Nutritious Kitchen MN

I'm laying in bed awake at midnight and thinking about right now... My double hernia repair surgery this afternoon went well but now, because I slept all day and only ate 5 bites of soup for dinner, I can't sleep and am dreaming up the perfect breakfast. Ben has been so sweet to me in the whole process so far and his alarm is set for 1am for my next round of pills so I'm just going to sip my water and wait it out until then. Sweet dreams 😴

This weekend was just what I needed. Movies, naps, a Christmas party, church, shopping. Overall, was it productive? Nope, but it sure was refreshing to slow down! I finished out my weekend with this colorful salad 🥗 filled with bell peppers, apple and gouda sausage and quinoa. This week is going to be crazy -- the last week of classes before finals 📚 and surgery on Friday. I'm soaking up every last bit of Sunday before the week hits 🧘 This weekend reminded me that it's okay to slow down and take a break.

Chocolate can heal all ~ right? 🍫 Some days, I wish I didn't have to go through the process. I want to have my masters degree 🎓 have great clients and a full-time nutrition business 🥗 have a perfect family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 have that gorgeous house with the spotless kitchen 🍽️ have that beachy vacation with a daiquiri in my hand 🍹 after a beautiful mountain hike with a view 🏞️ ...So yeah, I want it all. Some days, I feel like regardless of the hours and effort I put in, I'm not getting any closer to my dreams. As if I'm a hamster just going round and around on the wheel of life 🎡 Do you ever feel this way? That your goals and aspirations are so big and so far away that there's nothing you can do? (Other than eat chocolate?) ------------------ I want to stop this post here ❌ because this is an accurate description of my thoughts right now. However, I've been feeling this way for several hours and it's time to break through. ---------------------- All these little tasks that seem to be in the way are the tiny pebbles that are paving the path of my life. No matter how insignificant they seem, I'm determined to continue placing these pebbles so that someday I can be proud of the road I've paved. ☀️
Chocolate Bark:
Melt 1 cup dark chocolate chips with 1 tbsp. coconut oil. Spread on parchment paper and sprinkle chopped fresh cranberries and chopped pistachios on top. Place in the freezer to harden.

Good morning, Monday 🌟 My favorite way to start my week is with a HIIT workout class 💙 It's going to be a huge adjustment for me later this month post-surgery when I'm not able to start my day with this burst of adrenaline and endorphins 🏋🏼‍♀️ Gentle walks and slow yoga flow will be taking the place of my high-intensity workouts for awhile and I think my body and mind will actually appreciate the rest 🧘🏼‍♀️ Will I eventually return to HIIT workouts to get my blood pumping and endorphins surging? Hell to the YAS 🙌 But first, I'll be listening to my body and giving it the rest it needs. In this busy season, I hope you listen to your body too. If you have better energy when you go to the gym everyday, than keep it going! But if you are overexerting yourself, show yourself some love and take a day of rest! 💝
Breakfast today: overnight oats with chia seeds (recipe on blog) almond butter, unsweetened coconut flakes, organic raspberries and pecans

Throw back to the last time I ate a salad 🥗 I haven't seen salad greens (other than spinach and kale) in stores for over a week now and although I understand the reason for this, I can't wait to have fresh salad back 😂 Anyone else feeling the effects of this E. coli outbreak?

Breakfast game on point! Leftover gluten free waffles 😍 I get really excited for waffles because I don't have a waffle maker yet. Don't get me wrong, pancakes are good, but waffles are my fav! I hope you all have a wonderful Friday 💛

Check out what I'm having for lunch today! InstantPot Chicken Soup that is Whole30 complaint 🍗🥕🥬 I actually made this awhile ago and I had a container of it in my freezer, but I was very excited to find it last night when I packed my lunch! I'm planning to make another batch in the next week or two as meal-prep before I undergo surgery for my hernias (apparently hernias are genetic but I'm sure sneezing from allergies and lifting weights 🏋🏼‍♀️ several times a week hasn't helped). For anyone who has had surgery... What is the best way to prepare for recovery? 🤕

Today was a fantastic day at work... One where I really felt like I was making a difference in my client's lives 🥰 With that said, however after a 10-hour day and double the drive time because of some snow ❄️ on the way home, I'm spent! Also, I decided that I needed comfort food for dinner so I made these spicy chicken nuggets. Here's what I did: cut chicken breast into 1 inch cubes, dipped them into an egg/hot sauce mixture followed by a coat of almond flour/salt/garlic powder and then fried them in ghee. Dang. These are crazy good! 💚

Make one goal every day and focus on making it happen. This morning I listened to the Rise Podcast about the Start Today Journal. Regardless of everything going on in my life right now, my goal for today was to focus on the task at hand and to avoid distraction. I'm getting towards the end of another quarter of school and finals are right around the corner 📚 so this was really pertinent for my homework. However, top of school and work, I've been going to doctors appointments to deal with a hernia that's been bugging me for months 🙅 I've been meeting with nutritionists and health coaches to ask about their careers and certification pathways 🥑 I've been budgeting every last penny to get myself closer to financial freedom 💸 It sounds like a lot- and that's because it is. I've had days that all I want to do is cry and hide and give up on my dreams 😭 But I'm bigger than my fears and God doesn't put anything on my shoulders that I can't handle ✝️ So I'm going to focus on my one, daily goal today, and tomorrow and the next day. Who knows what amazing things can come from this ❤️
Late lunch from home today: sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and eggs. Easy peasy!

Friday Thanksgiving was much more gentle on my stomach... That's something to be thankful for 🙌 @ Appleton, Wisconsin

I was assigned an easy one this year for my boyfriend's big family Thanksgiving Feast. The traditional cranberry sauce. I don't use sugar very often when I cook, but I make an exception for this recipe from ❤️

This is what happens for lunch when I have a hundred thousand things to fit into my Tuesday 😲 Chicken sausage and meal-prepped quinoa on a salad 🥗 because no matter how busy I am, I know that the food I eat is directly related to how I feel 🤸🏼‍♀️ Do not sacrifice your health with the excuse of being too busy!! Want to know how long it took me to make this? Less than 6 minutes ⌚ That's right, you can't even go through a drive thru that quickly! 🍔🍟 Now that's meal prep for the win 🏆

I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to be done with pumpkin spice-flavored goodies quite yet! In the spirit of fall 🍁🍃🍂 (even though it feels like straight-up winter here ❄️) I finally posted my Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites on my blog >>> https://nutritiouskitchenmn.com/recipes/

My favorite Sunday breakfast-after-church is hands down an egg scrambler. Throw some left over meat, potatoes and veggies into a skillet with a few eggs and enjoy!

Back in high school, before I knew anything about food sensitivities or nutrition, my favorite place to grab a bite to eat was Noodles&Co. 🍝 One of my favorite dishes: Pesto Cavatappi. While I know that Noodles has added lots of healthy, GF items to their menu, I decided to remake that dish at home today for lunch. It was SO GOOD you guys! 💥 First time trying Noodles and I'm a big fan! To finish the dish, I sauteed some diced onion, sliced mushrooms and minced garlic in olive oil and added pesto made from 's garden 🌱 I topped it off with a few tomatoes for a perfectly delicious, vegan, gluten-free lunch 😊

Do you journal? 📝 About 3 weeks ago, I realized I was having a hard time actually thinking things through. I would think ABOUT things, but I was not thinking THROUGH them. It was as if I wanted to drive somewhere and I kept looking at the destination 📍 instead of the route 🗺️ I decided to start journaling, to get my thoughts down on paper. This did an amazing thing for me. It forced me to set aside time to THINK and to PROCESSES my thoughts and feelings 🤔 This week has been a little crazy with work and school and life (you know, the usual) and I didn't make time to journal on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Well this morning, I woke up in a funk- feeling more bogged down than I have since I started journaling. My emotions tend to ebb and flow depending on the time of month if you know what I mean 💁🏼‍♀️ This month, I'm DETERMINED to work through it and not let the funk take over. If you're feeling the same way, open up a journal. You don't have to write anything specifically, just anything that's on your mind. You'll be surprised how good it feels ❣️

Just because my is done doesn't mean I'm diving into all the tasty foods that I couldn't have for a month 🧀🍫🍕 One easy way too keep up with the lifestyle: plan ahead. Yup, that's right, meal-prep baby! 👊 I made it easy on myself this week- I used the Riced Cauliflower, Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto from the freezer section ( ), added some extra mushrooms and kale, a chicken breast and made a creamy cashew sauce to go on top. I don't have an exact recipe for the cashew cream sauce but it's pretty close to this: soak 2 cups of cashews in water for 2 hours. Start with hot or boiling water and let cool. Later, drain the water, then put the cashews into a food processor. Add about half to 3/4 can of full fat coconut milk, a teaspoon of salt, paprika and garlic (powder or minced). Blend until you achieve a creamy consistency. This makes about 3 cups of sauce (4-6 servings) and is super tasty over zucchini noodles. 🥒

Breakfast for dinner? Why not 🤷🏼‍♀️ ----------------------- Today, I had the opportunity to meet Whitney from for coffee ☕ We talked about health coaching, business building, and personal development, you know, all the good stuff! I'm so appreciative of the advice and time she gave me this afternoon. If you don't already follow her, go do it! She shares great health and wellness information and is so darn sweet! Thanks Whitney 😊 ------------------------ Day 30 (HECK TO THE YES!) Dinner: potatoes, kale, scrambled eggs and fruit. Now onto my pile of homework...

YOU HAVE THE POWER 👊 Sometimes when I think about my future and the career goals I have, I feel like there are so many hurdles that I'm never going to actually be able to live up to my full potential. Why am I -the person most invested in these goals- the one who is most doubtful? I have the power to control what I do, how I think, and how I perceive a challenge, yet I sometimes choose to think that I can't make it. Well, it's time to change that mindset. Time to believe in myself. Time to take the power back over the negativity and doubt. I have the power to make my life the best it can be. And so do you 💙 ------------------------------------ Day 29 Dinner: it's a repeater because I enjoy it so much! Tilapia, roasted delicata squash and sauteed kale 🥬

What are you snacking on today? It's day 29 of my and I'm SO. FREAKING. EXCITED. for reintroduction on Wednesday 🎉 If you're new to Whole30 and how it works, let me explain what reintroduction means. Whole30 is a sort of elimination diet where we eliminate all grains, dairy, legumes, added sugar, and highly processed foods. When you reach the end of your Whole30, you don't want to just go back to all your old habits, rather you introduce foods back slowly so can pinpoint foods that make you feel blah 😨 Once you find those foods that don't sit well, you cut them out for a longer period of time depending on what kind of sensitivity you exhibit (you should see a nutritionist for this part or avoid it altogether!). This reintroduction is an important part of Whole30 because we want to be eating the largest variety of foods we can, while feeling our best. -------------------------- Since I've done similar programs to Whole30, I already know whole grains such as rice and quinoa, and legumes such as peanuts and chickpeas don't cause problems for me... I'm PUMPED to add them back into my diet (while keeping up lots of the healthy habits from the Whole30 lifestyle)! 🥗 If you have done a Whole30 and have questions about this reintroduction thing, be sure to be in contact with a coach or nutritionist who can guide you. Food freedom is the BEST, as long as you do it right.

How are you choosing to spend your Saturday? Do you use it as a day to catch up? To relax and unwind? To get ahead? No matter what you have planned today, do it with purpose. I went into work for a few hours this morning, will be working ahead on some homework shortly and plan to enjoy some time with my boyfriend tonight- and I'm doing it all with the purpose to develop my career and to build my relationship. You do you; but make sure to do 'you' with purpose 💁🏼‍♀️ ------------------------------- Late brunch, Day 27: crispy sweet potatoes, sauteed kale, 2 eggs sunny-side-up and some grapes. Happy Saturday! ☀️

Let's be real here. During a not every meal can be a big production 💥 Between work and school and keeping myself well both mentally and physically, there's just not time. A combination of lack of time, plus the fact that bagged salad goes bad about 4.2 seconds after you buy it 🤦 has led me to these super simple salads a few times this week. Eating healthy does not always have to be time consuming and expensive 💸 ------------------------- Day 26, lunchtime: ground turkey with salsa over lots and lots of greens 🌱

You know all those influencers out there that drill the importance of goal setting? Although I've heard it a thousand times, I never actually written down my short-term and long-term goals. I get so bogged down by all of my commitments that I forget to think about what I actually want in my future. I make random plans and set random time-limits on things that I want to get done and what usually ends up happening is I get to the end of that time-limit and I haven't put anymore thought into it than I did at the beginning. Well, today that changes. ------------------- This morning I had a late-start at work so I spent and entire hour documenting my 6-month, 1-, 2-, 5- and 10-year goals. Everything from career to relationship to financial to vacation goals are in there. The fact that I finally, *finally* listened to all those successful speakers and coaches and influencers makes me feel like I'm beginning to align my life with what my head and my heart are saying. ---------------------------------- Day 25 Lunch: the second half of my roasted acorn squash from this week's meal-prep, roasted brussel sprouts and ground turkey.

This week in my immunology class we had a journaling assignment about stress reduction 🧘 Our material for the week was about atherosclerosis which is commonly linked to chronic stress. Our assignment was to be done over the course of 3 days. --------------------
📒DAY 1- What are stressors in your life and why are they causing stress?
📒DAY 2- What are the positive things that come from this stress? Why do you keep these stressors in your life?
📒DAY 3- come up with 30 or more things that reduce stress. If you're struggling with emotional eating, make sure that none of these stress reducing mechanisms include food. ------------------- This assignment gave me a different perspective on the stressors in my life and I would encourage anyone and everyone to use this exercise 🙌 --------------- Sometimes I feel stressed about all the healthy practices that I try to keep up with.. eating the right foods 🥑🥗🍇 avoiding the foods that don't work well for me 🍞🥓🍕 exercising on a normal basis 🏋🏼‍♀️ going to bed at a reasonable time every night 🌙... What do I get out of it? More energy, less bloating, less headaches, feeling stronger... That's worth it to me! ---------------- Today my day-24 (🎉) lunch was pretty stress-free. I had half an acorn squash, with chicken and homemade pesto (from 🥰). I'll definitely be adding this into my regular meal-prep rotation!

Happy Tuesday, people! It's been a productive day so far- gym, groceries, voting, work, lunch pick up and a Target run... All by noon, score! Just a reminder to get your b***y out of bed and start your day early ☀️ Let me tell you a little bit about this lunch pick up I mentioned... is basically the Chipotle of Mediterranean food 😍 They have a few new locations opening in the Twin Cities, including Edina which officially opens this Thursday! I'm enjoying a grilled salmon salad today, and yes, it is compliant (all the ingredients are listed right next to the dish)! Go check them out!!

I've posted this before but I'll post it again (because it's just that good and it's what I'm having for dinner) 😊 it's perfect for a weeknight dinner, and it's great to make in a big batch for the family or for leftovers. Weeknight Chicken Salad: shred 1 lb of chicken, slice 4 cups of grapes, dice 4 cups of celery, add ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of walnuts and a cup of avocado oil mayo. Mix all ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. I love this on it's own or served over fresh arugula, but today I served it over purple cabbage. It's so simple, so easy and so good!
@ Minneapolis, Minnesota

“I’m a mess, I’m a loser…” ------------- Let me give you a little insight into my weekend. On Friday, I drove 5 hours across Wisconsin to co-host a baby shower🤰 I listened to @98.5ktis (my favorite Christian Radio station), listened to several chapters of book- Girl, Wash Your Face, and took some quiet time to reflect on life. Today, I drove the 5 hours back across Wisconsin, again listening to my audiobook, KTIS, and I even belted out a few songs from Wicked and Hairspray. Before my drive, I decided to fuel up. In the 3 minutes between my parent’s house and the gas station, I turned on the radio in my car. Since it’s always on 98.5 for KTIS, that’s where it was in Appleton too. In Appleton, however, it was a pop station. That’s the song came on: “I’m a mess, I’m a loser….” ------------ I literally spent 10 hours in the last 2 days listening to motivational, uplifting, inspirational media, but for the 3 minutes that I listened to pop radio, this is what I heard; the exact opposite of what everything else had been telling me. ---------------- Now, I don’t know how popular this song is; after all, that was the first time I had heard it and I understand that media that relates to the audience is what sells…. But COME. ON. When I got home, I googled the lyrics; the girl singing in this song is this way because of a guy she apparently loves. Well, let me tell you, girl- you have to respect and love yourself before anyone else can. If you go through life telling yourself that you’re a mess and a loser, you’re going to believe it. -------------- I encourage you to turn off negative media that throws messages like this around loosely. They’re more damaging than we know. Then begin turning your perspective around. You don’t have to start with, “I’m amazing, I’m beautiful and no one can stop me”- that’s a pretty big switch. But perhaps start by saying, “Today, I’m going to collect myself. Today, I’m going to be a good person. Today, I’m not going to give myself permission to cut myself down.” Start flooding yourself and others with respect and love, and it will be reflected onto you ❤️

Kinda wish I would've timed how long it took me to make this 🤔 because I'm positive that it was under 90 seconds. I heated up my pan ahead of time so the egg 🍳 and kale 🥬 took just seconds to cook. And it's tasty! ---------------------------- Trying to save myself time this afternoon since I'm headed out on a 5-hour drive and I hate driving at night 🌙 Catch ya later!

It's 8:15pm and I'm just sitting down to do homework 📚 Go, go, go all day and then get home and go some more, is this what motherhood is like? Seriously, I feel like I haven't had a moment to myself in weeks! 😵...well, 4 weeks to be exact because that's when this quarter of classes started up. ----------------------------- This weekend, I'm headed to my hometown 🏘️ about a 5-hour drive all the way across Wisconsin on my own. I don't think I've ever been more excited to have time to myself! I purchased book, Girl Wash Your Face and I can't wait to just cruise and listen... There's just something about the wide open road and being left to your own thoughts 🚗 --------------------------------- Before I focus my attention on my homework, here's what I made for dinner tonight on my day 18 🥓🥬🍅🥑 TBLT salad (that stands for Turkey Bacon because of my body's disagreement with pork), with avocado and a scoop of Avocado Oil Mayo.

Happy Halloween 🎃👻 Today I debated between posting my lunch and posting a recipe for pumpkin spice oatmeal balls. In an effort to stay true to myself (and because everyone else is posting treats today), I decided to post my Day 17, meal-prepped lunch instead. Since many people will be filling up on Halloween candy and treats tonight 🍬 I encourage you all to have a wholesome lunch and dinner 🍽️ After all, finding balance is key to long-term success and happiness. Since I'm in the middle of my Whole30, I won't be having candy tonight, but I'm definitely looking forward to enjoying a pumpkin spice later 😋 ----------------------- Lunch details: dice half an onion and cut a sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes, heat oil over medium heat in a stir-fry pan (I like to combine coconut oil and olive oil), add sweet potatoes, season to your liking and cover. In the meantime, slice 2 cups of brussel sprouts. Add them and cover again, be sure to move your veggies around so that they cook evenly. When the veggies are almost done, add 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice. Cook for another 2 minutes. Portion into meal prep containers (I got two meals out of this) and add a chicken breast on top! 🍲