http://www.empowernutritioncoach.com/

Katie Crokus, Madison, WI (2025)

01/14/2025

You can find my weekly update over at substack, I’ll put the link in my bio 🤍🤍🤍

Some highlights - sourdough, volleyball, goldens photobombing the amazon delivery driver, a new couch!

Tell me you’re mid 40s without telling me…

12/30/2024

It’s been a really great break ❤️

12/12/2024

Wow, you sure grew up fast and you grew up good, kid. My favorite sound in the world is this girl’s laughter 🤍 Happy FIFTEENTH birthday Anna Elizabeth

09/29/2024

This one requires a permanent spot in the feed 🤍Homecoming 2024

09/19/2024

My simple, daily pre-workout + caffeine:

Pumpkin Oat Bars

I love them because they are very easy to eat right after waking up and are such a great compliment to the coffee I literally get out of bed for in the morning.

The size is pretty small but eating a little hit of protein and carbs is more about telling my body nutrition is ‘in the house’ after an all night ‘fast’ (i.e. eating normally) before training. It’s not breakfast. But it might as well be rocket fuel; I’m amazed at the s**t I can lift now that I’ve added this.

Recipe:

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 16 oz container egg whites
1 1/2 cups quick oats
2 scoops protein (I like snickerdoodle, pumpkin pie, cake pop, vanilla are also awesome; code Katie saves 10%)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 cup water to thin

Combine the above. Determine added water based
on getting the mixture to a cake batter-like consistency

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

This is not a perscription! Always look around at your own environment before assuming someone else has a magic bullet. This has been great for ME…a 45 year old woman preparing for the onset of perimenopause by shifting the WAY I work out and how I consume protein around training.

If you’re doing great or in a phase of life that doesn’t mirror mine, don’t change a thing!

01/30/2023

This little as***le almost came to Costco with me 🤣 He had no intention of getting out of the car so we had a little tousle, resulting in a time out for both of us.

Overnight he managed to turn my oven settings from Fahrenheit to Celsius and I have ZERO idea how to fix it, so I’ve been googling temperature translation (and getting strangely good at it).

Other on-brand behavior today: turning on the sink and starting the heated foot massager while I’m gone. Sounds like someone needs some attention and I know why…

It’s a big reset day after a long break and trip to Colorado. Thinking an email might come together soon to talk about it.

So much has happened. The question is….do I pick up where I left off in December or just start completely over?!

Tell me please!

08/11/2022

These came together in an effort combine two of my favorite things; chocolate chip cookies and s’mores!

Usually when I bake with marshmallows I use the fluff, but since I didn’t have any on hand, I tried my luck with the minis…and it did not disappoint! Rather than the in-tact marshmallow stretch you get when using fluff, the minis sort of caramelized, adding a different kind of chewy richness that we all loved!

S’mores Bars
1 cup salted butter, softened (if using unsalted, add 1/2 tsp salt)
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (4-5 sheets)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows (plus more for sprinkling on top)
2 Hersey chocolate bars (chopped for topping)
Leftover graham cracker pieces (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray or parchment paper.

Cream together butter and sugars for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, then vanilla. Add flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Transfer batter to pan and top with mini marshmallows, Hersey bar pieces and broken bits of graham crackers (I just used what was leftover after crushing several sheets for the 1/2 cup that went into the batter)

Bake 20 - 25 minutes until the bars are mostly set - if you want to do a 1 min broil to brown the top go ahead (I made mine at altitude so they stayed in about 10 minutes longer, rose, then fell a bit which I am reading is fairly normal for cooking at 9000 feet; but I think for most people, this won’t be an issue - and they’ll taste great no matter what).

Allow them to cool completely before cutting into squares. One day later we’ve found they are even better than they were fresh out of the oven.

No macros here because WHY?! You want nutrition, eat carrots (or any number of OTHER recipes on my feed). You want to celebrate National S’mores Day (yesterday, apparently!)…I’ve got you.

Crisp edges, gooey center and all the best flavors make for a supreme summer delight. And so much easier than cleaning the marshmallows of the grill. Please let me know if you try these!

07/27/2022

Most of us know sleep is the most underrated way to support immunity, hormones and brain health.

But do you know what else it supports? Metabolic health and weight management.

Now does it have your attention?

There is a direct connection between sleep and hunger hormones. Lack of adequate sleep creates an increase in grehlin (which tells us we are hungry) and a decrease in leptin (which controls appetite by sending fullness cues).

So even when we are adequately fed, our brains will tell us otherwise when we are in a sleep deficit. But that’s not all…

During times of stress (which is occurring when you aren’t sleeping enough), another hormone shows up; cortisol. A prolonged rise can lead to inflammation, less resiliency and cravings of processed foods (quick energy for your brain).

You can see how this cycle can pick up speed and become chronic when not managed appropriately.

A few quick tips to if you’re having trouble:

👉Get your room around 65F - or open a window/use a fan to cool you

👉If you must be exposed to screens, get those blue light blockers on. Exposing your eyes to brightness and stimulation makes your brain think you need to be awake. When that happens it will look for energy (hyperpalatable snacks)

👉Give yourself 2 hours from the time of your last BIG meal before you crawl into bed. Not because there is some magic eating window, but because our bodies want to divert energy to rebuilding and repairing while we sleep. If there is lots of food in our stomach, it will divert that energy to digestion, causing restless sleep.

👉Have a snack. A light, balanced bite before bed will help keep you from waking up hungry. For me, it’s one that doesn’t raise my blood sugar (yogurt, berries & handful of nuts or cheese stick and apple with nut butter)

If you’re someone struggling to understand why your sleep is elusive, I urge you to check your bedtime habits. For me it’s been a combo of dream powder and all the above. You can save 35% on your first month by stacking my code katiecrokus15 to the website discount.

But start with the basics first - it may shock you how accessible sleep can be with those simple changes!

What do you think?

04/06/2022

I know you can take orders from a boot camp coach, but can you get still enough to answer this:

Have you ever been in a state when you’ve ‘let yourself go?’ What does that statement mean?

For me it used to be the things I have recently made priorities, in an effort to restore my cycle:

- Reduce workouts
- Stop tracking macros
- Gain weight
- Increase clothing size
- Reduction in daily steps
- Spend more time resting

Maybe it stirs something up in you to consider these deliberate actions, or perhaps you’re familiar because they’ve happened with some resistance.

Is this letting yourself go? Does this mean you can never do those things again?

If you answered yes, what about me? Did I let myself go? Cement habits I can never change? Be honest, it’s ok.

Because my truth is it sure felt that way most days.

Many times in the past year, I have had to breathe into a reframe of the idea. I returned to it often.

Maybe instead of letting myself go, I let myself:

- Trust my inner wisdom(that was blunted by what external pressure told me I should do)
- Explore what awakens within me when I have new priorities
- Discover a new kind of strength
- Learn that I am resourceful, safe and fully supported
- Find peace and power in places that are unrelated to beauty and youth
- Reach a more aligned, happy place

Maybe I closed part one of my life, where I learned everything I am supposed to do, and transitioned to part two, where I finally begin to live as I was divinely designed to be?

I’d love to know - what does the phrase ‘I’ve let myself go’ mean to you?

I have so much more to I could say and write on the tactical part of this experience - and it is always what people want to know: the what, the how long, the exactdetailsofeverythingididatedrankgained…but as part of the integration, it is so important for me to write from what I’m feeling from my body, not my mind.

This is because I’ve worked really heard to make space for the voice deep within. And while I thank my mind for working to keep me centered on my ego’s path for safety’s sake, it’s time for it to take a back seat.

Something to ruminate on if this resonates today: Is it possible to consider a reframe?

04/02/2022

Ok this one is shamefully easy, but it would be criminal not to share…

It just might be the lightest, simplest (favorite 🤩) treat you ever did make!!

Got 10 seconds? K- here it is:

✨1 box pudding, made per the box instructions (my choice is chocolate but this will work with their banana, strawberry and vanilla flavors too!)

✨1 ‘dollop’ 0% Greek Yogurt (about a quarter cup or 60 grams)

✨If you like it sweeter, add a few stevia drops (I don’t need them)

If you use unsweetened cashew milk like I do, here are the macros for the entire bowl:

143 cals/20 carbs/3 fat/9 protein ☠️

I’ll go ahead and enter it into MFP as Katie Crokus Mousse - and it’ll work for all of the SD pudding flavors.

Have you ever tried to inverse the yogurt bowl ingredients and make it a mousse bowl?!

Tell me what you think! 🙏

03/07/2022

We are so excited!

Less than 24 hours until Kim, Marci and I get to celebrate the 100th episode of the Decades of Strength podcast.

As many longtime listeners know, I just came on board about a year and almost 50 episodes ago. And there was A LOT to draw me in - so much education, honesty, friendship, hard-truths, easy-wins and so much more in every episode I’d ever heard.

When I first began sharing my story in late 2019, it became a dream of mine to be on A podcast…as in get interviewed once. I was lucky enough to do that on Biceps After Babies Radio in January of 2021 when Amber and I talked about the Magic of Maintenance on her show. I’ll never forget how nervous I was for that..a feeling that was only rivaled by how star-struck I was to have the honor of sitting across the camera from her.

What an incredible example this has been for me in…’don’t look now, but your life is HAPPENING.’ Looking back, I am so grateful for having these weekly downloads with the most amazing women as a reminder of what a holistic, healthy, vibrant life looks like beyond macros and training in the gym.

My hope is you can feel it too when you listen to us.

Please celebrate with us by tuning in to the episode that will be released tomorrow for all the details of the giveaway. While I can’t tell you all the prizes yet, I can tell you that the winner will be chosen from one of our 5 star rating and reviews on iTunes podcasts. So if you’ve already listened and haven’t yet left a review…will you?

Thank you so much!! And in the comments - let me know what episode you’ve liked most OR what we need to talk about NEXT! I’ll have my own separate prize to share from this post. Swipe to see what I’ve been working on…

Xoxo

02/01/2022

Don’t you HATE it when you get to the grocery store, only to have forgotten your list? Or worse, get home and realized you forgot to grab an essential!

There are multiple items I like to buy at a variety of stores for a variety of reasons. Price, exclusivity, bulk, brand, etc.

One of the best life hacks I’ve done to avoid the inconvenience of having to run back out or make a sup-par substitute, is create store-specific lists that I keep on my phone. And today, I am sharing them with you!

The items listed are my essentials and therefore ‘always on the list.’ This way if I go to Trader Joe’s because I am in the area and need 1-2 things for dinner, I won’t forget to think about any of my favorites while I am in there.

I never buy everything, but I do always take a mental inventory and sometimes buy on a whim if I think I *might* be out of something. But usually I have a pretty good feel for what may be running low.

In addition to these items, there the impulse/one time purchase items I can get anywhere and never write down - like most snacks, fun cereal, countertop fruit, in season produce, one-time ingredients, holiday treats, baking goods, etc.

I hope this peek inside the notes of my phone to share my favorite grocery items helps you create your own list to have at the ready!

My newest addition is the Cacio e Pepe puffs from Trader Joe’s, which of course they appear to be OUT OF at the moment because probably everyone knows how delicious they are.

I’d love to create a list we can expand on. Drop an item below that you MUST have or a favorite item unique to your favorite store!

Katie Crokus

01/14/2025

12/30/2024

12/12/2024

09/29/2024

09/19/2024

01/30/2023

08/11/2022

07/27/2022

04/06/2022

04/02/2022

03/07/2022

02/01/2022

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