Here are a few of our favorite Labor Day recipes that we have rounded up for the weekend festivities.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri sauce

 Ingredients

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon salt

11/2-pound flank steak

Chimichurri Sauce

 ½ cup parsley

1 cup cilantro

2 tablespoon fresh oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup red onion chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

 Directions

 In a food processor add all the chimichurri ingredients. Pulse until combined and smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to two weeks.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Add steaks to a resealable zip lock bag and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
2. Turn the grill to medium high heat. Add the steaks. Cook steaks to the desired doneness.
3. ...

We’ve all heard the term, “take a breather” and we most likely have different thoughts about what it really means. What do you think of? Maybe a breathless athlete taking a much-needed water break from a hot, long grueling practice--or maybe an employee waiting for a long-awaited work break. Regardless of the context, we all know how important it is to take “time out” to recover and replenish the energy and oxygen our bodies need to be at our very best. 

Webster’s definition of “a breather” is “a pause for rest” and for today  we will be focusing on how to literally “take a breather” to bring balance back to your life. We look at it as trained tranquility!

Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain and body to calm down and relax. We look at it as trained...

Food is fuel but there are times you may find yourself having your own personal energy crisis, and this often occurs in those mid-day moments.

Having a great selection of delicious snacks on hand is key to keeping your energy peaked and sustained throughout the day. One way to optimize your snacks is to balance the ratio of slow burning carbs to healthy protein and fat.  

Instead of getting a 3 p.m. sugar rush with nutritionally empty snacks, look to fuel instead with foods that provide a steady flow of energy without the sugar high that is quickly followed by the inevitable crash. 

Load up on these foods that give you energy, and you’ll find yourself recharged - even in the midst of a high stress day!

4 Go-To Foods that Give You Energy

1. An apple with your favorite nut butter

A medium apple has about 25 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber. The latter stabilizes the effect of all those carbs on blood glucose levels, which means digestion happens at a...

These oatmeal crunchies are super easy to make. Kid-approved snack! Using Justine Cinnamon Almond Butter is the key ingredient. If you only have regular almond butter, that will work too.  

Oatmeal Crunchies

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned oats gluten-free

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1⁄4 cup almond meal

3/4 cup creamy almond butter

(I used Justine’s cinnamon almond butter)

1⁄2 cup agave

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping (Optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips melted

For the bars:

1. In a small bowl, mix oats, coconut, cinnamon, and almond meal. Set aside.

2. In a small pot, over medium heat melt almond butter and agave until smooth.

3. Add the vanilla and stir until combined.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Line 8x8 pan with wax paper. Spread and press into an 8x8 pan and set aside.

For the topping

1. Melt chocolate chips in 15-second increments until smooth. 2. Drizzle on top of oatmeal crunchies

3. Let sit at room temperature...

This has been such a unique time to navigate as we all seek to find a new normal. No matter what your journey has held, we want you to know that you are not alone, and that amidst all the change and challenge that hope is within reach. 

As we seek to find strategies to rise above, we wanted to take a moment to refocus on a few simple practices that promise to enrich and empower your life in the days ahead.

For decades, experts in every walk of life have found that the common practices of resilient individuals are consistency on the fundamentals. They show up day in and day out and stay committed to what is most important to strengthening their lives.

So, whether you want to make a few improvements in your health, business, relationships, or simply boost your mood and expand your joy during this unique season, exploring these 3 energizing practices is a great place to start!

#1 - Take an inventory of what rejuvenates you

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, “being fully...

How are you? How was your week? We hope you are well! 

This week, we wanted to share with you a very simple, but incredibly important skill to bring greater joy, hope, happiness, and purpose to your day and life. 

According to researchers, what is the source that generates the most power and energy to live well and be happy? If you guessed “healthy relationships” you’d be correct! 

In fact, according to medical scientists, the three relational sources which influence your physical health more than anything else are; Love, intimacy, and friendship. You mean it’s not our diet? It’s not our exercise? It’s not how we handle stress? But rather, it’s how connected we are that has demonstrated to have the greatest impact on our emotional, spiritual, and yes, even our physical health. The latest scientific research has uncovered when we are isolated or disconnected from important life-giving sources, such as close and...

If you want to get healthy, you may not need to go to a doctor. You might instead, dive into a community of like-minded individuals and watch your health soar! The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital.

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, “You are more likely to be overweight if your friend’s, friend’s friend is overweight than if your parents are overweight. Your social networks may matter more than your genetic networks. If your friends have healthy habits you are more likely to as well.  So, get healthy friends!”

Community: The Best Medicine for Change

Group models of intensive lifestyle change like the one modeled by Dr. Dean Ornish for heart disease and prostate cancer, are more effective and will save more lives and more money than using medication and surgery for diseases caused by lifestyle and environmental factors.

In our personal experience with The Daniel Plan, a roadmap for physical and spiritual...

As we head into a new week, we thought we’d dive into a few practical ways to eat healthy without putting a dent in your wallet!

Imagine the scenario: you open a fully stocked fridge brimming with fresh, high-quality foods that are chocked-full of the nutrients you need. And the best part is that it was super affordable and you have cash to spare.

While organic superfoods may cost more than your weekly food budget allows, you can still load up on the good stuff at an affordable price. Eating healthy doesn’t necessarily require expensive ingredients or going 100% organic and recipes don’t need to be overly complex. 

If you’re ready to add high-quality ingredients to your diet without breaking the bank, follow these four easy tips for eating healthy on a budget.  

#1 Keep Your Kitchen Stocked

It makes cooking so much easier if you to stock up on canned and dry goods, like tomato puree, tuna, chickpeas, kidney beans, rice, lentils, sweet...

It’s natural for your cravings to increase and for you to look to food for extra comfort during times of high stress. Pair that with the addictive nature of many of the processed foods that surround us and finding food freedom can often be a real challenge. 

If we are honest, for most of us these last few months have felt like being an eagle locked in a cage and we just can’t fly.

To help us break free, let’s take a moment to look at some key research from Dr. Mark Hyman on the science of food addiction and 5 keys that make a huge impact on curbing your cravings…

The Science of Sugar Addiction

 “Dr. David Ludwig and his colleagues at Harvard proved that foods with more sugar— trigger a special region in the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This is your brain’s pleasure center that, when activated, makes you feel good and drives you to seek out more of that feeling. 

That addiction triggers a vicious cycle of...

This week we thought it would be fun and timely to focus on simple strategy to get your joy back!! And for heaven’s sake, we could all use a bit more fun and joy in this season!

Looking back to the 1960’s, American singer and songwriter Chubby Checker’s number one selling song created a dance craze across the nation prompting millions to get up out of their seats and “do the twist”! If you have ever heard the song, chances are it put a smile on your face, a tap in your toes and got you dancing too. Hmmm? What if we thought of exercise in the same light? 

Most of us have been taught by health professionals to think of exercise as a discipline or something “we should do”, but rarely do we think of exercise as a joy or something “we want to do”. Here’s a “twist”, the song and message are changing. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, "Exercise is the new medicine. It will make you...