This post is sponsored by EverlyWell. Get 15% off your purchase with the code FRECKLED

It's been a while since I talked about what my diet looks like these days (the last time I wrote an "update" was in 2015--I still wasn't sure about barre and now I swear by it so much that I trained to be an instructor!), and I wanted to share because I really changed the way I thought about food and nutrition when I was pregnant and right after Sophie was born. I've had a lot of this post saved as a draft for quite some time, so I was even more excited to share when EverlyWell reached out and wanted to know if I'd be interested in trying their food sensitivity test. 

As some of you may remember, I found that a lot of the foods that used to bother me didn't bother me anymore while I was pregnant, and I definitely took advantage of that. Morning sickness had me eating crackers and toast around the clock, and I didn't have the stomach pain or headaches that I used to when I would eat gluten.

Since I'm still nursing Sophie, I decided not to worry too much about my diet and continue to eat things that kept me full, happy, and feeling good; but around the 7 or 8 month of post-partum life I was starting to get headaches and stomach pain again. I don't know the science behind it or if it's even real, but I've heard from a lot of other gluten sensitive people who said the same thing happened to them--they stopped feeling the side effects of the gluten while they were pregnant--so I started to wonder if maybe my sensitivities were returning as my hormones shift and my body finally returns to it's pre-baby state. Either way, I was curious to take a food sensitivity test and see what came back as possible reactive foods in my diet. 

When I'm done breastfeeding I'll most likely return to a more grain-free/low-carb style of eating (I'd like to lose these pesky 15-20 pounds I still have hanging out from my pregnancy but that's a whole other post), but until then I just want to start feeling better by eliminating some of the foods that may be giving me migraines, joint pain, and the occasional stomach issue.

Considering the fact that it involved an at-home finger prick, the EverlyWell test was everything I needed it to be--non-intimidating, straightforward, and neatly packaged into a cute and simple design. I was definitely nervous to use the lancets for the blood sample and ended up having Rob do it for me, but I promise that it was absolutely no big deal (this is coming from someone who has absolutely passed out at the doctor's office before). It was really nice to be able to do it in the comfort of my own home, on a weekend, while watching trashy TV and drinking coffee.

After you collect the blood sample you just fold it up and throw it in the pre-paid envelope and stick it in your mailbox! My results came back super fast (by email, which is nice since I was out of town at the time) and I was really surprised to see that I didn't have any foods in the "highly reactive" category. My top three sensitivities are to green beans, mozzarella, and yogurt, and after that in the mild sensitivities are the things to which I always suspected I had intolerances: gluten, some dairy, wheat, etc.

What I got out of this test, more than just the results, is a better understanding of food sensitivities and how they work. I've always felt like my intolerances sort of "build up" over time, i.e. I don't immediately feel sick after eating bread or dairy but after eating it regularly for a week or two I usually end up with a migraine or joint pain. I was sort of relieved to learn that this is exactly how it can work--I don't have an allergy, which is serious and comes on fast, it's just a sensitivity and I can make the decision to eliminate certain foods (or not!). 

I've actually decided to quit messing with gluten-free bread and pasta and just stay away from the real thing unless I decide that it's really worth it. Obviously everyone's sensitivities are different, but one awesome bowl of spaghetti now and then isn't going to mess me up, so it's kind of freeing to know that I can control how I feel day to day and then make those "special occasion" sort of exceptions.

I think that's about it! Please let me know if you have any questions about the test or anything food related at all! I'm so happy I took this test and am so grateful to EverlyWell for sponsoring this post! If you're interested in taking one of their tests, use the code FRECKLED for 15% off your purchase!

 It’s my birthday! Im feeling so incredibly grateful for my wonderful life and sweet family today. I thought it would be fun to share 30 things I’ve learned these past 30 years:

1. Getting to know yourself is hard but important work.
2. One of the best feelings in the world is having a baby fall asleep on you.
3. There's nothing better than pho when you're not feeling well.
4. Seriously, just drink your water.
5. Find and use your local libraries. 
6. Respect is earned, no one is entitled to it--not even you.
7. Good friends stick around no matter what coast you live on. You'll know they're good because it feels like no time has passed at all any time you talk to them.
8. Don't ever do anything you don't want to do. (But try to do the things you said you would.)
9. Working out matters but for more reasons than fitting into the next size down. 
10. Read a book every now and then, even if you have to make time for it. 
11. Learn how to say no and say it often.  
12. Take your makeup off every night no matter what. 
13. Invest in relationships where you get something back. Walk away from ones that drain you.
14. Go to bed early whenever you can. 
15. But stay up late sometimes. 
16. You get to pick what your life, your marriage, your family looks and feels like. 
17. Kindness is the most important.
18. Don’t wash your hair too much.
19. It’s okay to be more excited about the food than the football. 
20. Sweating your ass off in pants is better than getting eaten alive by mosquitos. 
21. Always have garlic, olive oil, and some pasta in your kitchen pantry. 
22. Also maybe a bottle of sparkling wine. 
23. You matter and you deserve good things. 
24. Worrying is a huge waste of time. Do your best to deal with things as they come. Nothing is ever as bad as you make it out to be.
25. Labor and delivery is the craziest and coolest, most insane ride. 
26.  Expensive liquid eyeliner is overrated.
27.  Good leggings are underrated.
28.  You’ll look back one day and laugh at the things you thought about, cared about, and worried about. You’ll barely even be able to picture the boys who broke your heart.
29.  Work hard but give yourself a break every now and then.
30. You don’t have to be like anyone but yourself. 

PS I’ve been blogging for 10 years! Thank you all so much for sticking around through it all—you’ve truly changed my life for the better.

This post is sponsored by La Crema. Find my favorite pesto recipe on their blog today!

Hello from Charlotte! I've had such a nice week catching up with friends and hanging out in one of my favorite cities, but today I'm on the La Crema blog sharing one of my all-time favorite recipes--my mom's pesto. She's been making it for years and it is still one of the best things I've ever eaten. She would always bring me little frozen containers of it in college--I can still remember them, small and rectangular with rounded corners. Friends from home still remember my mom's pesto--it really is that good!

Pasta is such an easy thing to make (and so is pesto, actually), but I would always feel so grown-up in my college kitchen; salting the water and setting out plates for a family-style dinner in our slightly ugly University-furnished apartment dining area. I'd defrost a little container of sauce and toss it into the hot spaghetti, top it with more cheese, and voila! Dinner was served.

Rob meets us in Charlotte tomorrow and this weekend we're off to Richmond to meet up with my mom, my brother, and my best friend Tina. We don't have very many plans other than to hang out and cook, which is always on the docket whenever we're together. I love the way food brings people together--it's one of the simplest things but one of the best, don't you think? Cooking has always been such a huge part of my life and it means the world to me that I've been able to share it with the people I love the most (and partner with La Crema once again to share another favorite recipe).

I love nothing more than being in the kitchen with family and friends, whipping up something delicious and enjoying a glass of wine. It's always so nice being back on the east coast and visiting my brother and/or mom because we always do just that.

Wishing you a happy and safe Labor Day weekend, friends! Hope it's full of food and fun.