Charcuterie boards are EASY and the best way to entertain!
I always have the very best intentions to host and entertain people. However, I am finding that the same intentions I always have give way to the same excuses. When I was younger, it was that I had small babies and children with odd sleeping/eating/crying schedules (valid). As I am older now with older children, the excuses are different. Mainly…they have CRAZY schedules and no driver’s license to fend for themselves. So, I am constantly toting them from place to place. Truthfully, it’s a wonder ANY adults have any sort of friends. *Sigh*
However, the summer thankfully brings that much needed slower or at least slower-ish pace that our family needs. My husband and I and 1/3 of our kiddos are extroverts who long for company. Last year, we put in a pool and our house quickly became somewhat of a Grand Central Station-of-a-place to house and feed loads of people. And the tree was happy.
Here’s the thing though- with all the people came my instinctual need as a mother to also FEED everyone. And feeding children Cokes and Drumsticks will work for a few hours, but as we all know, swimming creates an odd ravenous state, so eventually, I had to think quick and act fast when I would see all the mamas and babies headed for their towels!
Easiest thing in the world to throw together: A YUMMY Charcuterie Board.
Please do not dismay. I also do not know the appropriate pronunciation of this board-o-meats & cheeses and the like. Say it however it rolls off of your tongue with gusto! I *DO* know that this is the perfect way to wow and sustain a bundle of peeps! I have gotten so good at the charcuterie, I even do breakfast boards. Which as you will see is basically placing a bagel, cream cheese, fruit & honey on a lovely cutting board.
Breakfast charcuterie is beautiful!
What You Need for a Perfect Charcuterie:
A BOARD. Here’s the thing- you can do a large board- which is my personal preference, because you can literally throw ANYTHING on them and there is always room and the more the merrier! However, you can ALSO do several smaller boards and stack or line them up. Whatever you do, DO NOT feel like you have to spend a fortune. Most of us have a wooden cutting board somewhere that is not used, or I have seen people make their own with wood and screwing in some drawer pulls to add some flair! People are creative like that. But me, I love my huge-a** board that I use over and over and over. You can find lovely ones here, here and HERE. BUT like I said, don’t feel like you have to break the bank to get started! Do you, boo.
MEAT. Here’s the deal. You don’t have to do meat, BUT a quality meat is the essence of a great charcuterie. AND the meat is filling and always a go-to for the men-folk. Meat on a wood board = gone. So, make sure you have backup, sister friends! I LOVE me some good salami, prosciutto and some little pepperonis. Now, I am typically feeding some kiddos, so that’s where the pepperoni works for me, BUT there are much fancier ways to go like Chorizo & Capicola. Again, DO YOU. MOST grocery stores will have these meat items, but occasionally, you can REALLY step out and go to a specialty meat store and get your socks knocked off!
CHEESE. Ahhhhh…the nectar of the Gods. OH wait….maybe that’s just me, but cheese is where you REALLY get to assert yourself on a charcuterie. The options are ENDLESS, I tell you. And if…just IF…you are blessed and highly favored enough to live near a Trader Joe’s (which I sadly do not) they are beautifully helpful in introducing you to bad-a cheeses that you probably did not even know existed! Some of the cheese’s that are a must for me on the board: Goat cheese with blueberry preserves, havarta, gouda, and truthfully, just a good ol’ sharp cheddar cube REALLY floats my boat. Sometimes, I like to use pepperjack with hatch chiles to represent my home state of New Mexico. Word.
Cheese is crucial, people.
4. CRACKERS (or bread-y things). This is where you just let your taste buds to their thang. I think elements of surprise in different shapes and sizes is where I go for crackers, but really, do not overt-think it. People do like to have a little sumthin’-sumthin’ to add to their meat and cheese though, so don’t skimp! These and these are some of my go-to for the carbs!
5. FRUIT. I like to add on-the-vine fruit to my charcuterie delights because, well, what’s prettier than a cherry or grape on a vine? I also am known to just toss apple slices, raspberries and blueberries all over mine. The acidity in the fruit ALWAYS pairs well with the cheese. ALSO, sometimes cutting a pomegranate in half and placing in near the center of your board is not only tasty, but also gorgeous and eye-popping. SWOON! You can also opt for dried fruit like apricots and cherries if you don’t want fresh fruit!
6. Nuts . I heard someone, a “professional”, the other day say nuts did not belong on a charcuterie and I blurted out, “Get that demon away from me.”, or something like that, not sure, I was in a seeing-red kind of rage at that comment. Candied pecans are always dreamy, but for me, I just like a good old fashioned Marcona almond in a little corner of their own! Obviously, nuts are optional and be aware of any allergies that might need you to omit them from the board!
7. The ELEMENT OF SURPRISE. Ok, this one is where you get to shine. And don’t come at me with the, “oh, but I am not creative…” bit. Please. WHAT DO YOU LIKE/LOVE? Add it to the mix! My secret to my charcuterie boards is a full honeycomb. Now, these things are expensiveAF and will break you, BUT for me, it is worth ooooohing and awwwwwing my audience. But I am an enneagram 3, so it will just be like that. I have seen a tremendously gorgeous board with EDIBLE FLOWERS that were beautiful and tasty. I have seen multiple jams in tiny mason jars. I think creating a breakfast board is also a great way to surprise your overnight guests! Whatever this extra element is, make it be unique to you!
Ok, if this did not get your mouth watering and your hospitality creative juices flowing, friends, I cannot help you!! BUT if it did get you all excited to host a little summa get-together, please send me your pics! I would LOOOOVE to see your creations! Email me at nicki@nicki-wilson.com and show me!
I want to preface something. I love Instagram. Like love it so much that I have to set time constraints on it via the new handy-dandy Iphone “Screen time” update. Instagram feels easy to me. Especially now that we have IG Stories, I feel like I can finally live out my dream of having my own reality TV Show (sheepishly half-joking, half serious–we all mourn the way Nick and Jessica turned out)! And truthfully, I know people in the online business space are annoyed that it seems to be all curated and fluffy nowadays, I….kinda like the curation part of it. Makes me feel all artsy and strategic. But I like pretty things.
I have built and small and mightily engaged IG following. I love my peeps on the ‘gram. So much so that I kinda sorta forgot about my other audience… Facebook. Like an old high school friend that didn’t go to the same college as me, who didn’t party with me on the weekends, who wasn’t in my sorority. I neglected to nurture it. Until, I realized something. Facebook is a loyal and faithful friend. People LOVE, love, like REALLY love to hang out with Facebook. It’s steady. And versatile. And popular.
Do you like analogies, ornahhhhh?
Ok, so here’s my point: Facebook is VERY much alive and well. And with the lure of Instagram and Youtube and other platforms that are super fun and engaging and whimsical- we sort of forgot about Old Reliable. AND WE ARE DUMB FOR IT. But friends, there is redemption. You can still return, apologize and move on. Like any good friendship.
You see, if we forget about Facebook, we are leaving potential money on the table. Like I said earlier, we all love the ‘gram, and that’s fine and good, but the two platforms have pretty different audiences. IG tends to cater to a younger crowd, while FB users are a “twidge” older. And “twidge” is actually a word I made up because as I look at the statistics, I see that my age demographic is considered more in the FB crowd and I feel slightly wounded and recall the old “You’re only as old as you feel” adage and in this case, I will stick with a comfortable and firm 27.
I digress.
I was told pretty intently by a few powers that be over the past 18 months that Facebook is dead. Then, I started hanging with other powers that be and they said, “What?!! No it isn’t, you just aren’t USING IT WITH STRATEGY.” And I think the latter group is right.
There are 1.5 BILLION active users per day. PER DAY.
All the prefaced information said, this is the point of my post- If you are in the online business/marketing/sales space. There are 3 easy ways you might be forgetting to get in front of your audience. I’m going to break them down for you here. There is nothing new, in fact, it is probably just stuff you FORGOT because you have been so swept up in trying to use the ‘gram and grow your following there. Fine. Keep doing that too! BUT dust off your FB BIZ page (yes, you need one-do not post biz stuff on your personal page) and GET IN FRONT OF YOUR AUDIENCE SO YOU CAN SELL!
**Disclaimer: these techniques take time. If you cannot value ONE new person a day because you are pining over Kim Kardashian numbers, then friend- you sorta kinda have no business in this business. There. I said it. Organic growth (actual potential customers) > Quick fix (fake friends who won’t buy crap).**
3 EASY WAYS YOU ARE FORGETTING TO GET IN FRONT OF YOUR AUDIENCE:
Inviting people. Yep. You heard me correctly. The simple invite to “like” your page.
Now listen, all ye studious people, DO NOT INVITE ALL. The people you want to invite are the people who are interested in your business. If you are a female-only service company with a niche market between 32-44 years old, then invite THOSE women. Find this to be so simple surely, it is ineffective? *insert maniacal laugh here* Seems like it, but it is most definitely not! These people are friends who already like you, so target the ones who are going to BENEFIT from you!! Go invite 30-40 people right this second, girl!!
2. Engaging people. The reason people got all down and out on FB business pages was because it seemed like a rat race to make sales on them. EVEN FB ITSELF GOT SICK OF IT! They started threatening businesses that they would all but shut them out if they did not quit spamming and selling! You guys, sadly, I was one of these people. I only showed up on my page when I was launching. Whhhhaaaaaa. Then wondered why no one was listening. No one was listening, because no one was listening, heck, probably no one was even SEEING anything to listen to! Treat your page like a place to hang out with your friends. Hate to say it, but more like IG!
Engagement is how the algorithm lets your page be heard. And I don’t mean fake stuff like, “comment yes if you showered.” No, no, no, I mean ask things that you & your peeps actually care about. Make it of 1.) Value to your audience. 2.) Authentic to who YOU are which allows people to know you more and 3.) Doesn’t seem spammy and lame. And I wish I could say there was a magic formula to post everyday, but this is where YOU get to be an investigator and do the work. You might have to post funny memes. Or pretty inspiration Jpegs. Or maybe you treat your page like a talk show and just GO FOR IT!
Additionally, LIKE and Comment on EVERY SINGLE PERSON’S COMMENT annnnnnnd keep the conversation going if you can because this little piece of unicorn poop does 3 magical things: 1.) Boosts algorithm (“hey! people really like this stuff she is putting out! look how much they are talking about it!” 2.) Makes you not look like an a**hole. Why would people want to comment if you are going to ignore them? 3.) Immediate and easy market research for what to put on your page in the future (if zero likes on a inspirational stuff, but crazy shares and comments on every single funny meme, then you have struck some gold for yourself!).
3. Get on Video. I know. I know. Cringey cringe cringe. But it’s true. It’s reality. And you are HUGELY MISSING out if you are not using video. FB Live videos receive 6x more interaction than any other type of videos. ANNNNNND this is my favorite part, you guys, EACH live video you put out into the interwebs, you can create a custom audience for your ads based on how long people watched it! YA’LL. This is huge for creating FB ads (which is a whole nutha mutha to tackle on another day)! Video is a beautiful way for people to get to know you and for you to interact with your people Again, even on REPLAYS of a live video, you are commenting on people’s comments even if it is later on, therefore, boosting that engagement, yo! I mean…if I can do it with this mug, so can you…
Ok, so do you see how frickin’ simple this is? Going back to some of the basics and getting familiar with at old high school friend, Facebook.
If you do any of these things and see growth and engagement in your business, please LET ME KNOW! Shoot me an email or share this post!
This photo is not only a depiction of what my life often LOOKS like, but also a depiction of what my life FEELS like every.single.day. It’s a little bit of a circus, a little bit piece-milled together and DEFINITELY fun. And hard. And often makes me feel like there is no more steam in the ol’ engine.
Mostly, between the hours of 2:30p-7:00p (or later) I am a chauffeur. Or more like a really really great Uber driver who provides snacks on the ride. Except my work is all pro bono. So, there’s that. The other parts of my early days are trying to run an in-person business full of personal connections to people-trying to get them results in their body and provide them some encouraging workouts and antics. And the rest is getting my on-line business going and keeping steam with that. Oh, and being a good wife. And cooking. Not cleaning tho. EW.
Working with women every day for the past 15 years has taught me that each stage we are in is equally challenging and exhausting. As we adjust, the stage changes on us. We often cannot tell if we are back in the stage that preceded this one, or if it is time to move on. “Time moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”- Ferris Bueller.
Right, right. Don’t MISS it. Got it! Only problem is, sometimes in the midst of the ca-ray-zays, we forget to take care of ourselves. ANNND the bigger problem that lurks beneath it how can I factor my health choices in when I can’t even logistically get every kid where they need to be?
One thing I teach in my Fit & FREE Course, actually, it is in Lesson #1, where I teach women to “Own & Accept Their Current Stage In Life” and then begin to make a plan AROUND that. So, let me break that down-
When I had my first two kids, I was a STAY AT HOME MOM. Like, I stayed home-home. I did baby things. My oldest two are 19 months apart, so my days literally revolved around waking, cooking, snacking and napping. It was a tiresome time. But during that time, I made elaborate breakfasts (because I LOVE elaborate breakfasts) and made all my own homemade baby food. It was what I did.
When my third was born, I had a 7-year old who played in 2 different basketball leagues, baseball and football and a 5-year old in dance and gymnastics. Listen, I breastfed, but did not pump. Formula was on hand as needed. There were no naps and poor thing-homemade baby food gave way to Football games and easy, squeezy pouches of food in the car. Even baby food progressed sooooo far in 5 years!
You see how things changed? Was the second babyhood worse than the other 2? No. BUT it was the reality of my life. If I would have stayed home and made every baby food, pumped and cooked elaborately, I would probably have to miss out on some stuff.
Now, let’s look at this from a health perspective for you. If your life looks anything like mine-it is not realistic to think you will be cooking 3, super-clean meals a day. And your workouts may not be 90 minutes any more. Maybe gym time is a time suck and you have to find an alternative. We have GOT to learn to own our current stages in life and adjust our health goals AROUND that and not the other way around. Other “pros” might disagree with me, but I stand firm in that school of thought So, how do you do this? I have 5 ways to help you get results even when life is crazy!
Own It. Own where you are now. One thing I find interesting about women is that we have a hard time admitting to current situations. We like things to stay the same, but most of the time-they don’t. We find ourselves working full-time again. Or divorced. Or in the car all day. And it’s hard for us to own it. It’s hard for us to make a pivot and move on. The first step to scheduling your health into your life is owning where you are now {and get ready…it will change again…LOL}. Look at where you are and what needs to change, and then look at what can change REALISTICALLY!
Make some SMALL, REALISTIC adjustments. If you are feeling frustrated with your body & need to make some changes, the WORST thing to do is try to overhaul EVERYthing at once. You know me, my motto is small changes=BIG results. If you are in the car most of the afternoon-maybe planning evening workouts is not logical. But also don’t plan to get up at 5a every day either. Try to schedule 1-2 early morning workouts. If going to a gym adds too much time, try rolling out of bed and working out at home. I have some awesome FREE WORKOUTS that you can do that require absolutely zero equipment. Squeeze in a walk after dinner once a week. You need just as many things to de-stress you as you do to “get in shape”. Try planning to cook 1-2 dinners per week. I find that if I can look forward to cooking at least twice a week, I feel satisfied with my mommy role. Even though we might have to eat out several times a week-the one or two we eat at home is wonderful.
Plan ahead. Look at your calendar on Sunday and plan your meals for the week (even if that is eating out) & grocery shop for the 1 or 2 when you eat at home. Knowing in advance what you are doing will always help make better choices. Additionally, write out your workouts. Remember, working out twice a week is something. #ActionOverPerfection
Get smarter at eating out. Late nights, unpreparedness and hungry kids are inevitable. It’s best to not get caught off-guard, BUT you can also eat smarter when you go out to eat. I always say-look for something high in protein and TRY TRY TRY your best to get some veggies in too! EVEN if that means a fast food salad with dressing. IMO, it is better to have the veggies with a little dressing then have none at all. If you have trouble eating out, I created THIS GUIDEfor you. Sure makes it a little easier.
Get 1-2 Daily Non-Negiotiables. In Fit & FREE I also teach the idea of Daily Non-Negotiables-which are one or two big nutritional things you can do that will make a big impact. This is MUCH easier to adhere to than making drastic nutritional changes like “never eat sugar” or a major diet like Whole 30. I hate all restriction diets, so you know me, but I suggest a simpler, proactive-only, approach like “eat 30g of protein at every breakfast”, or “eat veggies with every single lunch and dinner” or “drink 100 oz of water every day” as opposed to making everything super complicated and restrictive. Daily Non-Negotiables are actually a pretty big game changer. If you can identify a couple of your own-it puts you in your power over food. It’s a great tool to have in your belt. If you like this idea, I highly encourage you to join me for my Fit & FREE course in January. You can get on the waiting list here.
Life is crazy. But it is mostly crazy good. It’s hard to adjust, but I really think making a few adjustments can still get you some pretty good results! And this picture was actually us entering into the “3 Kids with Activities” zone…which is insane…in a good way!
Honestly, I hate the urban dictionary word deemed “Mompreneur”. I mean it’s a clever take in a society that lives for name combinations. It’s fine, but sometimes it makes me feel a little under-valued, maybe? Like I am not an all-the-way entrepreneur. Like I have one foot out the door or something. Buuuut, I think those feeling are just the ones that I project on to myself–which is also a key part in this post. Guilt is silly, when the truth of the matter is-“mompreneurs” are actually quite savvy. As we go thru life managing not only our businesses and dreams, we are managing our children and their well-being, our marriages and relationships have to be tended to with proper timing and care. So for the sake of relevance, I wanted to post to all of my Mompreneur sistas out there today. I wanted to share with you some tips that I WISH I would have known before I set out on this journey solo. Now, NONE of this would have changed my mind at all! I think I just think it would have helped me become a little more resilient a little quicker. But, nonetheless, here we are-some of us go before others to impart what they find! So, I hope you will find this helpful and encouraging as you go out on your own and take the plunge….
Don’t try to find balance. It just doesn’t exist. In fact, I write about that A LOT. You can read more here and here just to give you an idea of my stance on balance. Listen, balance is simply exhausting. And while it sounds like a good thing, ultimately, trying to find balance leads to burn-out. If you are going to operate a business-some things are going to suffer. If you are the mama of littles and want to start a shop, there probably will not be a lot of time spent at home. If you are working full-time and coming home to kids sports and homework-there may not be a lot of time for gourmet cooking. Some thing will ALWAYS have to give when you start a business and want to make it thrive. And thriving is the difference between a business and hobby. So, make sure you know that up front-if you actually want to make money doing this gig, your pie chart will look different this season. And you know what? If you can just settle into that-it will be fine! It’s the over-action that produces the burnout. Keep LOVING your family and kids as priority. Lavish them to pieces. And know that LOVING doesn’t always mean every ounce of your time. I say, be all in when you are in! Be 100% present when you are in their presence. THAT is where you will have to make the commitment to put the phone down as soon as pick-up line happens. No more emails responses after 5p. This past summer, I had to batch work like CRAZY! I did not create very much time for work so I could be with my kids, but maaaan, the time I did create for myself was used until the last second! But, you know what? I got a LOT done that way. Whatever the boundaries are to make it work-make the boundaries, but do not seek balance.
Draw some hard lines in the sand early on. In other words, you cannot please everyone so don’t even try. This will actually HELP you. My mentor, Jill Coleman, gave me that advice and it has been magic! I remember as a young trainer, I took on EVERYone. High school athletes, elderly women, pregnant people, men…everyone. And my approach was pretty one-dimensional. But trying to not be made me exhausted. I did not know who I was as a trainer. It wasn’t until YEARS later I knew definitely that I LOVED working with moms and hormone education. And that I am anti-diet. And all about a moderation lifestyle. Saying NO to all other things helps my business. It helps me get niched out. I can openly say, “if you want to get super skinny, I ain’t yo girl.” And while at first turning down potential clients feels a little crazy, it actually is the opposite. You attract people attracted to YOUR approach and YOUR material or product. Someone parting ways with you because they have different needs is a GREAT thing. It gives you more room to serve people who will be your tribe and always be excited about your services or products. This goes for all areas of business. Get clear on your message and get clear on your goals and ideals which will help you find your IDEAL CLIENT. Don’t flounder around trying to appease and serve everyone out there. PS>>YOU WILL INDEED GET SOME HATERS. It’s all good though-for every hater, you get 10 or 20 or 100 people who get what you are doing!
Don’t forget that success takes time. My husband is a super successful entrepreneur. I watch and study his behaviors and ask for his advice. At first, when I went into the fitness business on my own, I felt super insecure. I am married to a superstar and I was a little fish in a saturated market. It makes me laugh now though because I also seemed to forget the absolute GRIND he put in it in the beginning of his businesses. Late, late, SUPER late nights and early mornings. Relentless trouble shooting. Phones calls at all hours of the night with employees, clients, and potentials calling with questions and urgent matters. No salary. No compensation. IT WAS A LOT! And it took years to be successful. Funny how we often expect our great ideas to just be successful because WE KNOW they are good ideas! Good ideas are awesome, but there are a zillion out there. You have to be consistent every.single.day. You have to show up with expectancy, but also not quit when the response seems dismal. It’s work. It’s fun, but it’s also….work. Be prepared to work for a while! Again, my mentor, Jill Coleman, always says, “Don’t compare your year one to their year six.” That’s not fair to you and not fair to the time “they” put into their biz! Greatness takes time, friends.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know what you don’t know (and get with people who DO know). When I wanted to take my fitness business to the next level and take it online, I had NO CLUE how to do that. Like, didn’t even know how to connect a cart to my website. Thankfully, I had a great friend, Alison, who walked me through all the logistics of a website. BUT I was soooo stuck in getting my name out there outside of my small town. I wanted to get out of the same circulation. I needed major help on marketing, and lead magnets and content creation and programming. I can make up workouts in my sleep, but that does no good if I cannot deliver! So, I made an investment in myself. I joined a business mentorship of other fitness professionals starting online businesses led by Jill Coleman (can you see how much I have learned from her?). This was pricey, of course, but I had to count the cost. What if I DIDN’T do it? What if I just went on doing things the way I had been doing them? Chances are-I would have spun my wheels and gotten no where. Being in a mentorship has lit a fire under me to jump and jump again. Sometimes winning big, sometimes falling flat. But doing it, trying it, learning it, creating it. IT HAS CHANGED MY WHOLE MINDSET. And it has been educational and valuable. And while you are not required to get into a mentorship or a mastermind, I would then highly suggest getting with some seasoned pro’s in your industry and offering to PAY for consults with them. BTW-NO ONE LIKES THEIR “BRAINS PICKED” OVER COFFEE. I know that sounds harsh, but honestly, it sort of insults what people do…especially when you are essentially going to be in the same industry as they are. And I do not mean if they are your friends–I have several true friends who do what I do and we eat lunch and talk about business! I am talking about people you know of or know from a far or as a peer or colleague. A good gauge would be to ask yourself if it would be semi-random or catch them off-guard for you to ask them for professional advice and wisdom. If you think it would be a little awkward, then make it more professional. Ask direct & specific questions if you are seeking advice–offer to work under them for a while for free or a small fee if they have a spot available for you, or ask them if they charge a consult fee and offer to pay one whether or not they have it. They may say, “NO WAY! I would be happy to have coffee and give you the goods!”-either way, it is just nice to offer to show you VALUE someone for their time and expertise. Bottom line: there is a lot more to business than your specific talent or gift. Marketing, manufacturing, creation, affiliations–it’s a lot! Don’t be afraid to get expertise (and often that means PAYING for it). Consider it an invaluable investment!
It might be lonely. Some lucky friends go into business together. I always admire friends who create something together. It is a built-in, co-worker system with a shared dream. So so cool. But for a lot of us, that does not happen and we are flying solo. I knew when I committed firmly to treating NWF as a business and not a hobby, that I would have to eliminate a lot of my social life in the daytime. Before I took it next level, when my kids were in school, I was mainly shopping, lunching or doing stuff around the house and just doing NWF when I had time. This past year, I have probably purposefully shopped a handful of times and I RARELY go out to lunch with people unless it is a special occasion or I feel a deep loneliness that becomes unhealthy. And that’s the thing to remember–don’t isolate, buuuuuut also, you have to block out lots of time to get stuff done. It’s a blurry line. I am still working on this-it has probably been the hardest learning curve for me, a natural extrovert who loves to be around people. But I also am easily distracted so I have to batch out time on the calendar and say NO to a LOT of things. I am trying lately to make some connections to other women with similar visions and missions to mine in the fitness & health industry. In my town, there are only a few in the fitness biz who share the same beliefs as me, but I have found them and plan to make better time with and for them. I definitely want to cultivate a climate of change in our city with these women! If you are buckling down like I have been, don’t forget to poke your head out from time to time and get some “fill” time, but don’t linger in that space forever…easier said than done I am learning!
Overall, I just LOVE the freedom of being an entrepreneur/mompreneur! It allows me soooo much freedom to create things I want to create EXACTLY the way I want to create and deliver them. ANNNND I get to stay home with my kids, work around important things, and write blog posts like this one in my car whilst waiting for art lessons to end
What about you? Are you a mompreneur? What are you doing and what advice would you give someone starting out on their journey? I’d love to hear from you!
Last week, I shared a little bit about my reasoning for creating the “Guide To The Best-ish Fast Food Choices”. You can read that post here. The goal isn’t to become a fast food junkie! Quite the contrary! It is to guide thru those less than stellar times when we are forced to reckon with our situation. Busy people, working people, college kids….we are sometimes out of our desired and controlled element when it comes to maintaining healthy choices.
Think about it-if you travel a lot, you eventually are forced to make a decision around what you can do to stay healthy. So, you start to learn how to make the most of hotel gyms. Or you start to run because it is an easy, take-anywhere solution! If you are committed to making sustainable life changes, this INCLUDES rolling with the punches and not becoming defeatist around your options. So, next time little Jimmy’s ballgame ends at 9:30pm and everyone is hangry and as happy as a cat in a bath and all there is to eat is Taco Bell…you make the best choice possible.
Traveling is this way for eating. It’s got to be mental shift from “Oh well, I’ll get back at it when I am home. For now….Double bacon cheeseburger with a large Coke” to “Oh well. Not my first choice, but lemme see what I can do here.” You see? Again-it’s should never ever ever be all or nothing when it comes to health! It will set you up for mental failure and resignation. So, here we are! Let’s talk about 3 ways to stay on track while traveling. Just in time for Spring Break and/or Summer Vacations! To me, these breaks breed lack of structures and mindfulness and wreak more havoc on the health journeys than Christmas! And mostly it boils down to people just giving up to their circumstance…and vacation should not be made to make you feel like a victim! LOL! It’s a privilege to get to travel! I encourage you to try these things next time you are traveling for work or for pleasure!
1. Find the protein source in every meal.
This basically is trying to find something 1.) you like. 2.) has a good balance of macro nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat). Emphasis heavy on the protein. It really is just a way to get fuller for longer. Carbs are great, but as fast burning energy sources, they tend to burn off and leave you hungry faster. And usually while traveling you aren’t working out as much, so I try to find protein sources with every single meal! Chicken, beef, eggs, pork, greek yogurt, cheeses–these all have high protein. You don’t have to aim for a gram amount or anything…just try to eat it with every meal.
2. Try Sampling.
Maybe it’s just me, but vacation and travel makes me get severe food FOMO (fear of missing out). As I have posted before, I am a foodie and vacations make me want to EAT ALL THE FOOD! You really can’t blame me. I live in a mid-size town that has mostly chain & fast food restaurants. I rarely get to experience cultural, culinary things…and tex-mex does NOT count (sorry, this New Mexico gal has never understood it-LOL!). So, when I go to new places, I want to try the food. And when I go to a new restaurant, I want to order something huge at every course as well as decadent dessert. That is totally normal and all, but the issue is that I am also going to to the same thing tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. And the remainder of the trip. Because…#nocook policy on vacation. So, what has helped me? To become aware of the fact that I can eat the food because it is great, but I don’t have to go OFF on it! Eat a sampling of things. If you love the meat and cheese board…go for it-try some of each! Steak and veggies? Sure! Dessert-yes, have some, or order several and take a few bites of each. You are not required to finish off the entire plate! Chances are you will be super full at some point in the meal, and guess what? Tomorrow there will be another great meal around the corner…just eat like you normally would at the meal in front of you! There is not obligation to overdue it even if the food is giving you all the feels! HA!
3. Remove the Guilt.
Listen, I know eating 100% pure is not easy…it’s almost impossible. Add all the issues of life and it’s a even more challenging. And honestly, you will be back in your usual element in a relatively short amount of time, so a slip up here and there are not going to end it all! Just get out of the “All or Nothing” mindset and try to live out the “I am doing my best” mindset. And you will start to see changes take place in your eating habits and the way you self-talk. It’s a practice for sure. And remember the goal is to always eat the same. Monday-Sunday and home or on vacation. It’s a no-diet life style in the works. Trust yourself in the process of learning a new way. New ways have slip ups and bumps. It’s all good…just keep at it!
If you have never done my e-course, #FoodAsFuel I HIGHLY encourage you to go thru it. One email teaching per day for 9 days with practice notes. It’s *free* and you can get it here.
ANNNND, if you need to grab the “Best-ish Fast Food Choices” e-guide for FREE….you can do that by clicking THIS LINK .
It will be a fantastic lil’ piece of info for you for busy nights, road trips or random deep desires of Chick-Fil-A that pop up from time to time…which of course, never happens to me 😉
