5 Reasons to Drink Warm Lemon Water in the Morning

As soon as I get up, I always chug a big glass of water....it gets me that much closer to drinking half my body weight in oz of water a day. But lately, it's been so cold, I've started to drink the water warm and then as the coffee is brewing, I do a mug with some lemon juice. I've see all the stuff before about lemon water and it's benefits, but I kinda forgot about it until our next door neighbor shared his morning routine with me. I thought, "heck...if Jeff is doing this, I can do that!"

I did a little research because, let's be honest, how many of us have even 30 more seconds in our mornings to cut open a lemon and squeeze it into some warm water...not me, my friends. UNLESS it really does something good for my body.

Let me share what I found out about warm lemon water in the mornings:

• Helps hydrate the body after sleeping (which dehydrates the body)
• Warm water is more quickly absorbed into the system
• Warm water wakes up the digestion system (helps you pee and poop)
• Adding lemon is great because it gives us a boost of Vitamin C...who couldn't use more of that during cold and flu season? 
• Lemon also helps our liver with detoxification...get that bad stuff out of our system

 And now let me share what I have noticed from drinking warm lemon water personally:

• It totally aids in digestion
• I feel a bit more awake (probably because I'm hydrating myself)
• I have yet to get sick (now I probably will because I just wrote that)
• My kids do NOT like the taste, so they leave my mug alone-bonus! ⬇️

Worth it? Totally

Also...there are some interesting health rituals around drinking warm water first thing in the morning. Check out this interesting article for more info on drinking warm water.

Dry Brushing: worth it?

Ever heard of dry skin brushing, or dry brushing for short?

If not, you might think that the idea of rubbing completely dry skin with a natural bristle brush sounds super strange and a big ol' waste of time. I was totally with you....until this guy Joe who is helping me relieve some pain through Myofascial (torture) massage suggested I start (more on my experience with Joe later).

If you have heard of dry brushing, you may be aware of the vast amounts of claims that people make in support of the practice: reduces cellulite, rids the body of toxins, helps lymphatic flow, reduces stress, improves digestion, promotes circulation and exfoliates the skin. Now, if it truly did all of that, everyone with a hint of bumpy skin on their booty would be doing it. In fact, Dr. Andrew Weil has a fantastic article on dry brushing and is super up front about what it can't do (i.e. cure cellulite and detox the body). However, I have found since dry brushing my super dry winter skin that the exfoliation is the best way to cure my flaky, parched skin all over my body. Also, since you move in a specific way with the brush, it can help with circulation and promote lymph flow and drainage (basically the system that gets junk out of your body through various bodily functions). Plus, it feels good and I swear I have more energy after a session with my brush.

So is it worth it?

Totally. It takes about 2-5 minutes depending on how quickly you move. Here's a little "how to"

How to dry brush to get ride of dry skin, increase circulation and promote lymphatic flow:

1. Purchase a brush with natural bristles such as boar hair bristles (this is the one I got) 
2. Get naked and make sure you are completely dry
3. Begin with the feet and with the same motion that you would brush long hair (use your imagination if you need to), brush the skin in the direction of your heart. For example, you will brush your feet and legs upward and your chest and upper back downward...make sense? If this seems super confusing, google "how to dry brush" on youtube and go from there.
4. Shower
5. Moisturize with a natural moisturizer...coconut oil is my fav but I also use EveryOne Lotion.
6. Repeat a few times a week.

What's your experience with dry brushing??

Obsessed with this low carb, high flavor, totally clean dish: Chicken pesto "pasta"

                                                         

I can not get enough of this dish. For someone that tries to eat clean and doesn't eat dairy or wheat, I miss comforting pasta dishes like crazy. This might just be my savior-I've made it three times in the past week and can't get enough. It's totally clean, low carb, high protein and perfect. The pesto is so good apparently one might want to lick the spatula like it's brownie batter. 

                                                               

So here's the deal-you can make the "noodles" with spaghetti squash (easiest way ever here) or zucchini noodles (I use this way or simply take a carrot peeler to the zucchini or yellow squash). For the rest, I used leftover grilled chicken and this amazingly simple pesto recipe:

What you need:

(serves 4)

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon jiuce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

What you do:

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth
2. Stir your pesto into your "noodle" of choice and add the chicken

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do. I've tried it with different squash noodles and the spaghetti squash is by far my fav!

Peanut Butter Protein Muffins

There's nothing like a yummy muffin-I mean, they are basically an excuse to eat cake in the morning with a cup of coffee. And generally speaking, that's exactly what they are: cake.  Most muffins out there have tons more sugar and calories than a donut...what?! But, don't despair, this muffin* is fantastic. It's fluffy, cake like, super easy AND low carb, higher protein and gluten free-and you can't tell. Hooray! I've been using these for snacks and meals when I'm on the go. 

What you need:

(makes 15 muffins)

• 1 cup rolled or quick oats
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (or you could use pumpkin)
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (just salt and nuts)
• 1/2 cup unflavored protein powder (I used the vegan Arbonne protein boost...could could totally use other powders, but if they are sweetened, cut down the sweetener you add to the recipe)
• 1-1/2 tsp liquid stevia (or if you want to use another sweetener like honey, use 1/2 cup...it will have more carbs and calories)
• 1 txp baking soda
• 1 txp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

What you do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degress
2. Put everything in a blender and blend-did I just blow your mind? SO EASY!
3. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into a regular size muffin tin (greased or lined with parchment paper muffin liners-makes it soooo easy and not messy)
4. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops start to brown a bit like in the picture
5. EAT!

My kids love these muffins...especially with a swipe of peanut butter or jelly or both.

Each muffin contains 100 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 carbs (only 1 sugar), 2 grams fiber and 6 grams protein. 

Enjoy!

* original recipe which I adapted (and I think made a bit tastier) for my own nutrition needs

A new kind of protein...chirp chirp

During my search for the cleanest protein bar that I don't have to make I came across this little gem: the EXO bar. It is gluten, soy and dairy free. And get this, the protein in it is cricket...yep...like the ones that sing you to sleep with their chirping in the summer;  WHAT?! I know, right? BUT check this out...crickets are higher in protein per 100 grams then eggs and beef. Plus, they have a smaller carbon footprint than the animals we get protein from...so eating crickets is environmentally friendly. But how does it taste? Overall, it is a fine bar. It's sweetened with dates, it has a good amount of protein and fiber and at 300 calories a bar, it could be a meal replacement. You won't find any legs or antennae in the bar since the crickets are dried and ground into "cricket flour" ...so that's a plus. I brought some for one of my classes to sample (lucky ducks) and everyone tried one....and some even had seconds. 

So if you are looking for an all natural bar, this one might be on your "try" list...enjoy :) Just food for thought...chirp chirp.

Sooo...I tried it: Soy Cheese

I’m starting a new post…called “Sooo…I tried it.” I will review foods that I try for some reason or another that are not “normal” for me to eat.

This first one is on Soy Cheese. I’m giving it ½ of a Lip Lick (the more Lip Licks a food gets, the tastier it is with 5 being the highest number of “Licks”). It was disgusting. I tried it because lately I’ve stayed away from all dairy and meat but was desperately craving Mexican. So I made some awesomely delicious pinto beans, rolled them up in corn tortillas and there was just one thing missing…cheese! So I thought I would just shred some of the fake stuff right on top…big mistake…maybe it was the brand I tried (Vegan Gourmet)…maybe because cheese is supposed to be made from milk…not a clue, just know this: I will never eat it again.

If you have a better alternative for me to try…please share!