National Nutrition Month Roundup

We're nearing the end of March and National Nutrition Month (NNM). Here's my NNM Round-up in cased you missed anything this month.

The theme of National Nutrition Month this year was Go Further with Food.

Eating and shopping locally is a huge movement. I would encourage you to go to your local farmer's market to see what's growing in your area. I've also done a few posts about what's in season year round and what's in season in autumn. 

I have a lot of clients that want a quick fix for being healthy or to be on a diet that gets them to the goal weight tomorrow. A "diet" is how you eat, your meal pattern, your food preferences. It is a lifelong thing. I'm a supporter of small, doable changes that are sustainable over a lifetime. So, here's my recipe for health. 

One of the most common barriers to healthy eating is cost. Many people believe that healthy eating is expensive. It doesn't have to be! Here are my 6 tips for meal planning on a budget. 

Healthy eating is important to prevent disease and promote health. I love starting my day off with breakfast. Breakfast provides you with fuel for the day. If you find it difficult to eat breakfast, here are a couple tips to jump start your morning and fuel your day with breakfast. 

Stay tuned to the blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter for recipes and more.

Are there any topics you want me to cover? Or, any recipes you would like to see on the blog. I'm always open to suggestions. If you have an idea, topic, or question, feel free to comment below.  

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Recipe for Health

What’s the recipe for being healthy?

I would say it’s fueling your body with healthy foods + mental health + emotional health + adequate rest + activity. Today, we are focusing on one piece of the health recipe, physical activity. Activity is any form of movement that you enjoy.

I feel like the term "exercise" gets a bad rap. For most of my clients, exercise is kind of a dirty word. It tends to be associated with a “should do” or “have to” mentality. What I mean by that is, most people say a “should exercise” or I “have to” exercise.

Physical activity or movement is something that is important to your health. We know physical activity increases in strength, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and so much more.

How do you change a “should” into a “want to”?

I think we can enjoy exercise. Find something you love to do that gets you moving. I love dancing, so I tried several types of dance and barre classes. I also LOVE the water, so water sports are one of my favorite ways to be physically active, when the weather is cooperative. 

What are examples of physical activity?

Physical activity can be done anywhere – inside your home, at a park, at the gym. It doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t have to join a gym. You can walk around your neighborhood or dance to music in the comfort and privacy of your own home. You can join a recreational sports league. There are so many different types of physical activity: sports, walking, swimming, exercise classes, strength-training, cycling, dance, yoga, Pilates, rock climbing, step class, kayaking, etc. I challenge you to try something new.

My challenge to you is to try something new.

What are your thoughts?

What type of physical activity do you enjoy?

What keeps you motivated to be physically active?

Have you tried any new types of physical activity?

I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or on Instagram, and Twitter.

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Be Physically Active

 

Physical Activity and Heart Health

5 Tips to Eat More Fruits & Vegetables 

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

2018 Goals

Goals - some people love them, and some people prefer not to make them. I like resolutions. I like to plan, make lists, and work toward a goal. I also like the idea of choosing a word for the year.  

I like to take the beginning of each year to slow down and reflect. I reflect on last year's goals, what posts you loved last year, and what goals I want to work on for the new year. 

Instead of setting goals or resolutions, some choose a word of the year. If I had to choose a word for 2018, I would choose new. I plan to challenge myself and try many new things this year. Let's dive into my 2018 goals. 

1) Try 12 new recipes.

Do you ever find that you make the same recipes over and over again? I definitely have some favorite recipes that I make regularly. But, sometimes I get in a rut and dread making dinner. Can you relate?

I love to bake and cook. So to get out of a cooking rut, I like to try new things. New recipes make me excited to cook and try new foods. 

Do you have any favorite recipes? If so, share them below. I would love your recommendations!

2) Read 12 books.

I love to read! It’s one of my favorite hobbies, but sometimes I find that I waste too much time on social media or watching television. Can you relate? 

What books do you recommend?

3) Be physically active consistently. 

I have a gym membership and enjoy attending classes. I'm planning to try new classes this year.

Do you have favorite exercise class? 
What motivates you to be physically active?
What keeps you consistent with physical activity?

4) Learn and improve a skill.

I hope to take more cooking classes this year. I've taken a few in the past and learned a ton!

Do you have anything you want to learn to cook this year?
Do you recommend any particular cooking classes?

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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 Setting Healthy Goals

2017 Goals Update

Physical Activity and Heart Health

2017 Goal Update

Every year I set goals. Goals are challenges that motivate me. They are benchmarks to strive for. They give a little more concrete purpose to my everyday life. They encourage me to change, try something new, and push myself.

Here are my 2017 goals and progress.

1) Try 12 new recipes.

I set this goal to challenge myself to try new things. It can be so easy to get into a rut of cooking the same things over and over. Ask my husband, it still happens. To challenge myself, I wanted to try at least one new recipe per month. Here’s my progress:

Dutch baby

Snicker doodle cookie pie

Homemade chocolate peanut butter cups

Stuffed peppers

Chocolate nests

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Homemade Pita Bread

Berry Shortcake

Vanilla cupcakes and vanilla bean buttercream frosting

Cinnamon swirl bread

Oatmeal bread 

Cinnamon chip scones

Chocolate peanut butter pie with chocolate cookie crust

Gingerbread cookies

2) Read 10 books.

I love to read! It’s one of my favorite hobbies, but sometimes I find that I waste too much time on social media or watching television. Can you relate?

So, this goal challenged me to read about one book a month. I gave myself a little grace period for longer books or busy seasons. I found myself gravitating to memoirs, books about cooking, and anything encouraging. Here’s what I read.

• Kathleen Flinn – The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks
  
• Annie F. Downs – Looking for Lovely
  
  
• Kathleen Flinn – The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School
  
  
• Ruth Reichl – Garlic and Sapphires: the Secret Life of Critic in Disguise
  
  
• Kristin Schell – The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection in Our Own Front Yard
  
  
• Chip and JoAnna Gaines – The Magnolia Story
  
  
• Jenna Weber – White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story
  
  
• Melanie Shankle – The Antelope in the Living Room: the Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life: A Memoir
  
  
• Kathleen Flinn – Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family
  
  
• Samantha Verant – How to Make a French Family: A Memoir of Love, Food, and Faux Pa
  
• Melanie Shankle – Sparkling Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn
  

I met my goal!  I read a few more books, but didn’t really enjoy them. So, they didn’t make the list. I also started a few other books, didn’t enjoy them, and stopped reading. I omitted them from the list as well because I want to keep things positive.

Do you have any book recommendations for me?

What is one of your favorite books?

What’s genre of books to you gravitate toward?

3) Be physically active consistently.

I have a gym membership and enjoy attending classes. I found a great instructor who is positive, encouraging, and even learns the names of the people attending class. So cool!

I started the year strong. Then, I had a few injuries, which stopped my physical activity for a while. Then, the weather was amazing this autumn! So, I was able to enjoy the weather and be physically active.

I’m restarting this goal during the holiday season. And, hope to be ready to start classes again in the new year.

4) Learn and improve a skill.

I imagined taking more cooking classes this year, but I didn’t. I was able to be a part of a recipe video at work. It was so fun! I learned a ton!

I was a "hands-in-a-recipe" video. So, I did all the chopping, mixing, and cooking. I learned a ton about the behind-the-scenes of how videos are made, and got to be a hand model. Hahahaha! Who would have thought?!? So, I’m counting that as my new skill.

What are your thoughts?

Do you set goals?

What did you accomplish this year that you’re proud of?

What is one goal you have for 2018?

I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment below or on Instagram or Twitter.

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 Setting Healthy Goals

2017 Goals

Physical Activity and Heart Health

RDtipoftheday September Goals

As promised, I am sharing updates on my goals and 2016 resolutions each month. You can take a look at my 2016 goals and my thoughts on goals and resolutions. Sharing these goals is a way to keep me accountable and help me to improve, grow, and learn. People who share their goals tend to be more successful. So, I'm sharing the goals here to encourage you and to keep me accountable. You're welcome to comment with your goals and share your progress as well. Feel free to tag your goals with #RDTODgoals or #healthyRD on social media.

2016 Goals

Try 30 new recipes. 

In September, I tried a few new recipes including:

• Peanut butter banana muffins

• Ravioli Lasagna

• Jalapeño Sliders

• Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream and chocolate hazelnut buttercream

For those keeping track, this makes my new recipe count 29 out of 30.

Build endurance and strength.
I'm still loving my strength class. I've added another day of cardio, and I'm glad to say I've been able to be consistent with physical activity. There are times where I get sick and can't go, but I know the benefits of physical activity. What keeps you motivated? Comment below.

Travel.
We made a quick trip through Arkansas to visit some friends.  We lived in AR for a few years, so it's was great visiting familiar places, relive memories, and see friends! It was a quick trip, so we couldn't see everyone. We also explored some new places and restaurants, which I loved! Stay tuned for some of my AR favorites. 

Can you see the quote in the picture above? It says "Pumpkin spice tacos are here! Just kidding." You know it's Fall when pumpkin spice appears, but I can not fathom a pumpkin spice taco. What do you think? Are you pro pumpkin spice everything or is a pumpkin spice taco too far?

Read more.

This month, I read Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. I enjoy this author very much. One of my friends is hosting a Brunch and Books discussion, which I'm greatly looking forward to! And, a couple of my friends and I are attending the Belong Conference, where she will be speaking.

For those keeping track, my book count is 7 in 2016.


These are my broad goals for 2016. What goals are you working on in 2016? Comment below.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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