Updates from Leah Negrin

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Muffins DF

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Muffins DF
These Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Muffins are soft, sweet, and secretly packed with veggies; your new favorite way to use up summer zucchini! Made dairy-free with creamy coconut yogurt and naturally sweetened with maple syrup, they’re the perfect balance of wholesome and indulgent. Bonus: they're gluten-free and loaded with melty dark chocolate chips in every bite. Great for breakfast, snack time, or a lunchbox treat!

Ingredients:
  • 1/3 cup Avocado Oil
  • 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
  • 1/3 cup Unsweetened Coconut Yogurt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Zucchini (medium, grated)
  • 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 3/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tray with liners or use a silicone muffin tray.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the oil, maple syrup, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Add the zucchini and stir to combine.
  3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined and then fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between muffin cups. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tray for 10 to 15 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
12 servings


Your Body Isn’t Broken - It’s Talking

Your Body Isn’t Broken - It’s Talking
If it feels like your body is working against you—you're tired, moody, bloated, or just not feeling like yourself—it might be time to shift your approach. Not with another restrictive diet or unrealistic plan, but with something much more intuitive: reconnection.

Your body isn’t the enemy. It’s working for you every single day—responding to hormone fluctuations, nutrient needs, stress, sleep, and more. The problem is, most of us were never taught how to listen to it. That’s exactly why I created The Cycle Syncing Recipe Book—to help women stop battling their bodies and start nourishing them in a way that actually supports their natural rhythms.

Each phase of your cycle brings different hormonal changes—and different needs. Maybe your body needs more iron during menstruation. Maybe it thrives on magnesium and healthy fats during your luteal phase. When you support those needs with food, everything shifts: energy steadies, mood improves, bloating eases, and you start to feel… like you again.

This isn’t about cutting out your favorite foods or trying to be “perfect.” It’s about learning how to work with your body instead of constantly feeling like you’re working against it. Food becomes a tool—not a punishment. A way to say, “I see you. I hear you. I’m with you.”

Inside the Cycle Syncing Recipe Book, you’ll find meals designed to support each phase of your cycle, using real, nourishing ingredients that taste good and make you feel good. These recipes are simple, practical, and created with busy women in mind—because hormone balance shouldn’t feel like another full-time job.

So if your body’s been sending you signals and you’re finally ready to listen, this is your sign to make a change.

💛 Click the link to start supporting your hormones with every bite.

Your body will thank you.

Why Does No One Talk About How Different You Feel Week to Week as a Woman?

Why Does No One Talk About How Different You Feel Week to Week as a Woman?
Have you ever wondered why some weeks you feel unstoppable and the next you just want to hide under a blanket with snacks and Netflix? It's not just you. It's not that you're "too emotional" or "lazy" or "overdramatic." It's your hormones doing exactly what they’re designed to do.

The truth is, you’re not supposed to feel the same every single day. Your body follows a beautifully complex hormonal rhythm throughout the month. And yet, no one really talks about it. No one pulled me aside in high school and said, “Hey, by the way, PMS isn’t mandatory—your body is just asking for support.”

Instead, we're taught to push through, to ignore the signs, to label ourselves as "moody" or "dramatic." But what if feeling tired, cranky, or bloated isn’t a character flaw—it’s simply your hormones shifting and asking for different support?

Take the luteal phase, for example—the week or so before your period. It can feel intense. You might notice lower energy, bigger emotions, and stronger cravings. But it’s not because you're "lazy" or "crazy." It’s because your body is literally working overtime to prepare for your next cycle. And it deserves real support… and yes, real snacks.

Another thing no one seems to mention? The way you eat can actually make a difference. Eating with your cycle—meaning adjusting your foods to match what your body needs in each phase—can help ease cramps, reduce bloating, stabilize your mood, and even boost your energy.

When you stop fighting your body and start working with it, everything starts to shift. You feel more grounded. More in control. More like yourself again.

If you’re tired of feeling like you’re on a hormonal rollercoaster every month, you're not alone—and you're definitely not broken. You’re just ready for real support that honors the rhythm your body was made for.

Want some simple, nourishing recipes to help balance your hormones in every phase? Click here to grab my hormone-friendly recipe book and start feeling the difference today!

Cabbage Slaw with Fresh Herbs, Almonds and Lime

Cabbage Slaw with Fresh Herbs, Almonds and Lime
This recipe is loaded with vitamins (A, C, E, and K) to support immunity, vision, and healthy blood clotting. Thanks to purple cabbage and carrots, it’s also high in fiber for better digestion and blood sugar balance. Plus, heart-healthy fats from olive oil and almonds help support good cholesterol and overall heart health.

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups Purple Cabbage (thinly sliced)
  • 1 Carrot (large, grated)
  • 2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
  • Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
  • 1/4 cup Red Onion
  • 1/2 cup Parsley (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup Fresh Dill (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup Sliced Almonds
  • 1 1/2 Lime (medium, juiced)
Ingredients:
  1. Add the cabbage, carrot, half the oil, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Lightly massage to soften the cabbage.
  2. Add the onion, parsley, dill, almonds, the remaining oil, and lime juice and toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Divide evenly onto plates and enjoy!


Why You’re Still Exhausted After 8 Hours of Sleep (And What to Do About It)

Why You’re Still Exhausted After 8 Hours of Sleep (And What to Do About It)
You did everything right—you got to bed on time, skipped the late-night scroll, even clocked a full 8 hours. So why are you still dragging through the day like you pulled an all-nighter?

Here’s the truth: exhaustion isn’t always about how much you sleep. It’s often about what’s happening inside your body while you sleep.

If you’re waking up feeling like you haven’t slept at all, there’s a deeper reason—and no, the answer isn’t another cup of coffee.

✨ Let’s break it down:

  • Low progesterone can mess with your ability to enter deep, restorative sleep (especially in the second half of your cycle).
  • Blood sugar crashes overnight can leave you tossing, turning, or waking up groggy and foggy.
  • Elevated cortisol (your stress hormone) can spike during the night and disrupt sleep quality, even if you’re not fully waking up.
  • And a sluggish liver means your body isn’t detoxing effectively while you sleep—which can leave you feeling heavy, groggy, and inflamed in the morning.
Your body is trying to rebalance itself, but without the right fuel and support, it’s like trying to drive with the emergency brake on.

💛 So what can you do?

Start with three powerful shifts:

  1. Balance your blood sugar—especially at night. Skip the sugary evening snacks and opt for protein + healthy fats to keep your energy stable.
  2. Support your liver with foods like leafy greens, beets, lemon water, and cruciferous veggies.
  3. Eat in sync with your cycle so your hormones are getting exactly what they need—when they need it.
Your hormones don’t want perfection. They want consistency, nourishment, and support.

That’s exactly why I created my Cycle Syncing Recipe Book—it’s filled with easy, nourishing meals that are designed to work with your body, not against it. Whether you’re in your follicular phase and feeling great, or in your luteal phase and crashing hard, you’ll have recipes that help stabilize your energy, boost your mood, and finally help you wake up feeling refreshed.

✨ Ready to stop sleeping through exhaustion and start waking up with actual energy?

Click HERE to grab your copy and give your body the support it’s been asking for.

 
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Meet Leah Negrin

 
I am a bold, beautiful, sometimes timid, usually happy, essential oil, nutrition junkie. Although at 39 I feel as if I've had several careers over a lifetime (or at least sometimes when I look back at my resume that is what shines through). I've been a paralegal, an office manager, an administrative assistant, worked in commercial lending and have finally landed on nutrition.

My journey to nutrition started many years ago when my sister was diagnosed with celiac disease and food had to change for the family. From there, along my own health journey I’ve helped people not only figure out what to eat but how to do it so that it can work for them sustainably. For almost seven years I’ve been counseling people on their nutrition and weight loss journeys. 

Finally getting some sunshine in Southern California *Photo credit  Brittany Hassett 

I am knowledgeable about what purpose food serves your body and I focus on finding sustainable options when it comes to food; this also led to my love of essential oils. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop where a registered dietitian spoke about using essential oils in her practice to help her patients. I was floored. I knew that #plantsheal but I didn't realize that others in the 'conventional' medical community thought that as well!! Learning that it was possible to incorporate these magical little bottles gave me a huge sense of hope.


Alina, myself and Caitlin (oily bffs) *Photo credit Anne Negrin

 
As I learned more about these oils I was diagnosed with increased intestinal permeability or as many of us know it, leaky gut. Leaky gut has been around for quite awhile but many of us are just learning what this is or why this is even more common these days than ever before. Many issues can be related to leaky gut including autoimmune diseases. Receiving this diagnosis just led me down a path further to learn about nutrition and how to best serve my body and take care of myself.


Enjoying a vegan ice cream cone in Budapest! *Photo credit to Michelle Owen 

Since birthing our sweet baby boy at home earlier this year I’ve been incredibly passionate about helping other women too who are pregnant and new mothers with their nutrition. Eating healthy for your pregnant body and your postpartum self is a game changer for both mother and baby.

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