Smiling Bellies, LLC

03/01/2026

108 Fasting as a Foundation -

Ramadan and Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon  Link to Olajuwon Article  I remember growing up during one of my father’s fervent basketball rants he described how dominant Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon was as a Houston Rocket in the 1990’s. As I participate in my third straight Ramadan (I’m not ...

02/16/2026

The key to becoming a healthier individual whether you are an athlete or not is getting in the kitchen.

Here I made homemade granola bars with ingredients I had in my kitchen, use what you already have and go from there.

Need help incorporating homemade nutrient dense snacks into your nutritional strategies please send me a DM!

With gratitude,

02/12/2026

Secrets of a Corporate Chef

Can you tell this was back during Covid?
I think I was in charge of about 25lbs of carrot 🥕 salad 🥗. I always tried to make work fun 🤩 for myself because you can never take yourself to seriously.

What I learned at the onset of the Pandemic is that every organization is capable of adapting. We had to adapt from chefs in our individual houses to chefs coming together as one to feed all the houses.

So many people and organizations are so afraid of change when it is the only thing that is guaranteed.

Need help implementing health education workshops or cooking demonstrations for your community I’m your person.

With love,

02/05/2026

What sides are you eating!? During COVID, I was part of a team of chefs that fed over 100+ residents a day. This day I was in charge of roasting parsnips and carrots.

Eating nutrient dense Whole Foods is not hard, it just takes a little effort. And just a little effort goes a long way.

Dm me if you are looking for someone who can help you build an upgraded weekly menu that satisfies your dietary and nutritional needs.

What are your favorite winter sides?!

With love,

02/03/2026

I learned from reading Brendan Brazier’s book, THRIVE: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Nutrition that nutrient-dense Whole Foods will keep you satisfied.

Food with low nutrient value is a major factor in escalating obesity rates. The healthiest way to meet nutritional needs is to simply eat a diet rich in WHOLE FOODS. One of the Whole Foods that he recommends in the diet are DATES. Here I tried the viral date chocolate bark. It’s delicious 🤤

DATES

Sometimes referred to as “Nature’s Fuel” because of its ease of digestibility. Upon consumption, glucose is rapidly converted to glycogen in the liver. Maintaining an adequate glycogen supply in both the muscles and the liver is imperative for sustained energy. For this reason, dates are best consumed shortly before, during or immediately after exercise.

The alkaline forming date is the deal snack to fuel activity. Definitely should be included in your bag as a go to snack.

Deglet Noor and Medjol are the most common types in stores.

Need help building a list of snacks that can complement your healthy lifestyle let’s talk.

01/31/2026

2026 Annual Letter to Subscribers - https://mailchi.mp/b82ddf72c0bf/annual-letter-to-subscribers-13908173

01/28/2026

Keep going! Nobody’s keeping score but you!
You only need one opportunity!!! How are you preparing for it?!

🎥: commercial 🤔

With gratitude,
!

01/27/2026

I played at the elite level so this is coming from someone who has been a student and professional athlete, the coach sets the tone and everyone else follows. It may sound like he’s whining but really he’s asking the people around him to SHOW UP LIKE HIM!

The MESSAGE: YOU SHOULD ALWAYS COME PREPARED TO EXHAUST YOUR EFFORT.

One of my coaches use to ask me, “What are you holding back for?!” and I still ask myself that question to this day when I feel like I’m not giving total effort.

The people who are successful make an intentional choice to show up every single day irrespective of their feelings.

With love,

01/22/2026

to when I worked as a corporate chef and I still needed to get my movement in, so I would walk before my shift started and during my lunch break. The facility I use to work at had designated walking trails for our residents and ya know at any chance I got I utilized those trails.

MOVEMENT IS MANDATORY for ALL OF US. It doesn’t matter if you were an athlete or not, you are a human being and were meant to move. Walking is one of my favorite types of exercise!

A reminder to myself and you that the conditions will never be perfect to start, you just have to. The urge to start must come from within.

Need help putting together a wellness plan that complements your active lifestyle? Please send me a DM!

01/21/2026

I’m a health education facilitator and one of the simplest things I advise people do is READ THE LABELS. A small step that gives back tenfold.

Y’all know I do my Trader Joe’s food hauls but I wanted to stop and just share I analyze things in the store before I purchase them.

Always looking for 1 ingredient packages or just going directly to the source!

According to the Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives Sulfur Dioxide is a bleaching additive and is highly irritating to the gut and can produce respiratory irritation.

If you need help navigating the grocery store always down to hop along with you while food shopping 🛒 send me a DM!

With love,

01/20/2026

I may not be working in a corporate kitchen anymore but I’m always in my kitchen trying new things out. It doesn’t matter if you’re a meat eater or a plant eater, everyone craves VARIETY!!!!

Idk what I was eating but I know it was good!

Encouraging you all to use your hands and get in the kitchen, it’s the most spectacular thing!!

REMINDER: EAT REAL FOOD

Need help with adding more variety to your cooking please don’t hesitate to send me a message or DM!

With love,

01/16/2026

circa 2020: Being invited to the practice facility.

The wide array of offerings for the players was inspiring to see and confirmed to me that as you go higher in level your habits have to change.

Yes a lot of athletes STILL EAT BS, but the athletes that are looking for longevity and striving for greatness are absolutely watching and monitoring what they are using as fuel. ⛽️

If your team needs help putting a proactive wellness plan together to address poor eating and drinking habits please reach out!!