Nicole Testa

I’m back… and am sharing my cozy bowl of oatmeal with you all this morning, along with tips on how to build a filling (and satisfying) breakfast 🤗☀️

Let’s keep things simple, here are five things include in your morning meal:
- Fiber
- Whole grains
- Protein
- Healthy fats
- Fruit/vegetables

This snowy weather has had me on an oatmeal kick lately and it is honestly one of my favorite ways to start my day (besides having a cup of coffee 😜). Not only is is packed FULL of nutrients but it also keeps me full for hours, different additions can be added daily (keeping things new and fun), and it is super yummy!

In this bowl I cooked ½ cup of oats with 1 cup of almond milk, 1 tbsp of chia seeds, a dash of cinnamon, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. I then topped it with ½ cup of defrosted mixed berries, 1 tbsp of sliced almonds, and a drizzle of honey 😋

What have some of your go to breakfast been lately? 👇

It is officially Thanksgiving week (still having a hard time believing this- time is flying) and with that I have some reminders for all of us ❤️

First, you do NOT have to earn your food and it is also okay to indulge in the moment.

Enjoy the time spent with your loved ones!!!

You do not need permission to eat your favorites. If you want the pie, eat it, and without guilt! 👏

Find things to be grateful for this week and always! Hope you are all staying safe and healthy 🥰🥰

Happy (almost) Halloween y’all!! 🎃👻💀 Lets talk about mindful eating, the process of being aware of our senses and choosing to eat things that we actually enjoy/that make us feel good. 🥰

Quick reminder… YOU are the one who has the power to choose what foods you put in your body! AND YOU can give yourself permission to eat things like a Reeses’s cup or a Snicker’s bar without feeling guilty about it! 👏👏👏

When we restrict foods from our lives like candy/sweets, it just makes us crave them even more and can result in a binge later (that we won’t feel so good about). 🙃😩

Moral of the story, if you want to snickers and you know you will enjoy it, EAT IT, be satisfied, and move on. 🙌 Make mindful decisions that will make you feel good and stop restricting foods that you actually enjoy…

Some tips as we head in to Halloween for how to eat mindfully are:
1. Ask yourself before eating the piece of candy if it is something that you really want and that will make you feel good/satisfied. 🤔
2. Be sure to eat balanced meals throughout the day full of carbs, proteins, and fats (do not “save” your calories for candy- this is likely to lead to a binge and also spike your blood sugar) 🍝🍗🥗
3. Keep the wrappers of the candy you do eat in a pile to be mindful of how much you are consuming 🍬🍫

What kind of candy will you be ENJOYING this Halloween??! 👇 (I will most definitely be eating a Take 5- the best of all worlds in my opinion lol 😁)

There was a time (not so long ago) in my life that I literally tracked EVERYTHING I put in my body (even the tiny bit of oil I would use to cook with). I was obsessed with the amount of calories I ate and I refused to go over the MyFitnessPal recommended calories for me to loose a pound a week. 🤦‍♀️🙃

I wasn’t happy, I was fighting personal insecurities and striving to be as thin as possible in hopes of feeling beautiful. I was afraid of food, I was afraid of calories, I was afraid of eating “too much,” I was afraid of gaining weight and was obsessed with losing it.

This wasn’t healthy for me. I was crushing my relationship with food, it became toxic.

Flash forward... I am working on my food freedom and am feeling better than ever with my relationship with food. ☺️ I eat mindfully, do not track my calories, eat foods that I actually ENJOY (while still fueling it with needed nutrients), can go out to eat with friends and not feel like I have to pick the lowest calorie option on the menu, etc... 🙌

Finding food freedom has not been a linear process and there are many ups and downs along the way, I still have down days, and that is okay! What I can say is that I am so grateful for the growth I have made and am damn proud of where I am and where I am going 💪❤️🥰