Wait... what?!?  First off... it may seem a wee bit odd, but as a woman who strives to help others reach their health + wellness goals.  My own personal health + wellness goals were, well, suffering... to put it bluntly.  

I was staying up late to squeeze extra calls + trainings... waking up early to make sure I had everything set up for homeschooling... throwing meals together at the last minute... forgetting exactly when I actually showered and let's not EVEN talk about shaving my legs.  YIKES!!!  

It came to a point where I felt like my body was literally held together by Jesus +  whole lotta dry shampoo while running on pure coffee.  

side note:  here's my simple DIY dry shampoo recipe

you are welcome.

That's when the love of my life, the hubster gave me some tough love + an idea.  He casually mentioned I should focus on simply doing one percent better each day... just 1%.  For a person with a "Go BIG or Go HOME"...

It's always a wee bit challenging to pick a "Foodie of the Week"... mainly because the week before, we consume A LOT of that ingredient.  So, this mama can try out new recipes + take photos for all the places of social.  

Sitting on the floor of the living room with loads of books scattered all around me, I kept mumbling... "what should be next week's "foodie"?  what should be next week's "foodie"? hmmm".   When a tiny pair of hands touched my arm and said, "spar-gus, mama".   Our little miss (who makes up 50% of our 4yr old duo) loves to cook asparagus... and manages to eat MORE when she cooks the side item than when it's simply placed in front of her on a plate.  

Now.  I love asparagus... and for awhile, I have been chopping it up into 2" bits for our twins to eat as well; however, I have learned that our little man (the other half of the duo) would rather the asparagus to stay LONG in it's spear form and not cut up into bits.  The reason,...

Blueberries remind me of the hubster... see his side of the family use to have a blueberry farm + I got pretty spoiled.  Each summer, there would be gallon ziplock bags of freshly picked blueberries for the taking.   DELICIOUS!!!  

And whenever we head out to a farmer's market, fresh berries are always a must (along with cut flowers).  It just reminds me of a time when we were first dating... back in college... getting free food (like the blueberries) from family members who felt pity for us broke college students.   

His family would send me home with blueberries... and my folks would send me home with a case of tuna fish (because my dad would have a SAM's club card)!  HAHAHA!  

Fish + blueberries... not a good combo, I'm not recommending it here.  

{ insert: gross face }  

Let's divert from this subject and dive a wee bit deeper into the goodness of blueberries + recipes which don't include fish!  You are welcome. 

How...

Now.  I don't like to waste bananas... for some reason, it's different than a wee bit of honey or a lemon or even an egg.  I have no idea why.  Maybe it's because a WHOLE banana is a snack for the Gillies, our 4yr old twins.  

Anywho.  Here's a recipe I found to help smooth those cracked heels... you can score more DIY beauty recipes using bananas here!

CRACKED HEEL SALVE

1. Mash up two ripe bananas then put the mashed bananas on your heels!  Make sure your feet are dry and clean first, though! 
2. Wrap your feet in socks so not to cause a mess. 
3. After 10 minutes, rinse your feet thoroughly... and add your favorite foot lotion to your feet!

Now.  Seriously... how easy was that, love?  I'd love to hear what YOUR favorite recipe is with using banana!  Jot it down below + share. 

love + gumption.

a. 

Brain + Gut Health Explorer

Honestly.  When writing this blog, I struggled with how I actually use ALMONDS for a beauty hack.   Seriously, though...  "almonds in my beauty regimen, how in the heck?"  

Buttttttttttt... then I realized, I do use almonds in my beauty regimen.  Well, it's almond oil.  That counts, right?  Almond oil is cold-pressed from the seeds of the sweet almond tree (thank you, Essential Oils book!).   Almond oil is suitable for most skin types... it's gentle enough for sensitive skin! 

Goodness of Almond Oil: 

• Natural moisturizer - helps soothe dry, irritated skin
• Gentle oils - even heard it can be used to treat diaper rash 
• Excellent make-up remover 
• Treats chapped lips

Need a few more bits about the goodness of Almond Oil, check it out here! 

Now. Here's a sweet DIY eye-makeup remover recipe I found... about a year or two ago.  BUT, it was also spotted on JH's website, so I thought... "why not give her some...

Fun factoid: About 5-15% of U.S. adults are estimated to experience beeturia following consumption of beets in everyday amounts (source).  Beeturia = the pink discoloration of one's urine due to consumption of beets.  

Maybe it's TMI but I am part of that 5-15%... and I did have a mild panic attack one day when I noticed our littles (4yr old twins) had slightly red poop!  Being a veterinarian... my mind went through a WHOLE list of differentials (or causes) of the red poop.  Seriously.  This mama bear went into PANIC MODE... until my calm and more reasonable husband pointed out, over the past few days we ate a lot of beets.  

WHEW.  

Besides the discoloration one can get on their hands (+ countertops) when handling beets... and in their voids (pending if you are a child, in the 5-15% of folks who naturally have this occur or have an underlying medical condition)... there are some amazing benefits to beets.  So. Let's dive a wee bit...

Fun factoid:  Almonds aren't actually nuts... they are called drupes (like a coconut) which are a type of fruit that has an "outer fleshy part that surrounds a pit (or stone), with a seed inside this pit."   If you are a visual person, like myself, check out these photos.  

 Seriously, though.  All this time, calling almonds nuts... and the love affair I have for almonds are quite strong.  We are talking WAY past first names... I call them "Al".   

(scenario)

me:  hon.  can you grab me a couple of Al for the road, I may get hungry. 

hubs:  um... what the heck is Al?  are you trying to be cute? 

See.  Way past first names.  Anywho.

My love for almonds has grown tremendously over the years... since I have learned all the benefits these little powerhouses hold.  I use a wee bit of almond milk as a creamer for my morning cup of Joe... dab a spoonful in my daily superfoodie smoothie for a...

alright, loves. 

first let me start off by saying I am not all rainbows and sunshines... but I have been asked more than once in our virtual Brain + Gut Health community, "How do you stay so positive?!?".  

so. 

after being asked for the second or third time, I thought... maybe I should jot these down to remind myself to DO THEM but also to inspire YOU {if you need}!  because sometimes... life happens and you find it hard to keep riding the positivity train.  trust me, I get it.  but... if one of these tidbits HELPS you find your joy each day, then why not share it, right? 

ME LAUGHING. CAUGHT BY BETTER TOGETHER PHOTOGRAPHY

here goes: 

1. Background: my sisters... I know... that's a wee bit unfair, because you didn't have them as sisters growing up.  but let me explain.  without getting too much into THEIR story, I'll share with you this.  my sisters were diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy at a young age......