Almost 10 years out of school and August still feels like a fresh start
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the monthly edition
Powellful Habits
Nutrition · Real Life · No Nonsense
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Back to School Edition · August 2026
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Hi!,
I have been out of school for almost ten years now. Ten years since I walked out of my graduate program for the last time. And yet every single August, something in my brain flips a switch and suddenly I'm ready to reorganize my entire life.
We are so conditioned to treat the start of school like a fresh start, and honestly? I'm not mad about it. I lean into it every year. Even without a class to attend or a syllabus to stress over, August and September feel like the best time to reset habits, close out the year strong, and get ahead of the "new year, new me" spiral before it even starts.
This year hits a little different though. This is my first year sending a kid to kindergarten. Queue all the tears, because apparently I did not get the memo that it was going to wreck me like this. And as if starting kindergarten wasn't enough of a milestone, my son also decided this was the perfect week to lose his first two teeth. God forbid we just have one big moment at a time. We had to stack them.
So in the spirit of new beginnings, here are the three things I'm doing right now to set myself up for the rest of the year. Steal this list. It's yours.
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This month's focus
My 3-Step Back-to-School Reset
For moms who haven't been in school in a decade.
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01
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The Full Pantry Overhaul
I went through everything. Pulled it all out, wiped the shelves down, and rebuilt it with intention. The goal was simple: afterschool snacks ready to grab the second we walk in the door, and easy pull-together dinner options that don't require me to cook everything from scratch after a full workday.
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I also may have fallen deep into a Temu rabbit hole buying pantry organizers, and I just have to say: whoever is running their marketing has absolutely figured out how to keep you spending. If you know, you know. And if you've found a way to actually cash out your Temu credits, please reply and tell me your secrets immediately.
The point is: when the pantry is organized and stocked with the right things, you stop staring blankly at the fridge at 5:45pm. The decision is already made. That's the whole strategy.
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What to stock
Rotisserie chicken, canned beans, whole grain pasta, jarred marinara, nuts, nut butter, rice cakes, protein bars you actually like, and at least two grab-and-go snacks per person in your house. Done.
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02
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The Freezer Stocking Session
Right alongside the pantry, I stocked the freezer. Frozen proteins, pre-made freezer meals, and grab-and-go breakfast options for myself so I can hit 70% of my protein and macros before I even walk out the door in the morning.
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If you're in the Working Moms Nutrition Club, you know exactly what I'm talking about here. And if you're not yet — this is one of the reasons I really want you in there. I have everything you need to get your freezer stocked and your mornings sorted, all in one place, completely free.
The goal with both the pantry and the freezer is the same: lower the barrier. Make the easy choice the obvious choice. When good options are ready to go, you don't have to rely on willpower at the end of a long day.
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03
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The Mindset Reset
This one is the most important and the easiest to skip, so I'm putting it third so you actually read it.
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Before you charge into this new season with a seventeen-point plan for everything you're going to do differently, take a breath. Look back at the last eight months. What did you already accomplish? What shifted, even quietly, even imperfectly?
Give yourself credit for that first.
Then ask: what is one thing — just one — you would love to close out this year having done? Not ten things. One. Make that your priority for the next few weeks. Get that momentum going. Once one thing is moving, the others get easier.
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We are not doing all-or-nothing over here. We are doing one thing, done well, and building from there.
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This month's back-to-school dinner
Sheet Pan Sausage, White Beans, and Veggies
One pan · 30 minutes · feeds a family of 4
This is the dinner I keep coming back to when I need something fast, filling, and requires absolutely minimal thought after a long day.
What you need:
• 1 pack chicken or turkey sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• Olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper
How to make it:
Toss everything on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season generously, and roast at 400°F for 25–30 minutes until the sausage gets a little color and the veggies soften. Serve straight from the pan.
~32g protein per serving. One pan to wash. That's the whole win.
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Come hang out
The Working Moms Nutrition Club
This is where I'm putting everything. Meal plans, freezer stocking guides, protein resources, back-to-school pantry lists — all of it, in one place, completely free. So you're not digging through old emails or saved Instagram posts at 9pm trying to remember where you saw that thing.
I want this to be such a good place for all of us. Working moms who are finally, finally ready to put a little energy back into themselves. Not hours and hours of your time. Not an overhaul. Just a smarter, easier way to take care of yourself in the season of life you're actually in right now.
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Wherever you are in this season of life — kindergarten drop-offs, daycare pickups, still in the diaper years — if you're feeling ready to start prioritizing yourself and your health just a little bit more, I would love to see you inside the club.
Hit reply and tell me: are you a back-to-school fresh-start person, or does this whole thing feel like chaos to you?
— Emmaline
Registered Dietitian · Powellful Habits
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