Hi there. I am trying a new format for this week’s blog post. Feedback is welcome and appreciated. Enjoy. -Stephanie Food & Nutrition During the school week, I typically do not make involved breakfasts for myself and my family, but we had some red potatoes to use up, a half-used onion in the fridge, a lone poblano pepper that I inadvertently left out of one of our Blue Apron dinners, and I had a flash of desire to make a nicer breakfast. So to Google I went for a “Healthy Egg Casserole” and found this lovely recipe from iFoodreal. I made some tweaks based on what we had on hand,…
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Making Time For Exercise When You’re Really Busy
It can be difficult to make time for exercise. We know we should do it, and we know that it’s important for our overall health. But… We. Are. Busy. We lead complex lives. We have a lot of responsibilities. And we make A LOT of commitments to ourselves and to those around us. So, if your morning begins like you’ve just shot out of a cannon, and your day does not stop until you hit the pillow at 10 or 11 PM… this post is for you. I have three, simple steps to follow that will get you moving consistently and ALMOST effortlessly. There will be some effort 😉 but…
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November Product Giveaways
Beautycounter has released some lovely holiday sets this season, and in appreciation of your interest and support of my newly launched website, I am holding three drawings during the month of November for free product giveaways. To be eligible for a free gift, all you have to do is subscribe to my blog! To subscribe, scroll to the bottom of any page on my website (including this page you are on now) and look for the “Subscribe Here” box. Enter your email address, click subscribe, and then hop over to your inbox to verify your subscription. The first drawing is coming up this Friday, November 6, so scroll down and…
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My #1 Self-Care Practice
The phrase “self-care” might evoke images of spa treatments and restorative body therapies like hot stone massage, aromatherapy facials, or masks and body scrubs. Maybe you think of self-care as spending an afternoon at the salon with your stylist and nail technician or a soothing bath with candles and a fragrant body scrub at the end of the evening. For the record, I LOVE all of these things. In fact, for many years, I dreamed of opening a spa that offered yoga, massage, other bodywork therapies, esthetic services, hydrotherapy, luxe body products, the works. Services like these are designed to be relaxing, rejuvenating, and they can help promote mental and physical…
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Beauty Should Be Good For You
Over the past month or two, you may have some seen posts about my affiliation with Beautycounter, a company that creates personal care products and cosmetics for women and families. In this week’s blog, I wanted to share more detailed information about the company, their vision, their products, and why I became an affiliate. My standards for ingredient quality and the performance of my personal care products have increased quite substantially over the years. Maybe it’s something we tend to appreciate and value more as we age, that concept of quality over quantity. I’m noticing this across all areas of my life, and as we are home so much more…
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Counteracting Stress in the Body
Stressful situations are all around us. From hectic mornings and deadlines at work to fights with a spouse and minor traffic accidents, life has a way of throwing us curveballs a lot of the time. It goes without saying that 2020 has been a year filled with extreme levels of stress, anxiety, anger, and frustration. With less than three months of the year to go, I have been thinking about what we can do to decrease our stress and anxiety as we approach 2021. There are numerous approaches to stress management, but below are four actions that I believe are vital to counteracting stress, increasing productivity, and cultivating happiness in…
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Small Actions for the Win
I think it can be easy to fall into extreme thinking when it comes to our health, our diets, and our well-being. It’s easy to think that if we’re not doing all of the right things and using the absolute best methods to optimize our health, our lives, etc., then we can’t possibly be making an impact or difference. Thinking that we need to have a rigorous or challenging workout schedule throughout the week or that we have to be eating perfectly and hitting our macros every day is not necessarily helpful to us in the end. Whatever your “all or nothing” thought is, it can ultimately discourage you and…
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A Multi-Purpose Charcoal Cleansing Bar
I have been using Beautycounter’s Counter+ Charcoal Cleansing Bar since early July now and wanted to share my thoughts on this product. It is a long-standing best seller and has more than 2,000 five-star reviews, but it took me quite some time to try it. My hesitation was due to my skin being temperamental (especially in the winter) and feeling easily dried out after cleansing, even with products designed specifically for dry skin. However, I am also prone to these tiny blemishes or clogged pores right along my hair line. Nothing too problematic, I just have maintain a good skincare routine and stay well-hydrated. Throughout summer and early fall, my…
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For the Love of Banana Bread
I have been making banana bread for years. It’s something I can whip up without having to pull out a recipe and an easy weekday breakfast addition if I’m up early enough. We always have bananas on hand, and the ones that are getting a little too ripe are perfect contenders for creating this tender, delicious bread. The recipe I learned from my sweet mama and still use today is: 1 stick unsalted butter softened, a scant 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 to 3 mashed bananas (depending on size), 1/4 cup milk, 2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.…
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3 Things I Always Do to Manage Stress
When it comes to managing stress and my overall self-care, I have three non-negotiables: moving, nourishing, and calming my body. So what does this look like in practice? It means exercising most days of the week, increasing nutrient dense foods in my diet, and engaging in some type of mindfulness practice whether that’s meditation or taking a few minutes to breathe and tune into my body. What I do for exercise varies throughout the week, but it generally includes lifting weights, jogging, Focus T25, and yoga. If I’m extremely tired, I go for a 30-45 minute walk. I always come back more energized and in a better mood. As for…