StaywellMA

Nutrition advice is everywhere and much of it contradicts itself. For a long time, that noise made eating feel complicated — as if every meal needed to be optimized, measured, or justified.  Over time, I learned to simplify. One principle I return to often is this: I try to stay as close to the natural state of food as possible.  Not perfectly. Not rigidly. Just in orientation. What that means, in practice, is choosing foods that resemble what they were before heavy processing,  vegetables that still look like plants, grains that haven’t been stripped of everything recognizable, meals that feel assembled rather than engineered.  This isn’t always possible, and that’s okay. Life includes travel , long days, limited options, and seasons where convenience matters.  The goal isn’t purity. It’s direction . Balanced meals, for me, are built around a few steady anchors: variety, satisfaction, and attentiveness. I aim to include different food groups , to eat ...

 As an African living in the West, I’ve found myself in the slow, intentional process of unlearning diet culture . This unlearning hasn’t been simple, because diet culture here in North America doesn’t just tell us how to eat — it tells us whose food is worthy, healthy, and legitimate. In Western wellness spaces , “healthy eating” is often framed through a narrow cultural lens. Certain foods are celebrated, researched, marketed, and elevated as superior, while others — especially foods from non-Western cultures — are dismissed as unhealthy, heavy, or indulgent. This framing is not neutral. It reflects power, history, and whose knowledge is considered credible. Growing up, the foods of my culture were never designed to fit Western food pyramids or wellness trends — yet they sustained generations. They were built on balance, seasonality, community, and survival. These foods nourished bodies long before they were filtered through calorie counts, macro ratios, or Instagram aesthet...

I approach smoothie making the same way I approach dumping whatever I want into a slow cooker or crock pot. Am using mangoes because I had some left over mangoes that were on their way out.  A good way to save fresh fruits is to freeze it until it's ready for use.  That't what I did with these mangoes. Secondly, I was craving the taste of ginger so I put that in the blender. The rest of the ingredients, honestly, were chosen based on my feelings in the moment :) and what my palette was craving. You can do whatever you want. You are the BOSS in your kitchen  I do have to mention that I've been dealing with some digestion and gut issues and that also inspired what I put in my smoothie like all the fiber and chia seeds you see. The end result tasted more tumericky than what i wanted because  I put too much of the powder so be mindful of your portion sizes. All in all, I was happy with my smoothie.  Don't over think it.  You can have a healthy smoothi...

This Post is not for Coffee Snubs. As much as I love a good cup of fancy coffee,  I find that am always nostalgic about the Nescafe. It reminds me of morning breakfast routines in Cameroon. I also love this instant option for making my flask of coffee to take to work. You can make 100 cups of coffee for less than $5!!! Now if that's not a money savings power move I don't know what is. And then to spice it up, I try a variety of lactose free creamers. Some of my favourite Coffee mate flavors are; 💓 Italian Sweet Creme      💓 Caramel Latte 💓 Hazelnut      💓 French Vanilla I was surprised that I did not like the coconut creme. I had such high hopes but it just was not a strong enough taste of coconut. I know the nutritional values of Coffee mate products can be questionable but that's what I currently use to jazz up my Nescafe instant coffee. Are you a coffee drinker?  If so, How do you like your coffee?

Honestly, this is more like a treat of the year for me but who's judging? As a non-diary person I love Halos because they have calorie friendly ,  yummy tasting ice creams.   I am always weary of nutrition substitutes  and I have had my fair share of experiences with bad tasting supposedly "healthy" food options. A pint of ice cream for 320 calories

It's been 2 months of quarantined and I've only eaten food that was prepared out of the home once. Being home all day has inspired me to try out different recipes that I will traditionally just pick up at the grocery store because of their convenience. The average pre made salad costs how much? $5 - $10 ? depending on where you shop. I decided to indulge my salad cravings by picking up some ingredients at the store and making my own salads at home. I also substituted boiled eggs with chicken I already had in the fridge on some days. My grocery list cost about $20 ( not all items are shown above like dressing in the fridge) and  I was able to make 6 salad bowls with these ingredients. Something  that would have cost me +$50. There is no science or rules to making a salad. I like meal options that allow room for customization. The only thing I will say to keep in mind is your salad dressing. If you're counting your calories, salad dressings can ...

Being stuck indoors has given me time to play around in the kitchen more than I typically do as I spend a lot of my days travelling for work In an effort to take a break from all things chicken related, I decided to make some curry goat. There are a million curry recipes online and to be honest you can also substitute with whatever you have at home without needing to make new purchases. However, I think the main ingredients you need to have in order for your dish to be called curry goat is exactly that....CURRY SPICE + GOAT MEAT. Everything else is a matter of palate preference. Also at the beginning, I was going to boil my potatoes separately as my side dish instead of rice, but last minute I decided to just throw it into the curry sauce and call it a day. And so yeah, this is the end result. You can have it as is, or sometimes I just grab the sauce part without the potatoes and pour it over some rice. If you still want me to provide a recipe, send me an emai...

My Dine r : 399 Main street, Melrose MA 02176 What I'm currently loving🖤 on the menu Western Omelette w/ no cheese Honestly, I've not had a disappointing meal from this diner. Everything is amazing from the waffles to the pancakes and sandwiches.  They also have a vegan  menu but I haven't tried anything on that menu.

Disclaimer: I ended up buying a bag of apples from the farm for like$10 and split it with a friend because there were no apples left for picking. The highlight of Smolak farms for me was their boutique store and the ice cream store. I had to exercise ALOT of restrain in the store to stop myself from buying up all the donuts and all the other quaint baking type stuff and touristy souvenirs in the store. It also didn't help that while it was slightly chilly outside, the store was arm and cozy,  filled with the aroma of apple cider and baked doughnuts. #thatshowtheygetyou The apple picking on the other hand left little to be desired. Now I understand that going at the end of October, which is the tale end of the season, is not the best time to go.  This was my first time going apple picking . All the pictures I have seen on the internet made it seem like it was such a cool experience to have?  I didn't quite enjoy ...

Did you know that men & women can sometimes experience  different symptoms when experiencing a heart attack? I consider my heart to be very healthy. Some of the things I do  including leading an active lifestyle that helps with my heart health  is what I eat. One of my favorite meals or to-go snacks are  smoothies. The invention of machines like the ninja or magic  bullet has made smoothie making into a less than 10 mins culinary  extravaganza. I love my smoothies very simple. I've never felt the need to make it exotic with the latest fad  ingredients like matcha and etc. Berries, bananas, flax seeds, some  sort of   protein powder &  milk is all I need in a good smoothie. I  know it  sounds boring but  it gets the job done in terms of taste and  nutritional value. Berries and Flax seeds have macronutri...

Did you know that watermelon  is over + 90% water and just about 6% sugar ? So if you're like me... you don't mind drinking water but every now and then you want to spice things up, try making some simple watermelon juice. I prefer it blended as a drink because I do not like the solid texture. The simpler the better. Because for me, once you start adding more ingredients* to the recipe you're deviating from its natural taste* and nutritional value.  To keep up with what am up to on the daily, don't forget to follow me on instagram at @fitpaysangirl. Have a great weekend! Stay Hydrated!

Instead of doing a chili recipe, I am going to talk about how I like my chili. Chili is one of those meals you can have in any season. In the winter time I like my chili chunky and spicy. The spice helps to elevate my body temperature and keep me warm in the cold weather.  In the summertime, I like it light  and full of flavor.  During the spring and fall weather, am much more experimental with it adding signature seasonal flavours like curry, pumpkin and etc I cook chili when am looking for an all you can eat healthy comfort food to appease my emotional state. I cook chili when I've ran out of time to get groceries and I have to make do with my sparse pantry. I cook chili using leftovers. How to cook Chili My favourite way to cook chili is in a crock pot because am a lazy cook with a busy work schedule. There's nothing better than dumping everything into a crockpot in the morning and coming home to a house smelling of cooked food re...

Address :  205 Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02116 My colleagues and I went to this location because it was conveniently located across our job site (John Hancock Building). At Fire and Ice, you can either select something from the menu or pay a fix price for the unlimited buffet option. The way the buffet works is, you create your own meal by selecting from the different food groups; spices, proteins, vegetables, carbs and etc . It reminds me of the The Big Chow Grill in Smyrna, Ga my former neighborhood in Atlanta.  This is a safe way to try different spices or combinations without "losing money" on a meal you end up not enjoying. I'm not sure if I will recommend this option to someone who doesn't know how to cook or doesn't know how to combine different food groups. But with that said, I asked the chef for ideas when I was trying to create my seafood plates because I don't typically cook fish. Affordability: ✔✔✔✔ C...

Is millet making a come back  as the next "fad" grain in the west? It had made an appearance a couple of years ago but not an overwhelming one.  I say that because while it will be considered a "new" hype thing in america , its a very common staple in other parts of the world. I grew up eating millet fufu every day in the far north province of cameroon and it's still one of my favourite carbohydrates staples outside of rice. Nothing can deliver me from the love of jellof. It will be interesting to see the western take on millet.  How it's going to be "re branded"...  As a granule topping for yogurt?  a healthy cereal?  a healthy cereal bar?  a powder that can be used to make a power morning shake? millet fruit salad anyone? millet pasta? millet cookies? millet flavoured water? I just finished a box of millet cereal and had mixed feelings about it. Millet has a distinct taste and the challenge will be to find ingred...

October has been such a harvest month full of blessings for me. I am very grateful to everyone who's shown me love during this season And it's with this state of mind that I decided to go grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is no different from eating out when it comes to making healthy food choices If you go shopping when you're in a sad mood or in a rush, you're more likely to stock up on comfort sugary or salty foods like chips, ice cream and everything chocolate.  On the other hand, if the trip is carefully thought out and planned when you're surrounded by positive vibes, you're more likely to be conscious about; What you're buying,   Reading Food labels  Coupons and discounts so you're saving $$$ Meal planning ideas for bring a lunch bag to work I decided to go shopping because I'd been eating out a lot lately.  It's so easy to just eat out or grab something on the go when you live alone and have a c...

This post isn't so much about  how to make an acai bowl (which you can google a million different recipes based on your dietary needs  or just purchase one like me)  but it is about my ramblings/opinions of this new nutrition fad* What Is an Acai Bowl? How does is differ from a smoothie?  Juice? Protein Shake? Components of the typical acai bowl oatmeal fruit peanut butter Or is it just the same basic smoothie with supplements that has been repackaged, renamed, and re branded   to sound like a nutritional elixir that fell off the heavens? or planet mars? given that the seeds are from the mythical amazon jungles of Brazil? This particular version i'm having, the acia primo bowl from jamba juice, is delicious. It's a perfect frozen bowl for summer weather or after a hot sweaty fall workout. I wouldn't reach for it during the cold weather unless I am hot and need something to cool me down.  We ...