The Basic Girls Fall Bucket List...

The time for falling leaves and apple cider has finally come upon us and I couldn’t be more excited. 

Whether you’re a fan of carving pumpkins or creating your own Halloween costume, there’s something about fall that makes it a favorite for all of us. 

To help you celebrate, here’s our bucket list of fall activities that’ll have you enjoying all this season has to offer.

1. Attend a football game (and tailgate)

Nothing says the beginning of fall like the return of football season. Our teams may be different, but we’re all coming together for the same reason — to witness America’s beloved sport with our go-to drink in hand. And man this girl is really starting to miss American Football after living in England for 3 years now. So get your game day outfit ready and perfect your tailgate recipe for this classic fall event. Not into the NFL? High school or college games are just as fun — if not more so. It’s all about getting into that “go team” spirit.

2. Actually decorate for fall (more than just a few pumpkins)

What better way to get in the spirit of the season than surrounding ourselves with reminders of it? Craft your own fall wreath or go on a mission to find your next fall centerpiece — the choices are as endless as our obsession with pumpkin spice lattes (no judging, please). If you love the fall, your house might as well look like it does too. Pumpkins are encouraged, but so is thinking outside the box — mums, fall foliage arrangements, felt leaf bunting… get creative!

3. Go to a pumpkin patch

As another traditional fall activity, pumpkin patches are the reason to live for October and the ultimate reminder of my childhood. Take your candid picture in the field of pumpkins, pick the pumpkin you want to carve, and top it off with a hayride — I've been waiting all summer for this feeling, what about you?

4. Buy your Halloween costume

Some people buy their costumes on the day of Halloween, while others begin planning theirs in the middle of July (I'm that girl HA). Regardless of which category you fall under, get yourself a costume. Search the web and find inspiration — this is about to be your best costume yet.

5. Go apple picking

Similar to a pumpkin patch, going to an apple orchard and picking apples is another activity fall is known for. Once you’re done choosing your apples, make the day even more memorable by dripping the apples in caramel and dousing them with your go-to toppings. Carmel apples are about the only way I eat apples. Not really a big apple person but I love going apple picking.

6. Host a bonfire with s’mores

If you’re looking for a fool-proof way to enjoy this season, you’ve just found it — a nice bonfire in your backyard with s’mores and best friends. Start the bonfire as the sun goes down (which in England is about 430-5pm...seriously) to appreciate the way the sky turns colors, and continue the night with heartwarming conversation and company.

7. Bake a pie from scratch

The only thing better than dessert is dessert that’s home-made. Whether it’s apple or pumpkin, choose the pie of your choice and get to baking — your house is about to smell as delicious as the pie tastes. Prepare your plate (and appetite) for this satisfying activity and eat a second slice for me.

8. Update your fall fashion

Finally the moment we’ve all been waiting for — being able to wear leggings in replacement of jeans. Enjoy this sweater weather with the essentials of scarves, booties, flannel tops, knee-high boots, etc. Fall is on our side when it comes to dressing comfortably, and nothing is about to stop us from drinking hot chocolate in our favorite cardigan.

9. Take a scenic drive 

There’s nothing like the leaves changing in the fall — the burst of warm colors (deep umber, burnt orange, fiery burgundy) against the crisp air is soul-cleansing. Grab your keys, hit up Starbucks for a PSL (you know you want it), find a winding, scenic route, and get lost in the beauty of fall. Or even better take a walk through your town and just enjoy the crips cool air and beauty that surrounds you.

10. Take your Kid(s) Out Trick-or-Treating or Pass out Candy to *Adorable* Trick-or-Treaters

Little kid costumes are the absolute best — and complimenting them makes them SO proud. If you are like me and still have littles that Trick-or-Treating enjoy the evening out with them helping them fill there special bags or buckets. Or if you don't have littles at home grab some really good candy — don’t be that person with pennies or Welch’s fruit snacks — and hunker down for a scary movie in which frequent interruptions will be appreciated.

11. Attend a harvest festival

Bobbing for apples, going for hay bale rides, and feeding intrepid goats are just some of the pleasures that await you at a local harvest festival. Embrace the small town charm, the cute outfit (hunter boots + plaid button down = harvest chic), and the hot apple cider.

12. Try hiking in a forest preserve or state park

There’s nothing like the brisk fall air on your cheeks as you hike through one of nature’s most beautiful chapters.

13. Host a scary movie night or at least watch Charlie Browns classics "The Great Pumpkin"

Watching a scary movie with all the lights off is so uniquely fall — remember ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween? THE BEST. If scary movies aren’t your thing, you can at least watch Charlie Browns "The Great Pumpkin" and lets not forget the classic Hocus Pocus! 

14. Learn to cook a new hearty soup, stew, or chili recipe

Ah, fall means cozy soups are back! If you’ve never done any, now’s a great time to start — and trial and error in the kitchen can be seriously fun. If you already have a favorite, learn a tackle a new one! Look at you, practically Ina Garten already. BTW I've already got chili in my crockpot for dinner this evening. A fall classic in our house.

15. Send notes to friends and family for Thanksgiving telling them why you are thankful for them

Snail mail is still one of the best things in the world — getting a hand written note can make someone’s day, especially if it’s a card reminding them they are appreciated and loved.

What’s on your fall bucket list this year?

Word Vomit...

Ladies and Gents...CALLING ALL ENTREPRENEURS...Let’s stop the word vomit. Shall we?

As the owner of a business myself, and as a mentor to other entrepreneurs, girl bosses, and business owners.. I understand the temptation to word vomit.  I get it.. you want people to know how amazing and awesome your product or service is.

If you get nothing else out of this blog, please take this away…. 

People do not buy products and services from you because of your product or service. They buy your product or service because they know, like, and trust YOU. YOU ARE THE MAGIC.

The quickest way to get people to know, like, and trust you, is by keeping it real, yo!  So let’s stop word vomiting all over people about how magical your product is, shall we?  NO ONE CARES.

Just be real, be honest, and care about them.

True story.  Not too long ago, I got a message from someone I hadn’t heard from in years.  When I saw their message in my inbox I was excited and curious to hear from them.  Turns out, this person had just started their very first new business.  Exciting right?!  Well, you’d think so.  But the message they sent me was four paragraphs long, ALL about them, ALL about their products, and they didn’t ask me ONE question about myself, how I was doing, or even tell me a little bit about why this would be something I would be interested in.  

AKA, utter and complete word vomit.  

As a business owner it made me sad for them because I knew it one day they had become “that person” to however many hundreds of people they had sent the same exact copy and past message to.

It all comes down to this – You want people to want to try your product or your service?  Then you have to know WHY they would even benefit from it first of all.  But you also have to care about them and you MUST keep it real!

Don’t drink the Kool Aid to your own product or service.

You have to know what YOUR truth is.

A great example of this is myself!  Before I started my business, I tried the product.  But we were broke, and at the time I did not understand the value of Ketones.  So, I was just going to try it and send it back for a refund after my 30 day trial.  

Soooo sketch and soooo lame.  

I, of course, DID NOT send it back because I fell head over heels in LOVE with my beloved Unicorn Moonshine. BUT, I make sure that I tell all of my clients that story, because it’s REAL, and because I want them to know that I understand!  I am a person too and I actually care about them.

When you’re having a conversation with a potential client or customer, when you are inviting them to try your product, to try your service, to work with you in some form or another… before you just go out and tell them all about your product or service, you first you have to know WHY what you offer would benefit them. Then, when you have a conversation with them, be more interested in them than you are desperate for them to be interested in you.

Being interested in someone else is the quickest way to make a friend, and at the end of the day, the most loyal customers and clients are the people who know that you actually care about them because you’ve taken the time to ask!

Once you have asked them about themselves and discovered a need you can help with, then you can say, 

“Hey! Have you ever hear of _____? I think you would really love it because of _______.”

Let them ask you! Just say, “Hey. I think that you would really like this. Have you ever considered trying this?” And see what they say. If they say, “Yes,” great! You can ask them if they want more information, or how you can help them. If they say, no they haven’t, then you can say, “Well, I think you would really love it. Do you want me to get you some more information on it? Or, do you have some questions that I can answer for you?”

It is so simple to build a relationship with someone. It takes virtually no time. But, word vomit is not the way to do it.  If you want to build a very successful business that lasts a long time, then dude, keep it simple.  All you need to do as a business owner is fill a need for someone else. That all starts with being more interested in them than you are desperate for them to be interested in you.  Find a need that they have, and fill it.

Here’s a little bonus tip for you. Any message that you send to someone about your product or service needs to be three or four sentences long, maximum. If someone sends me a message that’s more than five sentences, I am not answering it. I don’t have time for that.  I’m a busy and so is everyone else. Keep it simple. Less is more. Allow them to ask the questions and you will see the success you want as you gain more and more LOYAL clients and customers!

If you’re curious about how you can work with me and be a part of my Team. I’ll be in touch!

Sugar & Carbs, I’m breaking up with you….

I had been on this weight loss/fitness/clean eating journey for almost 3 years now, October 14th is my fit-iversary.  But just the last few month I've realized that something was holding me back.  Something was derailing my diet, causing me to have less stamina during my workouts, and even affecting my mood at home.  What was it?

A sugar and carb addiction.

Sounds like a good thing, right?  I’ve been an admitted “chocoholic”  and "bread-obsessed" for years, but my addiction hadn’t been just limited to chocolate and bread. Oh no, everything from candy, soda, cinnamon rolls, muffins and of course pizza were part of my addiction.  But learning how to stop eating sugar and carbs would not be so simple.

And why did I care?

I was happily eating my way through life.  Living from meal to meal.  I would try to control my calories, but then the craving would start up and I was helpless, my eating was out of control.  I could work out all day long, but there came a point when I just wasn’t losing weight, it was about 2 years ago actually. I dropped my initial 85 lbs within the first 14 months and then nothing, no matter what I did. And it was this August when I realized that I had to break my sugar and carb addiction.

Sugar & Carbs, I’m breaking up with you….its not personal....shit what am I saying, it is personal!

So this morning I've decided to go completely cold turkey, thankfully I have my ketones to help my headaches and mood swings stay at bay.

I know if I can make it at least 7 days, no matter what, with no desserts, no candy, no sugar, no carbs, other than was what regularly found in my keto approved meals. I'm not going to scrutinize every label for sneaky sugars, but I'm going to avoid every obvious instance of sugar and carb in my diet, no matter how hard.

Did you know that sugar is addictive: When you eat sugar, your brain gets a massive dopamine surge, similar to the rush you get when you take addictive drugs.

I had a big Dr Pepper and some fries last night and that was it. Now I'm all done. I will update as the weeks go one. Wish me luck!

Fatso Coffee...

So I tried something new and I'm hooked 

and need to buy more like NOW!

Fat coffee.

WTF.

I was not on board with this when I first entered Keto land. My googling self started looking around online and found the whole 'add butter, oil & blend' aspect making me gag. I love butter, I didn't want to put it in my coffee.

BUT, I do understand why it's bomb and aids in the energy and weight loss. So I was graced with KETO//KREME and THIS is what it is all about:

MCTs are a form of dietary fats that are actually good for you! KETO//KREME is a proprietary blend of specific length MCTs (C8 and C10), which are designed for quick conversion into ketones. 

Prüvit's KETO//KREME MCTs increase energy, are not stored as fat, and have been shown to increase thermogenesis (fat burning).

That's Spanish to the un-keto brain.

MCT keeps you full.

KREME feeds your brain and increases focus/energy.

Tastes fucking incredible.

COME ON PRUVIT GET THAT KREME BACK IN STOCK, MAMA NEEDS MORE!!! ☕️

Reasons why I WILL ROCK THIS DEPLOYMENT...

So this morning I slept in, well actually I slept until my alarm went off at 6am. I wanted to start back with my miracle morning routine but decided to catch up on sleep since yesterday was very emotional draining. 

But after my workout this afternoon as I was transferring music from my old laptop to my macbook I started thinking. I was thinking about how in the military community, we talk about how hard deployment can be, and then we say all kinds nice things to each other that don’t really mean too much.

So I decided to make myself a list of reasons why I WILL ROCK THIS DEPLOYMENT. 

1. Because the internet exists… and until just a decade or so ago, the easiest way to communicate was by phone… and before that, it was letters.

2. Because somewhere, someone has it worse than you, and they’re kicking this deployment’s butt.

3. Because some of our grandparents (or great-grandparents– lordy, I feel old) spent four years apart from each other without R&R to kick Hitler in the face.

4. Because care packages are fun to throw yourself into. 

5. Because there’s something cathartic about crying in the shower.

6. Because you can watch all the chick flicks and ugly cry & laugh at the same time

7. Because you can buy pre-made icing and eat it out of the tub with a spoon. (Oh, that’s just me?)

8. Because deployment is a great time to spend a little me-time improving on something or learning something new.

9. Because I’m here for you (and so are a lot of other military spouses)!

10. Because The Mindy Project, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, Chicago Fire, AHS...I could go on. (Do I need to explain that any further?)

11. Because you don’t have to shave your legs! (And the peasants rejoiced.)

12. Because there are Ryan Gosling memes to help you through the tough times.

13. Because this is the perfect time to do all of the things that he’s (or she’s) not too keen on.

14. Because that homecoming kiss is pretty awesome.

15. Because the homecoming picture is pretty awesome, too.

16. Because if Brittany Spears made it through the 2000’s, you can make it through this. (And you haven’t even freaked out and shaved your head yet!)

17. Because you can set a career goal and work towards making it happen.

18. Because, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.

19. Because this video exists and you can watch it for free… as many times as you want. Every day. Yes. Every day.

20. Because even though deployment feels like it lasts forever , it really will end. 

21. Because having something to look forward to is fun.

22. Because every time you feel like giving up and don’t, you’re getting stronger.

23. Because every time you give up, Nickleback releases a new single. Don’t let Nickleback release a new single.

24. Because of the kids.

25. Because asking for help is okay. 

WHAT DID I MISS? (THERE ARE DEFINITELY A LOT MORE REASONS!) I WANT TO HEAR ’EM!

An Open Letter to My Husband...

To my wonderful husband,

You are a soldier who has been called to action and have left today to serve your country. While I have known about this for quite some time, and I feel I am as prepared for it as I’ll ever be, I’ll never truly be ready to let you go and I need you to know how I feel and what you mean to me.

You came into my life when I wasn’t looking and you brought a kind of light that I’d never experienced before. You won me over with your charm, your charisma, and your beautiful smile and I was smitten from that first moment. Our first dates were mostly spent just laughing and talking, and I knew right then you were the one. It didn’t hurt that you showed me your nice guy side right away and I loved every minute of those long nights when we had nothing to do but talk and laugh. (And because of you I learned to be who I really am!)

I was also afraid. I was afraid to let myself fall for someone that fit me as well as you did. That something this wonderful couldn’t be real. That fear quickly melted away and my feelings grew into something much more, and it was visible to everyone in my life. Over the first few months of our dating, all of my friends and family came to know you. There was never any awkwardness between us. That they saw from the beginning that we were just us.

What I love most about us is that in finding each other, we not only found the person to share our love with, but we also gained a friendship that can never be replaced. You are not only my husband but also my best friend. You bring me excitement every morning and peace at night.  You are the person I can always count on and the person I can trust with my secrets and my life.  You complement me in the best way possible and have only ever added to my happiness. Our life together is the greatest adventure I have ever had and I could never thank you enough for taking me on your life journey with you.

I love the life we have created together.  The life that includes regular date nights, even if it’s just in the house. I love how we play games together so that we can get a little competitiveness out… even if it is over a game of Yahtzee.  I love how we have our shows we have to watch together. I love how you love going to a random village and exploring with me. I love how you ever so quietly try to get out of bed not to wake me when you have to go to work. I'm the lightest sleeper so I always hear you but it makes me smile as I fall back to sleep. Having you next to me at night is what I will miss the most. I love when we go out and paint the town red, blue, purple, green, or whatever color we are in the mood for.  You are as spontaneous as I am and you have made me even more adventurous.  You keep me grounded and at the same time, you lift me up to reach new heights.

But you are gone now. And I will miss you beyond words.  I’ve tried to hold it together, keeping in mind that each morning begins another day that gets us closer to the end of this deployment, but each days seems to drag on and on, and I feel like we missed out on trying to fit in all of the time we can while we still have work and other obligations. So while I wanted to tell you all of the things I love about us, I also wanted to tell you that I have wondered for so long, what will I do without you?  Here is my answer:

I will continue to build our home into what we want it to become.  A place of love, warmth, respect, comfort, and joy (and I will probably repaint all the furniture!).  I will love our kids hard enough for the both of us.  I will hug them harder, kiss them more, and simply highlight all of your awesomeness while you are away. And I will love you harder and more than I ever have. After all, it is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I will appreciate you more for the sacrifices you are making on behalf of others who you nor I even know. I will keep myself healthy. I will do things that make me happy. I will take care of myself! I will be strong!  And I will honor what I promised you the night we became husband and wife when I placed your ring on your finger “as a symbol of my love and honesty, as a constant reminder, that I have chosen you, above all others. To be the one, to share my life.”

With all of my love,
Your wife

LOW CARB PIZZA – TURKEY CRUST MEATZA

What better way to introduce my new lifestyle than by sharing the recipe that has been a mainstay in our household for the past two weeks: low carb pizza!

It all started with a random friend on Facebook finding out I was on the keto diet. After discovering that we were both on a keto diet, she sent this recipe, and said “Trust me”. 

I scanned the makeshift recipe with apprehension. A pizza made of meat? And turkey no less? I know pizza; pizza is like my family. I’ve had just about every kind of pizza imaginable and turkey was never invited to the party. 

And a low carb pizza at that? 

I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, but copied the recipe down on a post it to try later. 

I shared the recipe with my guy and we rushed off to the grocery store to acquire all the fixings. What I saw as blasphemy to the pizza gods, he saw as everything his heart desired — meat on top of more meat. The only other time I had seen him that excited about food was when he found out that turducken is a real thing.

I whipped it up that night and never looked back. This low carb pizza is outrageously delicious. Seriously. I slapped the post-it into my recipe box after realizing the recipe was a keeper. 

Since then, I’ve tweaked a few things, played around with the ratios, cooking vessels, and a variety of toppings. I prefer to use a cast-iron skillet to get a nice crunch on the crust. Cast-iron skillets get super hot and stay that way, which is great for searing meat. Since your crust is made of meat and cheese, the meat is seared nicely while the cheese crisps up. 

If you don’t have cast-iron, you can use any oven safe dish or pan as long as it has sides to prevent the grease from dripping out.

The bigger the pan, the thinner the crust and vise versa. So if you like a thin crust, consider using a pan with a larger surface area to spread out the ingredients.

The following recipe has all of my favorite pizza toppings and comes to a measly 11 grams of carbs for the entire pizza! That’s less than 2 grams of carbs per slice! Feel free to swap the toppings out for your own faves, just be sure to update your macros.

I actually like this low carb pizza better than the delivery we used to order every week! If that’s not a testament to how spectacular this recipe is… then I don’t know what is. 

You’ve got to give it a try!

What’s your favorite type of pizza? Let me know in the comments below!