Monthly Archives: March 2024

Spring treats and good eats

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Friends!!


Happy Easter weekend! Happy Passover soon! Happy Spring!

Despite the fact that it was snowing (what the heck?!!) here in MA this morning, our family is looking forward to a weekend full of egg hunts, friends, church celebrations and family visits!

Easter came early this year, so I didn’t have time to get a brand new blog out to you. So, I’m sharing and adding to the Easter blog from last year- read through it for some new recipe ideas and some good reminders of how we can, in fact, stay on track over a holiday weekend and still enjoy lots of good food!

I’m super excited to see friends and family this weekend and feast on lots of good stuff. I’ve been busy looking up healthier recipes to make. And there are so many- and guess what?? They can be JUST as delicious as our “traditional” holiday indulgences…


So I was inspired to throw together this quick blog for you with some fun Spring/Holiday ideas for your next get together too 🥗🍳🧇🥧


🍳LETS TALK BRUNCH! There’s probably not a meal out there that I enjoy more than brunch. And not just for the mimosas (though those don’t hurt). And believe it or not, brunch doesn’t have to be full of carbs and fat- it can even be tasty without those. My faves?? Make a huge fruit salad and a frittata. And better yet- make double so you have easy breakfasts and snacks for the week 👌👌


DON’T SKIMP ON VEGGIES : You know the best way to enjoy a holiday meal without feeling like crap after?? Fill half your plate with veggies. Yep- same thing you should be doing for all your meals, only on holidays, that other half of your plate may be filled with some yummy tradional foods you don’t get to eat very often. Awesome!! But, still nourish your body with some veggies!! If you’re heading to Easter lunch/dinner, bring a fun Spring salad or a cute veggie plate, like this one, found here: https://www.madetobeamomma.com/easter-bunny-veggie-tray/

I mean, how cute is this?!?!

KEEP APPETIZERS LIGHT: I don’t know about you, but I look forward to enjoying the meal, so I don’t like to fill up too much on heavy apps. This year, we’re putting out a fruit and cheese platter and I thought these peppers were super cute too! For a healthier option, I’d fill the peppers with hummus rather than cream cheese (but also cause I really hate cream cheese. I know- I’m one of very few but I stand firm in my dislike of this filling) Anyway, use a healthy filling and make this for a cute app:

AND LASTLY, DON’T FORGET A SWEET TREAT: What’s a holiday without some sweets, right? Personally, I do a very low gluten and lactose diet, and that can be hard when it comes to desserts. Here’s a recipe I’m gonna make for a sweet and refreshing Spring treat:


Love this for an Easter treat 🐰🐥//INGREDIENTS//-

1 cup almond flour

4 scoops vanilla IsaLean shake (you can find that here: https://jessicatreadwell1.isagenix.com/en-us/shop/weight-management/isalean-shake?pid=e18379664dad4b4e8390fd15c5022321)

2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (separated into 1 1/2 cups and 1 cup)

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

3 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp sea salt

DIRECTIONS: Put all the ingredients except 1 cup of coconut in a food processor and blend until well combined.Scoop out a heaped teaspoon of mixture and roll into a ball with hands.Finish off by rolling in coconut to cover the outside of the ball.Set in fridge for 1 hour to chill and set.


Wishing you all a beautiful weekend, time spent doing the things you absolutely love and joyful memories made ☀️☀️


Off to dye the Easter eggs with the kids! 🥚🥚
Cheers, friends!
~Jess

Healthy Hydration…

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Yes

Ok, so yesterday felt like Spring in Boston and I am here for it! 🌸🌼☀️

With the warmer weather on its way, I can’t help but noticing so many more people out and about running, biking, playing sports. The trainer in me loves this season- when we all crawl out from under the winter hibernation and start reaching for our health goals again, start spending more time outdoors, start MOVING as our bodies have been craving for months.

Simultaneously, I am noticing the marketing for “sports drinks” more and more these days. I see kids and adults walking around with many very popular electrolyte brands. Having concerns about some of the ingredients in these drinks, I decided to do some investigating at the grocery stores this week.

I’ll leave out names, because I’m not a fan of putting any company down, but there’s a very popular “sports drink” that came out recently (in the last few years) that has some benefits. Some forms of this super popular drink include branch chain amino acids- GREAT for muscle repair after workouts. This brand also has less sugar than the other popular sports drink that’s been around for decades. So that’s good 👌

However, this brand also carries some beverages that have a high amount of caffeine- so kids and teenagers should be very careful. Adults too- especially if they already drink other forms of caffeine or are drinking these later in the day.
Also, I have some definite concerns about artificial sweeteners and the reason many of these drinks are lower in sugar is because they contain artificial sweeteners. You can do your own research on these, but I’m personally concerned between the relationship between these ingredients and very significant chronic health conditions and dis-eases. Just an automatic no for my family- especially when there are better options out there!!

I have equally concerning thoughts about artificial colors. There are ways to color foods and drinks naturally, so if you see Red #40 or something similar in a product, you’d be doing your body a huge favor by putting it back on the shelf!!

Almost every other brand I found on store selves included some form of artificial sweeteners or TONS of sugar. One brand lists sugar as the first ingredient and had 12 grams of added sugar. Like, what?!!?

Sooooo…what do I hydrate with instead and give to my kids???

First- water is great! Some people don’t need electrolytes with every workout, but our cells do absorb water better with them, so…
AMPED HYDRATE is what we use- here’s why:

Didn’t wanna name any names- leading store brand on the left/ my hydration choice on the right

💫Adults’ bodies are 60% water, and kids’ are 70%, so it’s important to hydrate and replenish with beverages that don’t have excess calories and sugar. 💦
💫It provides FUNCTIONAL ingredients that contribute to the daily intake of important vitamins and minerals
💫It also contains Antioxidant vitamin C, vitamin B complex, zinc and super fruits.
Amped hydrate contains: * 10-15 calories.* 0 g sugar.* Superfruit electrolyte blend.* Vitamin C.* Vitamin B complex.* Zinc.* natural ingredients. No artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners!! Can I just emphasize this one again, friends?!!
For us, it’s a huge win!!!

Share what clean energy you’re fueling yourself with these days. And, if you’re ready to switch to a cleaner brand, message me for a 25% discount off resale pricing 🤗🤗

Cheers to Spring, movement and healthy hydration for our bodies!!

To your health,

~Jess