Apple Pie Smoothie + Define Fettle’s 10 Tips For A Healthy YOU
I can now have apple pie and pumpkin pie whenever I damn well please because these recipes are both gluten, grain, dairy and soy free and I can feel great about the ingredients I’m fueling my body with!
Idk how this happened but it’s here so I guess I should come to the realization that Define Fettle has officially been up and running for 2 full years-- 2 FULL YEARS! I feel it was honestly just yesterday that the weather was starting to cool off and I was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket writing my 1 Year Blogiversary Post and here we are again, in the same exact situation just 1 year advanced.
Last year I shared 10 things that I learned in my 1st year as a blogger, er business owner, ummm… well I still have no idea what to call myself, but anyways I thought I would change it up a bit this year.
Because reading the same thing twice isn’t fun
Because I recently realized that not only is it Define Fettle’s 2nd Blogiversary this week, but I’m also coming up on 4 whole years of living a Paleo/Real Food lifestyle
Who knew that taking part in my very first 21-Day Sugar Detox on a whim 4 years ago would lead me to where I am today, but it did and here I am. That said, I thought it would be a good idea to share my Top 10 Tips For A Healthy YOU.
I preach this stuff on social quite frequently, but it’s all broken into tidbits here + there so I figured it might be beneficial to gather it all into one post so that you can refer back to it when needed.
So, without further ado…
Define Fettle’s 10 Tips For A Healthy YOU
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!: And unfortunately, I'm not talking about coffee, LaCroix or alcoholic beverages, I'm talking about straight up H2O. Drinking water helps flush unwanted toxins from the body, curbs cravings and keeps your skin hydrated... just to name a few of the benefits. I don't go anywhere without my water bottle and that in and of itself has been a total game changer when it comes to how much water I consume daily. Without my water bottle, I consume only about 25% of the water I usually do on a daily basis.
Limit processed foods and sugars: I'm not just talking about the obvious food groups like cookies, cakes, chips and candy. I'm talking about unsuspecting things like condiments, cooking oils and anything labeled "fat free" or "sugar free" {aka chemical shitstorm}.
READ ingredient labels: #2 made an easy transition to #3. READ ALL INGREDIENT LABELS. A good rule of thumb is that if you can't pronounce a word and/or don't know what that ingredient is, you probably shouldn't be putting that into your body either. It blows my mind how many people still think some things like protein bars or sparkling waters are 'healthy' all because they say sugar-free. The rules surrounding the labeling of foods and sugar, in particular, are LAX {not lacrosse} at best. Meaning fake sugars aren't required to be listed under the sugar category on a nutrition label and remember, sugar hides behind many other names so pay attention to the ingredient list and not just how many grams of sugar are listed on a label. Rule of thumb #2: if something tastes sweet and says "sugar-free" use your V smart brain and know that something isn't quite adding up.
Rest is essential: Gone are the days of it being 'cool' to boast about how you're so busy that you only get 4-5 hours of sleep/night. Your body and mind are running a million miles a minute throughout our days/weeks, so ensuring that we're giving our bodies the proper rest at night is crucial. This not only improves brain function, boosts mood, and encourages proper muscle recovery, but it increases your metabolism and decreases your sugar cravings too.
Move your body daily: MOVE. walking, running, jumping, hiking, barre, yoga, HIIT, spinning, rowing, group fitness, personal training, cleaning the house, walking the stairs... Exercise or movement looks different for everyone. There's no right or wrong way to move as long as you show up and do it regularly. Walking is just a beneficial as running, hiking is just as beneficial as taking a cycle class, just find a movement style that engages you and do it. Maybe it's always the same, maybe it's different. Maybe you enjoy doing it alone, maybe you enjoy it more with friends or your partner. Do YOU, and do it proudly... just make sure you do it.
Limit alcohol consumption: But it's SO hard right? Wrong. Did you know that there are other things to do on a Saturday night and waking up non-hungover on a Sunday morning is absolutely amazing. Call me old, but it's true---if you're not already there, you'll get there. Even more important than that is the fact that alcohol is toxic to the body and as soon as you start to consume it, your body {specifically your liver} is working OT to get it out as fast as possible. As long as your liver is functioning properly, that sounds great right? Nah. When you have alcohol in your system your body couldn't care less about what else is swimming around in your bloodstream. A great example is the 3am Dominos delivery... when you consume that pizza or the chocolate brownie that was calling your name after a long evening out, your body could care less about those garbage ingredients that you just ate because until the alcohol is gone, your liver is wearing blinders and is oblivious to anything and everything else going on. Crazy huh?
What goes on your body goes in your body: Do you know what ingredients your hair care, skincare, fragrances, cosmetics, etc. have in them? Chances are probably not, and chances are your jaw would literally drop to the floor if you actually knew. Again, here's an example of how LAX the US government is on the labeling and use of these types of products/chemicals in items humans are using every single day. Your skin is a permeable membrane. Your lotions absorb into your skin, your lipstick inevitably ends up in your mouth which leads to your stomach and your mascara ends up in your eye {you know those black specs I'm talking about}-- think about it. Do you want that stuff in your body? The most eye-opening experience for me was downloading the EWG mobile app and scanning all of my regular use products. Let's just say within minutes, I started transitioning everything to safer products.
Breathe. De-stress every single day: This is KEY. It doesn't need to be a commitment to an hour yoga class or 30 minutes of meditation, but when you feel that stress build, when you feel the overwhelm sinking in, close your eyes. Wherever you are, whenever it is, close your eyes and breathe. Inhale through your nose fill up, open mouth exhale let it go. You're letting go of way more than just the breathe, your releasing tension in your body, anger or frustration that has built up and giving yourself a few seconds to regroup, to feel grounded beneath the strong foundation you have built for yourself. 60 seconds to 60 minutes, learning to live by breath and breath alone will change your entire mindset, your entire life.
Release toxic relationships: The reality of life is that you're not going to get along with everyone and everyone isn't going to like you. You will have great friendships, you will have negative friendships and then you will have some that were previously really strong realtionships, that no longer serve you. The challenge here is recognizing when that relationship is no longer serving you or bringing benefit into your life and knowing when to let it go. People change, lifestyles change and it's ok for friendships to change. The more negativity you can release from your life, the happier you will be.
Always act in kindness: I firmly believe that the energy you put into the world is exactly what you will get out of it so don’t be rude, arrogant, selfish, sly, deceitful or anything else you wouldn't appreciate. Instead, smile at a stranger on the street or offer to help your elderly neighbor with yard work or grab the bill for the next in line at the coffee shop. Little acts of kindness, of thoughtfulness, can go a very, very long way and make a world of difference on both the giving and receiving end of things.
And in case you didn’t get it from the title of this post, you lucky ducks are also getting my new favorite smoothie recipe that couldn’t taste more like fall if you tried! I’m a giant fan of pies, however am not the biggest fan of paleo baking {that shit is hard!} so it’s a rare occasion that I even have a bite of pie anymore. But thanks to my impeccable smoothie creation skills, I can now have apple pie and pumpkin pie whenever I damn well please because these recipes are both gluten, grain, dairy and soy free and I can feel great about the ingredients I’m fueling my body with!
Ingredients:
● 2 Red Delicious Apples, peeled and sliced
● 1C. Ice
● 1/2C. Malk Almond Milk
● 5oz. Coconut Cream
● 2 Scoops Vanilla Protein
● 1Tbsp. Almond Butter
● 1Tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup
● 1Tbsp. Coconut Oil
● 1Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
● ½ Lemon, juiced
● Mix The Remaining Ingredients Together Then Split in ½
○ 2Tbsp. Cinnamon
○ 1Tbsp. Apple Pie Spice
Methods:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
Using the coconut oil, grease an 8x8 glass pan
Spread the apples evenly in the pan
Drizzle lemon juice and vanilla over the apples, then sprinkle ½ of the cinnamon mixture over top
Stir apples until all are evenly coated
Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20minutes {or until soft}
Remove apples from oven and allow to cool for 5-10minutes
Combine the apples and remaining ingredients in a blender
Blend until smooth
ENJOY!
Chat with me!
What’s your best tip for a healthy YOU? How old were you when you really started to acknowledge ‘healthy’? How long is it going to take before you make this smoothie?
P.S. Head over to my Instagram to enter GIVEAWAY WEEK so you don’t miss out on all of my favorite health goodies I’m sharing!
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**This is a sponsored post in partnership with MALK Organics. Please know that while I was compensated for this post, all words and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the wonderful brands that help to make Define Fettle and all of this content possible.