In my experience, most people are confused about where to start with healthy eating and how to put meals together after years of choosing packaged convenience foods. So, I’ve come up with this handy little guide for integrating whole, real foods into your meals, your routine and your kitchen and crowding out the junk.
Read MoreThe books and podcasts below have been profoundly helpful to me on my mental and physical health journey. Many of them are full of “how the heck did no one tell us this?!” tidbits and little pieces of information that have changed my life and could change yours. I’ve also included a few books that made me see how much I was standing in my own way of recovery and happiness, challenged my perspective on career and helped me get the courage to start my own business. I highly recommend them all!
Read MoreThis mouth-watering recipe is loaded with simple but delicious vegetables, herbs and spices you can find easily in your cabinet or local grocery store. The beauty of this meal? The simple ingredients come together in a cozy, fulfilling meal that’s perfect for Sunday dinner, easy entertaining or fast meal prep. The flavors are to die for, as are the heavenly aromas that will fill your house while it’s all roasting! I cook this meal a few times a month and use the leftovers throughout the week in salads, wraps and buddha bowls. PS. You’ll never believe it’s effortlessly gluten, dairy, soy, corn and sugar free. Totally allergy and special protocol friendly!
Read MoreThere seems to be a thin line between loving and hating the holidays for most people, but a few years ago, I thankfully learned a few tricks for staying (mostly) on the love side. Amidst all the fanfare, it can be difficult to find time and energy to care for yourself, but I learned I’m much much more likely to be present, enjoy the season (and handle cranky relatives with grace), if I’m a little more proactive about putting my mental and physical health first. Here’s how I make that happen between gingerbread men and rolling my eyes at my cousins.
Read MoreI started Misfit Wellness because I want to make a healthier and happier diet and lifestyle more accessible, approachable and sustainable - especially for those of us who have struggled with mental and physical health. Unfortunately the basic fundamentals of living and eating well often get sexed up and overcomplicated to the point where they seem completely inaccessible and unattainable to the average American. I might not be able to change the fact that our healthcare system and food supply in this country are beyond broken, but I can help you take your health into your own hands with simple diet and lifestyle choices made each day.
Read MoreIf you think you need to be slinging plain steamed broccoli and forcing down boiled cabbage to eat in a way that supports your health, this post is for you. “Healthy is boring” is a big fat misconception. Using a variety of colors, flavors and textures makes almost any whole food based meal wonderfully exciting, but until you’ve got a little more experimenting under your belt, I have a fast and easy way to jazz up any dish: killer sauces and dressings.
Read MoreWhen I started to open up about disordered eating and body image, I learned that shedding light on the darkest corners of my life can help shed more light on a path to healing for myself and others. In the hopes that opening up about depression will do the same, I’m sharing the below list. These are the things I believe have transformed my experience with depression, or in the very least, have kept me out of bed when I just want to pull the covers over my head.
Read MoreBeing adventurous and experimenting with ethnic foods and seasonings has been a game changer in my kitchen and in my diet. Case in point? This simple, fast green curry that will have you fighting over leftovers!
Read MoreBy the time I committed to healthier habits around managing stress, it had already wreaked havoc on my digestion, immune function, sleep, weight and sanity. I no longer had the energy to have or be fun anymore. Don’t let stress make you a Debbie Downer too. Use these simple but transformative tips to help you manage stress before you find yourself perpetually frazzled, bloated, angry, and downright miserable.
Read MoreThe beauty of this divine take on the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe? You will NEVER believe it's free from gluten/grains, dairy, eggs, refined sugar and soy. These babies really are too good to be true. In other words, my sensitive tummy (and yours) can have the cookie and eat it too!
Read MoreInterested in eating more whole foods but don’t know where to start? This post is chock full of ideas for incorporating more vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and other powerful and nourishing foods into your diet in beautifully simple ways. The best part? When you focus on adding delicious and nutritious foods to more meals and snacks, you naturally start to eat less of the processed gunk over time. Now THAT is what I call a realistic, sustainable approach to healthy eating!
Read MoreOnce you've done the hard work to get your gut bacteria back in balance, heal those gut walls and quiet inflammation, you start to feel the incredible benefits of eating and living to support gut health. The last thing you want to do is welcome chronic constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, brain fog, acne or mood disorders back into your life. So how do you loosen restrictions without compromising the delicate balance you've worked to achieve? Beyond eating a vegetable forward, nutrient-dense diet rich in whole, real, unprocessed foods and minimizing triggers and irritants like caffeine, sugar and alcohol, I encourage my gut protocol clients to explore these other ways to support gut health.
Read MoreThe benefits of eating to support gut health (and health in general) are so intangible and incomprehensible to anyone that has never tried to do so that it can be easy to ignore the hype and chalk it all up to "health freak BS". Without experiencing the incredible reality of how much more amazing I feel when I eat/live to support that crazy microbiome within, I’m not sure I would have ever truly committed to healing my gut myself. Now that I've experienced what it is to ignore gut health and conversely, to focus on it (read more here and here), I'm excited to share the below things that have had the biggest impact on my health during my gut healing journey!
Read More15 years on The Pill + PCOS + hypothyroidism + chronic stress + 2 decades of disordered eating = a perfect hormonal storm that turned out to be the second biggest factor affecting my health since adolescence. Below is a list of things that have helped me navigate the complicated journey back to some semblance of balance and sanity without synthetic hormones.
Read MoreI've spent more years of my life at war with my body and food than I've spent at peace with them. I've experienced both the mental and physical fallout of a war waged on oneself AND the liberating contentment of moments of peace. After over two decades of stumbling through half-assed solutions and quick fixes in a desperate attempt to break the cycle, I'm excited to finally be able to share a list of things that have truly been transformative on this path to healing.
Read MoreArming yourself with nutrient dense whole food-centric snacks made with simple, real ingredients is the best way to nourish your body in a pinch without having to overthink it. Check out my favorite store-bought, on-the-go, travel and work snacks in this post!
Read MoreWhen I started eating more whole, real food at the ripe age of 23 (I was a processed food junkie before that), I was sure it was going to be torture. After all, I did hide my broccoli under my napkin until I moved out of my house for college and then ate mostly heaping bowls of cereal washed down with orange soda and beer for 4 years straight. My palate wasn't exactly primed for Brussels sprouts and dry roasted nuts.
Read MoreEver get crampy after eating quinoa or uncomfortably bloated after a big bowl of forbidden rice? How about sleepy after a bowl of oatmeal? Compromised gut health, lack of sufficient digestive enzymes or mindless speed-eating (womp) can make whole grains difficult to digest for a lot of people (including myself). Cue this warm and cozy breakfast bowl. It boasts a well-rounded nutrient profile, a super satisfying texture and all the coziness offered by the cereal grain alternatives. P.S. It's free from added sugar and loaded with fiber and healthy fats so it's also the perfect way to feel full, satisfied and energized without negatively impacting your blood sugar or hormones!
Read MoreThe average American is eating 22 TEASPOONS of added sugar a day. And before you say "not me! I drink my coffee black and choose diet soda!"consider this: most people are completely unaware of how much added sugar they're eating until they start reading labels. On your next trip to the grocery store, examine the labels on the yummies you're throwing in that cart and you'll likely be surprised to see how much sugar is added to everything from seemingly "healthy" bread to savory crackers to vegan dips and paleo protein bars. But why should you care?
Read MoreI'm not paleo or grain-free, but I do love easier to digest, vegetable heavy, whole food meals. I'm a big advocate of getting creative with veggies in the kitchen, as doing so can be transformative for your health. So stop rolling your eyes at my squash/sweet potato buns and give something new a try, ok? I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised by how well the sweet roasted veggie discs complement the savory herby goodness of the juicy burger patty. With your favorite pickles and condiments, this baby is a flavor explosion that will have you rolling your eyes at those dried out processed tasteless burger buns in no time.
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