Amanda is a well known life style blogger who lives in CT and runs “Healthy Wifestyle”. She’s a new mommy to this adorable little bundle, baby Lacey. Get to know this Jersey girl at heart and get some great local recs as well as an amazing/healthy smoothie recipe you and your kids will LOVE!
Where are you from originally?
I’m from Moorestown, NJ. My whole family still lives down there and I’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart!
How long have you lived in your town?
My husband is originally from Greenwich and we wanted a change of scenery. His brother, wife, and three kids live in New Canaan, CT so it felt like a natural fit. We’ve been here for almost four years.
How many kids do you have and what are their age(s)?
We have one daughter, Lacey, who’s six months and lights up our world every single day.
What are your favorite things to do with your kids in general or in town?
We’re big farmers market people. Now that Spring has (finally!) sprung, we spend Saturday mornings walking around the market and chatting with vendors. We’re all about supporting local businesses! Lacey loves the attention and experimenting with foods we’re able to give her while we’re there since she started solids last month.
What’s your favorite restaurant in town for a family date? Night out with friends? Romantic evening? Why?
Family date: Baldanza. We’ve been friendly with the owners for years and it feels like home every time we walk in.
Night out with friends: A delicious margarita at Tequila Mockingbird (they’re quite lethal so be careful!) followed by drinks and apps at Uncorked. This is our circuit whenever we have guests in town!
Romantic Evening: Spiga. We love snuggling up in their booths and they have the best wine list in town.
What is your favorite kid-friendly recipe?
I’m having so much fun introducing Lacey to foods, and we’re moving towards baby led weaning over purees now that she can almost sit up on her own. Her favorites are avocado, banana oatmeal, and grass-fed beef with sweet potato. We make smoothies every morning, and she’s always interested in trying a sip. I can’t wait to give her one when she’s ready!
Here’s a great recipe I use myself and provide to my clients with kids:
1 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter
1 scoop plant-based protein powder (my favorite is Aloha Vanilla)
1 banana
Handful or two of organic baby spinach
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth. It’s so good, the kiddos won’t even realize there’s spinach in it!
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? What was the best advice your mom gave you?
My mom and close friends have all said that the days are long, but the years are short. Now that I’m in it, I completely understand the meaning. Some days seem like they go on forever and I’m counting down the hours until bedtime—and then there are days when Lacey is a joy from morning until night, and it’s those days that I try to remind myself of when times are tough. I can’t believe she’s already six months, and I know time is going to continue to fly.
My advice to other moms comes from personal experience—take time for yourself. In the beginning, I felt like I had to do everything and be a superwoman mom. And then, around Lacey’s four-month birthday, I fell apart. Doing it all is exhausting, and there’s no shame in asking for help, even if it’s so you can take a yoga class or go to the grocery store on your own. It truly does take a village, and it’s easy to end up isolated if you don’t ask for help with open arms. The more we can lean on each other and build community, the better!
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
Yes! I run a lifestyle blog called Healthy Wifestyle, which focuses on love and relationships, pregnancy and motherhood, all things food, and travel. You can check out the site here. I also teach yoga sculpt (think power vinyasa x bootcamp), and I’ll be back to teaching in June around the county. If you follow me on Instagram, I always share my latest schedule there.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I’ve been skydiving twice and bungee jumping once! I live for a good thrill, or at least I used to before baby 
Guilty pleasure:
I’m breastfeeding still and my daughter has a dairy sensitivity, which has been really hard for me because I love a good ice cream or grass-fed cheese! So you better believe that the second I’m done, my husband and I are heading to Terrain for their charcuterie board followed by a stop at Milkcraft in Fairfield.
And non-food related: Real Housewives of NY or OC. Can’t help myself.