  It's free and guess what?  You get a pretty "cool" smoothie formula PDF just for signing up to hang with me.  :-)

Will lifting heavy result in big, bulky, "masculine" muscles? Or, is it most effective for toning up and boosting metabolism? Watch the video to learn more.

Health and Nutrition Discovery Course

Guys, guys, guys (and gals, gals, gals)...

Isn't it about time you found a place to learn about nutrition?  Someone to break it down in a quick and easy format so you can learn WHAT to eat, WHEN, and most importantly, WHY food affects you the way it does?

Enter: my email course!  I've written a 4-week long course that gets delivered straight to your inbox weekly with that week's lesson, goals, actions steps, some healthy recipes, and bonus resources to make your transformation that much easier (hint: meal prep and shopping guides).

I first launched my course this past May to some very satisfied clients (weight loss, migraines gone, one brave client was able to drop her anxiety meds after she reported feeling "more steady" on the new way of eating, etc.)  Since then, I'm happy to report I've had continuous enrollment and just as much enthusiasm with each relaunch.  

So, what are YOU waiting for?  Is $47 a good investment for…your health, your body, your mind, your energy, your productivity, your moods, your family's well-being?  Of course it is!  Think about all you'll save on: future doctors and meds, perhaps?  "Convenience foods", books, and products for various ailments or weight loss? All the HSN or Amazon shopping you do in the middle of the night (did I mention we discuss tips and tricks to improve sleep)?

Glute Bridges

Are you looking to strengthen your pelvic floor and core?  Have you had diastasis recti (that painless separation of abdominal muscles causing a belly bulge) from previous pregnancies?  Or, do you have some lower back pain that you're looking to rehab?

The Glute Bridge is a perfect, gentle-yet-effective exercise you can do in the comfort of your home with no equipment.  Watch me demonstrate it next to a very awake, Jagger-dude.  

As you lift your leg high into the air, concentrate on rolling your vertebrae off the floor one at a time as well as returning contact with the floor one vertebrae at a time.

If you find this helpful, please share with your friends and family!  And, if you'd like more of these videos, drop a comment or an email and tell me what you'd like to see more of.  I'm here to help you.  Yup - YOU!  ;-)

A Delicious Alternative to the Summer Burger...

Sweet Bean Veggie Burgers

(Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)

 

The burgers are all ready to go in the oven…mmm!

The burgers are all ready to go in the oven…mmm!

 

Ingredients:

  

·      2 large sweet potatoes, baked and peeled

·      1 cup black beans, cooked and mashed

·      1 ½ cups quinoa

·      1/2 cup onions, chopped

·      ½ cup spinach, chopped and slightly wilted on stovetop

·      1/3 cup ground flaxseed

·      2 cloves garlic, minced

·      1 t turmeric

·      1 t paprika

·      salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

Directions:

 

1)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2)  Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl with fork.

3)  Grab handful of mix and pack tightly into a ball.  Each should be roughly the size of your palm for even baking and serving size.

4)  Place ‘burgers’ onto a greased baking sheet or parchment paper, a few inches apart.  Flatten to make a patty.

5)   Bake 35-40 minutes, flipping the burgers halfway.

6)  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing with spatula.

7)  Add your favorite toppings!  For me, that means avocado, sliced onion, and sliced tomatoes. 

8)  Enjoy! 

Crockpot Summer Soup

(picture to come)

If you're anything like me, the Fall and Winter is synonymous with crockpot cooking!  Then, it sits on the shelf collecting dust from April until September.  Not so fast!  Today I want to share a summer-friendly recipe you can throw together in the morning, head off to work (or the beach), and come home to in the evening without having to turn your oven on in this hot and humid weather.  Not a bad idea, right?

This recipe is healthy, vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and made with seasonal ingredients to take advantage of the best prices and fresh produce.  It's a hot-to-cold soup; otherwise known as gazpacho if you want to sound fancy.  ;-)

 

Crockpot Summer Soup (served cold)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cucumber
  • 2 cups tomatoes, any kind
  • 2 cups sweet bell peppers, any color
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 avocado
  • water
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients except water and avocado in your crockpot. 
  2. Add water until all vegetables are covered, plus an extra 1/2 inch.
  3. Set crockpot on a low setting for 6 hours.
  4. Add avocado and use immersion blender (or transfer all ingredients into the blender in batches). 
  5. Blend until smooth.  Add more water if needed for texture.
  6. This can be served warm as is, or placed in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and served as a summer soup / gazpacho.

Want to make this social-media-picture-friendly?  Top with fresh herbs, sliced avocado, and a drizzle of olive oil.  That'll do it!

Show me your finished products!  Tag me at TaraAllenHealth on Facebook or @Tara_Allen_Health on Instagram.  Drop me a comment and let me know what you thought of this one.  

Finding Your "Other" Calling - featuring Ashley Gartland

Today we have guest blogger / mompreneur / writer / health enthusiast, Ashley Gartland, on how she came to find her 'other' calling and how she now coaches other women through this very process as well.

 

When we become a mom, we spend a lot of time talking with other moms about our birth stories and recovery. About the challenges of breastfeeding and our changing bodies and so many other things related to our postpartum health. But we don’t always talk about the hard things like when we discover that we love being a mom but that we also need to find fulfillment for ourselves beyond motherhood.

 

We don’t talk about this very real part of motherhood because we think if we admit that we want to be more than a mom, people will judge us. We’re afraid people will think we’re ungrateful. And we worry that sharing this secret would make the hardworking moms who love staying home with their kids feel criticized, which is the last thing we’d want to do.

 

And yet if you want to find your purpose beyond motherhood, you need to know it does not diminish your worth as a mother. It does not make you a bad mom or a judgmental mom to desire something more for yourself. It makes you a real mom because I can tell you that there are plenty of other women who are searching for ways to be present mothers and find their “other” calling too.

 

I support many of these women in the work I do as a life coach. My clients adore their kids and they love being moms. But they also believe they were meant for something more. They crave opportunities to be creative and intellectually stimulated. They want to create an even better life for themselves and their families. They’re ready to make a difference in the world. And they want to show their kid(s) what’s possible when they go after their dreams.

 

Just a few years ago, I was a new mom who was searching for her purpose and ashamed to talk about it. I had just become a mother and was feeling pretty lost professionally. So in a slightly delusion, sleep-deprived move, I decided I wanted to use my maternity leave to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

 

I’m what you could call an information-hoarder so I gathered books with titles like Finding Your North Star and Mom, Inc. Then whenever I was feeding my daughter or was resting with her on the couch, I dove into those books looking for answers.

 

But I’d only given myself a month-long maternity leave and it just wasn’t enough time to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So at the end of it, I went back to doing what I’d done before working as a writer and cookbook author. I continued doing that for three more years.

 

I won’t say I was miserable during that time – I certainly had a lot to be grateful for. But the reality was that life was good, not great. I was still searching for my other calling and I knew I needed to find it to find myself again.

 

That’s when I found myself back in the same place, sitting on the couch with another baby girl. So again I asked myself, could there be something more for me?

 

I did consider the idea that maybe motherhood was my calling. The answer was both yes and no. I loved my kids and I loved being their mom. But I also knew I wanted something more for myself – even in the moments when I felt guilty for feeling that way.

 

I also knew I was done waiting to pursue my “other” calling and I believed my daughters would benefit from watching me go after my dreams. So I started exploring possible callings. I did a lot of reading and research. I talked with people in different career fields. And I hired a coach to give me the outside perspective and support I needed.

 

It was challenging to put all the pieces of the puzzle together but I did eventually discover what I wanted to do. And perhaps somewhat ironically, my purpose is working as a coach helping moms find fulfillment beyond motherhood. My struggle became my story and my strength.

 

The path to get here wasn’t easy. But it was so worthwhile because I can now confidently say I’ve created a life that allows me to fulfill my calling as a mom and step into my calling outside of motherhood too.

 

If you too are searching for your other purpose, I want you to know that it is possible to find it for yourself. Yes, you will have to put in hard work. Yes, you’ll need to learn how to prioritize yourself and get better at asking for help. And yes, you will have to set aside the time to make your dreams happen for yourself.

 

But if you feel called to do something more, however crazy that seems, I hope you will. Because the hard work and effort you put in will be so, so worth it. I can promise you that.

 

 

BIO

Ashley Gartland is a life coach for moms who want to find their purpose beyond motherhood. Through her intimate group coaching program, Bold Mom, Balanced Life, and one-on-one work with clients, Ashley helps moms prioritize themselves, pursue their dreams and create balanced lives so they can be great moms and women making their impact in the world too. You can connect with her at www.ashleymgartland.com, follow her on Instagram or join Your Bold, Balanced Life, her Facebook community for moms who are finding and pursuing their other calling in life.

 

Want more of Ashley? Join her upcoming It Starts with Self Care Challenge beginning this Sunday, July 17th!  She will be guiding you through this FREE challenge in taking time out for yourself to allow your peace and positive energy to pour over into every aspect of your life.

Learn more and register here: www.bitly.com/itstartswithselfcare

SnugBug Fitness - Side Plank into Lateral Leg Lifts

Check out our latest SnugBug Fitness demo video!  A good friend and SnugBug client lent me this beautiful woven wrap and it's true love!  Thank you, Ali.  Aquarious is in good hands this week.

This dynamic exercise gets to the core of the core.  Your obliques will be challenged as well as the outer portion of your glutes (target those hips).

Watch here:

How are these video demos going for you?  What would you like to see more of?  I'd love to hear from you!  In the meantime, enjoy your weekend!

In health,

Tara