So the credit goes to all of you who read my first HVFH post....I can't thank you enough.  BUT....get ready for it....I get to write for them EVERY month!  I mean can you say dream come true?  So...keep your eyes peeled!  The second Friday of each month my posts will be published!  I was lucky enough to get to write an extra piece this week!

The link is below!  
http://herviewfromhome.com/please-dont-ask-me-why-i-dont-have-children/


Thanks again for all of the support!  You ROCK!

XoXo,
NaturallyNati

SO.......this has become my absolute favorite winter salad.  I found and adapted the recipe for Thanksgiving and it has become a staple at our house ever since.  Like any recipe, make it your own...add...take away...substitute...whatever floats your boat.  I am lazy and buy candied pecans.  You can totally make your own.  Our new Kroger has an amazing bulk section.  They sell honey glazed and cinnamon covered pecans (ps....buying from the bulk section is a huge money saver. They have raw cashews, quinoa, chia seeds, flax seeds....yogurt covered pretzels (oops)).  I usually do the honey glazed.  They are the perfect amount of sweetness.  Another optioned I LOVED (and that took this recipe to a whole new level) was the bourbon praline pecan from Fresh Market.  OMG.  So FREAKING good.  The dressing is also #myjam.  Super easy, very light, and the perfect compliment to the salad toppings.

I served this salad at the Nativity Kindergarten Mom's Fitness Party last night.  First of all, what a fun group. They were a blast.  And the snacks at the end were totally worth the hard work they put in.  Below you can check out their workout.  Start at push ups and end on burpees.  At the end of each round we did some type of group fitness activity (group Russian twists, plank and push up relay, lunge and squat jacks etc.).  If you are doing this at home you can totally pick a different activity to do at the end (run the stairs a few times or jog a lap around the house).  After each round, you will flip over the first sign (far left---so push ups go first), then you will start on the second exercise.  So round two will start with alternating planks.  You are finished once you have flipped all of the signs over.  By the end of the workout you will have completed 96 burpees.....just saying.  It works.  

XoXo, 
​NaturallyNati

One of my all time favorite things to do is have a good meal (and wine)with my hubs on Sunday evening. It's the perfect way to gear up for the hectic week ahead. But...I want to cook something simple that doesn't take forever. Spaghetti squash with shrimp is my go-to. I bake the squash during the day when I'm doing other random stuff, and then quickly put the dish together at dinner time. Baking the squash is so simple. Preheat your oven to 375 & spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Cut the squash longways (hotdog style....not hamburger....is that even still a thing?), and gently scrape out the seeds on the surface. Place the squash open side down on the pan & bake for 45-50 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes or so.....that little sucker gets hot! Then you will scrape the inside out into a bowl. I typically sauté tomatoes, and spinach with olive oil, garlic, talian seasoning...a little salt and pepper....whatever tastes right and combine with the squash. I top with grilled shrimp and shredded parm....viola! Usually it makes enough for 3 servings....so that is exciting too! One less weekday dinner to cook! Deep breaths...Monday is coming.

XoXo,

NaturallyNati

Hey, it's me!!! 💁🏽💁🏽💁🏽💁🏽(⬅️me in the summer when I am tan). And...I really want a bagel. I'm having a serious craving over here. BUT I am staying committed. I am sticking with this gluten-free lifestyle. This has nothing to do with weight loss or trying to look better....BUT does have to do with feeling better. I have blogged about this plenty of times, and you all know by now that I am supposed to be gluten-free all the time. Last weekend as I was literally in tears with stomach pain...I kept asking Eric to make sure I wouldn't eat gluten anymore. Um hello....that isn't his job. It's mine(Don't worry he reminded me that right as the words came out of my mouth). But it made me think today that like anything in life, this is something that is tough right now, but will totally benefit me in the long run. You just have to stick with it. Right? It's what I tell my students, my clients, and my class go-ers all the time. So here is my pep talk to myself and everyone else who is dealing with a tough goal, situation, or obstacle in life:

"Suck it up. You can do this. You've been through harder things (especially than withstanding a bagel). You are a rockstar. You are going to kill it".

And if you need fancier motivation. Check out the words of Nelson Mandela:

Keep on, keeping on! I promise the end result (whatever you are reaching for) is worth it! And I'm going to go try and find a good gluten-free bagel recipe! #goals

XoXo,

NaturallyNati 🍞🍕🍩🍪

I am 10000% not  complaining.  I will take a no-snow, snow day....any day!  I can promise you that! But I do secretly hope we get some real snow tonight so I can stay snuggled up with my little fam for the rest of the weekend.  I have been totally blog negligent this week....but for good reasons.  I was trying to upgrade and change my website.  But at the end of the day, I decided that if it ain't broke...don't fix it.  And one day when I am rich and famous and a million people follow this blog...then I will pay someone to make this thing the bomb.com.  Well I will keep it naturallynati.com....but it will be THE BOMB.  

So for your Friday workout.....nothing too crazy, but something I have been in love with lately.  Integrating "gliders" or "sliders" into your workout is a great way to force your core to work, get your heart rate up, and tone those muscles!  If you don't have the real gliders or sliders (don't worry...most of us don't), you can use washcloths on hardwood or paper or plastic plates on carpet. Two of my favorites are the step back lunge and plank slide.  You will see these two snazzy moves on washcloths in the video below.  The plank slide works on toes and palms, knees and palms or even knees and elbows.  When doing the plank be sure that you are using your abdominals and engaging your entire core...in order not to put any strain on your low back.  You can incorporate the gliders into so many great exercises.  Side lunges, mountain climbers, burpees, plank arm circles, army crawl, knee crunches, curtsey lunges, forearm planks, bridges and more!  Go through each of the exercises for 12 reps, twice.  Good luck.  I'll just be over here, waiting for the snow, drinking white wine and eating gluten-free pizza.  
Xoxo, 
NaturallyNati     

Are when there is no work on Monday!! I'm also feeling pretty pumped about my heart rate after Friday's workout. Check that! Holla!!

I know we have been down the fake cookie dough bites road before, but I am such a fan....so I needed to bring them back. Especially in the month of hungry January. I'm just so hungry for chocolate still. And there is nothing to do but eat. Well I can think of a lot of things to do....but when it's dark and cold....eating just feels right. Anyways...these things are my jam. Great for Sunday meal prep..very easy to do. 5 ingredients. Scrumptious to the tastebuds. The hardest thing/most expensive ingredient is the raw cashew. Kroger sells raw cashews in bulk for around $6.44 a pound. You only need a cup....so you are looking at less than $3.00. Plus you get about 12 balls out of the recipe. To give you a fair warning....they are super sticky when rolling. Once they are bite-sized, they go so quickly from hand to mouth...the stickiness goes unnoticed. If you don't believe me.....the recipe is below. Try it!!

Happy MLK day!!!

XoXo,

NaturallyNati

It's Friday!!!!! And a three day weekend!!!!!! So I'm a happy camper!

Here is your interval workout for today!

First, download an interval timer app. The one below is free and works wonderfully!

Choose from the list of exercises below.

Perform each one for 30 seconds, 4 times, with a 10 second rest in between (You can set the timer to do this).

Continue for 20-30 minutes.

Your ❤️ will be pumping! Good luck!!!

XoXo,

NaturallyNati

Because they obviously go together......right?! I think my husband just pulled a muscle fist pumping for Sylvester Stallone. So there's that. Anyway....I love chocolate and peanut butter. And dessert. So instead of depriving myself of any of the above I put them all together for a little weekday goodness. Energy bites are my go-to pre and post workout snack. They are SUPER easy and not too shabby on the nutrition side either. I don't think I ever actually follow the recipe....I change it up all the time depending on what I have in my pantry. They taste amazing and you'll feel better about yourself knowing you consumed chia and flax seeds over Oreos. Those little wins matter.

XoXo,

NaturallyNati

Friday.  Amen.  One thing I know that I have struggled with for most of my adult-hood is getting my workout in on a Friday.  If I don't do it before work...there is a good chance it won't happen.  And I don't even work until 5 PM.  So I really don't know how people who work late can get motivated....or even get it in with weekend plans & Happy Hour (priorities). So my solution has always been an at-home HIIT workout.  HIIT just stands for high-intensity interval training.  Essentially...you are going to push yourself hard for short periods of time with breaks in between. I am obsessed with HIIT workouts...because they are quick and efficient.  And ain't nobody got time for a long workout on a Friday.  So below is just an example of one of my FAVES.  60.50.40.30.20.10.  4 moves----around 20 minutes----and you will be sweaty fo-sho.


​

So........since it is the New Year and of course I had some goals for the ole blog as well...stay tuned for Friday workouts.  I am hoping to build an online community of people from all over who will come together for Friday Fitness @ 5.   Live streaming....pictures....cooking...and more :). Tag us on Instagram after you complete the workout! @naturally_nati_fitness #fitfriat5

Happy Friday!  Get your SWEAT on!

XoXo,
​NaturallyNati

Man, I love routine.  I love being on a routine.  I love schedules.  I love looking at my planner and knowing where to go next.  I'm kind of crazy.  So while I, like everyone else, enjoy a good break from reality....do much better on a schedule. Of course I missed Kelly and Michael and Matt....and all of my other morning talk show besties, but it felt good to be back. With that being said, I need to tell you all how much I love my crockpot. Talk about feeling back together....leaving for work on a Monday and knowing your dinner is at home simmering for you....holler! So...I present to you Quinoa Chili. The recipe here describes how you can prep it on a stove top for immediate enjoyment; however it works in a crockpot fabulously. As long as you cook the quinoa, you can dump the rest of your ingredients in the crockpot, and set it to cook on low for 8 hours. It will be the perf meal to come home to!

XoXo,

NaturallyNati