This classic dish is made with simple ingredients including pickle relish, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. I made this dish for the holidays and used non-fat Greek yogurt instead of mayo and it came out fantastic! No one even noticed it wasn't made with mayonnaise.

Ingredients:

• 12 large eggs
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise, or use half mayo and half plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons pickle relish, or diced dill pickle
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard, or yellow mustard
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• paprika for garnish

Instructions:

1. Hard Boil Eggs: 

Stovetop Method: Add eggs to a saucepan and cover eggs with cold water. Heat until water comes to a boil. Stir in 1 teaspoon of baking soda (trick for helping the eggs to peel easily), apply lid to cover, and remove from heat. Rest with the lid on for 12 minutes. Remove eggs to an ice water bath to cool.

Instant Pot Method: Add 1 cup of water to Instant Pot. Add wire rack and place eggs on top. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, with a 5 minute natural release. Remove eggs to an ice water bath for 5 minutes

2. Peel and cut eggs: Slice peeled eggs in half, lengthwise. Carefully remove the yellow yolks and place yolks in bowl.

3. Make the filling: To the bowl with the egg yolks add mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard. Mash with a fork until smooth. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Add more mayo, mustard, or seasonings to taste, if needed.
​
4. Assemble: Add a big spoonful of filling back into each egg white. Use a spoon, or a pastry bag to pipe the filling in. garnish with paprika or chives, just before serving.

5. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days - if there are any leftovers, which I doubt!

​https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/traditional-deviled-eggs/

What a time of year to reflect. As I write this, I am thinking of January 4 of 2004. That was the day I filed for my first business license as an independent trainer. 20 years later, I am still here! My name has changed twice, but the business is still the same- helping my community prioritize self care! I know I am making a difference every day by helping people take care of themselves through training sessions, my website and blog, speaking engagements, YouTube channel, social media, and most recently, podcasting. I realized that I love to write because it helps me process the project at hand and really celebrate significant moments. Let me tell you, it never gets boring. There is always something to work on. 

My business has gone through many seasons over the past 2 decades. I started as an independent contractor, opened a storefront and later closed the storefront, merged with a couple of people and later parted ways with them, constructed a studio on my property and started training from home, had a baby, moved to training online,     and started my podcast.

Looking back at all this change, I can't help but think all of the lessons and blessings that came from it. Like the seasons, there is a cycle of things coming into being and then fading away. Much like seeds that break open in order to sprout and grow into something new, I have felt the pain of transition as well as the new energy it brings. When you resist change, sometimes you can’t see the new and positive things. One of my favorite changes has been new people joining and contributing to our community. Thank you for everything. Whether it was a hand with moving, ideas for races, bringing your friends to a semi-private, or showing kindness to one another, you remind me that it is always worth putting yourself out there. Gracias mi gente!

Happy New Year, and cheers to new transitions. What do you want? Write it down and let’s support each other!

An easy and hearty meal, I whipped this up for breakfast. As a plus - so easy to adapt to ingredients on hand!

Ingredients
2 cups sliced asparagus (½-inch pieces)*
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped*
*-substitute with whatever is in your fridge. I used broccoli, red peppers, and mushrooms

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons rice flour
3 eggs
1 cup chopped ham
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup (2 ounces) finely shredded Swiss cheese- used queso fresco

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine asparagus, bell pepper, and 1 tablespoon water in microwavable bowl. Cover with waxed paper; microwave on HIGH 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain. You can also sauté on an iron skillet with a little oil.
3. Whisk milk and rice flour in large bowl.

4. Whisk in eggs until well blended. Stir in vegetables, ham, tarragon, salt and black pepper.
5. Pour into 9-inch pie plate.
6. Bake 35 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the fritta; bake for 5 more minutes, or until center is set and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings

This time of year can bring up a lot of feeling and emotions. For me especially, they are both happy and sad ones. I lost my brother 15 years ago during this time. Six years later, my daughter was born on that same anniversary day (after having two miscarriages). No wonder I have so many ups and downs, they are polar opposites and are so intense. I'm not saying anything is good bad, right or wrong, only that I became aware of the source of my own anxiety and apathy and my urge to drown those feeling out with shopping, food or busying myself so that I wouldn't have to deal with sorting them out. I decided during covid that I wasn't going to let my overwhelm get the best of me.  

I started small by asking myself: What is most important?  I landed on this: quality time with family and friends. I've done different holiday challenges each year to keep myself and friends grounded in what is ultimately important- our health and quality of life.  I've lost both parents and a brother in the last 3 years, so I no longer take things for granted. I am more self-aware about what brings me energy and what robs my energy. With this knowledge, I make sure to find ways to achieve balance. On the one hand, there are things that create stress and my ability to release that stress by processing my emotions. This helps me not to drop too low on energy. On the other hand, I intentionally fill my cup with kind acts towards myself and others, practicing self-care and teaching my community how to hang on when life gets rough. So yes, things go up and down, but I have tools that make me more resilient.

For example,  I suddenly felt a panic as I went into Costco for our weekly needs and saw a massive influx of people. I took a breath, focused, and stuck to my list. My daughter was also there to remind me 'to stick to the shopping list' (she's great for that). Later, when I thought about my reaction to the crowds and the chaos, I decided I didn't want to participate in the consumerism aspect of Christmas. I let my family know I would gift them 'experiences' instead of 'stuff'. My body and soul just felt more at peace.

This year, I decided to invite friends over for a holiday brunch so we could enjoy each other's company outside of the gym and get to know each other better. I love it when my people meet and start going to things together or find that their interests align.  It builds that trust and sense of community.  As we share ideas of how to make this workout thing work for us, we figure out our schedules, cook healthy food, sign up for events, and find other ways to feed our soul good quality nourishment in the form of relationships.  I invite to share your talents, interest, ideas, and get our little ones involved, too.