Sharing my tips on how to whiten teeth with baking soda and how to do this at home. As always, talk with your dentist before doing anything to your teeth. As we all know, I am not a dentist and do not work in the dental industry. Just sharing my experience!
Hi friends! How’s the morning going so far? I’m getting ready for a little photoshoot, and also have a podcast interview later today. I hope you have a wonderful day ahead!
For today’s post, I’m doing a little reader’s request and sharing my experience whitening my teeth with baking soda. I often get questions about what I use for my teeth, and my routine is pretty simple. I tend to stay away from conventional whitening products and whitening procedures because they increase my tooth sensitivity and I don’t love the ingredients.
Having a whiter smile can definitely boost your confidence, and standard teeth whitening products can be hard on the budget. Not all of them are effective, they can contain sketchy ingredients, and there are a few household ingredients that can be used to help whiten teeth, including baking soda! I’m dedicating this post to sharing my experience whitening my teeth with baking soda and my favorite dental products. 🙂
How To Make Teeth Whiter With Baking Soda
Baking soda is my #1 favorite way to whiten my teeth. While baking soda can be an effective teeth whitening agent, there are things to consider before using it. I’m going to share a couple of precautions before diving into the actual methods. (And another friendly reminder to talk to your dentist before doing anything with your teeth.)
Is It Safe To Brush Your Teeth With Baking Soda
Yes, in most cases. While it’s safe to use baking soda to whiten teeth, it can be abrasive when used in large quantities. Baking soda, when overused, can corrode the tooth’s surface enamel. You just want to make sure you don’t use it too frequently, leave it on your teeth for too long, or use too much. A little goes a long way!
How To Use Baking Soda To Whiten Teeth
Baking soda paste
This is my go-to method. I start by topping my toothbrush with baking soda and add a little bit of water to make a paste. I add as much as needed to have enough for my entire mouth. I gently place the paste on my teeth and keep it here for about 3 minutes to set. Then, I scrub, using the toothbrush, and rinse. Word to the world: it tastes HORRIBLE. I kind of just curl my lips up and try to avoid tasting it. I do this once a month, but my dental hygienist said it would be fine to do once a week.
Baking soda with toothpaste
You can also mix a little baking soda with your toothpaste, or use a toothpaste that contains baking soda.
Baking soda mouthwash
This can be a cheap and effective alternative to tradition alcohol-based mouthwash. Simply mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 cup of warm water, swish, and rinse. (Make sure not to swallow the mixture.)
Baking soda and lemon
This is a common method, but not one that I’ve tried or would recommend. I think that it would be too intense and feel like it’s unnecessary since the baking soda and water does the trick on its own.
Baking Soda Teeth Whitening Before And After
I was thisclose to sharing some before and after pics but there was no good way to do it without you seeing all of my pores or into my nose lol. So let’s just say trust me that there’s a visible difference when I do this.
Some more of my favorite dental products for shiny, happy teeth and a healthy mouth:
– A tongue scraper. I got mine from Thrive Market and P wanted her own, so now she has one, too. (Use this link and you’ll get 40% off your first order!) This is one of the first things I do each day, and I do this at night before bed, too.
– This mouthwash; also from Thrive Market! (It was on sale 50% off last time I checked)
– Cocofloss. This is the BEST floss in all the land. Once your try Cocofloss, you’ll never go back. It’s super thick, has natural flavors, and feels like a loofah for your teeth; it gets everything out from between your teeth.
– Oil pulling. I oil pull in the morning when I have time or before bed. I simply add a teaspoon of coconut oil to my mouth and swish around while I get ready for the day or for bed(about 10 minutes), then I rinse and brush.
– A waterpik. Sometimes I fall out of the routine, but I try to Waterpik before bed every night. I notice a huge difference when I do this regularly.
– Our go-to toothpaste for the whole family is Tom’s fluoride-free whitening
– I also can’t stress the importance of regular cleanings enough. We used to dread the dentist, but now that we’ve found a family-friendly dentist who is so reasonable in his recommendations (shout out to the best!), it has made a huge difference. I’m also fortunate that our insurance covers cleanings every 4 months, so I get my teeth cleaned 3x a year.
Do you use any whitening products on your teeth? What’s your go-to?
Sharing some recent Amazon finds as we finish up winter and head into spring!
Hi friends! How was the weekend? I hope you had a wonderful one! We didn’t end up making it to Mt. Lemmon because they lost power and roads were closed for half of the weekend. Instead, we joined some friends for Goat Yoga and a day of fun – I’ll share pics in Fri Faves! – and had a little dinner get-together. It ended up being the perfect weekend: good time with friends, goats (we all know I’m obsessed and would have 12 if I could), amazing food, and a little shopping. 🙂
I’ve been loving Amazon for everything lately, especially since I can usually get quick shipping with Prime and don’t have to leave my house.
The fashion options are often at amazing prices, especially for trendier pieces when I don’t want to spend that much. They also have SO many of my favorite brands available (like Rails, Paige, and Mother Denim).
I’m not going to buy any more winter-y clothes so I can get ready for spring and wanted to share some of the things I’m loving from Amazon as we start to (hopefully) transition into warmer weather. Ready for some sun!
Hi hi! Happy weekend and happy Rodeo break to my Arizona friends! (Rodeo is a big thing out here; in February, there’s always a 2-day break from school.) What do you have going on this weekend? We’re *supposed* to head to Mt. Lemmon to play in the snow, but as of right now the roads are closed. Fingers crossed we can make it up there.
I’ve been wanting to share some pics from Trevor’s wedding last weekend! He got married last year (they eloped in Vegas!) and it was time for their big wedding celebration with the fam. It was held at a local residence on an exquisite property, which felt more like a botanical garden than someone’s actual home. It was so beautiful!!
The Pilot was the officiant and crushed it, of course. The ceremony was heartfelt, humorous in just the right spots, and personalized for them. Their vows were so beautiful, too.
They had a Photo Booth, a DJ (who played a Selena mix that just set my soul freeeeeee), and dinner was catered by Seis Kitchen.
(dress is here! An Amazon find that made me feel like the flamenco dancer emoji. The fabric was way better than I was expecting!)
I treasure the times where we have so many of our family members together in one spot, and loved getting to see and spend time with everyone.
It’s time for the weekly Friday faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.
Not a fave from the week: Dear Evan Hansen. I’d never seen it live, but knew all of the songs. I had high hopes and was thinking it would definitely hit my top 10… and it was disappointing. The acting was over the top in a melodramatic way and fell flat. Ya win some, ya lose some.
We tried this Caesar dressing on salad with homemade sourdough croutons this week and it was a home run. We’ll absolutely be adding it into the rotation.
Brunch at The Monica with live music on the patio. Tucson friends, definitely check it out! It’s a Charro restaurant and everything was fresh, well-seasoned, and perfectly-cooked.
This was the chicken sausage hash, which had a ton of roasted veggies:
Fashion + beauty:
Before the wedding, madre and I had our makeup done at Sephora and 10/10 will do it again. It was $60 and it was SO nice to have a professional do my makeup instead of quickly trying to put my face together in between getting the girls ready. When I got home, I just had to help the girls, do their hair, and throw my dress and shoes on.
She used some new-to-me products that I loved (and ended up purchasing) so I thought I’d share the goods:
– This primer. I NEVER use foundation primer but noticed how it smoothed out my pores and made the foundation last longer. (Color: medium tan sand)
– This foundation. She matched the shade perfectly to my skin tone and it was super lightweight with great coverage.
– This concealer. The texture is smooth and silky; not chalky at all.
– This eye primer. I think Tarte discontinued theirs and have been looking for a replacement. This one does the trick and has a light shimmer.
Hi friends! I’m so thrilled about today’s podcast episode because it’s with someone I’ve been following on IG for a long time and truly admire: Meg Langston! I reached out to her to see if she’d come onto the show and was so pumped when she said yes. 🙂 This episode is PACKED with info and actionable tips; be sure to listen to this one! (Also, follow her on IG here if you don’t already!)
Here’s what we talk about:
– Background and what inspired you to become an NTP
– What are some of the things women could do to support metabolic health
– Some of the effects of stress on the body + what does adrenal fatigue mean
– Ways to support progesterone and help improve symptoms of burnout and adrenal fatigue
Meg is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Root Cause consultant and Restorative Wellness Practitioner. She works with women to help restore their metabolic health in order to recover from hormone imbalances, restore periods and recover digestive dysfunction. She believes the body talks back to symptoms and through body literacy and a food first approach healing and feeling their best self can happen!
Check out Nutrisense here and use the code TFP for $30 off and 1 month of free dietitian support! The dietitian support is invaluable and helps you assess your data, make changes, and run experiments.
The weather is cooling down, and I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket. It feels even BETTER when it’s chilly outside and you can use the code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off! This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day!
I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Use this link and the code XOGINAH for 20% off their meal delivery and clean boutique items. This is something I do once a month as a lil treat to myself and the meals are always showstoppers. I’m enjoying a shipment this week; the lavender parfait has been my favorite so far.
Get 15% off Organifi with the code FITNESSISTA. I drink the green juice, red juice, gold, and Harmony! (Each day I might have something different, or have two different things. Everything I’ve tried is amazing.)
If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission.
Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please be sure to subscribe, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you.
I am always in awe of all the amazing women in the LSF Community who push themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally during our challenges, but especially during LSF30! The beginning of the year is not an easy time to get back into the swing of things and push yourself to get into a consistent routine. Coming off of the holiday season is exhausting and often a fitness challenge is the last thing on your mind, but I am SO proud of everyone who decided to choose themselves in 2023 and do LSF 30!
I am constantly impressed and inspired by the amazing transformation photos and stories shared during LSF 30.
Together during this challenge we lost over 200 pounds!! Can you believe it?! Also to note, that is ONLY from women who submitted their transformations at the end of the challenge, so I know there are more pounds lost out there! Follow Team LSF on IG to see more! Everyone finished this 4 week challenge stronger than ever and I am so proud!
Now it’s time to shout out our LSF 30 winners! These women stayed dedicated and consistent with their Hot Body Meal Plan and LSF app workouts.
These inspiring women, not only have incredible transformation photos but the most heartwarming stories!
4 WEEK TRANSFORMATION | GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Lauren Sackett, @lsf_lau
Lauren is so inspiring! She lost a total of 12 pounds during this challenge! Lauren often would join a challenge with LSF and start it, but never saw it through. This is her first challenge she saw through the entire way and clearly, her hard work and dedication paid off!
Lauren has PCOS (polycistic ovarian syndrome) which has always made it more difficult for her to manage her weight since it greatly affects her hormones. She noted, “Just this past month realigning healthy habits has tremendously helped my mental health and I think my hormones – I’m not entirely sure because I haven’t gotten tested or anything but my cycle was very regular. No intense cramping, not super bloated, it was a set number of days instead of spotting for two weeks post period, all of the key things that I was struggling with the past six months and kind of gave up on.”
Lauren attributes a lot of her success also to the Hot Body Meal Plan, which helped her to guide her food choices and make her excited about a healthy meal!
“Overall, this challenge was amazing, I don’t feel like it was even really a challenge, because I feel like this is how I want to live my life now, so it was more of a steppingstone to the lifestyle that I have been telling myself in my head I was going to do but wasn’t actually implementing. Your mind can be very convincing when you tell yourself over and over again that it’s impossible for you to lose weight and it doesn’t matter what you do you won’t lose weight — when in reality, all I had to do was sit down with myself and recognize that I am in control of how I live my life and if I want to live healthier and be stronger and back to how I used to be when I played sports and was super active then I need to move!! it feels isolating to feel stuck and lost and hide yourself underneath baggy sweatpants and sweatshirts but I’m so proud of myself for coming this far and I’m so happy that my boyfriend joined me on the meal plan because it helped so much to have support and encouragement. Started at 248 and ending at 236 pounds – woohoo!”
We are so proud of you Lauren! You’re an inspiration to us all and we are so excited to see what you accomplish in the next challenge!
RUNNER UPS
Trishia Jablansk, @trishia_jablanski
Trishia loved the LSF 30 challenge because it helped her to realize that she needs to focus more on listening to her body and how she’s feeling, and less on intensely tracking every macro shes consuming, “I don’t need to count, weigh and track every bite I take through the day and stress about being in the game an hour plus each day.” Her dedication to the challenge led her to a 5 pound weight loss!
“I so appreciate her workouts and easy meals, I’m a military spouse, homeschool mom of 3 and 7 months postpartum with a baby that doesn’t like to nap much haha so time is not always on my side but my health is very important to me as is allowing my children to see me make that time a priority. I never realized just how much I could do in 30 minutes at home and thank you so much for opening my eyes to this! “
Absolutely killed it, Trishia!
Sara Arguello @saraarguello_teamlsf
Sara did an amazing job throughout LSF 30! She participated in our Making Moves program to further her motivation and encouragement throughout the challenge while also using the Hot Body Meal Plan and other LSF nutrition products such as our proteins, Miss Congeniality Mood Boost, Wing Woman Immunity Boost, and Pep Rally Energy Boost! Her thoroughness with LSF 30 led her to an 8 pound weight loss!
“I love the challenge, I felt motivated and focused the whole time. Even with life’s obstacles I was still able to reach my goals and commit to myself. I feel absolutely amazing. I love the app and I love how I feel.”
Brb while I cry tears of happiness for all the bad ass women who committed themselves during this challenge! It’s been proven time and time again that taking at least 30 minutes for yourself daily with these workouts and sticking to our meal plans will get your RESULTS! And lasting results nonetheless!
I can’t wait to see all the amazing transformations I see in our next challenge, Spring Shape Up 2023. See you then!
Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day, whether you were celebrating with your love, your Galentines, your kiddos, or your pet 🙂 For today’s post, I thought I’d share an old-school day of eats and adventures like the blog days of yore. Please keep in mind that What I Ate Wednesday posts are just to share some new ideas and I totally understand why they can be problematic or not a fit for certain friends out there. If it’s not your cup of tea, no worries at all, and I’ll see ya tomorrow with a new podcast episode!
In the meantime, sign up for Spring Shape Up here and start checking out the platform! We have over 200 friends signed up so far and I can’t wait to do this with all of you.
The girls woke up early and had their Valentine’s baskets waiting for them.
(Candy, beanie boos, a cute heart sweater, a book, some bath bombs and lip gloss. They were pumped!)
When the girls were much younger and I saw gift baskets for every.single.holiday, it made me feel stressed. I was just trying to keep them alive, clean, fed, and happy, so things like Halloween baskets or Valentine’s baskets seemed unfathomable to put together. Instead, I just tried to do other things to celebrate, like hearts on their door with things that I love about them. I still do this one today and the girls adore it – they keep the hearts up all year.
Now that they’re a bit older and can, you know, dress themselves, shower themselves, etc., it’s much easier to do fun little extra things when I feel like it.
I chugged some AG1 before heading out the door and ate a couple of eggs with sriracha and EBTB seasoning.
(Confession: I’ve only tried AG1 a couple of times in the past and didn’t like the taste. The brand asked me if I wanted some to test out, so I figured I’d give it a real try and possibly share with family and friends. Turns out: I love it. I even started craving the taste in the morning after drinking it consistently. I love all of the nutrients and I feel great after a couple of weeks of drinking it each morning on an empty stomach. They offered a discount code to share, so I’ll post it as soon as I have it!)
I dropped the girls off at school with their Valentine’s boxes and goodies for their friends, and went straight to the Pilot’s squadron.
On the way, I picked up a few dozen Valentines donuts to leave at the bar for everyone to enjoy, along with cards and roses for their loved ones.
After I dropped off the good, I headed somewhere I never go anymore: the base gym!
I LOVE working out on base. They have everything I could ever want, all of the fun functional equipment, and the vibe always challenges me to work hard. The bummer is that it’s a solid 30 minutes from our house (40 in traffic), so it’s not realistic to go during the week. Since I was already on base, I figured it was the perfect time for a workout field trip and got in an awesome total body workout.
Breakfast was waiting for me in the car:
1/2 cup oats
Almond milk
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
Cinnamon
Blueberries
Peanut butter
It set in the fridge overnight so the oats were soft, and it was the perfect post-workout fuel.
I headed straight home to get to work for a couple of hours (answered emails, recorded a podcast episode, and designed the workouts for next month’s Fit Team) and then took Maisey on a walk.
Lunch was leftover Super Bowl chili, a piece of sourdough with butter, and a simple chopped salad with Poshi asparagus and Primal Kitchen dressing.
I got back to work (studied IHP, 1 1:1 client call, worked on my Friday Faves blog post, sent some invoices), took a meditation/prayer break on my Go Mat (10 minutes)
and then had a lil afternoon treat:
a decaf coffee with almond milk, collagen, and a See’s heart truffle.
Quickly, I blitzed through the house (ran a loud of laundry, wiped countertops, vacuumed, and switched out the dishes) and headed to a meeting at church. After the meeting, I picked up the crew, who had tons of valentines and goodies from school!
We headed home where they had after-school snacks, and we dropped Liv at dance with more Valentines to exchange. P and I worked on her homework at home and got ready for a little family date night at Fleming’s.
Fleming’s is one of the restaurants in Tucson that’s consistently very very good. We all love their food, so I figured it would be the perfect Valentine’s dinner.
My lil Valentines:
As always, everything was incredible.
We started with the salad (the Pilot and I split one), a shrimp cocktail, and P had the cheese plate from the kids’ menu. Liv and the Pilot also got cups of lobster bisque – I tried a taste and it was aaaaamazing. For our entrees, we all got filets, and shared asparagus, onion rings, and Fleming’s potatoes (cheese and lightly spicy). The Pilot stopped eating desserts back in October so I shared this chocolate lava cake with Liv (P had ice cream and whipped cream). I had some sauvignon blanc and a Valentine’s cocktail that had gin, strawberry and lemon.
When we got home, I’d love to say I crashed into bed in a wine and steak induced slumber, but…not quite. I folded and put away a load of laundry, set out the girls’ clothes for Wednesday, the Pilot finished homework with the girls while I packed lunches,
and stayed up too late reading. 😉
I crashed out around 11 and was ready to blitz again this morning.
How was your Valentine’s Day? What was the BEST thing you ate yesterday? Any awesome workouts?
Let’s learn how to use simple spices to make your meals awesome!
Maybe you’re just getting comfortable cooking in the kitchen.
Or maybe you’ve been eating the same chicken and broccoli for weeks and it’s time to spice it up.
Either way, you’re in the right place.
Not only do we program workouts in Nerd Fitness Coaching, but we also discuss low-calorie recipes that are delicious (we use them ourselves!). Today, we’ll share our tips for making any meal delicious, using only a handful of common spices.
Remember those diagrams of the tongue that you learned about in school?
They told you the tongue tasted different flavors depending on the section. The back tastes bitter, the front tastes sweet, and the sides taste salty and sour.
1. Bitter 2. Sour 3. Salt 4. Sweet
Most of us now know this is wrong.
Your whole tongue tastes all flavors, and it’s not just your tongue! The roof of our mouth and your nose help out too! In fact, there are more than just the four flavors we learned about in school.
There is another lie that has been circulating in the fitness world for years. It’s a lie that says healthy food is boring and bland.
It drives me crazy.
And in this nerd’s opinion, it’s one of the most damaging lies told about getting healthy.
We know diet is 80% of the battle when it comes to achieving our health and fitness goals. And when we tell ourselves eating healthy food is boring, flavorless, and downright gross, we put ourselves on the fast track to failure! Just like exercise can and should be fun, cooking meat and veggies should be delicious.
Today we’re going over some basic skills that will allow you to see maximal benefit for minimal effort.
How? Simple flavors.
Here are 6 foolproof spice combinations to help you level up your cooking skills, explore the world with your tongue, and (hopefully) get you out of your food rut!
6 Spice Combinations for Tasty Food
Tons of rebels looking to level up their cooking have asked about re-creating their favorite dishes from around the world. I’ve got good news for you! It’s not as difficult as most people think.
Regional dishes taste the way they do because they are made from the spices and ingredients local to that community. Your ancestors didn’t need Super Processed Stir Fry Sauce™ to make dinner. They used whole foods to create delicious dishes, and we’re going to do the same.
Here are 6 simplified spice combinations that you can use to take your healthy meals from bland to bold. Each is measured for a pound of food:
#1) Mexican:
Chili powder: 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Lime (Juice from 1 lime)
#2) Greek:
Oregano: 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Olive Oil: 2 tbsp (30ml)
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp (30ml)
#3) Italian:
Oregano: ½ Tbsp (7ml)
Garlic: 3 Cloves (½ tsp or 2.5ml powdered)
Basil: ½ tbsp (7ml)
Tomatoes: 1 diced can
#4) Indian:
Cumin: ½ Tsp (2.5ml)
Curry: 1 tbsp (15ml)
Coriander: ½ tsp (2.5ml)
#5&6) Chinese/Japanese (this makes a marinade or stir-fry sauce):
Ginger: ¼ tsp (1ml)
Tamari: ¼ cup (59ml), can also use coconut aminos or soy sauce
Rice Vinegar: 2 Tbsp (30ml)
Garlic: 3 cloves (½ tsp/2.5ml powdered)
Dash Red Pepper Flakes
Sugar (Honey): 1 tbsp (15ml)
Bonus flavors!
#7) Thai (this makes a marinade or stir-fry sauce):
Coconut milk: 1/2 cup (118ml)
Tamari: 1/4 cup (59ml) (coconut aminos could also be used)
Fish Sauce: 2 tbsp (30ml)
Green or Red Curry Paste: 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Cilantro: Handful of fresh chopped
For the complete set, add these to your shopping list (herbs and spices are dried):
2 limes
2 lemons
Can or jar of diced tomatoes
Coconut aminos or soy sauce
Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Chili Powder
Oregano
Basil
Parsley
Red Pepper Flake
Garlic Powder (or fresh bulb of garlic, your choice)
Curry powder
Cumin
Coriander
Ginger powder
If you go to the store and buy these 15 items, you’ll be set to make a wide variety of dishes from all over the world.
These spice combinations can be used for chicken, fish, eggs, beef, or pork; roasted, sauteed, steamed, or microwaved veggies; stir-fries, and more!
For a very minimal monetary investment and one trip to the grocery store, you can have a different dish from around the world every day of the week!
How to Add Spices to a Meal (7 Simple Recipes)
Okay, you’ve got your spices.
Now how do you put them to work?
Glad you asked!
We’re going to take one of your favorite recipes and put your new spices to the test! Grab one of our many recipes and take one of the above spice combos and put them together.
My suggestion is that you omit the suggested spices from the original recipe posts and replace them with the ingredient measurements above. Remember, the above suggestions are by the pound, so if you’re using two pounds of chicken or veggies, double the spices!
Here are just a few examples of how you can these spices for almost any dish:
Roasted veggies – Anyone up for some Mexican chili lime or Indian curry-spiced veggies?
Chicken Stir Fry – Try the Asian spices out to level up this classic!
Shepherd’s Pie – Indian curry shepherd’s pie sounds like an unexpected and delightful combination.
Lettuce Wrapped Burgers – Make some Italian spiced burgers, and top with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and fresh basil!
Scrambled Eggs and Veggies – Try a different spice combo on plain old scrambled eggs each morning this week to see how the flavors differ!
Easiest Chicken Ever – Toss the chicken in some Greek spices, lemon, and olive oil instead of the spices prescribed in the original recipe.
After a while, you’ll learn which spices you like in a dish and which ones you can live without.
Maybe you like cinnamon in your curry or maybe you can’t stand the taste of ginger. That’s totally cool! Your food is YOURS!
Soon you’ll be able to spice your dishes without having to measure them every time. Be sure to use your nose and mouth to smell and taste what you’re making as you go! (Unless it’s raw meat. Never taste raw meat.)
5 Tips for Using Spices While Cooking
So you’re heading to the store, or you already have your spices. Awesome! Here are some tips to make shopping and cooking a little bit easier.
1. Does buying individual spices and mixing them sound intimidating? The spice companies make this easy for us. Check out the spice aisle in your grocery store. Lots of companies make pre-mixed spices for regional dishes:
Italian Seasoning
Greek Seasoning
Herbs de Provence
Taco/Fajita seasoning
Curry powder
Chinese 5-spice powder
To experiment with these, buy a couple and try a new one every time you cook something. Put it on something basic like eggs or baked chicken so you can begin to taste the difference between spices from different areas of the world.
2. Salt and pepper don’t do the same job.
Salt makes your food taste MORE like what it is. It enhances the flavors of the food that are already there. If you over-season with salt, of course it will make your food taste salty, but that’s not salt’s function in the culinary world.
If you’re feeling adventurous and have a little extra cash, buy some fancy looking sea salt. There’s Hawaiian pink sea salt, fleur de sel, coarse sea salt, fine sea salt. There’s even weird stuff like truffle salt, grey sea salt, and black pyramid salt!
The best advice for pepper is to buy whole peppercorns and a pepper grinder. They even sell disposable ones with peppercorns already in them at the grocery store. You don’t have to get fancy. This is what I have. Fresh ground pepper makes all the difference in the world. If you like pepper on your food, this is the way to go!
Sometimes the most simple combination of coarse sea salt and coarsely cracked black pepper is all I use to season a steak, and it’s freaking delicious. Never discount simplicity.
3. Buy a pre-stocked spice rack. I might get some flack for this tip from seasoned (pun intended!) cooks. But when you’re first starting out, instead of buying all your spices individually, sometimes it’s nice just to have it all done for you. Spice racks are relatively cheap, they give you a lot of spices and herbs that you may not have thought about picking up at the store, but you’ll be glad you have it when a recipe calls for paprika and voila! You already have it!
Admittedly, spices and herbs that come in a pre-stocked spice rack from a department store may be older and therefore less flavorful, but it’s better than having no spices at all!
4. Get acquainted with acid. By acid, I mean vinegars and citrus juices. You’ll be amazed at how much adding a little bit of vinegar to a plate of sauteed veggies or your paleo spaghetti sauce makes it pop.
Acids brighten the flavors in your food and help minimize some of the bitter flavors in certain foods (like dark leafy green veggies). An acid can also help you bring down the heat if you added too much red pepper flake to a dish.
5. Fry the spices first. This is called “blooming” your spices. When your oil is heated in your pan, add your spices to the oil first and mix them around for 3-5 seconds, then add your veggies or meat or whatever you’re cooking in that oil. This is a quick and easy way to deepen and intensify the flavor of your spices.
Getting Started Spicing up Your Food (Next Steps)
We’ve all heard people say eating healthy food is boring and bland. If you ask me, the people who are telling you this are doing it wrong.
When we force ourselves to eat the same foods over and over (like plain baked chicken and steamed veggies with minimal seasoning), it can deplete our willpower bar if we crave more flavors and variety.
Companies design Frankenfoods to make us crave the sugars and chemicals they’ve created, so they can profit off of us indefinitely.
How can we fight against that?
By mastering the art of using spices and sauces!
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. Armed with these basic concepts and combinations you can defeat cravings and actually enjoy and look forward to your healthy meals!
Just roll up your sleeves and get going!
If you want some more help, Nerd Fitness is here for you.
We have three options on how to continue with us. Pick the option that best aligns with your goals:
Option #1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.
All the coaches from our videos today are part of the program, and they’re ready to help you level up your kitchen skills, apocalypse or no apocalypse.
You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you:
Option #2) If you want an exact blueprint for how to eat better and get in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). We even have quite a few “How to Cook” adventures.
Try your free trial right here:
Option #3) Join the Rebellion!We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get ourRebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
Alright, now I want to hear from you:
What flavors are we missing?
Are there any other spices in your cabinet that you have NO IDEA what to do with?
Let us know in the comments! Maybe we can help!
-Noel
PS: Make sure you catch the rest of our Cooking 101 series:
Join us for a fun and totally free 2-week fitness event: Spring Shape Up 2023! Details below and you can join here.
Are you ready for a lil fitness motivation and mojo?
Spring Shape Up 2023 is on the way and I’m so pumped to be doing this with you all!!
SSU is one of the best times of the year, and I always look forward to our amazing community, cheering each other on, and sharing some amazing prizes with some lucky participants.
You know you’re in?
Grab your spot here. Totally free and invite any friends or workout buddies to join in!
(If you refer a friend, send me an email to gina@fitnessista.com with their name(s) and each referral is an entry for a $100 Amazon gift card. I’d love your help welcoming some new friends into this fitness community if you’d like to spread the word!)
If you’re new to my Shape Up challenges, you’re in for a treat! I’ve been running this challenge on my blog since the very beginning, and every year it evolves into something different and better than the year before. This is 100% in thanks to all of you: your support and shared motivation with one another, check-ins and awesome comments keep this thing going. You help each other along the ways to your goals, and as your cheerleader from the sidelines, it’s heartwarming and inspiring to see.
Spring Shape Up 2023
So what is Spring Shape Up?
2 weeks of fitness plans, meal ideas and motivation to shake up your routine and get killer results from your efforts. It’s 100% FREE and always will be. Many similar programs are available for a subscription fee or one-time payment on other sites. Not here. Shape Ups are complimentary, and you get the advice and structure from a certified personal trainer, weight loss specialist, and Integrative Health Practitioner all in one spot.
What to expect:
A complete fitness plan + meal ideas for 2 weeks. You will get login access instantly when you sign up. Everything is available on the Kajabi app, and is beautifully organized and ready for you. The workouts and meals will appear on Feb 24 so you’re ready to go! (There are some tips for getting started, a playlist, high protein recipe ebook, and a couple of bonuses already waiting for ya in Kajabi)
You’ll need the following tools for a successful Shape Up:
1) A notebook or tracking tool (app) on your phone. I like to kick it old school and write down my workout and life in a notebook. Find what works best for you, and practice this week writing down your meals, workouts, water intake and how you feel each day. If you plan to track your macros, download My Fitness Pal or Chronometer.
2) Dumbbells. The workouts are going to be dumbbells and body weight ONLY, meaning you can do them anywhere at any time. For beginners, I suggest 3-5 lb weights to start, intermediates 8-15 lbs and advanced 15 lbs +. Find a challenging weight for you, and consider investing in a light and heavy set. You’ll use your light set for your smaller muscle groups (like triceps) and heavy for the larger muscle groups (ex: back and legs).
3) A big ol’ water bottle. This will be your prop for the challenge as we focus on movement, nutrition, and hydration. Find one you like and get ready to carry it around with you everywhere!
4) Good sneakers. If your shoes are on their (literal) last leg, it’s time for a new pair. Make sure you have comfortable, functional sneakers that fit you well.
5) A workout buddy. Send this post to a friend -it’s a lot of fun to do the workouts in a group!- and if you’re working out solo, make sure to check in with us on Instagram (tag me @fitnessista) and use the #springshapeup hashtag so we can cheer each other on! This is how you’ll enter to win prizes.
Each time you check in via IG stories or on your feed is an entry for prizes, including goodies from my favorite health companies, unlimited Fit Team membership, and more.
What if you don’t want to do the challenge portion but just want some free meal ideas and workouts? That’s ok!! I don’t want you to put pressure on yourself or have this be another stressor in your life. Do as many workouts as you’d like, use this to supplement your routine, or take some inspiration for how to take your fitness to the next level. This is something you can ADD into your routine and enjoy some new healthy living resources in the process!
6) Start to get your motivation mojo going. Create an inspiration board on Pinterest, or you can make a tangible board with paper, magazine clippings and a glue stick) to set your intentions for this Shape Up. If you’d prefer to write it all out, take a few minutes to journal about how you want to feel when the challenge is over. Why do you want to change your routine? What do you want to accomplish? Start to pump yourself up for success!
Friendly reminder that this Shape Up isn’t about weight loss; it’s about getting back into a routine, taking your current routine to the next level, creating healthy habits, and feeling amazing. If weight loss, muscle building, or fat loss is a part of your goal, I will absolutely support you with that, too!
**This is also a great opportunity to chat with a doctor if you’re going to be making any fitness or nutrition changes.
Are you going to be joining in the Shape Up this year? What’s something that you want to accomplish during the challenge??
Hey hey! How are you? Happy Friday! I’m so glad the weekend is here. I’m looking forward to a yoga class with a friend, a mom-daughter date with Liv, Super Bowl fun (not the game, but the snacks and company), and getting caught up around the house. Another something kind of exciting: I’m teaching a strength and conditioning class at the dance studio for the kids this weekend. I’m nervous about it (tough crowd lol), but I’m really looking forward to sharing some tools and strategies that can help support their flexibility and tumbling. I hope it goes well and that they enjoy it!
This past weekend, we had a family staycation in Phoenix for an Air Force awards banquet. I flew from Santa Barbara into Phoenix, did my makeup in the ladies’ room at the airport while I waited for the crew, they swooped me, and we headed straight to the event. One of our beloved babysitters lives in Phoenix, so she was able to hang out with the girls in our hotel room (they ordered room service and played games) while we were at the ceremony.
2 more years of getting to see this guy in his mess dress uniform so I better live it up. 😉
A few friends have asked about the Pilot’s work situation! The Pilot is finishing his Air Force retirement right now and is commander of one of the squadrons. He’s still employed commercially and will head back to the airlines after retirement.
The event was one of the best Air Force events I’ve attended. They had live music and dancing during the ceremony – ballet, modern, and lyrical performances to a variety of music styles. It included the traditional and more somber aspects of formal military events (presentation of the colors, National Anthem, ceremony for fallen soldiers and POWs, in addition to the awards and recognition), and the live performances were such a thoughtful way to make the event even more engaging and enjoyable.
We stayed at the Wigwam Resort, which was where the banquet was held, and the kids were obsessed with it. We definitely need to to back and bring our swimsuits for the water slides! We had breakfast at the hotel before hiking Camelback.
(I had the overnight oats, eggs, and an orange juice, and the Pilot and I split an acai bowl because we both wanted to try it)
The kids said we couldn’t go to Phoenix without hiking Camelback, so of course we had to take them. I love that they enjoy hiking as much as we do! Camelback is a pretty grueling hike with steep elevation, but they crushed it as always.
After our hike, we hit the road back to Tucson! It was fun to end one trip with another, but definitely made the week a bit of a scramble. I didn’t get groceries until Tuesday and am still recovering from the laundry nightmare, but it was totally worth it. 😉
It’s time for the Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your favorites, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below!
Read, watch, listen:
– I finally finished Emily in Paris last night and YOU GUYS. The ending was wild! I feel like I need to debrief with someone on all of this. What do you think is going to happen?!
– Spring Shape Up is on the way!! Be sure to check back here on Monday – I’ll have all of the details on how to sign up and get started. We’ll start on Feb 27 together! It’s a 2-week challenge and is totally free.
– 30% off for new Beautycounter clients is back! Use the code CLEANFORALL30 for 30% off almost everything sitewide! Click this link and make sure Gina Harney is selected as your consultant. I highly recommend the supreme cream, All Bright C serum, overnight peel, AHA mask, Color Intense lipstick, and beyond gloss.
– If you’re in the makeup mood, the Tarte sale is going strong.
Some of my top picks:
This palette (I have it and love it! Perfect neutrals)
