New Month, New Goals

Even though this year has flown by so quickly I have whiplash, I am still so happy to welcome November.

Not just because it’s my birthday month (hey girl, heeeey), but also because it means the holiday season is officially upon us! I’m currently trying to restrain myself from decorating for Christmas, because that means that I will actually have to start Christmas shopping….but I digress.

A new month also means new goals. New intentions. New mindsets.

Although I’ve always been a list-maker, I’m new to setting monthly intentions/goals for myself. But I am now obsessed with it! While I don’t always share them on social media in the form of a creative drawing, I do still write them down at the beginning of the month and put them in a place where I see them daily.

With that said, here are my personal goals for November…

1. Don’t be so hard on myself. It’s true that we’re our own worst critics, and it’s even more true when you’re Type A like myself. Instead of worrying about the things I can’t change or couldn’t accomplish, I want to focus all of my energy on the things I CAN change and the tasks that I got done.

2. Say “thank you” more and “I’m sorry” less. I saw this on an Insta friend’s feed and loved it! My husband has always told me I say “sorry” way too often - even when I have nothing to be sorry about! Definitely something I need to work on!

3. Eat more whole foods. While I do eat healthy, I have noticed that with all of our traveling/events that I have been eating more “processed” foods than normal (crackers, bars, etc.). No, that’s not always a bad thing, because #life. But I’ve also noticed that my digestion has been effected as a result; bloating, constipation, etc. No thank you! So I’m swapping those foods for more whole foods - think zoodles instead of gluten-free pasta, oats instead of toast (far less ingredients), etc.

What are your goals or intentions for the month? I’d love to hear them!

XO

World Food Day

As a mama and nurse, it hurts my soul to know there are kids out there going hungry. And we’re not talking about just a few children - we’re talking about roughly 66 MILLION children who don’t know when or if they’ll get to eat today!

So when Convoy of Hope reached out to me about joining forces to help with World Food Day 2019 (which is today), it was an immediate “ HECK YES!” from me.

Convoy is a faith-based humanitarian organization that focuses on bringing help + hope to people who are impoverished, hungry, and hurting through children’s feeding, disaster relief, training on agriculture, organizing women’s empowerment programs, and community outreach. COH is currently working in over 14 countries around the world, providing food to over 200,000 kids. What a blessing!

I teamed up with this amazing organization to share a recipe that can made easily and in bulk in foreign, more poverished countries around the world. This LENTIL + POTATO STEW that I came up with is packed with fiber, vitamins C and B6 + 12, iron, and essential macronutrients like protein and healthy fats. Perfect to help fill up hungry bellies and fuel their bodies!

LENTIL + POTATO STEW

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 20-40 min (depending on method you use)

Total Time: 30-50 min

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 C dry lentils (which are packed with fiber + protein!)

• 2 large sweet potatoes OR 1 large sweet potato + 1 large potato, diced into 1” pieces

• 3 C chicken broth/stock OR 3 C water

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 tsp salt

• optional: diced onion, minced garlic, and/or diced carrots

• chopped peanuts and cilantro for topping

Instructions

STOVE TOP METHOD: Add everything to the pot; stir well to combine. Bring to boil and reduce to high simmer; cook for 35-40 min or until lentils and potatoes are tender. Stir well before serving. Serve with chopped peanuts + cilantro.

INSTANT POT METHOD: Add everything to the pot; stir to combine. Press “manual”, “high pressure”, and set for 20 min. Allow to vent and then stir well before serving. Serve with chopped peanuts (for healthy fats) + cilantro.

Now let’s talk about what YOU and I can do to help. By donating just $10 a day, one child gets fed for an entire month. ONE WHOLE MONTH, y’all! All of you have to do is click here to donate. That’s it!

I hope all have a great rest of the week. And thank you in advance for helping me raise money for a cause so close to my heart!

XO

FREE Lower Body WOD

Hey, hey, friends!

It’s been a minute since I’ve shared a freebie workout on here, so I’m going to rectify that right this minute!

This WOD (workout of the day) is a quickie but doozy. I’ve repeating it twice a week (going a little heavier one of those days) to really increase volume, which helps to build lean muscle. And we all know that lean muscle helps burn fat throughout the day, so it’s a double win!

You can google any of these exercises for a picture (look under “images”) of how to complete them (if you need to). Complete all sets of each move with a 20-30 second rest period in between. Once you’ve completed all the sets, move on to the next exercise without taking an additional break. This will keep your heartrate up and really fatigue those muscles.

You ready? Let’s do this!

LOWER BODY WOD

• warm up: banded bodyweight squats (2 sets of 15) + banded fire hydrants (2 sets of 15 each leg)

• weighted step-ups (on chair, bench, or box): 3 sets of 10 each leg with light-moderate weight

• sumo squats: 3 sets of 10 at moderate-heavy weight

• lateral band walks: 3 sets of 20 total (15 to each side)

• sumo deadlifts (with bar, dumbbell, or kettlebell): 3 sets of 10 at moderate-heavy weight

• weighted rear lunges: 3 sets of 10 each side at light-moderate weight

• weighted curtsy lunges: 3 sets of 10 each side at light-moderate weight

• goblet squats (using dumbbell or kettlebell): 3 sets of 20 using light-moderate weight

• burnout: frog pumps (3 sets of 20 with only 5-10 second break in between)

Let me know if you try it and lived to walk another day. Haha! There are also lots more workouts like this one in my Fit + Lean Monthly Workout programs. Which, by the way, is complete now with weeks 9-12! Click here to check them out.

Have a great week, loves!

XO