Year in Review: Eat the Gains in 2020

Year in Review: Eat the Gains in 2020  – a look back on 2020 with everything that happened, the most popular recipes, and what’s to come for Eat the Gains!

2020! I think we can all say, what a freaking year?!

2020 was definitely not what we expected going into it and was probably one of the hardest years yet for so many reasons. With that being said, there were definitely some good things that came out of it!

I have done year-end reviews the last couple of years and enjoy looking back on the year! So here is what happened on Eat the Gains in 2020 – I’m going to recap some things that happened for me personally, along with some business things, some favorite recipes, and what’s to come.

Here are the year’s previous reviews —> 2017 | 2018 | 2019

Looking back helps you realize how far you have come and all the progress you had over the year. When running a business, it’s so easy to just keep pushing forward and trying to get to the next goal or whatever it is (I am so guilty of this). Taking time to look back is so helpful to see how much you have grown.

So let’s get into it all!

Life happenings

1. I became a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner! I have thought about completing the NTA since moving to Austin almost 7 years ago. At the beginning of the year, I finally pulled the trigger and so happy I did. The program was great and furthered my knowledge to use in my nutrition coaching and just life in general.
2. We traveled to the east coast for 2 months! 2020 was supposed to be the year of travel for me (or so I thought at the end of 2019). As we all know, that got turned upside down, but in hindsight, it allowed us to travel back east to spend time with our families for 2 months. Since Micahel was working from home, we worked from my parent’s beach house for 2 months and it was so nice. It was a very much needed change of pace and nice to spend so much time with family! And obviously be on the water!
3. Officially quit CrossFit and switched to strength training/bodybuilding workouts with Paragon. I had been burnt out on CrossFit for some time, but I officially decided to stop in February. I had every intention of still doing some HIIT training, but quarantine happened and we were stuck to our home gym. This has been a blessing in disguise as I feel so much better, have made some huge strength gains, and my body composition is better than ever (in my opinion).
4. ETG did the second veggie challenge and it was a huge success! Stay tuned for another one in 2021!
5. We did some things around the house that we have wanted to do for a few years including getting new lighting in the kitchen and landscaping out front.
6. Food freedom! I said this last year, but I am 100% in my food freedom and am loving it. Am I perfect? Of course not. But I am pretty good at balancing eat well and also satisfying my cravings while enjoying myself. Food no longer consumes my every thought or move and it’s just another part of the day. For me, that is a huge win.

As much as this year didn’t go as planned and there aren’t any huge things on this list, it was filled with lots of good moments.

Eat the Gains in 2020 – the content

Looking back, I didn’t share as many recipes as I have in the past. With completing the NTA, a lot of my time was dedicated to that, along with nutrition coaching. I honestly had a hard time balancing everything and was pretty stressed out at times.

That being said, we did share some good posts this year.

Let’s get into the most popular post this past year!

Top 5 recipes/posts posted in 2020:

1. Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
2. How to get your Period Back Naturally
3. Sausage Peppers and Potatoes Skillet
4. Turnip Fries
5. Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

5 most popular recipes overall for 2020 (from a reader’s standpoint):

1. Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
2. Air Fryer Boneless Buffalo Wings
3. 6 Whole30 Sauces that Aren’t Mayo
4. Grilled Cabbage Steaks
5. Beef Taco Casserole (Paleo/Whole30)

My top 3 favorite posts of 2020:

1. Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
2. How to get your Period Back Naturally – not a recipe, but near and dear to my heart
3. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Michael’s top 3 favorite posts of 2020:

1. Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
2. Sausage Peppers and Potatoes Skillet
3. Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Cashew’s favorite recipes of 2020:

1. Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Obviously,  I just had to put that in there haha!

Eat the Gains in 2020 – growth

I saw some great growth in 2020 as I have in previous years. My page views continue to rise, my photography and videos have improved, and my organic growth is continuing to grow (something I continue to work on). It is a never-ending journey of learning and improving.

I also feel like I have really found my voice. When I first started ETG, I jumped from diet to diet and honestly was a little lost in actually listening to my intuition. With diving more and more into my food freedom, I’ve found a good balance of eating and including all foods, and I want to share that.

While most of the recipes I share might fall into a certain way of eating, I want to show all foods can fit. I also don’t want to be just a recipe site and want to share more health and wellness too.

My nutrition coaching has also grown tremendously and it brings me so much joy. I feel so lucky to be able to help people reach their goals and find a more balanced life. It definitely has been a learning experience as well, but I am excited for it to continue to grow and evolve.

I’m hoping that as I continue to grow, I can continue to add to my team as well! This has been on my mind so much lately. With this site and my nutrition coaching, I am essentially running two businesses. And I am learning I cannot do everything I want (and need to do) and still stay sane and have a life.

What is coming in 2021

As I have said in previous years, I would like to continue to share more content than just recipes. Last year this was a big goal of mine and I think I did an okay job. I think I do a better job on Instagram and Instagram stories, but I would really like to have more diversified content here on ETG relating to wellness.

As I continue to learn and personally grow, I plan on talking more about nutrition, food freedom, and finding balance.

I also hope to expand my nutrition coaching services and continue my education (already signed up for another certification in 2021 lol). Nutrition coaching has really become such a joy in my life and I want to continue down that road. Food and recipes are great, but wellness is so much more than that. I want to continue to help women learn to eat more food and fuel their bodies to reach their goals.

Nonbusiness wise, I want to travel to new places (if the circumstances allow), continue to work on having a work-life balance, enjoy more time with my husband and Cashew, spend more time with friends and family, and have more downtime for myself.

THANK YOU!

Last, but certainly not least and most importantly, I want to thank every single one of you for supporting Eat the Gains in 2020. For trying my recipes, leaving a comment and rating on recipes, sharing my website with your friends and family, commenting and messaging me on Instagram, and more.

This community is seriously the best and I can’t thank you guys enough for supporting me. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you 🤗🤗 it really is you that helps me continue to push through when I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. Your support does not go unnoticed!

Also, a huge thank you to Kaylin for helping me with Eat the Gains. She does so much behind the scenes and is a huge reason why we continue to see growth! And of course Michael and my family for supporting me along this journey!

Now here’s to a new year and kicking some ass 2021!! Let’s do this!!

This post may contain affiliate links and I may make a little bit of money if you click on and purchase the products through the links. It doesn’t cost you any extra money. The compensation helps with expenses to keep ETG up and running. I truly appreciate your support!