Happy Sunday! Before I get distracted by the Grammys Red Carpet I wanted to release the latest episode of the podcast. We recorded last week but I was a little over ambitious thinking my Remicade on Friday wouldn't totally wipe me out and delay the editing process. So here we are.

We talk about generational fashion in this episode as well as some funny tangents. There is a lot of garlic talk, mention of Holister graphic tees, and we tasted the dessert hummus. This all relates in some way, I promise.

Full disclosure, I had a SERIOUS sinus issue going on so please forgive my sniffling and man voice.

Make sure to follow me on Instagram (@crohnicallyblonde) because this week I will be documenting Diane and my first experience with Botox and next week we will be in Charleston, SC! 

As always, let us know your questions, comments, and things you want to hear about next!

​xx

This week we are diving into some fun topics. We start with travel and somehow make it into bidets... and round it out with Disney World and details on our next adventure. 

In just a few weeks Diane and I are taking on Charleston, SC! If you are from the area or have visited and have some great recommendations, send them on over! We will be there February 8th-10th so clue us in to any fun events or meet ups that will be going on as well. 

This episode cracks me up so many times so I hope it makes you laugh just as much. Happy (almost) Friday! Enjoy.

​xx 

It has been a while since I have done a 'Meal Talk Monday'... mostly because the holiday season had me so busy I was scrounging together whatever leftovers or random things from my pantry I could to try and make a meal. Now that things have calmed down I have made it a priority to put aside to cook for myself and my husband more often.

As much as I joke about how much I hate cooking, there actually is something really special about serving a home cooked, healthy, and delicious meal for you and your hubby. For our entire relationship, Matt has been the one who has cooked 90% of the time so now that my skills have been slowly but surely improving I am trying to show off a little bit.

Recently, I heard about these 'Better Than Foods' from the F Factor Diet and from Heather Dubrow's podcast and figured I should give them a try. They are gluten free, no carb, fiber packed, and super low calorie alternatives to rice, noodles, and pasta. I was super skeptical at first but I didn't have much to lose. I already replace all of the delicious, gluteny carbs, with still carby but not as delicious alternatives. If I could find something that either tastes better or is better for me then I was willing to make the switch.

I got a sample pack of the rice, noodles, and pasta AND I AM OBSESSED. This stuff actually tastes like the real stuff... or at least what I remember it to taste like and it at least trumps most of the other gluten free alternatives. They are packed with fiber so at first I was uncertain about the effect they may have on my sensitive stomach but I have had zero issues and actually felt pretty great after eating the meals I have made. Not kidding, this stuff tastes so good I was researching it so much to make sure it was legit. Well, based on my research and experience, it definitely is. The secret is that they are made with konjac flour which you can get all of the details on here. So far I have tried the rice and the noodles in two different 'Asian takeout inspired' dishes that have been big hits in my house.

Matt and I are suckers for some good old take out but it is hard to, number one, find options that are gluten free, and number two, find options that are healthy. Luckily this stuff makes it a lot easier to check both of those boxes. 

Last week I made shrimp fried 'rice' which Matt said was a winner and this week I tried out a shrimp Pad Thai which was even more of a win according to the super picky husband. 

I used this recipe for skinny shrimp Pad Thai from skinnytaste and modified it slightly. I swapped out the rice noodles for my Better Than Noodles and I swapped out the bean sprouts for brussels sprouts mainly because I couldn't, for the life of me, find bean sprouts in the grocery store. It was a debacle that turned out well thought because they tasted great in the Pad Thai and added a nice crunch.

This recipe was surprisingly easy, didn't take long to make, and was relatively easy to clean up-- a lot easier than the rice at least. The rice situation was not great and somehow I literally made it explode all over my kitchen. I suck at rice. Big time. Not even kidding, when I was little my parents would make me eat rice in the bathtub if I wanted it because I was a terrorist when it came to eating it. I also really enjoyed using chopsticks which probably contributed to the problem. Yikes. 

Anyway.... I think this shrimp Pad Thai was a serious success and it will probably become a staple in our house. I am so excited to continue my cooking journey and start getting down in the kitchen a lot more often now. 

Make sure to check out skinnytaste for delicious and nutritious recipes as well as Better Than Foods  to get some skinny noodles for yourself!

​xx

It is 100% time to grab a cocktail.

Number one, because it is Thursday and you deserve it.

I've had a long week. Maybe you have too.

Number two, because The Crohnically Blonde Podcast is is BACK.

If you have been following the blog for a while, you know that I released a few episodes of my podcast last year. They were a mix of me rambling/ sharing my opinions as well as a few guests that were absolutely great. I was testing the waters and getting into the groove of what this whole podcast thing was all about.

I spent the past couple of weeks not only getting feedback on the different kinds of episodes I produced but also doing some soul searching to decide what I want to use this platform for.

There were a few things that really stood out: I wanted a cohost, I wanted to help people, and the episode with my mom was 100% the best received episode that I published.

I think the outcome is pretty obvious. Diane (my mom) is now going to be my official cohost of The Crohnically Blonde Podcast! The moment I asked her she agreed and brought along a slew of great ideas of topics for us to discuss. 

To be honest, this decision seems so natural. Her and I already talk at least 12 times per day but now we just get to let you all in on the conversation. We want to make it feel like you are hanging out, eating chips and guac, enjoying a margarita or iced tea... your preference, with us once a week. We talk about health (we both have Crohn's), beauty, wellness, pop culture, food, fitness, travel, relationships, and motherhood in ways that will make you catch all the feels one minute and cry with laughter the next.

We're bringing different perspectives from a 20 something and a 50 something and were hoping to bridge the generation gap, bring up taboo topics and tackle them, and hopefully add some joy and humor to your day at the same time. 

I am beyond excited for this first episode where we delve RIGHT in. We're talking about why mothers and daughters talk so much, a few of our favorite things, Botox, and boob jobs. We discuss how generational differences contribute to varying attitudes around plastic surgery and why our husbands need to get the hell over the fact that we will always talk 12 or more times per day. 

We hope that you like what we are using our platform to put out into the world and we hope that you can relate and laugh.

Please drop us messages or comments with any feedback, topics you want us to cover, or questions you want answered. We can't WAIT until next week's episode.

​Enjoy!!


​xx

Happy Sunday ya'll! 

This weekend was incredibly relaxing for me which I needed after the chaos of the holidays. I also was starting to get sick so I needed to sleep it off, hydrate, and load up on Vitamin C. It was also so damn cold here in Maryland so I rejoiced that I had a reason to stay curled up in the house. 

I spent today prepping for the week and getting myself ready to crush it. I've been slammed at work with a ton of projects so getting set up on Sundays to make my mornings and my week go as smoothly as possible is so key. 

Something that I always have struggled with is my morning routine. I love maximizing my sleep time which means I get up at the last minute possible to make it to work on time. I've tried to change this about myself but I just have accepted the fact that mornings aren't my thing. I get so stressed scrambling around trying to get a smoothie together and pack my vitamins, snacks, waters, for the whole day. To be honest I usually grab the quickest thing possible and bolt out the door. 

This leaves me with not the greatest breakfast and trying to remember to take all of my supplements when I get home. Smoothies are such a great way to pack in veggies, fruits, and supplements/powders that make up for what you aren't getting throughout the rest of your day so I had to figure out a way to make this work.

After I listened to The Skinny Confidental podcast a couple weeks ago with Dr. Mona Vand, my life CHANGED. It seems so simple but it just made so much sense and how the heck did I not think of this before. Mona said that she preps her smoothies in pre portioned bags for each day so that she doesn't have to scramble in the morning to get ingredients together. THIS MAKES SO MUCH FREAKING SENSE.

So I've started doing this and it is a true game changer. 

I wanted to show you guys what I put in my smoothies and how seriously freaking easy it is. I also have been doing this with supplements. If you have Crohn's or any chronic illness you know taking your supplements are crucial to keep your body functioning so forgetting them and not being organized with what you are taking can really screw things up.

Make it SUPER easy. 

I usually break it down by:

• ​1 handful of something green (spinach or kale) 
• 1 handful of fruit (usually I try and stick with berries because they aren't super acidic, they're decently low in sugar, they have a ton of health benefits, and I just really like how they taste) - to keep things in the budget I like to get the frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe's
• Add ins! (this is the fun part)
  • Chia seeds
  • Spirulina powder
  • Hemp seeds
  • Maca powder
  • Protein powder
  • Collagen powder

You throw it all in bags- portioned for each day of the week and in the morning you JUST ADD WATER and BLEND.

​Boom. Out the door. 

My favorite combination is one handful of spinach, one handful of blueberries, chia seeds, maca powder, and spirulina powder. You can add regular water or coconut water if you are feeling crazy. Sometimes I mix up the consistency by adding some ice. 


This is a great way to pack in nutrients at the beginning of your day and start things off the right way while not having to stress out in the kitchen in the AM. 

I will do a separate post about what I am doing with my vitamins and what vitamins/ supplements I've been taking but I will just saw this for now, pre packing them for the week is a game changer. 

I also have been testing out some supplements that you can just add into your water, stir, and enjoy which is also another lazy girl tip I will be sharing with ya'll once I narrow down my favorites.

All of the lazy girl tips will be coming your way so stay tuned. 

While you wait, I'm dying to know what your tips and tricks are AND what are your favorite morning smoothie add ins?

xx

Happy New Year to the Crohnically Blonde fam!

After the amazing year that 2017 was it is going to be hard to top in 2018 but I like to believe that things just keep getting better. I am starting the year off by refocusing my energy on myself, my family, and my passion (this blog!). I've been reading a ton of great material that has helped to get me back in gear and motivated because honestly I have been in SUCH a funk for the last few weeks of 2017. I always get super deep and into my feelings reflecting and critizising every little thing I could have done better which I know, is not cool, I'm trying to stop. I just have this perfectionist attitude that I can't quit!

I've done a lot of reflecting and I've decided to spend January filling my life with relaxation and self love. I know this sounds absolutely nuts because most people spend January kicking their asses into shape at the gym and picking their bodies apart to motivate them to get back in the game. I am not doing that. 

Yes, I have health and fitness goals that I am trying to reach, I always do in some way or another but I am including that as part of my self love. I'm not beating myself up to reach my goals, I'm teeing it up in my mind as "how can I love myself more?".

I am all about this.

So I don't know about you, but when I think of myself relaxing I get really stressed out. Weird. I know. I get stressed about all of the things that I could be doing that are productive and all of the successful people who are on the move 24/7 and here I am trying to just watch an hour of The Real Housewives without feeling guilty.

I literally have SUCH a problem with this so I have come up with some cool ways to relax while I am productive. Multitasking at its finest. Now, I know this isn't the best advice. Experts or whatever would probably say, you need to spend X amount of time relaxing per week or day or something but I am just doing what works for me so here we are.

I find the things that bring me joy and relaxation and I pair them with some type of productive activity so that I not only feel productive while relaxing but it also makes me like to do annoying productive tasks that I am trying to complete. (I promise I also do relax fully but that is usually in the form of a bubble bath where I am literally forced to not do anything else but sit in a bathtub).

Here are a few things I like:

• Listening to a podcast or book on Audible while:
  • routine cleaning of your house
  • driving to run errands
  • writing a blog post (I actually LIKE doing this so it just posts the relaxation, yay!)
  • grocery shopping- headphones for the win and it is a reason not to talk to random people
  • catching up on emails 
• Binge watch a good show while:
  • Cleaning out your house- I mean like that big clean where you get rid of things. This is seriously my favorite. You look forward to it because you are looking forward to the show and it honestly can take just as long as binge watching a season can (yikes...). This is also great because cleaning your house doesn't require a huge amount of mental energy, it is more focused on sorting and organizing so you can still pay attention to all of the drama on the show you are binging. 
• Use an accupressure mat while:  SIDE NOTE-- This has become my new absolute favorite thing. I can't explain it. It makes your body feel great, relieves stress, and has infinite benefits overall.
  • Catching up on emails
  • Completing writing assignments
  • Doing research for posts/ work assignments

These are just a few things that I like to do to relax while still handling the things I have to handle in life. My goal for January is to relax while cleaning my entire house and making a solid plan for the year. Obviously that includes a lot of those tasks above which I am not so thrilled about but I can look forward to it because of the fun/relaxing things I will pair with them. 

Below I have included links to a few of my favorite things that relate to this post so definitely take a look and let me know what else you do to relax while being productive AF.

Happy New Year y'all! Let's make it happen.
​

On Audible: It's Not Okay

I'm trying to catch up before Andi Dorfman's new book release. This Bachelor Nation alum is spilling everything and as a reality TV lover this book is everything. So entertaining while still light enough to multitask while listening.

Via Podcast: And That's Why We Drink

Ghost stories mixed with true crime mixed with hilarious just about everything... sign me up. One of the hosts also has Crohn's Disease which automatically makes her one of the crew.
​

I'm obsessed. It might be a problem. It is full of drama but if you miss 10 minutes it is easy to pick back up. You can binge watch on demand or via Hulu. It will keep you busy while you clean out your whole house, basement, attic, and garage. Promise.
​

Accupressure Mat (in hot pink of course). Make sure to grab one of these from Amazon. They have the best selection for great prices. 

​xx