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  Let's not sugarcoat it, 2020 has sucked rocks.  In pondering that opening sentence, my teen suggested "2020's mother doesn't even effin’ love it".  Indeed. It's been a tough year for us all. Too much to list; you already know. The world has been on fire and most of us feel like all we can do is roast marshmallows while it burns. The repercussions have been far reaching. Finances, health, relationships, community, nothing seems to remain untouched. Often leaving us feeling out of control. I can't control who wins the election, I can't control covid, I can't control the chaos that rages in our world right now, but I can control me. I can control my reactions. I can choose to take care of me and offer a better, stronger me to the world. I’m in no way trying to minimize the bigger picture. Nor am I implying we shouldn’t get in there and fight for the bigger causes, do our part, and help our neighbors. I’m not talking selfishness.  What I am saying is

 I am not a health professional and nothing here is medical advice. Hey Guys! You know me...I was curious. I had to try it. Who are we kidding? It was only a matter of time. I went carnivore. Carnivore, also sometimes called zero carb, has been making its rounds and has been on and off my radar for quite a while now. I held off, I researched it, I dabbled in it for a few days here and there, but never really gave it a shot. Finally, I decided to try it for a week. I'd been stalled out on keto and the whole covid quarantine saw my weight sneaking back up. I was bored. It seemed a good time to give carnivore a whirl! Now, in case you don't frequent the parts of the net that I do, what is carnivore? Basically, carnivore is a diet, a way of eating, that is exactly what it says: carnivore. You eat like a carnivore. As with anything, there are varying versions of it: those that seem to eat only ribeyes, those who stick to only beef, those who stick to only meat, those who include al

  It's that time of year again. Pumpkin Spice Latte season that is! I want all. Things. Pumpkin. Right now.  Pumpkin bread ,  pumpkin muffins , pumpkin spiced everyyyyythingggg. I mean, have you smelled the Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Candle from Bath & Body Works yet? So good. Oh yes, pumpkin obsession is in full force. Just me? Anyway, I'm currently doing pretty strict Keto (more on that in another post), so no good ole PSL's for me this year. Dangit. Unless.... KETO Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer Recipe Ingredients 1 can  Organic Classic Coconut Cream 1 Tablespoon  Organic Canned Pumpkin  (YES, it has real pumpkin it it. Seriously, they all should...) 2 teaspoons  Organic Saigon Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon  Organic Ground Nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon  Organic Ground Cloves 1/8 teaspoon  Organic Ground Ginger Truvia  Packets or  Monk Fruit Drops  to taste - I like to use both together. Sweetness is a personal preference, but just as a guideline: I do 10 drops monk fruit and 5 packets Truvia

People have asked me a lot about my kids. Are my kids keto too? Nope. At this point, they are not. I think keto is fine for kids, we just haven't gone there. Or see the need to at this point. They are however still Paleo. As we all are, my husband and I just do so with keto macros. Paleo was a game-changer for us all and is definitely staying in this here household. The next question I always get is some version of what do they eat? What do you do about snacks?? How do you keep them happy without fruit snacks, granola bars, soda, and cookies?? Well, thankfully there are paleo-friendly ready-made snacks flooding the market (though READ your labels parents, just because it says paleo does not mean it is). Our cupboard is just as full of swaps like  Larabars , Zevia , and Autumn's Gold Cinnamon Almond  as any paleo parent.  Mostly, I make their snacks though. I just like to. We're a busy homeschooling family though, so I keep it quick and simple when it co

January 1, I embarked on an interesting journey; I decided to start the 75 Hard Challenge (scroll to the bottom of the post for my updated journal on my progress. I've gotten a lot of questions on this program and what it is exactly, what the rules are, etc. So... What is 75 Hard ? It's a mental toughness skills development challenge started by Andy Frisella. (Since first posting this, it is now a book as well .) His premise is that mental toughness is a skill and therefore can be learned, practiced, and honed. Andy designed this challenge to cultivate: confidence, self-belief, self-esteem, self-worth, endurance, fortitude, grit, perseverance, self-discipline, endurance, resilience... and all of the skills inside the scope of mental toughness.  Check out the podcast that started it all for all the info from Andy himself:  https://andyfrisella.com/blogs/mfceo-project-podcast/75hard-a-75-day-tactical-guide-to-winning-the-war-with-yourself-with-andy-frisella-mfceo291  No

With the popularity of the Keto Diet many companies are using it as a marketing ploy.  Unfortunately, just because it says “keto” on the label doesn’t mean it is. There is so much junk out there that I would NOT recommend to a friend. So, for the past 6 months I've been  weeding through all the new keto products and long loved keto staples on the market and weeding out the hyped up junk.  What I've come up with is a top 20 list on Amazon . This list shares only the best of the ketogenic best you can find to support your Keto Diet lifestyle on Amazon!  For my criteria in choosing products, they had to: Have clean ingredients. Be low enough in carbs to sensibly include them in a daily keto diet. Stand up to my quality standards for something I would (and for most of these do) regularly purchase. Taste good! (except, obviously in the case of the ketone meter, etc) Without further yammering, my picks for The Top 20 Keto Diet Products on Amazon : 1.  2.

There are tons of keto coffee creamer products flooding the market right now. Some are fantastic options. Some chock full of nasty ingredients. But most of them are on the pricey side. I decided to work on some clean, more budget-friendly, keto coffee creamer recipes we can easily make at home! (Check out my Keto Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer too.)⠀ This dairy-free Cinnamon Vanilla Keto Coffee Creamer is definitely one of my favorites. I just love cinnamon coffees. They're delicious. Plus, cinnamon is supposed to be good for blood sugar control. Win-win. Keto Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee Creamer ⠀⠀ ☕☕☕ ⠀ ⠀ INGREDIENTS⠀⠀ 1 can (13.66 oz)  Canned Coconut Cream 2 teaspoons Organic Saigon Cinnamon⠀ ⠀ 2 teaspoons  Organic Pure Vanilla ⠀⠀ Low Carb Sweetener to taste, generally 5 to 10 packets OR 5 to 15 drops monk fruit (optional)⠀ ⠀ DIRECTIONS⠀⠀ Add all ingredients to your blender. Blend, just until combined. About 30 seconds, scraping the sides if you need t