Here are some of her best “Chefie tips” for living a balanced lifestyle to prioritize your overall wellbeing:
- Fuel with nutrient-rich food.
As a professionally trained chef, recipe developer and social media video creator, it’s my job to create delicious recipes that will fuel our bodies. I create dishes from scratch, using good quality, real ingredients to energize you while feeling satisfied. With 6 grams of plant-based protein, 4 grams of fiber, 13 grams of unsaturated fat and 1 gram of saturated fat in just one serving (23 almonds), almonds are my go-to convenient, feel-good snack, when I need an energy-boost mid-day. They’re easy to take on-the-go and versatile to pair with something sweet or salty, with a satisfying crunchy texture to fulfill cravings, for an energized feeling to power through the day.
- Pick better-for-you ingredients.
I’ve been cooking since I was 13 years old and I understand how food impacts my well-being. I notice a shift in my mood and how my day goes when I pick good, quality ingredients. Yes, the foods you eat, make a difference in how you feel, your attitude and energy. You should never feel full. You should feel satisfied when eating meals and never super-size it. Portion control and choosing good quality, real ingredients matters. You matter! Try incorporating plant-based ingredients like almonds, almond milk and almond butter into your dishes. The earthy, nutty, salty, crunchy or creamy texture gives a variety of flavors to construct a restaurant-quality dish, fueling your body with good nutrition, because you’re fancy.
3. Don’t forget about time for self-care
Days go by fast. Don’t wait until the end of the day, because it’ll never happen! Start your day, taking care of you. Begin with a good breakfast, like an almond breakfast smoothie - almonds offer 50% DV of vitamin E with 13g of unsaturated fat and 1g of saturated fat in a handful, and also help to thicken the smoothie just right or warm oatmeal with almonds sprinkled over top for a crunchy texture. Exercise, shower and MAKE YOUR BED, then when you dress for the day, you’ll reach for the cute outfit rather than sweatpants, because you’re feeling good and uplifted, that energy will transfer throughout your day, you’ll be more productive and pour positive energy into all things.
4. Stay Fancy
Everybody should feel like a Rockstar in their own kitchen. Cooking from scratch is not hard and can be achieved quickly and doesn’t often require a lot of ingredients. When you start with fresh, quality ingredients, there’s not much you need to do to it. Keep it Simple. Cook it right. Season it right (yes, salt and pepper are seasonings) and it’ll be fabulous. You’ll feel amazing when family and friends boast over how delicious it is, boosting your confidence while feeling empowered in the kitchen, because you’re fancy.
5. Get out of your comfort zone!
In the kitchen and in life, Because you Can! Begin your day with good foods, you’ll feel energized to accomplish anything you put your mind to. A smart breakfast and feel-good snacking, like almonds (which are filled with 6g of plant-based protein and 4g of fiber, and 13g “good” unsaturated fat and 1g saturated fat in each handful), along with fresh fruit, throughout the day is the start to feeling inspired to push yourself to pursue your passion and be all that you want to be.
6. Passion, Commitment and Hard Work is the key to success
EVERYONE has a special gift or talent. When you find it, you’ll know, because it’ll come natural to you and you’ll absolutely love doing it. My mother-in-law always told me, make your passion, your job and you’ll never work a day in your life. Know this, it’s not going to come easy and will take time, patience and perseverance to achieve your goals. Time is needed to make you great at doing what you love, and when you get there, the real work begins, then you’ll be ready for it. Nothing grand comes easy, if it did, everyone would do it. Timing is everything; trust the process!
