Empower Yourself Fitness

May The Fourth Be With You! Now go lift weights! 💪🏻 💫

Summer bodies are made all year round! Start now wherever you’re beginning from! The first step is always the hardest of the investment in your health is the best one you can make! 💪🏻💖

I’ve been trying to eat more fish on a weekly basis in order to get my omega-3’s! Of course, tuna fish is a convenient and versatile option. I put together a salad using chopped cucumbers, chopped black olives, chopped chickpeas, some diced parsley, lemon juice, some avocado oil mayonnaise, and I decided to top it with some curry powder. This is one of those salads that you can really put together with a lot of different options. Tomatoes would be delicious, some avocado, and any number of spices. It’s also really good leftover so making it ahead is really helpful for meal planning. It doesn’t have to be to labor intensive to eat healthy, and finding recipes like this that you can change up with any number of ways makes it interesting and delicious! Not to mention nutritious!! Yum! 💖🙌🏻💪🏻

We should all learn from dogs how to live in the moment, find joy in just being, and appreciating the simplest things in life. I’m constantly amazed at how pure their souls are, and how blessed we are to have them. It’s not long enough, but what a gift. Angels among us. 💖🐶🪽

Morning, afternoon, evening… all the versions of me in one day.
Mom. Professional (arguably the best uniform 😉). And most importantly… strong.

Not perfect, not effortless, but consistent, resilient, and showing up every single day. 💙

I’m always amazed by the strength of women…those I’m lucky enough to work with and call friends, the ones who’ve been in my life for decades, the one I raised, and the ones who’ve come into my life through my children.

I’m constantly inspired by you all, and I find so much purpose in that! 💖💪🏻

My daughter and I LOVE carrot cake 🥕🤍
She sent me this healthier recipe and of course… we had to try it!

And honestly? This might be our new favorite.

It’s a lighter, more nourishing twist on a typically high-fat, high-calorie dessert—but still SO moist, flavorful, and satisfying. And the best part? It was incredibly easy.

This is exactly what balanced eating looks like to me—enjoying the foods you love, just made a little more intentionally ✨

🥕 Healthier Carrot Cake

Cake Ingredients
• 1/2 cup (100g) Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 heaping cup freshly shredded carrots (don’t use pre-shredded!)
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• Optional: raisins or other mix-ins

Frosting
• 1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1–2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Dash of cinnamon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F and grease an 8x8 baking dish (line with parchment if desired).
2. Add dates and water to a bowl. Microwave ~1 minute, then mash until smooth.
3. Add almond butter, applesauce, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
4. Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix again.
5. Fold in carrots, walnuts, coconut, and any optional add-ins.
6. Pour into baking dish and bake 35–40 minutes (mine took 38).
7. Let cool completely before frosting.
8. Mix all frosting ingredients until smooth.
9. Frost, top with extra walnuts if you’d like, slice, and enjoy!

💡 Store in the fridge—honestly, it gets even better the next day!

This is your reminder that you don’t have to give up the foods you love… just find ways to make them work for you 🤍

Attention pet lovers 🐶✨

Your dog deserves better than just kibble… but that doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune or a ton of time.

Walk into any pet store and you’ll see pricey toppers everywhere—but when you flip them over, the ingredients are usually pretty simple (and sometimes… not great). You can do this yourself, cheaper, with real food.

This is my go-to lazy but intentional upgrade: homemade dog food topper in the crockpot.

Throw in:
• Brown rice
• Chicken
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Green beans

Cover with water, cook until the chicken shreds, mix it up, portion it out, freeze it… done.

That’s it. No overthinking.

I add a scoop on top of kibble and call it a win:
✔️ Real food = better nutrients
✔️ More hydration + fiber (hello digestion 👏)
✔️ Way more exciting for them to eat
✔️ Saves money

💡 And the best part? You can get creative. As long as the ingredients are dog-safe, switch things up with different veggies, grains, or proteins based on what you have. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be better.

This can work for cats too—but their nutritional needs are different, so ingredients would need to be adjusted.

Also… if you have a picky eater? This is a game changer.

And honestly… the tail wags say everything! Woof!

“Let them eat bread.” 🥖✨

Strong body, nourished soul.

Bread isn’t the enemy — disconnection from real, whole food is.
This sourdough? It’s slow-fermented, easier to digest, and supports gut health thanks to natural probiotics and beneficial bacteria.

I’ve been making sourdough for a long time — learning, tweaking, and perfecting it — because real food is worth the effort.

Fermented foods help nourish your microbiome, improve nutrient absorption, and support overall immunity.

This body? Built with strength, consistency, and self-respect.

You don’t have to choose between fitness and enjoying food.
You just have to choose better food.

Lift heavy. Eat real bread. Fuel your gut. Live fully. 💪🏼🍞

NutritionMatters Microbiome BalanceNotRestriction