Make It With Me: Soda Bread

 One of my favorites parts of St. Patrick's Day dinner is soda bread so I was super excited to come across this recipe and make it for myself! Save this image or pin it to find later. Whether you make it for the holiday or not, it's a nice change from "regular" bread!


Make It With Me: Lucky Green Smoothie

Good health isn't luck... it's preparation and diligence. But luckily, there are plenty of healthy recipes that are incredibly tasty too! Here's one in a festive green - perfect for March!

Ingredients

Instructions

Place water, ice, protein powder, spinach, kiwifruit, banana, and orange zest in a blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Enjoy immediately!




For Beginners Only with Lacee Green



Are you a part of our BODi community? If you are, I have a special announcement! Our brand new Super Block with our brand new Super Trainer is coming! Super Blocks start the 1st Monday of the month- so mark your calendars for March 6th! This Super Block is free to ALL BODi members!

If you haven’t worked out with Lacee- you’re missing out! She does her own workouts on BODi and she has been killing it on BOD as Megan Davies’ modifier in her MBF, MBFA, and Sure Thing programs. And now, Lacee is getting her own program called “For Beginners Only”! 3 weeks of brand new workouts - perfect for those that are just getting started and those who need to recommit to simple moves and a manageable workout schedule.

Lacee’s goal is to get your confidence back by building a workout foundation and just, well, starting.

Do you know someone in need of a fresh, beginner’s start? Do you want to take it back to basics this March? Email me with LACEE in the subject line and I’ll make sure you have all the access you need to start with her on Monday, March 6th (or whenever you're ready)! 

Make It With Me: Beauty Bestie Juice



I want to highlight a supplement that will be a game-changer to your health + wellness goals in 2023! Friend, meet your Collagen Boost - a tasteless powder you can add to any hot or cold beverage, yogurt, or shake… the options are endless!

Radiant skin and healthy nails begin on the inside—where creams and masks can’t reach but this supplement boost can! Just add a scoop to your favorite beverage to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, increase skin elasticity, and support healthy nails.

Each serving is formulated with a key ingredient to help:
- Increase skin elasticity
- Reduce the appearance of wrinkles
- Support healthy nails

Here is a recipe that has Collagen added in for you to try as soon as you order!

Servings: 2

Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped honeydew or canteloupe
  • 1 cup chopped cucumber
  • ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 2 scoops Collagen Boost
  • 16 mint leaves
  • 1 cup ice
Instructions
  1. Place honeydew, cucumber, coconut milk, lime juice, Collagen Boost, mint, and ice in a blender; cover.
  2. Blend until smooth.
  3. Serve immediately, or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a day.

p.s. fresh herbs are key to good cooking. To get the freshest herbs possible, I love my AeroGarden for easy, countertop gardening. I'm constantly using this set - especially the mint, basil, thyme, and dill

Self-Love Reading Recommendations

I've always loved reading... it helps my mind settle and quiet. It gets me off my phone or screens. I learn so much. But I don't always know what I'm going to read next - maybe you have the same problem? I like reading good fiction novels (especially ones with strong female leads with historical tie-ins) but I try to also read for my mind and heart too. 

Just in case you're anything like me and want to round out your to-read list, here's a few I've added to my list. (And I'd love to connect with you on goodreads and check out your book lists too!)


Even 10 pages a day will give you a little nugget of personal care to implement into your day. Working on your morning routine? Daily reading is a great activity to start today!

On a budget or don't want to be buying books all year? Don't forget to check out your local library! Ours even allows us to check out books that I can borrow through my kindle AND audiobooks!

What a Time to Be Alone by Chidera Eggerue - Meet your life guru, confidante, and best friend who will show you that being alone is not just okay - it's just about the best freaking thing that's ever happened to you.

You Were Born for This by Chani Nicholas - Chani shows how your birth chart—a snapshot of the sky at the moment you took your first breath—reveals your unique talents, challenges, and opportunities.

Buy Yourself the F*cking Lillies by Tara Schuster - The story of Tara’s path to re-parenting herself and becoming a “ninja of self-love.” Through simple, daily rituals, Tara transformed her mind, body, and relationships.

Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel - Overcome negative thought patterns and replace them with positive thought patterns that will bring more peace, joy, and love into your life. (I need to read this immediately...)

Untamed by Glennon Doyle - Explore the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others’ expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us. (One of my personal favorites!!)

Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab - End the struggle, speak up for what you need, and experience the freedom of being truly yourself.

Have you read any of these? Which title piques your interest? I’d love to know!

Make it with me - Shakeo Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Want to indulge in your favorite sweet treats with no worry of calories, grams of sugar, or that post-indulgent crash? We have so many dessert recipes with a strong protein and nutrition-dense base! I'll be sharing more of them on my site here so stay tuned but to get things started, let's go with a romantic favorite...

Try this protein-packed chocolate dipped strawberry recipe! It starts with your daily protein powder (I LOVE chocolate Shakeology and can get you some to try today), and tastes just like its sugar-packed alternative.

Are you a chocolate strawberry fan? You have to give this recipe a try!


Make it with me - Ricotta Pound Cake Birthday Bites


I'm always excited to try a new dessert recipe, especially when it includes my favorite nutrient-dense ingredient. In honor of my birthday, here's a recipe from the BODi blog - birthday bites!!

They're super simple to make so let's get right to it!

Ingredients
  • ¾ cup / 186 g part-skim ricotta cheese
  • Cheesecloth
  • ¼ cup / 20 g unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2-3 all-natural food coloring
  • 1 serving vanilla protein or meal replacement powder (I use 1 scoop Vanilla Whey or Vanilla Plant-Based Vegan Shakeology for extra nutrients)
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. coconut sugar
  • ¼ tsp. finely grated lemon peel (lemon zest) note: the original recipe calls for the 1/4 tsp but I used the zest of an entire lemon because... well... I realllly like lemon!!

Instructions
  1. Place ricotta cheese in cheesecloth; squeeze to release excess moisture. Set aside.
  2. Place coconut in a small resealable bag (or small bowl); add food coloring. Seal bag and shake until coconut is uniformly colored; pour onto a small plate. Set aside. If doing multiple colors, split the coconut into different bowls or bags for each color.
  3. Add protein / meal powder / Shakeology, ricotta cheese, extract, sugar, and lemon peel to a separate small mixing bowl; mix until well combined.
  4. Using clean hands, roll mixture into 12 equal balls. Roll each ball in the coconut mixture; place on a plate. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
For those following the portion container plan, 1 of these bites = 1/2 orange container.

Don't forget - my preferred customers and fellow BODi partners get 25% off of their BODi purchases. Want to know more? Hit me up at gabi@gabiford.com for more info!



Make it with me - hidden veggie matcha latte

Ok ok yes, I know. The name of this recipe sounds strange. You may even be giving me a funny look right now. It's ok - I get it. And just to be upfront with you, yes, this is going to have a slightly more "earthy" taste than just a matcha latte which is why I added a little bit of honey but I still really like it and I hope you do too. (And if it's not your thing, there are still plenty of other ways to use this power green blend!)

A couple of tips (and then scroll down for the video):

  • Your matcha matters! There are definitely a lot of options out there but I use this one and really like it. I'd love to hear which brand you use - share it in the comments!
  • Use 1 tsp of matcha and 1 scoop of power greens then add about a third of the water - hot! - that you plan to use for your whole drink. I use this kettle for getting my water hot but keeping it below boiling. Froth it all together and then put it in your mug.
  • Top off your frothed mix with the rest of your water but leave room to...
  • add frothed almond milk. I make my own pecan almond milk using my Almond Cow but whatever milk you want to use will work. Also, I'm not kidding when I say that I use this frother almost every single day. Sometimes twice. How have I only had it for a year? I can't imagine my coffee without it.... but I digress.
  • Optional step but totally worth it: mix in a little honey. The little bit of sweetness goes well with the matcha and power greens flavor. 
I hope you give this a shot. This is also a great afternoon drink without the power green blend but who doesn't want an easier way to get that veggie goodness??




Make it with me - Gut friendlier, collagen coffee

When I started working on my gut health, the advice was to cut back to 3 cups of coffee per week. I really wasn't thrilled at that idea. I love my coffee both for the taste and the ritual so I started looking into the research done on coffee and gut health and found a few ways to get more of the benefits and less of the negative impacts (but still keep it simple). Want to make it with me? Here's how I make my coffee and why:

What's your coffee ritual? Let's hear it! Don't forget to pin / save / share this to refer to later!



Getting Organized for Daycare

I posted these photos on my social media pages and got so many questions about what I used and how so I figured I'd put it all together here! 

I'll add more information soon but wanted to get the products listed out right away for those who specifically asked for that information. I am an Amazon affiliate so I may earn some money when you purchase through my links but please don't feel obligated to do so!

Lunch menu

Giving our kids some small choices helps them feel empowered and learn about decision making. I was excited to take this idea and apply it to his packed lunches since it's a new experience for him and because I want him to start him off with a healthy relationship with food by reinforcing why we eat certain types of food. Yes, the descriptions I used are super basic and oversimplified but we gotta start somewhere!

I took photos of the foods that I make for him or used images from Instacart (get $10 off your first order with that link) since that's how we do almost all of our grocery shopping these days! 


Materials used:

- Magnetic white board (easy to cut for the individual food choice magnets and used a whole sheet for the base): https://amzn.to/2YSpqI5
- Print and cut clear sticker paper (print and cut with my Cricut for the circles on the left that match his bento boxes, printed and hand cut food choices, wrote and cut with my Cricut for the food group squares along to the row): https://amzn.to/3lBkuiD
- bento boxes: https://amzn.to/2YMghk5
- Wet erase markers (for drawing the lines - wet erase means that it'll take water for the lines to come off and it won't smudge as easily for day to day use): https://amzn.to/3A7OhFj
- Bowls (we're keeping the choices in each bowl - color coded of course! - and using the rest of the set for fun color sorting and other activities): https://amzn.to/3C5y1FA
- Cricut Explore Air 2: https://amzn.to/3C5Agsu

Instructions to come!

Labeled bags and daycare / school items

Teachers everywhere need our kids' items to be labeled! I may have taken this too far but I'd rather overdo it than leave anything out! Note: try to avoid putting their full name on the outside of anything they may carry or wear when they're alone. Stick to initials for things like backpacks, masks, shirts, etc. 


Materials used:

- Blue / clear pouches for masks and back up clothes: https://amzn.to/3Edo1Md
- Drink bottles: https://amzn.to/2XiExKg
- Permanent vinyl: https://amzn.to/2XaLs82
- Iron-on vinyl: https://amzn.to/3AaLqvl
- Transfer tape: https://amzn.to/3z5HpXJ
- Cricut Explore Air 2: https://amzn.to/3C5Agsu
- Bento boxes (not pictured): https://amzn.to/2YMghk5
- Lunch box ice packs (not pictured but made to fit in this lunch box with our bento boxes): https://amzn.to/3nu6wRS
- Silverware (not pictured but perfect for little hands): https://amzn.to/3EbgfTh
- Silicone pouches for silverware (not pictured but fit perfectly in the lunch bag with the silverware inside): https://amzn.to/3C9qeqa
- Acrylic paint: got it from Dollar Tree!
- Clear acrylic discs: https://amzn.to/3A7RuEV
- Jump rings (for attaching the discs to the binder rings): https://amzn.to/3nsJf2J
- Binder rings for attaching tags to bags: https://amzn.to/3hvDj5v
- Masks: https://schoolmaskpack.com/a/rewards/r/08DWmkuI (Get $10 off your first order with my link!)
- Thermos (not pictured only because they didn't arrive in time): https://amzn.to/2XlVBz9

Prep Station

Thanks to The Home Edit, I've gotten way into using carts for little stations (like crafts and my Cricut) and I quickly realized that a little cart would be the perfect solution for all these things I'd need to pack daily but were taking up so much room on the counter. Enter the daycare cart prep station! I found one that fits perfectly under a corner of our counter which makes great use of an otherwise wasted space




Take Back Your Time

Did you set a resolution to have more margins in your day this year? More time for the things that you love? With the right intentions for your day and a little dedication to a schedule, you can take back your time this New Year and build habits that will last the whole year through!

Thursday to Thursday Rule: Fridays are Fun, Saturdays are busy and Sundays are scary, so why wait to plan the rest of our days then? Thursday afternoon, take out your weekly planner (paper or digital!) write in the things you know you have to do over the following week.

Schedule Your Workout Like an Appointment: Every time you say, “I don’t have time”, try “That’s not a priority to me” and see how that feels! Sucky, right? You wouldn’t schedule a dental appointment and then skip it 5 minutes before, so why do we do this to our workouts ALL the time? Remember that planner from #1? After you add in the must do’s of your week, add in your workout times! Make an appointment with yourself and don’t skip it. YOU are way more important than that tooth cleaning!

The Cupcake Method: So your week ahead is looking pretty good, let’s focus in on the day-to-day! I like to follow the cupcake method to plan my day. Starting with the cake, what are three things you MUST DO in your day? Write those in first. Make sure they are must-dos; prioritize your time and ask, “Can this wait til later?” Then, move to the icing! Write down three tasks that would be bonus-dos. Lastly, SPRINKLES! What is the one thing you’d like to do as a reward for yourself for taking back your time? You deserve it!



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