Keto Creamed Spinach
July 16th is National Fresh Spinach Day. No canned or frozen spinach today. Some people say not cooked spinach either but we are going to be a little more lenient here. 🤷🏾 I happen to be a spinach lover from a long way back. I don’t know if it was because of Popeye and this spinach-induced strength. Or maybe because I was told that spinach would help my eyesight. Perhaps it was because I thought spinach tasted better than collard greens. Yes, I am a Southern girl — don’t @ me! 😁 Whatever the reason, I have carried that love into my adult life. I have tried to convert my…
Have an Indoor Picnic
Who says that a picnic has to be outdoors? It is typical, yes, that picnics will be outdoors but it is not set in stone. What if it rains or one person in the family is under the weather? What if there is a pandemic? There’s no need to cancel your fun in these instances. Instead have the picnic inside. With July being National Picnic Month, I thought this would be a useful topic! Here are some ideas for hosting an indoor picnic. Set the Indoor Picnic Scene Whatever the reason you are indoors for the picnic, it can be just as much fun as it would be if it…
Make-Ahead Food Ideas for 4th of July Entertaining
Are you planning a small shin-dig for the 4th of July? With the health crisis that is going on, you may be planning a smaller gathering or something in the backyard. Either way, consider some of these make-ahead food ideas for 4th of July entertaining. Making some of the food up to a week before the big day will enable you to relax and enjoy yourself. Make a Budget Begin by creating a budget for your event. Choose which foods you will serve and decide which ones can be prepared beforehand. Try to determine a schedule to begin making the food so you have very little to do the actual…
Chewy Ginger Snap Cookies
Hello July! And today July 1st is National Ginger Snap Day! As a child, I ate a lot of ginger snaps while my great-grandmother was alive. She loved ginger snaps so we — the grandchildren — would get into the box when she got some for herself. They were tasty and crisp but not as good as homemade. And little did I know that ginger snaps are somewhat healthier than other cookies — a bit lower in calories. Plus the ginger and the spices of cinnamon and cloves have some anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Ginger can help with digestion and cinnamon may affect glucose in the bloodstream. I think knowing…
Self-Care Tips to Manage Emotional Eating
Outside of the normal physical things that people do to maintain their health, there are a number of ways in which the emotional state of a person can influence what they are able to achieve in their day to day lives. This is especially true of health goals involving food, weight loss, or any other goal that relies heavily on maintaining some kind of discipline. Having a healthy mindset should be the foundation of any plan for success, so this article will include some tips on self-care to manage emotional eating. Keep Track of Your Achievements One positive form of reinforcement can be found in the simple method of recording…
Emotional Eating: A Primer on Intuitive and Mindful Eating
As the need for dietary options has become massive as obesity rates climb higher and higher, new research suggests that there are people who could benefit from dietary plans that avoid employing the same strategies that other diets do. These methods involve changing the way you think about eating. If you knew that you could work a program where you can eat all kinds of different foods, lose weight, and feel happy, would you be excited to try it? If so, check out this guide on how intuitive eating and/or mindful eating can help you. Most Diets Fail Most of the reason that the majority of diets fail is that…
Using Your Journal as a Brain Dump
The brain dump is a powerful thing, even though it is very simplistic in its execution. A brain dump is nothing more than getting all of those thoughts in your head out on paper. It works as a way to release the burden from your mind and lay them out in front of you. Once you do this, you are able to look through the thoughts and try to make sense of them. Your journal happens to be the best place for a brain dump. Benefits of Releasing Thoughts in a Journal Why do a brain dump? This is actually very therapeutic and is especially beneficial when you are overwhelmed…
Iced Tea Musings
I am a Southern woman of color. The past two weeks have been incredibly scary and uplifting at the same time. Disturbing and soul-stirring… I have a teenage son who is going off to college in a couple of months (maybe — COVID may have something to say about that!) We have had the talk many times — more now since he is driving. I have always known that his leaving the house would be bittersweet — happy he is moving on towards his dreams but afraid of his being out in the world. We talked about what happened in Minneapolis over 2 weeks ago. He understands . It kind…
Loaded Stuffed Potato
Happy Monday! We have been staying at home for almost 3 months now. School is finally out so the homeschooling portion is over for now. I haven’t really been cooking that much during this time. I had really great intentions but very little time. Now that summer is creeping up, perhaps I can do a better job! Next up is graduation. Surprisingly, the school district has scheduled an outdoor graduation ceremony. We have to figure out how we are going to handle it. I am still concerned about being around people who may not really believe in masks and social distancing. We have to figure it out. May is National…
Setting Intentions with Your Journal
When you set intentions, you tell yourself what you are going to do. You are able to narrow your focus to just a few things. It is similar to setting goals or writing down a to-do list. But with intentions, you are making a promise to yourself to get this thing done. Here are some ways to use a journal for setting your intentions. Plan Your Intentions Each Morning In order to reach your goals, you need intentions. These are the actions you take each day in order to reach the final destination. You can use your journal each morning to write out your intentions for the day. It is…
