People often ask me: “Is the Instant Pot worth it?” or “Do you think the Instant Pot is something I need?” “Will the Instant Pot make me healthier?” Eventually I realized it was high time for an Instant Pot review. I’m sure you can live a fully functional life without an Instant Pot, but I legitimately feel a teeny bit happier each time I use mine. So having an Instant Pot will quantifiably make your life better. Can you really put a price on that? The only appliance I love more than the Instant Pot is my Vitamix. Now that’s … Read More
Leftover Halloween Candy Ideas (so it doesn’t go to waste)
Overwhelmed with all that leftover Halloween candy? Instead of throwing it out, check out these 8 ideas to make the candy loot go further. You probably bought extra Halloween candy. Better safe than sorry, right? Sometimes you only get a trickle of trick or treaters, and you end up with a TON of extra candy. If you want to eat all the candy you bought, GO AHEAD AND EAT IT! It’s your candy and totally your prerogative to eat it. But perhaps you want to do something else with it. Some people invite the “Switch Witch” to come and exchange … Read More
delicious salad ideas that will have you eating healthier
We all want to eat healthier… we all want to eat more veggies… but most of us fail miserably. I believe the problem is that most people just don’t have enough good salad ideas! As a Registered Dietitian I want to give you the tools and ideas you need to bridge the gap between “I WANT TO DO IT” and “I’M DOING IT!” It’s not enough to just want to eat more salads… you have to actually do it! So here are some practical salad ideas that will actually get you eating more veggie salads! salad idea #1: DIY salad dressing … Read More
my breastfeeding story
Hi. I’m Jessica. I’m the founder of Smart Nutrition. I’m a Registered Dietitian, and a mom who exclusively breastfed her baby. I haven’t shared my breastfeeding story with very many people. I haven’t shared my story because I know how this works. I didn’t want other moms to feel bad about their story. Some stories are wrought with grief, anguish, despair, and frustration. Breastfeeding can have major challenges, and sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way a mom would like it to. And that’s okay. It’s okay to mourn not having the experience you were hoping for. If this is … Read More
you are not what you weigh: how one woman learned to love herself unconditionally
Today I have Registered Dietitian, Kristy Leavitt from The Dietitian Kitchen, guest posting. Kristy and I both graduated from the University of Manitoba and completed our dietetic internship in the same program! In this story Kristy bares her soul and shares with you how she overcame body dissatisfaction through uncovering the root causes. This is a story of hope and redemption. I asked her if I could share her story with you because I KNOW it will inspire you as much as it did me! With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, a day dedicated to all things LOVE, I thought … Read More
12 tips for surviving disney world with a toddler
Disney World with our toddler: it was the best of times… it was the worst of times. We had a huge learning curve to figure out how to parent our strong-willed ball of energy! As the trip progressed, we learned from our mistakes. So I hope you can learn from our mistakes, too! Every toddler is their own little person, so obviously your mileage may vary. These are just some options to keep in mind. 1. Try to stick to your regular schedule A vacation can be a shock to a child’s system. A vacation to a theme park is more like … Read More
must-know tips for disney world you won’t find anywhere else
When planning my family’s trip to Disney World I read a ton of useful information online. But even after wading through all those tips, we experienced a few trials, that are really quite avoidable if you keep reading. Let our pain be your prevention! P.S. This is a bit off-topic for a nutrition website, but this means you get the bonus of some dietitian tips for feeding your family at Disney too! Save this map of the parking lot at the Disney Transportation Center When you park your car in the MASSIVE lot at the Disney Transportation Center, you’ll find each section marked as … Read More