I am in LOVE
with this POPCORN!

I’m known for my healthy pancakes AND HOMEMADE popcorn! (Breakfast & Movie Night are my happy!)

This is a Salty, Sweet, Satisfying Snack full of Fiber, Flavonoids, Healthy Fats & Flavor!

You guys, SERIOUSLY IT IS SO EASY TO MAKE POPCORN PLEASE DITCH YOUR MICROWAVE!!!

Pops in THREE MINUTES!!

Ingredients:

❤️ Organic Popcorn Kernels to cover bottom of a pot

❤️ 1 Heaping Tablespoon coconut oil + 1 tablespoon to drizzle

❤️ Pinch Himalayan Salt (or sea salt)

❤️ 1 Heaping Teaspoon Cacao (Not cocoa!!!)

❤️ 1 Tablespoon Raw Cacao powder

❤️ Optional add-ins: cacao nibs, cashew nuts, or any seeds.

Method:

❤️ Add a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil in a pot, turn on        stove to high heat

❤️ Cover the bottom with organic popcorn kernels, cover with      a lid & shake frequently while popping so they don’t burn

❤️ Turn off the stove when the popping stops

❤️ Pour into a bowl & drizzle with coconut oil & maple syrup,          toss in a pinch of salt, a heaping teaspoon of Cacao powder &      mix. 

❤️ Toss with optional add-ins: cacao nibs, cashew nuts, or any          seeds.  

❤️ ENJOY!!! ❤️🍿❤️🍿❤️

Download Recipe Here

I'm not. . . but I'm trying! So let me share with you what I've learned about love over the years. 

I want to cover a few different ideas which may not tie together very neatly, but that is the beauty of love. . . it is all emcompassing!

i want to cover the following:

1) How to love yourself more

2) How to love others better

3) How to shift Valentine's day from being a commercially crappy holiday (that also destroys our waistlines and brings annoyance to any single woman, because well it's stupid) to a day where

WE CAN LOVE BIGGER 

(i.e. make it about global love and not about romantic love)

Let's get started!

1) How to love yourself more. 

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection".

This was a misquoted Buddha quote so I can't attribute it, but the interpretation is still a powerful statement. 

I hated the term "self-love" until I understood what it meant. So feel free to ditch the words and focus on the actions. 

Self love is looking in the mirror and thanking your eyes for being able to see your reflection, thanking your legs for carrying through this world, thanking your arms for allowing you to embrace those you love. 

It is speaking clearly about your needs and surrounding yourself with those who meet them.

It is taking care of your body, soul, heart and mind through thoughts & actions that are supportive and not destructive. 

When we take care of all aspects of our life we start to crowd out the voice that says we don't deserve things or that we are unloveable, because we are showing up for ourselves every single day. 

That negative voice in our heads can still exist, but by practicing the above it can become smaller and less powerful allowing ourselves to love ourselves MORE!

Me in New York the Day before I moved to Barcelona. literally surrounded by love!

2) How to love others better.

"If you love a flower, don't pick it up. Because if you pick it up, it ceases to be what you love. So if you love a flower, let it be. Love is not about Possession. Love is about appreciation." - Osho

Conventional love can breed jealously, insecurity, anger, and fear. But that is because we are coming from a place where we want to capture love. It feels so fragile and fleeting that we are afraid if we don't hold on tight enough it will disappear forever and we will be left alone. 

It is a great practice to Love fearlessly & without attachment. Give love to all. Everyone at work, every stranger on the street, to your family and partners. When I say to "give love" I am talking about opening your heart to all. It can be through a smile, through listening, through really looking into someone's eyes deeply and SEEING them. 

Giving love can be as simple and as powerful as making people feel seen. 

Give this and move on. Do not attach to the idea that you then deserve something in return. Give abundantly and freely and see how the love you feel expands. It will return naturally but you must let go of that expectation first. For those who do not reciprocate, love them anyways and move on. 

(Please note: This does not include unrequited love or staying in an abusive relationship. Loving yourself more here is key!) 

3) HOW WE CAN LOVE BIGGER

"Love is a state of being. Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you." - Eckhart Tolle

I used to hate Valentine's Day. It never felt authentic to me. However, that all changed when I discovered a movement that co-opted Valentine's day for themselves. 

Vday.org
 

I found this organization at a time when I was just discovering my own self worth in this world. When I started to find my own voice and my value as a woman. When I found a deeper sisterhood and love for my female friends and for all women in the world. 

I finally felt that I had SOMETHING BIGGER AND BETTER to do on V-day! 

If you are not a fan of this day and are looking for ways to LOVE BIGGER, I recommend you check out this organization (or another one that resonates with you more) and see where you can make a difference in this world. 

We need more love in this world and what better way than to support others who need it! 

Vday.org is a Global Activist Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls. 

"One of every three women in the world will personally experience physical or sexual violence." -United Nations
 

I don't know about you but this ain't love!!! 

We make up half of the global population and yet 

where is the love?!
 

If you have a vagina, or love someone in possession of a vagina this is a great global movement to get behind. (Yes, I said vagina. Maybe if we said it more we would love them more!) 

To wrap this all up:

Let today and every day be about Loving yourself more, loving others better, and loving bigger! 
 

I promise that if you do these 3 things, Valentine's Day will be one of your new favorite days of the year! 

-Janine

It's been almost 20 years since V-Day was founded, since Eve Ensler's play "The Vagina Monologues" shattered taboos, sharing the stories of women as they had never been told before. 2018 will be our 20th year.

Hey guys! It's Pancake Dayyyyyy!!!!!! 

*"But wait...aren't you a health coach?! How can you like pancakes when they are made from flour and sugar and carbs...all that stuff you guys are always telling us to avoid??"*

Let me tell you: 

Pancakes held the KEY to my HEALTHY LIFESTYLE SUCCESS.

Let me explain...

When I first started my health journey, it was because my body was failing me. Doctors didn't know what was going on and I was left to my own devices to sort out my health and life. 

I was DETERMINED to do as much as I could to support my body via food. It was the only thing I had power over when the medical community couldn't help me. 

BUT. . .I had a problem
 

My diet was CRAP and needed a massive overhaul.

BUT. . .I had an even bigger problem! 

I *LOOOOOVED* my unhealthy food and my biggest weakness was breakfast foods: pancakes, waffles, french toast, you name it. 

So I asked myself some serious questions: 

1) How do I start eating healthy and ENJOY IT? 

2) How do I eat healthy but not feel deprived? 

3) What the hell am I going to do about my love of PANCAKES?!?!

Luckily I found the answers and I am going to share them with you today!

Here are MY FOUR EASY SECRETS to get that healthy lifestyle overhaul you've been trying so hard to achiEve:
 

1) I STARTED BACKWARDS

I didn't toss everything out that was bad. I didn't even start with eating more vegetables or less crap!  

I made it my first mission to try a new healthy pancake recipe...EVERY WEEKEND...until I found the most amazing, delicious AND nourishing recipe I could find. It became a household tradition to have pancakes every weekend, share them with friends and experiment with the foods I loved.

I didn't have to deprive myself of pancakes OR my health! WIN-WIN!

2) I MADE A LIST OF ALL MY FAVORITE FOODS THAT WERE ALREADY HEALTHY

While I did eat a lot of crap, I also ate healthy foods on accident...because I already liked them! So I made a list of my top favs and put them into rotation more: (ceviche, grilled shrimp, asian chicken salad, stir-fries, fajitas...you get the point)

3) I FOCUSED ON EXPLORING

Every week I bought a NEW ingredient that was healthy that I never tried, I researched delicious recipes and explored them in the kitchen. The focus was on experimentation and not on the final result. Most of the time the results were GREAT! Sometimes it was a total disaster. But it changed my kitchen from a stressful place to a place of fun and exploration!

4) I TOOK PICTURES

Food pictures ARE MY SELFIES. They show who I am. When I made something that was DELICIOUS & NOURISHING I took a picture and wrote down the recipe. 

I added it to my weekly or monthly repertoire and this made it easy to find something easy to make when my brain was too tired to think. 

When starting to eat healthy this is one of the big ones. We lose inspiration and forget what we can eat. Capture what was tastey and each time you make it, the prep is even faster & easier! 

By applying these 4 ideas, I was able to overhaul my kitchen and my entire lifestyle! 

Now I don't think of "eating healthy" as a way of life, it is just what happens when I go to cook. 

And every weekend...I get to have my pancakes and eat them too! 

HAPPY PANCAKE DAY EVERY BODY!
 

MAY YOU ENJOY YOUR PANCAKES SURROUNDED WITH LOVE AND SYRUP!

-Janine

p.s. Here is one of my fav pancake recipes for the moment. CLICK BELOW, try it out, make the tweaks you want and ENJOY! 
 

Oatmeal Flour Pancakes

---

More and more we are understanding that DIETS DON'T WORK!
 

More and more we are figuring out that restriction not only strips us of joy, but it turns the experience into a battle and a constant struggle to hold the line and use "willpower" to get us through. 

But every single time we do well for a bit, fall off the wagon, fall back into old habits, lament, accept defeat, and then in a few months time try to jump back on the wagon. 

When most people try to jump back on, the day before they start a new diet, they go on a massive binge. "Today is going to be the LAST day of my life I can have these doughnuts, or croissants, or cheeseburger. Tomorrow I will eat clean....forever." 

Sound familiar? 

It's daunting! Unrealistic and setting you up for "failure". 

The question is HOW do we change our lifestyle for the better without continuously falling back into old unsupportive habits?

HERE ARE SOME EASY TO LIVE BY "RULES":

1) FOCUS ON ADDING

When you put the focus on adding in things like more water, more veggies, more healthy snacks you are taking the focus off of what you "can't have" and more on what you can have. Make a list of all your favorite fruits and veggies and healthy recipes and add in these foods more often into your routine. Healthy eating shouldn't mean eating things you don't like! 

Add in 2 extra home cooked meals a week
Add in 2 new recipes a week to play with
Add in healthy desserts
Add in more sleep
Add in JOY! 
Add in self-care 

2) "Today I won't, tomorrow I will"

This little psychological trick is INCREDIBLE because it WORKS! 

Instead of the binge day of "I will eat everything now" and tomorrow and forever after "I will never eat this ever again", it is more realistic and doable to take it ONE day at a time. 

"Today I won't have that Coke, or I won't have that doughnut, but tomorrow I will".

When tomorrow comes, repeat the same phrase. "Today I won't, tomorrow I will". You may last 1 day or 3 or 7 or a whole month! But when you finally do have that food, there is NO GUILT, you are not falling off the wagon, and it means you can take the next day as a NEW DAY! 

I used to play with this and see how many days I could go without and then enjoy that food. The next day I started fresh and went even longer without! It took my croissant ham & cheese addiction from daily to 3-4 times a year! It means that I can still enjoy these foods (NO RESTRICTION), but they no longer control my life, effect my waistline, and make me revert to old habits.

3) Accept that we are cyclical creatures

The earth follows seasons, plants have life cycles and animals hibernate. Yet with our hustle and bustle 24/7 365 days a year go-go-go mentality,it does not allow for rest, regeneration and the ups & downs that are essential to life. If you can accept that you can't be "ON" all the time and that falling "off" is PART OF the journey, it is easier to flow through the cycle and understand why your body wanted to go back to its old ways so that you can shorten the down time and lengthen the up time. When I allow my body to go through its cycles I'm likely to continue my positive self talk and keep the focus on what I am doing right versus what I am not doing.

4) Visualize your Day

Adding takes planning! It is harder to ADD in more beneficial things if you don't plan to buy the veggies or make the recipes. Set a few minutes aside at night to see what went well for you today and what you would like to continue to add in tomorrow. Visualize yourself moving through the day adding these things in. Maybe you visualize yourself adding in a green smoothie for breakfast, or adding in a side salad for lunch. The more you visualize how you want your day to go, when those moments arise the choice seems natural and planned versus feeling like you have to make a hard choice in the moment. 

5) Start with ONE thing

Restriction usually means cutting a bunch of things out ALL AT ONCE! Even though it seems SO slow, you will make MORE progress adding in ONE THING AT A TIME. This week just focus on adding in more water, or adding in supplements. Work on creating a system or habit that works for you and keep tweaking until it becomes easier. Then add in a new thing to experiment with. 

6) Enjoy the process instead of fixating on the results

There are more and more studies that show that people who focus more on improving and enjoying the process of something will reach their end goal more quickly. When we only focus on getting to a certain weight, or having a perfect healthy lifestyle we lose sight of just enjoying the delicious dinner we made, or enjoying the workout, or enjoying finding time to focus on yourself. You will find a more sustainable lifestyle if you ENJOY THE MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE! 

If you follow these guidelines, little by little you will realize that you've added in so many beautiful things into your life that you are living that healthy & joyous lifestyle that you've been waiting for.

In health & ADDING, 

-Janine

Have you ever been stressed and someone said, 

"Just breathe!"

And your response was to get even more stressed and frustrated? 

Have you ever felt so busy you couldn't catch your breath or even take a 30 second break? 

Do you feel overwhelmed and anxious and feel like your shallow breaths are making you feel even more panicky? 

You are not alone. 

Breathing is one of the first things we do when we are born. It happens so automatically at first that we don't think about it. As we get older, we assume we don't NEED to think about it. 

But by mastering your breath, or by knowing when to become conscious about it can help your entire system relax, help you gain clarity, let go of fear, release physical pain and feel more at peace. 

Every single of your 

37+ trillion cells

in your body needs oxygen to function. Not only that, but breathing is how your body cells use the oxygen to get energy from the food you've eaten. 

So if you feel stressed, or busy or overwhelmed, conscious deep breaths can help you get through your day more easily! 

I'm assuming you WANT this!
 

So let's give you some TOOLS to help you build this habit. 

The first tool

I recommend and use, especially when you are working all day on a computer is this website:

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

I invite you to try this for even 30 seconds. Relax, listen to the waves crashing & feel your body's parasympathetic nervous system start to work and relax your body & mind. 

The second tool

is great because you never leave home without your breath! 

It is called The 4-7-8 Breath

You breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7, and exhale through your mouth for 8. It is best practiced sitting up straight up and placing the tip of your tongue just behing your upper front teeth. Breathe in from your belly, into your diaphragm, then your chest, then your throat and then your nose. If you keep your breath in your chest it can send the mixed signal to your body that you are in danger. It is important to start from your belly and work your way up slowly. On the exhale work from your nose back down to your belly. Repeat 4 times. 

(This is also a great technique to clear your nasal passages when you have a cold. Block one nostril on the inhale and block the other on the exhale and then swap. After a few minutes many times you can breathe freely again!)

Most of your physical, mental & emotional issues can stem from our basic systems being overly stressed and in panic mode! These very SIMPLE tools can help you start a daily habit of connecting with your breath, your mind, your body & your soul. 

You are worth every. single. breath.

Just breathe! 

In health & breath, 

-Janine

"What you think, You become."

While this is not the real quote that Buddha spoke, it is paraphrasing this fuller text:

"Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking and pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking imbued with sensuality, abandoning thinking imbued with renunciation, his mind is bent by that thinking imbued with sensuality. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking imbued with ill will, abandoning thinking imbued with non-ill will, his mind is bent by that thinking imbued with ill will. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking imbued with harmfulness, abandoning thinking imbued with harmlessness, his mind is bent by that thinking imbued with harmfulness."

Why is this important? 

You have around 50,000-70,000 thoughts per day! 

Let's do a thought experiment. Where ever you are in this moment I want you to spend the next 20 seconds looking at everything GREEN. 

20 Seconds.... GO! 

How many things did you see? Can make a mental list of all the green things you saw? 

Great! Now make a list of all the brown things you saw. 

TOUGH! RIGHT?? 

You were so busy focusing on the green that you missed the full view of everything you could have potentially focused on. 

There is so much external stimulation with marketing and societal norms that since we are young we are bombareded with things trying to grab our attention and formulate who we think we are for us. 

It is up to you

to sit down and REALLY evaluate WHO you would like to be, WHAT you would like to think about, and HOW you can get there. 

Once you figure out whether you want to look at the greens or the browns or the reds or the purples. 

You need to spend each day practicing on SEEING those things. 

My goal is to feel **GRATITUDE** and see **BEAUTY** and train my brain to focus on what is **GOOD** in this world versus what is not working. I am not ignoring pain, suffering, or the ugliness that does exist, but by focusing on the GOOD, I feel more abundant, more calm, more grateful and it allows me to see the good in others and be open to the world. It allows me to open my arms and GIVE love and trust and kindness to those who may need it more instead of feeling fearful, defensive and closed. 

My goal is to see the rainbows more than I see the clouds. 

What do YOU want to think about? Who do YOU want to become?

In health & transformation, 

-Janine

Kaizen is a Japanese word that means

"change for better".

Most people are looking to change for better. To improve. To evolve. To grow. To BLOOM. Aren't you?

Kaizen is a very simple process that can help you BREAK through the endless procrastination that has ruined your previous attempts to better yourself, to lose weight, to 

BE THE PERSON YOU ARE MEANT TO BE!

Kaizen has spread like wildfire through the corporate world to improve the quality of companies, and there are even articles about how 1-minute of practicing Kaizen can help you beat "laziness". (I say "laziness" in quotes because I don't believe anyone is actually lazy but more likely exhausted, have a hidden illness, or have yet to find their purpose. If you feel "lazy"...reach out to me so we can get to the bottom of WHY!) 

So what's the trick? How can I apply Kaizen to my life?

Let's get down to it!

Dr. Robert Maurer, the author of *One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way*, says Kaizen is the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady steps.

SMALL. . . STEADY. . . STEPS. . .

Your brain has a built-in mechanism to RESIST new behavior! No wonder it is extremely difficult to make lasting changes and why we always seem to fall back into old habits. 

According to Dr. Robert Maurer, small steps can help bypass our brain's resistance mode. 

The trick to lasting results and continuous improvement lies in taking small steps. 

I've been practicing Kaizen for the past month and have been leaps and bounds more productive. My goal: 1 minute of action. THAT IS IT! 

I'm drinking more water, keeping my space cleaner, and being more productive with work. It's that 1-minute jumpstart I didn't know I needed.

ONE MINUTE!!

Usually once you get going, no one can stop you and that is the point. Small steps create forward momentum that leads to continual improvement. 

What is that ONE thing that you've been putting off?

Give it ONE minute of your day and see what BLOOMS! It could be your entire life!

In health & continuous improvement,

-Janine

Holidays can be a wonderful time of year but they can also bring your stress levels through the roof! 

When your body feels stress, it can create more cravings for those fatty, sweet and salty foods that are generally not great for your waistline. 

Stress also takes a toll on your mental well being. 

To help combat the holiday weight gain & mental meltdown here are some much needed reminders for all! 

1. BREATHE

Deep breaths help lower your cortisol levels, bring much needed oxygen to your body & help keep you calm when you most need it. This is so simple yet SO hard during the holiday season. Practice, practice, practice and you will be able to get through the most stressful of moments.

2. SET AN INTENTION

Set an intention for the holiday. Without intention you can feel scattered.  It's easier to get back on track when you have an intention. Examples of Intentions: Enjoy my family / Stress Less / Focus on Love / Find Connection / Self Care. 

3. HYDRATE

You have 37 TRILLION cells in your body that all need you to feed them. Water is the elixir of life! It will help you have more energy, eat less, feel less stressed, and not pack on the holiday pounds.

4. CREATE SPACE

Family gatherings can lead to boundary issues, arguments & stress. Plan in down time for YOU! Create space in the morning & at night to reconnect with you and consciously add 30 second-1 minute YOU times during the day. Something as little as 30 second recharges can keep you going all season long.

5. SLEEP

You know you are not getting enough! And it is HARD! I get it! Make a plan and try to add even just 20 minutes + a night here and there. You deserve it. Your body will thank you every single day! 

6. EAT CLEAN

Holidays pack on the stress and pack on the pounds. Enjoy large feasts during the core times, but make the rest of the times as healthy as possible to support your immune system during cold season, keep you sans regrets come January and keep you emotionally balanced.

7. JOY

PLAN your JOY! Joy is not something that happens to you, it is something in your power to create. Schedule in a massage, tea with a friend, a soak in a tub, a morning walk. Make a list of all the things that bring you Joy and reference it frequently! 

Set your intention on ONE of these each day and see how it goes. Some days you will sail through like a champ and others stress may get the best of you. And that's ok! Set the intention to practice, practice, practice and ENJOY! 

In health & holidays,

-Janine