Top-sold out (similar, similar, similar for a steal)  // Black Denim (similar) // Leyton’s shirt (similar) // Leyton’s pants-sold out (similar, similar) // Leyton’s shoes (affiliate links included in this post)

Today is an exciting day because at 6:15 am this morning, I was on our local CBS station talking about clean eating meal planning. Well, really more just about meal planning in general but you guys know we are a mostly clean eating/paleo kind of family so it has a healthy slant. You can see the meal planning segment here. I was SO excited to see that the meal plan we made for Ashley (the hostess) cost her only $27 when she shopped it!

I first learned why meal planning was important when my husband and I lived off of frozen meals, burgers and chicken for the first year of our marriage. Whoops!

Thank God Jane DeLaney from eMeals.com found me through my Birmingham blog at the time and took me under her wing to teach me how to meal plan and offered me a job to launch their blog, run their social media and ultimately write the Publix for 2 meal plan.

What is Clean Eating Meal Planning?

I’ve talked about Clean Eating for many years here on the blog and you can read more about it in several of the articles linked here and below this post. But, long story short it’s cleaning up your diet from processed items. In fact, I created a clean eating pantry staples list that I’m giving everyone for FREE when you sign up for my email list here on the blog at the top, in the sidebar or HERE.

Meal planning is:

• A simple tool to save time, money & effort.
• A tool to help you find what works for you and your family.
• Answers the question, “What are you eating for the week?”

Meal planning can mean a weekly meal plan, a monthly meal plan, a plan that involves your slow cooker, freezer cooking, batch cooking or going as detailed as writing out your breakfast, lunch and dinner. However you best find you can simplify the process of what to eat each week before you go to the grocery store is how you will enjoy it the most. It is meant to be a simplification tool, instead of a headache.

Why should you Meal Plan?

• Free up time, money and resources.
• Grow your wealth & minimize debts.

Meal planning saves us on average about 2 hours a week and $50 a week conservatively. That’s huge savings when you think about it over time. When I’m not spending an extra 30 minutes each day panicking and rushing out to the store or the drive-thru, or just scratching my head trying to figure out what to cook everyone is more settled and time is saved. With that time we save, we sometimes go for a family walk, head out to the pool or just get more time to relax as a family. That’s something we aren’t willing to give up!

Who Should Meal Plan?

• This should come as no surprise at this point….EVERYONE!
• Just like there are recipes for everyone, there’s a meal planning style for everyone.

Popular Options for Clean Eating Meal Planning:

eMeals

80Fresh: This is a great healthy option for those on the go who need a few meals a week shipped to your house already prepped and ready to go. Sometimes we’ll do a couple of 80Fresh Meals and cook the rest ourselves when our week is too crazy to manage.

Consider It Joy Baking (for Birmingham locals)

Pinterest

Your favorite blogs

Cookbooks

Theme nights: Monday is pasta night, Tuesday is seafood night, Wednesday is leftover night, Thursday is Mexican night, etc.

Pen & paper: Ideas from family on fridge

When Should I Meal Plan?

• Personal preference: what will work best for you?
• Decide if you want to do it weekly, bi-weekly or monthly
• Take into consideration what your week looks like.

We meal plan every Sunday. This is a great time at the start of our week to sit down with our calendars and discuss what is coming up. This helps Eric and I stay on the same page, know what to prepare for and helps me know how many dinner meals we need to prepare for in our home as well. We know without fail, every Wednesday is QUICK NIGHT because we host small group in our home. Sometimes that means a salad with prepared chicken from the refrigerated section if it was on sale that week, a frozen meal, or leftovers.

Will you prep ahead of time? Freeze items?

This truly depends on your lifestyle and when grocery shopping fits into your schedule. A lot of people tell us it fits them best to meal plan on Sunday or Monday…at the beginning of the week. If you use eMeals, you can pull up the companion app, look at your week and decide when to make the “quick meal” or “slow cooker” meal based on when you need that, skip meals you don’t want to make or add in family favorites to your shopping list. The most important thing is consistency. Try to make a plan each week to sit down and do the meal plan to set yourself up for success.

How can I save money while meal planning?

You can read the full article I wrote on this a few years back.

The Store Ad: CIRCLE principle

I showed the way that I meal plan in the segment, but basically what I do is use the circle principle based on store sales. I get the store ad and circle everything that’s on sale I think I may be able to make a meal out of or I’m interested in. If you are doing this online, just write it down or type it in your phone. You’ll want to make note of the items you are interested in buying that are on sale all in one place.

I wrote down everything that stuck out to me on a sheet of paper and broke it out into main dishes, sides, and other items we need that are on sale. Then I start mentally checking off items we have in our pantry that may make out the rest of the meal, search Pinterest for ingredients on sale in recipes I’ve saved, and voila, before I know it my meal plan has come together seamlessly. Make sure you check out the segment to see how it works!

Don’t forget to grab your free clean eating pantry staples list by signing up for the My Life Well Loved VIP email list. What are your favorite go-to recipes for clean eating meal planning or just easiest/quickest meals at all? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

The post Clean Eating Meal Planning + Free Printable Grocery List appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Packable Bento Lunch Boxes // RX Bars 

I’m so excited to welcome one of my good friends to the blog today to share her tips and tricks with us for eating healthy on-the-go. I think those of you who travel a lot, work on the road, or want to eat healthy on vacation will benefit from these meal prep tips. While I love blogging full-time, it has presented the problem of not having a refrigerator to keep my lunch in. My office is typically bouncing from Pure Barre Birmingham to meetings to coffee houses and everywhere in between.

Especially during the sugar challenge, I’ve relied heavily on Elise’s tips and tricks for eating from my car or on the road while still maintaining some balance. I recently got this cute monogrammed lunchbox from Swoozie’s to keep me motivated to pack it and take it with me for fresh options that don’t need a microwave. Now, I’ll pass you over to my workout buddy Elise and trust me, you are in good hands!

Hello, lovely people! I’m Elise Hyer, a friend and neighbor of our fabulous Heather. I’m a wife, mother, and career woman. I love hosting, and often have our family calendar slightly over-scheduled. Raised a traditional Southern Belle, I also feel the desire to take care of preparing meals as often as possible. Hubby doesn’t expect it, but bless his heart—we are all healthier and safer if he stays out of the kitchen!

Our amazing Heather asked me to write a guest post on eating healthy on the go. I have worked full-time my son’s entire life (he’s 10), and I will be the very first to tell you that I am still learning how to best keep our lives organized and nutritious food in our bodies. Unfortunately, it’s easier and way faster to eat poorly. I hope some of these ideas help you, and I can’t wait to add your ideas to my rotation!!

Once I crossed into my 30’s, eating healthy became even more of a priority. Dum, dum, dum… metabolism slowed down for the hubby and me, and we see the results of eating poorly much more quickly. I do not follow any formula—not really paleo, Whole 30, etc. Instead I choose to focus on foods my family WILL eat and enjoy (hubs is as picky if not worse than son!) and trying to make them as natural and healthy as possible. I find this is the easiest and most sustainable way to prep for my family. (I substitute ground turkey for beef, greek yogurt for sour cream, brown rice and quinoa instead of white rice or pasta, … We switched to only Truvia and unsweetened almond milk, and we all drink tons of water…)

Meal Prep Tips + Lunch On-The-Go:

My first meal prep tip is you have to find a time you can prep—mentally planning and physically prepping the food. Do not shut down on me yet!! I know you immediately came up with a list of excuses… I understand completely that your life is insanely busy, and you may even feel overwhelmed by meal prep. I did too. I promise. I feel more overwhelmed by every single day trying to plan what to eat and beating myself up if it’s not healthy. Planning will ultimately relieve the stress!!

Find a friend—an accountability partner. Pour a glass of wine and make it fun! I choose Sundays. I have an amazing neighbor who got me motivated and we got organized together. I set aside 2 hours total each Sunday evening for my entire week’s meal prep. It may take a bit longer the first few times, but it will become a system, a well-oiled machine! Just stick with it!!

For dinners, I have chosen to make a binder—old school, 3 ring binder with notecards in recipe card sheet protectors. The reason I prefer this is I found myself taking way too much time combing through pinterest and cook books. I have handwritten the recipes my family actually likes and that are easy enough for week nights. (I still comb through Pinterest boards for meals when I have more time to try new things.)

On Sundays, I write on a calendar (which I found on my beloved Pinterest) if we have anything we need to work around (sports practices, hubby out of town, etc), and I choose which meal we will have each night. I prep as much as possible that evening. I chop veggies, I bag together as many ingredients, and I often double bag it and stick the recipe card in there so it’s literally grab one bag and finish cooking. My goal is to have dinner ready in under 20 minutes after I get home in the evenings.

My amazing husband helps with the rest of the prep. Here’s my next tip: have healthy snacks easily accessible.  We get snack sized ziplock bags and wash up tons of our favorite fruits and veggies. I combine them in the bags (son loves blackberries, strawberries, grapes, and will eat the blueberries when they are all in there together). I keep the bags in a clear plastic container in the fridge so they stay together and are easy to grab. I put carrots and cucumbers in a bag, and I buy proportioned guacamole and hummus packs (see I am all about if there’s an easy way, do it!!). I place those together in a clear plastic container as well. I bag up serving sizes of popcorn.  We put turkey slices and cheese in small bags, and we also love turkey pepperoni in bags to grab and go.  I keep my favorite protein bars in a pouch in my purse, almonds and trail mix in the console of my car. Hubby keeps peanuts and protein bars in his vehicle as well. There are absolutely going to be times you find yourself crazy rushed and without a prepped meal. Keeping healthier snacks available will keep you from going too far off the reservation!!

Lunches are always a work in progress. I found these great containers on Amazon. They stack so neatly and without taking up tons of space in the fridge. Most importantly for me, they are dishwasher safe. I will use leftovers on days hubby and I will be at our offices for a microwave. Days we are on the road I love to do chicken, spinach, and tomatoes with a whole-wheat wrap. I’ll fill the other spaces in the container with blueberries and kiwi for hubby (he is so picky about not liking raw veggies).

Other ideas we find prep and keep well are salads (but you need to keep some of the ingredients separated- love salad boxes with separate sections!), hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs with turkey sausage (hubby will heat up and make a wrap in the mornings when he’s needing to grab and go. I will often add some fresh salsa and avocado and eat it straight from the bowl). I love the avocado/cucumber salad Heather shared! I will add some lemon juice to the avocado and it keeps a few days!

My final meal prep tip is do not think you need to do it exactly like anyone else. You and your family are unique. Find what works for y’all!! Good luck, and happy meal prepping!

To see what Jess, Laura & Veronika are talking about on the SUGAR CHALLENGE, check the links below!

• Happily Hughes
• Walking in Memphis in High Heels
• Veronika’s Blushing

If you missed the previous weeks of the sugar challenge, you can see them here:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3

What are your best meal prep tips? I’d LOVE to hear them in the comments below.

The post Sugar Challenge: Meal Prep Tips + Healthy Lunches On-The-Go appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

One of the topics that has come up a lot recently from my CBS interview about meal planning and my Instagram stories with my grocery shopping trips on Sundays is how to eat healthy on a budget. Since I do clean eating at Aldi, lots of you have asked what I buy and how I plan my grocery trips. Sooooo….the post is FINALLY here! Woohoo! I bring you my top picks for clean eating at Aldi. If you don’t know what clean eating is, I’d highly recommend you check out my FREE clean eating printable grocery list! I also did this post eons ago about saving on groceries at Aldi if you need some Aldi background.

One of the biggest ways we save money on groceries is meal planning, shopping based on what’s on sale and/or shopping at Aldi. So many of you have reached out and asked about what healthy items I buy at Aldi that I thought I’d go ahead and share my favorite clean eating Aldi finds with you plus some additional information about how Aldi rocks at making sure their products keep getting healthier and more real food approved.

Last year was a game changer for Aldi! As of 2016, Aldi has removed all artificial dyes, added MSG, and partially hydrogenated oils from their foods. Synthetic colors have been replaced with natural, plant-based ingredients such as beet juice or turmeric. 96% of Aldi’s products already did not contain additional MSG; this percentage is now up to 100%!!!!! WHOOP WHOOP! Partially hydrogenated oils, or PHOs, are a source of trans fat which the FDA has recently mandated be removed by food manufacturers by 2018. Aldi is on top of it! Here is Aldi’s official press release announcing all these amazing changes.

Keep an eye out for Simply Nature which is the in-house organic line at Aldi. “SimplyNature” (organic) line keeps adding more and more products. They carry USDA approved organic almond butter, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, canned goods, fresh greens, salsa, chicken broth, and more. As always, read the labels and see what is added, how much sugar there is and make an informed decision based on your dietary needs and doctor’s recommendation.

Photo Credit: Mike Mozart

Top Picks for Clean Eating at Aldi:

Dairy: We get Leyton organic whole milk here as well as plain Friendly Farms greek yogurt to make parfaits with. He won’t eat any meat so this is one of the main ways we get him to eat protein. We stock up on butter, cheese, and an only 2-ingredient sour cream here too! My favorite is their goat cheese…the price is insane!

Drinks: You can occasionally find La Croix at Aldi and I always post to my Instagram when I see it there. We’ve found all-natural juices which we don’t get often but they’re a great option for parties and such for kids. We’ve also gotten some of the coffee (they even have fair trade) and have enjoyed it. We also like the Winking Owl Cabernet.

Produce: You can find organic and non-organic produce at Aldi. All of it is SO much cheaper than other stores. Keep an eye out for the sales flyer which will highlight what produce they have on sale that week. You’ll find bagged salad, bananas, cuties, carrots, avocado and apples on our list almost every week.

Frozen Produce: Purchase the clean version of the produce you want to buy without a bunch of added fillers or sugars. Look for simple ingredients on the label like broccoli.

Meats: Believe it or not, Aldi has grass-fed beef and Nature Raised Farms chicken. We found uncured bacon here that we ate during whole30. I also buy their no-sugar added tuna pouches to eat as a quick lunch on the go. ALDI recently launched its “Never any!” brand. Some of the brand’s features include: no antibiotics, animals that are 100% vegetarian-fed and raised humanely with no added hormones or steroids, and Grade A meat that’s fresh and never frozen! ALDI carries cage-free eggs too, we buy our eggs almost exclusively at ALDI.

Dry Goods: The selection of dry goods at Aldi that are pretty clean are very impressive. I always stock up on nuts and baking goods here around the holidays. Here’s some of the most popular dried goods we seek out: organic canned tomatoes, chickpeas, whole wheat pasta, sprouted grains bread, virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, dried herbs, organic sugar, brown rice, beans, pure maple syrup, raw nuts, oats, salsa, organic applesauce, jam, pure vanilla extract, unsweetened cocoa powder, flax and chia seeds, organic honey, 100% pumpkin puree, and almond, peanut and cashew butter.

Baby Goods: Leyton has worn Aldi’s newer organic baby line diapers and we really like them. He also eats the organic pouches or puffs when we’re on the go. I have a hard time finding pouches even on sale cheaper than I do here.

Snacks: These foods aren’t necessarily clean but they are the lesser of two evils when it comes to snacking or indulgences. We get salsa, organic blue corn chips, vegetable chips, sweet potato chips, lightly salted Simply Nature popcorn, Go Raw trail mix, banana chips (unfortunately added sugars included), guacamole, hummus, Elevation fruit and nut bars (like Larabars) and then as a treat for Leyton we get yogurt covered raisins or occasionally Penguins or the peanut butter cracker sandwiches.

What are your favorite clean eating at Aldi buys?

The post My Top Picks for Clean Eating at Aldi appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Top (Similar Workout & Chill Tank) // Sports Bra-similar (Similar, Similar) // Pants (Similar crops on MAJOR sale under $40!, Similar, Similar crops, Similar ) // Tennis Shoes // Sunglasses (Affiliate links included)

Hey y’all! This post has been so popular, I wanted to take some time to update it for you as part of my 30 day abs challenge post today. I’ve also been getting lots of messages and emails asking about Whole30 tips recently. You can read this basic post on how to get started on Whole30 if this is an all new concept to you!

If you are new to My Life Well Loved, AWESOME, grab your bulletproof coffee and let’s chat Whole30, shall we? Don’t worry, we’ll get to the Whole30 must haves soon enough!

I am ecstatic to have you in my online “home.” Feel free to browse around the site for all things health, fitness, fashion, mom and lifestyle related.

Lindsey from Life Lutzurious and I decided to do Whole30 together and with y’all in January. We filmed a Facebook Live (click to see replay) to answer questions, provide Whole30 tips, and get the Whole30 party started. Lindsey wrote a super comprehensive list about whole30 complete with a printable shopping list I’d highly recommend you use to help you get used to how to shop for Whole30.

Make sure you join the Life Well Loved Facebook Group, where you can find Whole30 tips, recipes, & ideas. It’s an awesome community to share successes, vent, and inspire each other everyday. Feel free to post your recipe ideas, questions, or really anything fashion, style, mom, fitness, travel, etc related.

Lastly, make sure you stay in touch via Instagram, Pinterest (ESPECIALLY my Whole30 boards), Facebook, and most importantly email, so I can get to know you better and help hold you accountable to living your best life well loved in fitness and health! <3

Since I’m well over half way done with my 3rd Whole30, I’ve accumulated a few favorites to help me survive as easily as possible as a busy mom on the go. These products are my whole30 must have’s to help me get from home to work to the gym to the babysitter’s and back again without breaking from my whole30 foods and snacks.

The absolute biggest pitfall you can find yourself in during Whole30 is not being prepared. Today was a perfect example of that for me. I ran out to get gas in my car, go to the grocery, Verizon, and then Home Goods. By the time I was in the Home Goods checkout line, I was having a full blown hanger attack.

I was SO tempted to buy something in the checkout line but talked myself off the ledge with the promise of my Consider It Joy Baking Paleo Chili as soon as I got home. Normally I keep RX bars in my computer bag or purse with me at all times but I had just eaten the last one in my purse. #Fail

These products would be my Whole30 staples list without question. Although the below list doesn’t include the obvious options of fruits, veggies and meat…duh! These are the products you can use to add more flavor or snack on to help you keep your busy day running smoothly. These are my ride or die for being a busy mom on the go!

FYI you’re not supposed to snack very much on Whole30 unless you are breastfeeding or working out, but clearly I do work out several times a week as a Pure Barre teacher so snacks are a MUST to fuel my body. I’d love to hear what your whole30 must haves are in the comments below so don’t forget to let me know if I’m missing something!

Busy Mom Whole 30 Must Haves

• Whole30 Book & Resources:  If you need to learn what the Whole30 is all about or don’t know where to start I’d highly recommend reading the Whole30 book. It will tell you everything you need to know. If all else fails, you can Google “Is XYZ Whole30 compliant?” and most likely someone has asked it in the Whole30 forums and you can find your answer.-Having a friend online or in person to go through it with you is a GREAT help.Mark favorite recipes and tips to a Pinterest board to be a resource when you need something to kick up your interest level a bit! I’d highly recommend this White Chicken Chili, Burger Sliders on Sweet Potato Buns or reading some of my weekly meal plans to get some new inspo.
• Nut Pods: This coffee creamer was new to me on this round of Whole30. My favorite is the vanilla. Don’t expect it to taste like your classic vanilla creamer but it sure as heck beats black coffee in my book! I almost always take a cup of coffee to go with me in the mornings with a splash of this in it. Delish!
• Ranch Dressing: If you love a creamy salad dressing, do yourself a favor and just go ahead and stock up on this before you get started! The Primal Kitchen brand tastes so good and creamy. I’d say along with this dressing, I almost always have prepared salad and avocados with me as well. Sometimes that’s my lunch meal right there…this dressing, avocado slices, and some lettuce.
• Tuna: One other thing I commonly add to said salad is a pouch of compliant tuna! I’ve found it at Aldi for under $.80! It’s affordable and can easily be toted with you wherever you end up eating lunch that day.
• Califia Farms Almond Milk: In case you don’t want to pay the high price for Nut Pods, Califia Farms is always a back up option, plus it’s readily accessible at Target, Publix, and many stores.
• Ghee: Ghee is a type of clarified butter. Say what? I know, right??? I had to look it up too. It means butter that has had the milk fat rendered in order to separate the milk solids and the water from the butter fat. The butter fat, with the removed milk solids and water, is ghee. Since ghee has the milk solids removed, it is dairy free and therefore Whole30 A-OK. We use it a lot to sautee veggies or to cook our eggs in.
• La Croix: La Croix was an acquired taste for me. I really had to train myself to like it, but now that I’ve found the blackberry cucumber, our whole family is a fan! I also like most of the multiple flavor kinds now and the coconut. It’s worth it when you’re wanting something fizzy if it keeps you away from your soda, trust me!
• Unsweetened Coconut Flakes: This is another new staple in my Whole30 arsenal after this round. One of my favorite snacks right now is either apple slices or blueberries with almond butter and coconut flakes. Sometimes, I’ll even eat the coconut flakes plain or on a spoon with the almond butter!
• Almond Butter: Almond butter is my jam during whole30 and I think it tastes good enough to eat any time. I think the Justin’s brand is the best I’ve had so far…it’s the creamiest but by all means if you know of another one let me know! Just make sure you check the jar to make sure there’s no sugar added. Whenever you see this on sale at Publix, stock up! Those of you that follow me on Instagram stories know I bought 2 jars last week.
• Epic Bars: These hit the spot when you want some beef jerky or honestly when you’re in a hurry and just need something convenient to tote with you. The hubs doesn’t love these but I think when I eat them I’m usually so hungry that I’m all about them. Now, I don’t know that I’d choose them over jerky after whole30, but who knows…stranger things have happened!
• RX Bar: If you’ve heard me say I love RX Bars once, you’ve heard me say it a million times. These are all natural protein bars that have all-natural ingredients, no added sugar, no preservatives and “NO B.S.” as their tagline says.
• Raw Cashews or Almonds: So great for throwing in my gym bag or grabbing out of the cupboard when I’m hangry. I love nuts especially as a quick protein before or after a workout.

In case you missed how I prepped for Whole 30, Week 1, or Week 2 make sure to catch up!

And, if y’all haven’t joined the Life Well Loved Facebook group yet, make sure to do so HERE! It’s a great place to connect with other women/moms and give each other accountability for whole30 or even just shoot the breeze about what to wear. It’s all in there, although right now the major focus is whole30…any conversation is welcome!

Make sure to visit my co-hosts for the 30 Day Abs Challenge series below to see how the abs challenge is going for them!

• Walking in Memphis in High Heels
• Happily Hughes
• Nashville Wifestyles
• Still Being Molly

Photos: Casey Marie Photography

The post Busy Mom Whole30 Tips appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Blender: LOVE the one I have with the individual serving cups, slices through frozen fruits with NO problem! // Workout Capris-Similar // Workout Tank // Marble Serving Board // Cutting Board
Thank you to a2 milk for partnering with me on this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that support My Life Well Loved.

Did you get your LTB on today?

Do you love to bend it like Beckham? What? You might have had a dance party like I did on IG stories while making this…

Or perhaps you just finished the 30 day abs challenge?

Or even better yet, you are DRIPPING sweat dying for something cold after a hot bike ride or run?

You’re about to want to slap your momma this recovery smoothie is SO good!

You get to slurp up this delicious chocolatey concoction full of ingredients to help your body and muscles recover with the best of them, sista!

In case you haven’t heard chocolate milk is where it’s at in regards to workout recovery. Want to know why? Of course, you do! You can read this full article but the bottom line is that chocolate milk rehydrates your body, it re-fills the stored carbohydrates your body just depleted, and it’s fuel to help rebuild muscle fibers.

This Chocolate Milk Recovery Smoothie also has:

• Banana for potassium to help your muscles recover better
• Extra protein from the peanut butter powder & protein powder
• Healthy fats & fiber from flax seed

I did a lot of Instagram stories as always at Publix this week showing you everything I was getting. I picked up this a2 Milk® Chocolate 2% Reduced Fat Milk this week after hearing great things about it from several other blogging friends. a2 Milk® makes a complete line of 100% real, naturally easy to digest milk including Whole, 2%, 1% and Chocolate Milk that even those with milk sensitivities can enjoy. Thanks to The a2 Milk Company™, people with milk sensitivities, including perceived lactose intolerance, can now enjoy the taste and nutritional benefits of real dairy milk and love milk again. They are the leading milk brand in Australia and recently launched in the United States and is now available in Publix stores across the Southeast, including Florida (shout out to my in-law’s state!), Alabama and Georgia. Yay!!! One more reason to love Publix. Additionally, a2 Milk® has  no  added hormones, rBST or antibiotics so you can feel good about giving it to your family.

Some of you asked me on Instagram recently if I give Leyton this milk and yes, I do buy organic usually but we’ve recently transitioned to buying milk brands like a2 Milk® more frequently that don’t have added hormones and antibiotics for him now too. I love that this brand has farms that are sustainably ran, local and family owned.

Chocolate Milk Recovery Smoothie

The post Chocolate Milk Recovery Smoothie appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GetCheesy #CollectiveBias

The overwhelming response to my reader survey was that you guys want to see more healthy, quick recipes from me. Because let’s be honest when it comes to lots of ingredients & complicated recipes, “ain’t nobody got time for that!” That’s where this healthy and oh-so-delicious chicken kabobs recipe came from!

Save $1.25 off any Organic Valley Cheese with this offer!

I think part of the reason you guys want more recipes from me is because we always talk about healthy living here on the blog and on my social media and you know I’m too busy to deal with the complicated stuff, and yet too concerned with my health to eat crap.

That’s why I chose the Organic Valley cheddar cheese block from Publix as I showed you guys in my Instagram stories this week because all Organic Valley cheeses are certified organic and they never use antibiotics, synthetic hormones, toxic pesticides or GMOs. Whoop whoop! If you’d like to pick some up for this recipe, click to save $1.25 off any Organic Valley Cheese with this coupon!

As I’ve discussed before in my meal planning posts, I usually won’t make a recipe if it has more than 5-7 ingredients in it. I don’t count spices that are common and that we already have on hand, but I’ve found that typically if there’s fewer ingredients, it’s more all-natural and better for your wallet and your waistline.

Some of you had mentioned wanting lunch box recipes and kid-friendly recipes, so I created this recipe with that in mind. I also made it flexible so you can make it work for your family. For instance, if you had sausages the night before for dinner, you could just slice them up after the fact and put them on a skewer with the cheese and raw peppers without even having to cook anything for an additional meal.

Also, if you don’t want to fool with the skewers, you can just slice up all the ingredients and toss it in a bowl without having to go to the additional effort to thread the veggies and meat through on this chicken kabobs recipe. If you choose to use the skewers though, these could also make a great party food or appetizer!

As you know, it’s very important to me to feed my family as naturally as possible which is why we typically eat clean eating with a few occasional splurges. For those of you who may be clean eating sticklers, feel free to grate additional cheese off the block.

Have you made a chicken kabobs recipe before? If so, what do you put on your skewer?

The post Healthy and Oh-So-Delicious Chicken Kabobs Recipe appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Top – similar // Capris– similar // Sunglasses-Use code LIFEWELLLOVED for 25% off // Leyton’s Tank, similar // Shorts // Stroller (Affiliate links included.)

Photos: Casey Marie Photography

Vacation is coming up for us, friends…YASSSS!!!!!! Eric and I are so excited to be celebrating our upcoming 9 year anniversary in September. We talked about how we valued health and looking good for each other before we got married in pre-marital counseling. I really appreciate the fact that my husband works out and wants to look good for me and that makes me want to work out even more too.

We have decided we want to minimize grains and lots of carbohydrates for the next 4 weeks. We agreed we will have one cheat day a week but otherwise will be eating very clean. Of course, I’m super excited Eric is wanting to eat less grains because I have been wanting to do this for a while and it’s always easier when your spouse wants to do the same thing as you. Hello, less temptation!

I’ll give you a sample week of our meals that we talked about doing so you guys can get some ideas too! We know it’s not realistic to always eat in, so we know we have a couple of places that we can count on to eat healthily on the go. I ADORE Zoës Kitchen. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen me post to my stories food from there a decent amount.

I love all their fresh, all natural ingredients, their Whole30 approved dressing, and we love their spices on our chicken and fish on the grill. I will say that when I was pregnant with Leyton, I could NOT resist their chocolate chip cookies every time I went in the store and y’all, they are SINFULLY good.

Some of my go-to menu items are the Greek Salad with chicken or shrimp, the quinoa salad with no feta, the braised white beans as a side and Eric almost always gets the protein plate or the chicken salad. Since we are there so frequently, we got the app and every time you scan a receipt, you get a “goodie” on the app for something free next time you visit or at least half off. Y’all know I love a good value!

I could go on and on about Zoës Kitchen because I’m such a raving fan. I pop in after a Pure Barre class sometimes, grab lunch to go with Eric and Leyton after church or have the occasional lunch meeting there as well. I was so excited to see they launched some new menu items last week so of course I had to go in and try them out. I brought Leyton with me and he was just excited to get a cup with a straw. HA! #ToddlerLife

In case you haven’t heard of this fast-casual restaurant before, all their menu items are made from scratch daily and they have 200 locations spanning across 20 states so most likely, there is one right by you!

I tried some of their new menu items including the Mediterranean Lamb Kafta meatballs dish as an appetizer and really liked it. The sauce and cucumbers are the perfect compliment to the Greek-style meatballs. I think Eric will be a raving fan…it’s right up his alley! I also tried the new Salmon Cauliflower Bowl which will definitely be a repeat situation for me. We gobbled it up in a heartbeat and I love that they do the work of “ricing” the cauliflower for me.

What to Eat Before Vacation Meal Plan for the Week:

Monday:

Breakfast- Banana + Almond Butter & Coffee

Snack- RX Bar

Lunch- Zoës Kitchen Harissa Salmon Cauli-rice bowl

Dinner- So Simple Baked Salmon

Tuesday:

Breakfast- Blueberry Peanut Butter Dream Smoothie

Snack- Nuts

Lunch- Tuna + Apple Slices with Balsamic Vinegar, Sea Salt & Pepper

Dinner- Pork Chops on the Grill + Roasted Asparagus

Wednesday:

Breakfast- Boiled Eggs + 1/2 Avocado

Lunch- Leftovers

Dinner- Chicken Sausage Skewers w/ half the amount of cheese + Green Beans

Thursday:

Breakfast- Apple Almond Butter Crunch

Lunch- Deli meat wrapped around pickles or wrapped in romaine lettuce

Dinner- Mexican-Inspired Bowls

Friday:

Breakfast- Banana + Almond Butter

Lunch- Leftovers

Dinner- Jimmy John’s Un-wich

Do you already have a plan for what to eat before vacation? I’d love to hear how you eat in the comments below! I always love finding new healthy recipes!

Thank you to Zoës Kitchen for partnering with me on this post. I appreciate you supporting the brands that support MyLifeWellLoved.com.

The post What I Eat Before Vacation appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Cape Hooded Sweater-use code GHLW15 for 15% off // Pants // Earrings // Cups // Baking Dish (Similar) // Turkish Towel

Thank you to Red Diamond Tea for partnering with me on this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that support MLWL. 

Perfect isn’t easy you guys. In fact, I think I’m a daily testament to that, ha! I’m far from perfect and if you know me in real life, you see that frequently. What can I say? I’m a naturally gifted klutz. My hubs is constantly trying to point out uneven concrete, pots that are about to spill out at my feet from our kitchen cabinets, and a host of other things that most humans notice with a glance…but not this girl! I don’t calculate the risks with each passing situation…I’m too busy thinking about the next thing on my to-do list. Is that good or bad? I’m not quite sure!

I teamed up with Red Diamond because luckily they’ve perfected the tea game for my tailgates and such so I don’t have to. As you may know, I try to avoid sodas unless I’m on vacation. My drinks of choice include coffee, wine, water, sparkling water, and when I want a change up, unsweet tea.

Growing up in the deep south, we had sweet tea with every meal. It’s basically a right of passage. When I first started going up north for my husband’s family get together’s I had to keep being reminded that I couldn’t order sweet tea at restaurants…whoops! They don’t know what they’re missing out on up there.

Although I typically drink unsweet tea to keep my sugar intake under control, my family won’t hear of it! So, when they come over, we always have sweet tea on hand because in their minds, no meal is complete without it. If you don’t live in the South, I know this may sound like a completely foreign concept. I chose Red Diamond because they use actual tea leaves, no fake powders or concentrate.

When I asked you guys what you want more of, I heard lots of requests for healthy recipes. Since football season is here, I wanted to whip up something that you could have for your tailgates and football viewing parties. I adore the simplicity and yum factor of BBQ Chicken Dip, so I thought, why not try to find a way to make it healthier?

Typically this BBQ Chicken Dip calls for cream cheese so I set out to find a good substitute. I stumbled upon the recommendation of cottage cheese. I HATE cottage cheese so I was very wary of this option, but good old Google recommended using it in a food processor to make it creamy. Since my main fight to pick with this food is the texture, I thought I should at least give it a whirl.

Y’all, it was actually DELICIOUS in this BBQ chicken dip. We’ve been making this recipe for years now thanks to my good friend, Katie, so when Eric and my photographer were both on board with how good it was too, I knew I was onto something! I hope you’ll whip up this Healthier BBQ Chicken Dip for your next get together whether it be for a big game or a Halloween party. It’s sure to be gobbled up quick!

Don’t forget that a lot of times the sneaky calories come from what you are dipping with too. You can opt for baked chips, paleo chips, or even veggies like carrots or celery to dip in this BBQ Chicken Dip to cut back on the calories. If you are hosting a party this season, I highly recommend the following menu items:

Whole30 Approved White Chicken Chili

Yummy Healthy Alabama Caviar Bean Dip

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

Paleo Chocolate Chip Muffins

Healthy & Delicious BBQ Chicken Dip Appetizer:

Shop the BBQ Chicken Dip Post Look:

The post Delicious & Lightened Up BBQ Chicken Dip appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Shop the Best Food to Buy at COSTCO Post: Sweater // Leggings (similar) // Leather Earrings //  Leyton’s Outfit

Photos: Casey Marie Photography // Thank you to shipt.com for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.

COSTCO is a store that you guys are passionate about! I was FLOODED with responses when I asked for your best food to buy at Costco recommendations. You guys had so many good healthy ideas that I had never seen or heard of that I promptly had to hunt these items down in the store.

For those of you who need help with healthy shopping in general, I have created a clean eating (which means NOT processed) free printable grocery shopping list. If you sign up for my email list at the top gray bar or in the sidebar, it will be sent to you automatically!

We got a COSTCO membership about a year ago and have loved it especially for diapers, wipes, gas for our cars, and whenever we host parties in our home. I always love reading posts about the best things to buy at COSTCO and clearly you guys are into it too.

You all may remember a while back that I shared about Shipt and our best tips for saving money on groceries. Well, I’m so excited to tell you that Shipt now services COSTCO! How awesome is that?! There are so many of my friends that don’t go to COSTCO as often as they’d like because it’s just too far out of the way, but this certainly solves that dilemma!

Top 100+ Best Food to Buy at Costco (Healthy Picks):

Produce:

• Butternut squash
• Apples
• Cucumber
• Broccoli
• Bananas
• Organic mixed greens bin
• Organic baby spinach bin
• Baja salad mix
• Kale salad mix
• Green beans
• Celery
• Bell peppers
• Kirkland stir fry vegetable blend
• Bag of romaine lettuce heads
• Fresh Brussel sprouts
• Stuffed peppers
• Kale and quinoa microwaveable bags
• Organic spinach
• Sweet kale gourmet salad
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Carrots
• Bananas
• Apples
• Avocados
• Kale
• Pre-cut butternut squash
• Costco brand applesauce pouches

Meat: This tip from Grace was too good not to share: We buy ALL our meat there and separate it out and freeze it. For the ground beef/ ground turkey we cook the whole package and separate it out in 1.5 to 2 cup amounts and freeze it. It is plenty of meat for spaghetti, tacos, add to soups, etc. and it saves a ton of time with meal prep!

• Aidell’s flavored chicken meatballs- a neighborhood favorite for parties!
• Organic superfood burgers
• Albacore wild tuna
• Chicken breast
• Lean ground turkey
• Lean turkey pepperoni stick
• Angus steak tips
• Frozen fish
• Morgningstar chipotle black bean burgers
• Kirkland’s organic beef
• Coleman organic chicken packs
• Salmon
• Garlic chicken wings
• Whole 30 bacon
• Frozen tilapia
• Shredded pre-cooked pork (whole 30 approved)
• Quinoa/ grain burgers
• Aidells apple chicken sausage
• Kale and mozzarella chicken burgers (We already buy and LOVE these!)
• Lamb rack
• Beef
• Rotisserie chicken
• Bags of Cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken meat: I could make a list a mile long but I think my very favorite is the bags of cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken meat. I always keep a few packs in my freezer for casseroles and soups. -Eve
• Aidell’s or Amy Lu chicken apple sausages
• Organic young chickens
• Canned salmon
• Texas Smoke House full cooked BBQ rubbed split beef brisket

Frozen:

• Frozen fruit
• Frozen Kale & Quinoa Packets (We add sea salt, pepper & EVOO)
• Frozen broccoli florets
• Frozen broccoli, peas, green beans
• Veggie bowls
• Muffins

Dry Goods:

• Steel cut oats
• All-Natural Peanut butter
• Almond butter
• Little big bread
• Squirrely bread
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Cartons of tomato and red pepper soup
• Paleo granola
• Chosen Foods avocado oil
• Kirkland’s k-cups
• Dave’s killer bread
• Kirkland’s creamy almond butter
• Vanilla extract
• Coconut oil
• Pasta sauce
• Cholula hot sauce
• Bread
• Oatmeal
• Black beans
• Canned tomatoes
• Orgain Organic protein powder & organic muscle milk drinks
• Tortilla chips
• Taco seasoning
• Cinnamon
• Organic maple syrup
• Organic marinara sauce
• Kirkland organic chicken stock
• Almond flour
• Avocado oil or coconut oil mayonnaise

Pasta/ Rice:

• Cauliflower rice
• Organic edamame spaghetti
• Organic quinoa
• Wild rice/ quinoa blend
• Brown rice pasta
• Seeds of Change organic quinoa and brown rice packets
• Edamame noodles

Snacks:

• Organic Aussie Bites (We just bought these for the first time and loved them! Tastes like a healthier version of a cookie.)
• Nature Valley granola cups
• Harvest Snaps sneapea crisps
• Mary’s Gone Crackers original crackers
• Unsalted mixed nuts
• Raw almonds
• Raw walnuts
• Robert Irvine’s fit crunch
• Kirkland protein bars
• Sunrise energy bars
• Kodiak cakes
• Dark chocolate and coconut covered almonds
• Pumpkin/chia crackers
• RxBars
• Fig bars
• Nut assortment
• Garden lite veggie muffins
• Organic dates
• Walnuts
• Kind bars
• Lara bars
• Cashew clusters

Beverages

• Bottled green tea
• Perrier
• Kombucha
• Coffee
• Wine
• La Croix

Dairy/ Refrigerated

• 0% Greek yogurt
• Eggs
• Liquid egg whites
• Coconut milk
• Individual guacamole cups/ hummus cups
• Fresh salsa (Our favorite brand is Garden Fresh Organic’s Jack’s.)
• Organic milk
• Eggs
• Kids yogurt smoothies
• Hard boiled eggs
• Kirkland chicken tortilla soup- soooo good and hearty. Only available during fall and winter.
• Blocks of cheese / When you host a party, the pre-sliced cheese tray is FAB!
• Butter / Kerrygold
• Organic apple sauce pouches

Non-Food Items:

• Kirkland’s baby wipes (The quality of these is hard to beat!)
• Kirkland’s diapers
• Baby formula
• Dog supplies

Did I miss anything?! Leave a comment and let me know below and I may add it into the list!

Shop the Best Food to Buy at Costco Post:

Related articles across the web

• 15 things that may make Trader Joe’s a favorite in Kalamazoo

The post Best Food to Buy at Costco: Top 100+ Healthy Costco Recommendations from Moms appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Thank you to Rubbermaid for partnering with me on this post. All opinions are my own. Thank you for helping to support the brands that support My Life Well Loved.

The BIG DAY is here! Today is the launch of our Holiday Honey Hustle Challenge. If you have not already joined our Facebook group for the challenge, we’d love to have you there. In the first week of opening the Facebook group, we have already had 600+ of you join us. We are so excited to help support you in the holiday season to at least keep your health and wellness goals in mind.

Jessica from Happily Hughes and I kept hearing you ask us for advice about how to stay fit during the holidays so we brainstormed, polled you guys, and got to work on creating a kick-butt challenge that will meet you where you are to help support you in this hard time of year for our waistlines.

Hearing women share their goals and stories in our Facebook group is already inspiring me. One special lady even shared her battle with breast cancer, beating it and how she’ll be using the group to help her during this season. Amazed! You women are powerful. I’m fairly confident the lovies could run the world one day!

Here’s the basis of the Holiday Honey Hustle Challenge:

-High protein, low sugar for EVERY single meal (Think all natural foods, paleo-ish, tons of veggies, clean eating.)
-725 ML of water a day
-2 cheat meals a week (weekends are free)
-Complete at least 3 of the 4 workouts posted

Winner:
Will be voted on by the group! It will be based on by participation and overall increase in health/wellness
It is highly encouraged to:
Post in the Facebook group your goals! Let’s hold each other accountable.
Ask the group for any health/wellness pointers etc.

Workouts Looking Ahead:
Nov 15th- Abs
Nov 22nd- Booty
Nov 29th- Full Body
Dec 6th- Upper Body
Dec 13th- Abs
Dec 20th- Booty

Some of you mentioned you wanted me to share some healthy recipes to help you get through this crazy busy season. So to me, that means SIMPLE, quick meals like this paleo tuna salad that you can easily throw together in 10 minutes or less to eat a healthy lunch or dinner on the go.

This paleo tuna salad is one of my go-to clean out the pantry while still eating healthy meals. I used to eat it at work for lunch all the time. We had a bottle of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper we kept in the office so I just brought an apple and tuna and called it a day! I would eat this alone or pair it with cucumbers as a paleo option to replace bread or maybe even eat it with some carrots, celery or fruits like blueberries, strawberries or grapes. Simple and delicious!

As we’ve talked about ways to maximize meal prepping and such in our Facebook group I can’t help but think about the new line extension of FreshWorks Produce Saver that keep produce fresh up to 80% longer than traditional store packaging and it fits all different sizes and needs.

The innovative food storage container uses a lid with patented FreshVent technology to regulate
airflow and create the optimal environment for produce to help it last. I’ve been testing mine out the past few weeks and all I can say is that there are only a few mushy spots on a couple of our strawberries after 5 days in the refrigerator.

I like the feature of the CrispTray at the bottom of the container that elevates produce away from moisture and promotes proper airflow to help reduce spoilage. I’m really not too sure why someone hasn’t come up with this before. The tray is genius! And when we’re done with the container, we just pop all of it in to the dishwasher.

Holiday Honey Hustle Abs Challenge Workout:

30 seconds on, 10 second rest – Option to do 1-3 rounds:

• Bicycle Crunches
• V Sit Up
• Boat Pose: Hold, option to hold legs straight and to bring arms out in front or up by the ears for more challenge.
• Side Plank Dip and hike back up
• Other Side Plank Dip and hike back up
• Traditional Crunches
• Burpees

Please remember to consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. Take this at your OWN pace. Everyone is at different levels. Remember, you can always modify EVERY exercise.

I’ve teamed up with Rubbermaid to offer one of you a SET OF THE FRESHWORKS CONTAINERS. Enter to win by leaving a comment with one thing you are thankful for and signing up for my email newsletter or letting me know you already subscribe! Giveaway ends Wednesday, 11/22.

DELICIOUS PALEO TUNA SALAD:

The post Holiday Honey Hustle Challenge: Simple Paleo Tuna Salad Recipe + Giveaway appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Hello my Holiday Honey Hustlers! If you are just now joining us, no sweat, just jump right in! Today is a good day to join because you can do this abs workout video in under 20 minutes and feel great about how you started your day!

In case you’ve missed our previous workouts, click through any of the previous posts to check them out! And don’t forget to enter to win our giveaway in our Holiday Honey Hustle Challenge Facebook group on the pinned post.

• Tabata Workout Video
• Booty Busting Workout Video
• Paleo Tuna Salad Recipe + Abs Workout

While we’ve been doing this challenge a lot of you have wanted to see how I’ve been eating so here’s what is on our meal plan this week:

• Breakfasts: Banana + Almond Butter or Quaker overnight oatmeal cups
• Lunch: Nourish Foods Paleo Meals (Use code HEATHER15 for $15 off your first purchase!), salads or leftovers
• Snacks: RX Bars, Nuts, or Paleo Granola that I shared in my favorite healthy Costco buys post, need a healthy paleo fix for all the cookie swaps? Try my Paleo Hazelnut Cookies!
• Dinners: Easiest Salmon Ever + Salad, Lauren McBride’s Whole30 soup y’all asked about – (I added garlic, extra sea salt, and used a rotisserie chicken instead of a whole raw bird since our store was sold out plus it was quicker, yay!), Chicken Kale Burgers from Costco + Broccoli, Eating out on Saturday

And now onto this week’s ULTIMATE ABS WORKOUT VIDEO:

Abs Workout:

The post Holiday Honey Hustle Challenge: Ultimate Abs Workout Video appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

You guys have been asking for this Trader Joe’s Whole30 shopping list ASAP, and I’m glad to finally bring it to you today. I wanted to go to Trader Joe’s again and make sure they still had everything on hand and I’m glad I did because several things that were mentioned on Whole30 discussion boards and such online were discontinued.

If you are new to Whole30, I’d highly recommend you get the Whole30 book and start on my Whole30 resources page to see all my past Whole30 posts including recipes, weekly meal plans, and to join our Facebook accountability group.

So, now if you use this Whole30 shopping list this season, you’ll know I’ve already scouted out what is in or out of stock for you.

Please remember to check the labels carefully especially for items like meats, and other prepared items to make sure there is no hidden soy or sugar added. If you see anything that I put on this Whole30 shopping list that you see is in error, please let me know.

Trader Joe’s is relatively new to Birmingham. We’ve only had the store for a couple of years, and it’s already become a staple for us for wine/cheese/fun different and easy dinners and healthy options on the go. So, each time I do Whole30 I run in here to get some staples that I can’t find anywhere else.

I hope this Trader Joe’s Whole30 shopping list gives you a strong place to start and that you really get a lot out of it. I love this guacamole because it comes in small packs that are pre-portioned to take with you to work. You can dip carrots or cucumbers in it to remain compliant.

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know I basically live off of RX Bars. They are one of my favorite Whole30 staples. Although they are very chewy in texture and take some getting used to, they are such a healthy snack on the go option. By the end of your whole30, you’ll more than likely be obsessed with them like I am. My hubs’ favorite flavor is blueberry and my favorite that is whole30 approved is the chocolate sea salt.

As you know, I’ve teamed up with my friends Jess from Happily Hughes and Lindsey from Life Lutzurious for this Whole30 challenge and we’d love to have you join us at any time to do Whole30. We started on Tuesday so you aren’t very far behind! And even if you don’t want to do Whole30 but you want some healthy living tips and recipes, make sure to join our Whole30 Honeys Facebook group here!

Jess is sharing the Pro’s & Con’s of Whole30 on her blog this week and Lindsey has a really comprehensive Whole30 post to get you started on everything you need to know!

You can input your email below to have a printer friendly PDF version of the Trader Joe’s Whole30 grocery list sent directly to your email! It’s free and meant to help you get started on your Whole30 journey.

The post Trader Joe’s Whole30 Shopping List appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

Eric and I had this whole30 breakfast casserole for the first time a few years ago at our friends’ house in Arizona when we were visiting for their wedding. This whole30 breakfast casserole recipe made such an impression that I remembered it years later! AND y’all know I’m all about EASY whole30 meals so this one fits the bill because it’s a cook once, and eat it all week situation.

Eric and I host an annual New Year’s Brunch, typically the first weekend after New Year’s. It’s a great way to catch up with neighbors and friends after the holidays and now our neighborhood friends know they can look forward to that time without having to bring a thing. Although, we were surprised by a legit King’s Cake flown in from a NOLA bakery by some of our neighbors this year.

On a side note, I’ve heard several people mention recently on Instagram, on Facebook, and in person that they feel their life is “boring,” and they don’t have a lot going on. If you feel that way sometimes I want to encourage you that you are not alone but also help take a look why so many people have this feeling of discontentment.

Eric and I are very fortunate that both of our personalities lend to hosting and entertaining and we really work well together as a team. Whether it be hosting a brunch, inviting another couple over for dinner, or going out to a concert, it seems like people don’t take the initiative to do those things as much as they used to.

Is it perhaps that we are all so stuck staring down at our phones and seeing what others are doing that we don’t realize days or weeks or even months have gone by without us inviting a friend to lunch or coffee? Think about the last time you asked your friend/mom/sister etc to go do something. If you can’t think of the last time, let me challenge you to pick up your phone and text or call them to ask if they’re free one day or night this week.

I bet if you start to make the effort more, you’ll find that your calendar fills up faster than you think and that you don’t feel “bored” or “discontent” as much anymore. I really hope this encourages you outside your comfort zone as we start 2018. If you need some more help with this, I’d highly recommend checking out my post about how to make mom friends.

God has created us to crave relationships. He is the only one that can fill the ultimate void that our soul longs for, but he also created the body of the church to help encourage us along the way. Because, news flash, life isn’t easy and we need people to come alongside us to make this world more fulfilling. I’m pretty sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know here. But sometimes, it’s nice to have a reminder, am I right?!

OK, ok, now back to this delicious Whole30 breakfast casserole recipe. Ha! I told Eric that I wanted to have something on hand that I could eat without any guilt other than the fruit so that’s when we decided to make the Whole30 breakfast casserole we’d fallen in love with years ago. Our friends couldn’t believe that it was Whole30 approved because it tastes so good and flavorful. In fact, I’ve even been asked for the recipe several times.

What’s so great about this Whole30 breakfast casserole recipe is that it’s super filling with the sweet potatoes + meats + eggs and it also makes a great big pan so that you can microwave a small piece each morning for breakfast on the go!

In case you’ve missed our other Whole30 blog posts, make sure to check them out below. As you know, Lindsey from Life Lutzurious and Jess from Happily Hughes are doing Whole30 with me. Make sure you check out their blogs as resources for shopping lists, what to get when you have to eat out, easy whole30 meals and more.

MY LIFE WELL LOVED WHOLE30 RESOURCES:

• Whole30 White Chicken Chili – By far one of the most popular posts on MLWL to date.
• Trader Joe’s Whole30 Shopping List
• How to Start Whole30
• Week 1 of Whole30 Meal Plan Example
• Week 2 of Whole30 Meal Plan + FAQ
• Busy Mom Whole30 Tips
• Join our Whole30 Facebook Support Group!

These are some more Easy Whole30 Meals you can try that we had this week:

• Paleo & Whole30 Tuna Salad
• Whole30 Sliders
• Salsa Chicken in the Crockpot over Cauliflower Rice
• Scrambled Eggs & Veggies Sautéed in a Pan

The post Easy Whole30 Meals: Yummy Whole30 Breakfast Casserole appeared first on My Life Well Loved.

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