Tex-Mex Chicken & Black Bean Soup

One of the hardest things about raising kids is getting them to actually eat the dinner you cook for them.

I have spent years training my kids to eat vegetables. I place one or two bites on their plates and tell them they don’t have to eat it…but they can’t have a “treat” after dinner if they don’t.

They almost always do.

I have learned to rate the healthfulness of my meal by the sound of puke sounds at the dinner table (gross I know…but I have one kid that HATES squash).

But this Tex-Mex Chicken & Black Bean soup is a favorite across the board!

I love that it’s so easy to customize the ingredients to what you like. I could eat this everyday and not get tired of it!

Hope you love it too!

Tex-Mex Chicken & Black Bean Soup

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40–45 minutes
Serves: 4–6

Tex-Mex Seasoning Mix Ingredients:

¼ c. chili powder
2 T. ground cumin
2 t. ground coriander
1 T. garlic powder
2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. fine sea salt
½ t. black pepper

Ingredients:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2–3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ medium white onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 14-oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies, with liquid
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 whole bay leaves
3½ c. chicken broth, preferably organic
1 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. sweet corn kernels
3 T. fresh lime juice

To Serve:
1 large avocado, diced
Fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. To prepare the Tex-Mex seasoning mix, combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to an airtight storage container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

2. Add olive oil, garlic, onion, and red bell pepper to a large, high-sided skillet set over medium heat. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the Tex-Mex seasoning mix on top and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender and start to develop some color, approximately 4–5 minutes.

3. Add fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, bay leaves, and chicken broth and stir to combine. Nestle the chicken breasts into the skillet so they are completely submerged in the liquid.

4. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid boil, then immediately reduce heat to just below medium. Cover skillet loosely with a lid and simmer for 35–40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with two forks.

5. Stir in corn and fresh lime juice and simmer until heated through, approximately 5–10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired, and serve immediately topped with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.

Feel free to add or subtract any of the ingredients to make it spicier or less spicy.

My kids added tortilla chips and it was a #MOMWIN (aka no puke sounds healthy meal)!

Need more amazing recipe ideas? Join my FREE Facebook Group Real Food Recipes Club.

3 Costly Mistakes People Make When Starting Supplements

Uncategorized

We all know the Standard American Diet is pretty bad and that we need to supplement our diets with vitamin and minerals in order to meet our bodies daily nutritional needs.

BUT…there are soooo many options out there, who knows which supplements are actually beneficial and not just causing us to pee them out!

And taking control of your health naturally is why you’re here, right?

The challenge is there’s just so many mistakes both first time supplement users AND veteran supplement users make that are costing them lots of money.

Let’s take a look at the top 3 costly mistakes I see people making when starting a supplement routine.

Costly Supplement Mistake #1

The first, and biggest, mistake I see people making is just going to their local store and buying a standard multi-vitamin off the shelf.

Please, I beg of you, just back away from the vitamin shelf at your local store.

Most of these vitamins are made as cheaply as possible to sell as cheaply as possible. They are comprised of man-made materials…not sourced from natural, whole food sources

Costly Supplement Mistake #2

MIstake number two is very similar to mistake number one, but potentially even more dangerous…and that’s buying supplements off Amazon.

Many supplements are just fine when purchased off Amazon, but some have been faked. They have used the bottles and filled them with fake, look alike materials that don’t have the same potency as the originals. And figuring out if you have a fake is hard to do.

So, while buying supplements may be cheaper, it can also be like playing roulette…you never know if you’re gonna get lucky or make a mistake that affects your health.

Costly Supplement Mistake #3

Another BIG mistake I see my clients make is buying every individual vitamin under the sun.

They’ve heard that B vitamins help with energy, so they buy those.

They’ve heard that Turmeric helps with inflammation, so they buy those.

They’ve heard that vitamin D is important for supporting the immune system, so they buy that.

And so on, and so on, and so on.

And before they know it, they have an entire cabinet filled with vitamins and spend 15 minutes every day sorting out which ones they take with food and without food and at which times of the day.

This mistake is super costly both financially and health wise too. Many vitamins don’t work on an individual basis…and could actually be doing more hard than good. Vitamins need co-factors, or other vitamins and minerals, to help make them work their best.

What To Do Instead

In my 5 years as a Certified Health Coach and my years studying to receive my Masters in Health and Nutrition Education, I have used a LOT of different supplements.

And I know all of these costly mistakes because I’ve made them all too…just like you.

I’ve found there are two kinds of people 1) those who make the mistakes above and 2) those who have no idea what to do, so they make the even more costly mistake of not taking any supplements at all.

I believe that between our Standard American Diet and the overfarming of our soil consuming the required nutrients to build healthy, strong bodies that are disease free for a hundred years is impossible today.

Correct supplementation, as well as consuming an anti-inflammatory diet, is required for long term health.

I’d love to help you find a way of determining the correct supplements for YOUR body.

Now you’re invited to take the next step of finding the right supplements for your body by completing this free Health Survey

Once you’ve completed the survey, I will get in touch with you so we can make a plan to help you take control of your health naturally.

This Amazing Thryve Gut Health Testing Kit Will Change Your Life

Gut Health

This post contains affiliate links. That simply means that I may receive a commission at no cost to you when you choose to use the links provided. This site is an Amazon affiliate site. Thank you for your continued support of this site.

Ever notice how a simple stomachache can take you down no matter your size? If your gut ain’t happy, you ain’t happy! In March, during a 10 day “IBS” flare, I received an email asking me to review a new-to-me gut health testing kit called Thyrve in exchange for a discounted kit. I figured this was the Universe sending me a message since my gut was NOT happy, so I agreed. This post is my unbiased, professional opinion.

Why I Tried This Particular Gut Health Testing Kit

I’ve been a health coach for five years at this point, but I’ve been an IBS sufferer for pretty much all of my adult life (we won’t go into how many years that is). I’ve tried various microbiome testing kits and found many of them lacking the clinical benefits I’m looking for. Meaning…they’ve told me which bacteria they found, but not actually how this could help me or my clients in real life.

The Thyrve kit is different. Not only does this kit give you actionable information that can actually positively affect your health in days, but it’s also very reasonably priced.

The benefit of knowing which bacteria and microbes are in range, or out of range, can help to explain some of your symptoms…and not necessarily just gut symptoms. My results showed high skin inflammation as well as pain and gut issues. It was super affirming to know that my random symptoms actually have a root cause – imbalanced gut microbes and bacteria.

Ordering the Kit

This part was the easiest. You just go to the Thryve Inside website, click Get My Test and choose if you want just the test or want to add in the probiotics up front.

I got just the test when I did it because I wasn’t sure what it was going to tell me and if I’d want to order the probiotics (spoiler alert – I did order them after the test since I was so impressed by what I learned).

It took about a week for the kit to get to me. I did the test the next morning and sent it back right away.

Performing the At Home Test

The kit comes with a couple of boxes. One with everything you need to perform the test and one with everything you need to mail the test back.

Make sure that you go back to the Thryve Inside website and “Activate” your test. This links the vial number with you so that you receive your results. DO NOT SKIP THIS!

I activated my test immediately upon receiving it so that I wouldn’t forget. That was ok because I was performing the test immediately too. If you are waiting a week or so, then wait to activate your kit. I think they want to know the date of collection.

The collection box has two swabs and a collection vial.

It’s very easy to “perform the test” at home. When you go to the bathroom, you just run a swab over the toilet paper after you wipe.

The hardest part is…making sure you get enough of a sample.

I have done other gut health testing kits that have come back with “not enough to test” so if you’re a clean pooper…this may be harder than you think.

You are given two swabs so if at first you don’t succeed…try again the next day.

After you have enough of a sample on the swab, you place the swab in the collection vial and “mix” it for 20 seconds. Then you put the lid on the tube and shake it for 5 seconds.

The liquid in the vial is blue when it comes. Mine turned green afterwards…not sure if that’s what color it’s supposed to be…but just saying. LOL

Then I placed the vial in the provided plastic baggie and sealed it in the provided box. I dropped it off at the Post Office that day.

Results

The Thryve Inside website says it takes 3-5 weeks to get your results, but mine took about 2 weeks. This can vary on how many test kits they receive and time of year (holidays) and of course…on the mail system.

When my results were done, I received an email telling me to log in to my dashboard. Being me, I had logged in multiple times already in that two weeks between mailing in my kit and receiving that email to see if they had received my sample and if my results were back.

The main dashboard gives you some basic information at a glance.

It gives you a gut score – mine was 72 which was much higher than I thought it would be.

It tells some symptoms you may be experiencing – this has changed each time I log in so that seems to scroll through your top issues.

It gives you a button to click on which gut bacteria need help and which probiotics they would recommend to help.

It showed how many optimal bacteria I have and how many “need work”.

It tells you some symptoms you may be experiencing and how many bacteria they found in your sample.

My Personalized Food Plan

The dashboard also gives you a pie graph telling you how many foods they feel are ok for you and how many you should avoid. If you click through, they give specific recommendations.

First you complete a survey. They ask you what diet you are currently eating, what your top health goal is and if you have any food allergies.

Then they give you a tab of foods that they recommend and a tab they feel you should avoid based on your gut microbiome.

Of course, I went straight to the avoid.

My Avoid Foods List

In the Vegetables section, mine listed almost every type of squash (my kids will be happy about that).

It said I should avoid olives…which I just learned to like in the last few years. That includes olive oil on that list too.

Meat is the section where it got interesting…steak, eggs (all parts of the egg), lamb, chicken, kidney (no problem avoiding that), pepperoni, quail’s eggs (again, no problem), shellfish, haddock and halibut.

It’s also listed dairy and goat’s milk as well as pasta, barley, rosemary, salt, sugar and wine (WTF?), vodka and tequila (sorry, I live in TX and can’t give up margaritas forever!).

So I guess I’m going Vegan!

It definitely takes some time to go through all of this information. You can just look at the overview or you can dig deep into the specifics of each bacteria they found and the levels that are ideal compared to the levels you have.

Premium

There is a TON of information in the essential report, but I wanted more.

I added on the Premium subscription. Premium gives you a discount on doing more tests AND it also gives you some really actionable information. I found this to be completely worth the additional fee.

This is where I found the Food Intolerance tab that showed that my gut can handle dairy, but not gluten very well (although it did recommend that I avoid dairy in my foods list to help build back my optimal gut bacteria).

There is an Inflammation tab where you can see if you have the bacteria to help deal with inflammation and an Intestinal Permeability tab to show if you have the bacteria levels of someone with Leaky Gut.

The Metabolism tab showed me that my gut handles Carbs and Fats well, but not Proteins (hence all the meats in my avoid list).

The Sleep Hormones tab showed that I have a good amount of GABA producing microbes, but have a low level of Serotonin producing microbes.

There is also a Cardiovascular tab. This again confirmed that my body may be doing a poor job of handling meat and eggs and this may contribute to low cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular Disease is the number one cause of death in the world and my dad died of a stroke at age 60…which doesn’t seem as far away as it used to seem. This tab was a BIG wake up call for me.

There is even more info in the Premium reports, but I think you’re getting the gist of it….it’s totally worth it!

Probiotics

Thryve takes the information they have gained from your gut health testing kit to create a specific combination of probiotics to help improve your gut health.

I’m ALL about personalized health care and this service speaks to my very soul. Instead of throwing any and all probiotics at you, they make a combination that will help you where you are right now.

The price was, again, very reasonable, so I ordered some.

Next Steps

For me, I will work to make the food changes they recommend.

I will take the probiotics for 2-3 months. Then I will order another test kit, with my Premium discount code, to see if the probiotics are working and if any changes need to be made to the specific combination I’m on.

In the past I have made changes to my diet, but not all the changes I apparently need to actually make a difference in my health.

It can be sooooo frustrating to have a gut imbalance. You have crazy bad symptoms and go to the doctor, and they say you’re fine and send you home with no help…or hope.

You make some changes to your diet, but those don’t completely solve the problems and are a BIG pain in the ass for just a little improvement.

This Thyrve gut health testing kit seems to be a game changer to me.

It has shown me a clear path to better health and is providing me with the correct probiotics to actually heal my gut imbalances.

My Wish

The only other service that I wish that they had…is access to a gastroenterologist on staff.

My gut report showed a bad bacteria that is overgrown (helicobacter). This bacteria can lead to many issues including peptic ulcers, stomach inflammation, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease and may explain the “flare” I had that prompted me to order this test.

I would like to be able to talk to a knowledgeable doctor about the results and what I can do, other than the above recommendations, if I can’t get this under control. (Many times it takes one or two types of antibiotics which I don’t really want to do because that would mess up the other good bacteria I actually do have.) A doctor on staff would help me faster than going to my Primary and having to explain the last 30 years of gut issues.

I loved this test and can’t recommend it enough. I will be using it in my Health Coaching practice and recommending it to friends and family who are suffering.

If you try the test, let me know. I’d love to see other people’s results and how they compare to mine.

You can get your test at Thryve Inside!

What do you think? Will you try it?

Free Goal Setting Guide

self care

With all the stress in the world…and holidays coming, I thought September was the perfect time to share how I set and track my goals and habits with you….and share my free goal setting guide with you!

I have lots of clients that say “just tell me what to do and I’ll do it!” and then two weeks later…they aren’t doing it. Why is that?

I think it’s because I’m telling them habits that have worked for someone else, but aren’t specific for them.

So I came up with this Goal Setting Guide to help my clients (and you) to identify the top 1-2 goals that you want to focus on this month and the daily/weekly habits that are necessary to achieve those goals.

By putting you in control of you goals and habits, you are more likely to make them more reasonable for YOUR life (and not what those health and fitness fanatics on IG are doing).

Remember to make your goals SMART goals:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time bound

The Goal Setting Guide also includes a monthly habit tracker so you can see at a glance how well you are doing on achieving those goals you’ve set for yourself…or if you need to make some adjustments next month.

Once you’ve established your goals/habits, jump into our FREE Facebook community and tell us what you’re working on. Accountability can be HUGE in helping you to achieve those goals.

Your Health Coach,

Sarah

How to Overcome a Bad Food Day

Nutrition, Women's Health

We’ve all done it! Gone to a wedding or the movies or just out to eat with friends and had a few too many chips or the entire slice of cheesecake. Today let’s talk about what to do to overcome a bad food day.

Mindset

First let’s let go of the idea that health is a destination. Trust me…you will never “get there”. And just when you think you do…whammo there’s a vacation, or a pandemic, or something to knock you right back off your clean eating plan. No one eats perfectly all the time. So just let that one go!

My rule for my clients is to work to hit the 90/10 rule. 90% of the time your food choices are on target. When you do this, your body can handle that 10% that you might fall off. Now this is not a daily total….this is more a monthly total of 90% of the month you’re on target and 10% not.

Lifestyle Change

To take control of your health, you must make a lifestyle change. You must remove those temptations from your house and stop going out with the friends who encourage you to make unhealthy choices. Will power is a muscle and it can fatigue….and when it fatigues, you’re in trouble! But if you make lifestyle changes such as no chips or soda in the house, then you don’t need willpower because those unhealthy options just aren’t there.

Baby Steps

Baby steps count. The Annals of Behavioral Medicine published a research study that found that participants who made one small but permanent change in their dietary routine or physical activity lost double the amount of belly fat, four times the weight, and two and a half inches off their waistline compared to those who followed outdated guidelines of calorie control and increased physical activity during a four-month period.

Focus on Clean Eating

You want to maintain a balanced diet that includes leafy greens – and loads of them. If you start your day with 2 cups of vegetables, then you don’t have to worry about getting them in later! Aim for a diet of more fish, fewer animal products, loads of greens and colorful fruits and vegetables.

Remember portion sizes, too. What you eat and how much you eat of it can make all the difference. Update your shopping list to include healthy foods such as nuts, seeds, legumes, oily fish like salmon, and of course, plenty of fresh fruits and veggies.

Portion according to your plate. Start by dividing it in half and filling it up with fruits and vegetables. Fill the other half with one-quarter healthy protein and the other quarter with complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and quinoa or root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, and parsnips. Make sure the quarters form the size of your fist.

Also try to include some intermittent fasting each day. Start with a 12:12 fasting/feeding window and try to work up to a 16:8 fasting/feeding window.

Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bath Water

We all give in to temptation once in a while. If you’ve been doing all the things I’ve mentioned above most of the time…you’re good…just as long as you get back on the wagon. Don’t throw away an entire day because you had a cheeseburger and fries at lunch. Take each meal on it’s own and get right back up on the clean eating horse.

Need Help?

Making changes to your diet can be very daunting. That’s why I’m here to hold your hand and coach you during this time of transition. Join my next 6 week FASTer Way to Fat Loss round where I’ll walk you through a proven nutrition and fitness program that will help you to establish your healthy habits for life. Click here to find out more and when my next group program will be starting.

What are some of your tips for overcoming a bad food day?

Your Health Coach,

What is Clean Eating?

Gut Health, Nutrition, Women's Health

Clean eating seems to be somewhat of a buzz word, but what the heck do I mean when I say clean eating?

Clean eating is not just about trying to lose weight. It’s about making better food choices that make you healthier.Most of today’s food is processed to some degree. When you consume one food product, you are often unknowingly introducing your body to so many other toxins and chemicals as well. These may be foods of convenience or flavor, but they are leaving your body and mind weaker and unhappier, and you don’t even know it.

What is Clean Eating?

Clean eating is a journey to making sure that you only allow natural things to enter your body. This ensures that you keep out as many harmful chemicals and preservatives as possible that can cause your energy levels fluctuate and impede the freshness of the food. It is a lifestyle shift that leaves you feeling better than ever. There are a few basic principles to keep in mind to get—and keep—you on the right path.

Shop Consciously

It is time to you pay extra attention to the kinds of things you are buying. This means knowing what fruits and vegetables are in season, what produce is sourced locally, and what produce is grown organically. It is important so you do not end up consuming pesticide residue or produce that is treated by hormones; that can be counter-productive, even if you are eating what you think you should be eating.

Start asking grocers and farmers where they get what you are buying to ensure that you buy the freshest and most top-quality produce, free of toxins.

If you are buying packaged foodstuff, make it a habit to read the nutrition label. Nutrition labels containing more than five ingredients or difficult to pronounce names should raise red flags and be avoided.

Check out this article: Do I Really Need to Buy Organic?

Cook Consciously

What you eat matters, of course, but so does how you make it. Make sure that you stay away from methods that take away nutrients from food that is inherently nutritious. This includes deep frying or stewing in animal or plant fats, or any methods that involve a high level of unhealthy fat. It is a better – also quicker and easier – method to just steam or bake vegetables.

Try substituting avocado oil for butter wherever you can to avoid the saturated fats. While olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oils are better choices than other oils, they are still a processed food and I would suggest limiting their intake. Try sauteing thing with just a little water. You’ll be surprised that sometimes it works just as well.

Try to avoid using salt in high quantities and try healthier, more interesting alternatives to salt such as spices, herbs, and lemon. Spruce up your meal as well as your health. Also, if you are debating eating out or cooking in, it is always better to be in control of how you make your food.

Choose Consciously

Be smart about what you choose to eat. Choose foods that are in their natural form. Ones that look as close as they can to how they came out of the ground. Get your fill of nutrients with 2 ½ to 3 cups of fresh fruits and vegetables to fight against the risk of developing illnesses such as heart problems, blood pressure irregularities, obesity, and cancer.

Try eating your vegetables raw or steamed to make the most out of the nutrients they carry. The safest methods of clean eating are steaming, baking, and sautéing in order to ensure that the natural nutritional value of the food is maintained. Do not be afraid to try out vegetables in places you have not before, in forms you have not tried before.

Need Help Getting Started?

Are you ready to step into your new clean eating routine?