RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU’RE GUILTY OF PUTTING YOUR NY RESOLUTION ON THE BACK BURNER BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE TIME?
Guess what? It is okay because I brought on the two bad ass girls behind Spinach for Breakfast to share their top tips for suffocating excuses and getting 👏🏻 werk 👏🏻 done!
I met Alyssa and Maria through the Blog-Doo facebook group. We bonded over our love for green leafy veggies ( helloooo glowy skin ) and health and wellness. These girls started their blog about 6 years ago and are taking the blogging industry by storm! Not only have they grown their blog with over 40k followers, but they have done so while working full time, being a mom, and living in the city that never sleeps!
These girls spill all of their secrets for managing time, eating healthy while OTG, and more!
HAILS: Tell us a little bit about yourselves! Where are you two from? When and why did you start S4B?
S4B: We are from Massachusetts! And both moved to NYC after graduating college. We actually started Spinach for Breakfast as a super basic recipe website for the Clean Program’s “21 Day Clean Cleanse.” This was about 6 or so years ago where gluten-free/dairy-free/sugar-free/soy-free etc. recipes weren’t as accessible. Maria was struggling with digestive difficulties for about 5 years, and decided to do this cleanse as an elimination diet to see if she could figure out for herself what was causing all of her symptoms. S4B was meant to be a recipe resource for anyone else doing the same elimination diet. However, over the years it’s grown and evolved with us! We are now all about super simple, healthy meals that involve whole foods but that are not too restrictive. Then we also add in some gut health and baby content. 🙂
HAILS: How did the name “Spinach 4 Breakfast” come about? ( YAY for green leafy veggies 😉 )
S4B: Coming up with a name was tricky! We were totally overthinking it until one day Alyssa was at my apartment and I was making a green smoothie for breakfast. I was like, oh my god yes- “Spinach for Breakfast!”
HAILS: Alyssa, you mentioned that you were a cheerleader for the Patriots! Has that had any influence on the content you create and share on S4B?
S4B: Cheering for the Patriots was such a fun time in my life, but definitely had an impact on my relationship with food. I was a sophomore in college and needed to maintain a certain weight. I had no idea how to do this in a healthy way, so I would basically just cut calories by limiting the amount of food I ate. Over the years my body continued to change as I got older and my healthy relationship with food was still a struggle. I learned a lot by starting Spinach for Breakfast (and also doing the Clean Program with Maria), but kicking bad habits took me some time. I’ve talked a little bit on S4B about my past relationships with food and dieting and how I believe it has played a role in my own gut health issues today, but it’s also a topic I’d love to dive into a bit more. 🙂
HAILS: What have been some challenges you’ve experienced since starting your blog?
S4B: Where do we begin. 🙂 Blogging is a lot of trial and error. You need to find a nice balance between creating content that you are truly super passionate about, but also making sure it’s content that is beneficial for the people who are following you. I think our biggest challenge has been really making it super clear who we are. We have very different lives (Maria is married with a baby, Alyssa is single and dating), and we also have different eating habits. Initially we tried to blend as one person, as if each piece of content was coming from both of us. But that wasn’t the reality. It’s important to just portray who you really are, whoever that may be!
HAILS: Starting and maintaining a blog requires immense patience, persistence, and adaptability. You two have hustled with not only creating content, but also working, mothering, living in and exploring NYC, and more! What are your top 3 tips for managing your time between your responsibilities?
S4B: 1. Plan ahead! Set up a content calendar and stay as organized as possible. The most stressed I get is when I wake up in the morning and have nothing to post. So I try my best to stay ahead of the game when it comes to content.
2. Prioritize what is most important. Some days this might submitting photos for a brand collaboration, while other days it has to do with deadlines for our other jobs, or simply spending the afternoon uninterrupted with my baby. I typically like to get the most crucial things done first, so the rest of my time is free to either work on other areas of S4B, or not!
3. Incorporate what you do in your daily life into your blog content. I snap a picture of the healthy dinner I was going to make anyway, or get a lifestyle photo while I am out to lunch with friends. It not only makes your content more genuine, but it saves so much time!
HAILS: So many people have a new year’s resolution of eating healthier, but that often takes the back burner due to busy schedules. What advice do you have for practicing healthy eating with hectic schedules?
S4B: Our motto is keep it SIMPLE! We absolutely love looking at those beautiful healthy bowls on IG with 14 things in them, but we just don’t have time for that. My advice is to always bring it back to the basics. Stick with healthy, whole foods, but don’t be afraid to take short-cuts. I love pre-chopped or pre-spiralized veggies and also some frozen staples (as long as they have good ingredients!). Meal prepping is also a huge time savor!
HAILS: What are your fave on-the-go meals?
S4B: My job as a speech pathologist I see clients in their homes, so I am literally always on the go. I tend to bring really healthy snacks and pick on them throughout the day. This might be an apple and a mini Justin’s peanut butter, a baggie of chopped veggies, a yogurt, nuts or maybe an RX bar (although I try not to rely on bars). I can eat these things while I walk. However, if I know I have time to sit then I usually pop into SweetGreens or another place that has healthy options.
HAILS: If we made two recipes from S4B – dessert and meal – which recipes should we start with?!!
S4B: Oh boy this is a tough one! I think everyone’s favorite meal is the Sweet Potato and Sausage Quinoa Bake. It’s such a good one to make an eat off of for a few days! For dessert, I might have to go with the No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls. They are SO good, and another great make ahead option. I store them in my freezer. 🙂
Thank you so much ladies!!
You can find more healthy recipes and lifestyle tips on the blog, Spinach4Breakfast, and find them on Instagram!
